The 6-foot-6, 240-pound former NFL offensive lineman found some anonymity while wearing bright turquoise scrubs.
“I think I was able to hide in plain sight,” D’Brickashaw Ferguson said of his two years in Thomas Jefferson University’s nursing program in Philadelphia.
A decade after he retired as a football player, Ferguson, 41, is wearing a less recognizable uniform. The 2006 University of Virginia alumnus – and three-time Pro Bowler with the New York Jets – officially begins his nursing career this fall at a New Jersey hospital after completing his degree from Jefferson in May, ending a long search for his life’s next chapter.
He tried his hand as a writer, dabbled in finance, and even considered becoming a sports agent, but rarely felt qualified enough to commit – until an internship with the Jets’ strength and conditioning team revealed a career path that finally felt right.
Ferguson, alongside then-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, celebrates being taken fourth overall in the 2006 Draft by the New York Jets. The UVA star went on to make three Pro Bowls, never missing a start in his 10 seasons with the team. (Virginia Athletics photo)
While reluctant to working long hours again in sports, Ferguson, a father, was open to testing the medical field and following the path of his mother and grandmother, both nurses.
“I had transitional skills, like working hard and being diligent,” said Ferguson, a religious studies major and two-time first-team All-ACC performer at UVA. “And my mother told me, ‘This is a profession where there’s a lot of opportunity. You can really explore all of health care (as a nurse).’”
So, in his mid-30s, Ferguson went back to school – first, a community college in Pennsylvania to complete prerequisites, and then enrolling at Jefferson in the fall of 2023.
“I didn’t skip any steps,” he said. “I had to do all the little steps to get there. It felt good because I felt like I was earning it.”
D’Brickashaw Ferguson: My name is D’Brickashaw Ferguson, former left tackle for the New York Jets, and I’m graduating Thomas Jefferson School of Nursing this year.
Nursing was an opportunity to transition into a new space. My mom’s a nurse, my grandmother’s a nurse, I have people in my family who are in healthcare. But I wanted something that allowed me to be able to serve in a very unique way. I felt like nursing would give me that opportunity.
Nurses Week is really a week of appreciation, a week of engagement, an opportunity to not only engage one another, but to kind of celebrate all the journeys that nurses have been on.
As somebody who’s just entering this space, I’m learning so much and it’s been a pleasure to be a part of this great week.
I want to say congratulations to all the graduates of Thomas Jefferson University Class of 2025. I’m excited to get into this new space. We’re going to do some amazing things, and it really starts with us.
Ferguson’s classmates, some barely removed from high school, were likely too young to recognize him from his football career, though his mere presence invited questions. The fourth overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft has lost 70 pounds since his last game with the Jets.
“People were like, ‘Man you’re tall,’ and wondered if I played basketball,” Ferguson said with a laugh. “And I would just politely say, ‘No, I never played basketball,’ and keep moving.”
Ferguson tried his best to keep a low profile as a nursing student. Upon interviewing for an externship position in Jefferson Hospital’s cardiac intensive care unit last summer, he didn’t submit his resume until after presenting in front of nurse manager Courtney Beebe.
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