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Former Bucs center putting NFL in past by hitting road for epic 48-state journey

TAMPA, Fla. -- Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Joe Hawley, who recently decided to call it a career after eight seasons in the NFL, is about to embark on a very unusual journey. Starting this week, he'll travel to 48 states over a period of six months, all while living out of a van and adopting a minimalist lifestyle. He wants to free himself from the excess, to live in the moment and to figure out who he is away from football, which is all he has known for most of his life.

He sold his Mercedes-Benz C300 coupe and has given away most of his possessions to charity.