I played college Football too and people don't mess with me, I can hold me own. I've been in more than my fair share of fights, trust me, I'm a prideful guy and me and alcohol are quite a mix.
With that being said, there is one thing to get into a fight you know you will win, or know you will hold your own in, and another thing to thrown down when you know you are going to lose. So do you take the very probable risk of a bad ass beating or do you try and difuse the situation or walk away.
I've had 2 occasions in DC where guys I didn't know pulled knives on me. Both times I walked away. OK, you win, I'm out, who cares. The one guy pulled a knife on me and I didn't even talk to him, I turned around and briskly walked into the close by bar and bought a bottled beer...
My one friend lives in what most of you would probably consider the ghetto, but he really lives CLOSE to the ghetto. There are shootings in his neighbrohood, a housing project, a liquor store with hobos begging and sleeping in front of it all the time... He used to tell me " it's not that bad" but it really is. 2 shootings within 50 yards of his front door and one of them was at his other friends.
2 black friends came over to his house and some of the "locals" just sitting there said "nice watch". Well my friends friends didn't like that.. they started talking shit... words fly...people get sentimental about their neighborhood... they pull outs guns and start shooting over some bullshit. Luckily the dumb hood rats missed but that's fucking crazy.
I had some other friends robbed at gunpoint by some hood rats. So what are you going to do, try and be the hero? My friend kept saying he didn't have a wallet and he said the crazy guy trying to rob him started crying... was he on crack? I don't know, I wouldn't fuck around with a guy with a gun that was crying and trying to rob me.