Marine Brandon O’Brien, who is no longer serving in active duty, has spent most of the winter working out in hopes of carving out a career for himself in the NFL. The 30-year-old walked on to the Kentucky football team in 2000 before financial problems at home forced him to quit the team. He then enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2005.
According to Yahoo! Sports, O’Brien — a wide receiver — enrolled at Montana State Northern University after serving. He set school records for receiving touchdowns in a season, receiving yards in a game and touchdowns in a game. O’Brien participated in the NFL’s Regional Combine in Houston on Feb. 16 and at Montana State Northern’s Pro Day on March 18. He was hoping to catch the attention of an NFL team as a special teamer, but the terrible tragedy that took place at the Boston Marathon on Monday has apparently changed his plans.
On Tuesday, NFL.com’s Andy Fenelon reported that O’Brien has reenlisted in the Marines because of the bombing that took place on Monday. Fenelon said that O’Brien’s agent, Brad Berkowitz, said the attack in Boston “left a big hole in his heart.”
It goes without saying that people like O’Brien are the true heros we have in the world. Many little kids dream of playing in the NFL and making a career out of it. Few have visions of serving in the military and protecting their country for a living. Without people like Brandon O’Brien, the United States could never be a safe nation.
UPDATE: Brian Skinnel of Beyond Sports Network has pointed out to LBS that he conducted an exclusive interview with O’Brien during which he said his decision to reenlist has nothing to do with the Boston Marathon bombing. He has not yet reenlisted in the military but says he decided to give up football before the tragedy that took place on Monday.
“Those reports are absolutely false,” O’Brien told Skinnel. “First off, me deciding to go back into the military has nothing to do with the Boston bombings and, furthermore, I have not yet reenlisted in the Marines.
“I did some soul searching and realized that I was put here to help people and not play professional football. The military is a passion of mine and it is something I hold close to my heart and love to be a part of.”
Sounds like a bit of sensationalism from someone, whether it be O’Brien’s agent or another person.
