Tennessee Titans cornerback Caleb Farley has had no shortage of things to overcome during his three years in the NFL.
On top of dealing with injury issues that ended his first two seasons early and prevented him from playing at all in 2023, Farley faced even more adversity after the tragic death of his father last August.
The 25-year-old has tried to keep it positive with everything going on, but he admits things are not easy for him.
“That’s not how I always feel on the inside,” Farley said, per Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. “But that’s how I choose to obey. It’s my faith. But I am human, like everybody else. All of this has been incredibly hard, since I have been in the league. But that’s what I have been told to do in my book here (the Bible), so that’s what I obey. And I do it because it does lighten the burden on me. Inside, it does help me get through these things.”
Farley’s latest injury issue came in the form of a herniated disc that required surgery.
While his back is better after a year off, the Virginia Tech product says he has a lingering nerve issue that remains a hurdle in his recovery.
“My back is fine,” Farley said. “Nothing in my back hurts. But there’s a nerve that has been affected at different times that has caused a lack of strength in my left leg. It is an odd situation.”
As Farley enters the final year of his rookie deal in 2024, he’s well aware that he’s facing a “do-or-die” and uncertain situation. He even admits he’s past the point of doctors being able to help him.
But he’s determined to give it everything he’s got in order to get back on the field and his love of football has not waned.
“I’m just going to push it,” Farley said. “It’s do-or-die for me. It’s now or never. I’m just going to push it, and whatever my body allows me to do, I’ll do. A lot of things are out of my control, but what I can control is my effort and how much I push it. That’s what I plan to do.
“I’m going into my last year. I haven’t really been able to play at all, healthy anyways. I’ve been fighting the situation, trying to get healthy for so long. The type of situation I have going on now, no doctors can help me. I don’t know what is going to happen with it, if it’s going to get better or not. I am just going to empty the tank, put as much effort in as I can and get my body as ready as I can.
“But I still love football,” Farley continued. “I always say I am going to play until the wheels fall off, so I am going put in the effort I need to. But I am confident. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could make an impact in this league, and that is what I am here to prove.”
Barring a turnaround of legendary proportions, Farley’s time in Nashville will be a major disappointment, to say the least. But it’s simply impossible not to root for someone like Farley, who has been a class act, through and through.
