NFL star walks away from $42m to farm potatoes

A former NFL star has walked away from a contract worth $42m to become a farmer, despite never having farmed before.

Jason Brown explained to CBS News that he had never felt more successful since he began farming in North Carolina.

“My agent told me, ‘you’re making the biggest mistake of your life’ and I looked right back at him and said, ‘no, I am not, no I am not,’” Brown said.

“When I think about a life of greatness, I think about a life of service.”

The former St Louis Rams centre learnt about his new career by watching YouTube videos.

“When you see them (sweet potatoes) pop up out of the ground it’s the most beautiful thing you could ever see.”

Brown plans to give away the first crop of each harvest from his 40 hectare farm, which he calls First Fruits Farm, to charity.

He gave away 45 tonnes of sweet potatoes from his first crop.