In my first ever interview I sat down and had a conversation with former NFL player Stephen Baker. Or as NY Giants fans would know him, the “Touchdown Maker.”
Stephen Baker was drafted in the 3rd round by the NY Giants in the 1987 NFL draft. He would have a 6 year career in which he spent all of those years playing for the Giants before his career was cut short due to a back injury.
I personally met Baker at a sports card show in White Plains, NY. I had a short talk with him, he signed a photograph for me, we took a picture together then we went our separate ways. I recently reconnected with Baker through Instagram to ask if he was interested in doing an interview.
Baker being the great person he was, obliged. Our interview was about 40 minutes long and I heard many stories of which I have never heard. I hope you find his stories and lessons as interesting as I did.
Here is our conversation with former NY Giants star Stephen Baker
GMenHQ: What was early life like growing up for you?
"I grew up in San Antonio, Texas. So you know I was a Dallas Cowboy fan because that’s all we had out there… that and the Houston Oilers. We didn’t have much, actually we lived by the train tracks. My grandfather lived right up the hill, so to speak, in Texas. That’s how I got my love of football just by watching the Dallas Cowboys play every weekend. I remember loving that star they had for what it stood for as a kid playing Cowboys and Indians and all that nonsense. I used to play with the little electric football sets. They were on a metal grate, you’d plug it in, and it vibrates and the men would scatter in all types of ways and depending on what bottom you had on them you could turn them so they could go a certain way. But the play lasted probably 2-3 seconds and then you’d have to set them all up again. That was our Madden back in the day."
GMenHQ: I read that you did track in high school. What events did you do?
"I was blessed with speed is what I always say when I’m speaking to the kids. And I always wanted to work at it to be even better. I was like, “man I’m already fast but I can be even better.” So I ran track. I did the field events, high jump, long jump, triple jump, and the quarter-mile, and I was on both the 4×100 and 8×100 relays. My favorite events were the field events. And when I did the high jump I was always limber and had an arch and you can see the picture behind me, I’m clearing that. Once I put my chin to my chest my legs would kick out. This was in Los Angeles when I was in high school. I was always fond of track and like I mentioned I ran the quarter mile too and I always said that that was the race that made a man out of you because the finishing part, the last 100 meters is all guts its a tough race. But I did all of this to make myself a better football player."
GMenHQ When did you first start playing football?
"Well when I was in Texas I didn’t really have anyone to play football with. I was probably in like 3rd grade, I remember I used to hike the ball between my legs, catch it with the other hand, and throw it up, and run and go catch it. Then when I finally got into school- and this is a true story. The kids were out on the field playing and I wanted to play and I asked, “could I play” and they said “sure” and you know how it is as a new kid they put me on the line and they told me to block and I didn’t know how to block. On the first play the guy I was supposed to block ran right around me and hit the guy that was running the ball and busted his nose. They must have thought I did that on purpose so they put me back there. Now I saw what happened to him so when they pitched me the ball- I swear to God they pitched it to me, and I just stood there for a second, and then I just darted to the outside like the videos I’ve seen of Tony Dorsett and all these other guys. I just ran outside and I remember no one could catch me, and that feeling never left me. It was pretty cool because I just burnt everybody. Little did they know I was running for my life, I didn’t wanna get my nose busted like that other kid. That was my first introduction to football. Then growing up in Los Angeles I grew up in a single parent home for the most part and my mom couldn’t afford for us to play pop warner football because it cost too much at the time, so we played what you call streetball. Growing up in Los Angeles we would play neighborhood vs neighborhood. So every Saturday we would meet at a place called “The Field,” and guys from other neighborhoods would come and we would play games such as what you now call “kill the carrier” but we made it so simple, we said whoever gets the ball, just tackle them. So we’d throw the ball up and whoever got the ball you just had to run and tackle them. I think this is where I developed some of my running skills and not being afraid because we didn’t have weight limits back then. I did this a lot during my career and I honestly think it helped me learn to not be afraid being a 5’8, 150 pound guy playing in the NFL."
GMenHQ: When you first started playing football what was your first position?
"I didn’t play organized football until I got into high school. But I always gravitated towards playing defensive back and wide receiver. When I played DB, I was a pretty good safety because no one could get behind me. There was one play in high school, I’ll never forget it, I used to watch the highlights all the time of hard hits when a receiver comes over the middle and gets laid out and I had my opportunity to do that. Now I came up on this tight end coming across the middle, and I’m telling you I came with everything I had and I hit him. He went down but it actually felt like running into a brick wall. And I said I don’t ever, ever wanna do that again. Now I was a full time wide receiver by the time I got out of high school, I didn’t want anything else to do with defensive back. I remember I asked LT (Lawrence Taylor) what is he thinking when he hit somebody. And he said, “I try to hit them so hard that I hurt myself.” Because then he knows he hurt the other person. I didn’t have that mentality."
GMenHQ: What made you decide to major in sociology and Physical Education.
"Well I always loved sports. So I figured if I didn’t make it in the NFL, I’d be able to do something I enjoyed. I love Phys. Ed. I love being physical, I love working out, I love all forms of sports. I did soccer in high school, I did gymnastics, and I also ran track. And then the social part of it, growing up like I did and being able to inspire other kids to try to get out of a bad situation. You know just because you’re dealt a certain hand doesn’t mean you have to accept it. My mom did an excellent job keeping us grounded and keeping us away from all the nonsense. It’s ten times worse now in society but it was still bad when I was growing up. But like I said my mom kept us in the house, bought us the best video game system, now you’re too young to remember this but we had black and white TV’s and they had Pong where you’d hit a ball back and forth across the TV. Everybody in the neighborhood had that game. We had Intelevision. It was way before it’s time because you had little bitty men that could ski or play basketball. We had the best video game system in the whole neighborhood and it really kept us in the house and kept us grounded."
GMenHQ: Now obviously you played receiver in the NFL and college, but how come you have 1 interception in your college career?
"Well I remember that play very well actually. They did a fake punt. And in theory I should have knocked it down but being a receiver I wasn’t even thinking I just went up there and got it and of course the coach gave me an earful after that. But yeah it was 4th and long and they did a fake punt and tried to throw it long. You know I’m gonna have to look that play up because maybe they set me up, because if you throw it up there and I intercept it we’re gonna get the ball right there instead of like 40 yards up. Bonehead play by me, but my only career interception which was pretty cool."
GMenHQ: What was your favorite position to play throughout your career?
"Wow man, you know I got to say when I was in college I was 3rd in the nation in punt returns and we had so much fun with that and I am actually proud to say that I have my first ever punt return on video. (Showing me a photo) You can see the kid in the middle, number 7, Julius Pitts, he was the returner. We were playing Mark College. He went back there. Now we had a system where you caught the ball you’d go up the field 3 steps and then you would give ground and lose like 15-20 yards, it looks crazy, but meanwhile the wall is coming to you and everyone bought into that. And coach (Jim) Sweeney had a model, “don’t leave that man on an island by himself.” So Julius Pitts was the starting punt returner because he had been there and I had transferred there from junior college. I was 2nd behind him and I had never returned a punt before. He gets the ball, does the same technique and as he comes around he end, he twists his ankle and they called a clip on the play. So the next thing I know coach yells “Baker get in there!” and let me tell you man I was nervous. This is my first time playing in front of 30,000 people. I just remember I caught it, took a step forward, I gave ground, about 15-20 yards, and all of a sudden I saw these people falling like dominoes. So I cut back, and while I cut back the ball slipped out of my hands so I had to regain it. While all of this is going on the crowd is going crazy and the rest is history. After that I had at least 3 called back because of a clipping penalty. I have to say though that that was the most fun because whenever we’d do punt returns the whole stadium of 30,000 people called the red wave would hold up sirens because someone was gonna be going to the hospital on the crack back. I remember coach Sweeney used to say “Set em up like bowling pins.” And I have to say that was fun along with averaging 28 yards per catch and running reverses. But punt returns used to bring people to their feet man."
GMenHQ: What were your emotions when the NY Giants drafted you in the 3rd round
"Well as I mentioned earlier I was a Dallas Cowboy fan, so when I got the news- don’t get me wrong now I was ecstatic to be a New York Giant- however, as a kid, like I told you in my dorm room I had a poster of Tony Dorsett on my wall from the day I got drafted. So when (Bill) Parcels called, I was a 3rd round pick, he called me before it was announced on ESPN and asked how it felt to be a New York Giant, and what am I gonna say? No? “Oh coach I’m holding out for the Cowboys.” You know him, he would’ve been like, “Okay” and hang up the phone. So I said “Sir, I’d be honored to be a New York Giant.” and he said, “I got one question for you, you have to hate the Redskins.” and I was like “Okay, I can’t stand the Redskins.” and then he said, “I’ll see you soon.” And that was it. I’ll tell you I was so relieved to get drafted because when that moment happens you kind of reflect on what it takes to get there, like all the people who said you couldn’t do it. I remember I had a teacher who told me I couldn’t do it. Mr. Hughsby. He went around the whole class room in junior high school and asked everyone what they wanted to be when they grew up some said, “fireman, doctor, architect.” he came to me and I said I wanted to play in the NFL. When I tell this story this is exactly how I tell it. Imagine a bald headed man, with a little grey mustache, and spectacles on. Going, (in a Steve Urkel esque voice) “Are you kidding me, there are only 28 teams in the league, and they carry 4-5 receivers, and you think you’re going to be one of those guys?” He said it just like that. So you can imagine my excitement when I scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl. When they asked me If I had anything to say, I said, “yeah this goes out to- we used to call him Mr. Hughsball- Mr. Hughsby, who said I couldn’t do it.” and they had no idea what I was talking about. But it was a great moment to be drafted and beat all of those odds, dislocated shoulder with a screw in it, 5’8 150 pounds. All I wanted was an opportunity."
GMenHQ: Do you have any interesting or funny Bill Parcels stories?
"Well, he was a no nonsense guy as you can imagine. He always said, “If you have a problem, my door is always open. You don’t like something you can come ask me and I’m gonna tell you.” That’s what I always respected about him. I remember my rookie year, you have to know he couldn’t, “pick the groceries” as he put it. So he didn’t pick me, George Young gave him the players. And he didn’t really like little guys, and that’s what he told me when I got there. He was on the treadmill and I walked by him and he was like, “You know what, I don’t like little guys who are from California that wear earrings in their ear, and eat Tofu.” And I just looked at him and shook my head and kept walking. So later on at practice I’m catching punts and I drop a couple. So he looks over to me and he yells in front of everyone, “Baker! Window or aisle?” I’m like, “Excuse me?” He says, “Window or aisle, because if you keep dropping the [expletive] punts you’re gonna be on the first plane out of here.” And I was like geez I’m in this guys doghouse man. Another instance, still with a punt return, we were playing the Cleveland Browns. I caught a punt, and remember I told you I’m used to giving ground and then coming back and the wall would be there. Unfortunately when guys were stuck on punt return teams they had a chip on their shoulder because they didn’t really wanna be there. So they don’t block like they did in college. And I got smashed like a dude crushing an aluminum can. When I got up I had a hairline fracture in my finger, my ankle was severely swollen, and I was seeing stars. So I came off the field limping and he looked at our trainer, Ronnie Barnes, and the trainer checked me out. So, silly me didn’t want to go to treatment the next day or the following day. And if you don’t go to treatment for an injury you better be ready to practice on Monday. So I didn’t wanna stick my foot in a bucket of ice. I don’t know if you’ve ever done that but it is so painful for the first 2 and a half minutes. I said, “I’m not doing that, I’ll be alright.” And as fate would have it, on Monday I wasn’t able to go. My foot was swollen like a Grapefruit. And then Parcels embarrassed me in front of the whole super bowl defending team in the auditorium. “I guess our punk-[expletive] 3rd round pick must have a lot of money because I’m about to fine his [expletive] $3,000 for missing two treatments.” Dude, I was in the doghouse for sure because remember, George Young picked us. (Parcels) didn’t like little 5’8 guys. So anyways, Tuesday came around and I just said, “You know what, I’m just gonna gut it out.” So I heavily taped my leg up, and it was one of those injuries where I could run fine, but when I walked it hurt. And I guess I showed him a little something like that. And I was a fast healer so I was back by the end of the week. But I was in his doghouse from the beginning. Not a good place to be as a rookie. Especially on the defending Super bowl champions."
GMenHQ: What were your emotions when you caught the touchdown in the Super bowl?
"Well, I always tell this story like this. We didn’t throw a lot of passes when we played, it was primarily a running game and I’m so proud to say that Mark Ingram caught 37 passes I believe, I caught 34, but we won a Super bowl. And that’s always my question to kids: would you rather have 110 catches and 10 touchdowns, or 34 catches, 4 touchdowns, and win the Super bowl? So we did the ladder and we were a team that whenever they would call our numbers we would be ready. In fact, going into that game we knew we weren’t gonna get a lot of passes because the night before the offensive coordinator, Ron Erhardt said, “At the end of the game I want the longest time of possession in NFL history.” Could you imagine how that would fly today with these “diva” receivers? But you know we were a team so we didn’t care. So when they called my number down there- This play I had scored on once in the middle of the season against the Cardinals, and also in the playoffs against the Bears.- It’s a backside X post corner. So we get down there, and actually the play before (Jeff) Hostetler underthrew me by 2 yards. I was hitting the seam on the right side. I ran a seam route and it should have been a touchdown and I thought I wasn’t gonna get another opportunity. But Erhardt upstairs believed in me, called the play again. Let me back up quick: when I got up there I said I was gonna run the best post corner route I’ve ever run in my life, right here, right now. I’ve run it a thousand times but this one has to be perfect because I don’t know when I’m gonna be here again. So I go out there and line up, I see the two linebackers about to blitz. So I know its single coverage and I know he has to protect the inside, and we were taught to attack the inside, then do your route. So I got him inside, went 3 steps to the post, put my hands out, Hostetler pumped it, and then I broke out of it. Now the key for that to work is the ball needs to be out in the air before I turn around. If I see it leave his hand it’s not going to work. And let me tell you he threw the perfect pass. The line held up enough. And I said there’s no way I’m gonna drop this, and I just went to it like a magnet. Now I didn’t do everything perfectly like having my eyes on the ball but I just did what I’ve been doing my whole life. Parcels always used to say, “Just catch the [expletive] ball, don’t worry about trying to be perfect.” And that’s what I did, I cradled it like a baby stamped both my feet on the ground, and that was it. I said, “Wow I just scored a touchdown in the Super bowl, now all we got to do is win.”"
GMenHQ: Do you have any Bill Belichick stories?
"I will say this about Bill Belichick. He was very observant of talent. Odessa Turner was a 4th round pick, we had the same agent. We came up together, we’re still very close to this day. We challenged each other for the position and we’re still friends to this day. But Belichick saw something in both of us when we both got drafted. The week before the final cuts- Parcels always had us on edge because we never knew if we were gonna make it. So I remember Belichick coming up to Odessa and I and asking us, “Did you guys get your apartments yet?” And I was like, “No sir, we wanna wait until we officially make the team.” and he gave me a little sly grin like, “Come on guys.” and we still didn’t believe him because Parcels was the head coach and he makes the final decision. Then Belichick asks, “Did you guys get your suits yet?” We were ironically going to play the Patriots. And we were like “No sir, we don’t have transportation.” He gave us the keys to his car. So we took his car to go to the mall and Odessa is from Monroe, Louisiana and I’m from LA, via Texas. So we were a little country and we went to a place called JeansWest and we saw these mannequins and the way they were dressed with the vests and pants. But Odessa got a gray suit and I got a black one with an orange shirt. So when we got back to the car I was like, “Dude, you got the keys?” He said, “You drove man where’d you put them?” And it turned out we locked the coaches keys in the car. Now Odessa is my boy and I love him to death but he has a speech impediment, so I had to make the call. So I called Belichick and told him we locked the keys in his car. All he said was, “Man are you guys [expletive] kidding me, that’s my wife’s [expletive] car. Get it back here!” and he hung up. So we had to call a tow truck and have them get in there and get the keys. We both thought we were getting cut after that. But he would always come up to me and ask me which one of his defensive backs gave me the most problems. He always wanted me to match up against his best DB’s because he knew that the little guys always gave the big defensive backs the most problems because we could get off the line and go. He also would chime in on the punt returns too. He’d have us catch the punt and then have someone run in and hit us with a bag right after we caught it to help us get used to getting hit hard and help us hold onto the ball. He was definitely a coach ahead of his time."
GMenHQ: Are you still in contact with any of your former teammates outside of get togethers like the one in White Plains where I first met you?
"Yeah man that was a great how, to see Jeff Hostetler, who I hadn’t seen in years. Jeff Rutledge who threw my first NFL touchdown to me. Otis Anderson however is my ace boon koon. He’s actually coming over tomorrow, we talk just about everyday. We have a golf outing tomorrow in Delaware, then we have a couple more next week. Long story short: Otis is my main man. I talk to Odessa Turner about twice a month, George Martin is on Facebook now, believe it or not. Harry Carson will hit me from time to time, Howard Cross. Mostly the guys who stayed in the general area. But I have to say my main man is Otis Anderson, we hang out a lot. He’s such a good golfer and he’s trying to teach me. I think I’m gonna have to go and get lessons from a professional because I’ve been playing with him for 7 years and I still suck."
GMenHQ: What is your best memory throughout your entire career, whether it be high school, college, or the NFL?
"Don’t get me wrong, I don’t wanna diminish the Super bowl, that was a great memory obviously. But the following year we played down there again against Tampa. Jeff Hostetler was starting and he got hurt and darn near broke his back. And (Phil) Simms came in. We had to march about 80 yards to score the winning touchdown. I remember going into the stadium warming up. I used to always observe and look around when we were warming up and I saw they had people with disabilities who were sitting in the end zone at the low level. I said, “That kind of sucks” because I look over at the 50 yard line before the seats and there was a lot of room. And I said “It’s a shame that they got them there.” I said a prayer and I said “God, please let me do something special to honor these people.” And honestly I forgot all about it man. We were marching down the field and with like 15 seconds left a play was called where I just did a 5 yard hitch, but if the defensive back comes up and presses, go by him. And they came up and pressed. There was one single safety high so I wasn’t covered. Simms dropped back and just threw a rainbow right over his head. I catch it, jump up, and without blinking an eye it just came right back to me. I ran right to the end zone and tried to find them. I wish I could’ve given them all the football. But there was this one man in all Giants clothes so I went and pushed it in his lap and he tried to give it back and his friends were like, “No no, keep it keep it!” That was probably my proudest moment because on TV they talked about it a little bit then showed the guy with the football. Then he wrote me a letter saying thank you. He was originally from New Jersey but moved down to Tampa due to health issues. He sent the ball and I signed it and sent it back. But that’s what I’m all about man. I always tell everyone: if you can always make someone’s life better by a simple gesture, how can you not do it? I’m sure that’s something him and his family have never forgotten, and I haven’t either because I love sharing that story."
GMenHQ: Obviously you retired due to an injury you sustained, what made you realize that you weren’t able to play football anymore?
"When my back went out I had to get a shot every six hours. It took a whole week for me to be able to stand up again, I was bed-ridden for 6 days, getting a shot every 6 hours. The nurse used to get so angry because I don’t know about you but I hate needles. She’d come in and I’d just complain so much, I was like “Why do we gotta keep doing this?” and she would say, “Alright, fine” and she’d squirt the liquid into the trash can. It wasn’t an easy decision but I knew I’d given it all I could. Actually now 30 years later my back is starting to give me problems again. But I had come to the realization that I can’t do it anymore. It’s not fun to practice but not be at 100%.I never half-[expletive] practice, it was always game time for me and I couldn’t go 100% anymore. It was a hard decision because Belichick gave me a 2nd chance and I just couldn’t respond. At first I was ashamed of that, but you know you’re only human and you can only go as far as your body allows. I was blessed to get 6 wonderful years in and get everything that a receiver could think of. Catching a touchdown in the playoffs, helping your team win a game in the last series on a drive a couple of times. Key first downs in Giants stadium and hearing people go crazy. So I was comfortable with my retirement and moving on and having fun now. You know what they say, one a Giant always a Giant and I’m still having fun with the New York Giant organization. Last year of course because of COVID things got kind of stymie and now things are starting to slowly trickle back up."
GMenHQ: What did you do right after you retired?
"Well I actually kind of sulked for a little bit. You know you got to think about it. You’ve been playing football your entire life and you’re in a sort of bubble. You’re told what to do, where to be, training camp starts in May, etc. And it’s always been that way since high school. Now all of a sudden it just stops. It’s kind of a hard adjustment to make. I sat on the couch for about 2 years just watching TV. Trying to find out what I wanted to do with my life. And then I met my wife and she got me into teaching. And that’s when the world turned for me. I saw the impact that I could have being a teacher. I did subbing which was a little less stressful than being a full time teacher because I could still do my Giant events, go golfing and attend my speaking engagements and what not. But I did that for 15 years in one school, K-4. It was my longest tenure ever at a job and I loved every minute of it. The kids were so respectful, they just knew me as the football player for the Giants. And now as they grow older they come back to me and are like “Oh I remember you as my teacher Mr. Baker.” Because I would do fun stuff with the kids. I would say, “Look, the teacher’s not here, we can have some fun as long as we get our work done.” And I would give the best male and female student of the day an autographed picture. The last half hour of class I would share football stories with them. I did that for 15 years and it was a lot of fun."
GMenHQ: So I see that you enjoy flying remote control planes and helicopters. Where did the love for that come from?
"Most people don’t know but my very first love was to be a pilot. I remember walking home one day and being like, “Man I’m gonna be a pilot one day.” What happened was football was an easier avenue. We didn’t have any aeronautical classes or anything like that so I’d go to the library and study on my own. And I always wanted remote control toys but they were always so expensive back in the day so my mother couldn’t afford them. So when I got my first NFL paycheck I bought the biggest, baddest RC car money could buy. And it slowly graduated into what my first love was in flying and I’ve never looked back. I’ve been flying remote control helicopters and planes for too long I’d like to mention and I still crash. But some of my best friends now are 80 years old and still fly these things. We just went this last weekend, we try to fly every weekend. And I’ve always had a fascination for flight. I don’t know if you’ve tried it out yet but VR (virtual reality) I got about 5 Oculus headsets and a gaming computer so I can do flight simulators on there. I’m just a big geek I always tell everyone, I’m just a geek who played in the NFL. I love what I do and I’m not ashamed of it. I’m like a wannabe engineer, I was never an actual engineer but this is as close as I can get. I’ll tell you what some of the tech that’s involved in these things are incredible"
GMenHQ: I’ve also seen that you’re into video games. What kind of games are you into?
"I’ll tell you what, take a guess (makes a throwing motion) Madden. I just got back into it a few years ago. I’ll tell you these kids are good man. I play online a lot. I got the Xbox and I get my butt handed to me from time to time. Only because I use the Giants and the Madden ratings always dog the Giants. Even after we won the Super Bowl we never got the right ratings. Anyways I just use the Giants and I had to come up with a boring, but time consuming offense that works. People always use Green Bay and Tampa and the Chiefs. Now they’re gonna score on me but I have a long, drawn out offense that’s gonna take up darn near an entire quarter just dinking and dunking. But long story short I love video games. Like I said, I have a gaming rig here that I built about 2 years ago. Now it’s outdated, I need to update the graphics card. I play World of Warcraft, I got the Xbox and the Ps4. I haven’t gotten the next generation consoles yet because they make it so difficult to find them. So I said to myself that I had enough stuff to play with so I’ll just wait. But my Oculus VR setup is my favorite to play with. I just got the HP reverb which has some of the best clarity on the market. I got Oculus headsets, the first one, the white one- I’m just such a geek."
GMenHQ: Do you have any more stories you’d be interested in sharing?
"People always ask for a Parcels story so I’ll share one with you. I remember we had lost like 3 games in a row and he called all of us into the room and he said, “Look man, we’ve lost 3 games. Management is starting to come down on my [expletive], this is how it’s gonna go down. You best believe if I get fired I’m taking some of you son’s of [expletive] with me, so get your head out of your ass. Because if I gotta fire someone to get your attention as a sacrificial lamb. I’ll do it.” And I was like, “First, did he just call my mother the b-word? And 2nd, is it gonna be me?” Everyone was on pins and needles. That was the type of guy he was, he knew how to get the best out of everyone. I’ll tell you to this day whenever we have our reunions he never forgets his players which is so cool. One more quick story: Bobby Johnson who was famous for the 4th and 17 play against Minnesota. Bobby had been going through some rough times and he had sold his Super Bowl ring. 3 years ago we had a reunion and Bobby was there and we were all at the table signing. A representative comes and says, “Bobby, come with me.” He takes Bobby upstairs and comes back and he’s crying. Parcels and another partner found his ring and bought it from whoever had it and presented it to him. And I’ll tell you it was so cool when he came back, he put it right in my face and I gave him a big hug. After that we went out and partied that night at a club called Miami Mike’s. We were all hugging and showing off the ring and he promised coach he would never ever go back to that life again. He had really turned his life around prior to him getting the ring back, that was just a bonus. But I thanked Parcels for that and he said, “I’d do anything for my players.” That’s just the type of man he is."