Michael Vick Part 2

A football career after a prison sentence is one upset that none of us would have bet on. Luckily, the only person Mike needed to bet on was himself. This is part 2 of Steve and G's conversation with Michael Vick, one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.

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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 i' and this is cut to it.
Good Do, Good do? What they're getting down to do
with good do It? We asked the questions you always

(00:21):
want to know, but no one ever asked. Let's cut
to it. You heard him about it, then we're about
to let you know it's all all right. Well, this
is part two of Michael Vick the Human Highlight Reel.

(00:45):
This is his words and then also being on the
other side not know you may know it. I witnessed it,
and I've seen it. You got you got us. I
got a first side, and I got post dramatic stress
about it. Right now, right he's still gliding across this.
Right now, you're gonna hear about Michael Dwayne vic the man,

(01:08):
the man, the husband and father, what he learned about
himself and what he learned about playing the game. It's remarkable.
It's a lot of it's some nuggets up in there.
I'm talking about nugget dropping, Mike dropping everything. Um, you
can't wait for you guys to here. But it's less
about ball. It's more about the person. I've always struggled

(01:37):
with trusting people overall. So I can't even imagine, you know,
what you've gone through, how do you filter friends now
and and you know, and how it's changed, Yeah, in
those ways after going through everything you went through. I
try to, um just not have a lot of friends.

(02:00):
I try to just keep my circle small, like I
got a lot of respect for, you know, especially my
piss like like you and Danny and Thomason and Drew
Breves and guys you know from my draft and draft
class guys I played with, guys who I respect so much,
you know, and I, you know, guys not saying it
that you've gotta be successful because I can meet somebody

(02:23):
to charity event and having good relationship with him from Afar,
But I try to center myself around, you know, people
who who think like me, who you know, don't have
the same walk of life, might not be in the
same walk of life, but you know, we kind of
experienced the same things, and you know, what life is
all about the importance and family and and things that

(02:44):
really matter, you know. So you know, I felt like
those are the more of renatable people, and those are
the people who kind of you know, help keep leads
on my dean when when I when I could be
slipping a little bit, passie. We all none of us
are perfectly you know. We all you know aren't shopping
iron man. What are the core values look for in

(03:05):
the friendship? And when do you know you need to
leave a friendship? You give them time, Like it's gonna
be things that's gonna happen where you know, decisions gonna
have to be made and somebody's gonna have to save
with one another. Just call out what's really real or
what's right and if that person can't do that, you know,
and just in the smallest situations to make a decision

(03:25):
that you like, Man, thanks for having my back on
this because you know I was right and you know
I'm not wrong. That's when you know you got a
good friend, when they're gonna step up and do what's right.
You know what I'm saying, Like situation like, Steve, I know,
I know you see, like I can tell you probably
tell you something like if it don't make no sense,
I can almost expect ninety in time you can be like, yo,

(03:46):
what the hell are you talking about? Pretty much like
like if I give you a scenario. It was like, man,
what do you think about this? I did this? He
did that? Who we were? Like? Who was right? Just
with your assause if you if you tell me to
ask something looking for him, like, Yo, that's a good friend.
Not because it's not because I'm your boy, Because it's
like you're telling me the truth, whether good or bad.

(04:09):
I'm like, that's a good friend. But I just been
around people who just couldn't do that as a late
friends and family, and it's hurtful. And I've learned to
walk away from those people because those type of people
that can hurt you. That's one thing I've learned. Everybody
can't go with you. That one's a hard one to
learn that everybody can't go with you. Man, that's so good.
I'm I'm sitting next to you. I said, that was

(04:34):
really good. But it's true though you and you have
to go through it by trialing there. All right, let's
let's we always have this segment called Let's Talk Ball.
So I was listening to um MoManI Jones podcast that
you did back in and I heard you say in

(04:55):
this is why this is when you were still playing
with the Philly there for your Eagles at the time
is when you finally put everything together. And I heard
you say that, and I I mouthed the word that
I will not repeat on this podcast. Bro, Like, m

(05:15):
what is Mike vix standard? Because the other sideline watching
you play and you're saying you just getting it to
get you just figuring it out. What was you doing
prior to that? Because I remember that game that I'm

(05:36):
back game when you broke your ankle. Remember the mad
Curse he broke his ankle. Ye remember that. U dang
they had who they have Samuel Jackson, he's back. They
had to make they have folks that McDonald's talking about.
He's back now that that was the game when you, uh,
you scrambled around and I'm exaggerating, but he literally dove

(05:58):
in from the thirty and hurt just kind of go.
He was like, I know his knee touched the ground.
I know it. Man. We ran an instant replay. We
ran every year that it went under the hood. Yeah,
he capt didn't touch book. There was Moses. No. We

(06:20):
walked on water. I mean, I know Jeus water. Peter
came out water with Jesus, right. He said, don't look
down and there's Michael vad who hovered over the turf
and made it. You made it, but but good times.
But yet your own words you didn't even have. You

(06:44):
didn't put it all together. No, get get me to
understand how Rookie of the Year Madden coming over Pro Bowls,
you know, is doing all this stuff. You were doing
nine h two yards in one season, right, six thousand

(07:05):
yards Russian season and yeah, you have no idea what
you're doing out there. Yeah, so I said, I'll say, look,
I had an understanding of the game. So I understand.
I understood our offense. I understood what was trying to accomplish.
You know, I understood, you know, the the whole single
high too high. You know, how to be discoverage and

(07:28):
how to be that coverage. But you know, when I
had Dan Reeves, um, you know, Dan forced me to
look at certain things on defense and and watch this
guy and watch this guy guy, and you know, look
out for this defense. So I was standing like seriously,
get into the exits and oats and like really learn

(07:49):
our offense and pieces together. So so this is what
I know because I was young, and as I think
about this, this is why when I got the Philly
I really didn't no nothing. And this could be a
lesson for you know, coaches to young quarterbacks in the league,
as you know, stop changing offenses and change offers and coordinators.
Let a guy grow. So damn, we're starting to teach

(08:10):
me how to you know, six and seven men fronts
and protections and how to how we protected our offense.
So i' mean this offensive two and a half years
and then then gets fired in my third year, you know,
So now you know, I'm like, I gotta go off
what we got the last three games of the season,
and now it was a new coach coming in, teaching

(08:32):
different rules and different principles and the whole new offense.
And now I gotta learn the whole offense. I gotta
learn what this offense in tales and what we're trying
to do in this West Coast system. And then I
gotta get back to learning defenses and how to piece
these defenses with what we're trying to do to get
the best of what we're trying to do in the offense.
So in trying to do that, it's like, you know,

(08:55):
things not going right sometimes, and now I'm using my
natural instance. I'm running and that far out of my
game was coming out more because I'm just unsure, you know,
and I got you know, I got weeks to you know,
put it all together, constantly add new stuff. It's constant
new defenses that we gotta see. I think that was
around the time, like Steve, you will remember when the
zero Blitz was starting, like oh full five, it was

(09:16):
starting to show up, like yo, what is this and
how do you beat it? So that's where we drafted
Thomas Davis. They drive to Thomas. They just took literally
to Shadow Michael spy, no, not spy to shadow like
to mem Yes, break that down with the differences. So
the difference it was shadow mad players like myself are
probably you're the spy Shadow. But here's the thing. Your

(09:41):
job was too. Wherever number seven is, you go, you
go kind of like want to tradition, a true lockdown corner,
a true lockdown corners. I talked about Champ Bailey if
I if I drove my car, Champ would be the
parking attendant. Right. That's that's and Thomas assignment was. I
don't care what Algae Compler does, I don't care what

(10:06):
ABC does. Your job is to keep up because Thomas
was really really fast to keep up with Michael Vick.
Wherever Vick go, you go, Well, coach, you drinking water? Well,
why are you not go? And that's what it was,
and he did it. He did it. But but yeah, Vick,

(10:28):
what one or two plays playing us because we're so
much we knew each other playing inside your division twice
a year, you know, you know it is almost you
can utilize information against each other because it's like playing
against your brother, you know. It's Tennessee's Oh well, I
know they're gonna they're gonna do a sprint right option,

(10:49):
but Vickers left handed, so they're gonna do a sprint
left option. But every West Coast coach is gonna run
a sprint left for sprint right option. It's in the playbook.
While all this is happening with Thomas Davis and the
Panthers getting better, and they end up beating us, and
oh six, I think they beat us twice if I'm
not mistaken. Um, you know, I'm just learning, trying to

(11:12):
learn all these all these offensive plays and trying to
learn this offense where teams are getting better. And that's
why by the time I got the Philly I felt
like I was starting all over again, and I just
started to put it together because I had that year
time with donnov Been to learn that system, put it
all in place. And in a year too, I was
much more mature. I was ready to take on those
challenges and what dan Is stilled in me, and I

(11:34):
was able to kind of play catch up. But yeah,
so that was that's why I was like, man, I
knew pretty much. I knew I was playing off. I
knew nothing. Now now you know, I'm I'm ready and
I can look better in the passing game. And I
was able to flourish a little bit. So so it's
safe to say is in early in your career you

(11:56):
were playing from the shoulders down, and when you got
and when you when you were in Philly, you learn
how to play from the shoulders up. Yeah, that's correct.
I was playing shoulders down, but mentally I was just
I was using my vision, using my vision to make decisions. Yeah,
and athleticism the Bailli's out, you know, to be you know,

(12:20):
dynamic and just keep the change moving. I just said that.
I just yeah, when I got the feeling them like, man,
you know it's they're gonna let me pass the ball here.
I gotta learn the passing game. This is fun, ay
like the throw it. I gotta, I gotta. I gotta
show him that I can handle the responsibilities. I can
handle the responsibility of, you know, running the offense. M So,

(12:44):
how manly tough do you have to be playing quarterback
in the NFL. Man you gotta be willing. You gotta
be willing to get hit like you gotta that night
before the game. You gotta go into this game knowing
that I got a lot of responsibilities. My biggest responsibility
it's sowing toughest, hanging in that pocket and getting the
ball out to my receivers. You know who busday tales

(13:08):
all week long, you know, running routes and trying to
understand how to beat their you know, their opposition. Like,
I'm gonna hang in there and I'm gonna do whatever
I need to do. I'm gonna show the grit and
hopefully everybody else will follow. So you just gotta be
mentally tough in the mind and know, I'm not gonna
let the defense to defeat me because they're hit me.

(13:28):
You know, I'm a I'm a you know, earned my
stripes and let my put my pride to the side,
and I'm gonna hanging here and I'm gonna be tough
about it. And that's what That's what you gotta go
into the game knowing that you're gonna do. I'm hesitant
to say it, but I wanted I always want to
ask this to a quarterback. Man, do you think it's
Do you think it's fair unfair that most quarterbacks are

(13:52):
thrusted into that you know, token, the franchise quarterback because
the person that that figurehead for the every organization. Yeah,
so when they put that stamp on you, man, the
franchise quarterback, because we drafted you number one, Like when

(14:12):
we when the team draft you number one, they drafted
you in that position and say, look, you're gonna be
playing in the next six months to a year, and
we expect you to live up to our expectations and
hopefully yours. And when they say franchis quarterback, they do
it to put pressure, you know, on that guy, and

(14:34):
that make him feel what being a face of a
franchise is gonna be. Like, they're gonna put that on
the song you, They're gonna put that tag on your
back so you can wear it proudly. And I think
especially your rookie year, that's when you're like you like
you come in and you're learning and you're seeing like
how everything works and how you practice, how you know,

(14:54):
how the games to play, how you travel, and then
you just continue to grow, you continue to growing in
by yeah too, you should be all right, I'm ready
to take this thing over. I want this to be mine.
And like my first year, I wasn't. I felt like
I wasn't ready until like the second to the last
game of the season where things finally slowed down from
me and I was able to go out there and
just react and play. Had a good game. Christianna went

(15:17):
down and heard his elbow and I went in and
we almost beat the Dolphins. And then I my last
game of my rookie year, I had to play against
the greatest show on turf, you know, in St. Louis,
and you know, I put on a good shot. We
didn't win the game, but I put on a good shot.
And by that time, like you know, my my chain
was up, Like you know, I'm ready to run this franchise.

(15:40):
You know, if I if I if they have to
make some changes next year, I'm gonna be ready. But um,
you know so I'm speaking from the experience how you
know I felt and the pressure that was put on me,
But I was I was ready for I accepted it. Mike.
I heard the excitement in your voice when you first
came on. You were Smitty. Both played in the NFC

(16:03):
South at this inception. So would you please give me
some really good Steve Smith stories? Mike Oh um, m
m man, let me tell you the good ones, the
good ones, Mike, don't don't give it. Don't give me
the skip over. I want the good Smitty stories. So man, man, Steve,

(16:23):
we we because we played on you know, obsoutaneously actually
really yeah. So, so I'm gonna tell you what I
just didn't like about Steve. I'm like, Yo, this dude
is so good, right, you know what I mean? But
he rubbed it in though. No, I mean, like, yo,
that's part of his game. Like, but because I couldn't

(16:44):
be that way. I couldn't be and like on emotional
high all the time, you know what I'm saying. So
like Steve like slowly became that guy. You know what
I'm saying, thing after like yeah too and yeah too,
like you use that dude, and yeah three, And I'm
like he didn't emerge this true number one, but he toughness. Hell,
you know what I'm saying. So like I'm I'm what

(17:07):
stands out. It's just the touchdown celebration dances like and
you know, I can't remember them all, but it was
like a plethora of a bunch of good ones. And
I was like, Yo, his swag is different, you know
what I'm saying that, And I felt like that's what
That's what carried the team. But you know, I always
a mind Steve as a player, you know, and and
and and as a as a person, you know. So

(17:29):
you know, I know about the story when you um,
Ken Lucas got into it because I think he didn't
play against us or something or when it happened, you know.
And I'm not you know, I'm not trying to bring
up what I'm saying, like like when it happened, I
was like, man, damn, we was like in the playoff race,
so he was in the race for wins. And I'm like, man,
like Ken Lucas gave us problems And I'm like, damn,

(17:51):
you know, respect the kid Lucas, but he might not
play this week, so you know we might get a
win or something. You know, it might help us in
the way column. But you know, I just I just
knew Stephen spically man, and like it was like he
was you know, I was on one. He was on
one like yo. He was on one like yo. When
you told him ice up like that was like thet man,

(18:12):
Like bro really took it there, you know what I'm saying.
But it was all done. You know what I'm saying.
I'd respect you know what I mean, and just put
it in secretary of the game like you never disrespected
the game. The youngest can look at that and say,
like if my son played received, I'm cutting your film
off the bottom line, I appreciate it. It's been kind
of like as now that I'm done and I see

(18:33):
I go back and look at some of the stuff
that I used to do. Is like he he didn't
say it. The worst was when I if I caught
the ball on their sideline, Oh my god, I was
I talked to the whole sideline as if the corner
was not present. May be like you gonna, are you
gonna just talk about this man, because I can't. But

(18:57):
I've seen Steve run up like like a square at
one time against us, and I've seen that I was
standing right there on the sideline and defensive back like
grabbed them or like trying to put his hand on him.
And when I say, Steve, like put his hand out
and like it wasn't a stiff m like you didn't know.
It was an offensive passing the friends, which I was
like tangling and you pushed them and you broke left

(19:19):
and I just playing so far back. I was like
it was like a welcome to the NFL moment for me,
Like it was in our third year and I was playing,
I was hurt, and I was like, damn, like bro
just he just pushed like one of our best corners,
like to the ground like with one hand, and as
I just knew like he was gonna take off. He

(19:40):
was gonna be something special, man. But I was like, damn.
But he and I same division and that wasn't good.
And Jake their home. I had a lot of respect
with Jake their home, so they did his thing. I like,
what was what was that like the for both of y'all?
What was that like being on the onset of building
a robber And I know falcons Panthers. Isn't you know,
Package Bears, Raven Steelers. But what's it like both of

(20:02):
y'all being drafting two thousand and one NFC South starting
in two thousand and two, what's it like helping to
form a whole division? Almost? I know, for me, it
was really interesting because we were still in that you know,
me and Vick were young, but we were also on

(20:22):
teams that were in transition that there were guys that
just were older, and we were the younger guys and
we were supposed to just shut up and play and
learn from older guys. But we didn't want to shut
up and play. We wanted to be loud and play.
And Vick is doing his thing. I'm a young upcoming receiver.
You got the I eighty five battle. I mean, it

(20:46):
was like we were we were bad teams that was
fighting for who's gonna be worse, right, and we were
trying to make the Falcons worse than us, and the
Facons were trying to make us bad. And the New
Orleans Saints were New Orland Saints that obviously Tampa Bay
Buccaneers or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and we were kind
of looked at just as the as just two teams,

(21:09):
you know, So it was it was like it was
like two kindergarteners boxing over you know, the same lot
when there's all these other you know, play some playgrounds
to play with, but we were we were boxing focused
on that same box. That's the truth, man, that's the truth.

(21:29):
And I tell you, I'll tell you what like when
I think about the players, like both five teams was
just talented on on both sides of the ball. You know, yeah,
I think I had what Stephen Davis you know at
the time, and then you get motion, you know, defense,
then Morgan and then I just said I'll let you
say this. Then Julius Peppers. People. Actually it was the

(21:51):
toughest defender that I ever had to play against in
my life, and it was Julia's Peppers. On that end,
there was no mercy. Like one thing he was not
gonna do, you know, was let me break in team,
like I just I had just had problems with him, man,
And it was like so yeah, it was like you
know that divisional battle, like this is a game where

(22:12):
I know, like I know I'm about to get hit.
I know, pep ain't gonna let me just it's not
gonna be free will out here to day and no
good interior defensive alignment. Chris um a big brol name,
Chris Jenkins, oh man, Chris left was let me hear
it all game, you know, I learned. I learned that
I couldn't fight defensive alignment and all that, Chris. It

(22:35):
slam me to the ground and thinking like pushed my
head down to something. I got up, thinking I was tough,
and I ran into him, Steve. When I tried, I
was looking up at the ceiling though I was sticking
up at the top of the stadium like damn. I
just ran into this dude and guess what he did.
He helped me up. He laughed at me. I said,

(22:57):
brother like, like that's when I realized, like on mats,
with none of them guys on, you can just up.
I can't run up. But I think it's about that time.
Just take a little breather, come back. We have to
pay some bills, um, I have to use a bathroom.
And Gerard has a radio face. I love cut to

(23:22):
it and I love it even more when you download
us and subscribe and you can follow us on social
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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

(23:44):
dot com, where you can buy merch and you can
subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts people want
to hear about, continue to hear about. The stories are
really you know, like I said, Mike Vick and when
you're alone with the family, knows no cameras, nothing going on.

(24:05):
What three words would your wife used to describe you? Um,
she will say, uh, karen mm hm, ok um, honest

(24:29):
now honest m hm and and and probably respectful mhm,
like for real, Like that's what I tried to be
in the household, Like those three words that can define
me right and and then I know we can wake
up and you know it's it's a great day for

(24:51):
the big family. You know what I'm saying, because I
do anything for my kids, you know, I you know,
I try to, you know, be the quarterback of the
household out being too overbearned, you know, and not always
trying to call shots to send that send people in
different directors. You know, you know, I try to be
as loyal as I can and honest as I can be.

(25:13):
You know, I try not to allow about all the
like little stuff like it's still a point of my
wife know what I'm lying, you know, if you know what,
I'm not telling the truth. So I try to even
get into that so I even don't have to make
that dumb face that you talk about real good at that, yeah, bro,
like like and so so those you know, those three
things that I think that's that's the best way to
describe me. Man. And I'm you know, I try to

(25:36):
maintain that image without looking different or being different because
it's noticeable when I do. It's taking me. He's taking
me a while to really be comfortable in my own skin. Yea,
how comfortable with you and your own skin? And man,
it's taking me a while too, man, um. You know,

(25:57):
just all the things that I had to, you know,
go through that, just like in in my life, you know,
even at the quarterbacks just have been a black quarterback,
like you know, you gotta be a certain way, you
gotta sunk a certain way you gotta and and that
was at the point where I was like, yo, but
I just want to be me, you know, So I wasn't.
So I was walking around uncomfortable because I was trying
to be me, you know, when I wanted to be comfortable,

(26:20):
but it wasn't accepted. And it's like I'm just like
I kind of look at you know where we are,
you know, you know and in our current state as
a country, and you know how we're fighting for certain
things and I'm just like, yo, certain things that you know,
ye have, perception matter. But you know, when you're identifying
people and categorizing people like you, you put them in

(26:43):
a category based on you know, how they communicate and
how you know, your personal vibe with them not you
know not but they come around looking like you know
what I'm saying, Like I'm never gonna you know, stereotype
or anybody. You know, Black, white aren't different, you know
what I'm saying. So I'm that's how you find confidence
within your own skinner. I feel like recently, just recently,

(27:04):
I've been like you know and be myself. Man, whoever
accept me, accept me, and I appreciate it, you know,
I can that sounding to be the best version of
me just being me. So I was deep though, that
was right up for a long time. Football was me
and I was football, Like my whole identity was wrapped

(27:25):
around football. I didn't really believe you can't separate yourself
from it. Not I could not separate from myself from that.
So because of football. There's a lot of times, uh,
you know, I'm thankful football, but then there's the gift
and the curse I'm thankful for. But then, uh, I
asked myself if I wasn't able, especially the way I
grew up in the education or the lack of education

(27:48):
and the support system that I had um for a
long time, I really thought I was dumb, right, and
and because I lacked something, I lacked confidence. Yeah, and
I got a good story for you for that though
I don't want to know. Man, I dreaded Let'm telling

(28:12):
my company on can see. I dreaded media day my
first six years of my career. While first six I thought, man,
I thought that, man, because I just felt like I
was I got more confident like year four or five, six,
But man, I just felt like I got I couldn't
find the words and say like I kind of felt
like I was dumb, like because there was an article

(28:32):
written about me my first my first year because I
shot away from the media. So you know, somebody wrote like,
you know, doesn't sound intelligent when you talk, you know,
And then I read it. Somebody in the organization told me,
you know, and I was like this just like bought
me out. I was like, damn, that's how they're looking
at me. And I'm like, I already know my might

(28:54):
the insecure. I know him like media day, I know,
I hate it. I know him like talking in front
of these cameras. It just ain't what I right now
like and I and I, you know, if I grew
that insecurity over the years and over the years, and
then that's what I was saying when I was in prison.
I was like, I'm gonna embrace everything. I'm embrace the
media and media part of it. So what I did

(29:15):
I started reading. I started trying to educate myself, Like
I'm in there, like yo, I'm reading books and I
ain't doing it for media purposes, and I'm like, I'm
just trying to keep my mind going and write down words.
And yeah, obviously I could write a downage you got
no one to use them, you know, But I had more.
I had enough time to just kind of like just
better myself in that area, and I was, you know,

(29:37):
when I came out, I was like, yo, I'm gona
embracing that part of the introverted side of and try
to It's gonna always be there, but I'm gonna just
trying to open up a little bit, you know what
I'm saying. But then I realized, like, ya, I won't dump.
So when you like, hey, you say that, I was
just you know, that's kind of proud of finding yourself,
you know what I'm saying, Like being comfortable in your
own skin, even just turned down to the way you
speak to people. The boy, I agree with you. I

(30:01):
think why there one of the reasons why we all
think we're dumb is because, like one, we're already nervous, right,
You're already you're already nervous talking. You already have played
in your head. Um. You know when we talk about
ball or you talk about football, you know a player
is comfortable because he doesn't have to think. He just

(30:22):
reacts right, And and that's that's when you know you're
in that zone. If you have not been introduced to
public speaking, then you are stumbling over your words. You
get crossed up, and you get nervous, and you don't
want to screw up. So then what if you're saying,
like nobody a wide receiver run across the middle, says

(30:44):
I don't want to drop the ball. Don't want to
drop the ball. Well, when you run across the middle,
and that's in your thought, you're gonna drop the ball.
So when you're sitting in front of media, I don't
want to sound dumb. I don't want to sound dumb.
Where you have mind blocked yourself into thinking clearly, so
you maybe sound nervous or dumb. And so then now
you know that, oh he is dumb. So now you

(31:07):
got the media saying he's dumb. Then you got people
thinking you're dumb. You already insecure. Man, That's that's a
recipe of dumbness. And that just as I'm assuming I'm
gonna ask both asking both of you guys, does that
add more pressure to your role? Like a teakettle playing quarterback?
Does that add more pressure? Already being a quarterback who

(31:29):
also happens to be black, does that put more pressure
on you? Yeah? I just felt like I wanted to
be like and I wish I could be like this guy.
I wish I could be like that guy. You know
what I'm saying, like you stop feeling sorry for your stuff,
like man, damn, like why I can't find the words
and speak? And then you realize, you realize that, like
this person in front of me asking me this question, Himan,

(31:51):
just like me, I learned and I'm probably educating him
a little more than he educating me. And you know,
so what, I know what I've learned. Let that little
bit come out, especially when it was it was saying
the football. It was easy, you know, it was easy
to explain football. And I'm like, damn, I'm making that
hard too. I'm making everything hard. So now I'm feeling

(32:12):
this added pressure, just identity crisis. Who am I? You know?
Who am I now? Like fighting at you know what
I'm saying, and like what really helped me? The blank
came to me one day and he told me he
was like, man, I like the braids. I like the
way it looks. I was growth right there. I was like, man, thanks,
all right? You know now I know I can keep
my braids, man, because that's what I want to do.

(32:33):
I don't want everybody looking at me funny because I
feel like, you know, I just trying to be myself,
you know, but you've got a person coming in a
lot of different forms, man, and we just you know,
it's amazing like what we have to deal with. And
it's good that we could talk about issues like this
because we might be helping somebody in the next genervation
come up. We might be feeling the same thing like

(32:54):
now they know it's oh, it's okay because they can
listen to platform and and you know that it's real.
What would you be right now if you didn't discover
how gifted and football you are? Oh? Man, Well, I
had intenss of being an FBI. I wanted to do

(33:15):
a FBI asment and I always told myself about I
didn't make it because I know my road travel I
was gonna have to travel is gonna be difficult. If
I don't make it, you know, then I'm gonna I'm
gonna be the the best one FBI investigative that I
can be, you know, So I had to I had
a decent backup plane. I think I would have pursued that,
you know. I was part of my reason that I'm

(33:35):
going to begin and tex Um to pursue that type
of career criminal justice thing. I liked it too if
I had have been able to be in So you know,
I just always want to do something I can put
my heart into what I love doing it. Every day
I'm like, what else would I love doing? I don't
think I'm gonna like too much too much else that,
you know, because I'm helping people. I feel like I'll

(33:57):
be helping people and trying to make change a lot
of things is trying to do now sitting around just
making change you know, for the next generation that people
will need help, you know. Now, So what's your mantra
that you live by now? Because I've heard you say
that you you you can you can create your own destiny. Yeah, um,

(34:18):
like I hear, and like, man, I just kind of
every day I'm like, bro, you are what you eat.
So what you mean anything you're sending around, I'm even success.
I'm trying to find success and whatever form like, you know,
whether it's charitable, you know, whether it's some form of
you know, opportunity or obligation or it's TV. You know,

(34:41):
I'm trying to get better every day, you know. And
I can't let people, you know, I can't let nobody
come in the way of that. You know what I'm saying,
if you know, if you don't have the same goals
and ambuiness that I have, Like if you're talking, we're
not on the same page, and I can't really be
around you. You know. Um That's why I said, I'm
just I'm eating my family. Man, I'm eating you know,

(35:03):
Seth Orient and a couple and business relationships and corporate
partners that I have. But like those people have become
you know, good friends of mine, and you're trying to
you know, just make change and whatever we can. Like,
I can't bring a lot of people with me, can't
have no tagle on, can't have people who don't understand
the vision. You know, maybe I can pull them back

(35:23):
in later on down the road. But you know, I
said a lot of things that I gotta but I
got a legacy to try to protect. You know, I
care about you know, my kids and their generations with
kids and and they had kids kids, and I want
ever want to go back to that. You know, I
never want them to experience that. You know, you know,
you know what I'm saying. You know what I'm saying.
You don't you don't have You're on that relationship faster,

(35:46):
You're trying to get rid of all of the relationship.
That's what I'm going through. That one A little sugar sometimes. Yeah,
sure was one of the biggest lessons you've learned about
yourself then since retirement, Um, I learned I don't need necessarily. Um,

(36:11):
I learned football wasn't everything. You know. It was a
point in my life where I was like, you know,
I just cannot be playing in the NFL. I just
I can't see that happening. Like it's funny because before
I went to prison, I was like, I'm gonna tire
thirty one, thirty two years old. When that happened, I
was like, yeah, I'm playing to some forty. And then

(36:32):
when I hit thirty five, it was a roadblock, and
it was like, you know, I didn't feel the same,
you know, I was you differently, you know what I'm saying.
Like I was older than guys wanted the teams want
the younger guys, and you know, I got kind of
got caught up in that mix and just faded out.
And it was cool when I was like, Okay, yeah,
you know what, I made a decision to retire. I

(36:53):
could have kept pursuing it, you know, thirty six thirty
seven thirty eight, Like, no, then, you know what, I'm
good because I believe it's I'm out there better for me.
I don't know what it is, but I'm gonna taking
time to figure it out. And you know, I just
wasn't I wasn't afraid to walk away. You know. I
walked away with my head up high and feeling good
about you know, the things that I accomplished. I commlish

(37:14):
more than what I thought I would. Uh So that
so that helped. But I was like, you know what
my goal is gonna be initially started helping kids. You
know what I might get in coaching. I might you know,
I might just run football camps and do little combines
and help and and and spread the knowledge somehow, some way.
And I think that just led to other opportunities. And

(37:35):
you know, now get a chance to be on TV
and talk about the game, and you know, try to help.
You know, we know how we do Steve. We try
to help him a fox. You know, we gotta call
it out the good and the bad. It's cool, it's
like the bad, but but we gotta give him the bad.
They gave us the bad. You know what I'm say
that bad initially makes you play good, so they can't

(37:55):
act like indirectly, this ain't something that that's benefiting them,
you know. So I kind of look at it like that,
not being too overbrown with it, but just you know,
we're still teaching takes. So that made it comfortable, man,
and maybe maybe proud to be able to make it.
Proud to be able to say that. And then what
have you learned about yourself during the pandemic? Oh? Man,

(38:15):
I learned. I learned during the pandemic that, um, you know,
family time is the best time. We don't did every
we don't did everything together a lifetime. Now the time
and I'm like, yo, we're making it and we're still happy.
You know, we got enough to keep. Everybody can go

(38:37):
on their own directions and had a space, and we
can all come together and do it again, like yo,
this this, I'm like, this's my crew. This how I
realized that, y'all all, I need for real, y' all,
I need for real. I don't need to be walking
around with a game to people. I don't need to
walk around you know. I don't need friends. I need y'all.
I need y'all. You know. That's when I'm at my best,
you know when when it's family family orian is so Yeah,

(39:01):
I just and I never knew that, you know, they
day in and day out. You know, we can still
have a great time. Let's take a little break and
come back to you in about two or three minutes.
Good do what, goud do what? Let's getting down to
do it? Hey, Gerard, why did you get that T shirt?

(39:21):
You mean this thing? Oh? Yes, I got it from
cut 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. How you
see forgiveness now is obviously totally different than what you

(39:41):
thought forgiveness was the way you were raised. Yeah, I
just thought that was like as simple as Okay, I
forgive it, don't do it again, you know, get a
second chance. You know, I always believing the second chance.
Always used to hear that. My teachers always said I'm
gonna give you another chance. I'm give you a second chance,
and it was I never heard of anybody saying I'm
gonna give you a third chance. You don't get that,

(40:03):
you know. So I believe in second chances. You just
don't know when you're gonna need it, you know, or
when it's gonna be, you know, at a time where
you needed the most. So like I just thought it
was that simple, bro. What I learned like the more severe, um,
you know, the crime maybe, or the more severe you

(40:24):
may uh you know, hurt or harm somebody or somebody
who who affected by that person or place of things. Man,
giving this don't come easy, you know. So I just learned, like, yo,
that's just that I'm not. I only I don't want
a second chance. I'm gonna get it right the first time.

(40:44):
Because people, you know, they may forgive, but they don't forget,
you know what I'm saying Sometimes when that lingers, oh, man,
like we forgive you, but I ain't gonnaver forget it.
So whenever they want to act up with you or
they want to feel like, you know, they can judge
you or categorize you, then that's what's happening to you.

(41:04):
So man, just kind of avoid that at all costs,
you know. So people, I just learned that you know,
most people not even center that people forgive, They just
so they don't forget though, Mike. This saiment we're gonna
go into right now is called the deep three. There
are a series of questions of really, we just want
to get behind you and know you as a person,

(41:28):
beyond your jersey, beyond just the name on the back
of the jersey. We want to get to know you.
So simitthy, go ahead and fire off the first question.
If you could put a billboard in Newport News, Virginia
with any message on it, what would it be and
why I put it a big billboard? Let's say love

(41:51):
that named because you know, even when like people they
hurt harm people in their own communities, like and I
grew up in no friends who grew up together, Who
would I hurt harm and kill one another? And like
and like yo, we just all like you know, under

(42:12):
your neighborhood or your peers. Right, people understood that concept then, like,
it's really not that much altercation going on in the world,
like I think, I mean it is. It is because
we make it that way. You know, it's several situations
that caused conflict and in the communities. Man, And you know,
for one, it's just too many people trying to do

(42:34):
the same thing and then you know, like it's just
no lordy and no respect. But if everybody went their
own separate way here, their own goals and a vendors,
then you know they easily said and done it. I think,
you know, it will have highest success rate, more success stories.
People just fall into that trap. They don't have no
respect for one another, you know, you know one young

(42:57):
kids and you know even when the adults sometimes the
level of disrespect it is just way too great. It's
just far too great. And then you hear about sad
stories and like, damn, where where the integrity go? So
I'm trying to change that. But like I'm not neighbor Mike.
How impactful can a second chance be? Second chance to

(43:21):
change the person's life? That happened to me. That's why
I'm stopping out my own prison reform program um to
help you know, incarcerated fellas man and women with their
re entry back into society. You found out through a
friend who just finished up twenty six years for a
crime he didn't do um and coming home to hardships,

(43:43):
you know, and not complaining about it. And I'm just like,
these people need they need help, you know, they need help,
you know, obviously I found out transportation and housing it's
what's most important, and then they need assistance, a little
assistance after that. So you're trying to create some programs
and I'm partner with programs that can help. You know,
I never God, but you know, I just know what

(44:03):
what what that second chance to do? You like, guys
come out of their feelings and that that's their label
and never it never goes away in their life is
never the same. NB seven Prison Reform program will be
target and do um men and women. You know, just
trying to help them with every entry back into society.
And you know it's not always easy. They don't have

(44:24):
platforms and like I had, you know, they don't have
people in their corner um to give them that second chance.
So you know, we're trying to create that second chance
opportunity and hopefully we'll see that, you know, the success stories, ah,
you know, far greater than what they are now, because
I just know that they just need a chance. You

(44:45):
don't once you get that felling me tag, like everything
kind of goes out the window and then you know
it's just no real opportunity in life and that's not fair.
Um So, so I think you know, my initiative, you know,
it's a social reform. Um, it's too you know, I
want to attach myself to things that that that my
heart is really gonna be into and that I'm asocio

(45:07):
you know, justice programs as well. UM, but this one
is where I really can have an impact my heart
and be into it. And because it happened to me,
you know, being the second chance and uh, you know,
I had resources and then these resources can be presented
to these spellings of men and women and help them,
you know, hopefully go off and do some greater things.

(45:31):
You know, we all struggle with things. And I heard
this and I wrote it down and I thought it
was extremely imp appropriate for you because you have overcome
a ton of things and so struggling. I heard that
struggling is successfully not giving up. So what have you
struggled with that you haven't dealt with yet? Um? Yeah,

(45:59):
I think UM probably still certain, you know, insecurities and
just trying to you know, continue to be UM trustworthy man,
UM don't trust a lot of people. I just be
very a lot with a lot of people. And it's
um almost the point where it is like, you know,

(46:21):
I'll be thinking about friends, and I'm like, do I
like it's so people like, man, do I didn't even
really need friends? Who do I need to talk to
every day? If I, you know, if I want to
just get something off my chest, or if I want
to explain something to somebody, like who can I really trust?
You know what I mean? Because it's okay so many
times and then the simplest situations and violence forms like

(46:45):
I can't understand why, you know, people make the decisions
to do some of the things that they do, and
and I just like, yo, damn, that person really wasn't
for me. He really don't care, Like you know, I
gave him the world. I just I did so much.
And that look how you look at me now, you
know what I'm saying. So I'm like, that's two years
and years and years and you know, um developing a

(47:07):
friendship and giving and make it to people like you know,
taking care of and they're able to feed their families.
And then sometimes they look back at you and they
be like, yo, well, I guess they feel like you
ain't doing enough, and like, damn I did. I didn't
have to do anything, you know, So I'm like, Damn,
how am I supposed to trust me. Somebody said, Yo,

(47:28):
this is my boy, and that's my friends. Because I've
just been told by some of the people that I
love the most, like that's just not the pay sometimes
be like, all right, so that's how life is, and
that's how life this. But I'm I don't really trust
people like that. So that's what I've been dealing with, man.
And I don't think it's gonna change. I think it's
going in there. It's not going in there and the

(47:48):
right direction, you know what I'm saying. But this is
going in the direction that I wanted to go in,
and I wanted to flow in where like, yo, I
can control the crowd around me and I just appreciate
your time and we appreciate it. And um, this has
been bothering me for probably about thirty uh, probably about

(48:11):
ten years now. So just we were beating y'all here
in Carolina. Uh, it was game was going on. It
was it was a four fifteen game and we were
beating y'all. You were trying to scramble and you came
out of bounds, um on our shideline, and I looked
straight at you and I said something, and I took
a shot at you verbally and I and I'm not

(48:34):
gonna say what it was, but you know what it was.
And I want to tell you, bro, Um, it's taking
me ten years. I've been waiting for this opportunity, and
I kind of tiptoed around even just telling you man,
I was out of pocket and I and I'm sorry,
and I appreciate um the way you handled it. You
know what I'm talking about. Yeah, you see this, This,

(48:58):
this how I looked at it, bro, because I don't know,
hold on, hold on, hold on hold. But I took
something and I came at you in a way that
for my standard, it was inappropriate, and it was and
I shouldn't have. And I've been waiting for this opportunity
just to apologize, and so I wanted to tell you

(49:18):
all apologize and I'm sorry I said it that way
because I looked you in your eye when I said it,
and we're not physically next to each other. But I
also want to have the opportunity to tell you the
same way I said it is I was wrong, dog. Yes, well,
I I just wanted to tell you that because, you know,
even preparing for this, he kept coming back in the

(49:41):
Lord kept just telling me, So you're not gonna say
nothing this time. Because when we was at the p A,
I wanted to say something, but I could And then
because everybody was always around us. Yeah, you know, I
wanted to make sure, man, that I didn't miss the
opportunity that the Lord has been kind of given me.
And because I feel like this is the last time,
I'm like, we're in this pandemic. We're sitting around you, man, hey,

(50:08):
step up or shut up, right, And my mantra, even
with my my business and my foundation and even with
my family is man about tightening up. And so I
got to tighten up myself. So I can't tell my
folks that I'm I'm paying, or the children that I'm guiding,
or or the leadership role that guys put me in
and for me not to tighten up myself, man. So
I just want to tell you that because you deserve

(50:30):
that that apology and and and I need to humble myself, man.
So I just want to make sure that I didn't
miss this opportunity. And I appreciate that, Steve, you know
I do, and that's the reason we're talking. But look,
I had a feeling that that was gonna come out today. Um.
But but Steve, let's let me just say that, bro,
like I know the type of competitively work. And I'm

(50:52):
not taking that away from what you said, because I
feel like what you said was, you know, it was
were winning, you finally winning and like yo and and
and I'm like, you know, I don't. We didn't really
know each other person every time, but I kind of
like knew of you. And so when you said that,
I was like, yo, like he means you're understand. I'm like, yo,

(51:14):
he oh, he means he really means and after the game,
So let me let me tell you the true story.
And that's how I really feel about this, all right.
So Steve, you say what you say, I throw an
interception on purpose that in the game. I say, I
gotta go talk to Steve one on one. You know
what I'm saying. So this is what I do. I

(51:34):
walked up to Steve when I said, Steve, if you
ever called me all my name again, man, you're gonna
have it on the fifty yard last something like that, Steve, right,
and and but I know, so, look, I know Steve,
and I'm like, yo, I'm probably gonna he probably gonna
try to haul off him, you know what I'm saying.
But and I was prepared. I was like, damn, like,

(51:54):
I'm taking a risk with this man. This is like
you know this, I know, I know his reputation, but
I felt like I had to do it as a man.
But when you stepped back and looked at me, I
knew in your heart, I knew you didn't really mean that,
you know what I'm saying, because it wasn't. We just
both backed up away from each other, and it was
like expecting, yeah, he's gonna dump back back and the

(52:17):
other person and that was and that wasn't the case.
Like I didn't get that from him. And and then
we've seen each other like like two months later at
the pro Bo because I was like, oh man, we
gotta go to the pro BOI Ye, look, man, I'm
not you know what I'm saying, I ain't trying to
fool with this dude. Well, we got our families and

(52:38):
my whole month a mantra. My mantra is straight up,
you could beat me up when I ain't with my family,
but I ain't catching alas in front of my key. Right,
You're gonna have to kill me in front of my
kids because I can't be a panel that I can't
be my oldest don't respect me, man, shut up popping

(53:00):
from after that first practice, we all, you know, I
had to be yo without everybody that but and I
was just like that, ain't got a worry about that, mo.
More like I was relieved. I was like, yo, I
don't want to drum with my man for real. And
then like this over the years, you know, just growing
to respect you and just love you as a brother man,

(53:20):
you know what I'm saying, Like the last two years
that spend the time, but speaking when with in Houston
and doing little stuff together, it was like, yo, I
just always felt like that's that's my man, like real man.
You know, we can say we got a friendship for
a lifetime. Always got a brother and me and that's
that's that's the cool part about this whole thing. Man,
I appreciate it. I tell you another story. Though, we

(53:41):
had a Chantilly Chantilly Oh yeah, man, we had an
autograph sign it and most of the time I struggle
um in public, Like with big events, I get really,
I get yeah, I get real and I get heavy anxiety. Yeah.
And so for me, is I kind of keep that

(54:01):
PERSONA don't don't you know I have the uh A
lot of women say resting blank face like they won't
they won't creeper guys approaching. So I have that same
face in public, like I don't want to be. I
don't want to be. I got resting, don't approach me face. Man.

(54:22):
I'm in Chantilly, which is in Virginia. Man, they got
a private so I do private signings. I used to
do private scieties mainly because it was easy. I do
the signings, get off, I'm out. But they had some
people pay for public signings where they had a line.
Well long, behold my slot time is damn right next

(54:42):
to Michael Vicks this bro, they got like ten people
in my line. They got like a honey and fifty
people waiting to get a Michael vick autograph. I ain't
there the damn public signing sense. You know that well

(55:06):
part of my strategy. But the other part is I
don't like I ain't doing these public signings. Man, it's
a bull crap. I ain't never did. A public utility
has asked me every time. Now that Michael Vicklin got
me scared, Mom, good I have not been until since. Hey, Steve,

(55:27):
you need to get on him and ask a lot
of money in that business. Man. I know I'm about
My signature is pretty much almost another probably another year.
My signature is out of circulation. You're gonna let it
hit this people when you hit the Hall of Fame,
when all that come back, it ain't gonna be no signatures.

(55:49):
So you're gonna have to pay top doll. I want
to get that Michael Vick. Yes, that's when it's gonna
come in heavy too. Let me get that Michael Vick.
I don't want that, Steve Smith line. We really appreciate
your time, man. We kept you um man, We just

(56:11):
we appreciate you just being transparent, sharing your story and
just telling us everything about Michael Vick the football player.
But man, I love it though. If it's okay to
the Michael Dwayne Vick, the NFL football player, but also
the man you know, I got sitting, I got sitting

(56:34):
built sain Vick. You don't say me a bill because
you know, we had a little council session just to
disgust to the lack of confidence that we have in
ourselves as athletes. And we're on the stage and he
was button neck. He was in his birthday suit because
he bared it all. It's his vulnerability instead of trying

(56:54):
to be big and bad. And you know, man, I'm
Mike Vick. He was like, no, this is I am.
One thing that sticks out for me is perception versus reality.
I remember Mike Vick. He's He's one of the guys
that when I was in high school, everybody wanted to
be like Mike Vick and perception back then when I
was seventeen eighteen is that. Man. This is a guy

(57:17):
that is totally confident themselves, like untouchable. I wish I
was like that because I found myself having that same thing.
Am I good enough? He was going through the same thing.
And this is a guy that m VP candidate, cover
a Madden all these different accoladies that we could roll off.
He just told us he struggled with I think people
think I'm dumb? Am I good enough? All of these?

(57:39):
And even now at forty, I'm dealing with insecurities. Man
makes him feel as normal as I am. And so
it's just it normal and all of us go through
go through that, whether you're an athlete, a banker, you administer.
I don't care like we all go through that same
thing up? Am I good enough? And it's just a
constant battle every day that I think you have to

(58:00):
go past. Cut to It with Steve Smith Senior. 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

(58:21):
your favorite shows from Cut to It. Executive producer Steve Smith,
singer co host Gerard little John, talent in booking manager
Joe Fusci, social media manager Payton Smith from Balto Creative Media.
Cut to It is produced by Brian Baltaschevitch and Meredith Carter,
with production assistance by Alex Lebrek, Production manager Sarah Pollock.

(58:46):
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 a ca