What's Good Command His Family? Brian Cope with Junior here, and this is the Next Man Up podcast We have a very special guest for you, Starting receiver Jahan Dotson. Jahan talks about his big catch that put us into overtime against the Eagles, and also being the pride of his hometown and how his hometown and his family have supported him to help him become the man that he is. All that and more, starting right now, this is the Next Man Up Podcasts.
What's Good Command His Family?
Brian Corple Junior here, and this is the Next Man Up Podcasts where we take a deeper look into your favorite Commanders players. It's not as much extra you knows, It's more about the man behind the hell.
Man.
We got a very special guest today our third episode, Starting receiver Jahan Dotson.
Joh how you doing today, brother.
I'm good, I'm good. Appreciate you for having me.
Man, Man, I appreciate you.
Man.
We know you're busy.
Man. We know you got a lot to get into and we got a lot to get into today. I want to start with the last game. You made a huge play, got the touchdown that send it into overtime. What was that, Like, talk about that moment, man, because that was that was a big play right there.
Yeah, it was a pretty big play. Man.
It was kind of crazy how it happened because earlier in the game I had a drop, right, and I really pride myself on just catching the ball, like that's no more responsibility as a receiver. So like, I really I really feel it when I get when I have drops right, So I had to drop earlier in the game, I want to say, like the third quarter, and I didn't touch the ball ever since. And last player regulation man, Sam trusted me that I was going to make a play.
Man, that's all I could.
I was super thankful for the opportunity, man, and then having my family there, being back home like it it almost felt like the opportunity was it.
Had to happen that way.
So it was definitely a pretty cool moment just to have under under my belt in my career. Man, just to share that with all my close friends and family and attendance school.
Yeah, you talk about your family being man, that's that's your home state. Does a game like that mean a little more to you? Now you're in your second year, right, so you've you've been to p a right to play. Does it mean a little more to you being able to play in front of your home fans?
Yeah, for sure, just because I where I grew up. I'm only an hour from Philly, so I grew up in elementary school, middle school, high school. Just hearing a bunch of Eagles fans.
Man.
So being back home, playing in the Eagle Stadium, being able to have those people come out support me and supporting their team, it was definitely a pretty cool dynamic. And just to have my family so close to home and be able to play in front of them.
Man, that's all I ever dreamed though.
Yeah, We're gonna talk a lot of football, but I really want to talk to you about home right Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, Nazareth Area High School. Talk about that growing up then, what that did for you as a man?
Yeah, the sixth one, oh, man, I wrap it hard, man, Like, not a lot of people come out come out of the sixth one.
Oh.
It was very small, close knit community. Like I said, not a lot of people make it to where I'm at today. So for me to the biggest thing for me is to give back to kids in that community, to show them that, like coming from such a small community, you can make it to this big stage, you know you This guy's really the limit for for anyone. Uh So, any chance I get to I get to go back, go see my high school play, go throw camps in
the summer, see the little kids around the area. Uh, any chance possible, Because I truly I love where I'm from, like I truly rep that, I rep it hard man, like I truly love it, especially Nazareth.
Man.
It's such a small town, but the support they give me is is truly unmatched.
Man.
It's truly I've never had anything like. It's close to my family. They're literally my family. So it is so cool just having having to wear Nazareth on my back every single day I step out on the field and what I do in life.
It is so it's a really cool thing.
And you're definitely the pride of Nazareth. Man. As much as you pour into your city, it seems like they pour into you.
Like you said, and I heard that your third game of your rookie year, you had about three hundred and fifty people. They took like six buses to come check you out, to come watch play. They had the Jahan shirts on and everything that your family was there. What did that mean to you? Big moment like that, and just having your whole community, your whole city come and support you like that.
Man, that was huge, and it was crazy how it led up to it, because it was it was the first my mom came to me and she said, you know, like the high school is talking about throwing this thing where they're gonna come to one of your games, probably when you play the Eagles. I'm thinking, all right, yeah, cool, Like play the Eagles in Philly. It's not not a far bus drive people would get up to get up to the game. I'm thinking, I'm not even thinking busses
at this point. I'm thinking people go to carpool and stuff like that. And then she's like, no, they're gonna come out to Washington and they're gonna load buses at the high school and everyone's gonna come see you play. And I'm like, man, like that that's so cool, Man Like, that's everything.
You dream of having.
My high school coaches, basketball, literal league coaches, little kids from the area, parents, people you never you never even interacted with, but they just support you on a different level.
Man.
It was it was such an amazing opportunity for me and as such, an amazing moment just to have under my belt.
And honestly, I'm super thankful for the community.
Well, I think you earned that right because if you want somebody that poured back into your community, like we talked about earlier, I don't think you would have got that kind of support. And you mentioned the camps you hold. Why is it so important to do that for the youth from your city And did you get things like that growing up for yourself, Like did you have NFL players come down or pro athletes come down and kind of show you like, hey, this would be what you can do if you work hard.
Yeah.
See, I didn't have those opportunities when I was a kid, and I feel like that's that's one of the reasons why I do it, just to give those kids an opportunity to interact with someone who's doing it at this level, doing it at the biggest level of something they want to achieve. And and me as a kid, you know, I didn't, I mean me right now, like I don't. I don't really When I go back home, it just
feels like home. I feel like I'm at home. I don't really feel like, oh, you're You're in the NFL, you know, And I kind of just treat it like I'm still in high school time. And sometimes I gotta my friends got to remind me, bro, You're like, you're in the NFL. Bro, Like you need to use your platform. I just be thinking, you know, I'm still this kid
from Nazareth. Yeah, but it's so cool just going back and being able to give give back to to all the people and all the families that supported me coming up. So every opportunity I get, man, I'm trying to support, trying to pour my heart into the people who do the same for me.
Man, that's awesome. You talk about the people that do so much for you. Talk about your parents a little bit. Parents are very involved in your life. You're very close with them. What has it been having a mother and father that are so supportive and so involved.
What has that done for you as a man?
Yeah, man, I don't take it for granted.
At all, honestly, because you know, I'm very fortunate to have two parents in my life who are very stable, who can who provide for me, take care of me, and show me, show me how to how to be a man in this life. You know, not everyone gets the opportunity, So I'm truly thankful for that, man. And they've done everything possible to make sure that I'm in the best situation, possible, best predicaments to be successful in life.
Man. And that's all you can thank your parents. They've done everything. Man. My parents are literally my rock. Man.
They've done everything for me. They still do everything for me to this day. Man, But they've they've taught me how to just just grow up and be a man, and they gave me unconditional support ever since I was a little kid.
And much like myself, you have self proclaim Momas what right for sure?
Yeah, man, you and your mom are very very close, which I think is just so cool. And your sophomore year over at Penn State, you know, life change for all of you guys.
You talk about that a little bit and what went down.
Yeah.
So I always tell people, man, like growing up you feel like your parents are invincible. Yeah, like nothing could ever happen to them Because you grow up them taking care of you. You don't really see the struggles that they go through in life till you grow up.
And I always kind of getting to that age.
I think I was nineteen twenty and that was the first kind of adversity that ever hit in my family where my mom was battling cancer. And it was really hard in my family, just because, like I said, my parents are my rock man.
Like they did everything for me. They do everything for me. But yeah, it was really tough.
But you know, just like she had my back and supported me all throughout my life, I had to do the same for her. It was time for me to return the favor, and you know, I tried to support her in any way possible. To this day, man, I'm still trying to make sure she's good, always checking up on her, text me every morning, good morning, have a great day, Love you, and it it's the little things like that that you know, you don't you don't really
realize the impact that it can make on someone. But my mom she looks forward to those things, making sure that I do the little things to really make sure that I'm always thinking about her and make sure that she's good.
You talk about not really getting to see your parents like struggle as a kid, right, They try to protect us from it. They try to hide the things they are going through. But as a man, as a sophomore. You're a grown man, so you're actually getting to see your mother go through this battle, fight get through it.
How did that change your outlook?
Not only as an athlete, but just as a human being watching your mother go through that battle and succeed.
Yeah, you know, cancer is never it's never anything to play with, you know. So like going in knowing that she's going through that and the struggles that she's having and the battles that she's going through internally, like within herself, you know, it makes you just put her perspective on everything that you're doing. It makes you makes me want to go twenty times harder just because I know that, you know, nothing that I'm doing is can co relate
to anything that she's going through, you know. So it truly makes me have an appreciation for everything that I get to experience and I get to go through, and knowing that my mom was supporting me even though she's going through those things, I know that I can do whatever I'm doing.
And support her going through what she was going through.
So it was really big for me to just see her prevail through through cancer and basically beat it.
Yeah, And in last episode, I got to talk to Jeremy Reeves and he went through, you know, losing his mother, and.
He mentioned how he never really growing up.
Especially as you know he's a football player, big football player, he never really felt that he could express himself or deal with emotions. And then in that time he kind of just let it all out. Did you feel you were able to deal with all those things went on yet? Penn State, You're sophomore, you're trying to make it to the league, You're doing all these things while watching your mom go through that. What was it dealing with those emotions?
Were you able to really grieve and deal with those things?
Yeah? And I would say that was a credit. Uh.
You know my closest friends, my friend Mahoni's been my best friend since fifth grade and he's he's literally like my brother. And he was someone who really helped me through that process. Uh, someone who I could talk to literally about anything. I didn't have a problem expressing my emotions to him, because you know, as a man, that is that is hard.
You gotta you gotta go through that in life.
It's something that you have to you kind of have to grow into expressing yourself, expressing your emotions. And you got to really realize that there's nothing wrong with that. And and he he really helped me out through that process and helped me realize that, you know, I can express myself and He's gonna have my back no matter what.
That's cool, man. And it seems like you're also a very like faith driven person. I see every Sunday taking me. I'm assuming you're praying. What are those conversations with God like when you're sitting there in that moment you've made it here?
Man? Like?
What are those moments like?
Man? I just I started off by thanking him. Man.
I couldn't have I couldn't be here without him. I couldn't have done anything I done in life without him truly. And then you know, I just give a quick little prayer to my mom, my grandma who's watching me. I thank God for taking care of her. I know he's He's taking care of my grandmother. We all love and miss her so much. And then I pray again, I thank Him for just just letting me be out here and doing what I love every single day, being able to have the dream job that I've always dreamed of.
And I pray that he stayed on my shoulders. And allow me to do some spectacular things on the field.
Well, man, we've seen some spectacular things from you. Man, you had a really good rookie year. But now it's year too. You're not a rookie no more. What's different about this season? You've gone through a second preseason, now you're going through a second training camp.
Yeah.
What's different in year two for Johanna Dotson?
Yeah, I would say just becoming more wise wise with the game, having more wisdom in the game, and really understanding the NFL because it is way different from college. You know, you're playing professionals every single weekend, every single day of practice, so so really understanding the game, become more wiser with the game. And I pride myself on being better than I was yesterday. That's a big thing
for me. I never try to get to down on myself and that that goes back to the game, man, the drop and making sure that the next play is better than it was his last play. So it's a big thing that I look I look forwarded to myself. But yeah, it's been a it's been a fun ride.
Man.
It's been really cool.
Man.
It's it's everything I dreamed of as a little kid. So so I'm really thankful for this opportunity.
And not everybody in your position gets to line up across from such an elite talent like Terry. And you know, you know, you guys have a good relationship. We see you guys talking a lot on that field. What are those conversations like with Terry? How has he helped you become more comfortable as a receiver in the NFL?
Yeah, I feel like Terry is is really like me.
He's really a laid back guy, doesn't say much, but he's more of a vocal me. So it's pretty cool to have that dynamic just because he knows how to hem.
I'm still the biggest thing I'm learning from Terry is how to be a leader. Man.
He does such a great job at that because he's way more vocal. So you know, he tells me what he's seeing on the field. He knows how to communicate those things to me. He shows me the looks that you know we're getting from different defenses and how to beat them because you know, he's done it at the highest level.
Man.
So it's really cool having that dynamic in my room right next to me every single day and learning from him has been great.
It's been fun watching you guys plays before, watching you develop. And it's crazy to think in week five, almost a quarter of away through the season, do you feel Commanders fans have really seen this team's full potential yet?
I don't. I truly don't.
I think we can still on lead so much more because we just have so much talent, man, And I feel like Scott's really a limit for this team. I feel like we haven't really tapped into it fully yet. We're still in that understanding of the offense phase. But we're making plays, so it's exciting little flashes. But I feel like once we put it all together, man, it's gonna be crazy.
Yeah, I agree, man. You could tell it's just different, right. You could see the fan base is very, very excited for this season. And Thursday we had a game. It's prime time. We're back at the crib, we're back at home. This is your ICEOL camera right there. You're looking at camera right there, and tell the fans what you need from them Thursday to help y'all get this dub against the Chicago Bears.
Man. I need y'all out there, man, I need y'all packed out there and FedEx man.
I need y'all loud, proud. It's gonna be.
A fun one man. We go get back on this win streak, but it's gonna be fun. And I need y'all have y'all there.
Yes, sir man, Well, Joha Man. I appreciate your time. Man, it's been fun getting to know you. It's been fun watch you develop as a receiver. Commander's Family is in the Next Man Up podcasts. Brianko Junior here with our starting receiver Jahan Dasa JOHNI BROTHERI sir.
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