Alabama Football: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has a summer job that’s not football

When Alabama football players move to the NFL, the job of football leaves little time for anything else. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is using his summer break to earn degree credits.

Offseason days are precious to NFL players. For at least eight months of the year, they work six-day weeks. Plus the days are long, often starting at 6:30 AM. Former Alabama football player, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is dedicating a chunk of his precious offseason to earn college credits.

The compensation for NFL regulars is good, though far from the top in the professional world of sports. Even when the money is good, most careers are short. According to a Wall Street Journal study reported by Sports Illustrated, the average NFL career is 2.66 years.

There are other published numbers, with a wide range of variation. Statista.com reports the average career is 3.3 years. NFL owners prefer another statistic from the same source; the average is 6 years for players making “a club’s opening day roster in their rookie season.”

By any measurement, most NFL careers are short. For players, there must be life after football.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is a very good football player. His first contract guaranteed him nearly $7.6 million. If the Packers pick up his fifth-year option in 2018, he is scheduled to earn another $5.6 million.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was lucky to have football opportunities after his Alabama football career ended. No matter how good the player, there is luck involved in making it to the NFL.

Clinton-Dix is not counting on luck to assure a career after football. He is working for it. This summer, when he could be resting and recreating, he is interning In Green Bay with Brown County Circuit Court Judge Don Zuidmulder.

It is an unpaid internship. By recording 180 hours of work by August, Ha Ha can earn six hours credit toward a degree in Criminal Justice. It is not a cushy gig, as described by Judge Zuidmulder to The Journal Times.

"“I think the idea was to give him an opportunity to see what the (most important) positions are in the criminal-justice system. Based upon that, I just want to get him to see and know as many of these component parts as possible, so if he decides he has a particular interest in one of the people that he spent time with or one of the organizations that he spent time with, then that just gives him a better chance to focus on that.”"

Not surprisingly, the Judge has respect for professional decorum. He will not be referring to Clinton- Dix as Ha Ha.

"“As far as I’m concerned, he’s Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix. He’s Mr. Clinton-Dix. (And) he’ll have a dress code,”"

The Judge sounds like a man Paul Bryant would have respected. Nick Saban likely would as well.

Beyond being a fine football player, Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix is a role model for Alabama football. Leaving college early to pursue a professional dream can make sense. Finishing what was started in college, academically, makes even more sense.

Next: 30 Great Crimson Tiders who were 3-Star recruits

Ha Ha may still be learning that life changes in many ways after Alabama football. In April, while visiting spring practice, his car was booted for being in a No Parking area.