Colts' Pierre Desir living his dream: 'I'm not supposed to be here'

INDIANAPOLIS – How do you focus on your dreams when your present circumstances are so overwhelming?

Pierre Desir confronted this question daily. At times, a football career should have seemed completely unattainable for the Indianapolis Colts’ journeyman cornerback now enjoying a breakout season.

Like, say, the days he spent in waist-deep wastewater, trying to make ends meet. Or when Desir made the difficult choice to put his college career on hold, making a sacrifice for his young daughters. It could have been all those times NFL scouts told him pro teams might not take him seriously because he was a small-school prospect.

There were so many mileposts at which Desir could have decided he would never be where he is today – a starting cornerback in the NFL.

“You have to sacrifice a lot,” Desir said, “but I was always chasing that dream.”

Just as Desir locked in on Ben Roethlisberger’s deep ball in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, never losing sight of it before making a leaping, mid-air interception, he similarly never lost of sight of his lofty NFL aspirations.

Desir has been confronting challenges since he and his now-wife, Morgan, became teenage parents in high school. An inadequate college-entrance exam score compounded Desir’s problems, eliminating his chance of attending a major university on a football scholarship despite being an all-state selection in Missouri.

Off to Washburn University he went, opting to play football at the Division II program in Kansas. Morgan and his daughter, Keeli, came along. They would make the best of things, they figured, but the situation grew more challenging with the arrival of their second daughter, Kamryn.

Desir was at a crossroads. Washburn was maxed out on its limited scholarship money, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to fill the gaps. His football career was off to a fast start – Desir had 12 interceptions in his first two seasons and those NFL dreams were beginning to seem justified. At the same time, a harsh reality was staring him in the face.

“So, we decided to go back home just because my family was there and everyone could help us out,” Desir said. “That was a decision I had to make to take care of my family.”

Surrounded by family and friends in St. Charles, Mo., a St. Louis suburb, lessened the burden on Desir. Morgan was able to find work now that family members could help with childcare. Meanwhile, Pierre turned his attention back to football, enrolling at nearby Lindenwood University.

But as a transfer, he was ineligible to play for a year. No scholarship. No football.

And that’s when Desir’s faith faced its biggest test yet.

In an effort to pay tuition and support his family, Desir became a day laborer. The routine was always the same. Show up at 6 a.m. at the temp agency, wait for jobs that may or may not come.

Some days he went home empty-handed. Other days, he got more than he bargained for. One such day came when he was tasked with helping on a flood restoration job at an apartment complex.

“We’re down in the basement,” Desir said. “It’s just nasty. There’s waist-high water. But that’s what I had to do. There was no other job I could get at the time. It was tough, but I had to do it for my family.”

As for what was in the water, well, you don’t want to know. But it had to be tough to maintain a dream of ascending to the highest level in football when Desir was, perhaps, at his lowest point.

This is when Desir found himself furthest from football.

“I had to work and pay my way (through school), which was tough,” he said. “And I couldn’t really build that relationship with the team. Plus, I was just working all the time.”

Desir would return to the field the next year, and picked up where he had left off. Two years later, as a senior, he snatched nine interceptions and established himself as one of the best Division II players in the nation. The requisite attention followed. He garnered invites to a pair of college all-star games, which were a key to proving he could compete with players from bigger schools. And he earned a spot in the NFL scouting combine, a huge opportunity for a small-school kid.

“The odds are really stacked against you,” Desir said. “The scouts would tell me, ‘You’re a small-school guy. (Teams) are going to think you’re a risk because you might not translate to compete with guys who played in the SEC and ACC.’

"I'm not supposed to be here."

But the Cleveland Browns were sold. They drafted Desir in the fourth round in 2014, but the challenges didn’t end for this native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti (his family emigrated to the United States when he was 4). He would learn the business side of the NFL, going through coaching and management changes in Cleveland, which cut him in 2016. Off to the Chargers, who cut him later that year. The Seahawks scooped him up but he didn’t stick there, either.

When the Colts claimed him off waivers in September, Desir couldn’t know what to expect. For his first two weeks, it looked like more of the same. Inactive and moored to the bench, Desir had to wonder whether those long days of labor would ultimately pay off at all. Then came Week 3. Desir got the call and started against his former team, the Cleveland Browns. He finished with six tackles and, more important, earned his coaches’ trust.

With the release of veteran cornerback Vontae Davis last week, Desir looks like he might be a fixture in the starting lineup for the rest of the season. His contract expires at the end of the season, and after all Desir’s been through, he’s certainly not making any assumptions. But part of him would love to make Indianapolis the NFL home he’s never had.

“I love Indy,” he said. “I want to be here. Transitioning from team to team is hard. You want to be in a stable position, not only for yourself, but for your family. Just knowing you have a place to call home is great.”

Maybe that happens, maybe it doesn’t. All that will be dealt with in time.

For now, Desir is too busy living his improbable dream to worry about anything else.

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