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Many people dream of becoming a professional athlete.

And an article 33 pros and Cons of being a Professional Athlete.

There's an extensive list for anyone who wants a career in sports.

Tonight we talked to a former professional athlete whose mission is to encourage up and coming athletes and bring awareness of the pitfalls associated with this journey.

I'm so happy you're joining us.

From Los Angeles, this is KLCS PBS.

Welcome to Everybody with Angela Williamson, an innovation, Arts, education and public affairs program.

Everybody with Angela Williamson is made possible by viewers like you.

Thank you.

And now your host, doctor Angela Williamson.

I'm so excited.

Quincy Carter is here with us.

Thank you so much for being here.

And you have this phenomenal program that I think it's driven from you for your personal mission.

So talk a little bit about that.

Well, you know, I've always wanted to be a coach.

yeah, that was my major in college.

I've always wanted to inspire others, you know, honestly.

And, and I've got the unique, you know, innate ability to be able to do that.

and, and, you know, I've had a quarterback school since I would say about 2010, but, you know, did some things in my life going to rehab, reestablishing my relationship with God first.

and really came out front and center, to establish my, you know, my, my quarterback school on another level and which is kind of gravitated.

Gravitated, so kids to my program.

so, you know, it's not always just about what's going on on the field with my quarterbacks and, me working with the fundamentals, having different camps in Georgia, Florida and Tennessee.

but I mentor a lot of youth, too.

you know, I have my own problems, with drugs and alcohol.

And it first started with we and we're sitting up telling these kids right now that weed is legal.

But, you know, the first question I asked these kids, what, can you get, Good job.

say good job.

good.

Great job.

Let's go.

A great job with morals and ethics and integrity.

Smoking weed.

What job can you get?

And not a single hand goes.

Not a single answer because you can't.

And so we're sending these kids the wrong message.

You know that weed is legal.

And it started with me.

We.

And then once, you know, I got cut with the cowboys.

and my life just unravel, and we wasn't good enough anymore.

Do we?

Couldn't take away their pain.

So then I, graduated.

I like to say there's some harder thing has is graduate.

Well, you you mentioned being a mentor.

So when that started happening to you and you were moving your life into a direction where you said it spiraled out of control.

Is it because you didn't have mentors, or did you have mentors in your life was already out of control?

How important is that for someone that gets to your level of to a professional athlete?

You know, I had good men in my life.

I had a Stephen Davenport and a book, God for Growing Up.

Which of my high school coaches.

Yes.

I had a coach down in in my life, when I was at the University of Georgia.

so I had some pretty good mentors.

but I'll be honest with you, once my, you know, my wee habit continued.

you know, take over my mind.

And I started making bad decisions.

Well, you know, the the chemical start weeding the good people out of my life because now I'm trying to be slick.

Now I'm trying to hire from these guys.

I'm not listening.

Like, you know, I would have without smoking weed.

so a lot of that contributed you know, to me kind of giving a cold shoulder to my mentors because I wasn't doing the right things in my life.

So how prevalent is the drug abuse in at your level?

Because when we see people at your level, you are at the best of your athletic ability.

I mean, you're almost like gods in a way.

I mean, we love our football here.

And so, I mean, how difficult is that for you to, when you're at that level to say no when it's right there in front of you?

Well, unfortunately, you know, I don't think we realize at the age of, us just having some recreational fun.

that recreational fun goes to.

Okay, I got some pain.

I got some worries now, and so I know what can take that away.

And, you know, and college is just recreational for us.

The guys I've been around and what I've seen was been weed and alcohol.

But that recreational and fun times and, you know, you taking some pain away now the stakes are getting higher for you.

You know, some anxiety guys are expected more out of you now.

but now you're hurt.

And so now you're taking some pain away from maybe, you know, some marijuana usage or some alcohol usage, but now you're getting all the brain injuries along with that now.

And so now the chemicals in the brain injuries.

Or.

Exactly not enough.

But now they're contrast in each other too.

And you're not making great decisions.

so now, that weed and alcohol for a lot of guys turn into really bad habits and really, honestly turn into addiction, but you can't even see it that early because to you, that's your a coping mechanism.

Some guys are good enough like myself, you know, and I'll admit it, to go out and do some things they shouldn't be doing during the week, leading up to a game.

and still go out and perform.

I never was at my best when I did that, you know, but I was having success.

So on my mind, you couldn't tell me different.

But I was never to.

Quincy that I was called to be.

I was never to Quincy.

That I was my third year in the NFL.

you know.

Yes.

Took my team to the playoffs, with the Cowboys.

I wasn't a Quincy that I was today.

You know, can look somebody.

And I don't have no shame.

I can't hide nothing to hide.

Can be who God has called me to be.

but, you know, if we're not educated enough, if we don't, you know, see, guys like myself that can tell this story and see, you know, show them what they may be going through, and then, you know, have some solution for guys, you know, I think it's a beautiful, beautiful thing for me.

Well, and you mentioned a lot of great things in there.

You talked about education and the importance of education, which I know that's what you're doing right now with your program, training those future quarterbacks.

But you also two talked about solutions.

And a lot of times what happens is people don't understand what solutions are out there.

So when you are out there mentoring so many of these promising new quarterbacks because you mentioned five schools, did you mention five this region, five schools, are you able to see if they may be heading down a road that you know will impede them from their career, and then offer a solution to them?

Oh, absolutely.

Yes, I can see it front and center.

I can see the weed smokers right now.

Yeah, I even my, my kids that are from 12 all the way through college.

Yeah I can see it.

I can see when their performance is going up and I can see their focus.

I can see guys who, you know, who actually are going through some things at home in their home life, you know.

but are we talking about it all?

We actually, you know, all these young men, expressing themselves in a positive manner.

You know, are we set an example for them?

You know, as coaches too, you know, but, you know, we have to, let these young men understand that there's someone there for them that they can talk.

if it's not talking to me, can we get a counselor?

Some of my guys, you know, who's, you know, kind of reached that level of.

Hey, well, let's look at this big book of alcoholics Anonymous.

You know, if if, we feel like is further problems and we can't just do it without prayer.

You know, shoot.

I grew up in the church.

And you still needed to find tools to help you get to where you're at today.

Absolutely.

And honestly, you know, God, it fix my life up so much.

And then now I'm at a point where, you know, I'm back down on my knees and I'm like, I never disown God, but I'm like, God, if you dare for me to show me.

Well, the the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, show me my route, how I can get back to my relationship with God.

And that's in step three, and that's given my will over to God.

so these are the type tools, you know?

I'm a very faith based, believe in God prayer, meditation.

But there are other tools out there, like counseling, like the 12 steps, you know, and, I've got a few books that I love, that I throw out there for these kids.

one is the prayer, Jabez.

Oh, yes.

And it's such a tiny book that you can easily put that in their backpack.

And last month they're taught it is not just about football, but in large and bright and live that life through, through you.

the show, other people, you know, your love and your strength and your wisdom.

Yes.

Which is book, which is important.

I mean, because not only are you strengthening those skills, but you're giving them other skills to help them in their journey that they can reach to when the pressure gets too much.

Because I can't even imagine the pressure, not only of you being a professional athlete, but you've been a quarterback.

On top of that, the pressure, I mean, it's hard for them to probably keep all of that inside without filling.

They need some kind of outlet.

It is.

but, you know, there's, outlets that are available for them that are positive.

if you allow, you know, your coach to speak some life into you if you allow, you know, for your, your teachers, you know, to, to breathe life into, into you.

But, but these guys got to understand that, you know, there's somebody there for them.

We understand what they're going through.

we, you know, we've been there.

I don't like to, you know, say, you know, I've been there and, yeah.

But at the same time, because, you know, you want to be humble.

Heal someone else.

Absolutely.

You know, I try to come from a humble place, but, hey, you know, I really, truly believe that someone has been there and been through the fire.

It helps these young men.

so when I'm gonna continue to give back to them, another book also is a Purpose driven life.

My guy Rick Warren that I through?

Yes, yes, that's a big book.

And I met him in person.

He is amazing.

He was so.

Amazing.

yeah.

All of you should reach out to him, meet him.

he started, is a celebrate recovery, too.

Wow.

Yeah, he's responsible for that, too.

Well, you talked about solutions and skills, and you have expanded your mission to work with the organization that does that, especially focusing on athletes.

So when we come back from our break, I would like to bring in the president of that organization.

Have you both talked to me a little bit about what you're doing?

Is that okay?

Let's do it.

Okay.

When we come back, Mandy Baker, President and Chief clinical officer of BRC Health Care, will be here to discuss how she joined forces with Quincy to help athletes find recovery and holistically.

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Welcome back.

Mandy and Quincy are here to discuss the BRC programs targeting athletes and entertainers.

Thank you so much for being here.

Thank you for having us.

How did you two meet?

Well, we met actually, in the parking lot of BRC, recovery.

right there on the ground.

She was our clinical director.

And, and when I say parking lots because I was having a rough day and she was leaving work.

and I just started venting to her, and, and that same smile you see right now and just, you know, gentle soul just sat there and listened.

now, you know, what position she's in now.

Look, Balog, I was talking to my folks, but, but it was one of our day.

Is one of my days.

I was having, you know, one of the the best things at the time.

You don't, think that maybe every day would you get into understanding why we do it?

But having a lot of accountability groups and we make you accountable.

we're, a community based, program, because you got to rely on your peers once you leave rehab.

But I was having one of my days, and then Mandy was there to listen to me.

And I love how you said about accountability.

I mean, is that all a part of everything that you do at BRC?

It is.

It absolutely is.

Especially when we're talking about athletes and entertainers.

You know, a lot of times what we find with, people who have some level of fame or notoriety or even just, you know, people who are legends in their own mind, so to speak, create around them a group of, yes people or an echo chamber and, you know, I heard Quincy speaking on the first half of the show, and he was talking about, you know, we, in addiction move the people that will tell us the truth out to the side, and we surround ourselves with cosigners, basically people who will go along with what's going on with us because there's a secondary benefit to them.

A lot of the times it's one of the hard things, about dealing with people who, like Quincy kind of come from a place of being well known and, having a very public struggle.

And so accountability runs all the way through our programs for, everybody that we have the fortune of touching their lives for just a brief moment in time when they come to us for help as well.

And that I love that.

Absolutely.

Well, it's one of the things that we say is kind of part of the language of our culture at BRC.

And when we say self-care to self, basically what we're just talking about is that it takes a village for anybody to get well.

And this is one of the things that I think is important to talk about.

And Quincy kind of talked about it so eloquently earlier about pain, emotional pain, physical pain.

And and we think that people can't see that.

And a lot of times everybody's so busy that we don't take the time to sit down with one another and say, hey, you know, how can I be helpful to you?

What can I do to make your life a little bit easier or better today?

You know, we've moved away, I believe in, in Western society to this individualistic rather than collectivist culture.

And the idea of I am my brother's keeper.

I'm my sister's keeper.

You know, we've we've kind of turned our heads on that and, and we're suffering because of it.

And so when we bring somebody into one of our programs, we really try to sit them down and say, hey, you are responsible for yourself.

That you are also responsible for the person sitting on your left, the person sitting on your right, the person sitting across from you.

You know, we are all humans and as a foundational framework of our humanity, we have to take responsibility for each other.

And how difficult is that to actually teach that and put that as part of a solution for athletes and entertainers, because you there's a different mindset there.

You don't get to the peak of excellence without having a different mindset.

So how do you do that?

Yeah, and I love that you use the word mindset, because mindset, in fact, is the name of the program that we are modeling.

And yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

In conjunction with, several, individuals who have come to the table with helping us there from the players association that helped us to, treat Quincy to some other professional athlete who are joining our advisory board and helping us to really talk about those issues openly and honestly.

What does it mean, to have to kind of pause and or, in Quincy's case, walk away from all of that?

You know, I heard a friend of mine describe a traumatic experience that happened to her not too long ago.

And she said, you know, there I was trying to hold everything so tightly and to feel the sand slipping through my fingers is almost unbearable.

And I won't speak for Quincy as to what that experience was like for him.

But I think probably that day we met in the parking lot that, anger about losing that and really having to understand that from this day forward, my life is going to be different.

it's a scary proposition.

One thing about us athletes, you know, some of our best coaches, you know, are the ones who will look us in the eyes and tell us the truth.

and and, you know, be the hardest on us.

so we respond to that.

I've been a couple, you know, couple cookie cutter, rehabs, that we're not getting down to the solution, and we're just showing face and going through a few steps and then getting guys out of there.

But now we're going through the steps.

We're going through step four and five.

Which one?

I think, all of them are important, but the real critical meat and potatoes, two steps where you get in your resentments and fears and sex and mentors and stuff like that, that you've been through.

And then and step five, really telling somebody and then on an everyday basis, you know, having accountability groups and things of that nature, nutrition.

We have a mindset program.

We'll be, well, we'll be tracking, you know, decisions that, that we may, that we're making on a daily basis.

And while we're making those, so as so much, to, you know, program, but, you know, to really hear the truth, is what kept resonating with me time and time after again to have solutions, for dealing with your pain where there's a higher power, where there's, living by spiritual principles because there's a spiritual principle next to every step.

so maybe if you don't so, so much believe in God, you still, you know, don't have the excuse of hanging on to that.

We can give you some other solutions that to get to, to get your peace and serenity and on to a good life ultimately is what the goal is.

Well, you mentioned so much in in that statement.

I mean, you talked about serenity and you talked about spirituality, where you may not necessarily maybe you don't believe in God, but there's a spiritual force there to help you so that you don't feel that you're alone and but then you also talked about the other approaches to you talked about nutrition, and you talked about mindset mean how important is that when you have to make because now this is this is your life.

It's your journey.

How important are those other components to it?

Well, they're incredibly important, you know, and and pick up any research journal that you would like.

And it's going to talk about all kinds of different things.

But but what we know to be true about all human beings is that there, is an optimal way that, you know, we are built live.

And one of those is, you know, to take care of our bodies because our mind and our body is so incredibly interrelated.

And if we can nourish the body and a lot of times when people come to any of our programs that the body has taken, the brunt of the abuse, whether that is, a traumatic brain injury from a blunt force trauma or repeated concussions, whether it's, you know, encephalopathy caused by, continued cancer of poison, really in the long run.

And so, you know, we really try in the very beginning to take a deep dive to find out what all is going on, because as Quincy talked about earlier, pain, you know, if if I take you off all the things that you've been using to treat a knee injury or a back injury, and I don't help you rehab that or I don't help you fix that, then I'm setting you up for failure because nobody wants to live in pain.

Your pain gets so intense that the things you relied on before doesn't work.

And so having to find an alternative is really important, because you still probably live in pain, because that's your entire career was in sports.

Well, this time went by too fast.

Before I in my conversation with both of you, if you could have one, piece of legacy that you leave as part of this recovery program for the next generation, next generation of athletes, next generation of recovery specialists that come and work, and do this type of work, what would it be?

It would be to educate yourself on all of the opportunities for treatment available.

But never forget that people or people never look at them as a clinical specimen or something to have a theory of therapy, try it upon them first and foremost, like talk to one another from the heart, because I think that's what worked with us, you know, is that Quincy approached me in the parking lot and he said, hey, can I talk to you for a minute?

And there were a million different things I could have gone and done.

And sometimes I'm not perfect.

Sometimes I do say, hey, I got to go, you know?

But but truthfully, in that moment, for whatever reason, I said, now, unless, you know, it wasn't about you're Quincy Carter, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback and former Georgia all star athlete and all that.

It was just about, you know, here's a man standing in front of me that hurts.

And so I'll be with him for a minute.

And and see what's in his heart.

And I think that's important to is looking at the person's heart.

Absolutely I love that I love that okay, Quincy, close us out.

What what do you want your legacy to be?

I want to be able to, you know, spread some wisdom, some strength around, anybody who's hurt and, you know, mentally, through mental, utterly mental challenges and through also substance abuse that, that, you know, that has started marijuana and going down that, you know, this slippery slope, the guy who, has cast his career has lost his family because of substance abuse and some mental health issues and so on.

Him, how we can get back on our feet.

The guy that don't have a dime in his pocket when he, when he's coming to rehab like myself.

And that can still get back up on his feet, no matter what.

I don't want to be, you know, that, that people here and that they know, we can get back on our feet and, and we've got it here.

We got it here at BRC.

and we, we've done everything we can.

And what thanks.

You know, to Mandy, and our team, we put everything we can into helping athletes.

and entertainers because we know we're not different from people.

but, you know, the way we have to hide ours is way different.

Somebody else, different.

Yeah.

Well, and I want to thank both of you for what you're doing.

I mean, this is something that people have in this industry and also in sports they've put under the rug.

But the two of you are bringing this out and saying, there's are solutions here, and we're here for you, and that you're using your journey to help future quarterbacks.

I mean, you're already doing your legacy.

So both of you, thank you so much for being here.

And this is a topic that will be continuing.

So hopefully we'll come back to California.

We can continue this conversation I love that.

Thank you I was good.

Thank you.

And thank you for joining us on everybody with Angela Williamson.

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