There was a time when asking, "Wait, who is Terrell Davis?" would've gotten you laughed out of my preschool.
The Denver Broncos superstar running back and Super Bowl champion once dominated the NFL, but has been living the retired life since 2001.
So, what has he been doing for the past 20 years?
Early Life & College Career
Terrell Lamar Davis was born October 28, 1972, in sunny San Diego, California, and shares a birthday with country music legend Brad Paisley.
At Lincoln High School, Davis excelled in football and track and field. He redshirted for one season under George Allen at Long Beach State University, but when the football program was suddenly dropped, Davis looked to make a move.
He transferred to the University of Georgia and has been a Bulldog ever since.
Davis' collegiate career was limited by injury, foreshadowing his professional path.
Getting rocked by Rocky Top, he re-aggravated a tear in his hamstring against Tennessee early in his senior year. He saw his NFL Draft stock plummet as a result, though he did return later that season.
Davis completed his degree and earned a B.S. in Consumer Economics, a degree he'd put to use after his playing days.
NFL Career
RELATED: John Elway Married a Former NFL Cheerleader
Terrell "TD" Davis was selected in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Denver was coming off a 7-9 season and the soon-to-be NFL MVP was able to make an immediate impact.
After a stellar rookie season in the AFC, Davis railed off three Pro Bowl level seasons in a row before suffering a knee injury in 1999. During that span, he won two Super Bowls, defeating Brett Favre's Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII and Chris Chandelier's Atlanta Falcons in XXXIII.
Davis made huge noise during the postseason and playoffs. The Super Bowl MVP made friends (like fellow Hall of Famer John Elway) and enemies (like the entire Kansas City Chiefs organization) alike with his bruising running style and signature Mile High Salute.
The two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year still holds the single-season record for most touchdowns in the postseason.
The rusher's career can be found in the dictionary under "short but sweet" as injuries came back to haunt him in 1999.
Playing involuntary defense after an interception, Davis injured his knee attempting a tackle. The Pro Football Hall of Famer remained on Denver's roster until, 2001, but never regained his All-Pro form.
Like Andrew Luck did 18 years later, Davis retired at the age of 29. His NFL career is associated with one team and one team only: The Denver Broncos.
The All-Pro racked up more touchdowns than most in his first four years of play. The brevity of his career brought up questions of his eligibility for the Hall of Fame after he retired.
Those disputes remained unresolved until 2017. More importantly, his Upper Deck Rookie Season card is still worth over $250 on eBay. That's something no one can take away from him.
Atlanta Gold Club Trial
#OTD in 2001, the Gold Club nightclub trial began. 17 defendants, 15 guilty pleas in an #FBI Atlanta investigation involving RICO/money laundering. Also $5.5 million fine and forfeiture of the club, estimated at $3-million. https://t.co/VzJlOo9jPm
— FBI Atlanta (@FBIAtlanta) May 14, 2019
If you don't know about the Atlanta Gold Club scandal, you really should. I can't believe they haven't made a movie out of this yet, but if they do, hopefully, they get Patrick Ewing to play himself.
In 2001, Davis was named as a celebrity patron of an alleged Atlanta brothel alongside Ewing and "Dirty Bird" Jamal Anderson. Davis was called to stand, but was never convicted of any criminal wrongdoing.
Steve Kaplan, the owner of the infamous club, wasn't so lucky.
Television Appearances
TD joined the NFL Network's Total Access in 2009. He has since appeared on and off as a guest analyst and largely reports on free agents and free agency. He also enjoyed a single appearance on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report."
In the bit, he analyzed a 2008 speech by President Barack Obama in a hilarious fashion. Sadly, any video evidence of his appearance has been scrubbed from the Internet.
2017 Hall of Fame Induction
"With success come setbacks, and in those moments our character and will are tested."@Broncos legend @Terrell_Davis reflects on the obstacles he overcame to earn coveted spot in the @ProFootballHOF . (via @nflnetwork) #PFHOF19 pic.twitter.com/euxZ6mELqc
— NFL (@NFL) August 1, 2019
In 2017, Terrell Davis was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame despite having such a short career.
Davis's induction speech was filled with laughs, tears, and inspiration. If you have half an hour to kill, I highly recommend his speech for inspiration.
Terrell Davis Today
Like everyone else in 2001, TD has been living la vida loca. From a short scandal to television appearances to the Hall of Fame to becoming an advocate for CBD - he is a busy man.
No matter what expectations you place on Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, he always finds a way to DEFY them.
The First-Team All-Pro running back's latest business venture finds Davis at the forefront of the CBD market as a co-founder of DEFY, a CBD beverage brand.
He has publicly revealed himself to be a big believer in CBD as medicine and reportedly believes the cannabinoid would have saved his NFL career.
Davis' CBD beverage brand DEFY takes up most of his time these days, whether he's selling it or giving it away to people in need.
