Interesting Der Spiegel interview with the first german to make an NFL roster

quote:

---

Patrick Venzke only recently turned 40, but even though his face looks youthful, his body is ravaged. He suffers terrible backaches, his left shoulder is wrecked and he also has knee trouble. "It's the price I paid to pursue my dream," he says as he drags himself up the steps of a café in Essen, Germany.

Venzke became the first German national to make a National Football League roster when he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in April 2001 -- although he was never fielded in any of the team's games. He began playing American football at home in Essen. At 18 he went to the States. After high school he was awarded a scholarship from the University of Idaho, where he studied marketing and spent four years playing college football. It was there that he caught the eye of the Jaguars' scouts. After a year in Jacksonville, Venzke moved to NFL Europe, where he played for Rhein Fire in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt Galaxy. He also had a spell in the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles squads. Today he describes American Football as Darwinism run riot. He lost count of the number of times he threw up during training. He retired in 2011.

Football is a game that rewards aggressive behavior. Ever since medical experts established an increased frequency of brain damage amongst NFL players, Venzke has been seriously worried. He's married and lives in Idaho, where he works as a realtor. In Germany over Easter to visit his father, Patrick Venzke got in touch with SPIEGEL to suggest an interview. He arrives with a notebook, in which he's jotted down some thoughts about what he wants to get off his chest. "When I was still playing I wouldn't have been in a position to give this sort of interview," he says. "It would have cost me my career."

---