I missed the call and didn’t think much of it. It was the last Tuesday in September of 2016. Two days before that—and after more than a year on the practice squad—I had just dressed for my first game for the Carolina Panthers. We lost to the Minnesota Vikings at home. But I was thrilled to have earned my right to be on the active roster. The missed call came from the Panthers offices, which wasn’t unusual. I knew so many people there—teammates and coaches, but also regular folks in the offices— on a first-name basis. This call, though, wasn’t...