Antoine Bethea

weekend entertaining? What'd you get into? Uh? Did some yard work? Actually I didn't do new yard work. I pushed it off. Now I was supposed to. I'm gonna end up doing something this weekend, trying to end up. Buddy was in town. Uh toy Smith shout out the toy. Yeah, so he was. He was up in town and UH called me Friday night and was asking me was I in town? He was coming down. They were doing uh you're doing this uh under armour all American, like this skills challenge where

they had high school kids. They were running forties vertical job. It was it was pretty it was pretty big time. It sounds dope, it was, but it was also one of those things where I I never experienced this in high school, but I believe it can warp your perception of things, and I just really saw some things that were as a parent, I saw some things in myself and I was like, that's my wife was talking about.

We would say, you didn't experience what you mean, like stuff like this, like the kind of just gamboree type type thing. It was. It was big talk. You know. They had some kids our ranked seventy five in the nation, thirtieth in the nation, in the nation, it was all around. I know I'm a little bit younger than you, but I feel like even when I was in high school, that stuff was really just starting to kick off. Like

the seven on seven tournaments like that stuff. Well, this we didn't start doing that till my senior year in high school. Was we did seven on seven tournaments in high school just to kind of get yourself familiar with the possibility of competition and that that goes on no matter what stole on your offense all that, but this wasn't it wasn't a thing. This was like esp or rank. Yeah, and so they had some players, I believe, according to

what they say, are highly ranked. That you know, you'll see, as some people told me, you will see some of these some of these young men playing on Sunday already know that. They already know that. Yeah. And and some of these young men were conducting and carry themselves as if they were already playing on something. What you mean by that? It was just a lot. It was a

lot in regard. So and maybe I'm just old school, and I probably am, but I am old school in them in in a matter of fact of like, um, you know, a lot of this generation is all about about that life right that yolo. And so I was I was asked to if I see something corrected. So I'm working with the wide receivers and we're going over some over some how to swim or how to get off the jam right or the press coverage or quick jam. And so I was just surprised at how many navels

I saw out on the field. You mean, like the high tuck the in Jerseys, No, I call it what it is. I saw a lot of No, I saw a lot of crop tops, That's what I saw. And I and to be honest, I'm just telling you what I saw. I have. I've seen it a little bit. You always got a guy or two, but it was a whole bunch of them. It was a whole bunch of crop tops and navels and and ear rings with hoops and and and and crosses and so they were

they were swagged out. Yeah, here's the problem. I guess the standard of swag is lowered because when I started coaching some of these kids. No one of these kids and I don't know his name and our name, didn't ask it because it was just it was so many kids. But I was like, hey, you know, let's swim. You shouldn't do swimming moves. Right, One kid swam and that's when you know, like you swimming and he hit the bag as if he was someone under five six? Who

are you? And so I said this statement, and this summarizes everything I mean about the crop tops in their rings. I wear air rings always half but on the football field, also about my business. So one of these young man, I said, hey, man, if you're gonna swim, you gotta swim and swinging that arm violently, right, I said, you gotta it's a fist fighting the phone book. You're trying to get off the line. Fist fighting the phone that's what I love using fist fighting the phone book, not haymakers.

Fist fight just you know, punch out, rocking, sock 'em bops, right, kid tells me, And it just makes sense connected the dots. See you ever been in a fight? He goes, No, not really. All you needed to hear. If you got that crop top and never rings, you had better been in the fight. And why is that imports of you, Steve? That's hard to say, No, it's not. We're talking about a hand to hand. It's a violent sport. But you look in the part, you're looking like you're ready to

get after someone you ain't. Why does that bother you people who look the part? Because there's a lot of people who looked apart, and they get so much credit for looking apart, and then you get them out there and they want no parts of the game, and then then you get a false narrative of that's how they are. That that's you know, as they say, And I was with the receiver, So you know what they call it? Diva's right, don't look the part of it, the diva part.

I go out there and ball but I just I found it me personally, I found it extremely disappointing that so focused on how I understand look good, play good. But then also when I tried to give them criticism, coaching, correction and correction and critiquing, man, the crop tops got in a bunch. But what do what do you think change? What do you what do you think changed generates? Because it's it definitely wouldn't like that from your stand point?

What do you think? So? I believe it's changes. Our young men are listening to music, emulating the music, and behaving in the manner in which they see off a twenty second Instagram posts. They're mimicking things and don't realize what they're mimicking to some degree isn't very masculine. And I don't know how this is gonna come across, but I just felt it was extremely I feel like I was at a fashion show instead of a football display, and not everybody. There's some there's some beast out there,

but then there's some. There was some beasts who looked beast, but they really weren't there for the right intentions. That also why that's important why I found that as a dad. That's also setting them up for failure and not really giving them a realistic understanding of what they're embarking on. They're not embarking on the popularity contest. They're definitely not embarking on a fashion contest. It's football, It's about skills,

and it's actually about producing. Because there were some times where I gave some coaching and some kids received the coaching, and there are some kids who looked at me as if, what do I know? It's different? Man. That's why I asked, you wouldn't what do you what do you think it is? Because I agree, I think it's I think it's images. I think it's social media, I think it's I think it's overall media. But then I was curious to know, do you think it's any of from parenting to coaching

to what all of the above? Where it's really what I tend to think because you can just tell it's a it's a difference between and they don't sports youth sports today versus youth sports back in the day, where again I know I'm a little bit younger, but generally when we came up, man, it's it's just different. It's completely different. What's tough too, is they don't like to be critique, right, I don't like to be coached. I mean we used to welcome that. The only way you

got I didn't necessary. I wasn't all ears on dog custom, but like you can't even hey, put your foot up? What why you know? Put your opposite? And it's not why it is? Hey, why tell me? Because I really want to know. It's like, well, what's the big deal? So what people questioning you when you gave them correct they weren't necessarily question I just I got the I'm a dad because I would have been different if it is.

It's not it's not that I got the look. I got the like yes, but it's still like, you gotta a future Hall of Famer. I know they're making a comfort whatever, but you gotta you have a guy who's been there, done that. And I think whether it is whether it's your status as an NFL player or just someone but here who has played before. Here's the part that threw them off too. I knew I was going to a football camp, so I also want to dress

comfortably in case I had to get out there. But I also I got look sideways a little bit because I didn't look like a guy who played sixteen years. You know what I look like. I um, some short sweatpants, a T shirt. I had, you know, my nine year old free watch. You know I didn't look like the NFL superstar. Yes, you know I got my you know, my necklace. I've been warning for years that I wear

it in my shirt. But it wasn't extravagant. And so if you a little bit like Steve like, yeah, oh I thought you were Oh I just kind of got that. He thought she showed up looking like a lane. Yeah, I showed I showed up. She showed up with knowledge and they and sometimes I don't want to hear who actually I showed up in that fist fighting phone booth of time. Hey, you never know. Sometimes you just gotta pull up, pull up, because you can't fistfighting skinny jeans.

You can't get your ass swooping them skinny jeans. But not here, not this guy. Don't let me pull my flip up brim down. That's when that's when you mean business. Actually, when I flip it around. As we know who we got coming on the Cut to It podcast. We've got Antoine Buffet, a veteran NFL safety He played with four teams during his tenure with the NFL. He's a three time Pro Bowler and he's a member of the Black College Football Hall of Fame, as he attended Howard University.

Antoine Buffet on the Cut to It podcast, it's always a pleasure to have someone in studio. So hey, right off the bat, we're gonna get into get our stuff. Favorite color and why red um? And I would just say, you know, um, that bull you know that bulls he's red. You know you? You would sacking, like you said, I'm a defensive guy anyway. So that's how we That's how mindset.

And that was a cool last explanation. He's always been one of those cool guys just playing against I never really got the opportunity to see how cool he was. That cool factor didn't come through. Then what are you trying to hit? You cool guy trying to knock my appreciate that. We'll get into that. I gotta moving on. Moving on, Hey, hobbies, you have picked up um and retirement now man um sustainable hobbies not. Don't give me.

I didn't it until we right now. It's peloton, Okay, you got to bike or the tradmill the bike right now it's pelotone. I don't know how long that's going. Um, that's gonna stick, but right now that's what it is. Yeah. For how much I played for my pelotone. Oh it's sticking exactly. We just got ours like two weeks ago. I love it. I love it so far. But it's a bike though. So I tapped into a six thirty group.

You did alive six thirty group. It was some other guys, some retired guys, and we was getting on six thirty out of fall back on that door like that, getting up at six o'clock, being with time, like, nah, that goes against the whole point, the whole point, you know, but that when your metabolism works throughout the Yeah, yeah, yeah, I just I just can't for how much riding you guys are doing, like and being a peloton treadmill, you having a I do get jealous sometimes when seeing y'all, Like, man,

I get an hour, I'm over there ecstatic about my little my little fold five miles. I mean, how are you sitting on that peloton for that long time? Sometimes you're not sitting pause, Um, I gotta get the butt pack. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely, definitely pause definitely because we hate but now that sitting there for forty five mental hour that that's a that's a beast. That's a beast. But the treadmill, I'm just not I've never been a treadmill runner. I haven't either,

but I started. I like it. The trail man hurts in what regards. I don't like running running, running on that treadmill. With me running, I gotta I gotta have an endpoint. Yeah, I gotta see where I'm going. You know. What I mean with the treadmill was just but it's it's the same, just like Ryan, what's crazy is I did so I did the peloton at an Indy and when I was thinking about getting one the bike, and I did the class and the class didn't do anything

for you. I was kind of like, this is it? Yeah, but then I did the peloton. But what I like about the treadmill is HASH has the wood way. Yeah, give me so peloton, your ad can go here. I mean it's a good product though, Definitely, it's a good product. I like. I like I can work out by myself, push myself. But yet I do not feel connected. I just don't feel like I'm by myself. I don't have

to be connected with anybody. If you're up at six am or seven pm, it's not this awkward like Okay, no, that's dope because I did the Um you know, I got the app, so I do. Uh. Also, I'll run outside and I'll do the audio peltine and have somebody in your ear talking like yo, this's what we're doing is push it. Yeah I like that. So I like that too. Yeah. Yeah. What's the best way to social distance? Six ft apart? Or um? Loan? So wants some money?

Oh loan somebody some money, no question. You want to get them, no question. They may not come back. You ain't gonna worry about saying no question, no question. And city your point, man, it's conversation app all the time. Like give me that same energy that you get you when you was asking for them more. Yeah. M that's a backstage Joe on that one. We thought you jump

right on that all right. Um. You know, so my daughter works a Chick fil A and she was like, Dad, there's this guy that drives a nice car and I can't remember where I know him from. And then she said, you looked at her like, I know you, but I don't know where I know you from. And so she finally someone there said, oh, that's that's Antoine that. So she was talking to me and I said, tell him, I said with something. So she said and she said, now it's that less awkwardness of like yeah, and so

it was pretty funny. So um, So with that being said, what's your favorite item on Chick fil a? Because word on the chicken streets that crested chicken? What annointed meal? What you're getting, man, I'm right now, you're going up, So I definitely right now, I'm I'm with spicy chicken strips right now. What's the side fries? Okay? Drink drink sprite Okay. I thought you might have switched it up. Got a little on a palm or some of us called the tiger woods. No, no, no, I'm sticking. I've

never heard the tiger never never heard of it. Start instead of it being on a palmer, you know, just more of a more recent golf of the pen on where you go. Some people call it a tiger the first time and I've heard that. What did you hear it from? I had that Soulfu restaurant so I thought it was just half and half the same thing. It's the same drink, it different golfer. I never heard same drink, different golfer. I don't know about that. Oh no, I just so I just made it up. That's how all

the palmer became on a palmer. It was made up. But I'm just saying I don't know if that made up. Just gonna stick you hear you hear this without anybody stopped, like like like the needle went off the record like that. Mass I looked like right, and you said you start to take You started taking this like damn. I love how you. I love how you explain to us who tiger Woods was right, like y'all looking like tiger Woods, like he had a golfer like when you said tiger

Woods and you said, yeah, he's more current. First thing he said was that ain't with his legs. Said you ain't playing golf right now, so you you try to. That's one of those that ain't gonna stick. Nah, al right, well stuck somewhere. It ain't with this group. If we go out to eat and we said, you give me a tager Woods. It depends on where you at the still gonna look at you. Here's what they're gonna say. Which what are you referring to? That's what I said.

Depends on where you go. Yeah, all right, translation, No one, it's going down this road. We have to take a break and the morning a thing. We gotta pay some bills. You got checks. I love cut to It and I love it even more when you download us and subscribe, and you can follow us on social media too, Smithie, where where at? That's at? Cut to It on Instagram? What about Twitter? At? Cut to It? Facebook? Cut to

It featuring Steve Smith singr? What about online? And you can follow us at cut to It podcast dot com where you can buy merch and you can subscribe to us wherever listen to podcasts. I got all my answers questions. Um, yeah, I got all my questions answered. That's what I'm here for, a brother, cut to a podcast dot Com. So, Antoine, where are you from in the place you call your hometown? Born in Savannah, Georgia, But um hometown is Newport News, Virginia.

Grew up there so dad was in the military, moved around a little bit, but Newport News was home. So growing up in Newport News Virginia. You know, how did that, How did that shape your perspective on the world. Man, it was again being a military child. Um, when you say military child, what a jury? What's the age range? Um?

My dad was in the military until I was probably fourteen. Okay, So so you were so long enough to it actually shaped you because you know, so you hear somebody I'm from, I'm here, I was in the military, you know, and then he was like he got out when I was four yea, yeah, yeah, so old enough to so old enough you experienced a lot of different places. So that's that's what I'm saying. So Pops born in Savannah. From Savannah, we moved to Germany. From Germany, we moved to Virginia

at four years old. So Mom and Pops they made a decision that you know, instead of jumping from city to city, state to state, family will stay put. Dad would do the traveler. So again with that just understanding, you know, for one, Dad, you know he gotta do what he gotta do to protect, to take care of fam So from there he had his chores back to Germany to Egypt, um, you know, Saudi Arabia. So again me being the youngest of two brother off at school.

It's just me and mom. Duke's at the house. So now it's like at a young age, I'm technically the man of the house, you know what I mean. So um. But but being in the um, living on the base, you see white, you see black, she Asian, you see all type of life you know, um, and then really everybody has something in common. It's military life. And then you know, going to school other kids. Uh, mom and dad, um gone. So we had that in common. But then living moving off base, able to see more so off

the um, urban life, urban lifestyle. Um. You know, middle school, um, not black, high school not black. Now were starting the I'm starting to experience what you know, life in the urban neighborhood is all about, you know, friends going down different different paths. So for me, Man just opened my eyes of just moving not even ten miles down the road. It's a huge difference, you know what I mean. Just

life's throwing off on the base. My family were in the middlitary rry, but no one necessarily lived on base, right. I had uncle served as a storm he was Navy, but family didn't live on base, you know, especially in the Navy. They were gone so much. Um, living on living on a ship family is not living on the base.

They just didn't. As I got older and then I was doing I started doing football camps, and I started to get the pleasure of going on all these different bases, and I really saw some things that advantages of kids

going all these different countries and experiencing that. But I also saw the disadvantages the same way you could be sheltered, the same way that we talked about sheltered of someone living in a bubble of of of affluence, where there's someone that's living in a military bubble that they only interact with kids that a military and so that's all you know, and it's a good thing and could be a bad thing because in that bad thing, they also

lack resources, right even though they're serving our government. The government only gives you so much. You only you know, every every family deals with it differently. There's all the you know, all the stuff that goes on in that.

And man, I really learned a lot and really saw a lot that um to the point I did that for about seven or eight years, and what the cool part was is I was able to serve maybe at this military base and then maybe five six years in a kid that was at one military base that the other one. It was cool, but it was also you could see I think I met him in the States and then next time I saw him six seven years

later it was at Camp Humphreys and so Korea. Now, for me, it was cool to experience so Korea, but for a black kid coming from one area to So Korean, like his ability to identifying is only on the military because you go off the military different different, whole different one exactly. And then like you said, like a military base, that's just that's a world all in it. So it's a whole community, whole community. So when I was growing up, it was a little different where we did have to

go off the base to go to school. But now it's like you got your elementary school. You got to brag has multiple schools. I mean it's literally for Brad has I believe to high schools or three high school football teams? Yeah, yeah, movie theater. So like you really didn't have to leave fast food, commissary. Yeah, everything that you need. So again, like you said, like just being able to really identify, like you know, like what's what's what it is off this base. But it was I opened, man,

But I appreciate it. Why why was it eye opening? Yeah? So for me again with my you know, my dad being gone traveling, my brother he's off in school, so me and my mom. But then just you know, being able to go to a um A youth center, right, going to the youth center, and it's your the people that you see every day. Right, So you're playing ball, you on um A youth football team or youth baseball team.

But again, everybody's dealing with the same situations, right, Like we both either one of our parents in the military, were all dealing with the same instance. So but you can move off that base. Now you're dealing with some real stuff, some real stuff, you know what I mean, Like you know, single, single parent, household, on food stamps. Now it's life is coming at you're a little different way.

Now you're a young teenager. It's like, okay, it's a different And then again, like I said, it was just tim out down the road we were on and not saying that when you stay on this military base, like everything is peaches and cream, it's not that you still got people like that struggling that struggling and living life because you're in the military, Like you're not getting no, no big money, you know what I'm saying, unless you got high you have you high ranking, so you're still struggling.

But then it's just different dynamics when you when you get off that base man, when you see like, you know, real life, real life struggle. So playing other sports, just growing up, you know, did you play any other sports? Yeah?

So growing up started off it was football, baseball, basketball, everything, Big three, Big three and then um them them curve balls, and the fast pitch started coming a little too fast for me, so that baseball went to the wayside and it was just a basketball and football up all through high school. What position in basketball? Run the show, run the show, point guard? I don't know, yeah, right, Like

I'm sorry I asked the question. But in your area, man, there's so many, so many lettens have come out of there. You got all Noverson and you got your your I mean in football, your Michael Vicks, Ronald Curry, you know who who was able to do both? I mean, were you did you interact with any of any of those guys where there was they were older than me? So m a he was playing with my older when my

oldest brother was playing. But obviously yeah, very very you know, seeing those guys being able to make it um through similar situations and circumstances, it was like it's it's it's it's a possibility. Um. So you know seeing um, you know, Mike vick Ron Curry and those guys. Man, it was just um again, like it was just like a dream come true just to even see them make it. It's like, okay, they made that, we made you know what I mean? I know I can't So that was that was dope.

Now was adult? How would you categorize Newport News as far as um with everything going on in the world today as an adult? You know you live here currently in Charlotte, but just how how would you really summarize unfiltered what Newport News is as a you know, as a man with with with children, with being a father,

being a husband. You know, for me and I and I say all the time, like that's what Newport News is, what groomed me and made me a person I am today, just the way I look at things, the best of both worlds, you know what I mean. So it's the best. What's the best you say, the best of both worlds, the best of what the world world. For me, the best of both worlds is that, um, I'm able to see the struggle, but I'm also able to see somebody

that's doing well off for himself. Right. So now it's like as a man, it's like, you know, not necessary you can pick and choose because some situations it's like you you walk into a bad situation, right, but you know, some luck, some work, some grinding, you can get to that to where you want to get right. But then I also see the struggle right where you you never take for granted. You know you're waking up them too. You know, your two ft hitting that floor in the morning.

You never take for granted. Um. As a father, having guys I went to school with having to to bury their their sons, that's something that I don't appreciate. And I don't like the fact of of Newport News at the moment in time, just the climate of you know, um, do you're killing each other? You know what I mean? So that's that's a tough pill to swallow. Um. But then again, you know, you go back and you're like,

this is home. One of the cool things you know, just reading your story, you know, going from military, you know, not getting recruited coming out of high school, when did you first remember this underdog mentality in which really made you become a walk on? Um at how man? I think that under dog mentality has always been there. Um, I think I embraced it. I embraced it probably like my junior senior year in high school. Why why why

are you able to pinpoint that time? Because it feels though you know, you had you know, youth league sports where it's like, okay, you know everybody got kind of got that dog. But my junior year, specifically on the football field, I felas though, um that was small. You know I was. I was five ten a buck sixty five seventy. I think that's a great height paddle playing middle linebackery for some other folks, I don't care what position five playing linebacker again, I take that is it

shoes on or off? But probably you round up on that ross and hospital. I was probably about a good five nine. I still take that. That's a good night still where you got that. Yeah, but that's a good height. But um, I think it was around this time where I felt as though I was I was holding my own and you weren't getting a look. I wasn't getting that. No, not even the looks, but just the respect. So what's what's what's respect to you? Um, I'm setting you up,

but go ahead, now, that's all go up. But it's a good conversation, not setting you up like something bad. Setting you up is as good because you gave me a look. I'll say this when I say setting up podcast now sooner be forty two year old. Uh, Steve Smithie, it's not the football. I'm setting you up as great to know who you are because I'm going against you. I never worry to concern myself of the physicality going

against you. For me, it was always keeping my eyes on where is the antoine because I know when I need that big play, I can't beat the corner. But his ass is gonna be over the top somewhere that's gonna stop me from getting that play that I know I can get. Being a competitor, right, So we were competitors, right.

So if you out there competing and you know you're competing at the top level, at some point and and maybe and maybe not to even justify, but at some point you want to hear somebody say, Okay, he's a dog and you can know it in your heart, you can know it in your mind, but I think every competitor wants to hear the validation of it. Mhm. I think so, you know, um, And at that point I felt as though I was bawling, like you know when when it comes to a lineback. I don't think you

could have down a battle. Yeah, I mean even though I was smaller stature, um, And at that time, you know, it was just it was just that. And then just go to my senior Yeah, all Star game, not originally picked on the All Star Game, but then eventually um getting picked and you know, doing my thing. And then from there it was you know, not being recruited, um, damn yell walk on the Howard University. So all of that.

You know, it was just one of them things. But then at that time, that's when I just embraced it. So what do you think it was compounded by? It sounds like what you were saying wasn't compounded by being overlooked almost yeah, I mean, of course, or being overlooked um again not getting those offers. But then again, you know, we all have our story and that was just that was meant for me. That was meant for me. So what ultimately led you to to Howard? Why why did

you select Howard University? Because it was a walk on so it wasn't necessarily like uh and I'm assuming it's not necessarily like like a preferred or or like yeah yeah yeah. So UM, because they didn't they didn't necessarily go oh man, That's why. That's why I just knew this story was for me. UM, I was getting recruited UM a boy Norfolk State, another hbc U in Virginia.

UM and at the time, the defensive coordinator was recruiting me and him and my head football coach at in my high school, they had a previous stint at Howard University doing the same coaching staff. So at Howard the head coaching job became available. UM coach Ray Petty, he was a coach that was recruiting me at Norfolk State, got the head coaching job. He came to my high school and got my head coach. And I asked him when he beat up offensive coordinator Howard. This was my

senior year. UM. He was recruiting at Norfolk State and UM, my head coach said, look, this guy can play ball, you know. Um. He was already recruited me at North State. So he said, look, um, I don't have any money. Um. He was kind of late in the process. He was like, but if you come do what you need to do in class, you want to feel um that second year, we can we can give you some money. So went on my visit and it was wrapped. After that, you know,

got on campus. It was like March. Um, the weather was good in d C. And I walked on the yard in the ratio was like seventeen and one. When you let me educate our lessens when you say when you walked on the when you walked on the yard and the ratio, what do you what do you? What do you? Uh? Female to male? Okay, So your ability to strike out was lessened in favor because I knew what you meant if you just but even your college kid, I'm seventeen seventeen, you're still growing. I stopped. So you're

still growing. Yeah, you're linebacker, Yeah, switching the safety seven. Hey, the first one. So the first one you go up to, you know, seventeen and one, the first one, he said, linebacker, boy, you too, So so with that, with that, and then just the weekend and then just giving the history, the strong, rich history of how university man. And you know, it was no that Sunday I called my mom and my dad when I look, we don't have to you know,

we got to get it from somewhere this first year. UM, but it was it was like I said this, it was made for me. It was supposed to work out the way he did. What was your experience at an hbc U And then why do you continue to be

such an advocate for HBCU and what is HBCU? I know, but I didn't know until nineteen years ago when I came from California via Utah to North Carolina historically black colleges and university h b c U s and then primarily on what side of the country East coast, South Southeast. Best four years of my life, best four years of my life. And then you know, when I'm talking to young men and women that's thinking about the h b c U, UM, I tell them it was one time in my life as a young black man, I was

a majority. You know what I'm saying, growing up you're the minority. But nine times out attending the room that you walk in, you're gonna be the minority, right, so you know they're gonna look at you a little different or whatever the case may be. But this one time in my life. For four years, I walked on campus, I walked in every classroom and I was the majority, and I was looking at so a lot of times you grow up depending on you know, the errors you

grow up. And it's like, you know, if you can't run the throwball, you ain't got a wicked jump shot or something like that, Like it's not gonna be too many things you're gonna be successful in. But then you're walking into these rooms and you got expiring doctors, architects, Dennis Like that was real. That was real. And then coming from where I was coming from, I'm like wow, like you know, I I probably I've probably grown up

property and like a black dinnist. And then you know, watching the COLLEGEE Show, you know you've seen you know, a black doctor, but you know, walking campus and then you got Frederick Douglass, you got Alain Locked, you got Charles Drew on these buildings like these are black powerful you know black men and women that has like strong, um,

they're no longer a figment. They're not that's not of your imagination, or they're no longer just ay a project in February, a black and white picture you know, of of a man in the Afro. Yeah. Right now they're on top of buildings and they actually mean something versus like man I wonder. Yeah, so you know factuary black history. Hey, look, we're gonna do this book report find you know, find you somebody you discover. But now black history extends more

than one mind exactly. So now you know you're walking on this campus each and every day and you've got people feeding that stuff into your into your soul. I think it's about that time. Just take a little breatherd do it. Do it. Let's get down to do it. Hey, Gerard, why did you get that T shirt? You mean this thing? Oh yes, I got it from cut to a podcast dot com where we have exclusive merchandise. Shout out to

our guys at seven or four shot. But yeah, you can go on, buy you a T shirt, subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts. When you're playing against guys you really get I don't know, I think false sense of who they are. Right, you have a podcast

you played, and your podcast was with a teammate of mine. UM, and so I heard some I heard a conversation you guys had and it was unique, but also it was also originally I was kind of like what and then also just looking back at myself because actually, UM, A couple of weeks ago, a gentleman asked me, asked me a question. He was like, man, I just want to ask you something. And he shot the question and I and I and I always say you want the love of truth. He was like, man, I want the truth.

And he was like, well, okay, since you offered it, tell me the lives. Like because he said, you know what made you different or unique? I said the lives or you know. Um, I don't remember. I just said something stupid or something. He was like, all right, we got down alway. He said the truth, and the truth was I didn't want to create I didn't I did not want to create friendships when I played. I was not interested in being your friend. I wasn't interested in

what you what you felt about me. Teammate or opponent mainly opponent teammate depending on the day, but mainly opponent. And sitting back, I look at it. I kind of chuckle because the way I played that opponent a lot of times that rubbed opponents the wrong way. But what's the funniest part is if we're opponent, Paul's am I

supposed to rub you? Right? You're supposed to be best friends and I And that's and that's always, and that's why I can I like this conversation where we're going is when I asked you about hearing respect, you said you you would love to hear your opponent give your respect. You know what I love. I didn't want to hear you respect me. I wanted to know that your body

told me you respect him. I respect that too, because a lot of times, you know, a guy can respect you, but he gonna he gonna do and say whatever, try to negate that of what he truly feels. You know what I'm saying, just just at a spike out of hate or whatever the case may be. So I can definitely respect that too. And I agree with you, and I agree with you because, um, you probably don't have to say it. But like you said, when we step in, saw those white lines, like you knew forty one was warm.

Absolutely what I'm saying and you knew like that. I remember I remember playing against you with Torri when Toys with y'all, and this was I had came back after my back. You was in Baltimore and it was like we had to end up and and um, I was playing well, but we just gave up too many places. And I remember, and I remember we looked at I and uh, it was like a hell. Mary was trying to get in those an end zone and we both jumped and he didn't want to let me get out

and want to let him get it. And he said, I remember you said something to me, but I heard the respect, but it was also like you know, hey, you know because he had played against me so much that a lot of guys don't realize. For me, respect is we're gonna play and we're gonna hit each other, but it's gonna be clean. If I I only hear people clean, If I hit you dirty, what your's random,

then that means I had no respect for you. But how I earned respect was if I saw dB and it was on the sideline, I ain't stepping out of bounds. That's a story. This is the story I had visit You're Steve Smith. Story. This story I had because I mean I think I got a lot of questions about

you know, who's the toughest receiver that you played? Like you know, um and obviously you know what I mean, everybody knows, like, like you said, the way you played the game right, So that was like, did you have it? Did you ever have any run ins with him? I'm like, nah, I mean I think we we both respected each other and we both played the game the way the game was supposed to be playing. It was hard, you hit,

it was it was nothing dirty but whatever. But I'm like, I have heard him talk disrespectful to some of my teammates really, so so it was it was it was this is great because we both are at that age We're dumb playing. We ain't gonna go you ain't gonna go get no clie. Somebody tell me go get my clicks. I'thing, Like for what, I need to use my ladder to get up on my bookcase to get those clicks, right, And so they say, disrespectful, bro, what am I supposed

to do? We are hit, didn't need each other took our head with the story, So it was who was playing it? Indie, Um, I'm trying to think who who the dB was? See that could tell you a lot too. I'm telling you a lot. I'm trying to think who the dB was. I'm not gonna say his name, but but it was one of them stories. You would run on the sideline and he eased up, the defender eased up and you and he's he's up. You're still in play because you ain't catching. That's a few guys that

have called me out of eased up on. Mark Bringer called me one time with the with the Panthers la Fan was blocking and heat. I thought he was gonna get me, didn't man? Mark hit me so hard. So that sideline is tricky. On the sideline, it's like, you know, the week before you could have had a receiver on the sideline and running and stepped out of bound. Don't

do that. You know he stepped out of bound, but it could be at one time where you ease up what you know you're not supposed to do inside the lines and he hit him and the corner what's that? You know? Like it was got a got about his pass right. So I remember you getting up and was like you know, ass boy, like you know, just like talking bad to him. So I'm you know, obviously I'm running. I'm running to the ball, right, So I'm running to the ball. So the defender gets up and just start

running away. I'm like, don't you don't you wait? So Smithy, he sed Smithy, No, Smithy, Okay, you fed him, but you thought he was going out of bound. I was going out of he know. That's what I'm saying. That the defender, that's his problem, right right, So Smithie thought of him. He failed. Smithy called a little last boy.

And then he off and he runs off. And while I don't like pitching this though, like I'm the ball and I'm seeing it, and I see my man get up and run off, and Smitty like talking to him bad. So I grabbed him, like, yo, don't you ever don't you ever run away? Wanted somebody talking bad like that. I'm looking at Smitty, I'm like, look, man, you ain't gonna talk to my young boy like that? Why not? You can't I talk to your young boys. You can't. But for me, you gotta have it bad. You gotta

have his bad all time. I'm liking this because the best stepped in. But ultimately, but I'm let stepping in why why are you stepping in my guy? That's my guy, that's your guy, the guy that just got the guy that scampered away. But hold on, I'm not here. Hey he scampered. But from that right there, I'm like, bro, like we we can't have that. Yeah, no, we can't have that. And so but look I respected it, respected the little as you just had to have you got

to have in But what did I say exactly? It was? It was to the tune like like you little ass boy, you better you know, I mean something like you better come you know something than that. You know, could probably a little stuff something room some some something by weight room, but it was it was. It was the fact that because for me, it's like you hear a lot of stuff like why the game is gone, a lot of stuff where you your laugh, some of us funny, some

of us funny, like you know. So again that was one of the stories where after the game we got a dub and you know, you sit in the locker room and you watching the film and you see that you see the play, and I'm like, Paul's that And you know I tell the young boy like man, don't let I don't ever let this happen again like it, but it's a lesson learned, like don't ease up on the sideline, like you know when a grown man talk. We all grown man out here, and you don't let

them grown man talk to you like that. But then in my mind, it's like sounds like something I would have did. He had to have it, That's what I wanted because there are so many stories out there that's kind of like Steves that Steves that you know, blah blah blah. But at the end of the day, I played hard every play, but I also put a target on my back. I couldn't have You couldn't have. Yes, I couldn't jog. I couldn't jog through Like he come down before they want to come down and he he

lines up and he becomes the linebacker. Bro. They reidentify that Mike and they slide to the right. That means that now that that dime or or nickel or safety now is run support and I'm in a tight split. That's my guy, and we won't lock eyes. You know. He looked at me and I ain't gonna look away. I ain't looking away, like I hope you don't see y'all looking at him like, I see you, you see me? How are we gonna do this? I'm not gonna go low because one I respect him. Two that's illegal right in.

Three I don't want to if the shoes on another foot and he has an opportunity to hit me low. And now I'm over here playing hot potato, hot feet. All right, Well we've been moving this ball down the field. We're about to wrap up this conversation or last segment is the deep three last three questions, Smithy, go ahead and give him the first one. How do you want to impact the world? Man um? Funny you say that playing this game? You know you played it a long time.

And if if I step up, if I leave this world and they say, you know A B was a great football player, then I failed, you know, so, um my foundation, but the family foundation, man just impact. If I can impact one life, UM, I think I've I've done a good job, you know, but obviously being able to impact as many lives as as we can with the platform, man um. No, young men and young women just try to push them to be the best person that they can be and get them getting them out

of their comfort zone. Well, I can tell you you've already done that then, because I've seen some of the stuff your foundation has done. You're doing those campus tours, You're you're allowing kids to see, uh, campuses that they may or may not have been able to see. So just being able it's not a daydream anymore. So even just giving that opportunity, UM is gonna pay dividends. So Man,

if that's it, then then mission accomplished. But I know you're gonna you're gonna keep pushing through to So how would you describe the person you've become? Man, that's a great question. We do that here. Yeah, great questions. How he's gonna he's gonna take credit for my question? Sorry, I become more the biggest thing, like more understanding, right, I know, Um, I think marriage does that. I think living does that. Um, having kids, having kids definitely does that.

But I was so black and white for a long time. But obviously now it's like, you know, I mean, my kids asked me questions. Now I'm just like I don't like, you know, it really have had me thinking. So I think the biggest thing for me, like I'm more understanding student, I'm learning, I'm learning about myself, you know, I'm still learning, you know about you know, just just just life my family. So I would say, um, just a student and just you know, more understanding. I don't say that the biggest

two things right now that I kind of see myself. Yeah. So being from Newport News, being one of many young men coming from from out there, if you can get a billboard, hmm, what would you put on that billboard to say to anybody in Newport News? Dream big? Because I think again you've got so many again young young men and young women. They feelers that they feel as though that's all it is is Newport News what they see every day. Um, and they limit themselves so much. Um,

they don't dream. It's like they're living their day to day life like you know, I'm I'm fourteen and I'm the man of my house, like I gotta go to work, well, I gotta do whatever I can do to bring money into the household. They're not giving that opportunity to really dream. So I think that's what my my billboard would be would be, you know, dream big. And it's been on in the privilege I have you on man, I appreciate it, appreciate your Yeah, that was good man. I'm not as

scary as they say. I respect you. I respect you, always respected you may always always um always knew you know, we've had enough guys on here, defensive guys, I every defense, every defender I went against, whether they believe it or not. I always respect you. Now the level of respect, it's gonna vary throughout the game, but always new and always

going against you. Um. I never ever wanted to see a situation where either one of us got hurt, especially with it being in my hands right and but always knew, um, you know dB wherever it was, you know I could do that words for the one that you know one, Yeah, I gotta gotta pay attention to him because here creep up and get a pick, and then I got chase him, damn. And then I'm mad I got chasing. You can't paid

for that part, now, you know. And then and then people looking at this opportunity, can they can hit me over so you know I'm over there over there, focus right, Brian ergla could caught me like that one time, called you slipping man through it. They threw a pick and I was running, I was locked in and I had the arm boom, I said Damn, He's like, I got you so, but she was one of those guys. Man, I appreciate that. It's it's it's mutual man, mutual respect. Man.

Like I said, going against you, Man, I just you knew how to gotta be a one that day. You know what I'm saying. And you know, you know how it is in the league. Every week it's there. Every team gonna have that one. Yeah, but but you know, just just being able, you know, to go up against you just know you had that dog in you. Man. Always respect your game, man, regardless what everybody else to be saying. Man, I get it, I get it. You are a unique person. You are well worth it, you

are competent, and most of all, your lovable. I'm Steve Smith Singor I'm Gerard Little John and this is cut to It. Cut to It with Steve Smith Senior. That Is Me is a production of Cut to It LLC, Balto Creative Media, The Black Effect, and I Heart Radio. For more podcast from My Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio Apple Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to

your favorite shows from Cut to It. Executive producer Steve Smith Singor co host Gerard Little John talent booking manager Joe Fusci, Social media team Wesley Robinson and John Show from Balto Creative Media. Cut To It is produced by Brian Baltaschevic and Meredith Carter, with production assistance by Alex Lebrek, Production Coordinator Taylor Robinson. Theme music by Alex Johnson, lyrics and vocals by Anthony Hamilton. You ain't heard about it, then we're about to let you know. It's all