Cam Newton | Ep 104 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | SHOWTIME Basketball - All The Smoke

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to All the Smoke, a production of The Black
Effect and our Heart Radio and partnership with Showtime. Welcome
back to another edition of All the Smoke Stack. What's good, Baby,
Man's good? My brother. We ain't done one of these
remotes in a minute, and I wish this one in
particular wasn't the motherfucking remote. I wish we had this
dude sitting right next to us because I just want

(00:20):
to tell a little story real quick. So, and we
were getting set up before the show and I'll I
hear his cam's voice. I can't see him on the
thing yet, and one of our behind the scenes guys
just trying to get him set up, and he said,
you know, Cam, do you have any headphones you can
put on? He said, yeah, but it's sucking up my
fun sway. And then as soon as he said that,

(00:41):
he comes on the screen and I see how flying
is like this nigg is crazy. Let's get it. Yeah,
So man, welcome to the show, Cam Newton Man. We
appreciate your time, bro. My brother Man was good with
the fellas you look. Go ahead. It's a long time coming, man.
I've been on with y'all this so you know, I'm

(01:01):
an open book. You look clean, boy, I'm gonna tell
you that much. You know, like I told like I
told stack In in a in a warm up. Man,
it's just an open court lay up day. Man. It's
easy to get it. Let's get it. I mean, I
really don't get We've been blessed to have some of
the biggest and the best. I don't really get excited

(01:22):
for interviews, but I was excited for this one because
I kind of feel like I'm a football head and
fan first, and just watching your progression over your career
and who you are as a person and who you're
portrayed as in the media. I just like, we gotta
have this conversation because there's such a misconception of who
I feel I don't even personally really know you. We
didn't run across each other a couple of times, y'all.
You know Jack well, But I just feel like there's

(01:43):
a misconception of Cam Newton the man, the father, the person,
even the athlete in my opinion. So we're definitely gonna
get down to that today. I say, less man, I'm
I'm honored to even you know what I'm saying. Being
you guys, presence. Y'all real, O GS, you feel me
and I owed hes because of what y'all, what y'all
did on the court, but more so O G s

(02:05):
that y'all can go anywhere and be good and coming
from where we come from, bro, That's that's really the
biggest thing. It ain't about setting records on you know
what I'm saying in your field. It's about setting records
for the lives that you impact. And that's how I've
been from day one. And it ain't for everybody to know,
you know, but if you know, you know right well

(02:27):
can with the world. The last man year and a
half going on two years now has been up and down.
We've had the George Floyd situation, we had the police brutality,
we had the pandemic. We played a little bit of
sports in between. Where's Cam Newton at right now? First
and foremost which is most important mentally? But then how
also how is your body? Man? I think the my

(02:51):
mood for the rest of the year, and it should
be for the rest of my life, is protecting my
peace at all costs. Talked to him and you know,
being a father first, you know, being faith based, being
a business owner, and before all that, well not before
all that right there in the middle, you know what
I'm saying, at high priority, trying to be the best

(03:13):
football player that I could possibly be. It's a lot
of mental strain. And I'll be the first person to
tell you going to the psychiatric person having a person
to talk to wasn't In all cases are outlets, you know,
as a black man, you just had to deal with it.
So me having my own sees now and they come

(03:35):
in of age, seeing how they're you know, progressively coming
into their own type of distinct personalities. It forces you
to just kind of sit back and and and and
really put things into perspective. And uh man, I think now,
you know, at third or two years old, you know,
like you know, you never get to a point where

(03:56):
you just figure out life. But knowing the journey that
I'm on is just being at peace, knowing that all
you can do is all you can do, and all
you can do is enough. You said something right there, Um,
I felt like a thirty one. As you said, you
never really figure out life, but you feel like you're
starting to get a better understanding. I felt like a
thirty one at that time. I was I had been through,

(04:19):
you know, played well, been through some trouble off the core,
going through a real public uh split up, and then
it led to divorce. But I really felt like a
thirty one is when my wheels started turning. And you know,
how's an athlete, how the game starts to slow down.
I felt like life started to slow down, and I've
seen ship coming, so I can start dodging that ship
a little quicker at thirty one is. It's kind of
when I felt that. So I love to hear you

(04:40):
know that's how you're you're getting to it now because
some other fucker's never get it or they get it
a little too late, and it's gone. So oh yeah,
without a doubt. See. See the thing is for me too.
I always had an older brother, so I always moved
at a higher frequency than than my age was. See,
and that's why I'm enjoying this conversation. And we ain't

(05:01):
but three or four minutes in. But y'all, old cats,
y'all don't seeing the game. You know what I'm saying.
Even when I was chopping it up with with with
stat prior to you know, years and years and years ago,
when he was with the Bobcats. I would enjoy. I
would enjoy those type of talks because you know, whether
he knew it or not, he was putting me up
on games, showing me how to move. You know what

(05:23):
I'm saying. Everything ain't fosed to be for Instagram and
Twitter and things like that. You know what's better. What's
what's better to show it and not really have it,
or to do it and not really show people. So
that's that's, that's that's our rock and roll. Speaking to Charlotte.
Let me let me say speaking of Charlotte, man, this
this is just when I fell in love and I
knew he was my brother Matt. You know when he

(05:45):
came in, you know, it was nothing bigger than him
and me. When I was just starting to wrap, he
pulled up to my album, at least part of Matt.
It was on about ten people up for Cam Newton
was in the building and he was he was right.
But just the fact that he showed up, that's that's
that's that's that's when I knew he was one of us,
bro because it was it wasn't it wasn't what he

(06:05):
was doing, it was who he was. That that I
fell in love with man, and I always have respect
for him, and that's I always wrote for him since
that day, bro, because that man a lot. To see him,
to see him pull up on me and support me
at that time, and that's what's up. It means a lot.
You know, you can realize that. You know what I
mean is it's the little things. And I mean, since
we're telling stories, I first ran across him at the
Kid's Choice Awards and you know, the twins love football too,

(06:27):
and they've seen Kim and Kim was getting harassed and
all this ship this isn't that And with Grabman, he
was one foot already in the car. Yeah, you remember,
I was like, Kim, let me get a picture of
my boys. And he turned around and look he's like,
oh man, anything for y'all and came and the absolutely
they couldn't stop talking about this motherfucker for like three days.
Let me took a picture with Kim new you know what,

(06:49):
that ship just tickled him. And like I said, it's
the little things that go a long way. And that's
why I said to beginning, like that's kind of we
haven't really ran across each other outside of that, but
that's why, just because like that little ship right there,
being a you know how much that means to your
kids to make you need to make them happy. I
was just like, yeah, I'm excited about this. Or when
they locked you and I'm like, yo, we've been trying
to get this nigga for a long time, so let

(07:10):
me let me go and sit let me go on and
and tell my story. Right, So you know this, this
always stat right, That's always sat right. So when I
first moved it, when I first got to Charlotte, we
was on the lockout right, And this was when the
league was kind of flipped upside down, you know, NFL
p a, NFL gate, going back and forth. We don't

(07:31):
know if we're gonna have a season, so I had
a lot of downtime. I remember moving to Charlotte like
on a humbug because I had already had money from endorsements,
so I could, you know, get my I wasn't waiting
on the NFL check when I was in Charlotte for
that time, and I had round on how I ran
into stat but we got into each other's information and

(07:51):
he invited me to the crib. You know what I'm
saying me, I travel light, you feel me it's probably
me and a plus one at most. And you know,
I always kinda I don't know who I who I've been,
but I've always been comfortable in environments that that's cultured.
You feel me when I walk in man fought man, dude,

(08:14):
got you know, chef. They're just just the family ambiance
of like a cookout field. You did, and I remember,
you know what I'm saying, walking in and everybody was
just you know, playing cars, doing all the little bit too,
and just having an open conversation. And he was just
dropping jams. Then bro, like boom, man, do this and
do that, do that? Do this? When I've been in

(08:35):
Charlotte X y Z years and then boom and then
all I adn't even know he would had a spot
in Atlanta. So when we got to Atlanta. When I
got to Atlanta, I pulled up on him. Then you
know what I'm saying. And then but he didn't know
I was just I was I was really peeping him
how he moves. You know what I'm saying. Bro, he
took care of so many people and he had everybody here.

(08:57):
But the thing is this, it's a lot of dude
was that you meet and he got a lot of
yes men, and people got a lot of yes men
around him. But even everybody around him knew what they
were supposed to be doing. You know what I'm saying.
It didn't matter if it was if it was, it
wasn't no rank, it wasn't a bro. I need my
car washed, all right, Bro, I got that tomorrow, a

(09:17):
bro manny gas in the car. Man, we're about to
go out, man, then we're gonna take care of that.
It was just folks, just I was like, man, I
need that. I need that behind the scenes, you know,
perfection to make own the scenes. You know, almost worked
simultaneous and so man, man, real talk. So you know
I was I've been on you know, Stacking and his

(09:39):
whole crew, and it was just all love, you know
what I mean. And he never really you know, he
did something or or made me come like hold on, bro,
like you don't you don'ta do that? Man? Pull up
to me at the club, pull up to me here,
and pull up to me there. And they ain't too
proud to say, Man, I'm seeing everything, you know what
I'm saying. How he moved, how he you know what

(09:59):
I'm saying, When he a while you know, does he
want to be seen things like that, and a lot
of people they'd be so scared to even say that
you're a fan or I'm a fan of you, or
I'm learning from you, you know, because a lot of
dudes come into this game and they don't know how
to move. They get sloppy, you know, they don't got
dudes to be like broke all right, wind down a
little bit, bro. You you you you high right now?

(10:20):
You drunk right now? You know you ain't driving? You
know what I'm saying, Bro, your girl in here, bro
like hey like the real ship that. You know, a
lot of people, a lot of people exactly, a lot
of people don't need they too. They too professional brand
based to say, man, hold on dog like now you
too live right now? Bro, man put some cologne on.

(10:42):
You know what I'm saying, Like it's a lost art
because you know, me and Jack talk up. When we
came in the league, the league was old, so we
had our O G s. You know what I mean,
We all had O O G. You know, I have
to see Webb. Jack had his O G. So there
was always someone to help you, just like you said,
move and understand the game and peepe game from but
we almost feel like sports as a whole, but particularly

(11:03):
basketball I'm not sure about, but I'm sure football too.
It's a young man's game. The vets are still just
popping out their twenties, you know what I mean. So
it's just like you don't get that that over the
shoulder big brother love you need anymore. And that's why
you see a lot of ship, and even when you
get it, you're still gonna sunk up like we did.
But I'm just saying that get it'll help you. That's
some of the other ship as well. Experience is the

(11:26):
thing is though. These kids. But I want to say kids, man,
these young cats, man, they come into the league and
they get too prid for you know what I'm saying.
They don't they don't need recognize, Bro, how many years
this is for you? Eight fifteen, sixteen? Man? Bro, Let's
do dinner. Bro, Hey man, let's let's They're so caught

(11:48):
up into followers and bustdowns and you know things like
that that I don't even matter, you know what I'm saying.
I would always tell a dude, I'm like, bro, if
the ship get bigger than the rabbit, you gotta kill
the rabbit. Don't care what it is. It could be
a girl, it could be jury, it could be your
side hustle, it could be family, it could be whatever.
If that's if that ship get bigger than what you

(12:10):
what you're here to do, and that's to win football games,
win basketball games. Be down then when you're there, if
you can't do both at one time, Bro, you gotta
get rid of that distraction. You got to because you
gotta understand what a is before you even get to
be or see the son of Jackie and ccil Newton

(12:31):
Senior Pops played a little bit in the NFL um
brother playing the league. It's in your jeans. Talk to
me about your upbringing and what your household was like
as a child. So for me, man, I was I
was raised the right way, you know what I'm saying.
I grew up in a three parents household, my mom,
my dad, and my grandma. So the yes sirs and

(12:54):
the no sirs and no man's and yes ma'am's. That
was that still and still to me today. And uh
grew up in the church, Pentecostal church, you know what
I'm saying. So we was in church all day I'm
a preacher son. So you know, I was kind of
sheltered growing up. But all my friends came from battered households,
single parent homes, you know what I'm saying. Section eight.

(13:18):
And I gravitated to that, you know what I mean.
And it was it wasn't until I was in high
school when it when it hit me that bro, you
kind of like that chosen person because even though you know,
like being in certain situations where it's like, bro, the
average dude whet step into this type of party, this

(13:39):
type of atmosphere. But I was thinking of myself. But
I'm man, I'm with the I'm with the bros. Man,
I'm with my potners, and I'm feeling I feel so safe,
you know what I'm saying. So you know that's how
I kind of grew up like I would I wouldn't
be the person to be like man. I grew up
in the slum. Now now I grew up in a
great household. Man. And as I as I took on

(14:00):
on you know what what you may gain from the sport,
That's when I started learning like about that other side,
that the many different temptations that life has an offer.
You know what I'm saying. So yeah, you know, as
far as being a business owner, you know, my brother
runs my cigar lounge in Atlanta. I'm all about enhancing,

(14:23):
you know, my community in a positive way. I heard
you guys you know got you know coaches, uh y'all
Son's team and I gotta all start football seven or
seven team. Man. That that's my way of giving back, um,
you know. And and and really being a big brow
to these fatherless kids, you know what I'm saying. And
they don't. They don't necessarily they see respect as weakness

(14:45):
rather than as as a power, you know what I mean.
So that's really that's really what I've been on, man,
And and and trying to maximize the person cam rather
than the professional cam. And that's that's really what it is.
When did again with with with the lineage of it
kind of being in your blood, When did football or

(15:05):
sports as a whole, because I know you played everything
growing up, When did you find that love for sports? Man?
It was earlier. I started playing football at the age
of seven, and I just remember my dad, you know,
putting our our paths on. And you know, I wanted
to be everything with my dad was and still to
this day. My dad preached every single Sunday and the

(15:28):
order that he that he that he walks into the room.
You know, you just know he's somebody. You know, being
at Alpha male, you feel me like being able to
look a man in his eye and said, you know what,
bro fucked up? Bro, matter of fact, I'm gonna give
you my word. I'm gonna give you this x y
z off. My word ain't ain't come from the from
from from the background where you gotta man, shake on it, man,

(15:48):
shake on it, shake on it. If you give a
person your word, that's what it is. And that's if
I say, I'm stand on it, stand on it. Hell
of high water, Bro'll be able to say when you
made a mistake. So that's what it is. Shout out
o g cecil man. Uh who are you watching close

(16:09):
to the NFL when he was growing up? Who? Man,
I'm from Atlanta, so you already know Michael Vick. Hey,
I knew the answer to that, like real talks like
Michael Vick and still is you know what I'm saying,
Like here a person that paved the way for so
many others like me. You know, I can't forget about
events young can't forget about Steve McNair, Donovan McNabb uh,

(16:35):
Aaron Brooks, Dante. You know what I'm saying. So so
all them folks is warm moon, you know what I mean.
All the folks really gave me an opportunity, you know,
to be me. So now when I'm looking at the Lamars, now,
when I'm looking at De Shaun's, now I'm looking at
the Patrick Mahomes and the Russell Wilson's and you know

(16:56):
that Kylin Murray's and and cats. That's really out here
doing it. Man. It ain't no hate. There never be
no hate. Man. It's just like man, the boys doing
it and they're making me better because the game is
a young man's game. But you still got attributes that
you know. The father Tom can only teach you by
going through certain situations. So there it is. I can

(17:18):
said of Mike Vick as the AI novice of the NFL,
that's how I look at him. Well, he I showed
us about how we can be and how we and
we don't have to change to be we all we
all we gotta do is to take care of our
business and we still can be accepted. You know what
I'm saying, I think Mike Vick is the same as
the NFL version of AI to me, describe, describe your
describe your whop background though, because you know, we got

(17:40):
to talk about this, you know, last every time we
talked about basketball, you you know, claim your baby braun
and all this stuff. Baby honest, baby honest. But you
know what I mean. But now now, so the bunch
to school and the Ana by way of west Lake

(18:02):
and west Lake is a basketball school. Man, I probably
can count on one hand. We probably lost with three
games my whole high school career, you know what I'm saying.
And one of them, one of them games was it
was a state championship. We went thirty two and o
my junior year. That was my last complete season because
I graduated early. My last complete season. Uh and uh

(18:24):
we lost in the state championship. So we went thirty
two on one that year and got don't got nothing
to show for it but average your average, Come on, man,
you know about six points, you know. But I made
him look great though, But we didn't talk about stats though.

(18:45):
You know, yes, I'm a competitor, bro. You know, we
had it. We had a really legit team. You know
what I'm saying. So we got kids that was had
a guy, uh six or eleven, he went to Maryland.
Another kid another guy at six seven went to Georgia. Uh.

(19:07):
And we just had slashers and then and then and
then high school. If you gotta slash or some ball
control guys that can get to the cup, man, that's
what that's what. That's what we was doing. You know
what I'm saying. But I'm not going to be these
dudes that be like bro average thirty two double double. Nah. Bro,
I knew I was going to play football. Bro, you know,
I mean it is what it is like, y'all can

(19:29):
have this. I could play defense, you feel me. But
talk to us about I mean, obviously if you played
baseball as well, but you excelled in football, Um, and
talk to us what your high school experience was like
in football? Man? It was everything. It was everything. I
was one of them knucklehead kids. Maybe he was having
a conversation last last night with my production company and

(19:50):
just talking about high school, like, Bro, I don't know
like how I graduated early. I don't even know how
I managed to get out of high school because I
was just so immature. Bro, you know what I mean,
And I feel I adn't believe fat meat was greazy dog.
And I was always I was always pushing everything to
the limit. You know what I'm saying, Cam skipping school,

(20:12):
going to McDonald's, going to Saxby's, just going just in trouble,
just the stupid stuff. But man, I had a great
supporting cast, the people who believed in me as teachers
and people of power that that just thought the world
of me to tell me, you know, what I needed
to do and how I needed to move. And you
know one thing about me in school and I was

(20:33):
talking to my daughter about this. It didn't matter what
the subject was. It didn't matter what the the the
the situation was if the person that was teaching the
subject was cool with me and understood how to teach me.
It could be it could have been hooked on phonics,
it could have been scientology, it could have been science,
it could it could have been anything. But to be

(20:54):
able to really understand and say, you know what, Bro,
this how we're gonna do it. This is how I'm
a teacher. And it's still like that's still in coaching,
as y'all can know. You know, some of your best coaches.
They probably didn't know, you know, the philosophical things about
the game, but they got the most out of you
because they knew how to to to relate to you.
As a matter of fact, it's huge. I mean, that's

(21:15):
what I say. That is the most important thing that
I mean transferred into coaching now it's not so much
about X and it's about relating. Because it's such a
young man's game. You gotta be able to relate to
these younger kids, and particularly basketball. That's why you're seeing
some of these young former players now getting head coach
head coaching jobs and they're black, so it's just like
they understand it like that. You've gotta be able to
relate to these dudes. That's the most important thing. Can

(21:35):
you can you captivate their minds and then taking them
where you're trying to get them to go. Not let
me ask you all this though, do you think with
you know, I think was about eight to twelve, uh,
around that range of head coaches that you know that
got head coaching jobs that that were minorities, do you
think it's the best move you know, not necessarily for

(21:58):
the culture, but you know, the best move for these
organizations moving forward, because it is at the end of
the day, it still comes down to wins and losses.
Do you think these coaches can win basketball games? I
think it's dope with some of them because some of
them have enough experience, you know, like Johnson and j Kid.
Those guys are well respected. So a lot of these players,
especially players that I know of the players like me,

(22:19):
I take heed to what they're saying because they've actually
been in those walls. They actually know what it takes
to to be great, So you know, it's different. But
then you got coaches that, you know, minority coaches that
are students, are the game. You know that that could
actually teach players, you know what I mean. So it's
it's just good to see guys that's been around the game,
that played the game get a chance to leave these teams.

(22:41):
You know. I agree. I think it's important just to
have representation. Like you said, at the end of the day,
it's about wins and losses. But you're never gonna know
unless you give them a try. The NBA has been
known for recycling and and I say this with the
utmost respect, old white coaches they get recycled. They go
one way, burned out, go to another place, burn it out,
go somewhere else, burn it out, and not really give

(23:02):
black coaches opportunities. But in the past, when they did
give black coaches opportunity would be on a really bad team.
So you're already on the leash, you know what I mean.
So now I think the tide is starting to change.
And what I think is dope about it too, is
because you gotta think they're not there. In the past,
it wasn't very many black head coaches, but there's always
black assistance and then black assistance. It's probably the same
thing in football. Go talk to Kim Strip and go

(23:23):
talk to Stacky's trip. I mean, so, like I said,
that goes back to being be able to relate to
the players. So when these people move a couple of
seats up to that head job, like Jack said, we
gotta understand and fill them out. But at the same time,
I no, I'm gonna run through a wall for motherfucker
like that, because he gets me and he's been here,
so you're gonna give it you all. So I think
that's why I mean, I think that's it's great. I
want to say there's thirteen uh, Black coaches down when

(23:47):
they hired seven this season, and six were assistants. So,
like I said, it's just like they they were the
cool assistant coach. Now they're getting a chance to really
show what they know. So I think that's dope. But
you also got to understand too, for these players that's
coming out man the nineteen. You know what I'm saying.
So if I'm if I'm a franchise owner, I'm gonna

(24:09):
try to say, Man, I'm about to draft a kid
he ain't He can't even go to a club legally.
You know what I'm saying. I need somebody that's gonna
be that father figure that tells him, that can relate
to him, knowing what kind of background he came from.
You know what I'm saying. To assign certain people to
to see like a bro. You know, the dude that
you're hanging around with, Bro, you know what I mean,

(24:29):
let me talk to him. You know what I mean,
Let me let me see if he got your best
interests or not. Because you know, if you get a guy,
if you get a culture guy to buy into you, bro, Man,
that type of loyalty different, you know what I'm saying.
And still still to this day as people man that
didn't look like me that I owe you know, everything,

(24:49):
and the bag of chips because they gave they gave
me a chance. They said, look look at this, let
me show you this, let me put you up on this.
You know what I'm saying, And uh, I tell the
Story's funny. Man. One of my mentors, you know, Tim Jackson,
and he was at Alburn with me and he took
me to my first steakhouse, right, and I just remember then,

(25:12):
you know, a Caucasian guy coming into this time of
my life where my trust was battered. You know, I
had went to Florida, things that work out there. I
went to junior college. Things worked out there to put
me to propel me back to that main stream. And
Tim was a person that I could talk to about life,
not just football. And when he gained my trust, he

(25:33):
protected me like nobody's business, you know what I'm saying.
And it was like damn. Like usually we're like we're
going through a times where it's like, man, racism is
is every single day, But every every white person not racist.
You know what I'm saying. Every black dude ain't no gangster.
Every dude with long hair. You know what I'm saying
in the grill. That don't mean that he's uneducated either,

(25:54):
you know, that's just where he's coming from. So I
just I just remember, Man, I was like a like
like a lying in the damn in the projects, you know,
like damn, like what the hell I supposed to get?
He took me to boarding steakhouse in l A And uh,
I was out there doing a Jay Leno show because
I had just won the Hidsman. And I was so
embarrassed because I was like, Man, I thought Longhorn was

(26:18):
the premium steakhouse. You know what I'm saying. Like Red
Lots was like, Man, when we went to Red Lots
as a family, man, it was some type of man.
My dad just got a promotion of something. You know
what I mean, I ain't know, And you know, I
was embarrassed. So he was like, man, I ordered for you. Man.
Let him get the wedge sallette, let him get the
petite steak. And that was the first time I started

(26:39):
seeing food come out all the cart like, Man, let
me get this side of it. I said, let me
try the same macaroni. He's like, no, sir, you know
it comes out of cart y'all can kind of share.
Oh okay, well you know, well I let y'all pick
the size. You know, they ain't teach me that. Ain't
know Brenham, Texas unfortunately now or they didn't teach you

(27:01):
that in college park E and so you know what
I'm saying. I'm just a product of Atlanta, Georgia. That's
just out here, just just learning as I go. Yeah, yeah, hey, hey,
while we talking about high school football. You know, you
know my brother, my brother Matt, was All American football
players foot. I'm just pitching. I'm just pitching Cam Newton

(27:21):
pass to map for six man. That that would have
been a nice look right there. It would have been
over that easy money, over size, that size, it can move.
I killed my senior I ran a four three nine,
had twenty eight testnowils, let the nation and touchdowns First
team All Americans. Yeah, I was. I was recruited. I

(27:42):
could have went anywhere for football. I just chose longevity
basketball because I I my senior year I had turf
toe when I had to get surgery going into college,
so I knew I wasn't gonna play football. Actually went
out fro football UC going into my junior year and
basketball staff kind of blackballed me on some bullshit. But
that's why I said, I love football to death. So
I couldn't imagine I had a little white quarterback that
just do it wherever I needed. But I couldn't imagine

(28:04):
have a player. I think it run because my favorite
thing was blocking. I love to come back and then
peel back blocks that they don't see me coming and
just motherfucking clean. They my favorite ship. So that would
have been fun. So very decorated high school career for you.
Five star recruit coming out of high school? What led
you to Florida? Which we were part of the number
one recruiting class in two thousand seven? Oh man, while

(28:27):
you know, I remember sitting down in the in the
in the and the coach's office with Urban Meyer, and
you know he had all the bells and whistles. I
mean this. We we coached Alex Smith, number one, you know,
players selected. You know, we at Florida now where we're
doing big things. We just had the number one recruiting

(28:48):
class and Percy harv and Brandon Spikes, Tim Tebow, Brandon
James and then we're gonna follow it up with another.
You know we had. You know, this is really like
a thirty for thirty on the load that I've been
trying to work on for years. But you know, our
recruiting class maybe the best. And I'm not just capping
when I'm saying that. Come and say some names the

(29:09):
pounce you twins. You got Joe Hayden, you got myself,
you got Aaron Hernandez, you got um Deonte Thompson, you
got major right, you got you know, Carlos dunlap Um,
Chucks Man. We had so many, so many, but Chris Rainey,

(29:29):
so many players, am I Black? That was just you're
seeing this talent every single day, and all we wanted
to do was compete and play for championships. At that
particular point of time, they had the thing in sports
like Sports Illustrated, like Title Town USA, and boy, it
was like you at the US. That was when USC
was still usc UM and then obviously Florida was like

(29:53):
the East Coast version of the USC. It was like, broh,
you come here, you already know the plan is three
years and you out and Chucks, I feel like that
gave me the best ability. But you know, uh, Tim
Tebow is everything as advertised and song, and I just
I could say that I set the bench behind the
Hisman Trophy winner and probably arguably one of the best,

(30:15):
if not the best, of some people's eyes, the best
college football player that ever, you know, lays it up
being the competitor you are. Obviously you're sitting back and learning.
But how hard was it knowing that you could, you know,
knowing your capabilities of what you're capable of, but just

(30:37):
to sit back and have to take that? Man, I
think you guys won the championship that that year, right
or the next year? It was, Yeah, it was that year.
How hard is that in the for the competitor in you. Yeah,
So while I was at Florida my first day on campus,
really my second day on campus, they had won the
national championship. So right before I even took an enrolled

(30:59):
in any class, says, you know, they was already winning
the championship. That was Tim Tebow's freshman year, and then
they followed it up with a basketball championship, and he
was winning so many national championships softball and all that.
It was just like what where else, you know what
I'm saying. So, you know, me seeing that every single day,

(31:20):
it kind of hit my hit my um, you know,
my mental because it's like, bro, am I am I bad?
Or am I not? Just playing? And it just takes
a lot of life to to to to live through
because I was really hope. I was in a situation
where I was hoping. That's not not Let me not
be misquoted when I say this. I was in a

(31:41):
situation where somebody had to get injured in order for
me to play, and I would I hated that. I
hated that because I know I had backups. You know
what I'm saying. That was that that backed me up.
I wouldn't want them anything. And I want, you know,
cam the sprainers ankle so I could get an opportunity.
I want everybody to shine, you know what I'm And
so for me, it was it wasn't a good fit

(32:02):
for me. And even then, we still had a five
star recruit that was it was myself, we at one point.
At one point it was Tim Tebow myself. I was
a five star recruit coming out of Atlanta. You had
John Brantley, who was a five star recruit out of Florida.
He was Gatorade Player of the Year. And then we
had the number one junior college quarterback. Uh you know

(32:25):
at that time too, So it was like bro, it
was talent galore. So it just didn't work out. So
I'm fine with that. So you know, I just went
to junior college and you know, I had to really
boss up and ask myself, is this something that you
really want to do? And you know, being alienated from
my family for a year, it really grew like I

(32:49):
really grew into the man that I am today because
it's like being by myself. I'm more comfortable now like
when I was when I was when I was a
young jit running around Florida. Man, we all always ran
it clicks. We all it was the old seven Boys,
you know what I'm saying, Like somebody was always gonna
be with somebody, you know what I mean. Which wasn't
a bad thing though, you know, but yet you know

(33:10):
when you when you when you step away from that
and you find your own piece, your own solitude and
becoming the person that you are, finding ways to get
yourself going and motivating yourself. You know, that's what happened
when I wanted to playing. So I I really came
down with with with a whole another culture from with
a lucky ki you know what I mean, you know, uh,

(33:34):
chopped up not slopped up. It was like it was
like I was going into a third world country. But
I'm like, man, why a y'all listening to all the
slow music? Man? And they got all these crazy old
school old smobiles and catillacts with these big elbows and
pabo Oh my god. Man. It was just a culture
shock for me. But man, I loved it though. Man,

(33:55):
there was some genuine people man that I got. Love
for pray We would check we would check out Pray Off.
You will go down and check out the Texas relays
in Austin. Man, we will go in in Houston, a
college station all that. Man. So you know I'm very
equipped with with with my Texas culture. Man. And uh
you know that made me who I am? Did y'all
going to When he was playing and Juico I lost

(34:17):
one game on Halloween? You never forget it, never forget it.
And then you know the thing is, when we lost
that game, I ain't never still to this day man,
people just think about you know, me soaking and you know,
being a soul losing thing. I ain't never been cool
with losing. You know what I'm saying, because I went
I won everywhere that I went, going back to red ball,

(34:39):
you know, I just told you. In high school, you know,
we went to the state championship. You know, even in college.
You know, when I was at Florida, Man, we just
win and win and winning. Did I go to junior
college where we was undefeated at the time. We played
in the Boro Junior College and we lost on Halloween
and they ain't talk to nobody, no a lot for
a whole week. They thought I was like, they thought
I was crazy, Like man, Bro, what can at? Bro

(35:00):
came in his room Donna talk to me, and I
told him I was like, Bro, I don't do good
with with losing. We played that team two weeks after that,
just how the dream our season was over after that year,
they we played them in the first round of the playoffs,
beat the ship out of and then we end up
winning the national championship and junior college. So you know,
we was we was We was laced, man, We was laced. Um.

(35:22):
I want to back up real quick, because you said
an interesting name. Me being a huge football fan. Obviously,
I was a fan of Aaron Hernandez the player and
and and and how physically dominant and just a dog
he was on the field. Did him being a part
of your recruiting class, did you ever? What was he
like as a person and as a teammate and the
energy he brought to that field every day? Man, Chico

(35:44):
was was a monster. But for everybody don Chico. They know,
like he's very goofy, outgoing, you know what I'm saying,
human being loving. So when when the situation happened with him,
it was like damn, Like what huh? You know? But
it just goes to show you, like when you go
into this next step of your life. I'm telling you

(36:04):
all these things, but one thing that I'm not telling you.
I was broke as hell and in junior college. I
was broke as hell in college. I was broke as
hell in high school. You know what I'm saying. But
now when you go to the league, when you got money,
Oh man, that's a whole different monster that takes place.
You feel me. No, it's not even in your vocabulary.
It's like, let me get that chain. No it's too expensive, man, Please,

(36:27):
how much it costs fitted thousand quarter meal? Five d
I'm willing to pay for it. You feel me, I
want this call boom, No, you can't have that. It's
out of your man. Look, man, I'm paying whatever for
you feel me. I gotta be the first one to
have it. So, Man, you know, I don't know the
situation off top, but I could guarantee you it's just like, man,
when when you look at the situation and you kind
of dissected for what it is. It's just like, Man,

(36:49):
he just got with a bad with a bad group
of guys that didn't tell him Like no, bro, like
we're not doing that. You know what I'm saying. I'm
not gonna condone you moving in this type of manner, bro.
So it is what it is. Yeah, So you go
to junior college, UM, and then head off to Auburn.
Obviously with a chip on your shoulder. You know you're
back on the D one circuit. Uh. That two thousand

(37:11):
ten season could go down to history is arguably one
of the greatest seasons. Uh for anybody. You swept the awards,
you won the highest men, you win the national championship.
Talk to me with that jump back into D one
was like after having to kind of almost humble yourself
going to junior college and then now you're back on
the biggest stage again. See, it was worse for me

(37:31):
mentally because I had a taste of what Division one
football offer, you know what I'm saying. See a lot
of guys they go straight from high school to dream college.
So it's like a little step before the big step.
See It's almost like I took the biggest step and
then missed the step and failed and then had to
come back up. You know, I knew what the Nike

(37:52):
sponsorships was. I knew what you know, having your books
already outside it. You know what I'm saying, study Hall,
going to study Hall, you know, things like that. So
you know I was almost like the O G and
JUCO because I would be you know, story time. You know. Man,
let me tell you what this was like. You know
what I'm saying. Man, We played l S shoot man. Man,
we played in front of ninety thousand, a hundred thousand,

(38:14):
none of that, And like all my teammates are just
like man for real, man, How tmto was? Man? How
pursase Harvard was? How are that isn't on the for
so man? That that got me through, But that kipt
having that vision and having that dream was the main
reason that propelled me back to where I needed to be.
What it what it would it would have refined mind too,

(38:35):
because if I would have had the starting that I
did have at all ver in that Florida, I probably
wouldn't even be in this position going into eleven years
in the NFL because I wouldn't have respected it. I
didn't know how to move. I don't know how to
just you know what I'm saying, walk down the hill
rather than run down the hill. You feel me, and

(38:56):
you know my thing was just man, I just you know,
take it to I'm I'm a bus man, so I'm
an work hard and I'm I'm gonna get everything that's
old to me. You feel me, And that's how That's
how I was rocking. Markeis Dames with the Auburn and
uh and he brought me to a game when Cam
was there. I mean, bro, that was the excitement and

(39:17):
the energy in that stadium. Bro, Oh my god, war
eagle and that and that big eagle flowed around, that
big eagle fall around. Man, I'm talking about the food
was so good. I'm like, that was That's when I
fell in love with college football. I can't lie. You
know what would you blow? I was super blow there,
you know, super blow. I was super blow there. Hey.

(39:40):
But my cousin Marca Spiser played the l s U
and I never got a chance to see him play.
He won. That's a championship. But when that at that time,
when I got a chance to go see Cam play
at Auburn, Bro, I fell in love with college football.
Was nothing like it, Bro, nothing like it, man sid man,
he look man. So members of my production team, we
guy uh, two members that that went to HBC US.

(40:04):
My brother went to Two of my brothers went to HBC.
My younger brother he's at albur now, but he started
at Howard right. And then my older brother went to
Tennessee State University of t s U. You know, not
to be you know, uh mentioned with the t s
U Texas State. But um, you know telling everybody, Bro,

(40:26):
the passion that you get from sec vibe college football
is unmatched. I think the only thing that the only
thing that's comparable to it is playoff football in the NFL.
You know, but that that man, we would see, we
would see you know, the the campuses get packed on

(40:48):
Wednesdays and you know the vibe when you when you're
around like a special season. And I remember that season, bro,
I just couldn't do no wrong, you know what I mean?
It was just like, man, we was winning every game.
We was I don't know whether we were living right.
The guy was just on our side that you know,
that particular year because you know, you will go to
class and that's when my life was changing. Like I'm

(41:09):
signing autographs. It's just like, man, how many touchdowns this
can gonna win? Well, however many he has, However many
touchdowns he has, that's that's gonna be the point curve
for the for the test. So it's like like y'all
putting pressure on me in class. Not only that though,
you know what I'm saying. So you know, seeing that
the fans outpour, you know, at that point you're not

(41:30):
even though college athlete, you're not an amateur athlete no more.
So it's kind of dope to see that the n
C double a pass that rule for the kids to
start making money because you're not. You're not viewed as
an amateur no more. You know, what you do at
these clubs, what you do at these restaurants, what you
do at you know, these different places is gonna be
held up on ESPN, you know, not just your local news.

(41:53):
You know what I'm saying. And the money that they
make on a given Saturday for college football, man, come
on crazy. They don't they don't even speak. They don't
say hi, hello, bye, What are you go? What you got? Yeah, Jack,
you got a little taste of at that one game,
But there's nothing that cam you can speak to. Just

(42:14):
that energy around campus during the season it's just electric,
you know, especially when you got a big game coming up, bro,
Like you can't wait to you know, I didn't even
like going to class, but you know in big game weeks,
I motherfucker class early just because the energy the girls
around the sun is out, like it's like, you know
what's going down? And then what tops football? Office football?
You mean, Jack? You know our biggest crowd is twenty thousand.

(42:35):
If that these motherfuckers a hundred thousand motherfucking people screaming
like a second right outside another another, tell them hundreds
of thousands out southside thing for us, it'd be like
the Tiger walk. I mean, your ears just blaring. It's

(42:57):
just like folks can touch you, they can scream, that
can all they can root. They can do all this
pure and it's pure. Man. Come on, man, like so
for me and my for me and who I am today. Man,
that's what I'd be telling these kids that's fifteen, sixteen,
and seventeen that's in high school now. It's like the
thing that I'm able to get through to them is like, Bro,

(43:19):
my heart is pure. I need nothing from you, nor
do I want nothing from you. All I want you
to do is do exactly what I'm doing. When you
get into my position. I don't I'd under reached out
to reach the tops. You know what I'm saying. I
didn't see what college football has offer exactly. You know
what I'm saying. So you know when these kids and
they live in their lives and you know, they defile started.

(43:41):
I've been there, done that, you know what I'm saying,
and got the soda and all that. You know what
I'm saying, I didn't I didn't see the woman. I
didn't seen you know what I'm saying that the sponsorships
and things like that, those back room meetings and this
that and the third Like, I didn't did all that. Bro,
Let me show you how to move and maneuver you
feel me, because you know you're gonna look like the
dumb ass if you get caught your feeling. So man,

(44:04):
that's that's how I'm able to kind of get through
these kids and tell them, like, look, bro, this is
how you go about your situation. You know, these are
the questions that you ask your coaches because in some
way shape for him. But to be honest with you,
I wasn't even really supposed to go to Florida looking
back at it, because of of of Tebow's dominance. But
you know, my my mental is, like, man, I I'm

(44:27):
a competitor. I'm gonna compete with anybody. It's just a
little different when you know it's like, but that's Tim Tebow, bro,
Like it ain't no bad. I wasn't listening and none
of that, you know what I mean. I would have
went to a situation that I could have you know,
competed whatever. But it all worked out. Though, it all
worked out, So I'm not. I'm not I'm not. I'm
not mad at the situation. It's just it is what

(44:48):
it is. Yeah, I mean you mentioned something interesting too.
With the kind of success you had in college, can
you imagine having being able to pay for your likeness
back then, they said, oh boy, at Alabama, it is
already copied like a million dollars already in the motherfucking
school season hasn't even started. Can you imagine what kind
of money you would have been playing with as an
eighteen nineteen year old in college? Come on, man, come

(45:10):
on this? Well what man? I don't even want to
think about. But I'm I'm glad I did it because
it's gonna be dangerous man, having ten thousand dollars to
splurge with in college, let alone. You know what I'm saying,

(45:34):
just all for the wrong reason, bra. In college, Man,
my thing was, Bro, I just need I need decoration.
We all know what decoration is. I need a gaming system,
a big gass TV, and snacks in my refrigerator. Fool,
That's all I needed in college, you know what I'm saying.
And I stayed out of trouble, you feel me. I
invite some decoration, over vite teammates over man, move and

(45:59):
maneuver like that, bro, And that was that was all
I needed. And I work out and train, you feel me.
I wasn't trying to be on the scene like that
still to this. They ain't trying to be on the scene. Now,
I've never been that. You ain't never been that guy. Yeah,
that's what I say. That's still that's still the vibe.
That was my vibe in the league, You know what
I mean? Man, beat in the l A. You see
a lot once you kind of get to understand, Like,

(46:20):
all I need is everything you're explaining. Four friends, Give
me some weed, give me some women, give me the homies,
some music, all that, man, I tell I tell them folks, Bro,
I don't play no away games. Bro, I play all
home games. Everything coming to me. I could control it.
I could control the how I need to control. Man,
you were taking phones, we're taking all that. And if

(46:43):
I trust you, whoever you come by, that's who responsible
for you. Hey, bro, Like that's your partner. Do you
get them before I get them? Or I have somebody
to get him. You did what I'm saying, and that's
just the respect. So you know, you know, having that
type of mentality and keep you out of trouble more
was so, Man, you gotta go over here. Somebody that
stepped on your shoe. Now you gotta feel obligated to,

(47:04):
you know, go about respect only like, none of that
broke wrong, energy wrong, and we ain't doing that, man,
we ain't doing that. So all the hard work in
the grind, opportunity met preparation. Two thousand and eleven, you're
the number one pick for the Carolina Panthers. What's your
mindset at that point? Winning? And I came off a high, bro,

(47:31):
I came off outside for two years. You gotta think,
only lost one game, and I was that the Borrow
Junior College. So I was I was winning everything I couldn't.
I mean, I'm just like, no, look shots, everything, everything
going in, you know, and then I go I get
drafted by the Carolina Panthers. There was two and fourteen
prior to me, you know, meet me coming, and I

(47:51):
was I didn't know how to cope with losing. I'm like, damn,
Like my first game, you know, I threw for a
four two and that's a record, and I'm man, but
we lost though, you know what I mean, I'm like, man,
funk this that I came to win? Bro, I can't win.
So you know, I ain't never really played this game
for statistics or or personal game, but it was it

(48:12):
was just all about the grind and the journey about
how can we you know, synchronize eleven men to do
the common goal, and that's to go out and play
for each other? And you already know I ain't. I
only had a number of guys that really had like that,
that that hood kind of dog vibe, like, bro, man,
fuck these motherfucker's we're about to go with that. I

(48:35):
don't given who you know, you know that mentality you did,
but they got it, you know what I'm saying. So
it's like, you know, you already know if you go
out on Friday, you're gonna be there on Saturday on time.
You know you ain't gonna be one of these high
risk guys like, oh my god, man, what's stack at Man?
What what mad at Man? What? What can I ain't
never been one of those dudes. I'm always have a

(48:55):
good time, but if the ship got bigger than the rabbit,
then I gotta kill all that. You know. I always
had people that hold me accountable, even in the locker
room that was just like, bro, come on, uh, you
know what I'm saying. When Coach asked certain questions, Bro,
you better be sharp and being especially the position that
I played, you know, I gotta move a little bit
more different because my competition, you know, it ain't necessarily

(49:17):
you know, the Julio's and the Old Deal's. My competition
is the Bradies, the Aaron Rodgers, you know what I'm saying,
the cerebral guys that you know, where I feel comfortable
in the setting is of being that they not they
are cringing, you know what I mean, They'd be like, no, no,
you know, they clinched their wallets of their persons, you
feel me. But for me, it's just like, no, these

(49:37):
my people. You know. So even even that still to
this day, but that still keeps me, you know, kind
of dialed into being professional and knowing that you know
what I am or what I represent, because you know,
if you're not performing on Sundays, should you could be
the realist motherfucker out there, but you're gonna be unemployed. Facts.

(49:58):
What was your welcome to the n Fell moment? Mm
hmm on the field? Off the field where it comes
to mind? Uh, the Rickie the Ricky party happened in
the latter part of the season. But but the access,

(50:21):
the access, it was like, you know, having all these
celebrity crushes and then all of a sudden and you
want party away from brushing shoulder? Was it these brothers?
And I'm black man, I'm a dude from the South, Bro,
I'm you know what I mean. I don't know how
to act. Bro, you feel me like you put me

(50:41):
in the room with the with these Oh I got
to holl I got to say something. Ain't never been
a dude about my tongue, and you know what I mean?
And I already knew how to move and maneuvers something.
I'm knocking down this third. Ain't nobody even knowing it,
you know what I mean. I'm like, they still don't
know and I don't know. Yeah, I'm like, man, I'm

(51:03):
a roach in these streets. Bro. I'm all but but
you know they start whispering, They start whispering. Is that
is that camp over there? It can't be. What are
you doing in here? That's that's all we knowing how
to move though? Straight up? Yeah? Yeah, And then I'll
be around so many dudes. Man, obviously you guys know

(51:25):
it's some corny as dudes out here, bro, And they
make it so easy. They make it so easy for
because it's like, bro, dudes don't even know how to
get they don't even got game no more. You know,
they don't know how to talk to women. You know,
it's crazy, but you said that because it makes it
so easy for so that really knows what he's doing
to do what he does so easy. And it's it's

(51:46):
almost like it's like you know when you when you
step into a situation, and then they step into a situation.
It's just like, but you take all the money away.
You can take the rolex, you could take the rings,
you can take the hat. You can still you can
put us all in the room with some blue jeans,
and I'm gonna still stick out, you know, because my
intellect and you know a lot of people are always

(52:08):
you know, looking at the outer source of it. It's like, man,
Cam got long hair, you know what I'm saying, kind
of rowdy, a little bit out of that out, But
in retrospect, man, I'm a glass of you know, you
know what I'm saying, A stogie away from really setting
a vibe that can't be matched, you know what I'm saying, Like,
supply everything else and you get the mind and the

(52:31):
body will follow you. Already. Well, I used to tell
them all the time, and it ain't what you got
on is who got it on? If you think what
I'm saying it ain't. Yeah, that's not like some Dion
saying this ship because I used to rock still to
this day, work is just straight white tease. Do whatever?

(52:52):
Already know? Hey, So what was the transition you spoke
to it a little bit, but your transition from having
a lifetime of winning coming to a team that obviously
they picked you number one because they weren't a good team.
So how was that trying to as a young player,
Heisman winner, top pick? Did you follow us veterans leads?

(53:13):
Was a year lead? How did you slowly but surely
start changing the locker room and then start changing the
mindset of making this Okay, we're about to be a
winning team. Yeah, but it's a process. It's a process,
you know what I'm saying. So you you just gotta
believe in it. You gotta believe in the in the
in the front office people that they're gonna put the

(53:33):
right talent around you so that you can thrive. And
just because it's talent, that doesn't mean that's that's the
right pick. And you you guys know, man, I think
the most overlooked thing in sports, is is can certain
people mesh with each other puzzle pieces? Because it's like

(53:55):
you can have Lebron, Kobe m J and whoever on
the same team and on paper they're supposed to win,
but in the locker room they're beefing. You know what
I'm saying, it the chemistry is off, the harmonies off,
So you know, it's it's it's guys in a in
the front office that gotta believe in your talents and

(54:17):
believe or have the visual to put you in a
situation that you're gonna thrive the most man. And it
was just all a matter of time. You know. I
was lucky enough to to come on a team that
had the John Beason's, the Thomas davis Is, the Jordan
gross Is, the Steve Smith's and guys like that, and
it was a lot of dysfunctional things that was going on,
and to like, you know, they didn't know how to win. Hell,

(54:39):
I didn't even know how to win, you know what
I'm saying. Going into the NFL, because that's a different
type of game, you just can't you just can't put
your head down and just we're gonna, we're gonna, We're
gonna bullyball you to death, because the game is still
all about adjustments, you know, So it's just learning how
to maneuver uh different type of of of of different things,
and and and that's it's just trying to win football games.

(55:02):
So your third season twelve and four, you take your
team to your first NFL playoffs. Experience talked us a
little bit about that season and then what it was
like actually being in your first NFL playoffs. That wasn't
that probably wasn't professionally, that wasn't my most talented team,
but that was the best team that I was on
to that day. We had veterans, we had young guys

(55:23):
that got it. We had the middle of the role
guys that was playing out of the wazoo because they
understood their role. And it's just like everything else in life.
It's like when you got a business, you know, you
need guys that are great people to to to to
run a business, you know, in order for you to
thrive as a person. I touched on it earlier with

(55:43):
with with Jack and his crew, like you need great
people to make you look good you feel, I'm saying,
And even in the even in the UH, in the UH,
in the team setting. You need great people to make
your your challenge thrive the most. You know, for me
to be as as talented as I am, I would
have been nothing if I didn't have the Steve Smith's
to the Kelvin Benjamin's or the Devin Funches or the

(56:05):
you know, the Philly Browns to be able to go
out and catch it and Ted who just recently retired. Man,
that's my dog, folks. That that that really got it man,
And to make you look good, you could throw a spiral,
a perfect you know, dime and it's drop. Or you
could throw a shipped up in its coat. You know
what I'm saying. A touchdown, it's still a touchdown, you
feel me. So it's a it's a lot of hands

(56:26):
on deck. Man. That that really comes into a place.
You know when when you're talking about putting a winning
product out there. I remember this because obviously I'm a
Niner fan. You guys go into that season with your
first playoff experience, like you guys, you know, fall to
the Niners, but you're starting to see that work in
that progress starting to pay off. You're there. You gotta

(56:46):
taste of it, although you lost it prepared you for
what was coming after. Yeah. Man, that was a great team.
You know, I think uh I was ted on that Ted.
You had Ted, you had crab Tree, you had the
v Navarl Bowman, Patrick Willis, Oh my goodness. And that

(57:07):
defense was was was vicious. You know, Uh shucks. They
had uh the Smith brothers at ud tackle. You had
the other the other Smith Um the he got drafted
my year. That's coming off the edge you had. Man,
they had a powerhouse. But you know, you just live

(57:29):
and you learn. Man. You know, you gotta go about
it making adjustments, doing the proper things. And then with
me going through with witnessing and like a playoff vibe,
you know, you realize like, oh, this ship a different
Every snap is meaningful. There ain't no bad possessions because
that's what makes football, you know, playoff football, playoff football.

(57:49):
And you know, na, my faults, my bad. You can
keep that ship. You can keep it. So two thousand fifteen, uh,
your magical m VP season fifteen and one thirty five touchdowns,
ten picks, uh, three hundred three thousand, eight hundred thirty
seven yards. Did you feel like that's when you finally

(58:10):
started to click as a person mentally and as a
player on the field. Yeah, I did. I did for
multiple reasons more than one. Because if you go back
to that season in training camp, um, we lost our
number one receiver. That was Benji. He had towards a
c L. We had a joint practice with Miami and

(58:32):
he towards a c L. And not just a fun
man like you know, this was this was the guy
that I took up onto my wing. You know what
I'm saying. Uh, first round pick, size six five, you know,
a big monsters you know, dude. And we were related
on so many different things. So when he when he
went down, it was almost like damn, like they go
to season. But I remember that next day Ricky Prole

(58:55):
was the was a receiver coach. We had Jericho contre
As received for Philly Brown. We had Joe Webb that
was a twinter. We had Uh. Ted was that I
mentioned Ted Uh? And they all we just all had
a meeting and it was like, man, all right, we
already know who Benji is to you, you know what
I'm saying, And we can't replace him, but what we

(59:17):
can do, you can hold us to a standard. That's
that's gonna get the job done and for them to
kind of highlight that before the season. Everything else simultaneously
worked out. You know, Greg had a big year for me,
you know, being you know Mr Reliable and you know,
we just we just found ways to win games. And
we also had help on the defensive side. You know,

(59:39):
in my eyes, the greatest football player defensively that I
even laid eyes on. And Luke Keickley, Uh Thomas Davis
was was the enforcer. Uh man, we had it all
you started uh on the D line KK. Then we
we bought in veterans uh, Courtland Finnegan, We had a
Roman Harper, we had at uh Jared Um, Jared Allen,

(01:00:04):
you know, so many different and Peanut Tilman. So we
had a great mixture of talent, veteran young guys that
know Josh Norman, you know what I'm saying, and and uh,
you know the list goes on. Man. So that was
a perfect, perfect kind of combination of of guys that
got it. And as the season kept going, we kept
getting momentum. Okay, we find out we're three and old.

(01:00:27):
Oh man, we got something special. Now we find out
we're six and old. Now we nine and o you know,
now everything is is is really up. Well. I can't
forget Charles Johnson too, you know, the real og who
really was holding it down in the locker room for us,
like and holding everybody to a standard. You know that.
You know, if y'all boys go out, make sure y'all

(01:00:47):
here getting treatment, you know, doing all the necessary things
that y'all supposed to do. And you need that especially
for teams now because you know, fan basis is right now.
We want you to win yesterday, you know what I'm saying.
But everything, everything is is, it's still got to be
a part of the process, and you just gotta have
guys that believe in it and and uh, you know,
see it through. Who are some of your closest teammates

(01:01:09):
from that time that you rocked with it on like
on a daily basis. Oh man, you know t D
TV was a dude, bro. But the thing about me
and t D it was it was all the time
our game. TV was at all our games. So yeah, yeah,
and and TV man shout out to t V he

(01:01:30):
retired to man, just being around him, he always helped
me to a standard everywhere. And it wasn't a dull moment,
not not even in practice. You know, we were talking ship.
We was doing it all like brother, fuck you, fuck
you too with ship, all right, ship, that's how we're rocking.
And then as soon as you know, we break it down.
You know what I'm saying, Man, how how your wife? Man?

(01:01:51):
How the kids talk out of that? It's just how
it was, you know what I'm saying. And people. And
then also that year that was when I had got
to fighting with Josh. You know what I mean. But
that's just how our team was in those lines. We
were so competitive. We were so competitive and you need
that because practices is everything. We tried to make practice

(01:02:14):
game like. So by the time we got into the game,
you know, it was what it was, you know what
I'm saying. But you know, a lot of folks look
at me and they look at the aesthetic. You know
what I'm saying, back to the aesthetic in the funchway.
They think it's sweet. Make no mistake about it, bro, Like, look, man,

(01:02:34):
you know what I mean. I'm stamped and approved, man,
But you know, for for me, do not This is
not a press sel Bro. This is not as you
know what I'm saying, But it's just all in the
love of of of of winning, man, and I want
to win that all calls so that run. You guys
beat the Cardinals in the second round Seattle. On the

(01:02:56):
NFC title game, you face another tough ass defense, uh
in the different broncles. You guys in the Super Bowl,
what was your first taste being in that Super Bowl? Like,
especially coming off the season you came off or where
you went in the m v P and you know,
you guys, record is what it is, Man, it was
I just remember, man, I was tired as fun, like

(01:03:21):
just tired, like mentally drained coming off of that season.
It was a long season. And then like just the
startom that came with being in the Super Bowl going
into you know, different interviews, going into another interview, going
into so by the time you get to the game,
it's just like, oh my god, like we do got

(01:03:41):
to play a football game, you know, and it's not
going the way that you that you wanted it and
getting so scrutinous sport. It was just like, wow, okay,
I see how I see how to maneuver you know
what I'm saying now, Um, But looking back at it, man,
it was just a life lesson. I appreciate you all
the life lessons that I went through because it made

(01:04:03):
me the man that I am right now, you know
what I mean knowing that you know, people have jobs
to do. You know, I used to hate the media
still you know, in some way shape for him, still
do because they don't tell you. They don't they don't
show the side or the person that you really are,
that you genuinely are. But you know, they got their favorites.

(01:04:25):
But the thing that I respect about it is they
got jobs to do. That's how they feed their family,
you know what I'm saying. And when you started looking
at it like that, you know, you just know like
you gotta be a professional, you gotta be a pro.
So I think that was really the sign where I
was like, man, you know, you just can't have a
good without the bad. But more or less like being
a man about it, like looking at lying eyeball, the

(01:04:46):
eyeball and saying, look, dog, look this is what it is.
I failed. I'm coming back stronger, And you know, life
is not necessarily about wins and losses, but more or
less how you deal with those wins and losses and
keep moving forward. The ability to handle adversity, you know,

(01:05:09):
obviously it's been well documented, you know, your postgame interview
with the situation, but it's it's just interesting to hear.
You know, you step back after you came back, you know,
a few days later after the initial interview, and kind
of cleaned it up. But I feel you because it's
never really about showing who you are as a person,
you know what I mean. It's it's it's about there

(01:05:29):
laying in what they're trying to get out of it.
And I think that's why, you know, Jack and I
have been successful. Like we touched on being in the show,
is it's never there's no you know, there's no preconceived
notion of what we're trying to get out of you
or any kind of clip thing like we want to
have that conversation. And unfortunately, on on a certain level,
that's all their job is. If there's if there's a
little bit of blood and water, let's tear that hole

(01:05:49):
all the way open. But I can do with it.
I was going into it with a different mentality, bro
I was. I was angry in those meetings, you know
what I'm saying. I feel like, you know, I have
brought that hood, you know what I'm saying inside that
college fox out. They were like, Bro, stop sucking trying me. Bro,
you know what I mean, that's what you really want
to say, but you can't really say it like that,
you know what I mean, like come on dog like.

(01:06:10):
But when they asked questions like Cam, why did you
fail in the Super Bowl? Just just man, keep it,
keep it professional. Man. Listen, man, you know the better
team one and you know we'll look out chops and
just come back better next year, you see, you know,
but not going through that. You know, you just on
this high all year. You know, you're dabbing on folks, everybody,
making them mind. This was we was. We were celebrating
before crating, wasn't you know what I'm saying? And then

(01:06:35):
you know, you know, me having the influence that I
did have, Bro, it was just like I don't know,
I was on the hot so you know when when
when when somebody took the stupor out from up front
of me, it was like, damn, now what you do?
And you know, did I handle it the best way?
I know how? You know, but I'm human and I'm

(01:06:55):
able to say that now. It's just like, bro, it
is what it is. Dog. I learned from it. I
made my ma stakes. But you know, now having children,
now having you know, the younger generation looked to me.
You know what I'm saying for answers, it's like you're
able to relate to them because everything my whole transition
to who I am, Bro, I didn't have a silver spoon,
you know what I mean. I made I'm a self

(01:07:18):
made person with a lot of help with a lot
of people. And when you learn that, you'll be good.
But I knew it was toughing. Like I said, I
was there when you first came out there, and to
be the face of a franchise as as big as
you was, Bro, the eyes and lows. I was dealing
with that because, like I said, because I was there
and I've seen it. But you know, going being and
being at the top of then going through the ups

(01:07:38):
and downs. Talk to talk to me about that a
little bit, like how dealing with that man Going to Charlotte,
which was a very conservative city. You know, it wasn't
a big market it was. It was perfect for me
because it was close enough to Atlanta for me to
get back if I had any emergencies, but further enough
for somebody to have to call to before they come,

(01:07:59):
you know. Mean, you know you can't just do that now,
you know, you gotta call and be like, hey, bro,
I'm about to pull up on you that hold on, dog,
it ain't it ain't the right time or whatever. But
Charlotte was great to me. Charlotte was great to me.
It was it was for me too. I grew up
into a grown man then and seeing where it is
now today and for me to have my my my

(01:08:22):
footprint or my legacy, you know in the seven or
four man, it's something that I never forget, you know
what I'm saying, for the rest of my life. They
open they welcome me with open arms, allowed me to
be myself, and that's the only thing that you can
ask for for people, you know what I'm saying. I
know I was just this this black dude you know
that has this big personality and you know, we don't

(01:08:44):
know what to expect, you know, but I can honestly say,
you know, for me, and my my pop would always
tell me, it's like, man, you repay people by you know,
doing right by the people who are living vicariously through you,
and make sure that if you can't play this game
no more. It's because you're just sorry as hell. It's
not the because you don't slap somebody. It ain't because
you drunk driving. It ain't because you know, you made

(01:09:05):
a stupid mistake that you gotta you know, have an
open apology about. You know, it's because you're just you're
not good no more. So you know what I'm saying.
And I just received that, and I can honestly I
ain't never got in trouble, and I'm knocking on wood
saying it. But you know, but that's just a testament
to the people that I have hanging around me, you
know what I'm saying. So, you know, I just know
my time in Charlotte was just a okay dog And

(01:09:26):
you know, it was some memories that I take to
my grave of of of just the happiness, you know,
being able to put smiles on so many different people faces,
to give people hope, you know, because because the Panthers
never really was a contender, you know what I'm saying.
And and to to have the help of the Thomas
davis Is, the Luke's, the Ryan Khalil's, you know, the

(01:09:46):
trade Turners, the the Michael Ors, you know, the Greg Olsen's,
you know, the guys Jonathan Stewart, you know those guys
who really you know, embodied you know, team and I
was just the recipient of of of a lot of
a tention, some of it undue attention because we was
just winning during this span of yours. I think the

(01:10:09):
world saw, but you you started speaking to it. The
referees were almost allowed an open season on you. Whether
it's low shot shots that you knee, shots at your heads,
you weren't getting any calls. How frustrating was that to you?
I mean one ref even told you wasn't old enough
to get a call, like like I didn't know age
anything lost it. Talk to us about how frustrating that

(01:10:31):
was and how you had to express it. But still understand.
I can't go too deep off the end because these
motherfucker's are still blowing whistles going against me. But you
you have to understand too. Just like you said about
Michael Vick. You know, when I first came into the league,
they've they've seen a dual threat quarterback, but they didn't
necessarily see a dual threat quarterback that that's comfortable with

(01:10:52):
running anywhere. You know what I'm saying and and and
being the hammer and not necessarily the nail. So now
when I get when I give myself up too and
almost to to be protected, that was kind of like
everything it's like, well, it's almost felt like the shock rule.
It's like, well the hack and shack, Like when we
touch him, it don't impact him the same as if

(01:11:14):
we really, you know what I'm saying, touch him the
right way. So it took some time, you know, but
you know, it's still it's still it's still a process.
You know. When I first when I first started recognizing
those things, it was just like damn, like well, if
I was this person, I would have got that call,
you know. And it's not necessarily about lineage or or
or a tenure. It's just about making you know the

(01:11:34):
right call. But you know, you live, you you learn,
you learn from it, and you know, it just is
what it is. Thoughts on this police brutality and the
me that Cap took in seventeen and what that meant
to you as a black man, as a black quarterback,
as a black father, as a black business owner. Um

(01:11:57):
in America. Man, It's it's tough because you know, when
you have these conversations with your kids. They're oblivious to
to the talks. You know what I'm saying. It's it's
almost like it's crazy to to to think that men,
my kids. They It's like if I pull up to

(01:12:18):
a light and the police pulls up to the light,
nobody says nothing in the car, you know, because they're afraid.
You know, they hear about it. They hear about the
George Floyd and I know the impact that you had,
stack of my hat goes off to you. You know.
But in all cases, this is not nothing new. You know,
we just got the technology to expose what's happening now,

(01:12:39):
you know what I'm saying, to hold people accountable for
you know, the situations that that that that take place,
and you know, it's very disgusting to to even think
about it, even talk about. But it needs to it
needs to happen because I don't think I don't think
racism is the key to the hatred. I really think
that it's the uh, the not being familiar with cultures

(01:13:04):
is the reason, because lack of understanding, the lack of
understanding you know what, you don't know. Man, It's almost
like we just talked about it and coaching. You know,
if you don't know how to coach this kid that's
that's that's from Compton, this kid that's from you know,
boring Homes. This kid that's from Atlanta, Georgia, Louisiana, Miami.
You know what I'm saying, Houston, Texas, you know, fourth
or fifth War. You know what I mean. It's it's

(01:13:26):
it's really rough and it's not gonna ever get through
to them of how to communicate with that person. You
know what I'm saying. So you know it's it's that's
really what the issue is. It's understanding what or how
to go about it. You know what I'm saying. Because
if you say shut up food to some people, it's
not gonna hit the same. But you know, you say

(01:13:46):
shut up food to a certain people like man and ship,
that's fighting words. But I don't give if you're the
damn mayor, I don't care. If you were the police officer,
I don't care. You my teacher. You know what I'm saying.
You don't talk to me like that. And it's just
all about respect. So and it's not a one way
streat either. And I say that, you know from the
white man's perspective trying to cope with the black culture.
But it's also the responsibility of the black culture to

(01:14:08):
understand white culture too, you know what I'm saying. So
I'm a big opponent of of of of you know,
becoming aware of of of what history is and also
what your surroundings is. Because if you're not able to
to to quote a country music lyric or or or
uh contemporary music like bro, you gotta be sheltered. And
I spoke on it on my on my social media,

(01:14:31):
you know, just to be cultured, bro, on all fronts,
you know what I'm saying, From Chinese Americans to Asian Americans,
to Caucasian Americans and African Americans to Hispanic Americans, everything everything,
So you know, don't just judge a book by you
know what they look like. Just be intrigued enough or

(01:14:52):
you know, curious enough to find out about them. Everything
is just a conversation a lot of a lot of people,
they speak to be heard their own world. They don't
want to listen, They just want to get their point across.
You know what I'm saying, And and and what I
understood was, you know, just like you said, uh, well,
one of my my best friend. You wouldn't know nothing
about me if it wasn't for a Jewish kid named

(01:15:12):
Josh Pastner who is not not a head coach at
Georgia Tech. And everything is just a conversation, you know
what I'm saying. A lot of times people don't want
to just have a conversation. That's how you get understanding.
You know what I'm saying. But I be able to
listen to somebody but also be able to give you
a point of view. And that's that's a lot of
problems with this where and when we, like you said,
we talked about the cops and all that, but we
got a high chance to get killed by our own kind.

(01:15:32):
And that's the conversation of people. That's the conversation people
don't want to have, you know what I mean. So
you know what I'm saying. I'm always I'm always a realist,
and I think I think that's why I get a
lot of expect because I know, you know, I'm real
with everything I say, and I know what's really going
on out here, and uh, and I try to address
all those things without being judgment or any race. Your
God's gift ability to obviously you work your ass off
to be able to run and jump and throw and

(01:15:55):
do what you've been able to do. But it's always
been effortless, the way you would sling the ball down
the field, the way you would run thirty yards and
then skate out of bounds when needed. You start getting injured.
In seventeen, you have a shoulder surgery, then you have
a foot surgery. What was that like for the first
time in your career where it's night you know, I
mean your nickname was Superman, super Cam. What was it

(01:16:17):
like going through these injuries? Uh, mentally, but then still
having to play physically when you're not really yourself? Man, bro,
it's it's mean, y'all know, Brad as an athlete, you're
never really a hundred oh man, that's it. That's a
section in its own self. You feel me. But you know,
for me, man, that's when doubt starts to creep in.

(01:16:39):
And you know, for me, this year it was the
first year I ain't never really had surgery and I'm
and I'm blessed to say that even coming off last year,
I had a foot procedure. You know that that that
kind of took me aback. But you know, to be
able to be healthy. It's like, man, I don't went
through every type of emotion as an athlete, Oh my god,

(01:17:03):
dog like damn, you know, being the face of a franchise,
you know what I'm saying, knocking the sports world off
of their feet, you know, and also being a batter
batter you know, lying in the in the jungle. I'm
going through all that and I went through going still
going through you know what I'm saying, and stuff like that,
and not just embrace at all, bro, because you know,

(01:17:24):
there's no teacher like life, you know what I'm saying,
And I'm going through it and and welcoming it with
open arms. At some point, you gotta you gotta learn,
you know, especially as athletes, we learned how to enjoy
the good time just as much as we're gonna enjoy
the bad times, you know what I mean. And and
that and that, and that's what gets us through, and
that's what make us so tough too, because because we've

(01:17:46):
been through so much, experience has always been the best teacher.
And and and you've been through a lot browing and
to see, you know, like I said, from me being
ever from the beginning season to seeing what you went
through to make it to the super Bowl, to the
engine all that, and to see how you just blossom today.
You know what I'm saying, I take my hat off
to you because, like I said, I know you know
what I'm saying. I know a lot of people that
was going through that that didn't come out of a camp.

(01:18:07):
You know what I'm saying, that they know where to
be found. They folded Russ. So's to see you come
out of that, I gotta salute you. But I because
I already knew you was bill for it, and yeah, bro, man,
it's just it's so much man that athletes kind of
go through, and it's like an unspoken word. You're away
from your family, you're away from your kids. You'll just

(01:18:27):
the sacrifices that you make. I don't have the luxury
to take my kids to day care. I don't have
the luxury to to to eat with my children face
to face, you know, in a timely manner where it's
just like, all right, what we're gonna do in the morning.
You know, next time I come back home, it's just
gonna be probably for a couple of hours, about twenty
four hours, and be ready to get back somewhere else,
you know. So you know, while I have that that

(01:18:49):
that that that chance, man, I gotta make the most
of it. But at the same time, you just gotta
compartmentalize your life and you know, live with it, you know.
So you know, and y'all, y'all played eighty two games.
When you know whether y'all go eighty two and oh
or or an eighty two, you know what I'm saying,
It just is what it is. So you know, for us,
the sacrifices that you make from waking up at five am,

(01:19:09):
going to bed at eleven PM, to get right back
up and doing all over again, you know, making sure
that you put the right things into your body, making
sure that you've got the right people around you that
keep you fresh, and making sure that you're taking care
of your body, making sure that you're in the right
state frame of mind, and and everything. It's so many
underlying things that makes an athlete an athlete. That man,

(01:19:32):
we don't even got a lot of time to even
mention it, let alone you know, to live through it.
So two thousand nineteen UM after coming to the league,
the number one picking two thousand eleven, growing up, becoming
a man, as a Panther. How tough was it um
when they decided to release you at nineteen? What was
your thoughts on the process and how it all ended,

(01:19:53):
considering you gave everything you absolutely have that franchise. Yeah,
it was tough. It's still tough. It's still tough. But
when when you see a difference in ownership, when you
see a difference in head coaching, when you see a
difference in management, you know, it's it's it's only a
matter of time. But you could be you could be
optimistic all you want, but you know what I'm saying,

(01:20:15):
sooner or later that that hacks gonna come on you.
So you know, man, the city of Charlotte has been
good to me and my loyal to will always be there,
you know. But at the end of the day, man,
it's still a business. And the day you get drafted,
the next day they they're looking for your replacement, you

(01:20:35):
know what I'm saying. So if you're not getting the
job done, bro, it's gonna be what it's gonna be.
Joining the pages, I mean, you know, going going into
the organization, you know, you know, you know what it
was like, Tom Brady Championship organization, dealing with one of
the the goat, Bill Belichick. You know what was that
like going there? Like, what were you thinking? Man? It
was it's it's everything. Everything is that that's advertised, you know. Uh,

(01:21:01):
you know Bill Belichick is you know, the coach that
you would expect him to be. You know, you got
the opportunity to play with Papovich, So you know, you
know what why certain coaches are who they are because
of the morals that they have and and the coaches
that they got up unto them. You know, Josh McDaniels
is a person man that I got in high regard.
You know, even the players like they know how to

(01:21:23):
move and maneuver. So when I came on board, man,
it was just almost like I wouldn't say a culture
shop because I always used to working. You know, being
a black quarterback, you don't necessarily always get labeled as
you know, a person that's gonna work extra hours, are
doing certain things just because that's what the that's what
the stigma is. But that doesn't mean that you're you're

(01:21:44):
not well and capable of doing certain things. But yet
that experience and I'm still living in it, it was
something that you know, I embraced because it was It
wasn't something that I was new to. You know, these
these you know the people and and uh New England. Man,
are they used to championships and whatever lead you can
go to NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL. You know what I'm saying,

(01:22:10):
Uh MLS. You know they used to win a championship.
So everything is competition and I would not have wanted
it any other way. Yeah, that's that's one of the
first things I saw when you when you got to
the wing. That's the first thing Bill better Check say,
like what I would I love about camp? And he's
the first one that he's the first one hand the
last one to leave and and and that goes to

(01:22:31):
testing what you said. They understand how hard you worked
and how and how you land the team. But for
Bill better Check to say that, you know, that's that's
an ultimate compliment, compliment coming from him. Yeah, like for
for real, bro, Like, man, I've been battle tested for
so many different you know, ways of life and not
only professional So man, I got O g S. Man.

(01:22:54):
That kind of put me up on game the show. Like, Bro, man,
you gotta do this, you gotta do that. You ain't
you ain't You don't have the luxury to move like
we moved because you're a quarterback. And I understood that,
you know what I'm saying, So you know how how
I moved. Still to this day, it's always cognizant of
of of you know, what the brand is, what I'm

(01:23:14):
supposed to like, what is that person that's on the
other side of the room thinking, you know about what
I'm doing, you know, because perception is reality, you know
what I'm saying. So you know for me, man, I'm
I'm always in tune to you know what I need
to do and what has to be done. You and
you you're in a special fraternity of black quarterbacks. And

(01:23:35):
it's continued to grow. Uh, Doug Williams, Warren Moon around
the kind of hand Michael Vick, Steve mcnaill, Donovan McNab,
Dansay called people. How does how does it feel being
in that? Being in and uh and it talks with
those great quarterbacks. It's still it's still like wowing. But
now you know, I came into the league where Michael

(01:23:56):
Vick was still there, Donovan men nabb was still there,
and that was it. You know what I'm saying now,
the white quarterback is the minority quarterback. Now you know
what I mean. And that's just that's just what it is.
You know what I'm saying. If you're not able to
to to to be athletic, you know, even even even

(01:24:16):
the guys that when you look at like Ryan tanner Hill,
you know what I'm saying, He he's athletic. You know
what I'm saying, the two tongueablore like, he's athletic. You know, Uh,
Chucks Brady is athletic. And Rodgers been athletic. You know
what I'm saying. Those those just dropped back and throw it,
Josh Allen. You know those guys are real, are real

(01:24:37):
like you know, mechanics of making the play and extending
the plays. And that's what this this game is turned into.
As a quarterback, you can run for the yards, you
gotta come back and know the play, know where to
play going until you still got to be metally and
statement slide slide of protection and know who the mic
call is, Knowing what the defenses is trying to roll to,

(01:24:58):
knowing what your hot is on, where your outlet is,
you know, making sure and have it forbid somebody don't
line up wrong. You gotta be able to you know,
eight dog dog, you gotta come over here, you know
in all of forty seconds. You know what I'm saying.
So I remember claim Mathew, you have to lie claim
Matthews called out the plate like oh even if watching film,

(01:25:19):
well watch this, watch this. I got something for you.
You throw the touchdown with camp like that's how you
know they would study you Like, Okay, you studying, but
I'm studying a little harder than you. Yeah. Yeah, man,
that's that's like, you know, we're we as. I don't
want to say it like that, but I just keep
it a buck. You know, being an athletic quarterback, you

(01:25:40):
don't always get your just do by being a cerebral player,
you know what I'm saying. They just expect you to
just go out there and be a batter and ram
and say, you know, you can run fast or you're
bigger than everybody. So that's been your outlet. But you
don't get to the professional level by just being one
to you know, you know what I'm saying. So you know,

(01:26:03):
having having having people to to to put you in
in the mental work that you're gonna need to get
prepared for Sunday's performances is extremely pivotal, not pivoting into
something a little more fun. Where did your fashion and
your expression come from? I read something that you're not

(01:26:23):
buying the name brands no more. You're gonna start recycling
everything in the closet, giving it a third or four
spin for once. But where did where did all that fashion?
You know that the headphones? Where the where all that
come from? Man? Look dog, look, I'm from Atlanta, Georgia.
Bro Like, we're all that like in my in my eyes.

(01:26:45):
If it if you know, jay Z said, if you
can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.
If it pop in Atlanta, It's gonna pop anywhere, you
know what I'm saying. So, you know, with me buying
high fashion and me you know, kind of stepping back
from that, you know, it makes you open up your
creativity a little bit more. You know, I never was
a mannequin dresser, you know what I mean. I was

(01:27:07):
gonna put this with that, that with this, you know,
add the you know bamboushka, add the you know the
ribbon or the feather or you know, the hat, the fedora,
and and that being a way to express myself with
how I'm feeling in that particular point in day. And
anybody who knows me, no, like I dress up every
single day, every single day. It ain't it ain't the

(01:27:28):
day that goes by if I'm stepping out of my
house that I'm not dressed to the nons. And that's
just the mentality that I've always said. I grew up
in the church where you know, like I said, with
my grandmother, my mother as well as my father. Like
you know, even though the Bible says come as you are,
I didn't have that luxury to just wear gym shorts
and some some some flip flops, you know what I'm saying.
The church, we had to iron our slacks, wear socks,

(01:27:50):
polish our shoes. Uh, you know how to tie tied,
know how to tipe bow tie, those different things, those
key centrals in life. So you know, on Sundays, get
it up. You know that y'all may see is like,
you know, whatever, that's just my everyday life because I'm comfortable,
you know, wearing different type of fabrics. And now as
you kind of dive into creating brands and creating different

(01:28:13):
things or different aesthetics that you want to put your
name on. It's easy because you've always been having this
artistic mind to say, all right, well you wear your
shirt like that, let me see where it is a
different type of weight. And this all season me trying
to dive into, you know, really kind of you know,
the fashion world and anybody who's willing to teach me,

(01:28:34):
you know, how to create something, because that's what it's
all about. You know. I'm always enchanted by like the
Louis Vatans and the Guccis and the easy. My hat
goes off to Kanye West, because man, he's the culture,
He's the vibe. You know. I was looking at the
article yesterday where we've really had a topic of discussion
of him wearing the Nike socks with some Adidas shoes,

(01:28:56):
and it's like, man, what man, folks been doing that
for years? You know what we're really talking about. This
that's something that you know, that's what you're supposed to do.
That's the thing now. But yet you know, we don't know,
we don't give ourselves enough credit for you know, people
biting off our staff, you know, the whole man, the

(01:29:16):
whole I swell, we do, I swe we do so
for me man being able to express myself with with
clothing and fabric is it's something that's just that's just
my niche, you know what I mean. And I want
to I want to be able to give a person,
you know, a a different outlook on things where it's like,
I'm not the urban dresser. I don't necessarily look down

(01:29:37):
on people who you know, who wear the Virgil of blues,
the off whites, you know what I'm saying to things
like that, to stand in line of where the Jordans
and things like that. But you know that's not me.
I'm gonna wear the slacks, the shirt, the details of
everything from the lapel pin to the pocket square to
you know, making sure my cuff links are are are
showing just as much as it's supposed to show, and

(01:29:58):
things like that. So me looking at life, you know
through a third or two year old lands. You know,
I always looked at guys that were more older than me,
you know that lived in the eighties and the seventies,
in the in the nineties, that really was like when
they stepped bro they stepped the right way. Smiths, they
smell good, you know what I'm saying that nails filed.
You know what I mean, Like they really they're really

(01:30:20):
pulling up with suppressions. So you know what I mean.
My dad, My dad is in his sixties and he
still got these nastiest little black boot with a little
heel on the back from like dad, the ship went
out thirty motherfucker years ago and he's still when he
dressed up and put on some jeans, a little collar
shirt in his little boots. Are you wearing right now?

(01:30:42):
He used to kill him back in the day. Though,
Boy man, we were talking, we were talking about this
earlier and uh on my on my U segment of
Sipping Smoke Man, we had uh Steve Harvey shout out
to Steve there. He came in there with some Baill
bottoms on, with some Chelsea boots. I said, I got

(01:31:02):
to wear that, man. You know. I hit my tailor up.
I hit my tailor up, and I'm like, bro, we
got to bring this back, you know what I'm saying.
But to be it ain't even it ain't even what
you got on. It's what's in you. It's how you step,
It's how you it's how you move and maneuver. You
know what I'm saying. It's the whole aesthetic of doing
like Bro. You know, I smoked ciguards for for for
for for the feeling and the how it makes me feel,

(01:31:24):
but the whole overall asteatic. You know, I kicked my
leg up just to the understand a little better. You
you know what I mean. That's that, That's that I mean.
I can't hear you. You know what I'm saying when
you're saying not young, But you know that's what it is, Bro.
You know I always had an offer that and and
even going back to you know, my mentors, Tim Jackson,

(01:31:46):
you know, always see people. I wouldn't always necessarily tell
them that I'm watching them. I would just watch them
and seeing how they maneuver, seeing how they move. Even
going to Texas, I was like everybody around here where
cowboy boots. You know what I'm saying. And I don't
start starts everything the third too, you know what I'm saying.

(01:32:09):
With the cowboy had you feel me that whole vibe
and not you know, I took a liken in all
that stuff too. But you know, if it ain't, if
it ain't the Louis, if it ain't you know what
I'm saying, the red bottoms. People think, man, you ain't
spend a good check up on them, and I'll start
looking at the prices of them them custom boots. Man,
Oh my god, Man, come on, brotherm things it's up there, bro.

(01:32:30):
So you know, I'm I'm big on expressing myself in
many ways and just opening my mouth. Man. I just
want a person to feel my my presence and and
and have a vibrant or about myself. Whether the idea
of sipping smoke come from, since we're talking about it,
where did that come from? You know, I I spoke
on it, you know, offline. But you know for me

(01:32:52):
as football players, but we don't, we don't. We don't
get the opportunities as most most sports figures would get
because we're playing a mad um profession. You know, if
you don't know who o'dale is, or Tom Brady or
Cam Newton or a DK Metcalf for Russell Wilson is,
you know, you know, the natural person be like damn,

(01:33:14):
like that's a big gass dude. He gotta play you know,
basketball or football or something like that. You know, y'all
play in the sport where you know that's Matt Barnes, right, there. Oh,
that's Jack right there. That's this that I've seen him
on the court. Now we gotta take our helmet off
to show ourselves and now you know we we may
heaven forbid if we wear advise or whatever. People really

(01:33:34):
wouldn't even know, you know what I'm saying, outside of
the stature that you have. So there's so many different
things that that I'm into. And I went to school.
I studied sociology, got my sociology degree and that kind
of really pushed me towards finding out or being eager
to know about people that to talk, so as far
as spitting game and you know, putting people up on

(01:33:56):
game and just talking to chat. And that's the thing
that that comes to me now actually, and I just
love to to to really sit down and chop it
up with a person and to have the opportunity to
get paid to do it, man, Like that's where it
came from. So you know, I really love, you know,
smoking cigars. I really love drinking wine. And those are

(01:34:16):
the purest conversations, you know what I'm saying. When you
really you know, when a person is not checking the
clock to to to get somewhere, man, when the person
has time to really dive into. Man, you hit certain
topics that you didn't even know you know, was even
a topic, current events, sports, you know. It's almost like
having that uh, that barbershop talk, you know what I'm
saying in the essence of you know what I'm saying, Uh,

(01:34:38):
just a chair and to sit down. We got the
home stretch before we get to these quick hitters. I
always wanted to know how long does the fucking take
you to write your captions on your Instagram page? You
we have, Man, it's in the squiggles and h oh
is it okay? I didn't know because I looked. Bro.
I looked one day, I'm like, yeah, what how the

(01:34:59):
fund you do this? Ship? It's an app, man, It's
an app. It's called I Post My Way and you
can download it on the Apple or Android and it
allows you to create your own keyboard. So I've been
getting that for years. But it's almost like, Bro, I'm
not changing the way I text. We don't all write
the same, so what we gotta text the same? Every

(01:35:22):
time I see your post, I'll look at the post
or whatever you got, but I want to read your
caption to see if I can figure that ship right
taking right this ship. You know. The thing is it
started because I was I was typing or texting the person.
And then when I didn't even know the keyboard could
do these different things, and I started texting like that.

(01:35:42):
It really makes people focus on what you're saying. It's like, hold,
like what are you saying? Where are you? Then the
thought you know that you really got to do it.
You know you can't be driving while you're doing it.
You gotta really focus. But yeah, it's a but it's
an app and uh always I always wanted that. All right, man,
we're on the quick hitters. Here's the first thing to

(01:36:04):
kind of mind. Let us know one moment you can
relive on the football field. Super Bowl Five favorite artists
Jay z Uh, Beyonce, UM, John Mayor, UM, Whitney Houston, UM.

(01:36:25):
And I'll say, uh, William Murphy. Uh, he's a he's
a gospel singer. I could do. I could have said,
Kirk Franklin, Donna McClerkin, Jaqualin Carr all of him. Man,
I'm I'm I'm very in depth with with my musical genre. Man,
I can I can go all day. There's some versatility
in there. I'm gonna ask you two questions back to

(01:36:46):
back real quick. Actually, Jack, you asked this one go ahead,
one message on the billboard for the world to see.
What would it be protect your piece at all costs
and simple to protect your piece at all cars that's dope.
And I say is the one. The one a to
that is if it costs you your sanity, it's too expensive.

(01:37:06):
All right, I'm gonna ask you two questions in a
rowal quick. Uh. Dream guests for sipping smoke. Mike Tyson,
Oh god, oh yeah, Mike's on our list. Two five
dinner guests dead or alive, Wilke Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Um,
Derek Jeter, mhm um. I gotta throw Michael Jordan in there.

(01:37:31):
Tiger Woods. Great, that's a dope. That's a dope. Five
right there. Yeah, that's a greatness. That's a whole bunch
of money. Man. We gotta say, we gotta have a
lot of beano for that and a lot of us
on that table. I know they got some stories that
they just be like bro one time, Bro, I had
what you know what, like no folks man, they was living,

(01:37:53):
they was doing it the right way. And the fact
that Derek Jeter. Derek is for living in the market
that he was living in and never being caught. And
he was a stone cold player on and off that time,
a killer sniper with it too. I mean, he already

(01:38:14):
knew what it was. And this was pre this was
pre social media. This was a man. This dude knew
how to move and moving with the best in both leagues.
And a lot of those guys hang out in real life.
M hm, Tiger. There they hang out in real life.
And it's not by coincidence though, not at all, not

(01:38:35):
at all. All Right, We're gonna finish up with this, bro.
Who do you want to see on All the Smoke?
And before you answer, you have to help us get
your answer on our show. If you know the person,
I'm pretty sure he do what we're talking to we're
talking to I think, and I'm and this is coming
from the the the tutor. You know what I'm saying.

(01:38:59):
The person and that you know has done it is
doing it. I think he could help a lot of people.
Johnny Manziel, M Johnny Manzel was looking at it. I
was looking at a a interview that he was doing. Man,
and I just think, man, the dude was a rock star.

(01:39:24):
Dude was a rock star. But I think he can
help so many people by sharing his story, you know,
and being on being given his story to people like you,
your yourselves, Would you know, open up the minds of
this high school phenom that's coming into a world that
he doesn't even know even exists. You know what I'm saying,

(01:39:46):
And yeah, Johnny Mack, okay, man, we appreciate your time.
I knew this interview, whether we can keep talking, I
feel like this vibe is endless. But I knew having
this conversation with you, man, that it was you know,
to me, I've just always been a fan of who
you were on the field and who you represented as
a person. I never listened and Jack and I both
we never listened to the bullshit because there's always misconceptions

(01:40:07):
about us. So I'm glad I got a chance to
sit down and get to know you're a little bit
better today and you spend the day with us, man,
So we wanted to thank you for coming on the show.
God blessed, stay healthy. Already what it is, and that's
always say the end things man. One finger, one pinky,
one thumb, one love Man, appreciate you guys man appreciate.

(01:40:28):
But that's a rap jack. Great show. You can catch
all the smoke on Showtime Basketball, YouTube, and the I
Heart platform Black Effect. We'll see you all next week.
This is all a Smoke, a production of The Black
Effect and our Heart Radio and partnership with Showtime

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Cam Newton | Ep 104 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | SHOWTIME Basketball

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