Former New England Patriots defensive end and Super Bowl XXXVIII & XXXIX champion, Jarvis Green in studio with RESPECT Magazine’s managing editor Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. Photo Credit: Bryon Summers, The Shadow League

Former New England Patriots DE and 2-time Super Bowl champion, Jarvis Green checked in with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson and Scoop B Radio. Press Play Below To Listen! 

The NFL football season may be over, but the interest in the business of sports never really dies.

That said, not only are the New England Patriots AFC division champions, but they also have the distinction of having former players accomplishing a ton after their playing career.

Insert retired Patriots defensive end Jarvis Green.

A nine year veteran, Green went from winning two championships with future Hall of Fame QB, Tom Brady to peeling shrimp and CEO’ing his Oceans 97 company; a salute to his uniform number.

The shrimp dishes are the bomb, too! 

Jarvis Green’s Oceans 97 is a hit at QVC and more. Photo Credit: Oceans 97

The mere mention of being a CEO of a shrimp distribution company sounds off the predictable references to the Academy Award film, Forrest Gump and the character of “Bubba,” played by Mykelti Williamson, who knew about shrimp, the shrimping business and how to cook shrimp.

If you can’t name all of the shrimp, shame on you! Here’s Bubba in case you forgot.

But I digress. 

Green was more like Forrest. He learned about the business and his craft and took it to the next level.

Million dollar question: Why the shrimping business?

“I had opportunities to go do coaching,”  Jarvis Green told me on Scoop B Radio.

“I had opportunities to go do broadcasting, being an analyst, boot camps, clinics all that stuff, you know, with ESPN.

Jarvis Green won two Super Bowl’s with the New England Patriots. Photo Credit: The Advocate

Green cites owing a friend a favor as motivation for his career change. His friend already had a shrimping business that had 90 employees and access to 800 shrimping boats in Vietnam. Seemed promising. The kicker? His friend told him that he was going to sell shrimp in New England, the very place he called home and won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.

Show up, shake hands and kiss babies. Seems easy, right?

Sike!

Green did a 6-month internship and literally learned everything.

Step aside Bubba!

Jarvis Green is learning everything about shrimp and executing. Breaking shrimp, cleaning shrimp, handling shrimp and chopping shrimp.

He even learned the Vietnamese language. “I remember at some point they handed me a Rosetta Stone, Vietnamese,” Green jokes.

An unpaid internship, Green mastered his craft like Forrest. “Worked from the ground up,” he said. “From the first person in the shrimp plant, sweeping, mopping, cleaning bathrooms, cleaning the kitchen area.”

By the end of his internship, Green was one of the guys and gals on staff and was an asset; he even made purchasing orders to distributors.

He was becoming an anchor to the shrimping company the same way he was to his Patriots team that had the arduous task of containing the Philadelphia Eagles team who lost to the Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2004.

Fast forward to 2015, the former defensive line man is not just a businessman, he’s a business, man!

Oceans 97’s entry point into the shrimp industry was as a wholesale distributor of shrimp in partnership with companies like Dole & Bailey – founded in 1850 – currently the oldest butcher in North America.

Jarvis Green in the kitchen. Photo Credit: Oceans 97

Through the relationship with Dole & Bailey, Oceans 97 shrimp is distributed to major financial institutions throughout New England and other products remain available in multiple grocery retail locations around the country.

The shrimp is domestic, wild caught, Gulf of Mexico shrimp, caught by US Gulf Coast fisherman and processed in Louisiana. The product ships in dry ice directly to the customer and arrives ready for cooking a delicious and satisfying family meal or when entertaining.

His Oceans 97’s gourmet line features easy-to-cook meals of shrimp packaged in bags with four flavors of sauce to choose from: New Orleans Style BBQ, Cajun Curry, Chimichurri, and Garlic Butter.

In just two years, Oceans 97 experienced rapid growth and in July 2017, launched a line of its own value-added shrimp products, which debuted on QVC via both their television programming and www.QVC.com.

He chatted about it with JR Sportbrief

His friend’s vision came true and Green trusted his process. “I’ve been very tied down to all those opportunities,” said Green.

“When you taste it, it’s just on your pallet. It’s savoriness and it just sticks with you man, you want to go grab a glass of wine and just wash it down. It’s elegant, fine dining at its best for under $10.99.”

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The post Scoop B: Modern Day Forrest Gump? Former New England Patriots Super Bowl champ Jarvis Green winning in shrimping business appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson previews New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl LII matchup. Photo Credit: Arise TV

RESPECT Magazine’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson talked Super Bowl XLII on Arise TV America. Press Play Below To Listen!

The New England Patriots are legitimately the most dominant, successful franchise in 21st century American sports.

The Eagles and Pats couldn’t be more different:

Chowder versus Cheesesteaks.

Rocky Balboa versus Mark Wahlberg.

Larry Bird versus Allen Iverson. 

Bobby Brown versus Meek Mill!

Two weeks ago, a Tom Brady-led offense turned the tables on the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game and won 24-20.

“He’s smarter than the average bear,” former New England Patriots DE Jarvis Green told me this week on Scoop B Radio.

Green won Super Bowl’s XXXVIII and XXXIX with Brady. “He’s a legend in his book. He just does things the right way.”

Added Green:

“He knows everything about what he has to do to perform, he knows every position as far as X,Y, Z and the tight end, what they’re doing what their choice routes are, so I mean he walks in the game, you know, with a W already. You do a few things to stop him hopefully you can win.”

New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. Photo Credit: NESN

The Philadelphia Eagles are a team that has gone 57 seasons without a championship. Las Vegas has perched the Eagles as a 5.5 point underdog against the Patriots despite blowing out the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 in the NFC Championship game.

Sunday’s game winner will be victorious by clock management and the little things. “It’s going to come down to penalties,” Eagles safety Rodney McLeod told me earlier this week on the Scoop B Radio podcast.

“Who’s able to make adjustments throughout the game and then who’s able to put four quarters of work together.”  

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The post Scoop B: New England Patriots & Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl LII Preview on Arise America TV appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

For 13 of his 16 NFL seasons, Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist, Brian Dawkins was the man at safety for the Philadelphia Eagles.

His leadership, hard hitting, charisma and ability to snag interceptions from opposing quarterbacks were all hallmarks during Dawkins’ career.

Currently serving the role of Executive of Football Operations for Player Development with the Eagles, apparently, Dawkins still has IT!

“He still could line up today, man and be in the box and make some plays for us,” current Philadelphia Eagles safety Rodney McLeod told me on Monday afternoon’s edition of Scoop B Radio.

“I mean you’ve seen clips of him, but the energy that he brings and his leadership qualities, those are the things that stand out to you. He’s a physical specimen.”

Indeed Dawkins was a premier safety. Weapon X recorded 778 tackles, 37 INTs, 26 quarterback sacks and 28 forced fumbles for the birds.

Sep 25, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles free safety Rodney McLeod (23) during game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Steelers, 34-3. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

“He’s been a great tutor to have around this facility and obviously, a motivator too,” said McLeod.

“Just looking at him every day out on the sidelines, knowing that you have a legend right there watching you each and every day and you have this opportunity to showcase your abilities, but also pick his brain a little bit; it’s very helpful. And so, that’s my motivation man, having him around, one to be somewhere close to him and things that he’s done for this team. And so, I’m going to continue to grow, continue to pick his brain, but Brian Dawkins, man is a heck of a player and a heck of a man too!”

Dawkins retired as a nine time NFL Pro Bowler, four time NFL first teamer, member of the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team, and was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 75th Anniversary Team.

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Philadelphia Eagles safety Rodney McLeod will play in his first Super Bowl on Sunday against a New England Patriots team that Las Vegas has predicted the Eagles to be a 5.5 underdog against.

So how does one actually stop Tom Brady? “It’s knowing that he’s going to sort through, pick out, you know, your flaws and try to expose you,” Rodney McLeod told me on Scoop B Radio.

“And so, you know, we have to make sure we have all those things corrected that has worked against us. He’s a guy that looks at matchups, we got to obviously disrupt him and make him uncomfortable. I think that’s the biggest thing, make him uncomfortable early, kind of get him on his heels a little bit and be able to match up well in the back end.”

Ahead of Super Bowl LII, Philadelphia Eagles safety Rodney McLeod checked in with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson and Scoop B Radio. Photo Credit: Fan Rag Sports

The Eagles secondary that features McLeod and Malcolm Jenkins also includes Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills and Patrick Robinson. They have the task of facing one of the deepest receiving corps in the NFL.

An NFC division lifer in his sixth season in the NFL McLeod has never played against Brady and the Patriots in the regular season. 

However, McLeod believes that Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers’ game is comparable to Brady’s.

But why?

“A guy who can put the ball in places that not too many can, maybe only Tom Brady,” said McLeod.

“His experience in this league, his, you know, ability to have so much poise. Being in a situation where he’s never out of it either. He can be down fourteen and hop back into the game just like that. Knowledge of the game is excellent and he’s just an ultimate competitor man. And so, one person I have gone against, that I think I could compare him to would be Aaron Rodgers, in comparison to Tom Brady.”

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The post Super Bowl LII: Eagles’ Rodney McLeod says that Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers’ QB skills are comparable appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Hate him or love him, Tom Brady is legitimately the ultimate winner. The New England Patriots’ star quarterback has won two NFL MVP awards, four Super Bowl MVP awards and a record five Super Bowls wins.

He’ll go for his sixth ring on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LII.

Las Vegas has perched the Eagles as a 5.5 point underdog against the Patriots despite blowing out the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 in the NFC Championship game and outshing the NFC with a 13-3 record and losing their star quarterback Carson Wentz with an ACL injury.

But I digress.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense has the arduous task of stop a Tom Brady-led offense who turned the tables on the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game. The Pats wiped out a Jags 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and won 24-20 to advance to Sunday’s big game.

So does the 5.5 underdog thing bother the birds?

“I don’t really pay too much attention to it,” Philadelphia Eagles Rodney McLeod told me on Monday evenings episode of Scoop B Radio.

“That’s been like that all playoffs for us. You know obviously, people come with these predictions. But all that matter is facts and at the end of the day we go out there on Sunday and do our jobs, then we’ll handle business. And the facts will be that the Eagles came out with the win.”

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Photo Credit: USA Today

The Eagles and the Patriots couldn’t be more opposite. The Patriots are legitimately the most dominant, successful franchise in 21st century American sports. And the Eagles? Well, they’re a team that has gone 57 seasons without a championship.

The Eagles secondary that includes McLeod also features Malcolm Jenkins, along with Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills and Patrick Robinson has the task of facing one of the deepest receiving corps in the NFL.

They’re not enemies and both team have been quite respectful of the other.

So, I’m curious: What does McLeod and his secondary actually respect about the Patriots?

“Their attention to detail,” he said.

“I think that’s their biggest strengths, they don’t beat themselves up about something and they play 60 minutes of ball. Whether they’re up or whether they’re down, they play 60 minutes of ball. And that’s what you got to do, you gotta bring it each and every quarter. They’re a team that makes great adjustments and we have to do the same.”

McLeod believes that the winner of Sunday’s game will win by managing the clock and by doing things the right way. “It’s going to come down to penalties,” he said.

“Who’s able to make adjustments throughout the game and then who’s able to put four quarters of work together.”  

An undrafted free agent and six year NFL veteran, this is McLeod’s first Super Bowl and he’s uber excited. The ultimate dream for any safety would be to get that golden opportunity to get an interception on the game’s best quarterback.

So is an INT in your future?

“Man, honestly, I’m hoping to get one, at least one off Tom Brady,” Rodney McLeod told me. “But, at the end of the day I’m not going to go out there and try to make these, you know, legendary plays.”

McLeod plans to play like he always does. “Just be myself, make the plays that come to me and if it’s my chance to get that interception, I’m going to make the most of it,” he said.

“But I’m planning on hopefully getting that Tom Brady ball this my first time going against him. So, what better way than the Super Bowl to get an interception versus the Hall of Famer, Tom Brady.”

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Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Colin Kaepernick and Craig Hodges. Photo Courtesy of: Houston Forward Times

It doesn’t matter if you’re walking into a grocery store, Jewish synagogue, local gym, Muslim mosque, Baptist church, or flipping your television from ESPN’s First Take to Fox Sports 1’s Undisputed to catch NBA free agency, the same question is repeated over and over again: Will Colin Kaepernick play in the NFL this season?

For those tardy to the party, Last NFL season, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback refused to stand during the playing of the U.S. national anthem to acknowledge wrongdoings of African Americans and minorities like Eric Garner, Philando Castile who have been brutally murdered by police officers.”I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL network’s Steve Wyche during the NFL’s preseason last year.

“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Kaepernick would later kneel instead of not participating at all while the national anthem was played during NFL games.

Kaepernick’s refusal triggered other athletes like the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, Houston Rockets’ Chris Paul, New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony and Chicago Bulls’ Dwyane Wade and WNBA players to become vocal about police brutality of minorities.

Kaepernick, who led the San Francisco 49ers to an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII, was in a contract year when took that public stance last season. Now an NFL free agent, it seems that nobody is willing to take a chance on him as even a backup in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins are said to have had interest, but they’ve since moved on.

Craig Hodges and Michael Jordan. Photo Courtesy of The Odyssey Online

So will Colin Kaepernick play this season? Craig Hodges, a 2-time NBA Champion with the Chicago Bulls says it’s iffy. “He might get an opportunity, but if he is not in somebody’s training camp I don’t think he will play again in the NFL because out of sight out of mind, Hodges told me on Scoop B Radio.  

“And in the sport, unlike basketball where you might be able to sit out twelve months and still be able to come back and play, but the question becomes in that twelve months: “Is anybody even going to mess with you anymore?” Because they already said you are obsolete because you have been twelve months away from the game.”

Hodges if you recall, was blackballed by the NBA after he handed a letter to former U.S. President George H.W. Bush during the Bulls’ championship visit to the White House. The contents of the letter, according to Hodges made President Bush aware of  the mistreatment of poor people and people of color in the United States. “I did whatever I could to uplift the cause of our people man,” he said.

“And one night, we had the chance to go the White House right after we won our first championship. I had been writing letters to our congress people and to our senators to the mayor when I was a little boy and all the way through high school and it was just a continuous of that and a continuous  knowing that I part of the fabric and the fiber of human rights and people standing up for human rights.”

 

 

Check Out Craig Hodges On Scoop B Radio with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson

 

While Hodges took a stance after winning a championship with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and coach Phil Jackson in the 90s, another NBA player was vocal in Denver.

FILE – In this March 15, 1996 file photo, Denver Nuggets guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf stands with his teammates and prays during the national anthem before an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago. This was Abdul-Rauf’s first game back since he was suspended by the NBA on March 12, 1996, for refusing to participate in the national anthem pre-game ceremony. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision this week to refuse to stand during the playing of the national anthem as a way of protesting police killings of unarmed black men has drawn support and scorn far beyond sports. Through the years, “The Star-Spangled Banner” has become a symbol of both patriotism and politics. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)

Former Denver Nuggets guard, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was nationally villafied after he refused to acknowledge the U.S. flag. Abdul-Rauf, who  converting to Islam, refused to acknowledge the flag in protest. He would not rise while the U.S. national anthem was played and as a result, ABC’s 20/20 and other television shows and networks drew national attention to Abdul Rauf’s public stance. As a result, Abdul-Rauf was suspended by the NBA and when he returned, he, the NBA and the Nuggets reached an agreement that he’d pray while the national anthem was played before games.

While Kaepernick is without a job in the NFL, Hodges believes that Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf had it worse off than he or Kaepernick. Hodges indicated on Scoop B Radio that he told Abdul-Rauf as such when the two he met in Chicago while Abdul-Rauf was playing in Ice Cube’s Big 3 Basketball tournament. “Colin Kaepernick has gotten to get a portion of what he is suppose to get salary wise,” said Hodges.

“Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was cut off from possibly being the greatest scorer in NBA history, that is the part that hurt me about him.”

Abdul-Rauf was ultra talented. The fiery guard out of LSU who went by the name Chris Jackson before his conversion to Islam was nasty! His scoring ability was unmatched and his jumper was deadly.

In his rookie season in the NBA he averaged 14 points per game and averaged a shade over three assists per game during the 1990-91 NBA season. Abdul-Rauf’s best year in the league was the 1992-93 NBA season. He’d average a smidge under 20 points and 4 assists per contest. He was lightning quick and his first step in his prime could genuinely compare with the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry.

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On Abdul-Rauf, Craig Hodges added:

“I’m saying he is Islam and he understands all of that, but that is power for why that all went on. But at the same time, his potential in the game was so much farther than myself and I say even Colin for where he is in his career right now. But as far as what he was able to do for the game, I feel like Mahmoud felt it more than anybody.”

Shifting back to the gridiron, the ongoing saga Kaepernick saga is reminiscent of Michael Vick’s return to football after his conviction of running a dogfighting business in his home. The only difference is that Kaepernick has not broken any laws.

So here’s the million and seven dollar question: If Colin Kaepernick were to be picked up by an NFL team, would he kneel during the national anthem again?

“See once again, I’m pretty sure Colin Kaepernick isn’t going to take a knee anymore,” said Hodges.

“There isn’t a need to take a knee anymore. I think now it’s just a  matter of him wanting to play football. If he gets a chance to play football he is going to play football and do what he is capable of doing. Hopefully he gets that opportunity.”

Speaking of Michael Vick. In the past month, both he and Ray Lewis were vocal about Kaepernick’s decision and how the free agent could re-enter the program. Essentially, they both felt that he should either cut his hair or keep his political views to himself. “Often times we can be pressured into making comments on behalf of the larger enforcer,” said Hodges.

“That’s where we have to ask ourselves: if there really is a God in these situations whose side is he on? You know what I am saying? Then when brother’s make the decisions to say like: ‘Michael Vick, how stupid is that?’ So you are telling me that his hair as something to do with throwing the football? This man’s words are throwing footballs, Ray Lewis? So tone down your civil rights. So you’re telling me allow people to be murdered and maimed and it’s cool as long as I play football? Hell no man! How much more of a 2017 slave mentality is that? Let’s cut to the chase we have some slave garbage.”

Speaking of hair, r&b singer India Arie did explain to you in her song that she was not her hair!

Taking a cursory look at the NFL, there are others who have defining hair: the Houston Texans’ Brian Cushing has sported an array of styles, as have former Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu. Hodges deducts that corporate America is afraid of athletes like Kaepernick being unapologetically black. “Absolutely,” he said.

“Because when that happens you have no fear. Fear then is the key to the power structure. Scare the hell out of people and they aren’t going to move. So many of our movements have been penalized just because of the inaction and fear.”

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The post Former NBA Champ Craig Hodges: “Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was cut off from possibly being the greatest scorer in NBA history” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Michael Vick and Terrell Owens were both one-time members of the Philadelphia Eagles. Photo Courtesy of AP

In the NBA super teams are a trend. The Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant. Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson found a way to make it work. Imagine if a QB and WR tandem of Michael Vick and Terrell Owens running the NFL in their prime was a thing!

Vick would have had the marquee wide receiver he’d always craved back when he was an Atlanta Falcon.

Could you imagine T.O. having folks get their popcorn ready every Sunday? The two tried it in the land of make belief in a Nike commerical.

The post Scoop B: Terrell Owens Ponders What It Would Have Been Like To Play With Michael Vick In The NFL appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.