Is it kind of weird going to Detroit on Thanksgiving the same weekend as Michigan-Ohio State?
It is kind of weird. It didn?t even hit me until yesterday or the day before. This is a huge week down in Columbus and in Ann Arbor. The atmosphere up there is going to be crazy. I?m excited for the Buckeyes because Michigan has a good season going this year. So I know they want nothing more than to ruin it for them.
Explain the atmosphere of that rivalry for those who don?t know.
It?s crazy. It?s not even just a one-day event. It even goes for more than just the one week. People think of it all year. It?s the last game every year. What it boils down to, it?s kind of instilled in you ? not a hatred, but you want to win that game SO bad. I know at Ohio State, you always talk about the team you have to beat this week and Michigan was always right there next to them. They?re definitely not an afterthought ? ever. That game is always on your mind. The atmosphere is just crazy because the fans get so into it. It?s like you?d think they?re out there playing the game because they kind of have somewhat of a hatred for each other and I don?t even know why.
Will that always be meaningful for you ? going undefeated against Michigan?
That?s definitely going to be a cool thing to be able to look back at those gold pants and remember that I never lost to my biggest rival in college.
Where?d you grow up?
In Ohio, near Dayton.
Was it always the dream to go to Ohio State?
No, it wasn?t. I actually grew up a Michigan fan. Once I went through the recruiting process, I kind of realized I wanted to stay in Ohio, and as I got older, I wanted to be closer to my family and everything. Growing up my whole family was Maize and Blue. It?s weird.
That had to be hard in high school.
Even up to my sophomore year, I committed my junior year, I was wearing my Desmond Howard throwback jersey to school. It was crazy how you have to jump to the other side of the fence so fast.
You got out of there alive with that Desmond jersey?
They didn?t even care after I committed to Ohio State. Forgot all about it.
Was it tough to see how things went down with Jim Tressel?
That was really hard. It was even harder for me because I was only a couple weeks, even months removed, but I wasn?t there in the building. So, I didn?t know what was going on, but I still felt that was my team. I wasn?t in the NFL, I was kind of in limbo. It was really hard in that aspect because I felt I couldn?t be there with my teammates and go through it with them. Kind of just had to hear what everybody was saying on the outside.
Your opinion on if it was fair to Tressel?
I don?t know everything behind what happened. I don?t know if I can really make a judgement. I can just say he?s a great man and a great coach. I have no problems with him at all.
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