Marcus Peters didn't want to be a cliche. He didn't want a series of immature decisions to haunt him the rest of his life and mostly, he didn't want to squander his natural ability on the football field. And yet, after a tremendous start to his career at the University of Washington -- he amassed 11 interceptions in 34 games -- the talented cornerback was dismissed from the team during his junior season for violating team rules.
To understand where Peters is today is to understand where and what he comes from. He took his first steps on a football field and he counts Seattle Seahawks' superstar running back Marshawn Lynch, a fellow Oakland, California, native, as a de facto family member. Even as a little boy, he wanted to play in the NFL. Naturally, he wanted to succeed for himself, but also for his parents and community, who rallied behind him even amid the most challenging of circumstances.
He blossomed into a dominant two-way player in high school, and thought playing wide receiver was his ticket out. In fact, his first offer came from the University of Utah, to play offense. But in leading his team to its first-ever 12-0 season during his senior campaign, Peters also excelled at corner, and ended up being named MVP at the prestigious Nike Combine in Oregon. He received four offers ... just on the way home.
"There's a lot of 5-foot-11 receivers," his dad, Michael, told him, "but there's not that many 5-foot-11 [defensive backs]."
A few years later, following the incident in Seattle that ended his collegiate career, Peters knew his professional life -- and his personal life, for that matter -- could go one of two ways. Instead of harboring anger and resentment toward the UW program, he instead shouldered the responsibility for his behavior, including arguments he'd had with several coaches.
"There was nothing but love and support, and that's one of the biggest reasons it felt bad to go out on a bad tilt," Peters told The Huffington Post. "They gave me a huge opportunity [and] I made a whole lot of mistakes."
With plenty of time to reflect, Peters returned to Oakland, upset and eager to turn the page.
"I went home and sat down with my family," he said. "We talked about what happened, and the biggest thing that my family told me was you can't make it where you were totally innocent. You've got to man up and take blame for what you did, what you cost. ... It helped me realize some things I needed to change, some habits I had from high school. And that's not me. I'm not that person."
Yet as important as his newfound attitude was, Peters was still faced with an uphill battle. NFL general managers and scouts were wary of a kid who, despite becoming a highly productive three-year starter, was once suspended from a game and eventually forced off the team.
"He had nothing to hide," said Michael, who coached his son all the way through high school. "He actually manned up and took care of it. He met it right in the face. He told everything like it was. Me, him and his mom sat down and that's just the way he handled it."
The intense vetting process from the professional ranks began, and Peters had to confront his mistakes. While he excelled in certain areas at the pre-draft Scouting Combine, scoring rave reviews for his rare athleticism and dynamic playmaking ability, he ran the all-too-important 40-yard dash in a surprisingly slow 4:53. Plus, the reality remained that players kicked off of teams rarely get drafted, particularly on day one.
But Peters was groomed to be a professional, thanks in large part to his hard-working, strict, but very fair father.
"[He taught me] to always trust myself," Peters said. "If I see it, go, because you're only going to get that shot one time."
Michael's message to his son before the draft wasn't much different: If Peters handled himself the way he was raised -- to be forthright, earnest and mature -- everything would work out well.
Father was right.
Clearly satisfied by his positive attitude and overall character, the Kansas City Chiefs -- after concocting a 20-person vetting process spanning weeks and included a home visit -- selected Peters in the first round of the 2015 draft. ESPN Monday Night Football analyst and former Super Bowl champion head coach Jon Gruden called Peters "the best corner in the drafted, and it is not even close."
"Am I angry or anything at the teams that didn't take me?" Peters asked. "No, I'm not angry. I'm blessed that they even gave me the opportunity to come sit in front of them and to even talk about getting drafted."
Blessed with a second chance, the cornerbac