What have you been up to in your post-NFL playing days and how did you get started?
When I was in Pittsburgh, I knew even then I wanted to get into broadcasting and acting. I was a Journalism major at Kentucky and always had an interest in doing both.
I got season tickets to the ballet when I was in Pittsburgh and took dance classes at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.. I danced in college – I was the University of Kentucky’s first male dancer. I was in their dance ensemble and danced jazz, ballet and modern dance.
When I went to Atlanta I co-hosted a football show while I played, and then when I retired I worked locally covering Falcons games as a sideline reporter. Then one day I got a mind-blowing call out of nowhere – they wanted me to work as a sideline reporter for John Madden and Pat Summerall. I got to spend time on the road with those two.
What was that experience like?
It was phenomenal to say the least working with those two. Those were two great dudes I got to spend time with. Pat – he had a brilliance to him. You could ask him about anything – about Russian history – and he’d be able to ramble off facts to you about it.
John – he had such a passion for anything he did. It was always noticeable. He didn’t just broadcast – he had a passion for each player and team. It was easy to see why he was such a great coach – he had a true love of all the players.
That whole experience was the greatest thing I could have imagined.
And you got more into acting as well?
I started taking acting lessons in L.A. I lived in Phoenix but would go two days a week to L.A. for classes. The casting director for General Hospital was my instructor – unbeknownst to me at the time. He’s the one that got me casted in General Hospital. It’s a funny story. I thought I was going in for an audition. I go to the studio and was getting ready for the audition and was looking for the sign-in sheet when they sent me in to wardrobe. I thought that was kind of weird for an audition. The wardrobe person came in and I asked them about it and they told me it wasn’t an audition – that I was on today! I guess that took a lot of stress out of things – auditions are so much more stressful than acting.
How hard was the post-NFL transition for you?
It wasn’t too bad of a transition, really. My dad was in the military and we lived overseas in Germany when I was younger. We only had one American channel there and we had to go to Frankfurt to watch it. So I didn’t grow up watching football or American sports – I didn’t aspire to be an athlete all of my life like some guys did.
When I came to the States and started getting some recognition and scholarships, I started to have those dreams then. When I retired I was fine with it. I never expected to play more than a few years, so walking away from it was fine.
But you also walked away with some health issues?
I started developing cognitive issues yes. I was riding high, getting bookings on shows like As the World Turns and co-starring and getting guest spots on prime-time shows. Then, I started having issues remembering things and had trouble speaking. It was like my lips and tongue were not connecting to my brain.
I went to a psychiatrist in 2004 – I knew something was wrong and went to a speech clinic at Cedar-Sinai in L.A. I told them I was having a hard time speaking and remembering things. Remember this was before concussion issues were a thing – there was nothing to relate those issues too. I was disoriented at times – if you put a nickel, dime and quarter on a table it’d take me 30 seconds to figure out which was which.
Now I do speech therapy every morning and evening. Once the concussion issues became public we realized what it was. But back then – the Cedar Sinai guys then asked me if I had been in a car accident. I said no. Again, I never related it back then to football. But years later I know I should have answered that differently.
It hit a head when I did an audition for the West Wing. It was right up my alley – it was a short and easy audition. But I couldn’t get past the first line. They told me to go into the hall, relax, and come in and try again. But I still couldn’t. After that I cried like a baby in the parking lot. I didn’t know what was happening.
Now, we’ve gotten to the bottom of it and realized it was head trauma. I’ve been diagnosed now with Tourett’s Syndrome too, so I’m just working on everything.
Looking back, were you surprised to get drafted by Pittsburgh?
I kind of had a feeling I was on their radar. They spoke to me a couple of times and Dermontti Dawson was there. He played at Kentucky and came out a year before I did. He called me and told me he saw my name on a draft board and that they asked him about me. So I did know there was interest. Getting drafted by them was mind-blowing. They were one of only a few times I was able to see in Germany.
Also – Kentucky ran a weird defense then. It didn’t showcase defensive backs much. So I knew coming from there that I would be getting drafted more on potential than anything.
You were drafted in the 7th round but made the team- what did you do to impress the coaches?
I was able to process things quickly. Most of the guys in the NFL have similar athleticism, but I was able to process things quickly. Also, coming from a school that wasn’t well-known for football, I knew I had to go in ready to learn. I learned early you can get beat physically, but you can’t make mistakes and blow plays. That’s what gets you cut. So I learned the playbook and I think the coaches and older guys saw that.
A funny and scary story. My roommate in camp moved to a different room with his former college roommate who was in camp. This was after that guy’s roommate was cut. So I ended up having a single, which was cool.
Well, I got a knock on my door at 6 am one morning. No one does that unless it’s the reaper. I thought “Are you kidding me? I thought I was doing good!” I stuck my head under the covers and hoped they’d go away, but they knocked six more times so I slowly went and answered the door. George Stewart was there – he was the special teams coach. He asked me where the other guys was. I just stood there with a scared look on my face then told him he scared the hell out of me!
He looked at me – I was hyperventilating. Then he said “Aw man, D.J. you’re good! You’re not getting cut! I already have you starting on all my special teams units!” So it went from scary to me knowing early that I had made the team.
Any mentors that helped you as a rookie?
Dwayne Woodruff was from Louisville, too. He was an old man then but there was no arrogance in him. He was so helpful and great on every level.
Larry Griffin scolded me like a big brother. In a good way. He told me once when I got upset about something that it didn’t matter because I was in the NFL now and there were no excuses.
Rod Woodson – could you ask for anyone better? He was a phenomenal athlete in every aspect but was brilliant too. I wish I trusted half of what he told me – I would have had 100 interceptions! He’d tell me on certain plays teams would do certain things and what I should do. But he could do that stuff and get away with it – I wasn’t able to freelance like he was!
But his tone, assertiveness and leadership – it made a big difference when he talked to you in a tine that let you know he wanted you to succeed. My rookie year, the defensive backs were all working out on the left side of Latrobe Field – working on footwork drills. He came up to me and told me I had really good feet. That if I stayed in the playbook and learned it, that I should get on the field and be a good player. This was my second or so week in camp as a rookie and I never forgot that. I called my brother that night and told him what Rod said. That stuff means so much to you as a young player. Of all my time playing football that moment stands out to me still. When someone says something like that to you it’s like a marathon runner getting a jolt at the end of the run.
Rod mentored me every step of the way after that. LeBeau was great off the field, but on the field no one was better than Rod.
Anyone else?
David Little was a great influence on the field, but especially off the field. He used to visit the Children’s Hospital every Tuesday, and always did so with no fanfare whatsoever. It was strictly from the heart, unceremoniously, and never publicized. I began visiting hospitals and military veteran organizations in the same manner as he did. I even had an organization called Vets for Vets when I played for the Falcons.
I just wanted to acknowledge that, to express my respect and love for David.
You were there when Noll left and Cowher came in – how did that impact you and the rest of the team?
I spent years at Kentucky with a coach who hated me. I had long hair and earrings and he was an old Southern guy. I assumed all older men saw me the same way. But Chuck embraced me – he didn’t care. For him, my style didn’t matter. He told me he thought I looked like Prince. He made a joke early on that I made Boy George look like Jeffrey Bean. My look never factored in. I guess he had years with guys like Frenchy Fuqua. It was the first time I felt wanted in years.
Chuck was a great teacher – he had a great vibe to him – he was a great leader. And we had Rod Rust, John Fox, Dave Brazile – all were great coaches as well. I learned a lot of football from them.
So, it was very sad for me when Chuck left. When Cowher came in he met with every player individually. When I went into his office he told me that in Kanas City they had Albert Lewis and Kevin Ross. All Pro guys. He looked at me in my eyes and told me we could be like that too. He challenged me and told me to go do it.
Any good memories that stand out most to you?
As you have I’m sure been told by many guys, Dick LeBeau is one of the coolest guys on the planet. One game we were playing Kansas City and I just got Mack trucked by Christian Okoye. I was sitting on the bench afterwards, feeling like Daffy Duck when Yosemite Sam shot his beak off. I was tilting my head back and forth shaking it off. Well, Dick saunters over. He just looks at me and says “He’s a big fucker, ain’t he?” I said “Yeah, he is.”
He told me next time to just try and slow him down and wait for the cavalry to come. I was 190 pounds – Okoye was over 260. It was a great coaching technique. He didn’t come over and yell at me. He just talked to me about what I could do differently and talked about the reality that there are some things you just can’t do and it’s not always your fault. Sometimes who you’re playing against is that good.
Lastly, you left in free agency – how hard was that for you?
It was very, very hard to go. I had a love and fondness for Pittsburgh. I had a great relationship with the coaches and players. They weren’t just teammates – they were friends. But I got a better offer elsewhere. Pittsburgh back then was known for not paying players and the offer from Atlanta was twice as big. It was still hard to leave though – I had so much love for the team. But I begrudgingly took off for the better offer since it wasn’t close.
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