Diego Martinez never loved football.
When he was recruited by Memphis, football meant a chance to become the first in his family to get a bachelor’s degree. It meant the way out of an area where he saw his friends fall into bad situations.
Still, impressing coaches required giving up the typical social, academic, and professional life of a college student. He said that boosters and staff tied their care only to on-field performance.
“Then after classes, when you maybe wanted to go get some food, hang out with some friends you met in class, you can’t really do that because, right after that, you’re getting called back for meetings again,” said the former receiver. “Then if the coaches are liking what they’re seeing at practice, you get called even more – because now you’re getting the attention from the coaches, and you don’t want to lose that.”
Before his redshirt sophomore year in 2020, a senior wide receiver opted out of the COVID-altered season. That gave Martinez a shot at an important position in the offense. Martinez made the most of it, culminating in a public scrimmage where he caught four passes for over 150 yards. Just before the game came to a close, however, the receiver broke his collarbone.
Listen to Martinez talk about the emotional weight of his first injury:
Injuries plagued the rest of his career at Memphis and he got hurt again when he transferred to Iowa Western Community College, a top JUCO in the nation.
Martinez said, “It felt like God was telling me it wasn’t for me.”
Diego Martinez never loved football, but the transition to life after the sport still shattered his identity. He felt humiliated about his struggles to stay healthy after he lived for years in a process where he felt his value came from his athletic performance.
Though he has begun to rediscover himself post-football – finding joy in connecting with others and strengthening his relationship with God – Martinez says that he is one of many former collegiate athletes left adrift after their time in the university sports system.