It’s always good to have a side job. Even if you’re an NFL player, apparently.
That might be one reason why A.J. Francis, a defensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins, made this career decision Wednesday night.
Wait. Say what?
Francis is an interesting dude. Or at least he has an interesting work ethic. The former University of Maryland standout was undrafted in 2013, and he spent time with the Patriots before landing in Miami. He returned to the Dolphins in 2014 and reportedly had a chance at landing a spot as a backup, but he injured himself and missed the entire season.
He’ll play for Miami again in 2015, but not before he returned to school at Maryland and continued on his journey to finish his master’s degree in international security and economic policy. As the Washington Post wrote in March, Francis has a good reason for continuing his studies.
The story behind his interest in politics, Francis said, began when he was a 12-year-old student at Old Mill Middle School. One day after school, he said, Francis and his father went to McDonald’s for lunch. After pulling into the parking lot, two police officers approached and “put guns to our head, and told us to get on the ground, told us to not make a move,” Francis said. They had been mistakenly identified as two robbery suspects, Francis added, and were eventually released on the spot.
“That’s when I decided I really wanted to get into politics, because to me, the only way you can really make a change in the world, other than just being filthy rich, is being in the realm of politics,” he said.
Of course, making money was something on Francis’ mind Wednesday night.
That’s another story for another day. Other than that, here’s wishing luck to the 6-foot-5, 309-pound Francis during the Uber job application process. We imagine an upset police detective won’t be messing with him anytime soon.
Photo via Colin/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
