Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? that plays you at some other position and gets you hurt and then you resent me,' " Smith said. Holtz, it turns out, was only slightly wrong. Smith punted for 12 years in the NFL — 10 with the Indianapolis Colts and two with the Washington Redskins — be- fore he botched the hold on a crucial field goal attempt in the fourth quarter of a 17- 16 loss on Dec. 14, 2010. The Redskins cut Smith later that week, effectively ending his football career. Instead of trying to make another team, ferent Colts player or coach talking about a particular challenge he conquered with the help of his Christian faith and often an as- sist from Smith, who was never shy about talking to his teammates about God and religion during his pro career. While at Notre Dame, Smith earned a de- Smith poured his efforts into his Christian rock band and his first book, which was released in early June. Though the start and finish of his career were equally jarring, Smith took both of them, like a true punter, gracefully in stride. Smith's smooth transition is rare among his football-playing peers. Almost four out of five players are divorced, bankrupt or unemployed within two years of finishing their NFL careers, according to research done several years ago by former player Ken Ruettgers. That troubling statistic was one of the driving forces behind Smith's first book, titled The Jersey Effect. The book, co-authored by Darrin Gray, examines the ways in which being a pro- fessional athlete can affect your life away from the field. Smith uses personal stories from his playing days and former team- mates with the Colts to discuss temptations and distractions that often lead players into poor situations. Each chapter features a dif- THE AUTHOR gree in theology and started a Bible study group with his roommate. He continued to try to preach to teammates during his time in the NFL and helped several younger players with their transition to the pros toward the end of his career. He said be- ing a punter, especially on a team that was quarterbacked by Peyton Manning, gave him plenty of time to observe and think on the sidelines. By the time he left the Colts in 2008, Smith knew he wanted to write a book about what he had learned. "While Manning was throwing the ball up and down the field, I was over on the sidelines with plenty of time to watch games and watch lives," he said. "I watched a lot of crisis in post-career foot- ball. As soon as I had everything I wanted to say and was ready to say it, in walks Darrin Gray with an idea to write a book about all of it." Gray, who works with former Colts head coach Tony Dungy at his All-Pro Dad non- profit organization, came up with the idea for The Jersey Effect while watching the Colts' Super Bowl run during the 2006-07 season. He asked Dungy to recommend someone to help with the writing process. "I asked Tony, and he said Hunter was AUGUST 2012 113 an obvious choice. I never played pro ball so I needed a guy on the inside," Gray said.