WEBVTT - Khaleke Hudson Knows "Hard WORK is UNDEFEATED" | Next Man Up | Washington Commanders 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:00.520 What's good. 0:00:00.560 --> 0:00:02.720 Command his Family Brian Copwa Junia and this is the 0:00:02.759 --> 0:00:05.360 Next Man Up podcast We talked to your favorite Commanders players, 0:00:05.440 --> 0:00:07.840 not so much about X and OS, more about the 0:00:07.880 --> 0:00:10.520 man behind the helmet, and our next man Up is 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:12.880 no other than Khalik Huntson Man. 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:13.840 We had a great conversation. 0:00:13.920 --> 0:00:17.120 Cleie talks about being from McKey Sport, Pennsylvania and giving 0:00:17.120 --> 0:00:18.120 back to the community. 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:19.960 Specifically, he talks. 0:00:19.720 --> 0:00:23.159 About his father and how his father throughout life just 0:00:23.280 --> 0:00:25.640 inspired him and taught him how to be the man 0:00:25.720 --> 0:00:27.920 he is today and what losing his father did to 0:00:28.000 --> 0:00:29.120 him and his mentality. 0:00:29.240 --> 0:00:31.000 He talks about Draft night and how that was the 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:32.560 best night of his life. 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:35.000 And he also talks about getting into the fourth year 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:37.519 of his NFL season and the trials and tribulations he 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:40.159 went through to get to this point. All that and 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:43.800 more starts right now, So Command his Family. This is 0:00:43.800 --> 0:00:46.839 Brian Corvir Junia and this is the Next Man Up Podcasts. 0:00:46.880 --> 0:00:49.040 We talked to your favorite Commanders players. Not so much 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:52.280 about X and O's, more about the man behind the helmet, 0:00:52.320 --> 0:00:54.200 and our next man up is no other than my 0:00:54.280 --> 0:00:55.520 God Kalie Huts and click out. 0:00:55.520 --> 0:00:55.920 You're doing today. 0:00:55.960 --> 0:00:57.280 Brother, I'm doing good about yourself. 0:00:57.400 --> 0:00:59.200 Man, I'm doing good. I appreciate you, man. I know 0:00:59.480 --> 0:01:01.520 the season's windling down. I know you guys are busy, 0:01:01.640 --> 0:01:03.440 so we appreciate you jumping on with us and like, 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:05.000 you know, kicking it for a little bit of a problem. 0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:05.440 Man. Yeah. 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:05.600 Man. 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:07.520 And like I said, Man, we ain't really talking extent. 0:01:07.600 --> 0:01:09.000 We don't want to talk so much with football. I want 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:10.040 to talk about you as the person. 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:10.200 Right. 0:01:10.440 --> 0:01:12.039 Let the fans get to know who you are, because 0:01:12.040 --> 0:01:14.199 you have a very interesting story, man. So we're gonna 0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:16.880 start with the story began a Key Sport, Pennsylvania, right, 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:18.400 I said it, right, Yes, sir, you said. 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:18.600 Yes, sir. 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:20.160 Man tell me what it means to be from a 0:01:20.240 --> 0:01:23.280 Key Sport, Pennsylvania and basically what it was like growing 0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:23.720 up out there. 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:27.800 It means a world to me, you know, just being 0:01:27.800 --> 0:01:32.640 from a key sport, just standing on, just being a pride, 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:35.959 being a guy who everybody looks up to as far 0:01:36.000 --> 0:01:39.720 as all the kids, and just being a role model 0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:43.760 to them. You know, I really take that serious. Try 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:46.560 to carry myself in a way to where a lot 0:01:46.600 --> 0:01:48.120 of people want to look up to me and want 0:01:48.160 --> 0:01:50.240 to do like certain things that I did and have 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:52.680 the impact that I have. So it just means a lot. 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:55.360 It means a lot. You know, I got a city 0:01:55.400 --> 0:01:58.040 on my back that really cares about his sports, really 0:01:58.040 --> 0:02:01.480 cares about his people just in general. So it just 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:03.000 means a lot for me to be in this position 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:03.520 right now. 0:02:04.320 --> 0:02:04.440 Uh. 0:02:04.840 --> 0:02:06.520 You know, growing up, there was a bunch of people 0:02:06.560 --> 0:02:09.440 I was able to look up to, people like, uh, 0:02:09.639 --> 0:02:12.799 swing Cash, she's in she was in a w NBA, 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:13.600 she's not Hall. 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:15.120 Of Famer, tough, tough hooper. 0:02:15.480 --> 0:02:18.960 Yeah, guys like uh, you know, Brandon Short, a guy 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:22.000 made it to the NFL, and just a bunch of 0:02:22.000 --> 0:02:24.760 other people who who paved the way for me, made 0:02:24.800 --> 0:02:28.480 it easy for me, gave me a vision I could 0:02:28.520 --> 0:02:31.359 I can, you know, see what they did and do 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:33.480 the same things, but just in my own way. Yea, 0:02:33.560 --> 0:02:35.440 it may have the same goal, but you know what 0:02:35.480 --> 0:02:38.040 I mean, it's just a different path, that's all. But Yeah, 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:40.200 being from a key sports means it means the world 0:02:40.240 --> 0:02:43.079 to me, you know what I mean. It's and it's 0:02:43.120 --> 0:02:45.200 just it's just it's just a great feeling to be 0:02:45.240 --> 0:02:47.200 from a place like that, and it's easy. 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:48.840 For guys to be like you know, I love my hometown. 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:51.160 I want to give back, but you actually do the work. 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:53.080 You had your I think this past summer thing in July, 0:02:53.360 --> 0:02:56.280 you had your second camp out in m Key, right, 0:02:56.360 --> 0:02:58.600 you had it out there. Man, how cool was that 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:00.480 to be able to not only do it once, but 0:03:00.520 --> 0:03:02.600 then do it a second time and have all the 0:03:02.680 --> 0:03:04.359 kids show out and just be able to holst the 0:03:04.400 --> 0:03:05.400 camp like that for the kids. 0:03:05.760 --> 0:03:08.240 It was. It was super cool, you know, just seeing 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:11.640 how excited the kids be, you know, like when when 0:03:11.680 --> 0:03:13.639 they see me and stuff like oh your coolly guss. Yeah, 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:16.440 I can run you over. I fashion than you. 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:19.800 You can. Trash talk starts immediately, it starts immediately. 0:03:19.840 --> 0:03:22.760 So like I love it though. Man, it's just it's 0:03:22.800 --> 0:03:24.800 just like just going back to it, like just being 0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:27.000 that guy that everybody could look up to, you know 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:28.680 what I mean, especially the kids, you know what I mean? 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:31.440 Growing up, that's something I always wanted to focus on 0:03:31.520 --> 0:03:33.840 being an inspiration for the kids, like showing them that 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:36.200 there's more than just where we're from, you know what 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:38.800 I mean, There's more. There's more than just sports as well, 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:40.280 Like you don't have to you don't have to make 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:42.880 it out just by going the sports away. You can 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:45.360 be a lawyer, you can be a doctor, you can 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:48.360 be a dentist, whatever you want to be. As long 0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:49.960 as you put your mind to it, you can do. 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:53.360 You can do whatever you want to. So just seeing 0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:55.720 their faces every year, you know this year coming up, 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:58.360 I might have another one, and I'm just so excited 0:03:58.800 --> 0:04:01.360 to be able to be in a position where I 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:03.240 can change someone's life. 0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:06.080 That's awesome, man, Because, like you said, changing somebody's life, 0:04:06.080 --> 0:04:07.480 I mean, one of those kids that could be their 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:10.480 first time seen anything involved with football, and then because 0:04:10.520 --> 0:04:12.560 of your camp, now they love football. 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:16.400 Yeah you growing up? What made you love football? 0:04:16.960 --> 0:04:20.160 What made me love football? So I started football at 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:23.960 the age of four. My dad put me into football, 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:27.719 and he was one of the main reasons why I 0:04:27.800 --> 0:04:31.440 kept going so hard and because he worked me, my brothers. 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:35.719 He worked us to be the best. Every single day 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:38.640 were doing something. We was in multiple different sports, but 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:41.719 it was always football. Yeah, I mean that he was 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:44.320 most serious about. He was serious about all the other sports, 0:04:44.320 --> 0:04:47.440 but football. We had to be on point. You had 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:52.760 to be hustling, full speed, hitting everybody, scoring touchdown. So 0:04:54.160 --> 0:04:58.720 just from them experiences just kept creating stronger love for 0:04:58.800 --> 0:05:03.000 the game for me, and I just kept it going, 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:05.000 you know what I mean. And my dad passed away 0:05:05.040 --> 0:05:08.880 in twenty thirteen, and me, I feel like everything happens 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:11.120 for a reason, you know what I mean. So I 0:05:11.120 --> 0:05:13.839 feel like that propelled me to work even harder, knowing 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:18.920 that that's a portism from my dad was not there 0:05:18.920 --> 0:05:21.520 no more. Now I had to turn it up myself, 0:05:21.680 --> 0:05:26.400 my own mental like my mom mental capacity, you know, 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:28.960 just be stronger mentally, just knowing that he's still there 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:31.720 in my head. So I got to carry on what 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:34.160 he wanted me to do. I gotta carry on this 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:38.240 task of keeping my grades up in school, doing the 0:05:38.320 --> 0:05:42.880 right thing all the time, being a good son, being 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:44.880 the best player on the field, you know what I mean. 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:48.800 So I had to work on doing that without him 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:50.920 being there, and it was kind of a struggle at first, 0:05:52.000 --> 0:05:55.239 but as I kept going, and you know, there's certain 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:57.960 things that happened. When you learn from certain situations that happened, 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:00.800 you know, might get in trouble with here, like Okay, 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:03.160 I know I can't do that, or I gotta do 0:06:03.200 --> 0:06:06.080 this better. So that's why I say everything happens for 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:07.640 a reason. I feel like it was just a test 0:06:07.640 --> 0:06:10.000 from God, you know what I mean, Like your dad 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:12.000 was always there telling you what to do, making sure 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:14.360 you was making sure you was always doing everything you're 0:06:14.360 --> 0:06:17.840 supposed to be doing. And you know, he got taken away. 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:19.880 So that was kind of a challenge on me, like 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:22.160 I'm gonna see if you still keep going what you's 0:06:22.160 --> 0:06:24.360 supposed to be doing even though that guy's not there 0:06:24.400 --> 0:06:28.200 no more. So it's like it was hard. It was 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:32.400 very hard, but like I said, everything happens for a reason, 0:06:32.400 --> 0:06:34.440 and it got me to this where I am now 0:06:34.520 --> 0:06:37.880 and still to this day, I live by everything that 0:06:38.520 --> 0:06:41.760 my dad taught me, everything that I've seen with him 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:44.720 taking care of our family, taking care of my siblings, 0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:46.919 and just being a man he's supposed to be for 0:06:47.000 --> 0:06:51.360 the family overall. Yeah, I was just just soaking all 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:55.040 that in and try to integrate it into my own 0:06:55.080 --> 0:06:57.080 life so I could be that person for my family. 0:06:57.279 --> 0:06:57.520 Yeah. 0:06:57.720 --> 0:07:00.600 And you know everywhere you go, man, everything you do, 0:07:00.680 --> 0:07:02.800 the way you carry yourself on the field, off the field, man, 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:03.640 he's with you everywhere. 0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:03.840 Man. 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:05.840 So I want to first say sorry to hear that. Man, 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:08.560 I'm really sorry you lost your father. You said he 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:10.520 was taken away from you. Man, do you mind explaining 0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:12.160 what happened back in twenty thirteen? 0:07:12.280 --> 0:07:15.920 Yeah, it was a gun violence. Yeah, you know, he's 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:18.600 just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:20.680 you know, gun violence. 0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:23.840 I'm sorry to hear that, man and talk about how 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:26.680 hard that is, right man, twenty thirteen to ten years ago. Yeah, 0:07:26.720 --> 0:07:29.320 we're very young man, think you were what's still in 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:32.120 high school on the tenth grade going into tenth grade? Man, 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:34.640 those are very primitive years, man, Those are years when 0:07:34.800 --> 0:07:37.960 a young man probably needs this father the most. How 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:40.160 did you get through that? How did you get through that? 0:07:40.480 --> 0:07:42.360 Because there's a lot of people going through things, people 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:45.200 going through things right now that are dealing with battles man, 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:47.040 and trying to just see the other side, see the 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:48.080 light at the end of the tunnel. 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:50.320 How did you get through that and become the man 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:50.880 you are now? 0:07:53.920 --> 0:07:58.200 I feel like majority of time people unise situations like this, 0:07:58.400 --> 0:08:02.040 like if it happens to him as a reason to retaliate, 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:04.960 or a reason to go back and do damage to 0:08:05.040 --> 0:08:09.360 somebody else, to somebody else's family. But I looked at 0:08:09.400 --> 0:08:12.680 it in a way to where I just use it 0:08:12.720 --> 0:08:17.720 as motivation. Like it might sound crazy, but my dad 0:08:17.800 --> 0:08:20.200 not being there no more. Like I said, I felt 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:23.000 like it was a test from God. You know, I'm 0:08:23.000 --> 0:08:25.360 gonna see if you really still want this. I'm gonna 0:08:25.360 --> 0:08:27.200 take this guy away, you know. I mean, you know 0:08:27.880 --> 0:08:32.360 I've away and see how much you really wanted. See 0:08:32.600 --> 0:08:34.480 if you're gonna still keep grinding, If you are, you're 0:08:34.480 --> 0:08:37.880 gonna still keep your grades up? Are you going try 0:08:37.920 --> 0:08:39.720 to be that person he was for your family? 0:08:39.960 --> 0:08:40.200 You know? 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:43.679 And I just took it and just ran with it, 0:08:43.760 --> 0:08:47.080 you know. I just stepped up, kept going, kept pushing, 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:50.640 worked ten times even harder, worked ten times even harder 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:52.640 in school, trying to be the best man I can 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:55.280 be for my family, the best son I could be 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:59.360 for my mother, and just kept pushing it, just kept 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:01.880 using this motive, kept saying my dad's still with me, 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:03.839 my dad still with me, like he'll be proud of 0:09:03.880 --> 0:09:06.240 me right now. And I got to keep going to 0:09:06.280 --> 0:09:09.840 make him happy, make my family happy. So that's what 0:09:09.880 --> 0:09:11.880 I'll say. I use the situation as motivation. 0:09:12.559 --> 0:09:15.440 Was it times when that confidence wavered where you know 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:17.080 your pops told you, hey, this is what you can do, 0:09:17.120 --> 0:09:18.280 this is what you can do in life if you 0:09:18.360 --> 0:09:21.160 just stay focused. But now you're on your own essentially, right, 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:23.200 you don't have him there. Did you have times when 0:09:23.200 --> 0:09:25.520 you were like, man, I can't do this football thing 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:25.839 no more. 0:09:26.160 --> 0:09:28.480 It reminds me too much. Did you have those moments? Nah? 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:31.280 I never had them. Wow, because I knew I always 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:34.280 always knew what I was capable of, always knew my 0:09:34.360 --> 0:09:36.840 true potential and what I was able to do on 0:09:36.840 --> 0:09:39.320 the field just in general, you know, just by just 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:41.400 from the things that he taught me. You know, the 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:43.560 jokes that we went over every day, and we kept 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:46.440 kept going over, going over going to the field wise 0:09:46.480 --> 0:09:49.680 thunderstorment outside me and my two brothers were still working. 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:55.880 So it's like going through all that, it molded in 0:09:55.920 --> 0:09:58.200 my head and that's just how I am now, Like 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:01.880 no one's going to outwork me. I'm going to try 0:10:01.880 --> 0:10:03.760 to be the hardest worker on the field all the time, 0:10:03.840 --> 0:10:05.280 no matter what I do it I don't got to 0:10:05.280 --> 0:10:07.040 be on the field, could be in my regular life. 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:11.120 I'm trying to be the hardest worker, and I want 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:17.480 to be that guy for my family, my personal family 0:10:17.520 --> 0:10:20.760 now because now I have a baby's team rather Congress, 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:25.520 so for my personal family, my family in general, and 0:10:25.679 --> 0:10:27.360 just be that guy that he was, you know. 0:10:27.679 --> 0:10:30.679 Yeah, man, and you not only you know, take care 0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:32.480 of your own family, but you're looking out for others 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:35.080 as well. We had a mind cause my cleats not 0:10:35.120 --> 0:10:37.960 too long ago, and you decided to have something about 0:10:38.000 --> 0:10:40.360 gun violence on your pleased to represent that. Why was 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:43.040 that an important message to get across? And how have 0:10:43.160 --> 0:10:46.160 you tried your best to help others now. 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:47.920 Go through what you and your family went through. 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:51.320 That's very important for me because, like I told you, 0:10:51.360 --> 0:10:54.680 I lost my dad through gun violence, but I lost 0:10:54.960 --> 0:10:57.760 multiple friends, like a lot of friends through gun violence, 0:10:57.840 --> 0:11:01.480 like over twenty more. Just I don't even know. It's 0:11:01.520 --> 0:11:04.120 it's That's what I'm saying. Being from a key sport, 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:06.920 like it gots it's ups and it also has its downs. 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:10.800 Like I remember, probably like three four years ago, it 0:11:10.840 --> 0:11:13.480 was like ranked like the top five most dangerous cities 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:17.959 in the US. So so there's a lot of stuff 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:19.480 you gotta deal with, a lot of stuff you got 0:11:19.600 --> 0:11:22.160 to keep pushing through. Like I said, I lost a 0:11:22.200 --> 0:11:24.280 lot of people, a lot of family, a lot of 0:11:24.320 --> 0:11:28.840 friends from gun violence. So that hold that whole that 0:11:28.840 --> 0:11:32.240 that's a heavy feeling in my heart, you know, yeah, 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:33.960 for sure, for sure, And I just want to And 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:37.720 what I try to do is I try to preach 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:40.160 the word to you know, stay out the streets and 0:11:40.600 --> 0:11:42.280 do what's right. And like I said, don't have to 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:45.080 be through football. It could be through any avenue. Like 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:47.560 I said, doctor, then it's whatever you want to do, 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:49.720 you can do it. If you don't want to go 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:54.120 down this path to where you know, you're walking around 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:56.880 with guns and stuff like that, or you're just around 0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:00.480 bad energy, to bad environments like that, because nothing good 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:03.719 is happening. Nothing good happens out of being around being 0:12:03.760 --> 0:12:07.040 around being around things like that. So I tried to 0:12:07.040 --> 0:12:09.000 push it every day when I'm talking to my friends, 0:12:09.000 --> 0:12:12.400 when I'm talking to the youth back at home, talking 0:12:12.440 --> 0:12:14.400 to growing ups back at home. I try to always 0:12:14.400 --> 0:12:17.320 push for peace, you know what I mean, for peace 0:12:17.360 --> 0:12:21.600 and positivity, you know, because I know I know how 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:24.080 I feel to lose, to lose someone very close to 0:12:24.120 --> 0:12:26.800 you because of gun violence. So I tried to spread 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:28.920 that so no one else has to feel that same 0:12:28.960 --> 0:12:29.720 pain that I felt. 0:12:30.400 --> 0:12:32.720 What's feeling that pain going through those things? Losing so 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:35.040 many people? Was that part of the reason why you 0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:37.719 decided to head over to Michigan for college because a 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:38.920 lot of guys you talked we talked to us a 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:41.280 little bit before the show started in I asked you, 0:12:41.440 --> 0:12:43.480 like most guys that we talked to here, they stay 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:43.959 close to home. 0:12:44.160 --> 0:12:45.000 They don't want to go nowhere. 0:12:45.000 --> 0:12:46.840 I don't know how many Virginia Tech people we talked 0:12:46.840 --> 0:12:48.320 to called this team. 0:12:48.120 --> 0:12:50.000 But you decided to go very far from home and 0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:50.600 go to Michigan. 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:52.439 When it went into that decision, it didn't have anything 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:54.440 to do with the things you were trying to leave 0:12:54.520 --> 0:12:55.840 behind back in PA. 0:12:57.400 --> 0:13:01.840 I'll say it had a a little bit, I'll say 0:13:01.880 --> 0:13:04.920 a little bit, but really I wanted to get away 0:13:04.920 --> 0:13:06.880 from home but also be close enough to where my 0:13:06.920 --> 0:13:10.160 family could still come to the games. And it really 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:14.520 came down to Penn State or Michigan. Uh. In Penn State, 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:16.760 there was a couple of things that happened with the 0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:21.040 with the coaching staff and me, and that wasn't really feeling. 0:13:21.120 --> 0:13:24.480 But towards the end of my senior year that that 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:26.559 love for Penn State started coming back a little bit. 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:29.960 But when I went up to Michigan on my visit, 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:33.080 it was just it was a rap. It was a 0:13:33.440 --> 0:13:36.760 kochar Ball had just that was I was his first 0:13:36.800 --> 0:13:40.480 recruiting class. That was his second year at Michigan. We 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:44.040 just had changed over. We became a sponsored by Jordan. 0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:47.040 Oh. Yeah, so they laid the kicks out for you 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:47.760 when you pulled up. 0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:48.199 Yeah. 0:13:49.480 --> 0:13:54.319 Also with that, the schooling and education from a college 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:57.000 like Michigan is like, you know, can't beat that for real? 0:13:58.080 --> 0:13:59.719 Uh yeah, I mean That's how I made my have 0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:02.400 to say, I really I want to go go go 0:14:02.480 --> 0:14:04.640 far away, but stay close enough to my family can 0:14:04.679 --> 0:14:06.200 still support for me. 0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:07.959 It seemed like you made the right decision. Man. 0:14:07.960 --> 0:14:10.000 And before we move forward through college, Man, it's actually 0:14:10.040 --> 0:14:11.920 something happened. I think it happened in like twenty fifteen. 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:14.160 We do a research year and next man, you know 0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:16.120 what I'm saying. So I saw this video of you 0:14:16.240 --> 0:14:17.839 like jumping over a brother that looked like he was 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:20.560 like six five six six, and you just like vertical 0:14:20.680 --> 0:14:23.480 jump over him and then do like the crazy one 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:24.320 hand snag. 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:26.880 Right. Do you remember what I'm talking about? Yeah? I 0:14:26.880 --> 0:14:29.040 remember that. Man, talk to me about what's going with 0:14:29.080 --> 0:14:29.920 you about it? That video? 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:31.480 And did you know it was going to make the 0:14:31.520 --> 0:14:33.680 impact on your life at the time when you made it. 0:14:33.960 --> 0:14:36.680 I did not know, And it's crazy because I still 0:14:36.680 --> 0:14:40.840 stand on this today in twenty fifteen. I did that, 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:43.560 and then right after that, all these other people around 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:47.240 the world start doing like trick catches, backflips, catching two hands. 0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:48.680 People got whole careers off of that. 0:14:48.760 --> 0:14:51.200 Now, yeah, I'm like, you know, I'm like, I peep it. 0:14:51.320 --> 0:14:53.360 I peep it for real. You the trend set up. 0:14:53.480 --> 0:14:56.800 I'm the trend sector for real. But yeah, I remember 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:58.640 that moment. Man, that's crazy, and I did not know 0:14:58.680 --> 0:15:01.440 it was going to go viral. That for me doing 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:03.840 I'm like, say nothing, I just I've been doing this 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:04.680 since I was a kid. 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:06.680 Just I mean, it looks crazy. We're going to show it, 0:15:06.720 --> 0:15:08.600 like right now, looks it looks nuts what you do. 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:10.720 Because brother looked like he was pretty big man, and 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:12.560 you're not a little guy either. For like to just 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:15.080 be bouncing like that then to catch the pass, it's 0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:15.800 pretty impressive. 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:17.360 I don't know if I got that bounce like that 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:18.920 no more. That was a couple of years ago. 0:15:19.080 --> 0:15:21.000 But I still give you a little something. 0:15:21.080 --> 0:15:24.640 Yeah, Well, clearly you are a superb athlete and clearly 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:26.480 worked out for you in Michigan. Man, you get drafted 0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:28.880 in the fifth round by Washington. Take us back to 0:15:28.920 --> 0:15:31.040 that day, man, at that moment. I love hearing these stories. 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:33.200 Where were you at? What was you doing when you 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:34.720 got that call when you got drafted? 0:15:34.760 --> 0:15:35.840 Man? To bring us back there. 0:15:35.960 --> 0:15:38.400 Yeah, So I wasn't back in Pittsburgh, and it was 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:41.720 during COVID, so I couldn't have the event that I 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:42.760 really wanted to have. 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:44.600 For all my tough man, that's tough. 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:46.480 I really had something set up. I wanted to do 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:49.520 something in my hometown to where like literally everybody came 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:51.920 and was like behind me, like literally down to the 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:55.280 whole city and I was, you know, wait for a 0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:57.440 phone call and stuff like that. But COVID had messed 0:15:57.480 --> 0:16:00.280 it up. But I had like an air and b 0:16:00.400 --> 0:16:04.400 had some close family there and that day was kind 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:06.920 of like all the day, so I knew probably I 0:16:06.960 --> 0:16:08.720 knew I wasn't gonna go the first day, but the 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:11.360 second day or third day was like really nerve wracking, 0:16:12.000 --> 0:16:15.600 just waiting, waiting, waiting, then somebody random might call like yo, 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:18.400 what are you doing, like like leave my photo alone. 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:24.600 But I got called on the third day, uh, you know, 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:28.120 by Washington, and it was it was probably still to 0:16:28.160 --> 0:16:30.440 this day, the best feeling ever, the best for I've 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:34.160 ever had in my life. Wow, because it was just 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:36.720 it was just a so real moment. You know, like 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:39.920 you work your whole life to get to you know, 0:16:40.000 --> 0:16:43.080 the NFL, and to get that call one day, and 0:16:43.200 --> 0:16:45.320 when you're in a moment and it actually happened, it's 0:16:45.360 --> 0:16:49.240 just like I just like immediately just started like tearing up, 0:16:49.280 --> 0:16:52.120 crying and stuff, like my mom is right here, all 0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:54.600 my family's here, and like I'm just thinking about my 0:16:54.680 --> 0:16:57.280 dad listening. I really don't remember what they were saying 0:16:57.280 --> 0:17:01.280 on the phone. I just just whenever he stopped talking, 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:03.280 I just started saying thank you. I appreciate it so 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:06.679 much because it's just so many things was like, you know, 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:09.560 going through my mind, especially my dad, just knowing he 0:17:09.680 --> 0:17:10.119 was so. 0:17:09.960 --> 0:17:10.439 Proud of me. 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:14.960 And you know, after everything had calmed down, I had 0:17:15.560 --> 0:17:17.840