Player Wives - Successful Partnerships

is right is it? LEVI? Is that Levy? See Bayham already messed it up from the jump, but that's okay. Set in Whitehead and desire Vincent Levy. Um. They will shed light and inside on how they manage things that arise in the NFL household, from parenthood to social justice initiatives, COVID nineteen pandemic, RELO location, trying to stay sane with kids,

and all sorts of things rolling around. But I think at the core of this, when we get done, we want to have a better understanding of who you are, your voices, and let's just jump right into it first and foremost full transparency. This thing was supposed to happen a long time ago, and it is my fault wholeheartedly. My schedule has not been forgiven, and I apologize for that. Lady here, you know how you know it's it's crazy, and I know you guys can understand because things are

just popping off left and right. Um, but yeah, it should have haven a long time ago. And I'm just glad and blessed that you guys are on. Um, dad's got the butter whipped, that's spinning up into the top. I love it. You know, was saying she got the hair down. She would have had the bonding on this, and she would have had the bonding on us. Let's jump right into it. I want to get to know

you guys. I want your voices to be heard. Let's talk about your husband's let's talk about how you guys have met, and let's just get a little bit of your story. Sin you went first. I was seventeen when I met my husband. Um, he had a crush on me. I don't really want them, but we're here now right now. Um, yeah, I was seventeen. Um, we grew up in Jersey, both Jersey kids. Um, and yeah, it's it's it's been on and on from then. Uh, he went to Temple, I

went to Morgan State until he got drafted. Um we got drafted. I say we because it's been a team effort since day one. Um, he got drafted by the team and pulled me right along with him. We first started off in Detroit, the Detroit Lions. Um we played there for six years. Um. Originally I was at Morgan when he got drafted, but he said he wasn't going without me, and I gotta finish school. So I ended up transferring to um see Central Michigan University, and I've

graduated from there. I'm sorry and A yeah, it's the best is still in written. So we're going. We're still going going strong today. And uh so, so Shannon, your husband's name is tire tire white head is am I saying that I don't want to. You said it right, Whitehead? Um, who's he played for? How long has he been playing? Dropped that on me? So it'll be it's nine years this year. Um we were we started off again with Detroit, then we went to the Raiders for two years, and

now we are with the Carolina Panthers. Um, we're doing good. So we're in North Carolina. We're in Charlotte right now. Awesome, Awesome, talk to me. Yep. So, my husband's name is DeAndre Levy. Um. We actually were in Detroit and tie here. Um, but we met in college freshman year. We lived in the same dorm area at u W Madison. We didn't actually

date in college, we were friends. UM stayed in touch and then some years after actually um, I was living in New York and he was in Detroit, and we started a long distance relationship that eventually closed in on me moving to Detroit, and we got married and have been building a life here um ever since. Awesome. Let's talk about the next thing. Let's talk about family, man. Let's talk about the babies. You got four of them.

You you, you, you are all removed from a pumpkin patch right now, Nanny, I need to hear about them from well. My life is a circus. We four boys. A lot of people ask me all the time how I do it. I don't. I just roll with the punches. You just keep it moving the best way. You know how, You try your best and you pray the rest. That's what I say all the time. And it's just it's it's it's a revolving door, something always going on. Um,

it's a lot of fun. But you had to also laugh when it's not fun, because if not, you'll lose your mind. But we have four little boys. We have a six month old, we have a three year old, we have a six year old, and we have eleven year old. Took me twelve next month. Mhm, nice, nice? Alright, does you already know I'm coming for the cheeks on you? Because that little baby girl got them? You know what she tell me about it? Um. We had our first baby, uh in March with twenty nineteen. Her name is Rosie

got that is pregnant. How you doing that? No? We now we got to rewind what you mean talking about you? Now? This is fun story. So me Andre, we were where were we coming from? Who knows? We were coming from Paris? The travel coples coming from Paris always they're always somewhere. It's crazy, never ever in my life. Yeah, but we were coming from Paris and we had our layover actually in Atlanta, and we just didn't tell the white heads. They knew we lived there, but they didn't tell us.

Hold on, y'all lived at this No there, No, we were all walking through the airport and we like so random, random to Shannon and time here, and I feel like we started talking and I think maybe told you that, you know, we were thinking about trying to have our first child or something like that. And then Shannon told me how every time she interacts with someone, they end up pregnant. Um. But I told her to rub my quote I said, just touched my hand and she was

like what. I was like, touched my head. It's nothing crazy, it's not I'm just the Lord has just blessed me to be fruitful. And I just listened. I said, go I said watch, it's like weird. I said, go ahead, and I said, touch my You'll be pregnant next month. And do you know that she caught me. I was like, you'll never believe this, and she's like, we're pregnant. Oh again,

got a pregnant. It's it's weird. It's weird. But I just think I just like, I truly believe that you speak things into existence and we have positive energy, positive people, and I pray for my people, and I just I was like, watch, you're gonna be pregnant. And then just like that just like that really was but like so, but just to be technical, um, I was doing the math. I was technically just love killing on it here. Well, i'll tell you what. Let me can I get saying it?

Can I just get a digital high five right now? Just because I want to have a baby girl and I need that. I don't know none about girls, even though she had a girl, I don't look. I can try. We can try lose am that I got two of them. That way I can. Yeah, there we go. All right, Well, girl, I need your help with with the girls. I need everybody's help with the girl. You're trying to get one too. We we now, I want to girl. I never wanted a girl before. I always said that I wanted all

boys first, and then I would do a girl. Do a girl because she might be a lot. I'm a lot. Okay, all right? UH want the boy? You want? You on the best of both worlds day. You're trying to get a boy with you know whatever, whatever we're blessed with, I'll be happy with. That's it. That's all right. Next up on the doc, let's let's jump into this COVID because it's affecting everybody. Thousand cases reported daily. We're shuffling broadcasts around just so we can get games because you know,

players are you know they're contracting this thing. Um. It was so good in the beginning and now I just like it was crazy, Like it was like it was we thought it was cool, smooth ceiling, and then bam we get our first second. It's unbell lievable. But how are we coping with that family saying like, I know you gotta tell you you know, tiers out there bawling doing this thing. I mean, how are you nervous? Are you?

How you how you handling this thing? UM proceeding with caution, We just Um he doesn't come home until he's tested negative, which is kind of midweek, and even then it's still a risk. He kind of walks around with a mask all day. He really doesn't interact with our baby, UM because he's again six months and you'd have to hold him. So it's just been really just it hasn't been fun. Um.

We're getting through it. Our team has not had any to my knowledge, UM, which I think I know, but UM hasn't had any players that UM tested positive for the virus, So we've been good thus far. But I know a lot of teams that we have UM or are going to play, or a lot of other teams in the NFL have tested positive. And it's been really are wrecking for a lot of the women. I know. In the beginning, UM, everybody was just super nervous about it. It actually went off pretty well in the beginning, but

now it just seems like everything's crumbling. Um. Some women are with their husbands this season because of it. UM, and the NFL has really tried their best, and I'm I definitely appreciate their efforts in trying to get us connected with our husband. Still I am here, but a lot of women did not come. UM. I know one girl that her husband purchased a trailer on their their their land so that he can be home without really being home. UM. Yeah, So it's just been weird, just

weird things that we've kind of had to come up with. Tired, we don't sleep together in the same bed, and if ever it's been long enough since he's you know, quarantined and tested negative consistently, we might sleep He'll sleep with his feet towards me and his head the other way. It's just we've just come up with different things to kind of just ensure everyone's safety. Um, and it really really stinks. It really stinks. It's been rough, but we're

trying to get through it. So straight. He hasn't even held the baby yet because of the COVID stuff without a mask, I mean until unless it's been because for my understanding, the way the virus works, it can live

dormant in your body for a couple of days. So he maybe, like towards the end of the week, he'll interact a little more, but when he comes from from game, well, he doesn't come home from games, and then eventually he'll come home wear a mask for a while, and right before the next game is when he finally feels comfortable enough to interact. But then we're going right back in. So maybe a couple of days out the week, right, man, Wow,

that's crue. I wouldn't know what to do if I can hold my baby boy or just even my wife. Man sleeping, I know, I sleep wild anyway, so I probably I do all types of damage. But anyway, that's neither here nor there. Plus my feet ain't really all that great anyway, him, that's just a lot of years on them. Um. Yes, talk to me about how you feeling about this COVID stuff and everything, especially with the

baby girl, and you know, talk to me. Yeah, So I won't um like be in close quarters with anyone unless I know and I like I need hard facts and receipts straight up all being tested. The mutual space is safe. But my daughter, she hasn't been um in a store or anything like that probably since early March now, just because she's at that age where like everything goes in her mouth and she's and I would make it a headache, you know, going to the grocery store or

to Target or anything like that. But so one thing I just wanted to add to mental health is at top of mind for me, especially as we're going into the wintertime, because historically I've dealt with seasonal effective disorder. So one of the things that I've been talking with my counselor about a lot is just being proactive and like coming up what's my strategy. So, like, the one thing that we talked about was what she's calling like

owning the season. And one of the ways that I'm gonna own the season is walk every day, so it doesn't matter if it's raining, snowing, cold, whatever, I'm gonna get up and I'm going to commit to myself to walking for thirty minutes every day. Um, just as one of my tactics to kind of manage mental health within the wintertime. But then with the layer of you know, COVID on top of that and just all of the anxiety and things like that that are um related to it.

And I agree with that. I know a couple of my friends they've gotten into meditation real tough. And I didn't really know what it was. And I thought, it's like, you know, when you watch like old school Samurai show Down Samurai Samurai Sunday, you see the the ninjas just sitting there just like doing their thing, you know, And I thought that was what meditation is. And I'm like, I ain't doing that in my office. That ain't gonna

it ain't gonna suffice. But when I learned a little bit more about it and I tried to get and I gave it a chance, it was something that actually can you help you decompress and you know, get in a mental space where you can, like you said, you just win the day, you know what I mean sees today, Um, Sanna, do you do anything like that? I mean, you got four boys. I can Oh, you need that for real talk to me. So it's every day is a battle. Every day is different. But UM, I think we talked

about this a while ago. For the first time ever, I hired a nanny. I hired a nanny because I am in the process of doing some things for myself for the first time ever, UM and getting in touch with myself. If I didn't have her, I wouldn't been able to do anything. So I'm still trying to find my way and figure out what works for me. But before her, I had zero time to myself. UM. So that's the biggest UM. As a mom. I realized that if I'm not good, nobody else is, including my husband.

If I'm not straight, UM, and I haven't taken care of my mental everything else is going to fall apart. So my answer to you is, no, I don't have anything in specific, UM, but I'm working on figuring out

what it is. But I definitely make sure that there is a certain time every day that I get to spend with just myself, whether it's going to the grocery store by myself, whether it's um painting my toe nails, which I can't do, whether it's just literally just just whatever it is that day that I want to do, I do it by myself and I can focus on me, even if it's just sitting outside and looking at the birds. That's what I'm gonna do. So it's important, It's definitely important.

Can we tell we can we talk about that that one piece where you said, you know, hey, you gotta take you gotta take care of your husband too, Because let me just go ahead and put this out there. This is the only part of this whole thing I'm gonna make about me. And this this is because it's my wife too. I am a giant toddler. Okay, I am a giant baby when it comes to any and everything that goes on in my household. If it wasn't for my wife, I wouldn't even be here. I wouldn't

be doing this, you know what I mean. So can we talk about that piece? How it's not just Shannon with your four boys, You gotta fifth entire year. Okay, And you know, I can't speak for DeAndre, but I know that all of us players are in that giant tydler phase and it never goes away. Talk about that piece for a for a second. It is the same way with them ever grow up. I tell people that, and I might getting concur we don't. I'm getting trumble for that later. What do you mean? But you know what, um,

strong neck, what do you mean? I don't. I don't. He's not don't get me wrong. He is the leader of our family. He is an excellent leader. But every head needs a neck and every other body. Absolutely, I definitely hold it down seriously, wife like right the neck. But I totally um a great I I tell people all the time when I'm kind of aggravated, I said, I got four kids, not including my husband. Um. But at the same time, UM, I just he's the leader of the home, but I am the maker of the home.

So just to double back when when I'm not good, I realized that I set the tone in the home. If I have anxiety, if I am frantic, if I am unhappy, if I am aggravated, it literally is like a domino effect. Everything starts to collapse. I noticed that, Um, when I'm tired. If I don't, if I'm tired or something's bothering me, my patience level depreciates, you know, it's it goes. So that is one important thing that I learned that I have to and it's gonna sound so crazy.

I have to put myself first because when I put myself first and make sure that Shannon is well rested, Shannon is fad. I forget to eat. I forget to eat um, and then I'm breastfeeding. So it's like when you forget to eat, you gotta the baby sucking the life out of you. And then it's like, I'm really just out of it. So when I put myself first, and again that was a that was hiring it in. That was just saying, hey, I'm realizing the pattern here um that my husband I he comes home from work

and my energies immediately transferred to him. So everything just started going. I said, you know what, I need to just start putting myself first in a weird way. Yes, my I'm putting my family first by putting me first. That makes sense. That makes absolute sense. There's you got any chime or that you feel like you gotta have those moments where you gotta put yourself first when you

come home. You know, well, I feel like putting yourself first as a constant, always, an ongoing um, the thing that I hold on to where I can't remember if I got this from my mom or for someone else. But you can't serve or pour from an empty cup. So you need to make sure all the ways that you need to be well to show up in the world, to show up in your family or wherever else you

need to show up that you are well. And I mean I know myself best to know what those things are, how how I feel when I'm showing up in a full way. UM. So one of the things that we, after some um, really detailed discussions, have we worked out is having a schedule UM, which I know that's not realistic for everyone because everyone doesn't have like, you know, two parents at home and only one working right now or whatever. But we have a schedule basically Monday through Thursday.

We split the day at two thirty, so one half of the day, UM DeAndre has taking the lead with our daughter. Some of that my hands are free to just do whatever that is, Like if it's me needing to work, me needing to just take care of me or work out or whatever it is, I can do that um. And then we split the day UM so that h DeAndre has seen say it is free to do and focus on whatever he needs to focus on, and then on Friday's I have a full day, Saturday, he has a full day, and then Sunday is our

family day. UM. So that's how we split the week, and since we've been really committed to that timeline, it's worked out really well. Um with someone being you know, focused and attended to our daughter, but then also both of us just having the time and freedom to do what we need to do. That's pretty cool. I should be taking notes to this right now because implement that right you know what I'm saying. I need that hairdresser

can't catch me on Friday. I got up and he's gonna have to Just I'll tell you what you know. Being on with y'all, I mean, I'm feeling like it's Friday today. Man. I'm just I'm soaking this all in. I need this right now. I appreciate you'all for real. Um. Next, next on the doctor, we got social justice and community service initiatives. Talk to me each of you about everything that you're involved with with respective social justice community service

day is. I'm gonna start with you what you've got going. Yeah, well, so I guess I'll start where I am right now. So currently, UM, I work, I've worked since my daughter's and born. I work freelance. UM. So currently I have a contract with the Michigan Voting Coalition UM on their election protection program, and I've been spearheading all of their

creative work in the community. So we have a public arts initiative that's been rolling out in its murals and six cities across Michigan that has a high population of historically disenfranchised voters. UM. We're also recruiting pole workers and UM we've been writing now your Rights guides and a whole slet of things that is focused on educating voters in Michigan of their options to cast their ballots UM

early and on the elect on election Day on November three. UM. So I'm gonna be doing that, Yeah, I guess through the rest of the year more or less. I mean obviously the election of November three, but that's not my primary focus, and then all of the follow up after UM.

But outside of that, Deander and I have a scholarship that we started in Detroit called the Regenerated Detroit Scholarship, and it's a full tuition UM culinary arts scholarship for students from the Detroit Food Academy that would like to pursue food or culinary arts as a professional career. UM that started, oh man, now wow four years ago. He

feels like a lot longer um. But outside of that, that's we we I mean, we certainly give our time and our resources to organizations and people who you know, we're doing work in community to fortify and lift up

the efforts that that they have. But outside of that, we've kind of just in this moment um have more or less beon being still just to see what the what are the emerging needs in the Detroit and the Traite community from COVID because every day there's something new and just kind of keeping a close postal on that to see what makes the most sense to support UM.

And that's mostly in the spirit of not feeling like the need to recreate the wheel and that there are people who are in a lot closer proximity to issues that the community Detroit are experiencing. So just trusting their leading, their judgment on what they need and supporting that. I think that's the for for everybody that's listening to this. The first step to any type of change that we want to see out here, get to them, pose and vote. Okay, that's what we need to do for sure. Oh yeah, Shan,

what you got. I know you involved. Know both of you and Tire are involved some things. Talk to me all over anything that comes our way, any opportunity that comes our way we're taking part in. Whether it's a friends um fundraiser or reading to it's just anything that we can get into, we do. We probably spread ourselves tooth in. Um we are in the process. I know. They just called me today. Tiger has a recreational center in North New Jersey that was named after him because

we do so much with them. They actually that's his building now because he does so much for his city. Um. He literally says that he wears his city on his bag and he does everything he does he does for our home like you know for Jersey, for Nork, he does for Nork. So Um, we always say Jersey raised us. So we're big on home. Um. But um everything they just called us today about doing it. Yeah. Last year we did a Turkey Um. We we put on I think for like four or five dred people. We through

Thanksgiving dinner and we're doing it again this year. Of course, we had to do it in a different way UM this year because of COVID. UM we gave At one point when COVID was really really when the whole country was shut down, we UM fed UH UM Home and Shelter for Children. UM. We fed them for a week because they said that they had relied so heavily on the schools to feed the kids. This was when no

one had figured anything figured out. Now everything is a little bit better, but they relied heavily on breakfast and lunch being given at school, and they fed the kids dinner. We decided to step in and say hey, because they were it was a food shortage. UM. It was just a lot of different things that we did. COVID has really made it hard to do a lot of things.

We put on a carnival and a football camp, and then here does a segment where he brings in police officers, he brings in UM lawyers, he brings in UM public health administered, he brings in a lot of different people UM financial people to teach the kids financial literacy. He does this whole big convention weekend. We were unable to do that this weekend this year because of COVID, So we do so many different things, but COVID has really just been in the way. So we're trying our best

to stay involved. But right now he can't go anywhere, he can't do anything. Uh So we're trying. We're trying, but we we definitely, UM, we get involved in anything we can do. I know Christmas is coming and that's really gonna be crappy because, um, we do a lot during Christmas. We take kids. Last year, I think we took three two hundred something kids shopping, um, and then just for toys. This year, I actually, UM, my plan

is to give money to single mothers. UM. We are trying to coordinate that now because I believe that as a mom, one of the hardest things I couldn't imagine not being able to provide for my kids on Christmas. It's one thing when the kids know that it's being given to some big in their eyes, big rich NFL player, that's cool. But to wake up on Christmas and feel

like your mom and your dad or Santa whoever. I don't I don't know, but you don't have anything on Christmas Day that you think gifts from santor you think it's from your parents. As hard as a mother UM, I couldn't imagine because Christmas morning, when the kids wake up, UM, it's everything. So I wanted to instead of giving we could still do the kids, but instead I wanted to give single moms or single parents, because it's not just single moms out here. There are some single dads that

are really doing it. UM. I wanted to give them the opportunity to go and buy gifts for their children so that they could then give it to their kids like it's from them, and it is from them. UM. That's what I wanted to do this year. I wanted to work with single parents that are struggling. UM. So we're still trying to find a way to do that, UM. And so really any which way we can, we're just trying to get involved. As if you got anything, send

it my way. And seriously, UM, we're just trying to do everything we do every We really do too much, probably, but we're trying to trying to get it in find folksing back to the your voices and and I think it would be important for legends to hear this UM from you guys obviously, UM, can we talk about how your husbands are sounding boards for your voice to advocates for you, champions for you. Can we talk about that a little bit, Yes, let's let's let's start with you

in DeAndre. Yeah. So, UM, I don't think that Deonder and I would be together if he were looking for or expecting me to be an individual that UM didn't share or have my own thoughts in my own opinions. Um, that was actually one of the things that attracted me most of him, like when we kind of started talking and eventually started dating. It's just he was such a fan of like my development, UM, in my career. He was your fan. I saw, I saw how you just dropped that in the in the section I saw that

he was. He was such a fan of I mean everything that I have going on and even now, like the ideas that come to mind or different boards that

I joined or whatever. He's a he's a he's a great support system and I was able to be that for him, you know when he was actively playing and now that he's been in this transition, you know, finding his his next step and when he has inklings of where what that might be or the direction he might go, I feel excited because I'm like excited for him to figure this this what kind of feels like a puzzle piece, UM the next move out. So that's not UM something

that I've been particularly challenged with with him. But I also know that for any variety of reasons, that's not the case for for everyone UM. And I think if I'm were to part anything on record, just want to say that every UM partner who's attached to a player is firsthand experiencing this life of football UM off the field, and sometimes might even be the experts on what life

of football off the field is. So their voices for that, and because of their own desires, should be listened to and should be honored UM for for what it is. Senna talk to me about t I know he'd be he'd be publing one on my phone right now. See when he gets when they get a break. I kindly answered the phone. He heard that we were doing something, and he ended up sitting a text like I am doing me right now and it feels so good UM, And he loves it. He pushes for it. UM. Is

he used to it? No, because now we have to balance versus before it was like hey babe, I got this, this this, and I was like, wait, hold on, I got this, this, this, we gotta figure it out. Um. But yeah, sorry, baby, now he's gonna watch this to me like, oh that's okay, I get it now. Um, I I love doing me. I never imagined in a million years that I would be doing the football white thing. Um.

Tier went to a smaller school. Well it was now it's like Temple's bigger, But when he went, it was considered a smaller school and it wasn't Clemson, it wasn't you know, Alabama. So it was like he just really came from a city where he got it out the mud and just wanted to kind of be somebody great. And he was like, I'll be a state trooper, you know. I'm just trying to get a degree and that's what I'm told I gotta do, and I'm trying to make

it out. And then this NFL thing came along. I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa. I had my own dreams, I had my own um ambition. So now I'm finally getting to it. After taking a break from what I wanted to do for the longest to kind of adjust and get him where he needed to be or support him in getting where he needed to be. I'm doing me now, So it feels great. UM. I know a lot of women we struggle for a

while in the NFL finding ourselves and finding our voice. UM. And some men don't know how to support Um they're women. They don't know how. They don't know how. It may not be that they just simply don't want to. They don't know how. UM. And then it's hard. It's just hard being a homemaker and loving our kids the way we're supposed to or the way it's said that we're supposed to. UM. It just can create so much different thing,

so many different things. But it's important to take time out to focus on yourself, to do something for yourself, and to not lose yourself in the midst of him. I'm his partner, he's my partner. Um, he's my biggest fan, just like I'm his biggest fan. UM. And I think again, it just falls back on if I'm not good, no one else's and my dreams. Really, growing up, when I was a little girl, I never said I wanted to be a football life. That was never a thing. That

was never who I wanted to be. So I had to remember that and say, hey, Shannon is somebody and Shannon needs to. I want my kids to look back and say, Wow, my mom did her thing too. UM. You know it's important. But he is, He's right on that, He's right with that, and I don't. I think he enjoys having a strong life. UM. He loves bragging about his wife just as like, just as well as I like ragging about him. So it's a it's a it's

a partnership. It's a partnership. I definitely like he'll he'll he'll do the autographs and do the waves, but I'm the one behind the scenes making it all happen. And he knows that it wouldn't be good without me, and I wouldn't be good without him. So we're partners. I love that. I love that one thing that UM, I just want to like add to talking from like the other side of the game. So on the retirement side

of things, UM, something that's really important. Uh. I know that like in the Legends community, this is really communicated to players, but like thinking about your next step, figuring out the ways that you can from your seat as a player, UM, take advantage of all the resources at

the NFL offers for that. On the other side, that goes to me, that's very true for UM the partners and wives of players as well, because if on the other side of the game, you know, for example, DeAndre is figuring out his next step, if I were also just now for the first time thinking through what's next for me, on top of him thinking about what's next for him, it could create uh a lot of challenges

uh in our home. And I think me having some of my own interests and my career kind of going and developed, UM, it created a degree of stability so that once he transitioned, you know, he had that space and has a space to focus, but I had my mind occupied elsewhere because I have things going on for myself. UM. And I think that when when he was playing, that there were opportunities that I wish that if I had thought more about it, UM, Like for example, I went

to business academy. I wish that I would have taken advantage of that while he was playing, UM, just to see if there were different things that we could have done while he was still an active player, because your platform, you still have a platform, you know, after retirement, but it's not always the same UM as when you're an

active player. So just like thinking hard about what are things that would benefit me and benefit my family right now that we should be and could be seizing being a part of this NFL family and for all the legends that are listening to this key word partnership. Okay, partnership. And these two lovely ladies are unbelievable partners to their NFL player husbands. But at the same time they understand that it's it's a two way street. They can't do none without them, and you know, we can't do none

without y'all. That's just how it is. So um, I want that to be known to everybody as we wand down. Ladies, this has been awesome. I want to know what's next for both of y'all individually as a family, what you got going on? Basically, what I want to say is I don't want to miss nothing in this podcast. I don't want nothing to slip through the cracks. You know that I miss anything. Let's can we choose estable slightly back onto the social the social injustice part. We already

we were already in there. We want to go ahead, dad, but let's do it. Want to do it now? Um, I don't know who is going to be watching this whether it's player, whether it's retired player, whether it's don't stop using your voice. Um, I just I'm tired of that narrative. I'm trying to change it, even if it's just me by myself. Every time I get a chance to have the conversation, I'm having it. I'm not backing

away from it. Um, keep using your voice because even if it's negative feedback, it's feedback that means it's being talked about and the only way it gets the attention that it deserves is the conversation. Um. And I just I'm tired of seeing we love the fans. I mean, we're nothing without fans. But at the same time, these players are not just players, They're not just athletes. They have families. I have four black sons. Let's have the conversation because when you take off that uniform, they are

exactly who they were born. Um. They are black males majority of them. So it's it's it's it's one of those things that it has to be talked about. I just want people to stop the whole narrative of shut up in play. That has to stop. It has it bothers me to my core because um, it's just it's not a political issue, has nothing to do with it's politics because the laws need to be changed and be made to benefit all. Um. And that's just a whole different conversation. But I know that was one of the

topics that we decided to discuss. And I don't want to let down I don't want to let up one that or that we have the conversation. Um. And if you are someone who understands what's going on, it is your job to educate others. So um, yeah, I just had to say that, I'm sorry, you made a huge point. Uh, this ain't politics politics, this is this is human decency. This is respect for your fellow man. This is respect for people. You know what I'm saying, especially are black men.

And it's real, this whole it doesn't exist thing, it exists. I grew up in an area where I had to deal with it. I've seen it firsthand. I've heard about it from family members. I've just we it. Just it's real. It's real. And the minute we start accepting that it's real and start truly putting ourselves. I don't care what color your skin is, you put yourself in a certain predicament and imagine it being you or one of your children,

and you're gonna feel really differently. Um, it's real, it's real. So I just had to say that it's it's real. It's real. It is real. You can you can't watch what happened to George Floyd having some officers on his neck for eight minutes and forty some seconds and not feel something and know that there's not a problem going

on in America. You can and then to see other videos just like the George Foyd video, where there are other um people that aren't black males that get stopped for something else just worse ten times worse than what George Floyd was stopped for, and they're fine and they're taking into custody. And I know, I saw one video where a kid, a grown man, hopped out of a car and beat up to police officers, hopped in the car, installed the police car, not his car, hopped in the

police car. You know, I know, you know, Betty, I'm talking about Dad's I wish I knew the kid's name, but he stole the police car. And I said, oh wow. And I had that been anyone else that was of a different skin complexion, they would have been killed and that's just the truth. And I'm tired of sugarcoating the situations. It's gotta stop. I just don't I don't understand it. There's I know you had to staying on this because

we talk about it. Um. Yeah. I think one thing that I read that really put this in great context is the racial injustice in the United States is not going to change until people who are not experiencing it don't view it as something that they just need to sympathize and empathize with and see it as their problem to fix as well. So, you know, if black men continue to be gunned down, um, black women gunned down and not even talked about, um, because the focus is

always on the man. But black people gunned down, we're now seeing it on video and all the ways that we have the ability to capture, like from our pocket. But this is a storied history. So the engagement in the the will to you know, be on the in

the posture of like doing something about it. It has to be beyond you know, the next time something goes viral, because then we're just waiting until the next thing when we need to be doing everything that we can and from changing hearts and minds to change the laws and policies, like Shannon said, for things to change into and to

get better. Yeah, and and and I see so many comments to bring it back to the player in the NFL aspect, I see so many comments under these guys when they when they whether it's kneeling, whether it's wearing a name on their helmet, whether it's just speaking up. I see so many comments. And social media as a tool, I see so many comments saying things like, oh, yeah, you're so oppressed, you're you're paid millions. I don't remember the last time money had anything to do with being black.

I don't remember the last time that money had anything. First of all, let me tell you something humble beginnings. We didn't always have money. And before we had money, we were back and and when we didn't have money, and when we were black, we were definitely in a

place of being of oppression. And we definitely came up in an area where we didn't have much and we saw things for what they were and didn't have adequate schooling, and we didn't have education on on different laws and and how things were, and we had no idea anything we we we did not always have money. So now, as players with a platform and maybe a little bit of money, it is our job to pull everybody else up. So I don't want to hear the shut up and play.

I'm tired of it. If I sound passionate about it, it's because I am. It's because before my husband was an NFL player, he was a black mail growing up in an area that is not serviced the way other areas are. And at the end of the day, he it is his duty too to remember, reflect and bring about change. It is not his duty to get some money, get a platform and change and and and and not not bring about change, or not try and be somebody better and be a better example, or try and educate.

It's it's it's his job. It's his duty to speak up and and and remember his people. Because I don't vote based on who i'm and I'm sorry may be people do. I don't vote based on who I am now. I vote on my people, for my people, the people that need it, and I vote as a person that loves people, not just what is gonna benefit me. I think we're selfish in a lot of ways. Um, and I'm always remember who I am, where I came from. And that's just me. I don't know about y'all, but

absolutely I ain't even always had it. So yeah, there, you got anything more you want to add? Yeah, just I think the most important thing, uh, to also add to this. I think I heard you and Shannon say, you know the importance of educating other people so they can understand. But another really important and maybe more important to me, part of that is people educating themselves and listening.

I've seen so many, in too many comments from people who don't have the lived experience of you know, being in fear of police or experiencing casual, everyday racism, saying things like they've never they don't think it exists, or they don't anything of that. Ilk if it's not your lived experience, then just take the time, step back, maybe even be quiet, and listen and learn so that you're

speaking from an educated perspective. Because while you're lived experience, you know you're an expert on that, that doesn't mean you're an expert on what everyone else's experience. And we all live in extolling lives in life in different ways. Everybody is an expert in their own frame of reference. When they feel like they have access to the results.

You know what I'm saying. So if you're gonna spend those results to your own worldview but not take into account the other person or the other race, you got problems and you need to wake up. That's just real facts, that's just raw. That's where we need to be heading as a country. There. As you said this before, change is gonna take a while, but we need more people with both of your mind sense to make sure that

that change is effectively realized. We do, And I just want to add one more thing, um like, as a note of encouragement. Something else I've heard and really sit with me is when you don't know and when you're learning something new, welcome yourself to suspend your first judgment about what you think is happening. Just really humble yourself to be in the posture to learn. Um just just learn.

Because I think that when we're in close proximity to each other and like you know, we're having a conversation right now, it provides an opportunity for people to be connected. I think that when there's a lot of distance and it makes it easier for people to be mean and disrespectful to each other. But if we just really like I guess, like think about intimacy as in closeness as

a bomb um. It's an opportunity for people to connect and really just like learn from each other and hopefully broaden you're a world view so that you're not making an or comments or just doing stuff for the sake of publicity when like think actions can be genuine and authentic because you're learning and getting your perspective um informed. I love that for change to come about that way, you also have to be an active agent for reconciliation.

You have to see things that it's core from both sides and then come to baseline and then make that change of reality. That's perfect as I love that. That's perfect. Oh man, I think, man, I could be talking to y'all all day. You notice, you know I could. I just want to thank you all for breaking bread with me, being active agents for change and being the champions that govern the households of both current players and legends alike. So, in the words of our NFL Legends podcasts main host

Aenius Williams, the best is yet to come. I love your family, Thank you, thank you for having this has been the NFL Legends podcast. To provide feedback or request a topic for discussion, email us at NFL Legends at nfl dot com.