SANFORD, Fla. — When Orlando City defender Seb Hines hung up his boots three years ago, he wasn’t sure what would come next.
He’d been waived by the Lions after two injury-riddled seasons. He couldn’t stay with the team, but he wasn’t ready to leave, either. Hines was stuck in a limbo that’s familiar to most professional athletes — the overwhelming uncertainty of life after they can longer play the sport they love.
“I didn’t have a backup plan,” Hines said with a laugh. “You’re a footballer and you always want to be a footballer, so you try to prolong that as long as you can.