WEBVTT - Stefon & Trevon Diggs: NFL Brotherly Love 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:03.239 Before we begin, a reminder to please rate and review 0:00:03.279 --> 0:00:06.200 our show. It helps new listeners discover us and grow 0:00:06.240 --> 0:00:15.760 the program. On this episode of Sports Illustrated Weekly, Stephen 0:00:15.920 --> 0:00:20.400 and Trayvon Diggs have made their mother, Stephanie, very proud. Yes, 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:22.400 because they're each among the best at their positions in 0:00:22.400 --> 0:00:24.840 the NFL, and because they had to make it to 0:00:24.840 --> 0:00:27.920 the top without the guiding hand of their father, Aron, 0:00:28.000 --> 0:00:31.120 who passed away when they were just boys. I'm senior 0:00:31.120 --> 0:00:34.120 producer Dan Bloom, and I have senior writer Alex Pruett 0:00:34.120 --> 0:00:36.479 with me today. He wrote our cover story about the 0:00:36.520 --> 0:00:40.600 Diggs brothers for sis Strength issue, and their journey, although 0:00:40.640 --> 0:00:44.960 paved with pain, forged an unshakable brotherly love that now 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:48.920 extends through generations. How's that for a Philly reference? Gonzalez 0:00:49.560 --> 0:00:53.240 from Sports Illustrated and I Heart Radio. This is Sports 0:00:53.280 --> 0:01:05.440 Illustrated Weekly. My name is Alex pruittt, senior writer at 0:01:05.480 --> 0:01:09.640 Sports Illustrated. Today we're talking about cover story I did 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:14.560 for our Strength issue about a pair of brothers in 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:18.840 the NFL, Stefan and Trayvon Digs. Stefan is a All 0:01:18.880 --> 0:01:21.560 Pro receiver for the Bills, and Trayvon is an All 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:26.640 Pro defensive back for the Cowboys. Stefan is this shipmying, shaking, 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:30.720 joking receiver. Well, that's how you become the best receiver 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:33.320 of the National Football League like he was last year. 0:01:34.280 --> 0:01:37.600 Trayvon is kind of the smooth operator. He has this 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:41.319 natural receiving backgrounds, natural feel for tracking passes. So there 0:01:41.319 --> 0:01:43.240 are times when he like gets an interception and you 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:50.960 think he's the receiver perfect, it's Trayvon ditch tell the sideline, 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:55.800 Nobody's gonna catch him. House call, Travo ditch pick six. 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:01.320 Stephen said, all manner of time since Randy Moss and 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:03.960 Chris Carter stats in Minnesota and then most famous for 0:02:03.960 --> 0:02:22.200 the Minneapolis Miracles games, winn ass for Trayvon, Iinecky going 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:27.440 to keep the field and interception number eleven for Trayvon Dick. 0:02:28.360 --> 0:02:30.480 I don't know if anyone could have predicted, even Stefan 0:02:30.560 --> 0:02:32.760 the leap, that he was going to make a bagged 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:36.000 eleven interceptions more than any NFL player in forty years. 0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:42.520 Trayvon Dick, staring right back into Heinrich's soul, knew exactly 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:45.440 what he was gonna do. In perfect position, hit the 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:50.400 Jets and comes up with number eleven on the season. 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:56.160 What a phenomenal year this young man has had. Not 0:02:56.240 --> 0:02:59.320 necessarily unique to have a couple of brothers, or even 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:01.200 elite brothers in the NFL. I would see it with 0:03:01.200 --> 0:03:04.240 the Watts, with the bossas we've seen him with the Mannings. 0:03:04.280 --> 0:03:07.080 But never has it been so condensed to this like 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:11.440 single matchup, the single isolated matchup of receiver versus defensive back, 0:03:11.720 --> 0:03:15.280 opposite positions of a matchup that I think, in some ways, 0:03:15.560 --> 0:03:20.400 speaking as an only child from my vast experience, mirrors 0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:23.240 the sibling rivalry itself. Right, you're out on an island. 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:26.840 It's kind of mono mono. So you've intrigued me with 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:29.160 your talk of only childhood as I am also an 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:32.840 only child. Did your being an only child have anything 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:34.600 to do with your interest in doing the story and 0:03:34.639 --> 0:03:37.520 its conception? No? If anything, it made me think maybe 0:03:37.560 --> 0:03:40.160 I shouldn't do this story. Maybe I should find someone 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:45.160 who actually knows what it feels like. Now, why did 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:47.720 you think that this story would fit in well with 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:52.440 the strength issue? Beyond their obvious strengths as football players. 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:55.480 Beneath that layer, I think there's and once you peel 0:03:55.520 --> 0:03:57.880 it back, there's a lot more themes of strength that 0:03:58.040 --> 0:04:00.560 crop up the theme of of iron sharp and iron 0:04:00.640 --> 0:04:04.040 going up against each other in workouts and Madden and 0:04:04.200 --> 0:04:07.640 pick up basketball and um, all these things they've done 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:10.440 throughout their childhood that kind of formed the foundation for 0:04:10.480 --> 0:04:17.919 what they've built today. And then even deeper than that 0:04:18.360 --> 0:04:21.479 is I think the strength of love, how their relationship 0:04:21.520 --> 0:04:26.560 has evolved as they've expanded past just the tough love, 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:30.560 the kind of doggy dog mentality. These like really intense 0:04:30.600 --> 0:04:33.359 battles where they're like running routes against each other at 0:04:33.360 --> 0:04:37.320 their grandfather's memorial service. So back us up a step. 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:40.680 Who is the Diggs family? Where are they from? What 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:43.600 are they all about? Trayvon is the youngest of five 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:48.280 going on down the list around Jr. Porsche, Stephen, Marshawn, 0:04:48.760 --> 0:04:51.960 and Trayvon. Stephan and Trayvon are the only two of 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:55.640 those five whose parents are Aaron Senior and Stephanie Diggs. 0:04:56.279 --> 0:04:58.720 They grew up in various areas are various places around 0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:02.320 the DC Beltway region, but largely Montgomery County. That's where 0:05:02.560 --> 0:05:04.520 Trayvon went to high school of Public Wouten and then 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:08.960 later Private Avalon. Stefan went to very famous football powerhouse 0:05:08.960 --> 0:05:12.880 school council. Best as I could tell, their origins and sports. 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:16.000 Passion for sports started with Aaron, especially football. It was 0:05:16.000 --> 0:05:18.680 a big Cowboys fan, but it was definitely something for 0:05:18.720 --> 0:05:21.160 all the boys to do. I mean, Stephanie recounted Saturdays 0:05:21.200 --> 0:05:22.960 where they would show up to the Pop Warner Field 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.279 at nine am and not leave till like four or 0:05:25.279 --> 0:05:28.719 something because Stefan, Marshawn, and Trayvon would all have games 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:31.760 in succession. And you know, Iran I think certainly had 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:34.400 a vision. There's I think a famous family story about 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:37.800 one Halloween Stefan was maybe five or something, Neron looks 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:39.680 at him as like, that kid's going to the NFL. 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:42.400 You would tell Stefan, you know you're going to get 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:44.479 bins full of college letters when you're older. And again 0:05:44.560 --> 0:05:47.680 Stefan's like in grade school. But he would put in 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:49.840 the work with them. He would stop at a park 0:05:49.839 --> 0:05:52.120 on the way home from school and run bleachers or 0:05:52.160 --> 0:05:55.160 ducone drills. They weren't really like running routes against each 0:05:55.160 --> 0:05:57.560 other until they were much older, but it was just 0:05:57.600 --> 0:05:59.159 like a lot of conditioning, a lot of hard work. 0:05:59.160 --> 0:06:02.080 Ethic kind of instilled this belief that if you work 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:07.520 hard enough, you can achieve your goals. So now we 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:09.480 have to talk about the tragic event that happens to 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:13.080 this family, Iran's passing. How does that take place? And 0:06:13.120 --> 0:06:18.520 how old were the boys when this happened? Yes, Iran Sr. 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:21.960 Died of congestive heart failure. He had been at out 0:06:22.000 --> 0:06:24.919 of the hospital for for half a decade and passed 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:32.159 in January. Stephen was fourteen, Trayvon was nine. Yeah, so 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:34.960 I am having this conversation with you at age thirty eight, 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:39.640 and Iran Senior died at age thirty nine, and he 0:06:39.720 --> 0:06:43.000 had kids, and I have a kid and I have 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:46.840 another on the way, and so damn this particular detail 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:51.080 really hit me hard, and I really feel in that 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:55.040 moment for this family. Can you just talk about what 0:06:55.080 --> 0:06:58.000 it was like to lose Iran? Yeah? Do you want 0:06:58.000 --> 0:07:00.800 to talk about how you feel? First though? How I 0:07:00.839 --> 0:07:05.040 feel how you fell reading that? Oh my god? Well, 0:07:05.080 --> 0:07:09.040 I love my son so much, and I also want 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:12.960 to pour every ounce of knowledge and effort and energy 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:15.800 that I can muster into his life and into his 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:18.280 soon to be brother's life. Our next child is going 0:07:18.280 --> 0:07:21.640 to be a boy as well. So yeah, so I 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:23.640 see so much in like what's coming in my own 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:27.520 life in your story, And it is both extremely sad 0:07:27.560 --> 0:07:32.680 to think that they lost this pillar human flawed perhaps 0:07:33.320 --> 0:07:36.080 as we all are, imperfect in their way of loving, 0:07:36.520 --> 0:07:40.600 but obviously such an important pillar in these really impressive 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:44.280 people's lives. So to think about myself as a Iran, 0:07:44.360 --> 0:07:46.920 it's like, wow, how sad would it be to lose 0:07:46.960 --> 0:07:51.160 my position within this beautiful family structure? And yet how 0:07:51.880 --> 0:07:55.160 powerful it is to be able to transmit lessons that 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:59.760 stay with you even well beyond your own death. Well said, 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:03.680 I don't have kids myself, so it's again like that's 0:08:03.680 --> 0:08:06.400 another moment where although I did, I lost my dad 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:08.600 two years ago, so I was, oh, wow, I was 0:08:08.640 --> 0:08:12.760 able to connect to them a little bit. I'm sorry 0:08:12.760 --> 0:08:15.679 to hear that. Yeah, I remember. We were talking about 0:08:16.080 --> 0:08:17.840 just like little things that we do that we picked 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:19.880 up from our parents that you don't even recognize. And 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:21.960 Stefan like had just spit out the car and he 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:23.560 would with car window and he was like, oh yeah, 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:25.080 like spitting out the car. My dad used to do 0:08:25.120 --> 0:08:30.160 that all the time. Where were we um describing a 0:08:30.320 --> 0:08:33.520 RAN's passing and how it affected the family and how 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:37.120 they responded Stefan. He emphasized what you said, which was 0:08:37.240 --> 0:08:40.880 the idea of lessons during his life. Iran sr. Was 0:08:41.080 --> 0:08:46.080 the type to really teach you stuff. But at that 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:48.439 time it was a very rocky road because that was 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:50.680 around the time we lost our father or whatever, and like, 0:08:51.200 --> 0:08:52.640 you know, you're kind of trying to find your way, 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:56.079 find yourself. It's hard to be a man when you 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:58.200 still the kid, I'm saying, when you're trying to be 0:08:58.240 --> 0:09:00.000 a man and trying to find with you know, damn 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:02.160 their feedsure stuff. I'm trying to like start of fitting 0:09:02.200 --> 0:09:04.679 for yourself because my mom God best her, she was 0:09:04.679 --> 0:09:07.160 superwoman and dude everything she could. But you know, you 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:09.040 try to start figuring it out for yourself and for 0:09:09.080 --> 0:09:16.920 your younger servants. Stephanie has worked various jobs for Amtrak 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:21.080 for decades now. When the boys were younger, she would 0:09:21.520 --> 0:09:25.240 work on basically East Coast Corridor trains along night and 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:29.280 you have Corridor. Occasionally Stefan would tag along their stories 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:32.120 about him pretending to run routes in the aisles and 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:38.640 like joking past strangers. You know, they had extremely strong 0:09:39.559 --> 0:09:43.400 parental influences, and not just Stephanie but Porsche in the house. 0:09:44.040 --> 0:09:46.360 But as Porscha goes away to college and Stephanie's again 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:50.200 working these overnight, long overnight shifts on amtrack, um, the 0:09:50.240 --> 0:09:53.280 boys are often at home together having to figure it out, 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:55.880 and um, you know, early on they said this manifest 0:09:55.920 --> 0:09:59.560 in Stefan taking some liberties with what people would tell them, 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:01.240 which was that he was the quote unquote man of 0:10:01.280 --> 0:10:03.880 the house. Now, so you know, one day, Stephanie comes 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:06.240 home from work and finds Travon on the couch hanging 0:10:06.280 --> 0:10:07.599 out and he was like, what stuff, I told me 0:10:07.600 --> 0:10:15.800 he didn't have to go to school today. But again, 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:17.640 you know, just it's working progress, right, and stuff On 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:20.240 himself is only just a teenager having to grow up 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:23.640 way too fast here, So tough conversations but also empathy 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:25.520 led to them being in a much better place and 0:10:25.880 --> 0:10:32.480 this kind of protective relationship. Forming he did good in school. 0:10:32.640 --> 0:10:33.839 You know, he had a hall of it. I say, 0:10:33.880 --> 0:10:35.679 tea score he blew it out. It wasn't I to 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:38.640 a C T S. Yeah, he blew it out the 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:41.400 water like that was something that everybody was taking concerned about. 0:10:41.400 --> 0:10:43.480 And I was like, and I tell you super smart, 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:45.319 Like I ain't concerned at all. He blew it out 0:10:45.360 --> 0:10:48.199 the water. We both dealt with like some serious battles 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:50.440 as far as like the death of our father. Being young. 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:52.960 I was young, but he was younger than me, so 0:10:53.000 --> 0:10:54.520 I can't imagine how we had to deal with it. 0:10:54.559 --> 0:10:56.040 And you know how we fought through it kind of 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:58.160 like together, like going out how to be without a 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:03.800 dad and kind of keep pushing forward. Strength comes from 0:11:03.800 --> 0:11:05.920 many different areas, you know, it used to come from pain. 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:15.400 You kind of got to thrive off of that. Stefan 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:18.600 Diggs was a huge star at Good Council of High School, which, 0:11:18.600 --> 0:11:20.959 as you noted, is a football powerhouse in its own right. 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:24.560 And Trayvon described those games when he first started. I 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:28.719 just know the brother really really good at football in 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:30.760 high school. I used to saying, so watch him. I 0:11:30.840 --> 0:11:32.480 used to go to all his games. You know, his 0:11:32.600 --> 0:11:35.240 games to be packed the council so pack like a 0:11:35.280 --> 0:11:38.440 college game. But it was just like, I hate my brother, 0:11:38.559 --> 0:11:41.400 really really good at football. He's doing something right. I 0:11:41.440 --> 0:11:43.480 think that was a really eye opening period for Trayvon. 0:11:43.960 --> 0:11:47.360 That's Trayvon put it. Seeing the bins of recruiting letters 0:11:47.360 --> 0:11:50.520 that Aaron predicted Stefan would get. Seeing these you know, 0:11:50.640 --> 0:11:55.160 towers of bins in the family dining room. He remembers 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:59.960 fans lining up for Stefan's autograph after games, and like Tupper, 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:03.040 wears of fresh baked cookies that they brought for him. 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:05.760 Maybe there's something to this, Maybe this is like a 0:12:05.840 --> 0:12:12.480 legit path. So as is revealed in your story, Stefon 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:15.520 Diggs now views his decision to attend the University of 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:19.920 Maryland perhaps as a misstep. Were you that that's gonna 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:21.719 be the biggest thing to come out of this? Probably right? 0:12:22.679 --> 0:12:27.000 Were you struck by his frankness and discussing this particular topic, 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:31.440 and how do you analyze his statement? What do you 0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:34.440 think he's right? At this point, I'm not really struck 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:37.760 by Stefan's frankness. Talk to him enough, he says what's 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:40.280 on his mind. It was an explicit question I asked. 0:12:40.559 --> 0:12:42.040 I think the way I phrase it was would you 0:12:42.040 --> 0:12:43.960 have gone to Maryland if you were an only child? 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:52.480 And his answer was something like no. And he went 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:55.400 on to expeld briefly that that was just from a 0:12:55.440 --> 0:13:00.000 development perspective, He didn't feel as prepared for the next level, 0:13:00.000 --> 0:13:03.280 howle as he thought he would have been if he 0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:06.840 had gone somewhere else. Why was Stephen's time at Maryland 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:10.079 so tumultuous. Yeah, they got down to their fifth quarterback 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:13.040 that year because three of the first four toward their 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:14.800 A c l s and the fourth I think had 0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:17.160 a season ending Liz Frank or something like that. Their 0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:21.439 fifth quarterback was a true freshman linebacker who was supposed 0:13:21.480 --> 0:13:23.800 to red shirt that year, but they were just so 0:13:24.120 --> 0:13:26.720 short on bodies that he played his high school position 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:30.000 a quarterback for the last like two thirds of the season, 0:13:30.480 --> 0:13:32.800 and then from their stuff on broke his leg, he 0:13:32.960 --> 0:13:35.840 lascerated his kidney, and then again just kind of a 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:40.160 period of transition Maryland of just kind of mediocre results 0:13:40.240 --> 0:13:43.160 and him not showcase being showcased maybe perhaps the way 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:45.520 he wanted to, And I think all of which kind 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:49.520 of conspired to take his draft stock. That said, you 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:53.439 can't really put this in a vacuum, right because it's 0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:56.560 not just about his football career. It was about the 0:13:56.600 --> 0:13:59.720 people back home. He felt such an obligation to be 0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:02.280 close spy, to be able to go watch Trayvon's games 0:14:02.280 --> 0:14:05.520 in person, to be able to have Trayvon be with him, 0:14:05.559 --> 0:14:09.040 to continue that relationship in a way. But also giving 0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:12.800 Trayvon the up close look that he needed too one 0:14:12.880 --> 0:14:16.600 day to do it on his own. Before we sat 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:18.680 down to lunch, we had some time before the meal came, 0:14:18.760 --> 0:14:21.080 and Stefan was like, let's just go. Let's just drive 0:14:21.120 --> 0:14:23.640 over to Maryland and see who's there, and you swing 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:25.640 by the football office. Like he's famous enough he can 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:27.040 just do that and like park on the curb, but 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:29.560 no one gives him a ticket. But on the way 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:31.520 there they got to talking about how you know, they 0:14:31.520 --> 0:14:33.480 started reminiscing about, Oh, yeah, that's where we would go 0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:35.520 get Italian nice, and that's where we would you know, 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:37.080 that's where we had a party, and that's where the 0:14:37.080 --> 0:14:39.840 floor almost caved in, and Trayvon was basically like, yeah, 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:42.120 I like lived here. Trayvon said again he got to 0:14:42.120 --> 0:14:44.800 experience a lot of college, a lot of that life, 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:47.840 not just with Stefan, but with all of Stefan's teammates who, 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:50.480 because he was Stefan's brother, were looking after him or 0:14:50.520 --> 0:14:52.600 making sure that he wasn't getting in trouble. I used 0:14:52.600 --> 0:14:58.160 to be at every day every weekend in college and college. 0:14:58.160 --> 0:15:00.440 I'm at high school and now ninth grade, I'm going 0:15:00.480 --> 0:15:03.360 to your empty and I say, like, I feel like 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:06.480 that probably kept me out of the troupe, being up 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:08.880 there with him, you know, being right there with him 0:15:09.000 --> 0:15:10.840 and he looking after me. You know, he got his 0:15:10.880 --> 0:15:13.760 teammates right there look at making strong straight. So you know, 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:16.320 it's just everything worked out as supposed to. And I 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:17.720 got to see a lot of stuff that a lot 0:15:17.800 --> 0:15:20.200 of people, you know, my age, didn't get to see, 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:22.680 you know, and I never may know like bad decisions 0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:25.480 on bad choices, you know, I'm just watching, just just 0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:28.280 watching and learning. Like they say, like it takes a 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:31.080 village to raise a kid, and like so many people 0:15:31.120 --> 0:15:33.280 played a part like and kind of like keeping him 0:15:33.400 --> 0:15:37.440 like straight, Like I never had no concerned about him 0:15:37.560 --> 0:15:40.480 ever being okay, especially at the crib because like trying 0:15:40.520 --> 0:15:42.600 to be that like father figure that I didn't really 0:15:42.640 --> 0:15:44.360 have to do it by myself, like I had like 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:52.920 basically a village of people making sure little bro was good. Trayvon, 0:15:53.240 --> 0:15:56.200 in terms of college selection, again immediately learned from his 0:15:56.240 --> 0:16:00.000 brother's quote unquote mistake and goes to Alabama, doesn't try 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:02.280 full and as as soon as he gets the offer 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:05.360 from Alabama, he's like done deal. Regardless of how it 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:07.920 ended up going for him, which was also tumultuous in 0:16:07.920 --> 0:16:11.960 his own right. He saw that opportunity, he seized it. Yeah, 0:16:12.200 --> 0:16:16.320 not necessarily only learning from the mistakes, but just wanting 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:19.400 to do better regardless, wanting to carve your own path 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:21.360 in a way too. And you know, I think that's 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:26.120 why some of what you mentioned. His position changed to 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:30.960 defensive back after playing it a safety returner receiver as 0:16:31.000 --> 0:16:33.760 a true freshman. Nick Saban calls him in his office 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:37.240 and says, you're moving a cornerback, and Trayvon calls Stephan 0:16:37.320 --> 0:16:40.360 in tears because he's so upset. I called him crime. 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:46.440 He wanted me to play DVM say, oh, no, we 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:50.040 ain't doing that now. I said, I get to work, right, 0:16:50.120 --> 0:16:54.440 Let's go. That's that's what it is like. Like He's like, man, 0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:56.360 I'm not sorry to hear all that. Crun, Let's get 0:16:56.360 --> 0:16:59.400 to work. Ultimately, it was also a blessing in disguise 0:16:59.600 --> 0:17:03.520 for Trayvon to switch positions, to play a different position, 0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:07.480 to not necessarily be linked to his brother all the 0:17:07.480 --> 0:17:09.760 way through college either, to be able to kind of 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:13.440 spread his wings and find his own path. The most 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:15.639 touching moment of this interview for me was when you 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:19.199 asked Stefon Digs about the concept of tough love, and 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:22.480 then he basically pivoted and said, yeah, tough love is great, 0:17:22.640 --> 0:17:28.679 But when they were younger, tough love was was what 0:17:28.720 --> 0:17:32.000 they knew, and tough love was what Stefan tried to 0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:35.520 pass along to Traybon after their dad passed as well, 0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:39.560 all these scenes of him working Trayvon super hard, taking him, 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:42.200 dragging him out of bed to go run routes and 0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:44.919 run sprints and stuff. But that tough love, Like if 0:17:44.920 --> 0:17:49.320 I could tell anybody life tough love, like I supported, 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:51.520 like I'm a hundred percent behind it, but I also 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:55.520 feel like a certain level of love like not necessarily 0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:58.240 coddling because I'm not a fan of coddlm and he 0:17:58.359 --> 0:18:00.720 knows like I ain't here to I should fall on 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:02.240 the ground to patch your back, like I'm gonna tell 0:18:02.240 --> 0:18:04.960 you get up what I'm saying. But at the same time, 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:08.160 like it's okay to testimony you love them, it's okay 0:18:08.160 --> 0:18:10.000 to teest somebody that like what I'm saying, Like if 0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:11.600 you heard I got you like what I'm saying. We 0:18:11.640 --> 0:18:14.159 always just always naturally had each other back because we 0:18:14.280 --> 0:18:17.679 probably family because that's my brother. But it's okay to 0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:19.879 testimony that you're proud of them, Like I'm saying, some 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:22.920 people need to hear that because you'll be on this 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:26.560 crash course of always chasing what's next. I need to 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:28.880 do more. I need to do more, like I had 0:18:28.920 --> 0:18:31.200 to learn that, I'm saying, because you'd be so hard 0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:33.879 on the person that you don't know what they can endure, 0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:35.879 what they can do with an they can't break at 0:18:35.920 --> 0:18:38.840 any given point. So at one point I wanted him 0:18:38.880 --> 0:18:40.320 to know that I was proud of him. I love 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:42.960 him and I appreciate them, and that goes a long way, 0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:47.000 especially considering like everything that we've been through individually, not 0:18:47.119 --> 0:18:50.040 just together, but individually. Boy, Like, I'm proud of you. Boy, 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:52.359 you can't a long way. I used to wash and 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:56.200 wipe your assay. I'm just I'm saying, I love you. 0:19:02.440 --> 0:19:05.240 Am I right in reading that Stefan just signed a 0:19:05.280 --> 0:19:08.720 contract extension? He did? Yeah, And isn't Trayvon up for 0:19:08.760 --> 0:19:11.359 a big today? Like not to be crass about it, 0:19:11.400 --> 0:19:14.480 but you know they've been monetarily successful as well. Oh 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:18.760 absolutely absolutely. Um the term of generational wealth, of taking 0:19:18.760 --> 0:19:20.640 care of Stephanie of taking care of their kids comes 0:19:20.680 --> 0:19:23.359 up a lot, and Stefans said, kind of tongue in cheek, well, 0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:26.120 thanks goodness, there's two of us to do it. But yeah, 0:19:26.320 --> 0:19:28.720 you know, this past offseason, a lot of movement, a 0:19:28.800 --> 0:19:31.359 lot of money given out to receivers, and Buffalo locked 0:19:31.400 --> 0:19:34.080 him up with an extension that guarantees him seventy million 0:19:34.119 --> 0:19:38.520 over the next uh six seasons. And yeah, Trayvon's bag 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:41.000 will follow soon enough. I'm sure. It used to be 0:19:41.119 --> 0:19:43.080 a big topic of conversation among the family about if 0:19:43.119 --> 0:19:45.240 they were ever going to play together. I asked Stephon 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:47.919 that and he he kind of pooh pooted and said, well, maybe, 0:19:47.920 --> 0:19:50.280 but not after my extension. And I don't think Trayvon 0:19:50.359 --> 0:19:52.359 is ever gonna leave Dallas. But then I asked Trayvon 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:54.159 that on a call a couple of days later, and 0:19:54.200 --> 0:19:56.200 he was like, well, I don't know. Never said never, 0:19:56.600 --> 0:19:59.439 So there's always the proball I suppose. Yeah. Well that 0:19:59.560 --> 0:20:01.199 was was the start in its own way. When they 0:20:01.200 --> 0:20:03.479 matched up against each other. Leave it to Kirk Cousins 0:20:03.480 --> 0:20:08.520 to ruin the moment. Has checked in on offense, Stefan 0:20:08.760 --> 0:20:11.800 is in on defense. These two went out of the 0:20:11.880 --> 0:20:14.879 skills competition, and now they'll go at it here on 0:20:14.920 --> 0:20:18.000 the Pro Bowl. Now it's on Kirk to to recognize 0:20:18.000 --> 0:20:20.320 it and say, Okay, I gotta throw the ball over there. 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:25.720 I'm gonna predict a play their battles top of your 0:20:25.760 --> 0:20:34.360 scream because goes to Kamara. I love Stefan, locked him 0:20:34.359 --> 0:20:38.400 down right there, throw it to him, curtain. So how 0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:41.800 does their mom, How does Stephanie feel about their success? 0:20:41.920 --> 0:20:47.800 One can guess she's pretty happy. Absolutely, she's certainly I 0:20:47.840 --> 0:20:49.959 think looking forward to the day that they match up 0:20:49.960 --> 0:20:51.960 against each other, and I believe they're scheduled to face 0:20:52.000 --> 0:20:55.760 next year and three. So I asked Stephanie what our 0:20:55.800 --> 0:20:59.760 hopes are for when Stefan and Trayvon play for inevitably 0:20:59.760 --> 0:21:02.440 play for the first time, and she said she's getting 0:21:02.440 --> 0:21:04.680 two jerseys. She's gonna set them together. And then she said, 0:21:04.680 --> 0:21:07.479 I'm hoping tray shuts down Stefana. Stefan thinks it's never 0:21:07.520 --> 0:21:12.080 gonna happen. He's got that big brother syndrome. But I mean, 0:21:12.119 --> 0:21:15.399 on a more serious note, it must be profoundly satisfying 0:21:15.480 --> 0:21:18.639 for her to look at her family now after taking 0:21:18.680 --> 0:21:21.960 such a hard blow at such a young age. Yeah, 0:21:22.000 --> 0:21:24.280 and I think she's able to look forward and feel 0:21:24.320 --> 0:21:27.480 something similar to when it comes to her grandkids. Um 0:21:27.600 --> 0:21:32.119 Stefan's daughter Nova and Trayvon's son Aiden are pretty much 0:21:32.200 --> 0:21:35.960 total opposites, but also exactly like their uncles. Nova's is 0:21:36.040 --> 0:21:38.960 very reserved and shy, like Trayvon is as anyone who's 0:21:38.960 --> 0:21:41.440 seen hard knocks nos Aiden is not afraid to march 0:21:41.520 --> 0:21:45.880 up to anyone and tell him exactly what's on his mind. Hi, 0:21:46.240 --> 0:21:57.280 how you doing? What's your name? Aiden? Your patro? I 0:21:57.320 --> 0:22:05.400 mean not your death Plasco. So good to see you. 0:22:05.320 --> 0:22:08.879 You can't keep giving me and Patrick confused. Stephanie's played 0:22:09.119 --> 0:22:13.960 an incredibly impactful role in shaping both these brothers as fathers, 0:22:14.119 --> 0:22:16.520 but also as a grandmother and being in their lives. 0:22:16.560 --> 0:22:19.760 And not too long ago there was just these incredibly wholesome, 0:22:19.800 --> 0:22:24.440 cute videos of Stephanie working out with Aidan and Nova 0:22:24.680 --> 0:22:27.200 at the gym that Stefan and Trayvon work out at 0:22:27.240 --> 0:22:29.320 in the DC area. That's where where we shot some 0:22:29.320 --> 0:22:33.199 footage for our shoot as well. Yeah you go, you 0:22:33.440 --> 0:22:41.000 did job? Would you say? Here you go? Good job? Grandmother, 0:22:42.400 --> 0:22:45.480 granddaughter and grandson all like slamming medicine balls on the 0:22:45.480 --> 0:22:48.480