Welcome to Steelers Takeaways!

First off, what’s the plan now? What’s next?

That’s a hard question now. My son is involved in coaching now – he’s with the Cowboys. I have two daughters and I’d like to be there as they continue to grow. So I’m on hold right now. I’m still working out and watching film but right now things are on hold.

You’ve coached at all levels – is there a preference now between head coach or coordinator?

It’s all time-consuming. As a head coach you run the whole club – you handle the offense, defense and special teams. It really depends on what you want to do. I think I’d most like at this point to be around younger coaches and helping them develop- that’s the most intriguing thing to me. Like an advisor – for an NFL club.

I was a head coach in the XFL last year and that was fun, dealing with the GM. I had a blast doing that because we could hand-pick our players. That was enjoyable.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett, 1997-1999”

First off, what have you been up to since your time in the NFL?

After I retired I realized financially I was too young – I had a fine career but needed to do something more for a piss! For the first couple of years I didn’t do a ton- I had young kids and my focus was on them. We moved to San Diego where we live now – right around the time I signed with the Steelers.

I was interested finance – that’s what I studied in Australia. I took an initial role with a small fund out here then changed course the last few years and became an analyst on the natural gas trading floor. Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Punter Mat McBriar, 2013”

First off, can you let us know what you’ve been doing since your football days?

Now I’m a practicing attorney in Washington, DC. I’m a criminal defense attorney – its something I always wanted to do. It caught my interest early on and I really enjoyed law school.

Was the adjustment from football to post-football life difficult? Did playing help you as a lawyer in any way?

Indeed it was. I had to get glasses, for starters! In law school I was reading 250 pages a night!

The competitive nature – that need to compete. When I first tried cases I’d find out who the prosecutor was and go to their trials if they had one before mine. I did it kind of like a scouting report. The judge would always laugh when he saw me and ask if there was a reason I was there!

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers/Gladiators Wide Receiver Russell Hairston, 1987”

First off, what are you up to now?

I’m blessed – I’m a husband and father – life is different now. We relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina and I’m doing different things here work-wise.

I have the non -profit thing going on with my brothers – My Brother’s Keeper. We’re doing different events in the Danville, Virginia are where we’re from and have branched out to other areas where we’ve played as well. We’re in the process of opening up an after-school program in January, 2026 so we’re excited about that.

Outside of that I am also working with Pro Athlete Community – PAC – where we help pro athletes transition from professional sports to life after sports. That’s been wonderful.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Running Back Trey Edmunds, 2018-2022”

First off, what are you up to now?

I’m living here in Indianapolis now, being a dad.  I have a four-year old dude who is just getting smarter and more active-that’s harder than coaching!

Are you looking to coach again?

If it happens yes. But what happened in Arizona – the issue with me and my wife … we’re still together now. But it was a bad two hours and wasn’t something that was supposed to happen.

I’m not sure what people think now -the landscape changes and if you don’t have those relationships – it’s tough to crack that. It is what it is. I’m not not working because I don’t know how to coach. But I’m trying to be better because of all that happened.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Running Back Coach James Saxon, 2014-2018”

First off, can you let me know what you’ve been up to?

It depends on the day of the week! Five days a week I’m working in the natural gas industry – working on excavations and move-outs. My day starts at five a.m. and ends anywhere from 3:30 to 11:30 at night. It depends on the day. I enjoy doing it – every day is different.

In my private life it’s been all about the entrepreneurial ecosystem. My family have all been entrepreneurs – my father was in real estate, my mother has a message therapist business, my older brother owns a landscaping business and my sister is in health and wellness and education for a non-profit.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Wide Receiver Toney Clemons, 2012”