I asked him I said if it was some
younger people in an exact business that
you started and he asks your advice on
what should they do to build something
similar to what you all have built here
you know what advice would you give them
and he said well I would tell them you
know do things the right way they’ll
treat people right and he said I would
tell them work you know work your tail
dog right and I said um you know in my
head I said man we live in a world to
where I don’t know if if people
appreciate what things produce and my
whole life the only advantage that I’ve
ever had as a person I’ve never been the
most talented never been the biggest the
fastest the strongest even though I was
a poor sport athlete my whole life you
know at the top of every sport that I’ve
ever played I was never the most
talented I was never the fastest god
never the strongest god
I’ve always been a small guy my whole
life now was that God will show up and
they knew that I was the guy that played
football they knew behind the jersey I
was probably number 3 and number 29 in
college but when I would show up on the
scene I would always get the reaction
this is the guy because I was small I
didn’t even look the part but the only
thing I’ve always had my only advantage
was I wasn’t afraid of hard work
but most importantly I knew what I
represented and so by knowing what I
represented my commitment my dedication
and my perfection to my craft and what I
represented it was always on another
level and so now when guys did 10
Sprint’s I did 30 because I knew I was
working for something greater than
myself and what I represented was always
greater than myself and for example two
weeks ago I was with the kid downtown
Atlanta and I took him downtown and me
and my wife he have a foundation it’s
where we worked with homeless shelters
we’ve adopted three right and we work
with kids teenagers right we take them
we put them in uncomfortable situations
and we challenge their perspective and
the thought process about life so it was
this fifteen-year-old kid he had been
acting up in school
giving his mom problems he hadn’t seen
his father since he was born basically
and I take him downtown Atlanta and I
take him right under a bridge and so now
you got Turner feel you got what the
Falcons played with the Hawks play you
got the world of coca-cola you got a
jail you got these successful companies
you got people going to work you know
got the briefcases doing their thing got
life happening and then you got under
bridge got a gentleman a grown man sound
asleep cardboard box sleep as if a
person would be in a bad sleep and I
looked at the kid and I said do you
think he planned to be there I said do
you think when he got up ate that a
certain point in his life do you think
he said man you know one day I’ll
probably be sleeping under bridge on a
cardboard box
the kids are known I said what do you
think happened kiss said I don’t know
what do you think after me such things
life happened he said what do you mean
like I said I think at a certain point
in his life he was excited he was Jack
he enjoyed something he was a part of
something special something had a legacy
attached to it whether it was his family
whether it was a dream a goal
aspiration I think at a certain point
every day he got up something he
represented he got excited about it he
was driven he was committed he was
dedicated about he was stoked about it
he was jacked about it but I think at a
certain point life made him forget what
he represented and life stole his joy
his peace his happiness life symptom of
that Drive life took that dedication
that commitment so much so to the guy
that was once driven to the guy that was
once happy and excited about what he was
a part of and what he represented and
the legacy that was attached to it
that same guy ended up sleeping on the
bridge the only advantage I’ve ever had
everything I encountered and everything
I ever had in my life I understood what
I represented and life will never take
that away from me and so on September 9
2006 when I’m eight games away from
being a projected first-round draft pick
and my life changed overnight something
I had been working for since I was seven
years old in a park with my mother
watching us it in an old beat-up rear
eagle when she had me at 16 years old
and she took me back to a two-pack room
14 people sleeping on the floor
roaches and rats and missing meals when
I was a kid it was times when I went to
practice
I hadn’t even eating and God would be
out there complaining and the only thing
I was working on was my work ethic and
my drive and my dream and my goal to get
to I was trying to get to and I knew if
I would have stopped and not mulling I
would never get to where I was trying to
get you I would really miss Mills
and I’m working toward this dream in
this goal and I finally get to the point
I can smell it I can taste it I can see
it and I’m a part of something I’m a
part of something like a southern ocean
but it was University of Tennessee I’m a
part of a games whoo I got my guy right
we go and we work every single day we
show up five o’clock in the morning
we’re working towards something we got
an element of collective character we
got an element of responsibility
accountability we got an element man
when I tell you I got your back I got
your back when I tell you I care about
you I care about you when I tell you I
love you I love you I was a part of
something and I get to the point to
where I’m a projected first-round draft
pick and I go out and I make a tackle
and this is the thing that people don’t
even know people know my life change
behind the game of football
but people don’t understand the play and
how it happened people don’t know that
wasn’t even my god people don’t know I
had my guy already I could have easily
faded down the sidelines running with my
guy at quarterback his job back to
release the ball but as I’m running and
checking my guy I see my teammate
getting beat my guy who I told him the
tunnel hey man if you get beat I got
your back and I knew my teammate
probably would have caught the guys if
you were to cross the ball because my
teammate he went on to be a first round
team pick multi-million dollar guy went
on to play for the Patriots so I knew he
was a pretty talented guy and he
probably would have caught the guy and
talked with him but I told him hey man
if you get beat I got your back and it
just so happened to play unfolded with a
little bit over two minutes left in the
game – oh my god now he was getting beat
and I’m fading on for my god but I see
the quarterback he was releasing the
ball to the guy that was beating my
teammate and I said man I got to go I
got to have his back and I go up and I
roll up and I go to hit this guy to end
the game this tackle probably put
the game about a hit him and caught him
the right way if I hit him and caught
him how I really wanted to catch him it
probably ended the game and I’d have
made him fumble because I knew the game
of football like you guys who refer to
your business I knew it in and out like
a guys take two steps off the line of
scrimmage I could tell you which way he
was going a guy was cut inside I could
tell you it’s only about three things he
can do out of this formation I got knew
it in and out and so I knew if I to
caught them in the right location at the
right time out of pop that ball out but
it didn’t work like that I hit him in as
soon as I hit him it seemed as if every
breast of my body left I’ve lost control
of my body never happened to me before
body went completely left seemed as if
every breath of my body left them I’m
falling to the ground like man what’s
happening in a blackout as soon as I hit
the ground a blackout never happened to
me I blacked out I come back to my
teammates run over to me hey ain’t you
know yeah that’s right let’s go inside
kid so what do you mean you can’t you
always get up got the floor I can’t move
there’s a shotgun for my neck to my toes
I can’t filling
Jacque you’ve instantly left me stayed
in my right arm in hand I remember as I
was lying there they bringing the spine
board out it put me up on the spine boy
that’s their will of your fulfill I
looked up to Scott that surely nothing
that’s happened in this moment that can
alter my life this is what I love to do
and get me over to the amethyst and then
we’re going to take you to the hospital
run some cats hands we’ll bring you back
into your room will tell you what stuff
I said all right cool they take me in
the room and run cats games they bring
me back into another room when they put
me into the room in my hospital bed my
mother comes in she kisses me she prays
for me and she’s going to walk out
doctors rush in from the opposite side
as my mother is walking out and when my
mother told me son you’ll be all right
it was a certain element of peace
attached to because I had been with my
mother my whole life me and my father
our relationship was pretty much a
business relationship early years he
wasn’t there when I started playing
sports he came along in the picture but
I needed him to get out of my situation
right and so we had a business
relationship but when my mother said
something to me had been rocky when my
mother since I was 16
at Miss Mills with my mother since I was
since she was 16 at me and so when she
said he’ll be ok I was like all right
cool and she’s going to walk out doctors
running in and say hey guys sit in here
we got rushing back to surgery
he’s about to die there’s the new ball
kid like I was a part of the football
game but this this is a new game I said
not so yeah man you busted up subclavian
artery in the chest you bleed internally
got rushed your back take that main vein
out of your left leg plug it into your
chest in order to save you life you
don’t have much time
next morning I wake up from recovery he
saying gee I got some good news and some
bad news good news we saved your life
and said thank you
bad news is you got nerve damage in your
right shoulder dice all right cool
okay we got to clean you up to the Mayo
Clinic Rochester Minnesota and said all
right cool he said but the problem is
you know that dream of going to the NFL
and say yes sir I’m closed set strong
possibility you probably can never play
the game of football another day in your
life then no way
I said I’ll I don’t I don’t know if you
know how hard I worked for this
like I don’t know if you know I’ve been
working since I was 7 years old like I
didn’t start out playing football and
man I just want to go to the NFL to make
it yeah I want to go to the NFL to take
care of my family give back to my
community but the way in which I started
playing the game I started playing in
the street and I would be bloodying
my mother didn’t even sign me up to play
the first white guy ever met in my life
sign me up to play football a guy riding
on Street in a blue pickup truck never
forget it my god loving me god pulling
down the street in a blue pickup truck
pulls on the curb that side of his truck
walks up in the middle of our game I’m
standing there bloody tackle football in
the street guy walks up trained her
never forget it my offers on the corner
they’re drug dealers in prison right now
they take off burning my uncle Bobo
serving 40 years in a federal
penitentiary he looks back he said easy
don’t talk to him he’s thinking of guys
to cop coche nicest guy in the world
walks up he’s a man would you kids like
to play football on rise I said man I
would love that is there going to house
to get one of your guardian I ran in I
was my uncle JJ had married into the
family I said hey hump man it’s the guy
outside would you please come and talk
to him I said sure
uncle comes outside go straight said
listen said I don’t even supposed to
build so I brought a kid home his mom
asked me could I bring him home I
brought him home you sow rolled down the
street I see these kids playing football
in the street they’re bloody said that
you can bring them across town I got a
lead
y’all can sign them up think it’ll be a
great opportunity for officer sir we
greatly appreciate it hate to tell you
we don’t have the money and I’m standing
in front of them because I really want
to play
he said hate to tell you but his mother
she definitely doesn’t happen like she’s
at work at Windows right now I never
forget that coach looked at my uncle he
says tell you what
so y’all bring them to the park so his
dad rest then not only will I find that
kid I doubt sound every kid in the
street of the place
they brought us to the park the next day
he sign every last one of our stuff and
it changed the trajectory of my life the
second person I saw in the hospital
after they saved my life I coached that
signed me up to play ball in I was seven
years old I honor my mother showed a
person my mother called on Christmas
with me and my family got robbed
they put a 9-millimeter the 45 to my
face when I was 15 years old the Costa
signed me up to play ball and I was
seven years old so what I was telling
the doctor was doc I got to give some
people a return on their investment like
this can’t stop right now
now I never forget I said to him I said
I never cheated because I never cheated
I was taught you work for something the
result will be what you wanted to be
like I never cheated like nobody had to
worry about me cutting corners like a
coach to give me a workout I’ll go do it
and my team later try to keep sometimes
I’ll complete my guys work out like I
remember I’ve never I never believed in
it right because I knew every time I
cheated it was a possibility and the
opportunity for me to become weaker and
so I never believed in cheat I never
believed in the mentality behind cutting
corners and not facing a challenge
because I understood it didn’t challenge
me it wouldn’t change I submitted to me
up to the Mayo huh my career cameo by
work too hard
and I go up in the Mayo Clinic and I’ll
never forget I walk in a room and his
three doctors and they come in and they
say hey ain’t here’s to deal with gonna
cut to the chase instead of you have
torn all of nerves and you’ll break your
flexor so what’s that instead it’s the
nerve roots that go through the spine
and control your shoulder your arm and
your hand
goes into the spire like this you rip
them all out they can’t go back in they
said we hate to tell you but football
career sorry
so your shoulder your arm your hair
never be same again
so here’s your surgery options in we can
take the muscle back to your left leg
plug it into your right on possibilities
weak left leg weak right on the rest of
your life we could take a nerve out of
your left arm we right up to your chest
down to your right on possibility too
weak arms let’s be like we could take a
nerve under your left rib reroute it up
to your chest down to you right on
possibility breathing problem weak right
on in the rest of your life by the way
tell us what you want to do at 8 o’clock
in the morning next morning I walked
into the office they said what option
did you choose
I said no disrespect to you cut me where
you got to cut me I guarantee if I don’t
die I’ll be fine it’s a you got to
choose an option I said no disrespect to
you cut me where you got to cut me I
guarantee you if I don’t die I’ll be
fine and what I was telling them was doc
you got to take my life before you take
my drive man I’m not a light switch
person I kind of turn it on and turn it
I got the pleasure in checkers I’ll try
to destroy you I gotta play in a game
you know no pitching hold a little bit
imma trying to destroy you
it’s just my mentality I’m just going
all in and everything that I doing what
I was telling you can cut me wherever
you got to cut me if you don’t kill me
you will not stop me because I know my
mentality and I know the way I’m Wyatt I
don’t turn it on and turn it off or that
life would have it they cut me six times
down my left eye one time across the
left side of my neck long time across
the right side rights to my right ribs
cut out my right text bottom of my
armpit bottom on my hands 350 staplers
in my body bandaged me from my neck to
my knees and they come in my room the
next day they say inky we got to get to
know each other really well
you’ve been to the hospital next 40 or
60 days on the third day we were leaving
the hospital and that’s relieving and
the doors are opening
say you broke a record how did you do it
you said nobody has ever gotten out of
here and under less than 40 days with a
surgery of that magnitude
I said I’ll dock I just don’t feel as if
I had right so what are you talking
about that’s right I said um I just in
filling that I had the right to stop
I got a Justin fillers if I had to write
not to show up and give everything I got
Justin feel as if I had the right to not
press forward like I just felt as if the
people that I represent and the people
that had invested in me and built the
gentlemen that you see called Anki it’s
a lot of people that go into the like
when they were out there telling me man
I admire what you’ve been through my the
place you got into in life and I told
him I said there was a lot of people
that help and I take those spirits with
me every day like Maya Angelou has a
quote that says I come as one but I
stand is 10,000 meaning I had me to vow
to a lot of people I have made vows to a
lot of people about what I would do and
what I would represent and when I tell
somebody something I don’t take that
lightly
like if I told you i’ma give you
everything I got you can bet your bottom
dollar I’m gonna give you everything I
got if we’re walking somewhere and we
end up in an alley and ten people come
in the alley and it kind of robbed us
and I tell you a brother we get home we
get home and I’m not running my world it
means something in whatever I got to go
through in excess and be a part of in
order to make it happen I’m willing to
go through I’m committed to every single
aspect of my life and I was taught
commitment it’s staying true to what you
said you would do longer to the move
that you said it in his life because we
say things when the mood is right right
but when the environment in the mood
changes we back off but I haven’t made a
vow to a lot of people not only my
teammate I made a vow to everybody that
had ever invested in me in my life that
I will finish what I started I would
complete my mission every single game by
completing my mission in life every
single day I mean I will empty my bucket
and give every aspect of my life every
single best of pink Agassi I may be
crazy I don’t know but I just believe my
five-year-old son of my six-year-old
daughter they deserve the best version
of me I may be crazy I don’t know but I
just believe my wife and I’ve been with
every since we’re in a fifth grade she
deserves the best version to me I may be
crazy I don’t know but my three little
sisters I just believed they deserved
the best version of their big brother I
may be crazy I don’t know but the people
I’m observing to on the face of this
planet
they deserves the best version of me I’m
not going to give them
see the thing I understand about
business I might not know more much
about the furniture business but I know
a lot about the people’s business and I
know every single day the people that
come across our path whether we’re doing
business with them whether we’re talking
to them about any aspect of life I know
they’re coming across our path for
reason and I’m gonna try my best to
leave them a little bit different the
only reason I kept pressing forward the
only reason I didn’t stop which because
everybody that I met and everybody I
came across I knew they were looking at
my perspective about life and if I can
keep pressing forward they may encounter
something that they may face maybe want
to stop and the first person that will
pop up in their mind and impress for me
to eat kept going surely I and so the
next week I was back at practice with my
teammates my guys and I worked with my
guys that we’ve introduced trouble with
my guys that we cracked jokes with my
guys we got knocked out with my guys
that we went to war with my god and I
will give everything involved I was back
there practicing the plan set where
they’ve done joy slinging I still got my
staples in my body I was back in class
the next week got my undergrad degree in
three years when my life changed
overnight I never stopped I never missed
a beat and my life change and people ask
me all the time how did you keep
pressing forward like the video at your
show I want to give you the backdrop to
how it happened ESPN called me they did
a story on me this past summer but they
called me one day now picked up the
phone they said is this inky johnson the
last time I checked on inky young it
said is this the same guy that said if
you could change what happened to you
you wouldn’t I said absolutely
they said it’s our understanding the
game of football them into the world I
thought at one point it did they said
it’s our understanding that your family
which banking or your making it to the
NFL they can have a better way of life I
say yeah that’s correct
instead we’re coming to see you I’m
sorry cool come on they said but we
don’t want to see you in Atlanta we want
to see you in Neyland Stadium on the
exact yard line where your life changes
the same time of day the only thing that
won’t be present its Air Forces team all
right cool and so they take me to
Neyland Stadium and they put me on the
exact yard line with my life change they
said now tell your younger self why you
wouldn’t stop your injury if you could
if you could be in the NFL right now
making millions of dollars tell you
young
why he wouldn’t change that situation if
you could and I say the reason I
wouldn’t change it believe it or not he
has nothing to do with me like on a
personal level you he thought I was
going to say because of the man that
I’ve become the perspective that I’ve
acquired my state that didn’t fortified
he thought I was going to say something
like that I said no it has nothing to do
it has everything to do with the lives
that have been affected by the result of
the process and the thing that I
represent in the world what my spirit
represents once you might see me they
think perseverance
well my spirit represents when somebody
see me they say don’t quit what my
spirit represents when somebody see me
they think it’s a is that’s a quality
individual right there what my character
represents in the world and every single
day we’re putting something out like
that represents something when people
see that they think it’s a thought that
comes to the month three say ghost and
he came in at I felt the truth are you
ready
but he gave me to go since I stopped the
service I I felt different gold standard
I thought like that work with me because
I think in what I do to learn how to do
something I’m the gold standard because
I don’t compromise and every single day
I’m gonna give you my very best you can
bet your bottom dollar every single day
imma bring that gold standard to life
I’m not just bringing it and one aspect
of life I’m bringing it every single
aspect of life I’m not going to be one
of these people in the world that’s a
public success but their probability
mean they give everything they got to
one aspect of life but the other areas
they lack off no I’m gonna give every
single thing I got every aspect of my
life because I represent something when
people see me they think something
whether that character never given up
never surrender and the thing that we
can never do is forget what we represent
because that’s how guys end up under
bridge and a cardboard box sweet they
forget what they represent when life
hits and we’re at first my only charge
William
never forget what you represent like
sure let’s enjoy it while we got
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you
younger people in an exact business that
you started and he asks your advice on
what should they do to build something
similar to what you all have built here
you know what advice would you give them
and he said well I would tell them you
know do things the right way they’ll
treat people right and he said I would
tell them work you know work your tail
dog right and I said um you know in my
head I said man we live in a world to
where I don’t know if if people
appreciate what things produce and my
whole life the only advantage that I’ve
ever had as a person I’ve never been the
most talented never been the biggest the
fastest the strongest even though I was
a poor sport athlete my whole life you
know at the top of every sport that I’ve
ever played I was never the most
talented I was never the fastest god
never the strongest god
I’ve always been a small guy my whole
life now was that God will show up and
they knew that I was the guy that played
football they knew behind the jersey I
was probably number 3 and number 29 in
college but when I would show up on the
scene I would always get the reaction
this is the guy because I was small I
didn’t even look the part but the only
thing I’ve always had my only advantage
was I wasn’t afraid of hard work
but most importantly I knew what I
represented and so by knowing what I
represented my commitment my dedication
and my perfection to my craft and what I
represented it was always on another
level and so now when guys did 10
Sprint’s I did 30 because I knew I was
working for something greater than
myself and what I represented was always
greater than myself and for example two
weeks ago I was with the kid downtown
Atlanta and I took him downtown and me
and my wife he have a foundation it’s
where we worked with homeless shelters
we’ve adopted three right and we work
with kids teenagers right we take them
we put them in uncomfortable situations
and we challenge their perspective and
the thought process about life so it was
this fifteen-year-old kid he had been
acting up in school
giving his mom problems he hadn’t seen
his father since he was born basically
and I take him downtown Atlanta and I
take him right under a bridge and so now
you got Turner feel you got what the
Falcons played with the Hawks play you
got the world of coca-cola you got a
jail you got these successful companies
you got people going to work you know
got the briefcases doing their thing got
life happening and then you got under
bridge got a gentleman a grown man sound
asleep cardboard box sleep as if a
person would be in a bad sleep and I
looked at the kid and I said do you
think he planned to be there I said do
you think when he got up ate that a
certain point in his life do you think
he said man you know one day I’ll
probably be sleeping under bridge on a
cardboard box
the kids are known I said what do you
think happened kiss said I don’t know
what do you think after me such things
life happened he said what do you mean
like I said I think at a certain point
in his life he was excited he was Jack
he enjoyed something he was a part of
something special something had a legacy
attached to it whether it was his family
whether it was a dream a goal
aspiration I think at a certain point
every day he got up something he
represented he got excited about it he
was driven he was committed he was
dedicated about he was stoked about it
he was jacked about it but I think at a
certain point life made him forget what
he represented and life stole his joy
his peace his happiness life symptom of
that Drive life took that dedication
that commitment so much so to the guy
that was once driven to the guy that was
once happy and excited about what he was
a part of and what he represented and
the legacy that was attached to it
that same guy ended up sleeping on the
bridge the only advantage I’ve ever had
everything I encountered and everything
I ever had in my life I understood what
I represented and life will never take
that away from me and so on September 9
2006 when I’m eight games away from
being a projected first-round draft pick
and my life changed overnight something
I had been working for since I was seven
years old in a park with my mother
watching us it in an old beat-up rear
eagle when she had me at 16 years old
and she took me back to a two-pack room
14 people sleeping on the floor
roaches and rats and missing meals when
I was a kid it was times when I went to
practice
I hadn’t even eating and God would be
out there complaining and the only thing
I was working on was my work ethic and
my drive and my dream and my goal to get
to I was trying to get to and I knew if
I would have stopped and not mulling I
would never get to where I was trying to
get you I would really miss Mills
and I’m working toward this dream in
this goal and I finally get to the point
I can smell it I can taste it I can see
it and I’m a part of something I’m a
part of something like a southern ocean
but it was University of Tennessee I’m a
part of a games whoo I got my guy right
we go and we work every single day we
show up five o’clock in the morning
we’re working towards something we got
an element of collective character we
got an element of responsibility
accountability we got an element man
when I tell you I got your back I got
your back when I tell you I care about
you I care about you when I tell you I
love you I love you I was a part of
something and I get to the point to
where I’m a projected first-round draft
pick and I go out and I make a tackle
and this is the thing that people don’t
even know people know my life change
behind the game of football
but people don’t understand the play and
how it happened people don’t know that
wasn’t even my god people don’t know I
had my guy already I could have easily
faded down the sidelines running with my
guy at quarterback his job back to
release the ball but as I’m running and
checking my guy I see my teammate
getting beat my guy who I told him the
tunnel hey man if you get beat I got
your back and I knew my teammate
probably would have caught the guys if
you were to cross the ball because my
teammate he went on to be a first round
team pick multi-million dollar guy went
on to play for the Patriots so I knew he
was a pretty talented guy and he
probably would have caught the guy and
talked with him but I told him hey man
if you get beat I got your back and it
just so happened to play unfolded with a
little bit over two minutes left in the
game – oh my god now he was getting beat
and I’m fading on for my god but I see
the quarterback he was releasing the
ball to the guy that was beating my
teammate and I said man I got to go I
got to have his back and I go up and I
roll up and I go to hit this guy to end
the game this tackle probably put
the game about a hit him and caught him
the right way if I hit him and caught
him how I really wanted to catch him it
probably ended the game and I’d have
made him fumble because I knew the game
of football like you guys who refer to
your business I knew it in and out like
a guys take two steps off the line of
scrimmage I could tell you which way he
was going a guy was cut inside I could
tell you it’s only about three things he
can do out of this formation I got knew
it in and out and so I knew if I to
caught them in the right location at the
right time out of pop that ball out but
it didn’t work like that I hit him in as
soon as I hit him it seemed as if every
breast of my body left I’ve lost control
of my body never happened to me before
body went completely left seemed as if
every breath of my body left them I’m
falling to the ground like man what’s
happening in a blackout as soon as I hit
the ground a blackout never happened to
me I blacked out I come back to my
teammates run over to me hey ain’t you
know yeah that’s right let’s go inside
kid so what do you mean you can’t you
always get up got the floor I can’t move
there’s a shotgun for my neck to my toes
I can’t filling
Jacque you’ve instantly left me stayed
in my right arm in hand I remember as I
was lying there they bringing the spine
board out it put me up on the spine boy
that’s their will of your fulfill I
looked up to Scott that surely nothing
that’s happened in this moment that can
alter my life this is what I love to do
and get me over to the amethyst and then
we’re going to take you to the hospital
run some cats hands we’ll bring you back
into your room will tell you what stuff
I said all right cool they take me in
the room and run cats games they bring
me back into another room when they put
me into the room in my hospital bed my
mother comes in she kisses me she prays
for me and she’s going to walk out
doctors rush in from the opposite side
as my mother is walking out and when my
mother told me son you’ll be all right
it was a certain element of peace
attached to because I had been with my
mother my whole life me and my father
our relationship was pretty much a
business relationship early years he
wasn’t there when I started playing
sports he came along in the picture but
I needed him to get out of my situation
right and so we had a business
relationship but when my mother said
something to me had been rocky when my
mother since I was 16
at Miss Mills with my mother since I was
since she was 16 at me and so when she
said he’ll be ok I was like all right
cool and she’s going to walk out doctors
running in and say hey guys sit in here
we got rushing back to surgery
he’s about to die there’s the new ball
kid like I was a part of the football
game but this this is a new game I said
not so yeah man you busted up subclavian
artery in the chest you bleed internally
got rushed your back take that main vein
out of your left leg plug it into your
chest in order to save you life you
don’t have much time
next morning I wake up from recovery he
saying gee I got some good news and some
bad news good news we saved your life
and said thank you
bad news is you got nerve damage in your
right shoulder dice all right cool
okay we got to clean you up to the Mayo
Clinic Rochester Minnesota and said all
right cool he said but the problem is
you know that dream of going to the NFL
and say yes sir I’m closed set strong
possibility you probably can never play
the game of football another day in your
life then no way
I said I’ll I don’t I don’t know if you
know how hard I worked for this
like I don’t know if you know I’ve been
working since I was 7 years old like I
didn’t start out playing football and
man I just want to go to the NFL to make
it yeah I want to go to the NFL to take
care of my family give back to my
community but the way in which I started
playing the game I started playing in
the street and I would be bloodying
my mother didn’t even sign me up to play
the first white guy ever met in my life
sign me up to play football a guy riding
on Street in a blue pickup truck never
forget it my god loving me god pulling
down the street in a blue pickup truck
pulls on the curb that side of his truck
walks up in the middle of our game I’m
standing there bloody tackle football in
the street guy walks up trained her
never forget it my offers on the corner
they’re drug dealers in prison right now
they take off burning my uncle Bobo
serving 40 years in a federal
penitentiary he looks back he said easy
don’t talk to him he’s thinking of guys
to cop coche nicest guy in the world
walks up he’s a man would you kids like
to play football on rise I said man I
would love that is there going to house
to get one of your guardian I ran in I
was my uncle JJ had married into the
family I said hey hump man it’s the guy
outside would you please come and talk
to him I said sure
uncle comes outside go straight said
listen said I don’t even supposed to
build so I brought a kid home his mom
asked me could I bring him home I
brought him home you sow rolled down the
street I see these kids playing football
in the street they’re bloody said that
you can bring them across town I got a
lead
y’all can sign them up think it’ll be a
great opportunity for officer sir we
greatly appreciate it hate to tell you
we don’t have the money and I’m standing
in front of them because I really want
to play
he said hate to tell you but his mother
she definitely doesn’t happen like she’s
at work at Windows right now I never
forget that coach looked at my uncle he
says tell you what
so y’all bring them to the park so his
dad rest then not only will I find that
kid I doubt sound every kid in the
street of the place
they brought us to the park the next day
he sign every last one of our stuff and
it changed the trajectory of my life the
second person I saw in the hospital
after they saved my life I coached that
signed me up to play ball in I was seven
years old I honor my mother showed a
person my mother called on Christmas
with me and my family got robbed
they put a 9-millimeter the 45 to my
face when I was 15 years old the Costa
signed me up to play ball and I was
seven years old so what I was telling
the doctor was doc I got to give some
people a return on their investment like
this can’t stop right now
now I never forget I said to him I said
I never cheated because I never cheated
I was taught you work for something the
result will be what you wanted to be
like I never cheated like nobody had to
worry about me cutting corners like a
coach to give me a workout I’ll go do it
and my team later try to keep sometimes
I’ll complete my guys work out like I
remember I’ve never I never believed in
it right because I knew every time I
cheated it was a possibility and the
opportunity for me to become weaker and
so I never believed in cheat I never
believed in the mentality behind cutting
corners and not facing a challenge
because I understood it didn’t challenge
me it wouldn’t change I submitted to me
up to the Mayo huh my career cameo by
work too hard
and I go up in the Mayo Clinic and I’ll
never forget I walk in a room and his
three doctors and they come in and they
say hey ain’t here’s to deal with gonna
cut to the chase instead of you have
torn all of nerves and you’ll break your
flexor so what’s that instead it’s the
nerve roots that go through the spine
and control your shoulder your arm and
your hand
goes into the spire like this you rip
them all out they can’t go back in they
said we hate to tell you but football
career sorry
so your shoulder your arm your hair
never be same again
so here’s your surgery options in we can
take the muscle back to your left leg
plug it into your right on possibilities
weak left leg weak right on the rest of
your life we could take a nerve out of
your left arm we right up to your chest
down to your right on possibility too
weak arms let’s be like we could take a
nerve under your left rib reroute it up
to your chest down to you right on
possibility breathing problem weak right
on in the rest of your life by the way
tell us what you want to do at 8 o’clock
in the morning next morning I walked
into the office they said what option
did you choose
I said no disrespect to you cut me where
you got to cut me I guarantee if I don’t
die I’ll be fine it’s a you got to
choose an option I said no disrespect to
you cut me where you got to cut me I
guarantee you if I don’t die I’ll be
fine and what I was telling them was doc
you got to take my life before you take
my drive man I’m not a light switch
person I kind of turn it on and turn it
I got the pleasure in checkers I’ll try
to destroy you I gotta play in a game
you know no pitching hold a little bit
imma trying to destroy you
it’s just my mentality I’m just going
all in and everything that I doing what
I was telling you can cut me wherever
you got to cut me if you don’t kill me
you will not stop me because I know my
mentality and I know the way I’m Wyatt I
don’t turn it on and turn it off or that
life would have it they cut me six times
down my left eye one time across the
left side of my neck long time across
the right side rights to my right ribs
cut out my right text bottom of my
armpit bottom on my hands 350 staplers
in my body bandaged me from my neck to
my knees and they come in my room the
next day they say inky we got to get to
know each other really well
you’ve been to the hospital next 40 or
60 days on the third day we were leaving
the hospital and that’s relieving and
the doors are opening
say you broke a record how did you do it
you said nobody has ever gotten out of
here and under less than 40 days with a
surgery of that magnitude
I said I’ll dock I just don’t feel as if
I had right so what are you talking
about that’s right I said um I just in
filling that I had the right to stop
I got a Justin fillers if I had to write
not to show up and give everything I got
Justin feel as if I had the right to not
press forward like I just felt as if the
people that I represent and the people
that had invested in me and built the
gentlemen that you see called Anki it’s
a lot of people that go into the like
when they were out there telling me man
I admire what you’ve been through my the
place you got into in life and I told
him I said there was a lot of people
that help and I take those spirits with
me every day like Maya Angelou has a
quote that says I come as one but I
stand is 10,000 meaning I had me to vow
to a lot of people I have made vows to a
lot of people about what I would do and
what I would represent and when I tell
somebody something I don’t take that
lightly
like if I told you i’ma give you
everything I got you can bet your bottom
dollar I’m gonna give you everything I
got if we’re walking somewhere and we
end up in an alley and ten people come
in the alley and it kind of robbed us
and I tell you a brother we get home we
get home and I’m not running my world it
means something in whatever I got to go
through in excess and be a part of in
order to make it happen I’m willing to
go through I’m committed to every single
aspect of my life and I was taught
commitment it’s staying true to what you
said you would do longer to the move
that you said it in his life because we
say things when the mood is right right
but when the environment in the mood
changes we back off but I haven’t made a
vow to a lot of people not only my
teammate I made a vow to everybody that
had ever invested in me in my life that
I will finish what I started I would
complete my mission every single game by
completing my mission in life every
single day I mean I will empty my bucket
and give every aspect of my life every
single best of pink Agassi I may be
crazy I don’t know but I just believe my
five-year-old son of my six-year-old
daughter they deserve the best version
of me I may be crazy I don’t know but I
just believe my wife and I’ve been with
every since we’re in a fifth grade she
deserves the best version to me I may be
crazy I don’t know but my three little
sisters I just believed they deserved
the best version of their big brother I
may be crazy I don’t know but the people
I’m observing to on the face of this
planet
they deserves the best version of me I’m
not going to give them
see the thing I understand about
business I might not know more much
about the furniture business but I know
a lot about the people’s business and I
know every single day the people that
come across our path whether we’re doing
business with them whether we’re talking
to them about any aspect of life I know
they’re coming across our path for
reason and I’m gonna try my best to
leave them a little bit different the
only reason I kept pressing forward the
only reason I didn’t stop which because
everybody that I met and everybody I
came across I knew they were looking at
my perspective about life and if I can
keep pressing forward they may encounter
something that they may face maybe want
to stop and the first person that will
pop up in their mind and impress for me
to eat kept going surely I and so the
next week I was back at practice with my
teammates my guys and I worked with my
guys that we’ve introduced trouble with
my guys that we cracked jokes with my
guys we got knocked out with my guys
that we went to war with my god and I
will give everything involved I was back
there practicing the plan set where
they’ve done joy slinging I still got my
staples in my body I was back in class
the next week got my undergrad degree in
three years when my life changed
overnight I never stopped I never missed
a beat and my life change and people ask
me all the time how did you keep
pressing forward like the video at your
show I want to give you the backdrop to
how it happened ESPN called me they did
a story on me this past summer but they
called me one day now picked up the
phone they said is this inky johnson the
last time I checked on inky young it
said is this the same guy that said if
you could change what happened to you
you wouldn’t I said absolutely
they said it’s our understanding the
game of football them into the world I
thought at one point it did they said
it’s our understanding that your family
which banking or your making it to the
NFL they can have a better way of life I
say yeah that’s correct
instead we’re coming to see you I’m
sorry cool come on they said but we
don’t want to see you in Atlanta we want
to see you in Neyland Stadium on the
exact yard line where your life changes
the same time of day the only thing that
won’t be present its Air Forces team all
right cool and so they take me to
Neyland Stadium and they put me on the
exact yard line with my life change they
said now tell your younger self why you
wouldn’t stop your injury if you could
if you could be in the NFL right now
making millions of dollars tell you
young
why he wouldn’t change that situation if
you could and I say the reason I
wouldn’t change it believe it or not he
has nothing to do with me like on a
personal level you he thought I was
going to say because of the man that
I’ve become the perspective that I’ve
acquired my state that didn’t fortified
he thought I was going to say something
like that I said no it has nothing to do
it has everything to do with the lives
that have been affected by the result of
the process and the thing that I
represent in the world what my spirit
represents once you might see me they
think perseverance
well my spirit represents when somebody
see me they say don’t quit what my
spirit represents when somebody see me
they think it’s a is that’s a quality
individual right there what my character
represents in the world and every single
day we’re putting something out like
that represents something when people
see that they think it’s a thought that
comes to the month three say ghost and
he came in at I felt the truth are you
ready
but he gave me to go since I stopped the
service I I felt different gold standard
I thought like that work with me because
I think in what I do to learn how to do
something I’m the gold standard because
I don’t compromise and every single day
I’m gonna give you my very best you can
bet your bottom dollar every single day
imma bring that gold standard to life
I’m not just bringing it and one aspect
of life I’m bringing it every single
aspect of life I’m not going to be one
of these people in the world that’s a
public success but their probability
mean they give everything they got to
one aspect of life but the other areas
they lack off no I’m gonna give every
single thing I got every aspect of my
life because I represent something when
people see me they think something
whether that character never given up
never surrender and the thing that we
can never do is forget what we represent
because that’s how guys end up under
bridge and a cardboard box sweet they
forget what they represent when life
hits and we’re at first my only charge
William
never forget what you represent like
sure let’s enjoy it while we got
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you
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