Marcus Lattimore dishes on brief NFL career

San Francisco 49ers running back Marcus Lattimore ultimately never got to play a game in the NFL before retiring last October. Lattimore suffered a devastating leg injury his final season at South Carolina and never could make it back to the field, despite everyone's best effort and the 49ers using a fourth-round pick on the young running back.

Lattimore has never really talked about his NFL career before, but opened up to SB Nation on just how difficult his brief stay in professional football really was.

"I went out there and put a smile on my face like everything was alright," Lattimore said, via NFL.com. "But it was hell. Every day."

Everyone thought Lattimore was on the road to recovery. There were always positive reports coming out of practice, but in reality no one knew what Lattimore was going through except for him.

"My running backs coach was like, 'Good job! Good job!' " he said. "My offensive coordinator -- I was catching balls out of the backfield -- was like, 'Man you look good!' I was like, 'You have no clue.' "

SB Nation details Lattimore's life and what the 23-year old is currently pursuing, now that the NFL is no longer a part of his plans. 

(h/t NFL.com)