'Now he's back to himself' - Inside Christion Abercrombie's journey from brain surgery to Atlanta Falcons coaching intern

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Every morning for about three weeks, Christion Abercrombie woke up in his dorm room at the Atlanta Falcons training facility, got dressed and walked to the team's weight room. A smile on his face — there's always a smile — he began to work with players.

Then he'd help his boss, Falcons director of strength and conditioning Thomas Stallworth, prepare for practice. During practice, Abercrombie looked around. Thought how he used to play and how this could have been him. But it doesn't sadden him.

Instead, he's happy. Grateful.

That Abercrombie is in the NFL, even for a few weeks as part of the Bill Walsh diversity internship program, is remarkable. That it's his second internship — the first was with the Tennessee Titans last training camp and this year with Atlanta — is a sign of his progress.

If the 24-year-old needs a reminder, he can feel the two chains he wears around his neck — a cross and the No. 6, the number he wore as a linebacker at Tennessee State when his entire world changed.

Or on his cellphone, where he saved a story about his recovery from a traumatic brain injury. Last month, he wasn't looking for anything special. He just wanted to work.

«This is not a sympathy thing. No, he said he wanted to be part of it,» Stallworth said. «He wanted to be treated normal. So we treat him that way.»

A little under four years ago, this would have seemed impossible after doctors told Abercrombie's parents their son might not survive the night.

ON SEPT. 29, 2018, Abercrombie was in the middle of one of his best games as a middle linebacker for Tennessee State. The Tigers were playing the crosstown SEC team, Vanderbilt, and it was a potential showcase for Abercrombie, a standout high school player in