WEBVTT - Player Storytelling: Michael Vick (Part 2)

0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:07.680
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to the NFL Legends Podcast, an NFL podcast for

0:00:07.800 --> 0:00:13.039
<v Speaker 1>the players, by the players. Here is your host, fourteen

0:00:13.160 --> 0:00:21.160
<v Speaker 1>year NFL veteran and Hall of Famer Anius Williams. Welcome

0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:24.480
<v Speaker 1>back to the Legends Podcast. I am a Nius Williams.

0:00:25.000 --> 0:00:28.360
<v Speaker 1>We're here. What Michael Vick talking about his fight against

0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:34.280
<v Speaker 1>recipivism listening. You know, we're gonna we're gonna provide jobs,

0:00:34.360 --> 0:00:37.400
<v Speaker 1>you know, through our housing program. As we build houses

0:00:37.760 --> 0:00:39.960
<v Speaker 1>for inmates to live in, We're gonna hire the fellas

0:00:40.000 --> 0:00:41.960
<v Speaker 1>to come in and do the wealth in the compentry,

0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:44.480
<v Speaker 1>to do the painting, you know. So we're gonna create

0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:47.959
<v Speaker 1>this massive platform. You know, and while you know men

0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:51.280
<v Speaker 1>and women are in concrated, they can look forward to something.

0:00:51.640 --> 0:00:53.440
<v Speaker 1>You know, they have to work at it, you know,

0:00:53.440 --> 0:00:56.920
<v Speaker 1>it's it would being Center Bates. But if they qualify,

0:00:57.000 --> 0:00:59.639
<v Speaker 1>if they do everything they need to do, then they

0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:01.800
<v Speaker 1>can come to be a success story in their own right.

0:01:02.000 --> 0:01:05.200
<v Speaker 1>So I think that's very important just for the next generation.

0:01:05.240 --> 0:01:07.960
<v Speaker 1>We're also gonna have a youth program, uh, you know,

0:01:08.000 --> 0:01:10.479
<v Speaker 1>where we speak at detentions and and try to catch

0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:13.040
<v Speaker 1>the kids earlier before they become a problem and try

0:01:13.080 --> 0:01:16.480
<v Speaker 1>to help stay them and write direction. And you know,

0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:18.640
<v Speaker 1>like I said, it's it's not about me anymore. It's

0:01:18.640 --> 0:01:21.600
<v Speaker 1>about helping others. You know, my kids got to grow

0:01:21.640 --> 0:01:24.000
<v Speaker 1>up in this world that you know, at times can

0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:27.360
<v Speaker 1>be very intricate, and um, you know, we asked ourselves

0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:29.280
<v Speaker 1>like why, you know, why does this happen? And why

0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:33.080
<v Speaker 1>does that happen? You think some people are crazy? You know,

0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:36.039
<v Speaker 1>it's just sometimes they just don't have no guidance. And uh,

0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:38.040
<v Speaker 1>I want to educate as many people as I can.

0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:39.679
<v Speaker 1>I'm want to help as many people as I can,

0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:41.880
<v Speaker 1>but I can't do it by myself. I needed help

0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:44.920
<v Speaker 1>with others. And if I can affect you know, a

0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:47.160
<v Speaker 1>hundreds of people a year, two hundred people a year

0:01:47.200 --> 0:01:49.600
<v Speaker 1>to give them an opportunity in life, and I can

0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:52.760
<v Speaker 1>do that over a lifetime and that's program to continue

0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:55.040
<v Speaker 1>to carry on. So it's just something that I'm so

0:01:55.120 --> 0:01:57.120
<v Speaker 1>excited about. Man. I just feel like this would be

0:01:57.160 --> 0:01:59.640
<v Speaker 1>my greatest accomplishment in life if I can pull it off.

0:01:59.720 --> 0:02:03.400
<v Speaker 1>And uh, I feel like I'm having the right conversations

0:02:03.440 --> 0:02:06.880
<v Speaker 1>with the right people who believe in it, who understand it,

0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:09.760
<v Speaker 1>and uh, you know, when it's all sitting done, there's

0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:11.600
<v Speaker 1>so many people will be able to say, you know,

0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:14.800
<v Speaker 1>I contributed to something so great. I think we can

0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:18.760
<v Speaker 1>all be proud about it. Michael, When when we're players

0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:22.639
<v Speaker 1>and even current players, my dad makes a statement, he says,

0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:25.080
<v Speaker 1>son is not what people don't know that hurt them,

0:02:25.080 --> 0:02:27.800
<v Speaker 1>it's what they do know. That's not true. When you

0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:32.120
<v Speaker 1>were playing, did you ever have the thought, man, the

0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:37.120
<v Speaker 1>league doesn't really care about us. Are once the teams

0:02:37.120 --> 0:02:40.600
<v Speaker 1>are finished, they don't care. And then you go through

0:02:40.639 --> 0:02:43.840
<v Speaker 1>your challenge and you talked about the support coach Tony Dungeon,

0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:48.200
<v Speaker 1>You talked about Commissioner Roger Goodell's involvement, You talked about

0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:52.960
<v Speaker 1>the teams that also gave you another opportunity. Was that

0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:59.280
<v Speaker 1>a surprise to you, how well supported you were, Michael,

0:03:01.360 --> 0:03:04.120
<v Speaker 1>It wasn't a surprise. It was a surprise of Roger.

0:03:04.160 --> 0:03:06.240
<v Speaker 1>But they will not be honest about this because I

0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:08.640
<v Speaker 1>looked him in his face in a lot about what

0:03:08.760 --> 0:03:12.080
<v Speaker 1>I've been involved in. Um, you know, one because I

0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:14.160
<v Speaker 1>had so much respect to him, and two because I

0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:17.600
<v Speaker 1>was scared. Um then I was young at the time.

0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:21.160
<v Speaker 1>Three But you know, when I came home and I

0:03:21.240 --> 0:03:25.760
<v Speaker 1>had an opportunity to recreate the narrative and and talk

0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:29.120
<v Speaker 1>to um Roger and show him that I was different

0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:31.959
<v Speaker 1>than I'm mature. You know, now, I just need an opportunity.

0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:34.640
<v Speaker 1>That's pretty much at all I was asking for. And

0:03:34.840 --> 0:03:39.000
<v Speaker 1>you know, with most people, they just don't have anyone

0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:42.200
<v Speaker 1>that they can turn to it and you know, say, look,

0:03:42.560 --> 0:03:44.600
<v Speaker 1>this just be a crutch for me. Just help me out,

0:03:44.720 --> 0:03:47.040
<v Speaker 1>Just give me one shot. You know that shot never

0:03:47.120 --> 0:03:50.400
<v Speaker 1>comes um. And you know, of course they can't go

0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:53.440
<v Speaker 1>out and create it. UM. But I felt like the

0:03:53.480 --> 0:03:56.560
<v Speaker 1>league really supported me when I came when I came back,

0:03:57.240 --> 0:04:00.280
<v Speaker 1>and for whatever reason, you don't thank God. But yeah,

0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:04.200
<v Speaker 1>it's a lot of guys, maybe eight percent of them

0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:06.920
<v Speaker 1>who retired from the league. Their career is over and

0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:09.680
<v Speaker 1>they just they don't have anything to do, they don't

0:04:10.120 --> 0:04:13.280
<v Speaker 1>have anything to fall back on. I think the league

0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:15.960
<v Speaker 1>does a great job of creating of the programs that

0:04:16.000 --> 0:04:19.359
<v Speaker 1>they have getting us ready to transition out of the NFL.

0:04:19.440 --> 0:04:22.440
<v Speaker 1>But do everybody take that serious? No? You know, do

0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:25.120
<v Speaker 1>we feel like sometimes it's just passing time? Yeah, somebody

0:04:25.120 --> 0:04:27.880
<v Speaker 1>be honest. But those are the things that we really

0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:30.479
<v Speaker 1>have prepare attention to because it's there force you know,

0:04:30.600 --> 0:04:33.520
<v Speaker 1>we don't always get a coach like Andy Reid, who

0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:36.599
<v Speaker 1>two years later after I retired, invited me to come

0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:40.760
<v Speaker 1>do a coaching internship with the Kansas City teach. So

0:04:41.200 --> 0:04:43.839
<v Speaker 1>that was another opportunity I would have had if I

0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:46.680
<v Speaker 1>hadn't had an opportunity to go and work for Fox

0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:52.040
<v Speaker 1>as an analysts. Um. So yeah, everybody don't get those opportunities. Man,

0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:53.599
<v Speaker 1>That's why you got to create your own. When you

0:04:53.640 --> 0:04:57.239
<v Speaker 1>have your own platform, you guys need to be educating

0:04:57.279 --> 0:05:00.880
<v Speaker 1>themselves and thinking, you know, continue is from now, twenty

0:05:00.960 --> 0:05:03.920
<v Speaker 1>years from now, you know, not about you know what's

0:05:03.960 --> 0:05:07.400
<v Speaker 1>happening right there in the short term. Form Were you

0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:13.120
<v Speaker 1>surprised by the falconswa Arthur blinks support even though you

0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:15.800
<v Speaker 1>were no longer playing with the team. Was that a

0:05:15.839 --> 0:05:19.479
<v Speaker 1>surprise to you how much he really came out to support. No,

0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:22.559
<v Speaker 1>it wasn't a surprise because one thing I know about

0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:24.760
<v Speaker 1>Arthur Blinker is that he loves me as as a

0:05:24.800 --> 0:05:28.240
<v Speaker 1>man and as a person. Knew than anything, he loved

0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:31.200
<v Speaker 1>you know, my family, you know, you know, probably my

0:05:31.200 --> 0:05:33.440
<v Speaker 1>wife wanted he you know, he loved me because he

0:05:34.320 --> 0:05:38.000
<v Speaker 1>respect you know, the respect my wife and what we've

0:05:38.000 --> 0:05:40.400
<v Speaker 1>been through and he's been there, you know, every step

0:05:40.440 --> 0:05:43.800
<v Speaker 1>of the way, and so it didn't surprise me where

0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:46.800
<v Speaker 1>he he flew in and brought me my favorite dinner

0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:50.480
<v Speaker 1>from my favorite restaurant, you know, you know stony. Really

0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:54.560
<v Speaker 1>I didn't uh out in Georgia, man, So yeah, I

0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:56.760
<v Speaker 1>mean I was just thankful. And I didn't have a

0:05:56.800 --> 0:05:59.159
<v Speaker 1>dime in my pocket. I had nothing, I had no money.

0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:02.240
<v Speaker 1>I was in ain't grubcy, you know. Of course I

0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:04.359
<v Speaker 1>wanted to say, Mr blank, can I borrow a hundred

0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:06.799
<v Speaker 1>thousand dollars please? I need it. I don't have anything.

0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:09.840
<v Speaker 1>But you know, regardless of what I was going through,

0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:13.000
<v Speaker 1>I always believe in myself, and they knew that I

0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:14.880
<v Speaker 1>would come out on the other side better. It was

0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:17.440
<v Speaker 1>just a test, you know. And uh, you know what's

0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:21.720
<v Speaker 1>going back to my prison reform program. It's about trust,

0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:23.400
<v Speaker 1>you know. Can I trust you? Can I trust you

0:06:23.400 --> 0:06:25.800
<v Speaker 1>to go through the proper steps to go through all

0:06:25.800 --> 0:06:29.040
<v Speaker 1>the classes and curriculums they passed to qualify, and we

0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:31.240
<v Speaker 1>come out. We'll be a crunch for you for a year.

0:06:31.360 --> 0:06:34.599
<v Speaker 1>We'll help you out transportation, housing, you know. Can you

0:06:34.640 --> 0:06:37.600
<v Speaker 1>stay the course and and not have an excuse at

0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:40.000
<v Speaker 1>the very end. You know, that's what it's all about.

0:06:40.080 --> 0:06:42.800
<v Speaker 1>So sometimes you got to give people an opportunity, you

0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:45.039
<v Speaker 1>got to mons from and make sure that they fall

0:06:45.120 --> 0:06:47.080
<v Speaker 1>in line with what they say that they're gonna commit to.

0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:51.160
<v Speaker 1>And I believe in that as a as an In

0:06:51.240 --> 0:06:54.920
<v Speaker 1>central part of the NFL Letings podcast, it's about our guests,

0:06:55.240 --> 0:07:00.640
<v Speaker 1>our guests journey. You've experienced being in concerated. Can can

0:07:00.680 --> 0:07:04.200
<v Speaker 1>you touch and share with us? What was your experience

0:07:04.400 --> 0:07:09.040
<v Speaker 1>like being in prison? Uh? Yeah, I break it down. Um,

0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:13.320
<v Speaker 1>the first month, it was just a lot of pain.

0:07:14.440 --> 0:07:17.360
<v Speaker 1>You think about everything, man, you know, you worked so

0:07:17.480 --> 0:07:19.000
<v Speaker 1>hard for in your life. You think about all the

0:07:19.040 --> 0:07:21.760
<v Speaker 1>people that you let down and you hurt um that

0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:23.760
<v Speaker 1>you may have lied to, and then you look at

0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:26.160
<v Speaker 1>your surroundings and say, okay, well it led to this,

0:07:26.560 --> 0:07:29.240
<v Speaker 1>and then you know, it's just this like outpour of

0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:32.520
<v Speaker 1>feelings and emotions and you know a lot of a

0:07:32.600 --> 0:07:34.760
<v Speaker 1>lot of tears, a lot of crying and for a

0:07:34.840 --> 0:07:37.800
<v Speaker 1>person of you know my statue, Yeah, yeah, I grew

0:07:37.880 --> 0:07:41.280
<v Speaker 1>up in you know, public housing and it was rough,

0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:45.200
<v Speaker 1>but I never had to sell drugs, are doing anything

0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:48.480
<v Speaker 1>to put myself in a vulnerable situation. Where I went

0:07:48.520 --> 0:07:50.520
<v Speaker 1>to prison. So I didn't know what prison life was like.

0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:52.480
<v Speaker 1>I didn't think it was for me. I never thought

0:07:52.520 --> 0:07:54.680
<v Speaker 1>it was for me. So I'm looking at myself in

0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:59.160
<v Speaker 1>a place where it's just unforbidden territory. You know, it's

0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:02.520
<v Speaker 1>like being in the dungeon, you know, when and when

0:08:02.560 --> 0:08:05.000
<v Speaker 1>you when you walk out that dungeon doors like a castle.

0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:07.760
<v Speaker 1>I'm like, man, I just had everything I wanted in life,

0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:10.360
<v Speaker 1>and now I'm here confined with you know, I was

0:08:10.400 --> 0:08:13.040
<v Speaker 1>in entirely taken finding by myself, so that made it harder.

0:08:13.280 --> 0:08:16.560
<v Speaker 1>You know, it wasn't in the interaction with anyone, UM

0:08:17.080 --> 0:08:21.040
<v Speaker 1>the whole time, you know, the first sixty days until

0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:24.120
<v Speaker 1>I finally went to leaven Work prison camp, which was

0:08:24.720 --> 0:08:27.720
<v Speaker 1>more so for me. Um, But it's still you know,

0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:30.640
<v Speaker 1>you're locked up with a lot of people and it's

0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:36.040
<v Speaker 1>just you know, too many men together every day. I

0:08:36.240 --> 0:08:40.000
<v Speaker 1>just say that, like it's just too much. Um. You know,

0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:44.120
<v Speaker 1>you gotta find ways to entertain you know, yourself, and

0:08:44.480 --> 0:08:46.840
<v Speaker 1>block out the world because that can drive me crazy.

0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:48.720
<v Speaker 1>So I learned to play chess, I learned to play

0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:51.880
<v Speaker 1>all types of card games. I learned to play dominoes.

0:08:52.400 --> 0:08:54.840
<v Speaker 1>UM found ways. I just spend more time playing chess

0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:57.679
<v Speaker 1>than anything. Once I learned, um, and there was the

0:08:57.760 --> 0:09:00.400
<v Speaker 1>way to just kind of help me, see you, to

0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:03.160
<v Speaker 1>think critically every day, keep my mind off the world

0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:06.800
<v Speaker 1>and you know, but but it's tough, it's not it's

0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:09.640
<v Speaker 1>not the easiest thing to do. Um. You know, as

0:09:09.679 --> 0:09:12.480
<v Speaker 1>a man, you we can handle it. But it's just

0:09:13.040 --> 0:09:15.360
<v Speaker 1>having to deal with knowing that it's freedom on the

0:09:15.440 --> 0:09:18.760
<v Speaker 1>other side, which drives you crazy. And um, depending on

0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:21.480
<v Speaker 1>what you did and make it worse. You see what

0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:23.719
<v Speaker 1>I'm saying, Like, whatever you did to put yourself in

0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:27.160
<v Speaker 1>that situation to be in prison makes it worse. So

0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:29.920
<v Speaker 1>I did what I did. I'm like, wow, I could

0:09:29.960 --> 0:09:32.960
<v Speaker 1>have totally avoided that and the gate that in my life.

0:09:33.520 --> 0:09:36.160
<v Speaker 1>I'm here and and I gotta deal with it. And

0:09:36.200 --> 0:09:38.280
<v Speaker 1>I'm pretty sure every other man and there goes through

0:09:38.360 --> 0:09:40.520
<v Speaker 1>that door. They should, right, um, if they have some

0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:44.080
<v Speaker 1>type of pride. So it's really weird. It's very weird.

0:09:44.679 --> 0:09:47.640
<v Speaker 1>So while they're were you just Michael or were you

0:09:47.880 --> 0:09:53.320
<v Speaker 1>Michael Vick, depending depending on who walked in the door.

0:09:53.440 --> 0:09:58.400
<v Speaker 1>So you know, like do people coming and going? Um,

0:09:58.720 --> 0:10:00.640
<v Speaker 1>So when you're from in our friends walked in their

0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:04.640
<v Speaker 1>funny story, you know, walking I walk in around lunchtime

0:10:04.840 --> 0:10:06.599
<v Speaker 1>and like it's like one of the worst parts of

0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:09.439
<v Speaker 1>the day. It's like a frenzy in in in the

0:10:09.559 --> 0:10:12.559
<v Speaker 1>child halls what they call it, and uh, you know,

0:10:12.679 --> 0:10:15.079
<v Speaker 1>walking in. But it's packed on both sides and it's

0:10:15.559 --> 0:10:19.920
<v Speaker 1>really excgregated. It's white side into black side. It's black

0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:23.199
<v Speaker 1>sad is full. You know, I gotta you know, I

0:10:23.240 --> 0:10:25.040
<v Speaker 1>wanted to sell the white side. You know, I don't

0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:28.839
<v Speaker 1>see color, you know, I wouldn't And I could just

0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:31.160
<v Speaker 1>see people whispering. You know, I don't know what they're whispering.

0:10:31.160 --> 0:10:32.640
<v Speaker 1>I don't know what they're saying. Well he want to

0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:34.880
<v Speaker 1>set with them or I just didn't care. I just

0:10:35.000 --> 0:10:37.679
<v Speaker 1>needed to see, you know, it's my first day and

0:10:37.679 --> 0:10:40.719
<v Speaker 1>I'm a little nervous and this thousand people in the

0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:43.480
<v Speaker 1>you know, in one area, and I'm like, but I

0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:45.480
<v Speaker 1>feel like they were just looking at me as Michael Vick.

0:10:45.960 --> 0:10:50.000
<v Speaker 1>And you know, if I was just a normal you know,

0:10:50.040 --> 0:10:52.559
<v Speaker 1>it's the average inmate, you know, without a name and

0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:55.040
<v Speaker 1>just I probably have felt even more comfortable. I was

0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:58.959
<v Speaker 1>uncomfortable because now everybody's like there years and size and

0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:00.680
<v Speaker 1>me up. You know what it is not the biggest

0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:05.480
<v Speaker 1>guy in six ft two pounds. That's Sam. Hey, guys whispering.

0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:08.760
<v Speaker 1>I thought he was bigger than that. How you doing that?

0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:13.040
<v Speaker 1>And he was that that side. I'm good, I'm good.

0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:15.800
<v Speaker 1>You know, Mike Vick up and him Mike Vick the

0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:19.439
<v Speaker 1>football player. And then as guys came, you know, and

0:11:19.520 --> 0:11:22.839
<v Speaker 1>got to know me, I became Mike. And then you know,

0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:25.679
<v Speaker 1>as I got to know them, you know, as you know,

0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:27.920
<v Speaker 1>so everybody came in looking at me like wow, it's

0:11:28.000 --> 0:11:29.480
<v Speaker 1>Mike Vick, and then they got to know me, it

0:11:29.600 --> 0:11:32.480
<v Speaker 1>was like, that's that's just Mike, you know, just like us.

0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:35.200
<v Speaker 1>And I respected that. I appreciated that part of it too,

0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:39.079
<v Speaker 1>because you know, I wasn't I wasn't Mike Victor football

0:11:39.120 --> 0:11:43.000
<v Speaker 1>playing and I was Mike Victor. Man. Wow, I want

0:11:43.040 --> 0:11:46.400
<v Speaker 1>to move to your just just a system, and you

0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:49.520
<v Speaker 1>have some work that you've done with it in Kansas City.

0:11:50.440 --> 0:11:53.360
<v Speaker 1>You've also partnered with the City of Atlanta, the Mayor's office,

0:11:53.920 --> 0:11:59.320
<v Speaker 1>and George's Department of Corrections to make an impact against recidivism. Yeah.

0:11:59.360 --> 0:12:02.240
<v Speaker 1>I talk about the p A T program and its

0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:07.160
<v Speaker 1>primary focus, but the focus is the youth reform mentorship

0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:10.640
<v Speaker 1>program you know, to helping juvenile delinquents. You know, that's

0:12:10.640 --> 0:12:13.960
<v Speaker 1>gonna be you know a lot of work and will

0:12:14.040 --> 0:12:19.000
<v Speaker 1>be you know, financially supporting formally and conservating men and women,

0:12:19.840 --> 0:12:24.920
<v Speaker 1>a rental assistance and purchasing properties for families in addition

0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:27.960
<v Speaker 1>to the partying with with private companies to help carry

0:12:27.960 --> 0:12:31.280
<v Speaker 1>out out objectives. I think that's gonna be extremely important.

0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:34.800
<v Speaker 1>So those you know programs that already exist to reacy

0:12:35.000 --> 0:12:37.920
<v Speaker 1>grant some months also to ever see you know, whatever

0:12:38.000 --> 0:12:40.760
<v Speaker 1>help from us that they may need. Um, we don't

0:12:40.800 --> 0:12:43.320
<v Speaker 1>want to reinvent the weather what they are already doing.

0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:45.800
<v Speaker 1>We just want to kind of fall in line. Um,

0:12:46.000 --> 0:12:48.440
<v Speaker 1>you know, using you know, like I said, the local agencies,

0:12:48.520 --> 0:12:52.160
<v Speaker 1>state referrals, you know, the prison boroughs to help us

0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:56.600
<v Speaker 1>out a lot in the transitional programs. But I plan

0:12:56.679 --> 0:12:59.800
<v Speaker 1>on this program, you know, starting out in Atlanta. UM,

0:13:00.200 --> 0:13:03.440
<v Speaker 1>if you're starting to Landing and Virginia my hometown where

0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:07.040
<v Speaker 1>I've been. UM, and that direct connection with a prison

0:13:07.120 --> 0:13:09.599
<v Speaker 1>woar and and and the prison counselor who's kind of

0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:12.360
<v Speaker 1>helping me put the program together and telling me exactly

0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:14.839
<v Speaker 1>what's needed. UM, that's how I found out about the

0:13:14.920 --> 0:13:18.199
<v Speaker 1>house and the transportation part and uh, you know, just

0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:22.120
<v Speaker 1>still crazy. You know, this whole program where it's it's

0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:24.240
<v Speaker 1>a lot of moving parts, and yes we have to

0:13:24.320 --> 0:13:27.319
<v Speaker 1>scale it down, um, but I'm excited with where we

0:13:27.400 --> 0:13:31.520
<v Speaker 1>at right now because you know, I just know, like

0:13:31.679 --> 0:13:35.559
<v Speaker 1>I said, man, it's nothing better than helping people and

0:13:35.679 --> 0:13:38.920
<v Speaker 1>the people who don't have an opportunity. And look, as

0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:41.240
<v Speaker 1>long as you know the crames and I'm gonna be honest,

0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:43.760
<v Speaker 1>like the crimes just getting be crazy at what they committed.

0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:46.080
<v Speaker 1>You know, it's people who just need a second chance

0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:50.280
<v Speaker 1>because you know they might have had you an notterication

0:13:50.360 --> 0:13:52.840
<v Speaker 1>with somebody or the you know, it might have been

0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:56.559
<v Speaker 1>shot lifting or quarter to als for whatever reason. You

0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:58.840
<v Speaker 1>know that. I don't mean they don't deserve a second chance,

0:13:58.960 --> 0:14:01.200
<v Speaker 1>you know. I think it's up to the prison systems

0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:04.080
<v Speaker 1>to evaluate these people and make sure that these people

0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:07.440
<v Speaker 1>are you know, consciously aware of what they what they

0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:12.280
<v Speaker 1>did and how to prevent it moving forward, and not

0:14:12.440 --> 0:14:15.160
<v Speaker 1>that someone is better out there from on the other side.

0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:18.120
<v Speaker 1>So to be able to do this, I just continue

0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:19.840
<v Speaker 1>to tell everybody is to be one of the greatest

0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:23.120
<v Speaker 1>accomplishments that I ever be involved in. Uh, you know,

0:14:23.280 --> 0:14:25.240
<v Speaker 1>as we pull this off, so you know, and it's

0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:27.280
<v Speaker 1>not about me. I think that's what makes it even

0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:31.360
<v Speaker 1>more special. As we wind down, I want to highlight

0:14:31.440 --> 0:14:33.520
<v Speaker 1>a couple of things that I know you've been doing

0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:36.560
<v Speaker 1>your efforts to get back at a player level. Talk

0:14:36.600 --> 0:14:39.680
<v Speaker 1>about being a mentor to younger players. Why is this

0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:43.000
<v Speaker 1>so important to you? Yeah, I look at this next

0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:47.560
<v Speaker 1>generation of quarterbacks, man, you know, they're all just so special. Man.

0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:50.120
<v Speaker 1>They you know, it's it's a mixed bag. They all

0:14:50.200 --> 0:14:53.520
<v Speaker 1>look different. You know, some look the same, some something different,

0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:58.240
<v Speaker 1>but you know they have that ultimate respect for you know,

0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:01.120
<v Speaker 1>the ones that came before, and they let it be

0:15:01.200 --> 0:15:03.320
<v Speaker 1>known and they're not afraid to say it. And it's

0:15:03.360 --> 0:15:05.320
<v Speaker 1>showing in the game and showing in the growth of

0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:09.760
<v Speaker 1>the game. Like Lamar has a coach that coach league

0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:12.400
<v Speaker 1>in Philadelphia. When I came back the year I bought

0:15:13.040 --> 0:15:14.880
<v Speaker 1>I wanted to comeback player of the Year. His name

0:15:14.960 --> 0:15:19.200
<v Speaker 1>is James Urban and James had me in Philadelphia and

0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:22.560
<v Speaker 1>he got Lamar in Baltimore and he you know, he

0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:25.800
<v Speaker 1>we talked about Lament and before he even stepped on

0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:27.280
<v Speaker 1>the field, and he just told me about all his

0:15:27.440 --> 0:15:29.680
<v Speaker 1>qualities and how he is the person. And I just

0:15:29.920 --> 0:15:33.080
<v Speaker 1>listening and you're like, you've got all the qualities that

0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:35.800
<v Speaker 1>you have. And man, Lamar has spoke a lot when

0:15:35.840 --> 0:15:37.360
<v Speaker 1>he was in college. You know, we used to have

0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:41.479
<v Speaker 1>long conversations. Um. Yeah, we used to have long conversations

0:15:41.600 --> 0:15:44.920
<v Speaker 1>just about the game. And he was asking the questions

0:15:45.040 --> 0:15:47.880
<v Speaker 1>and like, well we'll just talked for a long time.

0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:50.200
<v Speaker 1>He was going through trying to pick an agent and

0:15:50.280 --> 0:15:52.240
<v Speaker 1>what he should do, and people were trying to you know,

0:15:52.360 --> 0:15:54.800
<v Speaker 1>so that whole little and I'm just using that as

0:15:54.800 --> 0:15:57.880
<v Speaker 1>an example. But Lamar listened to everything that I said,

0:15:58.040 --> 0:15:59.720
<v Speaker 1>and I didn't have to say anything. I don't have

0:15:59.840 --> 0:16:01.840
<v Speaker 1>to anything else tol him. Now, you know, he's a

0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:04.600
<v Speaker 1>growing young man and he has to go through his experiences.

0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:06.640
<v Speaker 1>The only thing I never wanted these guys to do

0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:10.720
<v Speaker 1>was you know, screw up their opportunity. Like I used

0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:15.680
<v Speaker 1>myself as an example because I had the greatest platform,

0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:18.280
<v Speaker 1>and then you know, I felt I failed from grace.

0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:21.400
<v Speaker 1>You know, so nothing's more important than your family and

0:16:21.520 --> 0:16:23.520
<v Speaker 1>what you work so hard to become in your life,

0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:28.200
<v Speaker 1>and those guys being you know, faces of franchises and

0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:31.480
<v Speaker 1>quarterbacks in the National Football League. You know, every man

0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:36.160
<v Speaker 1>can't say that. You know, it's only it's only about realistically.

0:16:36.320 --> 0:16:40.040
<v Speaker 1>Maybe in the history of the sport, make five six

0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:42.560
<v Speaker 1>thousand people say they ever lined up behind the senate

0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:44.880
<v Speaker 1>in the National Football League. That might be on a

0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:47.800
<v Speaker 1>little bit on the hut side, but you know that

0:16:47.960 --> 0:16:50.960
<v Speaker 1>means a lot, and cherish that and don't take it

0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:53.760
<v Speaker 1>for granted. This is a great opportunity. So I try

0:16:53.800 --> 0:16:56.440
<v Speaker 1>to mentor them as much as I can on what

0:16:56.640 --> 0:16:58.480
<v Speaker 1>not to do, because I can always praise him on

0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:00.920
<v Speaker 1>what they're doing right. You know, if I see something wrong,

0:17:01.160 --> 0:17:03.920
<v Speaker 1>then maybe if I can say something without them, you know,

0:17:04.119 --> 0:17:06.440
<v Speaker 1>taking it with a form of disrespect, then you know

0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:10.119
<v Speaker 1>it's signed up a great young man. As we close

0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:12.200
<v Speaker 1>it out, one of the things that we've had guest

0:17:12.200 --> 0:17:15.920
<v Speaker 1>speakers to the podcast, let's talk about their commitment to

0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:20.680
<v Speaker 1>community service as a legacy building. And I would say,

0:17:21.760 --> 0:17:27.800
<v Speaker 1>for you, why is that important? I believe in. I

0:17:27.920 --> 0:17:32.320
<v Speaker 1>just believe an opportunity. I just believe that people don't

0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:35.040
<v Speaker 1>get it. Some people just don't care. I can go

0:17:35.200 --> 0:17:38.080
<v Speaker 1>back home in the city of newper News, where I'm

0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:39.920
<v Speaker 1>from and I can see a lot of people that

0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:44.520
<v Speaker 1>you know, just need a little help, you know, they

0:17:44.600 --> 0:17:46.920
<v Speaker 1>just needed a little bit um. You know, when I

0:17:47.000 --> 0:17:48.639
<v Speaker 1>got so much and I got a lot, and I

0:17:48.720 --> 0:17:51.639
<v Speaker 1>looked at these people and I'm like, if we can

0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:55.240
<v Speaker 1>just help implement um you know, the Boys and Girls

0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:58.920
<v Speaker 1>Club direct centers down here, refurbish them. And I did

0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:01.240
<v Speaker 1>one last year while took the Boys and Girls Club

0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:04.240
<v Speaker 1>where I grew up, and I just you know, refurbished

0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:06.600
<v Speaker 1>the whole thing, you know, put computer labs in there,

0:18:06.600 --> 0:18:08.240
<v Speaker 1>and put a game room and there, just made a

0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:10.480
<v Speaker 1>place where kids can come and just get off the street.

0:18:10.600 --> 0:18:12.520
<v Speaker 1>You know. I know how important that was to me.

0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:15.240
<v Speaker 1>And I did it, and I did it last year

0:18:15.320 --> 0:18:17.640
<v Speaker 1>with the help of you know, Fox and a couple

0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:21.159
<v Speaker 1>of responses, and that felt really good. And when I

0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:22.680
<v Speaker 1>did that, I was like, you know, I want to

0:18:22.720 --> 0:18:25.479
<v Speaker 1>do more, but I wanted to do more with a purpose,

0:18:26.240 --> 0:18:29.400
<v Speaker 1>you know, a bigger purpose, because I know adults, men

0:18:29.440 --> 0:18:32.040
<v Speaker 1>and women can help the kids that they're raising, the

0:18:32.119 --> 0:18:36.040
<v Speaker 1>kids in the community, you know, generations to come spread

0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:39.280
<v Speaker 1>the word. But I just like that. I just like

0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:41.560
<v Speaker 1>to help people. Man. And uh. After doing so many

0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:44.320
<v Speaker 1>football camps and meeting so many kids and watching them

0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:47.200
<v Speaker 1>grow up and go off to college, have an impact

0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:49.399
<v Speaker 1>in their life, and you know, being able to do

0:18:49.640 --> 0:18:55.080
<v Speaker 1>Thanksgiving giveaways and Christmas drive toy drives and still have

0:18:55.200 --> 0:18:57.320
<v Speaker 1>people come up to me and say, I appreciate it

0:18:57.359 --> 0:18:59.600
<v Speaker 1>when you did that. You know, years ago you gave

0:18:59.640 --> 0:19:01.639
<v Speaker 1>me my first bike and I gave me this, and

0:19:01.680 --> 0:19:05.000
<v Speaker 1>I'm like, man, that's really cool. I want to continue

0:19:05.040 --> 0:19:07.520
<v Speaker 1>to do that for the next twenty thirty years and

0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:10.080
<v Speaker 1>as long as I wanted earth, That's what I always do.

0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:12.720
<v Speaker 1>You know, it's not about me anymore. I do my part,

0:19:12.800 --> 0:19:14.840
<v Speaker 1>you know, God to bless me if I could bless others,

0:19:14.880 --> 0:19:17.680
<v Speaker 1>and that's ah. You know that's the longest short over

0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:20.320
<v Speaker 1>the needs, you know, helping out the community is trying

0:19:20.359 --> 0:19:24.240
<v Speaker 1>to rebuild, help people. Well, we're looking forward to seeing

0:19:24.359 --> 0:19:27.520
<v Speaker 1>the continued work that you're doing to confront the recidivism

0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:32.560
<v Speaker 1>and to continue to inspire change. Michael, this has been

0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:36.439
<v Speaker 1>an amazing the podcast. Thank you so much for joining us,

0:19:36.800 --> 0:19:41.120
<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening in, and the best is yet to come.

0:19:41.800 --> 0:19:43.800
<v Speaker 1>You can't said they're better. Thank you, and ladies, I

0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:50.440
<v Speaker 1>appreciate you. Man. You won't respect all right, this has

0:19:50.520 --> 0:19:54.560
<v Speaker 1>been the NFL Legends podcast. To provide feedback or request

0:19:54.640 --> 0:19:58.000
<v Speaker 1>the topic for discussion, email us at NFL Legends at

0:19:58.119 --> 0:19:59.000
<v Speaker 1>nfl dot com.