15 football players who left the game behind and became actors

Gabbi ShawJan 14, 2021, 02:54 IST

Terry Crews played in the NFL before becoming an actor.Rich Fury/Getty Images

Football players don't have the longest shelf life — many retire when they're still young.
Some football players turned to acting as their second careers.
Terry Crews, beloved star of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," played in the NFL before becoming an actor.

Acting isn't the most stable career path, but it could be argued that football is even less so. One bad injury could take you out of the game forever, like it did with some of these stars.

These 15 football players all turned to acting after their sports careers ended, with varying levels of success. Dwayne Johnson, the most bankable actor in Hollywood, first tried to hack it as a football player before starring in the "Fast and Furious" franchise.

Keep scrolling to learn more about 15 football players who switched the gridiron for movie sets.

Before "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and "White Chicks," Terry Crews was in the NFL for six years.

Terry Crews. Frazer Harrison / Staff / Getty Images

Dwayne Johnson was signed to a Canadian football team before concentrating on wrestling, then acting.

Dwayne Johnson. Art Streiber/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Terry Bradshaw was the first former NFL player to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Terry Bradshaw. Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Carl Weathers is best known as either Apollo Creed from the "Rocky" films or as Greef Karga in "The Mandalorian," but he started out as a football player.

Carl Weathers. Vince Bucci/Getty Images

Nnamdi Asomugha is considered one of the greatest Raiders players of all time. But he's also steadily grown into one of Hollywood's breakout stars.

Nnamdi Asomugha. Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Joe Namath made his "Broadway Joe" nickname legitimate when he starred in the 1983 revival of "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial."

Joe Namath. AP

Brett Favre dabbled in acting when he appeared in "There's Something About Mary."

Brett Favre. Douglas Gorenstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

John David Washington dabbled in professional football before following in his father's footsteps.

John David Washington. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SBIFF

Dean Cain was signed to the Buffalo Bills before becoming Superman.

Dean Cain. Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Brian Bosworth was a highly successful college player and a less-than-iconic NFL player - and now, he acts.

Brian Bosworth. LM Otero/AP

Burt Reynolds was, of course, one of the biggest movie stars of all time - but did you know he had a good chance of going pro before sustaining an injury in college?

Burt Reynolds. Hulton Archive/GettyImages

Jim Brown is considered by some to be the greatest football player of all time, but he's also had a successful acting career.

Jim Brown. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images

Fred Williamson played in the now-defunct American Football League before starring in multiple blaxploitation films.

Fred Williamson.Th Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Ed Marinaro was a series regular on "Hill Street Blues" after leaving football in 1977.

Ed Marinaro. David Mcgough/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Bubba Smith appeared in the first six "Police Academy" films after leaving football behind.

Bubba Smith. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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