Life After Football with Don Jones

Breaking into professional sports requires far more than raw athletic ability. Thousands of college athletes spend their lives mastering a single position, only to discover that staying at the highest level demands total adaptability. When schemes change, roster limits, and physical demands align, the players who survive aren't just the fastest; they are the ones willing to switch roles, swallow their pride, and excel where others won't. We sit down with 7-year NFL veteran and Arkansas State legend Don Jones to break down his journey from running back to defensive back, navigating junior college, and earning a spot in the NFL Draft.

We get into the technical realities of transitioning from an offensive mindset to a reactive defensive position, the exact 40-yard dash metrics scouts prioritize, and what it was like studying film alongside Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and Rob Gronkowski. Don breaks down how locking in on special teams coverage became his primary strategy for maintaining a spot on an active roster for seven seasons. He also shares how film study separates instinctual players from true long-term professionals in the league.

Earning a living in professional football requires an upfront understanding of your physical limits and a concrete plan for the future. Stepping away from the structure of team sports often leads to identity loss, mental health struggles, and an abrupt shift in daily routine. Navigating that transition successfully comes down to prioritizing mental health through therapy, finding a passion outside of athletics, and building a sustainable lifestyle before your playing career ends.

If you care about college football recruiting, NFL draft preparation, and navigating life transitions after sports, you’ll get a lot from this episode. Please subscribe and share this show with someone who needs to hear it.

What is the biggest operational lesson you've taken from an athlete who successfully transitioned into their second career? Let us know in the comments below!

@arkansasstatemedianetwork.com

0:00 - Position Switch to the NFL

7:36 - What NFL Scouts Look For

11:00 - Surviving 7 Years in the League

15:44 - Inside Belichick's Film Room

19:47 - Life on the Farm

23:00 - Mental Health After Sports

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:07

We are Arkansas State Football. I want to welcome everybody to another episode of Inside the Den with your host Justin Pars. I'm here with an A State legend. You know what I'm saying? Seven seven-year NFL player, Don Jones. Nice to have you, man.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Hey, how you doing, man? I appreciate the opportunity to come with you.

SPEAKER_03 0:23

And you the first person other than the player to be on the podcast, like current player now. So you're the first former player to be on here, man. So I'm really excited to have you today, man. I want to really, you know, share your story, share, you know, kind of looked up to you guys, you, DeMario. Like I was saying earlier, Chris, uh money, just looking up to you guys. When I played here, you know, like, you know, you guys were very successful here. You know, we kind of started off slow when I first got here as a freshman, you know, a little snap nose, you know what I'm saying? Started on real slow, went from two wins to three wins. Then we eventually, you know, increased and finally got back to a bowl. One day conference, like y'all boys was winning. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Somebody kept your eyes on the goal.

SPEAKER_03 1:00

Yeah, yeah, got to. So, but um, so just you know, starting off with just like, you know, walking us through, you know, what was your process like here? Because I know you started here at Arkansas State, running back. Did not know that, they just found that out. Running back. Transitioned into you know, Mississippi Gulf Coast and eventually coming back, playing safety, and end up, you know, making it to NFL. So, how would time like your process, you know, up here?

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Yeah, uh, I came there to play running back, man. And then I was actually a pretty good running back, I thought uh a lot of my teammates had liked to play with me and stuff, but sure, I done ended up uh flunking out of college, man. I had to go to Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College. Down there, once I got down there, uh the coach was like, man, we already have running backs. And I was like, shoot, I can play uh anything, coach. So shoot, I done had uh ran a 44 and ran a 4-3, and then shoot coach that signed me right on the spot, and then S T I switched to defense man. It was a nice smooth transition.

SPEAKER_02 2:07

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:08

No, so I was I was saying that because looking through like your little pro day stuff, uh watched your train a little bit, and I see you jumping like what 46 on the box jump, like ducking like crazy, man. So like what you know, how long did it take you to transition from like going from a running back to now you backpilling, breaking, you know what I'm saying? Now you play in a more reactive position. You ain't you can't make a cut, you can't determine when you cut. Now you you playing press man, off man, you know.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Yeah, uh, I've had a great transition, actually, man. The reason I was able to make this transition so smooth because um while I was staying in Birmingham with my cousin Jazz Warren, him and uh Antonio Langham is great friends. I don't know if you know Antonio Langham, but uh he's a legend from uh Town Creek. He went to Alabama and then he got drafted with the Cleveland Browns and played a couple years, I think. Yeah. So he was staying in Birmingham at the time. So uh I was training with him probably two, two, three days a week, just doing backpelling drills, all that and stuff. So um him, him and my defensive back coach had played together in uh in the NFL. Yeah. Yes, so they kind of had uh uh so they kind of had a connection. Yeah. So uh Antonio Lano kind of prepared me to go from um defense to offense because he was staying in Birmingham at the time that I was staying in Birmingham. So shoe when I went and tried out and stuff, I already had my foot work and stuff down. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:40

Yeah, I can I knew it had to be like it's good to have somebody in your corner like that because it is uh a tougher transition. It feels like it took me all my life to play DV, just like master it. You know, I look back at some of my old videos and be like, God, like move out.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

I was gonna I would have got uh blessed to have a great hinter around me, Jazz my wall.

SPEAKER_03 3:59

Yeah, I got a pre-say him, we gotta get it. Yeah, for sure. For sure. You gotta have them people around you. My my mentor, which the guy that we both know, Cam and uh Jet, when it was back at D1 back during COVID when I first met you, uh, which was all which was cool, you know, uh they they helped me out a lot because COVID, you know, I would have got so much worse, but God bless that they had a facility that was technically uh a quote unquote what therapy, physical therapy, but really was uh the jail inside of that too. So that was always clutch getting there and getting in with them boys. But always awesome. Going back to them championship rhymes, man. So like what was something that like stood out your whole time here that like just stood out like it's a core memory for you? Like, you know what I'm saying? Whether it was a big, big play or you know, winning that conference championship, you know, what was like a big like you know, standout moment from you that you'll remember forever?

SPEAKER_01 4:46

Man, actually playing with those teams that I played with, man, we had a lot of memories, man. We done had some great leadership teams. But my freshman year when I first had got there, I was really certain though. We went up there and beat Texas AM in the 12th man. So that was like probably one of the best things. Like you playing in front of a hundred thousand or more, probably. Yeah, and then we done go in there and beat that zone, beat them. So the hell was fun, and then probably winning the conference championship my senior year. Um, I know Coach Miles on there led us down there, and we went like we won like 445 to zero. But I didn't get to play the first ad because I got through out prior to that. So targeting. Nah, man, I got out and slammed the guy from Troy. I'm telling you, I slammed, I almost killed him, man. And then I got thrown out like the first drive of the series. Yeah, of the game.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

Yeah, but uh luckily I had some great teammates and backups and stuff who finished the job.

SPEAKER_03 5:53

Yeah, no, that's cool. So how would so you play, so it was Gus, and then I know thinking correctly, it was Hugh, right? So you play for both Hugh and Gus, right? Yeah, yeah, I played for Roberts, then Hugh, and uh Gus, yeah. How how different was it playing for each one of those guys? Like, you know, Gus and Hugh, they both coached their Auburn, they both like considered SEC legends. Uh old because what Hugh did at Ole Miss, and then what Gus, you know, he was beating Bama a lot.

SPEAKER_01 6:17

So like I would say put playing for both of those guys, both of those guys are winners, man. Hayon really showed you how to like come together to win and showed us what it really takes. And then the Hayan brought in great strength and conditioning coaches, also. Yeah, I could think that we probably had one of the best strength coaches in the world when I was here, man. So like guys was really able to elevate and uh be who are we he could be, we can have as many injuries and stuff. So everything was working out good, man.

SPEAKER_03 6:47

Yeah, yeah. Now they now you're a legendary, man. I was talking to somebody, uh, I want to say one of our HR directors, and uh just a lot of different people that you you know, getting just getting people because like back then, you know, it wasn't as much to do. Now it's still kind of like they building, you know, they constantly renovating, so it's like more to do now than it was back then. And right you have like parties, you know what I'm saying, but you just also like just get your teammates together, though. So I thought that was cool. Then, you know, Eric was telling me a story earlier, athletic trainer. So you was here when he was here, and he was just telling like how you come back from when you was in the NFL and just train with the guys, and then like you know, the safety coach at the time would be like, you know, this is what an NFL safety looked like. You guys think you can go to the NFL, but this is what an NFL safety looked like, you know, when you're just gonna get different drills. So it's definitely cool. So now with transitioning to like, you know, your whole draft process. So, like, how did that process go for you? Like, you know, whether it was pro day training, you know, leading up to the draft, and then like how could you like you know educate some of our guys now on like how that whole process, you know, could go, how what they expect, Loki.

SPEAKER_01 7:51

Uh the NFL scouts don't care nothing about number, nothing else but that 40. They got want to see what are you running that 40 yard back? So man, I've been ahead and held his deck because uh whenever I was playing with teams, I done notice like all the guys like ran like the same 40 time. We like the same height. I was like, wow, they be really looking for certain measurements and stuff. So you're so you really just work on the 40 man. Um always try to put good stuff on film, like like don't be taking plays out, but I need to just putn't putting good stuff on film and then getting ready for your pro day with the 40.

SPEAKER_03 8:31

Yeah, 40 yard dash. Yeah, I I I see that quite a bit though. You know, it seemed like everybody, you know, everybody can do all these drills to 5, 10, 5, cool, jump, do the vertical jump, but then it seemed like everybody got them watches out on that 40, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:43

Yeah, everybody got them watches out on the Florida, yeah. It's all about that 40. Because man, linebackers can run just fast as the safety. It's that man really.

SPEAKER_03 8:52

You seen what Sonny Styles and uh Arbeit Reese did, the Ohio State linebackers, both of them boys six, five, and both of them boys ran a 4440. I know, man.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

Well, these guys have a dog. Yeah, true.

SPEAKER_03 9:08

That would you so that would you say like the biggest transition from like college to NFL is just like what what would you say the biggest transition?

SPEAKER_01 9:14

The biggest transition. Uh guys in the NFL uh are a lot smarter. Like uh I didn't I didn't know that guys watch film and stuff as much as they do until I got to the NFL. Like me, I just used to go play off instinct and stuff and flying good. But like um I done had this guy play with uh Jim uh Jamar Taylor. Uh he now really showed me how much he uh prepared for film and stuff, and then how like he was able to play faster because he already had an idea of what was going on. He said so, yeah. So really like guys is more smarter, they'd be more on film, uh game film. Yeah, so that nah for sure.

SPEAKER_03 10:00

I would I I'd say I was one of those guys because I ain't run no four or four, I ain't jumped no 45 inches from you because I'm just gonna run it. You know what I'm saying? So I get it, I get it. Yeah, yeah. It's definitely a blessing to have that. I bless as well. So just NFL wise, right? So you go on, you get you made it, right? You deal with a lot of people then, you made it, you know what I'm saying? You got drafted, you know what I'm saying? You you know, a lot of guys uh don't understand, like I did a lot of researching on this, and it's just like NFL, uh not for long, you know, people don't know. Get drafted. I seen one guy get drafted, like first round, left tackle, and went to the Raiders, you know, I think his name was Alex Litherwood, something like that. And then now he's not even playing no more. And then you just play for seven years, you know what I'm saying? So like mentally, what's gonna keep a guy there long? You know, so what are some of the things they have to do that's gonna keep a guy from not only just getting drafted, but you know, just having a career in the league? It's different from just getting drafted and being in the NFL for a couple months and like having a career in the league.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Really finding out uh how can you help the team, how can you help the organization week in or week out. Like me, I was able to survive in the NFL just because of special teams. Because uh, you know, uh in college, uh I I didn't have played like an outside linebacker, but I got drafted as a cornerback. So all of that was night and day to me. So shoot, I done struggled big time uh in trying to count my first year or two. But I found out on on the special teams that I was much faster and stronger than the guys I was going against, and like I can make plays. So you so you really had to find out what to use to stay on the team, to stay on the roster, where does it where it is doing um clear out routes all game, where it is taking on the blockers or something, you're gonna have to find something that you're really good at and then excel at it, and then put good stuff on Fino.

SPEAKER_03 11:56

Yeah, that's the main thing. Yeah. I coach, it's funny. Uh Coach Jones, he said all the time, man. Like, he be telling some of our guys now, like, you know, it's what you a starting receiver, right? It's 133 division one FBS teams, you know, it's in college football, probably what now with teams getting added, like you know, Jack State, the Delawares, but now you're going against D2, D2 guys getting good at two now. You got some good D2 guys he's getting drafted, you know. So what's gonna really separate you though? So you always talk about special teams, that's the main thing. That's how I how our guy's been getting out now is like, you know, separating himself through special teams. We got a guy now named uh Travian Thomas. I feel like he's gonna have a lot similar career to you. You know, it's my best friend, college roommate. So he with the Jaguars right now, though. So he he ran like a four or four his pro day. And that's the only reason he's still in and now. Special teams, you know what I'm saying? Then special teams are gonna give him to play safety. So like that's that's a lot of people don't realize. You know, now, you know, which what was like your best memory, you know, being in the league, like you know what I'm saying? Like what's one thing, you know, that stick out? You know, you just talked about college, you know. So what's one thing like NFL wise that you know that stuck out to you? You know what I'm saying, whether it was a memory or you know, or welcome to the NFL moment or whatever.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Um probably when I really made it to the NFL, when I really knew I made when I was playing with the New England Patriots, and I played with Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Elderman, Hightower, or the Rail Reed with all those guys.

SPEAKER_03 13:22

You were with them boys.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

I was like, man, I'm really, really out of here. Yeah, I was like, I'm really out of here when I was playing with those guys. But shoot, I would done see what I would say. Whenever I made that big tackle on Harry Douglas and I made him fumble. I made him fumble against the Atlanta Falcons. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I done think then is when I really started getting noticed, and then like I started showing up on film more.

SPEAKER_03 13:50

Yeah, I mean it was cool being with you know Belichick. He seemed like you're a real quiet guy. Oh yeah, man, man.

SPEAKER_01 13:57

I used to love him be a Belichick, coming there like uh every morning or before like the meeting and stuff. He was just coming there for like an hour straight, you know, watching stuff up on the on the film thing, just showing us uh examples and stuff and just talking. And man, he be going on and on. It's some pretty cool story. He be liking Brenton Grimes, this little f blah blah blah.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

And then his son got here. He's a defensive end playing linebacker, he can't cover anyone. We gotta get him all game, guys.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

Yes, I just used to love hearing him fuss every morning for an hour screen, man.

SPEAKER_03 14:40

That's probably my best thing. I know just being from Alabama, like you hearing that type of coaching, like you hear the southern coaching, then you're going up in here, like that. I know I would have been tripped off on that one, I ain't gonna lie. Yeah, I bet that was his experience.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

Yeah, but it was uh cool with Belly. Like he's coming up for us uh an hour every morning. I love to like uh he be fussing, but he be coaching at the same time. I got uh he be watching film from like uh 2012. He be showing us the AFC game. He was like, 2012, AFC game. We down by three. Then he'd show us somebody get a dumb penalty or something, he'll show us how it could have cost us the game. So whenever we got in that situation, like we already knew, like, all right, now don't be over here doing our bull junk because we just seen it. You feel me?

SPEAKER_03 15:33

Yeah, yeah. He seems yeah, he definitely a situational master is like guy. Yeah, I I feel I get that vibe from so meetings and so y'all did y'all meet more in the NFL or y'all met more in college, you feel like?

SPEAKER_01 15:46

I'd say NFL, yeah, yeah. NFL because in college you just meet that hour before practice, right? Yeah. NFL about over. We meet a lot now.

SPEAKER_03 15:59

I think NFL still got it, still got it. We we meet long because we're trying to train our guys to get to NFL, though. So I get it though. So you got but NFL, so you guys got like a lot more time to just recover, right? So yeah, to get to recover, chill and stuff. Yeah. What was a day in the life, you know, when you was there? Like, what was a day in the life for you like, you know, just morning to it?

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Depending on what time of the game you tell me.

SPEAKER_03 16:23

I ain't gonna say um um what fall camp would be for y'all, like right before I want to do right before the season. So let's do like, you know, let's go in season. End season makes sense. End season on a Tuesday.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

All right, so on Sundays you have your game, all right? Yeah. And so uh Monday, you either have you be either off or on, depending on if you win or not. And we got I done call it, yeah, you be I done calling Victory Monday, you'll be off on Mondays. Yeah, so so uh say we lose. So a Monday we'll go in there, lift weights, we do like heavy squats and stuff, and then um go watch the game film, and then and then we go have a walkthrough and then come go through all the um mistakes that we made. Then after Tuesday, then after Wednesday it was like the grinded out day. So we'd be in there from like eight to four, eight to five. So we had like um a team meeting at eight o'clock. The team meeting be like from eight to nine, and then from nine to about nine, four forty-five would be special teams. And then after special teams, you have your offense defense, then meet, then out there you go to lunch. Then after lunch, you come back, you meet again, then you head out to practice. Then after practice, you just uh eat and go home. Uh so there's uh Wednesday and Thursday. Then after Friday, you in there from eight to twelve. So like you have uh you go in there at eight o'clock, you meet, you go out there and have walkthroughs and stuff. No, no, you have like a uh how can look short practice with him and so on. So it's like so it'd be like a light practice Friday, then Saturday travel. Yeah. Oh, that ain't bad. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Man's got real sweet skills, especially like once you get the routine and stuff, it'd be real sweet.

SPEAKER_03 18:20

Yeah, a lot more free time for sure. You just burst. Yeah, free to make with somebody, Mark always told me, Freedom ain't free. You always can be doing something though.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

So you always can be doing something. The great ones being there, watching film, getting uh massages, yeah, stretched. Yeah, yeah, they have the hell with all the great.

SPEAKER_03 18:37

Take care of their body more. I feel like a lot of guys think out there take care of their body like they should. Then you go to the NFL, you learn, like, oh, like my body's my money maker. If I don't if I'm hurt all the time, y'all wait, y'all get cut.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

Yeah, man, I could not stand no cold tubs. I didn't think I'd have been in a cold tub probably five times in my career.

SPEAKER_03 18:58

That cold tub, rough, bro.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Man, my coach was mad at me at Arkansas State because I would not get in that cold tob. I said, Cold, always I'm gonna get in there if I'm dead. So I I I I can't handle that cold. Yeah, I can't handle around.

SPEAKER_03 19:12

It's just like basically being in the uh deep freezer. Yeah, I can't handle that, man. Yeah, oh yeah. We we did we make our players do it now, so they send them. We got a little place in town, we take them to that. Some guys like that better than the cult.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah. I did start doing the cryo whenever I get whenever I got in there, uh whenever I got in the league. Yeah, I can handle them with two, three manics.

SPEAKER_02 19:33

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:36

I like that better than the cold. It's just something like when that cold till went, especially when it's just you in there and then them is flooring. I'm like, oh my god. Yeah, the cold tell. We gotta get in the though. But so life after football, right? So obviously, you know what I'm saying? You got the whole the the stable, you know what I'm saying? Got horses, pigs, chicken, goats, you know what I'm saying? You got a fishing part out there. So what like made you decide to do that, you know?

SPEAKER_01 19:59

I actually had decided to do cows when I was playing in the league. Uh I done said, I'm gonna buy team cows and I'm gonna just try to build a herd, just to have something to do after football. And then all that shit. I done I had hit up a nice herd. Then I kind of transitioned from cows to horses. I I uh still have a lot of cows, though, but I don't have as many as I had. So now I had cows and horses. So yeah, I done kind of had planned there because um I done had pushed the horse and a little and a little dude around until I was about 21, 22 years old. So it was kind of destined. It was kind of destined for that. Yeah, I done thank God I already had them on plan.

SPEAKER_03 20:39

Yeah. No, no doubt, no doubt. I think that's cool. I got a little goat for him. That's it. I got goats and chickens, that's it. So I want I wanted a cow, I wanted a horse, but I don't got enough land like that. But you can gotta have somewhere to put them, Joe. Yeah, man, gotta be able to take care of them. So obviously, running, so you do trail rides and stuff like that. So how cool is that to like, you know, have the thought like you got all this land, but you're also able to, you know, bring in income as well, though. Like just taking on your feet of like having trail rides or whatever, parties out there, like on all that lands. Like, how like what made you, you know, decide to, you know, get into that?

SPEAKER_01 21:18

Uh I done really think that that really came with the territory of having horses because I I done really just got horses about three and a half years ago. So that uh so I was just on the internet seeing other places having all these rides and stuff. So I done said, so why not I have one? Yeah. And so so I done end up putting together my little stable name and end up having some. So man, it got pretty cool to see everybody come out enjoying the cowboy nature. So I'd be glad to see Bill.

SPEAKER_03 21:49

I gotta get up there, man.

SPEAKER_01 21:51

I won't get up there. Man, you when you was stuck in Jones, John Burr and Bummer. Ain't going nowhere.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

Closest chance I had was last spring before I started coaching. Then that was I was training there and then it's like so this summer. It was I got right back into coaching, so it was like, yeah, it's cool. I'm I'm gonna make it up there one day though. We got a little vacation in July.

SPEAKER_01 22:14

Yeah, so you can have just taking time. I I I always pee here, Lord Willing.

SPEAKER_03 22:19

Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. So what's you know, like I said, you had a legendary career and now, you know, you're doing good, obviously. Uh post-football, you know. A lot of guys struggle with just the mental piece of it when it's because I had like a couple months, you know. I feel like I'm a strong-minded individual. You know, so I thought I was gonna play the NFL. You know, everybody had that hope and dream. Then when I found out I was real myself, I'm like, all right, I'm probably not getting picked up here. What's next? You know, a lot of guys, it ain't next, you know what I'm saying. A lot of guys just get stuck in their mind. Like, what's something that helped you, you know what I'm saying, mentally? Even though you played in the NFL, you had a good career, but you know what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

You gotta still you gotta still go through that little uh post-post thing, though. Yeah, you said something that helped me. Um actually done, I struggled for probably about a year or two, man. I done started being a lot more cr cranky and stuff, and uh, one of my homeboys told me, like, done, you a little on edge or something now. So um I done ended up talking to some guys, and then I done ended up going to this little rehab thing in uh California that like all that like all NFL guys go to. And like we we done go there for like a month, and like they like we to have classes and stuff. So it's like really just uh had you know who you is and stuff, and uh you like a destined. That's not actually how I found it out that uh I wanted horses because I was up there and we had went riding in the mountains, and I was like, man, whenever I get back home, I'm gonna go buy me a horse.

SPEAKER_02 23:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

And I went home and one and turned to 20.

SPEAKER_02 23:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

No, that's cool.

SPEAKER_03 23:59

Yeah, a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01 24:00

So yeah, man. So I would say, guys, don't be scared to go get help with mental. You know, might not you you you might not think that you're depressed or have anxiety or something, but in reality, you never really going through it. So I would say just go get help and just uh talk to someone. Like, don't hold it all in.

SPEAKER_03 24:25

Especially in generation now, a lot of guys just have all this pride. We have so much pride. You know, it's good that like have it, but to an extent, like like many. I I ain't got no pride.

SPEAKER_01 24:34

If I can get some help, I'm gonna get it. Yeah, I'll what they're saying, close mouth, don't get red. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then then every every like since then I've been doing better. I've been able to like notice whenever I'm going through that stage. Yes, so like, yeah. So I would say going to get help mentally, man. I'll be scared to talk to a therapist.

SPEAKER_03 24:56

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, that's that's definitely good. Yeah. Uh luckily, man, I found coaching. You know, it's the closest thing I'm gonna get. I'll be out there. I'll be having field coaching. I get close, uh like I'm gonna go in there and make it talk about your white mind.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

Yeah, man, and then you done have to find a hobby, like something that you can get up and look forward to every day. Where it is be building like an old school car or getting a dog or getting chickens or something, you done gotta have something to keep your mind occupied versus just waking up, looking on social media, looking at other people's lives, because a comparison is the biggest, what one way to say a comparison is the biggest thief to enjoy something? Yes, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yes. I mean, you really have to find something that you can enjoy and want every day instead of just looking at what could be or what should be.

SPEAKER_03 25:50

Yeah, absolutely. Sure. What's one, you know, what's like one advice, you know, that you would kind of like give to our players, you know, like, you know, being that you you are you might not say, I know you'll say it, but you're a legend here, bro. Yes, I am. You're a legend here. You had a successful career in the league, you know what I'm saying? You deal like bro, you did what over 99% of the population that you play seven years in the league, had a successful career, you know what I'm saying. What's some advice, you know, that you give to our players that, you know, think they know what it takes to be successful, think they know what it takes to get to the league. Like, what's advice that you'll give, you know, to someone like that?

SPEAKER_01 26:26

Never be uh non-coachable as they say. Uh well, well, no, I was just saying, always be coachable. Yeah, you don't never know enough, don't ever be scared to get help and stuff. Or once some of my guys in the league, man, them guys did not mind getting coached up. Like at the all little guy after practice, asking the coach, hey, hey man, uh, I done see on this on this creep fork call, you don't want me to cheat inside. How do you want me to do it? Like, uh don't be scared to get better and stuff every day. Ask questions because you don't never know it all because 99% of the population trying to get drafted, also.

SPEAKER_02 27:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

Yeah, so how many everything you just have or just always grind or the strength coaches and stuff. But like, sure, I don't think my strength coach and stuff will never tell you that I came out and and jogged or something one day or wasn't giving them my own. You gotta find joy in that stuff.

SPEAKER_03 27:26

Yeah, yeah, no, for now for real. Like I said, if you don't love it, I I literally tell all our guys now, like my guys, especially like if you don't have a why, like a strong foundation of why you do what you do, you ain't gonna make it. Game.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

Yeah, man. Like we was having those cheeks AM and stuff when I was at Arkansas State. I I used to come out the way of me, Mario Davis. Usually I don't know Mario Davis. Yeah, he and him used to come out there over high and whoop whoop.

SPEAKER_02 27:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:57

Trying to get the teammates up, you have to bring a certain energy itself as well about yourself every day.

SPEAKER_03 28:03

Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. Yeah. A lot of guys don't realize you gotta love it. It's gonna it's gonna expose you every time. It's gonna expose you every time.

SPEAKER_01 28:12

I don't know why I say every time I cross them lines, I gotta do a full-speed sprint.

SPEAKER_02 28:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:19

Come on.

SPEAKER_03 28:20

Yeah. How so speaking to Mario, how was it like, you know, playing for him? You know, both of you guys had good careers though. But yeah, it's kind of rare you have two NFL players on one team, you know, especially like you know, Arkansas State being G5.

SPEAKER_01 28:34

Arkansas State probably had five on one team. Yeah. Uh the Mario Davis, uh Carruthers, Ryan Caruthers, Kelsey McCray. Then it was probably someone else. I probably just can't think of it off the top of my head. You'll be hearing your social media be like, Man, you shout me out in the podcast, man.

SPEAKER_03 28:52

They'll hit you up.

SPEAKER_01 28:53

Yeah, so I think uh Brian Hall played too, but that was like my freshman year. And then Alice Carrington got drafted. Uh he was in, yeah, he got drafted the third round to the Bills, like my freshman year. But playing with Mario was cool, man. Um, he and I was really good friends. I thought I had hollowing with him and everything when we was in college. But so the Mario brought the energy every day. He led by an example. He was a man of God, a true family man. Uh he was he was like he was he was always trying to go that extra mile, man. He be out on the yes, so he was good, he was good.

SPEAKER_02 29:34

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:35

That was good. That's good. Because I um, like I said, I hit him up, hit you up as well, though, going to my senior, just trying to figure out you know, ways. Like you said, don't be too good to be coach me. You know what I'm saying? Everybody can get coached up behind, you know what I'm saying? He's one of the biggest leaders to play ever, you know what I'm saying. Here, so I had to you know try to get some advice from he'll cool, dude, down to earth guy. You know, most guys you hit him up. It was like, nah, I ain't really he definitely try to help out for sure. You know, D-Way. I say the Mario, good old uh Mississippi boy. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Wait, Brandon, right? I think he went to Brandon. Mississippi, yeah. I went to Mississippi. All right, well, I thought I was a good one. That's the custom place I ever.

SPEAKER_01 30:18

Lunch. Hey, yeah. Um I went to junior college down there. I said, yeah, this it works in Alabama.

SPEAKER_02 30:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:28

People from uh Highway 5, so you up north. I live in Birmingham, dad from Birmingham, mom's from like Selma, Montgomery, so that whole Highway 5 ain't number trees down there. But I was like, nah, Mississippi got this beat. Like, yeah, Mississippi got this beat. So nah. What's so what's next for you? You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, you absolutely you just continue expanding with the um Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_01 30:49

I'm just trying to um build up these horse beddings and stuff. I'm gonna see how they go a couple more years, and if it don't go good, I try something else. But nah, I'm not always keeping my horses and stuff. Yeah, I yeah, I know. Yeah, but then um hopefully my next step, I need to find me. Uh I need to go and settle down and stuff so I can have me some kids.

SPEAKER_03 31:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

So you don't have kids yet. Yeah. I got one daughter that lives up in Oregon. She's 15 years old. I I done had her my freshman year at Arkansas State. That was my reason I came back to Arkansas State because um because she was born while I played their year in junior college. And then I I could either go to another college or I could come come back to Arkansas State. I chose to come back to Arkansas State because my daughter was there and I wanted to spend that time with her. Yeah, no, that's cool.

SPEAKER_03 31:43

That's cool. A lot of guys, uh I bet it was like tough. It wasn't tough, but you know, you having a kid, you're obviously having a school obligation, though. So that was definitely no cool that you know what I'm saying. Make it out. A lot of people can't handle both obligation and having all that on the city. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_01 31:59

Yeah. Uh well, I was blessed to have great family members and stuff who was she was like keeping that stuff for me. Because I don't think she lived with live with my parents in Alabama probably for a year or so. So sure, it was our great band. Yeah, so I was blessed to have a village at this point.

SPEAKER_03 32:19

Biggest thing. I'll keep trying to get them Bemo boys in here, man. I'm recruiting them hard. So I'm trying to get all these Bemo boys in here, man. Yeah. So it'd be good. But I definitely appreciate you having your own, man. You know, like I said, uh looking forward to get you to a game this year, man. Let you come up here.

SPEAKER_01 32:36

I guess they don't need to come up there, bro.

SPEAKER_03 32:40

But um, get you around some of my players, though, man. It'd be good. It'd be good to have you, though. But appreciate everything you did here, man. You definitely, you know, guys like you, you know, set the foundation, you know what I'm saying. And, you know, hopefully we have, you know, great success this year, which I know we are. You know, we try to get back to that Sunbelt, you know what I'm saying. Bowl game is cool, but we try and get back to that Sunbelt Championship. So, but um, definitely appreciate you having me on today, taking the time out with us. So we're seeing I'm proud of you, man.

SPEAKER_01 33:07

I still remember when you roaming when you was in high school, asking how with Arkansas State. Now, got all you coach parks, coach parts, play parts the coach parts quick. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Coach over parts. I'm proud of you, man.

SPEAKER_03 33:21

Good to see you still thrive, brother. Uh I appreciate you. For sure, for sure. But uh, that'll wrap up another episode, Inside of Denver with Justin Parks. You know, great to have Don here today. And uh please like and subscribe at Arkansas State Media Network on all social media platforms, YouTube as well, Apple Music, Spotify, all that. So appreciate y'all. Whoa's up, baby.