Breakdowns

6/4/21

3 min read

The Friday Five: Bart Scott

Following an 11-year NFL career, former Ravens and Jets linebacker Bart Scott has made the successful transition to the media world. Scott can be heard Monday through Friday on ESPN Radio in New York and seen regularly on ESPN’s NFL coverage.

We caught up with Scott for this week’s Friday Five…

  1. Who is your biggest mentor?

One of my biggest influences from a coaching standpoint was my defensive coordinator in high school, Renard Davis. He was an army drill sergeant who kind of instilled what hard work was, what it looked like -- understanding that hard work doesn’t guarantee you victory, it gives you an opportunity. But if you don’t work hard, then it kind of guarantees failure. He worked us like we were in the army, man. It was one of those things, when I got to college – I’m not exaggerating this at all – college practice was easy. I still talk to him to this day. Twenty-four years later, we’re still in contact and he’s still kind of mentoring me and guiding me and being a positive influence in my life.

  1. What is your biggest pet peeve?

When you go somewhere with someone and they say they don’t want something (to eat) and then you get somewhere and they start eating your stuff. I hate that. I’ll get you anything you want. It’s fine. You want something? I got you. But don’t say you don’t want something and turn around and say, Can I have some? C’mon, man! Make a decision. It’s irritating. Be truthful from the jump.

  1. What is your favorite book?

My favorite book is probably Of Mice and Men. Although it pisses me off every time that George killed Lennie. It hurts.

  1. If you could have dinner with any three people in history, who would they be?

Who would I want at my table? I need some balance… I gotta have Muhammad Ali first. I feel like I need a comedian in there, but I need a comedian with some historical understanding. Give me Richard Pryor. And then I need somebody who’s going to make me think… Give me Abraham Lincoln.

Could you just imagine Richard Pryor saying to Abraham Lincoln, “When you said you were gonna free the slaves, man, how did they look at you the first time you said that?”

  1. What advice would you give your younger self?

I would say, love more and live in the moment. Sometimes when you work and work and grind and achieve, you don’t enjoy it. You don’t stop to savor it because you’re just onto the next thing. I would say live in the moment.

 

Check out all of our Friday Five features — including Troy Aikman, Adam Schefter, Andrea Kremer and more — in the Friday Five archive.


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