Ezekiel Rose - Football, Faith, and Finance

If you watched the Albany Firebirds take on the Southwest Kansas Storm last Friday night, it was easy to see why the defensive player of the week was Ezekiel Rose. Running with a high motor and pushing offensive lineman around, he made life uncomfortable for the opposing quarterback, Jalen Morton.

However, Rose is more than just a football player. He's a man of faith whose football journey hasn't always been the perfect road. He's also a man of finance. Let's dive a little deeper into Ezekiel Rose, the defensive tackle who truly walks the walk.

Football History

Ezekiel Rose played college ball for the West Virginia Mountaineers before taking part in mini-camps for both the Baltimore Ravens and the New Orleans Saints. A hamstring injury during the Saints' mini-camp delayed his pro debut.

He then found himself in Canada, playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Coach O'Shea. "I've always been a runner," Rose said. "One of the things he (O'Shea) told me was when a 300-plus pounder is running down on kickoffs and keeping up with linebackers and safeties...the team sees that, and it lifts morale."

However, in the one game he played for the Blue Bombers, he tore his ACL. It may seem like something that could be the end of a dream, but that's not where his story ends. In fact, it may have been just the beginning of a much bigger story. 

Finding Faith

"Before my injury, I was a bit on a high horse," Rose said. After the injury, though? "That's when I learned to do my journey with God. That's when I took on a spiritual role of praying more and talking to God more."

He doesn't take all the credit for being able to keep going, and while he credits God, he's also thankful for others in his life.

"My trainer, Steve Trocchio, even let me stay in his house while I trained and got back to full health. God put him in my life, and I'm thankful for that.

On a scale of 1-10, Rose would rate his faith in helping him in football as a 100. "It was one of those things that once I looked back at where I started and where I am now, I would not be where I am now without my faith."

It's not just his faith he credits, either. "My mother's faith, my father's faith, the people that pray for me. It's way more than just me."

A Guy That "Walks The Walk"

"Ezekiel's a great professional," Albany Head Coach Damon Ware said. "He does everything we ask. He was voted in as team captain, which doesn't surprise me. He wakes up every day and posts scripture in our group. He walks the walk... he's a great man of faith and a great football player. When he needs to turn it on, he can. He leads by example and is just a great individual. 

I read the coach's quote to Rose to ask how it made him feel, and I wasn't surprised by his answer. As I got to know him during the interview, the coach's words rang true, and he was a great individual who really does walk the walk. That includes giving credit to where credit's due.

"That feels amazing. I appreciate the coach. It feels good because it reflects my mother and my father and how they raised me and the things they taught me over time and I'm really appreciative of them. I'm forever grateful for where they got me. It's a badge of honor to hear what the coach said."

Rose plays with a high motor, and he says it all falls under faith. God showed him, "I gave you all these attributes, use them."

A Force For The Firebirds

If you tune in to an Albandy Firebirds' game, you'll see that Ezekiel is a force to be reckoned with. He was constantly in the backfield on Friday night for their first game. He put constant pressure on the Storm quarterback Morten. 

"It felt really good to get out there and learn a new group of guys. I got to learn my teammates and their why," Rose said. Of course, as humble as he is, he doesn't take all the credit for winning Defensive Player of the Week. "I couldn't have done it without my dogs, my d-line was out there working." The Firebirds held the Storm to just 20 points. 

Rose is enjoying playing for the Firebirds and for Coach Ware and the Albany way. "Everyone wants to come together. We're all here for the same goal - to win a ring. The mentality of the coach, Albany vs. everybody, rubs off on us. Everything here is so professional, and we can trust Coach Ware. He does everything he can for us. If something can't be done, he's real with us, and I appreciate that."

When asked what players he patterns his game off of, he didn't have just one individual to point to. "Lawrence Taylor was a bad man, you can't not put him in the mix. Aaron Donald, when he was the underdog, I've got to respect that. Elvis Dumbervil was a smaller dude but had the heart to wreak havoc on the inside and outside of the line. I'm not a small dude, but I want to always model my game after the heart and high motor like that. 

He has a high motor, and it shows during the game. "Keep chasing guys down, keep running. It all plays on Faith." When opposing offenses see his game tape, they're going to have to worry about him. It's something the Nashville Katz, a team Rose is very familiar with, will need to worry about this coming weekend.

"When the game comes around, I don't know any of these fellas," Rose said. They'll certainly have their hands full with him. 

Finances Outside Of Football

As with all of the players in the Arena Football One league, he's more than just a player. Not only is Rose a football player and a man of faith, but he's also diving into the business of finance. He's helping teach people financial literacy. Helping them understand generational wealth and how to become protected earlier on in life as well as later.

While working on becoming a financial advisor, he's helping people with their finances and is happy to answer any financial questions through his Instagram (Zekerose5).

Whether it's faith, football, or helping in finance, Ezekiel Rose is always giving it his all. "Don't stop running." Something that truly shows up on and off the field.