WEBVTT - Ronnie Brown 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:02.600 This is cut to It with Steve Smith Senior at 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:08.879 production of The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. I'm 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.200 Steve Smith Senior and I'm John and this is cut 0:00:12.240 --> 0:00:16.600 to It. Good do It, Good do It. They's getting 0:00:16.600 --> 0:00:19.919 down to do it. Good do it. We asked the 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:23.880 questions you always want to know, but no one ever asked, 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:29.600 let's cut to it. You ain't heard am about it, 0:00:29.640 --> 0:00:39.880 then we're about to let you know it's all man. 0:00:40.040 --> 0:00:44.760 Welcome to the Cut to It Podcast. Ronnie Brown, former 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:50.640 NFL running back and also one of the Auburns Great 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:56.320 Duo's un running back history. Ronnie Brown, Welcome to the 0:00:56.360 --> 0:01:02.200 Cut to A podcast. Man, I appreciate it from b 0:01:02.520 --> 0:01:05.960 I appreciate this. I'm Steve. You know our co star, 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:09.160 our co host, Gerard Little John A K G. And 0:01:09.160 --> 0:01:12.640 then you know backstage Joe he's doing he does all 0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:16.399 the backstage stuff in booking. Man, we got the three amigoes. Man, 0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:18.160 we do a really I got a really good team. 0:01:18.160 --> 0:01:21.280 And then Brian bought two Chevis and Taylor up on 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:25.000 the up on the dial and uh man got a 0:01:25.000 --> 0:01:29.759 great team. And then Meredith Carter our producers. Well, man, 0:01:29.800 --> 0:01:31.759 we got I got a lot of got a lot 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:34.200 of great people. Let me let me rephrase it. I 0:01:34.280 --> 0:01:37.560 got smarter people behind me. We got we brought the 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:41.040 goones with us today. We got goons. We brought We're 0:01:41.040 --> 0:01:46.880 the goons. I'm y'all, good y'all, good y'all, some good folks. 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:49.520 But goon is not the category album. I'm I'm gonna 0:01:49.520 --> 0:01:55.080 get my assworth if y'all my goons. I'm done in 0:01:55.120 --> 0:02:00.320 the podcast world. Yea, in the podcast world. I'm straight 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:06.880 in the streets. Molly Wapping is coming. So let's get 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:08.840 into it, man, so we can get down to your 0:02:09.360 --> 0:02:11.799 to the nuts and bolts of what you're doing right now, 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:15.799 because I'm super excited about this because we have a 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:19.799 lot of conversation here on the podcast on business and 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:26.840 Corporate America versus the transition, the corporate America version and 0:02:26.880 --> 0:02:30.559 how they see things, and then obviously us being athletes 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:34.480 and how making adjustment. So we'll we'll get into that, 0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:36.640 but you know, let's let's do a little some little 0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:40.800 ice breakers. Um. So, one thing from your childhood that 0:02:40.960 --> 0:02:48.520 you have carried into your adulthood is what man, It's 0:02:49.200 --> 0:02:52.040 I come from a small community, so it's probably just 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:55.160 that lack of trust. Um, like you said that, you know, 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:57.320 not really trusting a lot of people. I think that, 0:02:58.080 --> 0:02:59.760 you know, I think just looking at people for who 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:04.280 they are. What's one of the worst jobs you've ever had? Man, 0:03:04.320 --> 0:03:06.800 I did construction right before I went off to school. 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:10.440 They hand me on the roof retar and roofs Ye, 0:03:11.680 --> 0:03:15.320 that's that's that's manual labor right there, that's the dark 0:03:15.360 --> 0:03:24.200 skating work right there. We're gonna lead the brown back tests. 0:03:25.680 --> 0:03:29.400 And I get Here's the thing, though, man, construction work, 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:31.600 I don't care what you are, who you think you are. 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:36.240 It will let you know what you ain't for sure. Yeah, 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:37.800 and let me know I ain't cut out for that. 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:42.760 I'll tell you that I worked construction. You want a 0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:46.800 lot of truth on how long I worked. Whoever signed 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:48.680 up for a man a lot of me. So the 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:51.240 lie is, man I worked the whole summer. The truth 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:54.560 is I worked two days and I was done. They 0:03:54.600 --> 0:03:57.880 had me in Utah working construction, and they had us 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:03.480 doing a drill like chiseling down dirt. Well, my first 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:07.240 day chiseling, I chisel for about two and a half 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:10.320 three hours. I tell you, I was still shaking at 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:14.040 lunch like I was holding it, holding the chiller. I 0:04:14.120 --> 0:04:18.120 was shaking. I said, man, I am not working. This 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:21.880 is not me. I went to school not to do this, 0:04:23.960 --> 0:04:27.960 and this show me. No, sir, I am not built 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:32.640 for manual labor. I'll make I'll make food, I'll cook, 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:37.800 I'll sweet this right here, this here, this construction. It 0:04:37.839 --> 0:04:41.000 ain't for me. I had to shake the rest of 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:44.359 the day like I was holding the chiseler walking around, 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:47.400 I was drying. I was like this. I was like, man, 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:52.839 this is m all right. Last one. One thing we 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:56.240 don't know about you that you like to share. I 0:04:56.320 --> 0:05:00.680 actually wanted to be a professional baseball player. Baseball was 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:08.440 my first love. Okay, what possession? Center field? Oh yeah, Well, 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:10.920 let me tell you something. I'm thinking that little mustache 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:12.800 you got under your lip, you need to shave it. 0:05:14.200 --> 0:05:17.560 I don't want to ask you for years anyway, like 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:20.080 why you wear your hat like that? Why you want 0:05:20.120 --> 0:05:22.760 to be in the build up? What's up with that? Well, 0:05:22.839 --> 0:05:27.680 since we're gonna talk about questions today, Well, honestly, so, 0:05:27.839 --> 0:05:29.440 I used to wear them like you know how you 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:31.760 used to wear the hats and you go down like 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:35.000 baseball player. Yeah, like baseball player. Well, hell, you can't 0:05:35.040 --> 0:05:38.600 see like you know how you turn left or turn right. 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:41.280 And the truth is, one time I went forward and 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:44.280 I hit my head's like the I was like, man, 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:46.359 this ship is getting in the way. And I've been 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:49.520 wearing hats since I was like ten years old, so 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:51.800 I just but the point of the bat. It's my 0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:55.359 damn head. It ain't It's just like your nasty lips. 0:05:55.440 --> 0:06:05.240 It's my head. I people was asking many les, ain't 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:08.160 got no problem with my hat collection, because they I 0:06:08.320 --> 0:06:11.320 stayed getting a new fitted all the time. I don't know. 0:06:11.400 --> 0:06:13.040 I just like thething like that. I don't know. I 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:17.200 mean the other didn't see. I don't know if it 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:19.760 was a reason behind it. Yeah, because that's how I 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:22.400 wanted it. Is it okay? Like does it bother you 0:06:22.440 --> 0:06:25.320 a little bit? Hey? Man, you liked it? I love it. 0:06:26.480 --> 0:06:32.119 That means yes, running funny already you know it's funny, 0:06:32.279 --> 0:06:38.320 And we probably would agree this conversation and banter normally 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:41.440 does not happen on the football field, especially with us 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:45.600 being older and then a new generation they're cool like this. 0:06:46.160 --> 0:06:48.600 But the old generator, boy, we did not banter. We 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:52.600 did not talk. It was professional dislike, is that is 0:06:52.680 --> 0:06:55.680 that accurate? Yeah, we ain't got nothing to talk about. 0:06:56.520 --> 0:07:00.479 We got to talk about doing the game. This it's different, 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:04.039 like these cats different, like they to the McDonald's Alive. 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:07.800 I went to the McDonald's All American Game a few 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:10.960 years ago, and usually growing up how I grew up. 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:13.720 If you and I didn't play basketball. But if you're 0:07:13.720 --> 0:07:15.440 a guy on this side of town, you hear the 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:17.120 guy on the other side of town supposed to be 0:07:17.160 --> 0:07:24.040 the best when you're playing. Definitely like now, like they're cool, 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:26.880 they'd be dapping up doing they helped each other. I'm like, bro, 0:07:27.000 --> 0:07:30.480 this game doesn't change. It's just different. A lot of friendships. 0:07:31.920 --> 0:07:34.360 Are you friends with the with the cat who's on 0:07:34.600 --> 0:07:37.119 the rival team of the school that's down the street. 0:07:37.160 --> 0:07:38.960 Now we're not. We're not friends like we might. We 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:41.360 might play a you together, we made cross shoulders, but 0:07:41.600 --> 0:07:44.000 like you still ain't like cool cool like that, Like no, 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:47.080 we wanted to be Brandon sets Pete. You ain't trying 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:49.400 to be like them. You ain't. We ain't kicking it. 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:52.520 It's a little different. It is different. Yeah, it's a 0:07:52.640 --> 0:07:56.080 lot different. I remember having cousins on the other team, 0:07:56.160 --> 0:07:58.800 like our rival team. They were gonna get it, just 0:07:58.960 --> 0:08:01.880 like they were gonna get it first. They were gonna 0:08:01.880 --> 0:08:05.920 get it first, like hey, you you relative, so you 0:08:06.000 --> 0:08:09.480 know how it's gonna gets Look already know I know 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:16.800 cousin Ronnie, So let me get him out the way now. Yeah. Yeah, 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:19.320 so that's why I just I've been wearing my hats 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:22.400 ever since. I like it this way. And I don't 0:08:22.440 --> 0:08:27.920 know as one as one social media person said, um, 0:08:28.320 --> 0:08:31.880 I was reading comment. He said, Man, a hat company. 0:08:31.920 --> 0:08:38.319 See Steve Smith coming and they get upset. You know, 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:40.480 you grew up in the country. You kind of rough. Oh, 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:43.160 I tell you I did. I didn't go to the dentist. 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:46.280 I was in the league thirteen cavities later. I'm good. 0:08:47.720 --> 0:08:49.920 I noticed that too, Bro, I love you, but I 0:08:50.080 --> 0:09:00.320 noticed we really didn't got out of the first second. Yeah, 0:09:00.400 --> 0:09:06.480 he got the most jokes ever. Watching these two dudes play, 0:09:07.559 --> 0:09:10.079 it was pretty hold on one thing. I do have 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:17.600 a bone the pit Cadillaci, damn ro Ronnie Brown. They're 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:21.320 doing that. Damn what was that? What was that office? 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:25.480 Y'allway was running wildcat the wildcat man. We tried to 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:28.880 do that. Do that here, Carolina when I was, I 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:31.480 was at my prime. You better get that out of 0:09:31.559 --> 0:09:34.120 here with a real receiver out there. Y'all had no receiver. 0:09:34.280 --> 0:09:37.720 I know you have to be frustrated. Frustrated I had. 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:43.520 Our offense coordinator was Dan Henney. Yeah, bro, listen, that 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:46.959 was a default offense for us. You gotta understand. I 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:49.559 played in Miami for six years and I think I 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:54.040 had ten eleven different quarterbacks. That strategy it was. They 0:09:54.120 --> 0:09:56.360 still ain't they still ain't recover. They're still looking for 0:09:56.440 --> 0:10:00.920 a quarterback. But they still living. They still living in 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:08.040 Marino days. Marino ain't coming back, all right. So you know, 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:09.800 tell us where are you from? In a place you 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:13.040 call your hometown. So I grew up in a little 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:16.440 tack called Cartersdal like north of Atlanta, about forty five minutes, 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:20.760 but I had to live in like Atlanta now down 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:28.599 south Georgia. Boy, So yeah, authentically the word, but like 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:32.280 that's that's my word. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:38.280 Where you're from? The whole nine? Yeah, I read you 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:41.560 said you didn't have a lot. Explain to us growing 0:10:41.640 --> 0:10:45.959 up without a lot, Because there's some folks without a lot. 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:50.719 It varies and it looks differently. Yeah, for me, I 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:53.360 mean it was, I mean it was I grew up 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:55.599 in a like I said, small town, but both of 0:10:55.679 --> 0:10:59.360 my parents, you know, had drug issues. Who you know, 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:02.040 I'm fortunately have passed over the last year, my mom 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:05.079 COVID and my dad from cancer. But just you know, 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:08.240 in a situation like that, I mean, it was small town, 0:11:08.440 --> 0:11:10.560 you know, and you hear the they're saying it takes 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:14.040 a village. Well, you know, I had cousin. I grew 0:11:14.120 --> 0:11:16.199 up in the trailer. You know, we had the carosene 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:18.160 heater where you had to go out and pump the 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:21.199 little carrosene in it. And so growing up, you know, 0:11:21.400 --> 0:11:24.439 in an environment like that. Our road that I lived 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:26.480 on was called Brown Road. So most of the people 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:29.040 on my on my road, you know, at that time, 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:33.680 were relatives. Yeah, that's the story. People don't don't hear, 0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:36.439 right because they look at you and they see what 0:11:36.559 --> 0:11:41.439 you've done, who you are, and they automatically assume no, 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:45.800 he you know what's the word that you know, he's 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:49.400 he's entitled. He he doesn't know what hard work looks like. 0:11:50.120 --> 0:11:54.000 But there's people that, like you're saying, you kerosene heater 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:59.280 and the trailer and there's some folks I was poor man. 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:02.199 I ain't had no jars. And you remember that, and 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:04.079 you remember that and you take it with you. You 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:09.600 never you never, you never leave that behind. No, they don't. 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:12.880 You grew up playing baseball, like you said, But what 0:12:13.160 --> 0:12:15.760 other sports did you love as a kid. I mean 0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:17.480 it was baseball and football. For me. I had an 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:20.560 older brother who you know, he wrestled, um, he did baseball, 0:12:20.600 --> 0:12:23.319 he did football. But you know, for me, it was 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:25.360 I was the youngest in the family too, and so 0:12:25.640 --> 0:12:28.040 I had older cousins and so the big thing was, 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:30.480 you know, they were gonna, you know, they beat up 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:32.720 on me. You know, my brother he's seven years older, 0:12:33.280 --> 0:12:36.560 and so just that whole situation and it made me tough, 0:12:36.679 --> 0:12:38.880 but it made me want to be like them, and 0:12:39.000 --> 0:12:41.360 so and it was just I stuck to them too, 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:43.760 and that was, you know, really my escape. You know, 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:45.920 a lot of us say, you know, I think just 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:51.120 realistically speaking for a lot of you know, athletes, for 0:12:51.200 --> 0:12:54.800 the majority of us, you know, we're from environments where 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:57.880 it's not a lot there's not a lot of resources, 0:12:58.480 --> 0:13:01.800 and so you know, I like those type of guys 0:13:01.920 --> 0:13:04.080 because they have an edge to them, but more importantly, 0:13:04.160 --> 0:13:07.200 like it's just you know, I didn't I didn't think 0:13:07.200 --> 0:13:09.319 about going to college until my sophomore year when I 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:11.160 started to get letter letters and I'm like, oh, this 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:13.679 might be real because neither one of my parents went 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:17.440 to school. And so for me, my motivation, I wasn't 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:21.160 running to the NFL. I was running from my current environment, 0:13:21.320 --> 0:13:23.480 you know what I'm saying. Like growing up, you know, 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:25.079 both of my parents, you know, they get in the 0:13:25.160 --> 0:13:28.079 fist fights, like you know, my dad unfortunately, you know, 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:30.640 it was a big drinker. My mom as well, you know, 0:13:30.720 --> 0:13:32.719 the drugs and all of that stuff. So I'm like, 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:35.559 the only way out is through this round, you know 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:37.720 what I mean. And so you know, when you look 0:13:37.760 --> 0:13:41.360 at that, my whole motivation was I when I went 0:13:41.440 --> 0:13:43.439 to go to school, I don't want to come back 0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:46.320 to this environment. Let's it's a choice that I made 0:13:46.800 --> 0:13:48.800 that once I go to school, I gotta go back. 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:51.439 And so just kind of keeping that as motivation, that 0:13:51.600 --> 0:13:53.439 was something that you know, I always stuck to the 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:55.480 back of my head because I mean the other part 0:13:55.480 --> 0:13:57.360 of people got to realize too. I was never a 0:13:57.400 --> 0:14:00.320 start running back like at all the university, my rookie 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:03.000 year we had Rudy Johnson, he went to the league, 0:14:03.000 --> 0:14:05.760 and then the next year Cadillac comes in. He's the starter. 0:14:05.920 --> 0:14:08.680 So I'm a backup. And then to get drafted where 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:11.920 I did, that was a bonus. And then getting in Miami. 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:14.800 You know, I spent my whole career splitting time with Ricky, 0:14:15.000 --> 0:14:17.319 So it was just a lot different for me. And 0:14:17.400 --> 0:14:20.360 so it had to be that grind mentality. What what 0:14:20.520 --> 0:14:23.480 what double back to? You know, you having all these 0:14:23.520 --> 0:14:26.720 stences as a running back, But who was Ronnie Brown 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:29.440 as a kid. You've you've referenced your parents, You've referenced 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:33.720 Brown Road. Who was Ronnie himself as a kid? I 0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:36.160 mean for me, I mean, I'm just a humble guy, 0:14:36.360 --> 0:14:41.280 small town guy, um, you know, with aspirations of being more, 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:43.560 you know, even to this day, like after you know, 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:46.040 going to the NFL. I didn't look at that as 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:49.240 a career. I just looked at it as an opportunity. Um. 0:14:49.560 --> 0:14:51.960 One the motivation was to put my parents in the 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:55.400 better situation, but also just paying it forward like with 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:58.120 my kids and my kids kids, just changing the trajectory 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:02.320 of that family structure. Um, you know, whereas I didn't 0:15:02.360 --> 0:15:04.600 have the aspirations like of knowing you know what it's 0:15:04.640 --> 0:15:06.720 like to expect to go to a college or university. 0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:09.360 But now my kids, you know, my wife and I 0:15:09.480 --> 0:15:12.360 both graduated from Harvard. So for my kids, we go 0:15:12.480 --> 0:15:16.160 to gymnastics, needs, we go to basketball games, football game. 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:19.320 The expectation for my kids when I get to college. 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:22.520 And so you know, my son's eight, my daughter six, 0:15:22.720 --> 0:15:25.120 and so for them to even say that, that's a 0:15:25.200 --> 0:15:29.280 win for me, you know what I mean? Man, talking 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:32.640 about college, I didn't realize you had committed to the 0:15:32.760 --> 0:15:40.280 University of Tennessee as a linebacker. Yeah, why, How like 0:15:40.480 --> 0:15:46.200 you play running back, right, but you committed to being 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:50.200 a linebacker. Why? Yeah? So in in high school when 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:52.920 you're on you know you're from a small town, you know, 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:55.760 I mean, I wasn't from a small town. I played 0:15:55.880 --> 0:15:57.640 It's a lot of dudes that played dump, you know, 0:15:58.520 --> 0:16:02.000 both sides. Yeah yeah, So I played both ways, and 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:04.880 so I played strong safety, and I played some lineback, 0:16:04.920 --> 0:16:07.360 and I played running back. And so you know, my 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:10.680 first probably couple off of with the exception of you know, 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:15.480 Georgia Tech. Most of those guys Clemson, um, you know Tennessee, 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:18.280 they wanted me to play linebacker, and so you know, 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:20.600 I just wanted to rock. You know, the guys that 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:22.760 carried the mere get to score the touchdowns, and so 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:25.000 you know, that was what my passion was at. So 0:16:25.080 --> 0:16:28.280 when I committed to Tennessee, you know, they had Jamal 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:34.880 Lewis and uh um, what's Travis's last? Travis Travis, And 0:16:34.960 --> 0:16:36.680 so I'm like, man, I like the way these guys 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:39.120 running the football, and so I'm like, man, I want 0:16:39.120 --> 0:16:42.040 to go here. And you know, they stilled they downhill 0:16:42.080 --> 0:16:45.120 approach and then when they started then coaches started talking 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:47.960 about possible moving the linebacker and all of this stuff. 0:16:48.480 --> 0:16:50.120 I'm like, man, wait a minute, let me let me 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:52.000 see what else out there. So I took one official 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:54.960 visit and went to Auburn. And how I got committed 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:56.640 the album was when I first got there, I was 0:16:56.680 --> 0:16:59.400 recruited to play baseball there as well, and so the 0:16:59.440 --> 0:17:03.040 first style was the baseball facility and then ended up 0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:05.680 locking it. It was like a small town, ain't nothing 0:17:05.720 --> 0:17:08.239 in the aver but Alver and so I was like, man, 0:17:08.320 --> 0:17:10.359 this feels like home. And so I end up committing 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:12.639 to Tennessee. I meant to albur or de commend from 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:14.920 Tennessee going to Auburn like a week or so before 0:17:14.960 --> 0:17:19.120 signing day, And so, were you gonna play baseball as well? 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:23.600 Are you just you were just set on playing football? Yeah, 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:25.920 I thought about it. You know, in that recruiting you 0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:28.200 know how a lot of them conversations go, you hear 0:17:28.200 --> 0:17:31.399 a lot of stuff. Yeah, a lot of stuff that 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:33.639 might not necessarily be true when you get there. And so, 0:17:34.640 --> 0:17:36.720 you know, when I got there, it was like, oh, yeah, 0:17:36.760 --> 0:17:40.119 you can't play baseball. But since you have a football scholarship, 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:43.760 all the obligations for football come first. So you come 0:17:43.840 --> 0:17:46.000 to win the workouts, you come to all of this stuff. 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:48.520 Then you go to baseball practice and I'm like, man, 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:50.240 the first year after seeing it, you know, I end 0:17:50.320 --> 0:17:53.720 up red shirting, trying to do that wasn't playing and 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:56.080 trying to do school. I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna be 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:57.600 one of them tests to be back at the career 0:17:57.760 --> 0:18:00.360 real fast. So I ain't even I ain't never give 0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:02.040 it a shot. That's one of my biggest regrets though, 0:18:02.080 --> 0:18:04.879 that I didn't give it a shot. This is a 0:18:05.000 --> 0:18:09.520 non football question, but how much did college prepare you 0:18:09.640 --> 0:18:14.600 for life? Not much at all? You know, I think 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:16.439 the big part about it, the biggest thing that came 0:18:16.480 --> 0:18:18.480 from sports to me was, you know, I met a 0:18:18.560 --> 0:18:20.920 lot of people that I wouldn't have other otherwise met, 0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:23.479 you know, like being on this podcast, like a crossing 0:18:23.600 --> 0:18:26.359 paths with someone of you know, your statue, Meeting guys 0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:28.399 like you guys. You know, I think that was the 0:18:28.400 --> 0:18:30.560 biggest thing that football deal for me. But outside of that, 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:33.480 in terms of you know, me coming and going in 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:38.080 corporate America, I had zero preparations, especially like even getting drafted. 0:18:38.320 --> 0:18:41.399 You know, I wasn't financially ready. I didn't understand that, 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:44.679 and so, you know, whow draft day was probably one 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:47.159 of the most exciting days. It was also one of 0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:50.119 the scariest coming from where I come from. I didn't 0:18:50.160 --> 0:18:51.760 know what to do with it. And then you gotta 0:18:51.800 --> 0:18:54.040 think somebody to give me money and take me and 0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:56.960 put me in a city like Miami. Um, you know 0:18:57.080 --> 0:18:59.000 that was kind of how do I navigate this? And 0:18:59.200 --> 0:19:00.920 in the back of my mind and I'm thinking, I 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:02.359 just don't want to be one of them guys that 0:19:02.440 --> 0:19:04.879 go broke and not really know what the situation or 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:09.199 mess this situation up. Thanks for listening to my dad. 0:19:09.200 --> 0:19:11.440 And talk a lot. He loves to talk. Just give 0:19:11.480 --> 0:19:17.200 him a minute and he'll be right back. I love 0:19:17.440 --> 0:19:20.120 cut to It, and I love it even more when 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:24.480 you download us and subscribe, and you can follow us 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:27.440 on social media too, Smithie, Where where at? That's at? 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:31.720 Cut to It on Instagram? What about Twitter? At? Cut 0:19:31.800 --> 0:19:35.600 to It Facebook? Cut to It featuring Steve Smith singr? 0:19:36.119 --> 0:19:39.120 What about online? And you can follow us at cut 0:19:39.200 --> 0:19:42.320 to It podcast dot com where you can buy merch 0:19:42.760 --> 0:19:45.600 and you can subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts. 0:19:46.440 --> 0:19:49.720 I got all my answers questions. Um, yeah, I got 0:19:49.840 --> 0:19:53.160 all my questions answered. That's what I'm here for, a brother, 0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:57.400 cut to a Podcast dot com. You're a financial advisor 0:19:57.760 --> 0:20:04.120 now and you get to look back at Ronnie when 0:20:04.200 --> 0:20:07.480 he got drafted. You know your story, right, and this 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:10.679 isn't a time for us to dredge up and then 0:20:10.760 --> 0:20:13.200 try to poke hose through your story. But just to 0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:19.160 hear you're going backwards into saying like were you really 0:20:19.240 --> 0:20:22.560 set up for success? And if you were not, why 0:20:22.800 --> 0:20:25.920 is that? Because before you answer, there are a ton 0:20:26.000 --> 0:20:31.240 of people right just you know, we can all drive 0:20:31.440 --> 0:20:36.880 past the situation and assume why that individual is there 0:20:37.119 --> 0:20:44.720 for instance, mental health, right some people mental health or 0:20:44.840 --> 0:20:47.720 even if you take an aspirin, you're take an aspirin 0:20:48.160 --> 0:20:51.680 for the symptoms. But sometimes we don't go to the 0:20:51.800 --> 0:20:56.080 root cause. And you being a financial advisor now and 0:20:56.240 --> 0:20:59.200 also being the kid with the headache when you're in 0:20:59.240 --> 0:21:01.720 the league, you would take and asper. But now you're 0:21:01.720 --> 0:21:03.879 a financial planning you get to go to the root cause. 0:21:04.359 --> 0:21:06.439 What do you believe some of your root causes were 0:21:06.680 --> 0:21:11.120 for you in some of the financial prosperity and mistakes 0:21:11.200 --> 0:21:15.000 that you made as a young man, you know, the environment, 0:21:15.160 --> 0:21:18.800 not even knowing what wealth accumulation was. You know, I 0:21:18.880 --> 0:21:22.840 think the majority of US athletes, our exposure to to 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:26.879 wealth is usually tied to debt initially um and so 0:21:27.240 --> 0:21:30.720 growing up, why do you think it's tied to debt? 0:21:33.359 --> 0:21:36.400 Let's just say for me, like, let's just say one year, 0:21:36.520 --> 0:21:40.080 like for Christmas, we couldn't afford you know, Christmas presents, 0:21:40.119 --> 0:21:42.639 and so you know, luckily I have a set of 0:21:42.720 --> 0:21:45.119 god parents, you know, white family that came in and 0:21:45.200 --> 0:21:47.360 I met my god brother at six years old. Plan 0:21:47.840 --> 0:21:51.480 you know, a recreation football. But one year my mom 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:54.919 took you know my name, and you know, I'm junior. 0:21:55.560 --> 0:21:57.920 We applied for a credit card. That was how we 0:21:58.080 --> 0:22:01.840 got Christmas presents for that year. And so not until 0:22:01.920 --> 0:22:05.360 after I graduated and I got drafted, I paid that off. 0:22:05.520 --> 0:22:10.920 And so my initial experience with having money was dead 0:22:11.119 --> 0:22:13.600 because I didn't know how to have money because I 0:22:13.720 --> 0:22:17.000 come from an environment where, you know, I was taught 0:22:17.040 --> 0:22:20.720 to survive. I never understood the benefits of thriving. I 0:22:20.840 --> 0:22:23.200 never heard of, you know, five to nine accounts. I 0:22:23.280 --> 0:22:25.440 never heard of some of these things to set you up, 0:22:26.000 --> 0:22:28.040 you know, even life insurance. So there were certain things 0:22:28.119 --> 0:22:29.840 that I didn't even know about that I had to 0:22:30.000 --> 0:22:32.440 educate my cell phone. And so when you come from 0:22:32.480 --> 0:22:35.400 that type of environment, you don't know and you don't 0:22:35.440 --> 0:22:37.719 know what you don't know. And so you know, when 0:22:37.760 --> 0:22:39.879 you asked me about how to school prepare you for that, 0:22:40.160 --> 0:22:44.520 it doesn't because realistically speaking, a lot of the coaches 0:22:44.560 --> 0:22:46.920 that are tied to universities, their job is to win. 0:22:47.119 --> 0:22:50.040 They're not tied to you know, you going to class 0:22:50.240 --> 0:22:52.520 or seeing what your major is. They don't ask you that. 0:22:52.720 --> 0:22:55.280 Like the one thing that most coaches and I ain't 0:22:55.280 --> 0:22:59.680 gonna say all is like are you eligible? It ain't 0:23:00.040 --> 0:23:01.840 us your g p A or what are you majoring 0:23:01.880 --> 0:23:03.800 in or what are you planning on doing? It's are 0:23:03.880 --> 0:23:07.360