SYRACUSE, NEW YORK- When former Syracuse football player, Kendall Coleman, got signed to his hometown Indianapolis Colts after the NFL Draft in April, he was the happiest man on the planet. Although he knew it was an uphill climb, he still had confidence in himself that he could make it all work.
“I knew it would be an uphill battle being an undrafted free agent, but I was optimistic being a hometown kid,” Coleman said.
However, Coleman eventually did receive that dreaded phone call indicating that his time with the team was done. But that hasn’t stopped him from still pursuing his dream with another team. He’s been involved with several tryouts with multiple teams in hopes of catching on somewhere. But the strict safety regulations put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, have made it difficult.
“Now almost every time, it’s a week long process,” Coleman said. “It’s a little bit tedious and tough on your body. Sitting in a hotel room for a week straight and then get told you have a one hour workout is hard.”
Although he was upset in the moment, it allowed him to take a step back and get back to the things that matter most to him in life such as his friends and family.
“It’s also been really rewarding because it’s given me time to enjoy the people that I’m around, enjoy the people I haven’t seen over the past few years and give back to the community that raised me.”
Over the past two months, Coleman has spent more time with friends and family than he has in the past four years. It’s also allowed him to take a peek into what could potentially be the next step for him in life. He has helped out with coaching his former high school team as a way to give back to a community that helped him.
“Still exploring, it could be coaching. You know I’ve been told by numerous coaches, numerous teammates, and numerous people around the business who’ve seen me do it.”
Coleman has even used this time off to think about starting a non-profit organization where underprivileged kids get to build relationships with their favorite college athletes. He said during the East-West Shrine game back in January, he had life-changing experience.
“I met this young girl, who is a double amputee, she had no clue who I was,” Coleman said. “It wasn’t until she heard my name and realized that her older sister’s name is also Kendall, that she began to embrace me. The next day she begged her parents to come to practice and be with us. Something small like that could have an impact on a kid’s life forever.”
