Malcolm Jenkins

my chest. Right. Um, So we were the other day. We were at a cover right, a little fat fast casual dining right, social distancing. Um in her dining room or the dining room is not allowed to be open. So men you we were at the office. So we scampered across the street, not jaywalking. Okay, yeah, I'm not. I'm not going to die this. Yeah. So we go and order our food, grab our food, and until we're standing there and we're getting some stuff and h wonderful

young lady was making a food. We already grabbed our food and she headed out. No, we were paid for we were getting something else because they forgot something, and the great cashiers was like, hey, you forgot something. So it was cool. Then we're going and she she didn't make our food. But then she notices it was me, Steve Smith Sr. And she goes, hey, Steve loud yeah, And then I had a look. I had a look because it was she was just so loud she was, And it wasn't a lot of people in there, but

it was more than it was, including the staff. It was so I love the one benefit or if there's anything good out of this covid um this virus issue is Man, some sunglasses I had in the face mask. I'm all over. You didn't, man, But I can't breathe too hard because they'll fall to my glasses and I can't see the w into a door anyway. Um, so she yells, and so I had to look like, why are you yelling my name? And she goes, oh, you

don't want to be bothered? Can I just rent that this is your per It's not that I don't like to be bothered one, it's where are we when you are bothering me too? Yelling my name in the middle of a store. And now everybody looks at me, right like, I'm not yelling. Imagine if I was the cashier and you you, you went to use your debit card and in the debit card it is declined. Is it okay for me to go decline debit card declined car? No, you don't want that, right then I'll be super rude

and putting their business industry. Yes, so just stop yelling. That's like a pet peever mind like that and the other pet peeves. Gentlemen, when you're in the restroom, don't try to adapt. Nobody up or just have random conversation right that. That Now that one's mine too, I'll admit that's a pet peever. Mill like if we're in the bathroom, like, that's not really the that's not the time to talk that. I want to have conversation, right like, I just want

to handle my business. Move forward? No, no, stop, don't move forward. Wash your hands then move forward. Well, I got I gotta leave, but yeah, move forward. I just don't want to. I'm just make you're sure you wash your hands. My hygiene isn't what's in question. We're just talking about how it was because you look like you don't wash your hands. Why are you profiling? See that's the problem. After this rant? Who is our guests? 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. Let's cut to it right now. You're about to get ice It's our version of ice breakers, and so we have a series of questions. They may or may not

have follow up. It just depends on how we feel and how you answer and how you answer. Absolutely, Fox and Friends or CNN actually obligated. So you're going to the movies? Do you grab popcorn or candy? I grab popcorn? Why is that? I usually do? Like I get like a drinking in popcorn. It's just like you know candy too much? Man, you gotta you gotta touch it every time. You'd be dropping it as dark you can't see when you get that large popcorn you can just grab and go. Okay,

summer or winter. I'm going in December, man, and I do not like being hot, so I like the winter time better December again, me too, Me too, sad, sagittarious, Yeah, we go. See. I don't care about y'all, Sagittarius. I have no idea what it means. I know none of That's why I said that exactly. You get out of here, all right? If I go to your web browser history, what would I find? That's that's the dangerous that's like the most thing you asked somebody is the web browser.

I might delete my stuff, right, I'm all right, So you go to Snap, You're going to You're going in the pantry right now. You you I want to say you're hungry, but you're just like, I'm bored. What my go to is gonna be tostitos, hint of lin my that's my goal to I eat them all day every day. I'm gonna surprise you. That's what I like. Some hint of lion tortilla chips as well. Malcolm. Yeah, man, look at you. You're on the light skiing train. I like, do you either? Do you eat a with saucer or

just dry? Was the media savage? I know he was sauso. No, I actually don't bro some saucer right now. I used to be on this saucer with um avocado. I looked at ingredients. Man, some of that stuff in there kill you, all right, madam? So I man, you just really appreciate you. Coming on, We want to talk about the person inside to Jersey. We want to go through just chronologically of who Malcolm Jenkins is. And we did a little research

on you. All right, I know the answer, but I have to ask, as if I don't know the answer, where did you grow up? So I was. I was born in uh East Starns, New Jersey's right next to Nork uh and I lived there for until I was probably 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 and 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 could 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 whoopan 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. YEA, what was that time? So that's pretty cool, like break that down for us. Yeah, so, uh, Piscattaway, 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 Irbanton. 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 and you know, his sons till 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 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 Proscattawat 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 those things where I think it's been when I talked 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 to 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 what we are fighting for, how we raise our kids are 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 black 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 one thing to hear the statistic, it's another thing to see it in your life. And it's almost as if a lot of those things were planted in you as a child, where to 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 were 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 and 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 believe that it's important for all of us to understand it because I know if I'm not getting it, 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 is 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 game 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 a 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 in 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 high school mm hmm. And it was and I hate to say 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 on 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, I look at it. You don't need

to bust us to give us a better education. Just give us better education, 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 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 to get and see you and your coverage and we're not discussing. Hey man, you know I want to I went to all black private school Bay Bang. Let me you know, he ain't exactly top of mind right right now, it's not not not quite the priority of that. We have to take a break and the

morning a thing. We gotta pay some bill. You got checks. You went to high school just to kind of move it along. But you went to high school, you played 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 them all on defense,

but I couldn't catch it on offense. So I think real quick I was at dB. But uh, the way I got my scholarship as well was 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 four hours or whatever it was for each of us to stay on campus for four days. And at that camp I registered 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. It 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 him from the count, 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 a DBS acted nervous to go against somebody else. I cut him in line.

I go to 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 with your name? You know, He's giving me little techniques and I'm applying him and I'm just competing, competing with people. He took me into the back room, he said, uh, he turns on so he tries to find my tape and he's like, you might be the best corner in the 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

gonna 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 want to 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's 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 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 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 going to be a virtual you know experience.

I think everybody is trying to figure out how to adjust, but mainly how to stay engaged, how 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 player was bad. He definitely skis a printic bro. So, like, I 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 switch move. I've seen this guy literally after one play he's talking to you, man, how are you doing man? 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. And so I was like, you know, I just I tell young guys we get

ready to play the Panthers. I'm like, I'm like, look, if 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 sting here's the thing. I don't even know what to say to like try to help my case. Right like, right now, if if my defense team put Malcolm Jakins on the stand, as is going to jail, Hey nothing. You remember when we did uh when you was in Baltimore, we did that joy practice.

I was a Eagles Oh you know. I remember walking up We're getting ready to do one on ones. I was hot that he was on the knee and I just already like, I'm like, we got joint practices. I already know what is about to be. And so I walk up. I don't say nothing. I just kind of walked past, and he's like, hey, Jack, I turned around. He was like, we're good. I said, we're straight. It's 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 battles with you

as well because you were 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 talked to a lot of different people and I'm always intrigued with whatever that sport is. I Q hm, 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 falls off the field and dumb as a box of rocks to the xs and ohs right, and it's like they have no either or they're really smart own a football field high football, I Q and do some of the dumbest no 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 our ball skills, you know, instincts whatever, but MHM can't understand the simple concepts of defense. And so for me, I don't think I'm the fastest, I ain't the 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 aim 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 a cerebral 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'd be like, you ain't supposed to run down. 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

read and react. Yes, But defensive players, I hate to say it this way, defensive players are cheaters. They got y'all know where y'are running. 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 my back. We're moving on the last football question. Then we're gonna really get into all the things that you're doing when you're drafted in two thousand nine. 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 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, 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 and got drafted after me. He was starting in Miami a couple other dbs,

you know that were rookies were we're playing. I'm looking at you know, who the tops in the game were, you know, the the rell Rivises and those guys, and I'm like, man, you know, I'm I think my first six games, I was playing special teams, and so I remember getting you know, kind of you know, sidetrack 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 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 the Pro Bowls. Don't you start really recognizing to a lot of the stuff is

a popularity contest. It's like, but 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.

I think it's about that time just take a little breather, good doing a good do it? Get down, do it? You focused on changing the game on the field, are you also doing a lot of great things off the field. Yeah, it's actually at ten year anniversary. We started in two thousand and ten, we started the Malcolm Jenkins Foundation in New Orleans with the program called the Project rewards. And what we did was we paired it with an organization

that was already doing academic supports. It's called College Tracks, and so they was giving kids it's after school program. They got tutoring, a C, T and S, a T prep um, you know, all of the academic supports that they need. But I realized that what made me who

I am, uh was experiences. And it was the ability to get out of New Jersey and go to Ohio and be under somebody like the Jim Trusso who taught me what integrity was, who taught me what it meant to be you know, uh, responsible citizen, which taught me about leadership. Um, to be able to get into you know, a place like New Orleans, uh, which is night and day from New Jersey. Um. It's it's these experiences that really made me who I am. And so what I wanted to do was add on top of the academics

those life skills. So, how do we teach kids about health and willness? How do we teach them how to build their communication skills, their leadership skills? Uh? And that's and that's kind of how it started. And we've since expanded over four states all of the states that I called home at some point. So we operate in New Jersey, Ohio, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. So we're doing it for ten years and uh, you know, the impact has been wild way way and I've ever you know thought in a lot of it

is because of my mother. But we've done you know, over a hundred thousand dollars and scholarships, were giving away, you know, food, clothes, stem programs, Uh, you name it. We're doing it and you know a lot of it, like I said, is is some of is my ideas. But the feet on the ground, Uh is my mom first and foremost. She's the president. And then our our board that is still down in the world and still the original board that we started with. It been doing

the time. You know, I just I'm when I sit back and think of kind of what we've done over the last ten years, I'm really really humble about it. Business Wise, how are you using business also to help? And also i'd say, to some degree maker profit. But the way you're not making a profit money wise, you're making a profit by investing in people. I've got a few business mentors, you know, I'm I'm a franchise e owned franchises, UM franchises of war. So I owned ten

Papa John's ten in Damn where all they look at it. Uh, all of them are in North Jersey and then up in like the Boston area, Massachusetts main UM. And so yeah, that's a funny story too. We got into Papa John's right before the CEO decided to go off the hinges, the former CEO, So we kind of had the weather

that storm. But it's been it's been one of those things where you know, even in those you see an opportunity where most of these most of these franchises are the people who work in them are people of color, and all the ones that we own are in black communities, and so we got an opportunity to really you know, kind of infiltrate from within where we you know, like nent of our employees are black. We serve those communities.

So we served the school systems that are there UM and and are able to employ people, especially in a time where you know, job security is tough. UM. So that's been something that's has been you know, awesome. And my I started a production company last year called Listen Up Media. So we're into the film industry and and uh just been putting the finishing touches on a documentary that I'm an executive producer on called Black Boys. I'm

working on a few other projects. So that's been you know, something for me that has been you know great, something that is my passion to be able to storytell outside of kind of these sports platforms UM and be able to take narrative, take my own narrative, my own voice, and on it. And that's I think that's very important, especially UM right now. And then you know, I'm I'm passionate about fashion as well. So I have my own men student company UM with a brick and mortar here

in Philly called Marsonville. We've had that for three years now. That's been that's been you know cool, not only to be able to design my own clothing, but really to see it on you know, other athletes and entertainers see it on a red carpets. UM. That that's been a fun passion project for me. But you know, it's a there's a lot of there's different kind of buckets of different business ventures that I'm into, and what was important to me was to surround myself with UM, you know,

a team that I can trust. And so when I talked about Chad School, um, one of my partners who's kind of she helps me run all of these different things. My name is Rolanda Johnson. Her and her husband are on my team. I've known Rolanda since uh preschool, since Chad school. Both of us went to Chad, ended up both in Piscataway, went through high school together. And she's you know, full time on my you know, on my staff,

and it's helping with that. And so to be able to kind of build these things with people, you know, to be be able to empower you know, those who are around you, put them in positions where you know they become the CEO, the CFOs and of of your own stuff. Man. To me, that is like that's what I call success, Like that is those are the goals.

I'm like, I don't really care about making the most money in the world for myself because as we know, you know, especially in football or sports, often times we're the only ones in our family that has that kind of success. And then we're ended up, you know, trying to funnel our money and our hard owned you know kind of dollars that are already dwindling to try to

support everybody else. And so for me, I changed, you know, while ago, I told myself only invest in the people around me and put them in a position, you know, where they you teach them how to fix right, you teach them how to you know, become CEO, how to be a CFO. And unfortunately for me, I've been around talented people with those same that same mentality, that same principle UM, and we've just been building, man, and been really excited about some of the opportunities that have been coming,

some of the platforms that have been coming. So we're just gonna keep riding away. You're gonna add another feather in your cap as you are now the first professional football player to join CNN while still playing in the NFL. Why is that important to you? And then what can we expect seeing you on CNN? Yeah, man, it's it's important because anytime you're the first, right, it's it's always important.

But UM, athletes oftentimes, and it's been the most frustrating thing for me in this this you know the last few years of this social awareness around you know, social justice and things like that, is athletes are only given platforms that are you know, around sports and Sports center.

So when I want to talk about systemic racism and our criminal justice system and all of these things, I'm I'm at the mercy of sports writers who you know, are tasked by whoever is employing them to write about the national anthem and the flag and Trump and who's on what um And it's just so hard to to maintain the integrity of your voice and maintain your message. And so to have access to a platform like CE

and them, that's a whole new you know, audience. It's another opportunity to showcase that voice and own your own narrative. And so myself, I always I want to challenge people to think. I don't want people to just listen to me and do what I say. I want people to think about the information and come up with their own

conclusions and think for themselves. And so you know, that's what I, you know, hope to do is want to be very very authentic with my voice and always speak my truth, but to always be a thought leader and somebody who challenges others to think critically um and to analyze, you know the context of where we are right now

as a society. Is it fair to say, because you're a football player, where you play sports that the sports writers are only interested in, you're discussing the things that that are around ball like they it almost seems like people don't want like you. You kind of hear everybody just catch the ball and dribble, ball, ball, shut up and dribble. How do we get out of that to

say that we're not just dumb jocks? Right, because you go back and think about when we look at old movies, old sitcoms, and they talk about when they talk about athletes, they always are highlighting or he can't do this, or he can't do that, he's just the dumb jock, or he's only at that school because he plays ball and

it brings nothing else to the table. I think that I think the bad part about all of that is that we believe that sometimes, you know, and so I think the first part is and that's why you know, I'm I'm really excited about, you know, being kind of the first is just to be able to see it right like, oh, if this is a football player, active player who has another job, just even that in and of itself, it's something that's you know, I've never seen somebody who has an active job outside of sports and

so and they'll be able to be on those platforms and speaking is you know, important for us to at

least see it first. But I think a large personal portion of like how do we continue it is guys have to You can't believe the things that society tell you, right, they want to tell you or belittle your voice or make you think that this is all you're good at when I'm like a lot of us, the majority of us are college graduates, like who have found a way to navigate, uh in a locker room with people from different backgrounds from all over all kinds of races, religions, economic,

you know, uh, makeups and and somehow you know, run the business. You you manage your own money. We have a union that managed that that negotiates on behalf of his players, Like, we are equipped for this, and most of us you know, are have are better leaders and have been doing these things since we were in the third fourth grade. And so when we talk about the intangible skills that we have uniquely, you know, as athletes, we're better equipped to do a lot of this work

than than people who have these jobs. But it's until we change the narrative and our you know, amongst ourselves and in our own minds, that that we can actually operate. And you started the Players Coalition back in two seventeen, U and N Kuan Bolden, What was the moment in which you decided you needed to start that? Like, what was that aha moment right after Kaepernick in teen, right

at the Kaepernet took a knee. You recognize that, like, you know, I'm somebody who's who doing work kind of in my own silo right and and been on kind of doing social justice stuff on my own, but that that gesture really sparked, you know, this movement. And what we realized was there's a lot of us in the

league that have these same passions. And so a Kan later that that fall, he had been to Capitol Hill to lobby for some other, you know things that that had not to do with social justice, but he had the experience of actually going and speaking to legislators. So he organized the trip invited some guys to go um

and that was one of them. And when I realized that these politicians and all these people their sports fans too, right, and they want to they want to meet us just as much as any other fan, And so I'm like, we got a unique you know ability to convene or get the ear of these politicians. Well, let's bring this message, you know, and we can do it even louder when we do it collectively as opposed to each guy who has their own foundation is doing it kind of in a silo. So how do we how do we pull

our funds together? Then how do we pull our voices together and collectively you know, push for these things. And honestly, like I knew what we were, what we were doing was unique and gonna be big. But where we are today and how much we've done as a as a group has been It's been. I'm I'm proud of it.

I'm proud of it because guys have been taking you know, taking it amongst themselves to really like dive into their communities, their cities, pushing for not only just awareness, but literally getting laws change, helping them push the work that these grass roots organizations are doing. They dedicate their lives to it, but can't get the same meetings or the same you know,

attention that we can draw to it. So be able to be able to assist that and be a part of kind of this active movement has been, you know, something that I'm super proud of. We just um and more and more guys are coming in, whether it's current players, former players, UM and and and really making it their own and so, you know, hopefully this is something that we can continue, you know, for the next generations of of of athletes. How do you remember who you are

and stay centered in yourself? It's it's tough. I'm you know, I would be doing everybody a disservice if I, you know, put all of the good stuff out and didn't you know, talk about what what it actually feels like to carry

kind of all of those things. It's definitely something you know, for me, for the last like three years, I've had to learn how to, like you said, center yourself and make sure that even though I'm doing all of these things and I'm in a leadership role in all of those things, right, people depending on your voice, people depending on you to provide your family, you know, and all of these priorities. So you have to also be able

to prioritize yourself. And it was about three years ago, probably two thousand seventeen, we're getting coalition started, and yeah, that was also the Super Bowl years, I'm balancing being

a captain, all these things. You know, I almost had like a meltdown and and I'm like you I could physically feel like the stress and attention that I was carrying, and I'm just like, you know, I got to talk to somebody, and so, um, since then, I've been talking every week to you know, a therapist and being able to uh really balance or at least find the tools

to balance all of these things. So you know, every now and then and like stuff gets too crazy, taking a break is okay, all right, I don't have to fight this thing every single day, taking a break, you know, delegating, um, spending time with my family, you know, setting a calendar, um, but also putting people in place to hold me accountable to you know, people I can talk to, people that's gonna check up on me to make sure my mental you know, it is good because that's the part that

that we we forget about. And so you know that's really been my uh safe place is you know, therapy and then my friends and family who who are there to really check on me. And that's really what allows me to kind of juggle all of these different um, you know, entities and and and interest. How long did it take for you to set a land or even just take that first step of reaching out knowing that you needed to talk to a therapist. Um, it was to the point where I was like, I'm I'm gonna break,

Like I couldn't do it no more. I remember we were getting rid to play the seat don't see Hawks in this, like the night before the game, and like I was in my body felt like it was in fight or flight for a week straight, like that that feeling you get right before you about to hit a roller coaster or something. I hit that drop. My body felt like that for a week straight, and I'm like, I can't, I can't do this anymore. And it was like, you know, and I remember Chick Kelly when he was

the head coach. He had a sports psychologist that used to come, you know, talk to the guys every now and then. She was around. So I just reached out to her and like, and I think that now she's at Temple University, so she wasn't on a team anymore,

but I reached out. Luckily she was still in the city. Um, and so I've been meeting with her for three years and you know every week we were on there, and it's something that I prioritized because I know if I don't take care of myself, I'm not gonna be worth anything to anybody else. You you built a carry a lot, but you don't built a carry everything. All right, Malcolm, We're about to go into a segment of our podcast we like to call the deep three. So we know

this is in the three route. It's it's it's not a deep route, but let us be great. Uh, the next three questions just allow us to take a deeper thing. I thought you were talking about like cover three, you know, saying no, no, no, no no, just the deep three. So this is gonna these are these are just three questions that are coming up. It's gonna allow us to take a deeper dive into you as a person beyond your jersey man. So it is gonna have and myself, we're

gonna have three questions. So smythe I'll let you ask the first one. Do you fear retirement? No? This is this will be year twelve from me, and uh, I don't feel I don't fear retirement, you know at all, because I'm I have so many other interests now that I know about myself that I'm like, I'm I know, I'm gonna be passionate about some other things outside of this game. The thing I am worried about, though, is the one thing that football provides for me. And I

know a lot of athletes like this. It is structure, right, you know when to wake up, you know where you gotta be, meeting times, people holding your accountable like that. Structure is something that is hard to adjust to, and I know it just even in the off seasons. A right to be able to make yourself get up when nobody's telling you to work out or get up, and you know, meet deadlines and to go through your weekly routine and started all over again and just stay regimented.

That's the part that I'm a little bit nervous about losing, you know when that time comes, because I've had that structure literally since the third grade. What does Malcolm get out of giving back? Man? I see the impact and so you know, for me that is all of it matters, Like I feel responsible for it. And and because I've seen my dad um right there on Third Street where he grew up, he influence just the people in his sphere, right, So all of the kids who are around there, the boys,

he he'd be the steady quarterback. He showed us all how to play football, how to run routes, signed us up for pop Warner, took us to and from practice, and we're just talking about literally the kids within two square blocks and three of us made it to the NFL M And I'm like, if he can have that impact, you know, no, Accolades is not gonna get any awards for just doing just affecting the people around him. I'm like, what responsibility do I have with all the resources and

platform the eye. So for me, it's part of To me, it feels more so part of fulfilling my purpose than it does you know, kind of feeling good because I did something nice for somebody. I'm like, this is who I am. I've seen this, you know, since I was little, and I'm like, this is what I'm responsible to doing. And so for me, this is part of my purpose to walk this earth. When it's all said and done, what does Malcolm Jenkins want to be remembered or known for.

I want to be remembered for having a true impact on whatever it is I touch. So whether it's a game of football. I want my the impact that I had on the game to be remembered, whatever that looks like, if it's in business, if it's in my community, when I'm when it's all said and done, I want people to be able to look back and be able to measure the impact you know that I've had and and you know, I'm gonna take it as deep as I

can get it. And so for me, you know, I could care less about the awards and and all of the things that come and go that that the next generation is probably gonna outshine anyway, because we forget all those records they get broken. But it's like who changed the game, who changed the world? Who you know was bold enough to be different and maximize their ability to impact the environments around them. That's that's really where I hold the most value. We appreciate you coming on my podcast.

I love to tell you this. It's been a long time coming. But obviously, when you were at the New Orleans Saints, I had a professional dislike for you because of playing in the NFC South. But my dislike and my hatred for you was not because you weren't a good player. It was because you always made me think when I played against you, I had to watch extra film. I had to pay attention a lot more because I knew obviously the gentleman, the man, the philanthropists, you would

knock me in the dirt. But you did it strategically. You did it with your brain, not just with your body. And Man, one of the things playing against you that um, now that I retired, that I'm that, I'm glad I don't have to deal with man playing against guys like you. You always kept me on my toes Man, and and I expect the same thing coming out of you as a CNN contributre. Man, I can't. I couldn't be more excited to see you bring to the table what you bring,

just like what you bring to the football field. So I appreciate it, man, brother to brother, man, I appreciate that. But that's about the highest, uh you know, award or acknowledgement I could get in this game. Is that kind of respects. I appreciate that when you earned it, and and unfortunately I got some scars to prove it. These an onion, Yes, so many different layers spread analogy that

really just you. I don't want to say it this way, but you just don't see from a football player, but you do see from a football player and other athletes. We just have to give them the opportunity, and not all of them will be successful because at times you you really just have to have the inner g and have the diligence. But but what he's doing, how he's doing it um so many different layers. And then he also plays on Sunday as well, Right, That's what that's

the thing. The other six days a week he's doing nine billion other things and he's still the Pro Bowl

safety directing traffic, directing traffic. So that's literally my thoughts on our interview with Malcolm is that you you look at all the things he's done from the brother was just on the SPS opening up talking about social justice stuff, from his film work with this Black Boys documentary that's gonna come out soon, to his foundation work that's been out for ten years, has an impact across four states.

It is amazing to see started the players Coalition, like he has a Kwambola two thousand seven to all these accolades while still maintaining a successful NFL career, that's gone for got something? What else did I forget? Ten Papa John's ten. Papa John's exactly ten, Papa John's that employed

people brings jobs to the community. Malcolm is the first, and then I believe there will be many other guys that followed to show trail blazer, trail blazer, to show he is playing ball, but there are six there's other six days of the week that he's doing other things. And also oh yeah, on the side, practicing and directing traffic and getting guys lined up. So to be able

to hold and sustain that amount of requirement responsibility. The only way you can do that is one having a good head on your shoulders and also understanding when you've reached your limit, when you are making this much impact. And he talks about he talked about and and and reaching out and saying enough is enough with the community, but also enough is enough with myself that I have to slow down. You have to take a breath, take a break. I gotta put people around me, one that

I trust, right, and a team of excellence. And excellence doesn't always mean you're gonna score points. Excellence just means sometimes screw some stuff up, just being okay with screwing it up, but having people around you that go how we're gonna make this better? And and that's tough to do. Man. That's that is why sometimes it is very difficult to play football or to be an athlete and also try to put yourself in other areas that it doesn't always

equal up to success. But he's he's very successful. Cut to It with Steve Smith Senior, That Is Me is a production of Cut to It, LLC, Ball Told Creative Media, The Black Effect, and I Heart Radio. For more podcast from I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. From Cut to It. Executive producers Steve Smith Singr And Gerard little John, talent in booking manager Joe Fusci, social

media manager Peyton Smith from Balto Creative Media. Cut to It is produced by Brian Balta Chevic and Meredith Carter, with production assistance by Alex Lebrec, Production manager Sarah Pollock, Theme music by Alex Johnson, lyrics and vocals by Anthony Hamilton. You haven't heard about it, then we're about to let you know. It's all