Eagles’ Brandon Hughes gets sworn in as police officer in Falls
Brandon Hughes, an ex-Philadelphia Eagles cornerback, is sworn in as a Falls police officer at Bucks County District Court in Falls
Brandon Hughes spent parts of four seasons as a cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles, accumulating 32 tackles in 31 games with the Birds from 2010-13.
Twelve years later, Hughes has been sworn in as a Falls Township police officer and assigned as a street patrolman.
Hughes played his collegiate football as a standout cornerback at Oregon State. He was selected in the 2009 NFL Draft in the fifth round (149th overall) by the San Diego Chargers. After being released by the Chargers, Hughes also was on the New York Giants practice squad and ended his career trying out for the Cleveland Browns.
After his career was over, Hughes decided to settle down in Pennsylvania area as a family-oriented decision.
“When I finished playing for the Eagles, my wife was working at the league office at the time and we were transitioning out,” Hughes said. “I had just got released by the Browns, so we were trying to decide where we wanted to live. It just turned out that Fairless Hills was where I initially moved and that was the middle ground so we ended up settling right there in Fairless Hills so that she can commute easier.”
The majority of NFL careers end in about three years, and a lot of players have trouble transitioning into their next phase in life, but Hughes didn’t have a problem at all.
“I was able to see a bunch of people struggle outside of the NFL and I never wanted to be that person, but I also realize that they struggle because they only identified themselves as a football player,” Hughes said. “I’ve just always surrounded myself with a variety of people and when you do that you get to see life from several different lenses. So I’ve just never been just a football player. I’ve always been more than a football player.”
As Hughes settled in Fairless Hills, he ignited his post-playing career by opening a gym called the Fuel House in Levittown.
Hughes caught the training bug from his time at the Chargers and started his training program while he was in Philadelphia after his playing days.
“I just kind of fell in love with the process, not just the process for myself, but what it did for me and what it could do for others,” Hughes said. “So when I finished playing, we were living at the time in Philadelphia and I was just dabbling with it. I was just training a few of my neighbors and we would just go across the street to the park and it turned out that it was something that not only I was really I was very good at but I had a passion for.”
The Fuel House has a 5-star rating, according to Google. The majority of Fuel House clients are young athletes. The switch from less adult-focused to youth-focused, after COVID-19 has been a success.
“I’m like super personable,” said Hughes, 39. “That was one of the biggest driving forces of when it came to people wanting to commit to sign up at Fuel House. On top of that, I built a culture basically from my football background, (which was) team over everything. A lot of people that didn’t play at a higher level when it comes to sports don’t really get to see that kind of culture and it’s enticing. People come and they feel like they can have fun. You can come and you can just let your hair down and be yourself.”
When passion meets opportunity, Hughes goes after it. Hughes was a Police Academy volunteer physical trainer for Falls Township. During this time, he was cultivating relationships.
“It was a great opportunity to chase another passion of mine,” Hughes said. “I love giving back (and) I love helping people. I think most people would tell you that, ‘Man, he gives his time’ and it’s another opportunity to give my time to serve this community and to be a beacon in the community.”
Hughes always wanted to be a police officer, enrolling into Oregon State with the thought of studying criminal justice, but that track was unavailable at the time.
Now, Hughes will shift from patrolling the end zone to patrolling the streets.
Hughes might experience some deja vu as a police officer based on his cornerback skills in the NFL – pursue, intercept, think quick and even tackle. Hughes enrolled in the police force for a much bigger reason.
“When people think of policing they think of the bad,” Hughes said. “It’s being able to positively influence or make a positive impact on people. Everyone that you come in contact with isn’t going to be a criminal. There might be a young kid that just needs a little bit of guidance, and they happen to bump into me that day and I could potentially give that kid some hope just cutting them a break or sitting and talking with them — going out to the community and making your presence known without it being a stereotypical approach.”
With Hughes focusing his time on being a police officer, the Fuel House will still be open for business. During this transition phase, Hughes will be in the background, more on the operational side and training clients during his days off. Hughes will have appointed coaches for youth athletes and will bring back the adult sector in the near future.
As a police officer, Hughes is looking to bridge the gap between the police and African American youth.
“All interactions with police do not have to have a negative connotation,” Hughes said. “How I handle that interaction or how I interact with someone could make all the difference and it’s important for our youth to see the elephant in the room (with) more black officers. African Americans in the community that I believe is 3 to 4.5% black, someone could see me and start their journey in law enforcement. Just because they’re like ‘Oh, OK, it’s not a negative stigma behind it.’ It’s a heavy burden, but it’s a great opportunity because I get to be a standard bearer and a good example for young African American kids as well.”