He was awesome as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Steelers and
he's doing some awesome stuff with Pittsburgh Public Schools.
He's not jaehaerys Nagi. How are you pal?
What's up, man? How are you
doing? Great doing great. Appreciate your time. And
I appreciate what you're doing for Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Let's start right there. Tell us what you have going on.
So right now we're at
Springfield Elementary School
and
I'm surprising them with a donation of 44 thousand
dollars.
To 38,000 kids,
and, you know, right now we're doing some drills. You got some
football, some jerseys some cones and ladder setup
me and Tony's gonna
be running. Some obstacle course with them. I'm be coaching
and we're gonna have a good time.
And this is all part of the Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Mission
tiger program. Just like
Tony the Tiger, is there.
Yeah, he's there, he's chilling.
He's got his feet, kicked up somewhere else, but, you know,
he telling them I see. It's
I assume it's Tony in a suit. Not a real tiger that would
make for an interesting as a real. It's a real ass tiger. So
yeah, it's a real tight, like growling it all like,
all right,
you've made a quick connection to Pittsburgh grew up in
Northern California. Get drafted. You never know where
you're going to land. You land in Pittsburgh, but it seems
like it's worked well for you.
Yeah, man,
so I actually came from, so I'm rich California, but I want
then I went to Alabama. So I'm already like stepping out of my
comfort zone. I was out there for about four years.
Then I got drafted to the
Pittsburgh and this is the East Coast, right? Yeah, so this
East Coast, so I'm everywhere now, and I mean,
anywhere, east south
west, so I'm everywhere. So I'm out here, you know, they
embrace me pretty pretty welcoming. So it wasn't hard to
adjust their at all
the city. No, they're already into their Sports especially
football. So I
just Meanwhile me
into know everything here how things are done in the city.
Just embraced me was all the pretty pretty easy transition.
I like their pro wrestling to I saw in the ring last night.
We've had times, I
feel great. I was just talking about that, bro.
I'm trying to be on there. I'm telling give you
a little deal with her.
So wait, you want to get the ring
100%? Yeah. It was fun man. I thought that was hella fun.
What would you be so low or tag team? Because maybe you and Pat
would be a good combo from Steelers because I I want Pat
next to me if I was in one of those fights.
Yeah, I mean it pat down with that. I'll be cool. That'd be
fun. I don't think about no tag team.
But, you know, I wouldn't be close there. I'll be up. And that
would you have like a name that you made up. Would you use your
real name? Would you go mask? No. Mask? How have you given
any thought to how you present yourself as a pro wrestler.
I was watching all of them. I like the buzz backstage
and I was watching how I call them. Had another little
costumes and they names. I ain't got a name yet,
but
I'm gonna cost me either. I was thinking about it. My mind is
just spinning off of
all the excitement. I was gone.
I'd love to be there for the conversation with Coach Tomlin.
When you say I want to, I want to pro wrestling this died.
I'll do that. I'll go too. Well.
Well, what about your finishing move? What would you do? Would
it be like off the top rope? Would it be? You know, there's
so many different things you could do.
What would you want to do, to put the guy away for good?
Something with a hurdle?
Probably hurdle. Somebody maybe go out the back ropes. And
maybe do a couple backflips, maybe run to my car, get Sonny,
come back
and then I come back with like
it did come back and use the force.
That's somebody. I want me
to use the courts, right? So this time I do
your watch your watch Star Wars.
All right. Yeah,
use the force to like, I'm like act. Like I'm gonna,
I'm like, I'm choking it, right? And it's gonna be from
a distance.
I'll pick him up and I'll Slammer.
I look forward to that happening. Mike Tomlin may not.
But Mike Florio, definitely does. Hey, you know, you
You've been blessed to have two of the best coaches in
the business at college and in the NFL between Mike Tomlin Nick
Saban.
What if you notice that makes them similar or different and
your time working with both guys?
I mean, we'll make some similar to yours that the the way it to
win.
And without they all they all know how to win and
you know, they all do win might see them at a losing season and
obviously savings like, you know, probably one is the best
college football coach. And history.
So um, you know, the way for them to win is similar
something that they're different as the way they
approach the game of how they they they coach and colleges
different FL the way you got to coach the players to.
So thing might tease more of like a, you know,
he's more like a
player himself, you know, he goes a locker room Silhouettes.
All of us dances and there, even a practice
at the games, all that stuff,
you know, same was more kind of like Strictly Business. Not
mean you win. He goes back.
He has really celebrate with us. But like, you know, you
just goes back to where he's at. And, you know, do I
check his focus on the next game,
you know,
that's just the way he is, you know, that's that's, they're
two different ways like that.
But, you know, they all went.
We ask all the bat. All I Alabama guys for their best.
Nick Saban story because there's always a good one.
What's your best one?
Me and next thing I know a special relationship dog. So,
I was, I was actually like a Outlaw in some ways. And
I mean,
I was,
I just didn't listen a lot of the rules.
So, um,
remember will fight a lot means, they will fight a lot,
but we coud up, we gotta go buy some wool fight a lot. It
wasn't probably to like, I don't know. What year was.
He like my third
second and third year. We kind of like understand week. I was
understanding who we were.
I don't think I could even say my stories when him but
I know that there was a bit stupid.
Well, hey, you did some great things at Alabama heavy
workload their heavy workload is a rookie all 17 regular
season games playoff game. How does your body feel after one
year in the NFL
had a heavy workload, Alabama?
I thought you had a heavy workload at Alabama. I think
you you made you ran the ball a lot. You had a lot of yards.
Come on. I play played
on a 13 games. I probably played
in like
three, fourth quarters.
It was a blowout every game. Wow. Well, I mean, I don't cut
that the heavy work. Yeah.
People people say that too, but it's like if you really watch
my games, like I've never really played. With quarter
only probably
Ole Miss Georgia.
The national championship and that's in Florida,
had a 13 games. I can name a. That's that's that's how much
I know. I ain't like a name all four games.
So that really wasn't a workflow but the NFL yeah, it
was it was it was a pretty good workload. But I like
the workload. I like I was train, I train for a heavy workload. So
whenever it's you know, put upon me to
have a workload, it be nothing new to me
and I mean, so
it was cool. I liked it. You make my point a great point.
I'd never thought of before, it's not just more games at
the NFL. But when you come from a program, like Alabama,
all of a sudden, you're playing 60 Minutes,
you're not on the bench in the middle of the third quarter. So
it takes even more out of you physically.
Yeah. Well like, so that's true. But, you know, even
Alabama, I'll be back because I wouldn't play the fourth
quarter at all.
I would never use, sometimes you play the third quarter.
They always take me out.
So, you know, I wanted that time where I could just played
all four quarters and to be a challenging game. From
start to finish. So that's what I got NFL.
There was never no point there. I was just like, no, my body's
hurting like
Or can you like stop giving me the ball? They know I was
telling them. Can y'all give me a ball even more? Because it
seemed like nobody else. Well, I'll get the ball. And I mean,
so, I just like, I just like
the challenge, right? My body was, we always hear about how
great the SEC is, got the best talent. Basically, it's NFL jr.
It was it an easy transition for you to the NFL given
the quality of the opposition. You saw on a regular basis. Yeah.
It was it was it was
probably the easiest thing to do was to transition to the FL
because The fact that we ran in a fill offense and a program.
So,
you know, Bella checking savings like
I didn't. So I think a lot of the stuff they do for
the Patriots have not there but I got friends there, you know,
it's they said similar to what they do out Bama.
What's the next step for you? What's your objective for?
2022? S NFL season
personally. Our team are switching both.
Well person, I want to come back to later.
I think I got is really step into that
that that area of my my career right now is to become more of
a vocal leader since Ben's gone. So we need something off
inside to be that
team was, you know, I mean, we
we want the milk won our division first for sure.
It's hard to vision
and we like that,
we Embrace that.
So coming there and to into
when our division
I think that will be
one of the first things
that we want to.
Knock off of our
to-do list. Obviously want it all to you, but you know, take
it step by step.
When you're in the offseason and again, players sometimes
approach it differently than us in the media. We're hanging on
every move, every development, but this year
so many great players coming from the NFC
to the AFC at some point. Do you see that sick? She
also these guys stay in the other conference and we don't
have to deal with them on these teams in the AFC. No. Hell. No,
we embrace all the smoke. No. No, we want to do want
everybody to come. We want. That's the thing. We want
everybody to
come in. This is like
the most Gridiron.
I think, you know the vision like the league.
Our conferences. So, like,
you know, not only that all these good players are coming
here, but there is all good defenses and I got to go
against the decency. So
the more good I do against them the more better. I look, you
know, I mean like I imagine that like that. No, I can't
ever say like, well, he wouldn't think it's a good week
defense or whatever. No, I mean
like it's like you can't say that because we're going against
dogs every day. So that's what I like. That's what I like
about it. That's all I'm glad to start wants to come over
here.
It helps that you guys have a great defense to doesn't it.
I mean, when you see those guys in Practice. It makes the games
a lot easier.
What is your animal that? I mean, but like, you know, what
helps out. I mean, we got good players on the foam decent. We
got a lot of play makers to make plays sex interceptions,
fumbles all that know that minguk, am TJ
that Miles now Levi.
Then we all these guys
that on the deep inside but,
you know, we aren't like you said, that is the heart of our
defense. No, you can't not that. So
I try not to worry about the defense because I know that
they're going to do with any group. I've tried worry about
the offense because we got to try to, you know,
be at the same level.
Where the difference that.
So, you know, I just try to focus on what we could do as a team
to improve better and put points on the board.
So our offense and I got this much like answer the deepest to
stay off the field. So that's like, run out the clock, run
ball. Yeah, I mean
clock management, you know,
doing the best I can really. So
I'm just worried with all PSI right now. Then
I remember you're going to draft was coming. One of
the things I was saying, is the Steelers need another Harris at
running back. They had Franco, they need Notch and do you
know, Franco at all?
Yes that yes, nicest guy in the world. Isn't he?
Yeah, man, all these at Jerome Bettis. It is too manly. All
these guys. My men all. They're all, they're all nice man for
Franco's, got the statue. When you see that statue. Yeah,
airport. Do you think I'd like to get one of those
Nagi Harris someday?
Yeah, man, I ain't gonna lie every time I want now but
I love you. I'll be cool. That would be cool to have one. So,
you know, I mean, you know, I'll be lying by saying
not to Harris is a football player not to hear us as
a wrestler. See, there's two different ways. This can go.
Now, I think Just me
has this person, Mike, without a sport, you know, I mean,
maybe, maybe we'll be like, I'll have a hell in my hand.
I'll have like a Mass for wrestling in
and football, but, you know, me, I'll be like, just
a regular, dude. Some jeans and the tracksuit,
and I mean, just sitting right there in the airport. I'll be
cool.
Hey pal. It's a great talking to you. I appreciate what
you're doing. For the kids up there. Go,
go mess around with Tony the Tiger. Keep your distance
though, and
we hope to talk to you again down the road. Yeah, appreciate
that, man. Thanks for having me. Thanks Nagi.
G.