By JUAN PERFETTI
His dad is his biggest role model.
Shawn Loiseau had the dream to play in the NFL since he was 7 years old, actually, he wrote it on a paper in school… unfortunately, he remembers his teacher laughing and giving it back to “write something more realistic.”
Video: Shawn Loiseau salutes his community on Shrewsbury Comunicas
“There’s a lot of negative people who surround you, you can see it in the school, you can see it by your teammates, you can see it by some of the coaches. I told people I wanna play in the NFL and they laughed”, said Loiseau when I asked about his childhood in Shrewsbury, Central Massachusetts.
There are not a lot of professional athletes who come out from this neighborhood. So, to achieve his dream he knew that he basically had to do the things the other kids weren’t doing.
At this time Shawn Loiseau not only made it and is an NFL player, but he also has a wonderful history of hard work, passion, opportunities, and a brilliant future.
Shawn Loiseau grew up in Shrewsbury and considers that the biggest thing he learned in this community is that there’s a lot of support from people who want to help, but sometimes there aren’t the resources the kids need in order to make it to the next level.
Fortunately, Shawn was one of those kids that benefited greatly when he went to college, especially with the professional sports where he found resources as far as supplementation, and nutrition, and people who helped him to get to the next level on the field and off the field.
Making a negative into a positive
When he was 17 years old he got in serious trouble with the justice after a fight that went wrong. Shawn is not ashamed about that (because he was defending himself) but he took the responsibility and assumed that it was his fault.
“I was facing charges, sitting in jail possibly facing murder, and will never be getting out again. But the biggest thing for me was: It’s my fault, I made a mistake… the only thing I can do is try to not make the same mistake twice,” expressed Shawn.
I asked Shawn about that experience and how did he get out of it, despite the difficulties.
“I’m not the only person that experienced pain. Everybody experiences pain in life. Sometimes is physical pain, sometimes is mental pain,” answered me, and continued: “That’s one of the things I carry with me. I’m human, I’m gonna make mistakes but I try to treat every single person the best way I possibly can.”
Shawn likes to give advice, so I took advantage of knowing what he recommends to the kids who get in trouble in the community.
“It’s not cool to get in trouble,” Shawn said, “If you make a mistake, pay the punishment, take responsibility. Then try to move forward, surround yourself with different people, positive people who want to move in the right direction. Every single person that you’ll meet in your life is gonna have something great to teach you.”
Shawn thinks that as quickly as you can face your adversity, as quick as you work hard to get through that adversity. “Is like attacking back, making a negative into a positive,” he said.
And he continued: “The more you take a negative and feel bad about yourself, you are not getting anywhere. It’s just a thought, not an action, is a fear… it’s what you making in your mind and you making in your body.”
“You have to believe a 100%”
Shawn Loiseau has worked hard to be who he is. He was cut three times off the NFL, in his words “one of the hardest jobs in the world.”
So to keep it up, he was living on a couch for the past 3 years every time he was cut because to him “living in an uncomfortable environment makes you hungry.”
“I always think that I am in the second place. Because the instant that you start to think that you are the best you lose, because there is someone out there who is always hungry, there is someone out there who always wants what you have,” indicates Loiseau.
Right now Shawn is in the injured reserve of the Indianapolis Colts with a 2 year contract. He is training every single day and he will be back to the game this year.
Meanwhile, he made himself a businessman and founded an American Nutrition Center store in Shrewsbury. Located at 149 Boston Turnpike.
In his store, he wants to provide much more than supplements, nutrition, and vitamins. He is offering advice for free. And such advices!
“I have dietary supplements, protein ships, protein peanut butter, everything of the best quality. I’m offering kids the chance to come in here and talk to a guy who grew up in this community but made it all the way to the NFL,” assured Loiseau.
Shawn said that nutrition and supplementation is his passion, and he wants to share it with the youth. So he is also doing motivational speeches for high school teams and his big goal is to get on the stage and do it for people.
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