"Right now, because of my knee issue, I'm trying to fall back on what I learned in school," said Givens, who majored in industrial design at Notre Dame. "My love and passion has always been the design field, creating things, and doing what I love has helped me through this situation with my knee. This is something I'm very proud of."
It's also not the only thing occupying his time.
Givens is moving ahead with plans to open several smoothie shops across New England, to be called Doing Good Lifestyle Cafés. And he's already started a company called "Enterprise 87" - the 87 representing his jersey number - which develops and sells homes. If things work out as hoped, he'd also like to open an art gallery.
While he has a regular residence in Scottsdale, Ariz., Givens is currently planning on spending more time in New England. A native of Humble, Texas, Givens said he feels a connection to the New England region from the support he received here as a player, and he noted that he hasn't missed a Patriots game since his injury.
"It's something I didn't necessarily realize as a player, but I think the teams are better here because of the energy of the fans," he said. "I think that permeates through the players. It's something a lot of people wouldn't know until you've played other places, like Tennessee."
As for his health, Givens hopes to have some more definitive answers in the coming months as he now has "sharp pain every time I step."
Doctors have told him they might need to cut a wedge into his shin to take pressure off the inside of his knee, and if that happens, he probably will never run again.
They have also mentioned that he might need a meniscus transplant, which he said would "basically give me a knee of an 80-year-old." He's also been told that he has scar tissue attached to his ACL, creating further complications.
As recently as 10 months ago, such diagnoses might have rocked Givens to the core, but that's no longer the case.
More determined than ever, returning to the area where his star shone brightest, he's running the most challenging comeback route of his life.
