Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire juggles NFL career with nursing school
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has embarked on a new journey this season off the field.
When he’s not training to run away from or through defenders, Edwards-Helaire is learning how to be a nurse and care for others.
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“I wasn’t able to do the nursing things because, being at LSU, the nursing school and playing football, I would have to do LSU in New Orleans and some other stuff, and I was not necessarily planning on leaving early but had the opportunity to,” Edwards-Helaire said.
“So now I’m back at school, rolling.”
Edwards-Helaire began college heading down the path of sports science. He considered majoring in kinesiology or a career as a physical therapist. On his old LSU roster page, they listed his major as sports administration.
But with his mom being a nurse and his sister born with muscular dystrophy, this career path is significant to him.
“Football is just one of those things that’s kind of get me in this position, but you know, using my brain and me knowing, you know, what I can do on the back end, helping people,” CEH said.
“In the nursing field, it’s just one of those things. I just feel like people are doing it for the love of the money, not you know, what’s what’s actually going on with everything in the medical field and nursing. So it’s close to my heart.”
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Edwards-Helaire’s football career path has also been a factor in this decision.
After collecting over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in his rookie season and over 600 total yards in year 2, the Baton Rouge native didn’t play in the last 10 games of the 2022 season, including being a healthy scratch for Super Bowl LVII.
The Chiefs also declined his fifth-year option as a former 2020 first-round pick.
This season, Edwards-Helaire has performed well when starting running back Isiah Pacheco has stepped down. He recorded 101 yards on 17 touches and a receiving touchdown against the New England Patriots in Week 15.
His 64 yards as a receiver were crucial with the bulk of his yards coming off of a 48-yard screen that helped set up the Chiefs’ first TD of the game.
Edwards-Helaire’s lack of play helped him decide to start school even though the scheduling is pretty difficult.
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“Wasn’t playing that much and wasn’t doing anything, so I was like ‘Cool, I’m going to start school,'” he said. “It’s kind of enjoyable because it kind of feels like college.
“I’m not doing anything else but you know, leaving work and then going to do school stuff. So you know, shout out to my fiancée. She’s kind of helping me with the scheduling ordeal, and all that’s been a headache.”
The Chiefs face the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday. In the frigid Buffalo temperatures, Pacheco and Edwards-Helaire will be crucial in the anticipated matchup.
The shelf life of a running back can be short in the NFL, and with free agency on the horizon with less-than-stellar numbers, CEH could be out of the league by this time next year.
But coaches and players rave about CEH’s off-field demeanor and how much he means to his teammates. And those qualities will always be enough for a team to give him a roster spot whether it’s the Chiefs or another team.
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With a headstart on his next career, CEH is already on a great path to a successful life, with and without football.
“In the future, if y’all need some shots or IVs or anything, holla at ya boy.”
