Trent Shelton never made it in the NFL.

A former standout wide receiver at Baylor, Shelton was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts in 2007 but soon moved from the Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks before he was out of the league completely.

Shelton explained to “Fox & Friends” on Monday that two things brought him back on the right path: The birth of his son and his college roommate committing suicide.

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“I made a promise to him that I would live my life with purpose for the rest of my life,” Shelton said, explaining that football had been part of his identity his entire life before he chose a new direction.

Shelton said a lot of athletes don’t know where to go or what to do when they don’t achieve their dreams of making professional sports. He said “so many athletes are lost.”

“I want athletes watching this to know you have skills and you have talent that you can really transfer into real life,” Shelton said.

Shelton, the author if “The Greatest You: Face Reality, Release Negativity and Live Your Purpose,” explained some of the key principles he uses to guide his life: Don’t run from your battles, discover your purpose and eliminate negativity.

The 34-year-old Arkansas native made clear that everyone is “created with worth” and that you “never win your war running from your battles.” He encouraged viewers to “face your truth.”

“You have to look at yourself because negativity is not gonna bring you anywhere. Negativity serves no purpose in your life, so I always tell people if it wasn't for my rock bottom my life wouldn’t change,” he said.

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Shelton is now a motivational speaker who has nearly 10 million likes on Facebook and more than 1 million Instagram followers.