First off, can you let us know what you’ve been up to since your playing days?
I’ve been married to 20 years now and have two boys – one in college at Oregon and the other is 13. I met my wife when I moved to the U.S. when I was 10 – I knew her since I was a kid.
I’m a firefighter now – I’m a captain here in Washington – I was promoted to captain about a year ago.
Why did you choose to be a firefighter?
I like being active. I did the volunteer academy and enjoys that and wanted to pursue that as a career. I tested in Seattle and Tacoma and Tacoma gave me an opportunity – I started there in 2011.
You spoke about moving to the states when you were young. Why did your family come to the states from Sierra Leone?
I moved here and stayed with my mom’s brother and his family when I was 10. They had an only child and I was an only child – my uncle worked for Boeing in Washington state. It was an opportunity for me to go to school here – my parents moved here much later, when I was in high school. I went to college at Wisconsin and stayed with my dad’s side of the family then.
Sports became my refuge. I enjoyed it and had to get good grades to keep playing.
You were also a terrific track athlete – why choose football?
I could make more money in football and I enjoyed it more. Track – I did that in West Africa – I didn’t know much about football then. I liked football more when I started playing it.
How did you end up in Pittsburgh after being drafted by the Dallas?
I was drafted by Dallas. I spoke to my track and field coach about wanting to quit track in college and in my final meet I hurt my hamstring. I think that was my downfall in the NFL. I was injured and couldn’t perform as well as I wanted to. I was released and worked out for other teams and was signed by the Raiders to their practice squad. When they released me I was signed by Pittsburgh.
But I came to the U.S. on a student via and that had technically expired. Pittsburgh said they’d try to help with that but that didn’t happen so I was released again. In 2005 I was signed by Seattle and they sent me to NFL Europe where I played well and made their practice before I was released.
In 2007 I then had a stroke. I was able to play after that but it was hard to get signed by a team after that – I ended up playing in Canada for a year but that was it.
Playing in the NFL – it takes hard work and some luck to stay healthy. It didn’t go the way I had planned but everything happens for a reason and I’m in a good place now.
Did you have anyone help mentor you over your career?
No – I didn’t have any mentors really. I learned from the coaches mostly. I was a pretty reserved person and didn’t seek out mentorship.
What do you remember about that time in Pittsburgh?
Troy Polamalu was an established player then – I remember him being super respectful – that stood out to me. He was able to switch his personality when he was on and off the field. He was super nice but wore a different hat when he was on the field and was able to turn it back off when he was off the field.
And the coaching staff was great – Bill Cowher was a player’s coach and I felt welcomed when I was there. I was more of a journeyman then. But guys like Joey Porter were really approachable – Mike Logan and Deshea Townsend too.
How did you navigate that difficulty of managing injuries and going from team to team?
If it’s your ultimate goal you find a way to navigate it. You’re only young once – you just need to always be ready when an opportunity presents itself. I didn’t have kids at the time – I didn’t have kids until I was in San Francisco. That changed my pursuit of the game then. Then I had to find ways to take care of my family and provide for them.
My wife was a great support – that allowed me to pursue my dreams of the NFL and fire service. She’s the reason for that success – she took care of what I couldn’t as I pursued those dreams.
Lastly, what advice would you give those who are trying to navigate a similar path?
Make sure you have the big picture in mind. Emotions come and go in this game – especially with injuries. Your opportunities will come – just try to seize the moment when they do. And if for some reason they don’t, it’s ok. You just have it give it your best shot. That’s because it makes you better for the rest of the stuff you do in life.. It did for me. I learned how to be a team player and to prepare for life outside of sports. I learned how to stay prepared and grounded. Good and bad times will happen – you just have to lean on your family too. They will be there when sports is over.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
