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Michael Munoz -- Undrafted -- Quits Football

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sandgk

sandgk

Watson, Crick & A Twist
Call it a casualty of the draft, call it a life making decision for Michael Munoz the Mason, OH native and son of famed Bengal O-Lineman Anthony Munoz.

He's been through many games for the Volunteers, he's been through many injuries. He's taken stock of things after the draft and elected not to pursue free agency.

Given some of his comments below, it seems suddenly far less strange that Munoz went undrafted. Injuries alone could have made his stock fall, but someone with that many questions in their mind cannot hide those feelings from interviewers and GM's at the Pro level.



<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By ELIZABETH A. DAVIS, AP Sports Writer
April 25, 2005

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee offensive tackle Michael Munoz decided to quit football after he was not chosen in the NFL draft over the weekend, his father, NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz said Monday.

The All-American started 46 games in his career despite injuries, including a torn rotator cuff that ended his senior year before the Southeastern Conference championship game in December.

Anthony Munoz said his son has not yet decided what he plans to do now.

``When you're not drafted, I think that's a pretty clear indication as Michael has said,'' Anthony Munoz told The Associated Press. ``He'll tell you one door was closed and there's four or five other doors being opened at the same time. It's kind of a divine intervention here.''

Michael Munoz, visiting with his family in Ohio, declined to be interviewed by telephone.

He told WNOX radio in Knoxville he is ready to move on.

``I had fun playing football. But I never found my identify playing football,'' he said. ``Football isn't who I am. I knew the day would come when I'd have to walk away from the sport and I'm fine with that. Some people are so wrapped up in it they can't walk away because that's who they are. It's time to make a clean break.''

Michael Munoz was one of the most highly regarded recruits in the country coming out of Moeller High School in Mason, Ohio.

He graduated early from Tennessee with a bachelor's degree in political science and started working on a master's in public administration last season.

He was awarded the Draddy Trophy as the nation's top scholar-athlete in December and received $25,000 in scholarship money. He is considering getting an MBA, his father said.

Michael's wife Emily will graduate from Tennessee nursing school this spring.

``The amazing thing about it is how well Michael and Emily are doing even as tough a blow as that was,'' Anthony Munoz said.

The elder Munoz believes injuries hurt his son's chances.

Michael Munoz, a team captain for two seasons, had to redshirt his second year at Tennessee because of a knee injury. He has missed some games with other injuries and played through pain at times. ``We were totally shocked that he did not get drafted. He started four years at Tennessee,'' Anthony Munoz said. ``Knowing as many people in the NFL as I do, there was no inkling that that was going to happen.'' Anthony Munoz, also an offensive tackle, was the Cincinnati Bengals' No. 1 pick out of Southern California in the 1980 draft.
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He was awarded the Draddy Trophy as the nation's top scholar-athlete in December and received $25,000 in scholarship money. He is considering getting an MBA, his father said.
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I have a feeling that Michael is going to get along just fine.
 
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Unless his injury problems are so bad that he can't play anymore you'd think he would at least try go as a FA. Even the league min for a couple years would start him off on the right foot after college. Grad school will always be there.
 
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exhawg said:
Unless his injury problems are so bad that he can't play anymore you'd think he would at least try go as a FA. Even the league min for a couple years would start him off on the right foot after college. Grad school will always be there.
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exhawg -- Thing is he just seems to not have the heart for it -- and there are lots of Bengal fans whose openly stated wish was to see Munoz suit up in Cincinnati that are sad about this.

"I never found my identity playing football." AND "Football isn't who I am..."
AND -- Michael has options beyond the game that he enjoyed, but didn't love, the way his father loved it all those years.

We here in Cincy are all wishing Michael well in whatever path he now follows.
 
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The Vols offered him a grad assistant position for next year, and they said he had a bunch of other options. It's good to see someone like this-a player who sees life clearly beyond the field, and is not going to be a washed up meathead in few years, working construction or as a bouncer and talking about his glory days back in school......
 
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OL are always the hardest guys to predict from HS to pro. I don't think that anyone would have predicted 4 years ago that Central Michigan would have more OL starters drafted in this particular year than OSU,scUM,Texas, Tennessee and Miami combined.
 
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I can't say that I coached Mike. I coached the high jump the years that he threw shot and disc for us, but I can tell you that he's the kind of person every program hopes to develop... another case of the apple not falling far from the tree... What ever Mike decides to do, he will do it with his heart and all of his effort and he will be a success. Good luck to a great young man.
 
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There is a part of me (maybe it is that feminine side again) that would love to see the #1 draft pick pass on football because they want to be a teacher instead. Just somebody who says "Hey, I have my own values and here is what they are".

Certainly as an undrafted and oft-injured player Munoz was not in quite that position - but winning the Draddy indicates he may have had other priorities all along.
 
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I think what really helped Michael Munoz is that football didn't have to be his "ticket" as is often the case with many kids. I'm sure that $$ isn't a big concern in the Munoz household. Michael was afforded the opportunity to excel in his academic endeavors and he grabbed the bull by the horns. Good for him, cuzz in the Grand Scheme of things, Michael Munoz will likely contribute on hell-of-alot more to society "off" the football field than any of this years draftees will contribute to it "on" the football field.
 
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Mike gets passed over and the Bengals take two players who had a history of bad decision making (to add to those they already have). Whatever the draft is about, citizenship isn't a component.

Anthony Munoz took a cut in pay to remain with the Bengals, showing loyalty to the team and the fans, and to an organization that hasn't done anything for the fans in a long time (well, they've done a lot to their fans) and they pay him back by not even bothering to spend a six or seven draft on the kid.

I still root for the Browns because they were the team I grew up with or perhaps it's because I live in Cincinnati and see the crap Mike Brown pulls off all the time.
 
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Michael never seemed to have that "killer instinct" needed to play football. He was too nice of a guy.

I do respect him though for realizing he doesn't have the heart for it and choosing to do something else.

He'll be successful no matter what he does.

He was a bright light in the Tennessee football program when it was a pretty dark place.
 
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Do you think his last name got him any votes?

Updated: Nov. 11, 2005, 10:55 AM ET
Michael Munoz wins trustee seat in Ohio


<!-- end pagetitle --><!-- begin bylinebox -->Associated Press

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MAINEVILLE, Ohio -- Former football player Michael Munoz made a good debut as a rookie politician.
The former University of Tennessee All-American led all vote-getters in this week's Hamilton Township trustee elections. At age 24, he was the youngest candidate in the field. He totaled more than twice as many votes as the other trustee elected.
He was a first-team, All-American tackle in 2004 but after a series of surgeries, he was passed over in the NFL draft. He moved to the Maineville area this summer. He is the son of former Cincinnati Bengals lineman and Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2220730
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