BraveMen S3E73: Darrel Young - NFL / Character / Grit

Derell Young is a football player that could hit you so hard he could knock you into tomorrow. That's how strong he is. This is Paulo's call. This is Brave Men and with me is Chris Shields our producer and I've really enjoyed getting to know Derell. He works with the NFL office now which makes the world safer for anybody who's running or trying to grab runners because he was an amazing fullback with Washington Redskins before that is a linebacker came out of Villanova. This guy is 511 245 pounds of solid muscle. I'm telling you man this guy and he's one of the nicest guys you've ever made. Oh my gosh so nice. He's amazing. He is amazing literally. Yeah. Yeah. He blows my mind like the fact that on November 3rd 2013 he recorded three touchdowns in a game. In one game. In one game. Really? Against the chargers. Against the chargers. San Diego. Yeah. Out to San Diego. Shout out to Robert Baragher who's a who's part of our Christmas network executive team and he is a charger fan to the point of down there in Lima, Peru. Oh my gosh. He's always got a way to watch the chargers games. Wow. Even though they're not San Diego. So he might remember this game then. Oh I'm sure he does. So the game winner happened to be Derell scoring a touchdown. In overtime. In overtime. Wow. Final score 30 to 24. God. Sky. So I mean this man is not just a nice guy. He's a clutch guy. He's a winner. Yeah. You know he's a champion. He is someone that we can learn from. We can emulate. We can grow stronger and get better and he could probably teach us some things in the weight room. You know we talked in the second part of our time together. He and I talked about character. Was it take to get ahead because he he went undrafted out of Villanova's linebacker. Yeah. Came in got cut and then Mike Shanahan. This shows you the brilliance of that man as a coach brought him back but converted him from linebacker to fullback. Wow. Which in American football. I know a lot of friends be listening in other countries in American football. That's the man who clears the way mostly. Yes. And I mean we're talking about a man 511 245 pounds running at you full speed desiring to knock you on the ground. Yes. But it also speaks to his ability to you know change because it's like it's not easy to go from linebacker to fullback. It's totally different size of the ball. Yeah. You know totally different playbooks. So many different things go to that change. But it also speaks to Mike Shanahan. Seeing the potential in him to say hey you know you were going this way but let me take what you have in you and put you here. You know. Yeah. Brave men is a ministry outreach of the Christian men's network. You can find all of our materials at cmn.men. And I think if you could Chris about halfway through the interview. Yeah. You can jump in tell people where to find the materials and so forth and about what we're doing. But the realm you know that whole shift from being linebacker to fullback. Not only speaks to his his acumen. His ability to gather things and to think his his football was what they call football IQ. Yes. Not only speaks to that but it also speaks to his willingness to do that. Right. Well you were just saying exactly. Character. Yeah. So I'm excited to be able to have Dorella here today on Brave Men podcast and I want to go right in I asked him some stuff I said hey I want to talk about just football. We'll talk about character and all those things and all those are important. But I want to talk about football. I want you meet Dorella young right now. Talking with Dorella young and talking let's talk football man. Let's talk carrying the rock. That whole thing is a fullback. Who was the toughest guy you ever had to block? When you went into a game and you looked across and you go. Oh man. I'm going to and and because you're trying to block the whole and then go up to the second level right. Absolutely. So now you're looking at some guy and you're thinking man this guy's going to be so tough. Who would that be? So it was interesting. There was a few of them. Pay homage to everyone with everyone I tried to everybody. You made it in the end of life. It was very unique in their own way but camp chance that we were playing the Seahawks the weekend after a Thanksgiving weekend. November 27th 2011 don't ask me why I remember this day but we were on the goal line. We called 17 power and I just remember looking back at Roy Hulu and I said wow we're going to run at the camp chanceless side this week. All right let's do it. So you know you see on film you see the guy not laying people out you know but he's a really good guy and you know speaking to him before the game he's like just a genuine dude so I'm like this can't be that bad. So think about the modern day Sean Taylor at 6 3 230 pounds at safety on the goal line. I ran in to hit him on the power. We both hit each other. We take a step back. Roy Hulu runs past us and it was one of those that you just had each other on the head and said wow good stuff buddy. That day I knew what a grown man was. First year starting at fullback and you know it was it was a welcome to the NFL moment. My goodness man. Yeah well that guy you know obviously one of the greatest players at that position and so you know you caught your first pass not from you had starting quarterbacks you you played with Rex Grossman RG3 right I think you're last year per customer. John Beck Kurt Cuzz is called McCoy Jason Campbell all those guys. There are some Texas boys in there. Hey but but you caught your first touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb and I remember looking that up going what? Yeah yeah. Donovan was it was the first year he left Philly. We played it was my mom's birthday. It was Monday night fall November 15 2010 and we were down 35 to nothing and Mike Sellers we threw a ball in play we threw a ball in pass and you know Fred Davis got down to the three-yard line Mike Sellers gets poked in his eye and they're like you're up and I'm like what me okay let's do it. So I remember coming in the huddle Donovan McNabb walks and he says hey I'm coming to you and I was like well whatever that means he says I write fig 19 we keep right fullback slide. I said that's going to me okay. I'm like back and I'm looking I'm like wow the guy Asante Samuel fell and I said this is it he throws the ball and like then he threw a bad ball I was like oh I can't drop this so zone then on it caught the ball and you know it was my first active season and like it says my mom's birthday my brother was over these in Afghanistan so it was I had that game ball still up and I'll live around but you couldn't drop it man there's oh no I've never heard the end of that wide open drop first time on offense like that it wasn't coming back from that because you as we talked about your you were a linebacker and so then they move you the fullback so now let me ask you tell me that again tell me that play again because this is what as as we watched this you know and I'm a I'm a football fan I mean I can go to Peewee games and not even know the kids and still into myself you know I just love the action of it I love the strategy as you get older but NFL man tell me that play again yes so we knew that they would be in a six-two-bowline package they were the type of team that like man coverage down within the red zone so we knew that they would blitz inside pressure when we go to I write formation so we brought this he down I write close to make sure that he cut off the backside and and made a sautee come in closer so when I came back I had it I should have an edge on it because the play was going away and then coming back so it was I write fake 19 we keep right full back slide and he says it that fast in the hole oh it's just hey I write fake 19-week fullback slide I don't want to that's how it goes you got to know this stuff man oh words trigger pictures and you know they didn't say anything to anyone or what to do so it's a concept and that's what's made you know honestly Kyle Shanahan and the Shanahan system so effective because everyone understands what the next guy the guy next to him is doing which makes me know that from a spacing concept everything comes out to a triangle five points or three to a side which would be strong so you understand that you know being in their system that's fantastic not to say your coach was Mike Shanahan at that Mike Shanahan yes and his son's done pretty good he's that amazing he was the coordinator that actually called it a play so well that's right he was coordinator then yep and then and so tell me about being in meeting rooms you know this is a thing that that we know I ever get to be a part of the closest that we as a fans ever got was when John Gruden was doing that show that he did kind of like in the room with the quarterback thank you can't yep the QB QB grinders or whatever he called it yeah but yeah when he was assessing the QBs and where they were coming out yeah what's that like in the meeting room then I mean you get in there it's it's serious yeah there's a few sides to it is you know when you lose when you win or you're preparing so you know we'll start with the bad but when you're losing you know you pay attention to you know all the little things that you know really hone in on why you lost the game so you kind of break down each play but it's really whatever you see you know this week that worked against you you're going to see it next week so how do you respond to it so we always say that you know high school is the next day colleges have time to process the next play so if you don't correct it within that next play they're coming back after you but yeah the good side of it is when that bad is bad and you win the game is not as bad so but but then the purview in words if you if you block the wrong guy oh you the next play the next play the guy takes off and you you caught one of the guys who was trying to blitz or something yeah absolutely you have to think about that previous but yeah the good thing is that you know the professionals know so I knew on Sundays when my technique wasn't right I knew when I missed a block or I didn't block the right guy one from the pictures on a sideline but you know the pros in the game because they're like oh man you made a three call like you made a four call like I should be back side on that line back you know those things once it happens so you know it's really just being a student in the game and that's the thing that goes on in there everything sounds great in air conditioning and what we say so I can install a whole offense but as soon as you get some moving pieces on defense and they're showing one side but blitzing from the other then you know you started to get into you know just being a student at a game again and understanding the rules and techniques you know if they're straight to the side the running back has to pink to go to that side or if not you know it's only three you have three for three so you don't have to go back side or you know Shanahan was ahead of the game in terms of he didn't want the running backs to go side to side to get in the way to quarterback so what he would do is have to have back wrap to the backside a gap but they're put you in bad situation sometimes but it was the concept because you got a guy like Javon Kirsch looping into the a gap I'm sitting in the a gap eyes big I'm gonna either cut him or I just got to be I got a man up for a moment and just you know put my face in there and you know you was best for the team at the moment so you know it's three different phases to it and you know but but it's fun it's something that you never never really go through well it's like JJ Watts said the other day he said you know we're really privileged we're playing a game yep there's people fighting for their lives we're playing a game when we're getting paid well so but you've got to know your stuff you've got to do a lot of study this is not in a sense that you're playing a game but you're at such a level that you're looking at every single little nuance hey let me ask you something who hit you when you got up who you were running with the ball because this amazes me I think if I ever ran with a football just one time and got hit yeah I'd be like chicken noodle soup for weeks I'm telling my wife you know but you got hit all the time who hit you the hardest I would say we were playing on Monday night football we were playing the Giants we call fullback screen left I knew that peer Paul would come up field we started it for the last two weeks fake amount turns side catch the screen I had nothing but green daylight so I'm running but from what I remember from the week this is where common sense should override the rule over road to rule yeah and they told me to never the screens don't go outside the numbers if I would have stayed outside the numbers I would have had a probably 60 yard touchdown but I knew Prince Mookamora was behind me but I knew Trent Williams was responsible for kicking him out Trent Pancake them the next day when I looked on film if I would have stayed outside I probably would have scored but I decided to go inside to follow the rule and what was taught to me from day one so yeah staying on a sidewalk is what they call it inside the numbers Jonathan Cassias was a linebacking you know they bounced around for a little bit he clocked my bell I'm like I made one guy missing then I just I just got up you know you see the little fuzzies and he's like wow okay this is good but I couldn't show that emotion there I had to be excited about it even though I felt it I went to the sideline and I said damn that was a good one well that's that now that is something that we see now that they've got so many different cameras yeah we didn't see that years ago but now we see the guy in the sideline turned to a friend and go man I got it yeah yeah you question yourself a little bit am I doing the right thing they're not in the right profession absolutely man so tell me the difference between a Jay Gruden and a Mike Shanahan because you know so often we talk about good players make good coaches absolutely it seems to me derail that there are times where coaches come in and it actually changes the team and so coaches have a lot to do with it tell me the difference between a Jay Gruden and a Mike Shanahan I think experience you know that was Jay's first time running an organization that's right you know you come in you come into a situation where the history says that there's a lot of dysfunction so you're coming in and you know Jay had his own philosophy but he still had all of us Shanahan players so he had a chance you know six years on the dance night it was the longest tenure of any coach but I think you built some good things they took some steps but you know Jay was just I'm not gonna say inexperience he was just younger than Shanahan well Shanahan had that offensive coordinator position where he came off a Super Bowl run with with the 49 to 94 got the job in 95 with the Broncos one back the back 97 98 and people don't remember he got fired at eight feet in a week so it wasn't like he was losing you know they were coming off down some yard backs each year they had clean quarters they had undrafted guys and self and young how a Griffin Spencer Larson was a linebacker who moved the fullback who played for four years in that system so the system was proven and Jay was in a situation where he was still trying to get proven you know Andy don't you're after them young we had a lot of dysfunction at quarterback in terms of okay what's the system for RG3 what's the system for Kirk what's the system for Colt who works best for me so it was just a lot of finding pieces in the beginning and then you know it's a lot of things for the average fan then what's the difference you've got an RG3 who particularly his first couple years you know could could move quickly and you got a Kirk cousins who's known as a dropback yeah a passer even though he's a very athletic guy and then you got Colt McCoy who came out of a little different system in Texas yep you know so would you guys have to come up with different plays would you run different things as the quarterback changed or would you just would the quarterback have to kind of fit into what the system was so the unique thing about Kyle Shanahan was his system was tailored to make it sure that he catered to what the quarterback needed so that's what makes him great now and you look at them running the ball today yeah also what you say people can say that it's a pass and league it is but when you run the ball think about Tony Rome on 2014 with the mark over Murray and what he was able to do RG3 in 2012 Alfred has 1613 yards that year RG3 had 900 yards so we ran the ball effectively which opened up the back end because you would need to put eight or nine in a box now to stop us but that's open up guys like Pierre Garçon to Sean Jackson though that's when we were able to be our best and I think you know like I said Kyle did a great job of catering to what Robert was great at but he was able to use that same system and catered to what Kirk was great and so we still did the rollouts we did zone reads you see people didn't think we were doing it but in 2012 the game RG3 got hurt we played the Ravens the two-point conversion I'll never forget was double right QB draw we all looked like what are you doing he has the opportunity to change it to a pass and it's like why are we doing that was wide open because they never expected it and that was the brains behind Kyle like we're going to hit him where they never expected it they don't have any film on Kirk outside of college so you know it just catered to us we even used players sometimes the the play calls or what they would come up with would be like oh wow this is different oh absolutely Kyle's mindset even Jay's mindset and Charmic Vay now like some of the things that they do a team might have ran it one way we're going to flip the formation and run it and call it the same thing that the team called it and that's the interesting thing so you know but the great thing about Kyle and the Shanahan system and even Jay stop me that was the philosophy I'm going to run what I've run stop me we're going to do keepers we're going to do inside zone we're going to do outside zone we're not going to change it we're just going to say what's lined up mine are we mine on see who's going to be the best and if we win the line of scrimmage we'll have a day a field day it's brave man with Paul Lewis Cole wisdom and courage for the journey I'm talking with Dorrell Young and Dorrell is the manager of engagement and player relations for the national football league and Dorrell it's good to talk to you today man thank you for having me I appreciate you guys yeah we appreciate what you do and it's been we're talking right in the middle right now covid season and all that stuff been a wild time to try to figure out things for the NFL hasn't it you know what it it has but it's another another another verb that we use in the football or another phrase it's just sudden change that's it sudden change so what are you going to do to pivot navigate and try to be successful well that that's a great lead into the first thing I want to I want to talk to you about and it's September 2009 September 2009 you came out of Villanova you're undrafted you make a team the washing redskins you're on this thing things are going along September it changes you get cut and you get in your car and drive the Ford Brad yep yep yeah tell me about that you want to see your brother tell me about that's an amazing reaction for a young man to do yeah you know what I was a three weeks in on the practice one they they released me and I said I I've never been cut in my life I don't know what to do I don't know how to react to this this is the first time I've been challenged in something that I felt like I was decent at so it was really the first time that I just had to step back and say okay what do I want to get out of this what are my goals and down to see my brother at Fort Bragg and he uh he spoke to me and said you know what your assignment is bigger than what's what's behind you already and I said wow what a quote so I went back and started training I actually worked the finish line for a few months and when the redskins signed me back I was back I was behind in some bills and I had $42 in my count I parked my car for sick off of three weeks until I got my first paycheck I took the shuttle every day that the hotel offered and literally you know called Mike Shannon well told Mike Shannon and I walked in his office and said when he moved me to fullback that uh I'm not going home it's not an option this time you know this this is a place where I want to be I've worked my whole entire life to get this experience on the field and now I have this opportunity I'm gonna I'm gonna do everything that I can to stay here and we all say it but I meant it and you know I was just starting fullback from from there on out now your brother uh your brother served in Afghanistan yes sir right yeah is he uh is he still in the military so he just retired he actually just hit his one-year anniversary uh this past week so he is retired now and working as a director of nutrition in the hospital in Kansas City, Missouri wow fantastic but boy you know it's amazing because he had a word for you and I I know you're close to your dad you've got a lot of friends coming out of Villanova uh you've still got probably friends from Amityville where he grew up there on Long Island and yet yeah at that crunch time you needed somebody you were close to yes sir yes sir I think that's I think that really speaks of what we talk a lot about uh Dorelle which is Brotherhood yes sir right and and I think that uh you know what I watch you know because here this is another thing uh I talked about it with a friend of mine Otto Kelly this morning we were talking about finishing your assignment yes sir and that's the thing you learned to do uh under a coach like a coach Shanahan but you were you came out of high school had a great career go to Villanova you're a linebacker yes sir you're in your eyes you're the next singletary yeah I mean I'll think of this but like I would like that until you get to the uh the Vernon Davis that lives there out there okay can win win them yeah yeah so the thing is is that and then uh then you get you get caught or you know uh like a friend of mine said he said well I lost my job you know and uh then uh through your brother's word you end up going getting resigned but he calls you and it says uh you know I know you came here as a linebacker but you're now fullback yes and you said this is incredible man where does this come from you said I'm not going home so I'm going to be the fullback yeah absolutely sorry it did to answer the question it it comes back from just my foundation now I watch my dad that the values that he instilled in my brother and I as young men growing up in America whether it be a young black man or whether just being able to take care of your family uh the things that he taught us was you know continue to work hard people can't question when you have a job so when you're able to provide for your family you do everything in which it takes ethically you know it the right way and ethical behavior and ethical manner to uh you know to adhere to those rules but do it in the way that you represent your last name your foundation your family where you want to go so um I watched my dad clean banks growing up you know it wasn't it wasn't ideal in a sense of what I wanted to do but I also learned the values out of that transferable skills the things that I didn't want to do and uh watching him do that he said I'm doing this to take care of you do you work two jobs with a three job as a taking God to do the bank and I said I'm gonna do everything I can to give back to something that you may not look at and say a success but it's success in a sense of you you took us out of where you didn't want us to be at so um like I said the values that he instilled in me uh that this starts from a foundation my mom and dad they've been married for 40 plus years now and all I know is love so what I'm gonna do is you know pass that on to my family and uh my daughter now so I'll live that legacy and where did that grow up so he's going to stay on North Carolina so he used to grow up eating red clay yeah so you got a little bit of southern little bit of New York and you both yes sir right and uh grew up in Long Island so that I mean really when you speak of your father inputting values into you I know this is something you and I have talked about before and something you're very concerned about and the NFL because it's concerned about is uh the young so many young men that are dad deprived in our culture today sir yes sir right and and you guys are really going after that uh strongly you started hashtag NFL dad which I think is a fantastic hashtag and I've watched that on Instagram and seeing some of the guys who put their stuff on earth it's incredible because that's really we're providing a peer if you will uh environment for guys to to stick yeah right absolutely so I think you know you read the perception that's out there around players is you know what you hear from the media whether it be negative or positive players have kids in different cities well they're actually some really good fathers in the NFL who may not have had a father in their lives and I think about you know some of the stories that are out there but then I look at the guys like a Tory Smith who's you know giving back to his kids the McCordy brothers who saw my young as a former player working in the office you know he lost his dad and all the things that he he learned from his dad he's doing now and in his day-to-day life and in the building in terms of the initiative and the approach so right now um some of the stories that are out there like I said it's guys that you know grew up in families without you know grew up in homes without that but at the end of the day we're talking about the humanized players the fans and um you know just tell a positive story because there's so many positive stories out there that I think of um Demario Davis yep yes sir you know and then here's Demario now speaking of linebacker there we go connect to your old I mean would you still rather have been a linebacker or did I mean you enjoyed playing other way right yeah you know what I would have enjoyed being a linebacker more probably because I didn't have to come off the field but uh you know I wasn't good enough I was short and fat and they put me at fullback so just go run into people but uh go run into people yeah but you were good at it you you were a starter for the Washington Redskins man it's not too many people that were done that and you know in North America coming out of you know Peewee football and and all the stuff you do get to that level here where you're actually a starter the NFL is an extremely rare thing so congratulations on that and you did it for a number of years thank you thank I think of Demario and uh in him coming out of the middle of Mississippi and and now starting youth programs and these are not things that um you know basically in the front of the news what's in the front of the news I'll tell you what's in the front of my news all the time is what somebody's making on their contract right or how how this guy messed up or how this coach maybe has his act together it doesn't have his act together and it depends on the time of the season right but uh I think there's some amazing stories like his stories that that we just don't see yep and that that's where we have to do a better job of his highlighting that to to show that you know players are role models and to be honest we're our kids first role models so we want to pass the legacies down but also do it in a way where we're in engaged ad we're intentional um and we're just serving tell me what's you got a five-year-old daughter uh tell me what's you know as you see her go to school and she's starting to grow up and starting to actually look at her dad as this hero what did you learn from your dad that you are like man I definitely want to make sure I imprint this on my daughter's part you know what just the work ethic aspect you know my god man or female um it it's just really being who you are and being comfortable who you are where you are taking advantage of the present preparing for the future but understanding that uh we all have we all have goals and the way to accomplish those is to work towards that goal so set short term and long term but I think uh just loving her you know my parent like I said I go back to the comment I made before all I understand is love so the way I've been told for some mentors is love is spelled T-I-M-E so well man you being engaged ad but you spend time and you being intentional about the approach of being a dad and listening listening to understand and not listening to respond and that's one of the things I've learned with a little girl now and uh you know with my nephew I can I can be rough I can I can not say what I want to but be a little tough on where is a lady a young lady young black lady I want to hear what she has to say and not correct her but understand okay this is how you make that point but you have to support this not APA format but I want you to be able to explain why you feel a certain way if asked so yeah that's fantastic you giving your uh foundation yes sir yeah this is successful in life you're a good dad bro hey this is Chris I want to take a moment right in the middle of this great conversation to let you know the Brademan podcast is a production of the Christian men's network worldwide Christian men's network has helped pastors and leaders disciple men for over 40 years you can find all the resources for mentoring and fatherhood at cmn.men that's the Christian men's network at cmn.men there's a fresh new study every week called power of potential that just started Monday night men is a new resource for men and pastors as a pastor you can follow up the 30 minute study with a digital meetup with your men for prayer discussion and teaching some churches are using the videos as part of a group meeting as an individual in large energized and build a strong mindset this 13-week study will be on YouTube and Facebook get your books and materials at cmn.men that's the Christian men's network at cmn.men stop what you're doing take your phone tablet or computer and like us on Facebook follow us on Instagram and follow us on Twitter unless you think you will lose the podcast in that case make yourself a note that's the Christian men's network or Paul Lewis Cole now let's get back to this powerful interview between Paul and D'Areal Young. I mean I just get something you know there's a you know because of the contracts a short term that guys are in the NFL on average. We talk about all this money but an awful lot of guys come out of the NFL and don't have anything left. How are you guys at time? I know this is a huge thing with you know Troy Vincent and in all of you at the NFL office particularly on your player engagement side how do you go after that? How are you working on that? See that point again I'm sorry. No that's the whole thing about they come out of you know so a young man comes out of a football and all he's known as football he's made enough money to sort of be okay but a few years later we find on average the young man is not doing well financially maybe not doing well in his life and it seems to be perhaps tragically a majority of young men how do we change it how are you guys shifting that? Yeah so that's what I thought I wanted to make sure I understood it so it's really just having a system in place and when I say a system it's really providing programs resources and initiatives that allow players to understand one who they need to go to two what's available and three how they they act on those perks and benefits that are available to them so per CBA there's some language in there stipulations around what former players have access to the NFL PA does a great job I'm currently getting my masters at Georgetown University. Wow that's the NFL Players Association. So working hand in hand with them with the resources we filter guys that we have relationships that come to us do them and vice versa because we offer different things but at the end of the day it's about serving but to minimize that ESPN put the percentage out there that there's 80% so that's the number now it's lower but that's what they put out so that's the perception but I'm really just engaging with guys the first thing that you know when you go through transition you think you're alone you're not alone but you also have to have people in place so we have what we call transition that are in regions and we have legends coordinators and directors who are with the legends community with the NFL who so so responsibility is to build a community of brotherhood to say you know what regardless if you played once one year or you played 20 years you've contributed to the impact of today's game and we want to highlight the fact of what you did but celebrate that assess where we are and then equip for the future there's so many guys doing things in business we talk about peer-to-peer engagement if you did it I'm going to I'm going to be some more susceptible to listen to it as you're saying it because you're a guy that went through and you feel what I feel and I feel alone there's places in my life where I felt like I couldn't vent to anyone because of you know maybe in the immediate household that didn't feel what I felt because I don't know I've ever lost something that I've been doing for so long that no one ever told me that it was over so here I am you know cloud nine one day in the next day I'm in this uncertainty space do I continue to train do I go back so there's a lot of things that we're doing that's still not enough because the number is higher than one you know one is two men here you go wow that's really good and I've got I've got friends of mine who did go through that and friends of friend of mine JD Hill and JD played this this goes way back this he played with Kelly up there in Buffalo wide receiver he was all right down here in Arizona yes JD's a great friend but what happened to him man he hit bottom and he all addles and a couple other guys came and pulled him out of a drug house in the middle of Phoenix yep and it's and the beauty of where what you're doing now it seems to me derail is that people saw that and now album I say addles is album battles sorry and addles is the basketball guy so what happens now is you've actually built an infrastructure the NFL has actually begun to build something that that touches and helps guys rather than just you know it's like hey you're on the street see you yep absolutely it has to be a system in place for you know and like you said the business part of it is you're not responsible you know under country you're not going to contract with that club anymore but that's when to leave office in the NFL PA can come in to work together to figure out the best plan for guys leaving the game so on the NFL side I can speak to that we do a transition a career transition program so it was formally known as the Brista success now we've just had a name change it will be called life beyond the game where we bring players in along with their significant others to talk about uh to celebrate the past to assess where they are to a equipment for the future and then we do a career fair on the last day where we bring in four to five hundred companies into players and we've had players leave out of there with jobs at amazon striker real PI WWE so these are stories that we want to tell because there's so many guys doing things uh great things but players don't know about it so how do we engage with today's athlete today's millennials to literally put a pan and plan in place that one we could strategically get them the buy into the program that we're doing but also tell something tangible they could take away and say I learned this I may not be interested in the striker but I know what I don't want to do that's the goal then we become with a career plan so we partner with a sending athlete to the group that uh has been around for 20 plus years doing career services for us and putting resumes together and job shadows and internships and you're starting to see the NFL do more of that uh in the internship and job shadow piece because man one thing we tell current players is you know you have a brand right now not that your brand goes away when you're done playing but it's not as strong as it is when you're on that field represent the shield so utilize it build as many connections as you can and reply the people that's that's the easiest thing you can do right now so when you're done there's an opportunity for you to engage studios all get authentic relationships that you have built and that's fantastic and I just thank God for that man hey tell me how you know so here you are navigating some some difficult things helping other guys navigate how does faith provide a foundation for you in your life well for me God was the first thing that every time we go to a band it's like thank God oh God so for me it was a no-brainer and what I did was I stepped back and I said my whole entire life God I've been asking you I've been asking for what I wanted I'm asking for this for this one time to place me where you see me and that's what I felt like I prayed about and I left it there and here I am today and I don't even know if this is the the final stop in terms of where I want to go with things but here's where this is where I am presently and I'm going to be the best of where I am today where you've been here about three years now I think and and uh in player and man you know player engagement and uh relationships with players but it's so much bigger than that because every player you touch has impact on to an ordinance of matter of people yes sir absolutely that man's demeanor attitude speech things he does could impact thousands of young men across the United States absolutely we're role models and we always tell guys celebrate where less than one percent of the guys who play collegiate football get to go to on a on a level so regardless of where you play that in college if you had an opportunity to touch that professional feel you have reached a pinnacle of sports we want to celebrate that we want to highlight you because there's so many people who still want to do that at 45 years old that won't even get a chance to go on to feel for just pregame just to shake a player's hand so celebrate you accomplish something that's great and we want to make sure that you feel included in terms of when we're doing stuff for career development personal development continue in education don't finance your education whatever it may well so you prayed over where you are today and and you and your fiance you guys prayed about here's you know what's what's the Lord have for me after football yes sir and uh you really feel God direct your footsteps and where you are today absolutely I couldn't I couldn't blame it on anything else I wouldn't want to you know we could say luck but we know like I said we all have an assignment and a calling and you know hopefully uh I continue to grow from here and don't take a step backwards but it's all it's only the hands of God and I think you know Jesus Christ I'll always save you hey man brother well you know the thing is when you touch people it's like you don't have to quote a scripture you are the scripture yes sir yes sir you had to live and test them only to to what is out there yeah and and so I'm thankful you know having been around a number of friends over the years and and of course hearing some of JD's wild stories from the old days you know I am so glad the lords led men like you and Nusama and Troy Vincent and the others who are there in the NFL office in New York and and we pray blessings on you now because I know behind the scenes there's a lot of stresses there's a lot of pressures there's a lot of people pushing and pulling from all different directions because of your high visibility yep and so we pray you know over you and your fiance and your and your little daughter we pray the peace of God and we pray that everything you put your hands to a prosper in every place you put your feet will be holy ground yes and they God will keep you deep within the grip of his favor and grace so I've been talking to Daryl young my friend who works there in the NFL office director and manager of engagement and player relations and really Daryl thank God for you where you're at for all the young men that you'll have impact over and as the Lord leads your footsteps and this thing getting the masters manager sounds a big deal brother and it's something that you know we we preach on it's one of our pillars out of the NFL office that we want to push you know tuition go back to school and get your education because it can assist you's not ultimately the thing that'll put you where you want to go but it can assist you in the process to get to where you want to go but there's a lot of stings out there that players are uneducated well if anyone can learn a playbook each week I think you're educating some aspects just if you want to do it so yeah I've seen I've seen playbooks and and goodness I know it's foreign language it's foreign language when I switch from defense to offense defense is hey cover two bring off and he left 300 protection running back go this way which he didn't tell the tight end or the other receiver what to do and it's like all right this is concepts this is foreign but you know what to comment about pressures and stresses my special teams coach Danny Smith and he was one of my favorite coaches I've ever had he was excellent guy that signed me to the redskins he said he why pressure is asking you to go play quarterback you've been playing linebacker your entire life you've been playing special teams your entire life that's not pressure because you've been in a situation pressure is going to ask you to play at a high level I quarterback for something you've never done so if you've done it it's not pressure and when he said that that stuck with me that resonated with me and he's actually one of the coaches that I still lean on today in that space as an as an influencer as a role model as a mentor and just a great person man I'm telling you Dorelle that's that's a huge statement I I think that every church in America ought to have a program that develops coaches for soccer and football and baseball and every sport there is just because you have such amazing impact on young young men and women in our in our world today the thing I just read a couple months ago in USA today was there were all these sports programs closing down because they didn't have enough coaches yeah yeah well I learned about through my master's programs is the goal of you sports is character development so that translates into what that player is going to be or that person is going to be in some aspect but every person I've been around every coach that I've had the coaches have been my mentors throughout my life and not just that one-off instance whereas some people just pass through your life in different phases of your life but that coach is still remain with me that had an immediate impact and spoke life into me and always said Bobby Turner is the running back coach for the San Francisco 49ers and he always said if I have to write you a book you're not the guy I'm looking for because I want you to watch trigger pictures but that that trigger picture for me that I had to understand where he was coming from with it but understand that life isn't going to write you the book or a pathway that you need to get to to be successful so here's the picture of me go painting that's awesome man and there's so many great things I hope with this master's program everything you're writing some of these things down not only you know for us but for the young men that come behind you you know I'm sure you go back to your high school occasionally there in Amityville and what high school wasn't? Amityville Memorial High School. So Amityville Memorial High School you go back there you know you made it all the way through in that sense and I have a great impact so you know really thank God for you in doing that self for man coaches amazing impact that the coaches have on young men across our culture and with a daddy pride culture I think one of the biggest things we can do right now is is encourage men to become coaches and anybody listening right now shoot you know I played some athletics and sports and stuff growing up and through college but you know I coached a little league baseball and a friend of mine and I were both busy with our businesses and all that he took one practice I took the other would work it out did that for a few years and had a marking point in some of the young men's lives but it marked my life yes sir you're in large my life yeah yes so hey thanks for being with us on brave men to roll and welcome to everything you do thank you I appreciate you guys have all right God bless you man hey I'll talk to you soon yes sir thanks man you know there's so many things we can learn from Dorel you know especially as athletes this is just a guy that we want to model our life after you know like he is the real deal he's down the earth he knows how to knock people down but he also knows how to share wisdom and speak from his heart and not be you know afraid well what he had to learn and and he learned this alongside Robert Griffin the third rg3 yeah right and other people that he played with and the coaches he played for like we talked about you've got to stay after it you've got to get back up yeah everybody gets knocked down but it's the stalwart man that gets back up yeah I mean and so that's what you learn football is you're not going to make every play you're not going to be all pro on every play and uh so that's that's what I learned from the guy like Dorel you know is that stick to it of this and and we saw that even as we've talked about different curriculum for the NFL that we're working with with the Christian isn't it is he stays at it yeah focused yeah just keep working at it go after it and I really appreciate him for that and and the fact is that this year you know we're we're doing this in January now you may maybe listening to this in 2028 yeah I don't know yeah but I'm telling you where we're out right now in 2021 is we're still pushing through the effects of uh the pandemic and when I talk about the effects Chris I'm talking about fear anxiety stress I'm talking about people going upside down with their business I'm talking about all kinds of stuff happening I'm talking about people making decisions based on fear not faith people making decisions uh based on power not care for others yeah and so uh so when you hear Dorel young talk you hear a man who actually cares about others yes which is why he's in Troy Vincent's office exactly exactly right because that's their job yeah and he's a man that wants to see the change you know and that's why two things I love the quote which I know I say this but it's just something that will always be a part of my life champions are not those that never felt those that never quit yeah you know and he was eleven and one now faith now faith is the substance of things hope for and the evidence of things not seen so we have a man that is standing as a champion pushing on to what's coming next because he has hope in the next generation he has hope in the now but he also has hope in the next generation so he's building a foundation for the next generation to live a better life than he lived yeah and we need more men yeah that are committed to that yeah there's no question that's why we do what we do exactly is not working over a hundred nations around the world and that is to help pastors and leaders uh in churches disciple men so that dads disciple their children like just like Dorel's concern about exactly just uh like why he in uh Usama and the other guys what they started in hashtag NFL dads yes was in order to uh to just throw this out there and say hey this is what a real man looks like exactly what a dad looks like yes because some guys just need an image some of the people are living the way that they live is because they've never seen something bad they have never been taught exactly well that's what discipleship is discipleship is actually teaching here's the right way to do exactly right yep and so that's why we do what we do it it was great having Dorel young on brave men i don't want to thank you for being with us on the brave men podcast and being with us every single week or every time we have one out make sure you tell somebody about it what do they do it they go to this subscribe there's a subscribe button somewhere yes and then well not somewhere it's at the top okay click subscribe um and then you share mm-hmm and then you also can um comment okay yeah and you can um also give us a review yeah but you also can you know depending on where you see it because you might see it at Paul Rose Cole on Instagram feel free to comment be like hey this episode effect you know we will interact with you commenting there if it's a good comment and then we'll delete it oh no dude if a guy lays one out on this i'll interact with him we've done that in love in love or just interact but yeah just in the end forgiveness yeah lord forgive me because i'm about to just lay hands lay with lay hands but also depending on if it comes on facebook we will you know feel free to comment we want to know how this is impacting your life because that's what allows us to take it to the next level and if you want to get a hold of me just write to us at Paul at cmn dot men that's christian men's network cmn dot men Paul at cmn dot men christ and i both get those emails right to us if you got prayer requests and needs and we'll pray with you over those things thanks for being with us today on brave men remember hope is alive hope has a name hope's name is jesus you just experienced brave man with Paul Lewis Cole Paul is president of the christian men's network connect with Paul at cmn dot men or write to him at Paul at cmn dot men