Brian Bond, Secret Agent, Former Pro Football Player, ACL Recovery Expert
This week on the Heads 'N Tales podcast we learn from the expert on recovering from ACL injuries. Brian Bond has suffered 3 ACL injuries over the course of his athletic career. Brian and I both grew up in Long Valley, NJ and played for the Long Valley Raiders youth football program and for Coach Hennelly's West Morris Central Wolfpack. I grew up watching and looking up to Brian and his teammates because of the success they earned on the field.
In this episode Brian takes us through his football career starting in high school where he played defensive end and led his team to a state sectional final in his senior season. He also talks about the college recruiting process and what it was like to play at Rowan University, which was one of the best Division 3 programs in the country at the time. About half way through his senior season at Rowan, Brian tore his ACL and MCL during a game against Kean University. Brian talks about the thoughts and emotions that come with watching your team play, and sometimes succeeding without you. It's easy to say that you would be happy for your teammates's success, but the natural tendency is to turn to jealousy. We talk about how to deal with these feelings and how it is normal to feel this way.
Brian rehabbed rigorously after his knee surgery and treated it like his full-time job. Prior to the injury, Brian and a couple of his teammates were getting some attention from NFL scouts so he hired an agent and began working out at local combines where he excelled tremendously. Post-injury, Brian ran a 4.65 40 yard dash, had a 42 inch vertical leap and benched 225 lbs for 36 reps. Despite these numbers, NFL teams didn't want to take a chance on him because he hadn't played since the injury. Brian soon found himself playing for an Arena League team in Albany, NY to get game film for NFL Scouts. Unfortunately, Brian re-tore his ACL again in practice and never played again.
Through his experience in performance training and rehabilitation, Brian naturally transitioned into becoming a personal trainer for athletes and focuses on injury prevention. Listen to the podcast to hear how Brian suffered his 3rd ACL injury and knock on wood like I did for him so it won't happen again! If you are having a hard time transitioning to a life after sports, you do not want to miss this episode. Know that you're not alone.
