First, tell me about the Players Philanthropy Fund and how you got started in that?
Well, a colleague of mine, Seth McDonnell, and I launched PPF after my experiences as an athlete doing charitable giving. We launched a simple way for athletes to get connected and give back.
We are a foundation that uses our status to help others create their own charitable funds – we act basically as their back office so they don’t have to do that work or risk damage to their own brand. We have 148 accounts now, 65% of which are athletes. It’s exciting for me as an entrepreneur who has invested and did well through those investments. I was able because of that to give back the right way, and I’m happy to help other people do the same through PPF.
You were involved in those Steelers rivalries as both a Browns and a Ravens player, and was involved in the move to Baltimore. First off, was that move a surprise to you – how did you handle that?
When I was re-signed by Cleveland in 1995, they re-signed me for five more years. 23 players in Cleveland re-signed that August. It’s funny because my wife told the agent then that we should have a no-move clause in the contract, and my agent and I scoffed at her. Like, right, sure they’ll move!
Wives always know best!
She still does! I told my agent after that, every time we talked about contracts, guess who’s going to be in the room with us!
It was crazy though, historically speaking. The Browns were the heart of the city – so much so. Art Modell and the players did so much for the community there. But the city didn’t do what it needed to do from a business sense to keep the team there. I think they took Art Modell for granted. He just couldn’t compete with other teams with that stadium – it was in such bad condition. The turf was just painted dirt. It was crazy – it was an old baseball stadium and the winds were just tough coming off the lake.
Art felt it was best to move the team and financially. It was a home run for him and the team.
I as grateful we didn’t use the Browns colors and that the records stayed in Cleveland. They had a three-year pause in Cleveland but got their new stadium and team back. It’s a politically charged conversation I know, but I do hope people look back on it and see what was behind it.
Do you have divided loyalties between the two teams?
I spent five years with the Browns, but many more with the Ravens and retired as a Raven. I helped them win a Super Bowl and we built a legacy in Baltimore during my time there from 1996 to 2008. The teams now stand on the shoulders of what we did – so I’m very much a Raven.
In Baltimore my career really took off. It’s funny, the stadium here was built in 1954, but it was like, wow, it was new in comparison! The field was better too, and the fans in Baltimore embraced the team. I’m just glad they didn’t call us the Baltimore Browns! I just really hope fans do dig deep to see what was going on then to understand why Modell moved the team.
How did you prepare for Pittsburgh and that rivalry – in Cleveland and Baltimore?
We knew Bill Cowher always had a well-prepared and emotionally steady team. NFL teams that were emotionally charged but under control like his were were powerful to contend with. Cowher, and Tomlin later too, were able to do that. The Rooney family – the way they were able to keep the organization first and manage personalities and still make players feel taken care of – it was admirable. Did they do it perfectly? No, but they did it consistently.
Ray Lewis was the guy in Baltimore. He was the emotional leader – he created the synergy in the locker room. He was an amazing personality – players would try to match his emotions and they’d play above themselves for sure doing so. I respected that.
Porter, Bettis, and Lewis – those days it was more old school. That was smashmouth football. I was like the sniper on the rooftops – not in the trenches, but a guy you needed.
What made those games different – what changed in the teams?
For us, it was an even more charged Ray Lewis. He tried to bring everything to an even higher level. Instead of him being at 9.8, he’d be at a 10. For me, it always tough to kick in Pittsburgh. The field was poor – the turf was run by the city at first, so those games after the high school teams and Pitt played first, it was in poor condition. As a kicker you try not to internalize any of that though. You don’t care about when, where, or how. You just kick it and stay focused.
Any memories stand out to you?
Porter coming out after our bus and trying to take our team on when we were in the bus. Coming out and trying to fight everybody. We just looked at him from the bus like he was crazy. No one even said anything. We just looked at him, like, okay…. What do you do about something like that?
The fans were incredible – they know football and know how to make the environment harder for an opponent. The women were tough too – they were great, like they were in Cleveland. They were right in the thick of it. I enjoyed those environments – I liked to be the opponent in those situations.
What made you a good kicker in situations like that?
A kicker has got to want the ball. I think that is the number one characteristic of a good kicker. Whether it’s a 54 or 30 yard field goal, they have to want the ball. If you don’t want the ball in any circumstance, then you shouldn’t be playing. I used to envision myself with the ball on my foot every week before a game.
Do you like the rules changes to the kicking game now?
I remember telling Troy Benson about the time I had to kick a 40-yard extra point after we had two holding penalties. People looked at it like just another extra point – but it’s easy to miss a 40 yard field goal! It wasn’t just an extra point.
I like that’s it’s harder now to kick extra points. That it’s harder for kickers – it shows their value. Kickers don’t want to be devalued – you don’t want to take away extra points and kickoffs. That’s not necessary. Let them show their value. Make it harder. But don’t take away their value and their earning potential.
Any other memories stand out for you?
I think the best compliment I ever got was from Bill Cowher, but I don’t think he ever knew he gave it to me. It was during the game in Baltimore when I kicked a 46 yard field goal to win the game. A coach pulled me aside the next day and told me I had to watch something. He showed me film of Cowher on the sideline before the kick, standing right next to the ref. He had his headset on, swearing and shaking his head. Then he threw his headset down. He called a timeout to try to ice me but you could see he knew I was going to make it anyway – you could see him say it.
I still have the greatest respect for Cowher too – I know he respected me and I him.
Now, I played against the Steelers 39 times over my career – I never won a playoff game against those turkeys! But the people in Pittsburgh every time I played there were kind to me. I’ve become friends with Franco Harris, Gary Anderson, and Terry Bradshaw, since we played at the same college. The city should be proud. What an organization.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
