From Kansas City Star
by Sam Mellinger
The organized chaos of an NFL practice surrounds Husain Abdullah, and he is tired. His legs feel heavy. This is such an important time for Abdullah. He’s never had an opportunity like this before, and he can’t be sure if an opportunity like this will ever come again.
But, man. He is exhausted. He sees a teammate open a bottle of Gatorade. That would help, if he could drink it. But even water is off-limits for Abdullah, who is competing for the Chiefs’ starting safety spot opposite Eric Berry.
A nap is as good as it gets for recovery during his 13-hour workdays, much of them spent in the July heat with no water. Abdullah is a professional athlete with potentially millions of dollars at stake showing the sports world a whole different meaning of the word sacrifice.
“I do it for God,” he says. “I don’t do it to say I’m a tough guy. Trust me, when it’s not the month of Ramadan, I am not fasting and playing football. You do it for the sake of God, and for me, God comes before anything.”
As a practicing Muslim, Abdullah does not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, which this year runs from June 28 through Monday. If he needs it, he’ll occasionally rinse his mouth or splash water on his lips.
Trainers give him cool towels to put on his head and neck during breaks. They open the cafeteria at Missouri Western State University, site of the Chiefs’ training camp, at 4 every morning and help Abdullah plan what to eat and drink when the sun is down to be as safe as possible when the sun is out. He eats a big meal just after sunset, and another just before sunrise. In between, he wakes up for a protein shake. Any little bit of nourishment helps.
