BenJarvus "Law Firm" Green-Ellis Was Actually Supposed To Go To Law School

The "Law Firm" nickname that's stuck to Patriots running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis triumphs over the average modern sports nickname—it's not based on his initials, or the first syllable of his last name, and it features an allusion to a milieu more buttoned-down than the NFL. (If that's your thing.) Cris Collinsworth will probably call Green-Ellis by his nickname at some point on Sunday, and some clueless guest from Weil, Gotshal and Manges at a well appointed Super Bowl party will go, "Oh, man, I totally comprehend that point of reference!"

It turns out, though, as the New York Times explains, that Green-Ellis actually could have been a lawyer:

LaTonia Green said every career assessment her son took in high school established his suitability as a lawyer. When he was forced to sit out a year after transferring to Ole Miss from Indiana, they discussed law school as a postgraduate option.

"He was supposed to go on and get that law degree, but that didn't happen," Green said. "He went to the N.F.L."

Well, perhaps he, like other NFLers, will have the good/bad fortune to turn plaintiff sometime after he retires. Don't count out court yet.

A Patriot Dependable in All Types of Cases [NY Times]