Days after winning an appeal that would overturn his second suspension, Moore walked into meetings with CMU head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Charlie Frye with a question. Moore trusted his coaches and felt they would answer him honestly.

Moore wanted to know if McElwain and Frye believed that the Alpharetta, Georgia quarterback would get a chance in the NFL. With everything he had been through, Moore knew his NFL dreams might be a long shot.

The decision was not necessarily Moore's to make. Because of a suspension, Moore was not initially eligible for the extra year of eligibility granted to all fall athletes. Moore would need more approval from the NCAA just to suit up for CMU in the fall.

A meeting with his coaches, the people he trusted, would help him make a decision. Moore valued the input of the coaches who took him in. Had their answers been different, Moore may have stayed put. If both said yes, Moore knew he was ready to head to the NFL.

“Charlie and (McElwain) both said, ‘Yes, You’ll get a shot for sure. We think that you can get a shot, 100 percent,'" Moore said. "That’s all that I needed.”

With the decision to enter the draft, Moore finally held the power of his future. After nearly two years of the NCAA holding him out of action for one mistake, Moore was ready to take a chance.

'David felt like he needed to get out'

Moore was first suspended on Oct. 8, 2019 after testing positive for an NCAA banned substance. When the ban was handed down Moore felt pain.

That first suspension kicked off a period of time that David’s father, Michael, called "extraordinarily frustrating."

“Whatever this was that entered his system ... he went to GNC and bought some protein kind of stuff,” Michael Moore said. “Then, all of a sudden, it was tainted.”

Both of Moore’s positive tests were for the M3 metabolite of Oral Turinabol, an anabolic steroid that can stay in the body for an extended period of time. Moore, his family and their legal team were eventually able to prove that the metabolite showing up in the test was not due to continual use, which led to him winning his December appeal.

Heading into his second appeal, Moore's circle felt that they had put together a defense that they felt could not lose. While the NCAA granted the appeal, there was still the issue of his eligibility. Moore’s suspension in 2020 meant that he was ineligible for the waiver of an extra year of eligibility.

To return to CMU, Moore would have to risk leaving his decision in the hands of the NCAA.

Had Moore decided to stay and had his waiver denied, he believes his chances at playing in the NFL would be "like 10 percent." Michael believes that if his son would have stayed, they might not have known of his playing status until August.

Michael believes that as difficult as leaving CMU was for Moore, the need to take his career into his own hands became evident with the latest hurdle the NCAA threw at him.

“David felt he needed to get out from under the NCAA and really take his own career in his hands a little bit more and see what happens in terms of the NFL,” Michael said.

Leading, contributing in new ways

After Moore learned of his second positive test during the Chippewas' preparation for their first game of 2020, he was determined to not return to his personal low. Instead of falling victim, he used the opportunity to find new ways to help his teammates.

“(David has) worked really, really hard,” Michael said. “It was finally a chance for him to get out and to do his thing. When all of this stuff happened, it was hard for me just knowing how hard he had worked and how much he had looked forward to playing with his teammates and to getting out and to do his thing for Central Michigan.”

Had he not been suspended, he would have led the offense. Instead, with the Chippewas low on numbers thanks to grey shirting freshmen and opt-outs, Moore spent practices as the scout team safety.

When practice was over, Moore would find quarterback Daniel Richardson and the two would go over the game plan.

“We’d talk about everything,” Moore said. “I’d give him as much advice as I can. During our home games, I was in the booth, in the press box. I was talking with Daniel on the phone. It gave me another look at football. I gained a lot of knowledge of the game just this past year in more of like a helping coaches role more so than a players role.”

Moore’s passion for leadership dates back to his time at Memphis when he was a backup and former Tigers coach Mike Norvell taught his quarterbacks to lead by service.

“I just really learned how to put (my) head down and to work and to service who was starting and just do your best for the team," Moore said. "If you love football, and you love your teammates, then that’s what you’re going to do. And I love my teammates, and I love football.”

Retaking the field

David Moore missed playing the game.

When he was finally able to play competitively again at the Hula Bowl, he cherished every second. Moore began the week of practice as the last quarterback invited and ended it as the starter for Team Aina.

“It was a really good experience," Moore said. “I hadn’t put my pads on, hadn’t put my helmet on, got a chance to get out there, be a leader, like, compete. All that stuff is the reason you play football. It’s the most fulfilling part."

Meanwhile, Michael noticed little things about David that he had missed. Michael remembered David being too small to properly grip a football. He pointed out David having extra energy after scoring his two-yard touchdown in the Hula Bowl and ‘a little look’ in his eye while being interviewed on the sideline.

“As a dad, let’s be honest, I don’t know how many more chances I’m gonna see him do that,” Michael said. “I pray, I hope that he’ll have a chance to play at the next level. But nothing’s guaranteed.”

While the suspensions have led to plenty of conversations and uncertainty, Michael says he would do it all over for his son.

“I’ve been blessed with four sons, four kids and I would give my life for all of them,” Michael said. “The fact that we had to go through some serious hoops for David, I would do anything for them.”