- I went to a all boys private school,
so my first tattoo, I had to hide it.
My senior year, I literally wore a sweater
everyday to school.
Had I shown them my tattoo, they would probably expel me
from school, so... [laughs]
[hip hop music]
I was about 16, 17.
I think it was just kind of one of those impulsive things.
I was with my friends one night.
We went to a tattoo parlor.
I opened the tattoo book and the first tattoo I saw,
I got it.
So, [laugh] that's kind of how that went. [laughs]
I don't know what it is.
I'm from the Seventh Ward in New Orleans.
Our mascot is kind of like the skulls.
This tattoo has seven skull heads in it.
It was kind of like a demonic mask.
I don't know what kind of creature this is,
but I thought it just represented my dark side, I guess.
I don't know. [laughs]
[hip hop music]
Second tattoo I got?
Probably these crosses on my leg.
These are for everybody that has passed away
in my family, friends, close people to me.
So I have all those initials on the side of my crosses.
Just right on the inside of it, I have a little quote
that I actually came up with.
No, I am not Aristotle.
It just says, "When you're a star, you put God first.
"Let your past guide and your future determine you."
A lot of people, where I'm from,
they get caught up on their environment,
how they was raised, what kind of things
they saw growing up.
And they kind of let that determine their future
and who they become.
And I never really wanted to let my circumstances
kind of dictate who I was
or who I was going to become in the future.
Louisiana is just everything.
They mean everything to me.
And I think anytime I go back home,
it's just so much love, so much genuine support.
I always keep Louisiana close to me.
[rhythm and blues music]
The next one I got was probably this one.
The JAY-Z song actually inspired that tattoo.
We reach adulthood and we lose a grasp on who we were
as a kid and what kind of things really made us happy.
Just try to keep yourself fresh, experience new things,
and don't be scared to meet new people,
try different things.
[rhythm and blues music]
I really wanted people to see them
when I was playing sports.
Lot of tattoos that's on my arms and on my legs
express who I am.
And it just says, "King."
And then I have the world with the crown on it.
I think it's just important for us to be
the kings and queens of our world.
For me, it's just always a constant reminder that
I am the king of my world.
And I really hold my life in my own hands
and it's nobody else's responsibility really, but mine.
This right here, it just says, "For the Family."
This is my adopted dad's birthday, four five 1967.
My father's in prison for life and I think had it not been
for my adopted parents, I don't think I'd be here.
Just really grateful for the opportunity that they gave me
and really the inspiration that they gave me
to be better than my father or
anything that was really around me.
[rhythm and blues music]
I'm really into different cultures,
I love meeting new people from different spaces
so on this arm, I have the Chinese foo dog.
Most Chinese people have these in front of their house
and it's kind of the symbol of protection,
keep evil away from you.
This is my spirit elephant.
I kind of think of the elephant as a guide.
It also helps me with a lot of patience.
That's probably one of my favorite tattoos actually.
I think I'm a spirit animal [laughs].
I mean, I am a honey badger, what? [laughs]
And this one is the ankh.
I think anytime you can read people's spirits
and feel people vibes, ultimately you have the key to life.
You're able to navigate through certain spirits
and really put yourself in the best position possible
to be happy.
[jazz music playing]
This tattoo right here, these are really four people.
On the outside I have Zeus.
He just held so much power.
And then I have Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee,
and then I have Malcolm X.
All three of those people
really inspire me on a different level.
I think Bruce Lee, I feel like he always knew his opponents.
I think that's the most critical thing,
to not only understand myself and my game,
but to understand who I was going against.
I think Muhammad Ali is one of
the greatest athletes of all time.
He spoke very loudly, but at the end of the day,
I think he wanted better things, for not only himself,
but for the people around him.
Malcolm X, he spoke about things
that wasn't necessarily right in the world.
All four of those people, really help inspire me
on a different level.
[hip hop music]
This says, "Above the top."
I think everybody wants to get to the top
and everybody wants to be successful
and the idea is to never get complacent
to always continue to work hard,
as if I don't have anything,
as if I never made it to the NFL.
I like to live my life above the top.
This is October tenth 2012
and this is the day I met my fiance.
We met back at LSU and I was late for a test
and my teacher wouldn't let me in,
because I forgot my scantron.
She told me, "Go to union hall and get a scantron."
I'm running to the union hall and I just,
I see this pretty girl
and I just completely forgot about my test.
And I just stopped in my tracks, got her phone number,
and I did go get the scantron though,
and I did pass that class, so... [laughs].
I have this one on the back of my leg.
I was number seven at LSU
from the Seventh Ward in New Orleans.
A lot of people back home,
they look to me as that legend, that hero.
It's just a constant reminder of the platform that I have,
the responsibility that I have, and just a reminder
that my whole community is behind me.
It's a constant reminder.
[light music]