Football was everything to me. There was the physical aspect, sure. I did pushups and sit-ups every night, even as a kid. But I also just studied the game constantly. It was my life.

Acting has helped me detox in football. Getting lost in a character and a scene, it's awesome.

Friends may come and go, but barbecues accumulate.

I look at failure as the fertilizer to success.

When you see a black guy on TV, he's always a thug or always portrayed as someone that's in trouble. It spreads the message to everyone else that that's who we are. People often don't try to understand black men as a whole. We're creative, strong and influential.

You're whatever you think you are. People like to compartmentalize other people. I don't worry about what other people think. I'm not living for them.

My inspiration is my hometown.