Chasing Destiny by Chris Stewart

Chris Stewart wrote an article about chasing his own destiny. Chris Stewart played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2006-2010) as an offensive lineman. He was picked up as a UDFA by the New York Jets, but was cut before the preseason ended. He is currently on the Arizona Cardinals’ roster trying to make the 53-man team. CS wrote this article about the unique opportunity that he has received.

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I never knew that I’d be 24 years old and this would be life. It was never supposed to be like this, was all that I could think about. The day was April 26, 2011 and a friend of mine, Cheta Ozougwu, had just been taken as Mr. Irrelevant, the last pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Despite having a good Pro Day, starting 3+ years at Notre Dame, and having a fourth round “draft grade” before the start of my final season, I had gone undrafted. I spent the rest of that day like the previous two days in complete and utter silence. Sitting at a friend’s family home in Culver, IN was a surreal moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life. I may have been forgotten for those three days in April of 2010, but I am hell bent on making sure ‘they’ won’t ever forget about me again…

I was asked to start a unique opportunity, and post a blog on this site, and I am going to take advantage of it. I am in every sense of the word to most people in the football world, “a nobody” and yet, I’m now signed on with the Arizona Cardinals. I am probably unlike any football player that you’ve ever seen. That is because during my fifth year in college at Notre Dame, I became blessed enough to become the first Division I football player to become a law student while still playing the game we all love. This background coupled with a unique lockout perspective, viewers of my blog will be exposed to a side of Notre Dame, the NFL, and the sports entertainment world unlike most of you have ever read about before. It is my hope that I will give readers a chance to see these programs and this business from a new perspective.

Like some of my readers and so many other people in the NFL, I am just a guy trying to make something of himself at a job in which I love. It is not a dream of mine to play football, far from it. It is what I was destined to do. The only question now is how long my career will last. As you will quickly find out about me, I believe a lot in the fulfillment of destiny and that each person is here on this Earth for a reason to reach their fullest potential. I will give you fair warning though. I am a goofy, opinionated person who has no problem taking a stance on issues pertinent to my life and the world I live in every day. I do have a duty as a player to protect myself, my club, and the NFL shield so I won’t get that out of hand (no fines for me please), but I will be true to my opinions. I can’t wait to see where this blog goes, both on and off the field this year. With that being said, here is a preview of my next topic…

I had picked a ‘great’ time to come out of college and go to the pros. The lockout was in full swing the year I left college and no one knew what the hell was really going to happen with the court proceedings or how they would shape the estimated $9 BILLION industry that is the NFL. Many viewers know that this new CBA has changed the league in a number of ways, but what effects did this lockout have on the vast majority of players who earn the league minimum each year in the league?

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