Making a Difference

it's all coming up. On the cut to a podcast, we've got Lorenz O'Neil, a four time pro bowler and All Pro, a member of the two thousand's NFL All Decade Team, but more importantly, just a fountain of wisdom. Lorenz O'Neil on the Cut to a Podcast, A guy you blocked for two gave us a great story when we asked this, um is where are you from? In a place you call your hometown. The more the L the move the big L town La Moore, California, where

I'm from. So if you look at California, you guys know how long it is, you know, one of the longest states to travel to California. We're in the Central Valley, so we're dead smack in the middle. We're three hundred miles south going down to l A. We're three hundred miles north going up to the Bay San Francisco. So

we're in the middle. And those so Fresno, Bakersfield, by Saia, by Saiah, bakers for all those town those little those little towns by the way, related to Tommy Smith, member the sixty four Olympics up there when you know, so he's from the more Steve Perry just a long just a small town boy living in a lonely world. He's you know, you know, dang your journey. He's more to Steve Perry. So small town, but it's just a country, a lot of egg form laying around, you know. So,

but we are centrally in the Central Valley. So that's why they call it the cent Valley, where the raising capital of the world. We produced over seventy five billion dollars a year in in aggon and food. We feed the majority of the world. Central Valley is so rich in farm land, so that's where it's at. So three miles south you go to l A, three hundred miles north you go to San Francisco. So we're kind of we're dead smack in the middle growing up there. How

did that shape your view in the world today. Well, I think that, you know what, you were blind a little bit, but you were also it made you see things differently because you're a young man growing up in a town like that. Lots of Portuguese, a lot of majority of Portuguese, and you know, and in white and you know, blacks were kind of not necessarily a majority.

A lot of the blacks came from you know, the South and moved to Lamore, the Central Valley because you know, in the sixties and fifties, a lot of people left, you know, far as leading getting out of the the you know, Texas and stuff. So a lot of them

came out to California. My dad and grandmother my grandmother was a Biola and Oliver was my grandfather, and they came from Texas on the back of a truck, my dad and his six brothers and my aunt Bernice, and so it was a guy, a Cunneyman, they called him Cunneyman, and he would drive people and families out to California. And they took him out to the Island District and

now the Island District. It was quoted like a a not a plantation, but it can a community almost, yes, absolutely absolutely where all the blacks lived on on the land and they shared and they work worked on different forms and chopped cotton, picked cotton, and everyone says, chopp cotton. You don't chop cotton. What you do is you chopped the weeds. So I grew up and we had we had fifty acres and we still have it now I'm developing that now residential. But so I had to I

had to chop cotton growing up. So you chopped the weeds that are around the cotton. You gotta get a hole and you go down the roads and you just you hold the weeds from around the cotton. Um so for it won't won't struck before it won't strangle the cotton for to grow. So those are some of the things. And then my grandparents, my dad, my mom, they also we had to pick cotton. So you pick the cotton, you make sure picking your the sacks that you pick,

you wait them and you got paid for that. I didn't pick cotton, but you know, my my thing was I did chop, you know, the weeds from around it. But we had a cotton picker so we didn't have to do that with my grandparents, and my mom and dad had to do. So those kind of things kind of they kind of molded me and kind of you asked, you know, what did it bring for me? It taught me how to work. You taught me about hard work. I still go out and cut grass. I you know,

I have rental properties and latle more. I got a hammer and nail like and sheet rock. I try to tell my kids, I said, look, when dad gone was Dad's gone. That's why I try to get you guys to come out here and work, because you need to know, well, dad, we can hire someone. I said, yeah, but if you got a room and you gotta you know, tend by ten by ten room, you know that's four how many? You know? Where's the stud you got? Your two before

is every sixteen or every twelve inches? So I can tell you even though you don't have to be going out going out and doing the work, at least I want you guys to know how many sheet how many two before is you need to by? So if you learn that stuff now, no one can't beat you. So those those are the certain things that really really that I gravitated towards that kind of you know, still keep me and keeps me molded. Who I am? My grandmother, like I said, she was nineties seven when she died.

And I remember my senior year. I was the League Player of the year. I was the Central Section player of the year. I was the valley player, the athletic of the year, and I was Northern California Athlete of the Year. And I was California Athlete of the Year. And Janet Evans says, Lorenzo is the King, and Janets the Queen. Janet EVTs who won the Olympics. And I beat out Michael Kim who was a tennis player, UM for Athlete of the Year, Curtis Conaway, all the greats.

And I remember sitting with my grandmother and she said, come here. What she said, sit down? And said, oh, grandma, she's like she's going to sit and talk to me. She had an old beat up station one and said, don't worry, I'm not gonna give you the station where again. I said, oh, thank god? And so he said down. You know what, sudden she goes, you can do all those things she calls you know what, you're all these athletes, all these you know, accolades you're getting and people are

bragging about you, she said. But let me tell you something. She said, I came from Fort Worth, Texas. I had your I was I was picking cotton. As she said, she was a forming over twenty people. That she was you know you still she was picking cotton, but she was forming over twenty people, making sure they picked and did the things that they need to do. She said, I was pregnantly druncle Joe. I went into labor on Wednesday,

I went worked Thursday, I had your uncle. Friday, I went back to work and I said, Grandma, why don't you just take the weekend. You're already gonna be off for the weekend, and you just could have took Friday and then been off and go back Monday. She said, son, she goes, I'll tell you this, never take a vacation when the bosses around, she I said, why not? She said,

they'll realize how much they don't need you. And at that time, I really know, as a senior in high school, but you know, all those times and she how was she even got to see me play in the pros. She lived a great life, But all that time I didn't know until you know got in college and then the heighs the pros. She was telling me something. You could be as good, You could be the best. But if you take a vacation when the bosson around, they'll realized they don't know need you. Someone else is gonna

take your price. Someone else is just as wrong. Someone else wants to be that supervisor. Someone else wants to be that supervisor over twenty someone else wants to be that starting fullback. Someone else wants your job. So never take a vacation when the boston around, because they will realize how much they don't need you. And those are the things that I still tell my kids. Those are things that I tell people when I go and talk

to them. Those are so important for not just not just not just in sports, but just in life in general. It's fun is when hearing you say all of this with the same enthusiasm. Is how you taught a lot of players. Why you why you were on teams with the Cincinnati Bengals with the obviously on that um Hall of Fame career where la Damian Thomas and and and just what you did and meeting a guy named Steve

Smith before he became senior at the Pro Bowl. Um, just all of that stuff that you've taught so many players that have so many high um admirations for you. Man, I appreciate it. My thing, Stephen, You know it, man, you're that guy that everyone in the league. They knew, whether you know, watching you play in the attitude and which you went about it and you demanded respect and it wasn't You didn't have to talk about it. They just knew Steve was gonna be playing. I don't care.

They knew that they were gonna go into the meeting. They don't care how big, how small, hall or whatever. They knew that they had the game playing for you. You can't teach that. That's something that you have inside you. That's something that's been instilled. That's just your heart. That's just your termination. No size or nothing determines who you are. That doesn't define you. Steve is you know we're talking about me and I don't mean you. That's what we

have a kind of spirit. We love each other, love each other family. But the biggest thing, man, it's like, it doesn't matter. It could be the biggest dude in the world. Steve. You ain't backing down even if they whipped your ass, that's just not who you are. I'm being you know. You know that, bro, that's just but a lot of people we pit bulls, and a lot of people don't have that. They don't have that in factor. It's you gotta you gotta kill us. And that's what

makes that's the difference between good and great. That's the difference that separated you. And that's the difference that separate you. That you can wait, Okay, you no way, not on my watch, no way. You might beat me. You might win the game, but you ain't beating Steve. That that's just how you're built. You wasn't beating you. You might win the team, your team might have lost. You might

your team might have struggled. But something inside of you that you're gonna say, I'm whooping your ass today, you ain't. You might, you might, you guys might win. But I'm gonna tell you right now, y'all don't know that I'm here. You would block, you would hit guys. You would. It doesn't matter what your job was. That's what made you great, bro,

That's what made you great. I don't know if the sounds how do how do you feel hearing that from Lorenzo, it's hard to digest the bill what that's just it allows you, I believe. One of the reasons why I have such a hard time hearing compliments, especially from people I admire or respect or I really value, including you and a lot of you know people are our production team and that we work with, is because it allows

me to take my card down. And I don't like taking my card down, because if I take my guard down, the fear of more of being emotionally hurt because of I know, you know you can physically hurt me. And okay, I you know I have a high threshold of pain. You know, I've been through some things emotionally that that's hard to get through, right you You've seen people who have dealt with things emotionally as children, and you can, you can talk to someone long enough you realize, Man,

their childhood screwed them up. I don't want to be that, right. I think some of my childhood already wounded me. Sure, And so that's why, you know it's it. It has taken a lot of years to create a smile for me. Along For a long time, it was easier to frown, you know, because if you keep yourself close guarded, like if you look like you're unapproachable, people want to approach you, exactly. And if people don't approach you, you you don't have to talk.

So it just goes down the whole thing. And so you know that really that isolation, right, Um, for a long time, isolation was where I thrived, right, It's where

I felt comfortable. So you know, so and with that, with that, you know, even though you were loved, then you find it hard to really submit or to be just okay, I'm a very I'm a bear who aream because you're used to being on this island and people might say they can help you, they might tell you they love you and all those different things, but it's just it's it's it's a it's a place that you just like you. You want to believe it, but anytime things happen, if you don't have you, yeah, it's you.

It's like a mental prison. Almost, No, it's not, it's not. It's not a mental prison. What's the prisoner is having a friendship with someone that it isn't really a true friendship. That's because because then what are you left with your left You're left sitting there picking up your own emotional pieces, going see and you start to digest or you start to piece together, well, they don't want to really be

my friend. That you don't say they aren't my friend, or the relationship wasn't good because they are someone who's wounded, or didn't know this or that it's or was it I said this that that that made them feel this way? Did I do this and and some of it? So you start to figure out and then you start putting putting the piece together, so you're having a conversation with yourself ultimately says I did something wrong, that's why it didn't work out. So if you don't have that, then

you're safe. So it's not it's not that prison that you know. You're feeling safe this. People who don't run would not get this. There's a place where it's called no man's land, where the slow runners are, where they are then the fast runners, or where they are if you're stuck in the middle. So if you if you hang with the slow people, right, y'all go at the pace that's comfortable for you, guys. But if you're if you're a slow person trying to run with a fast

pace and you can't keep up your body. Your mind say your mind's telling you legs, just say no, right, your legs like acid build up, you start heading a breathing and so you start to back up. You're in the middle. You're in between the fast people, but you're you're not fast enough to be with for the for the for the six minute mile pace, but you're faster, You're faster than the fifteen minute mile pace. So you're stuck in the middle. So you have to maintain chase

but keep off the slow people. So you're you're in the middle and you're dog low and that if you are not prepared and ready to run a marathon by yourself, come on, it's a struggle. I mean, it is a struggle. And some people and I'm not saying this and and a negative I'm just I'm just being honest. I'm throwing it out there. This is where some people commit suicide. This is where some people, uh slip the risk. This is where some people do not know how you're being

real deal with some of what's going on. And there have been times pretty much a lot of my career, I would say about seven right at first, first eight or nine years, man, I was okay with being No Man's Land. I preferred being in No Man's Land because you couldn't tell me I was too slow. Hell, I knew I couldn't run fast. So I was okay with being No Man's Land because it gave me a place there was. I was my judge, jury, and executioner. And

I was happy with it. Because some nights I went to bed terrible day, I was okay with I'll just go to sleep, wake up, try again. I trusted no one to really give me anything that was really beneficial. And that's why Michael Jackson said it best. Stuck in the middle. You got to get over. You can't get up. Yeah, yeah, y'all like, but it's just you know, and that's where

it is. And and I think that No Man's Land is a really good place, but it is a very dangerous place without some some good counseling, without some some good mentor ship, without some people that really can love on you and you also can love on them back, Like Zow is one of those guys. You know, when the Super Bowl happens, um, when some big event that requires us former players are current players to get around

each other. We see each other that's he's one of those guys where I'm okay if he's a slow runner, a fast paced running, I'm okay with sprinting with him because he just lifts you up. You see someone, it's like it's like going to an event or you're the new employee at a huge corporation and you're going to the cafeteria and you see that one person you know and you are belining to them. Yeah, I'm comfortable, Yes,

but it's not comfortable because I feel safe. It's comfortable because of who he is or who she is, and those one Lorenzo is wanted as those guys he texts. Um you ask and they say, well, it's for Lorenzo. I've been on the show a few times and that's some days I'm like, it's West Coast Mathematics today. You know, it's like Lorenzo. Oh yeah, that big dog. Absolutely, And that's what that's who he is that he like he loses the confidence of true friendship. Really like me and

you're bomb. You get on my nerves, I get on your nerves, but ultimately you're one of my closest friends and I would lose if I would lose you in our friendship. It would take me a long time to get over. I could buy some friends, but bro, you are you You're not one of those friends. That that's I don't have the amount of money in my bank account because of what you brain. You know, I appreciate that. I appreciate that. Well, man, that's that's a that's that's heavy.

But even with that, Lorenzo, how how do you how did you landed that place that Steve is described as being, for lack of a better words, being an o G. Being the person that looks out for other people, you know a lot of it. Like Steve, we've we've been hurt, we've been but you still love people. And for me, my dad he was just my dad, you know, as a pastor and you know you'd be passed five years ago, and uh he was a good man. Was he perfect? No?

And I think that you know, growing up sometimes you know, being a you know, a set of a preacher, you stray and I'm a lie, I'm a chieved, I'm you name it, I'm not I'm that person. And and then something I thought, like like Steve talked about, you know, have I'm not saying to speaking for Steve, but I'll speak for me. Have we have I thought about that? I get a gun and put it, pull it out and say I'm gonna commit suicide? No? Have we all thought of Have we thought about it? Have we thought

about relationships? All those different things? Yes? I think that if you people that say that they haven't, I think they're not. They're lying to themselves. We we we are, we are humans. We are human beings and in those nature and those things that we're talking about, love and respect and knowing who one another is. My dad told me a couple of things, and one of them that just stuck out with me and he said, he said, son, you know, I got out of college running while gotten

pros doing my thing. And he said, son, he goes he got to sow down, and he just but he knew. But he talked me in a way, he says, son. He said, Look, if you hang out with four people that make a dollar, he says, son, pretty soon there'll be five. And wow, and you just I mean, and it's and it's your timing. So when you're asking. Was always good to people, Yeah, all the time, wasn't crazier and assis when I was drunk, But far As just being a good person. I was always a good person.

I've done some bad things, and we all have. And that's why for me, I had to learn how to forgive, forgive, forgetting that, you know, because we can do other people, you know, low money and do things and be there. But then sometimes we do all these things because we're not willing to forgive U forgive ourselves. And that's what I had recently. And that's why, you know, you know, I depend more on a higher power, and you know,

I get up and try to pray more. I get up and try to do things for not that I'm some Bible thumper, you know, I still understand it, because what happens is we have been taught a lot of black churches and a lot of black that, hey, you gotta do this, you gotta give more money, you gotta tie, you gotta you gotta go you know what, you gotta go, do this, you gotta do this. No, and Exodus Jesus said, he said, you know, God, he said, I'm the guy who brought the children of Israel for forty I brought

you out of Egypt, he says, So hear me. See so many people in churches, and I think that's what we that's why people turn from God that like he's a genie in a bottle and they rubbed a bloom. Ah need a new car, Oh God, I need a new house, or I needed this, I need that, and it's but they're not, they're not. That's not what he that's not what he came for, Kim and show. It's just how to live, how to treat people, how to be good to people. That's what and and and that's what.

We don't want to do that because that's not our nature. Our nature is the lie, to cheat, to steal, to do those things, because that's what he said, don't give any man no praise. So until you asked me, so until recently learning just to forgive and learning that hey,

look I'm okay, you know what doctor gave me. Because because we go through we might sin, we might do those things, and we feel so we feel so disconnected because of things that we've done in our past or you know, we did something or we felt a certain way, we said some things, we did something we hated, we talked about some when we did things that we didn't speak like, and it's like you feel so guilty, but you know what it's okay. That's why it's only one

good and that's God. We gotta stop, you know, we gotta stop always holding ourselves and looking at ourselves and judging ourselves. And because when you get to that point, sometimes you're just like, man, you'll go down this endless path and the spiral because of the fact you're continuing to hold yourself and it's never gonna be good enough.

We'll always search for perfection. And that's why we always post a chase after Christ to be more like what he was on this service, not like because because man, we get we get it mixed up, we mess up because we're human, and that's what we got. So I just tried to learn to let God they look, You're in control, whether I lie, whether I still, whether I do I'm still gonna you know, I still, I don't

do it, don't do it intentionally. The least to know, man, that God knows and he's forgiven, he knows our hard. So that's what's been the biggest thing for me. When you're asked, what, how how do I get to that place? Is I can't do it, man. It's trying to trying to hold it up and trying to do all the things for you. You'll go crazy trying to take care of it. We weren't trying to be everything to everybody. You'll go crazy. We're not We're not capable. How do

you deal with self care? Then? You know? For me? You know, for me, I have a a guy named Ron passed Ron who I talked to you. But it's not about it's not about judgment and Steve, I have lied. I lived a lie. I lived a lie for a lot part of my life. That you say, you get to a certain age, supposed to be married, get to a certain age, post have kids, you posed to say, this is what you supposed to do. You want that trophy wife, You want to do those things and nothing

that they have done. Nothing. That's not that they're not a great person. It's not that they treat you us, not that they're all those things. But if you're a pepsi and all of a sudden you you try to be a coming orange soda, it doesn't work. You'll never become an orang Solda because you're a pepsi. Yeah, so sometimes we force we do things out of this is oh, chief fine, or this is that, or and and and

that person is nothing. They did nothing wrong, but because you went into it because it was something that you felt that you need to do. It's something you feel. Feeling is the emotion. It's not that necessarily the truth. And sometimes you hurt kids, you hurt generations because you hurt you write, you hurt whether you hurt because you won't tell them the truth. You won't let them know who you really are. And you did something. You know, maybe you want to go camping, but you know what,

they wouldn't know. It's all about Louis and it's never it's never been about that. And that's but that's who they've been. They you got married to him. Hey I don't want to run to camp. They would never do those some of the things that you or go fish or do the things that you want to do. And you did it because you felt that I needed to feel a void. And we then when you have the things that we have to disposal income, we can fix

the problem despite throwing money and you throw it. It's it's a temporary solution and and and it's not necessarily the truth. We have to take a break, and we gotta pay some bills. 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 you listen to podcasts. I got all my questions answered. That's what I'm here for a brother, cut to It podcast dot Com. Coming up on the Cut to It Podcast, we've got Tori Smith, two times Super Bowl Champion, eight year NFL veteran with the Ravens for the Honors Eagles, Panthers, and he's the founder of the

Tory Smith Family Fund with his wife Shania. Tori Smith on the cut to It Podcast, Where Where did you grow up? Where are you from? Just like give us the rundown of James Toys, he pulled out the government name, man. He put the government name out there, man. I grew up in a small town in Virginia, A small town called Colonial Beach, Virginia is known for two things. The first president of the United States from the area, George Washington and also the General of the South Robberty lead.

Look at that count there isn't really too much going on where I'm from his country, small town. All my families from there, and I was raised by my mother from the oldest of seven. I was raised my mother and my grandmother, and you know, we kind of we went through a lot going up. You know, my mother had been when she was sixteen years old, so we really grew up together. A lot of misteaks she made.

You know, I was right there along with her for the ride she's She's had times, you know, where she was in arserrated, she was in a very abusive marriage at one point, and you know, I was right along with on that journey. So all of the things that we went through really made me who I am. Um. I had to mature and grow up a lot earlier than a lot of my peers. And because of that, you know, I was able to handle and and everything

that came my way. You know, I tell people all the time, I knew everything there was about being a parent besides actually working. And you know, I know there were some tough moments and things that you know, most kids really shouldn't go through our experience. But for me now being an adult, I was sure made me who I am. Your mom got a caution ready, where you were when you were young? You know how young were you when she was in Cartion? Ready? Yeah, my mom was.

She was in out of jail um a lot because of the relationship that she was in. They would fight all the time, and fight all the time. You know, she used to fight when she was younger. You know, in her childhood wasn't the best either, So it really it was just kind of generational curses in my family that I you know, my whole goal was to learn from my personal experience and try to break them as an adult. And I remember when I was in probably second grader, so it was probably the last time she

was in car show. I take that back. It was in third grade and she shot her ex husband. She shot him. She said she was aiming for his body and she hit him in the knee. So good things she can't shoot because you know, she probably wouldn't be

out here right now. But she had had enough and that was probably one of the longest things she had and you know, it wasn't over a year, but she spent some months behind bars, for sure, but I just remember being there and visiting her one time, and to be honest, that was probably one of the last times I had actually been in a prison to visit a family member. There, I take that, but there was maybe

two other times. But I never liked it that that was the last time I saw my mother behind bars, but that wasn't the last time that she was actually behind bars. And I just couldn't put it in my my mind to to see her in that condition, you know, to see her behind bars, because I know she's a flawed woman, just like I'm a flawed man. But that's

my mom. I know, I know her heart, and so it was tough for me to see that, which is probably sounds crazy for me saying that, because we we've been to prisons together, Um, you know, visiting people, and I can do that all day, but to me, it's tough, you know, looking at my own family member, you know, in that situation, and it's something that I told her that I wouldn't do, and I hadn't. To this day.

Maybe I'll get over it a little bit, but to me, that's honestly a little bit of trauma there that I've I've tried to stay away from. But you know, it's like I said, it wasn't the last time that it happened, but it was the last time for a long time before she had another incident. You're saying that you're still traumatized. What what are some of the things that you're dealing with, you know obviously as a man, a father, a husband, you know, and then ultimately a son that you're still

trying to get through. Yeah, that's probably one of the biggest things for me as an adult. You know, you're you don't realize things when when it happens to you, right, and as men, especially black men, you're kind of taught to just suck it up, holding in, stay to yourself and keep going. You know, I found myself as a young and you know, being angry um about certain things,

and I didn't really know how to communicate it. And so I understand when I see a kid now that's lashing out, and I'm like, man, like, I see that because I've been in your shoes, um, as an adult looking at my kids now, you know, whether it's abused, whether it's the way I communicate with my wife, these are all things that I had to learn, Like, you don't know that you have issues until you're around somebody

that lets you know that you're wrong. Yeah, well you didn't have a playbook, right, And and experiencing that kind of trauma, it's it's it's definitely big. And I think for all three of us. I know, you know, Smithy has his own background. My mom has been through and it's a survivor of domestic violence as well, and so it is a lot. And while I didn't witness my mom, you see the reverberations and how you just deal with her.

And so just sharing that of you know, how you deal with your mom and and and the and the trauma that you've dealt with it, that's man, it's it's it's tough because we all are you know, we all are taught just kind of deal with it, go on. We we we process it and we move on. But we really don't process you do it? No, we don't

at all. And that's the bro I just thinking about it, going back and some of the stuff that I witnessed as as a as a youngster, watching my mom deal with some of the stuff that she's she dealt with with her her husband when he was, when he was alive, when I was younger. I can I can literally go back and close my eyes and see those times that like midnight one a young when the when my mom's you know, now he's passed away. Husband, you should just be raided and talk down to her, and she was.

I remember specifically one time she was. He was standing over her, calling her all these calling the names, and she was crouched down and just fearing for her life. And we were living on Cambridge Avenue in a duplex. And I just remember that even at forty one. Right now, I can remember that. You remember the smell, remember I can't.

I can remember the pain, color, I remember the remember the crazy, the what they don't even now that I'm I guess now that I'm I'm an adult and got a little change in my pocket, like they don't even we call them armed wars, but they were like TV stands, And I remember the TV standing like I can visualize everything, and so hearing what you said, I can't imagine. I

don't know. I guess for me, is there some shows that I watched today that I have to turn off because it triggers something in me that stirs something up in me that's just like overwhelming. So I'm I can't imagine. Do you go through that now, toy? Do you did? You know, if you watch and obviously how violent shows are you when you see someone, especially a woman that is maybe pulling the trigger of a of a significant other,

do you go back in time a little bit? Do you have that trauma or you just kind of like, oh, it's just a TV show. No, it's for sure brings you back to that moment, you know, just listening to y'all, like, you know, there's a thousand in cents that I can think of where I remember the smell of the car, you know what I mean. It's just like you remember every single thing, and that to me isn't something that

I realized, like it's stuck with me. Not because it was a great memory, but it was a traumatic experience. And so when you're watching TV and you see a story comes up, or you're looking at a kid that's curled up that feels like they're powerless, you know, like you remember what it was like to be in that situation.

You know, when you're watching a man and his tone dealing with the woman, you realize, dang, like that's an issue, you know, And and even in myself, like I try to make sure that even when I'm talking to my wife that I'm not letting my tone get to a place. I will never physically put my hand my hands on my wife, but I know that the way my tone could be could be just as dangerous as putting my hands on my wife. And so that that's important for

me to know. But I come from a family where communication between my mother and my grandmother was hot stop. You know, my mother in the way we communicate that time, and she talked to us because of her own pain was hot style, and so you have to learn like if that's all you know, you think that's just how people communicate, right, And it's introduced me to the fact that I know, like, yeah, I' about to talk to

me like that just thing, okay, all right? Like and so there's things that I seriously like my wife, like people talk about being woke now about social issues, like my wife made me woke and aware of my own issues that I haven't dealt with or that I needed to deal with. How are you dealing with those right now? And I've I've had to talk to counselors. In the past, I've had to talk to my peers. I've had to talk to Steve Smith. I've had to talk to Aunt Kwanbo.

Then you know, I've had to talk to some of my receiver coaches, Jim Hustler, Bobby Ingraham, you know, like there are some some great men um that I've I've had the Adam Henry, you know, he's down there in Dallas right now. The received goes for the cowboys, like these are men that I was able to talk to

about real issues. But guess what they all had experiences too, which is something that to me and being in an environment where, like I said, as young black men, and even mental health in the black community in general, it's like a stigma, like it's negative to go get help. Yep. The reality of it is like no one if you continue to hold all this stuff in, like you're never gonna be able to heal and move on. Why do you think it is? It's such a big stigma, and

obviously in the black community. And the reason I say the black community is because you're listening to Tory Smith and cut to it, and this is an audio podcast and we're black, so That's why we're saying black men, because I don't know what it's like to not be a black man. But I also don't act like I know what it's like two be a non black man. And so there is especially right now in this climate, that there is a little bit of times people are like, well,

why does it all you have to be black? You know? Or why does it have to be race? You know? Sometimes racists just used as a you know, as a measuring stick, or also just to to paint a picture of what people experience. Like I mean, you know, I hate to say this way, but a short guy has no idea what it's like to deal with being a seven foot tall guy trying to get into a small car. Like there are things that you have to deal with

that other people don't have to deal with. So that's why I say, as a black man or black men, why is mental health such a stigma in the community, Where when you really think about it, when you just strip away all of everything, Bro, you gotta imagine, tory, you what you've dealt with as a young man, watching your mother shoot her husband, me, watching my mom get beat by her husband. Gerard watching his mom get beat by her husband. And to say that this doesn't have

an impact on you. You don't see the world a little bit with apprehension. Man, you gotta be blank and kid me. It's what we have experienced as young men. There's some people are walking in that are walking around having never experienced that will never experience it. And thankfully my kids will never experience having to watch me put my hands on my wife. The only thing I put my hands on is a gentle hand on my wife.

But you know what I'm saying, But just it's it's experiences, man, And I think what all of us we're saying is that we're just so often taught as black men and maybe as men in general, but our experiences are as black men, we're taught suck it up, don't say nothing, don't tell the family secrets. We're gonna talk about uncle Uncle Earl down the street and what he's done. Right like we just we we always and to elaborate on it. We just always keep it within. We keep all our

family business within the family. That's just it just seems you don't hear your dirty laundry. It's about to me, and I think that's truming itself. One thing that in the black community that we've struggled with, specifically along the lines of mental health is that it's like, all right, everyone around you is dealing with it, right, and that's that's like generalizing it. But what people are saying is that, okay, uncle,

uncle Earl was dealing with it. You know. You you can talk to your peers that some people are dealing with the exact same things. But it's like you want to protect the people in your home still in spite of their flaws, you know. And and we are consistently told and taught as men too tough, and like it's about being masculine and strong, like you're weak if you have to reach out and you can't control what your

thoughts are in your mind, you know. And in other communities, you know, it's important to speak of like I know people who are you know, some of our wife friends from high school who were dealing with issues with sports, dealing with losing, and it was okay for them and their parents were willing to have them reach out to a counselor or to a therapist. In the black community, oh you're talking to the crazy folks. You're gonna you

gotta go to the crazy house. You know, you kind of get judged for wanting to reach out to get help. So that's why it's important for men like us to speak out about it, because people are dealing with issues. A lot of the issues we see now, whether it's

crime really specifically talking about crime. When you see it, you know, I see the kid who witnessed abuse, who had no guidance, who couldn't trust people like I couldn't trust people because that the people who are responsible for providing for you are putting you in environments that you know, as a child you shouldn't even be in, Like you're gonna have some trust issues. You know, you may follow

the wrong crowd because of that. And that's not to make excuse for everyone's issues, but I understand, and so to me, like, that's a big thing that we had to continue to talk about because again, we all have these problems. And I would have never known Steve had these problems if I didn't talk to Steve about it, right, I didn't. I wouldn't know g had it. We didn't

talk about it. So it's important for us to continue that conversation, man and to be better and to break that because we have our issues dealing with your trauma and negative experiences. You can't do it alone. I think it's about that time. Just take a little breather. Good good, let's get down to do it. Hey, Gerard, why did you get that T shirt? 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 whereever you listen to podcasts. Our guest today is Malcolm Jenkins. He's in his tenth year in the NFL. He's a three time Pro Bowler. He's a Super Bowl winner with two different teams, the Saints and the Eagles, and he's just made a return back to the New Orleans Saints. I think what's most impressive is he is a contributor now to CNN. He's also the founder of the Player's Coalition and the Malcolm

Jenkins Foundation. Where did you grow up? So I was. I was born in East Starns, New Jersey, is right next to North UH and I lived there for until I was properly in the third grade, and then I moved to UH. Piscataway, New Jersey, which is actually where my dad's from, maybe like forty five minutes away. But my whole family uh is still in Jersey. The majority of them are in North and East. How would your mom or dad describe young Malcolm as a kid growing

up in East Orange, New Jersey. Uh, they say I was a good kid. Like they laughed. They you know, I'm the oldest of three boys and so uh and I got plenty of cousins. You know, we we got a lot of us in my generation of the family. But I was a good kid. But you can, as as you can imagine with all of these boys, you know, we get in trouble a lot. But they would say I was the smart one who knew how to not to get a whooping. So everybody else, you know, your

kids don't know how to stop having fun. Like right before you get to that point where you you're about to get the attention to your parents, I'll be the one. I'll be right right and locks that with everybody until I'm like, ah, y'all get a little too loud and I sit down. By time the adults come in the room, I'm the only one, you know, chilling and everybody else going crazy. They get a woman and I'll just be laughing. I was a smart one for show. You had three

generation of of Jenkins in the same household growing up. Yep, what was that? Three generations one time? That's pretty cool, like break that down for us. Yeah, So, uh, Piscottaway, New Jersey. Uh, you know, my grandmother owned the house that my dad grew up in, and so you know, he went to North Carolina and t when he got out, him and my mom met there. We lived in you know, up in North Jersey, so East Tharn's, North Urban Ton.

We bounced around a little bit, but once we got back to Scataway, we moved back into that to that house. So my grandmother was still living there. Um and my my uncle, so they were downstairs and then upstairs was me,

my two brothers and then my parents. So you really had, you know, three generations between my grandfather, my grandmother, Uh, my father then you know, his sons until to my grandmother retired and she moved to Virginia, sold the house to my to my dad because she didn't given no discounts, and then uh, they're still there. You went to a all black elementary school. I believe from pre king till

about third grade, I didn't. I really didn't realize how different my experience was until recently as an adult, Like as people have been kind of having these conversations about you know, when did they kind of notice that they were black? And for me, when I started schools called Chad School uh in North New Jersey. My aunt was actually one of the first She was in the inaugle kind of the first class of that school, and all of the teachers, majority of students were black. And it's

a private school. And so because it was private, they you know, you get hit with a ruler. Uh, you know, everybody. You we had to address each other and our teachers as uh sister and brother. We someng lift every voice. Every single day. Every Friday was we had a play, you know, one of the classes would do a black history kind of uh play and tell different stories throughout history every single Friday. And you had pre k all

the way in the twelfth grade. And so it really created a sense of community and pride in your blackness, your heritage, your history. And then once I got to the third grade, I moved to Proscottawat and went to public school. And it wasn't until then that I realized, you know, how different, you know, though the curriculum was of the traditions and and you know, really kind of

the blackness was nowhere to really to be found. What it did prepare me, though, was when I was in those environments, I was very, very comfortable with who I was, my heritage and my family and all of those things. Where I think it's been when I talk to people, it's been like the opposite. You know, they didn't really recognize, you know, they had to learn later in life, like how to be proud about who they were because they

saw immediately when they went to school that they were different. Um, and I've had a different experience, and so like it's one thing I've been talking about a lot recently because we need more of those types of spaces where you know, you know, not to jump off on a tangent, but I'm talking to a lot of black educators and less.

I think it's like two percent of all educators are black men, and so to go, you know a lot of us will go through preschool all the way to high school and not have a black man at the front of in your classroom. Yeah, And what that does is like you you never see yourself and that as a teacher, you never see yourself as a leader. You can you can go your whole you know, time through

school and never have a black principle, um. And so you don't have these examples that are in front of you that tells you you can be a leader, that you're smart, that you can teach, that you can you know, do all of these things. And you see white people in those spots, and for white kids, they never see a black person in those spots either. And so without being you know, overt or anything, these are kind of

the messages that kids take in. And you know, like I said, I didn't even really notice the difference until you know, much later as an adult when I'm talking to people with different backgrounds. But there's it's no coincidence that I still have a lot of friends that went to Chad School with me, uh and we're all very like minded when it comes to you know, what we're with. Our business interests are what we are fighting for, how we raise our kids, our pride and kind of our heritage.

And it's no surprise that it started, you know, at such a young age. I mean I can. As you were talking, Malcolm, I'm I'm thinking back, and I didn't have a male teacher until I was in the eighth grade and he was our defensive backs coach, and that was that was literally it. So it's it's profound for you to bring that up, because it's one thing to hear the statistic. It's another thing to see it in

your life. And you jumped into a lot of the things I think we wanted to talk about in terms of some of the work that you're doing today, and we'll talk about a lot of that, But it's almost as if a lot of those things were planted in you as a child, whether it be from your family or being at that school. Why do you think that was important to you? Why do you think it's played

a part into who you are today? Well, I think my parents are very intentional, you know about it, And they never really taught me, or at least I couldn't really remember any you know, real specific lessons about being black, but they definitely created an environment in which always, like I felt comfortable in it and always was around it and learning things. But also my dad did a really

good job of um exposing me to other cultures as well. Um, you know, we we go visit my grandmother and Virginia and we stopped at different places, historical markers, and you talk about the Battle Gettysburg and all these different things, um, you know. And as a kid, sometimes these lessons you they're boring and you don't think you understand them until you become an adult. And then all of these things,

you know, are just ingrained in who you are. And so I think for me now as a as a parent, I'm trying to you know, replicate some of those same lessons that that my parents, um, you know, taught me. And and not just about again you know, your own blackness and their heritage and history, but others as well. I also understand that those lessons were I would never talk to those lessons outside of Chad School in my home.

And so yeah, I don't want my kids, you know, to go through these school systems and never learn about their own history and never learned about, uh, you know, their their heritage, where they come from, what they've been through, who they are as you know, as people, and who they who, what their what their lineage is, what they're cut from. Because I know that the world's not gonna tell them. So I think it's it's important, you know,

for me, that's it becomes really important. And I also I believe that it's important for all of us to understand it, because I know if I'm not getting it, that that means also my white counterpart, my teammates, whoever, they didn't get it either. And so it's no surprise where we are right now as a country where we're having to have these, you know, really basic conversations about American history and how we got to where we are because we just haven't even learned half of you know,

the history. Yeah, there's such a gap in the in the system, huge as you go through your experiences as at Chad School as a private black school. I in the other hand, grew up in Los Angeles, and I remember I'm going to kindergarten in Los Angeles Unified school district and walking to school and in the first grade, they bust us out growing up in l A and knowing and seeing the pictures of l A. You know, traffic is blank, right, it's a beast. So they sent

us out to the valley. So at the time when they sent us out the valley, I was living on seventy nine and Avalon, which is literally across the street from like from Freemont High School. And how I got my passion football was on Friday nights when we stayed in our apartments. That was like Fridays. I loved it because I got to watch football and I got to eat a TV dinner, right, and being poor TV dinner, you know, like the treat that's a treat, and you

didn't eat everything. My mom put that TV dinner on a bucket, and on that bucket I would watch them playball. And I always dreamed a plot about playing ball. But what was crazy is, as you were talking, Malcolm, I remember us getting bust two. I'm using air quotes because nobody can see me to the white school mm hmm. And it was and I hate to say it this way, but it was a yellow bus full of people of color and we go out to this school. And I

don't know why I remember this. It was this girl name Elizabeth that I thought was really cute, but she didn't want no parts of me, right. But the fact of the matter is, I just remember in the first grade, as Michael was talking, we got busted and we spent like an hour on the bus each way to go to school. And we did that for the school year, and then next year Mama was like, Nah, that ain't happening.

You're going back to the school that you was going because she had to literally I would get out of school. You know, you gotta school to fifteen. Man, we weren't getting back home to like four or five o'clock. And I just remember that. I hate to say this way, but what were they doing. They were getting us out of the hood to get a better education in the valley. Now as an adult, now look at it. You don't need to bust us to give us a better education.

Just give us better education. Bring it to us, bring it to not even bring it to us, Bring it to that area. That's what I'm saying. Bring it, bring it to where the people are. And and it's just interesting that you say that. And that's why I use the word disadvantage because all the years that we played against each other. Now doing this podcast, I get the I get the honest honestly, I get to learn the individuals.

And it's really cool to learn the individuals because you get to see the layers of them versus in football, you're just playing ball. You're going at each other, you're cursing, you're spitting your your You're in the heat of battle. You don't have time. I want to break bread and just to conversate, to dialogue. And so this is really giving me a great perspective of Malcolm Jenkings because I

don't I didn't really have this perspective. When I'm running a whatever route, I'm going against it, you and your coverage, and you're not discussing. Hey man, you know I want to I went to all black private school by bang let me. You know, he ain't exactly top of mind. It's not not not quite the priority of that. Also learned when you you went to high school, just to kind of move it along. But you went to high school, you play D D and wide receiver. How did you

pick playing dB versus wide receiver? I think, uh, it had to be my junior year I had I think I had seven touchdowns on offense, but I had like five drops that could have been touchdowns, but I had eight picks. So for whatever reason, I could catch the ball on defense, but I couldn't catch it on offense. So I figured real quick I was at dB. But uh, the way I got my scholarship as well. Was um after my this had to be. Yeah, after my junior season, we my aunt moved to Westerville, Ohio, and my mom

wanted to go visit her sister. So for two weeks we went up there, and my parents paid to put me, uh and my brother at Ohio States football camp that they do every year. Now, at the time, I didn't realize that recruits don't pay to go to these camps. Uh, and obviously I was not a recruit. So my parents paid the full fours whatever it was for each of us to stay on campus for four days. And at that camp, I reagistered to be, you know, a corner.

And one of the days they were doing one on ones and uh, you know, I started in kind of the line. They had like four or five different lines. I started in one where the receivers are kind of scrubs, and I down locked everybody up in that line, and I moved to the next one, did the same thing, the same thing, and I noticed that like all the way the end of the field, there was one particular line where all of the coaches were at. Jim Trust was over there and Mel Tucker was the decordinator at

the time. He was there a couple of other people. So eventually I made myself to that line and I realized, like, okay, these receivers are different, you know, these and I had I didn't even know who they were. I didn't recognize them from the camp, but these were all of their recruits and guys that were actually coming in on a scholarship from all over Ohio. And so I just, you know, I jumped in line. I'm competing, you know, if if the DBS, I can nervous to go against somebody else.

I cut in the line. I go three times in a row, and eventually melt Tucker just pulled me to the side and he's like, you know, like who are you, what's your name? You know, He's giving me little techniques and I'm applying him and I'm just competing, compete with people. He took me into the back room, he said, uh we he turns on so he tries to find my tape and he's like, you might be the best corner

in in in the country. And at that point, I was a one star, you know, recruit my rivals, profiles trash, and so he kind of caught me off guard when he said that. But you know, we kept talking watching some take and he gave me some some tips and uh we left. I spent the rest of you know,

a couple of weeks in Ohio. When I got back, I had a scholarship and so for me, that was when I was like, Okay, dv is this is clearly you know with my focus is on be You mentioned that you were lightly recruited, and you know your your rivals profile wasn't what you wanted to be, but you end up finishing your career at Ohio State, three time first team All Big Ten, you won the Gym Thorpe Award for being the best dB. I wanna ask you this question and make it a little bit more timely

to right to right now. What do you think about the challenges that college students, student athletes are gonna face today given COVID nineteen. Yeah, I mean, I think you know, everybody is trying to adjust and I think you know, for one, it's it's just the safety of even dealing with the virus um. You know, that's that is so

many unknowns, especially at college athletes. You know, they're bringing they're bringing them back early just to do workouts and you're getting you know, all of these uh college students and college athletes you know, exposed to the virus. Uh. The n C double A didn't put in, you know, a standard protocol for everybody, so they're allowing the schools to kind of do their own thing. Um and unfortunately

you saw a lot of student athletes get sick. Um. But then I think with just any college student put the sports down. I think everybody is trying to understand, you know, how do I continue to get my education but also stay safe. You know they're gonna open schools, is they're gonna be a virtual you know experience. I think everybody's trying to figure out, um, how to adjust, but mainly how to stay engaged. You don't want to

lose you know, their attention, especially on the academics. Let's talk ball and so played against you a number of times, and I remember I think an article came out, um that U has stated playing against me, one play was good, the next play was bad. You definitely skied aprintic bro. So like, let me go ahead do talking, yes, please

expound on that. Yeah, yeah, like I'm a I'm a trash talker, like and I like to get in people's minds because I'm like, if I can get you mad at me and more worried about the little stuff I'm doing, not worried about your route, You're not worried about nothing. I got you. But I learned real quick when it came to Steve, Like, for one, don't piss him off, because he plays better when he gets mad. Two, don't believe him when he's being a nice guy, because I've

seen this base which move. I've seen this guy literally after one play, he's talking to you, man, how are you doing? Man? It's crazy, you know, laughing, make a joke, good job, you know, pat you on the back. In the very next play, who's got his hands around your throat? And no exaggeration, this is literal. It sounds like, you know. I I tell young guys we get ready to play the Panthers. I'm like, I'm like, look, it's Steve out there talking to you nice. Don't believe it, like you

keep your guard up because he will choke you out. Bag. But the state is here's the thing. I don't even know what to say too, Like try to help my case right like right now, if if my defense team put Malcolm Jakins on the stand. Lass is going to jail. Hey nothing. You remember when we did uh when you was in Baltimore, we did that joint practice. I was an Eagles, you know. I remember walking up. We're getting ready to do the one on ones. I was hot and he was on the knee and uh, I just

already like, I'm like, we got joint practices. I already know what this is about to be. And so I walk up. I don't say, man, I just kind of walked past, and he was like, hey Jack. I turned around. He was like, we're good. I said, we're straight. All right. You get Joe guys and I got mine. I'm like, all right, right here we go. Then one of my one of them young boys, I ain't gonna repeat what you said to him. But he didn't get the memo about who Steve Smith was. They had to learn the

hard way. But uh yeah, man, it's it's always always a lot of respect man, you know, because it's it's like that on the field. But you know, I think I think that's what made you a great player. Man. That's you know, I had a lot of I used to enjoy those battles. I enjoyed those battlies with you as well, because you're one of those guys. I always had to know where he was on the field. He

was smart, he was intelligent. And Malcolm helped me out with this one too, because we we've had the opportunity to talk to some basketball players. We talked to a lot of different people, and I'm always intrigued with whatever that sport is. I Q. Hmm, but would you say with eight guys one not all of them are the

best of the best that everybody claims, not at all? Okay, and football, i Q. You can have some dudes that literally are extremely intelligent outside of off the field and dumb as a box of rocks to the xs and ohs, and it's like they have no either or they're really smart own a football field high football i Q, and dude some of the dumbest, oh no, the field, Like, what what would you say over the years that you've

played that makes a dB really good? I think for me, you know, And I think what guys sometimes get confused is I've seen guys with phenomenal athletic ability, like could get in and out of breaks better than anybody I've seen ball skills, you know, instincts, whatever, but M can't understand the simple concepts of defense. And so for me, I don't think I'm the fastest, I ain't strongest, and the uh you know, can't jump the highest. But I know leverage, you know, I know, okay, if I got discoverage,

all of my help is inside. I'm gonna stay outside if you beat me, you know, if you're gonna beat me anywhere, you're gonna beat me away from my leverage, I tackle you and we'll play the next down. You know, Just simple concepts like that on how to put yourself in the best position. And you've seen, you know, guys who aren't the fastest, you know, but can cover everything

and ended up being the top of the game. And so I think, you know, the ones who lasts and have really long careers learned to adjust their game and most of it it comes with, you know, what's between their ears. You went from corner to safety. So you've got to be able to play the game from us for Rebro level almost as well. Yeah, man, and man,

that's why. And I enjoyed the you know, the move, and I think that's what makes really I was able to build my career on that right, being able to have play corner you know, on all levels and have that skill set to be able to just line up and play man and man, but have enough you know, i q to to be able to transition to the safety position you know, and control you know, be air traffic control, get guys lined up, understand what's coming, and be able to put myself really on any spot on

the defense and actually be able to do it well. Um, you know. So that versatility, I think is what is the unique part about my game. It's not you know, my physical attributes or anything like that. It's my ability to understand the game, um and constantly kind of build on what I know. But the the ability to also be versatile, you know, and be able to play all of these different spots because I don't look at defenses by position, so I don't want to just know what

the corners are doing. I don't want to just know what the nickel or the safety is doing. I just like, put everybody in the next and what is the concept of the defense. How does this work? So if at any point in time, I can switch my position and know what to do. If you are playing a guy like Malcolm, and you understand what he's doing and how he looks at your concepts and look at the route

and look at splits and formations, emotions and Caton's. I would come in and if I saw Malcolm seeing something that he knew was a tendency, I would line up watch him. Then I would tend to see break by widening or cutting my split down, and it would screw the whole defense up. Because that's not what you're supposed to do. And that's the thing I love about defensive players. You're not supposed to do that, Like that'll be like you ain't supposed to run now. I'm like, bro, how

you gonna tell me I can't run that? That's not what we've seen on film. That the game is not always about what you see on film. Sometimes you gotta react, yes, But defensive players, I hate to say it this way, defensive players are cheaters. Y'all know where you're running that. I was gonna say, you have a competitive advantage because you have you know the play you got. A defensive player has to read and react, right, shut up? Okay,

my bad, We're moving on the last football question. Then we're gonna really get into all the things that you're doing when you were drafted in two thousand ninh What if Malcolm Jenkins want to do in the league, you know, you know, I think, honestly, I think I put too much pressure on myself. Uh as a first round draft pick. You know, I want to you know, everybody has these goals. I want to be a Hall of Fame player. I want to make Pro Bowls and all these different things. Um.

And I remember looking around at other guys. I think it was Vante Davis was the next corner we got drafted after me. He was starting in Miami. A couple of other dbs you know that were rookies We're playing.

I'm looking at you know who the tops in the game were, you know, the drell Rivises and those guys, and I'm like, man, you know, um, I think my first six games, I was playing special teams, and so I remember getting you know kind of you know, I attracted by looking at everybody else comparing myself that I was like, man, I'm falling short. You know, I'm feeling

like I'm a I'm a I'm a bus. And it wasn't until I started to really focus on maybe like my second third year in the league, when I started to focus on what made me the player I am. Did I actually begin to even, you know, be able to visualize kind of who I wanted to be as a player, Like what what do I want my career to look like? But I think I started out with the generic I want to be a Hall of Famer. I want to be you know, I want to make a Pro Bowl every year, and X Y and z um.

But I think those started to change as as I got better, and so for me, I'm like, I want to obviously, I want to be recognized as one of the best to play the game. Everybody who lines up and puts on some cleats should have that idea. But I wanted to be more about the way I played the game then just you know, making just just being a name that you know it is constantly in the Pro Bowls. Don't you start really recognizing to a lot of this stuff is a popularity contest. It's like, but

what are people saying to you after the game? Do you have to respect to your opponents? Do you have to respect to your teammates? Are coaches noticing you know the value you bring to the game. Are you changing the game in any way, you're making it better, changing how the position is played. Those are the things that the types of impacts that you know, I started to focus on and and really just honing in on what

I do best. You are a unique person, you are well worth it, you are competent, and most of all, your lovable. I'm Steve Smith Senior, I'm Gerald 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 Balltold Creative Media, The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. For more podcast from I 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, SINGR co host Gerard Little John, talent and 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