Former NFL linebacker and special teams contributor Brandon Copeland, a native of Sykesville, Md., and graduate of Gilman, recently announced his retirement from football.
Copeland, 32, began his career as an undrafted free agent out of Penn with the Ravens in 2013, then played in 85 regular-season games with five different teams from 2015-2022. The 6-foot-3, 263-pound linebacker totaled 163 tackles and eight sacks during his career.
Copeland finished out his career by playing in three games for his hometown Ravens in 2022, recording five tackles and a sack. That was made especially special by the fact that his grandfather, Roy Hinton, played for the Baltimore Colts from 1965-1973.
In February 2020, Copeland earned the NFLPA’s Alan Page Community Award for his work with Beyond the Basics.
Copeland joined Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 22 to talk about his career and decision to retire.
PressBox: Did playing for the Ravens in 2022 make the decision to retire easier?
Brandon Copeland: I sat down and had a conversation with a mentor of mine, a big brother, potentially a future Hall of Fame player, I would say. This summer I was trying to come back for Year 10 and one of the things he said to me was, “Cope, why are you doing this, man? You’ve done it all. What are you looking for, closure? None of us get closure. It’s football, man. I didn’t even get closure.”
I sit down and talk to my wife about it all the time. As crazy as it sounds, I got closure. I got to come back, play for my hometown team. Got to go out, get a sack against my old team. Got to have my wife and kids watch me play, which was always my dream growing up was to be on the field and have my kids be able to run on it after the game and all of those things, so I’ve been extremely blessed to have the roller coaster ride of a career, have ups and downs and highs and lows … and come back and play for the team I love, it really doesn’t get much better than that, besides winning the Super Bowl.
PB: Why did you remain so dedicated to football the past couple of years when you could have easily stepped aside and do all these other wonderful things that you’ve been doing?
BC: It’s a dream come true to play in the NFL. That’s my dream. No matter what I do off the field and what purpose or passions I’m chasing, ultimately to go on the field for a couple hours every day — whether it’s in practice or to be in the locker room with the guys or to be studying and going against an opponent, things of that nature — that’s a different puzzle and a different challenge that still attracts me.
There’s nothing like it in the world. To walk away from that early or too soon and understand as well, too, you can’t rewind the clock on some of those things. There are some things that I’m doing that I was doing off the field that, knock on wood, I could always do, but I couldn’t always be a pro football player. To sacrifice that opportunity — which is the opportunity of a lifetime — to do something that I could do for the next 30, 40, 50 years of my life, that would have be foolish to me.
I’ve had nothing but the time of my life while playing. Like I said, it’s been a roller coaster ride. There’s definitely been some lows. There’s been times I wanted to walk away. There’s been times I didn’t think I was good enough. There’s been times I thought I should’ve been more or had more and all those things. It’s a job. It’s a business. It takes a lot out of you. Those that can withstand the storm mentally are the ones that you see succeeding over the long haul. Even taking that away, those people that just get extremely lucky are the ones that withstand the long haul. Again, I’m just appreciative.
PB: Knowing the dangers of the sport and what you’ve been physical, what did football give to you that made you want to play as long as you did?
BC: I could try to save my body and all those things and avoid playing football, then I could walk out and get into a car accident or I could get hit by a bus. Unfortunately, as my wife knows, I’m one of those extreme thinkers. Ultimately, I just always think about life like this. Let’s say I have a really long life. I’m 90 years old. I usually say 70, but I’m 90 years old on my death bed and I’m looking back on life. The thing that I’ve always tried to do is [ask what decisions I would be smiling that I made] at that position at 90? Am I happy that I made the decision or I went the route that I chose?
Some of those decisions I’m going to look back on and be like, “That was a pretty dumb decision,” but for the most part when I’m ever in a moment where I have to decide between a couple of different things — sacrifice now versus go enjoy myself now, discipline, all those things — I just think about that older version of myself and which decision I’d be happy with. Which chances would I be happy that I took? Ultimately, I know that the older version of me would just be smiling. Or, I would be completely upset with myself if I said, “Nah, let me walk away from football.” Because like I said, I could be playing pickup hoops at LA Fitness and tear my ACL, too.
PB: What did playing the game of football do for you to help you become the incredible person you are?
BC: Football has taught me so much. It has taught me about me as a person, what I need to do to get the best out of myself. It’s taught me how to sacrifice. It’s taught me how to say no to things. It’s taught me delayed gratification. It’s taught me about creating a process for myself. It’s taught me leadership. It’s also taught me when to shut up and when to just put my head down and go to work.
Through football, I’ve met so many different people, so many different personalities. I’ve been fortunate to be coached by some amazing people as well, too, and I’ve just been a sponge and taken as many things as possible. As I go into this next chapter of life, what I’m trying to do is take as much from it as possible — especially from some of the amazing coaches and mentors and leaders and team presidents and things of that nature that I’ve been a part of — and I’m trying to see, “Hey, how can I channel that and make the best version of myself?”
Ultimately, football has taught me so many different things. It’s challenged me in ways to grow. The best thing is the world about football — one thing my granddad taught me, worst-case scenario was just see ball, get ball. It’s a little more difficult in life, in business. You can’t just always forget everything else see ball, get ball. That’s your saving grace in football. You can mess up plays, you go get a sack in the fourth quarter, hey, everyone loves you. Now, it’s trying to make sure I channel that energy and just make sure that I am doing it in a way that is additive to all of the spaces that I’m in.
PB: Is there something you’d like to pursue now that you have more time to do so?
BC: People always talk about as a football player, as a pro athlete, you have two deaths. You have the day you actually, literally die and the day when you’re no longer an athlete. I’m not [immune] to that as well. The other day, literally two days ago, somebody was like, “Hey man, you should be playing in training camp somewhere. What team are you on?” It’s just like a little stab to myself like, “Ah, you’re right, usually this time of year I am playing,” but what I will say what I’m fortunate to have is purpose. And the purpose is going and helping people and giving them blueprints or playbooks for life early. I’m excited for the next chapter. I can’t necessarily say what I’m doing next right now, but I’m hoping it’s a world-changer.
For more from Copeland, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Beyond the Basics Inc.