Former New York Jets linebacker Ricky Sapp is continuing to make plays. Now retired from football, Sapp is delivering the hits as a children’s book author.
For a player who followed his childhood dream to play football at the highest level in the NFL, Sapp’s life is now led by a different purpose.
Following a playing career that included three years as a linebacker with the Jets, Sapp started coaching high school football in South Carolina, where he would become a substitute teacher in Myrtle Beach. He then joined the coaching staff at his alma mater, becoming a strength coach at Clemson.
On the side, he had been doing some motivational speaking. Through appearances at community events, schools and youth groups, Sapp began to hear feedback about his life story. A common thread began to emerge, which would lead to another career change for the former NFL linebacker.
As much as he loved coaching football, he wanted to go into motivational speaking, this much he knew. But the parents attending his events began telling him that he should write a book about his life.
So, Sapp took a leap of faith a couple of years ago, going all-in on his life story. In Dream Big (released this summer through the Ricky Sapp Foundation), Sapp details his life beginning as a nine-year-old boy.
“The book talks about how when I was young, my mom would drive me past South Carolina State University Bulldogs football stadium to go pick my dad up from work,” Sapp told Jets Wire.
“Well, when I was a young kid, I’d never seen a stadium like that in my life. So when I rolled by and I saw the stadium, my mom saw how excited I was, and I was like, ‘Mom, you know, what the heck is that?’ And she told me what it was, so she would drive me past the stadium all the time and I would stare out the window.”
He told his mother that one day, he would play in a stadium like that.
Weeks after that drive, Sapp was in the car again with his mother. Staring out the window, he saw Pop Warner football practice. He asked again about what was happening and she stopped the car.
Sapp ran out the door and asked a coach if it was too late to play. The coach said that Sapp could play if he had the $10 registration fee.
His mother did, and Sapp’s football career began that day. He began playing on the offensive line, eventually transitioning to running back. Even in those early days, Sapp made an impression on the football field.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing from there for Sapp.
He…
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