Back from pilgrimage, Husain Abdullah playing for others

Tom Pelissero | USA TODAY Sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah thought about never coming back.

Few NFL players can walk away from contract offers and sit out a year in the prime of their careers, much less undrafted safeties who had to fight for a chance in the first place.

"My perspective isn't money first," Abdullah told USA TODAY Sports. "But if you do look at money first, it's like, 'Are you dumb?'"

The Fifth Pillar of Islam is The Hajj — a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca that all Muslims are supposed to make once in a lifetime, provided they have the health and the wealth.

NFL players put their health on the line every day. The wealth is a different story, which is why even close teammates were stunned when Husain and his brother, eight-year NFL veteran Hamza Abdullah, announced they were putting their careers on hold to take a spiritual journey.

"People ask us all the time, 'How come you guys don't just do it when you're retired?' And the truth of the matter is, we're not promised the next day," said Hamza Abdullah, who most recently played for the Arizona Cardinals from 2009 to '11.

"I've had three teammates pass away while I was in the league. I've seen guys getting carted off the field. We're always just one play away. We would hate to look back and say, 'I didn't give it my all on the field. I wish I had one play back.' The same goes in life."

It took some convincing from his parents, his brother and the rest of the Abdullahs' big Southern California family before Husain, 28, decided to give the game he loves another try — there were too many people looking up to him to let them all down.

And the Chiefs provided the chance Abdullah wasn't sure he'd get again, signing him to a one-year, $715,000 contract that included an injury waiver and no guaranteed money — a no-risk flyer after a one-on-one meeting in February with new general manager John Dorsey.

"I like the kid, and I think he's very refreshing," Dorsey said. "I like his soul. I like his mind-set. He's a good football player, a very smart football player. He likes the game of football, but sometimes life's always not about football.

"He let his spirit (guide him), and he went and did one of his dreams."

ONCE IN A LIFETIME

Dorsey had always admired the way Abdullah played in his four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, who signed him in 2008 out of Washington State and offered a multiyear contract extension before a fourth concussion in 15 months ended Abdullah's 2011 season.

Two concussion specialists cleared Abdullah to resume his career in January 2012. But it wasn't long after he and two of his brothers — Hamza, 30, and Abbas, 32 and the oldest of 12 children — began talking about putting football on hold.

Husain and Hamza were both set to become unrestricted free agents. The trip to Saudi Arabia would last only a few weeks in October, but as Husain put it, "You can't sign with a team, then just disappear."

Perhaps more important, the brothers weren't sure how many opportunities they'd have to take the journey with their parents, who never believed they'd have the means to see Mecca themselves.

Their mother, Sa'eeda Johnwell, who home-schooled her children, including Hamza through 10th grade and Husain through eighth, has had many health issues, Hamza said.

Yusuf Johnwell — who is not the Abdullahs' biological father but raised them after marrying Sa'eeda — is a carpenter who worked countless odd jobs to feed his family and instilled in his sons a work ethic and humility. He has kidney failure and must have dialysis daily.

"The moment with the most gravity is probably seeing our parents walk in and seeing the holy mosque, which is called the Kaaba," Hamza Abdullah said.

"It was just a magical moment, because I know in their lives — they're older, they come from very humble beginnings — it was even more than a dream to ever get there."

Husain came away with a new perspective of the world — "the big picture of life, the big picture of death" — after meeting people from Indonesia, Spain, Brazil, Turkey and seemingly every African nation who were there for the same purpose.

"You name it, they were there, and everybody's there to ask God for forgiveness, guidance, mercy," he said. "It was crazy, and everybody in different languages, just praying to God. That was a lot, man. It was a lot."

BACK TO WORK

Hurricane Sandy delayed the Abdullahs' flight back to the USA, leaving Husain and Hamza even less time than expected to try to catch on with a team for the second half of the 2012 season. Neither got a workout.

When the Chiefs called the week of the Super Bowl, Husain had only a few days to prepare. But he did enough in a workout and an interview to show his body was right and his mind wasn't someplace else.

"Honestly, that never crossed our mind," Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton said. "This guy's all football when he's here. He's been a real pleasure to coach."

The Chiefs list Abdullah second on their depth chart at free safety, and that's probably where he fits best — as a special teamer and key backup. He started 24 games for the Vikings less because of his ability than his instincts. He knows when to blitz, when to drop, when to dip underneath, when to wait.

The more he's on the field with the Chiefs, the more it all comes back. It doesn't hurt that his annual fast for the Islamic month of Ramadan was over on Aug. 7 and the Chiefs held the first two weeks of practice in the early mornings during a rainy and cool stretch of weather.

Nobody asks much about Abdullah's faith – at least once they get over the fact he turned down money to follow it.

"They'll say, 'What made you do that?'" Abdullah said. "Or even when I was fasting for Ramadan, they're like, 'You're doing what? You can't have no water?' But as long as you can play and you can help out – the other stuff, man, we can talk about that later. Let's get this job done. We come together for a common goal."

He laughs off the idea he should be called an activist – "If I'm an activist, I'm the laziest activist there is" – and insists the Hajj, as well as another trip to Mecca for Umrah and speeches at mosques around North America preceding it, were all about meeting people and self-improvement.

Hamza Abdullah continues to work out in Glendale, Calif., in hopes a call comes, though he says he's at peace either way. Like Husain, he is married with children. He enjoys coaching his younger brothers and texts advice to former teammates.

Regardless, Hamza knows he won't be alone Sundays. Not with the biggest group of Chiefs backers on the West Coast cheering on Husain.

"He's doing it for a lot of people," Hamza said. "It's not just himself. I'm really glad he went back and worked as hard as he did and now he's doing well.

"God willing, he makes the team and makes a difference."