John Abraham Finishes What He Started

South Carolina football legend John Abraham (1996-1999) finished what he started. After a Hall of Fame career with the Gamecocks in the late 1990s followed by 15 years in the National Football League, Abraham came back to campus to finish his coursework and walked across the stage with his degree in hand last weekend.

“After playing in the NFL for 15 years and going through all the mental health stuff that I went through, knowing that I had this incomplete thing in my life that led to a lot of stuff in not feeling like I was smart enough to finish college, this means a lot,” said Abraham, who earned his degree in liberal studies with an emphasis on psychology and sociology. “When I was in college, we were athletes, but we weren’t really thinking of ourselves as being scholars. When I first came to school, I came with the intention of getting my degree. In talking over the years with people like (Executive Associate Athletics Director) Maria Hickman, I finally felt comfortable enough to come back and do it.

“I have four daughters. My oldest daughter (now 23) reminds me that she graduated from college before I did and that she was the first person in the family to graduate. She holds that over my head, so being able to finish what I started and show it to my daughters (the others are ages 16, 8, and 1) is a big deal. You can finish anything you start. You don’t have to be the best to finish something.”

South Carolina student-athletes have the ability to come back and finish their degree through the Athletic Department’s Degree Completion Program, which is part of the Gamecock Student-Athlete Promise. It is for student-athletes who left the university in good academic standing to pursue a professional career or did not complete their degree due to personal circumstances. The program allows them to apply to be readmitted to come back to campus and finish their degree while eligible to receive funding if needed for room, board, books, and tuition. They also have access to all of the resources offered to current student-athletes, such as tutors, laptops, and use of the Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center. Some may not need all of the assistance as it’s not uncommon to have a return to school written into professional contracts.

Abraham credits Hickman and staff from South Carolina’s Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center for helping him achieve his goal.

“The work was hard, but they made it easy because they were always available,” Abraham said. “They always made me feel like I was still part of the program even though I wasn’t playing anymore. I had a great time doing it.

“It was important for me to walk across that stage for other guys to see. There are a lot of other guys out there sitting around who want to finish, but they think they’re too old or that their time has passed. Some of us have things in our past that we felt like we couldn’t get over. When I first came to school, I wasn’t the greatest student, but I didn’t try. If they see me, they can say, ‘Why can’t I do it?’”

Abraham was a menace for opposing offenses on the gridiron and was a late bloomer to the sport. Born in Timmonsville, S.C., he excelled in track and field and played basketball at Lamar High School and didn’t play football until his senior year. He was recruited to play football at South Carolina, and the rest is history. He had 23.5 sacks during his Gamecock career, while leading the team in sacks in all four seasons. He earned second-team all-SEC honors as a senior and was a first-round selection in the 2000 NFL Draft. He earned first-team All-Pro three times and appeared in five Pro Bowls during his NFL career, retiring in 2014.

Throughout his life, Abraham struggled with mental health issues and has long been an advocate for others to seek help, like he did, to get to a better place.

“For anyone that has had a goal in life, remember the work that you put in to be successful,” Abraham said. “When you put that work into your mental health and be transparent that you’re not OK and need help, that’s when you can take your life to a different level. Don’t think of it as being at your end. Think of it as another challenge. Tell yourself, yes you can. You have to make yourself vulnerable. I have the worst social anxiety, and that’s why I wear shades all the time now. It’s like that little kid in the Adam Sandler movie, “Big Daddy.” When I have my shades on, I feel more comfortable. You have to find something that will make you comfortable.”

Abraham currently lives in Atlanta and went back and forth to campus to finish school, and he’s taking what he’s learned in and out of the classroom into this next phase of his life.

“I’m being the person I always wanted to be,” Abraham said. “I’m giving my experience now. I’m doing TV when I can and different things to put myself out there and into the mix – things that I’ve always wanted to try but never felt like I was good enough.

“Going across the stage wasn’t just for me. It’s for other guys out there to show they can do it. Coming to the Dodie was a humbling experience for me but seeing the advantages the students have now was amazing. We have so many things now where you can take classes online and with the great academic coaches we have now at South Carolina, it’s worth it.”