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By:
Cody
Milholen | 20 hours ago
In the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft,
the Tennessee Titans selected Iowa State defensive lineman Karl Klug.
In
his rookie season, Klug far surpassed the expectations set for a late-round
pick. The former Hawkeye led all rookies in sacks, recording seven on the year.
While he would not see a Pro Bowl, All-Pro
team, or become a three-down starter, Klug became a fan favorite in Tennessee. What set Klug
apart from other players was his raw determination.
When
he was on the field, his effort and grit was hardly matched.
When he was released in March of 2018, many
fans were dismayed, with some even taking to social media with negative reactions.
While no one wanted to see Klug go, the
decision was the right one for the team at the time. Klug was about to be due
$2.5 million, had many nagging injuries, and didn’t have a fit in a defense
that was going through drastic changes.
But, the timing couldn’t have been worse for
Klug in his personal life. While he was dealing with injuries holding him back,
Klug’s wife was also pregnant with the couple’s fourth child.
Instead of uprooting his family and moving
to a new city, Klug decided it was time to hang his shoulder pads up and
retire.
Today, Klug is a defensive line coach at
Page High School in Franklin Tennessee. While he was playing, Klug volunteered
with the school in his free time.
After developing a friendship with the head
coach and deciding to retire, Klug decided to make a phone call to see if the
school had any openings, and it did.
“We had the D-line position open, and it was
obviously a natural fit,” Rathbone said. “[Klug] knows the kids, and he’s
passionate about football.”
Many NFL players feel lost while entering
retirement. Some say it’s almost like their identity is being stripped away,
but not Klug.
“I’m 100-percent at
peace with [my decision],” Klug said. “I get
reminders on a daily basis when I’m home with my kids. Right now, I’m just kind
of doing whatever makes me feel good. Coming [to Page] and helping these guys
makes me feel good.
I don’t want to speak for anyone, but some
people can get caught up in the status of being an NFL player,” Klug said.
“Once that’s stripped from them, they kind of lose themselves. The last few
years, I tried to strip my identity away from [playing football].”
Klug also thinks the future looks bright for
the Titans, although he may not be watching.
“It seems like they’re heading in the right
direction, and they’re pretty talented,” Klug said of the Titans. “But I don’t
know how much I’ll be watching anyway. If my boys want to watch, I’ll watch it
with them. [Otherwise], I’ll find something else to do on Sundays.”
Klug seems to be at peace with his decision
to retire from the NFL, and he is right where he wants to be.
“I’m just trying to teach them to be better
athletes,” he said. “I’m teaching them to be fast and aggressive. Really, you
don’t need experience on the d-line at this level, you just go out, and play
fast.”
I just want to coach the d-line, that’s it.
Head coaches have to do a lot of other stuff and go to meetings.“
Many Titans are probably glad we didn’t have
to see Klug on an opposing team, and that he stayed right here in Tennessee.
We’re also glad that everything worked out for Klug and he found another career
that he loves to do.
