Michael Clayton talks new book – Former NFL champ opens up about his experiences

Michael Clayton has never been one to back down from a challenge. His dedication to leadership has earned him acclaim from former coaches and teammates.

At the same time, the wide receiver’s work ethic earned him spots on championship football teams with the LSU Tigers and New York Giants.

Tonight, Clayton will be signing copies of his new book, Chasing My Rookie Year at the LSU Barnes and Noble. The event starts at 5 p.m.

The book is Clayton’s way of showing young adults and teens a slice of reality in professional sports.

After his successful stint with the Tigers, Clayton was a highly touted rookie option. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him up in the first round in 2004. However, after his impressive debut, Clayton says he started experiencing difficulties and was going “through the fire.” Then, he remembered that his godmother told him he would go through hell after his rookie year.

Each subsequent year with Tampa Bay, Clayton became less and less of a factor on the team. By 2009, the Bucs fired him. For seven weeks, he tried to comprehend his transition from top of the class to barely creating a buzz in the pro football league.

“Football was my comfort zone,” he says. “My paycheck was my comfort zone. It was my turning point when I got released. It was the lowest moment of my life. I didn’t know how to explain it to my wife. I was embarrassed. I was scared to tell her and my kids. I had to turn my ear to God, and he began to speak to me.”

Soon, Clayton got a call from the United Football League and played four games with the Omaha Nighthawks.

“When my godmother made that revelation about going through the fire, she also told me she saw me in the north,” he says. “I was telling God, ‘Please don’t tell me that Omaha is the north you’re talking about.'”

It wasn’t. Soon, Clayton got a call from the Giants and earned a spot on a championship team. As soon as he stepped into the Giants’ locker room, he knew it was fate.

“They have these big 10-by-10 pictures, with all these adjectives on them,” he says. “There are three Giants players on the [picture] in the middle tackling a Bucs player. I see it out of the corner of my eye, and I’m that player the Giants are tackling. And the word underneath the picture is ‘Toughness.’ I was like, ‘Lord, this is a sign.’ It was confirmation. It wasn’t about sports at that point. My athletic ability and work ethic never changed. It was about my spiritual journey. God had to humble me. I had to accept it, and it helped build my character.”

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