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This week, Chiefs Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke with retired NFL linebacker turned actor Stevie Baggs Jr.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Baggs discussed his partnership with Beyond the Game Health, which contributes to youth in the community. He also recalled his journey as an undrafted free agent, playing in multiple professional football leagues besides the NFL.
"When football was taken away from me after 10 years as a professional, the anxiety and the depression crept in. I was explaining to a friend of mine that you have to understand the power of your self-value and your self-worth," said Baggs Jr. "If you don't do a self-inventory, you'll never get there, of course." Still, when you do, you'll put yourself in a position to really master everything you have to master to keep growing."
Baggs Jr. is known for his powerhouse presence, humanitarian work, and dedication to youth development. He had a standout college career but was undrafted in 2004, which made his path to the pros challenging.
"I thought I was going to be drafted in the first three or four rounds because of my stats and because of my ability, I was a three-time All-American. I broke the sack record at my college. I hold the NCAA record for tackles for loss in a single season. I still hold the career record to this day." said Baggs Jr. "I thought I was going, nonetheless, what I thought was rejection was really my protection, not just not getting drafted, just my whole journey being a journeyman taught me to be able to go into any environment and meet anyone coming from an all black environment in Pompano Beach, and then going to an all white high school in Orlando, Florida, taught me a lot and going back to an HBCU, all of these things helped me put my journey and my path into a space that led me to do what I'm doing today. I'm very grateful for it."
Baggs Jr. appeared on multiple teams across various leagues, showing his relentless ambition for opportunities.
"I ended up signing my first rookie deal as a free agent with the Detroit Lions. If I count the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was really 12 teams in 10 years that I actually put a helmet on: six NFL, five CFL, one Arena League team. So, yeah, it was nasty, bro, because, as good as I was, I knew I was getting drafted. I vividly remember how sick I felt not getting a call those days of the draft," said Baggs Jr. "My family and I were in South Florida, and I went to this Dave and Busters, because we were gonna celebrate together. Jonathan Vilma was there; he and I came out in the same year, and we were both on the All-State football team. He gets drafted, and I'm just like, bro, I know I'm just as good or better than this dude."
The Kansas City Chiefs have enjoyed some success with notable undrafted players over the years. Tommy Townsend and Tershawn Wharton are among the names who contributed to Super Bowl titles. This past season, offensive lineman Esa Pole made an impact as an undrafted free agent and eventual starter.
"The main thing I could take away from the draft journey is that I remember how bad I felt after day one and two of the draft, and then I actually got a call from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to go in as a free agent to their rookie free agent mini camp." said Baggs Jr. "I went to the camp, and I thought I had a pretty good camp, but they didn't sign me. I was playing out of position. I was a pass rusher, but they had me playing middle linebacker."
For more information, visit Beyond the Game Health, created by founder Shamekka Marty, which has created a comprehensive experience that equips young athletes with both athletic skills and the knowledge to save lives — their own and others'.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Undrafted free agents face uncertain journeys in NFL careers
Continue reading...
In his interview with Easton Jr., Baggs discussed his partnership with Beyond the Game Health, which contributes to youth in the community. He also recalled his journey as an undrafted free agent, playing in multiple professional football leagues besides the NFL.
"When football was taken away from me after 10 years as a professional, the anxiety and the depression crept in. I was explaining to a friend of mine that you have to understand the power of your self-value and your self-worth," said Baggs Jr. "If you don't do a self-inventory, you'll never get there, of course." Still, when you do, you'll put yourself in a position to really master everything you have to master to keep growing."
Baggs Jr. is known for his powerhouse presence, humanitarian work, and dedication to youth development. He had a standout college career but was undrafted in 2004, which made his path to the pros challenging.
"I thought I was going to be drafted in the first three or four rounds because of my stats and because of my ability, I was a three-time All-American. I broke the sack record at my college. I hold the NCAA record for tackles for loss in a single season. I still hold the career record to this day." said Baggs Jr. "I thought I was going, nonetheless, what I thought was rejection was really my protection, not just not getting drafted, just my whole journey being a journeyman taught me to be able to go into any environment and meet anyone coming from an all black environment in Pompano Beach, and then going to an all white high school in Orlando, Florida, taught me a lot and going back to an HBCU, all of these things helped me put my journey and my path into a space that led me to do what I'm doing today. I'm very grateful for it."
Baggs Jr. appeared on multiple teams across various leagues, showing his relentless ambition for opportunities.
"I ended up signing my first rookie deal as a free agent with the Detroit Lions. If I count the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was really 12 teams in 10 years that I actually put a helmet on: six NFL, five CFL, one Arena League team. So, yeah, it was nasty, bro, because, as good as I was, I knew I was getting drafted. I vividly remember how sick I felt not getting a call those days of the draft," said Baggs Jr. "My family and I were in South Florida, and I went to this Dave and Busters, because we were gonna celebrate together. Jonathan Vilma was there; he and I came out in the same year, and we were both on the All-State football team. He gets drafted, and I'm just like, bro, I know I'm just as good or better than this dude."
The Kansas City Chiefs have enjoyed some success with notable undrafted players over the years. Tommy Townsend and Tershawn Wharton are among the names who contributed to Super Bowl titles. This past season, offensive lineman Esa Pole made an impact as an undrafted free agent and eventual starter.
"The main thing I could take away from the draft journey is that I remember how bad I felt after day one and two of the draft, and then I actually got a call from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to go in as a free agent to their rookie free agent mini camp." said Baggs Jr. "I went to the camp, and I thought I had a pretty good camp, but they didn't sign me. I was playing out of position. I was a pass rusher, but they had me playing middle linebacker."
For more information, visit Beyond the Game Health, created by founder Shamekka Marty, which has created a comprehensive experience that equips young athletes with both athletic skills and the knowledge to save lives — their own and others'.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Undrafted free agents face uncertain journeys in NFL careers
Continue reading...
