While many former athletes struggle to deal with the shift to life after football, former Alabama defensive back De’Quan Menzie has quickly transitioned from the gridiron to law enforcement.

A member of Nick Saban’s second national championship in Tuscaloosa, Menzie had a brief NFL career — he played for Kansas City, Detroit, and Carolina — when his collegiate playing career was over. A fifth-round selection in the 2012 NFL Draft, Menzie recently became a Mississippi Highway Patrol officer following the successful completion of 19 weeks of training.

How tough is it for an elite athlete such as Menzie to become a Mississippi Highway Patrol officer? It wasn’t as easy as you may think.

“It was one of the worst things I’ve ever been through in my life,” Menzie said following his patrol school graduation, according to Steven Gagliano of News MS. “Coming from an NFL background, you would think football is harder, but it’s not.”

Menzie was also asked about the difference between getting “instructed” by Nick Saban and a drill instructor at the Mississippi Highway Patrol training.

“It was about the same, my ears are still bleeding from it,” Menzie answered.

Of the 120 cadets that started the Mississippi Highway Patrol training, only 57 completed the course.

Here’s a picture of Menzie in his new uniform:

https://twitter.com/menzie24/status/972198456973582336