CJ Moore | Grit, Faith & Life After Football

On this episode of the Intangible Podcast, former NFL center Chris Spencer sits down with former Ole Miss defensive back and NFL safety CJ Moore for a powerful conversation about grit, resilience, faith, and the mindset it takes to keep going when the path doesn’t go as planned.

CJ shares what it was like growing up in a small Mississippi town with no stoplights, working on the farm, competing with his twin brother, and building the work ethic that carried him from Ole Miss to the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans. He opens up about going undrafted, earning his way through special teams, learning to adapt in the NFL, and the mental and spiritual growth that came after football.

This conversation is for every young athlete, parent, and coach who wants to understand what really separates athletes beyond talent. CJ’s story reminds us that the game can open doors, but the intangibles — resilience, adaptability, leadership, self-reflection, faith, and a never-quit mindset — are what carry you through life.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:03

Welcome back to the Tangent Podcast. I'm excited to sit down and have a conversation with my man CJ. CJ Moore is, you know, now becoming a fast friend of mine already, man. This is my first time getting a chance to meet him. But um, CJ, we're sitting here having a backroom conversation about upbringing and and and all the the farm life and things like that. I see he pulls up in a truck and I'm like, You're a country boy? And he said, he tells me right away, yeah, I'm I I am. And through and through. So now, CJ, man, we're excited to have you talk about your story, man. Welcome to the Tangent Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:33

Man, appreciate you for having me. Super excited to be here, man, and talk about those intangibles, man, that that can help us in life.

SPEAKER_03 0:40

Yeah, absolutely. Well, CJ, before I get started, man, I'm gonna give a quick highlight of you, man, because um, you know, you're one of my fellow fellow rebels. Um, but for for one, so for the people who don't know CJ Moore, CJ was a uh NFL safety uh played with Detroit Lions and Houston Texans. Uh he also entered into the 2019 draft as an undrafted free agent, which is a completely different mindset, which is is so important of the have these type of intangibles that we're going to talk about today. Um made his way as a as a um made his way as special teams for ones who don't know. You know, there's there's a lot of different ways to get into this league. And if you can make it on a special team, then it really opens up some of the other things that you can do. And then now you become one of those versatile, versatile players, you know, being those different rotating safeties as a safety. And so uh a lot there. Uh played it old miss as a defensive back from 2014 to 2018. Um again, competing in the SEC, you know, that's that that's a that's a tall task. And uh CJ made his way, like I said, as a as a special team versatility guy. Um but had to go through multiple battles battles throughout camp and continue to win out. And so again, different mindset it takes to be in that position. And so uh CJ, man, we're excited to have you on this, you know, one of the study, steady guys at you know, at your position and now doing life. Um but before we get there, let's go back to the early part of life. CJ, take us back to early upbringing for yourself, man.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Yeah, man. Um man, going back, just thinking about it, man, we grew up, we weren't really, we weren't rich in money, but we were rich in love. And uh our family was everything to us. And uh the love and and support that we had for each other uh really helped uh push us and and and keep us grounded all throughout the obstacles and uh everything that we wanted to do in life. Grew up in my parents, 25 years happily married. I got an older sister, Alicia, uh twin brother who we're inseparable, AJ. Um, but yeah, man, we um just out the mud, you know, straight out the mud from Bassfield, Mississippi. No stoplights. Just stop sign.

SPEAKER_03 2:58

Um let's let's let's correct, let's make sure we're on the same page here. When you say no stoplights, you mean like not even one like flashing lights, just all stop signs? All stop signs. Because even in my little small town, you know, we have highway 49, you cross across there, and there was there, you go into town, there was still like one little blinking little blinking, flashing light there.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Let's just stop signs. Just stop signs. Um, no stop lights. It's just great country, man. And um it's what made us, it's it's what helped uh build us into who we are today. And um, yeah, man, me and A, my twin, um, we grew up with the same dream. Uh started off just playing ball at probably around six or seven, and uh really just watching our Uncle T. Uh, that's my mom's brother. He uh played at Alcorn, but we um had the had the inspiration to go play in the NFL, wanted to play in the SEC, watching Patrick Willis on TV, man, that just inspired us to go and want to go play in the SEC. And man, we just kept our head down, tried to keep God first, um and and it was able to come true. And um man, just coming out the country though, it just at the farm, uh cleaning our horse stalls, uh messing around with cows and throwing bailing hay, um loading horse feed, man, it just it just built this grid in us and this competitiveness that we always did at the farm, just competing. Uh we competed, you know, who would get the biggest chicken, who would get the biggest piece of chicken at dinner. So um, yeah, man, it just it just really helped mold us.

SPEAKER_03 4:41

Man, so what tell me what was it like playing growing up with a with a twin brother, not just a brother. Like you guys are, you know, which one of you guys was the oldest? You know, who came out first?

SPEAKER_02 4:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:53

And and who who carried that that torch of like I'm the older brother, knowing that you're only like a couple minutes or uh seconds behind each other.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

I got I gotta give it to him. AJ, he is a minute and some change about it.

SPEAKER_03 5:06

He has to admit it.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

About a minute and probably 45 seconds, a minute and 30 seconds uh older than I am, but he always carried that torch. And um I could feel it as well. Um, man, he just always led by example. Um and just he's he's easy to follow. He, you know, he does things the right way. But uh A always, he always held it over my head, but we competed now. I let him know when when I, you know, I've I could feel like the big brother when I beat him in in racing, or are we in the weight room getting after it or on the field? So uh, but he always tried to carry that torch. It still does today, to be honest. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:44

So so now you guys are you you're competing, you're growing up, you're you know, you you're in you're on a farm. I'm sure you guys got some court have some quarter horses out there, you know.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

Tennessee walkers. Tennessee walkers American saddlebred, uh, you know, rack and horse. In the sip. In the sip. Um, you know, you might you want a full blood American saddlebred, um, or you might have one cross with Tennessee Walker in them. So uh that's really, you know, our dad, he grew up in that, and we're in it as well. And um, we're still in it to this day. It's just it's just beautiful to see. You know, quarter horses are are really cool, but man, those those horses when they're racking and in their gate is really dope.

SPEAKER_03 6:24

Yeah, it's it man, it's a it's a beautiful thing to watch, and it's also the peace, a peaceful thing to watch, watch an animal run that way, but also taking care of them. Yeah, and feeling that energy that they have that that brings you to peace. And so, so that's cool. But as you guys are trying to figure out, all right, this this sports thing, yeah. You know, did y'all start out in soccer, baseball, or it was just always football?

SPEAKER_01 6:50

Um, our parents put us in every sport to start off with. We played football, basketball, uh, baseball. And then throughout that journey, we started to realize which sport we were better at. And uh we always raced, so we did track once we got old enough. Um, but I played, we played baseball up into 10th grade. And uh I remember breaking my leg on the last game, still at home. Uh the hindcatcher clipped me. And I remember mom, she walked over, she said, Yep, baseball is done. We're gonna stick to track and football. And um, so the the sports started to weed themselves out as we got older. Yeah, uh, we just showed a lot more potential and football.

SPEAKER_03 7:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:33

What position did you play in high school? And and what position did your brother play in high school?

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Now, I got an arm, so I always played quarterback. Um I figured that. I played quarterback uh coming up. Uh AJ always played on the D on the defensive side. Yeah. So I played quarterback all the way up until I went to O Miss and then I transferred, uh converted over to uh defensive back, but um AJ always played linebacker. So I played quarterback and AJ was a linebacker.

SPEAKER_03 8:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:02

All right. And so that I'm sure that meant meh went with some some really strong practices for trash talk and practice.

SPEAKER_01 8:09

A lot of trash talk, but uh man, coach, you know, I guess he saw the potential I had at quarterback. So um I was never allowed to play defense, so he never, it was like, man, in high school is like a prized possession where if you have a pretty good quarterback, you don't let him get hit, you don't really let him get into the mix. So I came into college really not that physical because I always, I never got touched at practice. Right. And the time I did get, you know, me and AJ did go at it at um in high school practice, I think he he almost gave me a concussion. Like coach had to pull me out. I was like, dang, like this is what it's like, you know, to get hit. I just never really got hit. And um, but we always competed. Maybe on the board drills, he might let me and AJ go. Uh, but you know, and when it was live, I had the red jersey on, coach, hey, stay off CJ. Yeah, you know, and it was cool, but then I realized this ain't really helping me. You know, I need to get that physicality, and and I really had to um really pick that up and learn on and catch on quick when I got to the SEC when you tackling guys like Lena Fournette. But uh the practices were always lit. Um, you know, so it was it was a fun time.

SPEAKER_03 9:21

Yeah. CJ's talking about Ole Miss, man. What what uh what drew you to Ole Miss? Why did you decide that that was a place for you that you felt like that was home?

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Man, um to be honest now, don't don't don't fight me in here. We uh we grew up state fans, Mississippi State fans.

SPEAKER_03 9:37

Oh man, okay, all right. Let me get this mic out the way.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

So uh our sister, she did uh undergrad and grad school at Mississippi State. Okay. Uh so since we were seven, eighth grade, she's five years older than us. As she went to state, um, man, we just fell in love with it. I remember our first game watching Mississippi State play all corn. I mean, we watched all corn roll in, Mississippi State roll in, buses rocking. We was like, man, we got, I want to play in the SEC. This is it. And all we really knew at the time was Mississippi State, because our sister was going there. And uh man, as we we got older, we come from a two-way um high school, you know, we kind of slept on. Nobody really knows about this town with no stoplights. Right. But there's so much talent. And um, man, we start going to camps, start going to camps, and people start noticing us, like, man, these boys running. You know, these boys different. And Dan Mullen at the time, he was still asleep. He had to wake up. And um, Hugh Freeze, when he saw us for the first time, he was like, Man, what the more twins waiting on? You know, what when y'all gonna commit? We was like, man, you ain't offered us yet. So he offered us that night, man, and we committed. And it was more of a thing, more of a thing where I think in high school, you want to go where you want it.

SPEAKER_04 10:51

Right.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Um and we just really felt wanted. And Hugh Freeze is a great recruiter, uh, great man. And uh Dan Mullen is also, he just, he was still asleep at the time. Yeah, and um, when when Freeze offered us, Dan was trying to do his best to get us to, you know, decommit and come back over to uh Starkville. But uh, you know, we loyalty is is big and man, we just we just stuck with it and went went with the revs. Yeah, that's awesome, man.

SPEAKER_03 11:18

Well, we we're glad to have you, man. We were glad to have you there, man.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

For sure.

SPEAKER_03 11:21

You know, to keep building on that foundation that we laid there, man. So as as you started to kind of enter SEC, man, what was you know, what was the preparation coming in SEC like for you, like mentally? Because again, you're coming from a two-way school. Um, now you're on the big stage in SEC competing, and so to start practicing, to see what that physicality of all those things were like, you know, what was that that that experience like for you?

SPEAKER_01 11:46

It was uh it was pretty cool. We man, in high school, we had great men around us, our dad, our uncle who played college ball. Uh I would say Coach Sean, man, this guy, um, he's our cousin. But he always, they always tried to get us to think about the bigger picture. That, you know, even though we were at, you know, when we were in high school, they got us to start thinking about next level and thinking about, hey man, you're not just competing with guys in Mississippi, you competed with guys in New York, California, Georgia, Texas. And uh, so we took that mindset and was like, yeah, man, I can't, I can't just be satisfied with just being the best in my town, in my state.

SPEAKER_04 12:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

I'm trying to be the best in the nation. And um so we took out and went to the Nike Spark Combine was a big thing back then. So we would get a taste of competing with these guys in Mobile, Alabama, um, and New Orleans and Memphis, Tennessee. That's where these camps were. And our parents, man, would bring us, and that's where we got that exposure to competing with these. We were three-star guys, but we always, when we went to these Spark Combines, we um we competed with the five-star guys. Right. All these guys that were, you know, looked at as, hey, these guys are for sure next level. But when we went and competed with them, um, it was, it was second nature for us. Like, we always kind of had this mindset, and that was built off how we competed in Bass Fit, Mississippi with uh COD, is the group I like to call us, uh, me, my twin, Cornell Armstrong, Curtis Michael, and Cameron Williams. Like, we just always pushed each other to the limits, and um, and it helped us as we stepped into that SEC. So it was just really like second nature.

SPEAKER_03 13:34

Yeah. How did you build that mindset, not knowing that that's what you were building?

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Man, uh working at the farm, growing up, working on a farm, um, being in that hot sun all the time, and that creates this grit and this resiliency, man. To, you know, if you want something, you gotta work to go get it. And we we never minded work, ever. Like that's all I, you know, all I did growing up was hard labor, hands-on work. Um and so being on that form really taught us um all of those intangibles. So, so it created this mindset of, hey, if I want to go play in the SEC, I have to work and go get it. So that was uh pulling the sled on Sundays. Um it was, and the biggest quote, I mean, phrase that was around our time was no days off. And we kind of took that and ran with it. I mean, there was really no days off. And even though when it got tiring, like we just kept pushing and kept pushing, and uh, we kept God first, man, it just and it just worked out.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

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SPEAKER_03 15:13

What what did planning SEC, planning old miss, what did that, what did that teach you from uh from a competitive side?

SPEAKER_01 15:20

Man, I try not to be biased, but the SEC is different. And um you compete with the best of the best, and I think it's the best conference of uh college football. And um, and it it makes the transition to the pros easy because I'm tackling Derrick Henry, I'm tackling Leonardo Fournette, I'm covering um Calvin Ridley and AJ Brown and DK Metcalf and Laquan Treadwell. You know, so all these guys, and I mean, I didn't play with Dante Munkrie, but I grew up and I'm watching him. I come behind guys who are competing at that level. So it's just different. It's just different. And uh so playing in SEC, um, that competitive nature, it'll it'll make you break you. So um you better get with it, you know what I'm saying? Like if you want to, you know, make a name for yourself in that in that uh conference.

SPEAKER_03 16:12

Again, we're talking about these intangibles. How important is it do you think it is now for the coaches truly to understand the character, the leadership, the composure of your athletes? You know, especially when you start talking about now you have to be the total package. You can't just be a good athlete. You know, you have to be uh you have to be more than just an athlete because of the the dollar signs that's been put behind you.

SPEAKER_01 16:36

Man, yeah. Um, I definitely think the coaches that this um there needs to be this emphasis of making this connection uh to get to know the players, to develop them, develop the person that's underneath the jersey. Uh I could preach and talk about that all day because I've experienced it and learn about how important it is to develop that person that's underneath the jersey. Because um, man, when it comes to just reaching, you know, all your goals and things like that, man, they kind of fade and it could be temporary. Um so developing young men and women um for life is so key. And um I think that it needs to be emphasized as the game gets bigger, we definitely need to be grounding ourselves on a firm foundation.

SPEAKER_03 17:27

Yeah. When you say you experienced it, you know what kind of experience did you have to go through to come to some of these realizations?

SPEAKER_01 17:34

Man, um ball, you know, coming to the end of my career, uh, it was tough for me to say the word retired, you know, for a little while, uh just because that's who I was for so long that this really good athlete, this professional athlete, and man, when when ball ended for me, it was tough. It was very tough. And um, it made me realize what my foundation had been. You know, I had always said God was first, I always said faith, family, football. And man, when ball ended for me, like everything just kind of shook. And it it made me question who I was and things like that. So um, yeah, man, it's that brought to realization that, yes, CJ, you need to get a bit a stronger foundation, man. And that made me have to self-reflect and go back and rebuild my my foundation on Christ. Um, and I I I continually, I'm still doing that to this day. Um, because with everything that's going on in the world today, man, it's you have to stay grounded. Yeah. Because there's just like our careers, there's so many highs and lows. Um, and there's highs and lows in life as well. So, man, we gotta stay stay grounded for real.

SPEAKER_03 18:50

Yeah, absolutely. That's real talk. That's real talk. Um I'm gonna I'm gonna jump back though. I'm gonna jump back real quick to, you know, the you you had a good experience at Ole Miss. Um you you had a really good career at Ole Miss, and now you're at this this this juncture of now I want to become this professional. And so so you're sitting there uh on draft day, your name wasn't called on draft day. You know, take me through that mindset and how did you have to to how did you how did how did that sit with you and then how did you have to flip your mind now to the next to the next moment because now it's like all right, I just need to get my foot in the door now.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Yeah, man, that that draft day was was it was fun and also chaotic. Um the day before draft day, uh Bob Quinn, uh the general manager at Detroit at the time, he uh called me the day before, was like, hey, I want you to save my number because I'm gonna give you a call, and we go, you know, and I'm like, what? Like, okay, like does this mean drafted or whatever like that? So um, man, the draft day comes, it's the third day. Um, and I knew I would probably be a third day guy. I had been injured, um, torn pecks and 16 and a torn peck and 18. Um, so and I didn't get a chance to finish my senior season, but I knew that I still had a good shot because my twin went before me. And uh he had a really good rookie year, and people were like, Well, this is a carbon copy coming right behind him, so let's get him. And um, man, Detroit calls me on the clock. It's six rounds. They call me on the clock, and it's this number that I saved.

SPEAKER_03 20:31

Oh, man.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

And I'm like, this is it. This is it. I didn't get too crazy, but I'm like, this is the number that they told me to save. They're about to be on the clock, it's about to happen. And uh man, they called me and they was like, hey, we uh we want you to know, we want to see if um you'll commit to us as soon as the pick the as soon as the draft is over, we want you to commit to us. And I was like, wait, why call me right now? Why you on the clock? You can just pick me right now. So uh man, it was, I was like, wait a sec, that's not how that was supposed to work, right? Yeah, but uh man, it was it was tough to not hear my name called, but um, I had just watched my twin bro go the year before me, go undrafted, and have a great rookie year. So I'm like, I don't mind following those footsteps. Like I said, he he's always been a guy that led by example. And um so I I had this, it it sucked in the moment, but I knew that me making a team could be done because I had seen it happen right in front of me.

SPEAKER_03 21:30

Yeah, yeah. What I mean, what emotion come up for you? Were you ain't were you were you mad?

SPEAKER_01 21:34

Were you like no, I just confused. Confused because I thought, you know, when they call you and hey, say this number, um, and they call you on the clock, like, oh yeah, you about to get your name called. Yeah, but it didn't work that way. So I was more confused, uh a little disappointed, but also just thankful. You know, I'm always thankful to the Detroit Line organization, to Bob Quinn, Matt Patricia at the time. And Uh Coach Dan Campbell, man. Um, those guys really mean a lot to me. Um, but yeah, so I'm always thankful for them. And you know, it worked out. It worked out. I had a pretty good career. Uh, so I wouldn't change anything.

SPEAKER_03 22:13

I don't know if this number still holds true, but 50% of the NFL is made up of undrafted free agents.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

Really? Yeah, I mean I didn't I didn't I didn't know that. Um man, it's it's a different beast. You know, coming in undrafted, it's a different beast, and um, you gotta have this mindset of kind of like where I have nothing to lose. Um, you go in and you just get after it, and uh you just continue to push, and um, you know, training camp is gonna get tough. Uh, you know, unfortunately, being undrafted, you're treated a little different, to be honest. Um, you know, you're not you don't have all this money invested into you, so you're easily um you're easily, you know, exchange, you know, and stuff like that. So, man, you really just have to put your head down and go to work. Uh, but you know, don't la don't allow uh being undrafted to um discourage you because there's so many, like you said, there's 50% that makes up the league and it could be done. Um, and I'm a living witness. Um, and my twin is a living witness. So it's just it's a great man, it's out the mud, you know, and I'm from the mud, so I don't mind it. Yeah, yeah. I didn't mind it.

SPEAKER_03 23:22

What do you think that they're they're they're missing or their eyes are so focused on that they they they pass on a guy like yourself or your brother?

SPEAKER_01 23:31

The organization?

SPEAKER_03 23:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

Uh probably, man, you know, details and and technique is so key. Um, I know as a as a safety, you know, who played quarterback all his high school career, coming into the SEC to play safety, uh, I wasn't as polished as a safety. Okay. So um, man, and the flashy plays can really, you know, really set a highlight or tape apart. Um, but I think the the details, I'll speak for myself, where I wasn't as polished. And I think they knew that. So when I got, when they did, when they did sign me undrafted, it was more of, hey, CJ, we want to continue to develop you as a safety. And I I knew that, and um I knew I could get better. There's always room for improvement. But um, yeah, I think that's kind of what sets apart where maybe you got a guy who has played corner and safety his whole life, and then a guy who's just been an athlete and trying to stick to this one uh now, get attached to this one position, I think that's what sets a drafted guy and an undrafted guy apart.

SPEAKER_03 24:46

Yeah. Just just so you guys know, when you you know, the way you just answered that question, um I much respect because there was a lot of reflection about yourself when when you go undrafted. Because in those moments where you go undrafted and you feeling that you you want to blame somebody or blame them and say, well, they didn't take me because of this or they didn't take me because of that, you know, um, that was a that's a great lesson for our young athletes or parents, whoever listening and watching this to think about and push their kids to think about is how do I reflect on where I am and why I didn't make it somewhere. And then now how do and it is uh it's not a knock, it's now how do I improve? How do I get better? How do I put myself on that on that stage so I can go out and show what I can do?

SPEAKER_01 25:35

Yeah. So I appreciate you answering that way because that was No, for sure, man. I've never been a guy to blame others for my downfall, even if it could have been leaning that way. No, like I've always self-reflected and see, tried to see how I could get better. Yeah. Um, but I've always used that as few. And uh I came in with this chip on my shoulder, like, hey, you should have drafted me. And to be honest, um, out of my draft class, those guys that I came in with, I was one of the probably it was like three of us left out of these 15 guys or however many picks that were there. Um it was probably like eight picks or something, but I I watched draft picks leave before me and things like that. So I I had this chip on my shoulder that, hey, you should have drafted me, but I'm not gonna talk about it. I'll just show you. Right. And there were times where I never forget, it was one of the greatest moments where you know, coaching staff changes and they come in and they say, uh, they bring you in the office, like, hey, we underestimated you. You know, like you're really showing us who you can be, how much potential you have. And um, man, you're a guy. And um, I had always knew I was a guy, right? I didn't have to talk about it, I'd rather just show you. So, man, just use it as fuel, you know, come in with that chip and just go to work. You don't have to be rah-rah about it, just go to work and show them.

SPEAKER_03 26:56

Much respect on that, man. I appreciate that. Um it resonated for me because I'm I'm I'm talking to my kids now. As a father, you're talking to your kids about you know, that's self-reflection. Because after games, the first thing they want to say is, oh, well, the referee or this coach, the coach did this, and it's like, hey, pause. What do you think you could have improved? Did you notice anything that you didn't do well? And so constantly pushing them to self-reflect. Because human nature is to I don't want to take the blame, yeah. I want to push it on someone else. And so, you know, and so and it starts early. It starts early with building that framework for your kid to be able to self-reflect. And then, hey, sometimes there's circumstances, but at the same time, you also gotta have look at within, figure it out there first.

SPEAKER_01 27:49

Yeah, yeah. Man, that that reflection is so key. Um and to be honest, my wife would tell me today that CJ, you may put too much on yourself where some things are going to be out of your control. Right. Um but I do believe self-reflection is so key. Um, but I will say, you know, just to the younger athletes, like don't put too much pressure on yourself. Don't beat yourself up too much because I did have to battle with that. Um, when a play, something didn't go my way, I would beat myself up. And it would be hard for me to get past, it would take me a longer uh time to get over that. Um, you know, and that's what people don't see. Where, yeah, you self-reflect, but when you get home, you know, it's like, how do you live with those moments that didn't go your way? How do you how do you live with that play that you missed and things that way? So uh man, and that's where we have to give ourselves grace. And that's so tough um in the game because you know, the the the team, the staff might not give you a lot of grace, but we have to learn how to give ourselves grace. Like it's you know, don't don't lose sleep over this thing, man. It's it's just a game.

SPEAKER_03 29:00

Man, that's a perfect intersection between mental toughness and mental performance and the grit, the grind, uh, the toughness that you have to really compete. And then that mental side of, you know, how do I keep my composure? How do I manage those negative thoughts? Can I can I, you know, regulate my emotions by taking a breath and taking a deep breath when I'm having these these thoughts of man, I oh, I could have made this play. Those things are gonna happen. Yeah, you're gonna have those reflections on, uh man, I messed up, I could have done this better. But now how do I process that and then how do I go take that and go in and and and correct it so it doesn't happen again and without beating myself up?

SPEAKER_02 29:44

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:45

So so that's a perfect intersection with that. Um so CJ, as you started to think about, you know, now you come into the SEC, you know, you now getting to get a chance to go play in the NFL. Was there a different approach being a un being a, you know, coming in SEC wanted on a, you know, you know, coming as Hugh Freeze on a scholarship and then to coming to the to the to the NFL as an undrafted guy. Was there a different approach to those counts?

SPEAKER_01 30:14

Yeah, um, man, it was more where I had been able to push through and compete just raw physical talent. Um in high school and college, when it became when it came to uh becoming pro, going to the NFL, you know, the mental aspect started to really take hold. And um I had to really start studying more femme. Like, you know, there's guys who aren't faster than you, but because they're so um so much better mentally at the at the moment that they're seeming faster than you, just because they're locked in on uh cues and um tendencies and things like that. So the mental aspect really had to increase as I came in from college to NFL, SEC, you know, to you know, it's raw talent, and then that that mental part really has to increase.

SPEAKER_03 31:11

Yeah. I mean, I I the guy that I think about is um St. Brown for Detroit.

SPEAKER_02 31:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:18

Man, I don't know how fast he is, but man, when this guy's running routes, he looks fast.

SPEAKER_01 31:23

He's special. He's special, and uh one of the toughest, one of the toughest guys I know. Uh he's tough as nails. Um, and he's he's mentally tough, physically tough. Um, yeah, so he's a great guy to compete against. I remember his rookie year. Um they put him out there, and I'm like, all right, I don't know what part of practice we were in, but he's a smaller guy, and I come up and hit him, and I'm I'm shedding the block. And you know, I'm like, oh, this guy, he was scrum.

SPEAKER_03 31:53

He got some mmm to him.

SPEAKER_01 31:54

He was he was scrolling. So I was like, okay, Rook got something, you know, he got something by himself. So uh yeah, that that guy, he's tough as nails, great dude. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:04

You know, it's so it's so funny. Uh that just made me think about Cam Chancellor, man, when he got to Seattle, and I remember pulling around one time, and you know, I'm I'm a 315, yeah, 200-pound lineman. And we were just doing a little thud. Yeah. And you know, and Cam, you know, he was like yoked up, but like, I'm I'm a lineman. So I pull I pull around and I just like give him a little thud, and I was just like, oh shit. He had somebody got some bricks in there, man. For sure. Man, he's a safety. Wait, wait a minute. For sure. I've been, I'm like, that wasn't no linebacker. This ain't no linebacker. This is a safety. So uh if it just made me think about that, yeah. Yeah, but um, but yeah, so the so the the the the change is that mental aspect of the game now getting prepared, being able to study film, being able to understand all the different cues, spacing, uh, knowing where your help is, knowing who you know you need to communicate. So there's a lot that's happening, you know, in that. And so being a safety and being that one also helped get people lined up, you know, what was your communication style? Were you a vocal guy? Were you a guy that was, you know, that just a guy gonna lead by example? You know, you talk a lot about that with your brother, you know, which which type of leader were you? Man, um when I got to the NFL. When you got to the NFL, uh once you establish yourself, once you kind of got comfortable.

SPEAKER_01 33:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Man, I I would say uh for sure I always leading by example. I wasn't the guy who was gonna just yell and scream and say, look at me, look how good I did this. It was more of I'm gonna show you, and you're gonna probably tell me, dang, CJ, you did that. And to be honest, that was more fulfilling than me just telling you beforehand what was up. Um, but man, uh being a quarterback younger in my career, um, early in my career, it helped me to be vocal. So I was a guy who could play every position in the back end. Right. Um, I would say corner is probably the toughest position to play. But uh at safety.

SPEAKER_03 34:06

What do you mean on the field in general of all positions? On the field in general.

SPEAKER_01 34:11

Defensive guys, offensive guys, on the field in general, corner is probably the toughest bit, uh definitely probably the toughest position to play. Um, but I was more of a vocal guy at safety, being able to make the checks, I could go down the nickel and know the safety's job, and that would help me. And that corner is really just you on this island and it's monoe mono. So it's not a lot of communication, but that safety has to communicate with that corner to let you know we're in cloud or if you're in man or something like that. Right. Um, but I would say I was vocal when it came to um the playbook or you know, the when when it was time to execute a play, but when it came to um, you know, in the locker room or just on the field, um leading just leading by example. Yeah. Just leading by example. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:05

Well, and being a lead by example guy, how important, again, talking to our young athletes, how important do you think it was for you, like you said, as a quarterback to start learning your voice? Even though you are a lead by example guy, you still have to have a be able to know what that that voice is so that when you do speak, people are listening.

SPEAKER_01 35:21

Listen, yeah, um good, true leadership, like you can't be scared to speak up or or hold your teammates accountable. Um, like, yeah, you can lead by example, you know, quietly, but when something is is uh out of order and you know it, right um and it it could affect the team, use your voice.

SPEAKER_04 35:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:43

Um, and that's where I think people will start to just quietly start to respect that. Um and they'll just start following you more when everybody knows that something is wrong here, but who's gonna speak up about it? Right. So um when you see it, say something about it.

SPEAKER_03 36:00

Yeah. We learn our communications, our voices, you know, because we had a lot of responsibility early, you know, cleaning the horse stalls, yeah, you know, out on the forum doing work. And so now you're you're yelling across the field, you're yelling over here, hey, bring me this, Bri, I need this tool, I need this. Yeah. And so now when you're in an environment where you're behind a computer screen, you're playing video games, things like that, are you learning that? Are you learning how to find your voice? And so that's why for me, having these started having these conversations about how important it is not just to be a lead by example guy, but also find a voice. And you may find out that you're more of a vocal guy in that process.

SPEAKER_02 36:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:39

And but also those the ones who are lead by example, how do I still hold those things accountable? But when I see it, things are like you said, out of order. How do I how do I do that? Yeah, you know, and so uh that's why it's important. So we're gonna have a quick pause here. I like to do a little quick two-minute segment, some rapid fire questions. Um, you know, just say whatever comes to your head and and just let it let it roll. Ready for this?

SPEAKER_02 37:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:02

All right. Uh, hardest part about being undrafted.

SPEAKER_01 37:06

The signing bonus. Uh the signing bonus of you not getting the dream of uh hearing your name being called. Fair. Yeah, probably not hearing your name being called on draft day.

SPEAKER_03 37:23

Yeah, that's fair. All right, um, your favorite SEC stadium to play in.

SPEAKER_01 37:28

That's tough. Probably I'm gonna go Texas AM. All right. I mean, all right, stop. Okay, that's tough. I've never I've never played there, so Texas AM is crazy. Um you got, man, uh Death Valley, uh, LSU is crazy, but Alabama's probably the loudest. Um, Alabama and Texas AM right there together with being the loudest, but AM's crowd and the way they um are in the middle of a game is just pretty cool to see. Yeah. Okay. All right. Um, toughest receiver you faced. Uh can they be on my own team?

SPEAKER_03 38:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:09

AJ Brown.

SPEAKER_03 38:11

Grown man.

SPEAKER_01 38:12

Grown man.

SPEAKER_03 38:13

Grown man. Um one lesson from Ole Miss that you carried into the NFL.

SPEAKER_01 38:19

I wore 38. And that was more. Give it to me. I wore tell the people what that what that means. The Chucky Mullins award at 38, man, is it's so special. Um, he was a great player that played, and he had an injury um playing against maybe Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt, yeah. Yep. And um, but he was a guy who led by example. Um, I didn't know him personally, but I can only imagine he probably used his voice as well. But um he got an injury, he was paralyzed, but he still, there's pictures and videos of him still uh trying to be around the team and things like that. So this there's a statue when you walk into Vault Hemingway uh of him, and uh we touch it before every game and it says never quit. Um and I always um had a never quit mindset, but that really layered it. That gave me another layer. Uh so winning that award or being rewarded, awarded that um Chucky Mullen's, you know, award, it really gave me never quit. Never quit. And I can always fall back on, hey, you can you can you can do this. Yeah, you can do it, no matter how tough it gets, no matter what it looks like, because when you're undrafted, you're the last person on a dev chart. Just don't quit. Yeah, never quit.

SPEAKER_03 39:42

Absolutely, man. And I would tell you, that's a very special honor. I mean, that's been there for for years, and um and the guys who are always wore that jersey exemplified everything he stood for. And so um, so man, I quit. For sure. Appreciate you. Appreciate you.

SPEAKER_01 40:02

Um best advice you receive from a veteran player, probably like work smarter, not harder. Um uh a vet that I've always looked up to, Daron Horman. I played with him for like two years when he came to Detroit. But um, I just remember, man, I would have soft tissue injuries a lot, hamstrings. I was a more of a I was a fast guy, that's what I did best, speed. And um, but I would be having these uh maybe Achilles inflammation or hamstring pulls here and there. But he was like, CJ, bro, your 80% is faster than a lot of guys 100%. So you don't have to always go so hard. Just be smart when you're going through these different periods of practice. Um, so man, just be smarter. You know, you don't work smarter, not harder.

SPEAKER_03 40:55

Yeah. When you when you have that mentality of just like all out, there's there still is a balance.

SPEAKER_01 41:01

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 41:01

You know, and so that's what it hey, find that balance. Yeah, find that balance.

SPEAKER_01 41:06

Know when to when to know when to turn it on and know when not to when to dial it down. And for me, it was always all or nothing. But when when do harm put that in my mind, I was like, yo, I don't even have to go full throttle right here. Like, yeah, you know, I let me save some of this for game day.

SPEAKER_03 41:22

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 41:24

All right, last one. Toughest mental moment of your career. Toughest mental moment of my career. Uh being cut for the first time. Um, when I came in undrafted, I just made the team every year. Um but then being cut because of an injury and you know the numbers when it comes to being on the roster and things like that, it was tough. Um, I really didn't understand it. I was like, man, just put me on the the PUP list or the inactive list, but it didn't really work that way. And um, so being cut for the first time was probably um the toughest part.

SPEAKER_03 42:07

Yeah. When you think about being in different locker rooms, being with multiple staff, you know, um, you know, what do you think that taught you about, well, more so, how important is adaptability and being able to adapt to new schemes, new coaches, new verbiage, um, you know, new teammates constantly changing around you, you know, how important is being adaptable?

SPEAKER_01 42:32

Man, you you gotta adapt.

SPEAKER_03 42:33

Um, like you just said not just in football, in in life.

SPEAKER_01 42:38

Um, well, we know, man, life, it'll throw a curveball at you and things won't always go your way. So you have to be ready to just just flow with that moment. And I had to learn that when things aren't going my way, to stop trying to force it and try to force things to go my way, because that would only tire you out, it'll burn you out, and you'd be exhausted, and now you don't have any more energy to keep going. But um, man, just adapt with it. And, you know, when it comes to the game, these different coaches come in, man, and these coaches are being, you know, they're being called in to be there and lead, lead the the each year. And so they're gonna come in with a a mindset and a uh a vision. And if you don't really get with that, then you're out, you know. So you have to be able to adapt. I know I in my first three years, I had three different special team coaches. The verbiage changed, the uh the game plan changed, um, and things like that. So um, even though it's all football, it it changed. So I had to be able to roll with the punches and and get with it, or you get left behind.

SPEAKER_04 43:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:49

Um, but yeah, I would say the biggest man with with life though, just uh don't just try to, you know, kind of surrender that control. And and when you surrender it, that doesn't mean you know, you give up. You just, and that's having also having this foundation. And for me, it's always, I'm trying to um, I'm learning that man, our foundation is Christ and Christ is so important because when we surrender, it's not giving up, it's surrendering the outcomes and the control over to him. And um and in that, like we'll be steady. You know, we'll be steady and we won't be all over the place with anxiety or depression because things didn't go our way. So uh yeah man that's I I would say that would be it.

SPEAKER_03 44:35

Man and that and that happens at every stage. And that's why I I love I love the the term adaptability being able to adapt because you it's the life is happening things around you is happening and it's you're constantly having to adapt to different things whether that's you know I I have a a son who's high functional autism and so I I have a mississiping mindset of how you know things need to be done and and I had to adapt to how I communicate with him. Yeah and that that control you just spoke of of you know uh is not surrendering it's passing it along so that you can then function in with the person that you're trying to so again for me surrendering the surrendering the control that's the control and the discipline of how I want things done how I grew up that was so hard for me. Yeah and so learning a new way having to adapt to a new way and still being able to see the same outcome because I have you know a really good son really good kid uh works hard do all those different things yeah but I had to do a major adjustment yeah to adapt to how do I communicate this and still get the same outcomes. Again gotta get we used to say the terms all the time back in Mississippi is a is more than one way to skin a cat.

SPEAKER_02 45:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:59

And I don't know why we I don't even know why that was a saying I really don't know why that was a saying facts facts. But it was a saying yeah um and so to anybody that's an amulet I never did that's not a thing but skin a cat we skin rabbits and stuff but then there is more than one way to skin a rabbit. Right. So I don't know why that was a saying but um to see it see it happening in your life where you have to adapt and and watching your career and being in those moments where you're adapting to all these different things and in different verbiage and still be able to do your job and have the outcomes.

SPEAKER_02 46:32

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 46:32

You know so the the the adaptability piece when you play in this league uh when you're going through life it doesn't change it's just the content that you're working with changes.

SPEAKER_01 46:43

Right.

SPEAKER_03 46:43

Yeah facts you know take us through a brief moment of you know getting your foot footing right into a new transition in life and how do those skills and the things that you you took from you know childhood your upbringing through sports and and then being able to reshape who CJ is in the moment of real life now what people will call it.

SPEAKER_01 47:08

Yeah. Man um yeah so just stepping out dude it was like I said earlier it was it was tough to say the word retired like it was tough to do that because I was so caught up in what I had done and my performance and um my last time you know being released it um it just felt like failure because I had accomplished so much but it just seemed like it's like never enough um and and I had to learn that man it it really hit me that wow I reached pretty much every goal I set as a kid and why am I not full?

SPEAKER_03 47:48

So when I left the game man I was pretty empty and um and that really made me have to self-reflect and that's when I went back to I had to go back and rebuild man and and I'm rebuilding on Christ um I'm really trying to prioritize um as I step into this new arena life the the real game um you know it's it's Christ first and I think with that foundation um I can't go wrong I can't go wrong no matter what curveball comes my way um I can stay grounded and steady uh no matter what what no matter what comes up um but yeah dude it was it was tough yeah it was tough yeah it's a it's a hard transition because it's something you do for a long time yeah um and something you know you're you're good at and you've put so many hours into becoming good at it yeah now to start over uh is not is not easy so in that when you think about when you think about that transition and you think about where where younger athletes are where you know they they have the social media they have all eyes on them 247 a lot of commitments not just school not just NIL commitments you know what do you say to them to to not allow um to start to do some things to think about as they're going through their career so that something that can help them make that transition easier so that it's not a a full stop of like oh my gosh I got to completely rebuild a whole you know this my new foundation man I would tell them you know we've always invested into the physical part of life our craft we've always tried to perfect our craft but don't wait to start investing into your mental health don't wait to start investing into your spiritual health because those things you know your physical your physical can only get you so far um your mental you know you can get burnt out even through you know um with the mental aspect but man in the spiritual so don't just don't wait and don't invest everything into the into your craft invest into your mental and your spiritual as well and I think with that we can just be more whole as we transition from team to team um whether you're in college or the pros and when you transition from the game and into real life um I mean because that's just what it's about life isn't all about just how strong I am and how good I can cover someone or how fast I can run man it's it's so much deeper than that.

SPEAKER_01 50:40

And what I'm learning is is serving and um leading by example and things like that. And and when I when I as I've been seeking God for who he is instead of just seeking him to bless my goal or dream it's really just been revealing and and removing these blinders that I've had on my whole life that wow like life is more than just a game. You know life is more than football um you know they used to say ball is life ball is not life um you know so I had to learn that the hard way and that's just something that I would I would I pray that the young athletes learn as well that there's so much more than the game you are so much more than the game.

SPEAKER_03 51:30

Yeah yeah now would you say I mean I just this just came to my just a thought here when you say when we talk about don't put you know um don't wait to work on your mental health yeah work on your EQ your IQ don't wait to work on your spiritual wouldn't you say working on those things also continues to build the craft because that's part of the craft. Right, right um yes and that's this that's like the fullness of there it is of a person there it is instead of just this one sided thing where workouts workouts workouts uh perfecting craft technique technique uh you know be intentional about your mental and your spiritual as well instead of just your physical yeah uh I I'm a firm believer again back to mental performance the intangibles yeah that where when does the the mental toughness and the mental performance meet and that's that what you just spoke of is the fullness of it and now you're on a firm foundation yeah when you do make that transition when you are playing the game um no matter what you're doing in life it's it's moving in one one place and again that doesn't mean it's gonna be hard it's gonna be it's gonna be some challenges yeah but when you have that fullness then you know how to get through those challenges.

SPEAKER_01 52:50

Yep you can you can still have joy you can still have peace and just be this good person that the the person that you know you can be even when things are rocky even when things are uncertain right and um yeah man it's it's it's something I've I've actually taken to what I do now is use my platform to try and share that and spread awareness around um athletes really developing that person underneath the jersey more than just perfecting our craft because um your craft the the goals that stuff can it can fade but who you are when you become a father a mother a a husband or a wife that's that's that's for life um you know so those things are more important than just perfecting that craft physically yeah the the human inside the athlete who how are you doing that now what are what are you doing now that to help you know young older athletes to to really understand who who is this human inside here that has a lot more to give in life yeah um man I thought I'd never be doing anything like this but I've just taken to my social media platform and I've been sharing videos. I never thought I'd be I don't even call it creating content uh but just because um I've been journaling journaling a lot and um I I write these letters and um I've been doing like these dear athlete letters and sharing them on my platform and really just trying to push to them like hey um know who you are before you step into the and step into the sport step into the game because if you don't know who you are then you're gonna allow yourself to be defined by what the media says about you what the contract says you're worth um so yeah I've just been trying to really push that out man and um it's been fun I didn't think I'd I'd be in that that lane but I just honestly I feel called to do it just because um that transition for me was tough but man just finding who I am in Christ has just been so much more peaceful like I don't have to try to be perfect anymore you know like healing it's it's so healing and um and it's it's so beautiful so that's just really what I've been trying to do man and it's been it's been fun.

SPEAKER_03 55:22

Yeah where what platform are you on you on Instagram social what social platform do you use to do this? Man I'm not a TikTok guy so I'm just on uh I mean I just never created a TikTok but I'm on uh Instagram um and and Facebook what's the handle give me the handle something uh instagram is uh cjmore underscore seven um I believe my Facebook is CJmore38 I believe uh but that sounds about right Facebook time college time that sound that sounds about right yeah so uh yeah man y'all just check out the videos man it's it's really it's no game for me it's really just about spreading awareness so that us as athletes can be whole in the game well before the game in the game and after the game yeah um and man we could just be the who God called us to be and um be the good people that we are yeah man I love that man thank you for sharing that so if you guys go check him out you know if you're an athlete young old doesn't matter you know no matter what what stage of life you're in go check out this this content because it's you know again like you said it's not content it's real life is real feelings it's it's experience we're here as former athletes sharing our experience so that young athletes don't have to go through the same thing yeah um so that you know when you in or when you're going in that you know who you are and that's you know understanding these intangibles so you know who you are so that you can handle what's in front of you with that being said CJ if you can go back to to the moment that your name wasn't called um you know if you had to go back and talk to that younger version of yourself about the journey ahead what would you say to him I would say that believe it or not this moment is for your growth I know that it seems tough right now but it's gonna help mold you into a person that's gonna be better than you are now.

SPEAKER_01 57:30

So take that and run with it. Just just get after it and uh and keep God first.

SPEAKER_03 57:37

Man I love that I love that all right last one for you man I get let you get out of here you had to think about you go back to upbringing childhood and all those different things and and and your career into where you are now you know give me several intangibles that's made CJ who he is today man uh I would say just being resilient having this that never quit mentality um the grit um and just being able to adapt and there's just there's so many man is and just really um just trust in the process trust in the process don't don't just keep the main thing the main thing um yeah man that's awesome man CJ man i your your story is powerful uh as i say all the time your talent opens the door but is the the mindset that keeps you there that keeps you moving not just in football but in life um and in the work that you're doing i i'm you know i'm gonna make sure that i'm following pushing it because it's things that our young athletes and our older I mean just any athlete needs to hear and see to keep uh reaffirming that they're more than just the uh more than just the athlete yeah and so there is a human inside that athlete that has a lot to give and so appreciate you coming on sharing your story um thank you for uh everything that you do man yes sir appreciate for having me absolutely it's so it is man