It's hard, and it happens so fast.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers sack season leader Stylez G. White says one minute your on top of the world, and the next minute you're working for $9 an hour.
"I was doing it all in a hotel in Ohio," said White. "Front desk, banquet setup, everything and I realized it wasn't for me."
White was trying to figure out what to do with his life after he was let go by the Buccaneers following the 2010 season.
"I started doing cross fit training and I thought, this is for me," said White, who is in better shape now than when he played. White is going to open his own gym within the next month in the St. Petersburg area and he's started a company called Elite Vandals. The Newark, N.J. native says he likes helping people and he's happy being back in Tampa Bay.
"I was the rap video," said White, who loves to have a good time but can't blow money the way he used to. "I was a bottle service guy. It gets old and expensive. There's no way to teach you to curb your spending since the paychecks aren't coming in anymore. You gotta learn. I did."
White says he got a call from his former Bucs teammate Chris Hovan, who now coaches the defensive line for the Tampa Bay Storm. White says he would play Arena ball again. but only under one condition. "They pay me," said White, who added that the salaries in the AFL are a lot smaller than when he played for the Orlando Predators.
On Josh Freeman? "He can do it. He's done it. he was always the last one to leave the building and he put in his time at the facility."
Can Tim Tebow make it in the Arena League? "I don't know. I wasn't a quarterback. The Arena League really helped me because it's so fast."
What does he miss about the NFL? "The guys. You're with them more than your family. Some I've stayed tight with."
How about NFL gameday? "The fly over. Nothing like it."