From NFL to Hollywood: Issac Keys’ life story

Many professional athletes discover a new life when they’re done playing their sport. For Issac Keys, the transition from football to acting was unusual. After several turbulent chapters, Keys is now in a better place in life. He is ready to share his story in his upcoming memoir. The Grind Don’t Stop, It Just Changes. The book documents moments of his NFL career, the uncertainty he lived through, and how he transitioned to acting. Keys wants to use this book to convey the message that anyone can adapt and overcome life-derailing obstacles.

“Look at that pivotal point in your life where you had to make a change because you were derailed from the thing you were supposed to do. Think about the things you wanted so bad and worked so hard for, and they were all of a sudden taken away. For me, I realized it was a part of the grind. It didn’t stop, it changed,” said Issac Keys, actor and former NFL star.

The Grind Don’t Stop, It Just Changes debuts in February 2026. Keys decided to tell his story because of the passing of his father, Issac Keys Sr. Keys Sr’s health started to decline due to onset dementia and sepsis. He passed away on June 8, 2024, two days after the actor’s birthday. This experience led the former NFL star to reevaluate the meaning of legacy and realize how limited our time is.

“Legacy is not always just about kids or what you leave behind; it’s about what you accomplish in the time that you have on this earth. At this point in my life, I realized that time is not promised,” said Keys.

Keys is a former NFL Linebacker. He played for the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Arizona Cardinals in the early 2000s. After football, he did not have a clear plan. Keys explains that he was in a state of desperation and lost. What led to Keys’ struggles after the sport were a few real estate deals that went bad and burned through his money. Keys had less than $100 in 2007.

In 2009, Keys moved to Los Angeles and worked several different jobs, like private security and youth intervention. He juggled those while taking acting classes. His effort paid off, as he landed roles on TV series such as Supergirl, Lucifer, and The Rookie. His latest role as Diamond Samson on the spin-off series Power Book IV: Force is his biggest project. This life-changing part helped his finances and made him famous to the point where people stop him for pictures wherever he goes. Even though the role improved his circumstances, Keys didn’t feel secure.

“When I got the call that told me I got the part, I did a Tiger Woods fist bump and yelled in my apartment. Yet, even after they told me I got the role, I still didn’t believe it. I didn’t believe it because I’ve been through so much heartbreak. People told me I was going to do this and that throughout my life. I didn’t believe it because I felt  like it could simply be taken away,” said Keys.

The actor started on the book last year after shooting the final season of Power Book IV. Keys explains that writing the Grind Don’t Stop, It Just Changes made him reflect on his childhood. This experience made him question the fights he had as a kid, how putting on a tough exterior led him to football, and whether he was naive in moments of trust with people. He thought deeply about which experiences made it into the book and how most can learn from it.

“I was able to dig deep into these emotions, which can be great conversations to have with young people or adults. The process of writing this book made me think about why we are the way we are and what barriers are keeping us this way,” said Keys.

Keys wants to use the story of his life to illustrate that reinvention is possible for anyone who has had to survive life-wrecking situations. He wants to share the chapters of his life in hopes of helping someone and relating to those who feel stuck in their own journey. The Grind Don’t Stop, It Just Changes tells the many lives Keys had to live to go from a bankrupt NFL athlete to a Hollywood actor. The memoir will be released in February 2026.