First, let me know what you had have been doing since your time in the NFL?
Well, since 2001 I have been working as an addiction counselor and and relapse prevention specialist – as well as a medical assistant specialist. I am well-versed in the world of addiction and am helping others now on their roads to recovery.
You yourself had suffered from drug addiction…did you want to talk more about that?
No problem, yeah. In Pittsburgh I started as a rookie free agent in 1986. I came to the NFL from a small mostly Black university – Albany State in Georgia.
I did well in Pittsburgh – it was a beautiful town – perfect for me. It was a big city but the way it was broken down into smaller communities. – culturally I fit in well there. Tony Dungy and Chuck Noll and the city just made you feel like you are part of the city.
Unfortunately, I didn’t understand the business side of sports. My career was derailed by the strike. Chuck was upset at a lot of us after the strike and I as well as others were ultimately cut after it. I ended up going to Detroit after I was cut and introduced to a culture that was different from what I had in Pittsburgh. In Detroit I was introduced to cocaine by my teammates.
What happened after that?
What started off as a recreational drug turned into a full-blown addiction. I got cut in Detroit because of it – the last cut in the Summer of 1988.
I was depressed after that – trying to find my identity after football. It’s like when you’re told you can’t play with the kids in the neighborhood anymore – it felt like I was kicked out of the neighborhood.
I went on a 10-year spiral of addiction – I went from a professional athlete to walking the streets of Albany homeless, staying at Salvation Army and abandoned houses. I went all the way to the bottom.
How did you turn it around afterwards?
My mother passed away in the Spring of 1999. I started looking at how my life had been destroyed and prayed – I didn’t want to die. I had been incarcerated and was in the department of corrections for the intent to distribute crack cocaine. I did two years of a 10-year sentence and my mother passed away a year after that. In 1998 I had kidney failure and was on dialysis. I went to treatment after that – trying to get my life together. After the 90 days, I relocated and got involved with the recovery community here, working on my recovery.
I got my degree and worked diligently on my recovery and to help others with theirs. I knew I could shine a spotlight on the idea that you can escape the poverty of your past if you work hard at it. I wanted to be a mechanism for change – to show that if you put forward the effort – just like being a successful athlete – you can turn it around.
You talked a lot about your love for Pittsburgh earlier – what made you decide to sign with Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent?
I didn’t have much of a choice. Pittsburgh called me in the middle of the draft and told me they’d take me around round 12. Stay by the phone they said – but they never called. A lot of people were excited for me and the program – Albany State didn’t have anyone drafted for years. But they drafted Larry Station instead of me.
They called immediately after the draft though and told me they had a plane ticket for me at the airport and my plane would leave at 7:00 am to come to Pittsburgh. I told them I was ready – that they wouldn’t be disappointed.
I didn’t even talk about the pay. They gave me a $2,300 signing bonus and the minimum contract – $50,000 year one, $60,000 year two. It came with a two-year option and a $5,000 roster bonus if I made the team. I just knew that if I had the opportunity I knew I’d impress them. I was a natural. And I ended up starting week one as a rookie.
Who helped show you the ropes as a rookie?
Dave Smith – he was married to my best friend’s sister. He pulled me in and taught me how to be a professional – how to manage myself and my life. He was nurturing – on and off the field. Donnie Shell and John Stallworth too. I think they were excited to have a player there from a smaller Black college like they had come from – to help me with that opportunity. I played in the same conference that Stallworth did.
What made you so successful so early on?
I was a natural. In practice I would see Noll whispering to the assistant coaches and pointing at me. I was 6’1″ and aggressive – I had long arms and legs and quick feet and could turn my hips. And I was teachable. Of course, having Tony Dungy as your position coach doesn’t hurt either!
What opened the door for me was Dwayne Woodruff getting hurt. At the start of camp they had eight-to-nine cornerbacks on the depth chart for both right and left corner. I was the last guy on both sides at the start of camp. Two weeks later I had move up to second on both sides.
It ended up being between me and Harvey Clayton for the other starting corner. In the third preseason game in Dallas I was getting ready to play special teams in the first half, figuring I’d get playing time on defense in the second half. Tony Dungy came up to me though and asked if I was ready to play. I told him “Yes – this is what I do!” He told me then that I was going to start the game at corner, so go out and do what I do.
I had a wonderful game – I caught Tony Dorsett from behind when he broke on a sweep and deflected a couple of passes to Tony Hill.
What do you remember most about that first season?
What made the biggest impression on me was just the atmosphere on the team created by the Rooneys and the coaches. The city embraced me like I was a brother or a child. This kid from a small Black school in Georgia was able to fit right in – they knew me and embraced me. The love they had was special. It was a total contrast to what I experienced in Detroit.
Tony Dungy – he took me under his wing too and invited me to his house for dinner. He was a mentor and really helped me get acclimated to the team. The whole team was close-knit. The rookies stayed at the Allegheny Center together – we were a close group. You just felt so accepted into the Steelers family.
And Chuck Noll- he was a different kind of coach. He was special – he never said much. But he would look at you and that look would tell you everything you needed to know.
What happened – why did they decide to release you?
Chuck was pissed. I never wanted to go on strike- Merril Hoge and I were going to cross the line but the Steelers players all met and decided to stay unified. I finally crossed the last week before the strike ended, but before that Tony Dungy called me and told me they were playing with scab players in Atlanta and he wanted me to be there – they had a uniform waiting for me. I told him I’d be there but I didn’t show up.
I remember the owner meeting with us telling us there would be no repercussions for going on strike. But when we got back, Chuck met with us, and I’ll never forget his line “In every large organization there is one SOB who makes the final decisions. I’m that SOB. Now, let’s go to practice.”
How did that play out for you?
He cut Eric Williams that first day, and he was the starting safety, They kept some of the scab players who were good players too. I could tell after every practice I was on the block – I’d make good plays and they wouldn’t say anything. Then they moved me to safety after they drafted Woodson. I was used to playing man-to-man, one-on-one. I was trying to learn how to play in space.
What did it was a sweep in a game and I came down to take on a lineman and the running back cut in for a big run. He took me out after that play and cut me the next day. Donnie Shell called me after they watched film to say they saw it wasn’t my fault – Merriweather got cut and that’s what allowed the running back to get free. That was the end of my stay there though.
Any thoughts looking back at your time there?
I’m thankful for the opportunity to tell my story. I fell off the map after making a name for myself early, and I wanted people to know what happened to that young kid who had a promising career. It felt good to tell my story. It was tragic and disappointing for me and my family and for those that supported me. I made poor decisions but God gave me a second chance. I’m still here, doing good, and now doing some good for humanity.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
