Five NFL Players Who Traded Helmets for Scrubs (and Love It)
- Athletes to advocates: Former NFL players are applying teamwork and resilience to nursing, redefining what a second act can look like.
- A growing trend: With men making up only 13% of registered nurses, these players bring much-needed visibility and inspiration to the profession.
- Shared skills, new mission: Whether it’s quick decisions, physical stamina, or compassion under pressure, nursing is their new arena for impact.
When you think of nursing, you probably don’t imagine former NFL players rounding at dawn, charting vitals, or prepping IV lines. But a growing number of pro football players are doing exactly that.
A recent article in The New York Times called this phenomenon “The N.F.L. to Nursing Pipeline,” tracking how athletes are negotiating the same traits that made them successful on the field into successful nursing careers.
From helmets to hospital halls, five former NFL players are swapping playbooks for patient charts and touchdowns for telemetry.
Meet the 5 Players-Turned-Nurses (or Soon to Be Nurses)
D’Brickashaw Ferguson
- 🏈 Background: Former offensive tackle for the New York Jets, retired in 2016 after 10 seasons and three Pro Bowl selections.
- 🎓 Nursing Path: Graduated from the nursing program at Thomas Jefferson University College of Nursing in May 2025; now a nurse at RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey.
- 💡 Why Nursing: “My mom is a nurse, my grandmother is a nurse, and I have people in my family who are in healthcare,” he said.
- 💬 Nurse’s Perspective: Ferguson says the same focus that made him an elite athlete powers him at the bedside: “You can’t be timid. You have to go all in.”
Patrick Hill
- 🏈 Background: Former fullback/running back for the Tennessee Titans and University of Miami.
- 🎓 Nursing Path: Today a registered nurse working as an inpatient psychiatric nurse at UCLA Medical Center.
- 💡 Why Nursing: “I always had medicine in the back of my mind … It was amazing to be able to connect with someone suffering and offer hope.”
- 💬 Nurse’s Perspective: Hill compares two minutes of CPR to an NFL two-minute warning — all about focus and teamwork under pressure: “I feel like I matter.”
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- 🏈 Background: Running back for the Kansas City Chiefs and two-time Super Bowl champion.
- 🎓 Nursing Path: Currently balancing his NFL career while studying for a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
- 💡 Why Nursing: “It’s close to my heart,” he said. “My mom is a nurse and my little sister was born with muscular dystrophy.”
- 💬 Nurse’s Perspective: With one eye on the score-board and the other on his nursing textbooks, he’s using his platform to show that caring can be as powerful as competing.
Chandler Brayboy
- 🏈 Background: Wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars (practice squad) and former star at Elon University.
- 🎓 Nursing Path: Earned a nursing degree and plans to work in critical care after his football career.
- 💡 Why Nursing: Inspired after recognizing Parkinson’s symptoms in his grandfather during a high-school health class.
- 💬 Nurse’s Perspective: “It just made me feel like a superhero … I feel like that’s one way I could do it.”
Nathaniel (Nate) Hughes
- 🏈 Background: Former wide receiver who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and other teams.
- 🎓 Nursing Path: Earned his BSN in 2008 and spent seven years as an ICU nurse before becoming an anesthesiologist.
- 💡 Why Nursing: Hughes was drawn to healthcare after multiple on-field injuries — a firsthand look at patient care from the other side.
- 💬 Nurse’s Perspective: He says his time as an ICU nurse taught him resilience and precision: “Many people are unaware of how much preparation and studying goes into playing football… The ability to quickly adapt to different defensive fronts reminds me of the skills needed in the OR, where everyone has to react to the patient's changing condition and know what the next course of action should be.”
Why Is This Trend Emerging Now?
Nursing and football share intense teamwork, quick decision-making, and physical and mental demands, but why are more players choosing nursing now?
- Post-NFL Career: According to the Times, “The average NFL career is only around 3 to 4.5 years.” Many players begin asking: what comes next?
- Nursing is facing projected shortages. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), men make up only about 13 percent of registered nurses, which means male role-models from sports can be powerful.
- The skill overlap: Former athletes bring teamwork, high-stress decision-making and physical stamina — all relevant to nursing.
- Cultural shift: Nursing is gaining broader appeal as a viable second career for high-performers used to striving for excellence.
Final Whistle
The journey from helmet to hospital is more than catchy — it’s meaningful. Whether you’ve just passed your NCLEX, are leading a critical-care unit or mentoring nursing students, the idea that someone can go from pro athlete to accomplished nurse reinforces what many of us know: Nursing is more than a job — it’s a calling shaped by grit, compassion and readiness to act when it matters most.
So the next time you’re prepping your shift chart, remember: the traits you bring to the bedside — resilience, team spirit, rapid response — are the same ones that drove someone downfield. And maybe, just maybe, one of your future colleagues will be a former wide-receiver turned RN.
🤔 Who is your favorite NFL-player-turned nurse? Let us know in the discussion forum below.
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