Edgerrin James wasn’t auditioning for a media role in August 2021 in Canton, Ohio. He was simply discussing the journey that led to him entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame in February 2020.
James’ Hall of Fame speech lasted about 10 minutes. He was genuine and charming, honest yet jocular. He cracked jokes that didn’t fall short. He controlled the proverbial room without trying.
His performance also sparked questions as to why James wasn’t doing more with television after retiring from the NFL.
“I was like, ‘Nah, I ain’t really into that thing,’” James said of that life then. “I’m just living life, having fun.”
August’s speech was another example of why friends and teammates wanted James to use his voice more, to do more interviews, to display his insights. What the public saw was a quiet man from Immokalee, Fla., who ran hard with the football while sporting dreadlocks and gold teeth at a time when the look was not common in the league.
Others saw more — in particular, one of the most well-known names in hip-hop and throughout the Miami-Dade County area — and James delivered when he joined the “Fox NFL Kickoff” and the “Fox NFL Sunday” crews for analysis in October to discuss the NFL.
“When he was in the league, I would always try to push him to do more interviews,” said Luther Campbell, a rapper, actor, executive producer, sports commentator and James’ good friend who goes by the name Uncle Luke. “When I saw him on Fox, I was jumping up and down in celebration. I know he had started dabbling into doing podcasts, but to see him now wanting to do this, I know he’s gonna do well in it.
“Given the opportunity, what he brings is something different.”
What makes James different now is a lot of what made him different as a player. He’s not worried about conforming. He’ll approach being an analyst as a mentor, he said, looking to pass on knowledge to players he discusses, as well as the viewers.
James is now ready to find a permanent path into the media world. He’s appeared on podcasts and had guest TV spots, and watched former NFL teammates like Peyton Manning and Nate Burleson, college teammate Ed Reed and mentors like Michael Irvin and Campbell make their own media imprints with their various styles.
Back in the day, feeding the media — or speaking publicly in general — was something James was never fond of as a player. During his 11-year career with the Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, he admitted to wanting to play the game, then “disappear.”
“Let Peyton (Manning) do all the interviews,” James said, speaking of his seven-season stint with the Colts. “Let him do all that stuff.”
Edgerrin James (right) and Peyton Manning were Indianapolis Colts teammates from 1999 until 2005. (Tom DiPace / Associated Press)
Now, James is an empty-nester. He officially announced his retirement from the NFL in 2011, but had been focused on being a father after his girlfriend, Andia Wilson, died in April 2009 from complications with leukemia. Raising their four children was his main priority.
A father of six, James simply wanted to see all his children reach college. Four have graduated. Two are still in college.
“I’m in a space where I don’t have to worry about going to kids’ practices or going to anything that’s related to my children,” James said. “I’m like, ‘You know what? I can actually help a lot of people.’ So, I look at it in that sense, not just getting out of talking about (football), but actually having a purpose behind it.”
Manning is among those excited about what James can bring to the media. He said James’ speech in Canton allowed the public to see what those who know the man had seen for a long time.
“People that didn’t know Edgerrin that well probably saw it for the first time if they watched his Hall of Fame induction speech,” Manning said. “Very, very well prepared, witty, but heartfelt … it did not surprise me at all. I think a lot of people that didn’t know him hopefully realized that this guy is clever, he’s well-spoken, and he’s gonna give you something different.
“He’s not just going to give you the standard clichés, which anybody can give. I think that’s going to make him unique.”
Catch Up On The Story
Edgerrin James, a Hall of Famer at last, a Hall of Famer forever
The day he traded Marshall Faulk, Bill Polian remembers walking around the Colts’ practice facility and hearing the disbelief echo through the hallways.
“What? No!” team staffers would shout. “We can’t do that!”
But they could — and Polian had. It was the spring of 1999, and the Colts’ second-year general manager was in a bind. Faulk, the team’s star running back, wanted a splashy new contract; Polian knew he couldn’t deliver. “The money he wanted,” the GM would reveal years later, “would’ve squeezed us terribly.”
So, with a nasty holdout looming, Polian began to…
Being unique has been part of James’ brand his entire NFL career, and he knows he’ll have to be to stand out. A lot of players have entered the media space, so standing out is important. One advantage is that he’s stayed connected to football on all levels, following the best players in Florida and keeping tabs on them as they ascend.
He and several others in and outside the media are following the Miami Hurricanes as they prepare for their College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the Indiana Hoosiers on Monday. A proud Hurricane who was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 2009, James served as an honorary captain for Miami, along with Ray Lewis, for last week’s semifinal against Ole Miss.
James, along with a number of current and former Hurricanes, will be watching Monday’s championship, but he also has a major appreciation for the NFL and believes he can add distinct insights based on his career and connections within the league.
“When Edge is going about anything or saying anything, he’s authentic about it,” said Irvin, another former Miami star and Pro Football Hall of Famer who has found success as a TV analyst. “That’s what (media) has turned into. That’s what it always should have been.”
James has no interest in covering games. He loves studying film so he can discuss it, but not for a broadcast as or alongside a color commentator. Friends say he’s just a fan of sharing information. He’s done it for years with local high school talent, at Miami and with peers and younger players in the NFL. James said he prefers giving back to the game this way rather than coaching, and transferring that passion toward a television studio is more comfortable.
“It’s like a mentorship to where you’re actually guiding people from a personal experience of you giving advice or giving information versus actually going out there coaching,” James said. “I think that’s what TV allows. It’s kind of like a visual mentorship where you can give insight. You can actually help a lot of these young kids in a different way because you’re always trying to reach back and give informational insight.”
He’s been a guest on Fox, and he’s reached out to friends like Manning (ESPN), Burleson (CBS) and Charles Woodson (Fox) among others for advice. Reed, who also has worked in television, said he’s not surprised James has pivoted to television as a second career because of his intelligence.
Reed also said things aren’t always easy on TV, but he’s confident James will be ready for a full-time opportunity.
“It’s a tough business because you’re talking your truth,” Reed said. “But it also depends on who you’re working for, who’s your boss. You’ve got to know what pushes their buttons. They’re going to let you know things that they allow or don’t allow.”
Regardless of what’s allowed, if it’s James, he’ll find a way to make it his own, just as he won over the crowd with his Hall of Fame speech. His ceremony was actually delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic, but what he said in his speech was worth the wait. He talked about family, his teammates and how his image was perceived when he entered the NFL in 1999.
He also spoke about how there were naysayers surprised he’d never been incarcerated based on his looks. To that, he delivered a great response that showed he was ready for a microphone.
“I’m forever immortalized, locked up in the Canton Correctional Institution. Inmate No. 336 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” James said sarcastically to end his speech, the crowd responding with laughs and applause. “My career started with gold teeth and ended with this gold jacket.”