When former Western Michigan linebacker Ameer Ismail was cut by Herm Edwards and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2007, he felt like he had failed himself.
For Ismail, who was a 2006 All-American and Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of The Year, his dream was to have a career in the National Football League. Being cut felt like a setback to him and felt like a low point in his life.
“I almost didn’t want to show my face at Western,” Ismail said. “I don’t know why I thought like that, people of course still wanted to see me.