Laveranues Coles Finds New Purpose as Florida Police Officer

Laveranues Coles spent practically a decade outrunning defenders within the NFL. Today, he walks parking heaps and patrols metropolis streets in Jacksonville, Florida, sporting a police uniform — a task he says lastly offers his life a way of path he stated he as soon as lacked. In an interview with ESPN, Coles opened up about his journey.

Coles, now in his late 40s, lately stood outdoors a Target in Jacksonville when an aged shopper approached him. Unaware of his previous as one of many league’s best large receivers within the early 2000s, she noticed solely a police officer in tactical gear. “I really feel secure with you right here,” she advised him. The remark left an enduring impression. “Meant the world to me,” Coles stated, calling it probably the most rewarding second of his journey into regulation enforcement.

Coles’ choice to affix the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has puzzled many who know him. Over 10 NFL seasons — together with seven with the New York Jets — he earned roughly $42 million. He has stated cash performed no function in his profession change, noting that his police wage is a fraction of his enjoying earnings. “This isn’t a cash factor,” he stated.

Instead, Coles stated he was looking for function. Raised in Jacksonville, he turned a neighborhood star at Ribault High School earlier than enjoying at Florida State beneath legendary coach Bobby Bowden. “I would like individuals to grasp that it doesn’t matter what stage you’re in, it’s by no means too late to stand up and do one thing,” he stated.

After retiring from soccer in 2009, Coles explored a number of ventures, together with enterprise investments, group applications, and time spent along with his youngsters. He finally earned an internet diploma in criminology, which reignited an curiosity in policing. Encouraged by associates within the sheriff’s division, he enrolled within the academy at age 47.

The transfer sparked blended reactions. Some praised his dedication to service, whereas others fearful about his security or questioned the optics. “It’s not one thing that America loves, like soccer,” Coles stated. “People’s opinions, particularly the individuals which can be closest to me, actually matter.”

Former Jets teammate Wayne Chrebet supported him with out hesitation. “After the whole lot he’s carried out in his life, to do that in his late 40s, I used to be like, ‘This is unbelievable,’” Chrebet stated.

Coles’ life has lengthy intersected with the justice system — on either side. As a school athlete, he confronted arrests that derailed his standing at Florida State and broken his draft inventory. Looking again, he now views these moments in a different way. “Really, being trustworthy, it was the perfect factor that occurred to me,” he stated.

Few knew on the time that Coles was additionally carrying trauma from childhood sexual abuse by the hands of his stepfather, who later served jail time. Coles has stated a police officer helped him really feel secure when he lastly disclosed the abuse — an expertise that formed his view of regulation enforcement. “Now,” he stated, smiling, “I’m really the one pulling as much as the scene making an attempt to make issues higher.”

The academy examined him bodily and mentally. Despite a number of hip surgical procedures and lingering accidents from soccer, Coles accomplished tons of of hours of obligatory coaching. There have been moments he thought of quitting, however he pushed ahead. “Dad by no means quits something,” he recalled his son as soon as saying.

Now assigned to Jacksonville’s Riverside district, Coles responds to crashes, home disputes, and thefts. He has additionally encountered moments that problem his feelings, together with issuing a quotation to an aged man caught stealing groceries. “My coronary heart felt for him,” Coles stated. “I do know he made a foul choice, however a foul choice shouldn’t outline your life.”

Coles says his previous permits him to attach with individuals in disaster. “Anything about his previous, to be on the opposite facet of that, it’s form of like a full-circle factor,” Chrebet stated.

For Coles, the uniform represents one thing soccer by no means may. “It offers me a way of function,” he stated. “Whether I’m right here or not, police are patrolling the streets. I simply need to do my half.”

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