Jake Plummer was a star NFL quarterback for almost a decade with the Arizona Cardinals and the Denver Broncos. After losing the 2006 AFC Championship Game, his career quickly slid downhill until he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he abruptly retired.
Plummer has come out of his self-imposed football exile and now is serving as a USA Football Ambassador to Alaska. NFL Media's Andrea Kremer produced an in-depth report on Plummer, looking at what led to his retirement and why he re-embraced the game.
She traveled with Plummer to Anchorage and reported on his discussions with kids, who sat up and listened when he talked about the USA Football techniques for tackling.
Plummer's retirement led him to a career in professional handball. He lived in Idaho for a few years and then returned to Colorado to start a family with his wife, Kollette.
He said he had to cleanse himself of football before he could enjoy the sport he had played since he was 12. In fact, it was watching the fast-paced University of Oregon Ducks that enamored him with the game again. It led him back to Broncos games, which he slowly started to attend.
Plummer said he enjoys working as one of 75 ambassadors for the Heads Up Football program. He preached to the kids the importance of taking care of their heads while playing football.
The trip also made him contemplate if he would let his sons play football.
-- Bill Bradley, contributing editor
