“To Denise White and EAG Sports, I want to say thank you. You’ve been more than just a publicist to me Denise, you’ve been a true friend. Through all my highs and lows, you were always there. I know I haven’t always made it easy for you, but you were there year by year, day by day with your patience and your loyalty. Thank you Denise White and EAG Sports for walking this journey with me. Thank you.
“To the city of Detroit, what up though. You taught me pride, you taught me how to fight through everything and never quit. That blue collar spirit, the heartbeat of the city, it lives in me, it always has. I remember growing up in the streets of Detroit and we would use crates and play basketball, and we would cut the bottom out for hoops and I would play with my boy Gary Morris or Dwight Smith, or my boy Leon Bryan. He would take me to the University of Detroit and we would watch high school basketball at Callahan Hall. Or a friend of mine named Mat Ishbia or his dad Jeff, would come pick me up and take me to AAU practices. Shoutout to the Michigan Mustangs. My point is that Detroit, you helped shaped my dreams so when I would play in these NFL stadiums, I always felt like I had to represent the block that I came from. Shoutout to Lynwood, Dexter, Pearton Avenue, this one is for us. West side of Detroit, this is for us. To Detroit Central High School, that’s where my foundation was built. The school wasn’t fancy, the weight room was old, but the love, the belief, man that was everything. To my teammates, Dante Darling, Jimmy Twyman, Gam, Martez Welch, Dune, Dwight Smith, man we was just kids chasing a dream. We were just kids chasing a dream, not knowing where life would take us, but we did it together. We had heart. Those practices, those bus rides singing those songs, that state championship, that was the beginning of everything for me. You were my first real team, you had my back before anybody even knew my name. I just want y’all to know that I never forgot those days, I never forgot where it all started. You helped build this Hall of Famer, so thank you to my Detroit high school teammates.
“To my coaches at Central High School, the late great Coach Woody Thomas, late great Doc Wilson, Coach Eric Smith, Coach Jimmie Macon, Coach Lorenzo Morris, you taught me discipline and respect. Made sure I understood that greatness isn’t given, it’s earned one rep at a time, one day at a time. So thank you coaches. To coach Oronde Taliaferro, I want to thank you Coach Oronde Taliaferro, you helped me get out of the streets of Detroit. You didn’t just teach me about sports, you taught me how to think differently, you taught me how to structure. Because of you, Oronde Taliaferro, I’m in a better place physically, mentally and emotionally. You helped me rewrite my story Coach Oronde Taliaferro, you helped me rewrite my story. So thank you coach.
“To all the kids out there that’s surrounded by gang violence and drugs, and you want to make something out of your life. Well I’m living proof if you stay focused, stay on the right path, you got heart, you got hustle and never stop believing, anything is possible.