Ex-NFL TE Jordan Cameron: Most players don’t love football | NFL … – Sporting News

NFL players put their hearts into the game, but a lot of them don’t love football, former Pro Bowl tight end Jordan Cameron says.

“Do you really love football?” he asked ESPN rhetorically. “A lot of guys don’t really love it. There’s a few guys that love it. Ray Lewis loves football. Peyton Manning. They love it. But a lot of guys don’t really love this game, and there are players that will read this who will understand exactly what I’m talking about.” 

The question comes up this time of year, definitely to NFL Draft prospects and maybe even to veteran free agents visiting potential new teams.

Do you love football?

Cameron, who has said he’ll retire after suffering four concussions in six seasons with the Browns and Dolphins, calls it “a great question” but one he “couldn’t stand when people asked (it).”

“I don’t think a lot of these guys love football, to be honest,” Cameron said. “A lot of them don’t. You play for other reasons, and every guy has their own reason. They know why, and as long as your why is really important, you keep playing without really loving football.

“Because really, who loves to get hit in 10-degree weather by a 280-pound person? Really, no one likes that. ‘Do you love football?’ I couldn’t stand when people asked me that.”

Like many — not just at the professional level and not just in football — Cameron said it’s more than the game, it’s the people you play it with.

“Every single guy talks about the locker room and how that’s the thing they will miss,” Cameron said. “It’s so true. Some of the most down-to-earth, intelligent human beings are in there.”