Gators Wire assistant editor Tyler Nettuno recently spoke with former Florida tight end Ben Troupe in an interview that covered a wide range of topics, including his upcoming book, the evolution of the tight end position and the 2021 Gators squad. Here’s the first segment from that interview.
Ben Troupe, who played for the Gators from 2000-03 and professionally with the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, co-wrote an autobiography that releases on Sept. 21. We talked to Troupe to discuss the book and the process of writing it.
TYLER NETTUNO: So, you’ve got a new book coming out next month, Uncommon and Unfinished: The Ben Troupe Story. Can you talk about what inspired you to write this and without giving too much away, what people can expect to find when they read it?
BEN TROUPE: Well, long time coming. I met B.J. (Bennett) who co-wrote it with me maybe say around, like, 2008-2009. And, you know, we’re just talking, you know, and the notion of a book will just come up. And, we were much younger then, and it’s not really something that we really had time to do. And then you fast forward to working with ESPN Radio with BJ Bennett again, and Kevin Thomas, the pandemic gave us a chance to really finally do it. Like, look, man, we got a lot of a lot more free time, a lot more time to do it.
So we did it. Me and BJ, you know, he went to my hometown, Swainsboro, and Augusta, Georgia, where I went to high school, got to talk to some people that knew me, got to talk to my family. And him being around me every day because we work together, he told me he had to become me to write the book, which that’s pretty unique to be able to tell it from that perspective.
But I think when I’m getting older, and the type of things I want to do, other people call it bucket lists, I call checklists. It was a checklist of mine to be able to put my thoughts, you know, my life out there. And most people always think they know you based on what they know you from. And this is my way to kind of shape the narrative and kind of tell my story from my point of view. And hopefully, like, the people that get the book will realize, I always say this, people know me as Ben, they’ll get a chance to know Benjamin.
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TN: Even as a professional writer myself, the idea of trying to write a book just seems like a very daunting thing. Were there things that surprised you about the process or things you learned?
BT: Absolutely. The writing of the book is the therapeutic part, because you’re getting your thoughts on paper, and it’s almost like, “Okay,
I’m talking about this, I’ve addressed this, I can move on.” You get to editing a book, like a fine-toothed comb, every single thing from commas, what should be capitalized, what shouldn’t be capitalized, what kind of context are you using this in, the most minute small thing. You got to make sure you know people’s names are spelled right. It’s like, it’s not the writing part. The editing felt like you wrote the book twice.
But I think throughout the editing process, you gain an appreciation because I read my book 1,000 times, right? But every time I’m reading it, and even though I know what the words say they mean something different. Because I will say this, you’re gonna go back and forth with what you want to put out there, but me and B.J. wrote it from a place of vulnerability, because I may never get another book. I hope I put out a bunch of books.
But if this is my only book, I want to make sure I’m telling my truth, I’m telling the truth. I’m not sensationalizing anything, I’m not throwing anybody under the bus. I’m really saying thank you, man, to the people, places and things that not just allowed me to be who I was back then but who I am now. So it’s my chance to kind of cheer for the people and celebrate the people who always cheered and celebrating me.
NEXT: This isn’t Troupe’s only book