Jake Ballard

Jake Ballard is a former professional football player. He played tight end for the New York Giants, New England Patriots, and Arizona Cardinals between 2010 and 2013. Ballard was an NFC Champion with the Giants in 2011 and ironically enough, a Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots in 2012 against the Giants. He grew up in Springford, Ohio throughout the ‘90’s and excelled in both football and basketball throughout his childhood, starting on both teams in high school. Ballard chose to stay close to home and attend Ohio State University, where he was a major reason that Ohio State beat Oregon in the 2010 Rose Bowl. Ballard then went on to sign as an undrafted free agent for the NFL in 2010. Debuting with the Giants, he tore his ACL that season and was placed on injured reserve as a result. He then spent a short amount of time with both the New England Patriots and the Arizona Cardinals but ultimately announced his retirement in 2014, stating that his body has never fully recovered from the ACL tear. Ballard is admired by many for his admirable quote following the announcement of his retirement in which he humbly stated, “Having a quality of life after football is very important to me and I have witnessed it taken away from others."