Nick Ferguson Interview

Interview with Nick Ferguson, former Denver Broncos player and co-host of the Nick and Cecil Show

denverfan.com/nick-and-cecil

nickferguson.co

Twitter: @NickFerguson_25

I interviewed former NFL Safety Nick Ferguson to learn more about his experiences and thoughts about racism.

T: What's your definition of racism?

NF: Racism, in simple terms, is something discriminatory that suppresses, or keeps another group or individual down, and doesn't allow them equal opportunities to fulfill their pursuit of happiness.

T: How has racism affected you?

NF: Because I’m an African-American man, I've encountered many situations over my life in which I was racially profiled--when someone looked at the color of my skin, and thought that, because I am an African-American man, I was destined to do something from a criminal standpoint. For me, it is heartbreaking to know that I've grown up in the inner city, made my way to overcome racial stereotypes to be a college graduate from Georgia Tech, have a master's degree and played in the NFL for over a decade, and yet my skin color is still what people see first. I have to dress a certain way to make sure I'm not being viewed as a threat.

T: Did you encounter racial discrimination growing up?

NF: Yeah, I did. I experienced a lot of situations, but one really changed me. When I was about 16, a couple of days away from going to college, my brother and I were in a car with three friends. We were pulled over by police officers. I thought it was a routine traffic stop, but it ended up being a situation where we were Driving While Black. At the time, the officer didn't say why he pulled us over. Once we handed over the license and registration, he asked, "Hey, are there any drugs or guns in the car?" And obviously I answered that question "No," because there weren't any drugs or guns in the car. Even after all that, they wanted us to get out of the car.

They wanted to search the vehicle because they were hoping that we lied about the drugs and guns. So we got out of the vehicle, then another police car came, and I was trying to figure out, ‘Why are we on the curb? You've already checked insurance, you've already checked the license plate, you've already seen that the car was legit. Why would you go through these extra measures?’ Sometimes that happens because they're trying to find something else that they can book you on. For me, at that time, this was where education was so important.

In high school, I took a mock trial class. It was basically an introduction to law. One of the things we went over in that class was illegal search and seizure. So immediately I snapped back into that class and I remembered what my teacher had taught us. I said some of the things that I learned in the class to the police officer, especially when he asked to search the trunk. In order to search the trunk, you need probable cause. His probable cause was that we came out of a known drug area. I guess he figured 'Here are some guys that are probably up to no good'. Long story short, we didn't allow them to search the trunk.

When the police officers started checking on the driver's side's wheel-well, one of them pulled out a small bag of narcotics. He said to the other cop, "I've got them." We were able to get out of that situation because I used everything that I learned in my high school law class to get us out, since what the cops were doing was illegal.

From that experience, I learned two things: I learned that if you don't know your rights, people are going to violate them. I also learned that I needed to leave Miami, that that was a big sign of trouble for me, and I needed to put my life on a different path.

T: Wow. Did the police plant the drugs?

NF: Yes, they did. It's hard to believe that police officers would plant drugs on five teenagers, but it's true.

T: Did your time in the NFL change the way you thought or think about racism?

NF: Yeah. Because I was in the NFL, you would think that I am immune to racism, but that's not true. Whenever I left the stadium, whenever I left practice, I was still an African-American man. I would love to tell you that, ‘hey, I've progressed to a point in my life where I don't have to worry about Driving while Black, things like that,’ but I still do. I just try to be smart the way I deal with police officers.

T: How are you working to stop racism?

NF: I have a show here in Denver—the Nick and Cecil show, on 104.3 The Fan. It's a sports talk show, but I use the platform for different things. When I see people doing extraordinary things in society, as it relates to this topic, I bring them on the show. There are people in Denver who don't like that. They want us to just stick to sports. For me, when I see what’s happening in society, it’s hard to stick to sports. If I don't use my platform to enlighten people and educate them as far as what's really going on, how can they learn?

T: Athletes are now comfortable being activists. They were uncomfortable not that long ago.Why do you think that happened?

NF: Athletes are now starting to realize that they have a platform. Years ago, before I played in the NFL, there were really popular athletes who wanted to stay away from conversations like this. They felt it would affect their brand. Many major companies want to stay away from talking about racism because they don't want to alienate their consumers.

These days in our country, you can't really talk about race before someone calls it a political stance. Talking about racism has nothing to do with politics. But if you call it politics, most people try to shy away from it. But today's athletes are starting to say, ‘listen, there are people who look like me that bad things are happening to.’

A significant number of African-American athletes have gone through some of the same things that I've gone through. They’ve been told to shut up and dribble. Don't get into politics. Stick with sports. Right now, we are at a place in our society where none of us can do that. We all have to get involved if we're going to get rid of this whole idea of racism.

T: What can I do to stop racism?

NF: Well, the first thing you can do is what you're doing right now: Having a conversation about race. It is now in your hands to try to change some of this. I'm not trying to say that as an adult, I can't do my part. I'm going to continue to do my part, but it's more about educating your generation on racial discrimination.

Most importantly, we have to be willing to learn. We have to say 'Let me talk to someone who is of a different race, a different religion, or a different socioeconomic background to figure out what they're going through.' If you never talk to those people, how do you expect to understand them? No one's ever born a racist. That has to do with how you are raised. You are taught racism. So we have to continue to dialogue, and we have to continue to educate.