Episode 80 of The Mental Game brings aboard former All-Pro NFL cornerback Jerry Azumah.
Azumah played seven seasons for the Chicago Bears, earning a Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection in 2003. His NFL career came on the heels of a super successful four years at the University of New Hampshire. Under then-head coach Chip Kelly, Azumah starred as a running back, winning the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in all of Division I-AA.
Given his college success, Azumah was blindsided when he found out the Chicago Bears intended to draft him as a defensive back. When they did just that in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, Azumah was forced to adjust — to learn his sport from the opposite point of view: as a defender.
As he describes in this episode, the growing pains were grueling — but the subsequent life lessons were enlightening.
Azumah figured it out for nearly a decade in the NFL. Now, he focuses on his family, his philanthropic work, and on his burgeoning media career. I’ve had the delight of producing and co-hosting his podcast, “To The Points with Jerry Azumah.”
On The Mental Game, Azumah…
The Mental Game podcast is produced by Sam Brief and music is courtesy of David Brief and Channel J. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and Stitcher.
The Mental Game is a proud partner of Laaser's Ladybug Society, which is a designated 501c3 organization combatting the stigmas that surround mental health by actively fundraising to support mental health initiatives and innovations in our school system. The mental health challenges faced by our youth are unprecedented and it is time to get off the bench and get in the game as we fight for the mental well-being of the next generation. Learn more and join the fight at LaasersLadybugs.org!