The following is a presentation of Playfly Sports Properties in Michigan State Sports Properties.
Well, hellow and pleasant, good evening to you. It is Thursday,
April sixth I'm your host, Jason straight On along with my co host,
Say you choot, you call chrit Otis. It's down in Jamonji Land and
Disney on assignment. He just tried to get in, but it was a
little loud. I mean, we saw princesses, we saw Castle's right show
now on the way to see Pinocchio. Yeah, on his way to see
Pinocchio. So we're gonna leave that out of here. Thank you for watching
the show live. We've got a special guest everybody wants to hear from.
But you know, don't forget to quick subscribe and like buttons on YouTube,
enter the chat, ask questions, we'll answer live. Ask something for ike.
If you got something, you know, it's gonna be on here.
But don't forget to follow us on social media platforms, and this is how
to do that. Thanks for tuning in to This is Sparta MSU. Interested
in hearing more from us, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and even TikTok. Click on the link in the bio to head
to our link tree for more information. Help us grow our following by hitting
the like and subscribe buttons. Tell your friends and family to do the same.
Have an idea for a future episode, let us know in the comments
section below. And now back to the show. Chun chuned. You know
what today is? What is today? It's not our anniversary? It is
National Student Athlete Day to day. Happy, Happy National Student Aclee Day.
There you go, very nice, great day to commensurate these athletes who put
it all out there on the line. You know, coming into a school,
you have the load of you know, the academics and the athletics.
As John l would say, you're a student first, an athlete second.
As you put up the number two then the number one. So it was
a little backwards there for them. I know that's what you would say.
I know. Up for those who aren't visually, get on on YouTube and
you'll see what Jag was doing. But just for those what that's that's it
athletes first? Student first, student student student first, that's it, athlete
second. Od As wildly says, my guys, have a good show tonight.
He jumped on, We'll do the best that we can. Hello,
pancakes, what's up? Everybody? Landa yes, like and share drop those
stacks. We love it. We love it man, Hey and shoot you
couple Like this past weekend you were at a celebrity bowling event with none of
them than Drew Stanton talk a little bit about that. Yeah, you know,
Drew came on and he talked about his bowling event there for the Special
Olympics, and uh, you know, it was a great event. A
bunch of former guys came out there, even you know for Lions fans,
Calvin Johnson, AK Megatron, he had appearance there. It was a good
cause. You know, it was really cool to run into some uh you
know, former teammate of mine and uh, you know, and see exactly
where all the the the funds and everything goes to. Is these uh,
these kids you know for Special Olympics and everything like that. They were there
and some of these kids could bowl, you know, these they could bowl.
So it was really it was really cool and it was a good,
good experience. If you have an opportunity to sign up next year, uh,
definitely do that. My team did come in second place, uh,
the winning team, uh you know, Greg Jones's team was the winning team,
and he had a ringer on there who's bowled a couple of three hundred
games in his day. So oh so so, so we were talking about
there was some like setting the deck action going on there by Greg Jones.
Who else was there? I saw Greg and the pictures Dougie Fresh saw that.
Yeah, Greg Jones was there. Keith Nickel, Uh, it's escaping.
Can you pull a picture back up there, Pete Yeah, Richard Bryce
Ross Weaver, Yeah, so uh there's Greg Jones. Yeah. A good
time, man. You know, everyone came. You know, there was
good food, good drinks. Drinks were flowing. Let me, man,
you called from there and I heard a lot of heaves. A jolly good
fella. I mean, it was going on in there. Tony G's checking
it from the sky over Omaha, Nebraska. Pick up some steak for us,
Hey, Tony G. On the side. Well, we got a
little thing crad but we got a lot of content. You know, we're
gonna talk about that in the second, you know, But let's promote this,
guys. We're having our first ms U. This is Sparta MSU,
that is Subscriber Special Event. It's gonna be at the field House in east
Land, seen right after the spring game April fifteenth, that five pm you're
gonna have We're gonna just tell you right now, Jacoby WindMan, Cal Halliday
and King Kong Kean Coleman will all be in a so we got a receiver
that's just dynamite in two special linebackers. Guys, uh choo. This is
gonna be a special event and you're gonna be in rare form right. Absolutely,
it's gonna be great. I can't wait for this event here. You
know, the big the best thing about this event that I can't wait for
is just to hang out with everybody, all the people that gather on Tuesdays
and Thursdays to make this show what it is. You know, have the
opportunity to come there, kick back, have a have a bevy or two
or three or four, and you know, just you know, have a
good time. That's right. Always drink responsibly. As Steve Smith just said,
make sure you're a subscribed. That's easy to do because this what's gonna
happen. You're gonna come to the field House. You're gonna see chootch you.
He's gonna be right at the door. Check in phone. So you
got yourself and everybody's got one of these. Everybody's got YouTube on their phone.
He'll teach you how to do it. It's not that hard. He'll
help you out. Doesn't cost you a thing, that helps us out a
whole lot. Shoot you, that's your job. We didn't talk about this,
but we've just decided as a group of the scenes that you're the man
for the job. Absolutely, it'll be fun. You're gonna wear that pink
Paisley jacket. That's the well what vultu you wear? That's the other thing.
Man, What you think you have to show up to be to see?
You got to show up to see. Well, look, we're gonna
get to our special guests. After this message from our friends over an eye
hop introducing iye Hops New Eggs Benedicks. When you take a poached egg added
to a crispy English muffin, fire roasted poblano peppers, and shredded beef with
our rich and buttery Hollandaise sauce, you don't just get our handcrafted new Eggs
Benedicts on your plate, you get a smile on your plate. New Eggs
Benedicts in four delicious flavors on me for my hop So you have been to
Ohio? To Ohio? Have I been higher? Yeah? The Ohio trying
to stay out of Ohio? You trying to stay away from it? Yeah,
since No, I haven't been. I've been since only like when we
played the Bengals. You know, that's it in and out and you know,
man, look we got like this. This is the reason Spartan Dog
through and Through. I Reech joins the show. We were talking bad about
the oh and Cincinnati, man, because you know, I wasn't gonna say,
you know, Ohio is like that, like like the arm pit of
America. Well's the thing. Cincinnati and Michigan State has had a great relationship,
right right, We've had a relationship, and so obviously there are plenty
of players that have come out of Cincinnati that they went on to Michigan State
to do some great things. And quite frankly, if you're talking about football
in the Midwest, it's Ohio football that's the best. Come on man that
wait, come on, Ohio, come on, Ohio players are better than
Michigan players. Illinois jumps in Indiana, I mean we got a few,
we got a hoopless we got a basketball man. That's that's all. It's
all. I mean, you know, he claims that Western New York though,
so it's a whole different and Western New York. Western New York can't
actually claim anything like really you can't wait. The only true, the only
true NFL team in the state of New York, the Buffalo Bills. I
want to argue about that. Those other two teams are in Jersey. You're
right, exactly, She's right about that. So I talk about today is
going back to Cincinnati when you were at ak And High and who recruited you
to Michigan State. I know you have a couple of schools you were looking
at. So like the man, I gotta tell you, well, Kick
Waldeo was my was my recruiting guy out of Cincinnati, and I had met
Kip. It's funny because Kip coached my older brother when Kip was in Cincinnati
coaching at Hughes High School before he went on and coached at Western Hills where
and here's the ironic part about that, God blessed her dead and rest our
brother to the Rob Charell's who was at Western Hills. He's also from Cincinnati
and he was He was part of the ninety two class that came to Michigan
State, but we played in the same conference, and Kip was actually down
there to check up on some other Western Hills players. They just happened to
be playing us and tuta Up was the quarterback of that team. And I
happened to have a good game that game, and that's how he sought me.
So that's how I actually got recruited. He wasn't even there to see
me. He was there to see tuta Up and I think like three or
four other players. Western Hills was a pretty good school at that time out
of Cincinnati Football, And like I said, I just happened to have a
good game that game, and that's how he noticed me, and that's how
I got on the radar for Michigan State. Was playing against arguably one of
the best teams in the city at that time, and by the way,
they beat the snot out of us. But I played well that game and
that's how I got No, that's all that. So, you know,
so you're getting recruited there, and so what was that transition? You know,
what made you what was the decision what drew you to Michigan State?
And what was it like when you first came to Michigan State. Was it
a culture shock? Was it? You know? What? Was it?
Hey too? It was all of that. So so here's the funny thing,
right, I played one year in high school of football. Oh and
that's and that's only because the football coach was also my gym teacher, Mike
Brown. He needed more guys to come out for the team, and I
was playing basketball in high school at that time. I know, we all
had my hoop dreams at that time. And it's funny. He came to
me after the season and he was like, listen, man, I know
you love basketball, but if you want to play athletics at the high school,
basketball ain't gonna get it done. Funny man, Right, So that
was this way. I kind of tried to tell me that I ain't as
good as I think. I yelled me, I mean as a basketball player,
and he's like, son, you got a brighter future if you give
this a shot versus playing that. So I go out for the football team
obviously as I'm a raw athlete. I'm just a raw athlete playing football,
and they do the best they can with me. And so I didn't get
recruited by very many schools, so I think the only schools I got offered
from was Michigan State, University of Cincinnati, University of Illinois, and Ball
State University. So a lot of people don't realize. Also fellas I didn't
play my senior year in high school, so that was my junior year that
played. So, yeah, I only played one year of high school football.
I played one year of high school football my junior year. Yeah,
and you skipped it, skipped the senior season. Well, I wouldn't necessarily
say I skipped it. You were told it certainly wasn't about choice. So
so long story short, right, I dropped out of high school in the
tenth grade. Okay, so I dropped out of high school in the tenth
grade. I was at a different school, and so I transferred from the
school that I was at to to ache And High School, the school I
wound up going to and graduating from, because a little league basketball coach that
that had had remembered me from our days of playing in little league basketball wanted
me to come over to ach And High School to be part of their basketball
program. But I lived on the other side of town, so I really
wasn't in that school district. So forget about the point I dropped out of
high school. We don't need to go deep into that point. I was,
I was, I was in the other stuff at that time, all
the working progress, right right right. This is good though, This is
a message a lot of people who are going through the similar similar So when
it got me over there, it was the best place for me. It
was structure, It was a structural environment. It was something that I gravitated
to. But because of the basketball team I gravitated to him. We were
a pretty good basketball team in the city and in the state, and so
football really I only played because again the gym teacher who was the high school
football coach is Don Mike Brown, persuaded me to come out to play.
So I wasn't necessarily a highly recruited football player out of high school, and
the schools that were interested in me once I was ineligible to play my senior
year, not because of grades, but for the simple fact it was my
fifth year in high school, so that made me ineligible. Even though I
hadn't necessarily participated in sports all throughout high school, I'd only participating in sports
for two years and so long story short, I was ruled in eligible.
A lot of the attention that I was getting sort of dried up, and
Michigan State stuck with me. Like Michigan State stuck with me. They understood
the circumstances I was in and they thought enough of me and my potential to
say, you know what, we still want to offer this kid a full
scholarship. And when I took to visit to Michigan State, here's the funny
thing. I had visits set up to Cincinnati and Illinois after Michigan State.
I took the visit to Missigan State, and I loved it so much.
The first night I was there, I committed. The next day. I
committed that Saturday. Yeah, I committed that Saturday. I mean, you
gotta realize I'm coming from the hood in Cincinnati and the very fact that and
you guys know what I'm talking about. When I said, the very fact
that I was getting a steak baked potato, it seems suit oh, I
had listen. I said I better commit before they find out I can't play
football, and they didn't even realize. I was more or less like there,
let me sign on the dotted mind today before y'all changed your mind.
For anybody changes their mind, letting you know it and commit right now.
And obviously the players and I didn't know it at the time. I didn't
know it at the time. I kind of realized that afterwards once I got
to Michigan State and became a student and a player there. But it was
it was the perfect atmosphere for me. It was what it was the thing
that felt most like home to me. It felt like home. So all
of my old heads, the Wan Hammons, the Myron Bell, Ricardo Jackson,
Bryce Abrams, all these guys. Jan Hammon's who was my host,
like all these guys, they showed me so much love. I was like,
oh, this is the place I have to be. This is where
I have to be. And it's the Big Ten. I'm from the Midwest.
Big Ten football is what it's all about. And I was like,
man, you know what, before they changed their mind or anything, I'm
like, dude, I'm here. I'm here, I said, we'll figure
it out later. I'm like, but I'm in right now. So you
know, one of the big things that you know, because you just played
football one year in high school, I played, you know, I didn't
start playing football. Tell like my freshman year, but I didn't know anything.
You talk about raw talent and everything like that, I didn't know anything.
I was. I was raw talent. I was just you know,
get ball, run, score, touch, That's it. I didn't know
the game of football, didn't know how to leave the defense I went to
when I first came to Michigan State, We're in the running backs room and
the coach said, hey, where's the mic? And I was like,
you know how you have to identify the mic other room? How was that
adjustment with learning the game for you? Right? And I was the same
way And to to straight tell you you you remember old you remember Reggie?
Come on, Reggie basically taught me today of football. So, and we
were in the same recruiting class and he was starting as a middle linebacker as
a freshman. So I red shirted and and so I would I didn't get
to travel when they had road games, so I used to have to I
used to have to have him explain to me what he was doing, what
was the responsibilities of the linebackers in the defense back in our dorm rooms.
So so we would we would record the games and he would have had to
go over film study with me just so I can understand it. So because
I was afraid to ask questions in the media room, right because I didn't
want anybody to know that I didn't know what I was doing. Did he
did he talk to you in different terms so that you can understand it differently,
because sometimes oh yeah, oh yeah, he couldn't use football term and
I was with me it was like all that a gat d gat sea gas
stuff like that. I was like because in high school, on defense,
it was more or less see the football, go getting when they hype the
ball, get whoever has the ball, go get him. And quite frankly,
I had drinks and being a wide receiver, that's what I really wanted
to be, you know, I thought I could be a wide receiver.
You know, I'm like, I'm like, dude, I want to score
touchdowns. I don't I don't want yeah, of course, yeah, yeah,
until I realized when I got when I got up to Michigan State,
and I realized it's a different level of speed playing wide receiver in the Big
Ten than it is in high school in Cincinnati. So yeah, my dreams,
my dreams are being my dreams of being a wide receiver quickly died.
Don't don't let people don't try to let thank full of you guys. I
mean, Ike was one of the best athletes I ever saying. You and
Niji go hey, man, y'all used to run out of your bodies.
Man, I mean the conditioning of these kids have no idea what you They
used to put us through it y'all, you got the way you guys handle
that. But like talk about what you brought up with with with Perlis,
I mean, he took a chance on you. You barely had any film,
right, you have a lot of you know, pedigree in that world,
but he took a chance on you. Then, you know, look
looking at how compared to how it is today where guys have to win right
now, they don't take a chance on a Nike Reaes in Cincinnati today as
they would. So talk a little bit about that. The difference what you
see from what you came out in versus today and the pressures that the coaches
have. Yeah, it's it's so much different. And I thank god I
did come along at the time that I came, because I don't know if
I would have been given the opportunity that Michigan State, and George Perlis gave
me and I'm glad you brought up GP because I would eventually got to coach
God rest his soul as well man, if not for him and his his
his ability to open his arms to guys that a lot of universities wouldn't touch
if they come from the same background that some of us came from. We
talk about being a spartan dog and what it means and all those things,
and I know that has evolved and changed the meaning behind it, but the
core of it is is still there. And a lot of it is You're
You're You're You're one of those people that people didn't believe in, but you're
a fighter and you've overcome certain obstacles and adversities in your life. And George
Perlis had an affinity for those type of kids, and he saw he saw
potential in kids who didn't see potential in themselves. He saw potential in those
kids that maybe didn't come from a pristine background and had some character flaws or
issues, but just really needed guidance, maybe some tough love, some structure,
things that you would get in two parent households that are in middle class
America versus dealing coming up in a single parent household in the inner city,
where you're surrounded by nothing but obstacles and adversities, where people try to pull
you down versus try to help you as sind in life. Like George Perlis
was able to find plenty of those diamonds in the rough, and I thank
God that he saw that in me to to recruit me, not only recruit
me, but to stick with me, knowing that I didn't have necessarily the
extensive background and football that most recruits have, because he saw something in me
that I didn't see in myself or believe in myself. I was more or
less looking at getting going to Michigan State as an opportunity to get out of
the circumstances I was in. I had no idea of the other avenues and
opportunities that could be there and afforded to me. By having an opportunity to
go to a university like Michigan State, not only go to a university like
Michigan State, but not have necessarily the financial burdens that most students have when
they attending college. I didn't have to worry about that, Like we didn't
have to worry about that, and I, man, it's when I think
about the people that was placed in my life to help me get to where
I'm at, always start back into the get it and it starts with him
because he was the head coach. And I don't care what coach recruits you
at that time if the head coach isn't on board and is willing to stick
his neck out for you, because he could easily take that scholarship and give
it to some other kid if he wanted to. But they believed in me,
and I promise you that I never wanted to let him down or let
him down or have him regret giving me that opportunity. And that was always
a part of my driving force and the motivation to not want to fail and
succeed just so he and others that gave me that opportunity could be proud of
me. So yeah, I George Purlis I forever were always be in debt
at to him, man. I mean, you know you touch on a
lot of points there, man, And you know when you look at you
know what perlistus always talking out man, when when you're tough, you know,
you look for tough guys. That's DNA like that he's looking for you
one of those guys, because he said, if you're tough, you can
win. When you talked about overcoming different challenges, you know, based on
your circumstances, you know, one parent versus two parent, households and all
those things you said, you you we talked about this before you got on
the show. Like if you know, a lot of times when you look
at today's players and you go back in era, you know, a different
time. You know times throughout the history of the game, they may or
may not fit in those different eras. So you know, looking at the
linebacker position, basically linebackers when you and I played some of them, was
you know, six four, six five, two hundred and sixty pounds coming
down hill, you know what I mean, Like that guy doesn't exist today,
right, not that linebacker. I mean he got his head in a
dirt if he does anything right. Yeah, but you are one of those
rare guys that could go through almost any era and still be effective at some
football player because of your toughness and the way you carried you know, you
wore your emotions your sleeve. Was what all the football players gravitated towards in
the locker room. But you know when you moved from Perlis over to Nick
Saban, he comes in. You know, what is that like for you?
You know, being the defense of guru and the probably arguably the all
time greatest coach of all time in college football history. Like, what was
that like for you? It was a It was a eye open experience for
somebody to have the knowledge of the game that he has and coaches with,
the passion that he coaches with, and what he demands out of his players.
You know, you go from thinking you got it all figured out as
a player, as a young player, and then you realize you don't know
anything, right, So I read I read shirted my first year and then
you know my first year plan, which I believe would have been your freshman
year straight in ninety four. Yeah, you know, I led the team
in tackles as a freshman, as a ZOS freshman, roll over a team
in tackles. I think I was second, I mean or a tied for
second or first in sacks and tackles for losses, things of that nature.
But coach Perlis wind up getting fired and Nick Saban came in and playing under
Hank Butler, shout out to the great defensive coach Hank Butlert, who was
our defensive coordinator in ninety four. He used me a different way to what
coach Saban did. So to get to your your question, I had to
sort of learn how to play football all over again. So I had a
coach, I had a coaching staff prior to him that allowed me to just
go out there and be an athlete. Go be yourself. We're not going
to try to confuse you or bog you down with a bunch of different assignments
and responsibilities. We want you to just go attack the football and let your
athleticism take over. Nick Saban wasn't having that. Like like Nick wasn't having
that, he didn't recruit me, so I had to basically earn his respect.
And because he was such a tactician when it came to defense, I
don't care how good I felt I may have done and practice for in the
game, Like coach was gonna let you know that wasn't good enough, That
ain't good enough, and I'm putting it mild me like exactly that ain't good
enough. I'll tell you what goes straight. And you know this, what
it did is It forced me to not be complacent. And so when I
so, just when you think you've worked hard enough, you think you've done
enough and you can't do it anymore, challenge yourself. I guarantee you you
can do more. I guarantee you can do better. And that's really what
the message he was trying to push. But when when you're young, Yeah,
I didn't really come to this conclusion. It too years later. I
was already in the NFL by the time I came to that, But it
makes you, It makes you think back on it and you're like, Okay,
that's why he wanted me to do that. Yes, he wanted me
to do that. So yeah, I treasure man straight, can you like
we can honestly say like we playing Yeah for the greatest coach in college football
history, there's no question. Yeah, yeah, I say arguably just for
I'm waiting on that person, one person. So coming from that, coming
to Michigan State, going through coach Perlis, and I thought, you know,
the one thing I love about know listening to you guys talk about like
everybody you have people that like, man, you know, I didn't like
this coach or people like coach I haven't heard anybody that played for Pearlists that
didn't like him. That's a good you know, coming in there and seeing
you know, how people work, like going to these events. And he
was there like guys that played years in the league like you. He said,
Hey, coach you good. You want to get your drink? You
want to do that? Like that's just like I And for me as a
as a you know, younger spartan dog, you know, just looking at
that. For you guys, it's like, wow, this guy, this
is like something that's really cool. And you know, it's like you never
really see anybody because some people have you know, this hit or missed with
their coaches. Sure, and then you all the Saints and you know,
like you know, like who drives all those things? But you know,
so coming from you know, high school, playing a year of football coming
in, when did you know, like, man, you know football could
get me I could play at the next level, like I can't, I
do have a shot? When was that moment for you? You know what
it's it's uh, you know Coach ps he was our defensive coordinator under coach
Saban and I remember Coach p talking to me my junior year and by the
way man coach peace man you're talking about you know when you have like you
got the good cop bad cop. Yeah, like like Ni Nick didn't care
about being a bad cop. Coach didn't care about being Yeah, you'd better
hope your position. Coach wanted to be the good cop. So coach ps.
He was our defensive coordinator and he was like the good cop. So
he's the one who told me my junior year because I asked him, I
flat out action, you know, did he think I was good enough to
play at the next level? And you know, he was honest with me.
He told me the things you need to work on. You know,
your size is always going to be an issue for people, but your toughness
will always be something you can rely on. Your toughness and your steed.
Your athleticism be something you'll be able to rely on, and your knowledge.
But people will always wonder is he big enough to play linebacker or is he
big enough to hold up playing that position. And so he's the one who
really got me to believe I could play at the next level. He really
did. And that was my junior year. So it was after my junior
year when I was thinking about coming out early. That's a let I'll tell
you. Cole Satan found out I was thinking about coming out early. He
wasn't. He wasn't happy about the way he found out about it, because
I actually thought you and and and you guys know former Spartan dog I madle
Man Griffin of course. Yeah. Yeah. So I was doing a radio
show, radio show in Detroit back then, and he he I still never
get this. He brought me on and we were talking about, you know,
just mischi say something, and it was off the record with he and
oh when I was like, you know what, man, I'm actually thinking
about coming out man, And he went over radio and said that, oh
my goodness, and he asked co Saving about it. Oh yeah, Cose
Savan felt like he got blind sided and didn't know how to answer the question.
Well, you know, I got soon as you walking there, as
soon as I walked in that building, I'm like, I don't even know
what he wants though, Like what's up? I'm saying, oh my god,
oh my god. Of course, of course he yelled at me or
nothing. I was like, I don't know what he talking about. I
didn't say that coming man, hold on. So I forgot the question you
asked me, you're talking about like Bean Peace. Yeah, like what the
moment that you knew you were gonna yeah, oh yeah, so so definitely
with that. But then back to coach Purlise. So here's what coach Purlis
told me prior to the draft. When I came out, he said,
he said, listen, because I asked him what he thought about me playing
at the next level. He said, listen, you're gonna get drafted.
I don't know where you get drafted. It'll probably be in the middle of
the leg rounds. But you get drafted, he said, but you'll be
a guy that will always have to prove that you belong. In other words,
even if get drafted, you can't relax as if you made it.
You have to. You're gonna have to be a guy who proves himself every
year, and it's probably gonna be in a special teams sort of role player
type of a situation for you. That's the one thing about coach Perlis.
He kept it straight with you, and he told you what he thought.
And I was happy that he told me that, not because I wanted to
come in the league as a backup player or I conditioned myself being a special
teams player. But because when that reality became a reality, I was better
quick to handle it as opposed as opposed to feeling like I'm being disrespected,
I'm being undervalued, and this and that and the other. And that's how
I was able to turn my career into an nine year career, because because
I was able to at least find a niche in a role that I can
feel and be the best at it, and that allowed me to be one
of the best during the time that I played at doing what my specialty was
in the league, which was being a backup player and a special teams player,
which helped me get to a Pro Bowl at least one. I should
have been to three, but I got to one and you got you got
there when the Pro Bowl was fun and who knows now, But having that
perspective of you know what, nothing's gonna be given to you, you have
to work for it. It allowed me to come in and have a longer
career than a lot of my peers that I came out with. They didn't
have the right mentality. Oh it makes all the difference, you know when
you think about that, because you said that that you know you're gonna have
to work for you that prepared you, because there's guys that you know,
dogs that have a different mentality and went to the into the league, and
you know, if you're not humble and understand, like, look, this
is your role fitted similar to what you've seen with Draymond, Right, Draymond
is a guy who was that in the perfect excel at that. He's excelled
at that role, right, you know, but because of the role exactly,
he's not at all what he was in Michigan State as a player.
But you know, you remember DPS. You brought him up. I remember
when you guys when we come in at halftime and you know, we split
up offense defense after everybody's done, you know, doing the getting the fluids
and shoulder pads off and all that. I couldn't tell who was who that
was. The cussing between saving in Peace was so like on point, like
the succinct. It was hard for us to decipher like who was yelling who
that was over there because it was usually Curtains but Peace man just retired,
right, just retired man? Just now great, check this out? Checked
us out straight and uh Jayu, not even a line. Uh Now this
is after the first time he retired, So Mike Rabele brought him out of
retirement. I believe. So the first time he retired a couple of years
ago, he called me, called me to say thank you for being one
of So I was so honored to be one of the players that he felt,
wow, obligated to call when he was retiring. Like he's coached so
many players throughout his coaching career and throughout his time. You know, that
time in Michigan State meant something to him. And I was honored that I
was a guy that he called uh to say thank you, to thank you
for being a player for him. And Man, we talked for like thirty
minutes on the phone, and I was like, Man, I'm like,
coach, dude, you you are you're You're You're the same way you were
man when I was nineteen twenty years old back in Misschigan State all those years
ago. And we've crossed paths a couple of times. As a matter of
fact, he was the defensive coordinator on the Patriots when they beat us in
Super Bowl thirty nine. Yeah, we talked before the game and everything.
When they beat us. A question for you, you know, a kid
from Cincinnati, like you said, from you know, the inner city there.
You come to Michigan State, you know, you you bust your butt,
work your way there, and now you get that call. You're a
fit. You're you know, get drafted, You're in the league. Yeah.
Well it's the first big purchase, dude. I had to Lincoln Navigator
about about the U in ninety eight, the Navigator, I think it just
came out. So so yeah, here's the funny thing. I was already
ten grand in the hole. I mean by the time I got tracked.
Then hey, that's right, now, Manny I took I took out a
line of credit with my agent, so he got the car. Now it's
a whole legal this is after that. I my time, my eligibility was
up in misiss state, exhausted. You could take out a loan from him
as long as you agree or repay it. So he had Basically I took
out the loan with my agent, he got the car for me and then
I So I was in the whole ten grand with him already before we even
started. Yeah, before we even started, I was already the hole in
the home. So so you go fifth round, I remember that ninety eight
you got draft. I mean that was one of them times. I mean
we were all excited for you. You know, I wasn't a big pro
football guy at that time, like knowing the fan bases like I do now,
and I know the Philly fan base, and like how that city you
know, I mean, come on, man, maybe Buffalo rivals then,
but now I don't know, you know, like Philly is like everything that
you know, the Buffalo Bills fans, right, okay, yeah, yeah,
yeah, I give it. The Bill's mafia. Okay, yeah,
yeah, they're serious now so much, just so much that you know,
the Philly I'm gonna let you get back to there. But you guys had
to go to Western New York, like you know, my hometown and get
your coach, coach Siriani. A man here where you had to at your
coach from the head coach of the Buffalo Bills was with the Philadelphia Eve was
when I played with you. Okay, staff up there, I know half
in Philadelphia, Okay, see you know I mean, I mean you see
folks, I mean you get a chance to see like players from two of
the I mean I think those are the two top fan bases in the NFL.
You know, there's there's there's the Cowboys and all that. No,
no, no, cut man. I've been. I've been just some of
them games and it's like criminal activity that's going. I'm like, hey,
man, it's just a game, you know, it's not you know,
so like so like man, So you're in Philadelphia, which fits my like
your you know, like who you are. It couldn't be. I couldn't
landed in a better place. Straight. I couldn't have landed in a better
place. And the crazy thing is, uh, when I first got here,
it was it was not all that sweet. When you look at the
football team. My rookie year, we were three and thirteen, worst record
in franchise history, and our coach Ray Rhodes wound up getting fired after my
rookie year. And so obviously fans aren't gonna be happy with where the football
team is at at that time. And it's a it's a it's a fan
base that I think is often misunderstood. I think it's often terribly portrayed as
to what type of fan base they are. Of Course, they are passionate.
They loved their and they loved their sports teams. In this town.
It's a it's not like for some for some cities, you know, the
sports teams are an escape, a getaway, you know, sort of something
to do in some cities. In Philadelphia, these teams it's their lifeline.
It's what's in their blood. And there's no other team that epitomizes that then
the Philadelphia Eagles for this fan these so they are very passionate, and I
think if you played here you would It wouldn't take you long to come to
appreciate it. I think when you when you hear about them from the outside,
it seems like, oh man, that's gotta be the worst fan base
in the world. They bow their own players, they boo their own players,
all this other stuff. Until you come here and play for them,
and you realize, yeah, when you don't play well, they're gonna let
you know about it, by the way, as they should. They should
let you know about it. But when you do play well and you're winning,
it's it's like it's it's a hundred times the amount of love that you're
gonna be shown and given than the criticism when things aren't going well. And
athletes today, quite frankly, you don't deserve a pad on the ass.
If things aren't going well, you aren't winning, if you aren't putting forth
your best effort. You know, these people are hard working people. They
spend a lot of money to come to these games. They spend a lot
of money on merchandise, and players need to care. If you're gonna play
in this town, you had better care about winning and losing as much as
these fans care about it, or you're not gonna last here. In other
words, you better put forth the effort. And when the results aren't what
we all hope they to be the last thing these fans want to hear.
Ah, it's just a game. We'll be all right, we'll get them
tomorrow, this and that and the other. Nah, that's not gonna work
here. And the sooner you figure that out, the better off you're gonna
be as an athlete in this town. And guess what, it ain't changing.
It ain't changing, brother, Yeah sir. The names on the back
of the jersey change, but the fans don't change. Rather than fans,
these are their teams and they're gonna be here when we're gone. So yeah,
you're better listen. You better get adjusted versus trying to change their way
of thinking, because that ain't happened. No, no, it ain't going
down like that, man, Like thinking about the Eagles. You know this,
You got to a few super Bowls in your career, right, No
one super Bowl? You know what that says. That says we were in
a position to get to a few super Bowls and we didn't get there.
That's what I say. Who, I'm gonna put you on the spot here,
and you know you don't have to answer who cast who costs you that
Super Bowl? Donovan or t O. I'm gonna tell you what cost us
that Super Bowl? Not playing our best football that day. Like, when
you're in that game, man, and you're playing against Tom Brady and Bill
Belichick, you can't have an off day and d win. So like that
might have been our second worst game of the season. We lost to Pittsburgh
that year. I don't even think we showed up for that game early in
the season that year, and then we lost to New England. To me,
those are the only two real games we lost that year. We played
terrible in both of those games. The other games out of that season we
played gradian. But in the Super Bowl, you can't play man, and
and honestly, there was enough bad on the defense and the offense and cost
us that game. I can't I can't put it on my teammates. Man,
we all got to take that. I've been doing this too long,
right right talking about that? So so because right you're in the uh listen,
there's a question. He has to ask me, ask the question.
It's so good you have to answer question when people say it was a savage
question? Was who said that? Was that with lether that's a savage question?
Who were your Who was your favorite teammate in the pros? That's from
Dougie Fresh my favorite teammates? Oh god, yes, I pleaded the fifth
on that too. So I got I got way too many teammates that that
I love. Man like it us your time three. I love like brothers.
No, I'm not doing it. I'm not going because eventually this is
listen, this clip will be out there somewhere. No way, you guys
are getting me about teammates. So you don't hanged with everybody all the time.
That's true, that's true. Who who mentored you in the pro Who's
you know who helped your game? Okay, okay, now okay, now,
okay, there we go. I can handle that. I can't handle
that, right. So I came in. I was fortunate. I had
two uh old heads that really took me under their wing and helped me understand
what it meant to be a pro. Mike Caldwell, who's actually the defensive
coordinator of the Jags right now. Uh he was my he was my old
head when I came into the league. And then I had William Thomas who
was the starting middle linebacker, I mean, started outside linebacker for the Eagles,
and I basically was his backup when I came into the league. So
those are the two players that kind of helped me adjust to being a pro.
But here's the funny thing, Fellas, I had guys like Toroy Vincent,
Brian Dawkins, Bobby Jeremiah Trotter, like these guys, these guys were
like my support group. Like these guys were like they always tell you surround
yourself with good people, like I really was fortunate enough to surround myself with
some good people man with good brothers that had their heads on straight, that
wasn't necessarily caught up in the NFL limelight and flash and dash they always thought
about one day the game is gonna end. Then what are you gonna do?
What are you gonna do when the game is over with for you and
you can't run and jump and play football anymore? So to me, those
are the guys that that are lifelong friends. And it's it's plenty more of
them, Ryan Mitchell and I can go on and on on, but these
are guys that I gravitated to that had a greater impact on me off the
field and my and my my life after football, maybe greater than they did
than what I applied to the game and what I was able to do on
the field of football. And so you guys know, man, the crowd
is gonna stop cheering at some point for all of us as athletes, and
then what do we have next in our lives as a passion and a plan?
And all of those guys helped me understand that life after football is just
as important right now as you playing right now, and you had better start
planning for life after football. And I'm glad I had those guys around me,
else I wouldn't be where I'm at today if I didn't have those guys
around me. Yeah, that's that's a very good point. And you know
from because there's a lot of things when you first go in. I remember
my rookie year when I was sitting there, I was blessed to be under
you know, I was back up. I was backing up Tony Richardson,
you know guys rich and he's the one that told me, like, you
know, like I'll be talking, hey, t Riche, whill we going
to practice? It's like, yeah, you're not gonna You're going to work.
You know, like words like that, you know, like to just
teach you to be a pro. And when you say those things because at
the next level, it's a cutthroat business. It's a business at the NFL.
But if you can find you know, one, two, three,
four people that you can you know, like you said, to surround yourself
with to teach you those lessons for afterwards, you know, then you that
that success in itself there right there. Don't get me wrong, my first
year or two I probably was around the wrong people in the locker room.
I mean think about it. You name the names you name, those are
my Hall of Fame quality names, and you're saying that they were like the
guys a stand up guys in that locker room, which makes you understand why
you guys had such a run at the super Bowl Championships. I mean that
that was quality people you had there, and it's wise to, like do
be an understudy if you will, with people of that caliber. Right,
Yeah, I can plead agree. I tell my kids that all the time,
you know, you know, surround yourself with people that can help you
elevate who you are, not necessarily pull you down or wanting you to carry
them, you know what I'm saying. So there's nothing wrong with having people
around you that can help you think and see things out of the box and
the norm of what you're accustomed to. And so, you know, I
sat back and whether I admire those guys for the type of athletes they were,
because they were all phenomenal NFL players, or whether or not I admire
them for the type of father they were, husbands, they were followers of
Christ like those things. I sat back and I observed, and I said,
you know what, those are the other type of man I would want
my son to emulate and sort of be like and admire. So why wouldn't
I want some of that in me? You know what? I mean to
help improve who I am as a person. And so, like I said,
I was fortunate to be around those type of players, and those players
are even to this day. If you follow them on social media and you
see what they're doing, you wouldn't be surprised because it's what they did as
players, and now they've carried that into life after football. They are still
doing that, helping people, being pillars in their communities, always trying to
uplift others as opposed to tear down others. And so, you know,
we all strive to be better in our lives, but there's nothing wrong with
having that sort of support group around you where you can lean on guys who
will also holds you accountable, who will also holds you And I'm gonna let
you know, and that's probably not something you should be doing or you know,
you know, that's not who you are. Let's get back on the
right path. And so, man, that allowed me to have a nine
year career, and more importantly, that allowed me to do what I'm doing
right now, which I love. I've been doing it for sixteen years on
the radio, right going for sixteen years, Yeah, sixteen years. So
having that sort of mindset allowed me to say focused and to have a goal
and plans, and I feel like I'm better for it. Okay, man,
it wouldn't be. It wouldn't be. You know, I would lose
my journalism pen if I didn't ask the hard hitting questions here. So I'm
gonna put you through a rapid fire before we let you go here. Okay,
all right, rapid fire. Best place you got a cheese steak in
Philly? Oh god, you really are putting me in the bed. I'm
a Genos guy. No, no, no, nothing nothing wrong with Gino
and pets. Nothing wrong with Patsy Gino. But they we, I say
we Philadelphias. Consider that more of a Taurus. What about Maxes? You
gotta go to places like Max's, Delessandro's gyms like you guys, you got
some you got some places out there. Then you gotta kind of go to
the mom and pomp shots. Not not necessarily, Okay, Taurus, Okay,
you're gonna get me kicked out of the city or I wouldn't lose my
journalism. And if I don't ask the tough questions, all right, So
most memorable win at Michigan State, Oh, no doubt nineteen ninety five.
We smacked the stump up twenty five. Man. Yeah, we had Tom
Banks on here. We had Tom Banks. He talked about it. We
went through the whole play the whole Last Final series. Okay, he comes
out there. Yeah, okay, So that best favorite watering hole in East
Lanson, Bengo Hall, oh in Lancing. Okay, So I gotta go.
I gotta go with either. I gotta go with either land Sharks or
Ricks one of those two. Those are the two beasts. When I was
there, those are the two Beasts and Ricks. Man, I said to
Bingo Hall, my bad. That's incredible. Yeah. Great. Let me
tell you one thing, you know, like one thing that everybody that's aspirted
the fan that if you weren't around during the time when Ike played and for
those of you were, this is the iconic picture you when you're coming off
the fie to your last game at Spartan Stadium. Wow, look at that
and the tears coming down. Man. I mean that that embodies what the
game meant to you and what you meant to the game. I mean,
we really appreciate you being here man, and and uh look forward to having
you all to get anytime, because this is what we do in the street.
Man, this is man. Listen, it's great. I love my
time there, and and I can't wait to get back up there this summer.
I can't wait to see you guys up there this summer, hang out
with the fellas. Man once it's spartan, always is spartan. Bro,
you know that, man straight. I got a lot of love for your
brother, like you. We didn't play together, but you and now've had
plenty of conversations. Yeah, a lot of communications with each other. Brother.
I remember, I gotta say this, I gotta, I gotta say
this story. I know Trey and Pete back, there's gonna yell at me,
but I never you know, knew Ike, you know, like we
like he said, we didn't play together anything. I didn't even have his
number. I was going to Philly one time and I was like, man,
it's spartan dogs in it. And I wanted to take my brother in
law to a Sixers game. I was like, oh, I Greece,
he's in Philly. He played in Michigan. Hey, I hit him up
on Twitter. Hey, Ikes, you know spartan dogs. Blah blah blah
blah. I'm coming to Philly. You know, can you hook me up
with tickets? Hey, man, here's my number. Blah blah blah.
He had me set up, made me look good man. Look that's beautiful
man. No, we love that man. The interaction between spiding dogs is
always love. I appreciate you, look forward to having you again, and
we're gonna see you this song. Yes, tell man anytime fellas. Thanks
for having me man, thanks, yes, sir. But life all right?
Hey man, look that was a good show, you know, really
good and it's not too long for everybody, so I think it's good.
Don't forget. Look, grease is the man? I meancreasead I photo one
more time? All right, coming off the field. Look at that beat?
Hey, need we say more about what I a Greece means to the
Spartan dogs and the legacy that he had when he was here. Hey,
that says it all. That picture says it all. That says it all.
Man, Hey, great show, chi Chew you know for Oldiswila who's
on assignment down in Jamaija Land, for Jayu Culchrid. I'm Jason Strayhorn.
This is Sparta. Have a good night, God blessed, go Green Go
White. This is part of MSU as a Bind presentation of Playfly Sports Properties
in Michigan State Sports Properties. The show is produced by Pete Manez with additional
support from Tony Costella Operations and Social media support is provided by Alicia Strayhorn with
support from Cecily Max Brown on location. Technical support is provided by a Good
Fruit Video. Be sure to follow our hosts Jason Straehorn, jay U Kulchrik
and Otis Wiley on social media to stay up to date with all the latest
This is Smartan news. Please like and subscribe by visiting our link tree and
tell a friend to do the same. Thank you for your support and as
always, go Green.