‘You’ve never quit anything in your life’

The thing you should understand about DeForest Buckner is he’s not just a tremendous football player and a pillar in the Colts’ locker room. He’s a dedicated husband to his wife, Ashyln, and an involved dad to his three kids.

And after his surgery, he wasn’t able to be any of those things.

“(I wasn’t) able to do a whole lot after surgery, pretty much being in the bed, not being able to move around,” Buckner said. “I couldn’t even pick my kids up and stuff like that. I couldn’t pick up anything heavier than 10 pounds for the first couple weeks.”

The mental toll it all took on Buckner was significant. This wasn’t just a significant injury, it was a significant injury to a significant part of his body.

“I had some dark days where I was feeling like, man, is it worth continuing on playing – especially dealing with your neck, you know what I mean?” Buckner said. “It had me contemplating some things.”

Ashlyn is a tremendous support for him, and especially was in the aftermath of his surgery. Through conversations about Buckner’s future – as a player and a person – she encouraged him to take things one day at a time in rehab.

She reminded him he always talked about walking away from football on his own terms.

“You never quit anything in your life,” she told him.

“You’re right,” Buckner replied. “And I’m not gonna start now.”

In August, Buckner reflected on those conversations.

“It was a constant reminder of the strong support system that I have in my wife,” he said.

Buckner’s kids – six-year-old Dominic, four-year-old Jordan and one-year-old Gia – were a source of inspiration through those dark days last winter. His kids are young, but old enough to know when dad’s hurt. Buckner said his son, Jordan, at one point was walking around his preschool classroom grunting “ah, my back, my back.”

Kids are perceptive, and Buckner knew he wanted them to see him get through this, as difficult a path as it may be.

“They’re watching me,” Buckner said. “It’s one of those moments where I could show them adversity’s going to hit. Something’s gonna hit you in the face one day, and it’s not going your way. It’s how you respond.

“Are you gonna overcome it? Or are you gonna sulk?”