Kayvon Thibodeaux is an American football linebacker for the New York Giants. A native of Los Angeles, he was named USA Today's High School Football Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.
Thibodeaux played college football at Oregon, where he was named the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2019, won the Morris Trophy in 2020, and was voted a unanimous All-American in 2021. He was selected by the Giants fifth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
In July 2021, Thibodeaux announced a collaboration with Nike and shoe designer, Tinker Hatfield to design non-fungible token (NFT) artwork. Kayvon launched his own cryptocurrency, "$JREAM", in September 2021. It was named after the Jream Foundation, which Thibodeaux also founded. Thibodeaux graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism-advertising.
Senior writer, Jabari Young talks with NY Giants linebacker, Kayvon Thibodeaux about his upbringing, how he spends his time in the off-season, and his inspirations in business.
0:00 Introduction
1:36 How Lebron Has Changed The Game Off The Court For Athletes
3:36 Kayvon On Other Sports Leagues And Investing
7:34 A Perfect Match Up: An NFL Linebacker And Journalism- Advertising Degree
9:20 Kayvon On His Upbringing In LA
12:15 Kayvon On His NFL Career
15:22 The NFL Draft And How It Changed Kayvon's Life
18:34 Kayvon On Financial Literacy And How He Pays It Forward
19:48 Name, Image & Likeness: How Do NFL Players Accomplish Brand Deals And Market Themselves?
21:17 Kayvon On What Winning A Superbowl Would Mean To Him
22:53 Kayvon Talks Politics From An Athlete's Perspective
24:19 A Good Linebacker vs. A Great One
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Thibodeaux played college football at Oregon, where he was named the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2019, won the Morris Trophy in 2020, and was voted a unanimous All-American in 2021. He was selected by the Giants fifth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
In July 2021, Thibodeaux announced a collaboration with Nike and shoe designer, Tinker Hatfield to design non-fungible token (NFT) artwork. Kayvon launched his own cryptocurrency, "$JREAM", in September 2021. It was named after the Jream Foundation, which Thibodeaux also founded. Thibodeaux graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism-advertising.
Senior writer, Jabari Young talks with NY Giants linebacker, Kayvon Thibodeaux about his upbringing, how he spends his time in the off-season, and his inspirations in business.
0:00 Introduction
1:36 How Lebron Has Changed The Game Off The Court For Athletes
3:36 Kayvon On Other Sports Leagues And Investing
7:34 A Perfect Match Up: An NFL Linebacker And Journalism- Advertising Degree
9:20 Kayvon On His Upbringing In LA
12:15 Kayvon On His NFL Career
15:22 The NFL Draft And How It Changed Kayvon's Life
18:34 Kayvon On Financial Literacy And How He Pays It Forward
19:48 Name, Image & Likeness: How Do NFL Players Accomplish Brand Deals And Market Themselves?
21:17 Kayvon On What Winning A Superbowl Would Mean To Him
22:53 Kayvon Talks Politics From An Athlete's Perspective
24:19 A Good Linebacker vs. A Great One
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
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Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
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More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Keep evolving, keep growing.
00:02 That's a mission statement from New York Giants linebacker,
00:04 K'Vaun Thibodeau.
00:05 We'll dive into what that means, his NFL career so far,
00:09 his investments, all of that and more right now.
00:11 (upbeat music)
00:13 Hello everyone, it's Jabari Young here
00:15 at the NASDAQ Market site,
00:16 and I'm with New York Giants linebacker, K'Vaun Thibodeau.
00:20 Man, thank you so much for joining me
00:21 in this Black History Month.
00:22 We're closing it out,
00:23 and you fresh off of a plane from Europe,
00:25 looking good, man.
00:26 How's everything?
00:27 - Man, first, I'm happy to be here, man.
00:29 Thank you for having me,
00:30 but life's been good, man.
00:31 It's the off season,
00:32 so just getting ready for this next season
00:34 and doing everything off the field I can.
00:36 - Yeah, what is it like in the off season?
00:38 What does a player do after the season's over, right?
00:41 Obviously the disappointment in not making the playoffs
00:42 and contending for a Super Bowl.
00:44 What's the first thing you do
00:45 once the interviews are complete and you're just free?
00:48 - You gotta get away.
00:49 That's like for me, I gotta decompress.
00:50 I probably took about two, three weeks off,
00:52 just did nothing.
00:54 Like you said, I just came back from vacation,
00:56 so after the Super Bowl is over,
00:59 you still take about three or four weeks
01:01 knowing that a football season is about six months.
01:04 So it's like, even off season then
01:06 is another four months, three months of training,
01:08 so you gotta take about one or two months off
01:10 to let your body recover.
01:11 So first it's getting away, kinda resetting,
01:14 then coming back and making sure that your body's right,
01:16 your mental's right,
01:17 and starting to kinda progress back
01:19 into that training regimen.
01:21 - Now did you watch the Super Bowl?
01:23 And if so, what'd you think of the Usher concert?
01:24 - You gotta watch the Super Bowl.
01:26 Obviously, it hurts not being there,
01:28 but if you're a student of the game, a fan of the game,
01:31 you gotta watch it.
01:32 And for me, seeing Usher up there, that was amazing.
01:33 The whole ensemble was, it was dope.
01:36 - Yeah, absolutely, man.
01:37 So much to get into, but right fast before we move ahead,
01:40 again, it's Black History Month,
01:41 and I always ask people around this time,
01:44 give me your Black History Month figure, right?
01:46 Maybe somebody that, not a notable name,
01:48 everybody says their parents,
01:50 and I do respect that part of it,
01:51 but somebody that maybe they don't think about
01:54 when you ask that question top of mind.
01:55 So a Black History Month figure as we close out the month.
01:58 - Honestly, I would say LeBron.
02:00 And that's a, he's super current, obviously.
02:02 He's still in the league today, and he's still with us.
02:04 So you talk about being a historical figure,
02:07 but then also, for me, when I look at black history,
02:09 I talk about black future,
02:11 and it's about not necessarily,
02:13 you understand who you were to guide who you're gonna be.
02:17 So for me, LeBron has kinda set that precedent
02:19 for me being an athlete,
02:20 and for a lot of athletes to come after him
02:22 on how to do it, how to respect the game,
02:24 how to respect yourself, your family,
02:25 and how to really stand up as a black man in America.
02:28 - Yeah, I'm glad you said that.
02:29 LeBron doesn't get enough credit, man.
02:31 I think he gets a lot of hate
02:32 because people think he didn't like the decision.
02:33 - It's a sport.
02:34 - Absolutely, it's a sport, but outside of that, man,
02:36 you gotta respect what the brother has done.
02:38 So interesting you said that.
02:39 What's it like, man, to go from,
02:42 and not to say that it happened overnight,
02:43 but what's it like to go from
02:45 maybe not having a lot of money, right,
02:47 to a millionaire with the stroke of a pen?
02:49 'Cause you get drafted, and I'm sure everybody's,
02:51 but then when that bank account,
02:53 yeah, man, when you see that bank account,
02:55 and it's all that guaranteed money gets inserted,
02:57 what is that feeling, and what's your process?
02:59 - Man, first, obviously, you gotta give credit to God,
03:02 'cause you're a chosen few.
03:05 You talk about people who are in this position
03:07 or have this power, as you say,
03:10 but then it also, in reality, it makes you feel smaller,
03:13 right, 'cause you sit there and say,
03:14 like a stroke of a pen,
03:16 there are people who make millionaires,
03:18 you know what I'm saying?
03:18 So you talk about how small you are
03:21 in the grand scheme of finances,
03:24 it's like, it creates more hunger.
03:26 So for me, it gave me a great sigh of relief
03:30 knowing that, okay, my family's okay,
03:32 but then it also gave me another chip on my shoulder
03:34 knowing that I have more to accomplish.
03:36 - Yeah, absolutely, man.
03:37 Listen, I have been trying to set this discussion up
03:41 with you for a while, right?
03:42 We had a mutual friend, he was going at me
03:44 because your involvement in startup leagues,
03:47 definitely wanna find out what's so intriguing about that.
03:49 And so as we enter your portfolio,
03:51 let's start it off, right?
03:52 You're the National Thoroughbred League, right?
03:54 Our chief content officer, Randall Lane,
03:56 is an investor, full disclosure.
03:58 We have to say that.
03:59 But there's a new startup horsing racing league,
04:04 the US Masters, the T10 Cricket League, right?
04:07 You're invested in the New York Warriors franchise.
04:09 What stands out about startup leagues?
04:12 Because sometimes you put your money into,
04:13 why am I doing this?
04:14 But because they have a chance of feeling so high.
04:17 But what stands out about them?
04:18 - Well, first, I think it's about
04:20 who you align yourself with.
04:21 When you talk about investing, period.
04:23 It's about, like I told you,
04:24 I'm a small fish in a big ocean of investors
04:28 and people that have a vision for the future.
04:31 So for me, I like to align myself with the right people,
04:34 right, people who are actual bigger stakeholders
04:38 in these investments.
04:39 And then when you talk about sports,
04:41 it's about understanding the storytelling.
04:44 For me, I feel like America is big on storytelling.
04:46 And one reason that our sports that we do have
04:49 have become so big is because of the stories
04:51 that they've been able to generate behind it.
04:53 And when you talk about the T10,
04:55 you talk about horse racing, those were,
04:57 well, separately, first, horse racing is something that,
05:01 that's one of America's sports.
05:02 And then it also can, European and different countries.
05:05 But when you talk about the love of the animals,
05:07 the love of the sport and the care for the animals,
05:10 it's taken a different step when it talks about
05:13 the storytelling that goes into it.
05:16 So I think it being a startup is great
05:19 because I'm a part of that first kind of engine
05:24 that's pushing it when you talk about
05:26 the storytelling behind it.
05:27 But yeah, just also the inclusivity of it.
05:29 There are not too many owners in anything
05:32 that look like me or look like us.
05:33 So you talk about being able to be at that cap table
05:35 and now be able to bring more people with me,
05:39 set example of things that you can do
05:41 and things that are possible.
05:42 - Yeah, and obviously, again,
05:43 we don't look enough at horse racing, right?
05:45 We may not look enough at cricket
05:46 and cricket is a global sport.
05:48 It's growing in the US big time.
05:49 And you're in this new league,
05:51 they're taking the sport, which can take days,
05:53 into 90 minutes, right?
05:55 When somebody's proposing that business proposal to you,
05:58 right, and you got cricket, right?
05:59 What are you thinking and what prevented you
06:01 from saying no, no way?
06:03 - Well, first, it's about the people, right?
06:05 The people who are presenting a startup league
06:08 and how passionate are they?
06:09 There are a lot of people who have ideas of things,
06:12 but they're not in that stage of their career, right?
06:15 And I say that to say like,
06:16 if they just had a kid or a family or a baby or whatever,
06:19 they might not have that same hunger
06:20 because they have other things to focus on
06:22 versus some people who are ready to dive in
06:25 on the things that they're starting.
06:27 So I think that's the first step.
06:28 And the second thing is about the globalness, right?
06:31 For me, being in America, I mean,
06:33 you love the opportunities,
06:34 but I feel like we've become so kind of tunnel visioning
06:39 and very specific when we talk about the range, right,
06:43 that we're in.
06:44 I think that even like the NFL is an example
06:46 that now we're bridging out and focusing on bridging out
06:49 to different countries because you talk about
06:51 the power of the people, right?
06:54 So obviously the cricket league is one of the biggest sports
06:58 in the league, or in the world, like you said,
07:00 and now with it coming to America,
07:01 I think what it hasn't had is the storytelling.
07:05 And that's what's gonna captivate us,
07:07 the people.
07:09 So me being able to bring that side of journalism,
07:12 advertising that I majored in in college,
07:15 and then also being in the league and being a part of
07:17 big brands and big companies that do this on a daily,
07:20 I've got a great understanding of, and not the best,
07:23 but I have a good understanding of what it'll take
07:25 to storytell the right way and to get those same people
07:29 that following in that kind of love of the sport here.
07:34 - Yeah, absolutely.
07:35 And also you got the tech side, right?
07:36 As your PR, so you just told me you're status pro, right?
07:39 I love what those brothers are doing,
07:41 Hawking those guys, inside of the meta,
07:44 the universe that you're in, right?
07:45 The Oculus, I played it while I was there.
07:48 What stood out, because listen, LeBron and Drake,
07:49 now you have investor and partners now.
07:51 I know that's why you said LeBron at the top.
07:53 He's also an investor partner of yours.
07:55 But what stood out about status pro?
07:57 - Status pro, like I said, first, it's about the people.
07:59 You know, those guys are really hungry,
08:01 they're doing great things.
08:03 And then when you talk about the future,
08:05 those are people who obviously see where things are going.
08:08 And even for me, I'm a younger guy,
08:10 so I understand that the computer is not going away, right?
08:13 And it's just gonna keep advancing.
08:14 And now when you think about why are sports so great, right?
08:18 Sports are different from music,
08:20 they're different from most other things,
08:22 because a guy like LeBron,
08:24 there's no one else in the world that can do what he does.
08:28 You know, so you talk about different athletes
08:30 and different sports and why they're so great.
08:32 You talk about the Superbowl.
08:34 These are people who have the ability
08:37 that the world can't emulate, right?
08:40 So when you talk about Oculus
08:42 and you talk about Pro Air,
08:43 you talk about what's to come,
08:44 now they actually have a chance
08:46 to kind of see in the vision.
08:48 I don't know if you've ever seen
08:49 that old school Michael Vick commercial
08:50 where it was like the Michael Vick experience,
08:52 where it was, I don't know how long ago it was,
08:55 maybe in the early 2000s,
08:57 but it was a view into the Oculus,
08:59 into seeing what Michael Vick, Patrick Mahone's,
09:04 you know, Lamar Jackson, to see what they see.
09:06 And now you can get a taste.
09:08 Obviously it'll never be the real thing,
09:10 but now you can kind of get more of an understanding
09:13 and create a love for that and be in there now.
09:16 It being a game, obviously it makes it that much more fun.
09:19 - Yeah. Listen, speaking of game,
09:21 as we're here at the NASDAQ Market site again
09:22 with K'Vaun Thibodeau, New York Giants linebacker,
09:26 take me back into your past, man.
09:27 You grew up in South Los Angeles, right?
09:30 Always want to ask people,
09:31 what was it like in that particular time
09:33 when you were growing up?
09:34 What'd you see?
09:35 What'd you want to be?
09:36 - For me, it wasn't a lot of examples.
09:38 You know, there are a lot of people who are from LA
09:40 that become successful, but they're almost not tangible.
09:45 You know, when you talk about the biggest names
09:47 that come to mind,
09:49 there are not a lot of heavy presence in the city.
09:52 So when you talk about having mentors
09:54 and having things like that,
09:56 I had them on a local level.
09:57 When you talk about uncles, coaches,
09:59 and people who saw great things in me,
10:01 who poured into me,
10:02 but I didn't have them on a grand level
10:04 where you talk about, you know, the, for example,
10:07 Ice Cubes or the Kendrick Lamars or the, you know,
10:09 the people, like it takes a village, right, to raise kids.
10:14 And you talk about being in the inner city is so big
10:18 that it almost gets looked over, right?
10:19 You almost assume that, you know, they'll be all right,
10:22 you know, talking about in the grand scheme of things.
10:24 So for me, it was just understanding
10:28 that I had to dedicate myself.
10:29 I had to really apply myself and what I wanted to be.
10:34 And I think the greatest thing for me was being able to see,
10:37 you know, a very diverse community.
10:40 When you talk about one, the inner city,
10:41 yes, it's all black, but just across, you know,
10:44 the train tracks or just across the main street
10:46 is a whole different society.
10:47 So it's like when you're able to get a taste
10:49 of something different,
10:51 you kind of get that travel bug.
10:52 And now, like, even now how we talked about, you know,
10:54 being able to travel the world,
10:55 like I'm just hungry for experiences and knowledge.
10:58 And that was planted in me just by being able to go to the beach
11:01 or go to Beverly Hills or go, you know, to different places,
11:04 even though, you know, being in the sometimes
11:07 overpassed hub of Los Angeles.
11:09 - Yeah, did you always want to be a football player?
11:11 Like, was that from the start?
11:12 - Man, I didn't even watch football growing up,
11:14 if I'm being honest.
11:15 The first thing-- - What'd you watch?
11:17 - Cartoons, you know, you talk about,
11:19 and that's another thing,
11:20 you talk about what we spend our time doing.
11:21 I was more idle.
11:22 I was a kid, I went to school,
11:24 I played football.
11:25 And when I got home,
11:26 I just played video games and watched cartoons.
11:27 And you start to see,
11:29 the seed didn't get planted about the NFL
11:31 until I was a recruit and I was a guy who,
11:34 you know, had the potential, right?
11:36 People would say it, but I didn't really hone it.
11:38 I didn't, the sport used to be boring to me.
11:41 And I know for a lot of younger kids
11:43 or a lot of, you know, people who aren't invested
11:45 in the sport, they look at it 'cause there's so much,
11:47 so many things going on, right?
11:48 So the first game I watched was, you know, Ray Lewis
11:51 and when they took on the 49ers in the Super Bowl
11:53 and the lights went out.
11:55 That was kind of my first game sitting watching.
11:57 And I became a fan of Ray Lewis,
11:59 even though that was towards,
11:59 that was the end of his career.
12:00 But you talk about, you know,
12:02 the storytelling, right?
12:04 It wasn't until I started understanding the stories
12:07 of the game that made me dive into it.
12:09 And then obviously being a recruit
12:10 and having to watch it to understand the different college
12:12 or the different, you know, pro team
12:14 I would eventually end up on.
12:15 - Yeah, and that's a perfect segue
12:16 'cause we dig into your career a little bit, right?
12:18 So you go from South Los Angeles, right?
12:20 You go up to Portland, Oregon,
12:21 excuse me, University of Oregon.
12:23 I love Portland 'cause I used to live there
12:24 covering the places.
12:25 So fire in the mountain wings,
12:26 I was there all the time, man.
12:28 Great place.
12:30 So you go from there and then you get drafted, right?
12:32 Number five overall, New York Giants.
12:34 Here you are, four sacks your rookie season, right?
12:36 And then you go from four to 11.5 sacks, right?
12:40 And I'm thinking, I'm looking at this film,
12:42 I'm watching people break down.
12:44 And what I respect about you is
12:45 you're taking your craft seriously, right?
12:48 You're studying film.
12:49 I'm looking at Carl Banks, a Giants legend,
12:51 breaking down the things that you're doing,
12:53 getting off blocks, recovering better, right?
12:55 Staying dedicated to the end.
12:56 Your defensive coordinator say,
12:57 you're the perfect finisher, right?
12:59 Who are you studying in between last year and this year
13:03 that allows you to go from four to 11.5 sacks?
13:06 - So it's funny, I think what's hard about sports
13:10 and results is that it's easy to point the finger
13:15 on what kind of bred that result, right?
13:18 For me, people have been asking me,
13:20 what was the jump?
13:21 What was the change?
13:22 What was the big thing that ignited this?
13:24 And I've been doing the same thing
13:26 for the past five years, right?
13:27 So when you talk about, it's been evolving,
13:30 but when you talk about the discipline,
13:32 when you talk about the honing in on your craft,
13:35 when you talk about getting guys,
13:37 like, so who was I studying?
13:38 When I was in college, I was studying Von Miller.
13:40 Then it just so happened that I got to talk to him
13:42 and meet him and get more tips.
13:43 But from the Von Millers to the DeMarcus Wares
13:45 to the Aaron Donalds, then now you've segued,
13:48 now I'm in the league and I'm meeting people.
13:50 And now it's like, okay, now I can talk to Max Crosby.
13:52 Now I can get Kaleo Mac.
13:54 Now I can talk to Dexter Lawrence, my teammates,
13:57 and Leonard Williams, and the list can go on.
13:59 But I think it's easy to overlook.
14:02 And it's the same thing as getting drafted,
14:04 where it's like, yeah, you get drafted
14:06 and it's like, oh, it's just overnight success.
14:08 It's like, no, most athletes that get drafted
14:10 have been working this hard for the past decade.
14:14 So now being here, yeah, I got 11 sacks,
14:16 but those same things that I was practicing or working on
14:20 or the tools that I was sharpening,
14:22 I've always been sharpening them, right?
14:24 It's just so the preparation met the timing
14:27 and met the opportunity and I was able to make more plays.
14:30 One thing I do feel like I was able to advance in
14:33 is understanding how to play cohesively.
14:36 When you talk about football,
14:39 more specifically as a sport full of individuals,
14:42 and the only way to win a game
14:44 is to get all those individuals on one accord.
14:47 So when I looked at how I was rushing a passer
14:50 or how I was defeating blocks
14:52 or how I was approaching each game,
14:54 it was from an individualistic standpoint
14:57 where I needed to make the plays that were meant for me, right?
15:00 Not saying that I wasn't for the team,
15:03 but saying that I didn't understand
15:05 how to work cohesively with a Dexter Lawrence,
15:09 one of the most generational talents in the NFL,
15:11 or Leonard Williams, who's another great vet,
15:13 or even the other side is Izzo Giallari,
15:15 and the list goes on.
15:17 But once you start to learn how to work as a team,
15:20 things start to get better for the individual.
15:22 - Absolutely, and one of those people,
15:23 and listen, you said Von Miller's
15:24 one of my favorite players,
15:26 but Carl Banks, a Giants legend, Super Bowl champ,
15:29 president of G3 Apparel Group,
15:31 traded right here on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange.
15:33 That's a 3.2 billion that they made in 2023,
15:36 and Carl is the president of their sports division,
15:38 which houses the starter brand.
15:40 Again, a Giants legend,
15:42 and I know that before the Giants drafted you,
15:44 you and Carl had a sit down,
15:45 and he kind of explained and went and said,
15:47 "This is your guy."
15:49 What did you learn from Carl between now and,
15:51 from the business side?
15:52 - And I give a great, you know,
15:53 a big shout out to Carl,
15:54 but it wasn't just Carl.
15:55 You know, you give Michael Strahan,
15:56 you give Osia Minyura,
15:57 you give a bunch of guys who I not only wanted
16:01 to seek the information from,
16:03 but who were more than welcoming
16:05 when it came to, you know, my draft process,
16:07 and what to do and what not to do.
16:09 So, but when you talk about Carl,
16:11 he's very wise,
16:12 and you talk about his approach to things,
16:14 he understands, you know, the longevity of it,
16:16 he understands what to focus on.
16:19 So when I came in, you know,
16:20 obviously New York is the biggest media market,
16:23 it's the biggest city in the world,
16:25 so you talk about getting his information
16:27 on how he was able, one, to dominate so long
16:30 while keeping out the distractions, right?
16:32 And then also the media, you know,
16:34 asking questions and kind of tearing you down,
16:36 building you back up, you know,
16:37 as the season goes on, but just understanding--
16:39 - We do that?
16:40 The media does that?
16:41 - You know, I'm not gonna say you,
16:41 (laughing)
16:42 but definitely, you know,
16:43 New York likes winners,
16:44 and if you're not winning, they don't like you.
16:46 That's the truth, and that's sports and all,
16:47 so it definitely is great, you know,
16:49 obviously it puts pressure on the players
16:52 to make them great, which is amazing,
16:54 but having him there, having other vets there
16:57 to, you know, kind of confide,
16:59 not for me to confide in them,
17:00 and for them to kind of share some information,
17:03 it's been great, and they've definitely helped me
17:05 navigate and stay on that yellow brick road.
17:06 - Going off the field for a minute, right,
17:09 Fass, as we, you know, wrap up here
17:11 at the NASDAQ Market site,
17:13 definitely don't wanna leave out your dream foundation,
17:15 right, not D, as in dream, J, right?
17:18 Why J?
17:20 What was that, where's that coming from?
17:21 - The play on J is journey to readiness
17:23 and enrichment through academic mentorship,
17:25 so it's an acronym, and actually,
17:28 a father figure of mine,
17:30 who's now the president of the foundation,
17:31 Antonio Patterson, his daughter's name is Dream,
17:33 and I played for his foundation football program
17:37 when I was younger, he was my mentor growing up,
17:39 and his son is my best friend and right-hand man today,
17:43 but when you talk about dream,
17:46 it started with a dream, you know,
17:48 and it started with me understanding my purpose,
17:51 and football wasn't my purpose, that was my avenue, right?
17:54 My purpose was to bring people together,
17:56 and I realized that I brought people together
17:58 with a dream to be great.
18:01 You know, you talk about being great,
18:02 and it's whatever endeavor that the children
18:04 set their minds to, but for me,
18:06 it's about equipping them with the resources,
18:09 and then bringing mentors in so that they can understand
18:12 that you can be more than what may be around you, right?
18:14 It's about, you know, getting the information,
18:16 applying it, and then understanding that we use dream
18:20 as kinda the concierge between mentorship and menteeship,
18:24 so you talk about having kids understand
18:26 why they need mentors, and having mentors
18:28 kinda feel their presence and understand
18:32 why it's so important that they continue to give back.
18:34 - And you won, week nine, NFL, the PA community MVP
18:38 for that, and raised $120,000, right,
18:41 in a gala that the Giants, as well as the team,
18:42 held in October, and partnered with Chase Bank
18:45 in May 2023 to go back to Dorsey High School,
18:48 where you went to teach financial literacy.
18:51 I asked Nambika Su this very question,
18:52 I asked you before we wrap up a little bit,
18:55 and that is, what is the biggest thing
18:56 that you've learned about financial literacy?
18:58 He said that the ability, he didn't understand,
19:00 credit building very early, especially for kids.
19:02 He got credit cards in his kid's name already,
19:04 and they're not even six yet, right?
19:05 And so, what's the biggest thing you've learned
19:07 as you started to get more into financial literacy
19:09 and teaching it to kids?
19:11 - Man, money is power.
19:12 So, when you start to understand that anything
19:14 you spend your money on, you're dwindling your power,
19:17 right, and then legacy, right?
19:19 We're all here for legacy, we're all, you know,
19:21 working every day, working hard every day
19:23 so that you can leave your legacy better than you found it.
19:26 You know, talking about our parents,
19:27 and we always give credit to our parents
19:29 of the generations before us, but now,
19:32 when you talk about money, every decision you make
19:34 is impacting your legacy, right?
19:36 So, understanding that as long as you make
19:38 calculated decisions, you'll leave your legacy,
19:40 you know, better than you found it.
19:41 - Yeah, I guess I was gonna go buy some new shoes
19:43 after this, but now you're talking me out of it, right?
19:45 Now I gotta just put that money in the bank.
19:46 - Hey, just put it in the bank, sit on it, man.
19:47 - Absolutely, man. - Compound interest.
19:49 - Speaking of money, man, let me get your opinion
19:51 right fast on a few things.
19:53 Name, image, and likeness being the first of them, right?
19:55 Is it hurting college football?
19:56 There are a lot of kids out there
19:57 that are benefiting from this,
19:59 and the coaches are saying it's bad.
20:00 I see both sides of it, especially the side
20:02 when you come from nothing, and you're starting
20:03 to get this money rolling in, but there is Pandora's Box
20:06 that's been open now, what do you think
20:07 it's doing to college football right now?
20:09 - I think we gotta, we have to first understand
20:11 what is good and what is bad, right?
20:13 For me, I think it's good because now
20:15 there's no more dictatorship, right?
20:17 There's been a lot of guys who've been coerced
20:19 into either staying in college or leaving college,
20:21 or coerced to switch in teams or not switch in teams
20:23 because the school has the control over the athlete
20:28 because they don't have the resources or the power
20:31 to leave or to make a change, and now you put the power
20:34 and the resources into the young men and women's hands,
20:38 and I think it's great.
20:39 I think that they need guidance, right?
20:42 I think that there needs to be something,
20:45 a educational piece implemented so that they understand
20:48 the power of what they have and the power of now
20:50 and the power of money, so that's why it's one
20:52 of my biggest endeavors to go back to Oregon
20:57 and one, be a pillar in the community with doing different,
21:02 whether it's the AFL, whether it's opening
21:04 different restaurants or whatever in the city,
21:06 but then also giving back to the actual school
21:07 and being there and being tangible so that these athletes
21:10 can understand how to navigate this time
21:12 because it's really all about education and resources,
21:14 and the more education you give them,
21:16 the more powerful they'll be.
21:17 - Yeah, you're very vocal as well, right?
21:19 Y'all are 22 years old and already you're saying
21:21 you're a defensive leader, right?
21:23 Maybe even a leader of the team, and maybe this is why
21:25 that blew up so much, but apparently you came on a podcast
21:29 and said you were mad that St. John Barclay
21:30 didn't necessarily get a deal the way that Daniel Jones,
21:33 the quarterback of the Giants, got it.
21:34 Take a deep breath, right?
21:36 If you can elaborate on it a little bit,
21:37 any feedback you've gotten from since then,
21:39 or anything you know, or what is your message now about that
21:42 because listen, the team's taking your voice seriously.
21:44 - Yeah, exactly.
21:45 I think my stance still stays the same when you talk about
21:49 how we feel.
21:50 I feel like in the position of running backs,
21:52 they're used the most, and then this is the same
21:54 as you talk about the power of the sport,
21:58 the power of the league, the power of the teams,
22:01 but they play a very dangerous position,
22:05 and when you look at it from a stock perspective,
22:08 I understand why you don't pay 'em as much
22:10 as they should be paid, but when you talk about
22:12 building character, building a team, building camaraderie,
22:15 I think it's always important to see and to value
22:20 the guys who bring the most value, right?
22:22 So that's kinda how I feel, and we're gonna continue
22:25 building as a team.
22:26 He's obviously in a position to get a great contract,
22:29 so hopefully everything works out for him,
22:31 and yeah, we're focused on winning, man.
22:33 It's the 2024, trying to go win a Super Bowl now.
22:36 - Yeah, absolutely, draft coming up, right?
22:38 Put you on the spot.
22:39 You're the New York Giants GM.
22:40 Who do you go get?
22:41 - Who do I go get?
22:42 I have no clue, if I'm being honest.
22:44 I have no clue.
22:46 - Fresh off of a York trip.
22:47 - But I'm telling you that if you're asking me
22:49 would I rather be a GM or the top five pick,
22:51 I'm gonna just stay being the top five pick
22:52 and go get sacks.
22:53 - Absolutely, man.
22:54 Two things, I'll let you get out of here.
22:56 The first being, US Presidential Race is this year.
22:59 You have a following, you have a platform.
23:00 What are you looking at from an athlete's perspective?
23:02 What do you tell your followers about what to look for
23:05 when it comes down to Presidential Race
23:06 without choosing sides?
23:07 - Well, if I'm being honest,
23:08 I think that's kind of the smoke alarm,
23:13 and I say that because we need to focus more local
23:16 and things that are more tangible to us
23:18 and saying that we need to see who's in office
23:21 in our communities.
23:22 - Governor's, mayor's, absolutely.
23:24 - Oh yeah, governor's, mayor's,
23:25 the whole from top to bottom.
23:27 And then I think in the black community
23:28 is Black History Month,
23:29 so I think it is fair to address that
23:31 we are a part of the US system, right?
23:36 So it's like, the older generations have always said,
23:39 oh, politics, that doesn't matter to me.
23:41 Oh, this, that doesn't matter to me.
23:42 Well, it's like, if you're gonna continue
23:43 to live in America, it might as well matter.
23:45 Everything that has to do with your community
23:48 is through politics.
23:50 So it's like, we have to start educating ourselves.
23:52 We have to start really wanting the information
23:56 and seeking the information and collaborating,
23:58 have these talks.
23:59 Like, I don't know, my first talk
24:02 about a presidential election wasn't until I was 18, 19.
24:05 And it's like, why is that?
24:05 It's 'cause it's not in the household.
24:07 And I think the sooner we start to educate our kids
24:11 and our younger adults on the importance of it,
24:15 the better we'll be in as far as representation,
24:17 as far as getting things done
24:18 that we feel need to get done.
24:19 - Absolutely, I'll get you out of here on this, man.
24:21 Good to great, right?
24:22 For us to be okay, we always love this question.
24:25 I would love to get your book advice,
24:26 but I'm gonna get you that next time, right?
24:28 What is the difference between a good linebacker
24:32 and a great one?
24:33 - Oh man, a great linebacker finishes plays.
24:35 They make big time plays when the game matters.
24:37 So when you talk about being good and being great,
24:41 I think great is a lifestyle and good is a job.
24:44 You know, you can be good at your job,
24:46 but to be great, you gotta make it a lifestyle.
24:47 So that's one thing I definitely learned,
24:50 you know, from first season, second season,
24:51 that the people who are at the top,
24:53 they've made it their lifestyle
24:55 and there's nothing else that can get them
24:57 off that yellow brick road.
24:58 - Studying the game, man, studying the craft.
25:00 The greats have done it.
25:00 Colby, LeBron, Jordan, all of them, right?
25:03 Studying tape from start to finish.
25:05 That's what makes you great.
25:06 K-Von Tippett, my brother,
25:07 thank you so much for the time, man.
25:09 Look forward to continuing these conversations
25:10 because listen, your trajectory says
25:12 you're gonna get a lot of money
25:13 and your trajectory says that you're gonna get
25:14 a lot of investment opportunities coming up.
25:16 You're already partners with LeBron and Drake, you know?
25:18 So congratulations on the success, man,
25:20 and look forward to taking this business conversation deeper.
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