Second Acts After an NFL Career with Vernon Davis: Ep 40
Highlights from the episode:
What the NFL doesn’t prepare you for
Why failure became Vernon’s greatest teacher
How grief can cloud judgment in unexpected ways
The power of asking questions and seeking guidance
Why taking risks after football mattered most
Podcast show notes:
When you think about making it to the NFL, you probably picture success, stability, and being set for life. But what you don’t always see are the challenges that come with that journey.
In this episode, NFL former tight end Vernon Davis shares a side of his journey that most people never hear. Vernon opens up about the parts of success that don’t get talked about. The relationships you have to navigate when your life changes. The financial mistakes that can happen when no one teaches you how to manage what you’ve earned. And the way grief can cloud your judgment in ways you don’t expect.
There are so many take-aways from this conversation, but what stood out most to me is how Vernon reframes failure: he sees failure not as something to avoid, but as something necessary. Something that shapes you, sharpens you, and ultimately moves you forward.
What You’ll Hear
The pressure of being the one everyone watches (12:53)
How grief can cloud your judgment (14:10)
What no one tells you about making the NFL (20:05)
The power of failure and growth (31:43)
Taking risks beyond football (35:02)
There’s something really powerful about hearing someone say the quiet parts out loud. That success can be fragile. That grief can shift everything. That failure might actually be the thing that moves you forward. What Vernon shares here isn’t just about football. It’s about paying attention, learning as you go, and giving yourself the space to grow through what you didn’t expect.
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Connect with Vernon Davis
Discover The Next Role Show hosted by Vernon https://www.youtube.com/@TheNextRoleShow
Follow Vernon on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vernondavis85
Be sure to subscribe to Things No One Tells You—Lindsay’s podcast all about the real, unfiltered conversations we don’t always have but should. From big names to everyday voices, each episode dives into the moments that shape us. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Follow along with Lindsay below!
Full Transcript
[00:00] Vernon: People don't tell you, you'll make it to the NFL and lose everything. You can make it to the NFL and lose everything. They don't tell you that when you see a picture that's painted of a guy making it to the NFL, you're like, " Oh, he made it. His whole life changed. He changes the trajectory of his, he changes the trajectory of his family's, he's writing this book that will, that won't close.
[00:00:22] Right. But what exactly is that? Is that valid? Does that hold? How true is that? Well, it's not really true because you can make it to the NFL and lose all the money that you have. You can make it to the NFL and put yourself in a situation that puts you in jail for the rest of your life.
[00:00:44] You can, anything can happen. like. It can happen, but they don't. We don't. They don't tell you that.
[00:00:53] Lindsay: Hey, everybody, and welcome to the Things No One Tells You Podcast. So that is such. Real, just genuine, honest insight from former NFL star Vernon Davis. He was a tight end in the league for years, and in this episode of Things No One Tells You.
[00:01:14] Vernon Davis, whom I've known for quite some time, actually unveiled about three different things no one tells you, but what I love that you guys just heard is the fact that he is basically saying. The thing no one tells you is that once you get to the place, you're not done working. And I love that.
[00:01:32] Really, it applies to anybody out there who's even listening or watching this, because it's like when you get to the thing that you're doing. You can always learn, you can always ask questions. You can always find a way to do better, and sometimes it's enough, and sometimes it might not be. But anyway.
[00:01:48] Vernon Davis, a superstar in the NFL, spent several years at the 49 ERs, won a Super Bowl. With the Denver Broncos, he also said something that I love so much. He said, " The thing no one tells you is about the importance of becoming a master of who you have in your corner. There is so much in this conversation that I thought, " Oh, I wanna share that.
[00:02:10] I wanna share this. I for background, Vernon. He's someone that I covered locally in Washington, D.C, before I went to ESPN because he grew up in D.C., and played college at Maryland. But then, during the course of my time at SportsCenter, that was when he was in the thick of his career, thriving as a tight end in the league.
[00:02:32] So certainly like, there were so many times that I just remember watching and being so excited for the success. That he was having. But, Verno, in this conversation, gets really raw about the things I've also already mentioned, but he also shares how. It's really about reinvention. And as I get ready to leave you guys with this episode, I just wanna point out the fact that over the course of the past few interviews I've done, I can't help but notice the thread of the theme, which is reinvention.
[00:03:03] And I want you to pay attention to the way Vernon talks about this in his case now as an NFL Star turned actor. I turned into an entrepreneur because I really think Vernon sums it up in a way that it's like. It's okay to stop and pivot completely. It's okay to be excited about the thing that you did so boldly, but then to do something totally different.
[00:03:26] And I think as I keep hearing people say this over and over, I'm like, maybe that's really what we're supposed to be doing anyway. So anyway, I hope you love this conversation. As much as I loved having it. Here is an NFL superstar actor turned into so many other things.
[00:03:42] Vernon Davis, you have done so much since your football days, too.
[00:03:46] So I'm so pumped to talk to you 'cause it's been a minute. But real quick, is that a popcorn machine behind you? Where are you?
[00:03:53] Vernon: Oh yeah, this is where I come, and if I wanna have a nice movie night, I come and get a bag of popcorn and go watch a nice movie.
[00:04:02] Lindsay: This is your kind of man cave.
[00:04:04] Vernon: It's like my man cave in a sense. Yeah. Yeah, my man cave.
[00:04:08] Lindsay: All right. Well, so how is life like, what would you say, what's going on in the life of Vernon Davis these days?
[00:04:14] Vernon: Life is busy. I didn't think it would be this busy after playing football, but it's, it's extremely busy, filled with endorsement obligations, business, films, television shows, kids, my cat, my family, like, it's just, I'm all over the place.
[00:04:33] Lindsay: So you have three kids?
[00:04:34] Vernon: I have three kids, yep.
[00:04:37] Lindsay: You have one that's about to follow in your footsteps and play football at Maryland?
[00:04:42] Vernon: That's right.
[00:04:43] Lindsay: What is that like for you?
[00:04:45] Vernon: It's great. It's like, and it, sometimes I wake up, and I'm like, wow, I can't believe Gianni's about to go to the University of Maryland, where I went.
[00:04:53] And it's just, it is just a beautiful thing to see my son grow up the right way. It's always trying to teach them and give them tons of advice and practical experience. Experiences that we've had, and you never really know if they're going to, how they're going to, how it's going to register with them, because they have all these outside influences, and they can make their own decision whether we like it or not, when they're not with us.
[00:05:21] You know what I mean? So it's just one of those things. So I'm elated to have him follow in my footsteps for sure.
[00:05:26] Lindsay: When he shared the news with you that he had made his final decision, what did he say?
[00:05:30] Vernon: Yeah, he was, he came to me, said, " Dad, I think I'm gonna go to Merri, Maryland. I was like, " You sure?
[00:05:35] I said, I'm not pressing on. I'm not pressing it on you at all. It is. It is your decision, man. Like, if that's what you want to do, I'll support it 100%.
[00:05:45] Lindsay: Take me back for a minute, 'cause I know you're there in D.C., that's the area too, where you grew up. But when you were a kid, what did you expect your journey was gonna look like?
[00:05:56] Vernon: When I was, I was very confident and likable, and I had faith that I was going to make it. I didn't know how or what it was going to be. At first, I thought it was basketball. Then, when I realized that basketball wasn't going to work for me, I had to pivot and go towards football. So then I, when I was my,
[00:06:21] Lindsay: And real quick, when did you know basketball wasn't gonna work out for you? At what point did that become clear?
[00:06:27] Vernon: Well, when I walked into the gym, I walked into Dunbar Senior High School, and I noticed that they had their starting five, and I could sense that there was a little bit of favoritism. So I said, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go try something else. So I walked into my coach's office, Coach Craig Jeffries at the time, and I said, " Can I try out for the football team?
[00:06:43] He said, yes. What position would you like to play? I said," Anything that has to do with scoring touchdowns. He said, I'm gonna try you at tight end. " I said, " Okay, cool. So I went out that first year. It was like magic. I just blew up as a 10th grader, and all the schools started reaching out, talking, starting to reach out to me, and they were like, they, they wanted me pretty much.
[00:07:07] And from there I kinda, I was like, you know what? I got this. This is for me. I'm going to make it no matter what.
[00:07:12] Lindsay: Wait, had you played football at that point?
[00:07:15] Vernon: You know what, I played football. I remember playing football in my eighth-grade year, just a little bit. I was scratching the surface, but it wasn't what I really wanted to do.
[00:07:24] I was like, ah, let me try it. And I actually did really well. Yeah. But I didn't know if it was going to continue to happen,
[00:07:32] Lindsay: But so when you walked into that gym, though, real quick, back to the basketball, and like, you mean you, Vernon Davis walk in and you're like, oh, here's the starting five, and you were questioning if you could crack that, right? Like that's, that is fascinating to me.
[00:07:47] Vernon: Well, one thing I noticed was that everybody was taller than me. I was like,
[00:07:50] Lindsay: Right, right.
[00:07:51] Vernon: Look, I don't think I'm growing anymore. I think this is, if I'm gonna play the position that I'm playing, which is power forward, I need to get a little taller. But I don't think that's gonna happen.
[00:07:59] So let me try something else where I think I can have an advantage.
[00:08:05] Lindsay: And being someone who's also a mom of a 12-year-old, a 9-year-old, it's just that whole realization and behind-the-scenes story is really interesting to me, too, because we're not there yet. But as you realize, as your kids are getting older and older with the competition and the sports that they love, it's like, wow.
[00:08:23] Right. Stuff starts to get real, but okay, so you go on, you're a 10th grader, and you said it was like magic. What did that feel like for you?
[00:08:34] Vernon: It was beautiful. It was beautiful. Just the level of success I started to have and the attention that I was getting, like it was unexpected in a sense, but I could feel that there was something that I was building and something good that was gonna come out of it, and I just stuck with it.
[00:08:52] I just started working harder and harder, and next thing you know, I'm at 2o to 30 scholarship offers
[00:09:01] Lindsay: And then what?
[00:09:04] Vernon: And then I just kept going. I just kept getting better, and I started to believe in myself. I knew that every morning, when I woke up, I felt like someone was trying to outwork me.
[00:09:14] So that made me get out, and it made me stay after school late. I was, I would stay after school. I would get home around eight, 9:00 PM, and then I would get up in the morning, and I would do some extra workouts. Just continue to just keep working on my game.
[00:09:28] Lindsay: How was that in terms of, like, what was it like where you grew up and just that dynamic, and then you played sports at the same time?
[00:09:37] How would you describe what that was like?
[00:09:38] Vernon: Yeah, growing up in Washington, D.C., during my time, it was tough. It was tough. So what I did was go to another school. Away from the community, that community that I grew up in, I did that because I didn't want to get caught up with the guys that I grew up with in the neighborhood.
[00:09:58] 'cause if they were fighting, I had to fight, so I wanted to go where no one knew me, where I could just be my own self, my own man. I didn't have to be a part of any group, nor did I have any other friendships, other than the guys that I played football with, or basketball. So I figured that was, that was a great plan.
[00:10:14] I went with it, and I think it worked out for me.
[00:10:19] Lindsay: And that's not easy. So how did you do that? Who did you have in your corner that was helping you figure that piece of it out?
[00:10:26] Vernon: You, that was just a decision that I came up with. I don't know why. I guess it was that burning desire to make it, when you just gonna make you, nothing is gonna stop me from making it to this destination, wherever it is that this destination's going to be.
[00:10:41] I'm going to get there. And I guess it was kinda like my wisdom at a young age that I developed as a young man from having people like my grandmother and grandfather around who raised me, and they say when you, they say you should surround yourself with like-minded people, that can elevate you.
[00:11:00] So I guess that was my form of elevation by having my grandmother and grandfather around at that time. So I used that wisdom to take me in different directions.
[00:11:09] Lindsay: What kinds of things would they say to you? Like what? Do you have some wisdom that they would share?
[00:11:15] Vernon: Yeah, my grandmother would always tell me, she said, just because you're pulling away from your friends, doesn't mean you should turn your back on them.
[00:11:20] You never know when you'll need them. So you can pull away, but don't turn your back. And I was like, okay. Those are wise words. She also said that I should always take my time when I get angry or upset at things, and just be. Treat people; always give people respect at all times. It doesn't matter.
[00:11:48] Yeah, she was just always harping on those little things. It's just like all this, always the little details that you need to guide you through life, that she would always give me. And, but that one thing she told me about, my friends stuck with me, and I'm like, wow, she's right. No matter what happens, never turn my back.
[00:12:06] Fully 'cause I might need them one day. And that's something I've taken with me throughout my life.
[00:12:13] Lindsay: I love that you brought that up because I feel like in conversations with different, with athletes, pro athletes in different sports too, sometimes that theme comes up of like once you make it to whatever league you're in, NBA, NFL, sometimes that is a part of it.
[00:12:32] You kind of have to, I guess, reconcile, right? Is it like people from your past, and I don't know, like what has your experience been?
[00:12:40] Vernon: Yeah, I think you have to really think, you become like, like right now you have to become a student of understanding people. And once you understand people, you can navigate a lot more efficiently, I should say.
[00:12:53] 'Cause it's all, it all boils down to people, like the people you have, you in your corner. If I go out and I'm with a guy named James or Tim. If they do something, I'm gonna get in trouble. I'm gonna suffer consequences because my name's much bigger than theirs, right? I'm the one who played football for 14 long years and had the career that I had, so they don't have to worry about anything.
[00:13:13] So you have to always be cognizant of every little step you take, and that's one thing that I feel like I've been a master at, is understanding who I have. My corner and now wicked wig is tough like that. When you go through things there, you may have a death in the family, someone you really loved and who was very important to you.
[00:13:34] Now that's what we have to be extremely careful because now you can't see these things that you could see before because you become blinded in a sense, and
[00:13:43] Lindsay: Oh no.
[00:13:44] Vernon: You just can't. One thing. So I've had those things happen to me in life, too, where I cultivate a relationship with someone, but I couldn't really see.
[00:13:51] Who that person was because I was going through so much in my life at that time.
[00:13:56] Lindsay: Like if you're going through grief, and meaning that that maybe there's someone who is not in the best, is not the best situation for you to be around, and that you're sort of clouded because of what you're going through is
[00:14:09] Vernon: Yeah.
[00:14:10] Yeah. Your mind is cloudy, you can't really navigate appropriately because there's so much. When grief hits you, it is like. Everything stops. You, the things you're not really looking for in certain people. You're, you don't, it is almost as if you don't, you see the good, you see the good in everything, and you want, you're just searching for love in a sense.
[00:14:35] The love that you kinda lost from that person, you know what I'm saying? It's kind of, it's interesting. It's an interesting thing.
[00:14:42] Lindsay: Is there an experience that you can share where you've really learned from that? Is there one that is coming to your mind most?
[00:14:52] Vernon: Yeah, I can say, a relationship, a young lady that I met, she had some things going on in her past, but I couldn't really see the things in her past because I was so.
[00:15:06] focus on healing. I was searching for healing because at that time I had to take Lexapro. I lost my brother.
[00:15:13] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:15:14] Vernon: I lost my sister. Now I gotta really figure out how I can deal with this anxiety, 'cause right now, this is the worst time of my life. So how can I deal with anything else other than this issue of healing? So there, that was the moment for me. I couldn't really see what was going on there.
[00:15:35] Lindsay: I have wondered about you. That happened with your brother, Vontae, who was also an NFL player in 2024. Right. And I thought about you so much going through that, because I remember even when I would cover the two of you, there was a time in Washington D.C. where we did a local sports story on you guys giving back to the community together.
[00:15:54] I've often wondered what that was like for you, how you're doing. Obviously, I know it never goes away, but how are you doing now with the loss of your brother?
[00:16:06] Vernon: Yeah, I'm doing really well now. I feel like I found joy in that experience, right? Because you have to find, you have to find, something that you can hold onto, something that can get you through the, throughout, through the rest of your life when you lose someone very important to you.
[00:16:24] And, I understand that he left me something beautiful. So I just take that with me, and I just keep it going, keep pressing forward. 'cause there's so much to do. There's so much for me to do. So, in order for me to be able to continue to do that, I have to keep going.
[00:16:46] Lindsay: I know you guys were so close. What would you say that you learned from him? That is one of the things that you really take with you.
[00:16:55] Vernon: Oh, he was the best; he had his enthusiasm every single day. Was it? It was the same, yeah. Every morning, he woke up. He was just so happy. Full of joy, just full of life.
[00:17:06] Like I never met a person like him before. He was a special human, and so I, I've taken that from him. I'm like, how did, how can this guy? Go through so much in life. with not having his mom, not having mom and dad around growing up in the house with grandparents and but he still wakes, he, he's waking up every morning with this kind of energy.
[00:17:27] This guy, that's, everyone loved him. Like everywhere I go, it doesn't matter whether it's a teammate or just a friend. He met along the way. They said, I loved your brother, man. Your brother was, even his funeral was hot. His people. There was a line outside the door.
[00:17:43] Everyone just loved Vontae Davis, and that's that. A lot of that has to do with the structure that my grandmother implemented in us as kids that I was talking about recently.
[00:17:58] Lindsay: That's amazing. What was it like for you guys both to be in the league playing in the NFL at the same time, like what did that mean to you guys?
[00:18:10] Vernon: It was, at first, it was surreal to me at first because I didn't think. I knew VTE was good, but I didn't know how good he was going to be. But when he got drafted, everything changed. It changed even more. You're talking about going from one guy, one kid, one guy to two guys. Now two young men, two young men now in the NFL.
[00:18:36] Of course, they changed. From a financial standpoint, it changes drastically, of course, but it's just beautiful having someone like, 'cause I, for me, I used to take Vonte out. I used to wake him up in the morning, at 7:00 AM, when I was in high school, and I would make him do these workouts.
[00:18:56] I would take him to a nearby high school, Roosevelt Senior High School, and literally, I would make these drills. I didn't know what kind of drills we were doing, but I felt like we were getting better, and I would make him do it. He didn't want to do it. But he really, yeah, he wanted to do it. So for me to be able to pull him along under me and have him make it the same way I made it, it is just, it's just a beautiful story.
[00:19:17] Lindsay: God. Yeah. Well, so, so then, right, so it's sort of like the wisdom and the belief that you got from your grandma, and that situation, you were sort of also giving to him because you saw and experienced what it took. Right.
[00:19:31] Vernon: Right. I had a formula, and that formula was like just. Getting up and just working, right?
[00:19:37] Put it to work. And I wanted him to feel that too, feel what that was like, because I couldn't just leave him behind, and he was my brother. I loved him. So to see that unfold the way it did was just, it's just like a, like I said, it's just a beautiful story.
[00:19:51] Lindsay: Gosh. When you think back, just to your journey and your career, I know it is very much still going on now in different ways. What is the thing that no one tells you that you've experienced, that you think is valuable?
[00:20:05] Vernon: Yo, a lot of people don't tell you'll make it to the NFL and lose everything. You can make it to the NFL and lose everything. They don't tell you that when you see a picture that's painted of a guy making it to the NFL, you're like, " Oh, he made it.
[00:20:17] His whole life changed. He changes his, he changes his, the trajectory of his family's.
[00:20:23] like he's writing this book that will, that won't close. Right. But what exactly is that? Is that valid? Does that hold? How true is that? Well, it's not really true because you can make it to the NFL and lose all the money that you have.
[00:20:40] You can make it to the NFL and put yourself in a situation that puts you in jail for the rest of your life. You can, anything can happen. Like, it can happen, but they don't, we don't, they don't tell you that.
[00:21:00] Lindsay: So, how have you experienced that?
[00:21:03] Vernon: Well, I experienced that early on.
[00:21:04] I remember when I was, when I first made this in the NFL, and I didn't, of course, I didn't know too much about my finances. I didn't know, I didn't have that growing up, and no one really taught me that. So one day I woke up, I'm here to practice, and my financial advisor calls me. He is like, Hey, Vern, you do know that you have X amount of dollars in the bank, right?
[00:21:26] I was like, " Oh, really? I wasn't paying attention, I wasn't tracking that, I still had some money, but it wasn't what I wanted, the money that I accumulated, right? I was losing it all from spending it on flights, to having parties, to buying things for other people, right? And not just,
[00:21:48] Lindsay: Yeah. Like helping to take care of other people.
[00:21:50] Vernon: Exactly. Not watching my finances. So that was the moment for me where I said, look, I have to really educate myself on what I have going on. Right? If you don't educate yourself, then how are you gonna be able to take care of it? So what I did is. I started to wake up and develop a process of being able to look at my accounts, right?
[00:22:09] The different accounts that I had. I also started asking questions. I started by seeking people in my neighborhood and taking them out for lunch. Like I had a guy who had restaurants in my community, so I started taking him to lunch. I had a guy who was big into real estate, started taking him to lunch, and then all of a sudden I said, " You know what?
[00:22:28] Let me hire a business attorney to help me. Because if you have an attorney, if you have a business attorney, they know everything. They know how to structure things, right? Yeah. So if they know, if they're the ones structuring these agreements, then I can learn a lot from them.
[00:22:45] So I did, I hired a business attorney, paid them $10,000 a month for a year, then let 'em go.
[00:22:52] Lindsay: Really? And what did they do for you? Like, how did they, what kind of structure did they help you implement?
[00:22:57] Vernon: Oh, he came in this Eric, he came in, and he handled every deal that I had from endorsement to like, whether I was buying real estate.
[00:23:05] He just kind of guided me through all of the different things that I had going on, and was able to see and sign. Every deal that we had going on. And at the time I was with Levi's, I was with, I had, I did something with Sports Illustrator. I was just all, I was all over the place, doing a lot of different things, and he was there to guide me.
[00:23:29] Lindsay: And was he your agent at all or not? Separate from your agent?
[00:23:32] Vernon: No. He was separate from my agent. It was all business and endorsements. We just handled those documents together.
[00:23:39] Lindsay: Wow. That's cool. That's, I love it. That's kind of what you did. It's funny because that seems like a common threat,d too, a little bit. You've reminded me a lot of the Olympics, like I just got done covering the Olympics, and I know you're like, you're a big curling fan, right? You're like curling.
[00:23:53] Vernon: I love curling. I love it. It's fun.
[00:23:54] Lindsay: Yeah. It's hard. Right. But I know, I think that's really cool. But something that I feel like a lot of the athletes that would be our analysts. That would work with us talking about just one in particular, who played women's hockey, and it's like, I didn't see anyone like me doing what I was doing.
[00:24:13] She played with the boys. But just the fact that you don't maybe see the path in front of you, but you just have this sort of belief in this tenacity to just move forward and ask the questions, and like, go for the thing and figure it out. Right. And I just, I don't know, I just think there's so much interest there in that.
[00:24:34] Vernon: Yeah, I know. I feel like it's impossible. Nothing is impossible. You can do anything if you put your mind to it.
[00:24:41] Lindsay: What was, do you have a favorite memory that you think about during your time in the NFL?
[00:24:47] Vernon: Gosh, my favorite memory, the only thing I can think of is just going, making it from losing so much, and then having this moment of like, gosh, we are here. Like when we went to.
[00:25:05] Lindsay: The Super Bowl, you mean?
[00:25:06] Vernon: No, when we had our first time in the playoffs, we played the New Orleans Saints. That was, I mean that right there is a moment that will live in my memory and in the inside of my emotions forever. Likewise,e not just because I had an iconic cat, yes.
[00:25:21] Called the catch three, but just because of that, I did it with my brothers. I did it with guys with whom I struggled. Right. We. There was, at one point in time, no hope. We didn't think we would ever win. I told myself at one.
[00:25:35] Lindsay: That year,
[00:25:37] Vernon: No, just in general, as I told myself at one, there was one moment I had, like, looked in the mirror and I said to myself, I said, look, I'm going to be, I'll probably be on another team before I win.
[00:25:50] He, before I start winning, right. I just didn't think it was gonna happen with the San Francisco 49ers because we were losing so much. All of my hope was gone. But it was restored when Jim Harbaugh came in and was able to help guide us and get us to where we needed to be. And that was just beautiful, that was just a beautiful time for us.
[00:26:13] Lindsay: What was that secret sauce? How did he do that? Because you lived it, so can you take us inside what that felt like, and was there a moment that you realized, like.
[00:26:28] Vernon: I think for me, I think you, set, so when the, when from being on these different teams, right? It's all about them. The environment that you create, right?
[00:26:38] What's the, what's the culture that you're building?
[00:26:40] Lindsay: Yes. Here, yes.
[00:26:41] Vernon: On this team, right? From upper management all the way down to the janitor who's coming into the building and sweeping and cleaning the floors, right? Everyone has to be accountable. So, Harbaugh, the way he held us accountable was few and far between.
[00:26:59] he created something that we had. You, it is either look, you either come in here, you do what I tell you to do, or you get out if you don't believe in what we're trying to accomplish. Right. That's how we felt with him. Like it is either, it is either like we're gonna do this, or we're not.
[00:27:19] Like, and he held us accountable, like he made us work. But he didn't. He didn't, he wasn't really, he wasn't too tough on us. Right. He was tough enough. We knew that we had to go in and give our best, and put our best foot forward. We had to work. We had to work, but we also had to be smart. And we also had to do things the right way outside of the game of football.
[00:27:43] Like when we weren't practicing, we had to be in our meetings on time. When we weren't, when we weren't in the building, we had to do the right things with our family and how we treated them.
[00:27:54] Lindsay: Who are you holding accountable for that stuff? Like, if you relate to a meeting, what happened?
[00:27:59] Vernon: Oh, you get fined.
[00:28:00] Oh, you get fined. There were fines, there were fines in place that he had, like you had to do it, you were paying, you were paying. Right. And then he rewarded us. Right? There's, You have to reward guys when they do well. Right? Because they look forward to that. Like, we had these blue-collar shirts, which might not mean anything to someone you know.
[00:28:21] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:28:22] Vernon: Who wasn't on the team? It might not mean much, but to us it meant a lot because it had our name on it. It was a blue-collar shirt. He was like, " Look, guys, this is what we do. We're blue collar, there's, this is, we come to work, we bring our lunch pail. And we work extremely hard for our families, and we go home, we pay the bills, we check the lights, and make sure the lights are turned off at night before everyone goes to bed.
[00:28:45] This is what we do. And he created that, and we bought into it. We believed it, and we wanted it. We wanted it, he wanted it. He brought in all the right pieces from the offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, to a great defensive coordinator. And he put the pieces together, and we went out, and we did it.
[00:29:06] Lindsay: Wait, so the blue collar, was it like, like a button-down blue collar shirt?
[00:29:11] Vernon: Yeah, it's a short-sleeve, blue-collar shirt with your name on it.
[00:29:13] Lindsay: The polo?
[00:29:14] Vernon: Yeah, like a maintenance man. It could be anybody, like a blue-collar guy going to work, clocking in, and hitting that button. He's calling, and he's bringing this lunch pall with his sandwich in it. He got his, yes, he got his box. Yeah. Blue collar.
[00:29:30] Lindsay: And so he would give the players those shirts.
[00:29:33] Vernon: He would give the shirt, the players, those shirts whenever they did something, really well.
[00:29:40] Lindsay: So he was like creating, it's like a culture of, as you said, it's like accountability, but it's also meaningful.
[00:29:48] Responsibility and, what's the word I'm looking for? Like ownership. Is that ownership of being a man? Like that's.
[00:29:55] Vernon: And one thing that I love that he did, like if we did something we weren't supposed to do, he was gonna let it end up being known in front of all the rest of the guys. Oh
[00:30:01] Lindsay: Really?
[00:30:02] Vernon: Yeah. He's gonna let it be known in front of the guys like you, you did it.
[00:30:05] So we need to hear about it. Let's talk about it right here. And if you did, if you did something in the game that wasn't. It was conducive to the team, then he was, we were gonna talk about it in front of everybody else. He was going to point it out like, it is, no, it is the worst feeling in the world, it's going in and being called out in front of everybody.
[00:30:23] Nobody wants that. So you're gonna try your best to be perfect, right? Even though you're not perfect. But every single practice, every single game, you're gonna try to be.
[00:30:31] Lindsay: Do you remember one of those times that you got called out for something in a meeting?
[00:30:35] Vernon: Oh, yeah, I remember I got called out. I remember dropping a pass in the end zone. I got called out for it for sure.
[00:30:40] Lindsay: Oh, no, really? Like, what would he say in the group? Because also, it's about camaraderie, right? So it's like relatability, I'm sure,
[00:30:49] Vernon: But Yeah. But the thing, yeah, he, I mean, he talked about it, but also he, he, you, break someone down, but you build them up.
[00:30:57]He breaks you down, but in practice, he'll build you back up. Right. because you got that confidence. Of course. Yeah. I got on you, I made my mark, and I got on you. I called you out in the meeting, but. Look, we're in practice. That's gone. That's behind you, right? Learn from it, build on it, and let that energy carry you into something great, right?
[00:31:17] Let's try not to let that happen again. You learn from it; it's like one of those things, like a child, you learn from your mistakes. If you go touch the fire, you know it's hot, you're not gonna touch it again. You're gonna build on that then, and you're gonna keep on, evolving and learning from it.
[00:31:31] Lindsay: So, okay. What's the thing no one tells you about failure and the power to enjoy success?
[00:31:43] Vernon: Failure is the, they don't tell you that failure is the most beautiful thing you could ever wish for. Like, failure, what it is. It's amazing. It is. It's so amazing, 'cause like a lot of people look at it like.
[00:31:57] If I fail, this is gonna happen. If I fail, I'm not going to get this signing bonus. If I fail, I'm not going to get the, if I don't, I'm not gonna get the what this, whatever thing it is that you were hoping for. Right. It's just, I just think that failure is beautiful because it teaches you that, for one, it teaches you that you're not perfect. It also teaches you that it's okay to fail. You can't be afraid. Like coaches always say, don't go out playing a game. Being afraid to fail, right? You just gotta go full force, and it, whatever happens, it happens. You get back up, you dust yourself off, and you keep on going.
[00:32:38] 'cause you, it's only like if I didn't, for instance, if I didn't, if I didn't lose the money that I lost when I was younger, how can I. Go out and talk to the guys who does, who, the guys who are doing real estate, the guys who are, who have the restaurants, right? How can I know how to do that if I didn't fail early on?
[00:33:00] That catapulted me, and my success as far as my finances, because I was able to fail with that in my earlier years. So, I just think it's a beautiful thing.
[00:33:14] Lindsay: So it's kind of like thinking about. The areas that we're not doing our best in, even like right now, today. And like, as I'm talking to you, I'm like looking in my office, which is a mess, and I'm like, I, you know, when you get overwhelmed because you have stuff where you don't know where it is.
[00:33:33] And I'm like, to me, that is a version of failure. And this is gonna sound so weird, but like you have to kind of hit that point. Before then, when you're like, okay, so what do I do about it? So maybe I'm literally having someone help me just purging it, right? Like
[00:33:50] My point is, yes, I think that people don't talk about that enough.
[00:33:55] Like just the power of when you fail, it is the one thing that forces you to take action often. Right? It's kind of that, okay, so outside of football, you have had sucham. My vantage point is just success in so many different areas. Like I've always known that you were an artist. I know that you were a studio art major, and I remember that about you, and that's so cool, right, that you've always kind of had that side.
[00:34:23] But in terms of the projects that you've done, you now have a podcast, which is awesome. You're about to have your series come out, Rock the Block, which is on HGTV, which is amazing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it is home design renovation, and it's a competition show, which is incredible. But how have you navigated that?
[00:34:44] And by the way, also acting with Morgan Freeman, and other people of his ilk.
[00:34:51] Vernon: Yeah. Yeah, life has been totally unexpected. But they say if it's unexpected and you're doing things that you didn't plan to do, then you're probably moving in the right direction.
[00:35:02] And it goes back to failing. Like a lot of people, I don't take chances because I'm afraid to fail. Right. Like I took a chance, like when I was done playing football, I said I wanted, I want to go and. Do movies. I want to create my own films. I want to act alongside some big stars. How do I do that? I don't know how to do that, but I'm gonna figure it out.
[00:35:24] So I just kept going. And next thing I'm, I've been a part of 20 different films, right? And, five, four, or five years. And it's just been awesome because you're navigating, look. I might not be the best at what I'm at the best in this space, but eventually I will learn to figure out how to be really good at it.
[00:35:47] through time, I believe, and still I'm learning. I'm still getting better at things. Even with the film in the film space, I'm still learning. I want to be able to come up with an idea and write it. Direct it and act it at some point in time, but I know it's gonna take time to get there.
[00:36:08] I gotta continue to keep working, and if I do, it'll all work in my favor. It is just, it's just time. Just be patient while learning. Continue to keep learning, keeping your energy. Just stay open to different things, opportunities, and just learn from them and get better.
[00:36:29] Lindsay: I also recently had an athlete talk about like, people sometimes have a hard time saying what they want and are not being clear about, like, what is the thing that I'm interested in? What is the thing that I want? And I think that's a really great point too. That sounds like you're also saying, what was the first thing that you did in terms of walking through the door, end of that space, the acting space, when you were done with football, what was your first step?
[00:36:53] Vernon: So I had a guy, he had a script, and we were talking about it while I was playing. So he had the script, and I said, " Okay, " and I went to him. I said, when I'm done playing, I don't know when it's gonna be, but I'd love to piggyback off of you and do this. He didn't know what he was doing either, but he knew how to put the pieces together.
[00:37:09] So what happened was he gave me the script, I learned it, I got an acting coach, and we worked on this script, religiously, like. I would work with this acting coach, Kevin Benson. And, we just kept working. And the next thing you know, after that, we started doing the backing work, the business side of things.
[00:37:29] We started coming in and bringing the director in. We brought a line producer in, and those guys had the people that they were working with, and we pieced this thing together until we were able to make this film.
[00:37:42] Lindsay: And what was that like?
[00:37:44] Vernon: It was awesome. It was beautiful. I was nervous at first.
[00:37:48] Yeah. But I was prepared, so I relied on my preparation. I knew that I had put the work in, so all I had to do was just go and just do what I was taught and live truthfully in the moment.
[00:38:04] Lindsay: In terms of also living in the moment, I wanted to ask you about the podcast. You do. I listened to it. I know you had End and Sue on there recently.
[00:38:11] Bobby Bones was one that I liked. This is really cool, 'cause I listen to him all the time. I love country music too. But, what, like, what do you look for most and what are you most interested in when you are having these conversations? 'cause they're really in-depth conversations that you have with your guests,t and I love it.
[00:38:29] And if people here haven't heard it, they should go and check it out because it's like. They're really sort of deep and really revelatory in some ways.
[00:38:38] Vernon: Yeah. I like, so when I'm talking to these guests, I mean, they're, these are some amazing guests when I'm talking to them. I want to know, first of all, I'd like to start, I want to talk about their journey, like where they came from, where they are now, and what plans they have for the future.
[00:38:50] Like these are people who are not stopping. It's similar to me. Yeah. Yeah. Like, that's what I created the next role because I wanna talk to like-minded people, who believe that they can, they're just getting started. Right. Every time, if you believe right now that you're just getting started, you are, you're always gonna have something to work towards.
[00:39:08] Right. And that's how I feel. And sometimes I feel like I haven't done anything, I haven't achieved anything at all. And a lot of people ask me, like you, you played 14 years in L, right? You've done movies with Morgan Freeman and Bruce Willis, but you have a podcast. How do you feel like you haven't done anything like that?
[00:39:23] I don't know. I just don't wanna become complacent. I don't wanna be that guy who sits there and looks at the wall and looks at everything he accomplished, right? 'cause I don't wanna see that's in the past, like football is in the past, right? I love what I was able to do.
[00:39:38] I love the memories, the accolades, and things of that nature, but I don't wanna keep thinking about them. The young man was running up and down the field catching touchdowns. I don't wanna think about that. I wanna look at what's in front of me and create that. I wanna create a movie about that young man who was running up and down the field, you know what I mean?
[00:39:54] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:39:55] Vernon: That's how I think. That's my mindset.
[00:39:58] Lindsay: So is that difficult because, well, maybe I can phrase it differently. Like what is, what's something no one tells you about when you're done with the game? Is it because I talk with my friend circles, especially among women, and it's like there are times that, yeah, that kind of is like, okay, reinvention or the next role I do.
[00:40:16] I love that's the title of your podcast. 'Cause that makes so much sense. It was hard when you got away from that, considering the camaraderie that it takes with a football team, and being so used to achieving and grinding it out.
[00:40:31] Vernon: It was hard. It was difficult on the day that I decided to walk away.
[00:40:36] That was the most difficult moment on that day. When I say, okay, I'm gonna do it. That was hard. But when I actually took that step, and I walked away from it, I walked away from that shadow. I knew what was in front of me. I knew that chapter, a chapter in the book. And now it's time to go into the next chapter.
[00:40:56] And I didn't look back, I just kept moving forward. And that's what you have to do. You have to say, Hey, this was a part of me that was a small part of me. Now what's to come is always, whatever's in front of you is always gonna be bigger and brighter than what you left behind. Right? So that's how you, once you learn that and you understand that, you know what you did was big, and it was bold.
[00:41:16] You made a bold statement, and you crushed it. But. The stuff that you're gonna crush that's coming in front of you is gonna be even, you're gonna crush it even more. It's gonna be even bigger. It's gonna be brighter. So get prepared.
[00:41:30] Lindsay: I think we should take that and bottle it up. Like, that's amazing. That's when everyone should be chasing.
[00:41:36] Right? Right. That's such an awesome mindset, and yeah, coming from someone who has done what you've done, won a Super Bowl, just had all the accolades that you've had, that's incredible. And it's exciting, it is what it is. 'cause it's like. There's no limit until you decide. So per se, okay.
[00:41:55] Wait, so this game, I don't want it to be a game show, but this competition show on HGTV, Rock The Block. What, like, what itch does that scratch? That's such a bad phrase, but like, what did you love most about that experience?
[00:42:11] Vernon: Well, let me tell you, so I, I'm gonna tell you what I love, so. They were intrigued with me because they learned about what I was doing.
[00:42:18] So when I, in 2015, started buying properties, and then I did a 1031 exchange where you take properties that you buy, you transfer them over to properties that are equal to or greater than, and you don't have to pay taxes on. You avoid paying taxes. So I started doing that in D.C. when I arrived in 2016 to play with the Washington Commanders.
[00:42:37] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:42:37] Vernon: And so I started some of the houses I would, I started, I would flip them, some of the houses I would keep, and I would rent them out. So that has been my process and my, my, my, yeah, my process in, as far as in this space. So now this show opportunity to do this show comes up, the rehab and renovation design competition show.
[00:43:02] Yeah. They're looking at me like I'm the new kid on the block, but they don't know that I have some experience in this game. A little bit. Right. So now that I'm on the show, I'm like, wow, this is high level. I'm like, I'm coming up with a design with my partner, Mina, and we're renovating, and we're actually getting our hands dirty.
[00:43:23] Like this is like, this becomes like a new love to me, a newfound love. Now I can come back here, and I can micromanage. I can manage these guys, and I can actually see everything. That's going on to tell if it's done correctly, like from laying out a towel to just, whatever it is. And micro cement.
[00:43:42] I know the terms. I know the lingo. I know it all. I can just, I can do it even more. I'm,
[00:43:47] Lindsay: You got your hands dirty in that way, too. Like those,
[00:43:50] Vernon: Oh yeah.
[00:43:51] Lindsay: Oh yeah. Oh, and wait, what did, how did your football experience, like just grinding it out with, on the field with the brotherhood? Like, how did that happen?
[00:44:02] Show up in terms of the chemistry with Mina? Is that a weird question?
[00:44:07] Vernon: That's a great question. Because you learn, once you learn how to work and you become selfless, and you become,
[00:44:12] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:44:13] Vernon: You, you just learn how to be in a work, in a team, atmosphere. Yo, learn how to work as you work together.
[00:44:22] It's all about the team. It's not about me, it's not about me. And it's about us together, what we accomplish together. And we just, and we work, we feed off of each other. We come in with enthusiasm, like when I walk into that, into the garage, and I start planning and looking over things and working with Mina, I think about walking into the football facility.
[00:44:43] I have to have high enthusiasm. And my energy has to be good because, like, Mina is gonna want to feed off of that, just like my teammates fed off of my energy. You gotta be positive. It's always positive.
[00:44:58] Lindsay: Wow. All right. Before I let you go, I have to show you something. This is a good story, my son.
[00:45:04] One of the things they're all doing now is cards, right? Football cards, basketball cards. That's his jam. I'm learning about it. I'm not an expert, but we went to this card shop the other day 'cause he begs us to take 'em like every two days. He'd go every day if he could. And we're looking through this box, it's like one NFL box, like certain items.
[00:45:23] And we pull this one out, and he is like," Momm, look, I'm not even kidding, but it's what's in the box.
[00:45:31] Vernon: Oh, come on. Stop it. That's me. Yes. Oh, look at that.
[00:45:35] Lindsay: Look at that. And so, he was like, " Mom, this is really cool. You should get that. And I was like, you know what? I'll, because I wanna show him. And you know what's crazy about it?
[00:45:45] So, on the back of it, it says, the first reception of his NFL career turned out to be a sign of things to come for Davis. And in the opener of the 2006 season, the tight end broke free for a 31-yard touchdown against the Cardinals. He went on to find the end zone. 62 more times in his career, including an NFL high of 13 in 2009. How cool is that?
[00:46:11] Vernon: That's cool. That's cool, right? That's super cool. Yeah, that's dope.
[00:46:15] Lindsay: What does that make you think about when you look at this kid?
[00:46:18] Vernon: Aw, that makes me
[00:46:19] Lindsay: from your first act.
[00:46:21] Vernon: Oh yeah. That makes me think about the kid who was trying to reach for the stars, like just. You, I knew what I wanted.
[00:46:30] I wanted to be the best tight end in the NFL. I wanted to make a name for myself in the NFL. When people talked about tight ends, I wanted them to talk about me. I wanted to break records. I wanted to do things that other people weren't doing. I just wanted to be that guy.
[00:46:47] And that's what I think about when I look at that card. Like someone who didn't know what was gonna happen. But he had a goal in mind. He had liked Aspirations to be great. And that's what I see when I look at that.
[00:47:02] Lindsay: I love it. I love it. And I'm excited to see what your next act, your next role, brings you. You're the best. Vernon. Maybe the popcorn is significant in the back there, right?
[00:47:19] Vernon: That's right. That's right.
[00:47:20] Lindsay: It's popcorn, right?
[00:47:21] Vernon: That's right.
[00:47:23] Lindsay: You are the best, Vernon. Thank you. This has been so much fun catching up, and I always appreciate your wisdom, so thanks so much.
[00:47:32] Vernon: Absolutely. Good to see you too.
[00:47:33] Lindsay: You too. I know that the story about Jim Harbaugh and the whole like lunch pale group has been told before, but oh my gosh. I loved hearing Vernon's take on just what that was like, being on the inside of that excitement that the guys had, finding this new ownership and sort of accountability when their new head coach came in.
[00:47:53] 'cause that's what I love about. Sports. It's like, all it takes is one fresh set of eyes. It's like all those movies that people watch, whether Hoosiers, all those great sports movies. It's all about chemistry and relatability, and just all about the people. Right. I also just adore the way Vernon reacted to his football card.
[00:48:14] If you're watching this on YouTube, you can see this. But thanks so much, Vernon, for your time. I hope you guys learned something from that conversation. And as always, if you enjoyed it, please like, rate, and review. One of the best ways, as we always say, is to share this episode with a friend who you think might enjoy it.
[00:48:31] for our entire show team here at Things No One Tells You, that includes producer Ashley Dickson-Ellison, and our editor Sam Archuleta. We wanna say thank you so much for listening, for watching. We will be right back here with you next week. Thanks so much for joining me. I can't wait to see you back here next week.
[00:48:47] Please don't forget, follow and subscribe to Things No One Tells You. And of course, if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, don't forget to leave a five-star review because that's really what helps people get more. Listeners, we would love to grow this community. We are so grateful that you're a part of it.
[00:49:02] See you next time.
