Justin Forsett - Playing in The NFL, Shark Tank and Living with Marshawn Lynch

 

Brian Lord:

I'm Brian Lord and on the show today we have NFL Pro-Bowl running back and Shark Tank entrepreneur, Justin Forsett as he shares some of his toughest moments on the field, what it's like to be roommates with mercurial Marshawn Lynch, and the importance of having a huddle.

Brian Lord:

Everybody loves a good rags to riches stories, especially someone who's gone through as much as Justin Forsett. So he's- one of the things that really strikes you when you meet him is he is not a big dude. Like, like he talks about not being picked first, like for an NFL team, you wouldn't pick him first, probably looking at him for, for almost any team, not a big guy at all. You do notice of course. He is like incredibly athletic looking, but, but the height's not there. And then you see like the charisma that comes out of him, the determination, and then you, you have to wonder where did this come from? So I, you know, I'm sitting with him asking him like, Justin, where did your story begin?

Justin Forsett:

I began in a small town called Mulberry, Florida, a town of 3000 people. Not a lot of people make it out to accomplish their dreams, goals, aspirations. We got about two or three traffic lights and we've got a Walmart a few years ago, which was a big deal. So that was pretty special for us, but just very humble beginnings. Didn't have much as a family growing up, but we just fought, kept fighting until we made it out and still, I made it out to be a success.

Brian Lord:

Now was your family, I know you said you were, you're having to fight through... What are some of the stories that you went through as a kid?

Justin Forsett:

Sure. Yeah. So at our very low points in, in growing up, there was times when we had to take baths with bottled waters, because we couldn't afford to pay the water bill. We had to do our homework in the candlelight because the power was out. We had to park our car down the street. So the repo man, wouldn't come and pick a car up from the, from the house. And then at our very lowest we were living out of a motel. It was very tough and I'm- very vivid memory of, you know, what everything looked like, Room 108. I still remember the blue, green vomit looking carpet that was on the floor. I remember the two queen size beds the huge large window pane there where you can look out into the street where all the kids used to drive by- all my schoolmates used to drive by. And I remember just telling my dad, "Please, Dad, park in the back." So cause I was embarrassed and I didn't want the kids to know that were without a home. So very tough times. But after that moment, I just remember, like I wasn't going to allow these things to define me. I was going to allow these things to refine me and make me a better, but a person, a better athlete, you know? So that was my motivation. So that's the thing that, that adversity that we faced, I used that as fuel to push me to my dreams. And that dream was to one day, be an NFL running back.

Brian Lord:

How old were you in the, you kind of hit that realization?

Justin Forsett:

It was right around that middle school age around 12, no 13-year-old kid that just had a whole lot of heart.

Brian Lord:

Now. Did you just share that with anyone?

Justin Forsett:

For me? You know, I was a quiet kid for the most part, but I remember I was like I was a visualizer. Like I like to just sit and I would look off and you know, I remember sitting on my parent's water bed back when those things were popping up and just looking out and just like kind of visualize my, this is what I want to do when I grew up, this is how it's going to look and this is how I'm going to be. And how I'm going to treat people and, you know, just kind of visualizing, you know, the success that I wanted to have. And that's what kinda, kind of drove me internally. Yeah.

Brian Lord:

And what was the next step after middle school? You're starting to get into sports. Where did your sports passion come from and how did that develop?

Justin Forsett:

Oh man, it was easy. A guy named Barry Sanders, man, saw him on TV. He was a short guy like myself. And you know, I was always a short kid, not the biggest anything. I always say "freakishly, good-looking."

Brian Lord:

He said, he's not the biggest guy, but for those listening right now, just to give you a visual, his, his shirt is waging a losing battle against his biceps right now.

Justin Forsett:

Well, that's because I buy small really, that's the truth, really. [Laughing] But yeah, Barry Sanders was that guy and I saw him dipping and dashing through defenses. I was like, man, I want to do that one day. And I remember going to Publix grocery store and buy my first poster, it said Barry Sanders Man or Machine. I remember plastering it on my wall and just like going to sleep every night, looking at that and saying, "I'm going to make it somehow some way." And that was kind of the guy that really kind of sparked it. And you know, I kept working, you know, people always telling me, man, you're just, you're just too small. You're too slow. You're too. This you'll never make it. And I kept fighting, kept fighting you know, people putting these limitations on me and I got to high school and my parents, we moved out to Arlington, Texas my junior year. And just for me to have a better opportunity to make it out. And you know, when I got to Texas, they were like, "You know, this is a different brand of football here, guy. You know this is a Texas football. We're a little bigger out here. I don't know if you're going to make it." You know, they were trying to pinch me in their own little box. And you know, I was just kept fighting, kept working excelled at what I could control. And after my all-star game my last senior year with no scholarships on the table, Notre Dame came into the picture and offered me a scholarship. And I was super excited. I was like, man, this is it. This is the writing is on the wall to the stars are aligning. Like, this is how it's supposed to be. And I'm thinking a touchdown, Jesus, I'm thinking Golden Domer. I'm thinking Rudy. I'm like, man, I'm the Black Rudy. This is how it's supposed to be. I'm supposed to be here! And I remember a week before signing day college signing day for high school athletes, football players Notre Dame gave me a call and told me they didn't need me anymore. And I remember just being crushed as a 17-year-old kid. I remember just going down in my basement crying my eyes out because I knew man, I was doing everything that I could control. I was excelling at it. I was doing everything that was in my power. I was, I was that kid instead of going out partying and drinking, I was doing a thousand push-ups and sit-ups at night. You know, I was watching the things I was, I was stretching. I was watching tape of other athletes, other football players, like Eddie George, and you know, Barry Sanders, trying to perfect and hone my skills. And I got to this moment and I'm just crushing, heartbreaking. I'm heartbroken. I remember just crying my eyes out and praying and getting up from that prayer, just feeling relieved and you know, at a peace. And I was just like, man, I can't do anything else, man. I just got to excel at what I control, keep the faith, keep working, something has to break. And it was a couple months down the road. My dad got a call and says, "Man, UC Berkeley wants to offer you a scholarship." I was like, "What? UC Berkeley Cal wants to offer me a scholarship?!" He was like, "Yeah." I was like, "Where's UC Berkeley?" And he filled me in, I was like, man, that's all right with me at the time. I mean, they were ranked number 11th in the country and football number one public Institute in the world. And I'm just like, man, this is a blessing, excited. I'd go there. Play with guys like Aaron Rogers. Sean Jackson and my, my roommate at one time was this guy named Marshawn Lynch who ended up being sort of a big deal. And you know, we played together, shared a backfield together with him and I into his junior year. Then he went and got drafted to the Buffalo Bills-

Brian Lord:

No, I gotta- I'm curious. What, what was he like as a roommate? Marshawn Lynch.

Justin Forsett:

Oh, man. He was a sweetie pie. No, man. He was great, man. Just a down to earth man. Like has a big heart. Like I like giving of almost to a fault, like just cause he just loves people, loves his community. I've literally seen him, you know, give the shirt off his, back on the street to someone that was in need. And just, I mean, he's a good friend of mine. He was a groomsman in my wedding, one of my one of my best friends and just a special guy. He is for sure. Yeah.

Brian Lord:

You talked about when you talk about having a huddle, like a group of people around you, like what are some of the things that you've learned from him or Aaron Rogers or Marshawn [Jackson] or some of those people you've been around?

Justin Forsett:

Yeah. So. Definitely, amidst adversity, you need a huddle. You need to have people around you that hold you accountable. And you know, I remember getting into a huddle with Peyton Manning and he would give me three things. He would give me a warning. He would give me encouragement. He would give me instruction and we need that in life. And you know, cause we can't do life alone. And what I learned from Marshawn in that regard to him being one of the guys in my huddle, it's like, man, you can't take yourself too seriously. You have to enjoy life every day because tomorrow's not promised. And for him, he just lived- even on a football field, you'll see him, he'll be running dipping a dash to do defenses, running guys over stiff-arming people. But he'll be laughing all the way. You can hear him on the field, just like, you know, laughing, you know, whether it's in practice or in a game, he always had this smile on his face while he's playing. And you know, and I was always, this guy was just like laser-focus and I had to, you know, this, this perfectionist, I can't make mistakes and all this stuff. And I was missing the moment I was cheating the moment. And he just kind of taught me like, man, you just gotta be a little bit loose. Enjoy the moment, man, because this, this time is fleeting.

Brian Lord:

So, so you've gone through your time at Cal, you're, you're you finally get your time, you know, Marshawn obviously amazing player he moves on. Where did you kind of pick up from there?

Justin Forsett:

Getting ready for the NFL draft, you know? One step closer to my dream. Everything that I've been fighting for, I get ready for the scouting combine doing the bench press. And I remember it's the meat market. I don't know if you've ever seen the combine, but I mean, I'm basically in line walking through a combine as you just shirt off, just nothing but a girdle on. And just to give you a little context of how these owners and GMs and things, how it works, it's a little crazy. So they're looking at everybody calling out, you're walking down this line. I remember I think it well, who was in front of me? I think maybe Matt Forte and Joe Flacco were right beside me. You know, we were right in front of each other because our name, last names and walking out, they called everybody out, they come to your, your height, your name, your school, your weight. And they called everybody out there to get to me and they're naming off all of my, you know, stats and all that stuff. And I could overhear, like the scouts and GMs, it's like, man, "That sure is a little fellow." I was like, man, this is not what you want to hear when you're getting ready to go into the NFL. But there was some doubts and there's some, you know, preconceived, preconceived notions about who they thought I would be, you know, how long I would last in the NFL. But I was able to overcome those things by excelling at what I could control my attitude, my effort, my ability to prepare and shoot, I was played, played in that nine years for the NFL Pro-Bowl, running back with Baltimore. And it was a special time. I got drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round in 2008. And you know, blessed.

Brian Lord:

You're talking about ultimate success. Obviously, you were in the NFL for a long time. When did you really make it in the NFL though?

Justin Forsett:

Yeah, man, my journey was not easy. You know, it was unheard of, you know, for me, I, I had my biggest year, my most successful year at year seven is when I got my breakthrough. After 15 years of doing the same things over and over and over again, excelling at what I can control, building a huddle around me serving the people around me and my community. Like it took all of those things of just keep grinding, hitting the wall, keep getting knocked down. You know, in order to get success, you know, the thing was when I was at that combine and throughout my tenure in the NFL, people could measure how high I could jump. They could measure how fast [Inaudible] 40, but they could never measure my ability to get knocked down seven times and get up eight. You know, they kept telling me that I got kept getting fired. It kept telling me what I couldn't do, but I kept working. I kept fighting. And I was able to make it, you know and get my breakthrough at year seven when no one else thought it was even possible. And it was actually right before the year I was gonna walk away from football because I didn't think, I mean, if I couldn't play for the Jacksonville Jaguars, I was like, who else could I play for?

Brian Lord:

Yeah, we're AFC South. We're totally fine to be anti-Jacksonville unless we've got clients there then...

Justin Forsett:

But, but yeah, I got my breakthrough late, but you know, it's, it's allowed me to go out and be able to encourage people. Like man, no matter how much rejection you face, it doesn't matter how much people want to place you in a box or put limitations on you. Your dreams are still possible if we keep fighting. So it was definitely a great journey. I wouldn't change it.

Brian Lord:

So playing in the NFL, you of course had some heated games, and being a Baltimore Raven, you had to face a Steelers at least twice a year, every year. What were those games like as a player? Was that like the biggest rivalry you were part of?

Justin Forsett:

Yeah, it was definitely hands down the biggest rivalry I was a part of. It's intense, man. I, I loved each moment of it when it's just a different week. When you know, you're playing the Steelers. It's a lot of hatred involved, a lot of emotion and it was nothing like for me, like my favorite place to play was Hyattsville being a Baltimore Raven going out there and taking that bus trip from the city going there, driving up to the stadium, you got generations of hate down the sidewalk. Like people booing, you throwing stuff at the bus you know, flipping you off all these different things. Like people are just going crazy. And then you walk into like this Coliseum type atmosphere where they're yelling and they're waving these terrible towels. And you know, they got this crappy song that they played before they enter the stadium and people are just booing, and you, and you just like, "Man, it's me against the world. It's us against the world." And it's just Smash Mouth football. Going out there and it's just like the battle of the wills. Like who's gonna, who's gonna break first and it's special, man. I always remember those games.

Brian Lord:

Anything in particular that stands out from any one game, like a high point or low point?

Justin Forsett:

For me, one game that stands out for me, it was in 2014 after I was just fired from the Jacksonville Jaguars. And now I'm on my way to a Pro-Bowl. I'm top five leading rusher in the NFL. And week 10, I want to say week 10 or 11, we play the Jacksonville Jaguars and I'm like, Justin, you know, keep your composure. Don't get too emotional. Just let the game come to you. All week I'm just praying, preparing like I normally do and trying to try to remind myself to stay focused. And all of a sudden Sunday comes around. It's an overcast day at M and T Bank Stadium, Field in Baltimore, Maryland. And I go out to the field for pre-game warmups like I normally do. And I just go out there and my former teammates for the Jacks, which after this is coming up to me because they've seen all the success that I've had. And like, "Man, we're just so happy for you." I remember going through my- finishing my warm-ups and getting ready to go back into the locker room and there was a coach for the Jaguars. One of my former coaches. And he stopped me. He was like, "Justin, everybody's trying to figure out why are you having so much success? And I've been telling people in the meeting room that it's because you're finally in the right system." And I remember just boiling up on the inside because he wasn't giving credit to my hard work on my discipline, on me being able to excel at what I can control, my ability to serve, and to have a good huddle around me. He was giving the credit to a system. And I remember going to that locker room, just fuming. And I remember playing my music and putting on my pads, my shoulder pads my thigh pads and helmet and all that stuff, getting ready for the game, getting dressed and I'm in my locker with my headphones on and pouring crying. Just overwhelmed with emotion because now I'm not thinking about what that coach said. I'm starting to recall Room 108. I'm starting to recall being homeless in that motel. I'm starting to recall running from the repo man, my power being out, I'm starting to remember the rejection from Notre Dame. I mean, me being fired three times part prior to being in Baltimore. And that's like, and I'm thinking like, man, I'm here. Traditionally before games teams do a team prayer. So John [Inaudible] at the time would do team prayer and then he does a pep talk and then we go out and we take the field. So, and I'm still at the time we're doing a team prayer. I'm still crying with tears streaming down my face, we was locking arms with my teammates and coaches giving us a pep talk. And during that time I looked over as tears streaming down my face, there was a teammate of mine named Steven. He looked at me and as if he acknowledged or understood what I was going through. And he was a guy that was on the fringe player at the time. And I'll never forget after we broke and went to the field and we're getting ready to take the field. Steven came over to me and he wrapped his arms around me. He said, "Man, we got you. We love you. You can count on us." And I remember at that time, just thinking like, "I'm not going to go out on this field by myself. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not going to have to fight this bit of adversity on my own. I never had to before, like I have some people that love me, that support me that believe in me, no matter what happened in the past with this team that I'm about to face the hurt and the rejection that I faced. I have some people that wanted to do life with me now. And they counted on me and they loved me." And it was just like, Oh, it was like, man, one of those moments like, man, this is special. I have to break this moment, embrace this moment. And I'll never forget that game. And I'll never forget that moment in that locker room.

Brian Lord:

Wow. Now how does that carry over? You see you got kids five, three, and one. How does that carry over to them? What does it mean to you being a parent?

Justin Forsett:

I want to be the best dad in the world because football was great. Being a businessman, successful businessman. That's what I aim to be. All that stuff is, is great. But at the end of the day, I want my legacy to be founded on things that are going to last. Things like being a great father, having a good relationship with my kids, a good relationship with my wife serving people in my community, having an impact in people's lives that need help. Like at end of the day, I'm not gonna, when my, my death bed, I'm not going to be counting, you know, how much money have in my account and the cars, the houses I have, it's going to be about those things, that, those things of substance. And that's when I want to build my legacy on. So how I treat my kids, my, my wife, and my community is like, man, I want to have a lasting impact. And I want to be the best at it. Greatness doesn't just stop in one avenue of life. Like if you just want to be, you know, a CEO one day of a major corporation, like greatness should consume you and all that you do. It should flow over into how you, how you parent, how you coach, you know, how you live, you know? So that's kinda my mission. That's kinda my mindset. And you know how I do things.

Brian Lord:

Yeah. You're not only an NFL player. Your story definitely doesn't stop there. You have actually been on Shark Tank. You're an entrepreneur. Tell us about that.

Justin Forsett:

The entrepreneurial life, man, it just sounds so sexy. And it's so hard. It is a grind, but I love it. I mean, it just gets my competitive juices going. I started this company called Shower Pill while I was playing. It's basically an active care company. We create hygiene products for people on the go. Our hero product is our body wipe, which is a disposable washcloth, antibacterial washcloth to be able to wipe down and cleanse yourself while you're on the go, whether it's camping, working out, you know, yoga, Pilates, you name it. And so that afforded us the opportunity to go on Shark Tank and have the worst pitch in Shark Tank history! You know-

Brian Lord:

-I'm going to send this to Daymond John- so Daymond John, we booked him, and he's on this podcast.

Justin Forsett:

Is he?

Brian Lord:

So you'll, you'll have to... I'll make sure to send this over to him and-

Justin Forsett:

Give me another shot, man. This is my- pleading, my case. No, It was a great experience and did wonders for our business. We got there and we just literally fumbled the ball when we got there, but they loved the- good thing was they loved the product. They loved the concept. And sales have been through the roof. But it's been the entrepreneurial life, being an athlete. It's a, it's a new space, but has some, some similarities. I mean, some of those same things, skills that I needed to be a great football player. I need him to be a, you know, a great businessman and it comes with its shares of adversity. I find myself with the struggle that I had early on in my career with identity issues in work. Like I have this, like, you feel like the way, the way you feel is based on your performance, based on how other people see you. But what I've learned is if you live for people's acceptance, you'll die from the rejection. And having that, being able to have that balance, like I had at the tail end of my career, where I had peace and not living for other people's approval, allowed me to shine. And I'm still in, that's in this line of work, you see it starting to creep in because you have this baby, you have this business that you're running and you want to pour all of yourself into it 24/7. You know, there's no like cutoff time for, you know, being, having a startup. And I'm just, I'm just constantly reminding myself like, man, this is like, I never signed up to be just a All-Pro football player. You know, I want to be an All-Pro businessman. I want to be an All-Pro husband. I want to be an All-Pro father. So I have to make sure that I'm having that great balance while I'm doing this entrepreneurial thing because that identity thinking still creeping up in this line of work as well, you know, being in corporate. So it's definitely been a battle. You know, you gotta do your P and L statements being able to manage employees, you know, being able to work well with each other, have you know, a great organization that, you know, communicating well, you know, and you gotta be able to serve each other and help you help each other out along the way. But it's, it's been a fun journey.

 

Beyond Speaking is hosted by Brian Lord and produced by Eric Woodie