More on Pasha Jackson

Posted by Jake Trotter

on June 22, 2009M at 9:18 am

This past week I got to speak with Pasha Jackson, sort of.

Because Pasha lives in Cuba, we spoke indirectly via email, since a phone call would cost about $4 a minute.

In case you missed it, here’s the story.

For those who forget, Pasha was a very solid linebacker for OU in 2002, 2003 after transferring over from San Francisco City College. He also was an outstanding student.

I learned of Pasha’s story from his girlfriend, whose name, coincidentally, is Tasha. Pasha and Tasha’s names not only rhyme, but they have the same birthday. Tasha, who used to be in journalism, once worked with Andrea Cohen, The Oklahoman’s OSU hoops writer, at the newspaper in Birmingham, Ala. Tasha is now working in PR in California.

Anyway, it was nice to see someone take the road last traveled. The average career of an NFL player is only a couple of years, and I’m sure finding out what to do next for those players is a difficult decision.

But Pasha embraced the opportunity to do something more with his life, rather than sulk about his misfortune in the NFL (when he was cut by the 49ers, he learned of it via memo), and injures in Europe.

Pasha clearly is passionate about his medical school, improving relations between Cuba and the U.S., and about one day returning to the states to work with low-income communities.

“I feel that the entire medical school institution is invested in my success and expects it,” he told me. “I haven’t seen courses out here that weed people out. There’s a huge support system amongst everyone at the school. It’s a community making sure you will do your best.”

This is what Pasha had to say to other D-1 athletes, who have aspirations away from the playing field, about balancing schoolwork and athletics.

“It was tough to maintain them both, but it was not because of the effect they had on one and another. The true challenge of college time management had very little to do with balancing football and school, the true factor was managing my social life,” he said. “Social life is kinda like the X factor, athletes receive tons of practice in their sport, a whole team of tutors and aids to help them in academia, but there is little help or preparation given, to the social circus which was my OU experience for the most part. Once I found a way to maintain my social life, life on the field and in the classroom fell right in place.

“The truth of the matter is that athletics and academics strongly complement each other. The same qualities that makes someone an outstanding athlete can be applied to the classroom and visa versa. Athletics provides for a great stress lessor when plagued with the pressures and deadlines of college, and the class room provides a great contrast via a wide range of stimulating subjects to counter the monotony of workouts and film.”

By Jake Trotter

Here is Pasha recently doing an interview with a local TV station in California:

And some more photos he sent me: