LAURINBURG — Terrell Manning remembers when an education in East Laurinburg was what he called a “sentence.”
Manning, a Laurinburg native, Scotland High grad and former NFL player, spent time at East Laurinburg Alternative Learning Academy during his childhood. The now-defunct school housed troubled students who needed more guidance and resources than other schools could provide.
As an eighth-grader at Spring Hill Middle School, Manning was involved with an altercation with another student — an altercation that left Manning seriously injured and cost him his spot on the school’s football team. But that was the least of the repercussions he faced.
Legal proceedings that followed the altercation resulted in Manning’s appointment to the alternative school. On his first day at the insitution, a gang fight erupted, and a SWAT team was called in to stop the commotion. Manning quickly found out what he had gotten himself into.
On Saturday morning, Manning returned to the school’s building, which is now occupied by the nonprofit organization Partners in Ministry, to speak to a group of elementary school students participating in an after-school educational program hosted by PIM. For more than an hour, the 28-year-old shared his life story and answered questions. The primary point of his presentation was simple: Never give up.
There were many times giving up seemed like the only option in Manning’s football career.
Manning played college football at N.C. State University, where he was a two-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection. That was after he suffered an ACL and MCL tear during the final game of his career at Scotland High.
His achievements caught the attention of the Green Bay Packers, who drafted him with the 28th pick in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft.
That began a four-year career in which Manning bounced around between eight different teams.
“I’ve probably been cut the most of anyone that’s ever been in the NFL,” Manning said.
Manning spent time with the Packers, San Diego Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons. Manning was diagnosed early in his career with a parasitic infection that caused colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. That sickness made life difficult as he tried to land a spot on the main roster at each one of his stops.
“My NFL years that everyone said would be a dream, it wasn’t a dream. It was a nightmare,” Manning said.
Manning knew he couldn’t use his ailment as an excuse. He still had to compete against elite football players for roster spots, and there weren’t many alternatives if he failed.
“My life was on the line,” Manning said.
Football eventually did come to an end. After being signed for a second stint with the Dolphins in 2015, Manning was released in April 2016. In many ways, stepping away from football worked out positively for Manning.
Manning eventually decided to become a vegan — a choice he made and implemented within 24 hours after dealing with a bout of colitis symptoms. He said that decision gradually helped him rid his body of the parasitic infection, and it changed his life for the better.
Manning now works with Vegan Lion, a North Carolina-based vegan food vendor. With football out of the way, he also has time to reach out to the community and speak about his experiences, as Manning did on Saturday.
Manning asked several students in the crowd to share their career aspirations, and their responses ranged from police officer to judge to professional athlete. For each idea, Manning offered words of support and advice. He also interacted with high school and college students who serve as mentors for the after-school program’s participants.
Manning encouraged the young crowd to follow their dreams, and to apply that same dedication to other areas of their lives.
“I challenge every kid in here to dedicate that ‘I won’t give up’ purpose to whatever else that you can do,” Manning said.
That approach worked for Manning throughout his football career, which he said is more than likely done for good. But he relived his career on Saturday, as several audience members asked him about his time in the NFL.
One student asked Manning if he ever had a remarkably bad performance on the football field.
Manning said he didn’t have many of them.
“I don’t remember too many bad games. I’m a baller,” he said with a smile.
