Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee didn't always imagine himself carving out a career in the NFL.
McAfee - who's become one of the league's most well-known players at his position, in part due to his on-field celebrations - says he once dreamed of becoming a professional wrestler.
"If it wasn’t for finding out that my right leg could kick a ball really far, which is what I did, I am 100 percent certain that I would be attempting to be or would be a professional wrestler," McAfee told the Indianapolis Star's Jim Ayello.
The 29-year-old even got to live out his fantasy in 2009, before entering the NFL draft later that year. McAfee participated in a small semi-pro wrestling event in South Charleston, W. Va., stepping into the ring against a giant man-pig called "Warpig."
"My agent said, 'Do not get in that ring, whatever you do. Please!'" McAfee recalled. "So I go down there, and they go, 'You want to get in the ring?' And I go, 'Yeah! 'Absolutely!'"
Here's grainy footage at McAfee's match:
"It was an awesome experience," McAfee said in a post-match interview. "I was so scared of him I couldn't even fathom that this big large human being… I'm feeling lucky because he could have killed me. That's a fact actually. I'm happy to get out of here healthy with my leg, more than anything. Warpig actually attacked the wrong foot, which is excellent."