"I was broke," the former Buffalo Bills running back said, laughing while reflecting back to his 2006 season with the now-defunct NFL Europa Rhein Fire.
"We played poker so we could go out to eat and go see some of the sights and stuff like that courtesy of my teammates," he added, noting his wife, Danielle, was better than him at cards.
"It was one of those things that made me appreciate everything about this, coming from those humble beginnings."
Jackson had time to reminisce Wednesday upon returning to Buffalo to sign a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Bills. The formality brought closure to a nine-season NFL playing career Jackson built on both a powerful running style and sheer perseverance.
That combination led the undrafted Division III Coe College product to make the jump from playing in the U.S. Indoor Football League to Europe and then Buffalo's practice squad before finally entrenching himself as a Bills' fan-favorite.
"It's a story that's like nobody else's, and that's something to be proud of," said Jackson, who made his NFL debut with Buffalo as a 26-year-old rookie in 2007.
"It's something that I try to share with students when I go talk to schools. Just because you don't get drafted, don't give up. And it makes it that much sweeter when you accomplish it."
Jackson led the Bills in yards rushing during four of his eight seasons in Buffalo despite sharing a backfield first with Marshawn Lynch and then C.J. Spiller. He still ranks third on the team list with 5 [url=http://www.packerscheapstore.com/kyler-fackrell-jersey-cheap]Kyler Fackrell Jersey[/url] ,646 yards rushing and 15 100-yard games, and fourth with 30 touchdowns rushing.
As for popularity, Jackson became one of the faces of the franchise for his leadership and lunch-bucket approach. He was so respected by his teammates , many began honoring Jackson by wearing a T-shirt that featured the phrase: "FredEx Delivers."
"When I looked at Fred, I identified him as a guy like, 'You know what? I really don't want to let that guy down,'" Bills veteran defensive tackle Kyle Williams said.
"Those guys are, I'm not going to say rare because I feel like we've had some good guys come through these doors. But those guys are special, and Fred's one of those guys."
Overall, Jackson finished with 5,746 yards rushing and 39 touchdowns (nine receiving), including his final season in 2015 [url=http://www.patriotscheapstore.com/deatrich-wise-jr-jersey-cheap]Deatrich Wise Jr Jersey[/url] , which he spent with Seattle after being cut by the Bills.
Though he's not played since, Jackson said he was still attracting interest from teams, including the Minnesota Vikings last season.
At 37, he decided it was finally time to call it quits.
"That's ancient for a running back and it was just time," Jackson said. "And to be able to come back to Buffalo and sign a one-day contract makes it a little easier."
Though he now lives in Iowa, Jackson plans to maintain a connection to Buffalo, where he is a part owner of a downtown steak restaurant. He's already made plans to hold a youth football camp in August, which he hopes becomes an annual event.
Jackson will always remain a Bills fan, and felt a part of the team last season, when Buffalo clinched a playoff berth on the final weekend of the season to end what had been a 17-year postseason drought.
"I was running around the house screaming, and my son was doing the same thing," said Jackson [url=http://www.packerscheapstore.com/marquez-valdes-scantling-jersey-cheap]Marquez Valdes-Scantling Jersey[/url] , who made the playoffs in his one season with the Seahawks. "We're still huge Bills fans. This is still family for us. We were as ecstatic as everybody else."
Danny Shelton always ended his interviews with a smile and saying, "Go Browns!"It was the Browns turn to say, "Go Danny!"
New Cleveland general manager John Dorsey continued to wheel and deal on Saturday by agreeing to send Shelton, a former first-round draft pick, to the New England Patriots for a third-round pick in 2019, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
Dorsey, who struck three major deals Friday, also sent a 2018 fifth-round pick to the Patriots, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because teams can't finalize trades until the new league year begins Wednesday.
Shelton is the latest first-round draft pick to be dumped by the Browns, whose inability to choose good players in recent years is at the heart of the team's woeful record. Cleveland went 0-16 last season and is an embarrassing 4-44 in the past three seasons.
Since 2010, the Browns have selected 13 players in the first round, and only four remain with the team.
Shelton was selected with the No. 12 overall pick in 2015. The 6-foot-2 [url=http://www.saintscheapstore.com/khairi-fortt-jersey-cheap]Khairi Fortt Jersey[/url] , 335-pounder, who starred in college at Washington, started 45 of 46 games in three seasons with Cleveland and the team seemed pleased with his progress against the run.
But he didn't make as many big plays as the team hoped and Shelton played out of position last season when Cleveland switched from a 3-4 defensive scheme to a 4-3 front and he was no longer playing over the center.
Shelton's departure may give more playing time to Larry Ogunjobi, a third-round pick last year who made one start and finished with 32 tackles and a sack in 14 games.
Dorsey's remake of the Browns isn't over.
On Friday, he sent shockwaves across the NFL with three major deals, acquiring quarterback Tyrod Taylor from Buffalo, wide receiver Jarvis Landry from Miami and cornerback Damarious Randall from Green Bay. He also traded quarterback DeShone Kizer to the Packers, a move that could impact the Browns' plans in free agency and the upcoming draft.
Dorsey had been expected to target a veteran quarterback in free agency, but Taylor's arrival could change that unless Cleveland wants to bring in another experienced player to compete for the job. Either way, the Browns are likely to take a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft.
Dorsey's whirlwind of deals over the past two days may have been prompted by a concern that free agents would be afraid to sign with the Browns because of the team's struggles and constant turnover.
And while Dorsey has parted with three draft picks in the past two days, he has added talent without touching any of the five picks Cleveland has in the first two rounds this year.
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