Listen: Jonotthan Harrison (10/8)

University of Florida, Masters of Mass Communication. Hey, you can take that title, you can. Yeah, it's all yeah, no doubt, Okay, that more power to you. I don't share the gator love, you know. I'll root for you on Saturdays because we're in different conferences. Gator bait, you know, so don't get in our way. No one wants to play this Ere's orange anyway. Okay, So that gator bait might be like the equivalent of to a school of fish. At least

you can say you guys have good colors something. Yeah, yeah, that's fair. I will I will agree with that, all right, Jonathan. There's so much that I feel like we know about you that we want to tell fans about. But you mentioned it earlier to me off off camera that you were in the city today doing an interview for Stomp Out Bullying. So just to paint the picture here, you went from being bullied as a kid to being a

bully on the offensive. Lot, Like, it's weird to think, obviously that someone your size, which is the play and stomp Out Bullying, was bullied as a kid. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I definitely am. I definitely get that a lot, And I think a lot of it came from, you know, in my household, my parents did not promote violence. Like there was no there's no weapons, there was no like we didn't really watched like violent movies or like you know, action films or anything like that. Like that was just

that was just the way they were. And um and my mom, like I remember, she would always tell me, She's like, you can't retaliate against the people that are messing with you, picking on you, whatever it was, because you can actually hurt them. And like I accidentally hurt my friends all the time, you know, like everyone's like, you know, boys growing up, you're wrestling rough house and jumping on the trampoline. I've broken an elbow someone else's

elbow broken, someone else's ankle. You know, like we weren't fighting, we were just like playing like friends, and like so she's like, she like would emphasize that. She's like, you don't understand like how large you are compared to the kids your age, So I don't want you to retaliate. And she's like, it's not worth it. You know, it's really,

it's really not worth it. You'll look back at this when you're older and you'll you'll probably laugh, and you know, you'll think, like, these guys look foolish for messing and when with you? When they did? When did the bowling start? For you? Though? Because reading your story you had appointed in my words and New York just dot com and yourself it's in my words. Yeah, I understand of that, but I helped him. Okay, this is not the Green Show. I gotta get you talking gators. I gotta get something

in there. What stood out? It feels like that, yes, bollying, but some of that felt like racism as well. Correct. Yeah, yeah, there's definitely. Um so when did it start? What happened? I'm trying to think, Um, I I always point to fifth grade, you know, fifth grade of my first year in this new area that I moved to in central Florida.

You know, I was born in South Florida, you know, moved around a little bit down there, and my parents will travel nurses, so they would take you know, a year assignment here, two years of time in here, and just kind of bounce around, and eventually one of the assignments took them to Orlando, So we did Orlando for

a year. Didn't really have any issues in Orlando. Moved about an hour west of Orlando for fifth grade through the rest of high school, and that's when I slowly started like noticing things at you know, know, there was there was a couple of times. There's a couple of times when like you know, like like true like racial

slurs or something would come out. I'm not gonna say it was all the time or very frequent, but it was just an odd coincidence that you know, me being you know, the race that I am and all of that in the class was the main person getting picked on, you know by like the same group of guys for a couple of years and stuff like that. So it was just and you know, I even experienced it from like a teacher, you know, the teacher, like, I'll just

be completely honest. There was three black kids in my class, and we were all in the enrichment program. So that's that's stating that, you know, we're a little advanced, you know, so exactly that that's what it's stating. But then you know, there's an English teacher that failed the three of us in in her her English class. And we had each of us had straight a's in each of our other subjects and an F in her class, not like a C or something like that, and F. And no matter

what we did, we would still have an. And I would compare my test to someone else's test. I should have the same grade day have I still had enough? And then so like you know, I end up. Um so I'm kind of like trailing right now. But um like I ended up the graduating or the end of middle school. I couldn't graduate because I failed English. And so you know, I'm like, all right, I'm going to summer school. And I told my mom. Of course she's she's furious. She was like, like, where are you slacking

off in school? Like why why are you going to summer school? And um so, I was like you know, I just gotta do it so I can graduate go to high school. So I'm in summer classes and the first day I'm there, I forget if it was the principal or the vice principle, but whoever was at the school he saw him. He's like, what the hell are you doing here? And I'm like, you know, I failed English, so you know I'm here for summer school. He's like,

there's no way that's possible. So he calls my mom on spot and he's like, come get your son out of summer school. He's not supposed to be here. And then my mom came, yeah, yeah, yeah, my mom came grabbed me out of the summer school. Like that was that. That was that, And then we like put two two together and like, no, this teacher really had like an

issue with you. But but no one realized. No one else from the school realized that that teacher was doing that or saw I guess, I guess I'm a little surprised at maybe the principle or the vice principle, whoever it was, it slipped through the cracks up until summer school. It wasn't like he was looking at the grades and then all of a sudden was like, WHOA, what's going on here? Let me get ahead of it. It happened once you were literally in a seat in summer school.

That's crazy. And I know that you had also talked about on your way. I don't remember the story you told me, but something about every day going to lunch and there was a hill. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I honestly like earlier today, I'll get back to that, but earlier today I was kind of just like I call it black holing, like I'm just going to like memories in my head. I'm like, man, I've really just like trapped

away and like filed. But I gotta imagine when you go to these schools that because this means so much to you, is that all these memories gotta we're talking about this and and the great thing about you is you're willing to share your experience. Um definitely, Um, definitely.

There's some triggers going to the schools and anything. You know, I don't lose my mind, but I'm just like wow that, like, man, like I really thought this was okay what I was going through at the time, like you know, just part of growing up type thing, but it really wasn't. Um, and that's why, you know, I'm gonna try to, you know,

make a difference. However, you can try to make a stand because it's it's behavior that's truly, truly inappropriate, behavior that can really affect somebody for the rest of their life. And um, well, yeah, the one story you're referring to, this one, I'm not gonna say it was like it was like a racing or anything, but this one was more of me being a very large guy. Same height,

same height, and eighth grade, same height. I am now two seventy pounds though, so you know, I'm I'm like thirty pounds heavier, but same height, and um, you know, I'm a really big kid. And I didn't play any sports. I tried out for every sport team in middle school, didn't make any of the teams. And I was a musician. Like going into the middle school, I was a musician already, So let me continue playing the French horn and the guitar. I don't see anything wrong with it. You know, it's

a cool skill to have. But um, you know, definitely definitely got made fun of for being this huge kid in the band, you know, band NERD all that stuff. Blah, blah blah. And there was a group of like the athletic middle schoolers, because there's no true like jocks in middle school. You know, it's like the athletic middle school was that played Pop Warner football, that play Little League basketball or whatever, you know, and um, and they just

thought it was funny. You know, I'm coming down the hill going to lunch, and our lunch line would get so long because there's multiple cities that went to this one middle school. So our lunch line would get so long that if you weren't one of the first I don't know, a hundred people whatever it was in line, you weren't getting food. The bell would ring you about the class of no food. It's not they would run out of food. The lines were just that long. So

it was a thing. It was a thing to always like pre set your locker, and so you get out of class, your lockers already set, throw your books in there, and you're gone. You're booking it to lunch. And then every day, like I'm coming down the hill, I'd run the same way. It was the fastest route to lunch, and I'd see the group of um, the group of I was. I was a little bit younger. So the group of upper class and the eighth graders coming up

the hill and I see his one big kid. He's like, oh yeah, oh yeah, hold my books, hold my books, and then just come charging at me. And I mean, like first time, I just took it like he came, just dropped the shoulder bomb, you know, just knocked me, knocked me on my back. I'm stuffed up all this stuff. Everyone's laughing or whatever. The interview just wanted to baul my eyes out when I'm like, I gotta look tough,

you know, I gotta look tull. So it just kind of like dust myself off, keep going on lunch, and then you know, like it just kept getting worse, like it would turn into like a game for him. So I'd like jump over the railing. I'm running in the grass like all this stuff, trying to get away from this. And they just thought it was so funny, just like just knocked me on my tail. Every single day. Well, like, yeah, that was that was definitely. I was one of the things.

And I didn't think much of it at the time. I almost thought it was like my passage to becoming an eighth grader. Eventually to becoming a high schooler eventually. And but how did you cope? Because you talk about your parents and your mother telling you, listen, Jonathan, you can't fight back. We're not going to do that. How were you able to deal with it? And I guess part B of that would be what do you tell the kids now we're dealing with it. I didn't deal

with it well. I just kept viewing it as you know, oh, this is all right. Everybody goes through it, you know, so I would just tuck it inside. But then that you know, all this is going on, and it's just crushing my confidence, you know, Like I walked like hunched over and like I wouldn't look anyone in the eye when I was talking to them, just like little things

will just keep crushing my confidence. So the way I handled it, I just kind of like just dealing with it, just like accepting it got me through, got me through school. But I will honestly admit that I know it affected me more than like I'll ever let on and um, and I see it in like like daily life and like certain times that I just feel like anxious for

no reason. Even to this day, there's times like when I go do these talks at the schools, and I just like I'm almost having like an anxiety attack just because I'm like, you know, like what are these kids thinking about me? Like this is that? Like and I know a lot of that stems from, you know, all this stuff that like people would say to me or

mess with me about or whatever growing up. And and I'm much I'm much better now, of course, but it's definitely yeah, yeah, it's one of It's one of those things that like like I look at society now and I look at the access kids have the social media, and that's just a whole another I didn't have to worry about social media, so like I could only imagine what it would be like if I had to worry about social media. And like the best thing I can say is like, don't you think it's normal and just

deal with it or don't say anything. Don't think that you're being like a snitch or a tattle tale or anything like that for speaking up, Like no, like speak up for yourself because it's a former like standing up for yourself, like you're not you're not snitching. Like if someone keeps I don't know, like I'm literally like making something because someone keeps like throwing stuff that you were

spinning spitballs at you, and it's bothering you. You're not approving of that, Go say something to someone, Like, if you're not comfortable enough to like approach this person's face to face, go say someone to something. Tell tell your friend to tell somebody, Go tell the teacher, go find like just nonchalantly, like you know, I'm not trying to cause a scene, but you know so and so is doing X, Y and Z and it's really bothering me.

How difficult is it, though, to try to get in the mind of a middle school, because I'm thinking about when I was in middle school and you don't want to be the snitch because of what you're talking about the athletic middle school ors what. And if you're in a small school, then everyone's gonna know that it's you, whereas you can almost be law in the crowd in a larger school. So how difficult is it to get into the mind of middle school? And what do you

think is the most effective way to do so? Because I have to imagine it's one on one versus maybe a larger group. Yeah, and it's definitely one of those things. Um, Nobody wants to be that snitch. You know, nobody wants to be that because then you're even less cool than you feel before. You probably don't even like that term exactly. Nobody, Like nobody wants to be that person. Um, but we got to look out for each other. You have to

look out for each other. That's the thing. So I feel like the best thing is ensuring within the school that there's a you know, a group of kids, a group of people that are kind of designated to handle that situation where it's like a safe zone. Almost I didn't have a safe my safe zone with my mom

and my stepdad, you know, going home. Um, But like I feel like like developing that group, you know, whether it's a teacher, whether it's a principle nominating certain students that they know can uphold that standard, you know, and they know that they know what the right thing to do, like a group of kids like that, Like I I can like picture and I'm like, you know, six kids, whoever's getting bully goes up to these six kids like, hey, look like I need some help, and all six of them,

all seven of them or whatever you want to do, like go over and like talk to his bully. I go talk to them like, hey, look like that's not cool. Like, I know it makes you feel cool, but it makes this person feel like crap. You know, like something like that would be like great. You just mentioned the dangers of the social media. How often do you now as a professional athlete, a guy who's overcome some of his fears and his anxieties to get to this point professionally,

And also look at what you're doing personally? How much time do you spend on social media? So me, personally, I'm not great with keeping up with social media, but I know that I need to be involved with so social media to to kind of like reach reach the audience that I'm trying to reach. And so I'm trying to do a better job, you know, getting more involved with social media and posting positive things, are keeping it light, whatever,

just showing a little insight to my life. And um, like I do that more for work, you know, I do that more for work. But if it's not work related, then people are just on there, you know, the brows they're scrolling, you know, scrolling the gram whatever it is. And that's what gets people in trouble, is like the scrolling and and like there's a long, long trail to this long story short, like you know, a kid seeing what a person, what social media is painting for like

the typical human being to be. Kids are seeing this, especially like young girls and stuff. They're seeing, you know, you know, the beautiful people of the world, and they're like, Okay, well that's what I'm supposed to look like, but I don't look like that, so I'm ugly. Okay. Then god A comes around and says something about you know that girl, you know, makes fun of that girl, says her hair looks funnier or whatever, her shoes whatever, knocks her down

a couple more notches. And then that rumor goes through the school knocks her down a couple more you know what I mean. Like so just like a like a snowball effect, all based on like what people are visioning as, like what people should be, what society should be from social media. You know. It's like a it's like an exaggerated image of like society on social media, if that

makes any sense. Yeah, I had a classmate, Um I had to transfer schools because you of cyber bully and that what one of them, the two people involved one of them stayed and one of them had to go. And it's just one of the things where to your point, even at my age, I didn't quite have that experience with Instagram or Twitter and any of that because it wasn't in full force yet. But I can only imagine in what kind of effect they would have had on me or anybody else that I know for that matter,

because it's it's terrifying to think about. And I'm sure that's one of the things where it's difficult for you to talk about because you didn't quite go through the

social media phase of it. But at the same time, you're more wise with it because you're older than a middle schooler obviously, and on that on that note, it's funny, not funny, but it's interesting that even as a professional athlete, I still get cyber bullied, you know, like, yeah, you have to you have to do, you know what I mean, Like like so like I'll like, I'll be completely honest, Like I got a message like yesterday out of nowhere, like I was just I didn't I didn't follow this person.

I didn't like any of their pictures, Like oh, you know, the Jets sucked. I'm like was that necessary? Yeah, you know what I mean, like, this is my job, this is my livelihood. Like what made you go out of your way to write this stranger such of like you know, like a harassing message, you know, like that's so rude. But the only difference is as an adult now I know that you know this will pass, Like I know that you know those are just words, and I can

see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's different when you know a younger person is getting that when you're your teenage or adolescent years are the most important years of your life at that time. I feel there are just a lot of unhappy people out there for whatever reason. I second that, and and and social

media tends to amplify that. And you know, instead of I guess going off social media completely because we can't, uh, I do think we can take The message from you is that we don't remind people what's positive out there, you know, because it seems like the things that are going to grab attention are are the solaceous things or the crazy comments and threats and things of that nature. And uh, sports sometimes there's a microcosm of what we've

seen in life. Yes, yes, for sure, Um, yeah, yeah, there's there's there's not enough positivity out there right now. There's too much negativity, and it's easy to be negative. It's easier, like you wake up on the wrong side of the better, you stub your toe or whatever, like it's easy just to be negative, just to be angry. But like if everyone just worked to try to be positive, you know, try to just be nicer to people and like, like, like I try to tell some of the kids I

talked to him, like, you're not gonna like everybody. Everyone's not gonna like you. But that doesn't mean you have to go out of your way to say something to that person. You're entitled to your opinion, you know what I mean, to yourself, Like, but you don't go insult that person because they're entitled to do as they want as well. You know. So it's just well, it's just one of those things that you know, there's no true, true solution, there's nothing like there's no quick fix or

anything like that. But you know, we can just, you know, one person at a time just kind of get on board with with this positivity train. You know, I feel like, how happy are you you're using this platform to go out into the schools and talk about your first hand experiences and also listen to these children about their problems today. How would all come about in terms of the jets and the anti bowling uh with the community relations department.

I'm trying to think what really started it? Um So I believe there was a former teammate here, former teammate, and he was kind of involved. It's not about bullying, and he was doing a visit to a school, like an assembly visit to talk to the school and just kind of giving some positive words and all this stuff. And it was my first one going, you know with him. And then like, you know, after that first assembly, you know, after I talked to the kids, I'm like, wait, this

was my life in a nutshell. I'm like I might be able to like like kind of like get more involved with this. So then I was like, you know, you guys, just let me know whenever there was an assembly or you know, school visit, will meet with some kids one on one, you know, just to like make

their day. You know, they're in the middle of class and you know, to have like an NFL player show up in your classroom grabbing you, like, hey, let's go have a bye the pizza real quick, like that will just make anyone's day, make anyone feel cool, you know, so UM, you know, very very glad, very glad that that UM to be involved with this. And you know,

I'm just hoping. I'm just hoping to think and kind of just branch on just kind of you know, pick up some more steam because like the cyber bullying threat and you know, just throughout in America, it's like it's ridiculous. It's so ridiculous. Like I'm asking third and fourth graders, like, you know, who all has an Instagram account. Everyone's raising their hands like what do you need in Instagram for?

I didn't have a phone, And thank you. I have a phone ntil like eight or nine, thank you, thank you. I'm trying to think what game system I had at that time. I think it was like sixty four or something like that. I'm just like that's all I needed was my n sixty four, you know, and I was cool. So were dating. We're gonna date myself here. I'm gonna talk about flip phone, the land lines. You guys don't even know what a land line. I beg for a

private line. I beg and beg for a private line and then you just heard that the phone was hollow and like, Mom, get off the phone. I thought my parents used to have their parents, Um the really old phones where the dial phone? Yeah, I used to love that. I fascinating. Yeah, yeah, it was like, what are you talking about? You have to do like this, Like I just punching the numbers. You can probably get those in an antique story. Yeah yeah, yeah, And you guys probably

don't even know what busy signals are. Oh, of course, dial up up, dial up. No one can be on the phone with the dialoge. I didn't have two parents of dialog. I'll date myself, you know, the the A O L. DIC that you have to put in you know, hey, um, what you're doing is outstanding. I think what it also highlights is you just that at that you're not gonna like everybody at your workplace. So just fifty three guys on an NFL roster, there's no way in how you're

gonna like everybody on on that roster. With that being said, all right, who don't you like that? There there are players in the National Football League who get in trouble with the law, who do things that aren't good and

don't put the league in a favorable light. But there are a lot of dudes like you conversely who are out there in the community who are good people who care about the future, who care about community causes, who are actively involved, and you can you talk a little bit about that as far as the small fraterning in the National Football League and how there are guys like yourself who really are concerned about just more than winning

and losing on Sunday. Um, yeah, there's definitely there's definitely a lot more of us in the NFL than people realize because not everyone does it for publicity or you know what I mean, like not saying that people like you know, it's just like sometimes people are just like, no, I genuinely care about animals, so I go to all the animal shelters whatever it may be, just trying to

make a difference. And um, and I just think that that should be like, you know, however it's done, that should be like, you know, highlighting and emphasized a bit more. Because of course it's one of those things like you turn on the news in the morning, what's gonna grab your attention is the the six six car car accidents you know, with two deaths or you know what I mean exactly exactly, but like what somebody said on Twitter,

exactly exactly. But like you know, the positive news and stuff like that doesn't grab as much attention, so people tend to like shy away from that. But um, you know, there's definitely there's definitely a bunch of guys throughout the NFL that are that are trying to make a difference,

you know, that that have a purpose. And I think it's it's amazing thing that they're using this platform to do so, because you know, the one like obviously looks great for the NFL, but to like you're gonna reach a lot more people using the NFL platform in such a positive light. And you know, I highly encourage everybody to, you know, if you have some kind of purpose, some kind of cause, like in the within the NFL, to use that platform, use that to kind of magnify you know,

your your purpose. And and like I said, you know, I keep saying, I'm like, you know, the world can be a much better place. I think about things now like this is legit what I think about, Like when I'm on my couch at home, I'm like back then, like there were no school shootings, you know, like why like why are kids so angry that they're you know, they're bringing a rightful to school and shooting up to school?

I want and you don't wonder why, Like they're not just like oh well my mom was mean to me, so I'm gonna go shoot up to school. No, it's like, you know, like this person said X, Y and Z about me in school. This person won't leave me alone day in day out. This person, I don't know, like trash can me, you know, was a swirling like put my head on the toy. Like all this stuff that that that still goes on in various forms today, and that brings out like like those actions, those negative actions

bringing it brings out, you know, the evil people. Jet's legend. Marty Lyons has always said you can change a person's day by just saying hello to them. Totally agree with that, just saying hello to them. Why why is that? Why is that so difficult? It's not, It's just it's one of those things that I think evolved over time. And to your point about the news being so negative, it's not not to be like to get in my routine here once a week, I go on the treadmill for

and I hate I hate it for two reasons. One because I hate the treadmill too because the TVs all have the news on it and I can't change them. And every morning when I look at the TVs, it's car crash, this X y Z, and it's just like kind of depressing and it's just like and to flip the script, though, as much as we've talked about cyber bullying and social media negativity, the one thing that gets me every time is when something happens in sports and

it's promoted on Twitter, and it chokes me up. Whether it's like um, homecoming for someone that's active overseas, if it's a scholarship in college, when someone gets put on scholarship, UM, when someone who's sick meets their idol and stuff like that, Like I'm a sucker for that, and I will watch it all day and it'll it's you feel like you need more of it because there's just not enough to go around. That's a great transition to speaking of school,

let's go back to the World's Greatest. Can you tell us about your major at Florida, what you ultimately want to do after your long playing career is over. Um, you know, I had every every bit of you know, the desire to be a sports college just going into college start out psychology, and um, the only biology class they offered was an online bio class. I don't do wealth online classes, especially, you know, I had a job in college and you know, full time athletes, so so

ended up having to go a different route. Failed that class twice. When different route, ended up with a double major anthropology and criminology, and I forgot the classes that kind of got me in that direction. But I was like, man like, I was like, like, homicide kind of kind of interesting. It's funny because like it's such like a weird topic. But I'm like man like, like becoming like a homicide detective would be kind of cool. Like I'm all about like critical thinking and puzzles of all sorts.

And I was like it sounds morbid, but you show up to a crime scene, it's like a life size puzzle of like what happened? Like why life? Yeah, no, like it really and um, that's just kind of like how my mind works. So um, you know, my my end and end goal would be you know, to be uh, to be a homicide detective, you become a homicide detective.

But as of right now, I've really become more passionate about like fitness and training, and I'm kind of leaning towards, you know, training training professional athletes, whether it's training offensive lineman, whether it's just training athletes in general, whether it's more like a strength coach route, like all of that's kind of on my radar right now because something I understand well and that I myself do well. So like I know, like you know, being in that kind of career, I'll

always be able to practice what I preach. Well. We had Justice on Justice, Galick had strength and conditioning coach. You said, you're in there all the time. Wait, we asked him, who are the people that are that you have to kick out of the weight room. Then you're on the shorelist, so you do practice what you preach. Their great interpersonal communicators, so I think you'd be able

to motivate folks in there as well. Now we have to have you back on the podca on this year so we can go into the homicide detective stuff into yeah but real quickly, and we can get into this

next time. The music. Do you still do a little music still yeah, well I was wondering that too, so very musically inclined, like most just about any song that comes on, like I know the lyrics too, or something like, no matter what genre, no matter what genre, Like people, I'll catch people off guard by, you know, knowing every like lyric to songs. I probably shouldn't know every lyric too. I'm just I almost almost just threw myself under the bus.

I'm just gonna spinning right now. Just just you can just just talk to some of the people like I. I know, I don't even have a good voice, and I'm just like a song comes on, I'm just singing. I got I'm just singing. But um no, still still love music. I can still pick up the guitar and do a little something. I don't keep up with it. Um, I haven't touched the French horns since um yeah, since like I left school. Um but you know, would I

pick it up one day again? Maybe? Maybe? But um overall, I just enjoy music, and I think playing music kind of grew my passion for it, you know, like I'll listen to a song in a different way than somebody like typically would listen to a song, you know, like I'm listening to the different instruments in the background, like the rhythm of the beat, you know, like lyrics and stuff are always cool, but like I guess more of

the creation aspect of the music is whens. Well, not to come full circle here, I feel like it's how an average person would watch a football game versus how you would watch a football game. And that's one thing I do enjoy. Like people who who are like, oh, yeah, you know, I little football. I watch football NonStop and then drop a little bit of knowledge. Yeah, you know,

drop a little bit of knowledge. I'm like, oh, well, you know, if you watch a running back here on this play, he's doing this for this reason and well you know this stuff like it's such a different vantage point. Yeah, you know. Okay, before we let you go, I have

one final question for you. I want to know just leave us with a little bit of I don't know if it's positive, but give me the time where the bullying stopped, the first time where you realize you could become the bully being on the offensive line, and that the bullying has got to come to an end. Alright.

So earlier I was wondering, you know, kind of like talking to myself, like should I really share you know, like kind of the breaking point story, which I'm like, honestly, I'll be like I'm embarrassed about like like, oh, you don't have to share it if you don't want to, but like it's it can be an off camera conversation, or you can keep it to yourself. Um, but or we'll keep the people hanging for next time. Maybe we'll keep them hanging. Maybe we'll see. But long story short,

my freshman year in high school. Freshman year in high school, UM, there's like like four or five six I don't know upper like upper classmen, seniors and juniors that you know. Um, the first time they met me was in summer training before my freshman year, and that's when I acquired the name Big Baby. I know anything else football, I know anything about lifting weights, never lifted I couldn't do a push up, you know. And UM, so like, oh, you

know that, we're just gonna call you big Baby. You know we you don't know anything wrong, you know whatever. So I'm like, all right, cool. So I just kind of took that and embraced that name. I was like, all right, I couldn't I could work with that like whatever. Um it was like a month later or whatever it was. Um,

we're in the locker room hanging out. Our last period of the day was a football class, Like it was a gym class that you know, we can get something like we could watch a little film, we could work out whatever it was. And like I remember one time they thought it would be funny to mess with me and um and they all just started like harassing me

in like this other locker room. So like we had the main locker room, then there was like a JV locker room that no one was in at the time, and like they just they just like harassing me like whatever, like pinning me down, like trying to take my stuff off me, like like and it got it got, it

got pretty bad. You know, I got pretty bad. And like I'm trying not to like like I didn't get like angry, you know, hey get that far, you know, like I didn't get angry when I'm trying like honestly, I'll be honest, like I was trying not to not to cry verse you know, trying to laugh it off and act like I'm cool, like oh, hey, I'm one of the guys, Like you know, this is my initiation, but like it really wasn't like it was. It was definitely like every bit of hazing, every bit of bullying

like it was and nobody else went through that. Nobody else went through that. So you know, all that said and done. Um, you know it really like it really got under my skin and all this stuff. And so we're practicing I don't know how long after and we're doing I guess what would be considered like Oklahoma, the

old Oklahoma. But yeah, and I remember like I hit the first dude bham Bom got past him and the biggest guy on our team, Um, the biggest guy on our team, Um, I'm not YEA, don't know names or nothing, and uh and just sitting there and he was one of the guys I was messing with me in the locker room, and like I caught him with my helmet like right under his chin and just dropped him. It was like three pounds at the time, like a big

country joker. Yeah, and I just dropped him. And then something just kind of went through me, and I'm like, wait what I got? I got a little stuff to me like like like yeah, I'm like hold up, because I never hit somebody like that before I'm like, hold up, hold up. And then that's when it slowly started to turn. It's like the guys were like they would still like after that, after I did that to them. You know, that's a big dude. That was a honcho you know

with this group. So like they slowly stopped messing with me as much, and um, you know eventually would try to be like buddy buddy with me, and like I was, I wasn't having that. I was like, there's no way I'm having that. And then um, just you know, as I grew older in high school, they graduated, they left, and then I kind of moved up to that senior role.

And that's like, you know, I'm starting like I was getting recruited by colleges all this stuff, and the recruitment and that attention kind of brought some like natural confidence to me because I was a cool like I'm from a small country school like I now, he was a cool kid on campus, like I'm I'm the big time football player. All these guys that messed with me are are not working at the grocery store, you know, and

so that gave me a little boost of confidence. And that's when like I kind of took a turn for the better and going to college, like it just kind of increase. It's a little bit more confidence, a little bit more and here I am, you know, like I can put on a good front, but like I'll be the first admit that I'm not. I'm not naturally like a confident person, you know. So I think it's cool that you admit your flaws more than anything else to like,

you're hot. What's your highway six, three or five? Yeah, A good guess. I don't know if it's a flawed. I'd just say I admire your yeah, honestly, yeah, because most people won't go that raw. And credit your mom too, man, she said, I love to hear that, and I make sure send you know. I got a chance to meet her last year, but that she said, Jonathan, you can hurt somebody. And and you took care of your issue between the white lines. You didn't even have to do

it outside of school. You did on the football and boom jokes on whoever picked on him, because big babies in the NFL, that's going strong. That definitely was football became my outlet to like be a legal bully, a legal bully, illegal bully love that well, we really appreciate you coming on the Official Jet Podcast in the play MGM Studios because this is has been great and make sure to check out what Jonathan's doing in the community. Stop out bullying and we'll see you next week on the pod.