I remember watching Barry Sanders highlights as a kid, and the Lions always being a fun team. I, personally, really never had a real negative connotation with the team. And I didn't really listen to those who did after I was drafted.
I always idolized guys like Deion Sanders, Barry Sanders, Steve Young and the entire 49ers team, really. I was a huge 49ers fan growing up.
Barry Sanders, by far. Not only one of my favorite Lions, but one of my favorite NFL athletes. It's all about highlights for me, I'm a receiver! Sanders is like the NFL version of an And1 mix tape.
There was sort of a negative association with the military. Maybe growing up in the South or being in a family with members of the military, I didn't have that negative connotation, but I did have this 'separate' connotation. I was ashamed to realize I had it and did not realize I had it until I was [in Iraq]. I was so impressed by the people I met over there and there was just a sense of connection and gratitude towards those people.
I had this idea that being an introvert was a negative thing, that it had a negative connotation, and I really wanted, as a young person, to strive to be the life of the party and to be really outgoing and to have a million friends. And then I realized that an introvert isn't a negative.
It's always fun to play as part of a team and any other events that have that team aspect to it I always really enjoy.
The team we had, the Hobie Vita-Pakt Super Surfer team, you know, the Hilton boys were on there, Conrad Hilton's grandkids, and they were really good. After being around those kids, I could ride a little. Do a 360, some kick-turns, stuff like that.
I grew up a Washington Redskins fan, right? I've always wanted to play for the team as a kid. I always had dreams and aspirations to play for that team. So, for them to change the name, it really hurt. It hurt deep down inside.
Rick Tocchet is what I call a warrior. He really brings a lot to a team because he really believes in team play. He's tough on himself and he's tough on the team. As a coach, if you had even one guy like him on your team, you'd have a heckuva chance to do your job well.
I always talk about being a team player, I think I'm really good team player. I was a big voice in the changing room before games and nothing really changed for me.
I think I was chosen by basketball, although I never really physically got drafted to any team that I played for.
Being a great founder or early team member is a difficult dialectic - you have to be a bit overconfident, and a big ego isn't always a bad thing. To change the world requires pushing really, really hard and believing you and your team know something others don't.
Do I want a shot at the belt? Yes, of course I do. Put it this way: I am Barry Sanders on the Detroit Lions. You love to watch me, but you'll never see me play in the Super Bowl. It's just one of those things. It's about politics. It's not about fighting.
I wasn't drafted. I was just playing really good basketball, enjoying playing basketball with my national team and never really thought: 'I have to get to the NBA.'
My favorite team is the Bengals. In Idaho, we didn't really have a home team. But my parents are from Ohio, and when I was a little kid, my aunts and uncles would send me Boomer Esiason T-shirts and Ickey Woods mini-footballs, so I got hooked on those guys.
Listen, the word 'party' has taken on a negative connotation in our country these days. It's really bumming me out.
It had never been a decision to choose between the French national team or the Senegalese national team because I was growing up in France and playing in the French youth national team, so it was something really normal.