Football teaches many value life lessons, but it some cases, the sport can represent something even greater in a young athlete’s life.

According to LSU star running back Leonard Fournette, football was a life-saver.

Fournette recently joined NBC’s Pro Football Talk, where he talked about how being committed to football helped him stay on a straight path, while others around him veered off track.

“I could’ve been like any knucklehead out here, selling drugs, a criminal, or doing whatever it may be,” Fournette said. “But no, I was on the football field 24/7.”

It was his ninth-grade season that Fournette pointed to as a turning point, where he realized he had a bright future playing football. That year, he started on varsity for St. Augustine (New Orleans), rushing for 1,735 yards and 22 touchdowns en route to MaxPreps Freshman All-American honors.

The gridiron journey for Fournette should continue on Thursday, where he could be a Top 5 selection in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

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