Falcons’ offensive guard and former Air Force defensive lineman Ben Garland joined Denver’s Altitude Sports 950 on Monday to discuss the change in the Department of Defense policy involving pro-ready athletes and the Falcons’ Super Bowl loss.
On Monday, the Department of Defense and U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis eliminated the policy allowing pro-ready athletes to defer their promised two years of duty upon graduation.
The policy was implemented in July 2016.
During a segment on the “Kreckman and Harris” show on Monday, Garland— a former Denver Bronco who currently serves in Colorado at the Buckley Air Force base— discussed how he was still on duty when he came out of the Air Force and entered the NFL.
Garland admitted it was extremely difficult for his body to get back into football after two years of active duty, but the difficulty was worth it because he fulfilled the promise he made when he joined the Air Force.
“I don’t think it bettered my NFL career, but I’ll tell you what, it bettered my life,” Garland said. “That opportunity, the people I met and the people was able to serve with over those two years, I wouldn’t change that for anything.”
Garland was also asked about the Falcons’ historic Super Bowl 51 loss to the New England Patriots in February and how he’s helping his young team start fresh this season.
“Adversity (a lot of) times is the best teacher,” Garland said. “A lot of times (with) success, you oftentimes see people get soft afterwards or get complacent. (It’s) one of these things, that’s what makes you a better man it’s just where are you going to go after you get knocked down? Are you going to be that man that gets up and gets better and gets better from it or are you going to be that person that just sulks about it and woe is me? I think it’s an opportunity to learn from it and get hungry and train harder.”
About the Author
