First off, can you let me know what you’ve been up to since your playing days?
I’m working in behavioral health now – working mostly with youths but with some adults as well. I’m working for Mary’s Mission and am involved in a number of charities working with kids, to raise awareness on prostate cancer….I’m also the President of the NFLPA.
I’m a family man also – a grandpa now too!
How difficult was the transition for you from football to those new endeavors?
It’s had it’s good and, shall I say, interesting moments. When I first came out I did a number of different jobs – in business and real estate. When the real estate market collapsed I got involved in behavioral health.
I also got divorced over that time. When you play you have structure – you know your timeframes. It’s all planned. But my wife was used to being home all day on her own schedule. Having me home all the time was difficult for everyone. We all had to adjust and that didn’t go well.
I coached some at the junior high school level, became a stockbroker too. I found it easier to work with kids than adults. I’ve been doing that for 12 years now. I was really already doing that in the camps I was involved with as a player – so I was doing that in some aspect already.
What was behind your working at the Arizona Chapter of the NFLPA and what are some of the issues you work on most now?
For some reason players always reached out to me and called me when they needed league information – I was always a guy that had information on that stuff. So it was natural to go and work to help players get the resources they needed.
What do you help players with most?
Health and finances mostly. The money is different now than what I made. Guys now make more in one-to-two weeks than I made in a year. Guys earlier than me – they didn’t make a lot. One mistake and that’s a wrap for them. Now I deal with guys to help them make it.
Who were some of the guys that helped mentor you when you first got tot the NFL?
Eric Hill in Arizona – we still communicate. He was always straight up with me. We talked before I got to the league and I played six years with him. He kept it real and I respected that.
Also – the defensive linemen – Clyde Simmons, Eric Swann, Mike Jones – we shared blood, sweat and tears together. We were all small college or no-college guys. It was a blessing to play together. We were all together recently – that comradery and fellowship is the biggest thing you miss from the NFL – that and those paychecks!
What did those guys help you with the most?
How to approach the game and life in general. I had a kid and was basically married when I was drafted. Most of the rest of the players weren’t married. I was a family man and a professional football player and they helped me balance that all out. I appreciated that they helped me with that adjustment.
I learned that just because you are drafted doesn’t mean you have made it.
Why did you choose to sign with the Bengals in free agency?
Honestly, it was the money. They offered me the most. The Cardinals wanted to re-sign me but it just came down to money.
What did you know about the Steelers rivalry then?
Well I played against Jerome {Bettis} when he was with the Rams – I knew about him. I played everyone in the AFC North already with the Cardinals. But playing the Steelers twice a year now for three years was fun. You had to pick up your game against them!
Dermontti Dawson and the Hall of Famers there and those that played elsewhere – Troy Aikman, Terrell Davis , Jonathan Ogden, Emmitt Smith – to be a part of that era was special.
Any plays/moments stand out most to you in those games?
I was just thinking about this the other day. There was a fourth down play and the Steelers decided to go for it. Me and Bettis – we met in the hole and I hit him high – not low – and won that battle. I remember that play. I see Jerome sometimes at those Super Bowl festivities and it’s nice to see him and those other guys like him.
Was the rivalry as heated between players as fans thought they were? I know the fans could get heated certainly – did that affect you?
You don’t want to play against the fans – you try to remove them from your thoughts even though you hear them. You don’t want them to be a distraction. Fans are cruel – they are like the bully in sixth grade. You don’t want the crazy things they say to you get to your head.
You deal with those fans on every team in the division – and the Raiders had some pretty tough fans too. In Cincinnati we had a great fanbase too that was loud. In Arizona the away team had the home crowd! It was a different world in Cincinnati!
Did it get heated with the Steelers players?
We’re all tying to win and to give our best. It’s a love-hate relationship and you want to whoop their ass but at the same time pray together at the end of the game and shake hands. For the most part I didn’t get too negative with that stuff and had respect for my opponents.
The worst it ever got was when I was with Arizona and we played the Giants. We were in the same division then and even Phil Simms said it was the ugliest he had ever seen it. They chop-blocked me and after that I took a very different approach with them – I got fired up and it got pretty ugly.
What do you think of the rivalry today between the teams – do you follow the Bengals or do you follow Arizona mostly?
Well living around here I follow Arizona more closely. I get tickets to the games and am around the team more. But I do follow the Bengals and want them to win and do well.
I have to give Mike Tomlin credit though – 18 years and no losing record – that’s pretty amazing.
The rules have changed but at the end of the day we still know that when the two teams play it’s going to be a battle to the bitter end.