A Forgotten Talent.

His name is Jose Rodriquez. I viewed this man coming home from the red line on a Thursday evening. This is my story: The man sits across from me on the train and I take a moment to look at his appearance. He is hispanic. He is about 33 years old. He is wearing denim jeans and a plain white t-shirt. He has worked for the city of Chicago for the past 8 years. He is married and has 2 children and struggles on a daily basis to provide for his family. He works 13 hour days, 6 days a week just so that his family has a roof under their heads and food on their plates. He is full of sadness. He loves his family; he would do anything for his family but this is not how is life should have played out...
In high school, Jose Rodriquez was an all-star football player in Los Angeles, California. Every school in the country wanted Jose on their team. He was quick, agile, and very talented. However, Jose decided to stay close to home and play for the University of Southern California’s Trojan Horses. This was his dream. He played immediately and was an instant success. With Jose on USC’s football, the team could achieve any goal they set. For four years, the team had a winning record, won championships, and became the most dreamed about team in college football. Everything was going great for Jose; He was drafted into the NFL and was expected to play for the Chicago Bears. But one tragic day, Jose lost everything.
During practice in the preseason, Jose severely tore is acl, permanently ending his football career. Hurt, angry, and devastated, Jose started getting involved in violence and drugs in order heal the pain; it didn’t work. Eventually, however, Jose was able to make a better life for himself; He stopped doing drugs, found a job, married the love of his life, and had 2 beautiful children. Although he is not a professional football player, pursuing his ultimate dream, he is thankful he is still alive. He loves his family. But not a day goes by that he doesn’t think about how his life could have been...