Chris Carr has lived the dream. Now he wants to make sure he enjoys what comes next.
For the Ravens cornerback, that means trading in a seat in the locker room for a seat in law school, going from policing up wide receivers in the secondary to breaking down suspects on the witness stand.
In other words, Carr wants to become a lawyer when his football career ends.
"I think sometimes you get real consumed into football, thinking, 'Hey, this is going to last forever,'" he said. "But it's not. Ever since I took a constitutional law class in college, I knew that's what I wanted to do."
It's an ambitious goal. Carr, 27, begins his sixth NFL season later this month (training camp opens July 26). He will go to McDaniel College as a starter in the team's injured-depleted secondary, and is coming off a season when he played particularly well down the stretch.
This offseason, Carr spent four weeks at Hogan & Hartson — renamed Hogan Lovells after a merger last May — in an internship through the NFL's career Development Program.
Carr said the month with a global law firm confirmed that it was the path he wanted to take.
"It was a great experience because going into that you have no clue what day-to-day life is like as a lawyer," he said. "To be able to sit there and ask questions, see how they conduct business, see how diligently they work, was great. And everybody was very accommodating. It was a great law firm to work at."
Carr got a broad look at the business from the inside. He spent one week with corporate lawyers, another in project finance and the rest of his time working in litigation, reviewing assertions lawyers made in various cases.
He showed a strong aptitude for the job, said Steve Barley, a partner at Hogan Lovells who worked with Ravens' assistant director of player programs Harry Swayne to set up the internship.
"He's got a lot of qualities you'd like to see in a good lawyer," Barley said. "He's bright, eager, hard working. He's a great ambassador for the Ravens. I would not have known he was an NFL player. He never said anything about it, didn't act like a big shot. He was humble."
Barley, who owns season tickets for the Ravens, said he knew of Carr last season, the cornerback's first with the team after signing a two-year, $5 million contract as a free agent in March 2009.
"I was very impressed he wanted to do this, given that he's a starter in the NFL and signed a lucrative contract," Barley said. "A lot of people that age, with that money, wouldn't want to do this. It says a lot about Chris."
Ravens secondary coach Chuck Pagano knew about Carr's desire to pursue law after football.
"That's a testament to him," Pagano said. "He's just planning ahead. He's a smart guy, [and] he understands this isn't forever. He's just preparing for the future."
Carr earned a degree in political science from Boise State in May 2005. A native of Reno, Nev., he played three seasons with the Oakland Raiders and one with the Tennessee Titans before joining the Ravens a year ago.
All the while, he contemplated his post-football existence, hoping it wouldn't be a major comedown.
"When you play [pro] football, you're so fortunate," he said. "It's one of the greatest jobs you could ever do and it's going to be hard to match that once you're finished. … But I did feel content [at Hogan Lovells]. I feel like I can do this in my life and still miss football a little bit, but be content doing it."
Carr anticipates he'll gravitate toward litigation, "working with people and doing real-life stuff." He especially likes the idea of pro bono work, aiding people who have little or no funds for representation.
He also said he hopes the money he makes playing football will allow him to pursue a law career that is more rewarding and less salary-driven.
"I think if I'm smart enough with my money, the ultimate goal is to do something that's not necessarily going to make me the most money, but [to] practice law in the best capacity that's going to be the most fulfilling for me," Carr said. "When I think about all the debt most lawyers have when they come out, I don't want to end up in that situation."
As much as Carr enjoys playing football — he's never missed a game in five years with injury — he knows he's making a good decision by pointing toward law school.
"I like to argue and if I have a point, I'll want to prove my point," Carr said. "My whole life, everybody's always said, 'Oh, you should be a lawyer.'
"I love the objectivity of law, the idea that everybody deserves a fair shake."
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