DARIUS SLAY

We’re cuttin to it with “Big Play Slay,” the dynamic cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles. This episode, Slay gets into his confidence on the field, then takes Steve down memory lane when he talks about respect between the lines. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is cut to It with Steve Smith Senior at
production of The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. I'm
Steve Smith Senior and John and this is cut to it.
Good do it, Good do it. Let's get down to
do it. Good do it. We asked the questions you

(00:20):
always want to know, but no one ever asked, let's
cut to it. You ain't heard about it, then we're
about to let you. Now it's all man. I got
a little favorite on the emphasize on little little favorite

(00:44):
because he played dB a little bit of shade on
the front, a little qualified and Captain Petty is in
the building, checked in, locked and loaded. Man. We got
a cornerback phenom shut down when you shut down? Slight right? Uh,
Darius Slay, cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles, making that boot coop,

(01:06):
deciding also that he might he he may want to
switch over receiver because they played pain a lot more hits,
his weekend hits, his Twitter feet. Welcome to the cut
to a podcast, Darius Slay, how you doing dogs? And
I'm good man, everybody doing it that we're good man.

(01:27):
Appreciate you coming on, bro, sir, appreciate you. Well, let's
jump right on them because I was going back in
my in my memory bank, and I was trying to
figure out when did I when did I have it?
Uh interaction with slayh and I and I believe when
I was with the Baltimore Ravens, I was. I was
on that veteran schedule in the preseason um and Slay

(01:50):
says through the media, I would like to have a
Steve Smith Jersey Remember that? Yeah? Yes, Can I tell
you what I was really thinking? Please? Okay, First of all,
you know, let's be honest in Detroit, and I felt
privy to this. When you play in the a f C,
you don't pay attention to the NFC. When I was

(02:12):
in the NFC, I did not pay attention to the
FC because I only played the ANFC teams every four years.
So in the beginning, I was like, Man, I don't
know who the hell Darius slays, right, but I didn't
say it. And one nickel for the insult. Okay, two
nickels for the insult. You know, I'm retired, So my my, my,

(02:33):
my funds that left. Ye. Well, I am on the
fix in come, always been on the fix income. I
will never reveal how much you like, but or however
still going forward, I'm like, man, this dude, if I

(02:53):
was playing, he's trying to soften me up. He's trying
to make me not go at his neck before we play.
That's what I was thinking. I didn't say that. I
didn't say that in the media. Man that came to
me like, uh, my coach came to me right that
there had hardware. He said, that's the wrong jersey that

(03:14):
asked for. He said, he trying to dog you ever played?
I said, I understand that, you know I watched this game,
but damn, I still can't get their jersey that they
was like, now hear what my jersey's des whately said.
The reason I don't hear what my jers I might
roughly up in you want my jer guy said, Damn,
I said, let me lock it dad. If he played,
I I ain't even gonna play the games with it. Was.

(03:36):
It's one of those funny things that, um, you know
we're starting on the back end, first pause, but you
know we're just gonna get them to talk ball. Was
just understanding like this the dB I was talking to somebody,
and I and and is clogging my memory jogging it up?
Is you know. I guess that's that's one of the

(03:58):
regrets I did have with playing. I wasn't a nice
opponent like I really grew playing the game in such
a fierce competitive way that opponent or teammate, if you
were on the other side of the football, I did
not see you as friend. I saw you completely only

(04:21):
as folk. I had my lenses of foe on. No friendship,
no hank, no shaking hands like if I suld do hand,
I would intentionally give him the dead fish like before
the game, right like I was. I was playing Carolina
two thousand eight, we play Seattle Seahawks had a former

(04:43):
teammate went to college with uh um Andre Diyson, right,
His brother was Kevin. Kevin Diyson, Tennessee Tens play with
me as well. A lot of Dison family, great dudes.
We went to college together. You know, we all grew
up together. Where a whole bunch of girls trying to
get some nuts and we got them right and super
pauls Um Extreme extreme part one more tea Steve, you're

(05:11):
out of the game, and so yeah and so so
Drake shakes my hand before the NC Championship game again
Seattle game to dead fish right, And I just was
so in work mode. I was in worker B mode.
I never really I always respected the defender. And my

(05:31):
respect for the defender was in the off season, like
going to get the player like yourself. I had to
train my butt off in off season because I knew
you were gonna shadow well, So that means I had
to move. I had to put bricks on the house, right,
and that means in football terms, going forward, right, I couldn't.
I couldn't dance at the line because if I dancing line,
you're a great shadow guy. That that that plays right

(05:53):
into your bag of tricks, Mr Magician, right, So doing
all of those things, that's the one you know for circle,
That's one of regret is I never was able. I
was always on versus the defender. I was never relaxed.
And so when you asked me for my jersey, you know,

(06:14):
I missed it. But I was just in a different
mindset just because even as I was older, you know,
y'all were younger, right, you know, and when you know
you when you thirty eight years old and you gotta
play seventy plays, and back in the day, I would
have good twenty I give you twenty five good routes.
I can go full speed man when I was in

(06:35):
my third man had about but I had but in between.
But so what did I do with the other routes.
I had to be strategic, had to be smart. I
had to use my head in my mind versus my athleticism,
because your athleticism it does start to leave you. Right.

(06:57):
But if you don't know the game from the inside out,
now you just you know, you just as a as
as old coaches to tell me, You're just a blind
dog in the me house. You're smelling and sniffing everything,
but you have no you have no idea where the
hell you're going, right, So you know, so, um, that's funny,
is I was just thinking about it, like what what what?

(07:18):
What was my experience with big place sligh and and
that was my experience. I didn't get an opportunity to
gets to play against it because I was you know again,
I was on that veteran uh, I was on that
veteran preseason. I was also coming off of that a
massive double rupture Achilles as well, so I just wasn't
there yet. So it was I thought it was good

(07:41):
because if I believe, if I would have played. I
don't think you would have been on this podcast. You
he'd be like, man, bump that dude like that. Now,
respect between the lines. I know how to go down.
I appreciate it to talk about respecting between those lines.
What is your mindset? I mean, we know you. It's
a big place, like you're all pro you you're a
pro bowler. What's your mentality is you approach playing cornerback? Uh? Man,

(08:05):
I just try to win every up. You know the
DV Man, you gotta have a quick mind. You know,
we gotta let plays go. You know. Uh, these professionals
in this game, and most likely I was traveling all
the time, so I'm always saying the best, So you
know it's in this game some people could really like
lose confidence, but I always kept my confidence high. Man.
I've been around a great leaderships in my room. So
I just go out there and just trying to win
the most I can. With the war of reps. I

(08:26):
could win and most likely I come out on top
a lot of time, you know, not even for single time.
How easy or or I don't say easy. How much
confidence for you is built up in practice heading into
the game a lot, man, Because uh, I got some
good I had goods. I had great scout guys. You know,
they don't know people don't know how pointing to scout

(08:48):
guys is definitely for the dB uh dudes. I had.
I sprained to a guy how how I received the work,
and they do a very detail and walking walking through
out of your mind? What do you mean I'm interested
in here? Like for instance, I had like me, I
was just going against Tail was my robbery guy, you know,
in in the division up north. So I was in
Detroit and Ty was in the Green Bay. So I

(09:09):
have a guy to work my patience. You know, that's
a guy that Dante was a guy that's patient level.
You know. Shoot, he would dance a lot at the
line releases and made sure you put everything into the
release that you got. And you know, for me, work
my patience, made sure I'm we're here ready for it,
and work my mind. And that's what he's doing. Man.
So I had I had a great relationship with mostly
my scout guys because that's why I said, to be

(09:29):
the best, you gotta know you know your opponent. I
made sure my scout guy knew my opponent. So what's
the what's the rooting your confidence. I mean you keep
you mentioned confidence a few times. What's the root of it? Man,
I just got a lot of I don't know. I
can't hear this planting. Man, I was really just going
from man, you know you just got it was just
built dingy. You know, uh, you gotta have you gotta

(09:50):
come somewhere because I didn't. I didn't have some confidence
dudes that sorry as hell. Yeah, I've been around, dude,
but I didn't been around for dudes. I looked the park,
can't and you look at you go back on film
boys getting done dirty. So I need something a little
bit more than man. I was just born with it,
because there's a lot of bumps, a lot of bumps
walking around with confidence from where from? So you're down

(10:10):
south Georgia, boy, I don't know why people will have
confidence that dance su Steth for winning. You know, it's
a whole bunch of dbs. I'll give the example of it.
Let's let's walk down this road of a dB. Have
you ever seen this? Out of a dB? The quarterback
overthrows the ball. The d B that's say, happens to

(10:30):
be five nine or three fourths right? Why are you
looking at me. You know I'm looking at you because
I'm talking about myself, right, you ain't you shorter than me?
Talking around up? Try to try to steal my height
up so the dB. So the quarterback happens to throw
high pass. The receiver that's five nine jumps up, he

(10:54):
misses about his fingertips and then the flies baby dB
done this, you can't catch it? And then came get
the facin't go you do. Got some guys out there,
but like you had nothing to do with that over
to the home ball. Yeah, I'm gonna professor. So man,

(11:16):
I know what the dude gout? You know when you
really could have got that as as a wide receiver,
as a wide receiver, that is like like my pop,
that's like somebody smacking coum on a public bus. Right,
So when you look back and you see him doing
the no flies zone, when you know, good and well
it was just a non contestable ball, you what's your thoughts?

(11:37):
I rolled? I'm talking about I'm talking my head like
I got I rolled. Come on bro, no, no, not
come on bro, Nina. Let my TV didn't doubt me out. Man.
If it's like that, I'm like he got you know,
you know in your mind or you running or I
run a great comeback and then the balls in the

(11:57):
dirt and he over there, Oh boy, if you don't
get your right and then that's where I go, all right,
and then you know, obviously if the ball is thrown
like that, we can't I'm hot. Don't even throw me
another pass right now. Let me calm down, but we
can get that run plate coming to my side though.

(12:20):
That's about that, coach, Toby saving and run play this
last like you know you light, I'm ready, I say,
God like this. Come on in preseason, you know, I'm
like to see. Do you know why in pre season?
Would you like to know why? I think about it?

(12:40):
Think about it from a dB side? You you you guessed.
You guess what's in age and eights? Mind right now,
go ahead, cut to it. I mean, my guest wasn't like,
I know how you play. I've been watching for a
long time from the South, so I've been watching Carolina
for a minute. So I'm like, man, every time I
see him, he trying to doll with somebody. I'm talking
about every time you have you you basically you try

(13:00):
to base you the last one have your hands on
the dby you know something like why, I'm like, why
are you always doing it? So I asked me, would
you like to know? Yes, you know I always gonna ask. Okay,
well ask me, not ask me, because that's murder. I
can call h hand of the DV last man if
I well first, when I do it in the preseason,

(13:23):
that let's everyone know. Either buckle up your chin strap
and come with it, or we could take this playoff.
Either one. I'm cool, but you stop. You let me
know so we can tussle or we can watch. I

(13:44):
don't mind getting up. I don't mind getting the minus.
If it's a toss the other way. If it's a
toss to the left and we're on the right, I'm
not gonna move. But if you ask move, that's gonna
cost you. Because yes, you know, coaches, b you know
you've been in the defense room. We gotta run back side. Okay, choose,

(14:04):
choose your poison. Would you like to get a negative
by the coach or when you get this talk you
want to get this Caesar salad. Oh, I gotta take
the season exactly. And so by doing that in the preseason, right,
and then the other thing is it also to let

(14:27):
guys know, like, look, you ain't the only one that
can hit. This is not this is not just your world.
This is our world. My philosophy is really this. See
there's a difference between you being on your birthday and
it's being Christmas. See, on your birthday, you just get gifts,

(14:49):
you get flowers, you get cards. Everybody wakes you up,
they send you text messages. It's all about you. But
in Christmas everybody gets to unwrap their gifts. M so
everybody wins. So we can have it Christmas or you
can get your motherfucking gifts all seventy two players in
the past and run game. You let me know. That's

(15:14):
that's how that's why I feel you. I feel that's
very understanding exactly. So you sound like a brother that
like Christmas. Like Christmas. No, no, no, I'm on them
open up. Okay, Well that's gonna get your tossed. I
gotta get yourself. It's a little bit, you know, but

(15:35):
I like my birthday. Yeah, not on football field. What
you want some socks here you go, new shoulder pads
here you go. All right, what's like you said on
the other day, on on social media. You said you
are top five. I'm not gonna ask you the top
five right now? Who the who are the five corners
that you love that you grew up watching, grew up

(15:56):
watch watch? Yeah that's good, okay, okay, I'm up watching
the Champ. You know, he's from folksting right now down
from so I we're watching Champ and uh rod Woodson
of course. Uh. I got an opportunity to learn the
more you know about Rod Woodson the o g one.
You know, so because I had lived with him for

(16:17):
like two weeks for my pre draft, so I understand
his game. And of course Dion, you know I stayed
with him too for a minute in preseason. Uh A reevers,
you know, so I love me some reevers. Damn headache? Yeah,
I love patient. Listen, dude, I've seen that the line

(16:37):
of screaming in the long, long time, and you know
the best technique. Oh yeah, yeah. Ain't nobody messing with him? Yeah?
He's very patient, very patient, Yeah, very patient. Yeah. You
know you talked about growing up in Georgia. What's your
what's your family experienced? Like, what's some points of your
mom in your life? And she's very important to meet us.

(16:59):
So it's crazy, you know. But my mom like my
big sister because she had me at thirteen. I'm the
only child, so you know, uh while she growing up,
you know, she's still trying to raise me as a
high school kid. Yeah, so you know we're busted. Like
that's like my big sister. So she talked me how
to changed the tire. She has a single mom. You know,
my daddy was there, but a little with my mom

(17:20):
for the most part. But yeah, so she talked about changed, tired.
She told me how to do everything or changing. She
put them on. She don't just want to show them out,
put my paths in. So you know that's my that's
my lady. So yeah, we we brought tight. Yeah that's
when I saw that information. I wasn't sure how to
broach it a little bit just because of you know,

(17:41):
being being so young. I can't imagine, you know, I
we haven't you know my kids. My oldest is twenty
four right now, and our youngest is seven. Ten is seven,
and so that large gap and we see sometimes a
little Deuce wants to play with his big brother Peyton
Man Peyton twenty four pet over here, like man gonna

(18:04):
work on the sales too bad the same way, Yeah,
Pett like, Man, I love you, but dang bro like
we ain't we well can play Lego so many times,
right show? But pe shout out to p He's a
great big brother. So I I was trying to every
guest we have on that, I try to relate and

(18:25):
try to put myself in your shoes, and so I
was just imagining what that dynamic has been like now. Um, basically,
your mom is thirteen years older than you, fourteen years
older than you and living life mom and son, but
living life obviously in a way a different, completely different

(18:47):
way the way you were raised, and you being able,
um to also assist your mom and that you know,
how has that been for you? She's been good, man.
You know, watch another going through my college days hard,
you know, you know, college money, you know, because she's
trying to pay help bills at the house. So you know,
I had that's my group, my friendships with guys in college.

(19:08):
Man staying at day house with Thanksgiving and we have
to go all way home when the duke go in Mississippi,
so it's a long travel there. But uh, you know,
we worked it out. Man. She always made sure I
stayed on my grind, had me focused, you know, and
be honest, Ma, I always appreciate it because I had
me a child too, at a fifteen years old. You know,
she took my son and while I was in school,
raised him. You know, uh mind my son just turned fifteen.

(19:30):
So yeah, we're gout. Therena went there on the same path.
So you know, she did the same thing my grandma
did for her while she was in school, raised my
raised me. So you know, we kind of gotta understanding. Man.
We kind of got a great bard and you know,
we kind of got a good game playing going. Man.
I was I was that walking through that being fifteen
years old. You know, man, Man, it was scary. Man.
You know what I'm saying. My daddy always told me said,

(19:52):
uh it was good. He just leave it up. Somebody
ain't no a baby come with it. I ain't maybe
for the dude, not at I understand we're not a
fifteen Well, I was like Jesus for the dude. Man,

(20:18):
I ain't had no idea. I had no idea what chocolate.
Ain't the man you'll come with him? Even the one
that do come, it ain't right. It ain't up to date.
I ain't seen one. I've seen one. I got four kids,
I didn't seen one, and every single one of them,
every man I had from the last one. It didn't
work for the first one, and the damn so they

(20:39):
worked for the second one and they don't work. The
pages ain't even readable for the third and each child
you toss it out the window. Yeah, man, it was rough.
How did you How did you balance all of that?
How did you balance all mean school? How do you
balance having a child and you still try to go
to recess? That Reid was open outside school out and

(21:03):
she on the way to work, Hey, get your son, Hey,
I can't go hang with the homies. Wpposed to say that?
Nah na no, So the homies got to come to
the house some time to kick it with me. But
uh yeah, man, she she made make sure I was apparent,
and she didn't let me just go ahead and have fun.
She couldn't do it. So she's like, I ain't you
ain't gonna do it either. Let me just walking through
that because that's this opportunity. You know a lot of

(21:24):
people will, let's be honest, they will hear that and
they will go, Wow, you know, so your responsible right,
going to do right. You know Memoi had child when
we were young too. Yeah, so uh man, I'll take
it in as an opportunity because I ain't gonna When
I was growing up, you know, with a single mom,
I kind of looked to the streets a little bit

(21:46):
as a as a male figure. You know, so I
kind of grew up a little rough and um. When
I had him, and he he kind of open my eyes
up a little bit because I think I wanna be
while I'm at the day without him, open open you
up yours to what because I had a responsibilit of it.
You know, growing up, I ain't handing none. I just
was like here, being reckless and really looking for gunan's.
You know, my mom was doing the best thing she could,
but ain't nothing like a father, you know. So I

(22:07):
was looking for it in the streets in the wrong way,
doing going out the wrong path, you know, fighting doing everything.
When I had him and I settled down real quick,
and you know, just because I had a job to do,
my mom made sure this is my job. Now, this
is a job that you gotta do. You gotta provide,
you gotta be a father. You gotta be a guy
that he looks up to. Guy you wanna be like, uh,
you know, you gotta be a prime example of what

(22:28):
a man should be. And uh, you know she led
me the right way. I try to do my best.
Add I think I'm doing a great job at it, man,
but nobody's personally. I continue to keep trying to strive
into that area. But you know, without him, and I
probably won't be. While I'm mad, I want to kind
of motivated as a kid trying to go to the
league even though I was talented, because it's like, you know,
walk from it just it's just it was just this
so uh but yeah, he kind of set me down.

(22:50):
Maybe really understand the blessing I was really given and
I took advantage of it. I love cut to It
and I love it even more when you download us
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Smithie where where at That's at? Cut to It on Instagram?

(23:12):
What about Twitter? At cut to It? Facebook? Cut to
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where you can buy merch and you can subscribe to
us wherever you listen to podcasts. I got all my
answers questions. Uh yeah, I got all my questions answered.

(23:35):
That's what I'm here for. A brother cut to a
podcast dot com You have to go to junior college.
Oh yeah, I ain't do no work, man. I started
doing no work from from young days until I had
to understand that work not not doing school. When you
were in school in high school, you know what, psychologically,

(23:55):
how did you how did you balance staff down to
school and no, just how did you balance? You know
you should have did you work, but you didn't. You
you obviously talented football player, mm hmm, but understanding talent
without education sends you nowhere, seeing me nowhere? So psychologically,

(24:22):
what were you thinking in playing junior college and you know,
having a child battoting between being pulled from kicking it
with the boys in the streets hunkering down doing work
that Let's be honest, you really want to do? No,
I don't care if you play sports or not. No
kid really likes to sit down, and do you know

(24:43):
being being in school for eight hours and then go
do four hours of homework. I don't care how smart
you are, that's not really what they want to do now.
They may want to do it sometimes, but not all
the time, not not for the not for the nine
months that school is is in session. I had a
great like when I had my kids, I got I
had great godparents because of my god that here was
a great role model. So they really set me down

(25:05):
and asked me what I wanted to be in life,
how I want to be an example from my kids. So,
like I said, I just kind of like locked in.
I want a smart guy. I want the bright guy.
But I knew what I had to do to make
sure I stayed elgible to play. So when it came
to school, I ain't know. I just did enough to
get by. You know, if it's at if it's a
if it's a seventy on the paper, getting a six

(25:27):
and seven, man, look here, And if it's a sixty seven,
I'll do anything from a little three points to get
a seventy. So and then you know, So that's what
it was with me. I had kind of like they
had a game plan for me. So if my grade
wasn't that good, I just you know, I wouldn't get
to ask questions. I have to go ask teacher what
I could do for some anstra credit anything, that's that's
the I did good by myself. I kind of understood

(25:49):
like I got a great relationship with people like I
wanted the guys that kind of like a happy, old
lucky kid. I always had a smell on my face
and I was already very speciful because that's where I'm from.
So if I had and so the teaching never just
my just like hunt, hunt, do this get some actual credit?
So I could have did it just the maj sture.
I was eligible. I did it. But that was smart. Man.
You don't say you're not smart like that was smart.
Don't Yeah, yeah, grads don't mean you ain't smart. Yeah,

(26:14):
I know some really smart people. Dumb as hell? Correct,
you know you're right, stone cold stupid. You hit you
hella right, like a lot of stupid because you got
the grades don't make you smart. There's a difference, and
there's a lot of CEO CFO CEO walking around dumb
as hell. Listen, I have a conversation with you, like, damn,
I didn't get that job because he got a degree.

(26:36):
Got got a degree from here. Boy can can't put
together to two pencils. So through all of that Junior College,
Mississippi State, all that as you went through your journey.
Who are some of your biggest mentors? Uh, Like I said,
I had so you know, rest of piece to uh
my agent, I had Eugene Parker. So uh that's why

(26:59):
I had gotta introduced to Rod Woodson and Dion, you know,
because I was his agents. So through my dropt process. Now,
like I said, I got a whole month working with them,
two guys you know, film watching it from different point
of view, from an athlete to standpoint and then from
a guy that kind of wasn't more of a technician
and you know, so man, they just really just took

(27:20):
me in the wing man. I was really blessed man
with Tom run of myself a great paper. Got real
lucky on that. I said, Like I was real blessed
man because like nobody don't get that. You know, I'm
one years old coming from this every you know, going
to Dion house, hanging with him the house by house
and openly you know, good like living good. I'm starstruck.

(27:43):
Every Jersey ain't got any house. I'm taking a picture
of it. They don't we know through the house, ain't
it stand that was standing I'm scared to go to
their pantry. But sorry, no stomach grumbling. I don't want
to over ask, hey, over statement welcome, But goodness, man,

(28:09):
I'm moving here with de honey Rod like it's a blessing.
So I just really took a great vantage of that. Man.
Let's let's let's rewind it a little bit. Man, we're
gonna do somebody. We're gonna do some icebreakers based off
what you said. Man broke. No, no, this is I
got some icebreakers right now. This man tell us something
talking about you in the House of Dion. You know
you're going from Mrs You. You went from the basement

(28:33):
to the penthouse. Tell me tell me some of your
favorite snacks that you was uh that you you was
spying on the Dions pantry. So, uh damn. I've got
a little you know, a little peanut little rolls like
they're like like they look like and they look like
what gonna simmer rolls, but they're not like they're the

(28:53):
peanut little rolls and they come in to a little
brown box, uh, the pe like the peacan wheels. Yeah,
I was smacking up on them. It was bad about it.
They don't come into they just come in one little bag.
So I'm grabbing like three, I'm like chilling. Man. I'm like, damn,

(29:13):
well don't I don't think. But he had a bunch
of boxes. You might not know he knew they was missing.
Somebody had to eat him. No, I'm not me. Yeah,
all right, that's pretty dope, man. Tell us growing up
play the Mississippi from Georgia right in a deep, deep,

(29:34):
deep deep south. Right, tell me something of your heroes
growing up as a kid, and you gotta name him though,
like he doesn't have to eat be anybody important. Man,
I'm talking about heroes in your life. Man, my hero mine.
You know, my my oldest son for sure. You know,
like I said, changed my life. And uh and my
god dad. You know my biggest hero what your god?

(29:55):
My god named Johnny Davis. Yeah, man, shoot, when I
gotta said, when I my story going on? My uh
my mom had moved to Atlanta and I ain't gonna move.
I had all the scholarships, all the offers at my
at my high school. So I'm like, man, I can't leave,
you know, I want to start fresh. I'm my my brand,
so you know her her my stepdad moved to Atlanta
left me down there in Atlanta. I mean brother George

(30:17):
by myself. You chose now, you chose picked up. You
said they left me. Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
I said I left myself, but they ain't leaking out.
Chose to pitch stay though, and uh you know at
the time, and my mom couldn't just pay both friends.
So it was rough. So me and my son, right,
I'm walking to my grandma stay like probably like ten
blocks down. I ain't want to go stay at my

(30:39):
grand my house. I just like, you know, me and
my son, I want to bring too men. You know
I had my sponsibility. Man, My god dad has seen
me when my mama had couldn't pay the bill. My
god dad has seen me walking and uh that's when
he became my guy dad. He's seen me walking. But
here's my coach and uh and picked me up and
told me that you mean you conna live with me?
You know that's what maybe gone. So took me out
of the house, you know, move me in with his kids,

(30:59):
just my two god brothers. So what's that? What's that
do for you? Man? What for you? For your heart? Wash?
It hit me, He'll hit me hard. Like you know
what I'm saying because I had a lot of family
back at home, and you know that I wasn't going
down the rown path of Meno because, like I said,
I was really kind of like a bad kid. And
him for him to open his doors up to me
like that man really just kind of like touched my
heart that really, like he no, he did not see

(31:19):
that I could be like a crafty, but he's just
doing was you know, what was on his heart, what's
best for me. And even though he like he got
to brain this to his wife, his other kids, like
he got another amount of feed in here with two
because I had a son and you know, and his
wife and my brothers, my guy. But it's kind of
setting me with open orange. You know. It's just like
we're good and um, you know, and I always appreciate
the man I bought to my draft date. You know,

(31:41):
everybody was mad at the crib man. Yes, your guy, daddy, Yeah,
ain't my dad? And then in my daddy you know,
so that's I always looked at it. Wow. So how
you know, knowing all of that, you know, how does
that work for you now? Psychologically? With you made it right?
You've what you make in a game, it takes people

(32:03):
ten years to make a quarter of it. How do
you balance the wants? How do you balance people asking
you for things? Now that you're here right at the
top of the mountain. However, when you're at the bottom
mountain with them, you know they were they were just
fending for themselves as well, right, And I and I

(32:24):
phrase it that way, it's just because you know, it's
it's always this this this great responsibility, right, and it's
just great expectation from people, right, the people that they
didn't have enough to help you. It's not their fault,
but it all of a sudden, this this expectation. Now
that you've made it, so you can help them because

(32:45):
you you've got enough to feed. You know, you've got
enough to feed a whole a whole village, which is true.
Now you're gonna, you're gonna, you're gonna start your village,
but to to to feed the whole village, right, because
there's a lot of needs and wants. How do you
balance that? Man? How do you how do you how
do you decipher? How do you and the wife decipher

(33:06):
between the yes and the nose? Yeah? Well I had
to you know, when I was a rookie was tough,
you know, just because I first got it, got the money.
You know, as a kid, we tell all your home
whether yeah, we when I make it, we all made it,
you know what I'm saying. So when I had my
second child, you know, so I like, danmg, I gotta
look at life different. And then my god dad and
my mom have already been saying it, like hey, slave,

(33:28):
say your money. You know, whatever you do, it is
what you do. What do you do for us is
that's how you're do it. Like I said, I was
really blessed man, I had one I got you know.
Of course I ran into some guys that just want to, like,
you know, ask me for money. That's just how I dope.
But the one that I deetly care about, deeply love about,
and really risk their lives to like come out there
and you know, stick their neck out for me, they
don't ask me for nothing. You know, they just kind
of like, you know, even though I offer it, they

(33:50):
don't ask for nothing. They kind of just want to
be to be supportive, so they'd be more to guys
like come to the game. You know, they always byd
their tickets to come to the flight to the game
away Like, so I always show my appreciate singo you
know we need to go out to eat or you know,
I'll do a little great you know, surprised on one
they birthday or something like that. So I don't read
it to some people that you know that be just
asking for money or whatever whatever. But you know I

(34:11):
love them, but yeah, they don't fect me out of
my godparents. And because they don't ask for no, you know,
it'd be different that they did because I feel away.
But they don't ask for nothing. They just like, hey,
what do you do for us? It's what you do
and re appreciation. So the kind of people that kind
of ask for stuff, I kind of weed them out
the answers. No, it ain't hard for them. They like
I said, I would give us your best version of no.

(34:36):
Uh see. The thing about me is now that the
fact they've got I phones, right, you know that's where
you're going stupid. That's why I go to Android stupid,
said nobody. Ever, I kind of got because like it
tells you, if you read it, then you don't see
that read you your receipt off. You gotta try to
re receipt off. No, I keep it on for they

(34:58):
can do. I don't read it, and you want that's
your note, you know, like, hey, yeah, I read it.
I'm not gonna I'm not gonna address it. They're gonna
see me ten thousand texts. Nah, I ain't gonna right back.
It's like what I always what I try to do
is I will wait, even if i'm help, I'll wait

(35:19):
because I believe if I wait, that that allows them
to think about other resources, right, because you know, when
we get to ask, it's perceived as the hell Mary
throw right, it's you know, you know you're only gonna
get half of the truth. Always yeah, oh I'm about

(35:42):
to lose my house or I'm about to lose my car. Now, well,
you ain't telp me he ain't paid in seven months? Right, yeah,
maybe wait to the last the last minute, and it's
not it's not like yes, and and then waiting to
the last minute seven months of none payment. That's a
big check. So what I've tried to do, I don't know.

(36:05):
If you do this, I don't. I try to only
write two entities. So if you call me and say, man,
I'm behind two car payments, cool, all right, all right,
send me the information. I shoot, yeah, who I send
it to? If you really let's let's say you're driving

(36:27):
a forward, if you really need that Ford payment taken
care of, take a picture of that of your bill,
I can I can pay it online for you. Right,
online payments. They don't authorize anything. They accept whoever is paid.

(36:48):
I write a check. No, no, you you got to
write it to to the to the entity. Yeah, because
then think about it if if you don't write it
to the end of Let's just hypothetically say it's a
two thousand dollar bill. Well, if I give you two

(37:08):
thousand dollars or you know, zail or ven Mo or
cash app, whatever whatever you're looking for, if I sending
that to you, all of a sudden, on your way
to wherever you're going, you're gonna pass some places that
that two thousand dollars is gonna be tickling your pocket. Right,

(37:33):
you know what? Oh mind getting I do? Need? You
know Walmark? That Walmart got this new uh inch curve
on sale. You know, a little one hundred and fifty
two hundred dollars ain't gonna hurt. And then all of
a sudden, boo boo boo. And then they're back to
square one. That that has happened when I've sent people

(37:55):
money then all of a sudden, as for a week
later saying no, no, no, what happens is I learned
that they lost their car. Like when I go back home,
I'm like, what happened to your car? Well what happened
was yeah, And so that's what we do. We pay entities.
So if you know what I mean, all the time, man,

(38:17):
my edition went out? Okay, cool? How much they say
to replace it? Oh, it's about and I do housing stuff,
so I know I know how much it would be. Like,
oh it's you know it's aboutkay? Is that inshurts? No,
we'll do the insurts. Go ahead, take care of I
know it's gonna be about forty three hundred dollars, but
I'll pay you. I'll pay it. Just run it up,

(38:39):
send me the bill. I'll take care of. You'd be
surprised how many people don't follow through. Hey, you catch
a lot of thus like that, and then can't you
catch them just because they're looking for something else? Right?
And the reason I know is, shoot, I was that
per same person. Right. We grew up in we we're

(39:00):
in a family we grew up in the same neighborhood.
We grew up in the same d n A. I
know how we think. Right, we're trying to get a
come up. Cut do it, cut do it. Let's getting
down to do it. Hey, Gerard, why did you get
that T shirt? You mean this thing? Oh yes, I
got it from cut to a podcast dot com where

(39:22):
we have exclusive merchandise. Shout out to our guys at
seven or four shot. But yeah, you can go on,
buy you a T shirt, subscribe to us wherever you
listen to podcasts, so you know, tell us, so you
know what you're looking forward to, Uh this offseason? Tell
us how O T A s are going for you?
You know, um for the Philadelphia Eagles. Just everything that's
going on. Are we going? Good? Man? Just working out? Um? Shoot,

(39:46):
I'm the old head now, you know. Uh, I got
more years and all the whole dvs together. You know,
I got some young guys in the room, well first
and second year guys. So we're just working and I'm
trying to get around right. You know, I got TV
young boys. Man, they'd be trying to be out heads
just to be think it's cool that I'm in the league.
They want to be slaggy, they want to tom in

(40:07):
Man the blessing to standing here. Y'all got to get
the work. Y'all coming for the show. We're trying to
y'all need to stay, your workers need to stay. Let's
let's hoover an, let's let's let's talk. Let's talk about that.
Because there's you know, as an old head, you know,
doing TV, a lot of people come across I come
across people all the time. They're talking about shade. I'm
hating and like oz Man Stevie hating on such and such.

(40:30):
And I had to have a conversation with a gentleman
um I won't name. I had to look. I had
to look to brother and nine and I asked him.
I said, um, what I'm ma jealous of? And I
looked him up and down, like from his shoe to
the top of his head. What am I you in
your career? You've got your money, you got a girl,

(40:51):
you got a family. I got a girl, I got
a family. I'm not sure what I what you have
that I'm missing? I and I looked at him. He
was he was he was kind of dumbfounded. I was
dumbfounding in the conversation I had to have anyway. But
it's it's just the fact that like I have to
explain these young guys and oh man, you hating? What

(41:11):
am I hating about? You? New generation weird? Like the
new generation is like you know, oh man, you know
I joke out I've loved now that I'm I'm oning
Captain Petty right, But they're like, oh man, you're throwing shade.
How sixteen year vet and google my Google how much
money I made over my career? What shade of my throwing?

(41:34):
Uh money shade? I've had all the top I've had
all the top cars right on the new car that's
come out that's doing Trucker's Lambeau. But I had to
I had to Bentley Truck, I had several G wagons.
I had to let's see, um everything. Yeah, I didn't

(41:55):
had everything. I didn't had. I had to christ the
three D when it was the boot egg Bentley and
I got to had I had the baby Billy. The
baby Billy was in the business account. I want to
one of those in high school, So man, I listen,
it's a baby. I had the baby Bentley and then
I rolled up on a real Bentley. Uh Man, I

(42:15):
turned that baby billy in. I said, that thing is
a rip off. That baby billy. I rolled up. We
was both bumping, but when we hit gas, that real
billy said boom. Baby billy said, I said, you know,

(42:37):
I need to save my money. It took me. It
took me, It took me my going in my ninth year,
I bought a used one. I said, okay, thing, and
now now I'm electric. You don't hear me. You don't
even hear me. Take off, man, I listen. I paid

(42:57):
twenty one dollars the other day for phill up. M Hey,
I gotta thing. I was wriggling my shoulders every time.
I was like, yeah, boy, um man talking talk about
these young guys though. You're talking about how they they
like to show up. You know, they're just happy to
be in the league, participation, um salaries, trophies, right right.

(43:21):
I was trying to I told my young buzzer of
the day, man, uh, I said, man, when you even
when you get drafted, man, the next day, they're looking
to replace you. You know what I'm saying, That's just
how the business is. You know, you don't it don't
matter like that's what the point about standing because they're
looking at for somebody to replace you right now today
they drafted you to be replacing, so I'll be just
locked down. I would learn that from my O. G
shea man. Him Matt is a thirteen year od vet

(43:43):
that came from Jason Beta, King of Detroit. He just
he always he made me never feel comfortable, you know
what I'm saying. Don't get comfortable slave, you know, And
that's why I never did. You know, I always have
enjoyed my time in the league. But between them lines
and I'm trying to learn in that meeting room, trying
to get everything packed down, everything pulls post me in
the even chilling feed up, like man, you'll better come

(44:03):
on with it. Like so yeah, then you know, I
don't know how they operated. But you only got one
shot and you only gotta you only got a little span.
You know, you only in your prime between twenty one
and seven. Said, if you know what, you gotta make
all the money you can now, because most likely a
lot of guys that come out and lead, most guys
don't want to work, really work work. They want to

(44:24):
join something they really want to do, you know, And
that's like prob. You know, like some people want to
be podcasts, some people want to be whatever whatever, But
people ain't really trying to really have to put in
the whole, another off the whole, another job. Why do
you why do you think that is? Huh? I said,
why do you think that is? Why do you think
that is? Like, while you're working, it's hard. I don't
understan why you're working. It's hard for to just be average.

(44:45):
You know. I don't want to be average. I want
to be able to be sit back and enjoy my
kids and all that kind of stuff. I got a
different motivation and all that. I want to be able
to join. I don't want to be at the work
and have to miss my kid game or something because
I got to clock in somewhere because I didn't do
what I posted it five years ago. You know, when
they only want to think it costs is hard work.
You know, talent go down quick. You know. The consistent

(45:05):
guys work hard, you know, And that's what I've been
consistently working hard and hard, work out to beat talent
every day. You know. It's just different when I put
you you the O G slate, Now where you see
yourself in ten years. Oh, man, I honestly see myself
man being like, uh, ain't like a coach. So to
my kids, my kids, yeah, I want to coach them up,

(45:26):
but I want to try to tell you. I ain't
gonna lie to you. I want to put my feet up. Man.
I would working hard ten years, but my body up
for so. I want to watch my kids grow up. Man,
they played them out. Yeah, my boys played football. I
want to play baseball. A little girls. You know, I
got a baby girl. She could probably be in some track,
you know. So I just want to just talk to

(45:46):
you right now. Don't let him do dance. Please, do
not let them look at my little girl. A little boy.
So she's the only little girl, so she's like a
little tom boy. Let me tell you something, man, dance competition,
we're not in that. My daughters more like that, Shane
and Bro. I'm telling those as competitions. One super inappropriate.
You got them kids dressing like that, dancing like that,

(46:07):
and then it's all day long for twenty five seconds.
It's tough. Man. My daughter did I and some of
those dance competitions. Something my blessing I learned. If the

(46:27):
last name is vil, good luck on the hotel Charlotte's Ville.
Hunter's Ville ain't got no big name hotels. It's red
roof and red roof in Express holiday and holiday and
Express residency. And you know, it's it's tough. You're sitting

(46:53):
in something something some sitting in some high school auditorium,
bumping up bump for what parents terrible, terrible, and then
you and then you have to wait that to the
end to find out if you want or not stuff.
It's a sham. It is then addresses and a makeup.

(47:15):
You know, ten year old supposed to be having full
own makeup like that. Not my baby girl. I'm like,
I'm glad right now it's gonna change. Don't she only want?
But you got anything you want to get off your chest?
There too much to get off my chest. You know.
I'm I'm a I'm a I'm a solid assassin. You know,

(47:36):
I'm just trying to do it, not letting film do
my talking, you know. But I do know people start
trying me with that top five stuff that people out
of out of line. Do you do you do you
get offended by not being in the top five? You know, No,
I'm I'm not trying to be funny. I'm asking because

(47:57):
I said I said something this weekend. You know, people
are saying, so somebody said, uh, big talk from a
slot receiver. First of all, stupid. I didn't play in
the slot a lot. Really I wish you did, but
unfortunately I was crazy. Yeah, like, if you're gonna insult

(48:17):
at lista saw me with the right facts, you know.
But that's why I'm asking, like, how do how do
you balance that? I mean, I just kind of I
don't read too much to do with the fans tall,
but when there's another professional player, and definitely when they
accolades don't add up to minds. When I got and
when he got, come on, man, y'all can be saying this,

(48:39):
and definitely I don't. That's one thing I don't like
the talker. I don't like that guy to be like,
oh man, he right, but how am I right? But
you don't got no pro, no all pro no nothing.
So if I'm just all right, you might be some
garbride Trump, you know, man, straight up and and that
we and then people be just talking craam like ill
be ain't kind of I'll be trying to annoy it.
But then you know, sometimes because I worked too hard

(49:00):
for this game to be talking about I'm aye or
you or your system guy? That's real. Yeah, ye, I
ain't got crazy. No, I'm still waiting for the right
system I was in, because I remember the system I
was in. It was not the right system. I haven't
been in all of I've been the whole man sitsu

(49:21):
uh system with number man seventy played out of seventy five.
Then I've been in the zone system. So I don't
did it all. So what do you prefer? I prefer Man,
That's what that's like. It's just easy. That's just like
it's easy for me to read routs. You know, I don't.
I don't want to look at too many other things,

(49:41):
you know, I don't want to be sinking multi You
don't like multitasking, can I? Yeah you can hear, Yeah, yeah,
I'm multitassing it. I'm running looked up that it's like.
Then I'll turn it to the receiver so I don't

(50:02):
win to everything. So you you really just like to
focus on the receiver, turn your back so you can
watch him and not have to get sidetracked a little bit.
I mean I could play off too, but I just
like to press a little bit. Yeah, okay, so that
being I like to get active. Man, that's why I'm
out here. I ain't, you know, to get at them. Yeah,
it's too easy now. The game too slow now, I

(50:23):
mean I probably won't get that at them. When I
was younger, I was trying to understand it. But now
it's too easy. Really tell when the game just slower,
it just slower for me. That's why it's too easy,
you know. Of course I don't know. We're profession and
I'll get beat. But I've been doing what I get
beat with, like, uh, back when I was young, I'm
getting beat. Left it right, So you say it's from
a surreaper context, so people know, yeah, you you you

(50:47):
understand your weaknesses. Yeah, I'm like, okay, I gotta do this.
But back then, man, everything was a weak and just
blond dogging to me. Well that come on. When I
was in practice with c J my whole first five
for years, man, that man was slapping me around, happy,
losing me thinking I can't do nothing right. Question you

(51:09):
see J. He's talking about Mega Travis Alvin Johnson, Detroit
lines and uh, all right, before we let you go,
then I'll be remiss if I don't ask you. So,
what was the what was your scouting report on me?
If we were to play? Oh man, that you go, mate?
You try you turn uh catches And they said they

(51:30):
always said not fast, but sneaky fast if you don't
jam them up. And they said at the high point, man,
you gotta be physical. And they said, and treat him
like a running back when you tackle them. You hear
right there when I wrote, Now, you know what I'm saying,
I like I'm going to get if he played a
little bit. I gotta know because Hall of Famer, I

(51:51):
gotta be on my ship, you know what I'm saying.
So already I appreciate that. See something, y'all. Look some
of the haters that's following us. Cut to it. You here,
shut down big play, shut down slave. He says, Hey,
trying to tackle agent. Ay, you're not back in the day.
It's like a running back. Yeah, yeah, like a running back.
You know you was we are seen a debo sounds
before that, there was there was debo, and there was

(52:14):
deebo before debo. And guess what, and I knew the
original debo the original debo actually UM used to date
a girl, I knew mom a Deebo debo, Deebo debo,
Tiny Lester, Yeah, rest in peace, Rest in peace. But
it's it'sn't it's it's it's intimidating looking at a brother

(52:38):
that big and he looked at two different directions. It
was tough, dog. I ain't like everything you got. He
gonna you don't know if he gonna hit you what
looking at whoever he looked at. They're gonna catch these
Paulls Man. We appreciate your time, bro, Thanks, thanks for
you being appreciate you. You are a unique person. You

(53:02):
are well worth it, you are competent, and most of all,
your lovable. I'm Steve Smith, Singer, I'm Gerard Little John
and this is cut to It. Cut to It with
Steve Smith Senior. That Is Me is a production of
Cut to It LLC, Balto Creative Media, The Black Effect,

(53:26):
and I Heart Radio. For more podcast from I Heart Radio,
visit the I Heart Radio, Apple Apple Podcast, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows from Cut to It.
Executive producer Steve Smith, SINGR co host Gerard Little John,
talent in booking manager Joe Fusci, Social media teamer Wesley

(53:48):
Robinson and John Show from Balto Creative Media cut To.
It is produced by Brian Baltaschevitch and Meredith Carter, with
production assistance by Alex Lebrek Production Coordinator Taylor Robinson. Theme
music by Alex Johnson, lyrics and vocals by Anthony Hamilton.
If you ain't heard about it, then we're about to

(54:09):
let you know. It's all