Speaker 1: What's Good command Is Family.
Speaker 2: Brian Coble Junior here and this is the Next Man
Speaker 2: Up Podcasts. We talk to your favorite commanders and players,
Speaker 2: not so much about x's and o's, more.
Speaker 1: About the man behind the help mat.
Speaker 2: And our next man up is no other than our
Speaker 2: defensive end, our rookie k j Henry kJ talks about.
Speaker 1: Being from North Carolina, having.
Speaker 2: His family support him all the way from high school
Speaker 2: to college to the pros, saving his father's life, and
Speaker 2: also being the best hooper the Commanders have. All that
Speaker 2: and more. Starts right now. What's Good Commanders Family? I'm
Speaker 2: Brian Coble Jr. And this is the Next Man Up Podcast.
Speaker 2: We talk to your favorite Commanders players, not so much
Speaker 2: about XS and o's, more about the player behind the helmet.
Speaker 2: And our next man up is no other than kJ
Speaker 2: Henry kJ. How you doing today, brother, bless Hey man,
Speaker 2: I'm blessed too because I'm here with you.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 2: I know how busy a rookie season can be, and brother,
Speaker 2: you have been busy. But we're not gonna talk about
Speaker 2: football just yet. We'll get into that a little bit
Speaker 2: later because you had yourself a big game as Sunday
Speaker 2: Man I want to talk about the start, North Carolina,
Speaker 2: Winston Salem.
Speaker 1: What is being from there mean to you? Man?
Speaker 4: It means the world? The three three six, I still
Speaker 4: wear them to you know, to this day. My hometown,
Speaker 4: my city. Man, I think Chris Paul did a did
Speaker 4: a great job of setting the footstones. You know, what
Speaker 4: it means to come from there, from Winston Salem. And
Speaker 4: we you know, guys who come out the city, you know,
Speaker 4: just try and follow his footsteps. But just to be
Speaker 4: from the tried area and really you know, put on
Speaker 4: you know for my people. Man, it's it's always a blessing.
Speaker 1: You said Chris Paul.
Speaker 2: Yeah, set what it means to be from there in
Speaker 2: your own words?
Speaker 1: What does it mean to be for them?
Speaker 4: Just to be resilient? Uh, you know, I think we're
Speaker 4: not a big city or anything like that. You know,
Speaker 4: just come from a regular town. I feel like, just
Speaker 4: regular people just trying to you know, get get theirs right.
Speaker 4: And so that's that's really what I've been trying to
Speaker 4: do as I've come up, you know, through this whole process,
Speaker 4: through through this sport, is just try and get mine
Speaker 4: you know the best way I know how and do
Speaker 4: it in a way that obviously, more than anything, makes
Speaker 4: my family proude as well. So just like I said,
Speaker 4: to be from Winston Salem is it's special to me.
Speaker 1: So how did you find football?
Speaker 3: Man?
Speaker 2: What about Winston Saving or your childhood and your upbringing
Speaker 2: made you find the game of football?
Speaker 4: Man? Football found me. I wasn't looking for football, if
Speaker 4: I'm being completely honest. Baseball was the first love. Basketball
Speaker 4: was my longest love, love hooping, man, and tried to
Speaker 4: tried to really orchestrate my high school career to getting
Speaker 4: you know, college hoops, I mean college offers. But you know,
Speaker 4: as you see in today's today's NBA is not a
Speaker 4: lot of six or five centers.
Speaker 3: And that's what I was in high school. I was
Speaker 3: the center.
Speaker 4: So basketball found me, you know, just the aggressiveness but
Speaker 4: also the you know, the attention to detail, you know,
Speaker 4: the athleticians you have to have on the field. Like
Speaker 4: those things just you know, catered well on my talents.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 4: So my dad, being a football coach that he is,
Speaker 4: I'll never forget it. My sophomore year, I had an
Speaker 4: interception of eighty one yards and I was just I
Speaker 4: swear I was just out there just playing backyard football.
Speaker 3: I was like, oh yeah.
Speaker 4: After the game, my dad was like, bro, you about
Speaker 4: to get some offers.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 4: I was like, well, that's that's interesting because I never,
Speaker 4: like I said, I wasn't really lifting, wasn't really working
Speaker 4: for those But you know, God just kind of, you know,
Speaker 4: threw my way, and you know, I said, let's run
Speaker 4: with it. So I'm glad it found me because I'm
Speaker 4: loving it.
Speaker 2: I'm glad it found you too, because now we got
Speaker 2: you here. Now you said you started playing baseball. Now
Speaker 2: I know you ain't been six five year whole life,
Speaker 2: but that's got a little crazy being six or five
Speaker 2: and your size being out on that baseball field. Man,
Speaker 2: how did what you learn for baseball translate to football
Speaker 2: or did it at all?
Speaker 4: I mean the most I got from baseball was patients
Speaker 4: going to baseball games because they were so slow and
Speaker 4: so boring. So that's what I say is, you know,
Speaker 4: the baseball taught me opportunity is gonna come. Just be
Speaker 4: patient and just keep you know, cracking away and hacking
Speaker 4: at it. I'd say, you know, it's it's been a while.
Speaker 4: You know, I used to pitch, so my shoulder can't
Speaker 4: really do all that, but baseball was a good time.
Speaker 1: Oh man.
Speaker 2: I had to imagine you was throwing something six or
Speaker 2: five were for heat, great fastball, straight fastball.
Speaker 1: So then you went over to football.
Speaker 2: Man, you said, your father told you, hey, man, you're
Speaker 2: gonna have a future in this. When did you know
Speaker 2: you that you was going to be this good at football.
Speaker 4: This could probably not till you know, a couple of
Speaker 4: years in in college. Future in this. You know, literally
Speaker 4: in that moment is when I knew, like, okay, I
Speaker 4: could get college paid for. But to really be able
Speaker 4: to play at this level and feel confident, I could
Speaker 4: you know, be a factor. Note not to college. I
Speaker 4: mean when I got to Clemson, it was just kind
Speaker 4: of there. Like I said, I was surprised that I was,
Speaker 4: you know, offered at such a high rate. I was,
Speaker 4: you know, the fifth d N come out of high school,
Speaker 4: so all that stuff. Like I worked for it, yes,
Speaker 4: But like at the same time, I, if I look
Speaker 4: back on it, I could have worked way harder, you know,
Speaker 4: to be completely honest with you. So I definitely got
Speaker 4: blessed in that regard. But yeah, in college I had
Speaker 4: some growing pains and you know, playing with some of
Speaker 4: the dominant d limit. So once was one of this
Speaker 4: past weekend, Like those were some of my old heads
Speaker 4: man that I was around. You know, I had to
Speaker 4: grow up a little bit and that did just you know,
Speaker 4: it made me stronger. You know that d Lion and
Speaker 4: you know that team coach Sweeney, all those those guys
Speaker 4: instilled in me. You know what you guys see on Sunday. So,
Speaker 4: but it wasn't it definitely wasn't a finished product when
Speaker 4: I got there and you.
Speaker 1: And you mentioned Clemson, Yeah, stay pretty close to home.
Speaker 1: What's that? A couple hours away from the crib right?
Speaker 3: Not far?
Speaker 2: Was it important for you to stay close to home
Speaker 2: because it seems like you're very very close to your parents.
Speaker 3: Oh, no, doubt. Yeah.
Speaker 4: You know, early in the process, it wasn't on the
Speaker 4: forefront of my mind. But as I got you know,
Speaker 4: deeper to the recruiting process and started windling down my teams,
Speaker 4: you know, it definitely started pointing in that direction of
Speaker 4: not being too far from home. Wanted to make sure
Speaker 4: that my mom can still travel to come watch me
Speaker 4: and my siblings, and I've you know, I'm blessed to
Speaker 4: have a very supportive family, so you know, they love
Speaker 4: to come support and watch as much as they can.
Speaker 4: So I wanted to make sure that, you know, that
Speaker 4: was available to them and give them that opportunity. So
Speaker 4: just being at one of the best that I could
Speaker 4: be at and being close was you know, blessing.
Speaker 3: I was just right down the road.
Speaker 2: And that support is so important because, as you mentioned,
Speaker 2: your pops was involved in football, won a ACC championship
Speaker 2: and wait for so he's he's a big deal. Like
Speaker 2: he's he's played football and he understands the game. How
Speaker 2: did you, guys, a conversation change once you became a
Speaker 2: collegiate athlete and you're almost at like the same level
Speaker 2: that he's used to because he's a coach man that
Speaker 2: don't go nowhere, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1: Out of those conversations, chaps, I.
Speaker 4: Just honestly, it wasn't even a button heads. I just
Speaker 4: listened to him more like this is the level he
Speaker 4: had been coaching on for many years before I was
Speaker 4: even born. So he's seeing a lot of different pathways,
Speaker 4: a lot of different you know, guys make something of
Speaker 4: themselves and guys do it wrong. So I knew he
Speaker 4: knew what it looked like. On top of the fact
Speaker 4: that he's my dad. He's been somewhat coaching me all
Speaker 4: my life, so really just leaned in, you know, to
Speaker 4: his advice, you know, secondhand to my coach's advice. And
Speaker 4: you know, I knew no one would be more invested
Speaker 4: than my you know, my my pops and myself. So
Speaker 4: you know, after every game, he just watched the game
Speaker 4: if he couldn't see it, and you know, we go
Speaker 4: over film and you know, just talk about what I
Speaker 4: could do better, what it looked like from his perspective
Speaker 4: of What I love about him is he's always loving
Speaker 4: in his critiques, but he's always one hundred percent honest
Speaker 4: and that just you know, helped me get better and
Speaker 4: better each year.
Speaker 1: That's so awesome to hear.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 2: I told you before we started, like how much it
Speaker 2: means to me be able to highlight a dad and
Speaker 2: son dynamic because you know.
Speaker 1: Mom's get love all the time, my MoMA's boy.
Speaker 2: I much shout out my mom all the time, but
Speaker 2: dads are also very very crucial. And you do, man,
Speaker 2: you're really doing. Your dad has a really good son.
Speaker 2: Because you guys had a moment through college. You know,
Speaker 2: you know, when you get to college there's you know, school,
Speaker 2: and there's you know, women and all these different things
Speaker 2: that we think about college, right, we don't think about
Speaker 2: the trials and tribulations that come while you're becoming a man.
Speaker 2: While you're going through these things and your father during
Speaker 2: your college tenure, you're the kidney transplant. Talk to us
Speaker 2: about that, what all went into that, because that's a
Speaker 2: very very in depth story, and I'd rather you tell
Speaker 2: it than me, So you know, go ahead and talk to
Speaker 2: us about that and what that was kind of like.
Speaker 3: Yeah, nah, I appreciate it. Yeah.
Speaker 4: So you know, this past few years has been all
Speaker 4: about that my dad need a kidney transplant. And as
Speaker 4: you spoke to how great he is, he kind of
Speaker 4: found out, you know, right before my last season at
Speaker 4: Clemson this past season. He knew, you know, in the
Speaker 4: season before and didn't want to tell me. He didn't
Speaker 4: want it to be a distraction to me, and so
Speaker 4: he told me a little bit after the season. I
Speaker 4: told him, don't ever do that again. I don't care
Speaker 4: about it distraction. You tell me so, But nah, I
Speaker 4: was able to you know, I think first and foremost,
Speaker 4: just you know, our belief and our trust in God
Speaker 4: was like I was really calm during that whole process,
Speaker 4: to be completely honest with you, I just he was calm,
Speaker 4: My mom was calm. So it was just like, we're
Speaker 4: just gonna pray, We're gonna get through this, and that's
Speaker 4: really what happened. And you know, secondly, just leaning on
Speaker 4: my teammates the Clemson community. I was very confident in
Speaker 4: where I went to school, the people I was around,
Speaker 4: and I had no problem you know, asking for help
Speaker 4: and especially like I said, with with the people around
Speaker 4: me who've been supporting me. So that was the easy part,
Speaker 4: you know, I think the quote unquote hard part was
Speaker 4: just trying to be patient what I learned And now
Speaker 4: I'm helping an organization who helped us called Help Help Live.
Speaker 4: But what I learned through that process was, you know,
Speaker 4: it's out of your control and a lot of families,
Speaker 4: including mine, are waiting on the list and really just
Speaker 4: fingers crossed helping, hoping for an opportunity to help their
Speaker 4: loved ones. So I knew that, Yeah, we were able
Speaker 4: to raise a lot of money, like I said, with
Speaker 4: helping my teammates in the Clemson community and you know
Speaker 4: those on social media, and we're able to find them
Speaker 4: a transplant, a kinney transplant, a Kenny donor who was
Speaker 4: one of my family members, uh, you know, which is
Speaker 4: a blessing as well, but that's not the case for everybody.
Speaker 4: So yes, it was a blessing that you know, helped
Speaker 4: my father. But I had always felt like I want
Speaker 4: to help and had a call in the helping community service,
Speaker 4: but never have been pulled towards anything. And I just
Speaker 4: thought like this happened to have me help the people
Speaker 4: who are kind of going through the same thing. So
Speaker 4: that was easily, you know, my biggest trial and tribulation
Speaker 4: up to this point because life has been a blessing
Speaker 4: and been pretty you know, pretty easy. I ain't gonna lie,
Speaker 4: you know, as far as not too many stresses and
Speaker 4: things like that. So just gave me the ability to
Speaker 4: now help others.
Speaker 2: And you're so humble, man, because like you were such
Speaker 2: a big blessing, like you kind of ran through it.
Speaker 2: But I really want to break down to the people
Speaker 2: that are listening what you did. You found out about
Speaker 2: your pops, you jumped on social media and said, listen,
Speaker 2: I'm a man, I don't ask for help. I'm not
Speaker 2: used to this, but I'm asking for help. Now, my
Speaker 2: father needs a kidney transplant. Please go get tested, Let's
Speaker 2: do a gofund me, all of these things and then.
Speaker 1: The support comes in. The support comes in.
Speaker 2: Man, how did it feel to have support not only
Speaker 2: from your Clemson brothers, but from like strangers that you
Speaker 2: never met that just knew of you and wanted to
Speaker 2: help your pops out.
Speaker 4: That's the special part because I can keep saying that,
Speaker 4: you know, like the Clemson connection, my teammates, the community,
Speaker 4: I knew.
Speaker 3: I was gonna have that support.
Speaker 4: Yeah, but just you know, the people that I never
Speaker 4: really met, and people I never got to say thank
Speaker 4: you to or you know, meet face to face. That
Speaker 4: was just the overwhelming you know, love and support that
Speaker 4: I really appreciated. I had never seen my dad cry,
Speaker 4: and well, him coming to the event and seeing so
Speaker 4: many people you know come to the autograph sign and
Speaker 4: where we raise money for him, really brought the tears
Speaker 4: and it was a beautiful moment. So yeah, man, just
Speaker 4: that whole process, it was somewhat of a blessing, just
Speaker 4: to give us some perspective change, you know, in our lives.
Speaker 4: And like I said, has now you know, helped me
Speaker 4: pivot to help other families kind of in the same situation.
Speaker 2: And I love your perspective, man, because when you move
Speaker 2: with faith, right, you see trials and tribulations as maybe
Speaker 2: a chance to learn something, a chance to get something
Speaker 2: out of it. What is seeing your father go through that, right,
Speaker 2: Because that's not easy to go through even through like
Speaker 2: you said, you had to wait through this whole process.
Speaker 2: What did you learn watching your father conquer this battle?
Speaker 4: I mean, on the surface, I'd say I learned that
Speaker 4: every everything that I'm going through through this process my
Speaker 4: rookie year, and you know something that I'm doing that
Speaker 4: I really love, Like.
Speaker 3: Life is bigger than all of this, right, you.
Speaker 4: Know, it really comes down to genial connections, you know,
Speaker 4: love and and really just being the best, you know,
Speaker 4: version of yourself and things like that. So that was
Speaker 4: one big thing. Secondly, just how much I really love
Speaker 4: my family, Like I really do love love them to death,
Speaker 4: and I just that made that bond even tighter. I mean,
Speaker 4: I really feel like my family's bond is crazy type,
Speaker 4: but it you know, it just brought us even closer.
Speaker 1: And as great as what you did was, right, You're
Speaker 1: still a human being.
Speaker 2: So you're going through college still you're still being an athlete,
Speaker 2: and you're lost a big support system because now that
Speaker 2: they're going through this, they can't be there every game,
Speaker 2: like you said, they have been, right, How did you
Speaker 2: deal and cope with these things? Because a lot of
Speaker 2: times we get on here and we talk about this stuff,
Speaker 2: a lot of y'all will say, you know, man, I'm
Speaker 2: a man. You know, I'm a black man. I can't
Speaker 2: really express myself. I can't Nobody feels bad for me.
Speaker 2: I can't feel How did you cope with all those
Speaker 2: feelings and everything you're dealing with because that's new territory.
Speaker 3: No doubt.
Speaker 4: Well, I still, you know, kept in communication with you know,
Speaker 4: my parents, they helped me with that. We're very open
Speaker 4: to our communication, our family. And then I have some
Speaker 4: great mentors, you know, when I'm Dan Leanna was a pastor,
Speaker 4: and Clemson with someone I always leaned on and talk with,
Speaker 4: you know, anytime I feel I was going through a struggle.
Speaker 4: So just being open with stuff like that just makes
Speaker 4: it easier on me is something that I've learned, you know,
Speaker 4: through trials and trials and trials. So that was just
Speaker 4: another one that I could just you know, throw up
Speaker 4: there and figure out and then you know, going through
Speaker 4: the summer he was able to heal and everything. And
Speaker 4: that was another part of the blessing in this guy.
Speaker 4: Actually he was able to come to every game that
Speaker 4: my last year, wow, because he was you know, healing,
Speaker 4: but he was getting out of coaching and and that's
Speaker 4: what he if he asked him to this that he
Speaker 4: loved that because up to that point he was coaching
Speaker 4: and he couldn't necessarily come to all my games. But ironically,
Speaker 4: the year where he was recovering from you know, something
Speaker 4: that made him really sick, that was the year that
Speaker 4: he could you know, come watch his son plays, you know,
Speaker 4: find on best season. So it was, it was it
Speaker 4: was a different experience for sure.
Speaker 2: How much it having him there for that final season
Speaker 2: impact the dominance you were able to take.
Speaker 4: To tell myself, like that's there, he's not there, Like
Speaker 4: it doesn't matter, Like I have to play, produce, you
Speaker 4: know what I'm saying for the people around me, But
Speaker 4: I'd be lying it. It feels, you know, internally a
Speaker 4: little bit better when he's there, No doubt about it.
Speaker 4: I know he's always watching, always supporting, but you know,
Speaker 4: as a son or as a just an amazing father.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 4: That just always helps when he's, you know, there in
Speaker 4: the stand. So it was awesome. It was a fun year.
Speaker 1: That is really awesome, man.
Speaker 2: And then you have this fun year, you ball out,
Speaker 2: and now you got NFL dreams.
Speaker 1: Baby, you know what I'm saying. You're right there. You're
Speaker 1: at the crib. I believe.
Speaker 2: I don't know if you were at your parents' house
Speaker 2: for the draft. So you get that call.
Speaker 1: Your family's all there.
Speaker 2: Man, what's the first thing that goes through that mind
Speaker 2: when you get that call saying, hey, you have been
Speaker 2: drafted to the Washington Commandage.
Speaker 4: So I'm sitting there, you know, my iPad. I'm watching
Speaker 4: my little brother play AAU somewhere. Wow, that's all I
Speaker 4: was watching. That was helping me, you know, past time.
Speaker 4: But you know, finally got that call. I look at
Speaker 4: my phone and I'm like, Virginia, what team is? Like,
Speaker 4: I know, football to the T, I don't know, No,
Speaker 4: we don't know NFL. Virginia, I'm so confused. Answer the
Speaker 4: phone and I hear coach Rivera, you know, introduce herself
Speaker 4: and hear his voice and I'm like, yo, that is Washington,
Speaker 4: Like my dad is I didn't think about myself like
Speaker 4: my dad is about to flip, like he's about to
Speaker 4: pull a hamstring. He was about to go crazy. So
Speaker 4: that's He's the first person that came to mind. He's
Speaker 4: been a Washington fan my entire life, and I just knew.
Speaker 4: I was like, this is crazy when I when I
Speaker 4: get off this phone and tell him where I'm going.
Speaker 4: So he was on the forefront of my mom. But
Speaker 4: then obviously just after that, just I'd always wondered to
Speaker 4: that point, like all the extra hours that all of
Speaker 4: these guys put in to get to this point, like
Speaker 4: they're ever worth it. In that moment, it was, you know,
Speaker 4: And so that was a really cool thing to just
Speaker 4: have that feeling, because you know, in this business, it's
Speaker 4: celebrate for five seconds and go work for fifty, you
Speaker 4: know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3: So that was just a really great achievement.
Speaker 2: And I love hearing Pops it was a Washington fan,
Speaker 2: a die hard grew up like that. Did you have
Speaker 2: any idea that this may be the team that would
Speaker 2: be drafted?
Speaker 3: None at all? Wow at all.
Speaker 4: Had had a meeting with coach Z and an r
Speaker 4: K in the Zoom meeting, but that was it. I was, yeah,
Speaker 4: communication I had with Washington, So no, I didn't. You know,
Speaker 4: some of my older defense alignment who went to Clemson
Speaker 4: now in the league, they let me know through the process, like, yeah,
Speaker 4: some guys will talk to you, some teams won't. Like
Speaker 4: everybody has their own process, but just know everybody's available.
Speaker 4: So I kept that on on the far front of
Speaker 4: my mind, knowing that. But now Washington wouldn't. I didn't.
Speaker 3: I didn't think. I didn't think I was gonna be here.
Speaker 3: I'm not far from home.
Speaker 4: You know, I'm at a place where I loved and
Speaker 4: appreciate it, and obviously my dad really loves I'm here,
Speaker 4: so I could be happier.
Speaker 2: No, I don't think anybody could be happy be your posse.
Speaker 2: I seen the video you tell him he disappears.
Speaker 1: What sudden?
Speaker 2: He comes back downstairs and he is wearing a Washington jersey,
Speaker 2: something I'm imagined he's had for years.
Speaker 3: Man, it every week.
Speaker 2: Who was that man? To see your fop so elated
Speaker 2: and to be playing for your dad's your heroes favorite.
Speaker 4: Team, I mean, he's it was awesome. I mean to
Speaker 4: take it to another level of the I think it
Speaker 4: was a charter Jeremiah Trater jersey yep, Jeremia Charter Junior
Speaker 4: is my team was my team at Clemson who was
Speaker 4: a linebacker. Crazy, So that was just a whole different
Speaker 4: side story. That was crazy that he even had that
Speaker 4: jersey on. But no, it was that was just him man.
Speaker 4: I mean, I'm telling you, nobody partied harder than my
Speaker 4: father that day.
Speaker 1: For sure.
Speaker 4: Like I said, I was excited, I was happy, but nah,
Speaker 4: wouldn't nobody beat my pops that day.
Speaker 3: So it was a great day and that.
Speaker 1: Is awesome, man.
Speaker 2: And then you get to Virginia, right because a practice
Speaker 2: facility in.
Speaker 1: Virginia.
Speaker 2: So you're out here, man, you're going through preseason, you're
Speaker 2: going through your first NFL training camp, and then back
Speaker 2: to your dad again. You get to take him to
Speaker 2: a practice. I've seen the picture smiling ear to ear man.
Speaker 2: Was that the moment where you're like, wow, this is
Speaker 2: like full circle, I've made it, I'm here Or have
Speaker 2: you not had that moment?
Speaker 1: No?
Speaker 3: No, I don't. I still don't think I've had it.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 4: I think that was the moment where I was like, wow,
Speaker 4: he's like living his dream. He didn't get to plan
Speaker 4: the league, but like I said, he's been Washington fan
Speaker 4: all his life. So just seeing Doug Williams walking around
Speaker 4: fail like all these legends that were around in the preseason.
Speaker 4: We had a dinner with them, you know, the rookies did,
Speaker 4: and they invited my dad to the dinner. Like that
Speaker 4: was a dream country for him. I know, it was
Speaker 4: so just to be in this facility, to be around here,
Speaker 4: all the coaches be you know, acting like he got
Speaker 4: full access.
Speaker 3: He done met and the president.
Speaker 4: So he's fancy bro y'all. I'm just saying, y'all getting dangerous. Y'all.
Speaker 4: Can't give too much access now. It's gonna be freaking
Speaker 4: using the locker room.
Speaker 3: He's all. He needs a one day contractor over. So
Speaker 3: he had a great time.
Speaker 4: But nah, I just like you know, all my other
Speaker 4: long parts of my journey to Clemson everything, I probably
Speaker 4: won't be able to just sit back and really think
Speaker 4: I made it or I done something till it's over,
Speaker 4: to be completely honest with you. So I'm just kind
Speaker 4: of enjoying the route right now.
Speaker 2: That is so interesting, man, because you're coming off of
Speaker 2: a career game right like it was a huge game.
Speaker 2: You came and stepped up this defensive line doesn't look
Speaker 2: how it looked when the season started. You were patient,
Speaker 2: waited for your chance, and then you balled out. So
Speaker 2: that right there, doing that, getting those sex, getting those TFLs.
Speaker 2: That didn't make you feel like dang, I'm here, you're
Speaker 2: still not having felt it yet.
Speaker 4: It made me feel like, dang, I just made a
Speaker 4: good play. I mean, especially after a week like this.
Speaker 4: We on to the next one. It's it's a quick
Speaker 4: you know, we got a game Thursday, so nah, I
Speaker 4: just got the congratulations from the fam. Thank you, thank you,
Speaker 4: thank you. Yeah, on to the next Yeah, and as
Speaker 4: you mentioned, we got a quick game coming up. We
Speaker 4: got Thanksgiving coming up. You get to plan on Thanksgiving,
Speaker 4: which is really really cool. We're passed halfway through the season.
Speaker 4: We're in week twelve. Yeah, your first year, Man, has
Speaker 4: it been everything you expected.
Speaker 1: It to be.
Speaker 4: Honestly, what I've learned is I don't really have expectations.
Speaker 4: I don't have it because when I did, I was
Speaker 4: there was either way higher way lower. Like I just
Speaker 4: I was always off right. And you know, what God
Speaker 4: has had planned for me is just been so different
Speaker 4: than what I've ever had planned for myself. Like I said, I,
Speaker 4: if it's up to me, I'd be playing overseason basketball
Speaker 4: probably right now. With the talent I have. God, you know,
Speaker 4: I was able to shift my love and passion, you know,
Speaker 4: for this game and I'm here today. So yeah, I
Speaker 4: really don't even put expectations on my journey.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 4: I just really focus on being intentional every single day
Speaker 4: and making sure that I have no regrets on the
Speaker 4: effort that I give, and up to this point has
Speaker 4: been a pretty good formula. So I'm probably gonna stick
Speaker 4: with it.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I love when you guys talk about playing basketball because
Speaker 2: we had Jamison Crowder, he like beat Kyrie for the
Speaker 2: zero Dude.
Speaker 1: We had kwalm Martin.
Speaker 2: He swear he the best, and all of them have
Speaker 2: said they are the best. Hooper that where's the Commanders, Jersey?
Speaker 2: Are you the best?
Speaker 3: It is me? It really is me, So let's talk
Speaker 3: about it.
Speaker 1: Let's talk about it.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 4: I mean I had college offers, played for teams CP three,
Speaker 4: like that was my AU team. Really, I'm going to
Speaker 4: see one of my old teammates, Harry Johns when the
Speaker 4: Nets come play. I have multiple teammates that play in
Speaker 4: the league right now. Wind up more with the Timberwolves,
Speaker 4: Kobe White with the Bulls. So I've just played with
Speaker 4: a higher caliber basketball player than anybody on this football team.
Speaker 4: And I know, like I scored a thousand points in
Speaker 4: high school. Apparently that was surprise John and all the
Speaker 4: d line. I'm like, I could have kept going and
Speaker 4: he played my senior year. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, day, Yeah,
Speaker 4: like it was.
Speaker 3: I'm the best on the team.
Speaker 2: Do y'all have those conversations though, Like, have y'all sat
Speaker 2: and like talked about Yo, I was a hooper back
Speaker 2: in the day.
Speaker 3: I'm from North Carolina. Who state? Like, first off, I'm
Speaker 3: not from my state.
Speaker 4: I'm not trying to hear none OF's like, so you
Speaker 4: got to give me worked over you already see.
Speaker 3: Like I love it.
Speaker 1: We got to get y'all hooping one of these days.
Speaker 3: That's the thing. Here's the difference.
Speaker 4: Like they they talk about hooping, but they're like, I
Speaker 4: don't want to tweet this and like we can hoop today.
Speaker 4: I don't care in the middle of the season. Let's
Speaker 4: go just y and C where is it at?
Speaker 1: I'm ready, man, I love the competitive energy.
Speaker 2: Just promised me if y'all end up hooping y'all let
Speaker 2: me be there and let me do man. I gotta
Speaker 2: watch y'all do y'all thy now back to football maybe
Speaker 2: before I let you go, because man, I really appreciate
Speaker 2: your time. Should io camera right here for any fans
Speaker 2: that aren't familiar with who kJ Henry is, looking at
Speaker 2: IO camera right there and tell them who K is?
Speaker 3: I say.
Speaker 4: kJ Henry is first and foremost a man of faith,
Speaker 4: you know, who's allowed God to just carry his footsteps
Speaker 4: through through his journey of life and doing so, he
Speaker 4: tries to, you know, make his family proud and just
Speaker 4: make sure that he does, you know, everything to the
Speaker 4: best of his ability and everything that he does. And
Speaker 4: also he's gonna have fun while he's doing it.
Speaker 1: Kjamin, I have no doubt you're making your parents proud. Man.
Speaker 1: I have no doubt you're making the Commander's family proud. Man.
Speaker 2: It's been so much fun seeing you develop. It's fun
Speaker 2: seeing you get off Sunday.
Speaker 4: Man.
Speaker 1: We hope we see more for that for Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2: Commander's Family, This is next man of I'm Brian cople
Speaker 2: Junior here with kJ Henry Man his family.
Speaker 1: Until next time, Love Podcast.
Speaker 2: Commanders Family where We have a lot more for you
Speaker 2: on the Commander's Podcast Network. We have the Command Center
Speaker 2: Podcast with Logan Paulson, Fresh New and Santana Mass. It's
Speaker 2: like hanging out with your best friends, but you're only
Speaker 2: talking Commander's football. We have the Players Club with legends
Speaker 2: London Fletcher and Santana Mass and they sit with your
Speaker 2: favorite Commander's player.
Speaker 1: It's like talking football in a way that only those
Speaker 1: who played the game can't.
Speaker 2: And we have to Get Loud podcast of Mike Jenkins
Speaker 2: and Fred Smooth doing what they do best, getting Loud.
Speaker 2: That show has a ton of fun. You don't want
Speaker 2: to miss it. And then of course we have the
Speaker 2: Next Man Up podcasts. We will be back next Tuesday
Speaker 2: with another one of your favorite Commander's players. All that
Speaker 2: in War could be found on The Commander's Podcast Network
Speaker 2: or watch us on