D.J. Williams talks playing at “The U,” living the "Dyme Lyfe," podcasting with Maurice Clarett

In the latest NFL Players: Second Acts podcast, Peanut Tillman and Roman Harper are joined by former linebacker D.J. Williams. First, D.J. explains what it was like playing at De La Salle High School, which famously went undefeated for 151 consecutive games, and how that experience prepared him for college and the pros. Then D.J. shares what it was like to play football at the University of Miami in the early 2000s. Later, D.J. reveals his second act—founding an apparel company called Dyme Lyfe that partners with universities and athletes. He also discusses his podcast venture with Maurice Clarett.

The NFL Players: Second Acts podcast is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeart Media.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So I have a clothing brand called dime Life. That
is what I'm rocking. And I brought you. I brought
you a box.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Oh you got I got you a little bit.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
I got you a box. So I got Alabama?

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yeah, rings, But I know what schools that got rings
I got? I text you and I told do I
not tell you on? I g I go to this man.
I'm like, Yo, why you got all this? Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia,
Miami schools. I was like, what about Louise and al
the Raging boll We got a brand new stadium. Listen,

(00:34):
come on, we got rings. Come on, what's up? Everybody
on Peanut Tooman and this is the NFL Player's second

(00:54):
X podcast and with me as always as my trusty
co host, Roman Deniman Beige Harper denim In Beige. All Right,
I like that. It's almost like what is it barn
him and Baileyes, something like that. Anyways, I'm really looking
forward to our next guest. Love this guy. Man, this
guy's got great personality, he's got great vibes. I mean,

(01:16):
he's just one of one. I have to be honest
with you, So go ahead, Pina introduce him. He actually
kind of reminds me of you. He's a former teammate.
I'm actually kind of jealous because I wish we could
have he could have been with the Bears, like for
my entire career. Yep, but we got the last two
years of a very bad era. But we'll get into
that in this spot. This dude, he's an All American

(01:38):
in high school, the seventh overall pick in the two
thousand and four draft, played eleven seasons. He's a linebacker,
and now he's the CEO of Time Live. Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome to the poll. Miss the dj W you

(01:58):
every time. Baby, y'all got for Alabama championship rings. No,
just don't, Thomas, don't even laugh at that. That ain't
even you should got no championship rings. So don't even
you can't even the main yours, championship them ain't even yours.
It's okay, but exactly thanks man, appreciate that.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
I got it. I got a Saint Championship ring. We're
talking about that later.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
He didn't even know soo championships when when the Hurricanes
won in the eighties, you claimed them.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yes, John got a championship ring. I got a championship ring.
When when when when Wilm will come out here asking
when John got a rari? DJ got a ride man.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
John was like, bro, take the Arrari. I was like, bro, I.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Don't even what's the point of having teammates and brothers?
That's that's really great.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
I agree. See, this is why he got a clothing brand.
I got a clothing brand.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Y'all got a podcast. I got a podcast. The podcast
is gonna do better than the clothing. So I'm with it.
Let's do it.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, you just gotta just keep putting out content, content,
keep putting out content, my boy. All right, So even go,
you were six two to twenty five in high school, Yes,
so clearly legit six legit for real. So with that
type of size, and of course your skill level was
football always going to be your calling card.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
First, I want to say I peaked very early. Like
all my homeboys got an inside joke that I'm actually
like sixty years old. When I got to twenty three,
I was on the decline.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
It's like Benjamin Button exactly.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
And you had like the ball boy too, right, because
I was lazy? Yeah yeah, yeah, but it's crazy. I
come from a family of athletes. My father played football,
got drafted in baseball, but he blew up both his
knees in high school. Right. My uncle actually went to

(03:58):
Arizona State when they won the Rose Bow had about
three four years in the league. I had another uncle
playball in college at Texas. So I come from a
family of athletes, and you know, I didn't really grow
up with my father, but I always heard the stories
about my dad and how great him and my uncles
were when I was younger, and so I used sports

(04:18):
to be attached to him. And in the beginning of it,
for me, I moved around a lot. It was about
finding friends and having fun. It really I never thought
about being a pro athlete, even though you can find
a lot of scrap books with my signature. So I
always felt like I was going to be something, but
I didn't know what I was going to be.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
I want to talk about dominating at Dala South. Yeah, right,
So you never lost a game when you were there.
You were a USA Today's Defensive Player of the Year
as a senior. On defense, you had one hundred and
thirty tackles, six sacks, force fombos, and on offense, she
rushed for nineteen hundred yards, forty three touchdowns, thirty three

(05:04):
rushing and five receiving, three permer terns one kick return.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
I'm still man, I was fifty yards short of two g's.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
Yeah. I know he because he didn't say that it
was nineteen hundred and seventy nineteen seventy four.

Speaker 1 (05:16):
I just but here's another thing. I had my shoulder
pass off majority of the time. At halftime point at
my mama in the stand, give me some nachos. Like, so,
I think I've only played in high school. I think
only played four or five games in like the fourth quarter.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
Oh, so you easily could have broken it just was
you was giving somebody.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
Else I easily could have broken.

Speaker 2 (05:40):
That's a good team player, though, that's just like no,
let him eat, let him get his Like, I know,
I heard a daily sut, like everybody heard of you
guys at that point in time, but like I didn't
truly how'd the team get that good? And you guys
were dominant? For it wasn't just your four years, it
was it was more than that. It was like what
eight nine ten year run?

Speaker 1 (05:58):
Right? Yeah? No, fourteen years when I was yeah, fourteen
years with our single loss and so a lot of
times we got accused of recruiting right back when. I mean,
now you can just do whatever you want to do,
But back then it was frowned upon. And I'll be honest,
De La Sal didn't recruit me. Now they was, they was,
They finessed the system a little bit. All you gotta

(06:20):
do is hand out pamphlets about their camp and all
the Papa Wanner leagues. And really what happened was my
basketball coach got to play a you with his son
was in the Catholic private school, and that's where three
or four guys from my eighth grade basketball team were going.
You mentioned it to my mom, My mom got the pamphlet.

(06:43):
What happened is you take an inner city kid. You know,
if you in the Bay Area, you go through that bridge,
you get on the other side, weather drop about ten degrees,
you start seeing grass on the lines. Is different. I
got to De La Sal's camp and it became a
situation where my mom was like, how do I get
him here? The recruiting flipped, how do I get my

(07:07):
son here? So Dayla didn't even really recruit me, right,
And that's what Dayla did you see at the end,
of the day, we would always have eight to ten
dominant athletes. And I'll be honest from the inner city,
right me, Jones Drew. You know, we had a guy
named Kevin Simon. I went to Tennessee. We had numerous
guys on the team, and then the remainder of the team.

(07:30):
I would say, well, you know, bring your hard head
and lunch pale to work, guys. But once you get
that kind of dynamic together where you have guys that
have exceptional athletic ability and then you have other guys
that want to do everything that they can do to
help those guys shine, especially in a high school level,
that's how you're gonna have a dominant team. You're gonna

(07:51):
ball out.

Speaker 2 (07:51):
Yeah, clearly you guys were though. I mean I'd heard
about you guys all the way from Alabama.

Speaker 1 (07:56):
He worked.

Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah, we worked, and it was you had a really
good coach and you guys just stack players, and I
guess when you used to winning, it's kind of just
y'all probably beat teams showed up.

Speaker 1 (08:06):
So let's talk about this. In high school. I never
ate lunch. I never had lunch at high school. Every
day we was watching film, really breaking down a matter
of fact, the way we worked and how detailed we were.
In the summertime, our head coach would have a meeting,
bring your whole family. He would put out our football
workout schedule, and he would say, hey, families, set your

(08:27):
guys vacation up around us. Okay, my sixteenth birthday, I
lifted and ran for three or four hours and then
I did six or seven hours of seven on seven tournament.
That was my sixteenth birthday. So like we worked harder
than anybody that you could ever imagine. Like my offensive

(08:49):
line in high school would watch film over the weekends
and then they would come to the head coach with
the blocking scheme. And I'm talking about sixteen seventeen year
old kids. So that's why when I got to you know,
I got to Miami, even I got to the league,
like I was always ready and prepared for that because
I was a part of that environment. Like we had
a lot of We had a lot of I would

(09:11):
say collegiate or pro systems, which is normal now, But
if you go back to nineteen ninety four, cats wasn't
power cleaning and snacking and snatching and jerking and you
know what I mean, doing like that and we had
all that implemented. We had nutrition this, we had all
that implement in our system. Back there. Damn's wild. All right?

Speaker 2 (09:30):
So then you go to Miami. You choose Miami. You're
the number one player in the country probably coming out
of high school, and your freshman year you play but
not linebacker.

Speaker 1 (09:40):
Full back?

Speaker 2 (09:41):
Yeah, talk about that? Why'd you do it? I believe
I know, I knew you played fullback? Yeah, bro, freshman year,
fullback seventeen at the back wheel route. Baby hit me,
I'm a hey, hey, I was a Texas route king.

Speaker 1 (09:56):
Hey I was I was a Texas route key. Crazy
thing is is Miami didn't recruit me.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
What hold on?

Speaker 1 (10:11):
Now? I didn't know that the University of Miami did
not recruit me.

Speaker 2 (10:15):
So how you end up here?

Speaker 1 (10:17):
You know, you get to choose your five schools for
your visits, your visits, right, I chose Florida State, I
chose Michigan, I chose Texas. I did cal just because
it was twenty thirty minutes around away from home. I
want to be respectful. I was trying to go to
Hawaii just because it was Hawaiian.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
What you want to go?

Speaker 1 (10:36):
Never be my mama you're tell I was trying to
get a free trip to Hawaii, but back then, Hawaii
would make you verbally commit. My head coach was like, listen,
we already know what's going to happen. You're gonna go there,
you're gonna commit, you're gonna come back, you're gonna decommit,
You're gonna go to another school. It's gonna make the
program look back. So he goes, where else do you

(10:56):
want to go? I said, I want to go somewhere fun.
This is back in the days the book. He brings
the book out with schools and names, and I'm sitting
there and I'm thinking, like where would I want to go?
And I just remember like two pivotal moments, right. I
remember when Miami was playing Georgia Tech and Hamilton the
running back, I mean the quarterback ran an option. He's

(11:17):
slipped and fell, Nate Webster almost took his head off,
barely grazed him. Camera paned to the sideline. All I
saw was dreds and gold teeth and it was it
was lit. And then I remember fights before the game Miami.
It was actually Miami Florida State, and that stuck in
my mind. So I was like, I want to go
to Miami. Went through the book. I called him. This

(11:39):
woman is still working at Miami to this day and
named miss Murder. She was there with Snellingberg, Schnellingberg, Jimmy Johnson,
Ericson Kocher, that everybody now she's there, you know, even
now with Mary christian Ball. I called her. I said, hey,
this DJ Williams. I want came and take a trip there.
She said, who oh did she heard me? At this time,
I fum filling myself, no one playing the country. This

(12:00):
is DJ Williams, I want to come and take a
trip there. How you spell it? All right? D this
is Jay. She take my number down. I get off
the phone. At the time coach asked in was my
d corner and said what happened? I said, she took
my name down, Get up to go, walk away. The
phone rings. I speak to every coach in the facility.
Miami became my first trip, so they didn't even recruit me.

Speaker 2 (12:21):
So this is what ny, this is ninety nine to
this is ninety nine. Okay, you recruit them.

Speaker 1 (12:26):
Yeah. And Brian McKinney was my host. Love be Mac
And if you've never heard about b Mac and the
b Mack experience. You were one hundred percent understand why
I ended up at the University of Miami.

Speaker 2 (12:40):
So we had to be back on the pod a
few days ago, and he just yeah, I told him
he was a living legend, legend. It's like, bro, everybody
knows if you know b Mac.

Speaker 1 (12:52):
Listen. The reallest thing that I ever saw b Mac
do was after not a partying, We're going up the
pizza spot line is outside the door, but we all
hungr We've been clubbing, we've been partying, drinking it all night.
Whatever we want to eat pizza. Be Mac walks in,
flips the thing up, walks back. We got an open kitchen.

(13:16):
He looks at the whole party, say what y'all want
the matt grass a thing, shoves it up and grabbed boxes,
put it in the boxes, make about seven eight boxes,
stack them up, and just walked out. I said this.

Speaker 3 (13:30):
For me, that was like, what what just happened here?
Like he got equity in the equity in the spot right, yeah? Man,
be Mac a legend, Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (13:40):
He definitely gave us some good energy, some good love,
and everybody grace story been consistent no matter where history.

Speaker 1 (13:47):
You can't find a person walking this earth that got
something negative to say about be Mac. He's always showed love.
He's always been selfless, and he just wants everybody that's
around him to have a great time.

Speaker 2 (14:00):
And that's and that's what he said. He's like, that's
just kind of in my life. I just swearin' want
to have a good time when they around me or
they with me. That's that's love, Beaches. I've been accustomed
to player player speeches. Lance gave one and it was
absolutely horrendous. So I'm gonna read something, well, not really
read it. But were you in the locker room when
ed Reed gave his iconic speech I'm a hurt dog.

Speaker 1 (14:21):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (14:21):
Were you?

Speaker 1 (14:22):
Were you in there? Yes?

Speaker 2 (14:23):
Did that fire you up?

Speaker 1 (14:24):
It did?

Speaker 2 (14:25):
Because I mean, if you, if you, if you look
at it, he doesn't really, it's only like a couple
of seconds. Yes, It's like, I'm a hurt dog. We're
not playing good enough. Let's go out there and play
hard and then everyone goes out.

Speaker 1 (14:36):
And then first it was confusing, right, So I'll give
you a little background story. So ed Reed, they were
part of this class at Miami called two G's. I
believe Miami was on probation. So you had guys like Santana,
moss Ed Reed, numerous guys that came in when Miami
was stripped of a lot of scholarships, like Santana came
in on the track scholarship. A lot of people don't

(14:58):
know that, and they were part of that class that
went out there and you know, played against Donaldan McNabb
and got embarrassed and had some tough games, right because
of the lack of players, but they got hardened by
going through you know, firing developing themselves. They had never
won against Florida State, so coming in I was I

(15:19):
was a freshman, so I kind of knew, but I
really didn't understand. But all through the summer we running.
Everything we're doing is about beating Florida State. Beating Florida State, right,
So at that point in time, we're winning the game.
So majority of the team want to come in and
let the foot off the gas. We happy Florida State,

(15:40):
you know, usual to get whoop we went in the game.
So when he goes into that, it kind of reset
our mind. Shit like, oh, don't buckle down, No, this
ain't enough. Though it's trying to put the footback on
the gas pedal and keep going through it. And he
was like, you know, this is a different time now.
Oh you know, Castle was just getting injections and just
going out there and doing it. So you see him,

(16:01):
You've seen the documentary taking this show to pass off,
you know, shoulders, you know, the ac is all out
of there and whatever. So he was basically coming out
and saying like I'm hurt we winning. I could shut
it down, but I'm not, like no, no, no, y'all understand,
put your foot on the gas pedal and keep going,
like we are so close to something that we've we've

(16:22):
always wanted. And when I say we, I'm thinking about
the two g's, the older guys that would have almost
went through their career at the University of Miami and
never won against Florida State. That's a huge thing. So
when he said that, that kind of reset everybody's mindset
because there was guys that were happy about the position
that we're in, kind of laughing and giggling and being comfortable,

(16:43):
and that speech really just reset everybody's mindset to say, hey,
we got a job to do and let's finish it.

Speaker 2 (16:49):
Yeah, you know that might be kind of leads me
righting to my question, and it's about the you and
how the players from Miami have this. A lot of
you guys have this person that you all are like
team guys. Yeah, a lot of unselfishness when it comes
to Miami guys and their players. And like where does that,
I guess come from? Like you were known as a

(17:10):
really good team guy. Yeah, no matter where you were,
like you sacrifice whatever was for the team. And so
is that a Miami thing? Is it a DJ Williams
thing or what is that?

Speaker 1 (17:21):
I mean? Yeah, coming from Dayla Soald that was something
that we preached as well. But it's a Miami thing.
It's a we have a term and we have a phrase.
Is he a Miami guy? Right? And a quick story
is I remember I was hosting one of the top
Detackle recruits out of floor out of California. It was

(17:44):
between Miami and USC six', five three hundred and whatever,
pounds like, Whatever i'm hanging around for fifteen to twenty.
Minutes he don't have that team mindset. Energy so you,
know when you're, recruiting the guy's, like, okay you do
the thing with the family and the. Parents now you
take them back to the hotels, like, oh get, Dressed
we're finna go. Out he go, up get. Dressed we leave?
Them did you leave? Them leave? Them? Now the next

(18:11):
morning my coach is, like, yo what? Happened no da
da in A miami, guy said Coach, hardgraves say no.
More and it was never one. Thing we never hated
on each. Other by how hard that we, competed you
would have thought we hated each other within between the,
lines but that never stepped outside of the. Line so
we never hated each. Other so it's a phrase and

(18:33):
it's a saying like is he A miami? Guy and,
again because of the great athletes that we, had you
would think, that you, know we had like the everybody
look at. Me, nah everybody on the team was for
the team and everything that we did for the. Team
but at the same, time we were. Flamboyant we wanted

(18:56):
to express. Ourselves and this comes back from the eighties
and the. Nineties that's just part of our. Culture we
want to, dance we want to do our, thing we
want to have our own. Swag we want this individually out.
Individuality but at the end of the, day we are
willing to do whatever it is that needs to be
done for the.

Speaker 2 (19:11):
Team you can see it. Though, YES i was just
really taken. Back so you, know we played here in
two thousand and Nine Super. Bowl, yeah you, know so
we're we're we're playing in the same stadium that we're
sitting in right, now pull The Shue bowl with The.
Saints not only, that but we practiced at you guys.
Facility we practiced At miami's. FACILITY i was taken back

(19:33):
by the lack of like glitz and glam of the facility.

Speaker 1 (19:39):
All and what you saw that was the.

Speaker 2 (19:41):
Upgrade that's it blew my. Mind billa told. Us he was, like, no,
dude it was worse than.

Speaker 1 (19:47):
This that was The we damn near had them old
school cement weights with the great plastic. Outside you know
What i'm saying on boys in the, Hood like it
was old.

Speaker 2 (19:59):
School AND i was, like how do y'all even? Win he's, like,
dude it's just about the. Players, yeah it's about the,
players and the players know. That and it's to, you,
bro like this is just what it.

Speaker 1 (20:10):
Is and the thing, is you Got i'm originally From,
california and WHEN i came, here it. Flips it was.

Speaker 2 (20:17):
Quick you get the, goals.

Speaker 1 (20:19):
MAN i grew my LITTLE i had some. Plats we
listen the whole freshman. Class we went down the seventy
Ninth Flea. Market we you, know you come in with
big dreams as a. FRESHMAN i don't care what none
of them. Say this whole class because we were the
first full class of The university Of. Miami so in my,
class we had a lot of five stars and four
stars versus the year. Before they knew that we wasn't

(20:40):
ball eligible and this and, that so they, was you,
know getting what they could and guys was going To
Forest state. Whatever my, class we came in thirty something,
deep number one playing the. Country we had a handful
of other number one, guys so we filled. Ourselves we
go down to seventy ninth Flea. Market we all get.
Goals AND i had. TO i let my hair. GROW i,
said this is how we do. IT i remember WHAT

(21:01):
i saw it ON. TV i got the WHOLE i had.
TO i had The Miami hurricane, started, KEY i grew
my hair. Out HAD i Had Shaniva bussar from my
basketball team twisted. Up win't got my gold here WE'RE
i bet what's working on the, practice.

Speaker 2 (21:17):
Man that's because that's really WHAT i saw Adam miami,
too the dreads and the. Goals, yeah that was, like,
yeah people hated that, too but it WAS i don't.
KNOW i appreciate the fact that y'all just was, like
this is our swag and if you don't like, it
come beat.

Speaker 1 (21:33):
Us one more thing about the. Brotherhood it's easy math
and and WHY i feel that even after playing At,
miami our brotherhood is stronger than a lot of other.
People let's go About Ohio. State you play At Ohio,
state you win a national, championship you go to the
league in the, summertime where are you going to? Train

(21:55):
blowing it down? Here let's say you With. Alabama you
just got twenty million Dollars da da da, dah and
where are you gonna go Livet the thing was was
after we played here, together then we all went to the,
league we all came back, here so that brotherhood continued to.
Grow we wouldn't build continuing that relationship on a group.

(22:16):
Chat During Andrew swayze's time, here it used to be our. Strength.
Coach you would have thirty five guys here at a,
time in the off season. Training so what do you
think it does for this income in freshman when he's
out there doing seven on seven the corner And Santana
Reggie wayne come in and, say let me step. In

(22:39):
oh y'all still running the same, place but oh, YEAH
i know this. Route. Boom so that's how the legacy
continued to. Build now what happened is when we had
these the big dips in the falls is when the guards.
Changed they got rid Of. Swayze we had different coaches
come in N cuba kind of changed the rules and
they made it uncomfortable to come back. AROUND i stopped coming.

(23:00):
Around Like mike erv, said we started losing. Recipes so
we started losing recipes because the old heads that knew
The Miami wade weren't coming back around and teaching the young.
Guys and then so now you have this young nil
generation guys making, money getting all the. Status they didn't
know how to handle it because they didn't have a big.
Brother The, hey, bro this is how you're supposed to do.

(23:21):
It this is how you're supposed to handle.

Speaker 2 (23:22):
Yourself we're going to take a short break and we'll
be back in a.

Speaker 1 (23:25):
MINUTE i want to.

Speaker 2 (23:29):
Transition you're in THE nfl, now, Right, yeah success in,
college assess in high. School now you're in the. League
dominant player in high, school dominant player in. College now
you're back in the. League or you're in the, league
and you kind of got to start all over, again
start at the. Bottom you're a. Rookie what was your
welcome to THE nfl? Moment pooh?

Speaker 1 (23:50):
BOY i had? UH i had two of. Them, Okay i'll.
Give i'll give the one that was just that was
quick and. Fast. Uh New Orleans Saints Duce daley, sorry duce.
McAllister he stiff armed me so. HARD i got up

(24:12):
to the ref AND i, said how could you not call?
That it felt LIKE i went up to tackle. HIM
i stopped my feet like he stopped his feet and
just punched me in the. Faith my feet went up
LIKE i really was, like, yo like you can't do this?
Right that was. One the other one Was lorenzo mil all.

(24:35):
Right so charges like to run. Power, oh and, EVERYBODY
lt charges like to run. Power, oh everybody know THAT
lt unlike a lot of different than a lot of
other running. Backs he likes to keep it in the a.
Gap BUT lt also has this side jump, hot he'll

(25:00):
stop and he'll go nine yards that way and get.
Outside SO i would have to be, forced right for
anybody to know what force. Is it MEANS i gotta
be on the outside of the whole, defense AND i
gotta keep everything. Inside and so. Containment they taught. Forces
you gotta stay. Square you can't turn in. Right could
you get that, shoulder that shoulder gets trapped? Whatever. Yep

(25:21):
the chargers, also if they do a play it is,
successful they will run it over and. Over, yeah until
you stop. It, okay, Okay so they run the first Power,
OH i go, UP i do. IT i take all of. It,
wow whole shoulder. RATTLE i keep it. INSIDE lt goes
get three four. Yards but that's enough for. Them they
want to run it. Again they come, out they run

(25:41):
the same play. AGAIN i come, OUT i get up
on the.

Speaker 2 (25:43):
EDGE i know they're running it right back to back
or this is like a couple of players back to.

Speaker 1 (25:47):
Back they gonna run it back to, back same, thing
back to. Back, boom all. RIGHT i kept to contain
the second, time this and, that AND i Remember i'm
getting in the huddle And i'm getting out of boy
pass on the. Head that's why you keep it, inside you.
Know so now we call it, again AND i know
so you know, What i'm, like you know? What nah?

(26:07):
Dog because he was blowing me up but he didn't drop.
Me but he was. Winning this, TIME i, Said i'm
gonna turn into. Him i'm all, right we're gonna. See,
yeah same thing. HAPPENED i, RAN i went and did.
It ALL i know IS i ended up on my.
Back you, know that whole area of graze all over,
me AND i was on the. Ground and then he

(26:29):
Come i'm on the. Ground he leaned over, me and
this is. Real this is not. Exaggerated he, goes, hey,
younger you're gonna vote for me in The Pro. Bowl
i'm on the. Ground i'm my mom thinking like, O'Neil
like the, height how you spell? It and for me
because because before the, GAME i saw a film on

(26:50):
him AND i was, like oh my, god he's destroying.
Guys and then WHEN i got into the game AND
i saw, him he about this, tall about this. Tall
he looked big from, afar but the CLOSER i got to,
him like the short he got so in my, Mind
i'm like you you the?

Speaker 2 (27:08):
Guy?

Speaker 1 (27:09):
Nah that Was that was my real, one whereas, like
there are just individuals out there that want it more than,
you AND i would say that have been through. It
and again it's just you gotta get. Baptized if you
ain't never been, baptized you, know with the, sayings you
ain't never been ran, over you ain't playing long.

Speaker 2 (27:28):
Enough oh, yeah it's everybody gonna get got at some.
Points that's just, like, dang you gotta get on the train. Track,
yeah sometimes you just gotta get on the train. Track
you gotta get up, Though, yeah you. KNOW i, Mean
i'm glad you got, up THOUGH i did. Well lorenzo
O'Neil had like the bull rings on his helmet, Too and.

Speaker 1 (27:46):
Then that off SEASON i saw him At John lynch
golf tournament and he had A t shirt tucked into,
jeans put a belt on His penny, loafers AND i
just couldn't get. OVER i let this dude do this,
too A t, shirt like a RED t shirt tucked
Into gee's with the best with the, loafers with the
loafers white sox. Exactly, yeah that he got, you.

Speaker 2 (28:08):
Dog all, Right let's talk about you played multiple positions
clearly in high. School you played them in college when
you need it. To you also did it in THE.
Nfl you played just about every linebacker. Position, yeah In,
denver at one point, time you went from the mic
to the. WILL i guess you played The.

Speaker 1 (28:27):
SAMONS i played the, mike the will To, jack The,
frank the, peanut right The. ROMAN i played The. ROMAN
i played them all my first year or two. YEARS
i also had offensive packages really really. Yeah as matter of,
fact it got tore up and flushed down the toilet

(28:47):
in this.

Speaker 2 (28:47):
Stadium, okay so how first of, all how are you
still productive playing all these different? Places and then you're
gonna tell me about this offensive package and what happened
because somebody must have not.

Speaker 1 (28:57):
Blocked, yeah somebody didn't. Block, so to be, honest it
was hard than a. Mug AND i didn't realize how
hard it was UNTIL i got To chicago AND i
played next To. Lance So lance AND i are from
like fifteen twenty men's from each, Other so we always
knew about each other growing, up, Right and you, KNOW

(29:20):
i used to Watch lance and Study. Lance i'm not gonna.
LIE i Thought lance freest out everything Because lance was
anywhere and everywhere on every defensive. Call but WHAT i realized, is,
no that's how well he knows the. Defense he can
bluff five gaps, away and he knows how and where
he needs to get. To so for, me it was

(29:41):
tough because every YEAR i. PLAYED i played eleven, YEARS
i had nine defensive, coordinators ten defensive linebacker. Coaches the
only TIME i ever played the same, position in the same,
position in the same, position in the same system was In,

(30:04):
chicago BUT i didn't have the same.

Speaker 2 (30:06):
Coaches, well that was kind of terrible Because lance was
having to tell the coach what to. Do, YES i
forget his, name but that's What i'm.

Speaker 1 (30:14):
Saying so to answer your, QUESTION i got, by and
this is. BAD i was a part of so many
different systems and so many different things THAT i got
to the like around year four or, FIVE i really
stopped truly learning the new. System and so they'd be
in a huddle and they would call something and in
my Mind i'd be, Like, oh that's the Old. Kansas

(30:36):
so the whole team would be be running Over joker seventy,
five and in my Mind i'd be Like kansas because
it was just too much of a Learning, yeah it
was too much of a learning. Curve so a lot
of IT i got by, on just like athleticism and running.
Around but to be, honest it was. Difficult. Dog, yeah for,

(30:57):
sure it was, Difficult AND i didn't realize how difficult
it was UNTIL i got by somebody that played the same,
position even though you didn't have the same coaches in
the same. System the first time we went out there
and the coach talked about playing cover two And lance,
said the ball, snap you gonna pat, pat pat clear to.
Run look at number one, outside, release go wider, inside,

(31:20):
release go stack because that guy gonna try to beat
you over the. Top. Hello then you take a look
over your. Shoulder if you don't see color play go back.
There because the guy that went out them AND i
Saw lance, due that's, shit don't. Hurt AND i saw
him do it ten times in a, row AND i was,
LIKE i got. CHEATED i was, LIKE i got, Cheated,
darg like my potential on my, ability LIKE i didn't

(31:41):
you know WHAT i, MEAN i didn't get. It so, again,
long but answer your, question it was tough a lot of.
It WHEN i was At, will it's. Easy will linebacker
is very very. Easy at the end of the, DAY
i got b gap number two week eighty percent of the.
Time now that's WHAT i feel like my natural position. Is.
Now WHEN i got To, mike that's WHEN i really
had to get into studying and film prepping and you,

(32:04):
know kind of doing all those those extra. Things but
a lot of it too was just like seaball. Getball. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (32:12):
Yeah so when you came To, CHICAGO i MEAN i was.
BLESSED i Had brian in his, PRIME i Had luke
and his. PRIME i played with some really good. Linebackers
when you came To chicago in twenty, Thirteen brian had just.
Retired oh, man did you feel that you had to
be the Next Brian lacker or like try to replace
him to, be you, know a really good. Linebacker SO.

Speaker 1 (32:38):
I would, say first of, ALL i love the city
Of chicago and them four games that we did. Win
they threw the jersey on the, ball on the lion
on the bed whatever.

Speaker 2 (32:51):
It was see, yeah, yeah it was.

Speaker 1 (32:55):
Lit. Yeah. Man so When i'm first out, There, hey
hey YOU Dj Williams, NOW i was people was coming
up to me, saying, hey Your irlackers back Your erlackers.
Replacement after hearing that like four or five, times, oh,
yeah you praising. BIGCAT i started to hear, like maybe
that's not a good, thing, right just because of the.

(33:17):
Standard so there was a lot of. Pressure And i'll be,
honest these wheels was about ready to fall, off. Right
so it wasn't LIKE i was at my. PRIME i
was at the tail end of my. CAREER i was
coming into, place a hall of, fame one of the
greatest linebackers that have ever. Existed that was like the
face in a, city like the face of a. City

(33:42):
so it was a lot of. Pressure but Having lance
there because Again lance knew the defense so. Well lance
was able to take out a lot of just the.
Fluff don't listen thought, That, no do it like, that
do it like. That so he was able to fast
track me into learning the position and figuring it. Out

(34:04):
because IF i had to really learn the, way The tampa,
too but then it's the bear too is, Different like
it's all the little. Caveats it was a. Lot So
lance was able to, say NOW i don't listen to,
that don't pitch in, this do, this do, this do,
This so he was able to help me during that.

Speaker 2 (34:20):
Time bro our linebacker room was so bad coaching when
loving him, left LIKE i FORGET i forget the. Coaches
THEN i don't need TO i don't need to say his.
Name But lance would be, like uh like we we
would literally be in defensive meets like, no, yeah that's
not how that. Goes he's gonna go, There i'm blitzing
the b gap the, center he's gonna cross block and

(34:42):
they're gonna hook. Him look the will you gotta go down?
Here the no coach stop stop and he would he
would go To Mail tucker Black. Mail he's, like you
can't have this guy, Coaching LIKE i can't be the
coach and teach at the same. Time like it's not
it's not.

Speaker 1 (34:57):
Working he lost the linebacker room the first week of
count because you, know you, Know lands like the. Joke
lands like to ask questions and. Whatever so he, said, hey,
coach he, says you wasn't a football, coach what would
you be. Doing i'm gonna be honest every coach That
i've ever had in my. Life then two, answers nothing

(35:21):
that's ALL i, know or some crazy exotic fantasy that
you could never, achieve right f one driver some crazy.
STUFF i know his, name BUT i ain't gonna say.
It this man, said a park. Ranger, honestly, HONESTLY i like.
THAT i like, nature and IF i wasn't coaching, Football

(35:42):
i'd be a park.

Speaker 2 (35:42):
RANGER i never knew.

Speaker 1 (35:45):
That. Everybody everybody looked, like oh, yeah this ain't gonna.
Work and asked him if you you know what's your?
Vice you dream the? Women, NO i don't, Dream and
it was, like, yeah that's the, heat double. Agent, dog.

Speaker 2 (36:11):
It's a trip trying to trying to set up. UP i,
mean you gotta be. Something you can't be coaching linebackers
and not have some kind of. Edge hit.

Speaker 1 (36:21):
Dog you gotta you gotta either have a crazy. Edge
you gotta either be very funny or like super smart
to where like you're so smart we can't even challenge. You,
yeah this guy was park ranger. Nature, HEY i just
planning an apricot. Tree, Guys hey, guys. Butterfly yeah all,

(36:46):
right what keeps what KEEPS dj busy? Nowadays in your second?
Act in your second second, act you, KNOW i dived
in trying to be an. Entrepreneur SO i have a
clothing brand called Dime. Life that is What i'm rocking and.
WING i brought. YOU i brought you a.

Speaker 2 (37:05):
Box oh you, GOT i got you a little.

Speaker 1 (37:07):
BIT i got your. Box SO i Got? Alabama, yeah,
rings you, know BUT i know the schools that got
RINGS i.

Speaker 2 (37:16):
GOT i text you AND i told YOU i not
tell you ON i G i go to this, Man i'm, like,
yo why you got all? This, Alabama, Arkansas georgia Got miami.

Speaker 1 (37:26):
Got all the.

Speaker 2 (37:27):
SCHOOLS i was, like what About louise and The. Raging,
well we got a brand new. Stadium, listen come, on
we got rings. News come.

Speaker 1 (37:43):
On SO i looked up the NUMBER i, called and we're,
sorry this number has been DISCONNE i, said many acting right.
Now but what you call? Me tell? ME i got
the prison the.

Speaker 2 (37:56):
Number, MAN i got. YOU i need some, people some.

Speaker 1 (38:00):
LIFE i got my, Brand Dime. Life i'm officially licensed
for twenty two. Schools been doing it for ten, years
and honestly bro it just it was SOMETHING i always
had like a passion for and it just blew, up
especially in The miami. Market and then that's literally HOW
i started getting other, schools because guys started reaching out,

(38:20):
saying so if you did my, SCHOOL i will rocket
made strategic partnerships with the right. People, fanatics you, know
all those ones that can kind of control thing and
we're rocking and. ROLLING i would say right, now you,
know when it comes to, LIKE i would, say the
big dog brand. Universities the only schools THAT i don't
have right now ARE sc and not To day everybody

(38:43):
else that are looked at big time. PROGRAMS i got,
them but now that that landscape is, CHANGING i might
have to go Get indiana. Changing.

Speaker 2 (38:56):
Yeah, YEAH i remember when you were In chicago in
twenty thirteen and you started to like you were wearing
dim life stuff and it was just, like what the
hell is this? Was that's, like is just, like, Yeah
CARL k like what this? Is and then you got.
Everyone SO i still have my. Sweatshirt, PEOPLE i still
got That warner. Shirt so you he gave or he

(39:18):
made he customized and it's only one of one or
one of fifty three that he only made for the
for the players and he gave to him as A christmas. Gifts,
RIGHT i still have mine to, THIS i swear To
god on my MOM i wore like.

Speaker 1 (39:31):
Two days A Teddy bear but it looks violent and
it said like little monsters because we were monsters as a.
Midway SO i did a. Play that's really what my
brand is. Like we like to do a play on
things that are kind of non. Traditional we follow fashion,
trends you, know from the, placement the size of the,
logos and we just kind of tried to do things.
Unique so WHEN i was In, chicago you, Know monsters

(39:55):
of The midway where The bears had this. Idea SO
i had my design to create like a Little Teddy,
bear but he had like some crazy long sharp claws
and it said like Little moss and so that was
kind of a. Yeah and and besides, THAT i got
a marketing company Called Player. Culture at the end of the,
DAY i do nil, deals but most of my clients

(40:17):
are All hall Of, Famers so LIKE i work with
Cham BAILEY a Ty, Law Julius. Peppers pepper is one
of our clients as, well and so basically what we
do is basically helped him monetize their, name image and
likeness through unique, ways whether it's, merchandise, appearances in all

(40:37):
type of you, know different.

Speaker 2 (40:39):
Ways, Man, CONGRESS i didn't know you're doing another thing.
NOW i didn't know that, either you. KNOW i just
think it's so cool because when you guys are.

Speaker 1 (40:46):
To cut you. Off oh when you when they, come
when they come a knocking, Dog we're gonna have to
have a talk talk now now because we'll.

Speaker 2 (40:56):
Talk, yeah, yeah, yeah we'll be right. Back how cool was, it,
THOUGH dj when BECAUSE i really got hooked on dime
life when the turnover chain got big that, year it

(41:17):
was Like miami was.

Speaker 1 (41:19):
Back that was my lightning in the bottom moment.

Speaker 2 (41:21):
Man that was that the turnover. Chain it's.

Speaker 1 (41:25):
Huge. Yeah so funny thing is When miami showed that turnover,
chain trust, me everybody in the country that could make
merchandise all thought the same. Thing the only difference is
they didn't Have Jason, esconazzi who was my, designer born
and raised In, miami lived here his whole. Life So

(41:46):
adidas went and. Tried they came out with some bubble
Gum Mickey mouse. Stuff my designer understood this Is miami
picked that Cuban lin oversized. Print you, know all of
these just just bigger than. Life and then my screen
printer also was from, here and he was, Like, yo
there's this new incout twenty four. Geart it's gonna look

(42:08):
like a real. Chain so when you Put jason's design
with that twenty Four CARRE i got stopped in the
airport a handful of. Time people thought it was a real.
CHAIN i was, like, oh come, On so that's what
took it. Over like we were just able to do
it better than everybody else because we understood The miami, market,
Right and that's What i'm trying to build With Dime.
Life and that's like one of my things is LIKE

(42:29):
i try to partner with a legend from every university because,
AGAIN i know what might Makes miami fans. TICK i
know what they love and they like the, verbiage just the,
phrases the games that fans are passionate. About now we
talk About, Georgia, Alabama, TEXAS i don't know. That SO
i always try to collab and do partnerships with individuals
SO i can get a better understanding of the. Market,

(42:50):
yeah was.

Speaker 2 (42:50):
It hard to reach out and collab with some of
the other, Players, like was it hard to go From
miami to reach out to a Chat?

Speaker 1 (42:56):
Bailey? No, No so so my first partners Were Champ
Fred Fred, Champ Fred, taylor And Roy williams Right, Oklahoma Roy.
Williams and it wasn't but those the next steps have
been kind of, challenging and because at the end of the,
Day i'm a, startup, right and so guys That i'm

(43:17):
reaching out to play great careers made some good. Money
and so when you're part of a, startup it's. Work
it's ground, rules is you. Know and these guys is
used to like brands coming up, saying, hey here's six
figures to post, This and for, Me i'm, Like i'm
honest with, Guys i'm, like, look ain't no money for, three,

(43:40):
four five. Years but if we build this thing, up
we're gonna we're gonna own, something, Right we're gonna own.
Something then on top of, that the biggest benefit That
i've seen out of it is for The university Of.
Miami i'm a partner because twenty five percent of everything
THAT i do goes to the. School so if you

(44:00):
want to talk about you, know alumni and individuals, DONATING
i was just. SAVVY i didn't just give my school.
MONEY i created a business WHERE i give my school.
Money and so now because they look at me as
a partner And i'm having conversations with individuals in the
building on a weekly, basis it's helped me out in
my other business with player. Culture they've contracted me. Out

(44:22):
and so WHEN i reach out to, guys you, KNOW i,
PITCH i, say, listen first of, all we're gonna make fly,
Merriche we're gonna have. Fun the money gonna come after
we build. Something, Right it's one of those things where
your time will be ten x at the end when
we get, acquired, RIGHT i, Said but another thing is
you become a partner of the. University so if you

(44:43):
got some motion and something, else some of your other,
businesses you know they're gonna they're gonna listen to. You
and we're talking to where the money is and the
individuals where the money. Is SO i also pitch that
to guys as, well LIKE i don't think enough guys
utilize the relationships with their college, guys the relationship with
their former. Teams and, again it's not coming and begging

(45:05):
and asking for. Things first you got to build something
and put it and play in motion by. Yourself and
then once they see like you're willing to do the,
work why wouldn't The saints want to help you. Out
why wouldn't The bears want to help you out with? Something?
Right number one thing.

Speaker 2 (45:20):
Is grap pr great for them. Too it's greate Pr, yeah,
right you got dime. Life look into that camera right
there where this little ugly kid is with this black,
hat and tell them where you can find.

Speaker 1 (45:33):
Your Merch so dimelife dot com it's the, dopest freshest
collegiate merchandise in the. Game our motto is it's a,
lifestyle not a. Season, again that's dimelife dot, com d
y M e l y F e dot.

Speaker 2 (45:51):
Com so do you think enough of us actually use each?

Speaker 1 (45:59):
Other? No here it. Is it's, unfortunate, Right and this
has happened to. Me this has happened to me with
guys That i'm known for twenty. Years AND i think,
that you, know we get accustomed, to LIKE i, said
these big time corporations that will come and flash fifty
grand in our, face but then they're going to go

(46:22):
ahead and somehow make hundreds of millions off of. That
and it's appealing versus building something with somebody that you
know and you work, for where there's a little bit more,
time energy and, effort but you're going to own it
and you're going to reap the. Benefits And i've experienced
that several times WHERE i don't get, it. DON'T i get,

(46:47):
like you can monetize your social, media but to be,
honest social media moves so, fast so. Quickly SO i
got guys That i've known for twenty years that won't
post something from. Me my rule, is as long as
it's not offensive or something That i'm one hundred percent,
Against i'm a post. It, yeah because guess, what you
can always take it. Off AND i mean everybody know

(47:09):
the algorithm on ten percent of your, People LIKE i
just think that again for whatever reason that it, is
the competition that we have on the field needs to.
Stop when we get off the field and in the business,
lane we need to work. Together, Right so IF i

(47:32):
reach out to guys all the time that have businesses
with ideas on HOW i could help their business without
any bit benefit from. Me, RIGHT i started a podcast
From Maurice, claret start with the, facts, Right and you,
know we don't have, Sponsorship we don't have much right
now or anything in that. Place So i'm reaching out

(47:53):
to guys, like, hey, dog if you, want if you
want this, Here and it's crazy because it's almost like
they nobody's used to people genuinely wanting to help.

Speaker 2 (48:06):
Them without anything out of.

Speaker 1 (48:08):
It So i'm asking guys to help them with nothing
out of, it and guys aren't, replying AND i. DON'T
i think it's deeper than just. FOOTBALL i think it's
a cultural. Thing you. KNOW i ain't gonna go do
deep into, that BUT i think it's a cultural thing
where individuals it's just it doesn't. Click and so it's
sad Because i've always been, Like i'm gonna break the,

(48:30):
Mold i'm gonna keep chopping. Wood and now That i've
been in this business for ten, YEARS i see why
guys give up and just, say, man screw. That i'm
gonna go this way because it's a lot of wasted
energy and. Effort perfect, example there was a point in
time WHERE i would send out one hundred plus Dime
life boxes a. Year the same five to seven guys post,

(48:54):
like damn dog, like but you're gonna go on your
ig story and you're gonna have Your nike, On you're
gonna be, showing you're gonna be flashing it. Off and
again it's it's like a it's like a it's like
a mental, thing and it just it blew blowed my.
Mind it's, like, damn Like i'm your. Boy and that's
WHAT i tell. PEOPLE i say WHEN i try to
bring them on as A Dime life, PARTNER i, say

(49:16):
nothing in your life is really gonna change except for
when you post and you go to the. Games you're
gonna be wearing your. Merchandise It's nike paying. You right,
Now we Not nike athletes no. More now you but
you just want to be? Cool you want you are the.
Cool You we the ones that set the. Trend we're
the ones that Got nike to be popular and be

(49:36):
cool and so and And i'm proof of it because
if The university Of miami it's Dime, life and then
it's every other, Brand like that's just. It it's Dime,
life then it's every other. Brand like if you want
to be associated with the cool and the fly, stuff
it's Dime. Life now there are other car valves that

(49:57):
other brands. Have but, again like we create the, cool
AND i think that we don't understand that, enough, right
and so we we were too used to be in, tools,
right being used instead of like working together in majority
of the industries that we probably all want to be.
In right, now there is somebody in the that has

(50:18):
played in THE, nfl that has a company or has
relationships that could get you going partnerships and get. Started
but somehow we're just not, connecting we're not reaching. Out
but it's crazy how on the between those, lines how
well we can, communicate how well we can be, friends
how well we can share. Things And i'm just even
with me with My hurricane, teammates it's like. That, yeah

(50:40):
there's like a there's like a handful of guys that
really rock and understand me being an, entrepreneur understand having a,
startup AND i know that they're doing me a. Favor
they're going like far and. Beyond but WHAT i don't
understand is like guys that won't do the bare mint
but let us Play Florida. State i'm gonna get a
bunch of, texts damn.

Speaker 2 (50:59):
Dog my pack yet now they're trying to. Shine, yeah, yeah,
Man it's All i'm gonna say is you have some
of That louise and at some Bro i'll be posting every.

Speaker 1 (51:12):
Day i'm gonna tell you What i'm gonna. Make, no, no,
no we're not making. Merch we're making a peanut. Hand
let's do, It let's do. It let's stop we're gonna.

Speaker 2 (51:25):
Stop we're gonna stop.

Speaker 1 (51:26):
Talking.

Speaker 2 (51:28):
Yeah the funny thing about all, that, though is. Magic
johnson said THAT i saw this on on social media
the other. Day he, goes he was telling the story
about now he approached him And nike was a brand
new starter company and they're, Like, yo you, know we
don't have the money to give you like what you,

(51:49):
want but we got we got stock. Options he was just,
like stock. OPTIONS i need my money, now you. Know
so him and Bird converse went to him and basically, like,
look we can give you, whatever and he was, LIKE
i needed you. Know it's Like i'm from THE i
needed my cash in my. HAND i ain't know nothing
about no. Stocks and he, goes worst Decision i've ever,

(52:09):
made not taking the stock In. Nike so, Yeah i'm with.
YOU i love the, ideas, like, yo the money will
be there kind of if you build, it they will,
come like we'll see it in.

Speaker 1 (52:18):
Time and, again majority of the guys That i'm, APPROACHING
i think we're pretty well. Off oh for. Sure you,
know it's not a, lot but it.

Speaker 2 (52:26):
Is i'm shocked and happy that you Got. Bama, now
SO i gonna have to go to the website more
now my Bad Big. Dog so how was your your
your your podcast With maurice, going it's going.

Speaker 1 (52:37):
Well so we ARE i think we're two months. In
we are under the, uh come and talk to me.
Network it is what it. Is so we've branched off
from it is what it is okay With cameron And
may so he's on there once a week and, uh you,
know he built a relationship with them to the point
to where you, know they started to break, off like

(53:00):
now has his own show by. Self stat who's the
female Host university Of miam. Alum she has her own.
Show so then with mo they was, like, oh build
your own. Show we're building a. Network we're looking. Together
you get us see. That and they basically, Said mo
is your, show whatever you, want however you want to do,

(53:21):
it will support, it get it up and, running put
it all. Together it'll live under our. Network right we
start getting the numbers to where we can you, know
take you to our business partners and we can start doing.
That so we we air every day right, now it's
at five every, day and we focus heavily on college,
sports college, football college. Sports of, course we got to

(53:44):
hit THE. Nfl But i'd say seventy five percent of
our content it's about college.

Speaker 2 (53:48):
SPORTS i think it's a way more emotional. Sport, yeah
everybody's emotional about their, college and it's just an easy
thing to talk ABOUT Ourselfe FOR i am emotional my.
COLLEGE i chose there THE, nfl they chose, me so start. Following,
YEAH i, mean so it's. DIFFERENT i would say this.

(54:10):
Too i'm so happy and proud Of Maurice claret to
come back from his story WHERE i, mean he was
kind of shunned for everything that, happened and he did
nothing different than what everybody does now in college, football
and so for him to be able to bounce, back
and he did a lot of like charity work in
this day public, speaking there was a ton of that

(54:30):
stuff really cleaned up everybody's everybody's image of him is
completely different than what it used to be fifteen years.
Ago so really happy for, him and the same with.
You you know What i'm, saying, like, uh you know
you weren't always the clean image.

Speaker 1 (54:44):
Guy but, amen, YEAH i CAN'T i can't tell her.
TRUE i was a part of.

Speaker 4 (54:50):
IT i was a part of some some some situations
WHERE i had to be the fall guy to this,
day to this, day, man but you know what it,
WANTS i, Know i'll talk about it with.

Speaker 1 (55:01):
Me it was we'll go a little bit. Deep right
WHEN i look back, Now i'm forty, three AND i
looked back at WHEN i was twenty, three twenty four
getting in. Trouble, RIGHT i didn't grow up with my
father in the. Household me and my father had a
relationship more like, friendship like whatever he was in and,

(55:22):
out you, know cool dude. Whatever but WHEN i was
going through, that it was BECAUSE i didn't have nobody
to answer, to AND i didn't have nobody who respect
THAT i THOUGHT i could ever. Lose your mama gonna
always love, you, dog no matter, what your mama gonna love.
You and if you do something, horrible, horrible your mama
gonna feel like it's her. Fault where DID i go

(55:43):
Wrom pops ain't like. That Your pop's, Like i'm gonna love,
you BUT i don't like, you you know WHAT i?
Mean you saying at the dinner, Table pop's give you
that energy LIKE i don't want, you you know WHAT
i mean? That and so WHEN i was going through,
that WHAT i realized WAS i didn't have that relationship
with my father WHERE i would feel LIKE i was
going to let somebody, down and so everything THAT i was,

(56:04):
doing even THOUGH i knew it wasn't the best stuff to,
DO i was, like it's my. LIFE i could do
WHATEVER i. Want it wasn't until one of my, teammates
offensive Lineman Chris Chris Chris, cooper he pulled me to the.
SIDE i believe he was, like, hey, man this is
right AFTER i got in trouble when they accused me
of posting the whole team's playbook on the. INTERNET i

(56:27):
did not do. THAT i remember that one. Deep we're
going a little, deep all, Right, yeah it's only one.
Layer so he hit me up and he was, like,
man come talk to. Me you. KNOW i go there
on A monday and all day he's, like, MAN i
got a fight with my brother over. YOU i was, like,
wow he's like cuz he was calling you all type

(56:49):
of names out of you AND i was, like that's
not WHO dj is AND i definded, you and we
like really got into. It THEN i, realized, like, yo
it ain't just me That i'm. Affected M If chris
is willing to fight his, brother how does my mom,
Feel how does my high school coaches? Feel how does
guys on my team that played at university In miami

(57:11):
that maybe didn't make it to the, league that just
went off and you, know normal lives and, career but
like that's one of the feathers that they love to
put in they. Had how do they feel when my
name comes across the ticker and all that, stuff with
all this. Nonsense and so that was the moment WHERE
i realized that, damn it don't matter IF i can

(57:31):
deal with the concert or you're gonna find me nobody. Care,
yeah make a million, dollar you find me a hundred
grand and. HIGH i laugh on you WHEN i realized
the individuals THAT i was. Affecting And i'll be, HONEST
i look back at, it AND i truly believe that
IF i had my pops in my, life BECAUSE i
HAD i had a, stepfather AND i had a. Mentor

(57:54):
BUT i can always kind of tell they was kind
of you, know they was.

Speaker 2 (57:58):
Gonna, love they were gonna keep you right, THERE.

Speaker 1 (58:01):
I kind of you know. WHATEVER i know my dad
would have tightened, me if we had would have tightened me,
up AND i would have listened to one hundred. Percent
BUT i was at that, age all that, money all
that free, TIME i didn't have to answer, nobody and
so that's WHY i kind of went through that. Stage
but it was that moment WHEN i realized that one
of my teammates was willing to fight his real. Brother,

(58:24):
yeah because his real brother was calling me on a
jerk and then a funny thing. Too he brought me.
Over he's, like, hey, man can't you just stay in the,
House BECAUSE i really. DID i was Like, FRIDAY i
got fired on my day.

Speaker 2 (58:40):
Off, basically we're gonna take a short break and we'll
be right. BACK i watched you follow you On, instagram you,
know WE dm each other all the time here and.
THERE i really do admire how you have raised your appreciate.

(59:01):
IT i really do admire. That LIKE i watched you
at the dance, recitals how you just let them to.
Be they look like. Twins, yeah they look just like.
Twins and beautiful, kids beautiful. Girls and the one thing
that really insists with me the most is you Brought
Bennie hannah home and you did you did The Bennie hannah. Story,

(59:24):
yeah and the, girls your, girls they were just so
happy and they thought it was a coolish. Yeah AND
i sat back AND i watched that, video, like hey,
man that's all. Right you creating some core memories from your.
Girls and ten years from, now, fifteen twenty years from,
now they go, like oh, no, no my dad he was.
Dope we had. Them we used to go over his
house this and then we was in the. Pool he

(59:44):
used to make us. Clean i've seen you with the.
Video you've been making your kids clean the house, like oh, no,
no ain't nothing changed clean his house. Cleaning SO i
admire how involved how much you show Up foio, girls
because dads, Matter we, matter you. Know and it's not
just you got money and you're you're just paying bills

(01:00:06):
and no, no, no no no, No Like i'm in your.
Life i'm raising, You i'm teaching. You i'm trying to
show you how to be a dad and what a
dad is supposed to. Do SO i want to give
you your. Flowers you can take them when you. LEAVE
i brought them before. You i'm going to give you
your flowers and just, say, yo, MAN i salute to
my hat all the other good stuff like, you you're
a great. Father. MAN i love that about.

Speaker 1 (01:00:27):
You AND i appreciate. That AND i got that from my.
Mom my mom was a fun. Mom LIKE i got
so many stories from my mom and all my friends
to this, day like my mom was the fun, mom
AND i got that from. Them and then with the.
Girls you, KNOW i look at. Dads dads are life,

(01:00:47):
lessons teaching you how to navigate and maneuver through the.
World AND i always try to do it almost like, football,
Right LIKE i look at it as like walk, through
like you got some individuals that you can write it
up on the. Board i'd rather we go out and
drill it and do a lot of. Things so a
lot of times things That i'm teaching, THEM i bake

(01:01:09):
it into an activity or an event that we're, doing
so then they can really grasp and understand like the
lesson that they're. Learning AND i like to have, fun,
RIGHT i like to have. Fun but now they are a,
preteen so it's, man oh, YEAH i got some. Stories

(01:01:29):
i'm struct eleven and twelve. Twelve so NOW i JUST
i just come in with like crumble cookie Or jick Fil.
A then then they've talked to. ME i could be
in the room for hours. Straight they won't even look
up and talk to. Me they laughing at, you walking
around me LIKE i ain't. There let me come in
with you know What i'm saying something that they. Got, Okay,

(01:01:49):
yeah So i'm In i'm in that stage now where
it's like because their worlds are evolving that NOW i
can see how much friends, matter very. True and and
the time with, me you, know they and and now
you know what they really they realized that whole time
he was just faking. It he didn't like to Play.

(01:02:10):
Donny's he really liked to. Play and now they'd rather
be around my. Mom they'd rather be around my. Girl
they'd rather be around, like you, know their, mom their.
Aunts and so for, me you, know when stuff gets,
serious you know it. Comes but besides, that man is,
again And i'm okay with. THAT i actually got a.
Friend he was struggling because he, said now see how

(01:02:32):
you with your? Daughters, man my daughter she's going, AWAY i, Said,
man happened to. Me they gonna come. Back just just be, there,
Man just be.

Speaker 2 (01:02:39):
There that's that's all they. Want they just want you
to be. There they just want you to be. There
that's that's WHAT i was coming to. Realize they they
just want.

Speaker 1 (01:02:44):
You to be.

Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
There we like to ask all of our guests, this
and it's it's about, you your Personal Mount. Russell you
get four people that have influenced your life to HELP
Dj williams be exactly the man that you see in
the mirror when you woke up. This who are those
four people that you put on that?

Speaker 1 (01:03:04):
Novel top? Four one hundred? Percent my mom is number.
One i'm gonna go with my high school basketball, coach
Coach Al. Hanson he was you, KNOW i went To

(01:03:25):
De La, south, Right i'm coming from the inner. City
i'm coming from you, know diverse high schools is mostly
Black Mexican. Filipino. WHATEVER i go To De La sou
it was Ninety put it like, this it was five
black guys in my graduating. Class totally different. Environment so

(01:03:45):
Obviously i'm feeling a little. Uncomfortable just you, know it's a.
Situation and, uh Coach Al, hanson who was my freshman basketball,
coach was the first person THAT i ever felt that
care for me that wasn't family or wasn't getting nothing
out of. It and to, LISTEN i. GOT i played

(01:04:09):
basketball with him for one, year THEN i went on.
Football he had every football. GAME i go To, miami
he come In miami. Games i'm in the. League in,
dinner he come in different. Game guess. What he was
born and raised In. Chicago i'm In. Chicago he's going
To chicago. Games like parts of my. Life he's always,
there always around WHEN i. Was, honestly WHEN i look,
back WHEN i was getting in, TROUBLE i remember he

(01:04:30):
kind of gave me the message AND i felt like
it was gonna. Come and then he didn't go all
the way in, there, Right but again it let me,
know like, Damn i'm Affecting Coach, hanson so him because
he he. HE i learned from him that people that
you love and care about don't have to be your immediate.
Family this was an individual where we built a relationship

(01:04:52):
and that we built and turned into family and we
grow into. That, Right i'm gonna go With i'll go
with Coach Andrew, Swayzee university Of miami's strength, coach just
because it was just like seeing a black man doing

(01:05:18):
it right and being like that it is possible to
have a, career, smart, educated have a, wife love all
the things that you don't see a lot. Like it
was like a real Life Bill, cosby meaning, like, oh
you do all these, things and on top of, that
wasn't a. SQUARE i would want to hang around and,

(01:05:42):
LIKE i, KNOW i really want to be like, you but,
YEAH i don't want to just take these good things about.
YOU i really want to be like. You and for,
me like if football didn't work, OUT i was going
to always be like a personal, Trainer LIKE i was
always in the fitness and working, out so just the
way that he trained and had us go through things and,
whatever LIKE i always admire that. Part and he made
the work that we did so much. Fun it didn't

(01:06:04):
feel like work. Right and Then i'm gonna go With Johnathon.
Vilma i'm gonna go With Johnson vilma because To i'll
probably get. Goosebump. Luck to be side by, side it's
crazy because technically we were supposed to, battle so we
played the exact same position we came. In but to

(01:06:25):
be side by side with, somebody AND i always joke
he always did everything, right, like always did everything, right
and to be side by side with somebody like, that
it starts to wear off on. You and SO i
always joke with, him and it's LIKE i was like

(01:06:45):
you pulled me back from the, edge AND i pushed
you closer so you could enjoy life and have fun
like The yin and the. Yang, Yeah and to see
somebody that worked hard every day and, crusting grinded and
obtained something like he deserves every, accolade everything that he's ever.

(01:07:06):
Gotten and it's funny because there was a point in
time WHERE i got real crazy AND i remember one
time he took. Me he looked, me you know, How,
john get there all right in the top litle get
tight and he's, like you ever do that, again, Dun
i'm done with. You AND i was, like, man shut,
Up AND i was, like, wait he might really stop

(01:07:30):
being my, friend like for, real like you know WHAT i,
mean like just an enforce old relationship because and later
on we spoke about, it but he was, like, oh
you way better than the stupid, stuff, Right so just
to be with somebody the same age and just just
everything THAT i would. Say he influenced me from the

(01:07:50):
age of seventeen to now more than, anybody and we
still talk to this day and it's like it's like
a comfort zone because he knows me and he knows
my personality and put it like, this there was a
point in time WHERE i was going through some bad, stuff,
RIGHT i had made some bad business. DECISIONS i felt
like the world was caving in and this and. That
AND i came to him and he was, like brouh

(01:08:15):
on some like you know who you? Are like BECAUSE
i what was happening To he made me forget, yeah
and he basically was like what You what you sound
right now is like a loser. Mindset you, KNOW i
was coming for a hug and he basically in five
minutes was, like you sounding like a. Loser you coming

(01:08:37):
from a loser? Mindset he, said, listen every entrepreneur that
you that that exists in this world has gone through.
This he, said you don't you think you're the only
one that ever out leveraged. Yourself and da da dah
dah this and. That but basically, like ain't nobody coming
to help? You you coming to help? You you got
all the, knowledge you got all the. Experience Dog and
NOW i remember he told, me he said pull. Back he,

(01:08:57):
said think about all the things that that's going. Wrong
and he, said if this person don't get, paid or
this don't get done or. Whatever he's, like is anybody gonna?
Die AND i said. No he, said all, right you
in a. Hole forget, it pull it, back write it,
down come out with a, plan come out and. Execute

(01:09:18):
AND i. DID i. DID i just stopped for a,
week all of, answering, calls, email, everything AND i laid
a plan. DOWN i came back. Up, WELL i was
four inches deeper in the, hole but then NOW i
was able to grasp and start to build myself out of.
It so that said my. Mom Coach, hansen Coach sways And.

Speaker 2 (01:09:38):
Vilma that's twice we're gonna Heard hilma put on that. Mountain,
YEAH i, mean, dude it's a good man though he.
Is he's a great leader of. Men he's just what it.
Is he probably, like, man you need to typing.

Speaker 1 (01:09:49):
Up oh. YEAH i used to tell people all the
time BECAUSE i look at The batman And robin. THING
i used to tell all the. Time do you know
he kind of? Hard he, Is he's not. Nice SO
i would have to come take. Due it was down
to put him to the side and give them the
other TAL i, listen, MAN i. LISTEN i Know john
is on you like. Whatever but THEN i would also, say,
hey but. Listen if you don't get it. Tight in two,

(01:10:09):
weeks he will leave you behind like that, serious like
we will move on. Forward but come on right, now
you're The. ROBIN i love, it dog like. Listen that
was what was difficult with, me talk about. Transition HERE

(01:10:30):
i was. ROBBING i get To, DENVER i Got Al.
Wilson Al wilson influenced me a. Lot and then what
was crazy was ANOTHER nfl moment was the day THAT
i got. In Al wilson came up to. Me he,
GOES i know they brought you in here to replace.
Me he, says you ain't the first. Dude the other

(01:10:52):
three dudes are sitting in their. Lockers it's like The,
gever he. SAID i. Know he, say, listen, dog you
can ask me. Anything i'm gonna give you a. Game
i'm gonna give it all to, you he. Said but,
listen you Think i'm letting this, GO i ain't gonna
give it to you. Now and he gave me a
hug and it was, true like no, hate, no, no,

(01:11:14):
like none of that. Stuff so when he, left that
was the first time EVER i didn't have A. Batman
And i'm twenty four AND i get in the huddle
and it's ten men with mortgages and. Kids AND i
had always been used to playing will laughing and. Joking
then you had to get to play BECAUSE i knew
eighty percent a TIME i was gonna. Do that was

(01:11:35):
a big change for me as.

Speaker 2 (01:11:36):
WELL i don't think people realize when you get in that,
huddle how you got a? Command what the? Attention no
difference than the quarterback at a young twenty two to
twenty three year old, too as he gets in the hold,
on it's just, like, yo you really got to? Command you.

Speaker 1 (01:11:50):
Can't that's the. Thing you can't fake.

Speaker 2 (01:11:51):
It, no they know you scared and you fit.

Speaker 1 (01:11:54):
On you know WHAT i, Mean and it's just you
can't fake.

Speaker 2 (01:11:58):
It ain't nobody trying to go to war with quarterback
Or mike linebacker calling the defense who just saw timid and,
scared is, like all, right park, ranger, guys what's?

Speaker 1 (01:12:05):
Up ain't nobody? Power you gotta Be lynch like you,
Know lynch looked like he's selling insurance off the. Field
lynch get in. There the way them eyes, go it's,
like oh, okay it's a different. Dude.

Speaker 2 (01:12:19):
Man well, MAN, dj you were, awesome. BRO i appreciate.
YOU i knew you was gonna be a. HIT i
was telling him to. PRODUCE i was, Like, yo he's
one of my favorite. People i'm glad we got him
on the. Pod he gonna tell some great, stories bring
some great, energy and we're gonna laugh and it's just
it's just like a. Conversation SO i.

Speaker 1 (01:12:37):
Want to say one more. Thing, Yeah so earlier WHEN
i was talking about like y'all got a, RING i
got a. Ring so this is this is just the last.
Thing is a great, story, right Showing john And i's
relationship are our rookie. Year we had his house playing. Tunk,
right this is the off season of our rookie. Year
john is already talking about can't wait to win the Super.

(01:12:57):
Bowl he ain't never winning No Super, bowl shut, up,
right you know talking bet BET i do win The Super.
Bowl SO i, Said i'll bet you ten thousand dollars
you will INJURE nfl career without A Super. Bowl, Right
only one team out of thirty two teams can win
it a. Year So i'm feeling like odds are in my.
Favorite we made that bet that year that y'all came

(01:13:22):
here to win the soup to play The Super. Bowl
he got me a ticket to go to the. GAME
i didn't go to the game BECAUSE i knew y'all
was gonna. Win you remember WHAT i. Did BUT i
set up the party At. Live, oh you set that,
up SO i WAS i already knew my dog was
gonna go and win. IT i set the party up At.
LIVE i showed up To live AND i, say, HEY

(01:13:45):
i got The New Orleans saints. Here there's like how
MANY i was gonna try to. LIE i was like
fifteen to twenty forty. Guys they said eighty thousand just
to get. IN i got MY, amax SO i put it.
Down they put it all all on my. Car so
that whole, Night i'm in there trying to. Enjoy i'm
waiting for somebody to like start talking give me the money. Back.

(01:14:07):
HEY i started seeing pack the squad guys ordering more
bottles of rose and. EVERYTHING i ended up getting the money.
Back but true story was that off, season seventy five
percent of the places that y'all, WENT i. Went even
one time when we was In. VEGAS i was, like
just give me like A Super bowl hat LIKE i,
needed LIKE i, NEEDED i, NEEDED i, HAD i. HAD

(01:14:28):
i was wearing, CATS i didn't know. That so, yeah
So john got a. RING i gotta. RING i appreciate.

Speaker 2 (01:14:36):
It, Man why you ain't give me your?

Speaker 1 (01:14:38):
Ring see we didn't make.

Speaker 2 (01:14:40):
It bring it next? Time bring it next will bring
the ringing.

Speaker 1 (01:14:46):
It the, hat the hat go too.

Speaker 2 (01:14:47):
Though, no my boy Got my boy got play off
the hat that.

Speaker 1 (01:14:51):
Night see do you see What i'm? Saying the whole, sweatsuit.

Speaker 2 (01:14:58):
Let's wear Super bowl fifty. Stuff it was, fine, bro
it was, crazy but, yeah that's that's. Real Hopefully John
billmills let us hang out.

Speaker 1 (01:15:07):
Again yeah. Hopefully well, yeah just not two of us.
Alone ain't gonna? Happen, well?

Speaker 2 (01:15:13):
Y'all, yeah man for always tune in like we always. Say,
man whether if you listen to Us Apple, Podcasts iHeart
radio where you pick up your, podcast make sure you like,
subscribe leave a couple of, comments make sure you hit
that follow button as.

Speaker 1 (01:15:25):
Well, peanut get us out of.

Speaker 2 (01:15:26):
Here I'm. Peanut That's roman and that is The GREAT
Dj Williams and this is THE Nfl player's second act.

Speaker 1 (01:15:35):
Podcast We out