Websites: brotherup.com,

weshouldnotbetheonlyones.org,

mouthpiecesports.com

 

On the field, Brendon Ayanbadejo (pronounced eye-an-bah-DAY-joe) is one of the most feared special teams players in the NFL, collecting tackles in every single game for the last five seasons. As a two-time Pro Bowler and a two-time alternate, he is now a leader on one of the NFL’s best defensive units with the Baltimore Ravens. Brendon exemplifies sheer perseverance and hard work as he is in the midst of his 6th season in the NFL. After spending three seasons in the Canadian Football League and NFL Europe, Ayanbadejo’s career has followed a steady upward trajectory. Brendon is a true example of sheer perseverance and hard work as he has carved out a niche for himself as one of the premier special teams players in the NFL. How was co llege life fo r you? Man I loved college; I wish I can go back to it right now! It wasn’t easy though. I wasn’t even recruited by any major colleges coming out of high school. After high school, I took a year off to train and enrolled myself into community college. The next year I played on the football team, which was a great success as I was all conference and had finally received scholarship offers from 12 different schools. I fell in love with the UCLA campus and community, which is where I ended up, played for three years, and majored in history. Did you grad uate ? Of course! Majoring in history helped me learn more about different cultures and their origin. A lot of people don’t realize that most NFL players are college graduates. What are some things you are invo lved with outside of the game ? I’m involved with mouthpiecesports. com which brings fans into the lives of professional athletes through video diaries. Forget about what the media says; there’s nothing better than being able to give your fans the real stories of what’s really going on in your life. I am also partnered with Baron Davis to promote weshouldnotbetheonlyones.org. As athletes, we should not be the only ones to receive an education because we were blessed with a gift as an athlete. We should be recruiting students the way athletes are recruited. In the fall of 2006, only 96 African-American students were among the entering freshman class of 4,852 at UCLA and 20 of the 96 were athletes. What else do peop le not kno w about you or othe r NFL players? You know, I get the craziest questions from fans. “Man, how does it feel like to live the dream?” or “how do I look like you?” There are no shortcuts! A whole lot of hard work is required in becoming a professional athlete. I’ve played in Canada, Europe, Chicago and now Baltimore. Both the Bears and the Ravens initially cut me. I’m 32 years old and have only six years in the league. Most players my age have been in the league for 10 to 11 years. I make sure to keep my body in the best shape possible because there’s always going to be someone ready to take your job. What do you do to sta y in shape ? I always say that I’ve been blessed with great genetics and I just add to it. I like to think that I eat right, though I am a big fan of chocolate. I do plenty of cardio during practice. I lift about 3 or 4 times a week. I lift like a body builder, isolating individual body parts. Tell me about your fami ly. Are you ma rried ? I am not married, but I do have a daughter who lives at home in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. She has awarded me with my biggest and best accomplishment and that is to be her father. I always look forward to spending time with her. I dress her up and take her to school…I love that stuff. I have an older brother who won a super bowl with the Ravens. My parents are interracial - my dad is Nigerian and my mom is Irish. Are the re an y players you’re sti ll in awe with when you get to play against them ? Man, I’ve been doing this for so long, I’m used to competing against everyone, but I do root for certain players. Vince Young for being one of the few black quarterbacks in the league. He helped Texas beat USC to win the national championship and I see him as a role model to future NFL players. Reggie Bush because he’s a California guy and I want him to be successful. If I get to catch a game, which isn’t very often, I am always rooting for him. Of course, I want them to have their worst game against us, but other than that, I’m always looking out for California guys; I want them to shine. What do you attest your success to ? I’ve learned that you have to be true to yourself, I’ve had to be selfish at times to reach my goals, and no one else is going to do it for you. I’ve always challenged myself even at a young age. There were things that I had to do in order to be successful, I didn’t necessarily want to do them but I had to in order to reach my goals. When there were things I didn’t want to do, I would count 1-2-3 and just go do it. It may have taken multiple tries, but that taught me discipline, which is a big part of growing up. “For me, having the opportunity to play in the NFL proves that put your heart and soul into whatever you are doing, you will come out on top. NEVER give up and ALWAYS chase your dreams!”