00:00How about the locker placement, though, next to a couple notable names?
00:03Oh, yeah, that was a nice surprise when I came in this morning.
00:06Sam and the boys, everybody got a new locker, and I was looking around.
00:10It's a nice place to be, you know, so I got my boys next to me.
00:14It's going to be a nice year.
00:15In all seriousness, when did the weight of that news over the weekend really hit you?
00:20Honestly, the best part of it all was just calling my parents right after I got off the phone.
00:23I know you guys seen the FaceTime call with Troy.
00:26Immediately after, I did a group FaceTime with my parents, my siblings, you know,
00:30and I just told them the news.
00:32The waterworks started happening, everybody started crying, so it was a good, nice emotional moment.
00:37Can you put in perspective what this last two, three months has been like for you
00:41to try to earn your way on this football team?
00:44It's been a beautiful blessing that I've been able to experience.
00:47It's probably something I dreamed about, but to be able to live it,
00:50to be grateful every day and just embrace every moment, you know,
00:54that's something I'm appreciative of.
00:55I'm grateful that I was, you know, present for every day, every practice,
00:59every meeting, every interview, you know, every fan interaction, you know,
01:03I was present, and I'm just glad I didn't cheat myself.
01:05I didn't cheat myself out of the grind and just embrace every moment.
01:07The wide receiver room here is hard to crack.
01:09How do you think you did it?
01:12Faith in God and hard work, you know, and relying on the people around me.
01:16You know, I feel like I have a really good support system.
01:18I have a great teammate, you know, guys next to me, you know, they push me.
01:23Troy pushing me, the OC, Joe, you know, everybody just competing and work, you know,
01:29something that football loves, rewards hard work.
01:32Now that you made it, how do you carve out a wall?
01:35Continue the same recipe, you know, continue the hard work,
01:38continue to do the details and the trust the process, you know,
01:41show up and follow the model that's been set before me
01:44and the people that's around me.
01:45You know, they've had a lot of success.
01:46And just marry that and add my experience to it and my work at the tour.
01:51You mentioned the fans.
01:52There's already been a huge reception of you online.
01:55Just with your story and how much you've had to overcome,
01:58what does that feel like to already be received by this fan base
02:01ahead of your first NFL season and how you can be source of inspiration for them?
02:06I mean, it's beautiful.
02:07That's something that you do it for.
02:09The fan base is why we have a team.
02:10That's what we do it for.
02:11We have a pride here in Cincinnati that, you know,
02:14they welcome me with open arm and just influence and just be a source of inspiration,
02:19you know, for the kids in the stands, for the people that's hardworking,
02:21people that have stories and haven't given up on injuries, you know,
02:24they can either look to me and I feel like we feed off them too.
02:28Now that it's official, what are you looking forward to for game day coming out
02:31because it's 12 days?
02:33Competing, playing out there in front of Cincinnati.
02:35I know we open up in orange.
02:37Nobody knows.
02:37Orange is my favorite color.
02:38So when I found out the news, I was ecstatic.
02:40You know, of course, I had to get here,
02:41but that's something I'm looking forward to.
02:43Playing out there, playing with those guys.
02:44Just going to complete and go to war.
02:46That's something I've loved and I enjoyed.
02:48Something I've echoed a lot, competing.
02:49Now we get to do it out on Sunday in front of the bright lights,
02:53in front of the great fan base.
02:54Did Joe Burrow say anything to you?
02:56Oh, yeah.
02:57He just said, man, congrats, man.
02:59Really happy for you.
03:00You know, so that was a nice moment, you know,
03:02Interbox to me and him, I was able to have.
