Club Shay Shay - Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson

Episode Date: January 30, 2023

Chad Johnson is here inside Club Shay Shay! He joins Shannon to talk about all the latest in the NFL, his career and what he's been up to recently. Two NFL greats, and one fun conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Hello. Welcome to another edition of Club Shea Shea. I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor of Club Shea Shea. And today's episode is sponsored by Oikos. And the guy that's stopping by for conversation, he doesn't drink and water today, is a six-time Pro Bowler. He's named four times

All-Pro. Led the league in receiving in 2006. He was voted the number one receiver on the Bengals' anniversary team. That'll be short-lived because the 50th will be Jamar Chase. A member of the 10,000-yard receiving club, Chad Ocho Cinco. I like that. That is a great

introduction. Matter of fact, do it again. Okay, he's a six-time Pro Bowler. He was named for all pro teams, led the NFL in receiving yards in 2006. He was voted number one receiver of the Bengals' 40th anniversary team. On the 50th anniversary team,

he'll be number two because Jamar Chase will be number one. Member of the 10,000-yard receiving club, Chad Ocho Cinco cinco johnson oh i like that i like that i like that i like that what is chad what is ocho cinco doing currently currently living life enjoying life doing some of the things i wasn't able to do when i was playing being a full-time father being a dad some of the things I wasn't able to do when I was playing, being a full-time father, being a dad, one of the dopest feelings in the world that I didn't know what it actually felt like until the game was removed. Right. Picking up from school, dropping off from school, somebody in trouble or having to go

in, parent-teacher conference, dance recitals, track meets, man, all that fun stuff that a father's able to do when he doesn't have a job that requires you. Yeah, responsibilities like that. So, man, I'm enjoying. Just had another angel, another baby angel. So now I know what it's like to be up at 3, 4 in the morning. Right. Bottle feeding.

Right. Burping. Right. I love it. Well, I want to say congratulations on the engagement. Thank you. You just mentioned that you got a newbie. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. to say congratulations on the engagement. You just mentioned that you got a newbie. What's it like? Because like you said, when you played football, and you love your kids, but the number of responsibility kind of got to be football for you to be your absolute best. Now there is no football. It's been removed, and all the focus is on that baby.

What's that feeling like? I like it. I like it because I never knew what it felt like to be a full-time father. Yes, I was there financially. That wasn't enough. It's never enough. And obviously, I didn't do things the traditional way, so I have multiple kids. But I was able to balance everything even while I was still playing, keep everybody together as one unit, and everything was flowing smoothly. So now that I am done playing, I've inserted myself in full time and just there with all the kids.

And able to make kids in college now. Right. I'm able to make football games. Right. Track meets. You know, daughter going to LSU. Right. So it's just the fact that I was able to make it work is crazy when I sit down and think about it.

And I think about people that only have one child. Right. And they're having issues and they're having problems. You're calling me for advice. Right. And I don't know. It's weird. So you mentioned that you didn't have it the traditional way because you have kids, multiple relationships.

How were you able to get the parents to be like, look, I love all these kids. I love them the same. It's not an ideal situation. How do you get them on board? Because that's what you got to do. The kids are fine. Yeah, the kids are fine. But the key was, the people that I have kids from are people that I knew before got to do. The kids are fine. Yeah, the kids are fine. But this, you know what the key was?

What? Is the people that I have kids from are people that I knew before I even made it. Okay. Okay. So for one, their motives was organic. It was authentic. It was me. It had nothing to do with what I brought to the table. They weren't looking at monetary gain. No, they wasn't. Now, once you make it in individuals, it's always about what you can do. Right. And what can do. Right.

And what you got. Right. So I was fortunate to deal with individuals and have, obviously, kids from them before I made it. And I think that made everything smooth because there was no ill will. It was about the child. Right. And if you needed help, all you got to do is pick up the phone. Right.

And you know you're good. You know you're good and you're set for child. Right. And if you needed help, all you got to do is pick up the phone. Right. And you know you're good. You know you're good and you're set for life. Right. And to me, that is a great feeling instead of some wanting to live a certain purpose. Right. Have a certain image. Right. And look a certain way because, no, I don't have that.

Wow. That's unbelievable. And I was very fortunate because I dealt with those and had kids, you know, for those before I made it. I was lucky. Very lucky. How do you balance Ocho Cinco and dad? Because they see the free spirit and they're like,

but we don't see him like that. We see dad. Yeah. And people come up to you and want an autograph. People want to take a picture. But all they see is, that's my dad. Mm-hmm. I mean, I think the older kids are used to it.

I have the older kids, those that are in high school and college. My son at Arizona State, he's used to it. My daughter's at Prairie View A&M. She's used to it. My daughter going there. They're all used to it. Which daughter that I saw coming up, the 13, 14-year-old running the 800 meters? Mocha.

That one going to LSU? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, they're all used to it. The young kids, when someone asks to take a picture, they just get in the picture. They get in the picture like, oh, it's for us. And I make sure they're able to enjoy that moment as well. That's a great feeling because my kids didn't like that.

Because they didn't get a whole lot of time because, like you said, it was football. And so I only had a finite period of time with them and so there's like my especially my oldest daughter and my son kind of to a lesser degree was like nah this is our time this is my day right right taking pictures today but for your kids to embrace it yeah see i think i think mine are a little different because of my personality yeah and i'm so outgoing right and i'm meeting people i'm acting like i've known you for 30 40 30 40. I don't know you. I never met you in your damn life. So they feed off of that energy, and I think that's why they're okay.

Were you always a free spirit? Were you always this outgoing as a child, as a young man? Yes. Before you get in trouble in school? Listen, in the yearbook, Miami Beach Senior High, I'll never forget, 1996, I was voted class clown. Okay. And I was always a free spirit.

No. I mean, at that time, no. But that was my personality. Right. They said class clown. Okay. And I was always a free spirit. No, I mean, at that time, no. But that was my personality. Right. They said class clown. Right. It was just my personality. Right.

No different. Like, when you get to the NFL, they call you a diva. Right. I'm not a diva. I just chose not to conform to your ways. Right. And I had a personality about myself. That's it.

I done nothing malicious. So when you go back and look, okay, because all the senior superlatives, you got Mr. Senior, most likely to succeed most outgoing now when you go back and look the class count probably was turned out to be the most likely to succeed because the person who was most like to succeed didn't succeed right they went to jail for fraud no disrespect no disrespect okay you say you're not traditional obviously uh i I don't know your fiancée, but I'm assuming she's going to want a wedding. Is this going to be a destination wedding? Is it going to be a traditional wedding?

Yeah, it's going to be a traditional. Now, my values have changed. This is what happens when you meet the right person in life. This is what happens. I'm all ears, bro. Listen, when you meet the right people in life, some of your thinking changes at times. So I thought to myself you know I probably never do this again but then in life it's all about having a

foundation and discipline right if you have discipline that's one thing but you found that that if you find that foundation the build off of and then insert that discipline anything is possible right and I found someone that I can build that foundation off, and now that I'm a lot older and that discipline is a lot better, this shit's going to work. Oh, shit, I curse. You're good, bro.

I'm sorry. You're good. No, but how did you find this person that didn't see Ocho Cinco, saw Chad Johnson, saw the kid from the humble beginning that worked his tail off to become what he became, that she doesn't see the peripheral stuff. She sees the man inside. I think one thing you can't do is that stuff matters anyway.

She can always see Chad Johnson. Okay. She can always see, you know, what he can do. But also that interviewer has the same upbringing as I do. Okay. You come from Phoenix City, Alabama. Okay. You come from nothing.

Right. You know, in the church like i was growing up and it was a it was an instant connection the wi-fi was perfect when we first met obviously understanding where she came from and how how she got to where she is she had this she had the same birth ethic like i do okay i like that assets versus liabilities you understand who you're dealing with right it's an asset. Everything else is a liability. But you're blinded. We, as men, are blinded by what we see,

the physical attraction. So when you dig a little deeper into it, I'm like, okay, ooh, bitch, excuse me. God damn it, it's the one. I'm talking like me in a barbershop. You knew that? So you think you know instantly? No, not yet.

Because when you ever meet somebody, every time, ladies, fellas, when you listen to this, any time you meet somebody, what you meet is their representative. Oh, oh, OK. Every time. They sending the person out there. Oh, yeah.

OK, OK. That's a dog interviewer. Listen, when you fill out your resume, you put your best foot forward, don't you? You dress your best, absolutely. Oh, yeah. It's never the real person. But when I, well we went to dinner, first date.

You know, I'm at McDonald's, we had to drive through. Huh? Yeah! You did that? Yes! And she was cool with that? Man, listen, she started ordering before I even pulled up to the thing. Let me get a, oh, this is it.

Okay. Listen, I had, man listen. Ah! That was it. Man, Listen, I had cut. Man, listen. That was it. Man. Sorry. I was in love. I was in love a little too early.

Right. But then. Did you have to start slow? Like, damn, I'm moving too fast. I got to slow this thing down. Slow down a little bit. Okay. Slow down a little bit.

Because I had to pump my brakes because I thought about, listen, anytime you meet someone, it is their representative because you want to put your best foot forward. Correct. But they was straightforward. someone, it is their representative because you want to put your best foot forward. Correct. But they was straightforward. Man, this is me. Honestly, the one thing that kind of scared me that she said was when we met was, listen, I don't even need you. Ooh! I actually want you.

And based on what she had going on in life, she was in a position of power to say stuff like that. Has a woman ever told you that before? No. That's scary. It hit different, didn't it? Yeah, it hit different. I didn't like it woman ever told you that before? No. That's scary. It hit different, didn't it? Yeah, it hit different. I didn't like it. You didn't like it?

No, no, no. I'm just kidding. I didn't like it. But I've never heard that before. And the fact to have someone in a position of power in their own right. And you know she didn't really need you. At all. Not at all.

And that was scary. So what you want me for? What you want me for? And then she broke down why. And that's a whole other story. But that was nice. I don't need you. I for? What you want me for? And then she broke down why, and that's a whole other story. But that was nice. I don't need you. I don't need you.

I mean, with the ugly face, too. Yeah. Look me up and down. Because, you know, I ain't. I like what you said. You said you found someone as an asset. Because there's only two things you can be. You can be an asset or you can be a pill.

Now, which one are you? One, a lesson or a blessing. You could be a lesson or a blessing. It's one or the other. No matter who you deal with in life. How big, knowing your personality and knowing you do everything gigantic, gargantuan, how big is the wedding going to be? You want an intimate wedding or do you want something that the networks want to pick up and say, Ocho Cinco gets married? You know, this is not even about me.

It's about her. It's about what she wants. And from my understanding, she's always wanted a wedding. She's wanted a dream wedding, and I'm going to give her that. And I said, we can have this dream wedding as long as we can be in the Bahamas. So you want a destination wedding? Yeah, but that ain't that far. I mean, Miami to the Bahamas is 20 minutes.

That ain't much of a destination. But you gotta get everybody else to the Bahamas. That's fine. That's fine. But I said, as long as we can have it in the Bahamas, I can come in on a white horse. Listen, I gotta come in on my horse now. Listen. With some linen pants. You come in on a white horse, linen pants.

No, no linen. I'm white. You're gonna be traditional, so you have a tux. I don't even know my colors. Oh, okay. But I'm gonna. You're going to be traditional. I don't even know my colors. Oh, OK. But I'm going to have them in tux. OK. And I said the Junkanoo.

You know about Junkanoo? I don't. In the Bahamas, it's like Carnival. It's a costume we always have. OK. There's a certain Junkanoo in the Bahamas called the Valley Boys. And I need the Valley Boys to close out the reception.

OK. I got Kiki Wyatt. Wow. I got live band. I got Brian McKnight and Open Bar. You coming too now. Oh, you going to invite got Brian McKnight and open bar. You could you coming to now? Oh, you invite me? Yeah, man.

Yeah, most definitely. Open bar. It needs to be in the summer when I got vacation time. Listen, bring Fox. Bring Fox. Listen, it's a family affair. You. Oh, you have eight kids.

Just had a new one. Are you done with kids? Are you trying to catch Nick Cannon? No. I mean, yeah, I'm done. It ain't seeing. I think people fail to realize is I was Nick Cannon before Nick Cannon. I was future before future. Yeah, you were. I just I think I don't sometimes I don't get upset, but I'm like, why don't never lump me in? But I'm so active with mine and you see me with mine all the time all of them when we go somewhere we all go as one little army so i'm never lumped into that category but like i i understand there's a there's a reason there's a method to the madness behind what nick is doing right we don't know what it is right he hasn't expressed what it is

but he's doing it for for a reason my reason was during those times when I was younger, I wanted athletic children. Right. So therefore, I dated those who had an athletic background. Right. So you would say a lot of people go for aesthetics. Oh. Chad Johnson said, if I have boys or girls, I want them to be able to play basketball, football, play track, play softball, whatever it is.

I want little athletes. Listen, I need to see, what did you. I want a little athlete. Listen, I need to see, what did you do in high school? Did you cheer? Did you play volleyball? Did you run track? Did you do anything athletic? Do you have footage of anything? Then you check the ankles. No, listen. No, you're laughing.

You're laughing. Listen, the most important foundation to any sport you play is your what? Your footwork. Yeah. Your footwork. If you ain't got the foundation. Would you need small ankles? I mean, some. You got to be right. You can't have cankles.

Then you got men these days. You go out to these beautiful women. Yeah. You go on dates to these five-star restaurants. Nah, go to Dave and Buster's. See about a lateral movement. Can she run? Can she move?

Then you have kids and you wonder why they got two left feet and they get picked last in PE. Because you're going for aesthetics. Yeah, she's gorgeous. But when you have a kid, then what? Right. I'm not raising models. Right. I don't want no model.

Right. I don't care how fine you are. Can you run to 40? How is your lateral movement? Can you jump? How is it at 45 having a child? Because like you mentioned, you got kids in college. You got kids in high school.

So it's a lot different having a child in your 20s as opposed to having a child in your 40s. But I'm 45, but I'm really 25. Right. I take care of myself. Have you always been patient? Because I think the number one thing for kids or anything is patience. That's a good one, yeah.

Patience. You've always been patient? Always been patient. Always have. And a lot of people say, well, kids are expensive. And I always tell them if you follow me, obviously I'm one of the most financially conscious athletes

of all time. Probably the cheapest. It's not... I like to use the term fiscally responsible. Fiscally responsible. I think people say the thing, kids are expensive. Well, I think it's what you choose to buy. Right.

Because there are different variations of everything. Right. And I just pick the cheapest one. Right. Until the child knows the difference between the two. By that time, they're old enough to work and get it for themselves. Right. How important was it for you?

Because I think the number one thing, you getting married at this age, you having kids, is the significant other, be it man or woman, be accepting of the other's kids. Yeah. How important was that to you? And how accepting was she of that? Very important. It was very important. I think she also has kids.

So the blended family thing is very important. Yeah, the blended family is very important in making sure everything meshes well. Not only that it meshes well between us, but also the other parties involved as well that we're going to have to deal with for the rest of our lives so it's every everything has worked out fine there have been no issues there have been no problems there won't be any issues and there won't be any problems because i think i'm very easy going i'm very easy to deal with on on all matters all topics

and all aspects of life so i think we'll be fine do you feel like you've got to make up for lost time because you had a football career you wasn't able to do the recitals and the practices and the parent teacher conferences when you were playing now you have the time do you feel like it's like i got to be i got to make up yeah and that's that's how i feel and that i don't want to say it's guilt but i was able to provide them with a life, a certain life financially. Now I want to provide them with a life of having a father full time and actually being there. And you might say, well, how do you do it?

Easy. If I got to be in Arizona for a game, get on the plane. If I got to be in Louisiana for a track meet, get on the plane. I can be at multiple places at once. It's really easy. A lot of people overthink things and don't understand anything you want to do in life is possible, no matter what it is. That's when people make excuses. It's like, stop. If it's important enough to you, you can make it happen.

You mentioned earlier about your spending and like you're very fiscally responsible. You're very conscious of what you spend it on and how much you're spending. Have you always been like that? Always. You got to remember, I stayed at the stadium the first two years. I didn't want to spend the money.

What's the point? Why are you telling... Marvin, Marvin going to come third year. Why are you telling me go rent a house, go buy a house, go rent a condo when everything I need is right here in the facility at Paul Brown? Right.

Showers, cafeteria, TV, couch, gaming system. What's the point? What's the point? And I was so locked in. It wasn't about having my own space and having women come in. What about the data? How are you going to bring somebody? For what?

I'm locked in. I'm a rookie. I ain't got time. Date for what? Date for what? I needed that one year lock in catch the rhythm

my second year I caught the rhythm I caught the rhythm of the game I felt like okay I got it now because I think I think a third year I came and I did a fit down

with you in your place yeah at that point okay I got it now I was good and that's when Marvin came in and also said

now it's time for you to be responsible spread your wings get your own place so listen I moved right down the street. One little place. I'll never forget.

One little bedroom. You mentioned that you're fiscally responsible. Is there anything that you purchased you're like, I wish I had done that. That was a waste of my effing money. Probably some of the cars, maybe in year four. All those don't shabby yeah um the high-end vehicles but i didn't purchase at least everything right bugatti ferrari i did i did it all right but the funny thing about it is is i got to a point in my career and i i wish people athletes more so if you can get to a point in your career where your name becomes bigger

than anything you can purchase, there's your value. Wow. My name itself, Ocho Cinco at one point, even still to this day, is bigger than, why am I driving a Ferrari? Why am I driving a Rolls Royce and I'm Ocho?

Oh, we talk about jewelry and watches and chains. But you already had, but see the thing is, you already had, it's easy for you to do that now, Ocho, because you had the jewelry. You had the car. No, no, no, no, no, no. Never bought real anything when I was playing.

Never. What was the point? I went to Claire's. So all you do. Yes. For what? What am I doing it for? The women don't deal with you anyway because of who you are.

Right. And then the other women who are really doing their homework don't Google how much you're making already right why am i buying a 50 000 watch 80 000 watch what time is it real quick please it's uh 28 minutes to four how much that cost me it ain't cost you nothing because time is free so what i'm paying for right for what i'm ocho what's the point right there's nothing I can buy it as bigger than my name alone so it made no sense but everybody's caught up an image and looking a certain way and being rich it's me it's pointless how do you how do you express that to your kids when they know who you are they know they know what you have that's the hard part is getting them to have that mindset i have because they ain't cutting it with the

missus oh she ain't having it them eight them eight and a half carats oh that's real right anything i purchase for her is real yeah so the kids i allow them to do the designer and the nice stuff because I didn't save, what, 80, 83% of my salary. So it's okay. And I have stuff coming in already. Oh, yes, still coming in. Thank you, Dougie. You know, and so life is good because I was able to sustain and keep most of my wealth that I made when I was playing. And life is still going good.

So I allow the kids to enjoy, but I need them to understand they're going to come a time. They got to get off daddy payroll. You got to get off that payroll. But for right now, I will always be there for them no matter what they want. Right. Long as you don't try to live a lifestyle that you know you can't afford. Right.

You can't do that. I'm going to let you enjoy yourself now. Right. You went for viral for wearing the same outfit on the trip. Yeah. Because I think I heard you packed, maybe it was soccer, and you packed like three outfits and you were there for like two weeks. That's it. That's all you need.

Like a couple of pair of drawers. That's it. A couple of t-shirts and a pair of shorts. That's all you need. I took all blended family. We all went to the Bahamas for New Year's. So the kids, I know they like to look nice. You know the young kids these days.

We can all go to a Mary. So I took all the kids to a Mary. All of them. Everybody got outfits. Everybody got shoes. I got my outfit. Price tag. $23,000. Huh? $23,000. Remember, it's eight of us now mary ain't mary ain't cheap

hold up so what did they put back ain't put nothing back this is the one-time thing it's the holidays yeah 23 000 so boom okay i understood what i just paid for all this stuff for the kids we're gonna have a good time we stayed at atlantis. I ain't take that and marry off the whole trip. I took me a shower. I took me a shower. Each day, change underwear, put a new tank top on, and put that shit right back on. You know what I paid for this?

I don't care who see me, so I made my own personal video letting people know, you're probably going to see me over and over in the same outfit. Let me give you an understanding why. And I always do that all the time. I shop at H&M. Look, this whole outfit, this cost me $60. It's Urban Outfitters.

And it's from the sale rack. It's a Levi's jacket and some Dickies that's cut off. Like I'm a skateboarder. I don't skate. I don't skate. But I look good. Yeah. So that's your whole thing.

And I've always been this way. The people on the outside that might be new to who I am now that are a little older don't understand. I've been this way the past 20, 25 years. So you're not gonna let society shape Ochocinco's idea of who he is or what he should be? Never. I've never been that way because I don't need validation

from nobody on the outside. Never have. And that's another... If they don't give you validation, you're straight. If they can't give you validation that's dad, we good. And some of the time they make fun of me. So's going to give you validation. You straight. The kids give you validation. That's dad. We good. And some of the time they make fun of me. So I don't really need validation from me. You know, but that's another downfall for us. Right.

That's another downfall in society. We always need validation and acceptance from others. I'm watching you. And I see a lot of times when you go to restaurants, you leave enormous amount of time. Always. You'll lose five. You'll leave 500. You leave a thousand, $2,000. Always. You'll lose five. You'll leave five hundred. You leave a thousand, two thousand dollars. Always. When

did that start and why? That started when I'm when I made it, when I made it probably my rookie year. Obviously, I didn't have social media in the earlier time back then. But society, we are monkey see monkey do. Every time there's a trend on TikTok, what does everybody else try to do? Try to do that. Copy that trend. Same thing. So that message, and I always say Proverbs 1125, behind every message when I leave those tips, to get other people doing it. Other athletes have started doing it as well. People around different states have started doing it as well. Because if there's a trend y'all need to pick up on, that's the one.

And being able to give back to your workers in those environments who aren't paid at times a livable wage. Right. And that's just one of the things I always do. You get a meal. The meal costs for your blended family. Let's just say it costs 150 bucks. You'd go 10 times, 15 times over what the meal actually costs. That person comes up to you, hugs you, probably is crying.

What does that do for Ocho? I know whatever it is they got going on becomes a little bit easier because I don't know everybody's story. Right. But I understand the places I'm going and where they work, that they're not being paid a livable wage. So I'm trying to give them some breathing room every time I step out, anywhere I go.

And I don't dine in five-star restaurants. Right. You know, that's not me. That's not what I do. Right. At times when me and the missus want to go out and have somewhere nice, then I have to up the ante on the tip. Right.

That's where you see the 2000s sometimes. Right. You know, but it's just always been something I've always done. And people are lucky I don't have the type of wealth like a Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk. Yeah. Like that. Because I'd be adding the extra zero. But listen, I haven't been blessed to that point yet.

Maybe one day it might come. It's coming. Did you really bet the entire World Cup salary on a FIFA game? I did. I'm the best FIFA player in the world. And I see you got something going on now that you're going up the cool kick. I did that yesterday. I went 11-3.

You went 11-3? I went 11-3. Three people won. But the rest, they lost. I did it all the time. I mean, everybody knows I'm a huge gamer. Always been a huge gamer. Right.

And I think that's one of the things that have also kept me out of trouble in keeping me out in the streets. I don't club club i don't go out i don't drink so my to feel that void of what everyone else enjoys doing that time is spent gaming you've never been a clubber nah because i don't even drink alcohol right and then being around people that do drink they start talking and they hold five conversations in one and then i'm lost right because you talk about one thing now you talking about something and I can't do it right then you can't don't step on my shoes don't step on my shoes and I'm not standing on couches holding bottles you know much alcohol cost yeah I mean the the the

markup yes what I'm doing yeah what if Commissioner Goodell let you went to the rookie symposium mmm and let you talk. I need to. He needs to let me do that. Well, hopefully they're watching this. I need to do it. I got Roger on speed dial. I got him on speed dial.

I need to do that. About financial literacy. Yes, but the problem is it's going to go in one ear and out the other, especially at that age. It's like me going to talk to kids and that's getting NIL deals.

Right. You got everybody in your ear. You don't know who to tell no to. You got all these investment people. You know how many horror stories there are about NFL players that invest in companies? I mean, Usain Bolt just going through an issue. 12.7, I saw that. Going out of his account. Because the investment, listen, the best investment person is yourself. Do your homework. You don't need all these people.

Because if they knew, name one investment person that's in a position and is rich. How are you going to tell me what to do with my money and you haven't made it yet to give me an example of what I should do? Nah, man, I don't like that. I don't like that. We put our money in too many people's hands and you don't know what's going on. You say you interned at Morgan Stanley. Was it of the utmost importance that you go understand? You knew what money was, but now that I have it, how do I keep it?

And that's what I always tell guys. It's not how much you make, it's how much you keep. And the funny part about it is people, social media, well, if I spend this bag, I'm just going to make it back. Mm-mm. No, no, no. It ain't like you think. People, they think

the cure and the fix for the problem is, well, give me more money, I'm going to be alright. Well, the more you make, the more you spend. Right. If you have no discipline and no structure. Yes, absolutely. Every time. Yes. Every time.

Well, just give me more and more. No, the more you get, the more you're going to spend. And people ain't going to listen because we are caught up in looking a certain way, living a certain way, trying to appease others who don't really care nothing about you, just to say, oh, I got it. Wow. Well, shit, I got it. Wow. Well, shit, I got it too,

and I had it for almost 30 years. So has that, is that in us, or is that social media? Because I look at social media, I'm like, well, damn, I might need to get me another job or two, because how, he's like, he, she got, how? Listen, we can't compete with people that's scamming and doing fraud.

Okay. We can't do that. No, I can't go to jail. I ain't going to go to jail. We can't do that and doing fraud. Okay. We can't do that. No, I can't go to jail. We can't do that. I like my freedom. We can't do that. Now, there are very few people that can sustain that lifestyle consistently over time. Because normally people that's making it legally and doing the right thing, they don't post it on social media, right?

No, no. You know how hard it is to live like that all the time consistently and be fly every day jury and listen Errors of rappers think about the era before before us, right? Everybody was flashy stun stun and after ten years what happens? They ain't flashy they ain't stun. Oh, you can't it's impossible to sustain. It's impossible. I would like private I need to get me out. I'm to make enough money I can fly private. Fly private? Shh. I ain't flying private. Spirit. Dougie.

Would I fly, Dougie? Put me on Spirit. Exit row. Window seat. That's all I need. Long as I get from point A to point B. I don't need private. I want to do this. I just want to. Let's get to some football. Right now, I need the top five receivers. Ain't got to be no order. Right. I'm going to. Let's get to some football. Right now, I need the top five receivers.

There ain't got to be no order. Right. I'm going to give you an order. Okay. I'm going to give you an order. You're going to give me an order. I love these dudes. Okay.

I love these dudes. And they don't get the credit they deserve because this league loves what's new. Right. So my number one, Devontae Adams. Okay. My two, 2A, 2B, Stephon Diggs, Keenan Allen. OK. Keenan Allen doesn't get the credit he deserves. So that's interchangeable based on what you like. So far you named three route runners. Yeah. I see where you're going with this.

I see where I'm going with this. Now, those are my preference. Now, people at home, when you watch this, you can take those three and you can make it interchangeable. What we don't like to do is I'm giving credit to those who've done it for an extended period of time consistently. Right. Then let's go to the young bulls. Okay. Chase Jefferson. Like, where do we go? You know, they've been consistent

short period of time, but they put up numbers. Obviously Chase breaking my record in the season, season of yards. And Chase, I mean, Jefferson's doing some things, ooh, uncanny, you know, surpassing Randy Moss. There are others that are so worthy, but you said top five.

Top five. I'm not going to forget you. All you fellas in the league that's young, I'm watching you. I watch all of you. Right. But that's just my five for now. Okay.

So if I said, who is the best receiver right now? Right now? Right now. That's not fair. Because that's hard. How do you say who's the best? I don't know. I mean, it's I mean, you're the receiver. Listen, I know. I am. But it's interchangeable and it changes week to week.

Okay. You know, you got A.J. Brown, Devontae Smith, Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson, Terry McLaurin. You got D.J. Moore. You got all these boys. Okay, you got A.J. Brown, Devontae Smith, Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson, Terry McLaurin. You got D.J. Moore. You got all these boys. You're the general manager. Debo Samuels. You're the general manager.

Right. You got to pick one receiver to go start your team with. Who are you taking? Young or just any receiver? Any receiver you want. Can I do two? Two players? One.

I'm going Devontae Adams. Simply because I can do whatever I want with him, regardless of what you put in front of him, cover 255, man-to-man, double, it doesn't matter, he can win off the muscle. Right. And as a coordinator, as a coordinator, he makes my life easy.

I don't have to condense splits. Right. I don't have to put him in motion. Right. I can line him up like Marvin Harrison. Just line him up on the right side. Like Jimmy Smith. Can you get open for me?

As a quarterback, I can close my eyes, hike the ball, and know he's going to be where he's supposed to be because his ability to create separation and get open. Now, I could talk. I could talk. Okay, give me you guys under 25. Give me you guys under 25. Devontae is a little older. Yeah, I could talk. I could talk. Okay, give me you guys under 25. Give me you guys

under 25. Devontae is a little older. Yeah, see how y'all do us? See how y'all do us? He's a little older. Yeah, he's a little older.

But he's still that dog now. Yeah. Because he can be in the slot, you can put him out wide, you can put him in motion. And he can win

off the muscle. Oh man, he got moves. Jamar Chase. Okay. Justin Jefferson off the muscle. Oh, man. He got moves. Jamar Chase. Okay. Justin Jefferson. Okay. Terry McLaurin.

Okay. McLaurin. Mm-hmm. AJ goddamn Brown. Yeah. Mm. Devontae Smith. I'm missing some.

I'm missing some. You got CeeDee Lamb. You got Metcalf. CeeDee Lamb. CeeDee Lamb. DK Metcalf. There's one more. Dotson.

Okay, you like the kid out of Washington. Yeah, Dotson, along with McLaurin. They got a nice combo now. If they can get some consistent quarterback play over there, they can make some noise. They making noise already, but I mean consistently like the rest of the teams. When you watch these receivers on Sunday, who's Ocho Cinco? Who reminds you of yourself nobody nobody because they just they play the game all right i left out tyreek

i'm tripping yeah you don't left you i ain't saying that i just keep that because everybody be telling you you play a favorite you'll be making up making it listen ty ty's a dynamic dynamic change the dynamic of any offense regardless regardless of where he goes. So he's definitely in a category of his own. But there's no Ocho. Because I played the game and had fun, but I also added the dynamic of the entertainment value to it. And that's hard. I don't think anybody can play with that pressure. I added pressure purposely to entertain those watching

when I was playing home and away. Wednesday was my day. It was my day to create bullet-to-ball material for the opposing team. I want you upset. But you also knew by doing this, I got to be on my game. It forced me to be on my game and I enjoyed

it and I liked it. How would you feel if you're Devontae, and the quarterback that you went to go play with. One of the reasons why you went there is because he's your quarterback from college, and y'all have chemistry. Yes. I'd be upset. And then all of a sudden, you see the direction that they're going in.

I'd be upset. I'd be upset, and I would wonder what is management going to do. Maybe Aaron Rodgers is going there. Or Brady. Because that's his old offensive coordinator. It is. Or Brady. That's a good one.

That's a good one. And he still had a good year, even with the quarterback carousel. Yes. Do you believe Devontae should have stayed in Green Bay? Are you surprised that he left, considering Green Bay had more money? He had to leave. Aaron took the whole goddamn pot. But they said they had more money in Green Bay had more money he had to leave Aaron took the whole goddamn pot

but they said they had more money in Green Bay they lying they lying they lying man goddamn Aaron Rodgers taking 50 million a year

50 million a year what you gonna pay what you gonna pay Devontae he deserves to be the highest paid in the game can't do that and if he really cared

about his player he'd do he'd do what Brady did Brady took a team friendly deal to be able to build around the team. I mean, Aaron is different. They say take the money when it's available, but he didn't do that. If I took Ocho Cinco, his rookie season, and I say, okay, I'm going to give you Aaron Rodgers, I'll give you Tom Brady,

I'll give you Peyton Manning. I'll give you Patrick Mahomes. You only get one quarterback. You get him for 10 years. Who are you taking? That's a good one. Because you can't go wrong no matter what. Okay. Because regardless of who's playing

as a rookie and throughout that tenure, unless I'm on the back end, I'm always open. No, you're your rookie season. Oh, rookie season? Yeah. And I'm giving you one of those guys, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes. I don't know.

Maybe Pat. I'd go with Pat. I like Pat. I like my homeboy. He does things he's not supposed to do and he's one where we could go off script for a little bit and create our own magic.

He has the freedom to do so. Cincinnati. We're going into Buffalo and we're going to win. I don't know when this is airing but I'm just putting that out there right now. You're putting it out there? Yeah. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five

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Cincinnati, you've had Carson. You've had Kitten. I think Kitten is the first. Yeah, Kitten the first. First two, I think. First two. You've had Kitten. I think Kitten is the first. Yeah, Kitten the first. First two, I think. First two. And Scott Mitchell, yep. Why weren't you able to finish your career in Cincinnati?

I don't think many of the top receivers on any team have ever finished in their career. I think who was fortunate was Larry Fitzgerald. I'm not sure how he was able to do it. But him and management think they had some type of deal. Management and I got along extremely well, had no issues, but I think at, towards the end of my career, it was time to move on, you know, and there was nothing I could do about that. It's, um. Would you have liked to play the year with, because you left and they drafted A.J. Green. Yeah. Would you have liked to play the year

with A.J.? Yeah. Yeah. And at that point, year 10, I have no problem being. A mentor. Yeah. Or a mentor. Or being number two. Number two. The same thing. I took a backseat when T.O. came.

And this is somebody I look up to. Right. You know? Oh, I have no problem being a number two. I don't care. I have no problem. Because this is terrible. One of the best they ever played a position.

Right. I had no problem. So seeing that, I think they should have known I would have been okay. Right. A.J. Green coming in, I understand. But they didn't think you could do that, huh?

I don't think so. And then with maturity, they should have known and seen how much I had grown and it would have been cool. As a matter of fact, I could still be playing right now and I have no problem

being four-string to T, Chase, and Tyler Boyd. Play what? I'm just saying. Huh? Play FIFA? Mad? Nah. Like in today's game. Oh, oh. Oh, you said if you were the age back then, you could play now. No, I could play right now.

I ain't a Spaniard. You know, I'm in shape. Egg of a shape. Apple, pear. No, no, no. I'm in shape. I'm in shape, like if I steal. If a call was to happen to come, I'm not to play, but I'm in shape to be able to go. So what the call going to come for if you can't play?

I'm just saying, if it was, I'm just telling you, I'm in shape if it was to come. Okay, let me ask you this. This is the most baffling thing with me because I just knew this was going to work. Why didn't it work in New England? You know what? It just, I think, for one, too many goddamn targets out there. Let's think about this, right? Think about this real quick. I go to New England

They already have you listening. Mm-hmm. Julian Edelman. Yep. Wes Welker. Yep Dion branch. Yep grunt grunt Aaron and is yep Yep. Gronk. Gronk. Aaron Hernandez. Yep.

What I'm doing there? You also. That's what you're doing there. You also. How many of them had six Pro Bowls by the time when you got there? Mm-mm. Mm-mm. And then it's a whole different program. You're the big dog.

Listen, it's shit me. Not over there. Listen, in New England, ain't no big dog. It's an even playing field. Everybody's expendable. And you can feel it when you walk in the room. Everybody's expendable. First day I walk in to meet Belichick

I'm ready to shake hands and you know welcome, thank you for coming. You know you're going to have to change who you are to be here. Oh, took the win out myself. Oh yeah. Hold up, he didn't tell you that before you got there? Ain't no Ocho, ain't no Big Dog. Patriot Way. Get in line so let me ask you so listen i enjoyed my time there right it wasn't as productive productive as i would like i

got there late i didn't have an off season you know but it was fun it it was such a joy to know we were going to win every week and it was a joy to understand why they were so successful as a team, as an organization, because it started from the top and it trickled all the way down on the way things ran. I've never been to the military, never been to the Army, but if I had to take a guess what it's like, that's what it is like playing for New England. Everything was on point. If you mess up, you start over until you get it right.

And that is why they won all the time. Obviously, having someone like 12 at the helm is what it is. What was Coach Belichick's recruiting pitch to get you to come to New England? I got traded. If I had an opportunity to pick a team to go to, I wouldn't have picked

New England to go to. I wouldn't have because there was too much going on. Why didn't you tell them to release you then? Rob Markman No, no, no. You don't do that. You don't do that. You don't do that. Don't. Listen, the cards, the cards I was dealt, I just took them. I tried to do the best I could. And it didn't work. You didn't have no spades. You play spades, you ain't got no spades. I ain't playing face cards. If I got to have spades, I throw the hand in. You're right. I mean, listen,

it don't work out. Look, why Mark Anthony and J-Lo ain't work out? It look great. Sound great. The two would just look like boom, but it didn't work out. It's just light. But they did last like five, six years. You last five, six months. Sometimes it's like that. Give me your top five quarterbacks.

It's interesting to see what you're taking. Top five quarterbacks? Right now. Right now. Patrick Mahone, boy. Joe Burrow Josh Allen Lamar Jackson now this number five is tough can I can I go Jalen Hurts you can can I go Jalen Hurts yeah I'm sure there's an argument that people will but what about so-and-so?

What about Dak? I mean, it's a 5A or 5B. I'd like to throw Dak in there as well. Mm-hmm. But 5A, 5B, Jalen Hurts, Dak. And I'm sure there's more. Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence. Yeah, see, it's so many.

Trevor Lawrence obviously having a stellar year this year. Justin Herbert always been quietly good. I don't get to watch the L.A. Chargers play much, but I just know he's an animal at the position. But I just go with that five. And I don't like what they're doing to Lamar. Pay the man. I was about to ask you, did he handle this situation correctly?

He handled it the best way he could. He handled it the best way he could as a quarterback, as a face of their franchise, and he's hurt. He's hurt. Yeah, because I look at… If you value him. Right. If you value him like you say you do. You would have done that this third year.

Yeah, you would have done it a long time ago. You want to lock your quarterback up as soon as possible, especially one that changed the dynamic of your team like that. Right. But they wanted to play games because he wants guaranteed. Well, if Cleveland set the precedent, Lamar Jackson is a game changer. He's more accomplished than Deshaun. That's not a good thing. No, not a diss. Not a diss.

Deshaun is an unbelievable player. Yeah. But when you're a league MVP unanimously, when you've gone to the playoffs, back-to-back years, you won a playoff game, that's got to be worth something. Right. It's worth a lot. It's worth a guaranteed contract. Right. About $230.

Right. Maybe $229. Right. Make them feel good. But they're going to play the game. And if you feel that way about it, if you don't value him and what he brings to the team and what he brings to that organization, just let him go.

Don't even play the franchise tag game. Seek a trade and watch someone else give him what he wants or what he's worth. I'm looking at you. You brought up in Miami, obviously. Liberty City. Liberty City.

Yes, sir. How did, growing up in Liberty City, how did that shape the man that we see sitting here today? That's a good one. I think my environment, my surroundings, I wouldn't say shape because my environment and surroundings would persuade me to be flashy or persuade me to the big chains, the mouthful of goals. I did that. I represented my city extremely well while I was playing by leaving Liberty City, but never, ever really leaving.

Right. Because I took that with me. It was in you. It was in me. And I played that way. I chose not to conform while I was playing, which upset a lot of people. But it was always in me. But if I had to say, that might be one of the ways that did shape me.

By never conforming. Never needing validation. Never wanting acceptance. For instance, Hall of Fame. Right. Everybody say, oh, you're supposed to be in the Hall of Fame? Listen, I put that jacket on for a reason. I put that jacket on for a reason.

And that night, I had just crossed the 10,000-yard mark on that catch. And I felt, I felt I was Hall of Fame fame worthy I don't care what y'all think I'm not needing or seeking your validation the fact that we when we play the game and we grow up it takes so much to get through so many obstacles even get to that point to get to that pinnacle of a childhood dream right so now you get it you reach it you play it now you get it, you reach it, you play it. Now you got other people in control of how you feel because you want to be accepted in the part of something they have, which is the highest

honor. It is the highest honor. But I will never give them the satisfaction of having that kind of power over me, knowing that I care that much. Which is why I don my own jacket, because I don't want to play politics. Because the goalposts move depending on who the person is. Correct. And I was one that played the game my way.

I played the game my way and they don't see that fit that you know what? He never did it the way we felt he should have. And we will always slide him in anyway because the numbers are good enough because there are others that have gotten in there with lesser. So I don't I don't I don't I don't argue the fact. I just, I think that's another thing, being from Liberty City is just never needing that validation and that's it. You was raised by your grandparents.

Grandma. Although your mom was around, your grandparents felt, your grandmother felt it was best that you live with her. What were some of the lessons that she instilled because I was raised by my grandparents and my grandmother? Do right by others.

And that's something that I always try to do. Do right by others in life. Do right by others in life. And I fell short of that before. I fell short and I think that's what life is about. Life is about experiences. Life is about lessons. Life is about mistakes. And with those tell you that have met me and passing, yo, you're nothing like what they perceive you to be.

Yeah, because that's the media. That's their job. I enjoy being the villain. I like that. I bought into that role. But that's nothing like I am in person. That's a persona. And on Sundays, I allowed them to portray how I was viewed by the public. Right. And on Sundays, I allowed them to portray

how it was viewed by the public. Right. And I was okay with that. As your grandmother started to age, she suffered from dementia. Dementia. Mm. How did that,

because there's, man, your grandmother, I love, I love my mom, but there's just something about a grandmother. There's something about a granny. Mm-hmm.

And they love grandkids more than they love their own kids. Mm-hmm. And to see all of a sudden don't remember she's there but she's really not there because all of a sudden she don't know who her baby is that didn't know who i was at one point how what did that do to you oh it was it was it was crushing but the fact that i was able to deal with it a little bit better because it was a slow process in understanding what was to come.

What was going on. It was, you know, what was to come. So I cherish those moments when she did realize who I was. And when it got to the point where it was so bad, where she didn't know, and my mother had to leave L.A. and move to Miami just to take care of her because she was that weak and unable. And at that point, I just started remembering the good times. Right.

The good times. The going to church every Sunday, the pinches for me or her looking at me in the choir. Boy, you better. Oh man, this is, man, don't get me tearing up here. But yeah, good time. Same thing with mom. You know, I lost mom in 2021, early January. Same way, the memories. Because we call her Hurricane Paula, and that's exactly what she was. So in other words, instead of choosing what she was going through, you chose to remember only the good times that you and your mom or you and your grandmother had.

Yeah. That was the way you dealt with it. Yeah, I had to. Because if you think about the bad, it puts you in the dumps. Yeah. It messes with you. You start crying. And then bad, it puts you in the dumps. Yeah. It mess with you. You start crying. Then it affect other things you have going on in life.

And then I needed to be strong for them little ones. Right. Because they watching. Yeah. So in my own time alone, oh, it's okay to let it out. Yeah. You let it out. Right.

You know? But when you look at it, Ocho, you had far more good times would have been bad. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. A year or two, two or three years that you're going through this right now. But when you look back, like, man, I had 40 years of this woman when she had a right mind. And my mom didn't suffer.

She wasn't going through any of this. Yeah. It was dope. It was dope. It was some good time, man. Great memories. Great stories. And Liberty City.

Where did Ocho Cinco want to be when he was growing up in Liberty City? A veterinarian. I wanted to be a veterinarian. Did you know any vets? Or did you just like animals? Yeah, I love animals. Killer whales. My entire right leg is killer whales all the way up.

Did you have any animals growing up? Did you have a dog? Did you have a cat or squirrel? Dogs. I'm really good with dogs. I'm really good with breeds. Being able to name any and every breed just by looking. Now they done mixed breeds up so much it's hard to tell what's what.

But I always wanted to be a veterinarian. I love killer whales. I love orcas. Anything to do with marine biology, that would have been me. So you wanted to be a vet. Veterinarian. Then you kind of got good at sports. Yeah, I wanted to play soccer.

Okay. Did you play soccer in high school? No, I couldn't because soccer and football was during the same time. Right. And I had to pick one. Grandma sat me down. I said, listen, baby, this is not what we do. This is back in the 90s.

So you can imagine. Right. Soccer is still not as big as it should be in the States. Right. And we're in 2023, so imagine back then in the 90s. Like, you're thinking long term, you need to be trying to focus on this. And it was football. Right.

Did you get recruited heavily out of high school? Yeah, but I ain't had no grades. I ain't even saying a lot to you, man. Because I felt I was good enough where I was going to squeeze through the cracks. And my grandma told me, baby, you need to always put your books first. Because it's not going to work no matter

how good you are. Without education, you're not going to be able to get through. Oh, nah, mommy, I got it, mommy. I'm good. I call my grandma mommy, too. Right. I'm good. I'm going to get through, yeah?

Mm-mm. But listen. Them recruiters came and started looking at that transcript. Look at that. Uh-uh. You couldn't get in jail with those grades. Nope. I couldn't.

So my opportunity, I had the red shirt. I went to Langston University. You went to Langston? I went to Langston University in 1997. And that's Langston, Oklahoma, isn't it? Yeah. Yep, Coach Johnson. I'll never forget.

Coach Johnson was the coach at the time. I was a red shirt. Okay. Red shirt. And got in trouble for fighting. That's one of my problems. I got, I'm always fighting. So I got in trouble for fighting.

They threw me out. I'll never forget dr ernest holloway rest in peace um what were you fighting about ocho uh dude i had a hundred dollars okay i had a hundred dollars in my drawer i went to the to the not what do you call you go went to the cafeteria came back yeah and my hundred dollar was gone oh now there's only one person come on now talk to me it's only one person had come on now, talk to me, there's only one person that had access to the room was my roommate. Rob Markman, Jr.: Who was it? Rob Markman, Jr.: Bruh, $100 Big Steve.

Man I ain't been in here, I ain't been in here. Big Steve, nobody has access to our room but you. Rob Markman, Jr.: Right. Rob Markman, Jr.: Man, and then he buckled up at me, he knuckled up at me. Man I just hit him with a two piece and then just, we went to work, we thumped for a little bit. Rob Markman, Jr.: Right. Rob Markman, Jr.: We thumped for a little bit. Rob Markman, Jr bit did you get the money back no i get the money back and he you know face kind of messed up they went down to the office whoever the officer came sent me down to dr ernest holloway they say they sent

me to my room we'll talk to you they called me back down the following morning and they expelled me they expelled me i came back to miami and my grandma oh no listen baby i've done all i can with you her favorite line i washed my hands what oh that hurt yeah oh that hurt didn't it that hurt but this is how i ended up in l.a at santa monica because my mama was living out here my mama had been out here for a long time right so boom first time not first time but now i get to stay with mama full time right hurricane paulo i never forget we lived in she lived in baldwin hills right off of stocker okay 4565 don tomaso drive apartment number one okay enrolled at santa monica steve smith is there yep uh dylan smith is our quarterback who went to venice high had a great year great year i was

because i was able to come in and play right away. So that's two years down. Following year, my grades messed up again. You know you need the grades because that's what got you in this situation. In the first time. But you ain't thinking that because I'm like, ooh, I can get on the field. Once they see me, boom, I'm going to be able to squeeze through the cracks. The cracks.

Boom. Insert. Charles Collins comes in during that year of me being ineligible. We train together. I take some classes that Southwest. Well, the Southwest of West L.A. I take some. I think it might have been West L.A. Take some extra classes, get myself eligible the following year. So that's year four. Right. have a great year get my grades together i'm on point and looking at teams teams schools that would give me a one-for-one not many right you're one

for one dennis erickson oregon state dennis remember me from the camps the hurricanes used to have back in the days right when i used to go out there and act a fool, having fun, just being really good at that point. He gave me a shot. And I'll never forget. Now I insert me at Oregon State, T.J. Housh-Mazzotta. I ain't look back. I ain't look back, Shay.

Once I got to Oregon State, man, it took off from there. What I was able to do in such a short amount of time at the collegiate level, never being on the big stage like that, that was it. That was all she wrote. You mentioned Langston, which is an HBCU. The HBCU now experience is a lot different than it was for you back then. Yeah, yeah.

What would you tell kids now that have an opportunity to possibly experience? Because that's what HBCU is. It's an experience. I have a love for FAMU. I have an extreme love for FAMU because of my mom and grandma who both went to Bethune-Cookman. They took me to the Florida Classic every year since 1984.

But my gravitation towards the Rattlers has always been a great one. And I've always shown them love publicly, whether it be through attire, in helping in any way I can, Dr. Chipman and Dr. White. Something about that HBCU experience that I was never able to experience that I miss and want so bad. And I think if people have a chance to go to a school like that, it's okay.

And then people will say, well, Power Fives have the amenities and have things that HBCUs don't. And I say, well, if you really like that, if you really like that, it don't matter where you go. They're going to find you if you really like that. you if you really like that. Right. I think it's just hard to get a kid that has the grades and he's a, you know, five star, four or five star, to like turn down Notre Dame, Alabama, something like that to go to an HBCU. It's hard, but that HBCU experience is different.

Oh, it's an experience. It absolutely is. I loved it. And to the fact, I haven't even got my degree. So I'm thinking about when the time is right, I'm going to FAM. What you mean? I'm going to FAM and I'm going about when the time is right I'm going to fam what you mean I'm going to fam and I'm going to join the band

and I'm going to you do what in the band Chad dude man my grandma had me playing saxophone and piano I can play the sax

and at some point I can audition to be the drum major you ain't picked up a sack you don't even carry a sack of grocery let alone a saxophone when the last time

you rode a bike man I rode a bike when the last time a stationary bike not a stationary bike when the last time you rode a bike? Man, I rode a bike. When was the last time? A stationary bike. Not a stationary bike. When was the last time you rode a regular bike? Oh, man, it's probably not since I've been out here. So not since you've been out here.

But if you were to get a bike, not stationary, if we get on there, you think you could still ride? I know I could. Damn it. There you go right there. It don't take long now. Ride the bike. The notes.

Listen, I can still read music. Ride the bike and play the musical instrument. No, it's not. That's something I've always done. When was the last time you played a saxophone, Chad? I still have it right there. And I play guitar. I know still read music. No, it's not. That's something I've always done. When was the last time you played a saxophone, Chad? I still have it right there. And I play guitar. I know what you got.

You might have got one. A hot one the last time. Pick it up? I didn't say pick it up. I haven't played in a while. But listen to me. Listen to me. It never leaves you.

It never leaves you because it's something that she instilled in me as a kid. And it will always be there. It's called muscle memory. Muscle memory. I still can read music. I still know the notes. None change and I guarantee you once I apply myself like I do in everything else I want to be good at, I could be

the drum major for fam. No joking. I'm not smiling. I'm not laughing but it's a serious matter when it comes to stuff like that. It's not a laughing matter. You want to be the drum major at fam? Yeah, that would be dope. I also want to get my degree right in business minor marketing because I'm great I'm a great marketer I saw coach prime he ran he see he received a lot of negativity about leaving and you know

the one thing I always say about this when you leave something yes sir always talk about what you didn't do mmm but never will talk about what you did do. It's like that with anything. Like that in life in general. As a coach, in a relationship. I'm sure you've had relationships where they're like, well, Chad didn't do this, but what did Chad did do? So what was your thought process about him leaving, going to a Power Five?

It's Prime. It's Prime. It's Prime. I think Prime did what he was supposed to do as far as going to Jackson State and changing that program to the magnitude that he did. The coverage was great. The amenities, some of the things that he bought in were great. Now, as far as...

He spent some of his own money. Oh, yeah. See, I don't know anything about that. I don't know the details and the infrastructure on what happened. But what he was able to do in putting Jackson State on the map, even though they're already on the map, no disrespect. But to a grander scale, I think it was dope what he was able to do. And when the opportunity like that comes a knocking, you have to take it. Because in life

it's about another one yeah ain't no guarantee in life it's all about elevating right continue to elevate and whatever it is that you do and i think he's going to do a phenomenal job at colorado and his next stop is going to be the nfl you think i want to deal with nfl guys yeah of course you're going to say not to but it must be the money that turning me out all you gotta do is play that song because when the money come and call and when you're consistently winning and being able to do it at two different entities oh they coming to call because not only did prime is a good coach he's so he's a player's coach and he's someone that the players can relate to even even at the NFL level.

And that's someone you'll run through a wall for. Yeah, he teaches a lot of life lessons. The way you see he communicates, he talks to the team. Did you hear the difference? He teaches lessons. He's a teacher, not a coach. So you get a coach and a teacher, and you put that together. That is more dynamic than any of the other 32 coaches.

No disrespect to them. No disrespect to them. But you've got a different dynamic when you put somebody like Prime in that position running your team. I did say the Cowboys, but the Cowboys and Jerry Jones wouldn't relinquish that power, having someone that has more star power than him in that high position. What if Tywood became the first African-American to win a national

championship? They ready for that? Yeah. But I don't think it would be a Colorado, though. Okay. It might for that? Yeah. But I don't think it would be a Colorado, though. Okay. It might be a Florida State. Listen to me.

Well, it's definitely going to take him some time because you got to get a certain type of player. Yeah. Players. Players, yes. Players. The right position. Yeah. The right position.

Let's start with the interior. Front to back. Let's start with the interior. Got to. Once you start there, everything else will take care of itself. Because the skill position, they come in a dime a dozen. Right. What's your fondest memories of college?

Langston, Santa Monica Junior College, Oregon State. What's your fondest memories? My fondest memories? Santa Monica, Steve Smith, Dylan Smith, Robert Taylor, Charles Collins, who's responsible for everything that has to do with my skill set when it comes to playing the

game of receiver. He's responsible for everything. The relationships and the friends from back then. Langston, so many friends I met in they're all from Chicago. I have no idea where all those people are. Do you still keep in contact with some of the people that you

met at Langston? No, it's hard because I don't remember anybody's name. I know one person that was from Miami. Him and I still stay in contact. Lil Maurice. I said Oregon State, obviously TJ and I still in communication. My quarterback now is the quarterback at the quarterback. My quarterback back then at Oregon State is now the head coach. And with social media, it makes it a lot easier to stay in contact with people. So him and I, we've talked back and forth. They haven't had an opportunity due to scheduling,

being able to go back and catch a game yet. But it's been dope. It's been dope. I read a story with John. You dropped a pass and you were crying. Oh, I'll never forget. It was third down. We were playing the Annapolis Colts on the 25 going out.

And that changed me in general. That drop. I'll never forget it. That's why I was able to call it out. Third down against the Colts you don't you remember it's always you always remember the bad more than you ever remember the good yep because after the after that catch that change that was a pivotal point in my career and same thing happened i remember dropping the pass it was my second year in the league in 1991 i dropped the pass in the south end zone.

I was playing tight end. They split me out. They walked Robinson, the linebacker from the Raiders, 57. I dropped the pass. We'd have won the game, and we'd have had home field throughout. We'd be losing the championship game to Buffalo 10-7. I remember crying like going driving home. I was crying.

My brother's like, man, what's wrong? What's wrong? I said, Smank, I blew it. He's like, what? What'd you do? I said, I going driving home. I was crying. My brother was like, man, what's wrong? What's wrong? I said, Smank, I blew it. He's like, what? What'd you do? I said, I dropped the touchdown. I said, we'd have won the game. We'd have had home field throughout.

He said, you'll get another chance. It took five long, it took six years before we got in the AFC championship game. You got that chance. And got an opportunity to make up for it. And I never, still, the satisfaction of catching a drive a pass that kept a driver alive and we run out the clock or the 96 yard touchdown i still remember the drop with greater disappointment than i do the joy of those other two plays that's crazy how that works and you know i didn't let i didn't let i didn't let it linger but it lit a fire it lit a fire up under me it drove me mad so never ever ever have my offensive coordinator or quarterback feeling like they couldn't count on yep that's it and then after that when i got the year three

i remember the disappointment not on just me but just the feeling of letting my teammates down to keep that drive alive and the opportunity to win that game in Indy and year three from that point on not I wasn't feeling myself but I felt I had arrived right and I understood the game the speed of the game the game became slow to me right and before every game I woke up to my quarterback and my officer coordinator and said I got you no matter what quarterback and my officer coordinator and said i got you no matter what i got you and just just the feeling of then i really got into my into my not my bag but since that's what the kids say these days i got into my bag with the calling hugh jackson and marvin the phone call the three four in the morning i'm open and just hang up psycho what you would call me at 3 o'clock in the morning.

Yeah, listen, that's psychological wars. You play games. No, you're supposed to call the other team's defensive coordinator and wake them up. Don't wake me up. No, because when you're having a dream, right? Listen, listen to me. Stay with me.

Stay with me. When you have a dream, you wake up in the morning and you remember that dream vividly, don't you? Yep. Same thing with them. Okay. When you have a dream, you wake up in the morning, and you remember that dream vividly, don't you? Yep. Same thing with them phone calls. So when we get on those Saturdays, when I call you the night before games or through the week, when you're in that booth and you're calling plays,

at some point you're going to vividly remember, you know what? Just subconsciously, Chad going to be open. You had a couple of 200-yard games. You had a 260 or 209, and they came in very close. What do you remember about those games? Was there anything different going into that game? Because, like, sometimes during the week of practice, you're like, boy, this thing will be nice on Sunday.

And then sometimes you have a bad week of practice, I mean, you're not getting a whole lot of balls, and then you, for some reason, the ball just finds you on a Sunday. I had 260? Yeah. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews,

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And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know what? I don't. I think it might have been San Diego. And they just played cover one. That's why. Anytime there are games that big like that, it's just cover one.

They refuse to change. Right. You know, cover three, cover one. And they're not doubling. That's all it is. And you're not covering me one-on-one Did you feel it was disrespectful to dating W? No, because that they were stuck into their ways back then back then They didn't care you are. Oh, this is what we played We're gonna play that and we gonna we gonna rely on our corners to do their job

When they thought when they talk about receivers obviously in the era was randy larry marvin reggie tory hope to to do you feel you got the credit that you deserve for being the receiver that you were or do you feel you were overshadowed i don't know because i never thought about it i never thought about it nor do I care about the discussions when the top receivers come up. I never mention myself. I never. I mention, you know, the people that you just did. I don't care about top five.

I don't care about top ten. I don't care about eras. I care about those that played it and that love it and have more of a sense of, well, I want to be considered this when this conversation comes up. Okay. I've never been that. And I will always say the greatest receiver that I've ever seen play, Jerry, great numbers, what he's done for the game.

But to me, Randy and T.O., we will never see anything like that ever again. Right. I saw that up close with my own eyes. Right. Up close with my own eyes. I ain't never seen nothing like that. You think somebody's going to break Jerry's record own eyes. Right. Up close with my own eyes. I ain't never seen nothing like that. You think somebody's

going to break Jerry's record? Ooh. Ooh. I don't think people realize Jerry got 208 touchdowns. Man, listen. 22,000 yards. You know how long

you got to play? Yeah. Now, we are in a past happy league. And plus, you got an extra game to you. You got an extra game, but that's a lot of...

You got to be consistent year in and year out. Right. The quarterback play the chemistry and the Wi-Fi between you and the quarterback. Right. You and the coordinator got to have a thing going on. Right. And you got to stay healthy. You move around or you got to stay healthy.

It's possible. But, P, I think other players would be like, man. I don't know. I mean, somebody – eventually somebody – 1,509 yards, that's doable, especially with the pass happy league now. Right, right, right, right. But those 197 receiving touchdowns. That's a lot, man.

That's a lot of football you got to play. That's a lot. That's a lot of football you got to play. But Jerry was a great one, man, in his own right. And when we talk about the greatest of all time, I think Jerry should be in the category of his own. Oh, you want him to be one of the receivers? Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. In the category of his own. Yeah, oh, absolutely. But then, you know, based on the numbers Yeah, yeah. The category of his own. But then, based on the numbers and the accolades and what he was able to achieve, but just for me, me personally, I know what Jerry's done, but that goddamn Randy and T.O., man.

Oh, I got him at two and three. I mean, it's debatable. I think Jerry's number one. I got T.O. two. I got Randy three. There's a lot of people that have Randy two. Some people put Randy at one. I just don't know how somebody goes over Jerry. Yeah.

Given his longevity. Right. Given what he's done. The numbers. The totality of what he's been able to do. That's why I put him in his own class. That's why I put him in his own class. So there's no.

But I just. I like for me being able to see it. I want to see it. I know why you was able to do what you did. I know why you was able to score 23 touchdowns that year when you played in New England. You know, I was able to see it. I want to see it. I know why you was able to do what you did. I know why you was able to score 23 touchdowns that year when you played in New England. I was able to see it. Seeing T.O. come back after ankle surgery, man,

how? It was beautiful, man. It was beautiful. What made you come up with the touchdown celebration? Were you just sitting at home like, man, I'm from Miami, right? Who dominated college football in the 90s okay so that's what i grew up watching so that's what i grew up doing from

liberty city optimist from miami lakes optimist i was always celebrating i was celebrating what it came really down in the 80s and it had a little resurgence yeah but i but you grew up but you grew up in that era where you saw in the 80s, they were the thing. Yeah, so what I saw I imitated as a little kid in Little League and grew up doing that, so once I made it I waited first

I waited first let me understand, let me get a feel for the offense, let me get a feel for the speed of the game, and once I felt I arrived, okay, I got it now. Now I can kick into gear and just be me. Because everything else is moving so slow. And then the entertainment value kicked in.

What was your favorite celebration? I had all my homeboys in town from Liberty City. Never been outside of the city before. Never. And I put them all in the family section. And I scored on that end against Tennessee. And I told the camera operator, listen, if I score on this end,

just move to the side. Let me get the camera. And I put all them young bulls on TV for like 10 seconds. And I think just getting them that TV time for that split second was dope. Dudes ain't never, never been out of Miami. Maybe the marriage proposal was good, too.

Or Tiger Woods won some Saturday night. It's too many. It's too many. It was one I didn't do that I thought would have been really good. Were you and T.O. ever tried it? Like, okay, I got something special. Did you ever know what the celebration he might do? Did he ever know the celebration? No, no, no. We didn't talk about that.O., did you and T.O. ever try to like, okay, I got something special? Did you ever know what the celebration he might do? Did he ever know the celebration? No, no, no.

We didn't talk about that. We didn't talk about that. Anything you saw was, for me, it was just my authentic, organic, and there was always a theme to it on something I maybe saw on TV, like the Riverdance. Right. The Lord of the Lord of the Something happened to be in town in Chicago, and I saw the commercial. I was like, you know what? I'm finna do that if I score tomorrow.

It was just off the rim. Trash talking. There are a lot of you mic'd up and you talking to the DB, talking about you can't guard me, you can't guard me, and then you ran into Ray. Yeah. What were you thinking? You was trying

to sneak him, weren't you? Yeah, I tried to sneak him. He wasn't looking. You know, the funny thing, everybody always sees that clip. The funny thing about it is we played the ravens twice a year yeah and if that safety didn't come down on that stretch play or that or that toss then raise the next person for me to hit right and i lost the ray about 200 times it just so happened i happened to be mic'd up that day right and you saw what happened to me every single time but every single time I was gone. I ain't never give up. And I was a gnat.

I was a gnat. I didn't care how big it was. I played a reckless style of football even though I was so frail. You supposed to have dropped the boom on him. He ain't seen you. I dropped the boom on him. No, he didn't even flinch. I know. My shoestring, right? Listen, my shoestring was untied. I stepped on My shoestring, right? Listen, my shoestring was untied.

I stepped on my shoestring, so the laws of physics, you know, low man wins. Right. So it messed up my trajectory at being low, so I could have won and got up under him. So I couldn't get up under him like I wanted to. So you were going to try the Heinz War with him, huh? Yeah. See, Heinz was good at that shit because he was short. Yeah.

So I'm tall, so I got to get down a little bit more. Well, you was at a game when he got Keith Rivers. You remember that? Yes. He broke a jaw. Yeah. It's the Heinz Wars rule. You can't crack back that. You can't crack little bit more. Well, you was at a game when he got Keith Rivers. You remember that? Yes. He broke a jaw. Yes. Yeah. It's the high wars rule.

You can't block. You can't crack back. You can't crack back no more. Yeah. Well, shit. I mean, you can't hit nothing no more. That's why I said I could play today because you can't touch nobody. Who was the toughest defender you had to go against?

Revis. Revis. Revis was like that? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He was good. He was good.

And to make it worse, you have a great DB. Then you have a great defense on top of that. That guy there in front four that year with Rex Ryan. Yeah. I remember John Abraham was up there. I can't remember the rest of them. Man, you had two seconds to throw the ball. Then you got that fool up in front of you.

And then you got Crow on the other side. Yeah, man. And this is what really made me mad is there were times I didn't get the completions or the yardage I want that game. Right. But I'm open. Right. They say, oh, we just locked you down.

Not really. The path was just incomplete. See, there's a difference. Why was the path incomplete? I don't know. Was there not enough separation between you and the DB? Oh, no. Listen, this is open in the NFL.

That's open. Now. Yeah, it is open in the NFL. That's open. No. Yeah, it is. I mean, Reeves was so technical with sound. And he didn't break the first move. He never went for the first move. Never. Listen, people at home watching, it's hard to explain. You think about that 2009 season Reeves had. Man,

probably one of the greatest ever. And there'll probably never be anyone to duplicate a season like that where you have to follow the number one and you lock all the top players down yeah the fact this is what made me really mad is he never failed for the first rule but i was patient as well but he had the patience of sally may and he had this arm bar yeah so if you were going by he put that arm bar out and he always get his head back around he got and he just feel wherever you are and he get back to see that ball right away. Great technique and it made me mad because he dressed so ugly in his uniform.

He got these high ass socks. Remember how the mannequin in the locker room, how you should dress? That's how he was out there on the field. He got them every pad. They got them every pad. Every pad. I'm like, oh I'm finna sauce this motherfucker. Yeah. In the locker room. Yeah. How you should dress. Yes. That's how he was out there on the field. He got on every pad. They got on every pad.

Every pad. I'm like, oh, I'm finna sauce this motherfucker. I'm finna sauce. Man, you get out there and man, he put that, you feel that, ooh, shit. He was strong. He was strong. And he was like, he was patient. Nothing flashy about him.

Did he talk? He didn't talk. And that's one of the things I tried to get him to do. I said, if I can get him to have a conversation with me, I know I can take him out of the game a little bit. But he wouldn't talk. He wouldn't talk. Man, that motherfucker. I'm still mad.

I'm still mad. But it's all right. You know, he's one of the greatest to ever do it. So to lose to someone of that magnitude who is probably one of the greatest to ever lace him up is, I have no problem. Would you have liked to be his prime? Yeah. And his prime. Yeah. Yeah. And then I'm in my prime, too? Yeah. one of the greatest to ever lace him up is is is i have no problem i love it prime yeah and it's prime yeah yeah and then i'm in my prime too yeah because these feet was going he didn't he wasn't covering me prime didn't have to worry about me he was gonna have to worry about my feet so i've watched i've watched all the prime footage right and i've seen people get him off the line i've

seen people you ain't gonna run by him i don't want it i'm known for what i'm known for route running i ain't gotta run by you but if i do run want to. I'm known for what? I'm known for route running. I ain't got to run by you. But if I do run by you, all I'm going to do is stack you. What you going to do? Run through me? What you going to do? Run through me? Don't do me like that. Listen. Don't do me like that. That's a different animal. Listen, he's a different animal. He's the greatest of all time.

But I know how to defuse the things that he's strong at. You could defuse Rebus. So you talk about, so what you trying to say? I don't think Revis is better than time. That's what I'm saying. There's two different type of animals, two different type of styles of play.

The thing is when I say time, when they say I got you all over the field, ain't no safety in the hole. You say a prime, right? Yeah. We in our prime, right? Yeah. That's the difference.

Revis caught me on the back end. I had gray hair. You had no hair. I had had gray hair i kept cutting it because i you know i got cherokee in my family so i hate having a cherokee huh you drove a cherokee no no i have cherokee in my family but this one my hair with my hair because the humidity in miami so i keep my shit you got a curl when you were young did you how you know because you got ball yeah everybody had a curl growing up no yeah you see i got my hair i ain't got? Because you got bald. Yeah. Anybody that had a curl growing up, bald. Yeah. You see I got straight hair?

I ain't got no curl. You got gray hair. I do got gray hair. I mean, no. When I was in L.A., man, I had Shirley Temples and you know, my hair was long.

Yeah. I used to get, you know, hot comb. I had my shit long because I was like really L.A. Yeah. Nah, that's that

Florida pimp when you got your hair straight comb. Yeah, what you know about that? It's more of an L.A. thing, though, because they didn't, yeah. Some good times, too, man. Man, the end of the career.

I mean, what does Chad wish he would have done differently in the 10 years in which you played? Is there anything you would have done differently? People ask me that all the time. Do you have any regrets? If you could go back and rewind time, is there anything you would have done differently? And I wouldn't change a goddamn thing. But I add some stuff to the pot.

What would you add? A little bit more entertainment value. Even more than what you did? Yeah, even more than what I did. Yeah. Even more than what I did. Yeah, even more than what I did. Yeah. Even more than what I did. I had fun. I had fun.

And I think the fact that I was able to have that fun in a structured environment that didn't like players with personality, they didn't like individualism. If they were going to market someone, they want to be in control of that. If they're going to monetize off anyone's likeness, they want to be in control of that. The fact that I was able to do it my way and still do it and still to this day, I haven't played the game in 10, 11, 12 some years. And still to this day, that name rings just as loud as anyone else that is active in the game. Why did you change your name to Ocho Cinco? Oh, that was all marketing. That was all marketing.

And people really call you that now. Nobody even say Chad. They don't. It's all Ocho. It's a funny story. Spanish Heritage Month. Right. Obviously, I have a huge following in Mexico.

Huge following. And Spanish Heritage Month, it was Carson's idea, a matter of fact. Oh, you know what? You should put Ochenta y Cinco on the back of your jersey. That's the correct way to say 85. Right. But it didn't make any sense. Right.

Ochentay Cinco. No. So I said, you know, Ochentay Cinco. So I had the equipment manager create the Velcro. And Spanish Heritage Month obviously is the month of September in the NFL. Right. Went out there with that on my jersey. Carson rips it off before the game starts.

We were playing Atlanta Falcons. I'll never forget. And Michael Vick. The league office fined him the following morning $30,000. Like $30,000 for altering the NFL uniform. So my stick back to the NFL as a FU, no disrespect, Goodell, you know, we're here now. I changed my name purposely in the offseason for them fining me and when I appealed it, they upheld

the fine. But that's your name. It wasn't at the time. It wasn't at the time. 30 grand for altering the NFL uniform. I got one for you. I'm going to change it on purpose. So I changed my name in the offseason. So now I put it on all my jerseys since y'all want to be rude and mean. Now at that time

it was a stick to the nfl then it just turned into a whole brand right at that point and i just played it off like it was marketing and it worked just as that what is what is what does a future wife call you she called you Hey, you married? No. No? No. Okay. I'm looking to get married.

I'm about to be 55. I'm about to be double nickel. Double nickel, yeah? Double nickel. What you think about it, though? I want to get married. Wait, wait, wait. Let's pretend these cameras ain't here.

Yeah. It's me and you. Bob Shuck. I've been talking like they ain't here anyway What you you your views on marriage? What do you think? I would have loved to have gotten married earlier in my career, but my career was the most important thing So I was no good. I was a terrible father. I probably was a terrible brother terrible son I definitely was a terrible boyfriend

Because football was the most important thing I was consumed with. And I was consumed with that because I wanted to get my grandmother and my family out of the conditions that I grew up in. And I said, if I had kids, I didn't want them to spend one hour, let alone a year like I spent. So I focused on that. That was the only thing that mattered. And I had a lot of women say they could be okay with being with number two to football. But when it came right down to it and they see how devout I was in it, they couldn't be. And I said, okay. But now I started to realize as I've gotten older in my life, everything that I've accumulated doesn't mean anything if I don't have anybody to share it with. And it took me spending time alone to realize that, yes, Shannon, you're great at what you do.

You're in the Hall of Fame. You accomplished a lot. But at the end of the day, who do you share it with but then this is the problem how do you find the right person to share it with when it's still going to be what you have on the table right because this is you are they dealing with you for you or what you have to offer and how you how you figure that one out that's's the hard part. Even at this. I guess I'm going to have to find somebody that has something. And I tell people, look, I want someone to bring something to the picnic besides your appetite. I don't care if it's fork.

I don't care if it's napkins. I don't care if it's the mashed potatoes with raisins on top. But bring something to the picnic. And so we can work from that. I don't care if you have kids. I will take graciously accept the kids your family becomes my family yeah because like i would do for my family if you come to me and say hey my mom and dad are having trouble right right okay your mom and dad ain't got no trouble right once once you with me right your mom your family ain't got no your mom and dad ain't got no trouble right your kids ain't got no well they're our kids

they're your kids they're our kids that's that's that's the way i look at i like that so we had we had the same mind the mindset once that union everything is united is one umbrella it's all problems okay i like that i like the part where you said at least bring something to the table because i think that's the argument something that we all have issues with as men and I think some men that have money men of men of men of wealth really don't care about times when women have anything to offer because it allows them so much more control yeah when they don't have anything because they have to rely on them yeah I don't I don't want that ego driven yeah ego driven yeah oh you don't need them I you. Right. And then they able to get away with murder because they got to rely on him.

No. I want you to have your own independence. I don't ever want you to become dependent. Right. On me. Right. Something. I just want you to know that if something were to happen to me, you're more than taken

care of. Right. You good. Your family is taken care of. And so that's the thing, Chad, over the last couple of years, I've sat down and realized I need to find someone to love me like I love football. I need to find someone that loves me like I love Undisputed. Love me like I love doing what I'm doing here on Club Shays. I like that. Ladies, your number's still the same? It's ladies, call Shannon, 323-509-5423. You know, look, but somebody's going to have to accept me because I'm not an outlaw.

I'm a very, very private person. When I say I'm private, I'm ultra private. I'm not a red carpet guy. I'm not a post on social media. He's a red carpet? this is what I've learned people can't F up what they don't know about the moment somebody knows about something they'll try to mess it up

I don't care how I'm doing my own thing I don't bother nobody nobody can ever tell you Shannon Sharp bothered them or Shannon Sharp said anything bad about them but the moment they know something about you they'll f it up so for me i just stay to myself but not really but if i'm i'm not private i'm very outgoing especially with the kids the missus but if you're not doing nothing wrong there's really nothing for anybody to f up no but see here's the thing uh what's wrong is that people lie. People lie.

And sometimes just the mention of impropriety is enough to sway people's opinion of you. I don't need to have done anything, but somebody said I did something. And you know, even when it comes out, well, that didn't happen. Well, it could have happened. You know, he probably paid that person off.

And then what? Because they're never going to print the retraction like they ran with the original story. It's never as loud. I like that. So I just say to myself, I'll find somebody. God, look, when I fall on my knees every night, Ocho, I ain't going to lie. I ask God to give me strength, guidance, and clarity.

I thank him every morning for allowing me to wake up in my right mind, blood running through my veins and use of my limbs. But I ask for clarity, and he showed me a lot. And Tyler Perry had something. He says, sometimes people come in your life for a season. Everybody's not meant to be in your life for longevity. Right. He says, sometimes people are like rockets.

The booster's on the spaceship. They take you up and then they fall off because that's as far as they need to take you. Yeah. I listen to that quote every single day for like the last six months. And I realize that now there are people that have been in my life that were only there for a short period of time. And that was all God meant them to be. I also realized that people pushed me to a height and that was far as they

could push me. And now it's up to me to take it, go the rest of the way. I like that. I like that. So I think about the people that have been in my life and i always say that sometimes people are lessened or they're blessed yes i think all the people that have that have been in my life at some point whether it been friends whether it been romantic whether it been whether we've had kids together everybody's been

a blessing right and i think i've been very very very fortunate i've been very fortunate that everybody that i've dealt with at some point was a blessing i Right. And I think I've been very, very, very fortunate. I've been very fortunate that everybody that I've dealt with at some point was a blessing and I think that's why this ship is sailed so smooth.

Right. We all work together as one unit and I think that's very difficult for a lot of people to do. It is. Obviously,

we on some grown folk shit around here to make sure the kids are good, the family's good and if you ever need, like you said earlier, I said it earlier

when we were talking, if anybody ever need, you're good. You're set for life as long as it's in moderation and you're not trying to live this lifestyle that you know you can't. Yeah, if you're trying to live a lifestyle, you need to be able to afford that. I can help you out here and there. I got a daughter in med school.

Okay, we're good. You in med school? Okay, yeah. Okay, I like that. We're going to have a shop. We're going to have a doctor in the house it's hard to find it though man it's hard to find and I think that's a whole

yeah you don't stop looking but that's a whole another show but I can keep going but I see I see I listen at you talk

about the woman that you're engaged to that's become your wife and I can feel the excitement I can see the happiness that you're engaged to that's become your wife and i can feel the excitement i can see the happiness that you exude i saw in all five seasons when you before you think about marrying somebody or being with a being with somebody for a long time you got to see him in all five seasons you got to see him angry and upset you got to see him mad you got to see him angry and upset.

You got to see him mad. You got to see him broke. You got to see everything. Because you need to understand what you're getting. And then also understand, we think about relationships, we think about marriage, and there's always pieces and cream. That ain't... Nah, you got to date that person. Somebody told me, say, marriage, you got to date that person every single day.

Hey, and it's going to be some days I can't stand this motherfucker. It's going to be days like that. That's life. Right. That's life in general. Right. But I can't live without this individual. Right.

If there's someone I want to wake up to every day and continue to build with, it's you. It's not who you can live with, it's who you can't live without. And we could be building Legos. I want to build them Legos with you. Damn. Man, see, now you got me thinking. Now I'm about to get out of here. I forgot that before I wanted to get you out of here,

celebrity boxing, you did that. I'm not done. You're going to do it again? Yeah, but listen, and I don't do it again yeah but listen and i don't like when you say celebrity boxing because i ain't fought no celeb oh you fought a real dude yeah he fight bad knuckle he fight bad knuckle you got a couple of good licks on the chair i thought you won i did win what you mean i just had to knock down the thing because i was tired i only had three weeks to get ready that's floy for giving me a short amount of time to get ready for a fight

what you mean you get your short about well get ready for a fight Three weeks it came together that quick. No it they somebody I think somebody didn't Somebody they try to fill a spot right you feel the spot real late ask me you all Do I want to move around say yeah, I move around because I use boxing to get ready for every every football season, right? Yeah, not the you had the fundamentals. Oh, yeah That's why I looked the way I did until I got tired. Right.

You know, it looked... The box is a different animal. Yeah. You don't understand what tired is. I don't think they do. I don't think they do. They don't.

And when people ask... Because it's hard to hold your head up like this here. The whole time. What's the first thing you do when you get tired? Put your head on your knee?

Down. When I got hit, where was my hand at? Down. Yeah, but I'm supposed to... I haven't left the gym since 2021. Okay. So I've had a year under my belt, continue to get technically good and savvy. There's a fight coming up.

I don't know if I can say this. Can I say this? It doesn't matter. Kayla Plann and Benavidez have a fight coming up. Yeah. And I might be on the undercard of that. I've gotten to the point where I've gotten that polish where I can be on the undercard. You guys feel like that?

Yeah. Yeah. I trained with Bozy Ennis in Philly. You know Boots, obviously. Yeah. I heard of him. Yeah. So I'm excited.

I'm excited. I'm excited. And people ask, why are you doing boxing? What you doing? I need the structure and fucking discipline that football provided. Oh. I need it. You got to have it.

I need it. I still have the urge to compete. Right. Now it's just in a different sport. It's in a different sport. And if I don't put in the work, like on Sunday, I get exposed. So if I don't put in the work, I want to get up and go. Right.

I want to spar. Right. I want to run six miles Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I want to spar and do conditioning Tuesdays and Thursdays. I want to swim because when I get in the ring, it shows up. If I don't do it, then I get exposed. Yeah. It also shows up.

This diet, I heard you say on several occasions, and I, you're like, man, I did McDonald's. McDonald's helped me do all this and all that. Did you ever think that if I ate rice and chicken breast and I ate good salads, if I put quality food in my body, because you're a Ferrari.

You don't put low-test gas in a Ferrari. You put the premium. You put low-test gas and food in your system. Is that how you take it? I like that quote. Is that how you take it? Yeah. So, I've never been.

How long have you played? How many years? Four seasons. You've been hurt before? I have. You have? Yeah. You know why?

I'm going to tell you why. Do you know why you got hurt? Yeah. Why? I broke my collarbone. I got fractured my eye socket. I dislocated my elbow. You know why

yeah because it's a violent sport no not because it's a violent sport because i played 11 years and never got hurt you know why you ate like a rabbit that's why you got hurt you ate like a rabbit your eye socket yeah collarbone i never got hurt i got hit my collarbone i landed on it all type of ways my body just able able to... You only weighed 22 pounds. Who? You. When I played, I was 205. No, you weren't 205.

I was. Who? You. No, but I never got hurt. You probably weren't 80 now. It was your diet. It was your diet. You consuming all this healthy stuff, as they say, and you playing a violent, barbaric sport.

Right. The two don't even go fucking hand in hand. They don't go hand in hand. Never got hurt. Never. And I played reckless at 195, like you said. Ran into Ray twice a year. But you're saying-

Palomaro every year. Just think about what you would have done. You'd have made it 10 Pro Bowls. You'd have been 10 times first in the Pro. Not really. How do you know? What I want people to stop doing is stop having people believing if you eat healthy, all of a sudden you're going to be great. They love using LeBron and Tom Brady as an example.

Listen, you ain't Tom Brady at home and you ain't LeBron. You have to have a foundation and a skill set and a DNA to go with it. But, I mean, the healthy thing is cool, but it just… It wasn't for you. It wasn't for me. And I understood what worked for my body. Right. And it's done wonders.

And still to this day, I'm still active, still moving with no injuries. When current athletes reach out to you, what advice do you give them? Football-wise or off the field-wise? Whatever. Most of the time, the athletes in today's game reach out. It's receiver stuff. And I'm ready to work. Right. Footwork receiver stuff. And I'm ready to work. Footwork, route running, I'm ready to work.

Other than that, it's more financial advice. Right. And most of the time I say, man, listen, enjoy yourself, live your life. You worked hard to get to this point. Right. But understand the true value is not in the stuff that you can buy, purchase, and wear. The people that you're going to meet right now are going to be gone. They are seasonal.

Honestly, that's just the truth. I just keep it real as I can. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game, every single week,

but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claibon, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away?

Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl. I don't know why, Colleen. Catch the podcast, the NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You used to do a podcast.

You were on I Am Athlete. Hey, my boys. Why aren't you on that anymore? Listen, my schedule. My schedule. It got tough. It got really tough. Man, I miss Brandon.

I miss Brandon. I miss the entire I Am Athlete family. I had so much other stuff going on, and it demanded all of me. And I didn't want to give I Am Athlete just a little bit. Like if I'm going to do something, I have to be embedded and engulfed in it so the people watching and I Am Athlete as well, they got all of me, and I wasn't able to give them that. Could they have made it financially to give you all of you?

Yeah, financially. It wasn't an issue. Finances wasn't an issue at that point because that's not why I was doing it. I was doing it because I love being on the platform. I love Brandon. Loving him to death. And anytime the camera's on, I'm ready to go. But I just had so much other stuff going on. So it was becoming too much. Another one of your Florida brothers, Antonio Brown. We've seen some of the things that have happened to him over the last couple years.

AB, my baby. If you could tell AB something, if you could talk to him. I don't know if you have, but if you could. I haven't bothered him, but I'm sure he's going to see this. Right. That's my camera, yeah? Yeah, that's your camera. Baby, I love you forever. I love you. And that's it. That's my camera, yeah? Yeah, that's your camera. Baby, I love you forever.

I love you. And that's it. That's it. I'm not one to scrutinize. I'm not one to talk about if I am going to talk to him, if there's something I need to say, it will be said in private. You know? We've been together so long, even before football.

Right. Before football. Right. Before football. Right. From Miami. Right. You know, so that is one I will always hold down. We all make mistakes. Right. We all fall short of whatever it is in life that we want to do.

During those times, I'm one that will lift my brother up. Right. You know, and not talk about him. I love him to death. Do I agree with everything he does? Absolutely not. Right. That's does? Absolutely not. That's a part of life. That's a part of having a brother. He's not going to like everything he does, but you sit him down, you talk to him and let him know, look, let's try this

way because this route ain't work. Whatever it may be. I'm just speaking in general, but I haven't had an opportunity to talk to him because I've been on the go, but I'm going to catch up with him one day. What's next? You've done bull riding, soccer, acting, boxing, racing horse, wrestling in the WWE, dancing with the stars. What is next for Ocho Cinco? Swimming with orcas.

That's my last one. Where do they do that at? Cabo in New Zealand in Norway. You can swim, you can scuba dive with orcas and I look forward to that. I really look forward to that. That is a dream of mine, as was being in the NFL. Obviously, I told you earlier, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I wanted to be a veterinarian. I know everything there is to know about orcas. And people will say, oh my God,

you're going to get in the water with killer whales in the wild. They're going to kill you. They call killer whales for a reason. If you know anything about them, especially in the wild they're going to kill you they call killer whales for reason if you know anything about them especially in the wild you would understand that there have been no attacks and never have been and in no in no way in new zealand they're no different than having dogs at home because they just swim right up to you in the wild and people are used to it out that way and i want that experience i'm sick of seeing videos of people in norway new zealand living the dream that i want wish you best of luck with that you can go if you want to no i'm good i watch him i watch him and uh go to the zoo or something and i see him in the aquarium you know atlanta got a nice aquarium out there yeah they do they ain't got no killer whale yeah that's okay i watch him on tv on that geo yeah the second half of what's next is being a great husband you're doing it the right

way man i see the maturation that you've gone through i see the the metamorphosis the stages of which you become you with this and this and now you're here it's almost like a 180 you're full circle you got to but if i'm if i stagnant in life, then I'm not evolving. That's what's so great about- There's a chance for me to- I'm going to find me a miss right? And you did it, I know I can do it. If you can do it, I can do it. Listen, with a face like this, if I can find somebody-

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. That's exactly what I'm saying. It's possible for anybody. Yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. You got somebody in mind? You can let them know why you- it's the perfect time. I ain't got nobody in mind. Don't do that. Don't do that. I can see it. I ain't got nobody in mind? You can let them know. It's a perfect time. I ain't got nobody in mind.

Don't do that. Don't do that. I can see it. Because you blink. You blink twice. I ain't got nobody in mind. You blink twice. Yeah, you do.

I see it. Let her know. Shake. Talk to her. I ain't got nobody. Tell her. I ain't got nobody. Come on.

Don't do that. I ain't got nobody. You do. I don't. I really don't. You do. I don't. I really don't.

I bet. Where your phone at? In my bag. Oh, it's over there yeah i bet if you was to grab your phone within the first three text messages in your phone yeah i guarantee you the one is right there in the you're gonna see my sister you're gonna see my sister uh uh you're gonna see my agent all right let's stop right there like i just said yeah in the first three, your assistant might be that one. No, no, no, no, no, no. My assistant is my assistant.

See, that's the problem right there. No, no, no. When you work for me, that's what you do. Whatever you do, that's what you do. If you're my agent, you're my agent. You're my assistant, you're my assistant. If you're my massage therapist, I don't mix business and pleasure. I never have. I never have.

I never will. Maybe that's the problem because you've never done it. No, I'm not going to do it. We're going to be in the same situation. So maybe we can revisit this four years, four, five years from now. Nah, nah. My assistant and I, we have a different type of relationship. I'm just listening. I'm here to help. I'm a

behavioral therapist. So I can help you in situations like this. That's another part of me I haven't been able to talk about. Now I'm good. Now, but I hate. I'm good. Right now I got dog. I got another dog.

I'm getting another dog in a couple of weeks. Dog? Yep. You into the dogs too? Yeah. How much you pay for them? Don't lie to me. Five.

I got five. And then I just paid another five, and then paying another three to get him shipped over here. What kind of dog? One is a Pomeranian, and one is a South African Borboa. Borboa? Yeah, it's a South African Mastiff. Okay, okay, okay, okay. That's a funny combination.

I still got the little one. That's about 13, a Pomeranian. 13? Yeah, about to be 13 and 26 this month. That's live. What color? Black or blonde? Well, the new, he a fawn.

He was a fawn color, but I got him cut like a lion. For real? Yeah, he got the big body shave. And then the little palm that's coming in a couple of weeks, he's black and tan. Okay. Named Teddy. Wait, obviously you're not mating, so you have three.

No, no, no, no. They're all males. Okay, okay. You just like dogs. I do. I'm an animal. Grew up on a farm. Right, right, right.

So I wish I could have a raccoon, but in the state of California, you cannot have a raccoon as a pet. That's a good one. That's a different one. Yeah. I've already researched it. I thought about it. I tried.

You could do it. No, you can't. Who gonna know? Nah, I'm good. It's not good. It ain't researched it. I thought about it. I tried. You could do it. No, you can't. Who going to know? Nah, I'm good. It's not good. It ain't worth it. I don't do anything that's going to risk me going to jail or risk me being jailed. I mean, having a raccoon ain't going to risk you going to jail, but I understand.

They come in and, you know. No. I like to follow the rules. I follow the rules. I follow them, too. No, you can't have a raccoon instead of California. Okay. Bruh. We leaving? a raccoon instead of California. Okay. Bruh.

We leaving? We leaving. We done. Shit me. Man, you better add some more shit. I ain't ready to go nowhere. Man, we done been here for three hours. I mean, an hour and a half.

For real? Yeah. How long we been going, CJ? Two? Yeah. I'm good at this shit. Come on. Keep going.

Yeah, we got to go. You leaving for real? Yeah. Bruh, I appreciate this. Yeah, I do. Where you going? I got to go really for real yeah bro i appreciate this yeah i do where you going i got to go to work i gotta i gotta prep you do realize i just don't get on air and just talk right let me get on let me get on the show tomorrow because i can get on there and talk i don't even need no prep you know what you need to do what you need to reach out to skip or the producers i ain't reaching out to them. I want you to go in there. I just want to walk on set.

And do what you want? Sit there. And I can go through the A block, the B block, the C block, because I know every sport and everything y'all talking about. Okay. I'm going to tell them. Oh, it's your secret. I want to come on the show tomorrow. Don't even tell them that.

Just let me crash the set. You know what? TV don't work like that. I'm sure Dougie will explain that to you. That's what makes it that much more fun. The fact that they don't know what's happening and I do it. Well, they're not gonna let you in the building. I can get in the building.

I'm pretty sure you can't. My face, I can't. No. You want to bet? You did have a kid. I'm going to jail? Because I'm black? No, man, I'm not.

This was good. This was good This was good All my life Been grinding all my life Sacrifice Hustle paid the price Want a slice Got the roll of dice That's why

All my life I be grinding all my life All my life Been grinding all my life Sacrifice Hustle paid the price Want a slice Got the roll of dice

That's why All my life I be grinding all my life Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolf. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends.

Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.