Former NFL defensive back Eddie Jackson wins Next Food Network Star
It’s always impressive to see a former NFL player forge a career after football. And in the case of Eddie Jackson, his second course might be his finest.
Former NFL defensive back Eddie Jackson, who spent time with the Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, turns out to be a pretty multi-talented guy. After football, he discovered food and figured out he could cook a little bit.
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In fact, Jackson was good enough to win the 11th season of “Next Foot Network Star” show and now will have his very own show on the Food Network. The show, hosted by celebrity chefs Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis, tests regular joes, unknown cooks and even home chefs with a series of cooking challenges and on-camera tests to see if they have what it takes.
By the end, Jackson was the best of the lot this season even though he had some ups and downs through the show. Jackson — known as “The Fit Chef” — owns the Caribbean Grill food truck and is a personal trainer in Houston and previously competed on the Fox show, “MasterChef,” so he’s no fly-by-night hash slinger.
Here is the pilot for his “Barbecue Blitz” show that helped win Jackson the Foot Network finale:
Jackson’s career in the NFL lasted 42 games in four seasons from 2004 to 2007. He never recorded an interception and primarily was a special teamer in his career, but Jackson did play for one of the best teams in recent history — the 2007 Patriots.
But his cooking career clearly is hot right now. And we’ll be following Jackson because, hey, barbecue!
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
