First off, what have you been up to since your playing days?
Since elementary school I knew I wanted to play football and I’m thankful that happened. It didn’t go the way I wanted it to but most guys have that same story. I got to form a lot of great relationships and qualities from those experiences though.
Now, I’m doing long and short term rentals here in Las Vegas – I have a few properties in Vegas I manage and also have some vending machines I manage as well!
Was the post-NFL transition difficult?
It was very difficult but I had the pleasure of playing overseas – that gave me the downtime I needed to help with the transition – just trying out new things. That made it not as hard.
Who were some of the guys that helped mentor you as a player early on in your career?
In the beginning, in Arizona Obafemi Iambadejo and Damien Anderson helped me. And Emmitt Smith – my locker was next to his and we mostly talked about life more than football.
In Detroit Kevin Jones and Vernon Fox welcomed me with open arms. That taught me to do the same for others.
In Pittsburgh, Troy was a joy to be around. In high school, I played against a lot of the guys he played with at USC and they always had good things to say about him and how authentic he was. And Mike Tomlin – that was his first year there and he fit in seamlessly. He knew who he was even then and now he’s an icon in Pittsburgh.
How did you land in Pittsburgh?
I was in NFL Europe and played for Kirby Wilson in Arizona. I’m not sure why they wanted to sign me – I think Bruce Arians liked me. But I wasn’t Kirby Wilson’s cup of tea. He was my running backs coach in Arizona and he didn’t like me when I got to Pittsburgh either. I remember Arians would compliment me on something and then Wilson would just tell me what I did wrong. I don’t know why he didn’t like me – you could just tell he had issues with me. There was something there, no doubt.
In fact, when I was cut, coming out of Mike Tomlin’s office, I passed by his office and he turned off the lights to make sure he didn’t have to talk to me! He was just sitting there in the dark! I should have been able to overcome those barriers, but it was clear he wrote me off early.
You had an affinity for playing in Germany it seems – you’ve done so a few times?
I hated it at first – I went kicking and screaming. I went from starting at running back in Arizona to going to NFL Europe and playing in Germany. When I went I had an injury I didn’t really fully know about – it turned out to be a torn abdomen. I played with the injury until it healed.
After that I pushed to go back to show I could play. It was a good choice for me – I got back into the NFL and played for Detroit, the Chargers and Pittsburgh. It enabled me to do that – to get a shot.
Germany – the people there are great – they were really authentic. They weren’t materialistic – and they respected you no matter who you were. We don’t see that as much now in the US! Going back there changed my life – it humbled me.
Any good memories stand out from your time in Pittsburgh?
I have great memories of how close-knit the team was. The core there- they had been there together for some time. It was a great experience, seeing that. They were all inviting – from the main guys to the guys at the bottom. Just seeing how they worked – I’d do it again no matter how it ended up.
On funny moment was in the weight line. Ben Roethlisberger was behind me, and the making weight was serious business. Guys got fined for not making weight, and I didn’t make that much money! Well, I got to the scale and was trying to work it to make sure I made weight – trying to do what I could and Ben then just yelled at me “Hurry the f*ck up!” He wasn’t messing around – he was an aggressive guy! He was pissed off that I was taking too long. That was the first time he talked to me! I just turned around and said “Hi, nice to meet you too!” After that he walked away.
Do you watch the NFL today and like where it’s headed now?
I’m a smaller guy – the game today is right up my alley! I’d love to play today! They protect players more now. And you can see the evolution of the running back and quarterback since I played. It’s in a great space right now.