First, can you let me know what you got into after football and about that post-NFL transition?

I started working in home business supplies – that’s what I did right after football. It wasn’t hard. I knew I had something to fall back on after football – I started looking into it while I was playing so I knew I had that after football.

Were you surprised to be drafted by the Steelers? How did you find out?

I was surprised yes. They were one of the teams I rooted for in college but they never showed any interest in me before the draft. Mr. Rooney called me when they drafted me and welcomed me to the team – that’s how I found out.

Who took you under their wing when you got there and what did they show you?

Donnie Shell showed me how they did things there and showed me around the city. Walter Abercrombie too – he showed me around and talked to me about the way things were run there and stuff like that. Donnie told me he thought I could make the team. I just had to make sure I did things the right way.

You carried the ball 31 times over the season and returned some kicks too. Against the Eagles they had you play most of the game – what do you remember about that?

That was my first game I played in and they had me carry the ball a lot. I was a strong runner and I think they wanted to see what I could do. We were a hungry team. A young team and they wanted to see what we could do.

After that Eagles game they said they liked what they saw but to keep my head on straight.

With all of the running backs there, were you all competitive trying to get reps?

We were very competitive but we helped each other out. It was frustrating sometimes not getting to run the ball a lot – not getting a lot of carries, but you just had to be ready to go when your number was called.

What happened after that season to cut your career short?

My mom died during that first year. I spoke to Coach Hoak and he told me to take some time off – to take what time I needed. I took a couple of weeks off and came back. But after that I couldn’t take it – couldn’t take the stress after she passed away. It was too much for me.

What did you say to the coaches?

I told them I wanted to quit. They tried to talk me into staying – told me to take whatever time I needed. It was a long conversation. But I stuck with it and went back to Louisiana. My family needed me there and I had to go back for them.

Any good memories of your time there?

Hanging out with the veteran players and just listening to them talk about the past teams was great – the stories they told. And the coaches were all good people.

You watch the NFL today?

I do – I watch but don’t have any favorite teams. I do root for the Steelers when they play. I like the way Mike Tomlin coaches – the way he handles his players. I would love to play today for him.

Your health ok?

I’m doing well yeah. The game didn’t take its toll on me fortunately.

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