Adrian Colbert’s story on ‘Hard Knocks’ will tug on your heartstrings: ‘I’m grateful to be alive’

Adrian Colbert’s story on ‘Hard Knocks’ will tug on your heartstrings: ‘I’m grateful to be alive’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Bears safety Adrian Colbert is a grounded person.

He uses sound bowls to cleanse the energy around him. He walks around barefoot at training camp to be more grounded and receive energy from nature. There’s no doubt he’s intact with his spiritual side.

But that didn’t come without a frightening incident from his childhood that still brings emotion out of him.

“It was a Sunday. I had a (football) game that morning. I still had on my pads,” Colbert said on ‘Hard Knocks.’ “I wanted to ride the bike, wanted to race. We were racing; me and my classmate. I didn’t stop at the stop sign. And this lady, she was rushing to work, was going about 55 (mph). I got blindsided and got hit. Yeah, I got hit.

“I almost lost my life that day.”

According to a newspaper shown during the episode, Colbert had swelling on his brain and broke a seventh vertebra. He spent one week in the hospital unconscious with a broken nose and a broken collarbone. He was in a coma for two weeks. The doctor said he wouldn’t ever play football again.

Of course, he did play football again. He played for four years at Miami University in Florida. There, between 2013-16, Colbert played in 40 games, earning 49 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and four defended passes.

The 49ers drafted him in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. They would be the first of 10 teams Colbert would play for over the next eight years. He’s played with the 49ers, Seahawks, Dolphins, Chiefs, Giants, Patriots, Jets, Browns, Titans and now the Bears.

“Adrian just needs every rep possible to make the team,” general manager Ryan Poles said on the show. “To crack into the 53-man roster, he’s also going to need to perform on special teams. We’ve been around each other for a long time now, so he’s someone that I’m always rooting for.”

Colbert didn’t make the Bears’ 53-man roster. And of the 14 spots officially filled on the practice squad, Colbert hasn’t earned one.

He did, however, make an impression during the preseason. In his game against the Chiefs, he came out of nowhere to defend a pass that likely would’ve turned into a touchdown. Later, he put a hard hit on quarterback Chris Oladokun, who then threw an interception to Reddy Steward.

Colbert is the definition of a journeyman. He’s still searching for somewhere he can play permanently. But the cuts, and his traumatic childhood injury, won’t stop him from chasing that dream. And they certainly won’t interrupt his gratitude to be on Earth.

“It was a tough journey back. But it didn’t stop me. It didn’t stop my goals,” Colbert said. “After that, I just went back to living my normal life, playing football in the street and riding bikes. I go outside and I’m grateful for the leaves, grateful for the trees, grateful for every blade of grass.

“I’m grateful to be alive. I’m grateful for this experience to be in the NFL and to be amongst the people I get to meet every day.”

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