By Kimberly Dunbar

Life is about second chances, and Shrewsbury native Shawn Loiseau isn’t taking any of his for granted.

“Since I was little, I always dreamed of being a football player,” said the 23-year-old, who was added to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad in November. “Now to get the opportunity to do that, it’s been great.”

However, Loiseau’s journey from Shrewsbury High standout to NFL player wasn’t easy. At 17, Loiseau was involved in a fight outside his home that landed him in jail. After being hit in the head with a pipe, Loiseau tackled his attacker to the ground. The attacker ended up in a coma. Loiseau ~ who needed 26 stitches for his own injury ~ was charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon (the ground). Loiseau pled guilty to assault and battery in order to return for his senior year.

“I learned that everything can be taken from you in a split second,” he said of the experience. “It really made me step back and realize what’s important in life. When I was in jail, all I could think about was I hope he wakes up and that I get a second chance to go back out there. I didn’t want people to see me as a bad person.”

Loiseau worked hard to show everyone who he really was ~ someone who did well in school, gave back to his community and excelled on the football field. That year, Shrewsbury went 13-0, won the Division 1A Super Bowl, and Loiseau was named Massachusetts Defensive Player of the Year.

“I definitely did feel like had to prove something,” Loiseau said. “Being overlooked my whole life, I was always told I wasn’t good enough to play Division I football ~ I wasn’t big enough, fast enough or strong enough.”

Although no Division I schools scouted Loiseau, he attended Merrimack College, where he led his team to multiple conference titles and was the repeat winner of the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. His play drew NFL buzz, but Loiseau went undrafted. However, the Houston Texans signed him in May, only to release him in the last round of cuts.

Although disappointed, Loiseau said it only made him more determined. “It was another step in the road that I had to take,” he said. “When I got cut from Houston, I knew it wasn’t over.”

Loiseau was right ~ a few months later, the Colts added him to the roster, making him the first Merrimack College player in the NFL.

Despite his rocky road, Loiseau’s mentality has always been to never give up. And his advice to others would be the same ~ hard work and persistence are the keys to success.

“What you do when people aren’t watching is what matters most,” he said. “I’ve always trained like I was number two. You’re competing every single day in everything you do … you have to put in the work before the games and when you are at practice.”