It was a loss of enjoyment for football that forced former NFL safety Tom Zbikowski to retire in September at only 28.
The once Raven, Colt and Bear played 64 games during a five-year career and admitted to Chicago Tribune reporter David Haugh that he lost interest in the game early in his career.
“Football got old to me. … I enjoyed my first two years in the NFL because it was a challenge. I was playing with the best. But after awhile you don’t care whether you win or lose because you’re still getting a paycheck. I enjoyed high school and college much more.’’
What did interest the 5-foot-11 Zbikowski though was the lifestyle that being a professional athlete gave him access to.
“Get a little messed up, sneak a girl into your room, feel on top of the world,’’ Zbikowski said. “I had some of my best games off of benders — some of my worst too. My two best seasons ever were 2005 (at Notre Dame) and 2009 (in Baltimore) when I was the most out of control drinking, so I thought, hey, maybe I should go back to that.’’
Zbikoweski's drinking became a problem. He estimated that he played at least 12 games with a massive hangover and used alcohol as a way to cope with his struggles on the field.
“I was drinking too much,’’ Zbikowski said. “I got fat.’’
He eventually was slapped with a four-game suspension in 2013 after taking a banned substance that he claimed was a weight loss pill. He last was a member of the Bears practice roster but was released prior to the start of this season..
Zbikowski told Haugh that he has since quit drinking and plans to enter the Chicago Fire Department's training academy in the next month.
