Episode 67: D.J Humphries of the Arizona Cardinals
“Bringing together people who come from different backgrounds and have different experiences all comes down to having an open mind. I can’t be pissed off if I can’t explain my side. This is where, as humans, we have to bridge the gap by wanting to learn from one another.”
D. J. shares his path to becoming an offensive lineman in the NFL and the mentors that guided him down that path, which includes his father, former wide receiver D. J. Humphries, Sr. He then describes his thought process going into his decision to join Florida after being recruited by virtually every Division I program in the country.
D. J. then talks about the “loss of structure once you leave the building” that he was faced with after being drafted into the NFL. Being his own “sole proprietor” as a professional athlete, D. J. needed to make his own judgement calls throughout his young career. This consisted of everything from the business of being a player in the NFL down to figuring out how he uniquely performed as an athlete and how far he was willing to push himself (even while injured).
Finally, D. J. dives deep into the topic of leadership and team culture, not just within football, but when it comes to sports in general. He explains his mindset that always pushes to “bridge the gap” of misunderstandings and other conflicts between team members, and why open communication and having tough conversations are a must in order to understand cultural differences and maximize the synergy of a team.
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Topics Discussed:
03:35 - Offensive line a kid
07:18 - Excepting the position
14:25 - Mentors
22:20 - Playing basketball with father
24:40 - D. J.’s perspective on how the NFL has drastically evolved over the past decade
28:55 - How D. J. made his big decisions back in high school, including choosing Florida
31:05 - Did campus culture play a part in helping D. J. decide which school to go to?
42:00 - Worrying about somebody replacing me
46:40 - How do you stay healthy
50:10 - What makes for a great team culture?
55:00 - Open minded & understanding equal rights
01:05:00 - Why maturity begins when you become unafraid of “being dumb”
Connect with DJ Humphries:
Key Quotes by DJ Humphries:
I feel like I’m a pretty smart guy, but I don’t like being forced to learn things that I don’t want to learn.
Once I figured out how bad it feels to play injured, I became effective at playing injured. If I’m hurting, I’m playing. If I can play injured and still be effective, I’ll be fine.
Having synergy and being accountable to each other, not just in sports but even in business, is huge.
Bringing together people who come from different backgrounds and have different experiences all comes down to having an open mind. I can’t be pissed off if I can’t explain my side. This is where, as humans, we have to bridge the gap by wanting to learn from one another.
People & Resources Mentioned:
