Now settled in Kigali, Rwanda, with his family, the former wide receiver is gearing up to open SZY, a high-end vegan restaurant, in May. His journey, from earning $8 million in America's most bruising sport to crafting crispy mushroom sandwiches in East Africa, is as radical as it is inspiring.
Doctson opened up about his journey in a recent episode of The Long Form Podcast, recorded in his airy Kigali home.
Over a vegan meal of battered oyster mushrooms and eggplant 'fish sticks,' he traced a path shaped by ambition, injury, and reinvention.
'This is my new team,' he said, nodding to his chef Jackson and staff. 'I'm repeating my NFL driveâ€"leadership, success, but with food.'
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Doctson grew up in a modest single-parent household, raised by a mother who stretched food stamps to feed him and his brother. A move to Texas in 1999 planted the seeds for his football ascent.
At Texas Christian University (TCU), his talent as a wide receiver caught the NFL's eye, landing him a 22nd overall pick by the Redskins in 2016.
At 22, he signed a $8 million contractâ€"$6 million after taxesâ€"a windfall he barely understood.
'I texted my agent, 'How much?'' he recalled. 'I thought, 'I can get fast food and a haircut!''
But wealth brought complexity. With no financial literacy training, Doctson navigated requests from familyâ€"once lending $15,000 he never recoupedâ€"and a league culture that often leaves players broke post-career.
He invested in real estate, a move that spared him that fate, but the NFL's physical toll was harder to dodge.
A rare Achilles arthritis sidelined him in his rookie year, followed by a 2019 concussion that still triggers migraines, forcing him to wear sunglasses indoors.
'I was a lab rat,' he said of the grueling treatments. 'I wasn't enjoying the money or life.'
Retirement came abruptly in 2021 when the Arizona Cardinals cut him mid-meeting. At 29, with a fiancé, Haley, and a son to anchor him, Doctson walked away.
'I switched it off, cold turkey,' he said. 'I'd done enough.' It was Haley, met in 2018 during his darkest days, who helped him heal through travelâ€"including trips to Rwanda that changed his life.
Rwanda first captivated Doctson in 2018. After George Floyd's death and Covid's chaos, America felt 'unsafe' to him as a Black man. 'Stepping off the plane here, I smelled clean air, saw my people, felt home,' he said.
By 2024, he'd relocated his family permanently, trading Doritos for a quieter, freer life. 'Police don't scare me here,' he added.
Veganism emerged as his next frontier. A meat-eater in the NFLâ€"where he was fined for losing weightâ€"Doctson turned plant-based in 2020, seeking health and recovery.
'My body rejects meat now,' he explained, likening its smell to tobacco smoke.
Self-taught via YouTube and inspired by vegan chef Todd Anderson, he mastered dishes like cashew cream-slathered slaw and seaweed-spiced eggplant. His kids, raised vegan, thrive on mushrooms and beans, though he's open to them exploring meat later.
'I'm giving them tools for their path,' he said.
SZY vegan restaurant aims to bring that vision to Rwanda. Set behind KABC in Kigali, the restaurant will blend high-end dining with plant-based innovationâ€"think honey mustard from Rwandan honey and coleslaw sans dairy.
'Food was a prison in the NFL,' Doctson reflected. 'Veganism's my challenge nowâ€"failure, then reward.'
Partnered with Anderson, he's betting on Rwanda's growing expat and health-conscious scene, despite its meat-rich traditions.
For Doctson, Rwanda is more than a business venture; it's a legacy for his children.
'We chose here for safetyâ€"no shootings, no fear like in America,' he told the podcast, addressing his kids 20 years from now.
From NFL stardom to vegan visionary, Josh Doctson's reinvention proves some plays are bigger than the field.
Watch the full interview on The Long Form Podcast below.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
