After a successful career in the National Football League, Kenny Vaccaro is now turning his focus towards a different competitive scene - esports
The 30-year-old safety officially retired from the physical sport to establish G1, an esports organization that stands for Gamers First, alongside Cody Hendrix and Hunter Swensson. The Texas-based esports organization already set up a Destiny team in the short time since its foundation. Meanwhile, the co-founders are reportedly setting their eyes on competing in the Halo World Championship.
Vaccaro is turning his lifelong gaming passion into a career
The former New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans member shared in an official press release that the organization's name comes from Vaccaro's priority: he is a "gamer first" above everything else, including being a professional football player.
According to Vaccaro, the decision to chase after his dreams as a gamer "isn't a reflex decision" and that it's something that he has "thought about for a long time." The former first-round pick describes it as a "realization of a long-term dream" and adds that "G1 is evidence for other athletes as well that life doesn't end just because you put down the helmet. You can reinvent yourself."
It's interesting how an All-American collegiate football player with a relatively successful NFL career could call it quits this early on. Even if Vaccaro is getting right up there in age, he is still just 30 years old, which means that he is close to his peak if not still in it. He could have still found himself a spot in a willing NFL team if he wanted. But, as he has proven in the video announcement, Vaccaro ignored a text from an NFL team so that he can pursue a Halo World Championship with G1.
The Halo World Championships are the biggest events Halo. It is the pinnacle of the shooter's competitive scene and was previously an annual event until 2018. 2021 will mark the third year in a row without a Halo World Championship. However, with Halo Infinite set to launch on December 8, along with the official reveal of G1's roster, we might get more news about the date for the next Halo World Championship.
