On the latest NFL Players: Second Acts podcast, Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins joins Peanut and Roman. Dion shares his thoughts on Bills quarterback Josh Allen winning the 2024 MVP award and what it will take for the Bills to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs. He also explains the origin of his “Shnowman” nickname and how he started his apparel company Shnow Store. Dion also talks about his charity work in Buffalo, why he loves Bills fans, and shares a unique personal Mount Rushmore of influence.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
So where did that phrase come from?
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Snow? From me shoveling snow as a kid, I became
the snow man. I'm an entity of snow, like I
got snow pat too straight across my body.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
What's up, everybody? I'm peanut to him?
Speaker 3 (00:19):
And this is the NFL Player's Second Act podcast and
with me as always my choice co host, mister Roman Arbor.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
What's up baby?
Speaker 1 (00:26):
What was having a peanut?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Really excited about this episode our next guest why because
he's not a former player, but he is a current
player that's making all kinds of headlines in the NFL
right now. So really excited to jop and jump into
his story and get to hear about his lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
He's only the second active player that we've actually had
on the podcast. He's a twenty seventeen second round draft pick.
He's at a Temple out of Temple. He's a pro bowler.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
How many times four? There you go?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, he's this year's water Man of the Year nominee
for the Bills. Ladies, gentlemen, please welcome Dion Doggers to
the podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
You guys shot him in the back. Appreciate I see
you right there.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
I appreciate it, and I'll be honest.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
You know, Diann, you are the first guy in this, uh,
this this little journey of podcasting that we've been doing recently,
like this this seasons that uh brought his own crowd,
and I appreciate that, you know, I mean shot them
boys out in the back man man.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yeah, I always I always got a nice little crew,
working crew. Nick. He does uh my social content. Okay,
I don't like to call him a camera man. He's
good with his I can't say tools. He's good with
his tools. And then and then and then and then Tony. Uh,
he's he's my running gun. That's that's one of my
(01:48):
best friends. And he helps me with everything little that
comes up very quick and even in some of these meetings,
like he's there as another set of eyes and ears.
And I've been needing a lot quick like yo, I
got a run, like upstairs, can you go downstairs and
grab me a gatorade? Where I go upstairs and grab
a T shirt? Boom, Tony goes that way, I go
this way. We meet the middle. We're back on to
our course. And uh, I'll be like needing that you know,
(02:11):
everything I'm doing It's not just me that you guys
see like sitting here. You know, I invest in myself
and I have a team of people that for sure
helped me every step o the way.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
That's something new that we never really had to do.
As far as like the social content, you didn't. You
didn't have at homies too, But I just went smart
enough to like put the ass to work.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
You know what I'm saying. You was just hanging You
smarter than me, just crazy. We was just kicking it.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
But yeah, it's much better to do it how you're
doing it. Have these been your boy since like day one?
Like my guys was always from like high school, my
boy from first grade, and then like I had one
or two from college, with most of all these my
people from day one.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
That's a good question, and I've never been asked on
camera to answer this question, Tony. These are not my
guys from day one, okay, but they are my guys
from day one when they heard my journey of where
I was trying to go. And I respected that just
as much as I respected my guys that have the
years in time instead of the guys that have the
(03:10):
mental time of direction. And like my guys from back home.
I mean, and I hope that Mike does see this.
Like I told Mike, Rubin Youovannie, look, I'm on a
different mission and you could either come along. You guys
are already doing this stuff. You already do your camera work,
you already invest in your computer skills. Ruben, Robbie, you're
(03:31):
the officer, You're the enforcer, You're the protection. And Vonnie
my running gun. Right, So like Vine when there was
that at remember Mike, Mike was Vine famous, and I
was like, Mike, you can do this, but also if
you want, I can take you around. You could be
and with me and you can help me do my
social And he liked it at first, but he didn't
(03:51):
really take it as serious as I needed him to,
because you know, he's a friend. It's a little cushionaire
and it's just different. And then you know, Ruben, he
he was on his own path. And I was like, cool, like,
I can't knock you. This is my mission. The just
don't have to be yours. I'm gonna still love you
no matter what. But then I told Tone, I told Nick,
I told Andy, I told aj that I was like, look, bro,
(04:14):
like that time is now and if y'all are on board, cool,
let's sign these contracts and let's get to it. And
it's going to be hard. It's going to be hard
because what I'm trying to do has never been done.
And as a big guy, then you know, I separate
my life with skinnies and bigs, right, and out of
respecting there's skinnies and then there's bigs. You have linemen,
(04:34):
you have skill position. That's it. There ain't no mediums.
You either got a six pack or you got a stomach. Right,
the big boys got stomachs. The skinny boys got six packs.
As simple as that. Right, y'all are the four to
four guys. We're the big you know, girls just want
to cuddle, right, It's just what it is. Yeah, And
my guys understand my mission. And I just speak how
I speak and this is duk, but yeah, this is me.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
No, No no dollar skinnies for sure, No gallar the
four fours, you know, jumping up in the air, cart
wheels and catching pigs and doing all type of cool. Yeah,
talk about it, talk about the big one sweat.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
I just saying they got it all right, So we'll
get into a little bit of football because I want
to come back to some other stuff too.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I feel you can joke and laugh.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
How'd you feel about Josh Allen winning the MVP? Come
on now, because I want to know your opinion. Everybody's
going to have an opinion about this topic.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, I almost cry on on on the stage. I
almost cried. And I say that with a lot of truth,
you know, because me as a man, I'm emotional with
the stuff that I love. I'm very invested into my people,
especially my quarterback. Me as a left tackle, I call
myself LT one. I'm the best left tackle in the
(05:47):
NFL right hands down. Trent being hurt opened up the
door for a lot of other people to show right.
And I respect big big Trent. That's still in Big Homie.
He'll be back and then he'll be king again. But
you know, somebody had to take that place. And I'm
telling you that's what I had my mission on. If
the opportunity is here, I'm shooting for it. But for Josh,
(06:08):
it was it was it was just something that like
how much longer do we have to wait for this?
Like every year and we talk about this kid's seventeen
and Josh Allen is and Josh Allen that Oh my gosh,
he does it again. He jumps over this guy. He's
he's out passing everybody. He has more rushing touchdowns than
the leading rusher. And it's just over and over and
(06:29):
over and over and over. And then you got his
big boys that have his back, you know. And we've
been putting on this battle for years this kid. Yeah,
and you know, Josh is in the year going in
the year eight now, and I've seen this kid grow
and grow and grow and grow and grow and him
act like that, oh I don't care about that award
dah lah lah lah. But I'm looking at him in
(06:49):
his face like I protect his mind side, like I know,
and when you line or if you're just trying to
brush it off, and he's like, yeah, bro, I don't care.
My MVP is here, but he want that trophy and
he got that validation. Yeah, it's the validation.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Does this thing a little less now, even though you
know y'all lost Kansas City.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
I don't know it's sting, just as that's trophy don't
mean nothing now. Trophy means some of that troby, don't
I don't got to ring on my finger Josh got
to ring on his and Josh knows that that's an
individual award. Yeah, that's Josh and Josh right, he has
players album, but that's Josh Allen. Yeah right. As a team,
which what we are, we failed, Yeah, simple as that.
(07:28):
And next year is another year.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Yeah, how do you change that narrative? The Chiefs just
always just.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Just find a way to beat Buffalo. I don't know
how they show up, it's just what it is. You
guys beat him in the regular season a couple of
years ago, and now it's like, how do you change
that narrative? What's the next step? You know, because that's
what we're constantly trying to do.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
You know, that's a great question, you know, but it's
so simple to answer. Okay, given what you think, the
answer is win. It's got to win, bron Yeah, simble
as that, right. You don't got to do more sprints,
you don't got to do more more more more, all
going to work out an hour early, just win behind
(08:09):
the freaking way to win the game. Yeah, you know,
just find a way. This ain't working, Tretis, If that
ain't working, Tretis, find a way to win.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Man to win it all. I was fortunate enough to
do that one time. Dann bro you got to be
so lucky. You gotta be lucky. You gotta be really good,
stars gotta you gotta know you've all got a balance
your way. Yeah, and you know you got to play
well in the biggest moments. You know, the players that
you don't even think have make a play, they have
end up making that play.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
And yeah, it's all those.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Things kind of encapsulated in one and it's so hard
to do.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
And then we only get to have one one team
a year. That's the thing about it all thirty other
thirty one other teams, Losers, losers, losers.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Talk about talk about making Pro Bowl.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
It's it's hard to be consistent, yeah, or it's hard
to be consistent in the mind, and then other things
throw you off track, like an injury, a death in
the family, a sickness to illness. There's a lot of
things that and that go on through the course of
a season. But for myself, you know, what I've learned
(09:16):
is the more I invest in myself, the true version
continues to pour out and it becomes easier. It becomes
easier over time, and I just stick to the same script.
I stick to the same script. My off season is
what it is. I'm blessed. I do the Pro Bowl,
I do the Super Bowl, I go home. I love
(09:38):
all my family and then I get right to it.
And then I just I walk. I walk like my
cheek code as I walk like five to seven miles
a day. I put a sweatback on, I put a
hoodie on in South Florida. And if I even force
and my guys to walk, because it's therapy, it's mental,
it's releasing. It's a time to push yourself, but also
(10:02):
get away right and we just walk. If we start
talking on our walk, we talk. Most of the time,
we don't talk, and we just breathe and we walk.
Just get the mission done and we come back. We refresh.
I might eat like two salads a day, and then
I box, and then I box and then same and
routine over and over in the OTAs and camp and
then it just goes right through it and I try
(10:23):
my best to stay healthy because making the fourth consecutive PROBO,
you have to be available for your team. That's the
number one thing. You have to be available, and we're
being available. You have to perform at the level of
expected of your availability and some and you know Doc
(10:44):
is just gonna be dark. I speaking a third person,
and I'm just me, you know, I'm just.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
When did I click for you? When did that change?
Speaker 3 (10:51):
When did you realize that, like, oh, I need to
invest more of me and love on my family, be
available for my team.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
I would say maybe after I had my son. So
if I have my daughter a year two, so maybe
going in the year contract year, Yeah, I love it.
I would say contract year definitely put you in you know,
eye opening life journey street because you're like Wall I
(11:24):
can cross the threshold of becoming the point of the
point one percent in the NFL because I have the
opportunity to even call it contract year, and I can
get a big contract because everybody gets to the contract
year and they know I'm probably not gonna get it.
Da da da da da. But when you're up for
contract year, and you know, shoot, if I had to
handle my business, it's cash in time to change. So
(11:46):
I was like, cool, let's see how how this goes
if I just invest a little bit more in myself.
And it's been working. It's been working.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
You went to your first Pro Bowl that you are
so so that's exactly how mine went it. I want
to know, once you go to how much and you
can speak to this, how much easier is it to
go to a pro Bowl after you've already been, Because
I feel like once you get in, once you look
you in, that's what you start going. And now everybody
knows who you are. You know, I thought you was
(12:15):
just a light skinned brother feeling yourself. But I love
the third person, like I love that, like this is
just this is.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
You and it's just me. Yeah, and from afar you
could think whatever, but when you get the chance to talk,
you'll see it. It's just I am a true version
of myself. I call myself a skinny guy trapped in
a big guy body. I don't move like a big guy.
I don't act like a big guy. I call myself
(12:42):
a hybrid, which is really just big and skinny. But
I'm the hybrid. I'm my own entity, right and I
live by that. And you know, like y'all are dressed
stickly different, like y'all are elites, like elites out of
the elites, Like I have zero points zero zero one
percent tattooed on my end because I'm on my third
deal right, I'm not the point percent. I'm not the
(13:06):
when you like, you get into the league and then
you get you get your deal with everybody's like, get
your second deal, get your second deal. You get your
second deal, and they're like, but listen, if you really
want to be that, you get your third deal, no doubt,
you know. And so that's that's where I'm an. I'm
just being man. I'm just done.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
I think I got three deals. You got three deals.
I got three DALs.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Yeah, yeah, we have three deals.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
All right.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
So I want to talk about which all you've done
in the community in Buffalo serving those people. You've been
up there your whole career and now you were you
were the Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee nominee.
And how's that feel to be represented for your team?
And not only that, but like do your kind of
mouthpiece for your team? Josh Allen, he doesn't talk, but
(13:53):
he's a quarterback, But like you are the personality that
I like to see after games and talking about different things.
You you show case. You stand out because you are
a big guy that has personality.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Yeah. So to answer the question, first, it's an honor
to be even in the voice conversation of the other
thirty ones outside of me, which could be the thirty second.
It's cool to be, you know, in the front lines
in my community, really being that person for the people,
(14:25):
because a lot of people would say, oh, like they
just do community stuff, but it's damn they're harder than
playing ball. It's damn they're harder because in the community,
I choose to give the people my true version of myself.
And like, you know, like you guys are not performing,
but you guys are performing. People are watching you. You
(14:48):
ain't about to be like how like how you are
in the kitchen and just chilling, like you're going to
be a certain level, right, So when you go into
the community, you have to give them that. And I
want to give everybody what they see of me, Yeah,
because that's what they're attaching to. So all that energy
that I have, I give it to them when I
see them. And you know, that energy is taxing, Like
(15:08):
it's taxing to be hydrated and to be like fueled
and to have the right food in your system and
to be right and with God that day and to
have everything right and then to be in the community
Monday after meetings, after a win or loss. Tuesday, full day,
and then Friday, because it's fast. Friday, you're out the
(15:30):
second half of the day in the community, and then
Saturday comes you decompress, and then Sunday is game day.
And to do it consistently, over and over and over
and over and over again. How I see it, It's
just you have to be organic, you have to be
your true self, and you can't fake it because if
you fake it, you know you'll get eaten alive and
(15:50):
nobody will really attach to you. So I just give
them the true version of me and it usually works.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
And talk about to be that person in the community
of which is a different community for those that don't know,
Buffalo is different.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
What's different about Buffalo? Why you said like that?
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Because Buffalo is Buffalo is different.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
But then there before I want you, I want you
to explain who, Like I've been to I've been in
the facility, I've been inside those walls.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
I haven't been in the basilio. Yeah, I've only been
driving in the neighborhood.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
Then all of a sudden, I see a stadium, like, yeah,
it is different, you know, like it's like Green Bay
Probably no, no, for sure, but the only.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Thing about Buffalo is like I mean, like you think
about and I'm gonna talk about the fans first that
like the Buffalo fans like they shoot each other with
catching it mustard. It's true. Cold hot exactly cold hot,
sunny cold, it don't matter. There's tables jumping through tables
on fire, jumping off of the top of school buses
onto the table and then usually miss right like and
(16:49):
then not care and get up and be like and
then go right to the hospital and they come into
the game or whatever. But then, but like, I think
that the true difference from the people in Buffalo is
not the bills is all they have. But the bills
is like the only bit of energy, surge of positivity
(17:11):
that they have, right Like we have the bandness, we
have the Sabers, that's they are great as well. But
the bills is the is the is the head sphere
of the energy in Buffalo. When we win, the city
is so happy. They're like, oh my gosh, Like so
many people came in just to buy a coffee. Everybody
was go bills, go bills.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
We did it.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
We did it. Everybody's happy. And the people there are
truly organic. They are truly organic and it's real. And
I know with playing football we get a different side
of some of the people, but I'm honored to be
on the side that I'm on and those people treat
my family, my kids, my friends with respect every time,
(17:50):
but they see them and that just shows the type
of character that these people have. And I wouldn't want
to play for any other fan base or be a
part of any other community because they've done definitely made
the big guy feel feel like it's skinny.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
I've seen that with Buffalo, I've seen that with Green Bay,
I've seen that with Chicago Saints. Like you, you find
these teams and despite what y'all are doing, win, lose,
a draw the community like they still love you, like
they you need fans like that. That's what makes it.
That's what makes the NFL so special. And I didn't
(18:24):
really truly get to realize or see that until I
went to IR and I went to I went tailgating
and I get it with some fans and I was like.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Yo, this is you got up here at five o'clock
to cook this brisket.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
All day, all day, all day.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
And I appreciated it.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
I appreciate the time that they put in and play
a game. Like you got to appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Man, you're talking about five am in Buffalo, they pull
up on the trailers three four days before the game.
Thursday night, you pull out the stadium and you know
the stadium is like how you said, in the community.
Yeah right, it's in the community. So you come out
the long driveway and you know, if we're in the
facility late, maybe say we get out the building. Let's
(19:11):
say six o'clock. You pull up. You look on your left,
that first lot that's right there. You might have six
or seven RVs ready. The lots straight across is starting
to fill up. And what you see like people start
like starting to make campfires and have like their little
blue stroll lights and all types of stuff. You're like,
all right, head they come. And then by that next morning,
(19:33):
oh yeah, they are out there talking about who's eating pancakes.
It's a full community. Everybody is passing eggs and passing bread,
and it's like, dag, like this is this is cool?
Like when I'm done, I'm coming to have a meal.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
You know, hey, man, if you ain't never done it,
and I hope you don't get to do it, by
doing doing my way going on ir But if you
get a chance to do it, man, it is it
is an awesome experience.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
We're going to take a short break and we'll be
right back.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
I do want to talk about the LT one the shirt.
I know you got your own clothing brand or no
snowboard right.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Snow brand, got goggles, I got T shirts, I got skateboards.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
What do you grow up skateboarding longboarding?
Speaker 2 (20:20):
I grew up longboarding a little longer. I had a
bambook like.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
You kind of got that.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
ALI longboards don't really Ali talk about on the short board.
I don't touch the short boards. The short boards of
wood bigger guys. I don't go up and come down
because I'll break the board.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
And he's not a skinny.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
He's a hybrid, and hybrids figure out how to do
skinny stuff better. I have a bamboo board. Now, listen,
a bamboo board on a long board, you can bounce
up and down. The force it has has a little
bit of yeah. Yeah, that shirt is yeah, the material
is yeah, it's almost elastic. Yeah, it's almost like the skateboards.
(21:01):
The landing is just too hard. I got you. Nikki
is actually a skateboarder. Gotcha the skinny I'm along match.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
So if I want to buy some of your stuff,
order I go.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Look.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
I want you looking at this camera right then they
can get it.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Just Snowstore, dot com, Man s H N O W
S T O r E dot com and Simple. I
have a couple of things on there. One of my
most recent ones was goggles. I released goggles because I
put my goggles on in one of the games and
it went viral and the people loved it. And I
have hats. I got all types of stuff. Bro, you
already snow university stuff Before every broadcast, like when they're
(21:37):
like Dion Dawkins Temple University, I say, Dion Dawkins, you
already snow University.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
You know I've heard that. So where did that phrase
come from?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Snow? From me shoveling snow as a kid, I became
the snow man. I'm an entity of snow. Like. I
got snow tattoo git across my body right, snow like
that's me. When I was younger, I would wait for
the cold days from Jersey right like. I'm not an
old head, but I ain't a young I was born in
(22:08):
ninety four so I was right, getting a little bit
of the ogs to like the new wave stuff. Two
thousands is way different from the nineties. It's very drastic,
drastic difference. And we didn't have iPhones. So when the
landline phone, if you don't know what a landline phone is,
the phone is hooked up to the house. Landline's attached
to your house because people don't know, yeh you, they
(22:31):
don't know that. So when you pull the phone off,
you could pick the phone up, your sister could be
on the phone. Get off the phone. I'm on the phone, right.
So if we had a rumor that there was going
to be a snow day, the phone would ring, usually
around five o'clock. And if there was a rumor around
school that there was going to be school canceled, you
knew it was a lot of snow coming. So I
(22:52):
would wait, like, shoot, well, if we're gonna get canceled school,
we're either watching the news to see if our name
comes up on the bottom of the ticker. You're on
waiting for the landline phone just to call. But if
the phone ring, it's like, oh, it could be could
be Grandma Candy Cane, or could be Antecla or it
could be the school on an automated call. So if
the school call I knew there was going to be
(23:12):
a lot of snow, I would set my alarms ridiculously
early because the adults still had to go to work
while the kids got the off day. So I would
set my alarm around five thirty. I would wait. I
would wake up, brush, brush my teeth quick. I would
have all my stuff laid out, put my socks on.
I would have a bag. I would have an extra
pair of socks in my bag, an extra pair of gloves,
maybe an extra thermal just in case if I got
(23:33):
overwet and I will walk, I will walk to the
nicer part of Rawick. It was Clark and Cranford. So
if I went this way, I got to Clark and
then it bears left. It goes to Cranford, and that's
where like the people that had the money would have
the money. Like I wasn't asking my neighbor because he
would have been like no, But when I go to
Cranford and Clark, they would say, sure, I'll give you
(23:54):
thirty dollars to shovel my driveway. And I would ask
if they wanted their driveway their walkway, and if the
people felt safe, if they had to go to work,
I would ask him if they wanted their car removed
and with the snow, and if they had to leave,
I would offer them if they want me to start
their car so when they get out, their car is warm.
And with me being the business mind and the guy
(24:17):
that was always thinking ahead, I was like like who
am I? Like, oh, I'm just a worker. I had
business cards like I was doing. I took a graphics
arts class in high school just so I can make
business cards. So when I went out, I would thank
you here, take this next time, just call me so
I don't have to knock and guess. Right. So I
was saving time and I became a snowman because I
(24:38):
was like, who am I? Who was outside in the snow?
A shnowman is built, he sits on the front lawn.
He's out there. He's big, he's strong, and he has
a statement and he draws attention. Who is this guy? Right?
So I was like, cool, I can't be the snow man,
so shoot, I'll be the shnowman. So I just added
an H in it. Now I became a snowman. And
then look I got drafted a buffalo. I'm like, look
(25:00):
at you, and then I was like, cool, let's start
this journey. And you know, I've been calling myself the
Snowman since high school. It carried me all the way
through college. I've been saying, you're already snowing now you
know LT one.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
All right, So have you gotten any advice from any
other because you've seen very entrepreneurial. Clearly you started this early.
You have entrepreneurial myset and that's just who you are.
Have you got any other advice from any other former players?
NFL vets about working on your second act while continue
to play in your first act.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Nobody ever really told me this, but they told me
this without just saying that. Yeah, Like I had to
figure out, like, oh, this is what he was saying.
Within that is, don't be dumb and understand the moment
that you're in. You're the most relevant while you have
the jersey and the helmet on, no matter what, Yeah,
no matter what. You could be the best player in
(25:55):
the world while your jersey is on. Knock on every door,
were possible that you would like to see what's on
the other side, And That's where I'm at. You know,
a lot of guys are like, oh, I'll get to
that when I'm done playing. By that point, bro, it's
over with. It's over with. It's over with. So you
(26:17):
have to understand the now and that you're in And
the only way that the rest will work is if
you are the true version of yourself. You have to
be the true version of yourself. The true version will
set you free. Yeah, and it'll get you wherever you
want to go, wherever you choose you want to be,
it'll be there if you just treat yourself with respect
(26:38):
and be your true version. Now.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
I know Peanuts got one more after this, but I gotta,
we gotta address this because you violated.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
The code earlier.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
No, no, no, the big Man code, the big Man
down South code. You got to you got it. You
didn't have one earlier, you.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Know, Man, you just it's not used.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
It is he down here Comb, It's It's just I
did violate. I violated myself to all the big guys.
But I'm sorry, bro, because because I should have I
should have been prepared. I should have been prepared. Yes,
but leaving I had a meeting at nine thirty, Okay,
I go downstairs around nine oh five. I'm like, I'm
(27:21):
gonna call it uber nine oh five. It's only around
the corner, realistic at least two point five miles away. Cool,
it's right here. I'm gonna get there. I get downstairs,
I called an uber. Uber says it won't be here
until fourteen minutes.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
I'm like, that's right, you can you can walk that.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
I'm like, I could just walk that, but you know,
I ain't want to be sweaty or nothing like that.
I like to be calm, cool and collect. And I
said cool tone and Nick, we're hitting it and we walking.
So we walked there. I'm like, dang, I'm like shot,
Like I said, let let me just stop, you know,
moving for a second. Let me just cool down. And
(28:00):
then you know, I had to get back. So it
was a double commute. So point five point five is
what out you know of my shoe? You know, So
I failed my big because I was out there glazed
up like a like a like a like a doughnut.
I'm glazed up. I'm like. So when I got here,
(28:20):
I was like, bag, I need to go because to
get my town. Bro, I don't know who I'm full of.
So basically the message that we're trying to tell y'all,
and I'm telling y'all right here, big boys when it's
over seventy five degrees outside, have yourself a big boytown.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
Yeah all right.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
So my my final my final question too, is you
turned out to be this great person, the hybrid true
version of yourself Mount Rushmore. If you had to pick
four people on your personal influence to help build you
for who you are, just in life, college, on the field,
off the field, professional, whatever, who are those four people.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Being great question? I would start with Alan Iverson. I
would start with Alan Iverson. Do you want to explain
why I do SA one of them?
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Sure, cool, Alan Iverson, because that was my first vision,
Sorry that that was my first vision of looking at
an athlete that quote unquote did not care what people
thought and still did what he did and still quote
unquote still had success because of his athletic ability. Ai.
I don't have earrings and stuff like that. AI had
(29:34):
ear rings, He had braids. Okay, AI had earrings, He
had braids, he had jewelryes, he had baggy clothes. He
was hisself. Everybody else was going in these giants suits. Now, hey,
I had suits on two, But he was just baggy clothes.
I'm Ai, I'm a sometimes and go to practice and
then I'm going to perform me. I said, I'm looking
at this as be the true version of yourself and
(29:57):
it will set you free. Ai was a true version
of himself. Culture is drastically changed. He started doing crossovers
Da da Da da. Peoples like what drastically changed? All right?
AI two, I would say, Snoop Dogg. Okay, Snoop Dogg.
He's actually a very good friend of mine now, which
I'm blessed to say. That's that's a o g un.
(30:19):
And he is so well diversified that I am so amazed,
just so amazed. He is a part of everything because
that's where he is. Nickelodeon, super Bowl, NFL Honors DJ
(30:40):
I DJ. Now you know he's a smoker. He didn't
let people say, well, you gotta stop stop smoking. He
was the true version of himself and it set him
free and and he set himself free. And he'd be anywhere,
white house, don't matter. If he can't do it, he'd
he's not going. And I respect that right. He knows
(31:04):
his worth. Also, oil back that with Shaquille O'Neill. Why
Shaquille O'Neill and Stoop Dogg Snoop Dogg is a skinny,
Shack is the big Also both are hand in hand,
which is being their true self. Shaq is a goofball,
He's funny. He's just gonna be shocked. And that's just
what you were going to get. And I respect that.
And you know, if I could paint a picture of
(31:29):
what you know, Jesus Christ looks like, because we don't
know who he really looks like. If I can paint
a picture of what he really looks like, he will
be painted on Mount Rushmore with those other three greats
under him in life, because you know God is first.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
Look great, that's a great one. And will Will said, well,
put yes, great pictures for all that. All right, Well
appreciate you coming on the things you run anytime to
come to the park I got. You know, we appreciate you,
you know, not sweating out the braids and just you know,
sacrificing one of the T shirts.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
So we we appreciate the love that you.
Speaker 3 (32:12):
I'm gonna be honest, man, I will now be a
much bigger fan of you as well. I appreciate that
no doubt man. You You're thoroughly impressive. You got great energy.
I didn't know who you are truly, and I get
to see the true version of yourself.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
And you are free.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
Free, you act free, you handle yourself and represent yourself
as a free dude who knows who he is.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
And uh you already snow snow you already, yeah snow,
no snow today. I appreciate you, by the thanks by
for sure.
So where did that phrase come from?
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Snow? From me shoveling snow as a kid, I became
the snow man. I'm an entity of snow, like I
got snow pat too straight across my body.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
What's up, everybody? I'm peanut to him?
Speaker 3 (00:19):
And this is the NFL Player's Second Act podcast and
with me as always my choice co host, mister Roman Arbor.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
What's up baby?
Speaker 1 (00:26):
What was having a peanut?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Really excited about this episode our next guest why because
he's not a former player, but he is a current
player that's making all kinds of headlines in the NFL
right now. So really excited to jop and jump into
his story and get to hear about his lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
He's only the second active player that we've actually had
on the podcast. He's a twenty seventeen second round draft pick.
He's at a Temple out of Temple. He's a pro bowler.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
How many times four? There you go?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, he's this year's water Man of the Year nominee
for the Bills. Ladies, gentlemen, please welcome Dion Doggers to
the podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
You guys shot him in the back. Appreciate I see
you right there.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
I appreciate it, and I'll be honest.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
You know, Diann, you are the first guy in this, uh,
this this little journey of podcasting that we've been doing recently,
like this this seasons that uh brought his own crowd,
and I appreciate that, you know, I mean shot them
boys out in the back man man.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yeah, I always I always got a nice little crew,
working crew. Nick. He does uh my social content. Okay,
I don't like to call him a camera man. He's
good with his I can't say tools. He's good with
his tools. And then and then and then and then Tony. Uh,
he's he's my running gun. That's that's one of my
(01:48):
best friends. And he helps me with everything little that
comes up very quick and even in some of these meetings,
like he's there as another set of eyes and ears.
And I've been needing a lot quick like yo, I
got a run, like upstairs, can you go downstairs and
grab me a gatorade? Where I go upstairs and grab
a T shirt? Boom, Tony goes that way, I go
this way. We meet the middle. We're back on to
our course. And uh, I'll be like needing that you know,
(02:11):
everything I'm doing It's not just me that you guys
see like sitting here. You know, I invest in myself
and I have a team of people that for sure
helped me every step o the way.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
That's something new that we never really had to do.
As far as like the social content, you didn't. You
didn't have at homies too, But I just went smart
enough to like put the ass to work.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
You know what I'm saying. You was just hanging You
smarter than me, just crazy. We was just kicking it.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
But yeah, it's much better to do it how you're
doing it. Have these been your boy since like day one?
Like my guys was always from like high school, my
boy from first grade, and then like I had one
or two from college, with most of all these my
people from day one.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
That's a good question, and I've never been asked on
camera to answer this question, Tony. These are not my
guys from day one, okay, but they are my guys
from day one when they heard my journey of where
I was trying to go. And I respected that just
as much as I respected my guys that have the
years in time instead of the guys that have the
(03:10):
mental time of direction. And like my guys from back home.
I mean, and I hope that Mike does see this.
Like I told Mike, Rubin Youovannie, look, I'm on a
different mission and you could either come along. You guys
are already doing this stuff. You already do your camera work,
you already invest in your computer skills. Ruben, Robbie, you're
(03:31):
the officer, You're the enforcer, You're the protection. And Vonnie
my running gun. Right, So like Vine when there was
that at remember Mike, Mike was Vine famous, and I
was like, Mike, you can do this, but also if
you want, I can take you around. You could be
and with me and you can help me do my
social And he liked it at first, but he didn't
(03:51):
really take it as serious as I needed him to,
because you know, he's a friend. It's a little cushionaire
and it's just different. And then you know, Ruben, he
he was on his own path. And I was like, cool, like,
I can't knock you. This is my mission. The just
don't have to be yours. I'm gonna still love you
no matter what. But then I told Tone, I told Nick,
I told Andy, I told aj that I was like, look, bro,
(04:14):
like that time is now and if y'all are on board, cool,
let's sign these contracts and let's get to it. And
it's going to be hard. It's going to be hard
because what I'm trying to do has never been done.
And as a big guy, then you know, I separate
my life with skinnies and bigs, right, and out of
respecting there's skinnies and then there's bigs. You have linemen,
(04:34):
you have skill position. That's it. There ain't no mediums.
You either got a six pack or you got a stomach. Right,
the big boys got stomachs. The skinny boys got six packs.
As simple as that. Right, y'all are the four to
four guys. We're the big you know, girls just want
to cuddle, right, It's just what it is. Yeah, And
my guys understand my mission. And I just speak how
I speak and this is duk, but yeah, this is me.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
No, No no dollar skinnies for sure, No gallar the
four fours, you know, jumping up in the air, cart
wheels and catching pigs and doing all type of cool. Yeah,
talk about it, talk about the big one sweat.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
I just saying they got it all right, So we'll
get into a little bit of football because I want
to come back to some other stuff too.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I feel you can joke and laugh.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
How'd you feel about Josh Allen winning the MVP? Come
on now, because I want to know your opinion. Everybody's
going to have an opinion about this topic.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, I almost cry on on on the stage. I
almost cried. And I say that with a lot of truth,
you know, because me as a man, I'm emotional with
the stuff that I love. I'm very invested into my people,
especially my quarterback. Me as a left tackle, I call
myself LT one. I'm the best left tackle in the
(05:47):
NFL right hands down. Trent being hurt opened up the
door for a lot of other people to show right.
And I respect big big Trent. That's still in Big Homie.
He'll be back and then he'll be king again. But
you know, somebody had to take that place. And I'm
telling you that's what I had my mission on. If
the opportunity is here, I'm shooting for it. But for Josh,
(06:08):
it was it was it was just something that like
how much longer do we have to wait for this?
Like every year and we talk about this kid's seventeen
and Josh Allen is and Josh Allen that Oh my gosh,
he does it again. He jumps over this guy. He's
he's out passing everybody. He has more rushing touchdowns than
the leading rusher. And it's just over and over and
(06:29):
over and over and over. And then you got his
big boys that have his back, you know. And we've
been putting on this battle for years this kid. Yeah,
and you know, Josh is in the year going in
the year eight now, and I've seen this kid grow
and grow and grow and grow and grow and him
act like that, oh I don't care about that award
dah lah lah lah. But I'm looking at him in
(06:49):
his face like I protect his mind side, like I know,
and when you line or if you're just trying to
brush it off, and he's like, yeah, bro, I don't care.
My MVP is here, but he want that trophy and
he got that validation. Yeah, it's the validation.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Does this thing a little less now, even though you
know y'all lost Kansas City.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
I don't know it's sting, just as that's trophy don't
mean nothing now. Trophy means some of that troby, don't
I don't got to ring on my finger Josh got
to ring on his and Josh knows that that's an
individual award. Yeah, that's Josh and Josh right, he has
players album, but that's Josh Allen. Yeah right. As a team,
which what we are, we failed, Yeah, simple as that.
(07:28):
And next year is another year.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Yeah, how do you change that narrative? The Chiefs just
always just.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Just find a way to beat Buffalo. I don't know
how they show up, it's just what it is. You
guys beat him in the regular season a couple of
years ago, and now it's like, how do you change
that narrative? What's the next step? You know, because that's
what we're constantly trying to do.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
You know, that's a great question, you know, but it's
so simple to answer. Okay, given what you think, the
answer is win. It's got to win, bron Yeah, simble
as that, right. You don't got to do more sprints,
you don't got to do more more more more, all
going to work out an hour early, just win behind
(08:09):
the freaking way to win the game. Yeah, you know,
just find a way. This ain't working, Tretis, If that
ain't working, Tretis, find a way to win.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Man to win it all. I was fortunate enough to
do that one time. Dann bro you got to be
so lucky. You gotta be lucky. You gotta be really good,
stars gotta you gotta know you've all got a balance
your way. Yeah, and you know you got to play
well in the biggest moments. You know, the players that
you don't even think have make a play, they have
end up making that play.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
And yeah, it's all those.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
Things kind of encapsulated in one and it's so hard
to do.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
And then we only get to have one one team
a year. That's the thing about it all thirty other
thirty one other teams, Losers, losers, losers.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Talk about talk about making Pro Bowl.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
It's it's hard to be consistent, yeah, or it's hard
to be consistent in the mind, and then other things
throw you off track, like an injury, a death in
the family, a sickness to illness. There's a lot of
things that and that go on through the course of
a season. But for myself, you know, what I've learned
(09:16):
is the more I invest in myself, the true version
continues to pour out and it becomes easier. It becomes
easier over time, and I just stick to the same script.
I stick to the same script. My off season is
what it is. I'm blessed. I do the Pro Bowl,
I do the Super Bowl, I go home. I love
(09:38):
all my family and then I get right to it.
And then I just I walk. I walk like my
cheek code as I walk like five to seven miles
a day. I put a sweatback on, I put a
hoodie on in South Florida. And if I even force
and my guys to walk, because it's therapy, it's mental,
it's releasing. It's a time to push yourself, but also
(10:02):
get away right and we just walk. If we start
talking on our walk, we talk. Most of the time,
we don't talk, and we just breathe and we walk.
Just get the mission done and we come back. We refresh.
I might eat like two salads a day, and then
I box, and then I box and then same and
routine over and over in the OTAs and camp and
then it just goes right through it and I try
(10:23):
my best to stay healthy because making the fourth consecutive PROBO,
you have to be available for your team. That's the
number one thing. You have to be available, and we're
being available. You have to perform at the level of
expected of your availability and some and you know Doc
(10:44):
is just gonna be dark. I speaking a third person,
and I'm just me, you know, I'm just.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
When did I click for you? When did that change?
Speaker 3 (10:51):
When did you realize that, like, oh, I need to
invest more of me and love on my family, be
available for my team.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
I would say maybe after I had my son. So
if I have my daughter a year two, so maybe
going in the year contract year, Yeah, I love it.
I would say contract year definitely put you in you know,
eye opening life journey street because you're like Wall I
(11:24):
can cross the threshold of becoming the point of the
point one percent in the NFL because I have the
opportunity to even call it contract year, and I can
get a big contract because everybody gets to the contract
year and they know I'm probably not gonna get it.
Da da da da da. But when you're up for
contract year, and you know, shoot, if I had to
handle my business, it's cash in time to change. So
(11:46):
I was like, cool, let's see how how this goes
if I just invest a little bit more in myself.
And it's been working. It's been working.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
You went to your first Pro Bowl that you are
so so that's exactly how mine went it. I want
to know, once you go to how much and you
can speak to this, how much easier is it to
go to a pro Bowl after you've already been, Because
I feel like once you get in, once you look
you in, that's what you start going. And now everybody
knows who you are. You know, I thought you was
(12:15):
just a light skinned brother feeling yourself. But I love
the third person, like I love that, like this is
just this is.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
You and it's just me. Yeah, and from afar you
could think whatever, but when you get the chance to talk,
you'll see it. It's just I am a true version
of myself. I call myself a skinny guy trapped in
a big guy body. I don't move like a big guy.
I don't act like a big guy. I call myself
(12:42):
a hybrid, which is really just big and skinny. But
I'm the hybrid. I'm my own entity, right and I
live by that. And you know, like y'all are dressed
stickly different, like y'all are elites, like elites out of
the elites, Like I have zero points zero zero one
percent tattooed on my end because I'm on my third
deal right, I'm not the point percent. I'm not the
(13:06):
when you like, you get into the league and then
you get you get your deal with everybody's like, get
your second deal, get your second deal. You get your
second deal, and they're like, but listen, if you really
want to be that, you get your third deal, no doubt,
you know. And so that's that's where I'm an. I'm
just being man. I'm just done.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
I think I got three deals. You got three deals.
I got three DALs.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Yeah, yeah, we have three deals.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
All right.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
So I want to talk about which all you've done
in the community in Buffalo serving those people. You've been
up there your whole career and now you were you
were the Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee nominee.
And how's that feel to be represented for your team?
And not only that, but like do your kind of
mouthpiece for your team? Josh Allen, he doesn't talk, but
(13:53):
he's a quarterback, But like you are the personality that
I like to see after games and talking about different things.
You you show case. You stand out because you are
a big guy that has personality.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Yeah. So to answer the question, first, it's an honor
to be even in the voice conversation of the other
thirty ones outside of me, which could be the thirty second.
It's cool to be, you know, in the front lines
in my community, really being that person for the people,
(14:25):
because a lot of people would say, oh, like they
just do community stuff, but it's damn they're harder than
playing ball. It's damn they're harder because in the community,
I choose to give the people my true version of myself.
And like, you know, like you guys are not performing,
but you guys are performing. People are watching you. You
(14:48):
ain't about to be like how like how you are
in the kitchen and just chilling, like you're going to
be a certain level, right, So when you go into
the community, you have to give them that. And I
want to give everybody what they see of me, Yeah,
because that's what they're attaching to. So all that energy
that I have, I give it to them when I
see them. And you know, that energy is taxing, Like
(15:08):
it's taxing to be hydrated and to be like fueled
and to have the right food in your system and
to be right and with God that day and to
have everything right and then to be in the community
Monday after meetings, after a win or loss. Tuesday, full day,
and then Friday, because it's fast. Friday, you're out the
(15:30):
second half of the day in the community, and then
Saturday comes you decompress, and then Sunday is game day.
And to do it consistently, over and over and over
and over and over again. How I see it, It's
just you have to be organic, you have to be
your true self, and you can't fake it because if
you fake it, you know you'll get eaten alive and
(15:50):
nobody will really attach to you. So I just give
them the true version of me and it usually works.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
And talk about to be that person in the community
of which is a different community for those that don't know,
Buffalo is different.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
What's different about Buffalo? Why you said like that?
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Because Buffalo is Buffalo is different.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
But then there before I want you, I want you
to explain who, Like I've been to I've been in
the facility, I've been inside those walls.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
I haven't been in the basilio. Yeah, I've only been
driving in the neighborhood.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
Then all of a sudden, I see a stadium, like, yeah,
it is different, you know, like it's like Green Bay
Probably no, no, for sure, but the only.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Thing about Buffalo is like I mean, like you think
about and I'm gonna talk about the fans first that
like the Buffalo fans like they shoot each other with
catching it mustard. It's true. Cold hot exactly cold hot,
sunny cold, it don't matter. There's tables jumping through tables
on fire, jumping off of the top of school buses
onto the table and then usually miss right like and
(16:49):
then not care and get up and be like and
then go right to the hospital and they come into
the game or whatever. But then, but like, I think
that the true difference from the people in Buffalo is
not the bills is all they have. But the bills
is like the only bit of energy, surge of positivity
(17:11):
that they have, right Like we have the bandness, we
have the Sabers, that's they are great as well. But
the bills is the is the is the head sphere
of the energy in Buffalo. When we win, the city
is so happy. They're like, oh my gosh, Like so
many people came in just to buy a coffee. Everybody
was go bills, go bills.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
We did it.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
We did it. Everybody's happy. And the people there are
truly organic. They are truly organic and it's real. And
I know with playing football we get a different side
of some of the people, but I'm honored to be
on the side that I'm on and those people treat
my family, my kids, my friends with respect every time,
(17:50):
but they see them and that just shows the type
of character that these people have. And I wouldn't want
to play for any other fan base or be a
part of any other community because they've done definitely made
the big guy feel feel like it's skinny.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
I've seen that with Buffalo, I've seen that with Green Bay,
I've seen that with Chicago Saints. Like you, you find
these teams and despite what y'all are doing, win, lose,
a draw the community like they still love you, like
they you need fans like that. That's what makes it.
That's what makes the NFL so special. And I didn't
(18:24):
really truly get to realize or see that until I
went to IR and I went to I went tailgating
and I get it with some fans and I was like.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Yo, this is you got up here at five o'clock
to cook this brisket.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
All day, all day, all day.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
And I appreciated it.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
I appreciate the time that they put in and play
a game. Like you got to appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Man, you're talking about five am in Buffalo, they pull
up on the trailers three four days before the game.
Thursday night, you pull out the stadium and you know
the stadium is like how you said, in the community.
Yeah right, it's in the community. So you come out
the long driveway and you know, if we're in the
facility late, maybe say we get out the building. Let's
(19:11):
say six o'clock. You pull up. You look on your left,
that first lot that's right there. You might have six
or seven RVs ready. The lots straight across is starting
to fill up. And what you see like people start
like starting to make campfires and have like their little
blue stroll lights and all types of stuff. You're like,
all right, head they come. And then by that next morning,
(19:33):
oh yeah, they are out there talking about who's eating pancakes.
It's a full community. Everybody is passing eggs and passing bread,
and it's like, dag, like this is this is cool?
Like when I'm done, I'm coming to have a meal.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
You know, hey, man, if you ain't never done it,
and I hope you don't get to do it, by
doing doing my way going on ir But if you
get a chance to do it, man, it is it
is an awesome experience.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
We're going to take a short break and we'll be
right back.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
I do want to talk about the LT one the shirt.
I know you got your own clothing brand or no
snowboard right.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Snow brand, got goggles, I got T shirts, I got skateboards.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
What do you grow up skateboarding longboarding?
Speaker 2 (20:20):
I grew up longboarding a little longer. I had a
bambook like.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
You kind of got that.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
ALI longboards don't really Ali talk about on the short board.
I don't touch the short boards. The short boards of
wood bigger guys. I don't go up and come down
because I'll break the board.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
And he's not a skinny.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
He's a hybrid, and hybrids figure out how to do
skinny stuff better. I have a bamboo board. Now, listen,
a bamboo board on a long board, you can bounce
up and down. The force it has has a little
bit of yeah. Yeah, that shirt is yeah, the material
is yeah, it's almost elastic. Yeah, it's almost like the skateboards.
(21:01):
The landing is just too hard. I got you. Nikki
is actually a skateboarder. Gotcha the skinny I'm along match.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
So if I want to buy some of your stuff,
order I go.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Look.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
I want you looking at this camera right then they
can get it.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Just Snowstore, dot com, Man s H N O W
S T O r E dot com and Simple. I
have a couple of things on there. One of my
most recent ones was goggles. I released goggles because I
put my goggles on in one of the games and
it went viral and the people loved it. And I
have hats. I got all types of stuff. Bro, you
already snow university stuff Before every broadcast, like when they're
(21:37):
like Dion Dawkins Temple University, I say, Dion Dawkins, you
already snow University.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
You know I've heard that. So where did that phrase
come from?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Snow? From me shoveling snow as a kid, I became
the snow man. I'm an entity of snow. Like. I
got snow tattoo git across my body right, snow like
that's me. When I was younger, I would wait for
the cold days from Jersey right like. I'm not an
old head, but I ain't a young I was born in
(22:08):
ninety four so I was right, getting a little bit
of the ogs to like the new wave stuff. Two
thousands is way different from the nineties. It's very drastic,
drastic difference. And we didn't have iPhones. So when the
landline phone, if you don't know what a landline phone is,
the phone is hooked up to the house. Landline's attached
to your house because people don't know, yeh you, they
(22:31):
don't know that. So when you pull the phone off,
you could pick the phone up, your sister could be
on the phone. Get off the phone. I'm on the phone, right.
So if we had a rumor that there was going
to be a snow day, the phone would ring, usually
around five o'clock. And if there was a rumor around
school that there was going to be school canceled, you
knew it was a lot of snow coming. So I
(22:52):
would wait, like, shoot, well, if we're gonna get canceled school,
we're either watching the news to see if our name
comes up on the bottom of the ticker. You're on
waiting for the landline phone just to call. But if
the phone ring, it's like, oh, it could be could
be Grandma Candy Cane, or could be Antecla or it
could be the school on an automated call. So if
the school call I knew there was going to be
(23:12):
a lot of snow, I would set my alarms ridiculously
early because the adults still had to go to work
while the kids got the off day. So I would
set my alarm around five thirty. I would wait. I
would wake up, brush, brush my teeth quick. I would
have all my stuff laid out, put my socks on.
I would have a bag. I would have an extra
pair of socks in my bag, an extra pair of gloves,
maybe an extra thermal just in case if I got
(23:33):
overwet and I will walk, I will walk to the
nicer part of Rawick. It was Clark and Cranford. So
if I went this way, I got to Clark and
then it bears left. It goes to Cranford, and that's
where like the people that had the money would have
the money. Like I wasn't asking my neighbor because he
would have been like no, But when I go to
Cranford and Clark, they would say, sure, I'll give you
(23:54):
thirty dollars to shovel my driveway. And I would ask
if they wanted their driveway their walkway, and if the
people felt safe, if they had to go to work,
I would ask him if they wanted their car removed
and with the snow, and if they had to leave,
I would offer them if they want me to start
their car so when they get out, their car is warm.
And with me being the business mind and the guy
(24:17):
that was always thinking ahead, I was like like who
am I? Like, oh, I'm just a worker. I had
business cards like I was doing. I took a graphics
arts class in high school just so I can make
business cards. So when I went out, I would thank
you here, take this next time, just call me so
I don't have to knock and guess. Right. So I
was saving time and I became a snowman because I
(24:38):
was like, who am I? Who was outside in the snow?
A shnowman is built, he sits on the front lawn.
He's out there. He's big, he's strong, and he has
a statement and he draws attention. Who is this guy? Right?
So I was like, cool, I can't be the snow man,
so shoot, I'll be the shnowman. So I just added
an H in it. Now I became a snowman. And
then look I got drafted a buffalo. I'm like, look
(25:00):
at you, and then I was like, cool, let's start
this journey. And you know, I've been calling myself the
Snowman since high school. It carried me all the way
through college. I've been saying, you're already snowing now you
know LT one.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
All right, So have you gotten any advice from any
other because you've seen very entrepreneurial. Clearly you started this early.
You have entrepreneurial myset and that's just who you are.
Have you got any other advice from any other former players?
NFL vets about working on your second act while continue
to play in your first act.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Nobody ever really told me this, but they told me
this without just saying that. Yeah, Like I had to
figure out, like, oh, this is what he was saying.
Within that is, don't be dumb and understand the moment
that you're in. You're the most relevant while you have
the jersey and the helmet on, no matter what, Yeah,
no matter what. You could be the best player in
(25:55):
the world while your jersey is on. Knock on every door,
were possible that you would like to see what's on
the other side, And That's where I'm at. You know,
a lot of guys are like, oh, I'll get to
that when I'm done playing. By that point, bro, it's
over with. It's over with. It's over with. So you
(26:17):
have to understand the now and that you're in And
the only way that the rest will work is if
you are the true version of yourself. You have to
be the true version of yourself. The true version will
set you free. Yeah, and it'll get you wherever you
want to go, wherever you choose you want to be,
it'll be there if you just treat yourself with respect
(26:38):
and be your true version. Now.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
I know Peanuts got one more after this, but I gotta,
we gotta address this because you violated.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
The code earlier.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
No, no, no, the big Man code, the big Man
down South code. You got to you got it. You
didn't have one earlier, you.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Know, Man, you just it's not used.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
It is he down here Comb, It's It's just I
did violate. I violated myself to all the big guys.
But I'm sorry, bro, because because I should have I
should have been prepared. I should have been prepared. Yes,
but leaving I had a meeting at nine thirty, Okay,
I go downstairs around nine oh five. I'm like, I'm
(27:21):
gonna call it uber nine oh five. It's only around
the corner, realistic at least two point five miles away. Cool,
it's right here. I'm gonna get there. I get downstairs,
I called an uber. Uber says it won't be here
until fourteen minutes.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
I'm like, that's right, you can you can walk that.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
I'm like, I could just walk that, but you know,
I ain't want to be sweaty or nothing like that.
I like to be calm, cool and collect. And I
said cool tone and Nick, we're hitting it and we walking.
So we walked there. I'm like, dang, I'm like shot,
Like I said, let let me just stop, you know,
moving for a second. Let me just cool down. And
(28:00):
then you know, I had to get back. So it
was a double commute. So point five point five is
what out you know of my shoe? You know, So
I failed my big because I was out there glazed
up like a like a like a like a doughnut.
I'm glazed up. I'm like. So when I got here,
(28:20):
I was like, bag, I need to go because to
get my town. Bro, I don't know who I'm full of.
So basically the message that we're trying to tell y'all,
and I'm telling y'all right here, big boys when it's
over seventy five degrees outside, have yourself a big boytown.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
Yeah all right.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
So my my final my final question too, is you
turned out to be this great person, the hybrid true
version of yourself Mount Rushmore. If you had to pick
four people on your personal influence to help build you
for who you are, just in life, college, on the field,
off the field, professional, whatever, who are those four people.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Being great question? I would start with Alan Iverson. I
would start with Alan Iverson. Do you want to explain
why I do SA one of them?
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Sure, cool, Alan Iverson, because that was my first vision,
Sorry that that was my first vision of looking at
an athlete that quote unquote did not care what people
thought and still did what he did and still quote
unquote still had success because of his athletic ability. Ai.
I don't have earrings and stuff like that. AI had
(29:34):
ear rings, He had braids. Okay, AI had earrings, He
had braids, he had jewelryes, he had baggy clothes. He
was hisself. Everybody else was going in these giants suits. Now, hey,
I had suits on two, But he was just baggy clothes.
I'm Ai, I'm a sometimes and go to practice and
then I'm going to perform me. I said, I'm looking
at this as be the true version of yourself and
(29:57):
it will set you free. Ai was a true version
of himself. Culture is drastically changed. He started doing crossovers
Da da Da da. Peoples like what drastically changed? All right?
AI two, I would say, Snoop Dogg. Okay, Snoop Dogg.
He's actually a very good friend of mine now, which
I'm blessed to say. That's that's a o g un.
(30:19):
And he is so well diversified that I am so amazed,
just so amazed. He is a part of everything because
that's where he is. Nickelodeon, super Bowl, NFL Honors DJ
(30:40):
I DJ. Now you know he's a smoker. He didn't
let people say, well, you gotta stop stop smoking. He
was the true version of himself and it set him
free and and he set himself free. And he'd be anywhere,
white house, don't matter. If he can't do it, he'd
he's not going. And I respect that right. He knows
(31:04):
his worth. Also, oil back that with Shaquille O'Neill. Why
Shaquille O'Neill and Stoop Dogg Snoop Dogg is a skinny,
Shack is the big Also both are hand in hand,
which is being their true self. Shaq is a goofball,
He's funny. He's just gonna be shocked. And that's just
what you were going to get. And I respect that.
And you know, if I could paint a picture of
(31:29):
what you know, Jesus Christ looks like, because we don't
know who he really looks like. If I can paint
a picture of what he really looks like, he will
be painted on Mount Rushmore with those other three greats
under him in life, because you know God is first.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
Look great, that's a great one. And will Will said, well,
put yes, great pictures for all that. All right, Well
appreciate you coming on the things you run anytime to
come to the park I got. You know, we appreciate you,
you know, not sweating out the braids and just you know,
sacrificing one of the T shirts.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
So we we appreciate the love that you.
Speaker 3 (32:12):
I'm gonna be honest, man, I will now be a
much bigger fan of you as well. I appreciate that
no doubt man. You You're thoroughly impressive. You got great energy.
I didn't know who you are truly, and I get
to see the true version of yourself.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
And you are free.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
Free, you act free, you handle yourself and represent yourself
as a free dude who knows who he is.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
And uh you already snow snow you already, yeah snow,
no snow today. I appreciate you, by the thanks by
for sure.
Hosts And Creators
Charles “Peanut” Tillman
Roman Harper
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