Terry Crews used art to make money during NFL career with Washington

Terry Crews was talented and in the NFL.Crews was a strong, fast linebacker for the Washington Redskins, and then suddenly he was not.Crews' journey to the NFL had not come easily.

He didn't get to play at a big-time Big Ten or SEC university; instead, he played at Western Michigan.

However, Crews exhibited enough speed, strength and athleticism that he was drafted by the LA Rams in the 11th round (281 overall) during the 1991 NFL Draft.But life in the NFL is quite different than playing for one of the 365 Division 1 NCAA football teams.

The NFL was 28 teams when Crews played his first season with the Rams in 1991.

It's tough enough to make a 53-man roster as Crews did with the Rams.

He was cut by multiple NFL teams but he did play one season each for three NFL teams: Rams (1991), Chargers (1993) and Redskins (1995).

The NFL is brutal, and for all of his hard work, he was able to only contribute one solo tackle and on assist for the Redskins that least NFL season of his career.

The linebacker's career in the NFL came to an abrupt end when the Redskins released him.Crews would later make it to Hollywood, being fortunate enough to earn roles in several television shows and several movies as well.

But he didn't simply have Hollywood recruiting him when his NFL career ended.

He had to rely on other talents.The surprising route for Crews was the he was very artistic and developed those talents as a kid growing up in Flint Michigan.

He was given a flute and took lessons for eight years.

He loved to draw and paint and did it well enough that he received an art scholarship to Western Michigan and then, later joined the football team.

He even once drew courtroom sketches during the trial of a horrible murder case in Flint.Telling his story once on a Jimmy Kimmel Show appearance, Crews told of how he was able to play for three NFL teams but was actually on six different teams in seven seasons trying to make a roster.

So, he would ask players if they would like him to paint a portrait for them.

He would do so and they would pay him.

It's how he made money some of those years before he went to Hollywood.Here is one such portrait, of Crews' Washington Redskins teammate Brian Mitchell.

Crews was 27 when he produced this wonderful portrait of Mitchell.

His talents in music, art, acting are talents he can (and does) still use today, 30 years after his football career concluded.

Wanted to share this because it was really cool.

Terry Crews shares a painting of Brian Mitchell he made at 27 years old.

Crews played for the Redskins in 1995@[email protected]/8NBdrLf4jz Wommanders (@Wommandrs) July 1, 2025Crews appeared on Old Spice commercials for a time and has had several featured acting roles over the years.

These days, Crews is best known as the host of "America's Got Talent."This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Terry Crews played one season for Washington before turning to acting.

This article has been shared from the original article on yahoo, here is the link to the original article.