Terry Crews recently reflected on "feeling devastated" amid financial insecurities following his brief NFL career. Speaking on stage at the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on Saturday night, he detailed his struggle with breaking into the entertainment industry. Crews had played for several teams in the NFL throughout the 1990s.
“After retiring from the NFL, I struggled to get to the next level where I wanted to be," he admitted as noted by Variety. "I tried and failed many times to secure a job in entertainment, but there was no luck. And then my wife’s wedding ring took its fourth trip to the pawn shop. When that happened, she told me maybe it’s time you widen the search and do anything that could genuinely put food on the table."
Terry Crews With NFL Legend Vernon Davis
From there, he explained that he tried picking up manual labor jobs through a temp agency. “After spending the previous night searching the couch cushions for change, I made the humbling decision to go in and register to be placed as a temp somewhere, anywhere,” Crews shared. “The temp agency sent me to a factory and when I arrived I was unceremoniously handed a broom and told to sweep the entire factory. I did that for eight hours, earning $8 for each of those hours.”
He continued: “Now, my pride left me feeling devastated. But something else happened that allowed me to reshape my mindset bit by bit. At the end of the day, I was able to put gas in the car and food on our table. I went to sleep exhausted, but I would wake up ready to take charge of my life.” In the time since, Crews has gone on to host America's Got Talent, while also starring in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, White Chicks, and more.
[Via]