Former Tennessee defensive end Will Overstreet takes a philosophical view of the shoulder injuries that put a quick end to his NFL career.

"It was bad luck and just somebody telling me it was time to move on and do something else," Overstreet said Saturday from his home in Atlanta.

So Overstreet, a third-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2002, moved forward with his education at UT.

It was always Overstreet's plan to graduate from UT, and he did it this spring semester.

Overstreet didn't go through graduation ceremonies Saturday but will get his diploma by mail.

"I mean, to finish my degree was always a promise I made to my parents," Overstreet said. "No matter how far I went in football, I always knew I'd come back and finish."

Overstreet played for Tennessee 1998-2001. He was tough and aggressive.

He earned a starting job for the Vols in 1999 and was an All-SEC first-team selection in 2000 and 2001. He finished his career with 19 sacks and 37 tackles for loss.

His studies never suffered. Overstreet was a three-time Academic All-SEC pick.

In his first training camp with the Falcons, Overstreet suffered an injury to his left shoulder - a torn labrum - on the last day of camp. He went through rehabilitation three times during the 2002 season and played in two games before having surgery.

In 2003, Overstreet made it through training camp and played in four games before his shoulder gave out again. He had a second surgery on the shoulder.

Overstreet was in training camp in 2004, hurt the shoulder again, and had surgery that September. He and the Falcons reached an injury settlement that month, and his football career was over.

"It just never got back to where it was right (after the first injury)," he said. "It was one of those things that just diminished my strength in that shoulder and arm. It was never the same.

"When it went out the second time, it was even worse and the last time was the final straw. The doctor said I didn't need to be doing that any more, and I agreed."

Overstreet had been working toward his finance degree during the off-seasons. He worked an internship at Regions Bank for a half-year.

He accumulated enough hours to graduate this spring and plans to start working on his MBA in the fall at UT.

"I always knew I didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket," Overstreet said. "In the end, my education would last a lot longer than football. No matter how long I played in the NFL, even if I played for 10 years, I'd still have to do something after that."

Overstreet got married April 2, and he and his wife, Jennifer, plan to move to Knoxville in August. They met in Atlanta.

Overstreet is selling life and health insurance on a part-time basis until he starts working toward his MBA at UT.

"I'm taking this time as a transitional stage out of pro football and into the business world," he said. "My father always encouraged me to get my MBA and I decided to do that."