First off, what have you been up to since your playing days?
I’m currently in law enforcement – I’ve been here for six years now. After I was done playing with the Steelers I went to the CFL for a bit and played for the B.C. Lions, then I applied to the police academy. I had my degree in criminal justice and knew that while I was still able-bodied, I wanted to do something that wasn’t sitting behind a desk.
As an offensive lineman I was used to blocking and protecting people – so I knew I wanted to do something either with the police or fire department. I wanted to use my size for a good calling. God blessed me with this size for a reason! I’ve been loving it since I applied in 2019.
Are there traits that carried over from football that help with your work as a police officer?
Oh yeah – quite a few. Football is a brotherhood – those are guys you eat with, train with and see every day. That is the same aspect with the police department. You have different shifts but those are guys you train with and go to the range with and eat with.
As a football player you also learn to make decisions quickly and live with those decisions. That is the same with both as well.
You played tight end and defensive line mostly in college correct? How hard was that transition to offensive line?
I played tight end and defensive line in college yeah – making the change felt natural at times, but against older guys who knew the tricks of the trade, that’s when it got tough. I felt comfortable to an extent but the guys who really knew what they were doing made it rough.
The mindset was the thing – I love to compete. Going up against those experienced guys showed me what aspects I had to work on – what the holes in my game were. I embraced playing offensive line. In high school I played it at first but quickly moved to tight end and defensive line. In college they wanted me at offensive tackle but they let me stay at tight end.
But they ended up moving you right?
My Sophomore year one of the defensive lineman had back surgery and it got infected, so he was out longer than expected. They knew my background and had me play defensive line until he got back. I prided myself as a physical tight end – they moved me back to tight end when he returned.
I tried to make it as a right end in the NFL but the coaches had bigger and better plans for me. They were doing it a lot longer than me – they knew better. They told me I should make the switch and I listened and was able to have a number of years in the NFL.
You moved around a lot in your career – you played for five teams prior to signing with the Steelers – New Orleans, Cleveland, Seattle, New England and Dallas. How hard is that on a player?
It sucks. There’s no other way to say it. I was in Cleveland for a year then they give you the unfortunate news you’ve been let go. But you live there now. The Seahawks called and had me fly there for a workout – so you fly to the other side of the country. They told me to stay in shape – that they’d call me if they needed me. They did and signed me to their practice squad. It’s from one extreme to the other and there’s no guarantee how log I’ll be there now. So you uproot everything to go out there not knowing how long that will be for. It sucks.
How did you end up in Pittsburgh?
They worked me out and signed me to their practice squad. The guys there were great – I loved those guys. As someone new it takes time for them to get a feel for who I was but they were all great.
Any grief having played for the Browns earlier?
No grief – they had different grinds and mentalities but for me, Pittsburgh was the place to be!
Did any take you under their wings? You weren’t a rookie – but just as a new player?
They all helped me with things like hand placement and to play more aggressively. I was always a bit passive. Those guys could turn it on and off and still be enjoyable to be around. They helped show me that. Some guys are always aggressive and can’t turn it off but they showed me that different mindset. They showed me how to be explosive and how to flip that switch when needed. They had a nasty streak at times and kept their head held high.
That was the year Dan Rooney passed away. Do you remember how that affected the team?
You could tell a piece was missing when that happened. I wasn’t there long enough to really know him well, but the air was just sucked out of the room. The guys just put their heads down and worked to make his legacy proud.
Any fun moments over that time stand out?
One thing that got me was the Secret Santa the offensive line room did. I was only there for a month at that point. We all drew names and I asked what the minimum spend limit was. I drew Jerald Hawkins and figured I’d spend around $150. But then someone said “$750”. I thought they meant “$7.50” at first and I thought “Great – I can do that at Five Below!” But then they said “$750” and I was like “Wait a minute! That’s what I spend for my family and nieces and nephews!” They all laughed – but I was serious! I ended up buying Hawkins a drone and GoPro. Brian Mihalik drew my name and he got me a hunting bow! I don’t know why!
Any other good ones?
AB {Antonio Brown} – that guy was funny. A contained funny – nothing that was way too much. I played for a number of different teams and saw how different coaches ran their meetings. Tomlin – if he called me today – I’m not in football shape – but if he called me today and said he needed me I’d go play for him! He could light a fire under you on and off the field.
One good memory – we were in a meeting and you start to hear the whispers. AB wasn’t there. We all had certain seats we sat in and when Tomlin looked over and saw AB’s seat he asked where AB was at. Everyone was silent. So he said “Ok.” and carried on.
Then, AB sneaks in. “AB, nice of you to join us.” Tomlin said. “That’s $5,000!” In typical AB fashion he said “That’s nothing to a boss!” We were all thinking “Oh, shoot….” So Tomlin said “Oh, that’s nothing? $10,000!” AB didn’t say anything after that!
Tomlin was one of those men – if he respects you he expects you to respect him back. He treats you like a man – when it’s time to be coachable and learn he expects you to be dialed in.