Ade Aruna didn't tell his parents he was playing football until he arrived at Tulane University on an athletic scholarship.
The Nigerian native had left his family for the United States when he was 16 after he was offered a scholarship to play basketball in 2010. By his senior year in high school, however, he decided his best opportunity to become a professional athlete was on the gridiron.
His parents were initially skeptical about Aruna playing such a physical sport, but he explained why they shouldn't worry.
"I'm the one doing the blow," he said, recalling the conversation.