Jets’ Middleton an inspiration as master’s-toting playmaker

FLORHAM PARK, N. J. » Doug Middleton was impressing the New York Jets with his playmaking skills last summer when a torn pectoral muscle sidelined him for the season.

The young safety refused to wallow in disappointment. He hit the books — and his rehabilitation — with fierce determination.

Nearly a year later, Middleton has a master’s degree in public administration from Appalachian State on his resume. He also created a nonprofit in honor of his best friend who took his own life last summer. And, he’s having another terrific training camp while competing for a job in Todd Bowles’ secondary.

“Yeah, I’m proud, very happy,” Middleton said after a recent practice. “I mean, pretty much all that came from me starting my foundation and me having a position whenever football does come to an end, I’m pretty much taken care of. It just handled a lot of different things for me and just made me feel comfortable and more at peace when I’m out here now.”

The 24-year- old Middleton graduated from Appalachian State in May 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He

entered the graduate program during his redshirt senior year and started chipping away at his master’s with a concentration in town, city and county management.

When he got hurt in the Jets’ preseason opener against Tennessee last August, Middleton wasted no time coming up with a game plan.

“It was pretty crazy,” he said with a big smile. “In the offseason before my second year, I finished my second semester in the program. Once I got hurt, I asked Coach Bowles pretty much the day after they said I was going to be out for the season, I was like, ‘I want to go home and finish my master’s.’

“He said he was cool and told me to just go back home and rehab there and finish school.”

So, Middleton headed to North Carolina and drove what he estimates was about 1,000 miles a week between his home in Winston- Salem to rehab in Charlotte and classes in Boone on campus at Appalachian State.

He spent several hours a day trying to get his body healthy again for football. And, then he was putting in lots of classroom work to earn his master’s degree. Middleton also secured an internship with the city of Charlotte and Charlotte Water.

“A lot of people looked at it like, ‘Oh, he’s on IR. He’s got a vacation,”’ Middleton said. “It wasn’t really like that.”

Not at all. Middleton worked with the chief financial officer of Charlotte Water during his internship, regularly taking part in budget meet-