Steve Weatherford Never Punts Off The Field

On Saturday, Steve Weatherford was on ESPN Radio New York 98.7 FM at 9 a.m. He and host Dave Rothenberg talked NL champion Mets, Giants and Jets.

A few hours later, Weatherford was a New York Jet.

Weatherford, who was cut by the Giants just before Week 1, jumped on a plane to New England to play in the game he had been previewing on the radio. He punted four times in the Jets' 30-23 loss to the Patriots on Sunday.

Such chaos is life for Weatherford. A one-week return to the NFL goes into the pile of commitments for the 32-year-old. The former NFL punter (technically, Weatherford is still a Jet, although he expects to get cut before next Sunday once starter Ryan Quigley is healthy) is a radio host, trainer, fitness expert, model and philanthropist, with new fields constantly creeping into his life.

"I never self-identified as an athlete, when I played or not," Weatherford says. "It's a skill that I worked very hard to develop, but it's been more of a conduit to speak about what I'm passionate about. It's about being able to motivate and inspire kids through hard work and through health and fitness and through nutrition."

Weatherford's charity work is a non-stop effort. Along with his own organization, the Steve Weatherford World Champion Foundation, Weatherford is a spokesperson for Second Chance Toys and The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. He is the Health & Fitness Ambassador for the NJ Boys and Girls Club.

Weatherford accepts almost any other request asked of him in New York, and he was the 2013 recipient of the Giants' Wellington Mara Award for outstanding community service.

Weatherford was honored last Wednesday in New York by The THRIVE Network, alongside fellow former NFL player Tim Tebow, former NBA player Trent Tucker, Public Advocate for the City of New York Letitia James and real estate executive Adam Hochfelder.

"My sons and I have been Giants fans for a long time and it's very rare that one of your favorite players on the team is a punter," Hochfelder says. "The fact that Steve Weatherford has always given back to the community and coming off the field and he has his son run out, it reminds me of when I was playing sports and when my guys were young. This is a guy we should be rooting for and I've followed his career."

Weatherford's Midwest accent is a noticeable feature in the Manhattan crowd. He was born in Crown Point, Indiana, went to high school in Terre Haute and played in college at Illinois. Weatherford arrived in New York for his first stint with the Jets in 2009, then went to the Giants in 2011.

"So many doors open up to you when you win a championship, win a Super Bowl and especially in a city like New York," Weatherford says. "It's a polarizing community and place to be able to say I was a New York Giants Super Bowl champion. I could have been a Super Bowl champion for New Orleans or Green Bay, but those cities don't have the outreach and media buzz. I've tried my best to be able to take that notoriety, the platform that people put you on, to be able to motivate and inspire."

Weatherford's journey to the Big Apple provides plenty of inspiration. Weatherford claims he was 5-8 and 108 pounds as a high school freshman.

"I always loved sports, but I was lightweight athletic," he says. "I lacked the size and strength to compete at an elite level, so I developed an elite work ethic. I spent time in the library. It was before the internet. I couldn't just Google something. I had to read books to get myself the knowledge to be able to maximize my genetic potential."

Weatherford changed his diet and exercise routine to gain 117 pounds in his four high school years (and grew to 6-3). He was an all-state kicker twice and an all-state track member three times.

"Other people in my high school were pointing the finger at me saying this guy's on steroids, which to me, was the best compliment I could ever get," Weatherford says. "I could attain something that people thought I couldn't do without cheating."

In the NFL, Weatherford faced another accusations in 2013. Mitch Ross of Sports with Alternatives to Steroids claimed Weatherford was among those who used "performance chips," tiny holographic patches worn on the skin at Chinese acupuncture points.

Weatherford denied this accusation and told ThePostGame at the time of the story: "If you think about the people he named, they were Ray Lewis, a Hall of Famer, Brett Favre, a Hall of Famer, Terrell Owens, a Hall of Famer, and then he used my name. The only reason I think I deserve to be in that group is because I'm in really good shape."

Weatherford's journey also took him through a series of twist and turns mentally. His conditions sometimes made his youth frustrating, but an older Weatherford has learned to punt with the wind.

"I've been able to use them as weapons," he says. "I have ADHD, so I rarely get tired. Having OCD, once I get focused on something, it's the only thing I can think about."

If Weatherford seems like he never sleeps, it's because he says he has ADHD and OCD. When things get too out of hand, his wife, Laura, steps in, along with their four children.

"She helps me shift that gear and be like OK, now it's time to be a Dad, now it's time to be a husband, now it's time to do TV, now it's time to do football," he says with a laugh. "She's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."

At The THRIVE Network's "People Who THRIVE" fundraiser, Weatherford posed with celebrities, but he also engaged with the crowd and took selfies with fans. He even let a few people put on his Super Bowl XLVI ring.

"This is my favorite venue to make friends because the energy you give off is the energy you attract," he says.

Weatherford puts that to work in the real world. That energy is what made him a fan favorite with the Giants and still makes him engage in New York City. It is why fans still want to listen to him on the radio and get fitness advice from him. It is why numerous foundations in New York City want Weatherford's personality supporting their product.

When asked about his message for young kids suffering from such disorders as ADHD and OCD, Weatherford says, "My favorite quote is to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift. I think that holds true to all facets of life, all industries, all walks of life, all races. You're going to get out of life what you put in."

The THRIVE Network is a 501(c)(3) based in Brooklyn that provides social services to individuals and families in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. Weatherford was given his award by Chrles A. Archer, Esq., CEO of the foundation. Weatherford had guidance to succeed in life and now he devotes his life to affecting the lives of the next generation.

"I always tried my best and it came from guidance from my parents and people in my life to be able to leverage those gifts to motivate and inspire and affect people's lives in a positive manner," he says.

The crowd recognizes the philanthropic rock star.

"Everybody that does that, it starts from the earliest age," says Peter Borish, Chief Strategist at the Quad Group and board member of the board of directors of Charitybuzz. "It starts with their parents and their community. It's hard to say why someone does it, but I'm always thrilled to see guys like Steve and Tim giving back."

Weatherford admittedly struggled in his one-day comeback with the Jets. Physically, he had not been practicing. Mentally, he was not rusty as much as sidetracked.

"I've been focused on life after football," he said after the game. "And if somebody called, great. It was exciting to come here and play, but that was a rough, rough day."

It is rare to see a former athlete embrace the post-playing world as much as Steve Weatherford. Even when he gets called to the field less than two months after getting cut, it does not feel right. Now, he feels suited for the philanthropy, radio, fitness world.

Weatherford is OK with that. In fact, he is giddy. If anything, the barriers in the way of Weatherford's energy are gone. He does not have to worry about any touchbacks in the real world.

-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.