Article: Tommy Maddox, from big fall to new beginnings

[SteelVictory]

Found this article on Tommy Maddox and what happened to him after football...got divorced, hit some really low points, reinvented himself and is successful again now.

http://dinocostashow.com/?p=7284

Maddox bounced around with several teams until 1995 when he left the NFL altogether. He sold insurance for a while then got restless.
In 2000 he joined Arena football and played for a year before moving to the short-lived XFL, where he led his team to the championship and became the league MVP in 2001.
It was enough to catch the attention of the Pittsburgh Steelers who invited him for a tryout.
He landed a job and started for a couple of seasons, winning Comeback Player of the Year in 2002 and a Super Bowl ring in 2005.

After he was turned away from Cowboys and his personal life dissolved, Maddox felt paralyzed by his reality.

The Comeback Player of the Year found himself cleaning out mud from a rain-soaked feeding trough.
His starting pay was $400 a week.
“I thought I’d be out there for a little bit,” Maddox said. “I was out there for three years.”

 

[SteelBuckeye]

Good article on the value of hard work and finding redemption. Thank you for sharing it!

 

[cpollock]

thanks for sharing this -- I worked for his foundation when he was in Pittsburgh - glad to see he is back on his feet and doing well !

 

[Drink IRON City]

Great read, thank you. I don't know him personally, but do hope the best for him.


Salute the nation

 

[Tim Steelersfan]

That was awesome, thank you for sharing.

 

[slashsteel]

glad your doing ok Tommy gun !

 

[Supersteeler]

Touchdown Tommy. The story of his NFL resurgence in Pittsburgh was epic.

 

[steel shinin]

The whole time I was reading that I was hoping he got back with his wife and his family. I'm glad it all worked out.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

I would think that going back to the insurance biz would be cleaner and less sweaty than shoveling out barns.

 

[Steelerz99]

I'll never forget the playoff comeback win against the Browns. Thanks Tommy!

 

[FordFairLane]

How do people piss away so much money lol Especially a former insurance agent who has to know the value of a fixed rate annuity and should have been squirreling money away his career and at the very least the second part of his career.

Glad it all worked out for him and I think he was an ok QB second time around. He had that quick release developed from the Arena league and I wish sometimes Roethlisberger would have learned a little of that.

 

[Wingman]

How do people piss away so much money lol Especially a former insurance agent who has to know the value of a fixed rate annuity and should have been squirreling money away his career and at the very least the second part of his career.

Glad it all worked out for him and I think he was an ok QB second time around. He had that quick release developed from the Arena league and I wish sometimes Roethlisberger would have learned a little of that.

maybe his exwife went through the money seems a lot of the high maintenance types do

 

[wvsteelerfan]

Thanks Tommy for ending the Slash era I will forever be greatful

 

[Supersteeler]

Thanks Tommy for ending the Slash era I will forever be greatful

You are correct. Despite Tommy's shortcomings, after watching Kordell bumble around for those years, Maddox looked like Joe Montana by comparison.

 

[bermudasteel]

Thanks for the good read. Very inspiring...

 

[cpollock]

maybe his exwife went through the money seems a lot of the high maintenance types do

Knowing both Tommy and Jennifer that is NOT the case. Both were very down to earth people. And the fact that he was working on a ranch if you read the article was to get back to the roots he knew -- it was a journey to re-find himself ..