Founder's Diary #5 - Farewell Terps!

If you can’t put yourself in a situation where you are uncomfortable, then you will never grow.

While building the groundwork for Veii, I found myself at a crossroads in life spring of 2019. I had to decide whether to explore the option of playing football at a different school by putting my name in the transfer portal or stay at the University of Maryland, where I had been a preferred walk-on since 2016. Despite playing on special teams and brief moments in the backfield at running back, I had worked hard for three years to earn the respect of my teammates and coaches, with the ultimate goal of earning a full scholarship.

Unfortunately, every time I felt close to achieving my goal, a new coaching staff would come in, and I would have to prove myself all over again. So when the transfer portal was implemented, I had to make a difficult decision. I could stay in my comfort zone and hope that the new coaches would give me the opportunities I desired or get uncomfortable, enter the portal, and hope that other schools would be interested in me. Effectively, I would no longer be a part of the team that had been my life and identity for the past three years.

In the end, I chose the route of discomfort and put my name in the transfer portal. After a brief talk with my head coach at the time, I packed all my things and left the football house for good. Although it felt like my life was over at the time, I came to realize that it was one of the best decisions I could have ever made.

After receiving interest from several schools, I committed to Wagner College in Staten Island, NY, after taking a handful of recruiting trips. New York was an uncharted territory for me, and the team was looking to fill my position after losing their previous prolific running back. They believed I would be the perfect addition to their offense, and I was thrilled to receive a full scholarship after working hard for three years to achieve that goal. It fueled my drive even more to show that I could be a difference maker on the field.

Once I had committed to Wagner, I had an abundance of free time on my hands as I was no longer on Maryland's team. I used this time to continue working on Veii, and a golden idea came to mind that continued to grow each day. I wanted to immortalize my time at Maryland and make a final push to promote Veii before I left.

So, I planned a BIG ASS PARTY, not just any regular party. I rented out an entire bar off-campus and named the party "First Day Out." It was a celebration of my exit from Maryland's football program and my former teammates' completion of spring football.