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Speaker 1: The kid that I put the most blood sweating too

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Speaker 1: is all the wanted. This still go go to juvenile

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Speaker 1: like I do. And most of those kids not even

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Speaker 1: bad kids.

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Speaker 2: It's just the environment.

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Speaker 1: And there's no excuse because we still make our own decisions.

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Speaker 1: But and one thing I've learned is just like I've

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Speaker 1: ran into so many kids like I was, And the

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Speaker 1: hardest thing I think I've had to do was try

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Speaker 1: to coach the me out of a kid.

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Speaker 3: The hardest thing you've had to do is try to

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Speaker 3: coach the you out of the kids your son because

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Speaker 3: you recognized it from your.

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Speaker 2: Past, right.

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Speaker 1: And I've had kids to walk off the field and

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Speaker 1: throw the hell called me bes and hs, and like

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Speaker 1: literally I've had to experience the same thing that I

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Speaker 1: was taking people through.

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Speaker 3: Welcome to an army of normal folks. So I'm Bill Courtney.

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Speaker 3: I'm a normal guy. I'm a husband, a father, or

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Speaker 3: an entrepreneur, and I'm a football coach and City Memphis.

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Speaker 3: And the last part unintentionally led to an oscar for

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Speaker 3: the film about our team, it's called Undefeated. I believe

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Speaker 3: our country's problems will never be solved by a bunch

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Speaker 3: of fancy people and nice suits, using big words that

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Speaker 3: nobody understands on seeing it in Fox, but rather by

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Speaker 3: an army of normal folks, us just you and me

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Speaker 3: seeing and ed and saying hey, I can help. That's

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Speaker 3: what Cheaevis Daniels, the voice we just heard is done.

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Speaker 3: And I know this guest all too well because Chavis

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Speaker 3: played on my football team of a Nassas and like me,

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Speaker 3: was one of the accidental stars in Undefeated. But that's

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Speaker 3: not why he's on the podcast. Chavs has gone on

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Speaker 3: to mentor over a thousand kids in his organization that

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Speaker 3: he founded, the North Memphis Steelers, and is even back

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Speaker 3: to coaching football at his alma mater, Nassas High School.

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Speaker 3: I could not be prouder of Chevas and I can't

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Speaker 3: wait for you to hear from them right after these

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Speaker 3: brief messages from our general sponsors. Shaves Daniels, what's up, brother,

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Speaker 3: what's so?

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Speaker 1: Coach?

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Speaker 2: How you doing?

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Speaker 3: I'm good? How are you?

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Speaker 2: I'm good? I'm good. I can't complying coach good.

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Speaker 3: That's a that's a big difference from when you're junior

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Speaker 3: in high school, where you did was complain.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I do, I agree, you'd I agree for our listeners.

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Speaker 3: This uh, this will this particular guest will be one

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Speaker 3: that I'm intimately familiar with and extraordinarily proud of. And

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Speaker 3: Shavs Daniels was a former football player of mine who

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Speaker 3: was one of the individuals highlighted in the movie Undefeated,

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Speaker 3: which kind of chronicled the time that we spent together.

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Speaker 3: But really that's not what we're here to talk about.

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Speaker 3: Chaevs started an organization called the North Memphis Steelers, and

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Speaker 3: we're going to get into that and hopefully inspire some

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Speaker 3: of you with things that you can do to be

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Speaker 3: a part of the army of normal folks. But first, Chaevs,

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Speaker 3: which come from man, tell me about growing up. Tell

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Speaker 3: me about little ugly Chavus.

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Speaker 1: I can't. I was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Came from

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Speaker 1: Lavanda cha Cobb. That is my mom. My dad is

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Speaker 1: Michael Daniels. Grew up mostly in Nord Memphis area, but

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Speaker 1: we moved out to Fraser and Raleigh over a period

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Speaker 1: of time. But my whole family grew up in Nord Memphis,

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Speaker 1: so I was very familiar with most of the people

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Speaker 1: that it was just in Nor Memphis.

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Speaker 3: So Chaevis is a native Memphion and and for those

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Speaker 3: who don't know the area, North Memphis is actually inside

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Speaker 3: the city limits as well as Fraser and Raleigh. But

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Speaker 3: they are areas of Memphis. And if you think of

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Speaker 3: Memphis as city center, downtown, the farther north you go,

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Speaker 3: you go North Memphis, then you go Fraser, then to Raleigh,

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Speaker 3: and so North Memphis is a community really that encompasses

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Speaker 3: Raleigh and Fraser. It's all North Memphis, and then you

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Speaker 3: have South Memphis, East Memphis, and then West Memphis is

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Speaker 3: actually in Arkansas. So you're a North Memphis guy, right?

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Speaker 3: And was your dad ever in the home? Oh?

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Speaker 2: No, My dad was never in the home.

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Speaker 1: No, not really until like my twelfth grade year when

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Speaker 1: he found that I was maybe in a movie.

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Speaker 3: So he came around. Not exactly the father experience that

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Speaker 3: some of us so far agains.

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Speaker 1: Right, I agree, but is no bad blood at all

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Speaker 1: in on Hall Grill. Just so as I grew older,

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Speaker 1: I just learned to except the situation for what it was,

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Speaker 1: and forgiveness as well, because I know there's two sides

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Speaker 1: the every corn Javis.

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Speaker 3: I met you in ninth grade, right when you showed up,

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Speaker 3: and here was this contemptuous back then. Skinny yeah, fast

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Speaker 3: but very athletic kid playing linebacker for me. And it

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Speaker 3: took me a while to figure out, but you were

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Speaker 3: you weren't disrespectful, but you were always edgy and a

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Speaker 3: little angry. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: And then one thing I can say is growing up then,

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Speaker 1: I kind of grew with my grandmother and my mom

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Speaker 1: as well. And one thing they did teach me was

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Speaker 1: all good etiquette and respect and it's and maybe sometimes

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Speaker 1: I didn't apply what I was taught, but.

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Speaker 3: I think sometimes maybe you didn't.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I know I didn't.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, one thing my mom I can't say, my

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Speaker 1: mom and my grandmother did was teach me good edikut

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Speaker 1: Like I'm twenty nine years old, man, I still yes, sir, Yes, ma'am.

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Speaker 1: And I feel like there's just something that I carred

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Speaker 1: on you. Seed was planted, right, yes, sir. And I

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Speaker 1: always tell people that I was raised right. I just

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Speaker 1: did wrong on my own. Whatever I did on my own,

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Speaker 1: whatever I did wrong, I did it because I wanted

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Speaker 1: to do it.

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Speaker 3: So I know you're not often comfortable talking about what

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Speaker 3: I'm about to ask you about, and I understand why.

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Speaker 3: It's not your proudest achievement in life. But this is

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Speaker 3: an army of normal folks, and normal folks struggle. Normal

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Speaker 3: folks have challenges and have to overcome obstacles, and life

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Speaker 3: is tough, and we make mistakes. And it's the response

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Speaker 3: to the most mistakes, more than the mistakes themselves, that

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Speaker 3: typically define the man. And I think one of the

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Speaker 3: most defining moments in your life is when you're arrested. Yes,

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Speaker 3: And I know it's not easy to talk about, and

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Speaker 3: I know sometimes when I've heard you asked about it,

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Speaker 3: you say, yeah, that happened, and glance over it. But

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Speaker 3: I think it's a defining moment. And you so tell

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Speaker 3: me about that night. Who are you with, why, what

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Speaker 3: you were doing, and what happened?

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Speaker 1: It was my ninth grade year. I think I was

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Speaker 1: starting for the first Now I don't think I started.

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Speaker 1: I don't really remember.

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Speaker 3: No, you started. I think I think I started this

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Speaker 3: week five and then against bt W and had nine tackles.

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Speaker 3: And it was then I decided this cat is not

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Speaker 3: only an interesting kid, he's a hell of a football player.

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Speaker 3: It's pretty excited about you. And then I didn't see

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Speaker 3: you no more.

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Speaker 2: Right, So what happened?

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Speaker 1: So when this Friday night, I got my first thought

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Speaker 1: and I feel like I did it good, and it

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Speaker 1: was it was a great feeling. But after that night,

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Speaker 1: just being honest, I was I've been in the guy

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Speaker 1: since I was fourteen years old. So rolling twenties Criple

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Speaker 1: like the same thing like Snoop Dogg is. But yeah,

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Speaker 1: I would join crip when I was fourteen years old.

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Speaker 3: Let me ask something before we get to the story.

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Speaker 3: You got a mom. I know your mama, she loves you, yes,

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Speaker 3: I'm talking about would die for you when you Levonda

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Speaker 3: Shade loved Shade us, Yes, And so you had that

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Speaker 3: at home, and you had a grandmama that loved you

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Speaker 3: and they taught you right from wrong. Why did you

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Speaker 3: feel the need to join a gag? I mean a

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Speaker 3: lot of people listeners think that only bad kids join gangs,

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Speaker 3: or they think that gangs are a surrogate for not

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Speaker 3: having people that loved them at home. I mean, that's

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Speaker 3: a popular narrative in our country that gangs feel a

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Speaker 3: void for children who have nobody loves him. But that

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Speaker 3: ain't you man?

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Speaker 2: Right? And I was.

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Speaker 1: And then one thing about me, I've always been like

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Speaker 1: the leader. I didn't join a game because I didn't

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Speaker 1: I want to love the home. I a en joy

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Speaker 1: a game because I wanted to feel a void. I

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Speaker 1: joined the game because that's what I wanted to do.

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Speaker 1: And I'm just still responsibility for the fact that I

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Speaker 1: wanted to join the game.

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Speaker 3: But why was it.

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Speaker 2: Most of your neighborhood.

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Speaker 1: It was cool and most of the people that was

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Speaker 1: in my neighborhood were a part of it. I joined

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Speaker 1: the game when I was in eight grade.

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Speaker 2: Eight grade, all right.

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Speaker 3: And so one thing to set this up. Fourteen years old,

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Speaker 3: eighth grade, but there's members of that same gang that

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Speaker 3: you're running with that.

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Speaker 2: Or how old, eighteen nineteen.

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Speaker 3: You realize a nineteen year old and a fourteen year

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Speaker 3: old that got no business hanging out, right, I agree,

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Speaker 3: But that's what the that's what that culture is.

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Speaker 1: Right, And this is what was going on. So I

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Speaker 1: started this Friday, Saturday. I think I stayed at home

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Speaker 1: all day this Sunday. Well, we went out to play

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Speaker 1: football for a minute, and after we got through playing football,

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Speaker 1: we all got in a sign car. Who we are

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Speaker 1: like four it was like four of us and we

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Speaker 1: was driving and the tags was up and my friends

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Speaker 1: that I was in the car with. Well, I don't

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Speaker 1: even call a friend of mine social that I was

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Speaker 1: in the car with. They had that was imposition of drugs.

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Speaker 3: What were the what were the ages of the people

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Speaker 3: in the car? You fourteen?

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Speaker 2: I was fourteen.

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Speaker 1: I think it was fourteen, sixteen, seventeen and nineteen.

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Speaker 2: So you were the youngest I was in. I was young.

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Speaker 3: But because you are you and try to be cool

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Speaker 3: and everything else, you're gonna ride.

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Speaker 1: Yes, sir, this is exactly what I was doing, and

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Speaker 1: I was feeling cool. My my friend had his own car.

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Speaker 1: Like I said, the top the tags was inspired. Who

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Speaker 1: was riding around and they had they was in positions

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Speaker 1: of a handgun. I think, like I answer marijuana. It

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Speaker 1: was three handguns. Three hand guns. I'm the only one

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Speaker 1: that didn't have a gun.

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Speaker 2: But and our culture is called schnitching.

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Speaker 1: If you say this is my minds, and you know,

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Speaker 1: don't and don't and then and then honestly, nobody admitted

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Speaker 1: to who's guns and stuff? It was so we all

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Speaker 1: So it's got guilty of our association.

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Speaker 3: Okay, so these gangs are supposed to be your brother.

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Speaker 3: Know when you're a fourteen year old kid and knowing

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Speaker 3: you ain't got nothing to do with the guns. But

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Speaker 3: none of them stood up for you.

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Speaker 2: No, not at all, not one time.

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Speaker 1: And I'm gonna be honest like since that, since that

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Speaker 1: period of time, none of those guys I've really talked

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Speaker 1: to again.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, these people that you swear no to and your brothers,

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Speaker 3: and I always got your back. So I would let

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Speaker 3: you go down as a fourteen year old and you

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Speaker 3: don't even hang out with him no more?

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Speaker 1: Right, And so I went to Wilder Is Young. You

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Speaker 1: went work Wilder Is Young. This the youth penitential in Whiteville.

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Speaker 3: And this where's Whiteville?

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Speaker 2: White Ville, Tennessee.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, where's that way out there in Nashville?

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Speaker 2: So right, like a little bit before Nasville.

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Speaker 3: So at fourteen years old, you shipped all the way

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Speaker 3: from the only place you know.

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Speaker 1: Right to Wilder Is. It's one of the toughest you

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Speaker 1: facilities in the country.

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Speaker 3: What happened to the other guys?

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Speaker 2: We all got the same thing I got.

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Speaker 1: I think I was initially supposed to do like nine months,

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Speaker 1: but I was I had to put on this persona

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Speaker 1: when I was in Wilder that I was tough. So

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Speaker 1: I ended up going into focus and I got critical

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Speaker 1: and critica is like going to the hall or focus

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Speaker 1: is just going into the hall and you just focuses

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Speaker 1: on what we're doing, fighting, fighting, still running with the gangs.

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Speaker 1: So I initially supposed to did nine, but I think

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Speaker 1: I went in critical for like three months, and then

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Speaker 1: when I got out, I think I got in trouble again,

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Speaker 1: and so they added another three months. So it was

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Speaker 1: like six months plus nine. So I missed two birthdays,

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Speaker 1: two Christmas, two Christmases, and my birthday in January. So

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Speaker 1: I had just like, yeah, I missed the Christmas.

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Speaker 3: So what about these other guys, though, I'm curious that

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Speaker 3: they well one of them was nineteen.

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Speaker 1: Right, so he so he and he was a feeling.

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Speaker 1: So I know we're filling with a gun. I think

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Speaker 1: there's an automated teen years. Like I said, coach, I

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Speaker 1: really haven't kept up with those guys like that, you know,

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Speaker 1: so like and then because I know that this is

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Speaker 1: not the direction I'm trying to go again, so I

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Speaker 1: just surround myself with a different So this is in.

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Speaker 3: The fall because it's football season, right, and you got

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Speaker 3: fifteen months. He lost the rest of your freshman year

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Speaker 3: for all your and a little piece of your junior year.

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Speaker 2: Oh no, I think I was.

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Speaker 3: That's right.

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Speaker 1: So I came back the end of I came to

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Speaker 1: Manasa's the end of tenth grade.

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Speaker 3: All right, tell me about the atmosphere and a youth

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Speaker 3: detention facility. Are they rehabbing there, are you learning anything?

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Speaker 3: Are they teaching anything? Are your studies getting handled? Do

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Speaker 3: you really go to school or you're just becoming angrier?

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Speaker 1: I think it's kind of everything. Because we did go

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Speaker 1: to school, we had like a regular school hours. It's

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Speaker 1: kind of like it's kind of like what people say

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Speaker 1: it is. But to me, I kind of at the

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Speaker 1: end of my time, I kind of minded my business,

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Speaker 1: so I really wasn't getting involved with all the stuff

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Speaker 1: that was going on enough three months, right, yeah, so yeah,

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Speaker 1: And then with me, it was still like me surrounding

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Speaker 1: myself with those type of people that had me in

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Speaker 1: those type of situations. And like they say that the

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Speaker 1: food was what they said was, the gang culture is

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Speaker 1: what they say it is.

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Speaker 2: You gotta be a part of something.

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Speaker 1: If you're not, you just like you like pray and

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Speaker 1: even in the youth facility, and like I said, it

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Speaker 1: not one day of fun. One thing I did learn

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Speaker 1: was it's cool to be to yourself. You you avoid

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Speaker 1: so much other stuff when you when you just staying

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Speaker 1: in yourself. And when we was there, it was just like.

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Speaker 2: You either.

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Speaker 1: Come in here to rehab or you gonna be here

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Speaker 1: for a long time. You either come in here and

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Speaker 1: do the right thing and to rehabilitate from whatever you did,

286
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Speaker 1: or you're gonna get time at it, or you're gonna

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Speaker 1: get involved in something.

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Speaker 2: Just guaranteed.

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Speaker 1: One thing I wish I would have done different was

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Speaker 1: come in focused on the reason I'm here and not

291
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Speaker 1: getting involved with everything that was going on around. Still

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Speaker 1: trying to be a part of the game.

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Speaker 3: But the gang is still in there.

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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, that's where they is. That's what most of them.

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Speaker 1: And then when you got to think about it, if

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Speaker 1: you're not in the game, when you go more than

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Speaker 1: likely youn got like you gotta be a part of.

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Speaker 3: Something because if you left out, is it dangerous for you?

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Speaker 1: Right, Yes, you gotta be a part of something. Especially

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Speaker 1: like to be honest, like black people were more against

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Speaker 1: each other. When Mexicans come in, You're welcome. We're gonna

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Speaker 1: make sure you protect it. We're gonna make sure you

303
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Speaker 1: got food, We're gonna make sure.

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Speaker 3: You do it.

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Speaker 1: But when black people come in, it's just like we

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Speaker 1: against each other. And this would make it like more

307
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Speaker 1: dangerous because everybody want to be tough, everybody want to

308
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Speaker 1: be hard, or everybody want to be everybody looking for

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Speaker 1: I don't know, love or clout. I don't know.

310
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Speaker 2: I can't.

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Speaker 1: I can't explain it with It's just different. It's way different.

312
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Speaker 1: We'll be right back. So you do your time.

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Speaker 3: You get your time at it on for fighting and

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Speaker 3: mess around you finally you finally got enough of that, right,

315
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Speaker 3: you straighten up, your sir, and you come out and

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Speaker 3: I know your mama's Yeah, my.

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Speaker 2: Mom, I was.

318
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Speaker 1: I was down there, like two and a half hours away.

319
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Speaker 1: My mom never missed the weekend every weekend. My mom

320
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Speaker 1: was there crying every every weekend.

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Speaker 3: Tell me the truth. When you were in there and

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Speaker 3: it was just you and you in a pillow somewhere,

323
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Speaker 3: and after you saw your mom, did you get emotional?

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Speaker 4: Man?

325
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Speaker 2: I was emotionally in front of her, just rying.

326
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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: And he had got to the point where I was

328
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Speaker 1: just telling her like, don't come, don't come see me

329
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Speaker 1: why because the outside, the outside things make the time harder.

330
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Speaker 1: Thinking about the outside things. They this is what they say.

331
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Speaker 1: You can't do time with be this on your mind. Really,

332
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Speaker 1: they say, yeah, this does it hurts you? Yes, especially

333
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Speaker 1: after the phone call. The phone calls were the worst.

334
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Speaker 1: Were disappointing yourself, yes, sir, absolutely. And I was disappointed

335
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Speaker 1: because I feel like I let on my mom down,

336
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Speaker 1: and because my mom always been like high expectations, she

337
00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:06,359
Speaker 1: always held me accountable, and I feel like I really

338
00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:10,160
Speaker 1: just disappointed her and my grandmother, especially knowing like how

339
00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:13,520
Speaker 1: like my mom came to one football game and I

340
00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:16,360
Speaker 1: think I scored like four touchdowns and I was out

341
00:18:16,359 --> 00:18:19,119
Speaker 1: there getting big hits and she didn't even know that

342
00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:20,879
Speaker 1: I knew how to play football because I stayed with

343
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Speaker 1: my grandmother when I started, so my mom really didn't know.

344
00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,440
Speaker 1: So I mean she really didn't know. So it started

345
00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:29,679
Speaker 1: like with it and it was just like, man, he

346
00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,439
Speaker 1: actually good, good at these So just being on the

347
00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:36,399
Speaker 1: phone with her and seeing all of them visit was

348
00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:39,639
Speaker 1: just heartbreaking because she was crying and she was just

349
00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:44,680
Speaker 1: like changing, I warned you about this, so.

350
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Speaker 3: All right, so you get through it, you get out

351
00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:50,080
Speaker 3: and you come play football from a nashis.

352
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Speaker 2: Right, and we meet I'll never forget.

353
00:18:52,119 --> 00:18:54,880
Speaker 1: I got out and I had checked my Maspace page

354
00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:58,919
Speaker 1: and a big robber Robert Williams he inboxed me on

355
00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:01,880
Speaker 1: MySpace and was like, man, whenever wherever you're at, coach

356
00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:04,000
Speaker 1: Beer looking for you.

357
00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:05,919
Speaker 3: Well, I mean the last time I saw you was

358
00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:08,199
Speaker 3: on the football field a booker t Washington, right, and

359
00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:10,200
Speaker 3: then you vanished for a year and a half.

360
00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:12,280
Speaker 1: Right, So when I got out, I checked my page

361
00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:15,600
Speaker 1: and be Robert in box man was like coach Beer

362
00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:18,520
Speaker 1: looking for you. And with me, my whole family went

363
00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:20,760
Speaker 1: to announcers, like my dad went the manasas my mom

364
00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:21,400
Speaker 1: my ground.

365
00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:23,560
Speaker 3: I'll played ball out of that back basketball.

366
00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:24,400
Speaker 2: She was, Yeah, my mom.

367
00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:28,080
Speaker 1: My mom actually went to college from annaunsas it was

368
00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:29,480
Speaker 1: called Shelby State back then.

369
00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:32,119
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a community college college. But I had a

370
00:19:32,119 --> 00:19:33,359
Speaker 3: good girls basketball pro.

371
00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:35,080
Speaker 2: Right, And I think my mom used like ever's like

372
00:19:35,119 --> 00:19:36,080
Speaker 2: twenty two rebounds.

373
00:19:36,119 --> 00:19:39,119
Speaker 3: Again, she was good. I think she could still rebound.

374
00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:42,199
Speaker 3: If you ever see put those elbows on your boxy

375
00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:43,560
Speaker 3: butt out.

376
00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:48,880
Speaker 1: But I tried to get in announcers, but for some

377
00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:50,840
Speaker 1: reason that was like I couldn't because it was so

378
00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:52,320
Speaker 1: late in the school year. I think it was like

379
00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:55,639
Speaker 1: the end of tenth grade year, so they wouldn't allow

380
00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:57,760
Speaker 1: me to register in Annaunsa, So I had to go

381
00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:01,439
Speaker 1: to Kingsbery. Kingsbery was the only school that except me.

382
00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:06,639
Speaker 1: But I reached out the you coach and whatever you

383
00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:09,240
Speaker 1: said to doctor Williams. She leved me at the school

384
00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,640
Speaker 1: the next day. So that's how I got back to Manasa.

385
00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:15,240
Speaker 1: So on the first day I got back to Manasa's

386
00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:17,760
Speaker 1: like it was already like the camera crew was there

387
00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:21,760
Speaker 1: and it was just like from there. But it was

388
00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:25,200
Speaker 1: just crazy. Well, I had to get back to Manasa's.

389
00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:27,399
Speaker 1: I had to graduate from NASA's High school.

390
00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:30,159
Speaker 3: I got to tell you something, though, the guy that

391
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:36,560
Speaker 3: left was a curious, pretty respectful, but edgy kid. The

392
00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:40,439
Speaker 3: guy that came back, the chavsh that came back that

393
00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:44,600
Speaker 3: I first met, was angry. Yes, I did admit that, Yes, sir,

394
00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:46,439
Speaker 3: what were you angry about?

395
00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:51,960
Speaker 1: I was just I've always been kind of like a

396
00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:55,760
Speaker 1: self centered person sometimes and then most of the stuff

397
00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:57,480
Speaker 1: I was used to get angry about it because I

398
00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:01,080
Speaker 1: probably wouldn't get what I wanted, something one going my way.

399
00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:04,000
Speaker 1: So I kind of feel like I was kind of

400
00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:07,680
Speaker 1: that made me angry, and I did want to have

401
00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:10,200
Speaker 1: a relationship with my dad as well, and I kind

402
00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:14,040
Speaker 1: of feel like not being able to conquer that made

403
00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,199
Speaker 1: me kind of angry a little bit. Besides did I

404
00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:19,320
Speaker 1: kind of think it was just like I don't know,

405
00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:21,080
Speaker 1: I just had how most have I always been a

406
00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:23,159
Speaker 1: key or a person that wore my heart on my sleeve.

407
00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:29,119
Speaker 3: I think that's fair enough. So this angry Chavis shows

408
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:32,160
Speaker 3: up and you just alluded to the camera's already there.

409
00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:37,320
Speaker 3: And for those of you don't know what we're talking about,

410
00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:41,720
Speaker 3: some guys showed up that were twenty eight, twenty nine,

411
00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:44,520
Speaker 3: and twenty nine years old with two borrowed cameras and

412
00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:46,840
Speaker 3: said they were going to make a documentary about our

413
00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:53,639
Speaker 3: football season. And these guys collectively had one credit to

414
00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:56,560
Speaker 3: their name, which was a documentary on the World Series

415
00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:59,200
Speaker 3: of Beer Pong, Right, and so these guys are gonna

416
00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:01,399
Speaker 3: make a movie. One of us think it means nothing,

417
00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:04,000
Speaker 3: but we thought, hey, it's cool. Maybe we'll get a

418
00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:08,439
Speaker 3: CD of our season together. And these folks followed us

419
00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:11,400
Speaker 3: around and made a movie that was then titled Undefeated

420
00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:15,680
Speaker 3: and ended up winning the Academy Award, which is crazy.

421
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,960
Speaker 2: It's crazy it was crazy.

422
00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:28,720
Speaker 3: But what that movie chronicles is the season that ensued

423
00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:32,320
Speaker 3: after you came back from prison, and the season that

424
00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:37,080
Speaker 3: was OC and money and t O S and that

425
00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:41,120
Speaker 3: whole group of kids from Hume's Junior High their senior year,

426
00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:44,200
Speaker 3: which is your junior year, and the work we did

427
00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:47,320
Speaker 3: to try to be good at football but be better

428
00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:50,000
Speaker 3: people and make the playoffs. And I'm not going to

429
00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,560
Speaker 3: spoiler alert here. You'll have to watch the movie to

430
00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:56,800
Speaker 3: find out how it ended, but there's a lot of

431
00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:00,639
Speaker 3: time we spent together that year, Chavis and you messing

432
00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:04,640
Speaker 3: up and you getting right and messing up and getting right,

433
00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:11,639
Speaker 3: and through it all, I think, I think, uh, I

434
00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:17,240
Speaker 3: think I fell in love with you, and I want

435
00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:21,240
Speaker 3: to know what changed for you in your mind. People

436
00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:23,520
Speaker 3: can see it on screen, but I want to know

437
00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:27,439
Speaker 3: in your mind, not what the screen says, but the

438
00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:31,679
Speaker 3: angry Chavist I first encountered that summer practice to the

439
00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:36,440
Speaker 3: Chavist that I ended the season with what changed inside you?

440
00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:41,199
Speaker 1: Like I said, I kind of feel like I was

441
00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:45,920
Speaker 1: always like a self centered key and I always had

442
00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:49,800
Speaker 1: things my way, but just to be a part of

443
00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:54,040
Speaker 1: something that was truly like bigger than myself was my

444
00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:58,000
Speaker 1: top motivation. Also, like I said, I had a current mother,

445
00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:01,040
Speaker 1: and I had teammates that I really cared about, and

446
00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:08,159
Speaker 1: I really I really wanted to beat her for my teammates. Also,

447
00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:12,880
Speaker 1: I just I had to set goals for myself, like

448
00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:14,600
Speaker 1: like you said, I ain't gonna spoiler alert, but if

449
00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:16,639
Speaker 1: you watch the documentary, like you'll see me coming across

450
00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:19,399
Speaker 1: the screen with my past sag and all type of

451
00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:22,080
Speaker 1: just crazy stuff. And I said small like and I

452
00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:26,359
Speaker 1: always knew that kind of even the small steps still

453
00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:29,040
Speaker 1: move forward. So I said small goals for myself, Like

454
00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:34,119
Speaker 1: one was just present myself better, which made by myself

455
00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:36,760
Speaker 1: a belt, make sure my pants pulled up at all times,

456
00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,480
Speaker 1: and those type of goals created the bigger picture for me.

457
00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:46,320
Speaker 1: I also, I really cared about you too as well, coach,

458
00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:48,679
Speaker 1: Like I knew you really cared about us, and they

459
00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:50,639
Speaker 1: weren't even just about football for you.

460
00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:52,880
Speaker 2: So and then like.

461
00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:56,200
Speaker 1: Really like we never we really never had coaches that

462
00:24:56,280 --> 00:24:58,040
Speaker 1: really showed us that we carried They just want to

463
00:24:58,119 --> 00:25:01,480
Speaker 1: use us for our talent, But you really came around

464
00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:04,200
Speaker 1: and showed us that like the football, we want to

465
00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:07,240
Speaker 1: win games, but in reality, we just want to we

466
00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:11,800
Speaker 1: really want to win in life, and that alone is

467
00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:16,480
Speaker 1: a was worth more than anything to me, just because

468
00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:18,879
Speaker 1: people in reality, like I didn't really even care about

469
00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:20,920
Speaker 1: if coach being a really knew football, but I really

470
00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,960
Speaker 1: knew Coach Beer really cared about us despite what anybody

471
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,560
Speaker 1: ever said. I'm knew for the fact that you were

472
00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,000
Speaker 1: in it because like you wanted to make a difference.

473
00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:33,359
Speaker 1: It wasn't about money, it wasn't about anything yes or not.

474
00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:34,119
Speaker 2: And I knew that.

475
00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:38,200
Speaker 1: And I feel like the only person in those years

476
00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:40,560
Speaker 1: that I was in announcers that could really like get

477
00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:45,080
Speaker 1: through me by just like you always with yourself. So

478
00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:48,240
Speaker 1: that alone made me want to stay in announcers and

479
00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:51,600
Speaker 1: like get better and get back apart of the team

480
00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:58,399
Speaker 1: of the collective. And also it was so crazy that

481
00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:01,879
Speaker 1: I really wanted to be like it was something special.

482
00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:04,560
Speaker 1: I knew it was special, like I never I never

483
00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:07,240
Speaker 1: thought it would have went to to those heights, but

484
00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:12,880
Speaker 1: it was just an unbelievable opportunity to put some other

485
00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:15,680
Speaker 1: things before my own personal wants and needs.

486
00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:17,120
Speaker 2: And I want to be a part of it because

487
00:26:17,119 --> 00:26:18,359
Speaker 2: I knew it was bigger than just me.

488
00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:22,000
Speaker 3: So if I hear all that which by the way,

489
00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:26,320
Speaker 3: is humbling to listen to and chokes me out because

490
00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:28,359
Speaker 3: you know how much I love you and care about you.

491
00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:31,640
Speaker 3: But to hear you say those things, it's pretty special

492
00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:33,920
Speaker 3: to me. But if I hear, if I could put

493
00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:36,760
Speaker 3: a word on what I just heard you say, it

494
00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:38,200
Speaker 3: sounds like you got humility.

495
00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:40,879
Speaker 1: Yes, well I gained it, And I feel like this.

496
00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:43,280
Speaker 1: There was one of my favorite words in the dctionary

497
00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:47,600
Speaker 1: when I was in Wilder. I heard two words my

498
00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:50,560
Speaker 1: whole time I was in Wilder, and it was narcissistic

499
00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:55,960
Speaker 1: and humility. But you can't be both. You're right, you

500
00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:59,320
Speaker 1: can't be both. You gotta you gotta choose one. And

501
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:03,000
Speaker 1: I kind of rolled the fence for a long time

502
00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:08,000
Speaker 1: and had to realize that most of the situations did

503
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:09,120
Speaker 1: I created?

504
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:13,040
Speaker 2: Like I created those situations so.

505
00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:14,960
Speaker 3: So you didn't catch your charge. You earned it, Yes, sir,

506
00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:16,159
Speaker 3: Yes I earned it.

507
00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:18,719
Speaker 1: Matter of fact, I wouldn't say that, but yeah, I

508
00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:22,280
Speaker 1: earned it. Because you can't be a street person and

509
00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:24,360
Speaker 1: you can't be a football player at the same time.

510
00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:26,359
Speaker 1: You got to distinguish between which one you want to be.

511
00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,040
Speaker 1: And at the moment, I didn't choose being a football player.

512
00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:32,080
Speaker 1: I wanted to be in the street, and I got

513
00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:32,639
Speaker 1: what I earned.

514
00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:38,360
Speaker 2: Like you said, but.

515
00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:46,640
Speaker 3: Your time, your time finding humility, and your time being

516
00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,560
Speaker 3: part of something bigger than yourself. That wasn't a gang, right.

517
00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:51,520
Speaker 2: We would kind of were a gang, but it was different.

518
00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:55,359
Speaker 3: It was a different positive gang. Yeah, but it did

519
00:27:55,560 --> 00:28:01,439
Speaker 3: it did change you, right. And I watched this impetuous

520
00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:03,919
Speaker 3: kid with a lot of anger and a lot of

521
00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:09,560
Speaker 3: edge go off to Lane College and come back to Memphis.

522
00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:12,760
Speaker 3: And when he came back to Memphis, you did some

523
00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:15,120
Speaker 3: things that I want to talk to you about because

524
00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,440
Speaker 3: that's what our listeners need to understand. The reason you're

525
00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:22,240
Speaker 3: an army of normal folks is not because of a movie.

526
00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:24,480
Speaker 3: It is not because of the Oscars, and it is

527
00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:27,440
Speaker 3: not because you were a great football player, which you were.

528
00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:31,240
Speaker 3: It's about what you did when you get back. But

529
00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:33,360
Speaker 3: to set the stage for this, I want to read

530
00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:41,320
Speaker 3: some demographics. This comes from a website, the Oasis of Hope.

531
00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:45,400
Speaker 3: What you know is from Hope Presbyterian Church out in Cordova,

532
00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:48,960
Speaker 3: which is an east East Memphis. But they do a

533
00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,280
Speaker 3: lot of outreach work in North Memphis.

534
00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,040
Speaker 2: And I have with partner with them some in the.

535
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:57,000
Speaker 3: Time many times they fed us. If you remember they

536
00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:58,160
Speaker 3: fed our football.

537
00:28:57,800 --> 00:28:59,880
Speaker 2: Team, they fed the Nord Memphis is.

538
00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:04,680
Speaker 3: They got okay? Well, so this is off their website

539
00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:08,360
Speaker 3: and for the listeners to fully understand you, you know,

540
00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:12,720
Speaker 3: the inner cities of Baltimore and Detroit and East Saint

541
00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:16,800
Speaker 3: Louis and Memphis and other places get sensationalized a lot.

542
00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:21,040
Speaker 3: And so between TV shows and movies and stuff you

543
00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:24,800
Speaker 3: read on TV and stuff you see on the news

544
00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:30,000
Speaker 3: and all of that. People, you know what's real what's not. Well,

545
00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:33,680
Speaker 3: here are some data facts about North Memphis, which is

546
00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:38,120
Speaker 3: where you grew up. Of the families with children under

547
00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:42,400
Speaker 3: five years old, eighty three point four percent live below

548
00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:48,600
Speaker 3: the poverty level eighty three percent. Eighty seven percent of

549
00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:53,280
Speaker 3: the homes are valued at less than fifty thousand dollars,

550
00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:56,240
Speaker 3: and only twenty three percent of the people actually own

551
00:29:56,280 --> 00:30:00,440
Speaker 3: their home. More than seventy five percent of the residence rent,

552
00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:04,320
Speaker 3: and half of those renters pay less than three hundred

553
00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:08,320
Speaker 3: dollars a month. More than fifty percent of adults do

554
00:30:08,360 --> 00:30:12,280
Speaker 3: not have a vehicle. Only forty three percent of adults

555
00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:17,080
Speaker 3: have a high school diploma or a ged. Only one

556
00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:21,920
Speaker 3: point three percent have a bachelor's degree. Unemployment rate is

557
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:26,760
Speaker 3: roughly thirty six percent. Roughly fifty percent of the community

558
00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:31,000
Speaker 3: is under the age of twenty five years old. Only

559
00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:34,080
Speaker 3: twelve and a half percent of the households consist of

560
00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:39,240
Speaker 3: a married couple. Twenty one percent of the homes list

561
00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:44,800
Speaker 3: the grandparent is being head of the household, and the

562
00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:50,680
Speaker 3: most stark demographic is a twenty one year old male

563
00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:56,560
Speaker 3: is three times more likely to be dead or incarcerated

564
00:30:56,920 --> 00:31:01,200
Speaker 3: than he is to have a job. That's North Memphis.

565
00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:06,840
Speaker 3: So an eighteen year old young man graduating from Manassas

566
00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:10,360
Speaker 3: High School is three times more likely to be in

567
00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:13,640
Speaker 3: jail or dead by the time he turns twenty one

568
00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:17,760
Speaker 3: than is to have a job. That's North Memphis. That's

569
00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:20,880
Speaker 3: where Chevis came from. That's where your teammates came from,

570
00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:25,080
Speaker 3: and that's where I coached, learning the hearts and minds

571
00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:30,320
Speaker 3: of these young men for seven years. Chevas. At last

572
00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:34,520
Speaker 3: count seven kids I coached at Manasas are now dead.

573
00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:40,080
Speaker 3: Bookie Chris Madison. I mean, we can name them all,

574
00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:43,520
Speaker 3: and I can think of six that are in jail

575
00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:49,080
Speaker 3: right now. These are your friends, there's your teammates, there's

576
00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:51,200
Speaker 3: the boys, you grew up with. These are some of

577
00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:54,520
Speaker 3: the boys that were also joining gangs when they were fourteen.

578
00:31:55,080 --> 00:31:57,000
Speaker 3: There are also the kids that got right on a

579
00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:01,440
Speaker 3: football field and changed a culture and attitude.

580
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:04,760
Speaker 2: Like everybody's just noting with superstars.

581
00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:06,720
Speaker 3: Superstars in their community.

582
00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:08,880
Speaker 1: Like on the football field and in the community, like

583
00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:15,240
Speaker 1: very important individuals like Joshua Somers and rashed your r

584
00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,160
Speaker 1: or Peter Virginia.

585
00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:19,600
Speaker 2: That's what we used the column.

586
00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:25,200
Speaker 1: Because it's from Virginia, right, And we had really we had, really,

587
00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:26,880
Speaker 1: we had really really.

588
00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:32,920
Speaker 3: If you're from Virginia, you're Virginia. If you're from Florida, Florida,

589
00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:35,480
Speaker 3: we had a Virginia and.

590
00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:40,880
Speaker 1: Like literally everybody you name phenomenal talents like it's supposed

591
00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:43,480
Speaker 1: to like we we we we know how many people.

592
00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:47,320
Speaker 1: It's it's so common for us to say what we

593
00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:51,480
Speaker 1: could have did and should have or sack in the day, right,

594
00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:54,760
Speaker 1: all that back in the day, and all those guys

595
00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:59,080
Speaker 1: literally changed like daya. Like I always tell people I

596
00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:03,760
Speaker 1: was just blissed even be profiled in the movie, Like

597
00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:07,280
Speaker 1: it's so many guys kind before me and I don't

598
00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:08,920
Speaker 1: even like I always hear people I don't even know

599
00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:11,720
Speaker 1: how they chose me, but they chose me, and I was.

600
00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:13,719
Speaker 3: Just thankful they needed someone really ugly.

601
00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:16,160
Speaker 2: Well I think I was the most handsome wan though.

602
00:33:16,120 --> 00:33:22,720
Speaker 1: Okay, but man, and it was just crazy that all

603
00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:25,640
Speaker 1: those guys play a huge part in my in my

604
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:29,680
Speaker 1: life too, Like if you see me, I got a

605
00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:34,360
Speaker 1: body full of tattoos, and the first two people I

606
00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:38,800
Speaker 1: when it got my tattoos, we were Wooty and Josh

607
00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:41,200
Speaker 1: and Josh Virginia.

608
00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:45,280
Speaker 3: Yeah, who's now passed away? Right? And and passed away.

609
00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:49,240
Speaker 1: At twenty seven, twenty eight, twenty eight, twenty nine. I

610
00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:51,920
Speaker 1: think he's twenty nine before he was thirty, okay, yeah

611
00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:54,320
Speaker 1: before I think he was just about the turn thirty.

612
00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:55,920
Speaker 1: He was about the turn thirty.

613
00:33:55,960 --> 00:34:01,720
Speaker 3: So many, chang, let's let's count the guys you played with.

614
00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:05,440
Speaker 3: We don't have to name the names, yes, but how

615
00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:08,800
Speaker 3: many of them are in jail? Mhmm.

616
00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:11,160
Speaker 2: I don't think people know who Pedro is, so I

617
00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:13,040
Speaker 2: can say Pedro, Oh.

618
00:34:13,200 --> 00:34:19,960
Speaker 3: Petro, I forgot, he's got Patro for sure? Five? And

619
00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:21,040
Speaker 3: how many are debt.

620
00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:30,840
Speaker 1: Full for sure that I know? Like nine, it's a

621
00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:34,040
Speaker 1: lot before they're thirty, before they were thirty, I locked

622
00:34:34,120 --> 00:34:37,280
Speaker 1: up or dead right. I know one who got shot

623
00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:41,800
Speaker 1: over here off Chelsea three four months ago and dot

624
00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:46,080
Speaker 1: yeah after being in jail. Right, And these are kids

625
00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:48,919
Speaker 1: that were part of a football team where we talked

626
00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:52,600
Speaker 1: about character and commitment integrity and they bought into that.

627
00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:55,759
Speaker 1: But when they left that football team, the streets got

628
00:34:55,800 --> 00:35:02,560
Speaker 1: him back, right, Because it's like it seems like it

629
00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:07,040
Speaker 1: all after we graduated, just like would now, especially if

630
00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:11,000
Speaker 1: you didn't take schools serious or you weren't good enough

631
00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:15,080
Speaker 1: to get an offer from a college on there on

632
00:35:15,239 --> 00:35:18,400
Speaker 1: signing day, it was just probably in April, right, Signing

633
00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:22,440
Speaker 1: day is all in April. So when April come around

634
00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:25,399
Speaker 1: and you got a twelve on the ACT and your

635
00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:29,640
Speaker 1: great point average of one point eight or one point something,

636
00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:31,960
Speaker 1: you ain't do what you're supposed to do.

637
00:35:32,040 --> 00:35:34,720
Speaker 2: So now it's now it's the real world.

638
00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:37,759
Speaker 3: Now you go from being a bright eyed young boy.

639
00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:43,080
Speaker 1: Concern prospect, right, and you're concerned about and like right

640
00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:45,440
Speaker 1: now I see it every day, like just being working

641
00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:48,640
Speaker 1: in manauncis lately like knowing and seeing kids that just

642
00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:51,239
Speaker 1: graduated last year. They come to every game they have

643
00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:54,239
Speaker 1: now got nothing else to do. So it's just like

644
00:35:55,840 --> 00:36:00,160
Speaker 1: and a great football players, great athletes, and at the

645
00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:05,040
Speaker 1: end of their senior year is like what now and

646
00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:07,200
Speaker 1: in our boys down. So we can point out and

647
00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:10,600
Speaker 1: we can blind whoever we want to blind about why

648
00:36:10,640 --> 00:36:13,319
Speaker 1: we do certain thing. We're gonna say our dad want

649
00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:14,640
Speaker 1: in the harm is the reason why.

650
00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:14,840
Speaker 3: We did this.

651
00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:17,239
Speaker 1: We can make any type of excuses, but at the

652
00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:19,759
Speaker 1: end of the day, we make our own decisions, and

653
00:36:19,840 --> 00:36:25,160
Speaker 1: whether we accept responsibility for those decisions or not, it's

654
00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:28,520
Speaker 1: on us. And like I said, a lot of people

655
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:30,319
Speaker 1: and then, don't get me wrong, a lot of our

656
00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:32,840
Speaker 1: teammates got opportunities to go play college football, but they

657
00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:34,920
Speaker 1: didn't take advantage of you know what I'm saying. And

658
00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:37,239
Speaker 1: I'm one of them. So this is why I kind

659
00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:42,160
Speaker 1: of feel like I came back to North Memphis to

660
00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:48,919
Speaker 1: stop the psycle of just making it so far when

661
00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:55,200
Speaker 1: we all got so much potential. They say that there's

662
00:36:55,280 --> 00:37:01,400
Speaker 1: nothing more common than unsuccessful men with talent, and like,

663
00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:04,919
Speaker 1: this is true, that's true. It's always what we could

664
00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:06,359
Speaker 1: have did, or what we should have did, or what

665
00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:09,440
Speaker 1: we would have did. But when it gets to the

666
00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:11,800
Speaker 1: twelfth grade year and you ain't got you, you didn't

667
00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:15,200
Speaker 1: take take it. Our series and you ain't really live

668
00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:22,000
Speaker 1: by having character and humility and putting other things before yourself.

669
00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:26,239
Speaker 1: It always bore down to what you didn't do and

670
00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:30,279
Speaker 1: not about who did do it.

671
00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:34,600
Speaker 3: So so you ain't blaming none of us on society.

672
00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:36,320
Speaker 1: No, no, because at the end of the day, I

673
00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:40,080
Speaker 1: don't care what kind of excuses you make. We make

674
00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:42,279
Speaker 1: our own decision at the end of the day.

675
00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,000
Speaker 3: If you guys listen to us, don't understand why I

676
00:37:45,080 --> 00:37:47,359
Speaker 3: love Chavin Staniels. You just need to hear what you

677
00:37:47,400 --> 00:37:50,000
Speaker 3: just hearn. This is a kid that grew up. I

678
00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:53,000
Speaker 3: gave you the demographics. That's where it grew up. Joined

679
00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:56,600
Speaker 3: the gag at fourteen because he was cool, wanted to

680
00:37:56,600 --> 00:38:01,240
Speaker 3: be part of something special, paid the price, went to jail,

681
00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:05,080
Speaker 3: came back, figured out he was either going to be

682
00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:08,879
Speaker 3: a narcissist or have some humility, found humility in his

683
00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:10,239
Speaker 3: life and.

684
00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:21,680
Speaker 4: Has a perspective that matters.

685
00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:41,600
Speaker 3: We'll be right back when he came back to North

686
00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:46,080
Speaker 3: Memphis with understanding. May not have been able to recite

687
00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:48,600
Speaker 3: those demographics, but you've lived them your whole life. You

688
00:38:48,680 --> 00:38:52,600
Speaker 3: know them, you see them, you feel them. Abject poverty

689
00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:55,520
Speaker 3: and loss and people talk about when I could have,

690
00:38:55,560 --> 00:38:57,839
Speaker 3: should have, would have. And at ages the twenty nine

691
00:38:57,920 --> 00:39:00,920
Speaker 3: years old, there's thirty, forty and fifty people all over

692
00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:03,680
Speaker 3: the neighborhood right talking about what I was back in

693
00:39:03,719 --> 00:39:05,919
Speaker 3: the day while they hold a forty in a brown back.

694
00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:06,560
Speaker 3: I agree.

695
00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:09,480
Speaker 2: So you saw all that demographics.

696
00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:12,359
Speaker 3: This this is fake, that's it. Fac But you said,

697
00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:14,520
Speaker 3: I want to make a difference, sir, So tell me

698
00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:15,040
Speaker 3: what you did.

699
00:39:15,719 --> 00:39:19,000
Speaker 1: One thing I think I didn't do that I wanted

700
00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:20,759
Speaker 1: to do was I wanted to finish. I wish I

701
00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:23,920
Speaker 1: would have finished college and got a degree. You know,

702
00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:26,160
Speaker 1: when I first went to Line college, it was just

703
00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:29,680
Speaker 1: about I want to be a football player. But I

704
00:39:29,719 --> 00:39:32,760
Speaker 1: feel like my whole time playing football, everything was always

705
00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:35,279
Speaker 1: given to me because I was good. And when I

706
00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:38,799
Speaker 1: got to college, it was like, man, you ain't the

707
00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:39,759
Speaker 1: only one that's good here.

708
00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:40,479
Speaker 2: Everybody good.

709
00:39:41,360 --> 00:39:43,480
Speaker 1: When people battling the full low of scholarships and stuff

710
00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:46,600
Speaker 1: like that is the competition is top tier, you get

711
00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:49,560
Speaker 1: top tier competition. So when I went to school, it

712
00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:52,480
Speaker 1: was like, I wanted to be a football player, but

713
00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:55,160
Speaker 1: I went for the wrong reasons. I think I want

714
00:39:55,200 --> 00:39:57,319
Speaker 1: to I had a girlfriend in high school and I

715
00:39:57,400 --> 00:39:59,560
Speaker 1: kind of we all went to the same college, and

716
00:39:59,640 --> 00:40:04,040
Speaker 1: it was like I went to college to follow my

717
00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:09,560
Speaker 1: girlfriend count when when I went, I just football. I

718
00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:13,040
Speaker 1: just threw football kind of out the window. I was

719
00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:16,080
Speaker 1: a true freshmen. I started I think like week four

720
00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:19,040
Speaker 1: because I start and wheel linebacker had got shot in

721
00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:19,480
Speaker 1: the club.

722
00:40:20,800 --> 00:40:22,440
Speaker 2: So there was like the ender he got shot in there?

723
00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:25,800
Speaker 3: You're starting, will linebacker in college got shot in the club?

724
00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:28,440
Speaker 1: Yeah, twenty one people got shot in the club in

725
00:40:28,640 --> 00:40:32,680
Speaker 1: club Carmell and Jackson, Tennessee. Twenty one people shot. I

726
00:40:32,680 --> 00:40:35,560
Speaker 1: think two people got killed that night. So I start

727
00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:38,920
Speaker 1: in wheel linebacker got shot and didn't The next day,

728
00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:43,160
Speaker 1: I was on Star. My first game was against Clark Atlanta.

729
00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:50,880
Speaker 1: That's the first day I started. And one day I

730
00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:53,960
Speaker 1: missed Waits. I never forget. I missed Waits like two

731
00:40:54,080 --> 00:40:58,319
Speaker 1: three times, and it was about me just not being

732
00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:01,960
Speaker 1: held accountable. I thought that was just gonna get me

733
00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:05,279
Speaker 1: buying college. But no, sir, the person that was behind me,

734
00:41:05,320 --> 00:41:07,439
Speaker 1: he was on scholarship. And I think I got dawn

735
00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:11,040
Speaker 1: patrol for like two weeks straight every day before and

736
00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:13,279
Speaker 1: after practice. And dumb patrollers when you wake up at

737
00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:16,640
Speaker 1: dawn at four o'clock in the morning and you gotta

738
00:41:16,680 --> 00:41:18,160
Speaker 1: do cutaways to the whistle stop.

739
00:41:18,160 --> 00:41:22,920
Speaker 2: You got a burk crowd for two hundred yards.

740
00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:26,439
Speaker 1: And punishment punishment what being held accountable for being missing waste.

741
00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:31,200
Speaker 1: And my attitude was so bad that it was just like, man,

742
00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:33,440
Speaker 1: stop it, I'm not doing this. So I went to

743
00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:36,400
Speaker 1: my dorm room and never can't back the practice again.

744
00:41:37,200 --> 00:41:40,040
Speaker 1: So now I was just in school, and I'm gonna

745
00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:44,000
Speaker 1: be honest, coach. I really never went to class like it.

746
00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:47,799
Speaker 1: I was smoking weed. I was just doing everything the

747
00:41:47,840 --> 00:41:50,120
Speaker 1: wrong way. And then I think I got kicked out

748
00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:53,719
Speaker 1: one year. I had a bullet in my room and

749
00:41:53,760 --> 00:41:56,960
Speaker 1: I had like residue from weed in my drawer. So

750
00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:00,399
Speaker 1: I went home one weekend and they had search my room.

751
00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:03,319
Speaker 1: They found it in my room. So I got had

752
00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:05,719
Speaker 1: a hearing with the school and I got kicked out,

753
00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:08,200
Speaker 1: but I had appealed it and they let me back

754
00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:11,719
Speaker 1: in because they really didn't have no evidence that it

755
00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:14,879
Speaker 1: was mine. I tried to finish and then my mom

756
00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:18,800
Speaker 1: got sick, so I came home one weekend. I think

757
00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:22,440
Speaker 1: I wasn't coming home for like two three weeks, and

758
00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:26,240
Speaker 1: I finally came home one weekend and I came home

759
00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:29,759
Speaker 1: and it was a Friday night. So Saturday morning I

760
00:42:29,800 --> 00:42:32,960
Speaker 1: woke up and I just heard my mom likesh chavshv

761
00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:35,719
Speaker 1: but in a lower tone. So I walked down the

762
00:42:35,719 --> 00:42:39,000
Speaker 1: steps and say, my mom just laying on the steps

763
00:42:39,760 --> 00:42:44,279
Speaker 1: like pale. Palms of her hand was cold, and she

764
00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:45,920
Speaker 1: was like, I don't know what's wrong with me, and

765
00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:47,879
Speaker 1: like my mom. If you know my mom, my mom

766
00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:51,040
Speaker 1: is probably the funnest person, like she always she's the

767
00:42:51,160 --> 00:42:55,200
Speaker 1: life of the party, and it was just different this

768
00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:56,920
Speaker 1: Saturday morning. She was like, I need to go to

769
00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:00,000
Speaker 1: the hospital right now. She had to get eight blood transfer.

770
00:43:01,880 --> 00:43:04,359
Speaker 1: And I told myself, like she going through this and

771
00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:08,840
Speaker 1: she been through everything with me. I'm dedicated to making

772
00:43:08,880 --> 00:43:12,239
Speaker 1: sure that my mom gonna be okay. So I left

773
00:43:12,239 --> 00:43:16,440
Speaker 1: school again and I started working at Kroger. And I

774
00:43:16,480 --> 00:43:18,640
Speaker 1: always told myself, I know him bigger than this, Like

775
00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:20,160
Speaker 1: people used to come in Kroger and see me and

776
00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:22,400
Speaker 1: be like, ooh, you was in that movie or whatever,

777
00:43:22,440 --> 00:43:23,960
Speaker 1: and I was like, myn know, I'm bigger than this.

778
00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:27,160
Speaker 1: I know I don't supposed to be doing working in

779
00:43:27,160 --> 00:43:34,479
Speaker 1: a dairy department at Kroger. So one day, like down

780
00:43:34,480 --> 00:43:36,960
Speaker 1: the line, I think my mom. And by the way, guys,

781
00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:40,520
Speaker 1: my mom is ten years and eleven years in remission

782
00:43:40,600 --> 00:43:42,440
Speaker 1: of Guestro and testing and cancer.

783
00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:43,640
Speaker 3: Yeah, sure must die.

784
00:43:43,719 --> 00:43:46,120
Speaker 1: Yeah, she was in her fourth stage of Guestro in

785
00:43:46,160 --> 00:43:49,400
Speaker 1: testing and cancer. And right now my mom is eleven

786
00:43:49,440 --> 00:43:53,359
Speaker 1: years in remission. So like, I know there's a god

787
00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:58,919
Speaker 1: seeing it. Just strength in my face so much and

788
00:43:59,160 --> 00:44:02,600
Speaker 1: just knowing that, like you can overcome autists and still

789
00:44:02,640 --> 00:44:06,120
Speaker 1: go back to school and get a master's degree and

790
00:44:06,160 --> 00:44:09,160
Speaker 1: what she Yeah, my mom did all this and now

791
00:44:09,200 --> 00:44:13,799
Speaker 1: she has a catering company, t shirt company and just

792
00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:17,080
Speaker 1: bliss and she So one day I went to her

793
00:44:17,200 --> 00:44:22,279
Speaker 1: job and I seen a need in nor Mephis. I

794
00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:27,000
Speaker 1: wish I had a person like me growing up, somebody

795
00:44:27,040 --> 00:44:31,400
Speaker 1: that can actually like relate to what we grew up

796
00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:35,520
Speaker 1: going through like we and I know Dick from being

797
00:44:35,560 --> 00:44:37,480
Speaker 1: a football player from when I was like six years

798
00:44:37,520 --> 00:44:41,759
Speaker 1: old to college, did people go through stuff outside of

799
00:44:41,760 --> 00:44:44,960
Speaker 1: football field and sometimes the football field is like a

800
00:44:45,040 --> 00:44:50,319
Speaker 1: sanctuary to people. So I went to my mom's job

801
00:44:50,320 --> 00:44:52,719
Speaker 1: one day and was just telling her, I want to

802
00:44:52,760 --> 00:44:56,080
Speaker 1: do something nor mephis that nobody's doing, but I want

803
00:44:56,120 --> 00:44:56,359
Speaker 1: to do.

804
00:44:56,320 --> 00:44:57,680
Speaker 2: It through sports.

805
00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:00,759
Speaker 1: So I brought the idea to her and she was like,

806
00:45:00,840 --> 00:45:02,400
Speaker 1: the only way that I'll be a part of this

807
00:45:02,640 --> 00:45:07,480
Speaker 1: is if school firstus the motto school first, School first

808
00:45:07,560 --> 00:45:12,960
Speaker 1: is the motto. So before I start researching on what

809
00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:15,839
Speaker 1: to do next that she was like, the only way

810
00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:17,840
Speaker 1: I'll help you is if you show me a plan.

811
00:45:19,880 --> 00:45:24,840
Speaker 1: So I went found some templates to make flyers and

812
00:45:25,920 --> 00:45:30,000
Speaker 1: start making flies and start figuring out ways to get kids,

813
00:45:30,040 --> 00:45:33,920
Speaker 1: start going to every neighborhood dropping flies off. And I

814
00:45:33,960 --> 00:45:38,120
Speaker 1: told myself, did I always started stuff and don't finish it.

815
00:45:39,160 --> 00:45:41,320
Speaker 1: And I told myself, like, I want to do something

816
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:47,000
Speaker 1: that commit myself to and serve other people. And I'm

817
00:45:47,200 --> 00:45:50,400
Speaker 1: be honest, I ain't gonna I ain't gonna lie like

818
00:45:50,440 --> 00:45:52,759
Speaker 1: I was just a perfect coach, especially when it came

819
00:45:52,840 --> 00:45:56,640
Speaker 1: to existing ows. But I just wanted to teach kids

820
00:45:56,680 --> 00:45:57,160
Speaker 1: what I.

821
00:45:57,120 --> 00:45:59,200
Speaker 2: Learned on my journey.

822
00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:04,359
Speaker 1: And a lot of the stuff that I went by

823
00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:12,080
Speaker 1: with stuff that you taught us. Character, integrity, being able

824
00:46:12,120 --> 00:46:16,280
Speaker 1: to put the group before yourself, like those the same

825
00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:17,800
Speaker 1: thing that I teach these kids.

826
00:46:19,080 --> 00:46:19,840
Speaker 2: I teach them.

827
00:46:19,719 --> 00:46:23,799
Speaker 1: About holding yourself accountable, holding your teammates accountable, because at

828
00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:26,760
Speaker 1: the end of the day, you either do or you don't,

829
00:46:27,640 --> 00:46:30,279
Speaker 1: and you gotta have hard You got like it's cool,

830
00:46:30,320 --> 00:46:31,840
Speaker 1: you ain't got to be tough all the time, but

831
00:46:33,120 --> 00:46:36,080
Speaker 1: you got you gotta have some hard though. Like most

832
00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:39,440
Speaker 1: of the stuff that you taught, I use the same recipe.

833
00:46:39,480 --> 00:46:43,360
Speaker 1: And out of these seven years I've been working with kids.

834
00:46:43,640 --> 00:46:47,200
Speaker 3: So here's the deal. You start the North Mefter Steelers, right,

835
00:46:48,040 --> 00:46:50,960
Speaker 3: and I know it's been seven years, but it went

836
00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:54,040
Speaker 3: from one team to how many teams?

837
00:46:54,320 --> 00:46:57,040
Speaker 1: So now we started. We started off with four age groups,

838
00:46:57,120 --> 00:46:59,120
Speaker 1: so it was like the five and six year olds,

839
00:46:59,120 --> 00:46:59,840
Speaker 1: which is sicks you.

840
00:47:00,320 --> 00:47:02,239
Speaker 2: Then you had the AU which is seven to eight

841
00:47:02,320 --> 00:47:02,920
Speaker 2: year olds.

842
00:47:03,120 --> 00:47:05,879
Speaker 1: You had the TENU which is nine to ten year olds,

843
00:47:05,920 --> 00:47:08,520
Speaker 1: and you had the twelve of you, which was eleven

844
00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:09,239
Speaker 1: and twelve year olds.

845
00:47:09,239 --> 00:47:12,040
Speaker 3: So FO. Then you also decided, well there's more than

846
00:47:12,120 --> 00:47:13,920
Speaker 3: just boys in this community.

847
00:47:13,600 --> 00:47:17,000
Speaker 1: Right, so we did cheerleaders and dance team, which my

848
00:47:17,160 --> 00:47:19,520
Speaker 1: sister and my auntie were the coaches of it.

849
00:47:20,440 --> 00:47:28,239
Speaker 3: So there's this void of youth engagement, right, you see it?

850
00:47:29,040 --> 00:47:31,640
Speaker 3: You start four football team.

851
00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:33,399
Speaker 1: Right, and it was like twenty five kids on each

852
00:47:33,400 --> 00:47:37,920
Speaker 1: age group, and four cheerleading teams and like twenty cheerleaders.

853
00:47:37,200 --> 00:47:40,880
Speaker 3: And twenty cheerleaders. So you go from nothing to one

854
00:47:40,960 --> 00:47:44,520
Speaker 3: hundred and twenty five kids, right, and you call this

855
00:47:44,640 --> 00:47:46,239
Speaker 3: organization the.

856
00:47:46,040 --> 00:47:50,240
Speaker 1: North Memphistillas, North medfid Steels right, and youth and Mentoringship

857
00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:53,719
Speaker 1: program right, not football team, no, but the youth and

858
00:47:53,840 --> 00:47:55,200
Speaker 1: Mentoringship program.

859
00:47:55,320 --> 00:48:10,759
Speaker 3: Right. We'll be right back. Well, so the first game

860
00:48:11,200 --> 00:48:13,880
Speaker 3: you kept saying, coach, you gotta come watch, got watch.

861
00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:16,239
Speaker 2: I'll never forget out. When our first scrimmages, you.

862
00:48:16,280 --> 00:48:20,160
Speaker 1: And Max came, right, yeah, my younger son, y'all came

863
00:48:20,239 --> 00:48:21,799
Speaker 1: and I feel like there was and I think I

864
00:48:21,840 --> 00:48:23,400
Speaker 1: told somebody this before. I think it was one of

865
00:48:23,400 --> 00:48:26,760
Speaker 1: my greatest coaching moments to see you on the sideline

866
00:48:26,800 --> 00:48:30,239
Speaker 1: with your son just to support with because you know,

867
00:48:30,280 --> 00:48:32,319
Speaker 1: a lot of people say that Coach B was a

868
00:48:32,320 --> 00:48:38,839
Speaker 1: Turget person, and obviously it's like twelve thirteen years later

869
00:48:38,880 --> 00:48:41,280
Speaker 1: and you've always just been one phone call away.

870
00:48:42,520 --> 00:48:47,640
Speaker 3: So uh yeah, Javins, I've always been a phone call

871
00:48:47,680 --> 00:48:50,040
Speaker 3: away and I will always be a phone call away.

872
00:48:50,480 --> 00:48:53,400
Speaker 3: But that's something I asked you about.

873
00:48:53,400 --> 00:48:56,000
Speaker 1: That really, yeah, you asked me about you said one

874
00:48:56,000 --> 00:48:58,520
Speaker 1: of my greatest coaching moments was about seeing you on

875
00:48:58,560 --> 00:48:59,479
Speaker 1: the sideline with Max.

876
00:48:59,600 --> 00:49:03,120
Speaker 3: Well, yeah, but one of my fondest things was when

877
00:49:03,120 --> 00:49:05,760
Speaker 3: I looked out on that field and you were coaching

878
00:49:05,800 --> 00:49:08,520
Speaker 3: your sons and y'all had your things going to everything else,

879
00:49:09,239 --> 00:49:11,759
Speaker 3: but the assistant coaches all over the place and.

880
00:49:11,680 --> 00:49:16,400
Speaker 1: Who they were teammates, old teammates, all old NNASAS teammates.

881
00:49:16,480 --> 00:49:19,640
Speaker 3: Right. So not only did the North off the Steelers

882
00:49:19,680 --> 00:49:24,279
Speaker 3: start mentoring kids six through twelve years old, both male

883
00:49:24,360 --> 00:49:28,080
Speaker 3: and female, but you went out to your former teammates

884
00:49:28,080 --> 00:49:30,960
Speaker 3: from a NASAs and gave them a sense of purpose

885
00:49:31,400 --> 00:49:34,360
Speaker 3: to coach other ages and assistant coaches.

886
00:49:34,480 --> 00:49:36,200
Speaker 1: Right, And like I said, I got I want to

887
00:49:36,200 --> 00:49:40,080
Speaker 1: get my friends who needed an avenue to something better

888
00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:48,400
Speaker 1: or positive and pretty good football players. Also dads. We

889
00:49:48,440 --> 00:49:51,600
Speaker 1: don't talk about the good dads enough. And we was

890
00:49:51,600 --> 00:49:55,240
Speaker 1: giving dads who just got out of jail for twelve

891
00:49:55,320 --> 00:50:00,400
Speaker 1: years and stuff like opportunities to come and.

892
00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:01,759
Speaker 2: Make up for the time that you lost with your

893
00:50:01,840 --> 00:50:02,719
Speaker 2: child with your child.

894
00:50:02,719 --> 00:50:05,319
Speaker 1: And it was just like we had guys that just

895
00:50:05,360 --> 00:50:08,239
Speaker 1: literally got out the penitentiary that came and was one

896
00:50:08,280 --> 00:50:12,239
Speaker 1: hundred percent supportive, and no organization in the city that

897
00:50:12,320 --> 00:50:14,000
Speaker 1: had more dads on the sideline than.

898
00:50:14,080 --> 00:50:17,920
Speaker 3: My son went to get his driver's license renewed, and

899
00:50:18,000 --> 00:50:22,080
Speaker 3: the lady sitting at the computer at the DMV was

900
00:50:22,160 --> 00:50:25,640
Speaker 3: talking to him and she had on it a pause

901
00:50:25,800 --> 00:50:28,680
Speaker 3: when she was watching. She paused while she helped Max

902
00:50:28,719 --> 00:50:32,319
Speaker 3: get his driver's license, and Max looked over and it

903
00:50:32,520 --> 00:50:35,640
Speaker 3: was a kid with a North Memphis Steelers jersey on.

904
00:50:36,239 --> 00:50:39,800
Speaker 3: And Max looked over and said, oh, the North Memphis Steelers.

905
00:50:39,800 --> 00:50:41,360
Speaker 3: And she looked at him, said boy, what you know

906
00:50:41,440 --> 00:50:45,600
Speaker 3: about that? And he said, because I basically grew up

907
00:50:45,840 --> 00:50:49,200
Speaker 3: with Javis. And she said, you grew up with Javis?

908
00:50:49,280 --> 00:50:49,480
Speaker 1: Right.

909
00:50:52,000 --> 00:50:55,399
Speaker 5: She was lily white, little blood haired Max and Javis

910
00:50:55,520 --> 00:50:58,040
Speaker 5: and she couldn't even put it together. But the point was,

911
00:50:59,000 --> 00:51:02,239
Speaker 5: everywhere you go, somebody knows something about the North but

912
00:51:02,400 --> 00:51:06,200
Speaker 5: of Steelers now, which came from scratch scratch. And the

913
00:51:06,239 --> 00:51:08,240
Speaker 5: point is there wasn't.

914
00:51:08,040 --> 00:51:10,759
Speaker 3: An organization that you could call and become a part of.

915
00:51:11,000 --> 00:51:14,560
Speaker 3: Nobody handed you a pamphlet on how to create a

916
00:51:14,600 --> 00:51:18,080
Speaker 3: five oh one c three. Nobody gave you a business

917
00:51:18,120 --> 00:51:21,319
Speaker 3: plan on how you create four youth teams that get

918
00:51:21,920 --> 00:51:27,560
Speaker 3: ranked nationally and cheer teams and dance squads. Nobody told

919
00:51:27,680 --> 00:51:30,040
Speaker 3: you how to go get all the equipment, which most

920
00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:33,680
Speaker 3: of these kids' families cannot pay for. Nobody told you

921
00:51:33,719 --> 00:51:36,759
Speaker 3: how to get the jerseys. What you did was you

922
00:51:36,800 --> 00:51:40,239
Speaker 3: saw a need and you figured it out. And I'm

923
00:51:40,239 --> 00:51:44,319
Speaker 3: sure you made mistakes along the way, but you did it.

924
00:51:44,360 --> 00:51:48,560
Speaker 3: And the entire time your motto was school first.

925
00:51:48,320 --> 00:51:51,200
Speaker 2: School first. Every uniform we had there was on.

926
00:51:51,400 --> 00:51:53,920
Speaker 3: And you made kids get a certain GPA to be

927
00:51:53,960 --> 00:51:56,760
Speaker 3: able to Now they had to come to practice standing

928
00:51:56,800 --> 00:51:59,200
Speaker 3: and street clothes, but as long as they had a

929
00:51:59,239 --> 00:52:01,279
Speaker 3: GPA that could If they didn't, they're still part of

930
00:52:01,320 --> 00:52:03,839
Speaker 3: the team, but they couldn't have played. Got the gpa.

931
00:52:03,640 --> 00:52:07,799
Speaker 1: Exactly, Yeah, school first, School first, Yeah, And you did

932
00:52:07,840 --> 00:52:11,240
Speaker 1: this because you saw a need and filter an ordinary

933
00:52:11,280 --> 00:52:14,120
Speaker 1: guy who's been through his own struggles and all his

934
00:52:14,200 --> 00:52:15,680
Speaker 1: own problems.

935
00:52:15,400 --> 00:52:19,800
Speaker 3: Who found his humility and that decided he wanted to

936
00:52:19,840 --> 00:52:23,239
Speaker 3: give back. And there's no temperate for it. No, So

937
00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:27,360
Speaker 3: let me ask something. Couldn't anybody in any city of

938
00:52:27,360 --> 00:52:30,000
Speaker 3: this country if they just decided they wanted to have

939
00:52:30,080 --> 00:52:35,040
Speaker 3: the heart and passion for disadvantaged community. You've done it.

940
00:52:35,400 --> 00:52:38,920
Speaker 3: Can other people do it right? Most definitely? And to

941
00:52:39,000 --> 00:52:41,200
Speaker 3: me those whole seven years, it feel like.

942
00:52:41,200 --> 00:52:43,880
Speaker 1: We were just pouring from an empty cook meaning like

943
00:52:43,920 --> 00:52:47,040
Speaker 1: we really didn't have money like that, but for those kids,

944
00:52:47,160 --> 00:52:51,759
Speaker 1: we literally like I've always been a person where I'm

945
00:52:51,800 --> 00:52:54,400
Speaker 1: kind of like I never wanted to stand on the

946
00:52:54,400 --> 00:52:57,200
Speaker 1: corner and ask for donations, but I humble myself to

947
00:52:57,920 --> 00:53:01,120
Speaker 1: whatever was gonna help these kids. Look not with the uniforms.

948
00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:05,319
Speaker 1: We had like five different uniforms. We had like no

949
00:53:05,440 --> 00:53:08,000
Speaker 1: team travel more than us, and we did it all

950
00:53:08,080 --> 00:53:12,080
Speaker 1: off the love we want. It wont about money because

951
00:53:12,080 --> 00:53:14,279
Speaker 1: most of the time, i'mna be honest, like a lot

952
00:53:14,280 --> 00:53:17,200
Speaker 1: of the for like five years straight, the first two

953
00:53:17,320 --> 00:53:20,800
Speaker 1: years were the only two years that kids actually paid

954
00:53:20,800 --> 00:53:23,799
Speaker 1: the play and most of the times they couldn't even pay.

955
00:53:23,840 --> 00:53:27,160
Speaker 1: That was just paying something. And you know, it's a

956
00:53:27,200 --> 00:53:29,520
Speaker 1: lot of organizations. I heard that if you don't play,

957
00:53:29,960 --> 00:53:32,720
Speaker 1: your kid really can't play, your kid don't receive a uniform.

958
00:53:32,719 --> 00:53:37,560
Speaker 1: But we had really niceforms and we had one hundred

959
00:53:37,600 --> 00:53:39,000
Speaker 1: and forty five kids.

960
00:53:39,480 --> 00:53:42,040
Speaker 2: That's a lot of kids to deal with every day.

961
00:53:42,040 --> 00:53:43,520
Speaker 3: Especially fit six seven.

962
00:53:43,760 --> 00:53:47,560
Speaker 1: It's five six seven eight, So kindergarten is like, yeah, kindergarten. Yeah,

963
00:53:47,600 --> 00:53:51,440
Speaker 1: So my son started at five and my son is

964
00:53:51,480 --> 00:53:53,799
Speaker 1: like he a lovable kid. Everybody loves him, so he

965
00:53:53,880 --> 00:53:55,640
Speaker 1: always wanted to play with his friends. But his friends

966
00:53:55,680 --> 00:53:58,440
Speaker 1: what the people did, really were just under privilege and

967
00:53:58,440 --> 00:54:01,520
Speaker 1: really couldn't afford the stuff. So his friends not playing

968
00:54:01,560 --> 00:54:04,839
Speaker 1: with her him. So it definitely wouldn't be about the money,

969
00:54:04,880 --> 00:54:07,440
Speaker 1: because like you would out race, we get out and

970
00:54:07,520 --> 00:54:11,520
Speaker 1: raise it. People send donations. Like Valerie Calhoun helped us

971
00:54:11,520 --> 00:54:15,399
Speaker 1: a lot by putting us, putting us out local news, right, Yeah,

972
00:54:16,080 --> 00:54:18,080
Speaker 1: she helped us out by putting us on a great

973
00:54:18,080 --> 00:54:21,839
Speaker 1: platform to show people like that everybody in the city.

974
00:54:21,840 --> 00:54:25,160
Speaker 1: I ain't doing bad, so actually people out here trying.

975
00:54:25,840 --> 00:54:28,880
Speaker 3: So let me ask something. As you're thinking about the

976
00:54:28,920 --> 00:54:32,880
Speaker 3: work you're doing with these kids, did you ever flash

977
00:54:32,960 --> 00:54:36,520
Speaker 3: back to your former teammates who are in jail or

978
00:54:36,640 --> 00:54:41,120
Speaker 3: dead and think the real reason I'm doing this is

979
00:54:41,320 --> 00:54:45,120
Speaker 3: try to keep this script of North Memphis kids out

980
00:54:45,120 --> 00:54:46,360
Speaker 3: of the demographics that we.

981
00:54:46,400 --> 00:54:49,720
Speaker 2: Read early right and honestly coached.

982
00:54:49,760 --> 00:54:53,320
Speaker 1: All the best players are the sons of former Manasa's talkings,

983
00:54:53,360 --> 00:54:55,399
Speaker 1: which is crazy, Which is crazy.

984
00:54:55,160 --> 00:55:00,160
Speaker 3: Kids I coached their kids now play for you with

985
00:55:00,200 --> 00:55:02,640
Speaker 3: the dord Pepi Steels, and some of their daddies are

986
00:55:02,719 --> 00:55:03,279
Speaker 3: dead and in.

987
00:55:03,280 --> 00:55:06,120
Speaker 1: Jail, right, And these kids are the nationally ranked kids.

988
00:55:07,320 --> 00:55:10,279
Speaker 1: So imagine my son on the team with Kendall's son

989
00:55:11,320 --> 00:55:15,680
Speaker 1: and John Tavis Rogers and Dre Fife and all those guys.

990
00:55:16,520 --> 00:55:17,960
Speaker 1: These kids are unbelievable.

991
00:55:18,160 --> 00:55:20,680
Speaker 3: Dre Fife has a son, yes, I can't believe he

992
00:55:20,760 --> 00:55:26,360
Speaker 3: found a woman to even be around. But do Dre Fife?

993
00:55:26,640 --> 00:55:30,520
Speaker 1: Yes, Like in these guys sons are big time players,

994
00:55:31,080 --> 00:55:34,880
Speaker 1: nationally ranked, been around the nation to play the top teams,

995
00:55:35,360 --> 00:55:36,640
Speaker 1: the top supposed to.

996
00:55:36,719 --> 00:55:39,799
Speaker 3: My former players up and Nassis kids who you now

997
00:55:39,840 --> 00:55:43,640
Speaker 3: coach right now right, and and.

998
00:55:43,400 --> 00:55:47,800
Speaker 1: John Tavis Rogers who John Tavis Rogers all their sons

999
00:55:48,040 --> 00:55:50,880
Speaker 1: are crazy good, crazy good.

1000
00:55:51,040 --> 00:55:56,840
Speaker 3: And as you're coaching these kids at the same time,

1001
00:55:57,840 --> 00:56:00,719
Speaker 3: so many of the people that you played ball with

1002
00:56:01,280 --> 00:56:06,840
Speaker 3: or locked up or dead. And it seems to me

1003
00:56:06,920 --> 00:56:11,360
Speaker 3: you're trying to be the barrier between sons and fathers

1004
00:56:11,400 --> 00:56:15,359
Speaker 3: from repeating a life of.

1005
00:56:15,320 --> 00:56:18,319
Speaker 1: Sorrow, right, And I'm being just honestly, coach, I just

1006
00:56:18,360 --> 00:56:20,560
Speaker 1: want to be on what you were of us. This

1007
00:56:21,239 --> 00:56:23,319
Speaker 1: is what I want. This is what my main thing

1008
00:56:23,440 --> 00:56:25,680
Speaker 1: is trying to be. Like, I know I'll never be

1009
00:56:25,800 --> 00:56:28,600
Speaker 1: who you were, but you did a lot for a

1010
00:56:28,600 --> 00:56:30,960
Speaker 1: lot of people, and that's what I seek you ot

1011
00:56:31,000 --> 00:56:32,800
Speaker 1: to do, just serve other people.

1012
00:56:32,960 --> 00:56:37,680
Speaker 3: This is it. I'm not laf man, I ain't looking

1013
00:56:37,719 --> 00:56:40,480
Speaker 3: for you'rea make an old man cry when you say stuff.

1014
00:56:40,120 --> 00:56:43,080
Speaker 1: Like for real, though, I'm just being honest, and like

1015
00:56:43,120 --> 00:56:45,799
Speaker 1: I said, it's not about money because I've learned over

1016
00:56:45,800 --> 00:56:49,520
Speaker 1: these seven years that when you're doing good, people gonna

1017
00:56:49,520 --> 00:56:52,120
Speaker 1: notice and they're gonna people help you, especially if you're

1018
00:56:52,160 --> 00:56:53,080
Speaker 1: doing it the right way.

1019
00:56:57,719 --> 00:57:01,680
Speaker 3: Well, that concludes Part one of our conversation with Chevis Daniels,

1020
00:57:01,719 --> 00:57:04,880
Speaker 3: and I hope you'll listen to Part two that's now available.

1021
00:57:05,080 --> 00:57:07,520
Speaker 3: Chevis will tell us about as new endeavor to help

1022
00:57:07,600 --> 00:57:11,040
Speaker 3: our hometown, Memphis, Tennessee. I look forward to seeing the

1023
00:57:11,120 --> 00:57:11,799
Speaker 3: end Part two.