In a video call after the latest Board of Pardons hearings, Baldwin spoke about his own journey, from being the “angry Doug Baldwin” in the NFL to helping free people from prison. The conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

You were known for your intensity on the field and have mentioned in other interviews that you struggled to transition into your post-playing career. How did you struggle, exactly?

It was about identity. I had been playing football since I was six years old and was celebrated for my performances on the field since I was seven. So it became sort of a lifeline for me. And when I didn’t have that, I felt out of place. I felt lost in the world. I didn’t know where I stood because no one was telling me, “Oh, yeah, you’re doing a good job right now.”

So not having that, on top of my first daughter being born, being married for two and a half years… there’s so much non-instant gratification or instant affirmation when it comes to being married and being married. Having children I think also added to the challenge. But I also think it was an advantage for me, because I had something else to do. Something else that was…I don’t want to say distracted my mind from the negativity, but pulled my mind in a different direction.

What advice have you received for managing your retirement?

Most people I’ve talked to have said, “Just know that it’s going to be hard.” » They didn’t really have more than that. I had a former teammate who was in the locker room before one of our games, and my mind was already going: Man, this time is coming at some point. So I just asked him, “Hey, has retirement been hard for you?” And he shook his head no. It shook me a little too, like, Dang, okay, so everyone tells me it’s hard. He says it’s not difficult.

What I learned from this was that he had other things planned and ready for his retirement. He was able to focus on other things and find fulfillment and affirmation, whereas I was just like, “Okay, football’s over.” I don’t know what’s next. By my nature, I couldn’t devote any energy to anything other than football at the time, so I wasn’t as complete as I would have liked to leave the game.

When did you start feeling better?

I would say probably a year and a half, two years ago. It might even be less, to be completely honest, not necessarily physically, but emotionally, mentally and even spiritually, to some extent. I only found this higher level of balance probably less than a year ago.

In 2022, Washington Governor Jay Inslee appointed you to the state’s Board of Pardons and Pardons. Other board members are a court reporter, a dean of students, a former director of the Department of Licensing and a public defender. How did you become involved in it?

I was working on other initiatives in Washington state, and one of the contacts I worked with was the liaison between the governor’s office and myself. He said, “Hey, what do you think about this?” Does this interest you? And quite honestly, when I thought about it, I felt called. I really felt obliged to join him.

During your playing career, you spoke out on issues related to police reform, but also, as you mentioned during the hearings, your father was a law enforcement officer. Your journey in thinking about criminal justice: has it been linear or have there been many twists and turns in your vision of our justice system?

This is a great question, and one that I don’t know if I have a good answer to, but here’s how I’ll try to answer it: My faith has been a very strong component of how I’ve traveled the world and how I traveled the world. I felt sane in many ways, and this is no different. So when it comes to…it’s hard for me to talk about criminal justice or justice, because it’s an inherently flawed system, and sometimes justice doesn’t prevail, even within the system. I think I see that in some of these cases. But what I would say is I look at the people who appear before our board, and they are like me. They’re just human beings who are flawed… They come from very difficult backgrounds, and they may or may not have had the support necessary to make positive change in their lives, to be able to balance or counteract the challenges. which they face. So I look at them with great grace.