For Myron Rolle, success might not have always come easy. But it was the expectation. A Rhodes Scholar with a path to medicine, Rolle pivoted to a career playing football. One that ended after being cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012. Reflecting on his brief NFL career, Rhodes explained why he felt disrespected by how his time with the team, and final conversation with GM Kevin Colbert, ended.
“One of the most challenging moments of my life to be released by the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Rolle told the Ross Tucker podcast. “And be told by their GM, ‘You’re playing well, but we’re not worried about you, Rolle. You can go on and be President one day. You can go on and be a doctor. You’re going to be fine. You don’t need football.’
“I’m like, I’m here grinding like these guys. And I’m playing well. That’s not a really good reason to let someone go. And then sorta patronize them by saying you’re going to be fine in your other career.”
"The Steelers GM told me 'we're not worried about you Rolle, you can go be president one day, you can go be a doctor. You're going to be fine’…”
“That's NOT a good reason to let someone go and then patronize them by saying you'll be fine in your other career."@MyronRolle… pic.twitter.com/a2n9C7Oq5t
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) April 6, 2026
A sixth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2010 out of Florida State, Pittsburgh signed Rolle in late January 2012. He spent the offseason with the team, appearing in three preseason games before being cut in late August during final cutdowns.
By 2013, Rolle had opted to retire and pursue medicine full-time. Today, he works as a neurosurgeon at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Florida, and developed the “Rolle Scoring System,” to ensure helmets are safe enough to prevent serious brain injuries.
His well-lived career away from football didn’t reduce the sting of having his dream of playing in the NFL end. Though Rolle doesn’t mention him by name, he’s clearly referring to Kevin Colbert, who served as Pittsburgh’s general manager during that time. Cutting a player is never easy and Colbert may have felt offering a message of “you’re going to be successful somewhere else” was an uplifting parting thought. Rolle didn’t interpret it the same way.
Ultimately, neither man is in the wrong. Colbert’s message wasn’t meant to be demeaning, but Rolle’s reaction to getting fired is understandable. Had Rolle played well enough to capture a roster spot, he would’ve made the team. A sixth-round pick on his second NFL team always makes for long odds to stick around, and Rolle clearly had plenty to offer the medical world. Where his impact can last far longer than anything he would’ve done on the football field.
Recommended for you