Raymont Harris reflects on NFL career, shares insight on new book

Caleb Rose, middle of the field, love the catch, love the 20, love the 10, love the 10, touchdown Bears! Mighty Monungai, another touchdown run!

What was it like playing for Coach Dicka?

I don't want to answer any questions like that.

Cairo Santos is up, he's gone!

Bears win it! Oh wow!

And take it out, and take it out, and take it out!

Now, Bears Etc.

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Looking for their fourth win in five. The Bears host the New England Patriots Thursday night football. We discuss in episode 256 of the Bears Etc. podcast with Super Bowl winning Bears guard Tom Thayer. I'm Jeff Joniak. bears, et cetera, is brought to you by Chevy drive, Chicago, Chicagoland, and Northwest Indiana Chevy dealers coming up with a program. We've got a special guest. There'll be the bulk of the podcast.

It's former bears running back, Raymond Harris, who happens also to be a former new England Patriot. Raymond has written a book, control the controllables, mindset, pressure, and the power of control. We'll get into that. First of all, this is a big, big game for both teams, Tommy and national spotlight, obviously in the first of three, Straight primetime games for the Bears. Caleb Williams played primetime football last week.

Can he do it again at home in front of the home crowd?

Well, I think he can.

There's a lot of similarities between last week's game and this week's game. You know, Atlanta, as much as they're in the same conference, it's an uncommon opponent.

You don't play them that often. You don't see them with regularity.

You have Caleb that's coming off of an injury and hadn't played in a couple of weeks. And then you look at the new England Patriots, an uncommon opponent. It's a short week of prep. You're not as familiar with the new England Patriots as you are, say are you, you are with green Bay, Detroit, or Minnesota. So I think there's some complications that go into the preparation for a team like new England, just like there is for the new England Patriots. But to me, that kind of makes it more of an interesting game because, Because I'm a fan of Thursday night games, unlike a lot of other people. So it's going to be interesting to see how each of these teams are prepared.

Yeah, scoring defense, fifth and sixth in the NFL, respectively. So maybe points will be at a premium. Maybe that run game will tell the story.

I don't know.

There's so many angles to this one.

Well, last week, weren't they one and two in the league in rushing? And so now you got the opposite end of the spectrum on the defensive side of the ball. So yes, it's going to be an interesting, you know, game to see how it all plays out.

Drake may coming in hot 10 touchdowns. His last three games had a bumpy September, Tommy, AJ Brown back. He had a bumpy return last week, even fumbling the onsite kick recovery. He didn't get that either. His hands weren't there, but he's a, he's a, outstanding receiver. He's a big body collision separator and he's a very good player. So he's got that back in the Patriots by virtue of Drake's play of late 48% on third down during these last three games. And that's right in the Bears wheelhouse of stopping third down. They've been one of the best in the NFL.

Well, two things here, Drake may, he's a talented quarterback. He's a good athlete. He has a scape ability. He's got a strong arm. He's the type of guy that's in the early midst of building his career.

And AJ Brown, the one thing that interests me is he's.

Not going to have any live reps this week, Jeff, he's not going to be in pads. He's not going to be running seven on seven and teamwork. So he's going to have to pick up some of that steam on the.

Fly, but But let it do it down the road, not this week.

Bears fans, people across the state are struggling to keep the lights on and put food on the table. That's where the Salvation Army steps in to make a difference. All season long, go to SALARMYCHICAGO.ORG and make a difference today. This podcast brought to you by Miller Lite, the official beer partner of your Chicago Bears. Tastes like Miller time, Chicago.

Go to MillerLite.com slash BearsPod to find delivery options near you. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. The short week, does it favor one or the other? Is the road team have a harder time? They're flying on a Wednesday as you get ready for a Thursday while the Bears were able to get some work in and then get to their team hotel.

It's really no different.

You know, they're going to make it as convenient as possible for the traveling team. And they're going to get into the hotel. They're going to get off their feet and they're going to have a more, a majority of Thursday to rest and recover and meet like they need to. But you know, Both teams are coming off of a win.

Both teams are led by super motivated head coaches. As much as there's one on the offensive side of the ball, one on the defensive side of the ball, I don't think any team really comes in with an advantage. And the biggest advantage is the crowd of the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

That's right. And a chance to say goodbye one more time to your head coach, Mike Ditka.

Yeah.

Again, you know, again, walking the dogs today, I see someone on the street and the first thing they bring up is, you know, Mike Ditka.

So he's never going to be forgotten.

And I just think he deserves the respect of all of the NFL. And, you know, every moment he gets is earned.

Yep. 89 decal remain on the helmet for the rest of the season for the Chicago Bears. One thing on the injury front for New England, man, are you eyeballing this offensive line carousel? We don't know who's going to start, and there could be three backups in there.

You know, Jeff, I don't know how to approach it, because I know how to approach it in the reality of inconsistencies of your offensive line, especially in an environment like the fans at Soldier Field can provide. But it's almost like I just see the adrenaline flowing and I wait to see who's on the field and who isn't on the field. Cause I'm not going to make any claims of what if not, because what if, so let's just, let's play the game, see what happens. It's the same thing is what Atlanta thought last week when they had all these bears that were missing and stuff. And then you see what happens. So um when i hear you call out the starting lineups tomorrow at the after kickoff then i'll kind of put all that into into place

and what.

The bears did with kyler gordon was fantastic a they didn't put them out there right away they slow played it over the course of the game starts out on special teams then he gets a couple snaps and bam When you put that together in 17 snaps, there's no way they could have prepared for that. They had no idea that was coming. Now, New England knows what he can do. I'm sure they'll have some answers to try and stop that if it's the same situation getting after Dirk May.

It was funny because last week in Atlanta, they go through warm-ups, they go back in the locker room, they have a couple minutes to prepare, then they come out. And when you're a starter, you're loose from stretching out. Kyler wasn't a starter. The whole time until he got a rep, he was stretching on the sideline.

He was moving around.

He was anxiously anticipating his, you know, put into the game. But he never stopped moving. And that was one of the things I kind of appreciated about his anxiousness is he knew that he had to stay loose and prepared for when his number was called. And I think intelligently enough, they put him on a couple special teams plays so he could run that 40, 50 yards. He could have a little bit of contact and then insert him in the regular defense.

I got to say this to all the guys that they brought up and played today. They play with their hair on fire. The opportunity knocked and they opened the door. Daniel Hardy kicked the door down. Xavier Scott kicked the door down on special teams.

We can go.

I mean, there's so many, so many guys.

Kroma, Ozzy.

Yeah.

You know, it was really something to see. Yes. Caleb. Let's talk about Caleb. Caleb was so dialed in really from pregame warmups. You were watching him to the end of the game, just completely dialed in and under control.

Yeah.

I thought Ben had a beautiful approach to him because you go out there, the first play of the game, he kind of have an environment that, you know, it's probably overly bear crowd supported. And so the first play they call, he rolls out to the left. And so right now the defensive coordinator is going, wow, he probably healthier than I initially thought now what is he capable of and so it was one of the finest return games of the quarterback position after injury that I've seen in my history with the Chicago Bears and it was probably the biggest spark plug next to Kyler Gordon of a team result.

Yeah honestly announcement hey everybody here I am 30 completions and a big road win and you know Those games missed. He's observing a lot. He's observing a lot in that quarterback room. He's observing how two other quarterbacks get ready for a game, whether it be during the week or night before the game. Do you think there's some things that he picked up in the process just by observing?

Listen, when you're in your college classes, you're learning from a professor. You're not going to become the teacher, but you're still learning. And that's the same thing with a quarterback. When you're listening to the professors up there talking in front of you, whether it's JT, Press, Ben, and you're watching the other quarterbacks that are out there performing what you're learning in the meetings, then you have a chance to sit back and watch it and then become the performer. Yes, you expedite. the learning curve, you know, considerably.

Good news, Chicago United Airlines is getting brand new planes with all the bells and whistles like Bluetooth connectivity, screens at every seat and room for everyone's roller bag. United, proud to fly the Chicago Bears and you too. Let's talk the run game. before we move on to Raymond Harris, the former ultra back and the running back for the Chicago Bears back in the day. So you got two sides of the fence. Not sure where Kyle Monunga is at just yet, but DeAndre Swift, Roshan Johnson against what Ramondre Stevenson and Trayvon Henderson bring to the table. From you watching tape, What do you see of the running game of the New England Patriots?

Because you brought up the offensive line, that is going to be an issue because no offensive line can be talked about without talking about the offensive line as well as the running backs. I have a lot of respect for the running backs of the New England Patriots. I think when healthy in the backfield, they are a really good tandem of running backs. They catch the ball well.

They're very physical in their style of running. They have speed to get outside, and they have straight-ahead speed. But it's got to be complemented by the offensive line up front. So, again, until you announce the starting lineups, we won't know that. However, talent, their running back room is a solid group of players.

Keep an eye on Corey Kiner, too. He's the third back. He got on the field, did some damage, and a bigger back. A bigger back to throw on the table.

Like you brought up, I'd like to see Xavier Scott get a carry or two. You talked about his size and his dimensions at time. And so if maybe he will get that sneaky carry that these guys are not expecting.

Yeah, 6'1, 225 and can run under 4'5. So that's a Mack truck hitting you at that speed. Okay, let's talk about... Our guest today, Raymond Harris. His story is unique. He's become a motivational speaker. He's written a book. The book organizes the philosophy around eight controllables. And Raymond Harris is becoming an impact player off the field with his insights and his ability to say to everybody, hey, stop wasting energy on outcomes and circumstances you cannot control. I think we all could use that advice. Let's listen in to our podcast today. With Raymont Harris, a native of Lorain, Ohio, outside of Cleveland, Admiral King High School, one of the best high schools around back in the day. I don't

know if they still are a powerhouse, Raymont, are they? I don't even know.

They are not anymore.

Unfortunately, everyone moved out of Lorain after the motor plant left.

So, yeah, they actually, we had four high.

Schools back then. It's been all consolidated into one high school now. It's just called Lorain.

On to Ohio State where he tore it up. He was outstanding in a fourth round pick of your Chicago Bears, the 1994 draft. Had nicknames, man. The ultra back is one that stuck, certainly, given his ability to run, catch in multiple roles, an engaging personality, a thousand yard rusher in 97 with 10 touchdowns. Then he dipped his toe in the water up there north of the border. Denver and New England. Back to Ohio State working in development and fundraising at the school. Senior member of the athletic department.

Then in the banking, color analyst for the Ohio State Football Radio Network from 99 to 2005. Had sideline reporting duties for our radio broadcast back in the day. Member of our crew and then founder and CEO of Elite Mindset and Performance. Now a keynote speaker, a coach, a consultant, lots of stuff to get into. He's written a book.

I know I'm only painting some of the picture. What is your day-to-day existence right now?

Well, right now, Tommy, I'm a professional keynote speaker. So I travel around the country. I do keynotes for Fortune 500 companies, mom-and-pop shops. athletic departments, individual teams, helping people, like inspiring them to really focus on controlling the controllables, which is the things that are in their control. And unfortunately for us, a lot of times we know that, but it's hard to access our control when there's a lot of pressure and stress.

So I help people with that.

So on a daily basis, man, I'm probably traveling multiple times a week all over the country. And it's taken me to places like Burlington, Vermont, or Boise, Idaho, Omaha, Nebraska, places I would never go. But I've learned that, man, through my travels and being able to see people from different backgrounds, I realized we are all really connected through our journeys. Even though they look different, we all still have to deal with being adaptable, resilience, believing in ourselves, things like that. So it's been really, really fulfilling, to be honest.

So your personal journey, your family background, the things, the way you were raised, and some of the difficulties and the circumstances. Is Raymond Harris, who Raymond Harris is today, because of the trials that you went through as a young man or some of the successes that you were able to have?

What shapes Raymond Harris?

I would say the entire thing. Definitely the successes as well as the failures. I feel like I've learned more from the failures.

And I actually.

you know, having a life where, you know, it all started like in a really difficult space.

And honestly, Tommy, I mean, I'm not.

Sure if you even know this because I never really talked about it back in the days, but yeah, my mom died giving birth to me.

Not to interrupt you, but that's what I was kind of talking about. I do know your story. I do know your background, but I also know Raymond Harris. And so I hear about that side of you, but then I see the successful young man, man, athlete that you've become.

Yeah. And I thank you for those words, man.

I had to persevere and I truly had to be resilient because life wasn't easy. My father, he did the best that he could, but he was limited with what he had. And just imagine like losing your wife, the love of your life at 33 years old. and having to raise a 12 year old son, a nine year old daughter and an infant all by yourself. And we didn't have a lot of means, a lot of resources.

We didn't have things like grief counseling or professional therapy.

So yeah, life was really, really difficult.

And the fact that I had some people in my life that extended me grace, gave me second and third chances, um, believed in me and put me in like spots and opportunities to actually be successful is really like the reason why I was able to kind of get through like that, like really tough background to be able to secure a bunch of, uh, success that people could only dream of.

How did you digest that, uh, the magnitude of that moment that your mom passed bringing you into this life?

Uh, you know what, man, uh, I've had a lot of therapy and I've, uh, I've, really started to embrace it.

Not until like 50 years old. Come on. Did I really, really start to dive into this? Wow.

Because like my entire life, just imagine like growing up in that household, um, every, and my birthday was December 23rd. So it was two days before Christmas. So every single year, um, people would be sad and, you know, um, uh, yearning for like, you know, their number one person, which was their mom or wife.

And, um, in there and her place was me.

So I was this person, I was this guy who, you know, I had so many questions and, but I learned that whenever I would ask questions about my mom, it made everyone, you know, sad and start crying and, you know, people were really short. So I just kind of learned to kind of keep that bottle in and tight.

And not until I got older, not until way after like football, did I have a chance to start going to therapy, started to really like dissect like the entire story and started to unpack some of that trauma because I, You know, I use that trauma to to to motor me through like life and to be successful in sports and in particular football. But once you take football away, I I realized like football was really like an escape and it was something that allowed people to like celebrate me and cheer me on.

But once it was gone.

I now still had to deal with that same trauma that I had to deal with from the past that I never like acknowledged. So acknowledging it, learning from it, understanding that it wasn't my fault. I didn't have to be guilty for it. It actually made me a better person. And after all of that, you know, like that is the truly believe like the reason why I was I've been able to. start having success and be able to do things after football because I didn't realize how much of my identity was wrapped into that.

Controlling the Controllables is the title of your book. Did you ever in your wildest imagination think at some point in your life you were going to write a book?

Absolutely not, Jeff.

To help people.

Right, exactly. This is the.

Same guy that was cheating all through school. I had other people writing my papers for me.

That's who I was.

But not until, like I said, the acknowledgement of what I had been through and then realizing that, man, I defy the odds. I came from the most unlikely of circumstances to be able to have success in that one space. And if I could do it there, man, I could do it again afterwards. So being able to kind of make that connection and then it was going well as I was speaking and the message was really resonating with folks, man, I'm like, they were like, yo, you should write a book because like.

So far, it would only be like the people that in that room would really be able to benefit.

If I wrote a book, I could then like, you know, spread it out to the masses. So it took two and a half years to write the book, but it turned out really good, man.

It really did. Man, I'm very excited about it.

You know, Raymond, when Jeff and I get to interview the ex-players that have come and gone throughout our career at the Chicago Bears, I feel bad because we get to know them so much better when we get a chance like this.

Like when I heard you story a.

Couple months ago I was going damn I wish that we would have known that Raymond Harris but so the Raymond Harris that walked into the first therapy session was that a self-introduction to therapy or did somebody take you by the hand and give you the advice to go to therapy.

Well, to be honest, actually, I was going through like some troubles after, you know, after my playing days and a lot of guys struggled. Tommy, you know, understand how this is. That was so much of my identity. And then it was gone. It was kind of basically ripped away from me. I didn't have any time to prepare for a life without football. So I had to kind of figure out who I was without the game. And I struggled just like so many other guys do. So many guys we turn to numbing that those voices and not addressing the trauma by drugs, alcohol, you know, sleeping with a lot of women, throwing yourself into like the next job and being real busy. So I really I struggled tremendously. And I realized if I wanted to try

and like take over or try and like make my life better because I have kids as well that are going to be that are depending on me, I needed to actually do something about that. So, um, that's how I got introduced to, to therapy. And I walked in, I mean, I'm a, I'm a guy from the seventies, man. You know, like I am, I'm not a touchy feely guy. Uh, we never talked about the times and the moments when I've been like afraid or sad or scared. So it really, it required me to be very vulnerable in that space.

And it, I don't think I was a very good patient for the first like two or three, uh, But slowly but surely, he gained my trust. I respected him and I felt like it was a safe space. And that safe space allowed me to start really diving into that past trauma.

When you said you gained his trust, right? Did what about him gaining your trust? When could you see that transformation starting to take place and say, OK, finally, I have Raymond Harris in front of me, not the character that walked into this session day, the first session.

Yeah, Tommy, I think like that's really what I meant. He showed a lot of grace and a lot of patience. But I think I was still showing up as that character. I had a number of set answers that, you know, I was programmed to answer.

You remember the good old days, you get interviewed, you.

Give a lot of a coach speak, I'm getting 110% in this room.

You know, I was doing a lot of that.

And slowly but surely, like he really wasn't, you know, he wasn't falling for that. He saw the surface level and then asked question two and question three, you know, beneath the surface. And you can't really run for that stuff. Like that's the part you can't hide from. So slowly but surely, as I continue to answer those questions, I think and realize that he wasn't judging me. He wasn't taking that information and spreading it out to people outside of that room. That's how he was able to gain my trust. And the more trust I had with him, the more open I would be about like my entire story.

Is it safe to say then, I don't want to be overdramatic, but I mean, did it save your life? It definitely turned it around, but did it save your life?

I think it did. I really do. I think it did.

And I know how deep and dark that place was that I was in. Just imagine, man, like imagine being celebrated for something and being known for something. And then all of a sudden it's gone. And now you're a has been now you're washed up. And that trauma that I didn't deal with before it comes right back front and center to everything. So now I'm feeling like, man, I'm feeling less than, and then I'm now I'm also dealing with this stuff that I never dealt with that was already difficult. So, um, if I had kept, you know, continuing on with my life at that same pace, doing the same kind of things that I was doing and not being like a good husband, not being.

A good father.

Honestly, man, I have no idea like where I would have been. So I don't think it's hyperbole to say that it saved my life.

Did or have you been involved with the NFLPA to talk like you're talking real talk with us to former players or current players that are just breaking into the league to keep their minds open? on the right path, because especially with the way money is today and all of the things that are available, social media, you didn't even have to deal with all that in your career.

Have you done any of that?

I haven't done that yet.

And I cherish the moment and opportunities that I will have in the future.

I believe it's going to happen. It's got to. I don't think anyone can tell the story.

No.

Relate the way that I relate to people. So, and I think that's like, you know, one of my superpowers. So I believe that that's going to happen like in a, in a bigger, you know, bigger stage eventually. But, uh, until then I'll continue to work with people locally. I'll continue to travel around the country and deal with like, uh, all these other like industries, like industries, like the trucking associations or, uh, the U S cutting tools associations or, uh, law firms with attorneys, like I realized, like, even though like we look different and we may have experienced these different things, like all of our journeys and all of our, uh, our, our paths have all been littered with, uh, moments where

we've had to be like, be patient or we've had to be more positive or believe in ourselves or deal with like resilience. So like those kinds of things right there, I think will be extremely beneficial to the NFLPA and former players as well.

From where you're at today, from where you came from, you were drafted in fourth round, I was drafted in the fourth round. I retired when I was 33 with no idea what I was going to do. I don't know how old you were when you were retired. Is there a priority number one advice that you could give to anybody from a high school kid to a college person to a person that's leaving their occupation to those of us like ex-football players that we have no idea what we're going to do because we've been playing football our whole life? Is there a priority number one that you would tell the people to get that in line so the next step two, three, four can help you?

Yeah, I would say, Like the things that you've already gone through, like that is evidence that you can actually do like difficult things. you can have success in like these different areas. And even though it doesn't look like the area that you went to that you were in before. So being able to kind of draw off of like your past successes should be further proof for you to believe that you can do more. And then once you are able to do more, you understand that like the, all the skills that you've learned, like we keep it football through teamwork, through patience, through cheering on others, through having to be like either a captain or a leader where you kind of put yourself to the side and

you concentrate more on your teammates. Like those are the things that are transferable that you can take with any part of your life to be able to have success in any industry. And with your families and with kids, um, people that, that matter to you, like all of that stuff is it's all in the same world. So to me, it would be drawing off of your past successes to kind of give you energy to, to believe that you can do it, but then also being open to adapting because you may have seen life one way and thought it was going to happen a certain way. And then you realize it didn't work. So now what are you going to do? You're going to give up. Are you going to adjust? are you going to embrace the change?

Because embracing that change allows you to then start seeing more of the future versus being stuck in the past.

You know what's the craziest thing? And I don't know. I saw this. I don't know if this was true. I had never heard this about you, that they called you the quiet storm coming out of Ohio State.

Is this true?

Yeah. Absolutely.

Now you're a hurricane. You're coming. Absolutely. There's no way you're, you're coming and there's no, they can hear you miles away. Isn't that ironic?

It is. It's different.

It's, um, you know, I was quiet storm, like all through like the end of high school. I got that nickname in high school. Um, Because I wasn't someone who talked a lot of trash, but you could always see and feel like something simmering beneath the surface.

And now, looking back, I know that.

It was probably a lot of stuff going on that I would never address. Honestly, I had a really tough and difficult relationship with my father. I was abused physically, mentally, emotionally up until my teenage years. Um, I was the kind of person who I didn't have a mom. So I, my father was everything to me and I always wanted like that love and approval from him. And I could never get it. because he was an old school man from the South who had his own trials. And not until I got older and have been able to kind of come to grips with that, was I able to kind of like shed some of that weight. And I think the quietness started to kind of, you know, dare I say dissipate. The storm dissipated and then it allowed

me to kind of like really embrace like who I am now.

And I like that feeling.

Do you still like football?

I love football. I really do.

I don't miss playing football. I miss the camaraderie. I miss the locker room. I miss the guys. I miss that paycheck. But I also miss... I really valued being able to compete against the best in the world. There was something like something empowering about that. But I know how hard, that was hard work. And I couldn't imagine putting my body through that again. But if I had to do all over again, I'd absolutely do it again.

But I couldn't imagine doing it anymore, though.

How would you characterize your football career?

It was solid.

I think I had a solid football career. I think I got a lot out of it that I wanted to get out of it. Honestly, at times I've had to battle like throughout this this kind of understanding of myself and my post football career. I thought I was really good and I thought I was capable of doing like.

Great things, like being legendary.

And unfortunately, you know, things don't work out the way that you plan all the time. But if I'm being honest and real with myself, looking back from like everything that I've gone through and how I was able to show up and not just compete, but actually be the man at many multiple times, I've had so many like former like teammates that were like office of linemen and competitors.

Tell me how good I was. So hearing that kind of stuff right there, that part is fulfilling. I felt like if my body could have stayed healthy, that I could have realized more like more things. But, you know, when I look back at it in totality, you know, I had a great career, man.

You got to figure the end of your career started a career for one of the best guys in the history of the National Football League when you got released by New England for Tom Brady's spot.

That's an amazing. That's amazing.

Isn't that story great? Yeah. It's a great story, man. It really is.

And it's fascinating, man, because when I was in camp on that team, Tom, he's just a really good guy. Cool, easy to talk to. You could see and feel that he was like a great teammate. He had a lot of enthusiasm, smart. He wasn't dynamic at all. He was not like a spectacular guy. So he was someone that kind of faded into the background because Drew Bledsoe was everything at that moment. And it just goes to show, man, like what you can do when things line up and you keep showing up.

You know, he got better and better.

And he got more confidence, and he believed in himself, and that confidence started drawing everyone else in, and then these guys are playing hard for themselves and for him, and then the coaching staff is putting him into situations that really help his best abilities really shine. It just goes to show, man, just because you see somebody in one way does not mean that they're always going to be that way. And he is a shining example of somebody that really took off and took full advantage of all his opportunities.

Yeah, he sure did. And still is. What was it like being there with Belichick?

It was okay. I didn't know him very well. To be honest, like the. The character, the caricature.

That we see with the guys, we just got to keep trying to do better this time.

He was truly that guy.

It wasn't like something he just did because he didn't like to talk to the media. In the facilities, I mean, he never spoke to you. He was on defense, so he was all defense. And he allowed like maybe Charlie Weiss and like the other offensive coaches to really just kind of lock in on the offensive side.

But if I'm.

Being honest, man, I was with that team for probably five months altogether. I would say I've had two conversations with them. How about this? Two short conversations. Hey, Raymond, not a lot of personality right.

There.

He's not going to be the guy only because.

Of his name and what he has done is why you would want him to be like a guest on your show.

Listening to you on this podcast, reading about you, reading about your book and seeing the inspiration that you've become to a lot of people. If in fact, if you would have went right into coaching after your career was over, Would you be this version of Raymond Harris or would you be the kind of the cantankerous dark Raymond Harris that you were as a player as opposed to the bright light you are now?

I mean, I think it's a good question, Tommy. I don't know. I mean, it's hard to kind of go back and do what ifs. If I had maybe.

Experienced some of that stuff like early, maybe I would not have felt the need to do that interpersonal work. I think me showing up as a person who understood that there was deep, dark things within me that I had not addressed, that And since I did not address them, those things were then gonna come out in my everyday life, in my marriage, in my relationships, as a father.

So like if I, we all too.

Often guys, we see people leave one space and go into another space and they throw themselves into it fully. And then you can truly keep yourself really busy And with helping other people and doing this and focusing on that and some other goal you're trying to attain. And while you're doing that, it keeps you busy from handling like that deep, dark stuff that you need to take care of to actually truly be like the best person that you need to be. So if I had done that, I'm not sure I'd be able to be this guy right now.

Looking back to your Bears career and that 1,000 yard, what do you remember about that season? Anything stick out that you're proud of? And I mean, you tore it up, but like, what, what are you proud of?

Well, I'm super proud that like, um, like if you remember back that year, like we did not have a good team, uh, in terms of like, uh, uh, when lost record, we, I think we lost the first seven games. Maybe I want to say we were like maybe one in seven or.

One in eight.

And, Amid all that, I was still balling on a personal level. I was still going out there. I was still putting it out there. At one moment, I was in the top five of rushing in the NFL, and we didn't have any passing games.

So these defenses were lining up eight in a box.

Sometimes trickling down to safety, making it nine in a box. And guess what? We still ran the ball. So I was getting tagged. I was getting blasted. I was getting beat up. And I remember how bad my body felt at the midway point of the season. But I was proud that our team didn't give up. it also helped me start encouraging others more. I think up until that point, I probably was more of a selfish player, caring more about myself and what I need to do and my stats.

And I kind of always thought that, well, if I do my job, then that's all I need to do for our team. So then I'll be doing, that's my contribution. But the truth was being able to encourage other people and inspiring them and continuing to work hard and having great habits in practice. Those are the kinds of things that you end up being remembered for. So when I look back at that season, I had good stats. They could have been even better if I didn't miss three games that year. But I'm really happy with how I really developed as a teammate and as a man.

What was the deepest cut in football? The one that just had you question a lot of things, look in the mirror as deep as you have.

Oh, man. Deepest football related?

Yeah. I mean, you put out a video right around when cuts were coming. It just blew my mind. That was the most vulnerable anybody could be and as honest as they could be. I guess that's what I'm referring to.

Okay. Yeah.

Well, that right there, there's this, Tom, you know how this is, man. There's like this way that people view you. And like the public sees like these gladiators, these warriors. They kind of think that we're robots because we got these big pads and these helmets. Don't realize like there are people underneath this. And I think I was viewed as like a gladiator, as a warrior. And I liked it.

You know, I'm like, yeah, I'm a big, tough guy. And then it was all taken away from me. So like acknowledging the fact that you're not wanted, that you're not good enough.

That, um. You're not special anymore.

Those kinds of things, especially, man, when it was so much of my identity for so long, it really played a lot of tricks on my mind.

The first time, the first cut, I'll say is this. When the Bears... did not resign me.

And I had to go to the Green Bay Packers. That was the first one because that was like my home. That was the organization that drafted me, that invested in me, that I had spent all my time in and they didn't want me anymore.

That's what it was. So that hurt.

And then when the entire game was taken away from me, it was, when I think back now, currently, even now, it's still something that, yeah, I have to, I take a few seconds and a few moments with because I know that I'm good enough. You know, I really do deep down. But at that time, I started to doubt, started to question whether or not I was worthy.

And that's a bad place to be in.

It's interesting because Tom kind of taught me this phrase. Obviously, I've never played, but be in the position that I'm in, position he's in even after his career as a player, this fear of failure is gripping, but it's motivating at the same time. So Tom can speak to it better than I as a player. I can speak to it as a broadcaster for an NFL franchise, and there's only 32 of them in the whole world. So it's an honor and it's humbling, but the motivation to always try to be great every single broadcaster, every single day There's a fear of failure that's also a part of the conversation.

I don't know if that makes sense to you at all. And Tommy's came from the coaches. This guy had a legendary list of coaches from his high school days all the way through Notre Dame and throughout the entire National Football League who plays for George Allen, Don Shula, and Mike Ditka. and a Hall of Fame offensive line coach.

I'm speaking for Tom because he won't talk on it like that.

Well, no. I mean, just walking into a building full of professional athletes, you're challenged every single day. I mean, you've got to show up on the practice field. You have to have results on the game field. And then you've got to perform well enough that the coaches still think you're worthy of your jersey. And it is motivating every single day, you know, when you, every day you got reporters in the locker room, you got people writing about you, they, your good times, your bad times. So all that, you know, motivating by motivated by fear of losing your job.

Tommy, let me ask you this.

So, um, like that, what you just described to me, that felt easier than when it was all gone.

And then I had to kind of figure out the new scoreboard.

Yeah.

I didn't have like these coaches that were directing me and helping me. I didn't have film to watch. I didn't have like these things that I had become so reliant on to be able to gauge like where I was. So now that stuff is all gone and now I'm trying to figure it all out by myself. And so I'm coming up with a new scoreboard. I'm coming up with new goals. I don't know if I'm really affecting change the way that I used to. And like that whole space of like just kind of being like not necessarily knowing what you're doing. To me, that was even, I was more fear of that than how tough and difficult it was to make our way at the toppest level against the top guys.

Right.

But, you know, you're from Ohio State. I'm from Notre Dame. So you play football your whole life. And all of a sudden that rug is pulled out from underneath your feet. And then you've got to put together a resume. Oh, what have you been doing for the last 30 years? Going to practice. What have you been doing during the day?

Going to meetings, going, you know, playing football on Sunday. So, you know, that resume, you know. There's not a lot for that, but it is, like I said, I sit here, Raymont, with complete admiration for what you become. And I got to tell you one funny story about you, because I know you don't even know this. My first couple of years when I got done playing, I was working at Fox TV and I was doing sideline stuff. So during the course of a game while you were playing, I was standing on the sideline next to this young lady who's doing a parabolic mic for the first time in her life. And as she was looking off to the side, not paying attention, you had caught an outlet pass and you are coming full speed nonstop. And you at the

last second reacted, lower your shoulder and you hit her right in the parabolic mic.

It picked her up off the ground.

She flew about six feet backwards and the parabolic mic disintegrated into pieces. And so I go over there, you go right back.

On the field. You don't even recognize it. I go and I pick her up. I go, are you okay?

She goes, yeah, I go turn to the crowd and wave to the fans right now. So she turns and she waves to the crowd and the fan just erupts with applause for her because they realized the hit that she just took. from a full speed Ramon Harris. And I'm sitting there in total shock, looking at this poor girl.

And then we go and we pick up all the pieces to a parabolic mic and try to put it together.

But, and I'm going, you know, Ramon will never know this in his whole life.

Unless I get a chance to eventually someday after tell her, tell him the story.

Tom, I have, I had no idea.

You know, that man, Ramon, you 30 years ago, This poor little girl, she was as tough as nails, and it's something that you would see fictitiously put together in a movie.

That wasn't the case. This was real life.

This is real life right here. And I know how hard I run, so, yeah. Yeah, exactly.

Who goes to her? Exactly. Oh, Raymond, last question before we let you go, and thank you. I know you're traveling all over the country, so time is of the essence for you. But as you watch the game today, and we– We're talking about DeAndre Swift and Kyle Medungai, a runner who reminds me of just the old school backs.

What's your opinion of these cats and just the way backs are today?

I think today's running backs are terrible. So good, man. Yeah.

And especially you look at someone like Bijan Robinson, like he is, he's special.

Yeah.

And he's that kind of guy. He's not like, he's not Barry Sanders. Barry Sanders was the guy for me, but he is like Barry Sanders in terms of like, when you're on the opposite field, I mean, you're on the opposite team. You're probably, you're watching the game to see like what he does.

Because he's that spectacular. He's that dynamic.

But I'm so proud of like the Bears running backs and how they get down. I think DeAndre Swift is so good.

And I love how he's.

Offset by The straight running one cut Carl. I mean, Kyle Manung guy, the way he.

He's like a he's like a bowling ball. He'll go boom, boom.

And he bounces off like a pinball. He bounces around and does all this. And he's always moving forward. It reminds me of like my days when the old school running backs that I would watch and watching them take.

That one cut.

Terrell Davis was like that. His offensive line was amazing, but there was one cut, and he was north and south, and he had a full steam of.

He was going full speed.

And a full feeling of like, yeah, I am determined to make it to that end zone. Watching like today's running backs, how they get down. Yeah, it makes me proud, man. It makes me want to, like, that's the only time I'm thinking like, well, when I see those big holes like that, I'm like, shit.

I wish I could play there.

I feel like we were kind of taught differently. Like we had the one cut and we were hitting it. And think about like all the dives and traps and powers. Like it was, it wasn't about like patience. Like these guys now, and I love this about them. I think Le'Veon Bell was the first one that I really recognized in doing this. But they get the ball and they just kind of get it and they wait and they let, you know, they let the play open up. And that also gives you an opportunity to be able to make cutbacks and bounce, you know, bouncing it out as well when you take your time instead of, like, taking the ball and running straight, like, full speed ahead into, like, into the tackle's ass.

So, yeah.

Hey, during your time with the Bears.

I remember those days. I know you've had that happen a thousand times.

Yeah, blocking for Walter Payton will do that.

Oh, I know. I already know.

Did you ever have any conversations with Walter about playing the game?

Oh, absolutely. Yeah.

Do you remember any that stick with you?

Nothing like specifically. Yeah.

I don't think we ever talked about the game, but he was my hero growing up.

Okay.

I was going to ask you, like, if you had a poster of a player on your wall growing up, would Walter be on the wall? I mean, you're a Cleveland guy, so there were a lot of backs back in those days, too.

Oh, yeah, for sure. I was a student of the game. I loved football. I collected cards, I chewed that stale-ass gum. I love this.

I read all the details on the back. So I- All of that stuff, man. And Walter Payton was one of my favorite players. And I remember, um, I have a photo of, uh, myself when I finally got to play at high school, I got a towel just like his, he had this towel that says sweetness and at number 34 in it.

So I got number 34 and I put it right in my hair.

So I'm not, but, um, I got to meet him my rookie year and I'll never ever forget, man. He came over to me and told me.

I was really good.

And I, It was, it's kind of like what I would have thought it would have been like if my father ever said he was proud of me.

That's how it felt.

You are one bag of joy and emotion and real, realness. Thank you for giving us all this time, continued success on the book. Where can people get this book.

By the way?

Yeah, you can go to the book is being offered everywhere. It's at Amazon. It's at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Walmart, all those places. You can go to my website, RaymontHarris.com. And if you fill out, you hit the button there and I can I'll send you a signed copy of that route.

So it's all over the place.

But if you go to my website, you know, I'll be able to send you a signed copy of that.

You know, you know, if you would enjoy that more.

Very good. Appreciate it. Controlling the controllables. I think advice for all of humanity right there, baby. Thank you so much, Raymond. Appreciate your time. Good luck with everything.

For sure. Thanks, Jeff. Awesome, Raymond. I miss you guys. Absolutely.

Awesome.

Thank you for the inspiration for a lot of people, not just us.

For sure.

Tom, I think we're both blown away. I've seen some snippets, some videos that he's put out there on social media. just encouraging people and just speaking the truth as he sees it, not only about his own circumstances, but just to help others. And it's quite the endeavor he's going on. Now he speaks all over the country. We had a good time talking to Raymond.

You know, in order to become a public speaker and a positive direction, you got to start with yourself.

And he's made.

That evidently clear that he came from a dark place, lost his mother as a young man, had a struggling relationship with his dad, became a professional football player after he went to Ohio State, was really successful.

But then that didn't clear everything up. Jeff, one thing.

About this podcast, and I said it time and time again, when we get a chance to talk to these players and interview them after their career, it inspires me. And when I sat there and listened to Raymond Harris tell us about his journey, I'm hoping that he gets a chance to go out there and talk to a bunch of young kids, parents, no matter who he's speaking to in the business world. And I just think he's a credit to what he's become. And I hope people have a chance to listen to what he has to say, then go out and get his book and read what he's got to say.

Yeah, he's very engaging, very engaging. How do you tell a cashier you're a Bears fan without telling him you're a Bears fan? With the Chicago Bears PNC Bank Visa Debit Card, which gets you exclusive discounts on Bears merchandise. Find out more at pnc.com slash bearscard. And when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Chevy Silverado, the official truck partner of the Chicago Bears. Check out a Chevy Silverado at your Chicago and a Northwest Indiana Chevy dealer, Chevy Drive Chicago. One last thing, because a lot of this, when you boil it down, the biggest fear, I think, that NFL players who may have not tried to figure out a post-career plan along their career journey, some... And maybe a majority really don't know what's next. I mean,

you think about you play a 10-year career. If you're lucky to even go 15, great. Average is 3.1 years. What do you do after football? You have to kind of reinvent yourself. So rebuilding your identity, because when you're so attached to one thing, football, it's been your life's journey. Did you ever fear having to rebuild your identity, even though you stayed in the game as an announcer?

Right.

I did, you know, because I think I always think to myself and I talk to people about it. I retire when I'm 34. What is on my resume? Oh, I've been playing football since I've been nine years old.

You've never put together a resume, have you? No, I haven't, but I think that in my head. If I'm going to try to qualify myself for some type of job, there's not a lot of laundry list of things that I can include on my resume.

Oh, I'm a good drive blocker. I'm a good path blocker in one-on-one situations. I really know all my assignments. So all those types of things, it's super difficult because– when I was in college, everybody said, well, what was option B for you? And I said, I had no option B. My only option was making it to the NFL.

So when you put that type of dedication into it, when it's all over, it's.

Kind of a lonely day.

And, you know, I was super fortunate to, you know, parlay into another career. However, I think Everybody should think about their resume as they're playing football. What could it include outside of, you know, I'm a good sacker or I'm a good drive blocker or I got great hip swivel. Yeah.

Well, listen, you got a great degree, though, from Notre Dame.

I realize that, but.

The importance of my degree was to stay eligible so I could get into the NFL. And it made, you know, maybe not the right thing to say, but my biggest accomplishment in life is graduating from Notre Dame. I mean, I have a Super Bowl ring. I was a part of the best team in the NFL. But when you go out there and you're able to accomplish something that you're so unexpectedly, you know, thinking you could do it, It gives you a lot of gratification.

So 30 years as a broadcaster, are you as equally proud of what you've accomplished in that regard?

I am.

I just love going to work every day. I don't want to, you know, go into work every day. I didn't. I never missed any time in football. I was never late for a meeting. I never missed a game and any of that. And that's the same thing. And that's my same approach to my work life. And a lot of that comes from the influences of my mom and dad and their dedication to our family by their dedication to their work life.

Funny thing is, Good to know you all these years, three decades. You always call yourself an idea man. You got ideas.

Oh, I'm an idea man.

You are an idea man.

I am.

How about all things?

I could throw one out there right now that'd make you a million dollars.

You just got to have somebody to take that idea and run with it, right? Make it into something.

I showed you the design of my golf club carrier for motorcycles.

And I have drawings of it. If anybody wants to get a hold of me about that.

Oh, my gosh.

Get your operations across the goal line with Grainger. Count on nearly 1.5 million products from the brands you trust. at a distribution network that delivers in the clutch. Call, click, Grainger.com, or stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. That's going to wrap us up for Tom Thayer and our special guest, Raymond Harris. We appreciate his time. I'm Jeff Joniak. Enjoy Bears Patriots coming up Thursday night on ESPN 1000 of the Bears Radio Network. Thanks for listening, everybody.

Please subscribe now on the Chicago Bears official app, Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. And of course, bear down, everybody.

Raymont Harris reflects on NFL career, shares insight on new book | Bears, etc. Podcast

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