Ex-Falcons sackmaster John Abraham went back to school to earn his college degree

“It was good, man,” Abraham told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday. “I think it was more frustrating than anything. I guess at my age, you know, it feels just different. I’m getting to go on stage. I was kind of being nervous again. Probably more nervous than during a game. I ended up being the first name called.”

Abraham, the Falcons’ last great pass rusher, who advanced to the top 50 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame voting for the Class of 2025, retired after the 2014 season. But he always wanted to go back and complete the work toward his degree.

“It was just that I had so much stuff going on in life,” Abraham said. “I had an opportunity to be in the NFL, something I worked for four years (in college). The opportunity was right there. So, at the moment, it was like, more about getting prepared for the draft. That was more important to me. Then, the years started rolling on by.”

While he was in the league, Abraham spent his offseason trying to maintain his health.

A couple of years ago, after getting some help for his mental health issues, Abraham went back to school -- and at the age of 47 earned his degree at the University of South Carolina.

“So, I didn’t have a celebration ready or anything,” Abraham said. “So, I got to make sure I make it look decent enough because I was the first one out. I had to make sure that it looked good. So, I was hoping not to fall down and not make any mistakes. It ended up working out pretty good.”

Abraham didn’t want to mess up the moment for his family and friends in attendance, especially his mother, Maggie Abraham, who recently turned 76.

Credit: Courtesy of the Abraham family.

Credit: Courtesy of the Abraham family.

“They went through this whole script about everybody please wait to the end to cheer,” Abraham said. “Man, my family was mad. It was like, man, everybody was cheering (prematurely). We should have erupted like they did. I said, don’t worry about that. The fact is that y’all were there, and I got to appreciate that experience.”

Some of Abraham’s childhood friends from Timmonsville, South Carolina were on hand to see him graduate.

Abraham worked through South Carolina’s degree completion program, which is for athletes who left the university in good academic standing to pursue a professional career. Abraham, who played at South Carolina from 1996-99, intended on getting his degree. He stay in touch with South Carolina’s associate athletic director Maria Hickman over the years until he felt comfortable going back. There were other backers at the school as well.

“They definitely pushed me towards getting it done,” Abraham said. “Some of the classes, not being in class for 25 years, were very hard. I mean, mentally they were very hard. … You sit here and read a paper. You sit there and read a book and really get nothing out of it. So, they did a good job of not forcing me, but having a strong hand on pushing me towards the right direction.”

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. and Abraham is comfortable discussing his journey. He’s battled social anxiety disorder and depression.

“I understand my worth now, and I look forward to people understanding it,” Abraham said.

He’s received treatment and has learned more about cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which have put him on a better path.

“Now, it is great,” Abraham said. “At the time, it was just, I had to literally tell myself how hard you worked in football to be good. You had to do the same thing with your mental health. You’ve got to do the same thing with trying to feel better about yourself personally.

“So, I literally just put in work just like I did before. Whether it was waking up in the morning reading books. Whether it’s working out. Whether it’s talking to people that I need to talk to and tell them, like, what I’m going through.”

Abraham is looking forward to the day when the stigma is removed from people who have mental health issues.

“I go through depression,” Abraham said. “I go through depression states. I go through stuff like that. I’m not like, going to do anything to people I love or nothing like that. But I was just depressed, man.”

Abraham knows his worth, now.

“I’m still a person that generates happiness for my family,” said Abraham. the father of four girls. “I’m still a person that can be there for my kids. I’m still a person that tries to contribute as much as I can.”

As time has moved on, Abraham’s candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame is getting a closer look. Abraham, who has 133.5 career sacks, played from 2000-14. He was drafted by the Jets in the first round (13th overall) of the 2000 draft.

Abraham was acquired by the Falcons in a trade with the Jets in 2005 in a shrewd move by then-General Manager Rich McKay. Abraham went to five Pro Bowls and was selected All-Pro twice. He was a Pro Bowl alternate twice.

Abraham’s numbers are in line with Jared Allen (136 sacks), who will be enshrined this August. Abraham’s first year on the ballot was 2022.

“I hate to harp on the same thing, but I missed 40-something games,” Abraham said. “You got to see, like, even with the numbers. I think I have eight seasons with double-digits (sacks). That’s more than (Dwight) Freeney (who had seven). I had two seasons (2004 and 2011) with nine and a half sacks.”

Abraham missed so many games early in his career because the Jets and Falcons had to figure out why he kept getting hernia injuries. Falcons trainer Rod Medlin sent him to Vancouver to see a hockey trainer.

“That ended up being probably the biggest decision of my career,” Abraham said. “Because after I started going there, I started being healthier more because he worked with hockey players. Going there ended up really helping my confidence and really helped me with just being a better player.”

Abraham came close to a Super Bowl appearance in 2012 with the Falcons. But he suffered a high-ankle sprain while playing in a meaningless regular-season finale. The Falcons were 13-2 and had the No. 1 seed wrapped up, but coach Mike Smith decided to play the starters against Tampa Bay.

With 11:42 to play in the fourth quarter, Abraham was injured.

If he had been healthy chasing around Colin Kaepernick in the NFC title game, the Falcons likely would have reached the Super Bowl. The Falcons blew a 17-0 lead in the game.

“We would have been in the Super Bowl,” Abraham said emphatically. “It’s not even an if and-or buts about it. We would have been in the Super Bowl. I think everybody just (doesn’t) understand if I wouldn’t have played that (regular season) game, and I would have been 100% healthy, I would have been wrecking in the playoffs. It would have been nothing, man, that’s one of the biggest thing.”

Credit: Courtesy of the Abraham family.

Credit: Courtesy of the Abraham family.

Abraham didn’t handle the injury well and was released over offseason. He played his last two seasons with the Cardinals.

“That’s what made me go into such a deep depression, like I was in depression for years,” Abraham said. “I didn’t know you can go in depression for something like that, because I know if I would have made it to the Super Bowl and won a Super Bowl, we wouldn’t be talking about this (the Pro Football Hall of Fame) right now.”

Even though he wasn’t on the 2016 Super Bowl team, he took that game hard.

“Even when I watched the 2016 season when they went to the Super Bowl,” Abraham said. “All I was thinking about is I wish I could have been playing in that game.”

Abraham was around the team last season while doing sports commentary work with Emmy-award-winning sportscaster Maria Martin of NBC 11 Alive.

“I’m more comfortable now,” Abraham said. “I don’t really regret what I say anymore. I try to keep it simple. I try to be straightforward. I don’t want to be the kind of person that has to do controversy. I see a lot of the things now and people just want to get a fight started.”

He wants to be known as “Honest Abe.”

“I’m going to stick the facts and try not to critique people so much,” Abraham said.

He is excited about the Falcons’ recent first-round draft picks Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.

“If both of them work out, (the Falcons) are geniuses,” Abraham said. “But some people said it was terrible going back in the first round and getting that pick. I’m like, I don’t see the problem doing that. I think that helps. … That shows the fan base, especially the guys who have been here for a long time, that (the Falcons) know what (they) need.”

Abraham, who’s second on the team’s all-time sack list with 68.5, will be watching to see if Walker and Pearce can get the pass-rush rolling again.

“They are in the city to do it,” Abraham said. “If they can stay creative on defense, if they can keep these guys on the field at the same time and actually using the older guys to help them … it’s strictly going to have to be a mindset.”

Pro Football Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey is the franchise’s all-time sack leader with 99.5, according to Pro Football Reference.com stats. John Zook (61) is behind Abraham followed by Chuck Smith (58.5) and Patrick Kerney (58) to round out the top five.

“I know everybody’s (high) on Walker,” Abraham said. “If you can get everybody going in the same direction, I think it’ll be OK. Definitely just try to keep them out of these Atlanta streets, man.”

Abraham, sounding like a sociologist with a new degree, was referring to the city’s vibrant nightlife.

Credit: Courtesy of the Abraham family.

Credit: Courtesy of the Abraham family.