At the age of 25, Malcolm Mitchell announced his retirement from the NFL, and football as a whole.
The former Bulldog amassed 2350 career receiving yards and 16 touchdowns during his time in Athens.
Mitchell was selected in the fourth round (112 overall) by the New Orleans Saints in the 2016 NFL Draft but was subsequently traded to the New England Patriots. He was a key factor in the Patriots' 2016 super win over the Atlanta Falcons.
He made some important catches in the Patriots' final drive to secure Mitchel's first and only career super bowl win.
Mitchell was not only an excellent player on the field, but he was also a standout citizen off of it. He was an advocate for child literacy and founded his own foundation titled "Read with Malcolm."
After sustaining numerous injuries, leading to multiple surgeries, Mitchell has a new outlook on life. He is excited by the fact that he can help lead the next generation to academic and intellectual success.
Mitchell spent the majority of his childhood and young adult life struggling to read at the same level as everyone else he knew. That led him to work long and hard in order to improve his literacy as well as his academic standing. Mitchell ended up graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in communications which was initially a far-fetched idea.
Mitchell also sets an example for college athletes around the nation as he completed his degree program before he was drafted into the National Football League.
Many professional athletes, especially those in the NBA, never actually graduate with a degree which leaves them with tremendous risk should they encounter the injury bug much like Mitchell did in his career. It leaves an athlete with nothing to fall back on.
Some schools are really encouraging their players to finish school even if it requires them to make their way back over the summers.
Detroit Pistons rookie Bruce Brown Jr. said his coach from the University of Miami has been on him all year about coming back this summer in order to graduate. Brown has made it know that he intends to do so.
Both on and off the field, Malcolm Mitchell has been an inspiration to children and collegiate athletes alike. Everyone should be following his example and pushing for positive change within all communities.
