'Got to Give It Back': Cowboys Ex Quincy Carter Thrives as Coach & Mentor

The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback has overcome addiction with help from a North Texas football legend and now guides local youths in their own gridiron dreams.

Quincy Carter has returned to football.

The former Dallas Cowboys franchise quarterback detailed his modern affairs to Rick Cantu of the Austin American-Statesman, as he's now the eponymous commodity behind the "Q17 Quincy Carter QB School." It's part of a path of redemption and clarity for Carter, whose professional football endeavors ended under a dark note in the wake of several addictions.

"My career didn’t end like I wanted it to. But that football fever is still burning in me," Carter told the American-Statesman. "If I can give something back to all the coaches that gave to me so freely, I’ve got to give it back. That’s my goal. Not just on the football side, though. I want them to be better men. 

I know what this football field does for you when you carry these habits into real life. You’re just practicing life; that’s all you’re doing.”

Carter is perhaps best known for his three-year stint with the Cowboys, part of the cursed passing carousel at the turn of the century after Troy Aikman's retirement. While Carter struggled to find a consistent rhythm and flow under center, he headed up the Cowboys' 2003 playoff run, which ended a streak of three consecutive five-win seasons. 

However, that postseason cameo, a loss to the eventual NFC champions in Carolina, proved to be Carter's last game at the Dallas offensive helm, as a pair of substance abuse policy violations led to his release shortly before the 2004-05 season kicked off. Carter briefly latched on to the New York Jets, as well as the Canadian and indoor football circuits but further personal woes, including an arrest in 2006 put him in a dark place. 

To that end, Carter reached out to fellow Dallas alum Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, who likewise battled addiction issues during his football career. While Henderson reached a bit of a breaking point with Carter, the quarterback eventually took his advice and checked into BRC Healthcare in Manor, TX, which hosts one of his current proteges, sophomore Quintaelyn Joyner. There, Carter thrived under the supervision of BRC founder Marsha Stone, the two bonding over their shared home state of Georgia. 

Now, Carter is back on the field, mentoring the next generation of North Texas passers. He makes no effort to hide or sugercoat the dark side of his past, hoping his students will learn lessons both on and off the field. 

"The repetition of throwing a football, the repetition of leading your team, the repetition of calling the right play when you have an audible, the repetition of being a leader on an everyday basis, that's what I'm really trying to teach," Carter said. "If they can take that from football into life, I know I'm molding great men."

The modern Cowboys (2-1) take on the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon (12 p.m. CT, Fox). 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter

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