Sharí Nycole chats with Rashod Batman, professional football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00What's going on Essence fam? It's your girl Sheree Nicole and I get to spend some time here
00:03at the Essence office with the wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens, the one and only Rashad
00:08Bateman. And let me tell you all something about Rashad. He's got a lot, he's very multifaceted,
00:12okay? He's all about the fashion. He's all about the culture. We're going to talk all about that,
00:17and of course football, and then some. We'll get into mental health as well. And without further
00:21ado, Rashad, thanks for flying up here to hang out with me. Thank you. I appreciate you having me.
00:25Absolutely. So this is funny. You're the second Raven that I've been able to talk to,
00:30and then they both happened here in this office. Is there some special connection
00:34that you all feel to the Essence family? For sure. I think you got two cool guys that
00:41appreciate the culture and black women and what y'all stand for, what y'all got going on. So
00:46I think me and Lamar just had to be the lucky ones to come up here.
00:52Yeah, and we're lucky too to have you. And I want to, before we get into your fashion sense,
00:56because it's crazy, right? First of all, these pants alone. But I do want to talk about the
01:02culture, as you mentioned. We're in an interesting time right now in this country, and I think as
01:07black people, this is also an opportunity for us to galvanize, to come together, whether it's in
01:11the arts, whether it's in sports, whether it's in politics. For you, as you're kind of examining
01:15what's going on in the world around us and our culture, where do you say we sit right now,
01:18where would you like us to go? As far as the culture? Yeah, just black culture, black folk.
01:24What should we be concentrating on, focusing on? How can we come together in this moment?
01:30I just feel like it's always been that, for me, looking at it, it's always been the same message
01:34and unity. We just got to continue to come together because we still have those situations
01:42where we don't really see eye to eye and not really have the full unity as we need to. But
01:49just seeing the culture where it is, there's a lot of fashion out, a lot of music out, a lot of
01:54black athletes and men and women doing good everywhere. You could say now I feel like the
02:00time has changed, especially with social media. But I feel like now we just got to get better to
02:05appreciate what each other create and uplifting each other throughout whatever each other create.
02:11I think we're heading in the right direction, but there's always work to be done.
02:15Absolutely. And as a public figure and a sports figure, how do you gauge
02:19when to engage on social media and really state, OK, this is how I'm feeling about this,
02:25or this is how I'm not feeling this? How do you know when it's time for you to speak up
02:29and speak out and when you have to just chill and watch? Honestly, it's been a battle to learn
02:34how to do that, honestly, as an athlete. But I think it should be 24-7, whether you're an athlete
02:40or not. If that's your message, then if that's your persona that you want to give out, then I
02:44feel like you should be there all the time. I really don't think you should be this person
02:49during the season. Then offseason, you're like you're this person. If you really want to make
02:53an impact, then you should be that person, you know, 24-7 all 365 days. But there's some athletes
03:00now, and I was one of those guys, if we have a bad game, we're not posting, you know what I'm
03:04saying? But it shouldn't be like that. You still got a good life you're living. You still got
03:08family. You still got, you know, a business probably. It's still ways that you can push a
03:15good agenda without, you know, focusing on what's over there. Yeah, one of the ways you do that is
03:19just your authenticity, which starts with your fashion. So it's interesting how sometimes
03:26as athletes, we can get stuck in identifying who we are with what we do. And one of the things that
03:30I love about you is you're like, hey, yeah, I'm a football player, but I'm all these other things.
03:33I have all these other interests. So for you, when did your love for fashion really come into
03:38play? And how do you determine like, okay, this is my new wave for this amount of time when it
03:43comes to what you're going to wear? I mean, actually, my love for, I always had a love
03:46for fashion, honestly. But it really grew when I got hurt. My rookie year, I got hurt. And then
03:54my second year, I got hurt. Football was taken away from me. And that's when I realized like,
04:00who am I going to be without this sport? What else do people love about me as a person?
04:06Everything that people really know about me was football. And in that moment, I kind of realized,
04:10you know, fashion is something that's going to be with me forever. It ain't something that's
04:14going to stop and, you know, be done. And at that point, I started thinking about my second life.
04:19What do I want to do after this? How do I see it? And football, I have always been playing A. I
04:25always had a plan B, but never a detailed plan of what that may look like. But during that time,
04:30I definitely found a love for fashion and music and more so for our culture, for sure.
04:36What's your favorite kind of music to listen to?
04:39I'm from the country. I listen to rap for sure, but I listen to a little bit of everything.
04:42Do you like 90s R&B?
04:45Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:45Okay, then we can get along then. Because that's my thing. I just, I don't,
04:48admittedly, everyone and Rashad, I don't listen too much to the radio.
04:54I go back through the archives of 90s R&B in the early 2000s. And that's what I normally listen to.
05:00So who's your GOAT?
05:02Of course, Whitney Houston. That's really easy.
05:06That's, that's, who else is there? She's the best singer that ever lived.
05:10Is it?
05:10Yeah, she is.
05:13Who's your GOAT?
05:14Who's your GOAT on the hip hop side? Let's go that route.
05:18Puff.
05:22Mine too.
05:24Mine too.
05:25His impact is what we still live today. It's where every artist, you know, tries to be.
05:30Their persona and everything. He definitely set the standard
05:35for the time we live in. And now I feel like, yeah.
05:38He was just so conscious. Like, that's what I loved about him. Really cerebral.
05:41Yeah, with himself and the world. I liked it about him.
05:45So can you get in the studio and turn up? Or are you just a music lover?
05:49I'm a music lover. I promise you, if I can get in the studio, I would not be playing football.
05:55No, I'd be on tour probably right now.
05:57So what kind of artist would you be if you were, if you were an artist,
06:00if you were in music, what kind of artist would you be?
06:02I just, if I was an artist, I feel like I would want to make
06:05more than just like one genre of music.
06:07Okay.
06:08Yeah. But that's kind of hard. You know what I'm saying? People,
06:12as soon as you switch genre nowadays, it's a, it's a hypocritical message
06:16that art is trying to be different. But I think being an artist is, you know,
06:20being versatile. Whether it's hip hop, you know, rock, country, whatever it may be. So
06:26I don't want to be put in a box ever in what I do. So I would say trying to do multiple genres.
06:32Okay. I like that. Very eclectic.
06:34Challenging. Yeah.
06:35I love that.
06:36Always up for the challenge.
06:37I love that. Sometimes there's a lack of empathy for athletes.
06:41People assume, oh, they got money. They don't, they don't need my care. They don't need my
06:45empathy. They don't need my compassion. But can you break down what, what type of pressures
06:51you experienced as a pro athlete when an injury of any sort happens? What, what mentally kind of,
06:58where do you sit and what do you have to work through?
07:01Well, the thing about it in professional sports, it's a, it's a draft every year.
07:06Um, the opportunities are slim. Um, it's a lot of different things that varies your opportunity.
07:13Um, so you're working in a, I feel like you're working in an environment that's
07:18in your mind. You don't, you just don't know what's going to happen. Um, you see a bit inside
07:23of things, you see the aspect and then, and then the part of you wonder, will you ever be the same?
07:26Will they ever be the same receiver? Will I have the same mindset to go play? Will I have the same
07:30love for the game? And at one point I didn't, you know, um, but last off season, I feel like I got
07:36it back. Um, just for training and everything. It was my first off season to train like healthy and,
07:41um, I cherished it, you know what I'm saying? I worked hard and I think it paid off, but
07:46there was a lot of deep searching for show during that time.
07:50What is your, what is your village look like and where do they come into play when you talk about
07:55kind of working through tough moments, whether it be through the injuries that you just mentioned,
07:58or just being a pro athlete in general, who's supporting and grounding you?
08:02You know, I, I think I had a lot of support, honestly. And it's crazy you're asking that
08:06because even like, it was, it was a time that, you know, like even my mom couldn't support me,
08:12but it was nothing that she, you know, could, could, could do or say like she was my mom,
08:16but it was a time where I just kind of had to figure it out, you know, myself. Um, but my home
08:21boys, uh, that was around me helped me out. Um, because, you know, those are people that I can
08:26just be authentic with. I can talk to them about football and they, you know, understand it. It's
08:30not just a mom saying, this is what you need, you know what I'm saying? Or, or this person saying
08:35this and this, they're actually being, you know, real and authentic with me, you know, about what,
08:39what I can do better and how I can grow. And, you know, just keeping me locked in, you know,
08:44in the person that I was, uh, but I would definitely say my homeboys that I had by me
08:49helped me out a lot.
08:50Yeah. When it comes to, to being a black man, to being a pro athlete and to mental health,
08:56what are your check-ins with like with yourself? How do you check in with Rashad to make sure
09:00Rashad is good?
09:02I wake up early. I like, I do, I do, I wake up pretty early, like five every day. And honestly,
09:06when I wake up, ain't nobody up, you know, that's the time where I just take time to think, create,
09:12um, that's like my time. Um, because the rest of the day, honestly, let's go be packed with something.
09:17Yeah.
09:18So I had to try to create a way to, you know, get my time in somehow. Um, but now, you know,
09:22in the morning, that's when I pray, you know, I get my, my time in with God, um, and just,
09:27honestly, that changed my life. Just praying, man. Um, because during that time, my faith varied,
09:31it varied a lot, um, challenging a lot. Um, it was tested a lot, but, um, I grew through that.
09:38Um, always knew God had my back, but, um, just coming out of this strong,
09:42you know, it was worth it. It was worth it.
09:44What would you say to a young black male? Let's stick with that. Who, it might be football. They
09:52want to be a pro football player, or they might be wanting to be a pro basketball player, or they
09:55might want to do something completely different. They may want to be a musician. I don't know,
09:58but who may be in a position where they are in that, they're walking that tightrope where their
10:03faith is, is being stretched or they're disappointed, or they're like, yo, I don't know
10:08where God is in this. I'm, I'm upset, whatever. What would you say to someone who's kind of in
10:14that stuck place who has a, you know, potential and a desire to move forward in their life,
10:19but who just feels kind of stuck? I would say the right, I mean,
10:25to be comfortable and trust yourself no matter what, um, be comfortable, um, knowing that you
10:31can make the right decisions as well. I feel like a lot of us, especially younger generation, you
10:35know, get caught up in, um, you know, you need help from this person, talk to this person.
10:40But for me, honestly, I feel like a lot of times, you know, a lot of times you need yourself,
10:46and you got to find yourself, you know, you can't love nobody or help nobody else until you're very,
10:51you know, aware with who you are and you've accepted what the reality is. And you're able
10:56to, you know, somehow make decisions on your own. Um, because at the end of the day,
11:00it's everybody first time. Um, you know, there's advice that, you know, the older generation can
11:05take for the younger generation and it's advice that, you know, that we can take from them.
11:10Yeah. And I feel like, honestly, that's where the world clashing at right now.
11:14I feel like, you know, figure that out, put it together.
11:18Some people will choose therapy to figure it out and put it together. What are your thoughts on,
11:21on therapy? I've done therapy and I think therapy is the right way to go with you.
11:26You know, if that's what's for you. Um, and for me, my homeboys, it's just happened to be my
11:33therapy. I just come from a place that grew up on, you know, brotherhood and family. Um,
11:39and they just happened in my therapy. So it was kind of like, I did have, you know,
11:44therapists at the time because the same job is trying to get accomplished. That's to figure out
11:50how to be the best you, get you out this rut. So, I mean, if that's what therapy looked like,
11:55I would advise it to everybody. Um, it's not necessarily a doctor. It might be somebody,
12:00maybe a friend or uncle or a peer, whoever it may be. Um, just somebody that you can communicate
12:07with to figure out the best way for you to be successful in your own mind. For sure.
12:11What I love about what you're saying is having a village is important. Like we are not meant to be
12:16in this world by ourselves. And so I love the fact that you understand the value and tapping
12:21into the people that God put around you to help edify you and also you give back to them. So I
12:25think that's, I think that's amazing. Um, one of the other facets of mental health that I think
12:29is amazing is self-care. And funny thing is when I was asking Lamar, Hey, what are your self-care
12:36routines? Do you get massages? And he's like, nah, I don't really do that. And in my mind,
12:41I'm like, how are you an NFL quarterback and not getting massages? He just, the self-care,
12:47that part of self-care wasn't his thing for you. Are you aligning yourself with the, with the,
12:53with the no massages? I don't really do the self-care vibes or you have a whole different
12:58setup. No, I do. I do do the self-care. It's not, it's not really routine, but I do, I do do it.
13:02Massages. I do do because they have helped my body last shot the season. Yeah. Um, but obviously
13:10I do get my nose done. Yes. Which, which is leads me to my next point. Yes. This is, but this,
13:14this is for a reason though. And what's happened to that. Um, but, um, exactly. You should get
13:21your feet done as well because your feet are always, you know, running. So you need to do that.
13:26I always get a haircut every two weeks. I mean, that's the, that is the schedule. I can't get,
13:30I can't go more than two weeks without a haircut. Um, but I get that from my mom,
13:35like growing up, how I did, I was not allowed to go in public if my outfit wasn't up to par.
13:41Really? Yeah. So what was up to par for mom and mom's estimation? What, what was acceptable?
13:46Like you need to brush your hair. Okay. You need to like use some, what your outfit had to match.
13:52Okay. Um, it was for awhile. Like she made sure that she dressed us like as kids, you know,
13:57for a little bit to make sure that we was up to standard and making her not look crazy
14:03when it came to going out in public. So I definitely took that with me and ran with it
14:07because your presence is everything. Um, you know, she told me that.
14:11I love that. Shout out to mom. So did she, did she teach you about how to apply
14:17nail polish perfectly? Let's dive into, let's dive into your nails. Let's dive into your reason for
14:23nail polish. And it's important too, because there's, there's obviously a stigma attached
14:28to men, especially athletes, because other athletes do the same thing. For sure. But
14:32there's been a lot of conversation around athletes like yourself who choose to paint their nails.
14:37So your thoughts on that first, and then I want to get an understanding around
14:40why this practice is important to you. Gotcha. My, my aspect on it is like, it's a free world.
14:46Everybody live in their own opinions, do whatever they want. And then like, if that's what,
14:49whatever reason you do it, that's what makes you be. And that's what you're feeling.
14:53Then, then so, then so be it. You know, uh, everybody has an opinion nowadays and with
15:00the world we live in and everybody opinions kind of like somewhat matter. Um, but even with the
15:05fast and stuff that people got going on today, whether it's the crop and stuff that has come
15:09back, everything has been just, it's really history. You know what I'm saying? Um, you look
15:13back at it and a lot of this stuff was done, um, back in the day, kind of reiterating, you know,
15:19yourself again, back in, back in time. But, um, man, it don't matter if you're doing something
15:24good or bad. I hear people always have something to say. So you're doing you with these nails and
15:30you mentioned earlier, there's a reason behind this. So what's the reason behind your, um,
15:36so I had a cousin, my name, Bryson. Um, and after my grandma passed away, he committed suicide. Um,
15:43so that was another mental hurdle that I had to go through. And, you know, me and my family was
15:48talking about him, you know, just about him, you know, memories and stuff. And, uh, I haven't seen
15:53him in a minute around that time. And I came across this picture and he had his nails painted,
15:57but not for no specific reason, but he's in a band. Like he, he likes the band. He likes the
16:01rockstar vibe, the, the, the look that, you know, the aesthetic of the, the, the genre of music that
16:07he liked. And, um, I was like, Dana, that's fine. He was really true self. And for him to do what
16:14he did, you know, to take his own life, I kind of like wonder, I mean, my family talked about it.
16:17We know why, you know, bullying, harassment, it's kind of like some of the stuff that I've
16:21experienced with it. And in my head, I'm like, dang, like, that's kind of like, that's probably
16:25what he went through. You know, people didn't appreciate him being truly him. Um, it's probably
16:31what led to him, you know, to make a decision of what he did because people can make people feel
16:35bad. And from that point, I was just like, you know what, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it. I'll
16:41care for you. You know, honestly, it has, it has helped because there's so many people that have
16:46said something about it. And as a human, you got to make a choice. Are you going to let it bother
16:50you? Are you going to keep going? And honestly, people only said something about it when I was,
16:56when my football playing time wasn't accurate, but it's past year when I was balling.
17:02They're not even talking about you now.
17:07People are just so wishy-washy.
17:09Wishy-washy. This is so wishy-washy. So, I mean, like I said, you just got to,
17:13you know, do it. You got to find something to regard it because as soon as you're doing good,
17:17everybody's gonna know. We're on the wave.
17:20Well, I think it also points out a really fascinating picture. Like you all, we never
17:25know what people are going through and we never know the reasons behind why people do what they
17:28do. So this opened up a whole piece of dialogue that I had no clue was coming. And it gives you
17:35an opportunity to spread awareness about a very important issue. So if there's nothing more that
17:40we learn from even this exchange here, it's let's give people an opportunity to be who they are so
17:45we can learn more about not only who they are, but their story, who they know, what causes are
17:50important to them. So I commend you for, first of all, your courage because people are mean for
17:55no reason. People are judgmental, but for you to move forward despite that and continue to push
18:01and be able to empower people and educate them. I think that's incredible.
18:04I appreciate it. I feel like you have too. And I think that's my job in this world is to
18:10because being a football player is it's tough because there's this perfect image that people
18:15think that I have or we have. I'm from the hood. I'm from I we I don't we don't see stuff that,
18:23you know, anything to go up and change in this type of way because we're in the NFL now.
18:29Right. My image and my perspective is I want these kids to know, even though I am in the NFL,
18:34I'm still from the hood. Like I'm still that I'm still African-American. I'm still going to be my
18:40authentic true self, whatever they may look like, because everybody's not going to go to the NFL.
18:45I can't be inspiring all these young kids to go to the NFL when I know everybody isn't going to make
18:50it. You know what I'm saying? So I want to go inspire them to be them true selves and do whatever
18:55that might be. Football might be in it, but that's just one thing. You can be a doctor and go play
19:01basketball. You can go be a teacher. I mean, everything is important, but it's just so much
19:09perfection around professionals. But ain't nobody perfect. You're right.
19:17And you handle you handle the pressure well. And you you mentioned you want to inspire young
19:22people that they can be anything they want to be. And the interesting part about you is you're not
19:25just a pro athlete. You're an entrepreneur. And so even even the nail polish means something for
19:30you. Like the little birdie told me there's a partnership in the works with you, with the nail
19:35polish brand. So what do you hope to bring to the to the beauty space, air quotes, as a pro
19:41football player? I mean, my inspiration that has my when I fashion has always been A$AP Rocky,
19:49and he's kind of like the first person I've seen that did it. And I don't want to say that,
19:54but obviously it's A$AP, but as a man, he kind of showed everybody it's okay to take care of
20:00yourself as a man, because we grow up and saying that this is for females and this for females.
20:06And I'm like, nah, bro, your fingernails are dirty. You need to go like clean. Right. You know,
20:10so that's regular. That's regular self care that I've learned along the journey that, you know,
20:16is important. Hygiene is important. Making sure yourself is taken care of is important.
20:22It's just like what my mom told me, you can get no lady if you're not taking care of yourself.
20:27You know, honestly. So shout out to mom. She's correct.
20:31Like a lot of, you know, how I live my healthy life. For sure. Yeah, I love that. When you when
20:37you talk about your mom and you've mentioned her a few times and you think about just her as a
20:41black woman and raising you and all that encompass that, you know, what say you to
20:47the strength and the love and the nurturing that comes from a black woman?
20:51I watched her go through, like, I couldn't even imagine, you know,
21:01raising me and my brothers and the abuse of household that we had watching her, you know,
21:08me being an adult now, just looking like I don't know how, you know, I don't know how she did it.
21:13And she always found a way to make sure that her voice was taken care of.
21:18Um, and no matter what, she loved all of us the same. And she did right by, you know, all of us
21:23and the perseverance that she that she's shown and the work ethic that she's shown, like going
21:31back later in her life and getting a degree and getting a bachelor's degree. She's always showing
21:36us that, you know, to keep going, to keep pushing to be yourself. She's always supported all of us
21:42everything that we do. So she's always been that person in my ear to, you know, and I'm the baby
21:48too. So I'm the youngest out of how many, three, three, all boys. I'm the oldest of three girls.
21:55Come on. Youngest of all three boys, the oldest in the way. Um, but my mom always been super close.
22:02So how would you say coming up in an invite in a household that was sometimes a little tumultuous
22:07because you mentioned abusive there being the youngest boy. Um, now as a grown man, how have you
22:14thought about a process relationships or dating? How did some of that shape
22:19how you wanted to, to, to treat a woman moving forward in your life?
22:23It's affected everything. Um, how I see relationships and how, and what I want in it
22:30and how I carry it because I've seen what she's went through and I've never wanted to
22:37to be that, um, that type of household. So I definitely pride myself on, you know,
22:43trying to find the right person, but what year is it? 2025? Yes. We just started 2025 though.
22:51If that's any consolation. It's hard out here. It's very challenging. The dating pool. It has
22:57two centimeters of water in it. It's very shallow. It's very challenging because you know, everybody
23:03just want their own way. You know, it's a very self-centered world. Um, and even myself at times,
23:10I can see myself being self-centered, um, especially just wanting to build a legacy.
23:15So, you know, just trying to find a person who's going to actually come in and, you know,
23:21see a vision with me and believe in it with me while I can go and do the same for them.
23:25Um, as crazy as it sounds, those are the things are hard, hard to come by nowadays. You got to
23:31really take the time out to really find like a partner. Yeah. Yeah. It's going to happen for you.
23:36Yeah. It's going to happen for me too. Lord from, from our mouth to your ears, please,
23:41please God, it's going to happen for you. You got time too. You're young. 25. You're at the right
23:48age where it's time to start getting serious. I'm kind of, I'm not going to, I'm not going to,
23:56you got with five years to go. You're knocking that 30.
24:01These are the first five years. You don't want my fast. It's fastest five years. That's true.
24:07My only, I don't even feel like I'm 25, but still feel like I'm 20. Well, that's good.
24:12That's good. And you're doing, you're doing the right things. So you're on pace. And we've been
24:17doing a lot of talk a little bit about, about black women. And I would be remiss if I didn't
24:21talk about black women in sports. And when we look at the increased visibility on the basketball
24:26side and other sports gymnastics, there's so much excitement around black women in sports right now
24:31for you. What's your favorite sport to watch? And what's your favorite, who's your favorite
24:35black female athlete right now? Favorite female sport is definitely basketball.
24:41Um, just kind of like basketball and I'll definitely say Andrews. Yeah. Yeah. Um,
24:46I haven't even watched the play a lot, but it's, it's the, it's the authenticity. It's the,
24:52which you definitely just changed the game for everybody, you know, perception on what they can
24:58do, what they can do. And then it has just shut everybody up. Like shouters really just on flights
25:04and playing the league, traveling, shows, balling. And people are still finding something to say.
25:12I mean, it's like, well, like, what do you like, what do you want them to say? Like,
25:14like, what do you have to say? But as far as, you know, the community, even this black man,
25:20like she, I feel like she inspired black men to go be, you know, be themselves. Everybody saw how
25:24real she is. Everybody have seen how I'll think to see, you know, how I think that she has been.
25:29Yeah. And I think that has, you know, helped her. She put the name for herself or community. Um,
25:35and I feel like she's definitely helped others for sure. So Rashad, I love, I love you all. I
25:39love, I love you and Lamar and the Baltimore Ravens. You all are becoming like my favorites.
25:45And that's a lot. Cause I'm from Chicago. So the bears do exist. Okay. But you all,
25:50I pull for you all now. Okay. So I was sad what happened in these last playoffs.
25:56And it seems to me like you got everything. The lead up is great. You know, everybody's playing
26:02well. And then there's just like this wall that you run into and you can't, you can't quite get
26:08past the threshold to get to the super bowl. So with that in mind, you know, everybody's back
26:13training and getting their bodies together. You've got people getting traded, free agency,
26:17all these things. What do you think it's going to take for you guys to really get past that
26:20barricade that you kind of been running into and get to the, get to the super bowl?
26:25I just think you've got to continue to be, you know, the shark throughout the whole year. Um,
26:29and you got to, you got to be able to perform in big time moments. Um, and honestly the big
26:37time moments thing is honestly, uh, the most important thing because it's not like we can't
26:43do it right. Um, all year we performed at a very, you know, high level. A lot of guys had a lot of,
26:49you know, amazing, uh, plays and, and stats throughout the whole year, but it's only the
26:54playoffs when it seemed like stuff started to go wrong. So I feel like us, we got to stick to who
26:59we truly are. Um, don't try to do nothing. Um, that's not us. Um, just stick to the script and
27:05just go play, just go play football. It sounds simple, but for us that's as simple as it could
27:12be. Um, I think if we do that, we can get there. What's the biggest lesson you've learned about
27:19yourself as a person and a player being able to receive catches from Lamar Jackson and his
27:24leadership? It's crazy. Cause I grew up watching bro in college, like just watching him at the
27:30crib or that's what a lot of guys like in NFL now, Derek Henry, like who I play with, uh, now,
27:36uh, Odell that that's, that's my role model. So, you know, being in the same room as him was crazy,
27:41but Lamar is, I don't think people like realize who he is like until he's going to be done playing,
27:49you know, and that would have been my, if his situation wouldn't have happened,
27:53but right now the Mars could be the African-American person that, that, that young
27:59athletes look up to, especially for quarterback position because there's always been a stigma
28:03around him playing quarterback and black people playing quarterback. And he's winning, you know,
28:08broke down every single narrative that people have said about him. And that's why I respect him.
28:12And he do it in the realest way possible. Um, but now all he needs is the Lombardi. That's it.
28:19That's it. He'll have it. But, you know, despite anything, if I was on his team or not, you know,
28:24I would want to see some way, you know, just because, you know, where he represents.
28:28Yeah. And a lot of guys cost me for the same way.
28:32We've talked a lot about what you represent in our conversation today.
28:36Is there one thing about you that people may not know that you wish they did?
28:46I'm just a nice person. I'm genuine. He is a nice person. I mean, don't make me mad. I can't be
28:52sure, but I try not to get to that point, but I mean, I think overall, I'm a overall generous,
28:59you know, nice person and I see well, and I care about people.
29:06I would rather people know that about me than know that I'm rich or to know that I drive a
29:10nice car, but to know that I play football because a lot of that don't really mean anything to us at
29:17this level, that we just care about the general, you know, living things. This is how I was raised
29:23and the things that I care about. So I would definitely want people to know that side of me,
29:28but I can't meet everybody. You're right. Well, I think this conversation is going to open the
29:33door for them to get to know more about that. I think we got to, we painted a cool portrait of
29:38you and an authentic and genuine one with that. Before I let you go out of here, I was studying
29:42your Instagram and I'm seeing you at these hotels, taking pictures on the ledge. You know how
29:49that's how y'all, that's how people like to take nice pictures at the hotel. They go into the ledge,
29:53the little ledge outside, they take a picture. Somebody told me Nobu, you and Nobu have something
30:00going on. Okay. Yeah, I just went to Cabo and Nobu gave me a free stay out there. Really?
30:06I haven't really left the country, so I went to, I've been to Paris and London before, but it was
30:10more work, fashion related. But I went to Cabo a couple of weeks ago and stayed at Nobu and
30:16it was amazing. It was amazing. It was a nice trip. What did that teach you about the importance of
30:22you just taking vacations, taking some time away that has nothing to do with work? That was my
30:26first vacation since I've been in NFL, because every off season I've been trying to bounce back.
30:31So I've been locked in on training, but that helped a lot. I kind of want to go right now.
30:35I want to go back. As soon as I left, I got to come right back. I didn't even do nothing.
30:41Well, that's the best vacation when you're not doing something. You just go and relax.
30:44Just chill. And it hit me that I haven't really chilled in a very, very long time.
30:50And I think I need to do more. Everybody should do more of that for themselves.
30:53Take a trip to Cabo. I've been to Cabo. He's telling the truth. One of my favorite,
30:58favorite visits. So next visit, if it's not Cabo, where would you like to go? Now you know that you
31:04need more vacations. What's your dream vacay spot next time? I want to go to Bali. Really?
31:10Yeah. I just seen the video on TikTok. It looked nice.
31:13You go out there and meditate. Are you going to get on that swing or is that too much?
31:19I still got to stay healthy. I don't need no problem. So I still got to run and be prepared.
31:24So now I don't need no problem. Just go out there and vibe.
31:26Okay. Vibe.
31:27Meditate.
31:28Meditate.
31:28No swing.
31:29No swing. No swing. Push-ups instead. No swing. No swing. Is the swing like high or something?
31:37Yes. It's like, I think it's a little bit of an illusion. So it kind of sits on this hill.
31:42And when you swing out, it looks like you're going like over the hill.
31:46But I think there's some safety measures in place. But when people go there,
31:50that's one of the things that they get on. It's like a tourist attraction. They go on the swing.
31:53I'm not.
31:55You don't want to do that.
31:56I don't like to put myself at risk. I think that's how people end up.
32:02But you do put yourself at risk playing in the NFL. But that's a mitigated risk. That's a risk
32:07you're okay with.
32:07Because I ain't getting paid to go do that.
32:09But right. So no Bali swing for free.
32:10No.
32:11Got it. Okay.
32:12They got to take me out of my country.
32:18Well, I know you're going to get your trip in Bali. You'll probably go back to Cabo.
32:21And we'll see you at the Super Bowl as well. I'm calling it right now.
32:25Where is the Super Bowl next year?
32:27Where's the Super Bowl next year? I don't even know.
32:30It's in L.A.? It is in L.A. next year.
32:35It's in San Fran? San Fran. I'll see you in San Fran.
32:39Next year, you're going to be holding up the Lombardi trophy.
32:42And I'm going to recall this conversation that we had today.
32:45Please do. We'll speak it.
32:47We're speaking into existence right now.
32:50I want to thank you, Rashad. This was an amazing conversation.
32:53And I just appreciate your openness and transparency.
32:56And just wishing you the best.
32:57And you say you feel like you're about to be 30.
33:00He got five more years, right?
33:02So enjoy this 25th, going into 26th year.
33:07It's going to be very special for you.
33:09And wishing you all the best.
33:10I appreciate it. Thank you so much.
33:11I appreciate you having me.