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How Kenny Moore II gained perspective in a unique offseason
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- How Kenny Moore II gained perspective in a unique offseason
How Kenny Moore II gained perspective in a unique offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Kenny Moore II grew up loving scrapbooks. He loved seeing pictures on the wall. He loved creating that art. Truth be told, he wanted to be a photographer.
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Then he became a professional football player and that's a good life too.
But he missed photography.
"In the football environment, I put the camera down," Moore said a few weeks ago, "because I felt like art and sports were just not a thing, like you shouldn't do this. So I did that for a couple years. Because I put myself in a space that football is all that matters."
In the last year, Moore has picked up the camera again. He's still a motivated NFL football player and has already cracked the Eagles' starting lineup after joining the team last month. He still wants to be the best version of himself he can be between the white lines. But he refuses to be only that. He wants to be much more.
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There's something healthy about that.
If there's one thing the 31-year-old has gained in the last year, it's perspective. That came from being out of the NFL for a little while. After the Colts released Moore in May, he ended up teaching life and skills development to 8th-graders at Cardinal Ritter High School in Indianapolis and began to follow some of his other interests too.
In the last few weeks, Moore has gone from the practice squad to a starting safety with the Eagles now that Michael Carter II is out. But just after his arrival in Philly, the veteran was able to be introspective.
"This past offseason, yes, it was abnormal," Moore said, "but it was also my favorite one. It was still my best offseason."
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The reason why is a deep one.
"Because I was able to get a taste of what it was like if it wasn't about me," Moore answered. "I was still able to gain perspective, gain peace, gain what life is all about. It wasn't about football. It was more so the philanthropy aspect or taking pictures, doing things in my interests.
"Because I feel like as an athlete sometimes, you feel like this is what I'm supposed to be doing, this is all that matters, this is all anyone else cares about. Just put myself in this, drown myself in this and you kind of lose yourself, your actual real self with the things that actually matter."
This is something many professional athletes or former athletes have to deal with at some point in their lives — sometimes with tragic consequences. Because so many players have their entire identity wrapped up in their ability as athletes, that when that ability vanishes, they lose their sense of purpose.
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Maybe it's a bit different for Moore because he didn't ever plan on being a professional football player. He didn't start playing football until his senior year of high school and then went to Division II Valdosta State before entering the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2017. The fact that Moore is still in the NFL nine seasons later makes him an extreme outlier.
During this offseason, Moore trained. He wanted to stay ready for whenever his next football opportunity came, but he didn't obsess over it, he didn't stress himself out. He poured himself into philanthropy and photography.
Examples of his work with the camera are available on his online portfolio and it's impressive stuff, from portraits to live sports and more.
Moore this offseason was able to strike a balance between his worlds. And that balance allowed him to live a more peaceful existence when his agent wasn't calling with offers or when promising leads fell apart. That, Moore said, could lead some athletes to a bad place.
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"I'm speaking from a position that I'm grateful that I didn't let myself lean on the bad days and lean on the disappointment," Moore said. "Sorry this is like a deep talk. I think there's not enough players that speak on things not going their way. I just want to be an advocate for those players that don't use their voice to say, 'Yo, I need an outlet. What do I like? Where are my interests?'
"Or players that don't go to the league office or they don't get the help that the league actually has. Obviously, around the league we've had some terrible happenings — I've got chills right now — of younger guys, older guys, retired guys that aren't really using their resources that we actually do have."
Moore doesn't want to be misunderstood. He still cares about football deeply. He wouldn't have signed with the Eagles last month if he didn't. And when some other teams came sniffing around shortly after, the Eagles promoted him to their active roster.
Why did Moore elect to stay in Philly? He said he values people and he likes the people in the Eagles organization. He wanted to see this opportunity through.
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That was a wise decision because he is now a starting safety. He's doing his part to help the Eagles and maybe he'll help his teammates gain some perspective too.
Some of the photos in Moore's portfolio are from the Indiana Fever media day and are beautifully lit and uniquely shot portraits.
While Moore's love for photography began with landscapes, he really enjoys shooting portraits these days. Especially when he gets to show a different side of professional athletes — like the one he shows every time he picks up his camera.
