On the latest NFL Players: Second Acts podcast, former Pro Bowl running back Warrick Dunn joins Peanut and Roman. Warrick describes the meetings he had with Falcons owner Arthur Blank that led to Warrick joining the team’s ownership group. He also discusses his work to eradicate generational poverty by building homes for families in need through his Warrick Dunn Charities. Warrick describes dealing with the tragic death of his mother as a child and parenting his younger siblings while playing in the NFL. Warrick also shares highlights from his playing days, including the Falcons 2002 playoff win over the Packers, and the biggest plays of his career.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today, they Jersey's got to be tucked in. I was
trying to show my ass, Yes, exactly what I remember.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yeah, yeah, what's up everybody.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
I'm Peanut to him. And this is the NFL Player's
Second Acts.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Podcast, and with me, as always is my trusty co host,
Roman Corder Roy Harper.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
I think I appreciate that. I know on TV right
now through the screen it may look like velvet, but
it is corduroy.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
That's what I said.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
I know I appreciate this corduroy because I just hosted
a fashion show and uh it's a little too hot
for it. But I still like to look good and
I feel good, look good, play good. And that's what
I did out there. I really I killed it. I
killed it, Peanut. I did my thing there. You got
to going off the notes. I freestyled and I crushed it.
And you know what, this interview is about to be
a crush too, because this is one of my favorite
(00:55):
people of all time. I watched this man growing up
wearing number twenty eight on the field. He always had
the backflap out. In college, he had the yellow mouthpiece. Yeah,
he was a smaller running back, undersized guy. But this dude,
all he did was kill it. And I'm so excited
to talk to this man. I'm so excited to have
him here. And he's also a native of this state
of Louisiana.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
He is a twelve year NFL VET, three time pro bowler,
member of the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor. Yeah, and
he's my brother and we in our own separate fraternity.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
That's true. Walter Payton Man of the Year, Walter.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Payton Man of the Year winner, and he is the
founder of Work Done Charities. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to
the pod, mister Warrick. Do you know what I appreciate
you guys having me. Y'all crazy man, y'all funny, y'all look.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Speaking of Styland.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
Look, he got the holder chip, he got the tie.
He made me feel like I was just okay. I
like I'm under dress.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
You in the dress right now, let's just get all right.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
I like I like the deacon suit though. It's cool.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Yeah, man, wark Man, tell me how much pride you
take and being a Florida state symbol, because when you
guys were there, you made kids like me want to
be a Florida state Seminol. I don't know if everybody
grows up wanting to be a Florida State Siminol now,
but when I was growing up, I wanted to be
just like you. I want to have my backflap out.
I want to have the yellow mouthpiece, and I wanted
(02:21):
the little no checks or whatever what do you call them?
Speaker 3 (02:23):
The decals that going.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
On on the top. So if you have a good
game of making certain plays, you would get the decals
up there. So every guy, every guy was always trying
to who can get the most yes right? So that
was like a motivating thing to who's going to be consistent,
who's going to play well on a consistent basis, Who's
going to go out and make plays? So it was fun.
But you know, being a Seminole, I mean for me
(02:48):
because when I came in, Coach Bowden, you know they
recruited me a play defensive back. I made a deal
with Coach bowdeners, Coach, I want to come, but I
want to play running back. You give me opportunity to
play running back and if it doesn't work out, I'll
move to defensive back. And he believed enough in me
(03:10):
that gave me. He gave me that opportunity, and you know,
after that first week of busting long runs on the
first team defense and those things, they never even thought
about moving me to defensive back. So Mickey Andrews still
he's still mad with me today because I never played
defensive back in Florida State. But you know, just having
like coach Bowden, just being a part of like that
(03:33):
family because the way that he coached us, he pushed us,
but he challenged us, and he took us to a
Catholic church, went to a Baptist church and said, listen
on on on Saturdays, we all play as one. The
background doesn't matter, you know where you're from. We have
to play together as one and one. You know, the
(03:54):
way that he tried to lead us and motivate us
and really encourage us and challenge us all the time time.
And for me that was everything of being a no
I mean, that's the type of coach that you want
who's going to push you to always be the best
that you can be. Yeah, and he was just a
great individual like that.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
About fifteen years ago you acquired ownership in the Atlanta
Falcons because you maybe discussed about how that came about,
how that opportunity come about and how you approached it.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
My last year in Atlanta before they cut me, you know,
I was on the practice field. We were in practice,
and mister Blank was like, you know, because I was
at getting towards the end of my career, he just
asked me, so, what are you going to do after football?
You want to coach? You want to it's a I
was like, no, I want to be up there with you.
(04:44):
And I just pointed up and you know, I guess
he took that. And then once I got I got released,
he mentioned on the call, just like, hey, I'm sorry
that I know it's just a part of the business
or whatever, and he said, but you know, whenever you
with this game, I would love to call you a partner.
And I honestly had no idea what that meant because
(05:05):
I was like, I'm getting cut. Oh my god, I'm
been released. But I did talk to him. I built
a relationship with him, and when I got released in
Tampa the following year, you know, he reached out to
me and just like, hey, what are you going to do?
I mean, I would love to, you know, call you
a partner. And I mean I had like three meetings
(05:28):
with him, and he cooked me dinner at his home
and he cooked dinner. It's like, hey, come on over,
you know, we're gonna let's talk about it. And he
had three meetings with me, and after the third time,
I was like, okay, let out. I'm gonna go and
see what I can do. Because I wasn't the highest
paid player in my position. I mean, everything that I made,
I mean I tried to. I gave a lie back
(05:49):
to the nonprofit, but you know, I was just trying
to maximize it hold on tours. So I you know,
I had a meeting with my financial advisor and I said, hey,
what do you think about this? Or da da da,
and it's like okay, I said, well, let's try to
make something happen. And then I called Michal Blank said okay,
I'll do it, and you know, I invested, and you know,
(06:14):
the rest has been history, and I've just been really
low key about it. I didn't go out telling anybody.
I mean, I became a partner in two thousand and nine,
and you know, it was just it's been a it's
been a blessing. It's been it's been pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
We were somewhere it might have been one of the
men in the year events and you and I we
started talking. I had come to find out that you
were a minority owner minority owner.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
And I was like, Yo, that's dope.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I ended up calling my agent and was like, I
want to buy a stock I want to be a
minority owner. The problem is, I don't think they wanted
me to be.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
It was.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I just think that's so cool that you.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Got a little bit of stock in that, you know,
And because I swear and I've never told you this,
but as soon as you told me that, I went
back and I researched and I tried to do it.
I was trying to be a minority owner of an
NBA team, an NFL team, Like I tried. Now, I
couldn't come up with the capital of what that number
was after I saw it, even to get one percent.
But just you planted a seed in me and you
(07:20):
made me think about just wanting to be in that business,
in that space.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
So I was just like, yo, that so thank you
for that. That was awesome.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yeah, but if you think about it, I mean the
way that we have to approach investing. You know, everybody
wants to try to get the Max. It's just like
sometimes you put a little bit in and that grows, right.
I mean, everybody you want a certain percentage, but sometimes
it's in certain situations it's you do enough that you're
(07:49):
comfortable and then you let it grow. You're part of it,
you're invested in it. You know. It's just like any stock,
you're going to put enough in there for hopefully to
start grow. Oh the difference is when you're ownership and
a pro team that's going to grow over over the
course of a year. So that's like a really good investment.
(08:09):
So like I would tell people, stop focus on, you know,
trying to put whatever twenty thirty million whatever in and
you know you put money in, it's going to grow
for you. And the thing is you can't worry about
I'm gonna get the money out next week or in
a year. It's gonna take time. That's an investment that
(08:31):
you have to sit there and be patient with and
just watch it grow and you reap the benefits when
they sell the team.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
I just think it's smart man, and applaud mister Arthur
Blank too for being receptive and be like, you know what,
I'd love to have you as a partner because a
lot of owners don't. They're not You're not gonna get
that answer all day, and so I think that was
let's let's give him some credit too for loving on
you and being there and just say hey, like no,
(08:58):
I'd love to call you a partner and being receptive
to that.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
He is. He's amazing. I'm gonna be honest, he's you know,
I've learned a lot business from him, just how he
is and everything. You know, it's relationships, right. I built
a relationship where he trusts me and I called him
at any time when I was there and just talked
to him about I go to his home and you know,
just catch up. So I built a relationship where he
(09:24):
was comfortable with me. But he also knew that my
passion just wasn't on the field, he's off the field.
He supported me in that way, so he understood like
the big picture, and he presented an opportunity to me
that you can't it's that's hard to turn down. But
the thing is he had three meetings with me. I
(09:44):
wasn't convinced the first time around. I was like, I mean,
this is a lot I'm not the highest paid player
at Sense, but you know, after talking with him and
just really thinking about not today but the future that
next you know, basically we talked about generational wealth. Yes,
you know, that's what he was pushing me down that road,
and I'm just thankful that he We had three meetings
(10:06):
and he got to the point that, hey, this is something
I think you should do. It's beneficial not just for today,
but for the rest of your life.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
I've never heard anyone say a negative thing. No, he's
a great I've heard nothing but but positive things. So
you call him mister blank, you call him, you call
him art, what you call him a artie?
Speaker 3 (10:24):
No, I still some eggs Art call him.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
I still call him mister blank, but I also call
him pops. I viewed him as a father figure to
me because of the relationship that we had, and he's
given me business advice. He's really been there and I've
learned a lot just by you know, sitting back and
watching him. Right, if I call him up, I can
ask him any questions and he would give me a
(10:49):
He's gonna shoot me straight. This is what I think
you should do. This is what I would do in
that situation. I mean, that's all. It's just mad respect.
And you know I would do it thing for him
if he called me, I would, you know, bend over backwards,
do anything for him. Man, I think that's vice versus Well.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
We're going to take a short break and we'll be
right back now.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
The one thing that we all are very much so
know about the work you do with your charities and
through your foundation rebuilding homes. How many times have you
done this, so let's talk. Let's look at the stats here.
So through your word done charities, you fully furnished two
hundred and thirty five homes, six thirty six you must
(11:36):
have just did one thirty markets served all right, six
hundred plus dependent families served. Ninety two percent of the
families remain in the homes that you have helped them
get into, fully furnished, that they have remained in there.
And I want you to dive into that more because
I think that's the real piece.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Well, yeah, I was gonna say nine may have sold
their home and bought another home, right, and you know,
diving there to a little bit more I have. I've
had a recipient that sold her home, she bought another home,
then her son bought his first home. So now you've
seen it generations where it's it's been beneficial and a
(12:18):
lot of the positive things that come from home ownership
is that kids are much more confident, they perform better
in school, you know, they're much more engaged in their community.
And it's just long term what you're doing as you're
teaching them about you know, the responsibilities and now home
ownership is first part of building that generational wealth. Obviously
(12:39):
it takes generations to do that, and families don't realize that,
you know that net worth until the home is sold,
but you're building the foundation that this is home and
we can always come back. Oh, we broke an arm,
I mean, I know, we bus windows, we just playing
in the house. Bus windows broke on Hen's legs. You know,
(13:01):
all those things place they can come back and have
these memories that you have forever. I mean, and that's
the most important thing.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
How that make you feel that when you found out
that mom you gave her the home, she bought a home,
sold the home, bought another home, then her son bought
his own home. When you found that news out, how
did you.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Feel for me? It was like wow, I mean, that's
what it's about. That's how it's supposed to be right.
And she's a good mother. I mean she calls me,
you know, I have relationships with a lot of them
because hey, you called me. If you need anything, call
me if I can help. You know, she has her
own little nickname that she calls me. But she is
(13:43):
just a really nice person that works hard, that's doing
her part, and she's led by example. Right, She's shown
her son this is the steps that you need to take,
and now he's bought his first time. So it's definitely
been a blessing that But I just think, you know,
it's those little things that we can help people and
teach them and point them in the right direction. And
(14:05):
that's why I started. I have homes for the holidays.
But then now I have scope overall brand of health
and wellness. Where we're now we're trying to bring in
health is your wealth. It's the physical part where you
work out, buy metrics, cook quick and healthy meals, frugal
chef in the house. But now you growing vestables in
your backyard. Then I have financial health. We're kind of
(14:27):
your future. If you invest in yourself, we will invest
in you. Have you start a savings account and I
always stress needs versus once because that's how I grew
up at eighteen years old, being financially responsible. I had
to focus on the things that we needed, not necessarily
things that we want. But then also now mental health,
(14:47):
the met programs called Betty's Hope where it's trying to
help families that stability just in everyday life, because today
kids don't they respond to trauma a lot different, they
don't go through that adversity that we went through coming up.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Yeah, do you think that's one of the reasons, Like
all everything that you've just listed, is that do you
feel that that's one of those resources that you're providing.
That's how you've kept the families inside the home, like
the financial literacy, you know, learning how to take care
of your mental health and not getting burnt out, but
just knowing how to communicate the right way, having the
emotional intelligence to talk to your kids, to speak to
(15:25):
your kids, to pour into your kids.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Well, it's what I've experienced growing up, right, So everything
that I do, I've had experience I've had to go
through that I've had to do it myself. I mean,
I've been to counseling and surprising, I didn't go to
counseling to ten years after my mom's death. So just
think I wasn't. I didn't hang out in college, you know,
(15:49):
I was school practice back at the Dorn on the
off weekends, I was in bad Rouge. I drove all
the time home. In the summertime, I was at home
all the time. I went to summer school at Southern
at LSU, and you know, to classes. Anybody, well, I
(16:10):
just took summer classes. Some classes. I was just yeah,
well I'm also a jack too. I'm a jag as well. Yeah,
but I just I was at home. But I also said, hey,
I'm a maximizer and at least take a class so
I could still be here. I worked out. I worked
out three times a day. You know. I just did
(16:32):
everything that I needed to do to make sure. So
everything that I pass on with the programs that we do,
it relates to me because it was a part of
my journey and the way that I grew up. My
grandmother was hard on me, My mom was hard on me.
My father figure, Yeah, because my dad wasn't in my life.
(16:53):
I had another individual. His name is Maitland Brooks. He
passed away two years ago on Mother's Day just beat
the third year. But I met him when I was
nine years old, and he had been in my life forever,
and he whipped me on the football field taught me
all these things. But he also helped my mom a
(17:15):
lot because I got it from a male perspective. These
are the things I need to do while I'm at home,
and I need to take care of the kids. And listen,
I was taking care of kids twelve years old, cooking, cleaning,
making sure everybody did homework, you know, take a bath
the eighth And I learned a cook at the early
age because when you don't have anything in them cabinists,
(17:36):
what you do. I just went in, had tuna fish,
we had tuna, castle, role whatever, and we just mixed
whatever it was in the cabinists. We made a little
castle road right there and they ate boom. I mean,
we were about we were surviving, and that's that's what
it was. So everything that I do not proper wise,
I've been there and done it. So that makes me
much more passionate about that. If I can do it,
(17:59):
if I can do it, I know they could do it.
The difference is we have to push the kids to
understand that we're all going to fall down. How are
you going to get back up? Because we how we
respond diversity, everybody's going to respond differently, But how do
(18:19):
you get back up and take the next steps? But
just no, it's not going to be easy. The pathway
is not going to be for nobody. That's deep.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
I just think work story is so unique. And what
I've picked up and listened to you is that and
I say this a lot of times, and I learned
this from somebody else that once you're affected by something,
you'll become an advocate for it. In your childhood traumas
where you lost your mother as she was a police
officer that was killed, and you took over and you
(18:48):
took care of your family. You were the father figure
or the parent as a young person, even in school
in college.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
And this is.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Why everybody has been such a big fan of you
and who you are as a character. And so now
when I we hear all these stories, and that's why
you can tell me it's not two hundred and thirty
five homes, it's two hundred thirty six because you truly
have been through these and like you are truly the
person that is being the advocate for all these things,
(19:17):
like you are really cleaned up and changing lives and
you have not allowed your past traumas to continue to
do that to affect your tomorrow's And how do you
do that? Like, how do you genuinely continue to just like, well,
you know, it's just what I've had to do.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
I appreciate. I appreciate that. And the thing is, I'm
not looking for attention, right because my intentions is not
to get all the notoriety. I just like the things
that I do. I just like to help people. I
just want to see us have a you know, better society,
healthier society, and want you know, the pathway you know,
(19:58):
to be simple and and not always easy because we
are going to have challenges. But I want to be
to help people on their journey. And for me, you know,
it's when I lost my mom. The city of ben Rouge,
they wrapped their arms around us and they showed me
what it means to care about your neighbor, your community.
(20:21):
And from that, I mean, I've just taken what I've
seen and growing up my grandmother, I had people somebody
sleeping in the house, but like who is this, Oh,
this is somebody else? You know, they need a place
to stay. I saw her first hand for my grandmother,
how she gave and how you know, the sacrifices she made.
(20:41):
And you know, my mom, the type of police officers
she was is that she was working at a store
off duty, you know, working extra job at a store,
and when guys come up, She's like, I don't want
to take you to jail, Come on, do the right thing.
I mean, it's like she's given people opportunities. She wasn't like,
(21:02):
oh you're going to jail, you don't, you know some
and such. So she wasn't. She really cared about her community.
She gave back and she helped people. And so I
had examples early on, you know, the proper way to go.
And I'm thankful for that because that has helped me
along my journey. And I had great leaders, like I
(21:24):
was talking about Chu Chu my pop father figure. He
challenged me to be the best that I can be.
That's why in football, I'm the smallest guy out there,
one hundred. I went to Florida, say I was one
hundred and fifty some pounds, you know, but I did
not play that way. I wasn't I wasn't made that way.
I was just like, you know what you said, I'm
(21:47):
not good enough. I'm gonna show you I'm good enough.
That's why I worked out three times a day. That's
why I did the things that I did because on
my shoulder, I was always about I have to prove
to X, Y and Z that I can do it.
And just think when I was playing professional my second
game in Tampa, We're playing Alliance up North, I had
(22:10):
like over twenty carries and I scored my first professional
touchdown on the plane Coach dungeons on the we're flying back.
We won a game. He keeps looking back at me.
It's like, I'm like, coach, what's the problem. I mean,
what's wrong? Are you okay? I'm just worried, I said, coach,
I'm fine. I do this all the time. Because he
thought I took too many hits. It's like, no, I
(22:31):
do this all the time. And then it took a
couple of years later that Mike Alstele gets injured and
then I come in in like nine games, rush for
one thousand yards. Then he didn't question me after that.
Can I take the pounding? Can I do it? But
it was the work at the commitment in me that
I'm gonna show you. And that's how I take from
(22:53):
what on the football field to everything I do in
my life. I do that, and you know, I don't
know anything else. That's just how I was raised because
from first start playing football at seven years old, I
was the last kid picked. But I'm gonna show you
I can play. I was the first kid picked. After
you know, we just played tackle football on the streets.
(23:15):
I mean we we did some things, but I was
just a rebel all the time. Like you told me
I couldn't do it. I'm gonna show you.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Well, if it makes you feel any better.
Speaker 4 (23:24):
I remember tackling you earlier on in my career, and
because I'd watched you, I've seen you play so big.
I was surprised that when I hit you, how I
like you felt like, man, he really isn't like three hundred.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Pounds, you know what I mean, He's not twenty pound
running back.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Even though I imagine you that in my own eyes
because you've always played so big. Then I was like, okay, yeah, okay,
he is what they say in the book.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Well I was. I would say too. Is that I
also learned I can make it look like you knocked
me out, but it didn't hurt me at all. You know,
you hit me, I'm gonna go with I never tried
to fight the hit. You always go with it. I mean,
because I'm you know what, I'm gonna live for the
next down. I'm not gonna try to run over somebody
(24:11):
or this or that. No, you can hit me. You
try to take me out, I'm gonna go with it. Boom.
It made a look crazy, but I'm gonna get up
for the next play. That's you know. That's how that
was my mantra. And the other thing I'll say is too,
is that earlier you mentioned about, you know, like my
playing career. My second year in the league. You know,
(24:33):
my brother's assistants weren't doing well in school. I just
won Rick of the Year in Tampa. That next year,
I moved the youngest three year with me, and then
you know, I was going to PTA meetings. I was
watching helping, you know, going to support them because my
brothers they played football, you know, running track and all
that basketball. I was doing all this stuff. Wasn't even
(24:56):
hanging out with teammates anything. I was dropping them off
at school, go to the facility practice, that I had
to go pick them up this and that I was
doing all of that right. And Coach Dungee's wife helped
me a little bit too, because she attended meetings with me.
But family has always been first, right, always, That's always,
(25:18):
And I mean, I'm gonna sacrifice some things, yeah, but
I'm gonna do what I have to do. I'm gonna
get the things I need to get done so that
I can make sure that I took care of my family.
And that's that was the commitment that I made after
now my mom's not there anymore, I have to be
the one that they rely on.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
That was like their father. I'm their big brother. That's
why you know how I am that I'm very direct.
I'll tell you you're right or wrong. I'm gonna be
very direct. That's how my mom was, my grandmother's that way.
So I learned from them on how to you know,
how to be And I think that is just still
(26:00):
some things that I'm a part of that generation before me,
how they were parents and back in the day.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Yeah, so I know one of your goals you spoke
about wanting to end generational poverty.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
How do you think that's going well.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Homeownership starts with that because you build a foundation, and
you know, I try to tell them this is this
is the first step. But now I brought into support
services that also now gives them tools and resources that
now they can rely on. They still have to do
their part, right. I could bring this stuff to you,
(26:37):
but if you don't participate and be open and understand
what I'm trying to bring to the table, because you know,
a lot of communities they don't financially what they're doing.
They now all all weekend, nobody's cooking. How much money
you spending eating fast food?
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Right?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Just think how how healthy you know, a lifestyle that
you can have if you're actually cook your meals at home,
you're gonna save money, go to the grocery store, eat leftovers.
I mean, it's not the end of the world, right,
I mean, you know, just think about all of those things.
But when we're talking about hey, I like, you know,
(27:17):
fancy things and such and such, It's like that stuff
really shouldn't even matter to you, right, because it's the
memories that we make together. So I'm really more about
let's create experiences. So let's do things that create memories,
so we have those things to hold onto because in
my situation not having my mom, that's all I can
(27:38):
gravitate to is those memories. So now I stress that
with families like material things, it don't make you a
better person. Right, that's material said, you know kids growing
up wearing expensive shoes. You gar out of that stuff
just like that. Why even waste money on that? Right,
(27:58):
it's just trying to get them to have a different mindset.
And I said, stop thinking about today, think about the
next twenty thirty years of your life. How do you
want to live? And that's the mindset I had where
I was thinking about the next twenty thirty years of
my life in the position, how can I help my
brothers and sisters be the best they can be.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
You're giving them a community when you bring in all
these social services. You're bringing other pieces to the pot.
You're not just like, okay, here where you're at. You
can live here, new computer, new house, and here we
go some keys and you go. You try and bring
the other attributes to what a true community when you
lean on each other is for these people, How have
(28:39):
you continued to develop that?
Speaker 3 (28:41):
How did that come about?
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Well, I tell them. Whenever I help a family, I say,
you're a part of the WDC family. So now you
need anything, All you got to do is reach out.
We're going to have programs that you can participate in,
but it's really on you as the individual, doing your part,
because I learned from my experience that if I don't
(29:08):
invest myself, someone else can want something for me. And
what does what is that going to do? If they
wanted more than I do, It's that's not beneficial. So
I provide. I said, you have to do your part.
I'm not going to give you anything. You know, it's
not a handout, it's a hand up. You have to
(29:30):
do your part.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
I love that quote. I came in with that quote.
You know that, right, No, I read it in his bio.
What he's talking about.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
I came with.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
What he does is that we don't give a handout,
we give a hand up.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
I wrote that here.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
I made that he I told him that, and I
could have sworn was underword done. I told him that,
and then I also did the once you experienced something,
you're an advocate for it.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
I told you that too.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Well, once you're affected by something, change advocate. I changed
it up just now two a's. If they could give
out the Walter Payton min of the Year Award like
multiple times, I think you would win it every year.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
A line, You're not wrong.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
I am not wrong. Like you've heard about your foundation.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
Like you'd probably have won it like five times.
Speaker 4 (30:16):
This foundation has done so much. Yeah, and we've all
heard about it because of all the great works and
then also with some of these children and kids have
been able to do after that as well. So you've
helped generations and we all recognize it. And then we
now we want to give you kudos for that. I
want to give you kudos for given the Packers their
very first lost in the playoffs in two thousand and two.
(30:38):
Green Bay had never lost a home. What was that
atmosphere like? What was that experience like? Because that was
the young Mike Vic days as well, So everybody was
excited about that. But you played a large part in that.
You had over one hundred yards total offense. You had
sixty four on the ground, four catches for forty yards.
So man, what was that like? Going in the Lambeau
(30:58):
giving them their very playoff loss?
Speaker 1 (31:01):
It was fun just because you know, being in Tampa,
I used to always go to Limbo all the time
and play them, you know, at least once a year.
But now with the importance of the game, the height
of it, playoff game on the road, I mean, it
was it was just great to go and I love
to play on the road, yeah, because I mean you
(31:25):
go there and you you make a play, you can't what. Yeah,
but I enjoyed it. It but it was it was fun.
I mean we came together right like you said, you know,
I had sixty four and forty. The thing is, I
was just trying to be a dual threat and I
(31:45):
was trying to do my part. Mike obviously, you know,
explosive player, this is that. But we had such a
good balanced team, so we could run it and we
could throw it, and it was just what are we
going to utilize? But our defense played at such a
level that, you know, I think it took people by
surprise of how good our defense was. So it was
(32:07):
a blessing and for me to be able to say
I beat the Green Bay Packers on the road, you know,
on the stadium, in your stadium. I enjoyed it.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
Yeah, it's a.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Good feeling all day.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
We'll be right back.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
You've been through a lot, and it doesn't seem like
you get rattled.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
You seem like you're calming the chaos. I do. I
don't think he even gets mad. Yeah yeah, yeah, I
was gonna say something else. Wait, but like yeah, you
just you just like you're calming chaos. Right.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
What was your welcome to the NFL moment? Like what
and once you got to the league? Like what shook you?
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Well, I can't say anything really shook me because I
know in Tampa my a year, you know, being hazed.
You know, back in the day, we were getting hazed.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
Like yeah, everybody else too, Yeah, you fight, this is
what everybody does.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Well, it's I think, you know, understanding that, oh I
had to do this just so that I can I lie,
you know, getting a Warren SAP's good favor, you know,
all those things. So it was you adjust, right, and
I adjusted to the fact that, hey, you know, as
a rookie, I'm responsible for these things. And because I
(33:35):
have responsibility off the field, this they didn't really affect
me that much. It just became Okay, this is what
I gotta do. I'm I'm gonna do what I have
to do. So I wasn't necessarily phased. You know, I didn't.
I didn't want to be a lie, you know, bullied
in a sense. And you know, Sap he you know,
(33:56):
And I'm always say Sap because be different. I love
him to that. But he was different, and but he
he was one of those guys that, hey, you're a rookie,
X Y and Z, this is what you got. I need
to do and need to make it happen. Yes, sir, he.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Might be the first one I know did not have
a welcome to this is the most work done answer,
You're welcome, and he was so chill. All I got
to do is I gotta pay how much royalties?
Speaker 3 (34:25):
I would like to know what you.
Speaker 4 (34:27):
Consider your highlight play, Like if I could have one
game that encapsulates work done and I can show it
to my son, like this is the one, what game
would that be? And how is that performance? And I'll
go watch it. But I just would love to know
what your answer would.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Be to that that is a good one because it's
a lot of games.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
No, no, Like, look, I grew up watching you big time.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
I would probably say one of the most exciting things
is that when I was in Tampa, we played that
Monday night game against the Rams, and something I would
never ever do is that on the towards the end
of the game, but one of the last places that
I took off from the four yard line and dove
into the end zone. Yeah. I don't ever leave my
feet at all, but on that for some reason, I
(35:19):
took off from the four, dove in scored the touchdown
when it help us win the game. Good night, and
that was the That was the year after that, we
didn't have a catch to go to the Super Bowl
in the NFC Championship game against the Rams. So the
year later we had played them in Tampa, and uh,
I was a good game. I mean I can name
(35:42):
all kinds of plays that you know, I like, I'm
not trying to get hit. I'm not trying to you know, no,
you're not going to hit me, just to that, and
I was trying to make guys miss when I rushed
for two hundred my first time ever against the Cowboys
and it was just like, no, you know, I don't
want to get touched today. So it's just it's a
lot of games that I can probably bring up, but
(36:04):
that one comes to minds that, Yeah, Monday night game,
and it was an intense game. And I remember Seun
Key threw me the ball and I was being spun
around and I pitched the ball back to him and
he took it and ran for a first down. And
then later on he pitched me the ball and I
took off from the four year old line and go
(36:26):
into the en zone. And again I never leave my feet.
I'm only one hundred and eighty pounds. Why am I
gonna leave my feet? They just knocked me. Yeah, you
just go get.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
Yeah, yeah, you got one.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
You gotta play.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
No, I don't.
Speaker 4 (36:41):
But you know, it's been like games where you just
feel like you're in the zone.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
Like your eyes are just right. Yeah, like you see everything.
Speaker 4 (36:51):
Like when when I think it's run, I'm anticipating run,
it's run. So like I guess stuff like that happens
and very rarely, but you get the zone.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
Yeah, you do it. I mean I remember when we
were in a playoff game in Atlanta playing the Rams
and I rushed for I mean, I was making people
miss and you literally you see me, and I was
shook and walking to the end zone. I wasn't getting here.
It's like, oh my god. But then they take me
out the game because I could have rushed for over
(37:20):
two hundred yards, you know, yeah plus, but we were
beating them bad, I guess. So it is what it is,
is those games happened. I mean, and it's always something
that one of those long runs. And I remember early
in my Atlanta days we played the Steelers and I
bust the tackle and ran up the sideline and I
(37:43):
ran them to the end zone. So it's just like
plays that I made over the years you think about
and it's like, wow, yeah, you know that's I was.
I was running for my life.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
That's what motivation today.
Speaker 3 (38:00):
You get me today.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
I was just gonna go get down in a fetal position.
You know. I would get all up, so you're not
gonna get the big hit. I would crunch up and
get in the fetal position. What was the hardest hit
you ever took the ground?
Speaker 3 (38:18):
Nobody ever gave you the business? Were you just like damn?
Speaker 1 (38:21):
Yo?
Speaker 3 (38:21):
He ray Lewis got me on that one. Somebody nobody.
He said, no, no, I love this. I'm trying to
convince him, but it was like shut it down.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
No, I wouldn't give anybody any credit like that anyway.
Why because again, you hit me, I'm gonna go with it.
I wasn't gonna fight it, right, just yeah, but I remember,
I don't want to call I don't want to call him.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
I was We'll just say a player.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
Yeah, well player. Yeah, he played linebacker. He tried to
hit me when I was going out of bounds and
he dove it. Man, I still doshed him. I still
dusted him, and I just screamed his name. He was like,
So we still talk about that. We still talk about that.
Speaker 4 (39:12):
Did it shake your confidence at all that you could
play in the NFL? The fact that Charlie Ward won
a Heisman and then would not play in the NFL
as great as he was in college, and you sharing
that backfield with him, you saw it firsthand, and you
were considered a small guy too. Did that ever shake
(39:33):
your confidence because Charlie Ward was it.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
But he had to go play basketball.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
Well, no, it didn't shake my confidence. But also knew
why because at that time, a quarterback of his caliber,
the athleticism, the type of you know what he brings
to the table, they were still more I need straight
dropback quarterback. I mean, he was a guy who was
ahead of the big cinema, nabs of those things, right,
(40:00):
and he was just like, listen, you know he won
the Heisman. It's like, if you're gonna draft me, you
didn't need to draft me in the first round because
if you're telling me I want the highest one, the
best quarterback, you know you should draft me early. If not,
I'm gonna go and play basketball. And I don't think
he has any regrets a great basketball career, right, so
(40:24):
you're telling me a guy that talented on the football field.
I mean, if it wasn't downfield, he made some things happen.
He ran, he was he was doing those things before
my nabs and VIGs and those things. I mean, he
was special.
Speaker 3 (40:42):
Shout out to Tayler war for betting on itself.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
Well he won. He played a long time in basketball, right,
he didn't have to get he didn't have to play
football and get hid and beat up and all that stuff.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
But it just kind of goes to show.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
We were talking to war Moon a little earlier, a
couple of days ago, and he basically said that, you know,
he had to go to Canada to play because they
didn't like his style of play, and then when he
came here, he just had to really.
Speaker 3 (41:08):
Show him like, no, I can.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
I can do this, Like I'm not gonna change You're
not gonna change my position. I don't want to be
a running back or a receiver or a dB. I'm
a quarterback and I can. I can play this position.
I'm smart enough to do it at this level. Even
though I've been in Canada and I won five Great Cups,
that's not enough, Like I can, I can do this,
you know.
Speaker 3 (41:28):
So, yeah, shout out the Cella War for just picking himself.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
But I had that same intality. Is that I'm not
big enough. Yeah I was, you know, I was drafted
those one hundred and seventy some pounds. I'm not big
enough supposed to play running back in the National Football League.
You know what, I'm gonna show you that I can.
And I just worked, worked every opportunity that I got. Yeah,
I was going to show you that I can run inside,
(41:52):
I can block the Kevin Greens, Reggie Whites of the world.
Is that I had to play against those guys, Yeah,
and I you know, I did the things I had
to do to show up, you know, every week, and
once I've got my opportunity to be the guy get
the ball I showed you.
Speaker 2 (42:11):
All right, I'm giving you four picks, four picks your
Mount Rushmore of personal growth of people that have helped you,
nurtured you, loved you, just planet siege in your life
that help you get to where you are today right now.
If you have four people to pick from or put
on this Mount Rushmore, who would those four people be.
Speaker 1 (42:32):
I'm a start off one, my mom right, my grandmother,
my father, figure Mayland Brooks, his nickname was Chow Chuo.
The fourth one. It's hard to say because I had
influential individuals, you know, like a Bobby Bowden and Coach
(42:53):
Dungee that I took what they gave me, and you know,
I try to use it, you know, my advantage to
help me. You know. So I think Coach Bowden, Coach Dungee,
and then you know when I met mister Blank, I
mean he really helped me shoot up. So I mean
they would have their own little portion with three of them. Yeah,
(43:16):
they would have their own little portions because you know,
being a freshman at Florida State, having Charlie Ward, because
this is someone that when I was in the room
emotional crying, you know, having a bad day, He never
judged me, he said, there and he listened to me,
gave me advice and someone that I that I just
(43:39):
trusted that you know, we had these deep conversations about
family and everything else of what I was missing, and
you know, I mean, you can't those people at that
right time in my life. They were there for me
that supported me doing those important years. Because I could
(44:00):
have easily been distracted and gone down the wrong way
and not cared about anybody. But because I had all
of those individuals in my life at that time that
really they kept eyeing me. And even when I left
Florida State, coach Biden was still there, right, and go
to Tampa and I have Coach Dungee that you know,
I went from greatness to greatness. Yea, having you know,
(44:23):
two great coaches and you know, it's just a blessing. Honestly. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
I heard someone always say great journeys require great guides,
and it's up to you to recognize who those those
guides are. Yeah, on that journey, And it sounds like you,
on your journey you were able to recognize who those
people are. Could you give us like you said, your
mom choo choot, your grandmother.
Speaker 1 (44:47):
Well, yeah, my mom, my grandmother, to Vitol, my pops
choo choo, and then I would just put you know, well,
it's like four guys, yeah, Coach Bowden, Coach Dungee, and
mister Blank. I mean even after I left Tampa and
(45:08):
went to Atlanta. I mean he really opened up to me.
Right Like I said, I used to go to his home,
I would have dinner. We would just sit there and
talk and talk about life and talk about community, and
it's just the impact of things I wanted to do.
So he understood and saw something different than me at
an early point in my life while I was still
(45:28):
playing for the Falcons. So I mean, having those individuals
that can impact her and give you guidance in some direction,
and you know, if you I can ask some questions.
And it wasn't like it was nothing crazy. I could
have just asked the question. It was like, hey, this
is what I think you should do or this is
(45:49):
what I would do, and such such a mad respect.
And I'm thankful he.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
Had a Hello career man, I'm just a I'm a fan.
I thought I knew you, but I even know you
more now, like I appreciate the story and you poorn
in us and just I learned a little bit more
about you.
Speaker 1 (46:06):
Well, just so you know, I got over fifteen thousand
yards a total offense. I don't think people understand that,
but I'm on a thirty seven year old shot of
eleven thousand Russian. I just imagine if I could have
got some more carries. I'm just saying. I'm just saying.
Speaker 4 (46:20):
I mean, I mean, I'm not bitter at all if
I keeping score. Yeah, I love that, ork Man. I'm
so grateful to have you here. Man, I'm so grateful
we got to spend this time with you and you
coming back and checking on us. I really really enjoyed this,
and this is gonna be a great episode. And me
(46:41):
and Peanut talk about it all the time, how much
we have thoroughly enjoyed, yes, getting to do this podcast
because we get to talk to guys like you that
we grew up watching, that we're huge fans of, and
that literally when you come in here, you treat us
just like another younger brother, and you openly and honest
answer the all of our candid questions. You just shoot
it to a straight and so many people love hearing
(47:03):
your story. We've heard it from the outside and now
you really get to pull it all back and get
it from the horse's mouth. Man, So really appreciate you. Man,
You're an awesome human being and everything you represent. How
the bad rouge, it's beautiful, it's big, raggedy, I call
it red stick, whatever.
Speaker 3 (47:18):
You want to call it.
Speaker 1 (47:19):
We call it the big raggedy big.
Speaker 3 (47:21):
Come on, man, you don't listen. Come on, I'm with it. Man.
So I'm from Alabama. I don't claim bat rouge. No Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (47:28):
So this is the boot, just the boot. I'm from
the boot. Like, where are you talking about? The boot?
Louisiana looks like the boot.
Speaker 3 (47:35):
Just like a boot on the bottom. You know what
I'm saying. I don't know, man.
Speaker 4 (47:39):
Thank you for all of our listeners, especially word for
coming by stopping by Man, all of our listeners, viewers.
Wherever you pick up your podcast, make sure you give
us a five star rating review cook follow, leave a
couple of comments, tell a friend to tell a friend
to do we.
Speaker 2 (47:52):
Tell a friend, and make sure you check us out
on the NFL YouTube channel.
Speaker 3 (48:00):
Page, NFL YouTube page. There we go, you know page.
I'll disagree with Aaron.
Speaker 4 (48:05):
So tell's NFL YouTube page on iHeartRadio Apple Podcasts. Thank you, man,
it's been an honored Peanut Man, Get us up out
of here, man, this.
Speaker 3 (48:12):
Was a special.
Speaker 2 (48:13):
We appreciate child tuning in. I'm Peanut Tillman. That's Roman
Colduoid Harper and this is the NFL Player second X
podcast and our guy.
Speaker 3 (48:23):
Worked up time, Walter Bateman of the award winner. Yes, hey, y'all,
We out appreciate ch'all tuning in.
Today, they Jersey's got to be tucked in. I was
trying to show my ass, Yes, exactly what I remember.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yeah, yeah, what's up everybody.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
I'm Peanut to him. And this is the NFL Player's
Second Acts.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Podcast, and with me, as always is my trusty co host,
Roman Corder Roy Harper.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
I think I appreciate that. I know on TV right
now through the screen it may look like velvet, but
it is corduroy.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
That's what I said.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
I know I appreciate this corduroy because I just hosted
a fashion show and uh it's a little too hot
for it. But I still like to look good and
I feel good, look good, play good. And that's what
I did out there. I really I killed it. I
killed it, Peanut. I did my thing there. You got
to going off the notes. I freestyled and I crushed it.
And you know what, this interview is about to be
a crush too, because this is one of my favorite
(00:55):
people of all time. I watched this man growing up
wearing number twenty eight on the field. He always had
the backflap out. In college, he had the yellow mouthpiece. Yeah,
he was a smaller running back, undersized guy. But this dude,
all he did was kill it. And I'm so excited
to talk to this man. I'm so excited to have
him here. And he's also a native of this state
of Louisiana.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
He is a twelve year NFL VET, three time pro bowler,
member of the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor. Yeah, and
he's my brother and we in our own separate fraternity.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
That's true. Walter Payton Man of the Year, Walter.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Payton Man of the Year winner, and he is the
founder of Work Done Charities. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to
the pod, mister Warrick. Do you know what I appreciate
you guys having me. Y'all crazy man, y'all funny, y'all look.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Speaking of Styland.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
Look, he got the holder chip, he got the tie.
He made me feel like I was just okay. I
like I'm under dress.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
You in the dress right now, let's just get all right.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
I like I like the deacon suit though. It's cool.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Yeah, man, wark Man, tell me how much pride you
take and being a Florida state symbol, because when you
guys were there, you made kids like me want to
be a Florida state Seminol. I don't know if everybody
grows up wanting to be a Florida State Siminol now,
but when I was growing up, I wanted to be
just like you. I want to have my backflap out.
I want to have the yellow mouthpiece, and I wanted
(02:21):
the little no checks or whatever what do you call them?
Speaker 3 (02:23):
The decals that going.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
On on the top. So if you have a good
game of making certain plays, you would get the decals
up there. So every guy, every guy was always trying
to who can get the most yes right? So that
was like a motivating thing to who's going to be consistent,
who's going to play well on a consistent basis, Who's
going to go out and make plays? So it was fun.
But you know, being a Seminole, I mean for me
(02:48):
because when I came in, Coach Bowden, you know they
recruited me a play defensive back. I made a deal
with Coach bowdeners, Coach, I want to come, but I
want to play running back. You give me opportunity to
play running back and if it doesn't work out, I'll
move to defensive back. And he believed enough in me
(03:10):
that gave me. He gave me that opportunity, and you know,
after that first week of busting long runs on the
first team defense and those things, they never even thought
about moving me to defensive back. So Mickey Andrews still
he's still mad with me today because I never played
defensive back in Florida State. But you know, just having
like coach Bowden, just being a part of like that
(03:33):
family because the way that he coached us, he pushed us,
but he challenged us, and he took us to a
Catholic church, went to a Baptist church and said, listen
on on on Saturdays, we all play as one. The
background doesn't matter, you know where you're from. We have
to play together as one and one. You know, the
(03:54):
way that he tried to lead us and motivate us
and really encourage us and challenge us all the time time.
And for me that was everything of being a no
I mean, that's the type of coach that you want
who's going to push you to always be the best
that you can be. Yeah, and he was just a
great individual like that.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
About fifteen years ago you acquired ownership in the Atlanta
Falcons because you maybe discussed about how that came about,
how that opportunity come about and how you approached it.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
My last year in Atlanta before they cut me, you know,
I was on the practice field. We were in practice,
and mister Blank was like, you know, because I was
at getting towards the end of my career, he just
asked me, so, what are you going to do after football?
You want to coach? You want to it's a I
was like, no, I want to be up there with you.
(04:44):
And I just pointed up and you know, I guess
he took that. And then once I got I got released,
he mentioned on the call, just like, hey, I'm sorry
that I know it's just a part of the business
or whatever, and he said, but you know, whenever you
with this game, I would love to call you a partner.
And I honestly had no idea what that meant because
(05:05):
I was like, I'm getting cut. Oh my god, I'm
been released. But I did talk to him. I built
a relationship with him, and when I got released in
Tampa the following year, you know, he reached out to
me and just like, hey, what are you going to do?
I mean, I would love to, you know, call you
a partner. And I mean I had like three meetings
(05:28):
with him, and he cooked me dinner at his home
and he cooked dinner. It's like, hey, come on over,
you know, we're gonna let's talk about it. And he
had three meetings with me, and after the third time,
I was like, okay, let out. I'm gonna go and
see what I can do. Because I wasn't the highest
paid player in my position. I mean, everything that I made,
I mean I tried to. I gave a lie back
(05:49):
to the nonprofit, but you know, I was just trying
to maximize it hold on tours. So I you know,
I had a meeting with my financial advisor and I said, hey,
what do you think about this? Or da da da,
and it's like okay, I said, well, let's try to
make something happen. And then I called Michal Blank said okay,
I'll do it, and you know, I invested, and you know,
(06:14):
the rest has been history, and I've just been really
low key about it. I didn't go out telling anybody.
I mean, I became a partner in two thousand and nine,
and you know, it was just it's been a it's
been a blessing. It's been it's been pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
We were somewhere it might have been one of the
men in the year events and you and I we
started talking. I had come to find out that you
were a minority owner minority owner.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
And I was like, Yo, that's dope.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I ended up calling my agent and was like, I
want to buy a stock I want to be a
minority owner. The problem is, I don't think they wanted
me to be.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
It was.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I just think that's so cool that you.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Got a little bit of stock in that, you know,
And because I swear and I've never told you this,
but as soon as you told me that, I went
back and I researched and I tried to do it.
I was trying to be a minority owner of an
NBA team, an NFL team, Like I tried. Now, I
couldn't come up with the capital of what that number
was after I saw it, even to get one percent.
But just you planted a seed in me and you
(07:20):
made me think about just wanting to be in that business,
in that space.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
So I was just like, yo, that so thank you
for that. That was awesome.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yeah, but if you think about it, I mean the
way that we have to approach investing. You know, everybody
wants to try to get the Max. It's just like
sometimes you put a little bit in and that grows, right.
I mean, everybody you want a certain percentage, but sometimes
it's in certain situations it's you do enough that you're
(07:49):
comfortable and then you let it grow. You're part of it,
you're invested in it. You know. It's just like any stock,
you're going to put enough in there for hopefully to
start grow. Oh the difference is when you're ownership and
a pro team that's going to grow over over the
course of a year. So that's like a really good investment.
(08:09):
So like I would tell people, stop focus on, you know,
trying to put whatever twenty thirty million whatever in and
you know you put money in, it's going to grow
for you. And the thing is you can't worry about
I'm gonna get the money out next week or in
a year. It's gonna take time. That's an investment that
(08:31):
you have to sit there and be patient with and
just watch it grow and you reap the benefits when
they sell the team.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
I just think it's smart man, and applaud mister Arthur
Blank too for being receptive and be like, you know what,
I'd love to have you as a partner because a
lot of owners don't. They're not You're not gonna get
that answer all day, and so I think that was
let's let's give him some credit too for loving on
you and being there and just say hey, like no,
(08:58):
I'd love to call you a partner and being receptive
to that.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
He is. He's amazing. I'm gonna be honest, he's you know,
I've learned a lot business from him, just how he
is and everything. You know, it's relationships, right. I built
a relationship where he trusts me and I called him
at any time when I was there and just talked
to him about I go to his home and you know,
just catch up. So I built a relationship where he
(09:24):
was comfortable with me. But he also knew that my
passion just wasn't on the field, he's off the field.
He supported me in that way, so he understood like
the big picture, and he presented an opportunity to me
that you can't it's that's hard to turn down. But
the thing is he had three meetings with me. I
(09:44):
wasn't convinced the first time around. I was like, I mean,
this is a lot I'm not the highest paid player
at Sense, but you know, after talking with him and
just really thinking about not today but the future that
next you know, basically we talked about generational wealth. Yes,
you know, that's what he was pushing me down that road,
and I'm just thankful that he We had three meetings
(10:06):
and he got to the point that, hey, this is something
I think you should do. It's beneficial not just for today,
but for the rest of your life.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
I've never heard anyone say a negative thing. No, he's
a great I've heard nothing but but positive things. So
you call him mister blank, you call him, you call
him art, what you call him a artie?
Speaker 3 (10:24):
No, I still some eggs Art call him.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
I still call him mister blank, but I also call
him pops. I viewed him as a father figure to
me because of the relationship that we had, and he's
given me business advice. He's really been there and I've
learned a lot just by you know, sitting back and
watching him. Right, if I call him up, I can
ask him any questions and he would give me a
(10:49):
He's gonna shoot me straight. This is what I think
you should do. This is what I would do in
that situation. I mean, that's all. It's just mad respect.
And you know I would do it thing for him
if he called me, I would, you know, bend over backwards,
do anything for him. Man, I think that's vice versus Well.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
We're going to take a short break and we'll be
right back now.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
The one thing that we all are very much so
know about the work you do with your charities and
through your foundation rebuilding homes. How many times have you
done this, so let's talk. Let's look at the stats here.
So through your word done charities, you fully furnished two
hundred and thirty five homes, six thirty six you must
(11:36):
have just did one thirty markets served all right, six
hundred plus dependent families served. Ninety two percent of the
families remain in the homes that you have helped them
get into, fully furnished, that they have remained in there.
And I want you to dive into that more because
I think that's the real piece.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Well, yeah, I was gonna say nine may have sold
their home and bought another home, right, and you know,
diving there to a little bit more I have. I've
had a recipient that sold her home, she bought another home,
then her son bought his first home. So now you've
seen it generations where it's it's been beneficial and a
(12:18):
lot of the positive things that come from home ownership
is that kids are much more confident, they perform better
in school, you know, they're much more engaged in their community.
And it's just long term what you're doing as you're
teaching them about you know, the responsibilities and now home
ownership is first part of building that generational wealth. Obviously
(12:39):
it takes generations to do that, and families don't realize that,
you know that net worth until the home is sold,
but you're building the foundation that this is home and
we can always come back. Oh, we broke an arm,
I mean, I know, we bus windows, we just playing
in the house. Bus windows broke on Hen's legs. You know,
(13:01):
all those things place they can come back and have
these memories that you have forever. I mean, and that's
the most important thing.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
How that make you feel that when you found out
that mom you gave her the home, she bought a home,
sold the home, bought another home, then her son bought
his own home. When you found that news out, how
did you.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Feel for me? It was like wow, I mean, that's
what it's about. That's how it's supposed to be right.
And she's a good mother. I mean she calls me,
you know, I have relationships with a lot of them
because hey, you called me. If you need anything, call
me if I can help. You know, she has her
own little nickname that she calls me. But she is
(13:43):
just a really nice person that works hard, that's doing
her part, and she's led by example. Right, She's shown
her son this is the steps that you need to take,
and now he's bought his first time. So it's definitely
been a blessing that But I just think, you know,
it's those little things that we can help people and
teach them and point them in the right direction. And
(14:05):
that's why I started. I have homes for the holidays.
But then now I have scope overall brand of health
and wellness. Where we're now we're trying to bring in
health is your wealth. It's the physical part where you
work out, buy metrics, cook quick and healthy meals, frugal
chef in the house. But now you growing vestables in
your backyard. Then I have financial health. We're kind of
(14:27):
your future. If you invest in yourself, we will invest
in you. Have you start a savings account and I
always stress needs versus once because that's how I grew
up at eighteen years old, being financially responsible. I had
to focus on the things that we needed, not necessarily
things that we want. But then also now mental health,
(14:47):
the met programs called Betty's Hope where it's trying to
help families that stability just in everyday life, because today
kids don't they respond to trauma a lot different, they
don't go through that adversity that we went through coming up.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Yeah, do you think that's one of the reasons, Like
all everything that you've just listed, is that do you
feel that that's one of those resources that you're providing.
That's how you've kept the families inside the home, like
the financial literacy, you know, learning how to take care
of your mental health and not getting burnt out, but
just knowing how to communicate the right way, having the
emotional intelligence to talk to your kids, to speak to
(15:25):
your kids, to pour into your kids.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Well, it's what I've experienced growing up, right, So everything
that I do, I've had experience I've had to go
through that I've had to do it myself. I mean,
I've been to counseling and surprising, I didn't go to
counseling to ten years after my mom's death. So just
think I wasn't. I didn't hang out in college, you know,
(15:49):
I was school practice back at the Dorn on the
off weekends, I was in bad Rouge. I drove all
the time home. In the summertime, I was at home
all the time. I went to summer school at Southern
at LSU, and you know, to classes. Anybody, well, I
(16:10):
just took summer classes. Some classes. I was just yeah,
well I'm also a jack too. I'm a jag as well. Yeah,
but I just I was at home. But I also said, hey,
I'm a maximizer and at least take a class so
I could still be here. I worked out. I worked
out three times a day. You know. I just did
(16:32):
everything that I needed to do to make sure. So
everything that I pass on with the programs that we do,
it relates to me because it was a part of
my journey and the way that I grew up. My
grandmother was hard on me, My mom was hard on me.
My father figure, Yeah, because my dad wasn't in my life.
(16:53):
I had another individual. His name is Maitland Brooks. He
passed away two years ago on Mother's Day just beat
the third year. But I met him when I was
nine years old, and he had been in my life forever,
and he whipped me on the football field taught me
all these things. But he also helped my mom a
(17:15):
lot because I got it from a male perspective. These
are the things I need to do while I'm at home,
and I need to take care of the kids. And listen,
I was taking care of kids twelve years old, cooking, cleaning,
making sure everybody did homework, you know, take a bath
the eighth And I learned a cook at the early
age because when you don't have anything in them cabinists,
(17:36):
what you do. I just went in, had tuna fish,
we had tuna, castle, role whatever, and we just mixed
whatever it was in the cabinists. We made a little
castle road right there and they ate boom. I mean,
we were about we were surviving, and that's that's what
it was. So everything that I do not proper wise,
I've been there and done it. So that makes me
much more passionate about that. If I can do it,
(17:59):
if I can do it, I know they could do it.
The difference is we have to push the kids to
understand that we're all going to fall down. How are
you going to get back up? Because we how we
respond diversity, everybody's going to respond differently, But how do
(18:19):
you get back up and take the next steps? But
just no, it's not going to be easy. The pathway
is not going to be for nobody. That's deep.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
I just think work story is so unique. And what
I've picked up and listened to you is that and
I say this a lot of times, and I learned
this from somebody else that once you're affected by something,
you'll become an advocate for it. In your childhood traumas
where you lost your mother as she was a police
officer that was killed, and you took over and you
(18:48):
took care of your family. You were the father figure
or the parent as a young person, even in school
in college.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
And this is.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
Why everybody has been such a big fan of you
and who you are as a character. And so now
when I we hear all these stories, and that's why
you can tell me it's not two hundred and thirty
five homes, it's two hundred thirty six because you truly
have been through these and like you are truly the
person that is being the advocate for all these things,
(19:17):
like you are really cleaned up and changing lives and
you have not allowed your past traumas to continue to
do that to affect your tomorrow's And how do you
do that? Like, how do you genuinely continue to just like, well,
you know, it's just what I've had to do.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
I appreciate. I appreciate that. And the thing is, I'm
not looking for attention, right because my intentions is not
to get all the notoriety. I just like the things
that I do. I just like to help people. I
just want to see us have a you know, better society,
healthier society, and want you know, the pathway you know,
(19:58):
to be simple and and not always easy because we
are going to have challenges. But I want to be
to help people on their journey. And for me, you know,
it's when I lost my mom. The city of ben Rouge,
they wrapped their arms around us and they showed me
what it means to care about your neighbor, your community.
(20:21):
And from that, I mean, I've just taken what I've
seen and growing up my grandmother, I had people somebody
sleeping in the house, but like who is this, Oh,
this is somebody else? You know, they need a place
to stay. I saw her first hand for my grandmother,
how she gave and how you know, the sacrifices she made.
(20:41):
And you know, my mom, the type of police officers
she was is that she was working at a store
off duty, you know, working extra job at a store,
and when guys come up, She's like, I don't want
to take you to jail, Come on, do the right thing.
I mean, it's like she's given people opportunities. She wasn't like,
(21:02):
oh you're going to jail, you don't, you know some
and such. So she wasn't. She really cared about her community.
She gave back and she helped people. And so I
had examples early on, you know, the proper way to go.
And I'm thankful for that because that has helped me
along my journey. And I had great leaders, like I
(21:24):
was talking about Chu Chu my pop father figure. He
challenged me to be the best that I can be.
That's why in football, I'm the smallest guy out there,
one hundred. I went to Florida, say I was one
hundred and fifty some pounds, you know, but I did
not play that way. I wasn't I wasn't made that way.
I was just like, you know what you said, I'm
(21:47):
not good enough. I'm gonna show you I'm good enough.
That's why I worked out three times a day. That's
why I did the things that I did because on
my shoulder, I was always about I have to prove
to X, Y and Z that I can do it.
And just think when I was playing professional my second
game in Tampa, We're playing Alliance up North, I had
(22:10):
like over twenty carries and I scored my first professional
touchdown on the plane Coach dungeons on the we're flying back.
We won a game. He keeps looking back at me.
It's like, I'm like, coach, what's the problem. I mean,
what's wrong? Are you okay? I'm just worried, I said, coach,
I'm fine. I do this all the time. Because he
thought I took too many hits. It's like, no, I
(22:31):
do this all the time. And then it took a
couple of years later that Mike Alstele gets injured and
then I come in in like nine games, rush for
one thousand yards. Then he didn't question me after that.
Can I take the pounding? Can I do it? But
it was the work at the commitment in me that
I'm gonna show you. And that's how I take from
(22:53):
what on the football field to everything I do in
my life. I do that, and you know, I don't
know anything else. That's just how I was raised because
from first start playing football at seven years old, I
was the last kid picked. But I'm gonna show you
I can play. I was the first kid picked. After
you know, we just played tackle football on the streets.
(23:15):
I mean we we did some things, but I was
just a rebel all the time. Like you told me
I couldn't do it. I'm gonna show you.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Well, if it makes you feel any better.
Speaker 4 (23:24):
I remember tackling you earlier on in my career, and
because I'd watched you, I've seen you play so big.
I was surprised that when I hit you, how I
like you felt like, man, he really isn't like three hundred.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Pounds, you know what I mean, He's not twenty pound
running back.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Even though I imagine you that in my own eyes
because you've always played so big. Then I was like, okay, yeah, okay,
he is what they say in the book.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Well I was. I would say too. Is that I
also learned I can make it look like you knocked
me out, but it didn't hurt me at all. You know,
you hit me, I'm gonna go with I never tried
to fight the hit. You always go with it. I mean,
because I'm you know what, I'm gonna live for the
next down. I'm not gonna try to run over somebody
(24:11):
or this or that. No, you can hit me. You
try to take me out, I'm gonna go with it. Boom.
It made a look crazy, but I'm gonna get up
for the next play. That's you know. That's how that
was my mantra. And the other thing I'll say is too,
is that earlier you mentioned about, you know, like my
playing career. My second year in the league. You know,
(24:33):
my brother's assistants weren't doing well in school. I just
won Rick of the Year in Tampa. That next year,
I moved the youngest three year with me, and then
you know, I was going to PTA meetings. I was
watching helping, you know, going to support them because my
brothers they played football, you know, running track and all
that basketball. I was doing all this stuff. Wasn't even
(24:56):
hanging out with teammates anything. I was dropping them off
at school, go to the facility practice, that I had
to go pick them up this and that I was
doing all of that right. And Coach Dungee's wife helped
me a little bit too, because she attended meetings with me.
But family has always been first, right, always, That's always,
(25:18):
And I mean, I'm gonna sacrifice some things, yeah, but
I'm gonna do what I have to do. I'm gonna
get the things I need to get done so that
I can make sure that I took care of my family.
And that's that was the commitment that I made after
now my mom's not there anymore, I have to be
the one that they rely on.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
That was like their father. I'm their big brother. That's
why you know how I am that I'm very direct.
I'll tell you you're right or wrong. I'm gonna be
very direct. That's how my mom was, my grandmother's that way.
So I learned from them on how to you know,
how to be And I think that is just still
(26:00):
some things that I'm a part of that generation before me,
how they were parents and back in the day.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Yeah, so I know one of your goals you spoke
about wanting to end generational poverty.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
How do you think that's going well.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
Homeownership starts with that because you build a foundation, and
you know, I try to tell them this is this
is the first step. But now I brought into support
services that also now gives them tools and resources that
now they can rely on. They still have to do
their part, right. I could bring this stuff to you,
(26:37):
but if you don't participate and be open and understand
what I'm trying to bring to the table, because you know,
a lot of communities they don't financially what they're doing.
They now all all weekend, nobody's cooking. How much money
you spending eating fast food?
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Right?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Just think how how healthy you know, a lifestyle that
you can have if you're actually cook your meals at home,
you're gonna save money, go to the grocery store, eat leftovers.
I mean, it's not the end of the world, right,
I mean, you know, just think about all of those things.
But when we're talking about hey, I like, you know,
(27:17):
fancy things and such and such, It's like that stuff
really shouldn't even matter to you, right, because it's the
memories that we make together. So I'm really more about
let's create experiences. So let's do things that create memories,
so we have those things to hold onto because in
my situation not having my mom, that's all I can
(27:38):
gravitate to is those memories. So now I stress that
with families like material things, it don't make you a
better person. Right, that's material said, you know kids growing
up wearing expensive shoes. You gar out of that stuff
just like that. Why even waste money on that? Right,
(27:58):
it's just trying to get them to have a different mindset.
And I said, stop thinking about today, think about the
next twenty thirty years of your life. How do you
want to live? And that's the mindset I had where
I was thinking about the next twenty thirty years of
my life in the position, how can I help my
brothers and sisters be the best they can be.
Speaker 4 (28:18):
You're giving them a community when you bring in all
these social services. You're bringing other pieces to the pot.
You're not just like, okay, here where you're at. You
can live here, new computer, new house, and here we
go some keys and you go. You try and bring
the other attributes to what a true community when you
lean on each other is for these people, How have
(28:39):
you continued to develop that?
Speaker 3 (28:41):
How did that come about?
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Well, I tell them. Whenever I help a family, I say,
you're a part of the WDC family. So now you
need anything, All you got to do is reach out.
We're going to have programs that you can participate in,
but it's really on you as the individual, doing your part,
because I learned from my experience that if I don't
(29:08):
invest myself, someone else can want something for me. And
what does what is that going to do? If they
wanted more than I do, It's that's not beneficial. So
I provide. I said, you have to do your part.
I'm not going to give you anything. You know, it's
not a handout, it's a hand up. You have to
(29:30):
do your part.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
I love that quote. I came in with that quote.
You know that, right, No, I read it in his bio.
What he's talking about.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
I came with.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
What he does is that we don't give a handout,
we give a hand up.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
I wrote that here.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
I made that he I told him that, and I
could have sworn was underword done. I told him that,
and then I also did the once you experienced something,
you're an advocate for it.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
I told you that too.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Well, once you're affected by something, change advocate. I changed
it up just now two a's. If they could give
out the Walter Payton min of the Year Award like
multiple times, I think you would win it every year.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
A line, You're not wrong.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
I am not wrong. Like you've heard about your foundation.
Speaker 3 (30:12):
Like you'd probably have won it like five times.
Speaker 4 (30:16):
This foundation has done so much. Yeah, and we've all
heard about it because of all the great works and
then also with some of these children and kids have
been able to do after that as well. So you've
helped generations and we all recognize it. And then we
now we want to give you kudos for that. I
want to give you kudos for given the Packers their
very first lost in the playoffs in two thousand and two.
(30:38):
Green Bay had never lost a home. What was that
atmosphere like? What was that experience like? Because that was
the young Mike Vic days as well, So everybody was
excited about that. But you played a large part in that.
You had over one hundred yards total offense. You had
sixty four on the ground, four catches for forty yards.
So man, what was that like? Going in the Lambeau
(30:58):
giving them their very playoff loss?
Speaker 1 (31:01):
It was fun just because you know, being in Tampa,
I used to always go to Limbo all the time
and play them, you know, at least once a year.
But now with the importance of the game, the height
of it, playoff game on the road, I mean, it
was it was just great to go and I love
to play on the road, yeah, because I mean you
(31:25):
go there and you you make a play, you can't what. Yeah,
but I enjoyed it. It but it was it was fun.
I mean we came together right like you said, you know,
I had sixty four and forty. The thing is, I
was just trying to be a dual threat and I
(31:45):
was trying to do my part. Mike obviously, you know,
explosive player, this is that. But we had such a
good balanced team, so we could run it and we
could throw it, and it was just what are we
going to utilize? But our defense played at such a
level that, you know, I think it took people by
surprise of how good our defense was. So it was
(32:07):
a blessing and for me to be able to say
I beat the Green Bay Packers on the road, you know,
on the stadium, in your stadium. I enjoyed it.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
Yeah, it's a.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Good feeling all day.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
We'll be right back.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
You've been through a lot, and it doesn't seem like
you get rattled.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
You seem like you're calming the chaos. I do. I
don't think he even gets mad. Yeah yeah, yeah, I
was gonna say something else. Wait, but like yeah, you
just you just like you're calming chaos. Right.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
What was your welcome to the NFL moment? Like what
and once you got to the league? Like what shook you?
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Well, I can't say anything really shook me because I
know in Tampa my a year, you know, being hazed.
You know, back in the day, we were getting hazed.
Speaker 4 (33:08):
Like yeah, everybody else too, Yeah, you fight, this is
what everybody does.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Well, it's I think, you know, understanding that, oh I
had to do this just so that I can I lie,
you know, getting a Warren SAP's good favor, you know,
all those things. So it was you adjust, right, and
I adjusted to the fact that, hey, you know, as
a rookie, I'm responsible for these things. And because I
(33:35):
have responsibility off the field, this they didn't really affect
me that much. It just became Okay, this is what
I gotta do. I'm I'm gonna do what I have
to do. So I wasn't necessarily phased. You know, I didn't.
I didn't want to be a lie, you know, bullied
in a sense. And you know, Sap he you know,
(33:56):
And I'm always say Sap because be different. I love
him to that. But he was different, and but he
he was one of those guys that, hey, you're a rookie,
X Y and Z, this is what you got. I need
to do and need to make it happen. Yes, sir, he.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Might be the first one I know did not have
a welcome to this is the most work done answer,
You're welcome, and he was so chill. All I got
to do is I gotta pay how much royalties?
Speaker 3 (34:25):
I would like to know what you.
Speaker 4 (34:27):
Consider your highlight play, Like if I could have one
game that encapsulates work done and I can show it
to my son, like this is the one, what game
would that be? And how is that performance? And I'll
go watch it. But I just would love to know
what your answer would.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Be to that that is a good one because it's
a lot of games.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
No, no, Like, look, I grew up watching you big time.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
I would probably say one of the most exciting things
is that when I was in Tampa, we played that
Monday night game against the Rams, and something I would
never ever do is that on the towards the end
of the game, but one of the last places that
I took off from the four yard line and dove
into the end zone. Yeah. I don't ever leave my
feet at all, but on that for some reason, I
(35:19):
took off from the four, dove in scored the touchdown
when it help us win the game. Good night, and
that was the That was the year after that, we
didn't have a catch to go to the Super Bowl
in the NFC Championship game against the Rams. So the
year later we had played them in Tampa, and uh,
I was a good game. I mean I can name
(35:42):
all kinds of plays that you know, I like, I'm
not trying to get hit. I'm not trying to you know, no,
you're not going to hit me, just to that, and
I was trying to make guys miss when I rushed
for two hundred my first time ever against the Cowboys
and it was just like, no, you know, I don't
want to get touched today. So it's just it's a
lot of games that I can probably bring up, but
(36:04):
that one comes to minds that, Yeah, Monday night game,
and it was an intense game. And I remember Seun
Key threw me the ball and I was being spun
around and I pitched the ball back to him and
he took it and ran for a first down. And
then later on he pitched me the ball and I
took off from the four year old line and go
(36:26):
into the en zone. And again I never leave my feet.
I'm only one hundred and eighty pounds. Why am I
gonna leave my feet? They just knocked me. Yeah, you
just go get.
Speaker 3 (36:37):
Yeah, yeah, you got one.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
You gotta play.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
No, I don't.
Speaker 4 (36:41):
But you know, it's been like games where you just
feel like you're in the zone.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
Like your eyes are just right. Yeah, like you see everything.
Speaker 4 (36:51):
Like when when I think it's run, I'm anticipating run,
it's run. So like I guess stuff like that happens
and very rarely, but you get the zone.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
Yeah, you do it. I mean I remember when we
were in a playoff game in Atlanta playing the Rams
and I rushed for I mean, I was making people
miss and you literally you see me, and I was
shook and walking to the end zone. I wasn't getting here.
It's like, oh my god. But then they take me
out the game because I could have rushed for over
(37:20):
two hundred yards, you know, yeah plus, but we were
beating them bad, I guess. So it is what it is,
is those games happened. I mean, and it's always something
that one of those long runs. And I remember early
in my Atlanta days we played the Steelers and I
bust the tackle and ran up the sideline and I
(37:43):
ran them to the end zone. So it's just like
plays that I made over the years you think about
and it's like, wow, yeah, you know that's I was.
I was running for my life.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
That's what motivation today.
Speaker 3 (38:00):
You get me today.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
I was just gonna go get down in a fetal position.
You know. I would get all up, so you're not
gonna get the big hit. I would crunch up and
get in the fetal position. What was the hardest hit
you ever took the ground?
Speaker 3 (38:18):
Nobody ever gave you the business? Were you just like damn?
Speaker 1 (38:21):
Yo?
Speaker 3 (38:21):
He ray Lewis got me on that one. Somebody nobody.
He said, no, no, I love this. I'm trying to
convince him, but it was like shut it down.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
No, I wouldn't give anybody any credit like that anyway.
Why because again, you hit me, I'm gonna go with it.
I wasn't gonna fight it, right, just yeah, but I remember,
I don't want to call I don't want to call him.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
I was We'll just say a player.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
Yeah, well player. Yeah, he played linebacker. He tried to
hit me when I was going out of bounds and
he dove it. Man, I still doshed him. I still
dusted him, and I just screamed his name. He was like,
So we still talk about that. We still talk about that.
Speaker 4 (39:12):
Did it shake your confidence at all that you could
play in the NFL? The fact that Charlie Ward won
a Heisman and then would not play in the NFL
as great as he was in college, and you sharing
that backfield with him, you saw it firsthand, and you
were considered a small guy too. Did that ever shake
(39:33):
your confidence because Charlie Ward was it.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
But he had to go play basketball.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
Well, no, it didn't shake my confidence. But also knew
why because at that time, a quarterback of his caliber,
the athleticism, the type of you know what he brings
to the table, they were still more I need straight
dropback quarterback. I mean, he was a guy who was
ahead of the big cinema, nabs of those things, right,
(40:00):
and he was just like, listen, you know he won
the Heisman. It's like, if you're gonna draft me, you
didn't need to draft me in the first round because
if you're telling me I want the highest one, the
best quarterback, you know you should draft me early. If not,
I'm gonna go and play basketball. And I don't think
he has any regrets a great basketball career, right, so
(40:24):
you're telling me a guy that talented on the football field.
I mean, if it wasn't downfield, he made some things happen.
He ran, he was he was doing those things before
my nabs and VIGs and those things. I mean, he
was special.
Speaker 3 (40:42):
Shout out to Tayler war for betting on itself.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
Well he won. He played a long time in basketball, right,
he didn't have to get he didn't have to play
football and get hid and beat up and all that stuff.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
But it just kind of goes to show.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
We were talking to war Moon a little earlier, a
couple of days ago, and he basically said that, you know,
he had to go to Canada to play because they
didn't like his style of play, and then when he
came here, he just had to really.
Speaker 3 (41:08):
Show him like, no, I can.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
I can do this, Like I'm not gonna change You're
not gonna change my position. I don't want to be
a running back or a receiver or a dB. I'm
a quarterback and I can. I can play this position.
I'm smart enough to do it at this level. Even
though I've been in Canada and I won five Great Cups,
that's not enough, Like I can, I can do this,
you know.
Speaker 3 (41:28):
So, yeah, shout out the Cella War for just picking himself.
Speaker 1 (41:31):
But I had that same intality. Is that I'm not
big enough. Yeah I was, you know, I was drafted
those one hundred and seventy some pounds. I'm not big
enough supposed to play running back in the National Football League.
You know what, I'm gonna show you that I can.
And I just worked, worked every opportunity that I got. Yeah,
I was going to show you that I can run inside,
(41:52):
I can block the Kevin Greens, Reggie Whites of the world.
Is that I had to play against those guys, Yeah,
and I you know, I did the things I had
to do to show up, you know, every week, and
once I've got my opportunity to be the guy get
the ball I showed you.
Speaker 2 (42:11):
All right, I'm giving you four picks, four picks your
Mount Rushmore of personal growth of people that have helped you,
nurtured you, loved you, just planet siege in your life
that help you get to where you are today right now.
If you have four people to pick from or put
on this Mount Rushmore, who would those four people be.
Speaker 1 (42:32):
I'm a start off one, my mom right, my grandmother,
my father, figure Mayland Brooks, his nickname was Chow Chuo.
The fourth one. It's hard to say because I had
influential individuals, you know, like a Bobby Bowden and Coach
(42:53):
Dungee that I took what they gave me, and you know,
I try to use it, you know, my advantage to
help me. You know. So I think Coach Bowden, Coach Dungee,
and then you know when I met mister Blank, I
mean he really helped me shoot up. So I mean
they would have their own little portion with three of them. Yeah,
(43:16):
they would have their own little portions because you know,
being a freshman at Florida State, having Charlie Ward, because
this is someone that when I was in the room
emotional crying, you know, having a bad day, He never
judged me, he said, there and he listened to me,
gave me advice and someone that I that I just
(43:39):
trusted that you know, we had these deep conversations about
family and everything else of what I was missing, and
you know, I mean, you can't those people at that
right time in my life. They were there for me
that supported me doing those important years. Because I could
(44:00):
have easily been distracted and gone down the wrong way
and not cared about anybody. But because I had all
of those individuals in my life at that time that
really they kept eyeing me. And even when I left
Florida State, coach Biden was still there, right, and go
to Tampa and I have Coach Dungee that you know,
I went from greatness to greatness. Yea, having you know,
(44:23):
two great coaches and you know, it's just a blessing. Honestly. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:28):
I heard someone always say great journeys require great guides,
and it's up to you to recognize who those those
guides are. Yeah, on that journey, And it sounds like you,
on your journey you were able to recognize who those
people are. Could you give us like you said, your
mom choo choot, your grandmother.
Speaker 1 (44:47):
Well, yeah, my mom, my grandmother, to Vitol, my pops
choo choo, and then I would just put you know, well,
it's like four guys, yeah, Coach Bowden, Coach Dungee, and
mister Blank. I mean even after I left Tampa and
(45:08):
went to Atlanta. I mean he really opened up to me.
Right Like I said, I used to go to his home,
I would have dinner. We would just sit there and
talk and talk about life and talk about community, and
it's just the impact of things I wanted to do.
So he understood and saw something different than me at
an early point in my life while I was still
(45:28):
playing for the Falcons. So I mean, having those individuals
that can impact her and give you guidance in some direction,
and you know, if you I can ask some questions.
And it wasn't like it was nothing crazy. I could
have just asked the question. It was like, hey, this
is what I think you should do or this is
(45:49):
what I would do, and such such a mad respect.
And I'm thankful he.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
Had a Hello career man, I'm just a I'm a fan.
I thought I knew you, but I even know you
more now, like I appreciate the story and you poorn
in us and just I learned a little bit more
about you.
Speaker 1 (46:06):
Well, just so you know, I got over fifteen thousand
yards a total offense. I don't think people understand that,
but I'm on a thirty seven year old shot of
eleven thousand Russian. I just imagine if I could have
got some more carries. I'm just saying. I'm just saying.
Speaker 4 (46:20):
I mean, I mean, I'm not bitter at all if
I keeping score. Yeah, I love that, ork Man. I'm
so grateful to have you here. Man, I'm so grateful
we got to spend this time with you and you
coming back and checking on us. I really really enjoyed this,
and this is gonna be a great episode. And me
(46:41):
and Peanut talk about it all the time, how much
we have thoroughly enjoyed, yes, getting to do this podcast
because we get to talk to guys like you that
we grew up watching, that we're huge fans of, and
that literally when you come in here, you treat us
just like another younger brother, and you openly and honest
answer the all of our candid questions. You just shoot
it to a straight and so many people love hearing
(47:03):
your story. We've heard it from the outside and now
you really get to pull it all back and get
it from the horse's mouth. Man, So really appreciate you. Man,
You're an awesome human being and everything you represent. How
the bad rouge, it's beautiful, it's big, raggedy, I call
it red stick, whatever.
Speaker 3 (47:18):
You want to call it.
Speaker 1 (47:19):
We call it the big raggedy big.
Speaker 3 (47:21):
Come on, man, you don't listen. Come on, I'm with it. Man.
So I'm from Alabama. I don't claim bat rouge. No Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (47:28):
So this is the boot, just the boot. I'm from
the boot. Like, where are you talking about? The boot?
Louisiana looks like the boot.
Speaker 3 (47:35):
Just like a boot on the bottom. You know what
I'm saying. I don't know, man.
Speaker 4 (47:39):
Thank you for all of our listeners, especially word for
coming by stopping by Man, all of our listeners, viewers.
Wherever you pick up your podcast, make sure you give
us a five star rating review cook follow, leave a
couple of comments, tell a friend to tell a friend
to do we.
Speaker 2 (47:52):
Tell a friend, and make sure you check us out
on the NFL YouTube channel.
Speaker 3 (48:00):
Page, NFL YouTube page. There we go, you know page.
I'll disagree with Aaron.
Speaker 4 (48:05):
So tell's NFL YouTube page on iHeartRadio Apple Podcasts. Thank you, man,
it's been an honored Peanut Man, Get us up out
of here, man, this.
Speaker 3 (48:12):
Was a special.
Speaker 2 (48:13):
We appreciate child tuning in. I'm Peanut Tillman. That's Roman
Colduoid Harper and this is the NFL Player second X
podcast and our guy.
Speaker 3 (48:23):
Worked up time, Walter Bateman of the award winner. Yes, hey, y'all,
We out appreciate ch'all tuning in.
Hosts And Creators
Charles “Peanut” Tillman
Roman Harper
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