Every morning for three weeks, Christion Abercrombie woke up in his dorm room at the Atlanta Falcons training facility and went to the weight room. He smiled and began to work with players.
He would help his boss get ready for practice. The man looked around during practice. I thought about how he used to play. It doesn't make him sad.
He's not sad. It's been a long time since I've felt grateful.
Even for a few weeks as part of the Bill Walsh diversity internship program, it's remarkable that Abercrombie is in the National Football League. It's his second internship, and it's a sign that he's getting better.
If the young man needs a reminder, he can feel the two chains he wears around his neck.
He used his cellphone to save a story about his recovery. He wasn't looking for much last month. The man just wanted to work.
This is not a way to sympathize. He said he wanted to be involved. He didn't want to be treated differently. We treat him like that.
Four years ago it would have seemed impossible after doctors told the parents their son might not survive the night.
On September 1st. One of the best games of his career was in the middle of the game. The crosstown SEC team, the Commodores, were playing the Tigers, and it was a chance for Abercrombie to show off his skills.
It's not clear how and why something happened next.
He had headaches the week before the game but thought it was football. I was taking pain pills the entire week to help. He spoke with his parents in Atlanta and never mentioned anything was wrong.
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Christion had headaches before and he remembers telling his coaches. He didn't recall the mention of it. Staci said that they weren't positive about what their son was going through that week.
Christion was doing what he was supposed to. He had five tackles.
The players told Fisher at the end of the first half that Christion wasn't speaking clearly. Christion wasn't reacting the same way as usual. Christion went to the sideline. Fisher told the coach that his head was killing him.
Christion fell to the ground. According to Staci, doctors told her that her son had a severe brain injury. Within an hour of collapsing, he had emergency brain surgery to remove part of his skull.
The police took Christion's parents to the field. They didn't know what was happening. Christion had been dehydrated before. Perhaps it was that. After arriving at the hospital, they saw administrators in the waiting room.
A lot of people were present. I knew that it wasn't right.
Christion remembers the last thing he did. At the hospital, Christion was in a coma after surgery, and his father didn't want to leave his side. Doctors told Christion's parents that he had less than a 50% chance of survival.
They were praying for their son's recovery. They weren't sure at the beginning.
Slow progress was being made. There could be a movement here or there. Hope next. Christion agreed to squeeze his hand. The man did. It was great when it happened, but he doesn't know if it was voluntary or reactionary.
Football players wore "AB6" on their cleats. After holding Christion's hand and squeezing it, the coach of the TITANS showed up to the hospital. A.J. Terrell is a high school teammate of Christion's. Before Staci's son's injury, she wished him good luck on the eve of the game.
They kept on going. Christion squeezed Staci's hand and counted on his fingers after being shown videos of people praying for him.
The Shepherd Center in Atlanta, one of the country's top brain rehabilitation centers, was where Christion was taken after he was discharged from the hospital.
Christion had to relearn how to walk and talk. His memories were shaky.
Christion said it was less than a week after he arrived in Atlanta. He was asked if he could give a speech. "Yes." Staci said that he continued to talk from that day onward.
Maybe Christion would recover as he began occupational therapy. The signs continued to come. He began to walk and do math problems.
There began to be less concerns. Christion had a surgery in December to repair the part of his skull that had to be removed. Videos of him getting stronger were shown to them.
Christion didn't need a wheelchair when he left the hospital.
Staci said that he went back up to the third floor. He knew the exact location of his room. We didn't do anything to move it.
After returning home, Christion finally gave an account of what happened. His parents and doctors explained it before. He looked at his name on the video sharing site.
Christion said that he had a brain injury. I didn't know until I got home. It felt like it was out of place.
I don't know why I'm not in school. It wasn't normal.
Christion cried. He was overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation. Christion said his dad told him it would be okay.
It showed that the Abercrombies believed. Christion stood on stage and announced the fifth-round pick of the TennesseeTitans in the NFL draft.
Christion took online classes at Tennessee State. He was sent back to Nashville by his parents. They hired people to tutor him. He majors in interdisciplinary studies at Tennessee State.
He graduated in May 2021.
Staci said that it was a milestone for them to see him get his degree. It was still possible for him to do it. It was really great.
Christion was looking for a job after graduating.
The Christion Abercrombie Foundation helps bring awareness to traumatic brain injuries and supports those who suffer from them. The help they got during their son's recovery has made it a passion.
Christion wants to be there for other people who have gone through the same thing. Sometimes people with brain injuries don't recover as quickly as I did. I want to help them improve.
Christion had a change in his personality. He was quiet prior to the injury. He is always talking to everyone. It has made me a better person. It fits with the jobs he has landed.
Christion didn't want to leave sports. Even though he has been through a lot, he still enjoys football.
He was hired as an instructional paraprofessional in the physical education department at the elementary school. He will be asked what happened to his head. He shared his story of recovery. They usually tell him they're happy he's still alive.
It's one of the best jobs ever, and the first day I went in, I thought it wasn't going to be that fun. I think it's great. I like the children. I'm not going to complain. It's not difficult to do. I have a good time.
His dreams of playing in the National Football League did not go away. Along the way, he developed relationships with other staffers of the team.
Tennessee hired Christion as a strength-and-conditioning intern last training camp, and told him in a video that was sent to him that he attended a charity event.
Christion hadn't been alone since the injury. One of his few remaining restrictions is self-imposed and he lives with his parents in Georgia. He doesn't drive because of peripheral vision problems.
The first preseason game he worked was against his hometown Falcons. The two teams that embraced him the most were the Falcons and theTitans, both of which he was a fan of.
"That was insane," he said. You can have dreams, but you can also make it to the NFL one way or the other, that's what it shows you. He felt that way.
It doesn't have to be the way you want it to be, but it is happening.
At a practice, Smith met Christion, who he knew from his time in Tennessee.
Smith could see Christion's face when applications for the Bill Walsh internship program came through. The man vouched for Christion. Smith went to the Walsh program staff and asked if they would interview him.
Williams said it was their job to find good coaches. We always want to give people an opportunity to grow and learn from their mistakes.
Christion got an internship in the strength-and-conditioning department, thanks to his good performance in the interview. Smith was urged to hire Christion by Terrell when he heard his friend might have a shot. They already had.
He thought of his friend's journey when he saw Abercrombie on the field and in the weight room. Being there meant a lot to his friend, who one day wants to be an NFL coach.
There's definitely an angel, you always look that way. He is back to himself, laughing, right where we left off.
There was an attitude in the building. Smith said his energy was chaotic. Smith smiled whenever he finished talking to Christion. The presence of Christion made Stallworth appreciate his own children more.
Stallworth was thinking about what his parents had to sacrifice for him to get to this point. Christion is not the only one of his family.
His appreciation for life puts it in perspective for anyone.
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