Former NY Giant Kareem McKenzie Attending William Paterson's Master's Program

Not too long after he retired from the National Football League, Kareem McKenzie knew he wanted something more.

The two-time Super Bowl champion and former New York Giant was faced with a difficult task: Transitioning out of the game he loved for so long and into a more ordinary life.

“You can only go to the gym so many times, visit family and friends. You have to find something to do with your time,” he told nflplayerengagement.com. “If not, everything becomes very chaotic and dangerous. An idle mind is the devil’s playground.”

Then, it hit him: He would help others going through what he was.

McKenzie is on track to earn his Masters of Education in Professional Counseling in 2016 from William Paterson University. He will begin work on his doctorate after earning his master’s.

McKenzie was drafted out of Penn State University by the New York Jets in 2001. He played the last seven seasons of his career with the New York Giants, including on their two championship teams in 2007 and 2011.

McKenzie’s goal is to provide counseling to professional athletes, and retired members of the military, by helping them navigate their non-rigid schedules and performance expectations. McKenzie saw a counselor after he retired from the NFL after 11 seasons.

“To have that support, to have someone to talk to about different things, I thought was very healthy,” McKenzie said.

(Pictured: Kareen McKenzie/Wikimedia Commons)