Super Bowl LVII Radio Row: Brian Dawkins and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila

a review. And anywhere you listen to your podcast, was I Heart Radio or Apple Podcast or anywhere else you listen to podcast, you can always find us the NFL Player's Second Acts Podcast. Now the super Bowl is done, wrapped up, the season is over with. What an exciting time we got to experienced beings your first one, my

first radio row experience. It was awesome. It was just getting to see everybody looking at all the entourages, who had the biggest entourage, who didn't have an entourage, looking at all the crazy and the madness inside that building. It was fun. It was once in a lifetime experience. From Joe Montown of definitely Stephen a. Stephen A had the biggest entourage question people twelfth double figures at least twelfth deep. I mean he'd probably say he had fifteen,

but overall it is probably to not not necessary. I think my entourage is like just just me. I came under a soulo dolo, so it's just it's just me. What do you too? I'm just using just I mean, if I'm with the fam, then it's like four. But other than that, all right, So we got to talk to and sit down and talk to a lot of different guests all week long. The experience was awesome, The

conversations were deep. We really got to really have a really deep dive into um some really different experiences in everybody's second act. So who we got up first? We got all favor Brian weapon X Dawkins. We got out bar and right now we'll kick it off with this person view with Brian Dawkins. We're joined by NFL Hall of Famer Man of Faith Brian we X Dawkins. Thank you greatness. So look, I got my nickname is Peanut.

I think everyone knows how I got my nickname. My aunt little Baby, I got the nickname big old Head and everything. Where where did weapon X come from? It's really my love for Wolverine the comic book character. Yeah, okay, um, the way that I played the game before that, So before he became Wolverine weapon X, Yeah I was. I called myself idiot man, so I turned into a different cats better But it's just that the way that I

played the game. When I when I touched the dog on field, I flipped that switch and said, that's a different person. So that is weapon X. And always tell people Brian Dawkins has never played it down in the National Football League. It was always weapon X. So so is it because Wolverine because I'm a big comic, but guy, just everybody needs to know this. Wolverine is the man, one of the baddest X men out there of all time. Was it the healing factor, was it the adamantium well

clause that that brought it out? Or was it really just his rage when he lost it? That's so here's the thing is, if you know his back story, you know the darkness in his back and you know that it's hard for him sometimes to control those things. But when he does, and he uses it for the good, for the love of his for his fellow X men. He's unstoppable. So that's all of those things, the complexities

of the character. All of that brought me into that character because I have some things in my past I'm not so thrilled about us for as some dark possibility, but I've I've learned how to funnel and channel those things into a positive direction. And so that's the main thing with Wolverine. Yeah, that's the fact that he's a a manny hum, he's superhaling. But it's the complexity of the character that really dropped me in. All right, So I gotta get this out of the way too, and

then we're gonna we get to a real interview. Questions the arms because like, look, I played safety. I tried to model my game just like you. Literally, when I saw the veins popping, he's coming out flexing, I'm like, dude, I gotta get my arms right. So I literally this is a true he don't whatever want to do. Rome is built like a damn chicken. Like he big on top, he got a little chicken legs. All wrong want to do is bench arms. All that I'm doing something outside

every day. But look, I mean I can wear long socks, so you don't see that, but you always see your arms right. What you just said is eloquently placed and put right. So I always talk about the back arms right, So the back look like you get your back arms right right and then you go out and hand of your business then. So so for me, it's also an intimidation thing. So when you were walking the walking on on the field and you've Alrea, you already saw what I did on film, and I'm gonna kind of give

you some of my mindset. My mindset was always put crazy on film. I'm gonna put crazy on film. I'm gonna do something crazy on film to have the receivers watching for next week so that they can be thinking about that thing that I did to that person. And then you come on game band you see my arms glistening as well. Oh that's that's just an extra bit of things that you got to think about. Yeah, make it. It makes you think twice, like do I really want to go over the little right now? And that's all

I gotta do just to get you. Tell me one example or a story where you know that they saw something the week before and we're a little nervous when they saw you dig routes. Just certain teams that run dig routes. They didn't run as many dig routes against I'm serious, they didn't run as many dig routes against us. And sometimes it's not the first quarter that they short

arm stuff. It's in the fourth quarter that they beginning short arm stuff because after I handled my business ly in the game of delivering that stink on somebody, right, and then all of a sudden they begin to think about that thing if they do have to run a dig route. So you know, trying to give you a specific it's gonna be hard for me to give you a specific one, but I just know that in the fourth quarter again, there's certain routes go to combinations that

certain teams just did not do. Fathers that don't know when he said put that stink on it, he really mean put that thing on him and hit him. Yeah, yeah, all right. Now, tell me how you feeling to see the Eagles back in the Super Bowl again without you being president. Of course, I love it. I love it. And it's if you are a true Eagles fan and you're honest with yourself, you did not see this coming. This is a surprise to have this team jailed together, and you know, playing the game how hard it is

to jail. And this team really literally acts like they've been together for years and they've only really been together for the most part for one year. Some of the new pieces, right, so to be able to jail all the different personalities together, all that talent, and then for the coaching staff to have learned from some of the mistakes that they've had him last year, and now they're putting these flowers in position to make plays, and then the players are making plays and again they're having a

great time doing it. So I didn't see that coming together like that, like like we've seen, and I didn't see Hurts taking these steps that he's taken as a prolific passer that he has this year. And the one thing about Hurts, well, I'm sure it has, but I always tell everybody the most impressive thing I've seen Jaylor Hurts, because I've seen him since Alabama, you know, going to school there, is that he's literally improved every year since

he's gotten out of high school. And it hasn't been dramatic, hasn't been huge, but every year he's just steadily gotten better and that's something to be said about. But it's his mindset though, Like he's a very focused individual. I've seen interviews with him when he was in high school and he's just he's poised and he's ready for that moment.

And I think although Kansas City has more experienced because they've done it numerous times and all the big lights, they have that experience under Andrew Reid, however, Hurts is like he is that dude, like he has been time to time and time again. He has been put in these situations, in these moments, and he's just ice in his veins. He's calm. That's that's what I love about. So that was the thing about what you said. We both of your saying the exact same thing that I saw.

So when you tell me that he has made progress every year, so here's the thing. He has been getting ridiculed every year. So that means that he's more than likely seeing some of the things, taking some of the good things that he can glean from some of the UM, not people that are criticizing him, but some of the people that are critiquing him in the UM. I remember reading some things about Nick Saban saying specific things to him, and he needs to improve on and when he went

to Oklahoma, guess what he did? Improve same thing, the same thing from last year to this year. Very inconsistent with the ball down the field he heard. I'm pretty sure he saw that. And what do he do? He got it right. So when you have a mentally tough individual that can take criticism receive it has a high um i Q when it comes to what do I need to do to get better? Because I know I'm not where I want to be or where I need to be, and then you go work here behind off

to do it. Come on, man, like, that's that's he's he's fit for Philadelphia. But I'm telling you he's fit for Philadelphia. Okay, So all right, you've been to a super Bowl. You unfortunately you didn't win it. And I'm always giving Peanut a little bit of crap about his experiences always looked. I mean, let's just be honest here. If we've got three great defensive backs, we got possibly we got one gold jacket, probably two gold jackets when it's all said and done, and one super Bowl win?

And uh, how does that make you guys feel? You know? I know you Jackie is gonna fit great. You know, I got a lot to see you. That's one. That's one thing as a player that I would of love to have my experience, our experience one as an executive when I was at the Eagle, so I have one as an executive. But there's nothing that would have been nothing like me celebrating with Donovan, with you know, with you and with Trott and with with Troy back in the day Deuce and those guys back in the day

of winning a Super Bowl. Um, but so you got me, Yeah, you definitely doesn't make it better though, I'm not gonna take away I don't think it takes away from your experiences or your love for your teammates that you don't win a championship, but it's almost like make it a little bit sweeter when you do. And I feel like I can say that, but because I've been on great teams, but it's like that one team that's probably not even the best team I've even been on. It's just a

little bit different because you want it all. It is something to be said about that, and I don't not because you guys love your teammates, like you tell me so many great stories. We still Bears, you know, and you're just going in really detail about Trotter and all those great guys, all those great players with the Eagles for all those years. Like it doesn't you don't lose love.

It's just there is no love loss. You just we just didn't have the culmination of all of the hard work like you was able to experience of UM before it was O T A S. You know, we had

real training camp. So going through all of those rigors and all the pains and all of the setbacks and all of the injections sometimes and known some areas stup that we had to numb up because we wanted to steal play even though we probably should have set out behind and then the training room, like doing all going through all of that, we've never experienced the final destination of standing at the podium, beat up, bruised up, dirty uniform saying we did it. Like that's just that's just

a different experience. Yeah, So switching switching gears. Now, let's let's talk about obesity. How did you how did you get involved in a huddle up? Wow? So I have been an advocate for UM, learning how to do things in a specific way of blessing you to live life in a powerful way. And that's when I think of the word wellness itself, and that's what this is about.

What wellness. Wellness is the idea and the thought of doing specific things on a daily basis so that you can have the event, vitality, the energy, the strength and to do things powerfully from a physical and mental standpoint. Right. So that obesity part of it, Um, you know I have had and um they've given me permission to say this to big bone individuals in my family. Right My

mom has had diabetes. He no longer has it. So I saw firsthand the results some of the decisions that were made in my household and how it affects the people in my household. So if I can then do things in my life, which I do, and that's one

of the reasons I do what I do. That's one of the reasons I lift the way that I live and still work out the way that I work out because I want to continue to to bless this body and in a specific way as to do things to give me that energy, that vitality to live life on my terms as much as I can. Right. But on the other side of that I want to help those individuals know that just because you have going to a place that you don't want to be, you don't have

to stay in that spot. Right, all of us have been on You talked about team, right, So I have a team of individuals in my life. Right. I have doctors that I go to. I have a nutritionalist that I go to. Right uh Um, I have a a naturalist that I go to. And so these are my teammates and they helped me to come up with game plan for me in my life. So my level of fitness is for me. This is how I live my life. It may not be for somebody else. I don't under them.

I don't ever tell somebody that exercise the way that I do. A matter of fact, I very seldom say the word exercise because say that sometimes set people off. I say movements, like, what are the movements you like to do? What are some of the movements you would love to do in your life. So it's the moving part of doing things, getting up and not being stagnant that will help you stay away from some of the things that could preventually, um, have you going to the

doctor too much? Right. So, also the way that I talk about, is you want to take care of as many things while you can before someone takes it out of your hands and you have to begin to do stone do things. Excuse me the doctor tells you to do and that makes sense. Yeah, that's deep, that's deep. We look, man, we could I know, we could talk with you all day about this stuff. Thank you for blessing us with your presence and just got please please when we're gonna get to work out of my book,

I need it. I'm there. You can be our cheer. I'm not. I feel like it's gonna be some weights banging you a pound club. Now. I give you might. I'm benching on the three might. So if you do it, we do that now, like seriously, Now you might call Earl. Okay, do you know what do we know what Earl is those listening, It's it's vomiting from working out. Really you might.

So let me get this last night. So if you want to have more information about this, seriously learned about some of the things you need to do for those who are listening. Um, it's the truth about weight dot com, not the truth about weight dot com. So go go on that website and look at some of the things, answer some of the questions that are gonna be on there for you, so that you can begin to understand

if diabetes like runs in your family. So begin to know those things, the markers and all those things so that you can again meet with your teammate developer team and then meet with them to see what you need to do to be your best self. I'm wanting appreciate about weight dot com Tooth of wit weight dot com. Thank you, Thanks, do appreciate. I do have big and little legs. Joe the Jet Perry first African American NFL MVP.

As we continue to celebrate black history of Moth across the league, we share the accomplishments of the past and present. Joe the Jet Perry was a Navy veteran, one of the first African American players and professional football, and the NFL's first African amer American MVP. The first black player in forty Niners team history, Perry earned a Pro Bowl selection in San Francisco. He would rush for over ninety seven hundred yards in a sixteen season career and held

the league's career rushing title until nine three. Following his retirement, Perry remained involved with the forty Niners organization as a scout and assistant, and in nineteen sixty nine he was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. All Right, we're back Radio Road, Radio Road day seven and we are. You have a great guest here, somebody I look up to. I see him all the time. O Bar, what's the last said? Give it? Okay? Look we call him og bar record. Can you tell us how to pronounce your

full name and what does it mean? And the only advice he gave me was, dog, don't try and read it. Don't try. It's worse than reading teleprompter. Man. It just like it's just just too many letters. Man. No, it's a akbar Ola kemi Wa Balla. My first name. Akbar means great, Idoo means born after twins. I was born after my brother Kebir. Of course you played for the Packers and my sister, who are twins, and so in the Nigerian culture, in the Yodoba culture, when you're born

after twins, you inherit that name. So I'm ido Wu. So when they hear my last name, they my middle name, they go, oh, we know where you fall in the order. And then balla means big man, come save me. So my great great grandfather was a mediator in the in the village. He's like seven ft tall, I mean, so whenever people would have problems, they would say, meaning big man, come save me. So that's how the last name so

and it tells the story. It does tell us, like the names, the Zumas, the my my college roommate, his name was Charlie Yao peppra Yeah has gotten in. It means Thursday born. So every all these little telling stories. It's like very little things that nobody you think. It's just no purpose. It's completely I'm just Charles Silliman. Sorry, no, that it works. I'm just I'm just Charles. Something funny, quick story you you uh, Pisa Tina. We sa we're

talking about names and everything like that. Pizza Tina, you know, great great linebacker for us to Chicago. I was like, man, what's your name? All means this means that. And then he goes, well, what's your middle name? I know, some dope middle name. He was like, it's just Donald. So his name is Pizza Donald Tina. We come on, man. Know a lot of times what happens is they may they may throw in a common name in order to like kind of fit in if other people having a

hard time. It's for the Americans, like, hey, just just call him Donald, Like what's his name? Just call him Donald? Alright, alright, tell me this. So how do you feel you know you're a Lakers fan. I'm a Lakers fan. I'm a die hard. I called myself an originalist. I was. I'm Showtime. I go back to the Showtime nineteen seventy United In fact, when I was born. Magic Johnson just won a championship for us as a Laker fan. So I know this. I came out of the woom watching the Lakers at

the Great Western for him. So I mean, that's how far back you're an originalist? Too good. We're on the second page. How do you feel about Lebron breaking the all time scoring recker? Because for me, as an originalist Laker fan, you didn't love Lebron for like most of his career because he wasn't with the Lakers, and so now he's with the Lakers in he beats Kareem's Like, how do you feel it was bitter sweet? For meter sweet?

But I was because it came from a Laker but it was bitter because I wanted Kareem, that was my dad's favorite basketball players, my favorite basketball player, to see the cat didn't at the top. And then to see that number, which was unachievable for Michael Jordan's, Kobe Bryant and all the other dope shooters out there, Reggie Miller, all those people who could shoot, Karl Malone, nobody could get it. It It was just in a league of its own. So but then you do have to sit there and recognize,

like that was an impossible record to beat. None of us will be here, everybody here a radio road. No one is going to be alive to see that record being broke because he's still playing at a high level. I mean, he's jumping around like you know, he's twenty two. So it was it was better sweet for me, it really was. But it was so cool to see Kareem

hand over the torch to Lebron Um. It was such a great moment because people don't know that Kareem and Lebron haven't had a lot of interaction and so for two yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it was a little awkward. But I would love to and I've I've set this to to to Lebron's team. You know, I would love for them to have you know, Kareem on the barbershop, have one on one on with Lebron and Kareem, because both these guys have not only had a big impact on the sport, but it's what they do off the court.

You know, Lebron started something and he doesn't get a lot of creditive, but Lebron has changed the dynamics as far as people's management. Athletes are now wanting to you know, like and I'm just calling out keeping it real, Like, there was a time as a young black athlete, you came out most of your team were white men, and you didn't you weren't including that. And you've seen what Lebron do not only including you know, African Americans, but women to his team and showing that it didn't have

to be dominated by one. And so he's representation is so powerful. I'll never forget the moment I had with Lebron. I went to his to the school that he had that he has in Ohio, UM and I set up a Ninja Warrior program for these kids. And um, I never asked him to do anything. You know, at the time, I came out with my book Everyone Could Be a Ninja, And I get a phone call from my manager and she says, hey, Lebron's team wants to use your book

in his commercial and his next commercial. I'm going what I'm like, yes' side away, but I almost like, but he was helping me promote my book in a time like if you've ever you know, it's hard to promote a book, and so to get somebody like Lebron James who's willingly wanting to put and promote an African American, you know, author, it was to me, it was like anyways, Lebron James and me is I mean, you know, he always have a place in my heart, but I'm so happy for all the success that he has on and

off the court. So does he get a statue? Oh of course of course he gets Is it with the Lakers or is it with Cleveland? Is it Miami? He will be the first to get a statue everywhere they might end up that he might be the first way. He'll get one in Miami. He'll get one in in Cleveland for sure. I mean he is the son you know, Yeah, but I mean Lebron we inherit everybody. I mean, Los Angeles, the city of stars and cars, and you can't take the best star away from us. So he's he's definitely

gonna have to do. You think we're gonna at Staples or Crypto or I agree. I'm sorry, I can't. I can't. I can't even start to call the crypt the originalist like me? All right, So what else is next for you? We've seen you as a TV host, You've seen you write books, You've done all these other things in this world. Somebody like me, all right, I'm trying to I'm just in your footsteps over here. Number one, how do you get into doing the TV part of it? The personality

TV aspect of it? And what's gonna be your next steps for you? Like, is there anything else you want to accomplish? Yeah? I think for me the next thing was probably going behind the camera. Um, there are a lot of documentary pieces. I love documentaries and there's so a lot of things that I would love to do from the documentary standpoint, um to to showcase that and being off camera but behind the camera. But you know, the journey from transitioning into media wasn't you know an

easy path for me? And That's kind of what my book was about, like the you know, the the underground path to success. Whereas I didn't have a big name. My brother was the you know, all time sack leader for the Packer. I didn't have that same type of success, and there's no shame. I made it to the league,

but it just didn't work out the same way. And but oftentimes, you know, like place in the media is usually served for guys who had prominent careers, big names, and so I had to take what I called the backdoor approach, which was I went to an area where they knew me the most, which was San Diego. I went to the local station at NBC in San Diego and I said to them, I said, hey, guys, UM, my name is Akbar. I'd love to uh host a show or do the after postgame show for free. They

said for free. I was like, yeah, for free. And I did it for two years for free. Um, because I played for the charges of the time, played for San Diego State, and then from there I was able to do CBS College sports. From there, I got my opportunity at the NFL Network. And I mean it just it took a couple of people to believe and go

away at a second. This guy's he's talking this fantasy football stuff a little a little different, and they gave me that opportunity and from that that jumped off my career because uh an executive producer saw me on the NFL Network and for American Ninja Warriors, like, hey, we want to bring this guy in the rest of history. Yeah so now soh my credit is I think it's decent. You got you got good credit credit. Oh no, well it was messed up from other people. But now I'm good.

I get my story. They hit me up. I get emailed every night every week a couple of weeks. So he was a co signer two or something. Yes, yeah, don't know. I've done it. I've learned. I'm I'm doing every time I do open up something, I do buy something. I recently just purchased a car, so they run my credit. You know, experience. Tell me how you got involved, you know, with with Experience. Yeah, you know, there's a long way to get to my back my credit a little bit,

but I will I will tell you though. But this partnership with Experience has been a long relationship. But I'm super excited about it. Because it really is a partnership about helping people change a the way they think about just experience, and that experience not just a at it bureau. It is really trying to help people get financially fit.

And the way they're doing that is by helping people save money, save money, not just stuff in money underneath the pillowcase of the mattress, but by being able to take a look at your your spending habits. So for example, we all have streaming stuff that we're streaming right Netflix, Hulu, um,

you know, Disney Plus. Well, now you can boost your credit score with Experience boost by taking those and then adding it and self submitting it into experience and that helps to boost your credit score because if you boost your credit score, that means you're getting a lower interest rate.

Right and everyone can save some money right now. And when we talk about inflation, inflation is at all time high right now for a year high right now for inflation, And so people are hurt right now because I'm telling you it is trying to go buy Burger, go out and try to eat out and see how much that bill come out to. Right, So we're trying to figure out how to do that and so with Experience Boost,

it allows you, it gives you that opportunity. And then the last thing is on the Experience app is they have the the tool that allows you to and and be honest. Now, when's the last time you checked to see how much you're paying on your car insurance? Uh? Like nobody right, nobody checks to see how much you're

paying on there. You just put it on automatic pay. Well, now, Experience has this feature to where this tool that allows you to compare your insurance with other insurance and you can see, hey, look at my profile with this, and man, I can I'm paying seventy two hundred dollars more than I should be, right, I'm so this allows you to save money in creative ways. Oh well, it's always good to be able to compare and contrast, you know. And I actually do check how much I pay my insurance. Yeah, yeah,

it's only because I don't want to lie. It's it's still under my mom. I'm hey, man, we appreciate you coming out. Thank you for finally correcting how to pronounce your name the right way. We're gonna get you guys got football, so I mean you guys, you guys good on that one too, experience can help you with your football cred too. Now I'm just head. Can I say that now? I don't think I don't think football. I don't think they help you with your football credit. You

guys already did that too late. He said it. That's it. That's a wrap on that episode. I really want to thank Brian Dawkins and also our b Miller really tell us all into their life why Brian Dawkins became Weapon X story, why our bar started doing what he was doing, his experience of Hey, I gotta go where they know me first. So I'm starting in San Diego and building out my brand and who I am from there. And uh, that's what we're trying to do, trying to build our brand.

So all your listeners continue to listen, continue to tell a friend to tell a friend to do what you tell a friend there it is anytime make sure you hit that like putting click follow, give us a rating and a review, or anywhere you listen to your your podcast us at with his, I Heart Radio or Apple podcasts. We're there, baby, tune in, We're out. Peace. H