May 9, 2022 • 41 mins
Former NFL tight end Jermichael Finley is cutting to it with Steve and G. This episode, the Texan-native shares how one injury changed his whole life and what it means to see ball as your only way out.
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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 I'm a little 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 always want to know, but no
(00:22):
one ever asked, let's cut to it. You ain't heard
about it, then we're about to let you know. It's
all tight end. Everybody's tolling me, so that's not saying much.
(00:43):
But he's six ft five playing weight was about two seven.
I'm saying he's probably maybe a pound and a half
heavier now in retirement right, Um from the University of
Texas tighty when when tight ends were trying to the
tight est. Today, we're trying to be what Jamachael Finley
(01:06):
is UH today, which is a receiving tight end, big target.
Welcome to the Cut to a podcast Jamaica. From Michael,
Oh my god man, thanks thanks for having being honest. Man.
This is just I'm looking forward to. It's gonna be
a fantastic conversation. Where are you from in the place
you call your hometown? Um from from dove Ball Texas. Bro,
(01:29):
it's uh. Uh it's south of fifty nine post to Houston,
Texas and uh as well as born and raised raised
by my grandmother. Man, you're born and raised by your grandmother? Okay,
so that how much mean you know how to cook
a little bit? I a love bit, man. But once again,
now I guess somebody that set it up for me. Now, Bro, really, Oh,
(01:52):
what's some of your favorite meals that other people cook
for you? My my favorite, Man, One of my favorite
meals is uh taking promos on bro homemade taking promisen.
Of course, I'm a I'm a country boy, so I
like pig feet hog malls with hot sauce on it.
I know you're looking at me crazy, but it's one
(02:14):
of my favorite meals, bro. Really, growing up, what other
sports did you enjoy playing other sports? Uh? My first
love was basketball. Man. I didn't start playing football, um
until my sophomore year in high school. Uh. I got
recruited by Arizona by Lude Oats and the famous Lude
(02:37):
Oats and at the time, um, and then my jo
mcbrown came around and was like Finley, one of the
two here at the University of Texas. And you used
to play basketball and football. So I'm like, man, I'm
I'm in Texas, so I gotta play football. Um, So
I be committed my junior year UM and went through
the University of Texas. You know, obviously as funny as UM,
(02:59):
I was up at a couple of days ago, was
up at uh uh UNC Chapel Hill and had the
opportunity uh to see mc brown. Just see um. You
hear the stories of how he is connected to the
University of Texas, how he has always understood uh the
climate and talking to some players and coaches down at
(03:23):
UNC Chapel Hill. Is you know this this is this
is a guy who's you know, he's no spring Chicken's
He's he's up there in age, but yet he's moving
around and understands, uh the climate and with the climate
of you know, with with with uh black lives matter, uh,
the climate of equal opportunity, just everything that we have
(03:46):
to deal with, right um, each and every day Coach
Brown was talking about it, and you know, man, I
was just I was shocked because of he does a
really good job, yeah, of making sure he's plugged in
and listening to the players. Has he always been that
(04:06):
way and that's crazy you say that. Steve Man always
been that way. One of one of my favorite coaches
because he's a player's coach. He's one of those coaches
if you sit down at line star at the mill
table in college, he's one of those coaches that come
by and shoot the ship with you and say what's
up kicking uh and and down that line and uh.
(04:27):
And of course it was in Austin, Texas where I
mean a lot of players got in trouble, um and
you're singing with some coaches, some coaches to get your
grass up out of the a soap, Mack Brown bringing
the office talk to you. You know. I think one
of the things with students too, is identifying where they
come from and and and what challenges they have in
(04:51):
in in moving forward, going from where they used to
be to where they're trying to be. Absolutely and he's
done a great job with that to a lot of
my peers. I came in with Jamal Charles rack Poe
played for Tennessee, so we're guys that came from um property, um,
the streets, um, and somewhere down the line of that nature.
(05:13):
And he knew how to deal with us. He knew
how to talk to um and and so on down
that line. And man, when I say I loved mcgroun,
he was it was like I said, he's my He's
my top coach in my career. Well that's that's that's stellar.
Tell me your experience, your collegian experience, uh, playing at
the University of Texas and what was football for you?
(05:36):
And and and and how did it? How did it
change your life for you know some people that say
it didn't you know, everybody very sure. I don't want
to assume. Yeah. Absolutely. Uh. Like I said, I came
probably man, football, basketball, anything I gotta do with the ball,
Uh yeah, I mean I'm front the streets, so anything
(05:58):
that deal with the ball, I'm gonna do it. Because
that that got me out of where I was from. Um,
I wasn't I wasn't a genius. I wasn't the smartest
kid on the block. So I had to implement sports
into my life to try to get out um situations
that I was in. And like I said, Mac Brown
and lude Oatson and UM saw him down the line.
The coaches that recruited me, I mean, blessed, bless my
(06:20):
game and bless my life and now today life change
from my my five boys, uh and and my wife.
Um not now that you get to live the life
that you know, I mean that a lot of people
can't live. Why do you say that sports was the
only way you can get out? Do you just felt
that that was the only way? What was what was
(06:41):
holding you back? Or why do you believe but that
was the only one. I mean at the time, the
capacity of my brain was, Uh, it wasn't as as
an assimilated as it is now. And uh thinking of
the big picture as as I'm out. Uh. Like I said,
I grew up without a father. Um Gramar raised me.
So she was working two jobs. So like I said, man,
(07:04):
only only where I can get out of the projects
is I mean the time was the ball because the
capacity of my brain couldn't think bigger as far as academics, business,
entrepreneurs and things down that line. And now today, man, um,
I can teach my kids. Uh uh you know, I
mean how to play the game within the game, and
that's you know what I mean, making making a businessman,
(07:25):
not only focusing on sports. She'll go backwards and look
at Jamachael Finley. Back then, what what did you show
yourself short on throughout your years at the University of Texas,
just in everything, not just you know, Grant better around.
I'm just talking about just everything they could backward absolutely. Uh.
(07:46):
My thing is it's it's crazy when the compliance came
in and talking about what you can do with your money,
um down line or you know what I mean, especially
when when the guys came in and done a little
orientations and and fell um you know, I mean they
came at the wrong time because it was after practice.
I'm fatigued as hell, But it was a little meetings. Uh,
(08:08):
the little team meets that that guys don't listen to
as far as as Lee wise. Uh. Like, like I said,
I'm doing player development now. Um, I got my own
companies called Elevate You, and I'm teaching these guys and
listen to all that little detail. Man, you came out
of college early, right, we take us through that process
or why you why did you leave college early at
(08:30):
that at that time. I mean, we all know why
you left college, Jelly, but I don't like to assume,
so I just want I want you to tell that story.
You're something right, bro, Uh, You're something right. Um. So
men's and maltals once again. Rules roommates and man were
like I said, we was. We was making it happen
(08:51):
on the field, was coming during our things. And we
came back after the o U game. It was probably
week five, and then we see all these scouts coming.
I was like, man, we got some money for you.
I'm like, man, I can't even do it. Man, I'm
trying to get to the lead. So man to mall
got in the bluth. I was like, man, I'm leaving
this year. I put my paper in for the NFL
(09:12):
and said in the first round, I'm like seeing I'm
leaving for self. Back down, I wasn't having it. And
the ball was like, man, I'm out of here. I
don't care what the hell he's saying. So from there
and don't bro we hit the We hit that HLV.
Like there were a lot of people who would assume
that these coaches, man, you know, they just want they
(09:35):
would just want these kids to leave early so they
can keep showing showing them how many draft picks they
have to keep. Uh, so those guys will come back
donate to the school. Like just the the product coming
in and out and and and fans don't really. Fans
have now really got to the point of where they
believe that these coaches are just you know, it's like
(09:57):
a it's like a puppy farm, right, you know, they
get them, they raise them, they sell them to the league,
and then they do it to the next guy. And
it just walk us through that because there is a
lot of assumptions that that are out there. Boy, you're
you're funny. Man. We I live in Texas, So we
call it like raising cattle and just putting them, put
(10:17):
them in a slaughter machine, throwing them out. But yeah,
it's one of those things, man. In Texas. Man football
is huge, and especially with Matt Brown. We had that
team coming in that next year with Cope McCoy being
the quarterback. He look, he saw that we had a
national championship on the line, and my thoughts and my
(10:38):
peers thought that, hey, look we out of here, you know,
I mean, we're trying to change our family lives. M
And my thought is, being a little youngster, is that
man I got I mean, my my body got to
count on it. And I played reckless. I don't play
I don't go out of bounds like a Jason Winton
I'm not one of those guys. I don't slide. I'm
(10:58):
trying to find some contact. So my thought was get
out and go get the money. As out show you
get drafted by the Green Bay Packers. Man, tell us,
tell us what was that experience for you personally, going
going through that process, going to you know, you're coming
from a historical college, right historically in winning attendance expectations,
(11:27):
and then you fall right into the same expectations, the
same storybook franchise Green Bay Packers. Man, it was it
was a whirlwind. Um. I was when when I got drafted,
I was back home. Um I had all my people
all was over there kicking it, and we got the
phone call from Mike McCarthy and Tared Thompson. At the time,
(11:49):
I'm like, hold up, man, um I got Tared Thompson
Mike McCarthy on the line, old up, and I'm coming
from Austin, Texas where it's ninety degrees and I'm about
to go to the place where it below zero. I'm like, man,
I don't know if I can do that. So I
call my homeboy, Johnny Jolly. At the time, it was like,
now you better bring every Nintendo game you got Nintendo. Yeah, Nintendo,
(12:15):
you know train castles out at least by them, any
kind of Yeah, bro, he said, bring it uh time. Man.
We got on the plane the next morning, I dropped
down in Green Bay and I'm like, man, what what
these people got me at? And uh, like I said,
now I'm thinking about it was a blessing planning Green
(12:38):
Bay because it was strictly football. I mean, what is
so elaborate on that? What do you mean it was?
I mean, I know what you mean, but elaborators, just
strictly football, the football meeting within myself, coming from Austin,
which is which is a uh which is a party town,
a town where it's a lot going on, a lot
(13:00):
of things happening, and going to Green Bay where you
know what I mean, you got the Green Bay Packers
and you got the packer honors. Let's expect a lot
from you, you know, I mean, the fans um obviously
pay you well, have an honor. So it was one
of those things where you have to you have to
lock in a little bit. Now. I loved every bit
of it. I love cut to it, and I love
(13:27):
it even more when you download us and subscribe and
you can follow us on social media too, Smithie where
where at that's at? Cut to It on Instagram? What
about Twitter? At? Cut to It Facebook? Cut to It
featuring Steve Smith singr. What about online? And you can
follow us at cut to It podcast dot com where
(13:48):
you can buy merch and you can subscribe to this
wherever you listen to podcasts. I got all my answers questions. Um, yeah,
I got all my questions answered. That's what I'm here for,
a brother, cut to a podcast dot com. So you're
out there, you're playing, and then you get hurt. Man
(14:13):
take I wanna I want to sit there because you know,
obviously obviously I've experienced being hurt as well, but I
want to talk about really what the injury, not physically,
not just what it if to you physically, but also
the eternal dialogue that you have, you know, and just
(14:33):
how you managed everything going from the cream of the crop.
Um too, all of a sudden, football is being played.
But yeah, you can't participate, right and and and not
and I'm and I'm not interested in blaming who and
all that stuff. I don't care, just just really giving
people understanding of the reason I say that I'll set
(14:57):
the stage and then you follow. Every year you get hurt,
whether it's a hamstring, broken ankle, whatever it is, you
always have that moment and that injury, whatever current injury
you have, that's the worst injury you've ever sustained at
that moment until the next storm comes right yea. And
(15:21):
it's and it's one of those things. Man where at
varsity is on the hit um And I always took
in my head if I played this game long enough
and injury is gonna happen, you know what I mean.
I don't blame man Steve. I don't blame the guy
that hit me. I don't blame nobody. It was football
is a football play. And when I hit the middle
(15:41):
of a fourth quarter, I was playing Cleveland, uh fourth
quarter of four minutes, thirty five seconds, laughing A Rodgers
hit me on the routine, a routine slam. Um. I
caught the ball, duck my head a little bit. Um.
I forgot to catch Ward. Ward came down hill and
hit me, and I hit him up. In next day,
man was I was like man like literally paralyzed. I
(16:04):
was paralyzed for two months, bro, I couldn't move right side,
paralyzed and I hit a boy. The next day, my
my my grandmother held the phone up to my face
and I was like, Man, don't even worry about it. Man,
I called to lead, don't even find him, don't it's
football that this this happens. And Man. From then on,
(16:26):
Man and I grew callous as far I grew stronger.
Um in the way I'm moving in real life now,
So we'll take us through that. He hit you, you
duck your head, and then what duck my head? I
hit the ground, bro And when I hit that ground
and felt at the time for for about uh five
(16:49):
by five to ten seconds, I felt it felt like
a hunted bees was sinking because my body was going
into I was going to top. And after that my
body collapsed. I went into I forgot what it's called
with your hands and feet, go all across ways and
um after so much pain bro Um. At the time,
(17:11):
at the time, it was Cordless Andrew Corless looking down.
I'm like, man, if you don't call these people out
here and come get me, I'm like, because I'm hurt.
And after after I told it, said that to him,
I was out of there. I passed out because I
was in so much pain and in so much shock
back pain, like when you say the beast things like
(17:34):
you're just talking about like just all over your body, numbing,
all over my body. Um, it's like your body going numb.
You got them move what they call them tangloss. And
yeah I had that full body. Wow. Yeah, I'm showing
five shoulders to toes. So so there's the toes man.
(17:55):
And at the time, I'm I'm on the field. I mean,
I'm gonna feel a crime. I'm like, man, I don't
know what's going on. Next thing I know, I try
to I'm trying to yell, and next thing I know,
I go horse. And after that, like I said, I
just collapsed. Man, I was out of it. Yes, because
(18:16):
after that, because my narrow canal that's where you turn
your head, it collapse on me. So I couldn't. I
saw it cut off my air supply and all show
you show you, wow, show you passed. Now you could
have died right there on the spot, on the spot
because when he when he hit me and it put
it and put a bruise on my and put a
(18:36):
bruise on my spinal corps. It's instantly stopped breathing. Bro. Wow,
the trainers and the paramedics, all the all the guys
got got to me in time to calm me down.
I started breathing. Um, I couldn't move. And at that
time I went to the hospital. I've done a doctor.
I was like, I think that was your last place.
(18:58):
I was like, man, I got to be a kidding me.
And so happened. Um. God was looking down on me.
And I had signed a disability policy with lords in London,
and I started tapping into that and I started thinking,
I'm like, yeah, it might have been my last Like
you feel me m hm. I mean, you know, you
have a conversation with the guy that hit you. Then
(19:21):
what what what's the rest of it? What's the rest
of the story, Like, you know, I understand the money,
I understand all that stuff, but what's going on in
your head? Like how are you processing all of that stuff? Man?
The process that was crazy, man, because once again we
all have this number in our head and how long
are we're gonna play? How long we want to play?
And then once I got settled there and Rodgers came
(19:44):
to the to the house, sital all my guys, Mike McCarthy,
everybody came in and done the thing. And after I
got time to calm down and think, I'm like, man,
what what's the next phase of my life? So I
went into this deep, deep depression. I went to deep
depressing probably for probably two years to check me up.
(20:05):
Out of that deep depressed, I went in a dark
hole where um, if we can talk openly and free,
there was a lot of addiction start popping up. Things
that I was doing out the out the ordinary, you
know what I mean, Things I never even thought about
them because I love to keep my body peer and clean,
and so all of these um addicted personality started coming.
(20:28):
I started getting very impulsive because once again, when I
got knocked out, percent of my brain was dysfunctional, and
so I couldn't I couldn't process things. I couldn't think,
I couldn't even you know what I mean, I couldn't do.
I couldn't do much, seems. So I went to Peer
Sports Recovery UM. What they do a ton of rehabilitation
(20:48):
for guys that had head trauma addictions all all over
the line. I went there and I took a time
out in like man, and and called up and and
tried to beg um become normal and become try of
your brains wasn't working, wasn't working? What are the some
(21:11):
of those if you don't mind me asking, what were
some of those things you weren't able to do anymore? Uh?
As far as process, like if I've seen it, I
wanted you feel me. As far as like, um, go out,
going out and hanging out then with the wrong crowd. No, no, no,
I'm talking about of your brain wasn't processing. So I'm
(21:33):
talking mind you get up in the morning and I'm asking,
and I don't want to sound stupid, but like can
you brush your teeth? Yeah? I can, Yeah, I can
brush my teeth. It was just at the time, like
if if some occurred. As far as a business a
business adventure, my thought was, damn, I'm just sell on it,
(21:56):
not thinking, not going through my assistance and try sets
and things. Right, Um, I can go all down the
line with you bro um drug it was. It was
it was a combination of things. M hm. And so
you so you go to this uh, you go to
this facility and and what are some of the what
(22:18):
are some of the techniques or what what are some
of the rehab stuff that you have to do to
to get it back. Like you know, somebody listening, they're going, man,
what is that I'm trying to give the listeners and
understanding of what what rehabilitation is for what that looks
like for someone who loses forty four of their of
(22:43):
their brain use. Um, it looks like it's a it's
called neuro feedback. When they put a map on your head, um,
it's like an X ray almost. And then they put
a cap on your head basically like my cap now,
and they put all his wires on your head and
attach them. And you're looking at the screen and the
screen maybe I'm a football player on the screen, maybe
(23:06):
have a kicker on there, and you have to sit
there and just focus on the screen. And if you
focus right, the kicker kicker right through the uprights every time.
And if you focus though elsewhere, the kicker just he'll
start shaking them. It'll be off. So it was teaching
me how to process and how to see the things
(23:27):
and how to settle my brain with this, with this
dysfunctional of dysfunctional meaning I had bleeding all over here,
all on my left side because when I when every
time I took the tackle, I leaned to my left side.
So I had a ton of contact. Um in the
front of logo my in the front of logo, my
brain where where you make all your decisions, That is
(23:51):
right here in the front left of your brain. M hm.
So they put a map on my head. Um, I've
done a lot of man, I've done a lot out
of meditating. I've done a lot of it. Was it
was some crazy stuff that bounced back. Man. Like I said,
I've done twenty four months of that. So you were
in there twenty four months, on and off. I had
(24:13):
to on and Applaus, but I'm just see my family, um,
to try to keep that communication going, and and and
dealing with being retired from the NFL, dealing with that
and trying to just process everything, and and and the
hall twenty four months two years of rehabilitation. So you
had the transition of no longer playing football unexpectedly, transition
(24:38):
of learn how to use your brain, learn how to
process something that is you know, very traumatic, having to
grieve right, also having to be dad, you know, trying
to you know, I'm just assuming based off conversation, trying
to save your marriage because there's obviously some impact than
(25:00):
something there's some residual behavior that um really impacts the family,
impacts yourself. Right. You know, nobody is really UM educated
at this point between you and your family to know
how to deal with these things. Right, It's no roadmap.
There's barely a roadmap for parenting. You can't you have
no roadmap for parenting. Uh, marriage and uh brain dysfunction. Right,
(25:28):
that was the base, man, it was. It was different
for sure. Uh. And it was one of those things. Now, Um,
I tell guys, now, I always have a plan. I mean,
because we don't. We don't know. It's it's a game
what we call it. Any given Sunday. Now we play
Mondays and Thursdays, but any given Sunday. Uh, your career
(25:48):
can be taken away from He's the moment and man,
play play hard. Man. Tell me how big of a
role did your wife play in into your recovery? And
you know, and I'm assuming, um, you know probably uh man,
(26:08):
she's she's she's the real all star in the family
based off of just what you guys went through, UM
and dealing with and and and you know, I can't imagine.
I'm just all assuming, but I just kind of thinking
about it, you know, putting myself in your shoes. I
can't imagine. I've you know, I've been injured as well,
and you know you have that. Um, you have the
(26:29):
grieving process and any injury, but the the injury you
sustained was something that was very, very much deeper impacting
for your family than than than most than most football
normal football injuries. That was not a normal football injury. Yeah, man,
a girl, a girl secrew song. Man, she grew um
(26:51):
saw hell a song through this sope. See, she had
to help me walk get to the restroom with any
man and out man, man don't want any woman help
them use the restrooms at the time. Help me use
the restroom, help me get up out the bed left
left my backup. So it was some of the things
that where it's like, damn, I got I got this
(27:12):
lady right here and helped me do it every damn thing.
So uh like now now she's just uh man, she's
so strong now. And uh like, like I said, I'm blessed. Man,
I got five boys, I get to bless the game too,
and uh see the real MVP of the family. As
you're getting as you saying, your wife have to do everything.
(27:34):
What's going on inside your head? What eternal dialogue are
you having about yourself? Your wife is helping use the bathroom.
You can't take that very lightly. You go from catching touchdowns,
first of all, you you go from catching touchdown University
of Texas. You're at you in Green Bay, Title Town.
You're playing with Aaron Rodgers. Right, You're out there, you're
(27:57):
playing with uh Donald Driver right, Uh my green Is.
You know he's still right there. You know he's not
all the way removed, but he I think it was
probably about one or two years before he had moved on.
So you're out there playing with some pretty darn good
football players, right, and you're in a place that all football.
(28:18):
You're at the hide of your career. And then a
couple of months later, man, you need assistance going to
the restaurant that can't be easily taken. And I just
want to, I just want to for somebody listening that's
going through someone, you know, what were you going through? Man?
I was going through a lot I was going through. Uh.
I stayed. I stayed in my head as far as uh.
(28:40):
I'm like, Man, I got I got this lady right
here helped me. I just got done. I just got done,
you know what I mean, breaking three or photocos getting
to the zone, throwing up the wild t t oh,
you know what I mean. I'm here, can't move. I
mean that that that I did not take like that
I took it. I took to get real hard. And
(29:01):
it was it was days where my wife for now
he's my five years now, he's my four two year old.
At the time, it was he was a youngster. Uh,
they couldn't they couldn't stand up being around because I
was always upset like what if? What if that? What
if this happened? And then I just I got to
the grieving poem where I was like, man, God, God
(29:23):
made it happen for a reason. And uh, like like
I said, it's it's a thing. Uh, it's a thing
I did not take lightly. And now man, um, I'm
doing wonders um helping and give back and get a
game back to people. Man, how cool is it now
then to to to be able to play coach your kids?
(29:45):
Like what what what do you what do you enjoy
most about that? I just enjoyed you. I mean helping
them and uh and showing them how to build leader
and uh, you know I mean and finishing, not only
finishing your rep. Just I mean, if you got someone
over here that's not not doing what they're supposed to do,
lift them up, helped them finished. And and that's that's
(30:08):
my whole thing about teaching my boys now, because like
I said, I got all my boy the thorough grades,
and uh yeah, and we're gonna make it. Happend it,
God do it. Let's get down to do it. Good.
Hey Gerard, why did you get that T shirt? You
mean this thing? Oh yes, I got it from cut
(30:31):
to a podcast dot com where 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 what
what sports are they playing right now? We got? Uh?
I got a football and football, basketball and track. Oh yeah, yeah,
(30:54):
I got a little quarterback. But I got I got
pretty much pretty much everything you've got you guys. Long
All right? What's what? What? What? My man doing the track?
Then my man doing triple jump long jump? Uh two
hundred and they run the eight hundred eight hundred relay. Okay, um,
(31:15):
look look do six six ft little dude in six
ft eight grace state. Goodness gracious, that's pretty cool man. Yeah, man,
that's awesome man. Yeah. And then so you got show
all your boys you're playing sports. All my boys placed sports,
(31:39):
every last one of them. Yeah. Man, So so how
are you and a wife doing this? You've got five
boys put all playing sports. Man, y'all playing zone coverage.
But you only got two drivers. So yeah, we're playing.
We're playing. So we gotta get an anti uh on
a friend and we get that the man who's working son. Yeah. Yeah, man.
(32:00):
What's the best part about you know, being present for
your boys and playing sports. What's some of the things
that you see? Um? You know obviously with you not
having your folks in your life, what what what are
some of the things that you see um or maybe
you don't or you know, are you I know I
know for myself that they're sometimes I'm parenting as a dad,
(32:23):
but I'm also sometimes I get Lottie emotional as a son,
you know, just because you know, my dad was in
my life, but he wasn't He wasn't I wasn't raising
the same house. So when you're not raising the same house,
you know, there's little things that you miss, you know,
when you're not there. Ye. And that's my thing, man, uh,
(32:47):
my my big thing. And the thing I love I
love to see him love to do is wake up
to my boys and love on them. And when they
come if it's a hard delt soul and uh easy
del is just loving on them right when they hit
that door or right when I'm in the carpool line.
And just I mean the things that I didn't get,
I try to implement that into my boy's life. And
(33:09):
just you, I mean uh a tonic. I mean hugs,
kiss on the cheek and things like that, bro, The
things I didn't I didn't get at all, and just
every chance I get what Uh, how are you at
the games? You're a parent a quiet prayer. I don't
see you being a quiet parent. But go ahead, let
(33:30):
tell me a lot though, tell me a lie. I'm
I'm pretty I'm pretty quiet, bro, uh because like I said, uh,
we put in so much work, I believe, and if
you put the work in, um you ain't you ain't
got to say nothing. So I'm really I'm actually really quiet. Uh,
but I'm not quiet. Were in the lab working though, Yeah,
(33:51):
the lab? So you training them. Yeah, I tell you
my boys, like I said, I just started to coming.
It's called elevate you. And and I do I time
of a jolty work uh feetwork, uh and conditioning and
uh yeah, man, I turned my boys probably three or
four times a week. They enjoy it or you enjoy it.
(34:14):
You funny man. I'm just I got three. I got
three boys, and and two of them right now are
old enough, you know. And I tried to you know,
some of the training or go with go with them
and train or they train with me. And you know,
sometimes you can be challenging. Yeah, real talk. Uh, I
enjoy it, man. And my fourteen year old he loves it. Man,
(34:35):
he eats it up. I get into I get enough
with him and uh, I mean run ross with him
on the on the flip side. I cover him every
once in a while. Oh yeah, yeah, I get out
there and play DV. Also, and and now I gotta
know you roll. He's a he's more of a in
a booth guy. He's gonna come knock you out. He
don't like the grind, you don't like the conditioning because
(34:56):
he's a more thicker kid. And h I gotta I
gotta beat it and tell him a little bit. So's
when you get older his brother grinding, He's gonna I'm
gonna mess. Yeah. Yeah, you hope you h man, Yeah,
(35:18):
I hope. So yeah man, So what what do you
obviously you said you you you're doing uh jelly working,
you you're doing that stuff. You know, um man, how
is life now for you? Just you know inside your
head internally? Um you know, just based off what you've
been through, uh this the peaks, the peaks you've had
(35:40):
in your life also now the valleys. You know. How
how do you how do you maintain just your wellness? Yeah?
I like it? Not now how I maintained that as
you know, I mean how I came out the NFL,
you know, and I know they have to scream for
you that said six thirty seven, thirty thirty. You gotta
beat some one right now. I set myself up where
(36:04):
I put myself on a schedstle. Of course, my wife
helped me, um to in some weeks I'm slipping, She's like,
what are your susl I mean, so I keep myself
on the routine and make sure I have me time
to me time, me time, meaning um going through the
things I like. I like the golf. Now, yeah, a
(36:25):
golfer if you ever wanted, I got um. I mean
I like that goodness gracious, you must be a good golfer.
Then now I ain't that good. I like to dress.
Oh so, so when you come play golf, you look good.
(36:47):
Or you got two boxes of ball. I got timber
boxes the ball stay up. But I know when we leave,
dagn you lose two money. You so so so most
people playing golf, you're out there, you out there keeping
(37:10):
the maintenance department, uh employs busy. But my mind is,
you know, have fun if you I'm not taking it
too serious, so you might not with me. Now I'm
not taking it serious. But so let me ask you this.
Then you dress nice, you bring two bucket of balls,
and then you also lose money while you're playing. Is
(37:30):
that what you said? No, hold on, hold on all
loves money though, because I know I know my game
ain't that type. So I just played. I just really
played like a quarter, like fifty cents a hole. Yeah,
can you play, though, I can play. I just like
the competition of of I like the competition a hole
(37:51):
just straight up. You know, if you win the hole,
like if if if I get attend and you get eleven,
where I win? Right? Just kind of it ain't It's
not about like that is just the competition of the
shot and the pressure, you know it is. Can you
choose the jersey number? At least I can go beyond.
(38:11):
I can go beyond my jersey number. But I just
I like playing, but also I like the I like
the process of it. I'll go out on driving range
man some headphones and just just lose myself a little bit.
You know. I can listen to I can listen some
R and B. I can listen rap music, can listen
(38:32):
to gospel. It really really doesn't matter to me. I
can go with whatever. I just do. I do actually
enjoy um the tranquility of golf. Sometimes by myself. That's real.
That's that's real. I like that that that that solong time.
(38:52):
That's basically what I do. Sometimes I go out by
myself and play solo, and guys like at me that
ain't got no friends over here, But I got my
music cranked up. I got they are going and I'm
good or that maybe they're just looking. They see how
bad you are, and they said, man, nobody wants to
play with you might not be mine. You out there hitting, man,
(39:17):
you were three or four hits on the first drive.
You look around you nobody around. So let me try
to Let me give me another one. That was a practice.
Look at I do do that. You must do that, Yeah,
I do. That's the whole purpose of going by yourself.
You you're not in the run. I've always felt this
way with golf. You can't be in a rush if
you're playing golf or you're trying not to be. But
(39:40):
when I got my my wife and my kids on
my head, I'm like, man, I can't even play right. Man,
I'm thinking them boys left and right. When I don't
have a lot of time, I'll just play. I'll just place,
you know, nine holes. Yeah I quit a quick quick nine,
go to the crib. That that's what I do. Not regards.
I can't. I can't do I and do the eighteen
(40:00):
host appreciate your time, brother, Thank you any You are
a unique person. You 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.
(40:23):
Cut to it with Steve Smith singor That Is Me
is a production of Cut to It LLC, Balto Creative Media,
The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. For more podcast
from I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app,
Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows
(40:44):
from Cut to It. Executive producer Steve Smith, singer co
host Gerard Little John, talent in booking manager Joe Fusci,
social media teamer Wesley Robinson, and John Show from Balto
Creative Media. Cut to It is duced by Brian Baltaschevic
and Meredith Carter, with production assistance by Alex Lebrec. Production
(41:06):
coordinator Taylor Robinson. Theme music by Alex Johnson, lyrics and
vocals by Anthony Hamilton. You ain't heard about it, then
we're about to let you know. It's all
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 I'm a little 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 always want to know, but no
(00:22):
one ever asked, let's cut to it. You ain't heard
about it, then we're about to let you know. It's
all tight end. Everybody's tolling me, so that's not saying much.
(00:43):
But he's six ft five playing weight was about two seven.
I'm saying he's probably maybe a pound and a half
heavier now in retirement right, Um from the University of
Texas tighty when when tight ends were trying to the
tight est. Today, we're trying to be what Jamachael Finley
(01:06):
is UH today, which is a receiving tight end, big target.
Welcome to the Cut to a podcast Jamaica. From Michael,
Oh my god man, thanks thanks for having being honest. Man.
This is just I'm looking forward to. It's gonna be
a fantastic conversation. Where are you from in the place
you call your hometown? Um from from dove Ball Texas. Bro,
(01:29):
it's uh. Uh it's south of fifty nine post to Houston,
Texas and uh as well as born and raised raised
by my grandmother. Man, you're born and raised by your grandmother? Okay,
so that how much mean you know how to cook
a little bit? I a love bit, man. But once again,
now I guess somebody that set it up for me. Now, Bro, really, Oh,
(01:52):
what's some of your favorite meals that other people cook
for you? My my favorite, Man, One of my favorite
meals is uh taking promos on bro homemade taking promisen.
Of course, I'm a I'm a country boy, so I
like pig feet hog malls with hot sauce on it.
I know you're looking at me crazy, but it's one
(02:14):
of my favorite meals, bro. Really, growing up, what other
sports did you enjoy playing other sports? Uh? My first
love was basketball. Man. I didn't start playing football, um
until my sophomore year in high school. Uh. I got
recruited by Arizona by Lude Oats and the famous Lude
(02:37):
Oats and at the time, um, and then my jo
mcbrown came around and was like Finley, one of the
two here at the University of Texas. And you used
to play basketball and football. So I'm like, man, I'm
I'm in Texas, so I gotta play football. Um, So
I be committed my junior year UM and went through
the University of Texas. You know, obviously as funny as UM,
(02:59):
I was up at a couple of days ago, was
up at uh uh UNC Chapel Hill and had the
opportunity uh to see mc brown. Just see um. You
hear the stories of how he is connected to the
University of Texas, how he has always understood uh the
climate and talking to some players and coaches down at
(03:23):
UNC Chapel Hill. Is you know this this is this
is a guy who's you know, he's no spring Chicken's
He's he's up there in age, but yet he's moving
around and understands, uh the climate and with the climate
of you know, with with with uh black lives matter, uh,
the climate of equal opportunity, just everything that we have
(03:46):
to deal with, right um, each and every day Coach
Brown was talking about it, and you know, man, I
was just I was shocked because of he does a
really good job, yeah, of making sure he's plugged in
and listening to the players. Has he always been that
(04:06):
way and that's crazy you say that. Steve Man always
been that way. One of one of my favorite coaches
because he's a player's coach. He's one of those coaches
if you sit down at line star at the mill
table in college, he's one of those coaches that come
by and shoot the ship with you and say what's
up kicking uh and and down that line and uh.
(04:27):
And of course it was in Austin, Texas where I
mean a lot of players got in trouble, um and
you're singing with some coaches, some coaches to get your
grass up out of the a soap, Mack Brown bringing
the office talk to you. You know. I think one
of the things with students too, is identifying where they
come from and and and what challenges they have in
(04:51):
in in moving forward, going from where they used to
be to where they're trying to be. Absolutely and he's
done a great job with that to a lot of
my peers. I came in with Jamal Charles rack Poe
played for Tennessee, so we're guys that came from um property, um,
the streets, um, and somewhere down the line of that nature.
(05:13):
And he knew how to deal with us. He knew
how to talk to um and and so on down
that line. And man, when I say I loved mcgroun,
he was it was like I said, he's my He's
my top coach in my career. Well that's that's that's stellar.
Tell me your experience, your collegian experience, uh, playing at
the University of Texas and what was football for you?
(05:36):
And and and and how did it? How did it
change your life for you know some people that say
it didn't you know, everybody very sure. I don't want
to assume. Yeah. Absolutely. Uh. Like I said, I came
probably man, football, basketball, anything I gotta do with the ball,
Uh yeah, I mean I'm front the streets, so anything
(05:58):
that deal with the ball, I'm gonna do it. Because
that that got me out of where I was from. Um,
I wasn't I wasn't a genius. I wasn't the smartest
kid on the block. So I had to implement sports
into my life to try to get out um situations
that I was in. And like I said, Mac Brown
and lude Oatson and UM saw him down the line.
The coaches that recruited me, I mean, blessed, bless my
(06:20):
game and bless my life and now today life change
from my my five boys, uh and and my wife.
Um not now that you get to live the life
that you know, I mean that a lot of people
can't live. Why do you say that sports was the
only way you can get out? Do you just felt
that that was the only way? What was what was
(06:41):
holding you back? Or why do you believe but that
was the only one. I mean at the time, the
capacity of my brain was, Uh, it wasn't as as
an assimilated as it is now. And uh thinking of
the big picture as as I'm out. Uh. Like I said,
I grew up without a father. Um Gramar raised me.
So she was working two jobs. So like I said, man,
(07:04):
only only where I can get out of the projects
is I mean the time was the ball because the
capacity of my brain couldn't think bigger as far as academics, business,
entrepreneurs and things down that line. And now today, man, um,
I can teach my kids. Uh uh you know, I
mean how to play the game within the game, and
that's you know what I mean, making making a businessman,
(07:25):
not only focusing on sports. She'll go backwards and look
at Jamachael Finley. Back then, what what did you show
yourself short on throughout your years at the University of Texas,
just in everything, not just you know, Grant better around.
I'm just talking about just everything they could backward absolutely. Uh.
(07:46):
My thing is it's it's crazy when the compliance came
in and talking about what you can do with your money,
um down line or you know what I mean, especially
when when the guys came in and done a little
orientations and and fell um you know, I mean they
came at the wrong time because it was after practice.
I'm fatigued as hell, But it was a little meetings. Uh,
(08:08):
the little team meets that that guys don't listen to
as far as as Lee wise. Uh. Like, like I said,
I'm doing player development now. Um, I got my own
companies called Elevate You, and I'm teaching these guys and
listen to all that little detail. Man, you came out
of college early, right, we take us through that process
or why you why did you leave college early at
(08:30):
that at that time. I mean, we all know why
you left college, Jelly, but I don't like to assume,
so I just want I want you to tell that story.
You're something right, bro, Uh, You're something right. Um. So
men's and maltals once again. Rules roommates and man were
like I said, we was. We was making it happen
(08:51):
on the field, was coming during our things. And we
came back after the o U game. It was probably
week five, and then we see all these scouts coming.
I was like, man, we got some money for you.
I'm like, man, I can't even do it. Man, I'm
trying to get to the lead. So man to mall
got in the bluth. I was like, man, I'm leaving
this year. I put my paper in for the NFL
(09:12):
and said in the first round, I'm like seeing I'm
leaving for self. Back down, I wasn't having it. And
the ball was like, man, I'm out of here. I
don't care what the hell he's saying. So from there
and don't bro we hit the We hit that HLV.
Like there were a lot of people who would assume
that these coaches, man, you know, they just want they
(09:35):
would just want these kids to leave early so they
can keep showing showing them how many draft picks they
have to keep. Uh, so those guys will come back
donate to the school. Like just the the product coming
in and out and and and fans don't really. Fans
have now really got to the point of where they
believe that these coaches are just you know, it's like
(09:57):
a it's like a puppy farm, right, you know, they
get them, they raise them, they sell them to the league,
and then they do it to the next guy. And
it just walk us through that because there is a
lot of assumptions that that are out there. Boy, you're
you're funny. Man. We I live in Texas, So we
call it like raising cattle and just putting them, put
(10:17):
them in a slaughter machine, throwing them out. But yeah,
it's one of those things, man. In Texas. Man football
is huge, and especially with Matt Brown. We had that
team coming in that next year with Cope McCoy being
the quarterback. He look, he saw that we had a
national championship on the line, and my thoughts and my
(10:38):
peers thought that, hey, look we out of here, you know,
I mean, we're trying to change our family lives. M
And my thought is, being a little youngster, is that
man I got I mean, my my body got to
count on it. And I played reckless. I don't play
I don't go out of bounds like a Jason Winton
I'm not one of those guys. I don't slide. I'm
(10:58):
trying to find some contact. So my thought was get
out and go get the money. As out show you
get drafted by the Green Bay Packers. Man, tell us,
tell us what was that experience for you personally, going
going through that process, going to you know, you're coming
from a historical college, right historically in winning attendance expectations,
(11:27):
and then you fall right into the same expectations, the
same storybook franchise Green Bay Packers. Man, it was it
was a whirlwind. Um. I was when when I got drafted,
I was back home. Um I had all my people
all was over there kicking it, and we got the
phone call from Mike McCarthy and Tared Thompson. At the time,
(11:49):
I'm like, hold up, man, um I got Tared Thompson
Mike McCarthy on the line, old up, and I'm coming
from Austin, Texas where it's ninety degrees and I'm about
to go to the place where it below zero. I'm like, man,
I don't know if I can do that. So I
call my homeboy, Johnny Jolly. At the time, it was like,
now you better bring every Nintendo game you got Nintendo. Yeah, Nintendo,
(12:15):
you know train castles out at least by them, any
kind of Yeah, bro, he said, bring it uh time. Man.
We got on the plane the next morning, I dropped
down in Green Bay and I'm like, man, what what
these people got me at? And uh, like I said,
now I'm thinking about it was a blessing planning Green
(12:38):
Bay because it was strictly football. I mean, what is
so elaborate on that? What do you mean it was?
I mean, I know what you mean, but elaborators, just
strictly football, the football meeting within myself, coming from Austin,
which is which is a uh which is a party town,
a town where it's a lot going on, a lot
(13:00):
of things happening, and going to Green Bay where you
know what I mean, you got the Green Bay Packers
and you got the packer honors. Let's expect a lot
from you, you know, I mean, the fans um obviously
pay you well, have an honor. So it was one
of those things where you have to you have to
lock in a little bit. Now. I loved every bit
of it. I love cut to it, and I love
(13:27):
it even more when you download us and subscribe and
you can follow us on social media too, Smithie where
where at that's at? Cut to It on Instagram? What
about Twitter? At? Cut to It Facebook? Cut to It
featuring Steve Smith singr. What about online? And you can
follow us at cut to It podcast dot com where
(13:48):
you can buy merch and you can subscribe to this
wherever you listen to podcasts. I got all my answers questions. Um, yeah,
I got all my questions answered. That's what I'm here for,
a brother, cut to a podcast dot com. So you're
out there, you're playing, and then you get hurt. Man
(14:13):
take I wanna I want to sit there because you know,
obviously obviously I've experienced being hurt as well, but I
want to talk about really what the injury, not physically,
not just what it if to you physically, but also
the eternal dialogue that you have, you know, and just
(14:33):
how you managed everything going from the cream of the crop.
Um too, all of a sudden, football is being played.
But yeah, you can't participate, right and and and not
and I'm and I'm not interested in blaming who and
all that stuff. I don't care, just just really giving
people understanding of the reason I say that I'll set
(14:57):
the stage and then you follow. Every year you get hurt,
whether it's a hamstring, broken ankle, whatever it is, you
always have that moment and that injury, whatever current injury
you have, that's the worst injury you've ever sustained at
that moment until the next storm comes right yea. And
(15:21):
it's and it's one of those things. Man where at
varsity is on the hit um And I always took
in my head if I played this game long enough
and injury is gonna happen, you know what I mean.
I don't blame man Steve. I don't blame the guy
that hit me. I don't blame nobody. It was football
is a football play. And when I hit the middle
(15:41):
of a fourth quarter, I was playing Cleveland, uh fourth
quarter of four minutes, thirty five seconds, laughing A Rodgers
hit me on the routine, a routine slam. Um. I
caught the ball, duck my head a little bit. Um.
I forgot to catch Ward. Ward came down hill and
hit me, and I hit him up. In next day,
man was I was like man like literally paralyzed. I
(16:04):
was paralyzed for two months, bro, I couldn't move right side,
paralyzed and I hit a boy. The next day, my
my my grandmother held the phone up to my face
and I was like, Man, don't even worry about it. Man,
I called to lead, don't even find him, don't it's
football that this this happens. And Man. From then on,
(16:26):
Man and I grew callous as far I grew stronger.
Um in the way I'm moving in real life now,
So we'll take us through that. He hit you, you
duck your head, and then what duck my head? I
hit the ground, bro And when I hit that ground
and felt at the time for for about uh five
(16:49):
by five to ten seconds, I felt it felt like
a hunted bees was sinking because my body was going
into I was going to top. And after that my
body collapsed. I went into I forgot what it's called
with your hands and feet, go all across ways and
um after so much pain bro Um. At the time,
(17:11):
at the time, it was Cordless Andrew Corless looking down.
I'm like, man, if you don't call these people out
here and come get me, I'm like, because I'm hurt.
And after after I told it, said that to him,
I was out of there. I passed out because I
was in so much pain and in so much shock
back pain, like when you say the beast things like
(17:34):
you're just talking about like just all over your body, numbing,
all over my body. Um, it's like your body going numb.
You got them move what they call them tangloss. And
yeah I had that full body. Wow. Yeah, I'm showing
five shoulders to toes. So so there's the toes man.
(17:55):
And at the time, I'm I'm on the field. I mean,
I'm gonna feel a crime. I'm like, man, I don't
know what's going on. Next thing I know, I try
to I'm trying to yell, and next thing I know,
I go horse. And after that, like I said, I
just collapsed. Man, I was out of it. Yes, because
(18:16):
after that, because my narrow canal that's where you turn
your head, it collapse on me. So I couldn't. I
saw it cut off my air supply and all show
you show you, wow, show you passed. Now you could
have died right there on the spot, on the spot
because when he when he hit me and it put
it and put a bruise on my and put a
(18:36):
bruise on my spinal corps. It's instantly stopped breathing. Bro. Wow,
the trainers and the paramedics, all the all the guys
got got to me in time to calm me down.
I started breathing. Um, I couldn't move. And at that
time I went to the hospital. I've done a doctor.
I was like, I think that was your last place.
(18:58):
I was like, man, I got to be a kidding me.
And so happened. Um. God was looking down on me.
And I had signed a disability policy with lords in London,
and I started tapping into that and I started thinking,
I'm like, yeah, it might have been my last Like
you feel me m hm. I mean, you know, you
have a conversation with the guy that hit you. Then
(19:21):
what what what's the rest of it? What's the rest
of the story, Like, you know, I understand the money,
I understand all that stuff, but what's going on in
your head? Like how are you processing all of that stuff? Man?
The process that was crazy, man, because once again we
all have this number in our head and how long
are we're gonna play? How long we want to play?
And then once I got settled there and Rodgers came
(19:44):
to the to the house, sital all my guys, Mike McCarthy,
everybody came in and done the thing. And after I
got time to calm down and think, I'm like, man,
what what's the next phase of my life? So I
went into this deep, deep depression. I went to deep
depressing probably for probably two years to check me up.
(20:05):
Out of that deep depressed, I went in a dark
hole where um, if we can talk openly and free,
there was a lot of addiction start popping up. Things
that I was doing out the out the ordinary, you
know what I mean, Things I never even thought about
them because I love to keep my body peer and clean,
and so all of these um addicted personality started coming.
(20:28):
I started getting very impulsive because once again, when I
got knocked out, percent of my brain was dysfunctional, and
so I couldn't I couldn't process things. I couldn't think,
I couldn't even you know what I mean, I couldn't do.
I couldn't do much, seems. So I went to Peer
Sports Recovery UM. What they do a ton of rehabilitation
(20:48):
for guys that had head trauma addictions all all over
the line. I went there and I took a time
out in like man, and and called up and and
tried to beg um become normal and become try of
your brains wasn't working, wasn't working? What are the some
(21:11):
of those if you don't mind me asking, what were
some of those things you weren't able to do anymore? Uh?
As far as process, like if I've seen it, I
wanted you feel me. As far as like, um, go out,
going out and hanging out then with the wrong crowd. No, no, no,
I'm talking about of your brain wasn't processing. So I'm
(21:33):
talking mind you get up in the morning and I'm asking,
and I don't want to sound stupid, but like can
you brush your teeth? Yeah? I can, Yeah, I can
brush my teeth. It was just at the time, like
if if some occurred. As far as a business a
business adventure, my thought was, damn, I'm just sell on it,
(21:56):
not thinking, not going through my assistance and try sets
and things. Right, Um, I can go all down the
line with you bro um drug it was. It was
it was a combination of things. M hm. And so
you so you go to this uh, you go to
this facility and and what are some of the what
(22:18):
are some of the techniques or what what are some
of the rehab stuff that you have to do to
to get it back. Like you know, somebody listening, they're going, man,
what is that I'm trying to give the listeners and
understanding of what what rehabilitation is for what that looks
like for someone who loses forty four of their of
(22:43):
their brain use. Um, it looks like it's a it's
called neuro feedback. When they put a map on your head, um,
it's like an X ray almost. And then they put
a cap on your head basically like my cap now,
and they put all his wires on your head and
attach them. And you're looking at the screen and the
screen maybe I'm a football player on the screen, maybe
(23:06):
have a kicker on there, and you have to sit
there and just focus on the screen. And if you
focus right, the kicker kicker right through the uprights every time.
And if you focus though elsewhere, the kicker just he'll
start shaking them. It'll be off. So it was teaching
me how to process and how to see the things
(23:27):
and how to settle my brain with this, with this
dysfunctional of dysfunctional meaning I had bleeding all over here,
all on my left side because when I when every
time I took the tackle, I leaned to my left side.
So I had a ton of contact. Um in the
front of logo my in the front of logo, my
brain where where you make all your decisions, That is
(23:51):
right here in the front left of your brain. M hm.
So they put a map on my head. Um, I've
done a lot of man, I've done a lot out
of meditating. I've done a lot of it. Was it
was some crazy stuff that bounced back. Man. Like I said,
I've done twenty four months of that. So you were
in there twenty four months, on and off. I had
(24:13):
to on and Applaus, but I'm just see my family, um,
to try to keep that communication going, and and and
dealing with being retired from the NFL, dealing with that
and trying to just process everything, and and and the
hall twenty four months two years of rehabilitation. So you
had the transition of no longer playing football unexpectedly, transition
(24:38):
of learn how to use your brain, learn how to
process something that is you know, very traumatic, having to
grieve right, also having to be dad, you know, trying
to you know, I'm just assuming based off conversation, trying
to save your marriage because there's obviously some impact than
(25:00):
something there's some residual behavior that um really impacts the family,
impacts yourself. Right. You know, nobody is really UM educated
at this point between you and your family to know
how to deal with these things. Right, It's no roadmap.
There's barely a roadmap for parenting. You can't you have
no roadmap for parenting. Uh, marriage and uh brain dysfunction. Right,
(25:28):
that was the base, man, it was. It was different
for sure. Uh. And it was one of those things. Now, Um,
I tell guys, now, I always have a plan. I mean,
because we don't. We don't know. It's it's a game
what we call it. Any given Sunday. Now we play
Mondays and Thursdays, but any given Sunday. Uh, your career
(25:48):
can be taken away from He's the moment and man,
play play hard. Man. Tell me how big of a
role did your wife play in into your recovery? And
you know, and I'm assuming, um, you know probably uh man,
(26:08):
she's she's she's the real all star in the family
based off of just what you guys went through, UM
and dealing with and and and you know, I can't imagine.
I'm just all assuming, but I just kind of thinking
about it, you know, putting myself in your shoes. I
can't imagine. I've you know, I've been injured as well,
and you know you have that. Um, you have the
(26:29):
grieving process and any injury, but the the injury you
sustained was something that was very, very much deeper impacting
for your family than than than most than most football
normal football injuries. That was not a normal football injury. Yeah, man,
a girl, a girl secrew song. Man, she grew um
(26:51):
saw hell a song through this sope. See, she had
to help me walk get to the restroom with any
man and out man, man don't want any woman help
them use the restrooms at the time. Help me use
the restroom, help me get up out the bed left
left my backup. So it was some of the things
that where it's like, damn, I got I got this
(27:12):
lady right here and helped me do it every damn thing.
So uh like now now she's just uh man, she's
so strong now. And uh like, like I said, I'm blessed. Man,
I got five boys, I get to bless the game too,
and uh see the real MVP of the family. As
you're getting as you saying, your wife have to do everything.
(27:34):
What's going on inside your head? What eternal dialogue are
you having about yourself? Your wife is helping use the bathroom.
You can't take that very lightly. You go from catching touchdowns,
first of all, you you go from catching touchdown University
of Texas. You're at you in Green Bay, Title Town.
You're playing with Aaron Rodgers. Right, You're out there, you're
(27:57):
playing with uh Donald Driver right, Uh my green Is.
You know he's still right there. You know he's not
all the way removed, but he I think it was
probably about one or two years before he had moved on.
So you're out there playing with some pretty darn good
football players, right, and you're in a place that all football.
(28:18):
You're at the hide of your career. And then a
couple of months later, man, you need assistance going to
the restaurant that can't be easily taken. And I just
want to, I just want to for somebody listening that's
going through someone, you know, what were you going through? Man?
I was going through a lot I was going through. Uh.
I stayed. I stayed in my head as far as uh.
(28:40):
I'm like, Man, I got I got this lady right
here helped me. I just got done. I just got done,
you know what I mean, breaking three or photocos getting
to the zone, throwing up the wild t t oh,
you know what I mean. I'm here, can't move. I
mean that that that I did not take like that
I took it. I took to get real hard. And
(29:01):
it was it was days where my wife for now
he's my five years now, he's my four two year old.
At the time, it was he was a youngster. Uh,
they couldn't they couldn't stand up being around because I
was always upset like what if? What if that? What
if this happened? And then I just I got to
the grieving poem where I was like, man, God, God
(29:23):
made it happen for a reason. And uh, like like
I said, it's it's a thing. Uh, it's a thing
I did not take lightly. And now man, um, I'm
doing wonders um helping and give back and get a
game back to people. Man, how cool is it now
then to to to be able to play coach your kids?
(29:45):
Like what what what do you what do you enjoy
most about that? I just enjoyed you. I mean helping
them and uh and showing them how to build leader
and uh, you know I mean and finishing, not only
finishing your rep. Just I mean, if you got someone
over here that's not not doing what they're supposed to do,
lift them up, helped them finished. And and that's that's
(30:08):
my whole thing about teaching my boys now, because like
I said, I got all my boy the thorough grades,
and uh yeah, and we're gonna make it. Happend it,
God do it. Let's get down to do it. Good.
Hey Gerard, why did you get that T shirt? You
mean this thing? Oh yes, I got it from cut
(30:31):
to a podcast dot com where 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 what
what sports are they playing right now? We got? Uh?
I got a football and football, basketball and track. Oh yeah, yeah,
(30:54):
I got a little quarterback. But I got I got
pretty much pretty much everything you've got you guys. Long
All right? What's what? What? What? My man doing the track?
Then my man doing triple jump long jump? Uh two
hundred and they run the eight hundred eight hundred relay. Okay, um,
(31:15):
look look do six six ft little dude in six
ft eight grace state. Goodness gracious, that's pretty cool man. Yeah, man,
that's awesome man. Yeah. And then so you got show
all your boys you're playing sports. All my boys placed sports,
(31:39):
every last one of them. Yeah. Man, So so how
are you and a wife doing this? You've got five
boys put all playing sports. Man, y'all playing zone coverage.
But you only got two drivers. So yeah, we're playing.
We're playing. So we gotta get an anti uh on
a friend and we get that the man who's working son. Yeah. Yeah, man.
(32:00):
What's the best part about you know, being present for
your boys and playing sports. What's some of the things
that you see? Um? You know obviously with you not
having your folks in your life, what what what are
some of the things that you see um or maybe
you don't or you know, are you I know I
know for myself that they're sometimes I'm parenting as a dad,
(32:23):
but I'm also sometimes I get Lottie emotional as a son,
you know, just because you know, my dad was in
my life, but he wasn't He wasn't I wasn't raising
the same house. So when you're not raising the same house,
you know, there's little things that you miss, you know,
when you're not there. Ye. And that's my thing, man, uh,
(32:47):
my my big thing. And the thing I love I
love to see him love to do is wake up
to my boys and love on them. And when they
come if it's a hard delt soul and uh easy
del is just loving on them right when they hit
that door or right when I'm in the carpool line.
And just I mean the things that I didn't get,
I try to implement that into my boy's life. And
(33:09):
just you, I mean uh a tonic. I mean hugs,
kiss on the cheek and things like that, bro, The
things I didn't I didn't get at all, and just
every chance I get what Uh, how are you at
the games? You're a parent a quiet prayer. I don't
see you being a quiet parent. But go ahead, let
(33:30):
tell me a lot though, tell me a lie. I'm
I'm pretty I'm pretty quiet, bro, uh because like I said, uh,
we put in so much work, I believe, and if
you put the work in, um you ain't you ain't
got to say nothing. So I'm really I'm actually really quiet. Uh,
but I'm not quiet. Were in the lab working though, Yeah,
(33:51):
the lab? So you training them. Yeah, I tell you
my boys, like I said, I just started to coming.
It's called elevate you. And and I do I time
of a jolty work uh feetwork, uh and conditioning and
uh yeah, man, I turned my boys probably three or
four times a week. They enjoy it or you enjoy it.
(34:14):
You funny man. I'm just I got three. I got
three boys, and and two of them right now are
old enough, you know. And I tried to you know,
some of the training or go with go with them
and train or they train with me. And you know,
sometimes you can be challenging. Yeah, real talk. Uh, I
enjoy it, man. And my fourteen year old he loves it. Man,
(34:35):
he eats it up. I get into I get enough
with him and uh, I mean run ross with him
on the on the flip side. I cover him every
once in a while. Oh yeah, yeah, I get out
there and play DV. Also, and and now I gotta
know you roll. He's a he's more of a in
a booth guy. He's gonna come knock you out. He
don't like the grind, you don't like the conditioning because
(34:56):
he's a more thicker kid. And h I gotta I
gotta beat it and tell him a little bit. So's
when you get older his brother grinding, He's gonna I'm
gonna mess. Yeah. Yeah, you hope you h man, Yeah,
(35:18):
I hope. So yeah man, So what what do you
obviously you said you you you're doing uh jelly working,
you you're doing that stuff. You know, um man, how
is life now for you? Just you know inside your
head internally? Um you know, just based off what you've
been through, uh this the peaks, the peaks you've had
(35:40):
in your life also now the valleys. You know. How
how do you how do you maintain just your wellness? Yeah?
I like it? Not now how I maintained that as
you know, I mean how I came out the NFL,
you know, and I know they have to scream for
you that said six thirty seven, thirty thirty. You gotta
beat some one right now. I set myself up where
(36:04):
I put myself on a schedstle. Of course, my wife
helped me, um to in some weeks I'm slipping, She's like,
what are your susl I mean, so I keep myself
on the routine and make sure I have me time
to me time, me time, meaning um going through the
things I like. I like the golf. Now, yeah, a
(36:25):
golfer if you ever wanted, I got um. I mean
I like that goodness gracious, you must be a good golfer.
Then now I ain't that good. I like to dress.
Oh so, so when you come play golf, you look good.
(36:47):
Or you got two boxes of ball. I got timber
boxes the ball stay up. But I know when we leave,
dagn you lose two money. You so so so most
people playing golf, you're out there, you out there keeping
(37:10):
the maintenance department, uh employs busy. But my mind is,
you know, have fun if you I'm not taking it
too serious, so you might not with me. Now I'm
not taking it serious. But so let me ask you this.
Then you dress nice, you bring two bucket of balls,
and then you also lose money while you're playing. Is
(37:30):
that what you said? No, hold on, hold on all
loves money though, because I know I know my game
ain't that type. So I just played. I just really
played like a quarter, like fifty cents a hole. Yeah,
can you play, though, I can play. I just like
the competition of of I like the competition a hole
(37:51):
just straight up. You know, if you win the hole,
like if if if I get attend and you get eleven,
where I win? Right? Just kind of it ain't It's
not about like that is just the competition of the
shot and the pressure, you know it is. Can you
choose the jersey number? At least I can go beyond.
(38:11):
I can go beyond my jersey number. But I just
I like playing, but also I like the I like
the process of it. I'll go out on driving range
man some headphones and just just lose myself a little bit.
You know. I can listen to I can listen some
R and B. I can listen rap music, can listen
(38:32):
to gospel. It really really doesn't matter to me. I
can go with whatever. I just do. I do actually
enjoy um the tranquility of golf. Sometimes by myself. That's real.
That's that's real. I like that that that that solong time.
(38:52):
That's basically what I do. Sometimes I go out by
myself and play solo, and guys like at me that
ain't got no friends over here, But I got my
music cranked up. I got they are going and I'm
good or that maybe they're just looking. They see how
bad you are, and they said, man, nobody wants to
play with you might not be mine. You out there hitting, man,
(39:17):
you were three or four hits on the first drive.
You look around you nobody around. So let me try
to Let me give me another one. That was a practice.
Look at I do do that. You must do that, Yeah,
I do. That's the whole purpose of going by yourself.
You you're not in the run. I've always felt this
way with golf. You can't be in a rush if
you're playing golf or you're trying not to be. But
(39:40):
when I got my my wife and my kids on
my head, I'm like, man, I can't even play right. Man,
I'm thinking them boys left and right. When I don't
have a lot of time, I'll just play. I'll just place,
you know, nine holes. Yeah I quit a quick quick nine,
go to the crib. That that's what I do. Not regards.
I can't. I can't do I and do the eighteen
(40:00):
host appreciate your time, brother, Thank you any You are
a unique person. You 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.
(40:23):
Cut to it with Steve Smith singor That Is Me
is a production of Cut to It LLC, Balto Creative Media,
The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. For more podcast
from I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app,
Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows
(40:44):
from Cut to It. Executive producer Steve Smith, singer co
host Gerard Little John, talent in booking manager Joe Fusci,
social media teamer Wesley Robinson, and John Show from Balto
Creative Media. Cut to It is duced by Brian Baltaschevic
and Meredith Carter, with production assistance by Alex Lebrec. Production
(41:06):
coordinator Taylor Robinson. Theme music by Alex Johnson, lyrics and
vocals by Anthony Hamilton. You ain't heard about it, then
we're about to let you know. It's all
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