{"id":303895,"date":"2025-11-20T20:50:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T20:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/303895\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T20:50:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T20:50:08","slug":"what-saved-a-heartbroken-14-year-nfl-veteran-its-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/303895\/","title":{"rendered":"What saved a heartbroken 14-year NFL veteran? It\u2019s magic"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Athletic has live coverage of Bills vs. Texans<\/a> in NFL \u2018Thursday Night Football.\u2019<\/p>\n

ANAHEIM, Calif. \u2014 The most famous long snapper in the world is in the backseat of a midsize SUV with its flashers on, eastbound along Katella Avenue shortly after the Disneyland fireworks finish, shouting directions at his high school friends over the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not how you do a procession,\u201d Jon Dorenbos says.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re a semi-frazzled caravan en route to a Tony Robbins event at the 18,000-seat Honda Center. It\u2019s the third day of the motivational guru\u2019s \u201cUnleash the Power Within\u201d seminar. Dorenbos is tonight\u2019s closer, only 10 miles from Pacifica High School itself. A big deal, even for a former Pro Bowler who finished third on \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent.\u201d So a bunch of longtime pals are here. Dorenbos can do wild stuff with a deck of cards, but getting people from a hotel bar into multiple cars and the correct parking lot is the real trick.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife is Magic.\u201d That\u2019s the mantra. It\u2019s the title of his book. It\u2019s on the trucker caps he has in a box for later. Friend-wrangling aside, this somehow barely covers it.<\/p>\n

The most mundane thing about Dorenbos might be the 162 consecutive games he appeared in for the Philadelphia Eagles. In a single dinner conversation, he pinballs from a harrowing childhood to his friendship with the Broken Lizard comedy troupe to stealing a watch on a dare from Andy Reid to that time he performed at Barbra Streisand\u2019s surprise birthday party while John Mayer played guitar. Hanging around him is like orbiting a pistol star.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NFL was always that thing that made this other part of my life so much more interesting,\u201d Dorenbos says, appropriately wearing an Eagles hoodie the evening before a keynote speech to thousands of strangers. \u201cThe \u2018yes-and\u2019 gets you into a lot of doors. A lot of doors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some magicians won\u2019t give away their tricks. This one does, and you still wonder how they\u2019re possible.<\/p>\n

In 1992, when Dorenbos was 12, his father killed his mother. He testified in the trial that led to a second-degree murder conviction. Dorenbos entered the foster system, where card magic became a refuge. \u201cTo this day,\u201d he says, \u201cthe sound of the riffle is where life makes sense.\u201d He was adopted by his aunt and uncle in California, lettered in four sports in high school, spent one year at a junior college and then landed at the University of Texas-El Paso when a friend called to say the Miners needed a long snapper. Dorenbos spliced film of himself<\/a> with the snapper from his junior college and sent it over.<\/p>\n

And, presto, the long snapper on UTEP\u2019s football centennial team<\/a>, announced in 2014, was Jon Dorenbos.<\/p>\n

In a way, football and sleight of hand never ran parallel as much as they twisted into an elemental helix. When Dorenbos tried out for the Eagles in 2006, Andy Reid knew two things: Former UTEP coach Bob Stull had recommended Dorenbos, and the guy could do cool tricks. Reid walked Dorenbos into the lunchroom and asked him if he could steal defensive coordinator Jim Johnston\u2019s watch. Dorenbos guesses it took a minute.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome to The Birds,\u201d Reid told him. Only 10 players, ever, have played more games for the Philadelphia Eagles.<\/p>\n

Dorenbos wore his jersey while doing tricks on \u201cThe Ellen Show.\u201d The \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent\u201d folks put him in the mix for Season 11 because, by his own estimation, he was an NFL player who could do card tricks. It was another time magic saved him: Dorenbos says he later was up for a hosting post that went to Tyra Banks, which meant he kept playing. Which got him traded to the New Orleans Saints. Which prompted a physical that revealed an aortic aneurysm. Without career-ending heart surgery, Dorenbos likely doesn\u2019t make it to age 45 and a Tony Robbins event.<\/p>\n

Or that Streisand birthday when the surprise guests were Babyface, Cindy Crawford, John Mayer and \u2026 him.<\/p>\n

Or the Andrea Bocelli Foundation cruise he joined at the last minute in September \u2014 \u201c\u2018Can you bring fun?\u2019 Can I bring fun? Hell, yeah, I can bring fun!\u201d is how Dorenbos explains that gig \u2014 which ended with the legendary tenor performing on a stage set up in one of his marble mines.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember telling my wife, \u2018Honey, stand up and dance,\u2019\u201d Dorenbos says. \u201cShe was like, \u2018Why?\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018Because this is celebrity, classy people. We\u2019re never getting invited back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He makes 75 to 95 speaking appearances per year. He\u2019s headlined Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas and delivered keynotes for dozens of companies, including Apple, Coca-Cola, AT&T and Pfizer. It\u2019s preposterous. It\u2019s also not an accident. \u201cI\u2019ve had a motto in my life: Never become what you do, be who you are, and may every experience be a great story for your grandkids,\u201d he says. It\u2019s the fusion creating Dorenbos\u2019 energy. Why he is who he is. Probably at all times, but certainly on the way to the Honda Center on a Saturday night in Orange County.<\/p>\n

He can\u2019t wait to tell you how to do this magic.<\/p>\n

The friend caravan retains integrity. Blessedly so: The Tony Robbins attendees have been at it for 14 hours, and now they have one last break.<\/p>\n

On our final approach to the arena, it appears a lot of them are leaving.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, guys,\u201d Dorenbos deadpans to his pals, \u201cthe reason you\u2019re invited is I need someone to cheer for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside, it\u2019s not nearly so dire. Anyone lingering in the upper deck is welcome to fill the lower bowl, per an arena announcement. But that still leaves thousands here, and they\u2019re quickly on their feet when five dancers in red \u201cMake Your Move\u201d T-shirts emerge to reenergize the crowd as DMX\u2019s \u201cParty Up\u201d blasts over the speakers.<\/p>\n

Robbins, it seems, is done for the day. Scott Harris \u2014 a life coach and motivational speaker \u2014 is on hand to praise everyone who stayed. It\u2019s a roller-coaster, Harris says, and you need all the bits. Which brings him to the day\u2019s final guest. A man with an infectious spirit, is how Harris puts it. It\u2019s not about the magic in the cards. It\u2019s about the magic in his lessons.<\/p>\n

Out comes Jon Dorenbos.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m about to kick some ass!\u201d Dorenbos says. \u201cI\u2019m pumped! Southern California, baby! First time in my hometown!\u201d<\/p>\n

Off we go, swept into an hourlong gale of comedy and poignance. Poetry and fun delivered via splatter gun. Dorenbos pulls out a deck of cards, asks an audience member to choose one, then returns to the stage. He selects one card. He does not reveal it.<\/p>\n

He asks which card the guy chose. It\u2019s the king of diamonds.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you say king of diamonds?\u201d Dorenbos asks. He then flings the entire deck into the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cNailed it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He decries \u201cpity claps\u201d after a delayed reaction to a trick but duly acknowledges a \u201cGo Birds!\u201d from the crowd. Dorenbos rolls video of his snapping days \u2014 he taps his rear end to confirm that\u2019s the view everyone is getting \u2014 and declares he played \u201csix and a half minutes of actual football\u201d across his 14 seasons. He tells a story about the Eagles fan who had Jon Dorenbos sign a thigh tattoo of Jon Dorenbos \u2026 and then got the signature inked as well. \u201cThis guy right here,\u201d Dorenbos says, in front of a giant screen featuring a giant leg tat, \u201cis awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then comes the part about life being hard.<\/p>\n

He talks about his father, his hero, bludgeoning his mother to death with a bench grinder and a sledgehammer. He talks about seeing the autopsy photos and defensive wounds on his mother\u2019s left hand. He talks about standing on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean with his sister, on their therapist\u2019s advice, and screaming. He says he hoped his mother would send him a wave of good mojo.<\/p>\n

\u201cShame on me, shame on everyone in this room if you wake up and don\u2019t think life is magic,\u201d Dorenbos says. \u201cYou have the opportunity to make a decision to be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re belted into a carnival ride. Only here it\u2019s emotions doing the rising and plunging. Dorenbos picked up card magic during his time in foster care after watching a VHS tape featuring magician Bill Malone \u2026 and signing with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent got him invited to a convention where, to his delight, he met Malone.<\/p>\n

He invokes advice from his grandfather, who bought a baseball cap for every team Dorenbos played for: Kid, sometimes you gotta wear a different hat in this life.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever be afraid to wear a different hat in this world!\u201d Dorenbos declares, as he whips his \u201cLife is Magic\u201d caps into the crowd. \u201cRock it loud and proud!\u201d<\/p>\n

His \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent\u201d run, at first, serves as a fiesta of self-deprecation. \u201cKnow the only thing worse than losing to a 12-year-old with a ukulele?\u201d Dorenbos asks. \u201cReturning to an NFL locker room after losing to a 12-year-old with a ukulele.\u201d It then transforms into the experience that, after a few twists, sent him to New Orleans and ended his career by saving him. \u201cWhen life gets hard,\u201d he says, \u201crewrite the story that makes sense for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s close to midnight now. Anyone in here has to be exhausted.<\/p>\n

They keep up with Dorenbos, though. Through his explanation of why he started pulling kids from the crowd to toss a football before every game. \u201cNever stop playing catch with your 12-year-old self,\u201d he says. Through his story about calling the NFL for help, because he wanted to track down his father a few weeks before his daughter was born. After 27 years, anger seemed like a sickness worth curing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more I hated the world around me,\u201d Dorenbos says, \u201cthe more I lost myself bit by bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

He met his father at a restaurant in Spokane, between shows in Calgary and Las Vegas. Five and a half hours, they sat together. And Dorenbos gave his dad forgiveness.<\/p>\n

By this point, Dorenbos has retrieved a deck of cards from a plastic container. He deals. One blank card and three Jacks in four quadrants. Through the story of meeting his father and finding a way past impossible tragedy, Dorenbos picks up cards and flips them over. Taking value here, giving there.<\/p>\n

By the end, blank cards fill three of the quadrants. \u201cHate just a little less, blame just a little less,\u201d Dorenbos says, gradually revealing the four Jacks together in one last cohered group, \u201cand may we all forgive a little more.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crowd erupts. He takes a bow. He calls for his wife and friends to join him on stage. It\u2019s now 12:04 a.m. Yesterday came and went.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery one of you are rock stars!\u201d Dorenbos tells his audience. \u201cIt\u2019s a great day to be alive!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Athletic has live coverage of Bills vs. Texans in NFL \u2018Thursday Night Football.\u2019 ANAHEIM, Calif. \u2014 The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":303896,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[690,1814,349,1239,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-303895","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-culture","9":"tag-new-orleans-saints","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-philadelphia-eagles","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/303896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}