Raynoch Thompson's football career ended when Hurricane Katrina hit his hometown of New Orleans.

"I was playing for the Green Bay Packers when the Hurricane hit," Thompson said. "I didn't hear from my mom for a few days, so I told the head coach, Mike Sherman, that I needed to go home and take care of things. They released me right after that."

Thompson found his mom and she was OK. However, her home was destroyed.

"I also lost a restaurant in Katrina. It was called 'Thompson's,' " he said.

We just decided to not mess with the insurance companies on rebuilding the restaurant, so we don't have it anymore.

"My mom rebuilt her house, but she lost again in the last Hurricane," Thompson said. "You know, the levies just aren't strong enough in New Orleans, so she moved to be closer to me in Dallas, Texas.

"I'm starting up a landscaping and pool service. I have a little boy who's 7, so I'm spending a lot of time with him these days."

When Thompson left the University of Tennessee, he was drafted in second round of the 2000 draft by the Arizona Cardinals.

"I played for the Cardinals for five years. It's a horrible organization," Thompson said. "I led them in tackles for thee seasons and they still messed with me on my contract. I played for the Packers for a year and a half before I'd had enough."

Thompson said injuries just got the best of him.

"I dealt with a double hernia, broken nose, bruised kidney, ACL, bad ankle and a number of other things," he said. "I just couldn't deal with the injuries any more. There's a time to hang it up and that time came for me."

UT fans remember Thompson as a key part to one of the best defenses in school history.

"I don't know that you'll find many linebacker corps as good as me, Al Wilson, Leonard Little and Eric Westmoreland," Thompson said. "We had athletes all over the field who could make plays.

"I still keep up with those guys and Shaun Ellis, Jamal Lewis, Gibril Wilson, John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth," Thompson said. "I wrote Dwayne Goodrich in jail a few weeks ago and he wrote me back. I'm not sure when he's getting out, but he seems to be in pretty good spirits."

Many Vols have come back for games since their careers ended, Thompson is not one of those Vols.

"I don't know why I haven't been back. I've been through Knoxville a number of times taking my son to see his grandmother in Middlesboro, Kentucky," Thompson said." I may come back for the Alabama game (on Oct. 24), but I'm not sure if I will be able to."

Thompson is still a Vol at heart, but is very disappointed with where the program is right now.

"It's not pretty at all. I don't think there's as much talent there now," he said. "There have been too many transitions on offense, if you ask me. I think Randy Sanders got screwed when they ran him off. That man could coach football and they know it. Look at what he's done at Kentucky with those quarterbacks.

"But, if you want to know the truth, there are a number of coaches who were there when I was that aren't anymore, and losing them has hurt the program. There are guys like Coach Sanders, Rodney Garner and Kevin Ramsey who were great coaches and I think the program misses them."

He said the parity that is in the SEC is where it's never been before.

"I mean, come on, Vanderbilt is probably the best team in Tennessee right now," he said. "That would have never happened when I was there. Tennessee used to be able to go into any state in the country and get the best talent. Look at California, UT went in there and got Donte Stallworth and Onterrio Smith. Those guys were studs and they went all the way across the country to play for Tennessee. That doesn't happen anymore.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm a Volunteer and always will be. But, I'm also a realist and I see what's happened. I hope they can get it going again."

The Vols definitely "had it going" when Thompson helped UT to the 1998 national championship.

"That was the most fun I ever had playing football. We had each others backs that year and went all the way.

"I played with more talent on that team than I ever did in the NFL, if you think about it, that's saying a lot. We had NFL guys on both sides of the ball who had long pro careers. I'll get back to a game some day. I'll always be a Vol, but life has me going in all kinds of directions right now."

Mark Packer hosts the Locker Room, presented by Parkwest Medical Center, on Sunday at 10 p.m. on MyVLT2.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.