1-on-1: Darius Slay - March 15, 2025

Missi Matthews sits down with new Steelers Cornerback Darius Slay to discuss his relationship with Teryl Austin, Coach Tomlin, and being a mentor.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Gonna take a shot going deep down the far side
and intercepted Darius Slay shot for shot.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Fix shit Off. Explain to me why Pittsburgh made sense
for you to come.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Here in free agency.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
Just a great opportunity, man. I always talk about Mike
d a lot, well, coach Tom Blin a lot.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
He's one of the coaches I always, you know, look
forward to playing with if I got the chance to.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
I've been seeing him doing great things for this organization.
And you know, yeah, man, he and he wins, and
I'm a winner and I like being the winner. So
why not?

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Did you have any interactions with him?

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Sometimes he talks to guys on the sidelines, pregame, post game,
anything like that.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
That sticks out all the time.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
And Uh, he always is, you know, chopping up man.
He always mentioned to me off for sure. They had
a lot of respect for me.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
You said on your podcast about that though. It was
it TJ and Kim Hayward who were reaching out trying
to recruit you. Uh did any players have to reach
out this time?

Speaker 1 (00:56):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (00:57):
Not too much. A little bit by me, I know, Cam,
because we just talk a lot, you know, and he
from g you know, he was from the state of Georgia.
You know which best football at But uh, he had
UH hit me up, said, man, come on, man, you
know I come on to the Stillers. And you know
he always do that every time. So uh and I'm like, man,
that's what it might be looking like. I I wanna
come there, you know, if I I gotta. If I
get the chance to come there, I'll be there.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Who's gonna be the first Pittsburgh Steeler you have on
your podcast?

Speaker 3 (01:19):
Ooh man, if you can pack at I I mean,
I'm going straight d to the DV Room'm gonna get
a little little poorter, little Joey. Okay, see, you know,
chop it up with him a little bit to pick
his brain. Man. Uh ands and just you know, help
him all. Let him know I'm here to help him
to as well.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
How would you describe your relationship with uh, not your
new op defensive coordinator, but an old defensive coordinator now
current in Carol Austin.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
Oh Man, great man ta. Uh. You know he had
me at a young age, uh, my second year in
the league.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
You know he kind of like uh at that time
we could sider here in one of the corner gurus
cause we called him that. And with him just believe
in it and trusting me in and and let me
go out there and execute at a young age and
uh playing at a high level. Uh, you know, he
had me. I can say he has m helped me
make a lot of money in this game, even though
I know I'll put the work in. But he was always,

(02:06):
you know, on me, coaching me and making sure I'm
own the rock, my details and everything, so I don't
spend nothing less. And with him being in his building
for show, maybe feel even safer about coming.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
How would you describe him as a coach?

Speaker 3 (02:17):
Uh, great coach man. Well, detail, He's always been detailed.
Uh he suspect excellence, you know what I'm saying. So
that's what I like about him. Man, He's just a
great dude. Man, He's he's hisself every day and uh
he's not gonna change and and that's why I'm in
the same way. So he we understand each other very well.
So I'm just looking forward to getting back to work
with him.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
So do you owe him dinner now that you're in Pittsburgh?

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (02:37):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, dinner always on me. Every time I
told him that. It's never they it's never on him.
It's always on me.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
You guys cross paths with the Lions.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
As you said, Uh, Calvin Johnson, do you have any
good practice stories or just stories of going again somebody
like that.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah. Uh, that's how I got better. Uh because the
fact that you know, ta and he got there. He
made sure that, uh even on practice squad uh practice
webs when the officer got going. He made me get
some practice squad whelps with Calvin to be like imitating
like Pat pee Reeves at the time, so uh and
still being the one, you know, playing defense too, on
a number one defense. So he made sure I got

(03:12):
the great reps I need to get to prepare me
to be that kind of you know, corner for this team.
He did a great job with that. And that's how
you know I got my you know confidence, uh, my
ability to go out here and you know, compete at
a high level. Cause Calvin officuely is one of the
greatest to ever do it. So yeah, man, I c
I contribute to a lot of my sisters to hims
as well.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
You already mentioned Joey Porter Junior. Uh, just some of
the younger guys that are in the secondary when did
you become comfortable being that veteran leader who can take
guys under his wing and help them.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Like so many have helped you. Uh.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
After my guy Rashien Mathis returned, uh when I was
in Detroit, he kind of grew me and told me, uh,
you know, just gonna be your position one day as
and just helping mentor younger guys. And that's the main
thing you need to be doing. You know. I know
it's all about winning and and uh and trying to
do whatever, but it's way more exciting, way more feeling
better that didn't helping another guy be successful as well.

(04:02):
So that's why I've been taking into every team I
know went to is you know, make sure I mentor
to younger guys because you know, we're want to everybody
to be a winner, all right

Speaker 2 (04:11):
So Slight, we're just calling you, all right, assass