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00:00I'm Cam Smith, host of Ebony's Amplified presented by Nationwide.
00:05I spoke with HBCU grad Marquise Bell.
00:08Now, Bell is an NFL safety whose contributions to the community are as impactful as he is on the field.
00:13Take a look.
00:15What's up, everybody?
00:30I'm Cam Smith, host of Ebony's Amplified presented by Nationwide.
00:34And we have someone that has been shining since he left the Florida A&M University.
00:39It's Dallas Cowboys safety Marquise Bell.
00:41Marquise, how you doing, man?
00:42Good. I'm good. I'm happy to be here.
00:44Did I get it right when I said D, Florida A&M University?
00:46I don't want no smoke or nothing, man.
00:47Okay. All right. Gotcha.
00:50Well, I talked about you've been having just a great success on the field since you left Florida A&M,
00:56especially with the Cowboys this past season, second in total tackles.
00:59And so when you have that type of recognition, also what you do off the field, you get some some award recognition.
01:04So the NFL Players Association named you the 2024 Black College Pro Player of the Year.
01:11So you got to tell me where you were when you got the announcement, when you were told that you won the award.
01:15And then also just, you know, what emotions ran through you?
01:18Okay. So I was in my house, you know, chilling, playing a game with my little brother.
01:22And, you know, I got a call from my agent and he was like, where are you?
01:27I'm like, I'm at home. Where else would I be?
01:29He was like, well, I got to tell you something.
01:31So he went to tell me, yeah, you just got nominated for the Black College Player of the Year.
01:35And in my mind, I'm like, I thought I already got that.
01:37He was like, nah, this one's bigger.
01:39So and then I started to look it up and then see what it was.
01:43I'm like, oh, he's right. Like, this is bigger.
01:45Like we went to the, you know, the Black College Hall of Fame, stuff like that.
01:49So I'm like, yeah, this is big.
01:52And then the next thing that goes through my mind is, all right, now you've got to give a speech.
01:56So then I had to get my speech together, you know, get the butterflies out.
02:01But I was very appreciative for the opportunity to receive that award.
02:05Definitely on behalf of the HBCUs.
02:08OK, let's go back to your days at FAMU, my man.
02:10And just thinking of all the experiences that you had on the field,
02:13but then also, more importantly, off the field and in the classroom.
02:16How did those experiences help you get ready for the NFL and also prepare you for life after college?
02:23People that went to HBCUs know, like, it's not easy.
02:26You know, you have your ups and your downs, you struggle.
02:28But, you know, it's like a family.
02:30So, you know, you have your people that you can lean on.
02:33You know, I have my coaches, I have my teammates.
02:35You know, students might have their classmates or their professors, things of that sort.
02:39But I just feel like just being there, being around that atmosphere, being around just the energy.
02:45My first day on campus, I'm like, yeah, I got to come here.
02:49Like, I felt like I was at home and I was only on campus for like an hour or two.
02:53And I know I can excel here and I can do great things.
02:56And, you know, I can help, you know, bring attention to HBCUs because we deserve it.
03:02Like, we have great athletes.
03:03You know, we have, you know, great leaders that come from HBCUs.
03:07So we get overlooked a lot because we're not as big as the, you know, Power 5 schools or the big name schools.
03:13But, you know, it's a lot of diamonds come out of, you know, family, man.
03:17Yeah, no doubt. And a lot of diamonds that have great organizations like yourself with Bell Cares.
03:21So let's get into that conversation in terms of the origins of Bell Cares and just, you know, how impactful it's been for you.
03:28But then also for a lot of people that's been involved.
03:30So me, I wanted to start it for like just football camps and stuff like that to just give back to kids that didn't really have much.
03:37Because me growing up, I didn't really have a, you know, somebody that could come around that actually was where I wanted to be.
03:43And that could actually give me the, you know, little nuggets and be that mentor that I needed to get to where I wanted to be.
03:49I had to do that for myself.
03:50So for me, me being able to do that for the younger generation, for the kids that's come behind me, especially in my city,
03:57leaving a footprint, you know, leaving a mark on the kids just to give them something to look forward to.
04:03You know, where I'm where I came from, it wasn't a lot of, you know, role models, you know,
04:08wasn't a lot of people that you had to look up to that were doing good things.
04:11So the fact that I can go back and be that role model to a lot of kids in my neighborhood,
04:16a lot of kids in my city to tell them, like, just because you come from here don't mean you have to stay here.
04:21And that's why you're HBCU excellence. Right.
04:24So I want to get your thoughts on what HBCU excellence means to you, because with Ebony Amplified,
04:29you want to shine light on individuals like yourself that are doing so many great things.
04:34So when you think of HBCU excellence, what comes to mind?
04:37There's a lot of greats that come from HBCUs, a lot of people that have done a lot of good things in the world that come from HBCUs,
04:45a lot of great leaders that come from HBCUs.
04:47So the fact that, you know, you can go to a HBCU and achieve everything that you want to achieve in life,
04:55you know, you don't have to, you know, take the backseat to anybody just because you went to an HBCU.
05:00That's that's what I feel like excellence is. HBCU excellence.
05:04Marquise Bell. Appreciate the time.