Oakland Raiders: Former linebacker finds a new life and new passion

Former Oakland Raiders linebacker Miles Burris, his career cut short by injury, has found a new life and new passion away from the football field.

Linebacker Miles Burris lasted just three seasons with the Oakland Raiders, and never played another down again after leaving the East Bay.

His life didn’t turn out the way he’d planned it, but after some self-described “dark times,” he’s found a new passion and calling in life.

Burris was taken out of San Diego State in the fourth-round by the Raiders back in 2012. at six-foot-two, 241 pounds, Burris was built in the Zach Thomas mold, and found his way into Oakland’s starting lineup very quickly after an injury.

His rookie season would prove to be his best as he appeared in all sixteen games, making fifteen starts. On the year, Burris racked up 96 tackles (62 solo), had a sack and a half, four passes defensed, and an interception.

All in all, Burris had a very solid rookie season.

2013 though, saw injuries derail his season. He missed the first ten games of the year, and he was limited to just six total games, with no starts, posting four total tackles and a fumble recovery.

Burris returned in 2014, starting all sixteen games he played, but was clearly not the same player. Though he totaled 110 tackles (77 solo), and a pass defensed, it just seemed that he’d lost a step.

Burris was released following the season, and though he’d try out for a couple of teams, he’d never take another snap in the NFL.

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He said his injuries prevented him from playing at the highest level demanded by the NFL, which led to his early retirement and those “dark times.”

"“It was a tough pill to swallow because I felt like I was supposed to keep playing, and I was scared to tell my wife about it. It was a really dark time for me. She handled it fine, and at home I was depressed because I’d played football since fifth grade. I thought I was supposed to come back and play for a bunch of years, and it’s like, now what?”"

The “now what,” has apparently turned into a second career that Burris is burning with passion for – every bit as much passion as he had for the playing football – acting.

"“My wife let me mope on the couch for a day and then she told me to get up. ‘We’ve talked about this acting thing for so long, we’re going to get you into classes.’ My wife took headshots of me with her iPhone, which is hilarious. We got set up on this self-submission site for acting, and it was just like this super fluke thing where this great role came that I submitted on and got in on with no representation. It was my very first audition and I booked a guest star on this big budget pilot, and got a real taste of what it was like to act.”"

Since being bitten by the acting bug – or rather, since being pushed into it by his wife – Burris has five listed credits on his IMDb page, with his biggest role to date on the CBS medical drama, Code Black.

So far, so good, for Burris, who says he’s enjoying the life of an actor as much as he enjoyed playing football.

"“I had some reservations because I wanted to try acting and give it a shot, but I had no idea if I would even be good at it. I’ve never had a job acting or been on set before, and I get there, and it was just like my first day in pads in fifth grade. I called my wife on set, ‘This is it! I love this!’ It was the same thing I felt in fifth grade, it was so cool, and acting really rescued that passion. My biggest fear leaving football was that I’d never have a passion like that again vocationally, and acting kind of rescued that.”"

Burris was always a guy who gave everything he had. His motor was always going and he left it all out on the field, game in and game out. He was never the biggest, fastest, or strongest guy out there, but he played with an enormous amount of heart.

Despite injuries derailing his career and life not turning out exactly how he’d planned it, Burris is doing what he did as a football player in the first place – making the most of his opportunities as they come up.

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And if Burris takes on acting with as much passion, dedication, and heart as he did at football, there will be no stopping him in the future.

We wish Miles Burris the absolute best moving forward and hope his new career is long, fulfilling, and wildly successful.