Speaker 1: This is cut to it with Steve Smith Senior at
Speaker 1: production of The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. I'm
Speaker 1: Steve Smith Senior and I'm John And this is cut
Speaker 1: to it. Good do it, cud do it. They's getting
Speaker 1: down to do it. Good do it. We asked the
Speaker 1: questions you always want to know, but no one ever asked,
Speaker 1: let's cut to it. You ain't heard them about it,
Speaker 1: then we're about to let you know. It's all welcome
Speaker 1: to cut to it. How are you, Gerard Man? I'm well, wonderful, fantastic.
Speaker 1: How about you? Good? Um? Just can I get one?
Speaker 1: I don't want three, just just one? How are you? Gerard?
Speaker 1: I can't be all that well. How are you gonna
Speaker 1: limit me? I don't feel like being I'm not being
Speaker 1: limited today. It's almost Black History Month. I will not
Speaker 1: be limited speaking of Black history. Backstage stage pulled up Joe,
Speaker 1: please step up too the mic? How are you today?
Speaker 1: Good afternoon, fellas? How y'all doing? What up? Man doing excellent?
Speaker 1: Please walk us through How does a brother like Joe operate?
Speaker 1: Moving forward in Black History Month? It seems like every
Speaker 1: time backstage Joe gets called to the microphone, there's some
Speaker 1: discerning events to take place. You only, I told you, you
Speaker 1: you only reveal yourself from the from the shadows of
Speaker 1: the cut to it production when you have something pertinent
Speaker 1: to say. And we had some conversation outside of the
Speaker 1: studio that it was hilarious, hilarious. Well, the names will
Speaker 1: be protected please to hide the innocent. But there is
Speaker 1: a individual individual that that I know very well that
Speaker 1: is in the You just know, we just know. So, Um,
Speaker 1: she came home and at all the individual that went
Speaker 1: to her house. Excuse me, this individual that I heard
Speaker 1: from a guy who my cousin Bradley knows, your buddy John,
Speaker 1: and said that she went home, hold on, hold on,
Speaker 1: hold on you those names, uh, a black storyteller and
Speaker 1: a white storyteller, because Mone would have been like, so,
Speaker 1: what happened was he was over there, he said, Bradley, Bradley,
Speaker 1: Bradley's cousin John and Karen. So this young lady was
Speaker 1: telling me about what they're learning in school, obviously for
Speaker 1: a Black History Month, and you know, we were all
Speaker 1: familiar with that, and they you know, they, yes, you
Speaker 1: went to school, right, yeah, okay, making sure you went
Speaker 1: to school. I think I don't know how far you went.
Speaker 1: But at some point in time they probably discussed this.
Speaker 1: So she was going over some of the topics that
Speaker 1: they were going to be going over in class to
Speaker 1: to pay homage to uh Black History Month. So I'm
Speaker 1: all ears now, and you guys know where I'm going
Speaker 1: with this worded the way it was worded, they were reviewing, Yes, reviewing.
Speaker 1: So do we review Christmas? No, we have Christmas celebrate,
Speaker 1: we celebrate Chris. Do we review Thanksgiving? Celebrate that too,
Speaker 1: Easter celebrate it Hanakah celebrate. All right, all of the above,
Speaker 1: we don't review. Let's review Black History Month. They were
Speaker 1: celebrating black in this school. And and I will phrase
Speaker 1: it to our listeners as I phrased it to you, gentlemen.
Speaker 1: And it's gonna be multiple choice as far as options,
Speaker 1: as far as options on what they were gonna be
Speaker 1: learning throughout the school throughout the month. So one might
Speaker 1: be you know the famous Martin Luther King junior speech
Speaker 1: on how it you know, solidified and everybody understood where
Speaker 1: it was coming from, impact, rights and impact. That that's
Speaker 1: an option. Didn't go there. Second one, um, maybe we
Speaker 1: can go with Rosa Parks and our impact out. Okay, Boycott,
Speaker 1: maybe a little Harriet Tubman, just just to understand the
Speaker 1: influence and the impact and what she went through and everything.
Speaker 1: So so many different choices, so many choices. And in
Speaker 1: the final, the final one, they were going to learn
Speaker 1: how to step step step step like like for like
Speaker 1: wait in a minute, and don't put no boom in it.
Speaker 1: They were so you go, you got Luther King, Harriet
Speaker 1: Tubman and then stepping. This young lady looked me in
Speaker 1: the eye and said they were going to be going
Speaker 1: over and learning how to step. Okay, why who are
Speaker 1: they going over? Too? Um? So there was another individual
Speaker 1: in her class who was a minority, who was a
Speaker 1: minority who was black. It was black splitting hairs here,
Speaker 1: but yes, yes, and they were going to celebrate Black
Speaker 1: History Month. And this young lady's mother happened to be
Speaker 1: who was adele to which I'll let you to expand
Speaker 1: on what that means in the air quotes here world
Speaker 1: of stepping. So in Black History Month, we gott another
Speaker 1: we gotta we're gonna review options celebrate. So let me
Speaker 1: get this right. So you got six years are are
Speaker 1: are too younger? They're saying, yeah, I gotta, I gotta
Speaker 1: one year old and six year But so do see
Speaker 1: a miya are to say? So you're gonna ask, you're
Speaker 1: asking a group of children for Black History Month. Do
Speaker 1: you want to read, remember and regard your all of
Speaker 1: those or do you want to dance? That would be
Speaker 1: like asking Mia and Deuce, Hey, you can have cake
Speaker 1: for dinner, chicken or Brussels sprouts? Which do you think
Speaker 1: she's gonna pick Brussels sprouts? They want the activity and
Speaker 1: and that is this is not to the mean because
Speaker 1: we got a bunch of listeners. It's not to the mean.
Speaker 1: The Divine nine, any of the historically black sororities, fraternities,
Speaker 1: they have so a rich history. So many of MLK
Speaker 1: wasn't was an alpha there. There's so many UM fraternity
Speaker 1: sororities who have had meaningful contributions to not just Black
Speaker 1: history history overall they served the community. However, we should
Speaker 1: not be hold on now before now is the teacher
Speaker 1: of this individual's class a delta no black? So so
Speaker 1: the influence, So the influence came from where? So what
Speaker 1: made teacher decided this is the route where I was stepping? No?
Speaker 1: How how is the how is the curriculum built by
Speaker 1: a parent and not the school system or at least
Speaker 1: a teacher. Yeah, we're gonna skip over ros apart anything,
Speaker 1: Harriet tub We just y'all gonna I'm gonna teach you
Speaker 1: how to Oh, first of all, I'm gonna we're gonna
Speaker 1: step yep, I said. And not that there's anything wrong,
Speaker 1: it's it's the fact that it's an option. Like there's
Speaker 1: so many other activities they couldn't experience or individuals that
Speaker 1: we can that we can talk about. And Frederick Douglas right,
Speaker 1: so they're a dB. Right, you might get another technical
Speaker 1: you go into the challenge and so so how does
Speaker 1: her I was just this instructor, this this uh educational provider,
Speaker 1: I would assume north. So, fifth year old white lady
Speaker 1: has given a classroom full of non black folks. There's
Speaker 1: two she told me this individual so the dynamics on
Speaker 1: the table. So there's two black kids in the class.
Speaker 1: And then one of the parents of the black kids
Speaker 1: wasn't offended. She goes, oh, I know what to do.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna teach them how come on for black history
Speaker 1: for blacks like this, So like just there's there's so
Speaker 1: much that there's so much more that we could have done.
Speaker 1: And I don't know if the teacher just wanted to
Speaker 1: class have a voice. Yeah, because you know, I want
Speaker 1: to hold on the temperature the country right now. I
Speaker 1: better listen to them, which is fine. So you're gonna
Speaker 1: categorize them like, well, I know little Lisa can't read.
Speaker 1: She's killing it on that stomp. Yeah, just so many
Speaker 1: different ways we could have went. Um so Marshal the Boy, like,
Speaker 1: there's so there's so much. So it's a treat with
Speaker 1: a bunch of George Washington Carver right, doing one, trying
Speaker 1: to attend one of his inventions, right, creating something right,
Speaker 1: Jackie Robinson, No, nope, we're gonna step and then the
Speaker 1: parent falls into the trap. She won't sign herself, right,
Speaker 1: I don't know if there's an approval form coming home,
Speaker 1: like like I'm not we didn't have the Black History
Speaker 1: curriculum built way in advance, Like this ain't our first
Speaker 1: year doing this. It's only one day on the right,
Speaker 1: and it's Christmas the short wind. Yeah, yeah, yea, let's
Speaker 1: put it on there. Right, every four years you get
Speaker 1: an extra day. That's what I'm saying is that it
Speaker 1: does that extra day fall all this year. So y'all
Speaker 1: get you all some was public schooled. I don't know.
Speaker 1: That's horrible. Dog. Well, so so that's this individual that
Speaker 1: you don't know but very close to. Um what did
Speaker 1: they decide? Um? So of course she could have k
Speaker 1: because she could have Brussels sprouts. She chose the cake
Speaker 1: and she was ecstatic. And you know, as I'm as,
Speaker 1: we're starting to understand more of this social media game
Speaker 1: from backstage joke, the whole TikTok thing, like she was
Speaker 1: all about it, trying to figure out different moves. So
Speaker 1: she was going on, she's gonna get an A. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna promise you that she's gonna get an eight. So
Speaker 1: I've heard this individual that I don't know, But so
Speaker 1: tell us how did they divide out the teams? Well,
Speaker 1: I mean there's a team captain. Oh god, it's pretty
Speaker 1: easy start. I I wonder who which the team captain?
Speaker 1: These are your tax dollars at work. A very good
Speaker 1: friend of mine who speaks on another network on Thursday night,
Speaker 1: always taught me that you have to paint a picture
Speaker 1: for the audience. But I think this picture is painted captains?
Speaker 1: Are you know? Uh? Please tell though, in case who
Speaker 1: the team captain. It's Bradley and caring. It's a damn
Speaker 1: caring in here, all right, that's what your So this
Speaker 1: young lady that I may or may not know very
Speaker 1: is super excited to do it, just you know, to
Speaker 1: go for the real for a second and reving fund.
Speaker 1: But um, I've been real the whole time. So if
Speaker 1: backstage joke can be serious for a second. Oh, learning
Speaker 1: that culture and learning all the individuals we talked about, obviously,
Speaker 1: we we've taught in our household. I got two fine
Speaker 1: young gentlemen like you guys that that that she learns
Speaker 1: from if she was around and was that she has
Speaker 1: the luxury of understanding and looking, you know, towards the world.
Speaker 1: And you know, I heard like, just for a quick example,
Speaker 1: around the holidays, this young lady might have gotten a
Speaker 1: shirt or a sweatshirt that said just be a good
Speaker 1: human and and that's what these fine parents of these
Speaker 1: of this little girl tried to instill in her. So
Speaker 1: I know, we make light of it, and you know
Speaker 1: we we here she does her best to be able
Speaker 1: to include all and make everybody equals. But I just
Speaker 1: thought it was hilarious, and of course I had to
Speaker 1: tell you guys about it. When I found out about
Speaker 1: it the grape Vine that they actually we're going to
Speaker 1: be teaching stepping for Black History Months. But I just
Speaker 1: say time, man, it's we don't have a cane at
Speaker 1: the house like that's I don't that's that's fraternity because
Speaker 1: the Greek folks are not gonna come with me. You
Speaker 1: know how sad that is for Black History? You teaching
Speaker 1: these kids how to step? That is I don't want
Speaker 1: to say that this that is so racist. Racist you're
Speaker 1: gonna say for Black History. Yeah, y'all need to identify,
Speaker 1: so we're gonna teach you all. It's just like I said,
Speaker 1: it's it's definitely there. It's it's a it's a big
Speaker 1: time reach. It's a big time reach because again, the
Speaker 1: contributions of our fraternity sororities is unparalleled. However, there's just
Speaker 1: so many different ways that that that we could just
Speaker 1: go beyond. And you just look at a normal Black
Speaker 1: History Month curriculum where there are things that get glossed over.
Speaker 1: There are things that we don't always include. But man,
Speaker 1: we at least could have got to the to the
Speaker 1: to the mlks, to your point, the rosa parks of
Speaker 1: the thirty Good Morsels to to all these other things.
Speaker 1: We went straight to that. That's when we're gonna spend
Speaker 1: the month. Though, Holy y'all gonna spend a month, shoot,
Speaker 1: I don't take about two months for all of them.
Speaker 1: Off beat that's got I'm a family, I mean that
Speaker 1: parents of that dog. So they're gonna they're gonna go
Speaker 1: into March. I gotta get inside of this on the
Speaker 1: podcast today. Coming up on the Cut to It Podcast,
Speaker 1: we've got Chris Smith, a defensive end for the Las
Speaker 1: Vegas Raiders. He was all sec at Arkansas. He's a
Speaker 1: father of three and a native of North Carolina. Chris
Speaker 1: Smith on the Cut to It Podcast, Thanks for having me, man,
Speaker 1: and we appreciate you. Our first segment, it's called get
Speaker 1: Iced Up. So you you're from North Carolina, you're familiar
Speaker 1: with Smitthy, you're familiar with ice up Son. This is
Speaker 1: our version of Icebreakers. We gotta get you iced up.
Speaker 1: Their random icebreaker questions. You don't know what's coming, might
Speaker 1: be a follow up, might not be, but Smittie will
Speaker 1: get you the first one. It's time to get iced up. Okay,
Speaker 1: I ain't study for this one. But I love it.
Speaker 1: You know why, because it is an open book test
Speaker 1: about you, Christopher. So if you fail, it's because you stupid.
Speaker 1: I read it already, all right. What are you afraid of?
Speaker 1: Mm hmm. I'm afraid of failure, That's what I'm mean.
Speaker 1: Why is that? Just because? I mean, you wanna, you know,
Speaker 1: want to win, like in everything you know, so when
Speaker 1: especially I guess when it comes to ball or whatever
Speaker 1: and just things that life, you just want to win
Speaker 1: everything you know you can't, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: Everything like, man, I hate but you don't. But you've
Speaker 1: learned from a failure. Yeah, you learned from it though
Speaker 1: you hate it, but you know it's a bitter sweet though.
Speaker 1: You learn from it though you know what I'm saying,
Speaker 1: it's necessarily evil. Yes, yes, if you can learn a
Speaker 1: new skill, what would it be a new skill? Mm
Speaker 1: hmm I would Uh. You know. I'm a music guy, man,
Speaker 1: I always, like, you know, growing up in church, I
Speaker 1: played drums and stuff like that. I always wanted to
Speaker 1: learn how to play the league. Good talk. I don't
Speaker 1: think a lot of people know that about me, though
Speaker 1: I always want to. My cousin could do it real well.
Speaker 1: He never taught me though, but I was always a drummer.
Speaker 1: But I always want to know how to play the league,
Speaker 1: the talk, you know what you want time because sometime
Speaker 1: drummers at church they sometimes running a little bit late.
Speaker 1: I did you give me that look though? You know,
Speaker 1: but how you y'all came from the same house. How
Speaker 1: you late? And she drove, I know, man, especially when
Speaker 1: I was able to drive though, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: She was like, yeah, man, I was. I was late. Man,
Speaker 1: I was late and there the fellowship hall up. No good,
Speaker 1: Oh my god. Uh um, are you a restless or
Speaker 1: RESTful sleeper? Oh? I think both? Mmm, I think I'm both, man.
Speaker 1: I mean, I guess it's just really um, I've been told,
Speaker 1: you know that I snore and stuff like that and everything,
Speaker 1: but like, uh, I think it's a little bit of both,
Speaker 1: though I think really mostly um. You know, this is
Speaker 1: my first time playing on the West Coast team, so
Speaker 1: I ain't I'm in bed. But first I was in
Speaker 1: bed by like seven o'clock. That was rest folks sleeping,
Speaker 1: you know, because but it was kind of going back
Speaker 1: and forth because I had to give this to the
Speaker 1: time change. But it's getting better now, So I said
Speaker 1: a little bit of both. Though. All right, last one,
Speaker 1: this is a curve ball. You're in Las Vegas. You're
Speaker 1: also currently formerly the Oakland Raiders. Being on the West coast,
Speaker 1: Oakland has a huge Latino community. Facts, facts, facts. How
Speaker 1: do you say football in Spanish? Oh? God? In Espaniel,
Speaker 1: that's how you say? No, almost cursed. I'm telling you
Speaker 1: the defensive players, so you don't know. Would you like
Speaker 1: me to tell you? Yes, I need that football Americano
Speaker 1: football Americano, football Americana. That was a good curb. But
Speaker 1: I did not know that one. I was the time
Speaker 1: I was like hold on, It was like afterwards, you
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying. No, I was, I was. I
Speaker 1: was holding on hand, Chris hand. You still want to
Speaker 1: still get on the on the full stomach. No, no,
Speaker 1: you just ain't re tried. You just but that's crazy
Speaker 1: though you say that I did not know that they
Speaker 1: have a big you know, Spanish base. You know, um No,
Speaker 1: you didn't know that. I did not know that until
Speaker 1: I got here. Oh till you got here. See that
Speaker 1: that just olds the East coast, West coast, the lack
Speaker 1: of knowing each other, because when I moved to Charlotte.
Speaker 1: There were things I just like, I did not know
Speaker 1: about the Southern culture of the South. Time. Yeah, it
Speaker 1: was different, different when you laid back, No man laid back.
Speaker 1: Laid back is an hour late the South. Is you
Speaker 1: two hours late on the wrong day. It's not even
Speaker 1: it's not even punctuality thing. It's just everything moves slower.
Speaker 1: Let's tell a quick story. One time I had just
Speaker 1: a landscaping guy, scattered deployment one two o'clock, twelve o'clock
Speaker 1: on a Tuesday. This dude came Thursday at three, just
Speaker 1: got you gotta you gotta mixed up? Yo, My man,
Speaker 1: what's you're doing? Oh I'm hearing such and such. Hey bro, you'
Speaker 1: about two days later and you two hours late to
Speaker 1: be kissed look off my property? Oh, what's the big deal?
Speaker 1: We had it on Tuesday, I blocked off my schedule
Speaker 1: and you come on Thursday at three. Yeah, I can't
Speaker 1: work with you. South is different, man, But you you
Speaker 1: get a cosme to it. Now you almost you will
Speaker 1: you honorary Southern or now? I don't bring your ass
Speaker 1: on two days. He don't define the South. We ain't
Speaker 1: gonna let that dude define us. I run into a
Speaker 1: quite a bit of those though. That's that's that's the
Speaker 1: South though many I would have been hearing at that too.
Speaker 1: So what what what is what has been the eye
Speaker 1: opening culture change for you? Coming from you know, Rowan County,
Speaker 1: coming from a small town of North Carolina, going to
Speaker 1: you know, uh, Las Vegas slash Oakland like that west
Speaker 1: Like Las Vegas and Oakland are West Coast, West Coast,
Speaker 1: like they rule West Coast. They busy West Coast and
Speaker 1: they are get out my way. I'll pull a gun
Speaker 1: out on you at the red light. West Coast facts
Speaker 1: facts I feel like um mostly with me coming here.
Speaker 1: I mean, other than the time change, but you know,
Speaker 1: just you know you West Coast is a vibe though
Speaker 1: it ain't gonna lie, it is a vibe where you
Speaker 1: know there it is unmatched from the East Coast. But
Speaker 1: I think the one thing that I do miss, and
Speaker 1: it's different out here, like it is the southern hospitality
Speaker 1: yea and everything like that. So that's one thing that
Speaker 1: I do miss. Like you know, I'm walking through my
Speaker 1: neighborhood and how are you doing? And they just walked
Speaker 1: right past you, so you know they just bought play
Speaker 1: past you and stuff like that. But I think that's
Speaker 1: you know, but as far as just everything else though, man,
Speaker 1: it's I mean, it's beautiful. Like especially people think when
Speaker 1: you were in Las Vegas. They think you're on a
Speaker 1: strip every day, you know, But I stay in Henderson
Speaker 1: the battle So this is my brother. My brother is
Speaker 1: a fireman Ville so he works out of there. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and it's like it's like a vibe man out here
Speaker 1: where you know, it's not you ain't gotta you know people,
Speaker 1: you know, especially back home country town people. Oh you
Speaker 1: just at the gambling day. My mama said, you're gambler.
Speaker 1: I'm not a gambler first of all, but you know,
Speaker 1: that's what they first think. But it's really like a
Speaker 1: really nice places out here, man um and especially in
Speaker 1: Henderson area and stuff like that. Man, really nice place.
Speaker 1: We have to take a break and the morning thing,
Speaker 1: we gotta pay some bill. You got checks. I love
Speaker 1: cut to It, and I love it even more when
Speaker 1: you download us and subscribe and you can follow us
Speaker 1: on social media too. Smithie, where where at that's at?
Speaker 1: Cut to It on Instagram? What about Twitter? At? Cut
Speaker 1: to It? Facebook? Cut to It featuring Steve Smith singr
Speaker 1: what about online and you can follow us at cut
Speaker 1: to it podcast dot com where you can buy merch
Speaker 1: and you can subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts.
Speaker 1: I got all my answers questions. Um, yeah, I got
Speaker 1: all my questions answered. That's what I'm here for. A brother,
Speaker 1: cut to a podcast dot com. What did you inspire
Speaker 1: what you want to be? Grown up? Um? I always?
Speaker 1: I always, Um, I thought I was gonna be the
Speaker 1: next Lebron James, the sixth one. I thought I was,
Speaker 1: but it worked out that way to my coach got
Speaker 1: on me and everything. But yeah, I didn't. I didn't
Speaker 1: play foot. I always played a little league and stuff
Speaker 1: like that. Football, but I always, you know, ran track
Speaker 1: when I was a little basketball obviously, but I didn't
Speaker 1: play football. My freshman year, my mom and dad it
Speaker 1: was like they want you, we want you to focus
Speaker 1: on your grade, show to choose one. So I come
Speaker 1: from a basketball family, so I was like, you know,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna play basketball. I played. It's a freshman on
Speaker 1: varsity and uh he's passed away. But my my my
Speaker 1: high school coach man he was He's like, you crazy.
Speaker 1: You can get any thousand dollar scholarship, you crazy or
Speaker 1: whatever like that you're never gonna make any basketball And
Speaker 1: I was like, man, you're just hate him. But then
Speaker 1: I came out my sophmore year for football, man, and
Speaker 1: like just just I mean I always played when I
Speaker 1: was at but what you call it, like it just clicked.
Speaker 1: Everything just clicked, man, and just coming off the edge
Speaker 1: of the speed Russia. So yeah, man, that's that's how
Speaker 1: it all came and came into place though. But I
Speaker 1: didn't have dreams like I guess like most of most
Speaker 1: people are being a basketball player. Where are you from?
Speaker 1: And the place you call your hometown? Salisbury, North Carolina?
Speaker 1: All right? Now, is there like a little small as
Speaker 1: that he giving you? He giving you the next largest? Yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm talking about You ain't gonna say I'm from North Carolina.
Speaker 1: You ain't gonna. I got it right here. I don't
Speaker 1: want to know where you from. I don't want to
Speaker 1: pronunciated incorrectly. But I also want you to tell me
Speaker 1: if you know yo not you're yo from home town?
Speaker 1: Mr Smith. If you would have been from Salisbury, you
Speaker 1: would have said North Rowan, you would have said where
Speaker 1: are you? What it is you know? Where high school?
Speaker 1: With the Mount Ula Mount. My home address is Salisbury R. Mount.
Speaker 1: What you play in the NFL, You've experienced some highs
Speaker 1: and lows. Mm hmm. Here's some unique things about your hometown.
Speaker 1: And I'll let you chew. On of the residents at
Speaker 1: least completed high school. Percent of the residents have received
Speaker 1: bachelor degrees or higher. Is that a fair assessment from
Speaker 1: your observation of leaving and coming back? Yeah, yeah, I
Speaker 1: don't believe that. I mean, yeah, I can see his
Speaker 1: mind working. Now. That's that's why Jerome act the way
Speaker 1: he acts. I believe that You've got a lot of
Speaker 1: people who graduated high school, but you know, in college,
Speaker 1: you know they'll get home sick or you know, the
Speaker 1: party too much, and then you know, by after year
Speaker 1: one or whatever, a year to day day out, you
Speaker 1: know so or it's just not even on your radar.
Speaker 1: I don't you mentioned what he was dreaming about being
Speaker 1: Lebron Like, I don't even think I really dreamt like
Speaker 1: in high school or anything like that. I worked for
Speaker 1: I worked for Bollow and I was a cash year
Speaker 1: and I was a backer, and I really talk for
Speaker 1: a while. I would see our general manager coming and
Speaker 1: he had a brand new forward and for a good
Speaker 1: bit even my senior high school bro, I really sat
Speaker 1: and thought about, man if I just stay home and
Speaker 1: I worked my butt off at this grocery store, I
Speaker 1: can be I can be a general manager and I'll
Speaker 1: drop around the You don't go many and Chris correct
Speaker 1: me where I'm wrong, But you see so many people
Speaker 1: when you're back home. You're not exposed. When you're from
Speaker 1: a small town, you're not exposed to some of those
Speaker 1: larger things, like when you do get those opportunities to
Speaker 1: go visit a college campus, or you get an opportunity
Speaker 1: to hear a guest speaker come to your to your
Speaker 1: high school, that's someone on the staff maybe knows or
Speaker 1: something like that, or you do have that rare occurrence
Speaker 1: where there's like ah for for for me, deems may
Speaker 1: you know tight End comes back and talks to come
Speaker 1: back and talk to you. You don't see those things
Speaker 1: when you're from a small town. So I can honestly say,
Speaker 1: for a while, like I didn't have a dream, Like
Speaker 1: I was like, all right, I just do what everyone
Speaker 1: else does. Or you you know, you want to go
Speaker 1: work at everyone else works at furniture factories or whatever
Speaker 1: it is that these small towns are known for. You
Speaker 1: just kind of hop in line and next thing you know,
Speaker 1: you're on the you on the factory line, doing what
Speaker 1: everyone else does. So I mean, Chris hop in. But
Speaker 1: that's that's kind of how it is sometimes when you
Speaker 1: had a small town in in north of South Carolina
Speaker 1: or some of these rural areas in the South. That's
Speaker 1: crazy you say that because that was one of the
Speaker 1: reasons they might be country and solid. I went to
Speaker 1: Arkansas because it's like it reminded me. Certain parts reminded
Speaker 1: me of home, even though it's far away from home.
Speaker 1: But everybody know Arkansas. You've got Little Rock, pom Bluff
Speaker 1: and all that, and what the school is, fair Bill.
Speaker 1: Certain parts reminded me of back home. I mean, I know,
Speaker 1: a lot committed right away. And then you know everybody
Speaker 1: from like you know, Solisburry, amount of other and everything,
Speaker 1: like you said, Morels, all that space and everything. Everybody
Speaker 1: just got that like that Southern hospitality. And that's how
Speaker 1: it was in Arkansas. You know, everywhere you go, especially
Speaker 1: you know, being playing for the Razorbacks, whether you are
Speaker 1: the ProTeam anyway or whatever. Yeah, like I mean this
Speaker 1: is that the Southern Hospital. I committed right off the
Speaker 1: back or whatever, and I always told my mom and
Speaker 1: dad like it was like, you'd like it here. And
Speaker 1: then when we came out and I did my official
Speaker 1: visit or whatever and everything, that was like, you're right,
Speaker 1: it does like certain parts remind you of back home.
Speaker 1: And I think that's why committed so fast. Did you
Speaker 1: also commit because you had no other option? And it's
Speaker 1: crazy to say that. I would say yes because of
Speaker 1: just seeing so many guys before me, like they would
Speaker 1: kind of like steaks home and they didn't like, you know,
Speaker 1: sit seed and stuff, and I had to get away.
Speaker 1: So you had the highs of winning nationally, winning the
Speaker 1: championship in high school? What were some of the loads
Speaker 1: of that success? Um, I would say, And y'all would
Speaker 1: be some of the first to hear this. Um, okay,
Speaker 1: having the big junior year because one of my sophomore year,
Speaker 1: you know, that was the first time I played football
Speaker 1: because I didn't play my freshman year. So my sophomore
Speaker 1: year made off conference, all county all that. So my
Speaker 1: junior year, Um, that's when I had the big season
Speaker 1: or whatever. Uh, you know, twenty eight sacks or whatever
Speaker 1: like that. We won the state championship. So it's like
Speaker 1: senior year, you know, that's when I had you know,
Speaker 1: offers and stuff coming up and everything. You know, I
Speaker 1: had got hurt or whatever, and it's kind of basically,
Speaker 1: you know, kind of trying to live up to that expectation.
Speaker 1: So my year I was like, and I don't make
Speaker 1: no excuse, but I was. I had like hurt my achieys.
Speaker 1: I had like a spring Achilles or something like the
Speaker 1: whole I remember, like the whole season, and I had
Speaker 1: committed in Arkansas, and man, my coach was, I'm glad
Speaker 1: he did, but he had, uh stayed hard on me,
Speaker 1: like you you're not you're not playing good enough for
Speaker 1: the ben sec my ass and all that he said,
Speaker 1: say everything, but I was really hurt so and everything
Speaker 1: like that. So I guess that was one of the
Speaker 1: main thing, you know, playing through injury, but you know
Speaker 1: you gotta still like you still gotta go. And he was,
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm glad he did that or whatever. He
Speaker 1: prepped me for college and uh and everything like that.
Speaker 1: But that was probably the one of the probably the
Speaker 1: like the diversities I had to deal with and stuff
Speaker 1: like that. But I ain't gonna lie my college coach. Mhmm,
Speaker 1: did he? I would say, out of any level of
Speaker 1: football that I played for. I know, y'all know Bobby,
Speaker 1: he got a he got a party mouth. Yeah boy,
Speaker 1: Oh my god, he was a little weird. I ain't
Speaker 1: gonna lie he do we gotta party about but he
Speaker 1: he that's one of the hardest coaches I ever played for. Man,
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh. When would you learn from coach between
Speaker 1: the great course? But basically, I mean he was all
Speaker 1: business like and you know, he didn't take no junk
Speaker 1: or whatever like that, and basically just really prepped your minds.
Speaker 1: I remember when I first committed the Arkansas he came
Speaker 1: to my high school and he was like, I know
Speaker 1: you can play physically, but can you handle it mentally?
Speaker 1: And I didn't really know what that means, you know,
Speaker 1: coming into Arkansas and stuff like that. But now as
Speaker 1: I'm you know, going to my aviar in the league
Speaker 1: and Steve, you know how this is the ups and
Speaker 1: down with the business and stuff like that, and you
Speaker 1: know the for football at the national the top level, man,
Speaker 1: you gotta you gotta be, you know, saying mentally strong top,
Speaker 1: because if you're not, it can take you this way
Speaker 1: and that way, you know what I'm saying. So that
Speaker 1: that was one of the things I learned is mental
Speaker 1: toughness from Petrino. As far as the football park, what
Speaker 1: have you learned that you did not know anything about?
Speaker 1: As far as the business of football, The thing about
Speaker 1: it is they always trying to replace you no matter
Speaker 1: how good you play. Um, it's all about and it's
Speaker 1: Chris Clemens is one of one of my guys, you know,
Speaker 1: to help me, you know, when I was a rookie
Speaker 1: and stuff like that. He had a saying they're trying
Speaker 1: to get you the best for the cheapest like that,
Speaker 1: and that that was one of the main things about it.
Speaker 1: And and it's politics is as highest level you know,
Speaker 1: And and that's I mean, I hear O'Dell say that's
Speaker 1: one of my my boys, and stuff like. Like. The
Speaker 1: one thing that you know, coming from college into the
Speaker 1: NFL is like it kind of takes the fun out
Speaker 1: of it. But you gotta in the NFL, you gotta
Speaker 1: like separated to the business and football and basically put
Speaker 1: your own fund into it. Because that's I mean, it's like,
Speaker 1: as you know, it's a business at the end of
Speaker 1: the day, you know. So that was my my first experience.
Speaker 1: I'm going to give you example. You know, I get
Speaker 1: drafted fifth round with Jacksonville. I made you know, had
Speaker 1: a great preseason. Um, I made the fifty three Fine Colors,
Speaker 1: and you know, I was in act of the first
Speaker 1: game I think we played Philly, and then the second
Speaker 1: game or whatever. Uh, right before we fin I think
Speaker 1: we're finn to go play It was the San Diego
Speaker 1: charge and then we're gonna go play them. Like. They
Speaker 1: cut me on that Saturday, and I'm like, what do
Speaker 1: I do wrong? Like why are you cutting me? Well,
Speaker 1: this guy had a concussion and you were the healthiest
Speaker 1: man on the three man roster, so we gotta cut you.
Speaker 1: But we're gonna bring you back though. The reason why
Speaker 1: we cut you on Saturday is because want nobody to
Speaker 1: see you or whatever like that. So I'm like all sad.
Speaker 1: They're like, oh no, non't be sad. No, we were
Speaker 1: just doing this. We want to keep you here or whatever.
Speaker 1: So we're gonna put your on practice card or whatever
Speaker 1: like that. So I was gonna practice card for like
Speaker 1: four or five weeks. I'm thinking, like I'm like, man, like,
Speaker 1: this is how it go. I'm down to myself or whatever.
Speaker 1: And then like when I started to be line and
Speaker 1: got hurt or whatever, and then I'm back up or
Speaker 1: whatever and like off a limited STAPs. I think I
Speaker 1: played in the six games or whatever like that and
Speaker 1: had three sacks or whatever, and you know, finished with
Speaker 1: a good reki season. But it's just like in the
Speaker 1: NFL now sart of the business, like it's like you
Speaker 1: just can never get to high your high, never get
Speaker 1: too long your loans man, and let's go back, because
Speaker 1: I think people are not really following. Is you were
Speaker 1: you play on Sunday, You're released on the Saturday. Mm hm.
Speaker 1: The reason that's important and why teams do that is
Speaker 1: because they go into Saturday with a set mind. They
Speaker 1: already know on Saturday Chris is not playing. He may
Speaker 1: be on the bus, he may be on the plane,
Speaker 1: but he ain't getting New Jersey unless something strategic, something
Speaker 1: horrible happens. But even if that happens, well, his ass
Speaker 1: ain't playing, so right, So they they and and here's
Speaker 1: the worst part. Here's the worst part about that. They
Speaker 1: knew that Wednesday when he came in at eight am
Speaker 1: and he's having and he's having eggs for breakfast right
Speaker 1: now in the facility. They know Chris ain't playing. And
Speaker 1: they also know by before at least before Friday, when
Speaker 1: it's Freedom Friday and it's UH and it's a catered
Speaker 1: company coming in with that good meal, that Chris won't
Speaker 1: be playing either on Friday, but yet there practicing him,
Speaker 1: making him feel like he's part of the team, when
Speaker 1: they know at some point in the next several days
Speaker 1: he will not be part of the team. He will
Speaker 1: not need a jersey. He may need a sideline sweatsuit,
Speaker 1: but he will need click. You don't need a mouthpiece.
Speaker 1: It's not something getting used to when you you just
Speaker 1: walked us through when you were in West Rowan and
Speaker 1: you got almost a hundred tackles, sixteen sacks, you uh,
Speaker 1: second All team SEC. And now you get to NFL.
Speaker 1: And they and they gave a card with his name
Speaker 1: on it, with his information, his height. They gave it
Speaker 1: to the draft person. That draft person said, with the
Speaker 1: such and such pick for Chris Jacksonville Jaguars, we select
Speaker 1: Chris Smith from Arkansas and they call you, Hey, appreciate
Speaker 1: ate you. We love what we saw in your film. Hey,
Speaker 1: we can't wait to get you here, and they give
Speaker 1: you it's like a recruiting trip. They give your lobster
Speaker 1: one day. When when they recruiting you, then they draft you.
Speaker 1: Hey the Bolognian cheese down down the hall here the
Speaker 1: right you on that and now now you got to
Speaker 1: get adjusted to the business of the NFL. What's what's
Speaker 1: that transition? Like, I mean it was it was hard,
Speaker 1: um uh you know, because I mean I got cut
Speaker 1: like my second week, um and everything, and it was
Speaker 1: just crazy, Like you know, people back home were like, well,
Speaker 1: he got drafted. I know he you know what I'm
Speaker 1: saying that that's all he was gonna do. He wasn't
Speaker 1: gonna see it in the league. But you know they
Speaker 1: always say, like, you know, once you understand the business
Speaker 1: of the NFL, you'll be okay. How long did it
Speaker 1: take you and your feelings to adjust to the business
Speaker 1: of the NFL? I would say the first time I
Speaker 1: got cut, and then I would say my going into
Speaker 1: my fourth year when I got traded to the Bengals,
Speaker 1: I would say that because I always tell people I
Speaker 1: haven't been through everything in the league, like as far
Speaker 1: as everything, you know, like nothing surprises me now, but
Speaker 1: I would say that was the like two times, like
Speaker 1: after I got traded, I was like, okay, like you
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, This ain't no scholarship, no more
Speaker 1: over the year out of scholar this one actual you know,
Speaker 1: contractual business. What did they tell you when they traded you.
Speaker 1: Was there a conversation or dialogue or in the transaction? Well? Actually, uh,
Speaker 1: I was driving remember this clear asday. I was driving
Speaker 1: to go get food. It was the off season, a
Speaker 1: week before. We had had just been going to all
Speaker 1: season workouts and I was driving to go get food
Speaker 1: and the GM called me. He said, Chris, how are
Speaker 1: you doing today or whatever? So I'm thinking, like they
Speaker 1: let me go, you know what I'm saying. So like,
Speaker 1: you know, you know, GM called, He's like, oh man,
Speaker 1: here go, and um you know, He's like, well, I
Speaker 1: think this is actually be a good thing for you,
Speaker 1: you know, because they used to always had me up
Speaker 1: and down or whatever when I used to play, I
Speaker 1: used to produce. But he was like, we're gonna trade
Speaker 1: you to Cincinnati Bengals. And I'm like, okay, we decided
Speaker 1: this morning. Everything think it's been a good thing for you.
Speaker 1: So you know, keep working hard, man. We wish you
Speaker 1: the best. And it was like click process of being traded. Um,
Speaker 1: how it was, it was like a shock. I was like, man,
Speaker 1: I was like, it was like, man, I'm going to Cincinnati,
Speaker 1: you know, and you know I'm with Pat Man, Dracor
Speaker 1: Patrick Monte's and all them board. I was like, oh
Speaker 1: my god, you know what I'm saying like that. But
Speaker 1: it was actually good though. It was somewhere I had
Speaker 1: an opportunity, you know, um to play you know, a
Speaker 1: guy like Michael Johnson, Like I said, um, Pat Man, um,
Speaker 1: Geno Atkins, um like that. So it was actually good,
Speaker 1: but it was stocking at first though. Like you said,
Speaker 1: it's already being premeditated. So yeah, man, I think it's
Speaker 1: about that time. Just so take a little breather, do it.
Speaker 1: Do it. Let's get down to do it. Hey Gerard,
Speaker 1: why didn't you get that T shirt? You mean, oh yes,
Speaker 1: I got it from cut to a podcast dot com
Speaker 1: where we have exclusive merchandise shout out to our guys
Speaker 1: at seven or four shot. But yeah, you can go on,
Speaker 1: buy you a T shirt, subscribe to us wherever you
Speaker 1: listen to podcasts. How has this season been affected this
Speaker 1: NFL season been affected by COVID O. It's been like
Speaker 1: I tell and I tell people this man just to
Speaker 1: just to be like be and you know, be on
Speaker 1: a roster this year. Um, it's just like one of this.
Speaker 1: It doesn't made me appreciate football even more. And you know,
Speaker 1: just hats off to the whole lead, the players and
Speaker 1: all that, because, um it's really like you're in like uh,
Speaker 1: like a jail kind of on your bye week in
Speaker 1: a Thursday night game, like you know, usually you know
Speaker 1: you can go and you know, see your family, you know,
Speaker 1: go kick it or whatever like that. Like you know,
Speaker 1: I got three, you know, beautiful children, like I haven't
Speaker 1: seen them since August, Like because I can't believe I
Speaker 1: haven't seen them since August. Because you can't leave, um
Speaker 1: term out of town or whatever like that. Um, because
Speaker 1: you have to take COVID tests every day. Um. We
Speaker 1: got to the point now where my whole defensive I
Speaker 1: think the defensive that coach or whatever like that called COVID,
Speaker 1: I obviously called a coordinator, called a couple of guys.
Speaker 1: It's somebody every week that is catching it. There, Steve,
Speaker 1: we won't even go in the building like we have
Speaker 1: virtual meetings from the house or whatever, and you're only
Speaker 1: in the building for like an hour and a half
Speaker 1: and that's just for practice. You know, you live and
Speaker 1: are you and you gotta get all? Are you allowed
Speaker 1: to shower? And you know, not not asking too much
Speaker 1: to your mind, but it's just more operational just because wow,
Speaker 1: they're time. So you you time, you gotta time shower man,
Speaker 1: Yes you like so how example how yes you go
Speaker 1: like you gotta you gotta, you gotta take you gotta
Speaker 1: you gotta be quick with it because you gotta. We
Speaker 1: was one of those teams that was on protocol because
Speaker 1: you know, we had a guy like every week catching
Speaker 1: it catching COVID. So um they give you like only
Speaker 1: um a certain amount of guys can be in the
Speaker 1: locker room or whatever. Only ten guys can live, you
Speaker 1: know like that, So like you had to be like
Speaker 1: out to be probably I think by what we will
Speaker 1: get done practice it like one thirty you gotta be
Speaker 1: out the building probably like two thirty five and you
Speaker 1: got zoom even from home or whatever like that. It's it, bro,
Speaker 1: It's it's crazy, man, like crazy. From my advantage point,
Speaker 1: that doesn't sound like a blessing. That doesn't sound very like.
Speaker 1: I don't know why you would I'm being a little
Speaker 1: bit sarcastically. Why you would be appreciative of being able
Speaker 1: to have a time shower and being able to you
Speaker 1: only can lift at this time and you you basically
Speaker 1: the old school at the butcher shop or at the
Speaker 1: DMV when your numbers called, you're allowed to be served
Speaker 1: until your number called. You can't get up. Yeah, facts,
Speaker 1: I would say appreciative in a way just about special.
Speaker 1: I was always told my brothers in this like about
Speaker 1: this year about guys that you know that as far
Speaker 1: as like they didn't have no pro day or whatever
Speaker 1: like that, guys just coming in that was coming in
Speaker 1: from college or whatever. Like just think about how many
Speaker 1: guys did that, you know what, and if you wasn't
Speaker 1: the high name or whatever, like you really just didn't
Speaker 1: get a shot. It was basically off a straight film
Speaker 1: like that, and like how many guys like see they
Speaker 1: cut like the guys that think they had already paid
Speaker 1: like you know, I mean I got one guy that, um,
Speaker 1: this is my boy, he signed to rest and he
Speaker 1: saw them you know, one year, five minute, you know, guaranteed,
Speaker 1: like and they just cut them, like just to cut costs,
Speaker 1: because you know, you can't have no fans, like you can't,
Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, do this that in the third,
Speaker 1: so like it's a lot of money the NFL was losing.
Speaker 1: So just to be on a roster doing this time
Speaker 1: like it's just like it's a blessing in itself. And
Speaker 1: then with all the changes because you know, like we
Speaker 1: go back to that that business part, especially when they
Speaker 1: ain't got no fans and you know this that in
Speaker 1: the third and all that, like you know, you gotta
Speaker 1: cut coughs somewhere, you know what I'm saying, Let's roll
Speaker 1: up our slaves and and and really get a little
Speaker 1: bit deeper into you know, into Chris Smith September eleven.
Speaker 1: We all know that was a horrible day for Americans.
Speaker 1: For you, this is also a harder day. Take us
Speaker 1: through that day as all that stuff is going on
Speaker 1: in New York. You're at that time going about your day.
Speaker 1: But obviously that night ends in a way that no
Speaker 1: one seemed coming. Mm hmm. Um. Basically that's that's one
Speaker 1: of like being I mean, that's the hardest day of
Speaker 1: my life. Um. But I always tell people you gotta
Speaker 1: like cherish and live life each and every day because
Speaker 1: you don't know when that should last. Um. I was,
Speaker 1: you know, with my girlfriend Beard at the time, and
Speaker 1: we actually was hit at the dinner. Um and you know,
Speaker 1: because she had just had you know, our baby girl Haven.
Speaker 1: So you know how women is. You know, I want
Speaker 1: to take our shore, you know, a good time. We're
Speaker 1: actually going to play the Jets on Monday night. So
Speaker 1: I took her out to eat or whatever like that
Speaker 1: and and everything, and we went to like a hook
Speaker 1: cooking lounge or whatever because she loved hood cause and
Speaker 1: stuff like that. And as we're driving, um, I hit
Speaker 1: something in the road. We do a three sixty spin.
Speaker 1: We hit the you know, the side of the highway.
Speaker 1: And that the most craziest thing about this story is
Speaker 1: like you think that's the miracle because we got out
Speaker 1: without a scratch. My car was totaled everything, I mean,
Speaker 1: got out without a scratch. You think that's the miracle.
Speaker 1: And this happened where this was in Cleveland. And you
Speaker 1: know she they they they she stands on the side
Speaker 1: where the people tell you to stand. And I was
Speaker 1: I went in the car and was looking for my
Speaker 1: phone or whatever, because I told her to call my brother,
Speaker 1: to call my teammate. This is one of my good friends,
Speaker 1: I'm Christian Kirksey to come pick us up. And Christian
Speaker 1: Christian was on his way and I was trying to
Speaker 1: find my phone or whatever, but she had hers. And
Speaker 1: when I'm in the car from my phone, I just
Speaker 1: just just this big bang. It happened so fast from
Speaker 1: the impact, I thought it was in front of it,
Speaker 1: in front of me, but it was really behind me.
Speaker 1: So I'm looking forward everywhere everything. And I actually walked
Speaker 1: down like thirty yards from the car and I see
Speaker 1: her shoot and like as soon as like that I've
Speaker 1: seen that, Like my adrenaline started running, and I went
Speaker 1: thirty more yards and like I walked up on her
Speaker 1: body and she was like when I walked up on
Speaker 1: I knew it, like it was gonna be Amra Cody
Speaker 1: for her to come back alive and everything like so
Speaker 1: it was just that was that was this the day
Speaker 1: that like really put life in perspective, just to like,
Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, live, you know, every to
Speaker 1: the fund because you don't know when it should last,
Speaker 1: you know. I tell people like I'm black man, adrenaline
Speaker 1: is really a drug, because like my adrenal was running
Speaker 1: so so fast. It like then when it happened or whatever,
Speaker 1: and they pronounced her dead, like I didn't even like
Speaker 1: cry nothing like. It was just like I was just like, okay,
Speaker 1: like somebody waked me up from this dream. You know
Speaker 1: what I'm saying. It was it was it was crazy.
Speaker 1: It was crazy, you know. But the one thing about
Speaker 1: it is like that then I tell people all the time,
Speaker 1: it's just like, you know, God don't make no mistakes
Speaker 1: or nothing like that. But then you gotta really, you know,
Speaker 1: cherish your loved ones and and things that nature, because
Speaker 1: like you don't know when it's your last man, you know.
Speaker 1: And that was just something that just just crazy how
Speaker 1: it happened. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy,
Speaker 1: what I went through on September, you know. So, But
Speaker 1: that's one thing about it that people always, you know,
Speaker 1: they love hate this about I mean, I always, you
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, in a negative situation, always he
Speaker 1: a positive. I got a beautiful daughter, you know, she's um.
Speaker 1: She turned one and August and stuff like that, and
Speaker 1: I'm just just thank God, but she wasn't in the
Speaker 1: corner was both of them. So at least I still
Speaker 1: have a piece of Patar, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: So the one thing about it and and everything like that,
Speaker 1: but yeah, man, that was a crazy day man for me. Man,
Speaker 1: But it's one thing about it. That's the mode that
Speaker 1: going through that helped me obviously in life, but even
Speaker 1: on the field, to man, and just that's the most
Speaker 1: top adversity you can ever go through, you know, with anything. Truly,
Speaker 1: I know the meaning of that saying they always say,
Speaker 1: we don't kill you, make you stronger, you know, because
Speaker 1: it don't get easier, but you just get stronger. And
Speaker 1: that's you know, that's how I was able to get
Speaker 1: through and still get through to this day. Because she's
Speaker 1: never gonna be forgotten, man, never gonna be forgotten. So Christ,
Speaker 1: how will you explain this to your children? That's that's
Speaker 1: gonna be the second hardest part. Um My, UM My
Speaker 1: daughter was seven, um and my son was four. But
Speaker 1: um when haveing, you know, And what's the crazy thing
Speaker 1: about it? But haven even though Patar passed away when
Speaker 1: she was three weeks three weeks oh or whatever, three
Speaker 1: weeks and you can show the pictures of now my mom,
Speaker 1: and she still knows her mom, like she still knows
Speaker 1: that's her mom, even at that young age three weeks,
Speaker 1: she still knows her mom. So I always tell people,
Speaker 1: don't getting through it, you know, and I'm moving past
Speaker 1: and everything, but that's gonna be the next hardest step
Speaker 1: when Haven comes to me and be like, Daddy, how
Speaker 1: did mama pass away? Or Daddy she goes to school
Speaker 1: and be like, well why this someone so had their mom?
Speaker 1: Those are going to be the hard conversations and stuff
Speaker 1: like that. But you know, we're gonna talk and you know,
Speaker 1: get through it, man, and and everything. And I have
Speaker 1: to let her know that she has her aunt, she
Speaker 1: has my sister, you know, my mom and dad. You
Speaker 1: know bitars mom and dad and stuff like that. So
Speaker 1: I just gotta let you know, just let her know that.
Speaker 1: But it's that's that's gonna be the next toughest part,
Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying like that. So in our
Speaker 1: last segment, it's called the Deep Three. They're just a
Speaker 1: series of three questions that just allowed us to take
Speaker 1: the conversation to a deeper level. So Smithie go ahead
Speaker 1: and give him the first of the Deep three what's
Speaker 1: the most important thing you've learned in your life and
Speaker 1: what was your life like before you learned those lessons?
Speaker 1: M hmm. I think the most important thing I learned
Speaker 1: in my life is just basically how to take advantage
Speaker 1: of the position I'm in. Oh, And I think the
Speaker 1: main thing is, you know, before that, you know, especially
Speaker 1: you know, being and the football and stuff like that.
Speaker 1: But but before that, not knowing how blessed I am
Speaker 1: and actually seeing that I'm really blessed. Um, I think
Speaker 1: that would be the main thing about that. Uh, as
Speaker 1: far as knowing now and then prior to then, what
Speaker 1: are you most grateful for? My kids? Man? My kids man,
Speaker 1: they they they I remember I put up a caption
Speaker 1: they always ask God to make some better means. Man.
Speaker 1: My kids, man, they keep me driving, to keep me going. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, they've they're growing up and seeing their personalities
Speaker 1: and stuff like that. And I'm just grateful for my kids.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't be where I'm at the day without my kids. Man.
Speaker 1: How have the lessons of football being applied in your
Speaker 1: everyday life? Mm hmm, Man, these questions are good man.
Speaker 1: That because we actually that, because we actually do research.
Speaker 1: I don't want to know what is it like to tackle?
Speaker 1: Just like the tackle we care to check home care
Speaker 1: big ass falling on passion. You're posting, you're right, You're right,
Speaker 1: I would say this man, And that's a good question
Speaker 1: because with football, UM, I don't know if y'all know. UM,
Speaker 1: I know trainer Dre told you Steve Um, I'm starting
Speaker 1: to restaurant um all lounge and uh actually just we're
Speaker 1: doing a business and having you know, with football, teaches
Speaker 1: me what that is. And it really doesn't help me
Speaker 1: as far as this year and everything become a better
Speaker 1: business man. Is they basically knowing there's gonna be ups
Speaker 1: and downs, um, and just knowing how to keep you
Speaker 1: composure and keep moving forward. You know, I um with
Speaker 1: my restaurant lounge cloud like I always are. I wanted
Speaker 1: to happen so fast, but I know it's just a process.
Speaker 1: Is it's gonna happen, But I know it's a process
Speaker 1: with getting through you know this that in the third
Speaker 1: or whatever, And that's the same thing with football, Like
Speaker 1: it was a process or whatever. This got me ready
Speaker 1: for the greater purpose, um, and which I'm blessed to
Speaker 1: going to my a vier in the league. And stuff
Speaker 1: like that. But there's a certain process I had to
Speaker 1: go through. So that helps me in every day like
Speaker 1: as far as not even with my business, but just
Speaker 1: in everyday life. As it is, like I go back
Speaker 1: to my saying, I know I sound like a broken record.
Speaker 1: You can never get to how high I never get
Speaker 1: too long your loads. You know, you gotta win each day.
Speaker 1: And that's the same thing in football about winning each day. Heck,
Speaker 1: I always tell people you get paid to practice, and
Speaker 1: you know that Wednesday practice hard, like you know, Steed
Speaker 1: that Thursday the past day, Friday reads on Saturday walked
Speaker 1: through to do the cleaning policies, and then you go
Speaker 1: out there and play on Sunday, you know. So you
Speaker 1: know this just winning each day and you do that
Speaker 1: every day in life, you know, and everything. So that
Speaker 1: would kind of answer that question about how football my
Speaker 1: lessons of football show to teach me my lessons in life.
Speaker 1: I appreciate you coming on, man, it's it's been outstanding.
Speaker 1: Congratulations on your restaurant and your hookah bar. And I
Speaker 1: I've learned this and you can keep it if you want,
Speaker 1: you can discard it, man, But I I read this
Speaker 1: a couple of weeks on. I've been I've been really
Speaker 1: holding on this and knowing what you've been through and
Speaker 1: how much, um, and knowing you've been raising a church,
Speaker 1: and also knowing how much life has tattered you a
Speaker 1: little bit. You got a little bit of you know,
Speaker 1: you don't have that duck's back. You got some welps
Speaker 1: and and and a little bit weather refinery every refinery.
Speaker 1: And so when I say this, and I will read
Speaker 1: this to you, tell me what comes to mind. So
Speaker 1: here it goes you Ready, there's something that I believe
Speaker 1: in and I and I'm going into into one and
Speaker 1: moving forward with And it goes like this, I am unique.
Speaker 1: There is only one person like me. I am worthwhile,
Speaker 1: competent and lovable. Mhm. It's powerful walk um. I would
Speaker 1: just say when first thing comes to mind to me,
Speaker 1: it's just shoo. Just loving yourself and believing in yourself, man,
Speaker 1: and investing in yourself, and they'll take you a long way.
Speaker 1: Spen Staff, you know, situation. I went through a year though,
Speaker 1: like that's that's the main thing. You know, we're starting
Speaker 1: the beginning of the year. And yet this is a
Speaker 1: man who has you know, according to everyone, according to
Speaker 1: Lorenzo O'Neil. We get you know, we have we get to.
Speaker 1: We have experienced in in the NFL any sports to
Speaker 1: get paid a king's ransom to play a child's game.
Speaker 1: And with COVID going on in Central workers people losing
Speaker 1: their jobs left and right, awaiting on the government to
Speaker 1: give stimulus checks out just to keep people afloat. And
Speaker 1: these these men and women are playing sports because that
Speaker 1: is there way of income. Whether you like the amount
Speaker 1: so not, that's their way of income. And there are
Speaker 1: people you heard Chris saying that he hasn't been allowed
Speaker 1: to see his kids, not because he's a dead beat,
Speaker 1: not because he's a degenerate or h ohs a debt
Speaker 1: to society is because protocol is not allowing him to
Speaker 1: see his children, and that's a major part of his life.
Speaker 1: I for one, I knew that there was a lot
Speaker 1: of protocol around, not just NFL, but NBA, and it's
Speaker 1: it's it's gotten tightened across all these different leads. For me,
Speaker 1: it just begs the question, why are we doing this
Speaker 1: in the first place. I hear what you're saying, that's
Speaker 1: that's how there's how they're making their their their living.
Speaker 1: But it's also um Man at that point in time,
Speaker 1: that would have to be tough to to play through that,
Speaker 1: even from from your advantage point being a former NFL
Speaker 1: player retired, now, could you put yourself in those shoes
Speaker 1: right now? It's I answer every time. It depends on
Speaker 1: the way my bank account of sat because that financial
Speaker 1: freedom gives you the ability to say, I don't want
Speaker 1: to deal with this. But if you don't have any
Speaker 1: other source of income, or your source and income just
Speaker 1: started this year, all you have is this. You got
Speaker 1: mortgage payments, you got insurance bills, you you have that
Speaker 1: cell phone, like all of that stuff, and so you
Speaker 1: know not to get in his in in his pocket.
Speaker 1: But it's just one of those things. He's also at
Speaker 1: that pivotal point where he doesn't know how much longer
Speaker 1: the NFL will allow him to still keep playing. But
Speaker 1: even you didn't see some of the high or earning players,
Speaker 1: they haven't opted out, so they're still playing for some
Speaker 1: sort of reasons. What would be what would be the
Speaker 1: balling point, what would be the frustration? Well, some guys
Speaker 1: are playing because the love of the game, the routine
Speaker 1: of being an athlete, and then sometimes and I've had
Speaker 1: it in retirement. What do I do if I don't
Speaker 1: do my job that I've been doing since I was
Speaker 1: It wasn't a job when I was a kid, but
Speaker 1: it's a job now and it's part of my life.
Speaker 1: Like when I when I quit playing football, I literally
Speaker 1: had a morning period where I missed football, like I
Speaker 1: missed that first love. He's like, I'm not gonna be
Speaker 1: able to do it anymore. So it is not just
Speaker 1: a means to an end or a way to make income.
Speaker 1: It is something that is a part of you. And
Speaker 1: if you played it like I started playing football, this
Speaker 1: flag attack on the third grade, the third grade, it's
Speaker 1: a huge part of your life. Man, it's it's it
Speaker 1: affects you and you don't really what as they say,
Speaker 1: you don't realize how much you miss something until it's
Speaker 1: not available for you. That's why. So you've been sharing
Speaker 1: with our listeners an excerpt from one of your readings.
Speaker 1: It's not a meditation in a Catholic or or Buddhist,
Speaker 1: it's a it's a meditation. It's a men's meditation based
Speaker 1: on I try to start my day every day reading
Speaker 1: God's word and it's and it's focused on is based
Speaker 1: on God's word, but also based on a quote or
Speaker 1: excerpt a scripture and then also just words of encouragement.
Speaker 1: And it's focused on men and and I think a
Speaker 1: lot of a lot of men that I know question
Speaker 1: their value. Question are they worthwhile? Are they more than
Speaker 1: just making checks to bring home, you know, making expect
Speaker 1: it more than just bringing home to baking? Like, what
Speaker 1: is what is my worth? What is my value outside
Speaker 1: of monetary? Outside of materialistic? What do I bring to
Speaker 1: the table that says I'm good enough, bare bones as
Speaker 1: who I am? And so I I really love books
Speaker 1: that really focuses on it makes me think. And if
Speaker 1: I'm not thinking, then I just kind of feel like
Speaker 1: I'm just well, you know, I'm just kind of I'm
Speaker 1: just skipping through life, right, just walking down the street
Speaker 1: with no direction. And so that that's why it's it's
Speaker 1: it's something that really, Um, I was always had a
Speaker 1: plan for football. Um, now I have a plan for
Speaker 1: my life outside of football. How do I impact? And
Speaker 1: really for me is um being able to leave an
Speaker 1: imprint on the world. And really that's that's my goal.
Speaker 1: And I don't know what that imprint is, but I'm
Speaker 1: learning following that imprint. Right now, I feel like just
Speaker 1: me being honest and transparent. Yeah, and and not not
Speaker 1: acting like I have all answers, but really just saying, hey,
Speaker 1: maybe in a room of ten, I'm the only jacked
Speaker 1: up person and I'm okay with that. But then I think,
Speaker 1: what's gonna what you're gonna find out is you're in
Speaker 1: the room of ten and then all ten hands can
Speaker 1: go up because everyone's feeling the same thing. But at
Speaker 1: some point in time, but I'm confident enough to say
Speaker 1: I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm
Speaker 1: willing to be this but I want to let you
Speaker 1: know I got problem as we all do. Man. Hey,
Speaker 1: you you were one day at a time, one step
Speaker 1: at a time, and if that's something with and with anyone,
Speaker 1: you have to find something that you can hold on to,
Speaker 1: whether it's something that you that you're that you're reading,
Speaker 1: whether it's something uh music that you hear inspirationally, whether
Speaker 1: it's whatever the case. Maybe everyone has had something they
Speaker 1: hold on too, So man, it's kudos to you for
Speaker 1: finding what that is and um just being willing to
Speaker 1: improve every single day. Appreciately cool. You are a unique person.
Speaker 1: You are well worth it, you are competent and most
Speaker 1: of all your lovable. I'm Steve Smith, singer, I'm Gerard
Speaker 1: Little John and this is cut to It. Cut to
Speaker 1: It with Steve Smith Senior. That Is Me is a
Speaker 1: production of Cut to It LLC, Baltol Creative Media, The
Speaker 1: Black Effect and I Heart Radio. For more podcast from
Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio, Apple Apple Podcast,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows from Cut
Speaker 1: to It. Executive producer Steve Smith, singr co host Gerard
Speaker 1: Little John, talent in booking manager Joe Fusci, Social media
Speaker 1: team Wesley Robinson and John Show from Balto Creative Media.
Speaker 1: Cut to It is produced by Brian Balta Chevic and
Speaker 1: Meredith Carter, with production assistance by Alex Lebrec. Production manager
Speaker 1: Sarah Pollock. Theme music by Alex Johnson, lyrics and vocals
Speaker 1: by Anthony Hamilton. If you ain't heard about it, then
Speaker 1: we're about to let you know. It's all