First, can you let readers know what you are doing with yourself since you’ve retired from the NFL, and how you got started doing so?

I retired from the NFL in 2000, right after the 1999 season was complete. Nothing better than a 50/50 opportunity was presented to me, so after a ten year career, I figured that it was time to walk away. I didn’t want to go through another camp without a legitimate chance of making a roster.

The NFL taught me to be disciplined in my approach to basically everything in life and to give your best effort every time, because you never know when it will be your last. You have to cease the moment, the NFL stands for “NOT FOR LONG”, your time there can be short and you want to make the best of a rare opportunity. The adjustment from the NFL to normal life can be difficult for most, but I had an incredible support group (family) that was there all the time helping make the switch as smooth as possible. Still miss the game though.

You were drafted by Atlanta in ’89 and went on to play for six teams over your nine year career. How difficult was that for you and what do you owe that perseverance to?

Having a Dad that played professional baseball was extremely helpful throughout my entire sports life from Little League/Pop Warner Football, college and the NFL. I was shown at a young age what it took to be the best, to create a work ethic that all elite athletes have, it gives them that extra edge to be great.

You signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent in 1997 – why did you choose the Steelers – what did they tell you your role would be?

I was a free agent, they actually chose me. They had a few injuries at the tight end position and had me in for a workout. Obviously, I had a good workout, because I was offered a contract and never left Pittsburgh that day. it was a dream come true. The Steelers were my favorite team growing up.

1997 was a season of transition for the Steelers. The team went with a new quarterback and suffered some big free agent losses, yet still did well. What enabled the team to do so well despite all of those changes?

Kordell was the quarterback and played very well that season. A big part of why we made it to the AFC Championship game that year. It also helps when you have a great head coach, coaching staff, solid defense and Jerome Bettis in the backfield.

Having played for division rival Cincinnati for three year before Pittsburgh, was it strange then going to play for the Steelers, and how much grief did the Steelers players give you?

I was immediately welcomed to the team, I was now a Steeler. The funny thing was, our first game was against the Bengals. I was a little nervous, because I wasn’t sure if I was there for the week and gone the next. Thank The Lord I wasn’t! Also, Bill Cowher was the defensive coordinator/linebacker coach in Kansas City in 1991 when I was there and the NFL is the “good old boy network”, he helped make the transition easy.

How much did humor play a part on the Steelers teams you played on, and how so? Can you give a couple of examples of some funny things that occurred, on or off the field?

This wasn’t just an NFL team, it was like a family. We would cut up off the field, but when game time was here, it was all business and when your winning…It’s always fun! Every team has it’s jokesters and this team had plenty of them.

Who were some of the toughest guys you lined up against – in practice and on game days – and what made them so?

Cornelius Bennett, Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Ray Lewis, Junior Seau, Kevin Greene, Bill Romanowski, Rickey Jackson, Carl Banks, Wilbur Marshall, Levon Kirkland, Jessie Tuggle, Hardy Nickerson to name a few. There were so many great players, because it’s the NFL, but there were 3 guys that stand out because they possessed power, speed and incredible quickness that gave all tight ends trouble. That was Derrick Thomas, Lawrence Taylor and Greg Lloyd. They could run around you, by you or through you and it was usually their choice. Always fun to be matched up against the best.

What are your thoughts on the way the game has changed today – do you still watch the NFL?

It’s a different game, different athletes and there is a need for more change, especially off the field. A day doesn’t go by where you don’t pick up a paper or get on the internet and here about somebody having done something that ends up derailing or destroying their career. We need more discipline and accountability. These kids are handed an incredible opportunity, playing in the NFL is an honor and a privilege and they need to understand this, but I don’t think they do. There is a sense of entitlement with todays athlete that changes things and some of these changes aren’t pretty. Some have been embarrassing to many. I still watch the games, but I’m more selective in who I watch. In the NFC it’s the Falcons (the first team that I played for) and the AFC it’s the Steelers.

What advice would you give players entering the game today?

Be humble!

Any last thoughts for readers?

Playing in “The Burgh” was a dream come true. Thank you for helping make it such a special time in my life. Go Steelers!

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