First, let us know what you’ve been doing with yourself since your time in the NFL?
Man…I’m just here raising my family. I have seven kids – three boys and four girls. I’m working hard raising them and also have a landscaping company here in Manatee Florida.
You also coached some correct?
I coach some youth leagues, high school and seven-on-sevens too. I let the kids know what to expect as they get into college and the pros. A lot of kids go to college and the NFL from here. There are great high school coaches here and I spend some time mentoring kids when I’m not working. It’s a rough neighborhood – I’m not sure how much you know about Manatee, but there’s a lot of drugs, gangs and crime here. I’m proud of the kids I work with here. They are getting out of a rough situation.
Who helped shape the way you approach these kids today?
Darrell Green – he is the guy I attribute my success too. He took me under his wing in Washington. I was drafted by the Oilers but they released me my rookie season. Nick Saban called me in there and told me I had the skills but I wasn’t professional enough – that it wasn’t about my ability. That stuck with me.
When I got to Washington Emmitt Thomas paired me with Darrell Green. He said Darrell could help me get faster – that he thought I could play in the league. Darrell taught me track – he ran the shit out of me! His workouts were insane – he learned his routine from Walter Payton and Jerry Rice. He got me ready mentally, physically, and spiritually.
And you have your kids that are also getting ready for big things?
My son Quay is going to sign with West Virginia and Kobe will probably sign with Susquehannah Valley State. It’s exciting to see them – really all the kids I’ve mentored – get through the neighborhood and playing football. You either play football or get stuck here, a lot of people say. There is so much drugs and violence – I’m just happy with myself that I could help these kids. But they have to want it. They aren’t angels – it takes a certain kind of person to play football – you have to be a little different. These kids often think they can try things and nothing will happen to them.
I lost a few to the streets – but I’m still working with them and am trying to help them at least get their GEDs. I know what many of them have gone through – after my career ended I went to prison for two-and-a-half years. I know what that’s like and the opportunities that cost me.
Tell me more about that?
I went to West Virginia and let a player and his girlfriend talk me into something. They said it was armed robbery – it wasn’t that. But we went to a grocery store and things went haywire. That was the low point of my life. It was stupid. It cost me so many opportunities – I could have taken a different turn in life if I just said no. But with that felony I couldn’t become a college or NFL coach.
Dick LeBeau when I was in Pittsburgh said I should become a coach. Guys like Figures, Willie Williams, Myron Bell – they all gravitated towards me because I never held back with information and help.
Was the rest of post-NFL transition difficult as well?
Man it was very difficult. Very, very difficult. It all started with my last year in Pittsburgh. How can I explain it. I just wasn’t the player I used to be as far as my dedication and commitment to the game was concerned. I could feel me not being able to do the things that were necessary to play the game.
So what happened that caused you to leave Washington and go to Pittsburgh?
It was a great situation in Washington but my time was up there, I left as a free agent. Norv Turner was there and in his second season there he wanted to go with his own guys. That didn’t bother me – I understood what he was doing.
I got a number of calls from others teams – the Raiders, Eagles, and lastly, from Pittsburgh. They were the last call. When I met with Cowher I knew it was the right place for me. He made me feel like I was a necessary piece for them to get to the Super Bowl. It was a smooth transition for me.
You had a good year on paper – what happened after that season ended?
It was on paper but behind the scenes there were things the average person doesn’t see. The pressure from family and friends. You need a good circle of people around you as a player – even family can try to take advantage of you as a player.
I had a good year but I wasn’t focused on football. I was going through a divorce and was trying to figure out why I couldn’t see my daughter. I had to call the coaches and tell them I had to miss practices to go to court in Florida so I could see my daughter.
It made me angry. I guess I just got into the mindset that if I just gave it all away then I wouldn’t have any problems. I didn’t take care of my body – I didn’t get sleep. I’m just proud I got through that season but I left a lot on the table that year.
How did it end for you there?
That was my last opportunity – my last season. It’s a grind brother. You have to be in it to win it. As Tom Brady says, you have to be willing to give up your life to be the best you can be in the NFL. I could have been a much bigger dog in Pittsburgh – I regret that.
The day I left Pittsburgh, the coaches didn’t even know where I was. I walked out of a practice a day before a preseason game and went to Deon Figures’ house. He was the only one that knew where I was.
I was getting ready for the preseason game when Tim Lewis came up to me and told me that when Rod Woodson comes out he was going to put another guy in for him instead – that I wouldn’t be going in. I started cursing and walked out. I thought I was doing ok and that they were telling me my time was up. I said it was bullshit and walked out. Lloyd asked me where I was going but I just left.
Well, I found out later I was wrong – that that wasn’t the case. Myron Bell told me they just wanted to give that other guy some film – that they figured they’d have to cut him if he showed them what they thought he would – and they did. Bell called and told me I made a big mistake.
Any good memories that stuck with you of your time in Pittsburgh?
Dick LeBeau was a classic. His wardrobes on gamedays were special. He’d wear these old turf shoes that looked like ones he wore when he played in Detroit! But time with him was incredible. He was an excellent coach and person and made my time there worth it.
Deon Figures – seeing him crack jokes with guys when he came back after being shot – he was hilarious. The whole locker room was hilarious. Figures also wore the biggest suits I’d ever seen – like 18-piece suits! I asked him if there was any fabric left to use. It was like a zoot suit!
Kevin Green used to drink so much of his homemade health drinks. You know his voice – he’d say “Hey come over here and try this – it’s great for you man! Its healthy!” The stuff looked horrible – I told him I wouldn’t drink any of that shit! He’d mix up all kinds of stuff!
Brentson Buckner was a great guy too. He and I are still close. There were lots of great guys there. Great binds on that team – we all went out together and closed clubs down together.
Any last thoughts looking back?
The only negatives on that team I experiences were just about me. I missed so many opportunities to be great – not just average. You lose yourself sometimes as a kid. You have to remember why you love the game and what drove you to play the game.
I have a lot of great memories. I love the fans and the coaches there. I wish I could have done more, but I appreciate what the team did for me. They gave me an opportunity and trusted me enough to throw me out there,
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
