NewRoc Now

I am delighted to submit this post written by Plaxico Burress especially for the 5 or 7 readers of New Roc Now.  Plax is a little scared of blogging software so he asked me to post this up in the hope that Santonio Holmes is one of the 5 or 7 daily readers of our blog.  I have a certificate of authenticity if anyone cares to see it…..

Yo Santonio, wazzup!??  It’s me, your homeboy, Plax.  I saw your catch last night and I can’t help but reminisce about my good fortunes in last years superbowl.  My catch, which was better than yours, propelled us to victory as well.  Life never seemed as sweet.   Everyone loved me, money was pouring in, I did interview after interview, I was on every media outlet you could imagine and women were throwing themselves at me.   I was the darling of New York City and honestly, I felt like I was floating half the time, it was that surreal.

I am pretty sure that you will find this to be an equally as exciting and interesting time as well.  You will be the king of Pittsburgh, you will be on cereal boxes, highlight reels forever and the moola will be flowin!   In the rush of it all I sincerely hope that you will find solace in my advice, given to you as a brother-in-arms, one who has walked this path.

Enough preample, here are my top suggestions.

1) Get serious about a press agent.   Choose the media outlets that suit your business goals.  Don’t sacrifice your desire for constant exposure for media outlets that will make you look cheap and desperate.

2)  Practice your interview responses!  You can easily anticipate the questions from these nimrod reporters.  I used to jot  down questions along with canned answers on 3 x 5 index cards (4 x 6 can be too big for a suit pocket so be careful!) that I would practice all the time.   Avoid ‘you knows’ and ‘ums’ and other distracting pauses.  This is your audition for the next level.  You can’t play football forever but if you can articulate your thoughts with precision and enthusiasm a lucrative career in broadcasting could await.

3) CLOTHES, CLOTHES, CLOTHES! I can’t say enough about this one.  Every step is  stage for you now.  Dress respectfully and toned down.  Even though you make more money than all the meathead fans in the entire stadium combined, don’t remind them of it.  There will be a time to wear $20,000 suits and $5,000 shoes again, but for now, keep it clean and subdued.  Believe me, this will help you a great deal with future endorsement deals.

4) Odor is your enemy.  Smell nice all the time, avoid coffee and keep mouthwash nearby. Chew gum frequently but never in front of cameras.   The last thing you want to do is scare off a reporter with dragon breath.

5) Trust your inner-circle.  You know who your friends have been, you know your supporters, you know who shares your common goals and you know who has your back. Don’t forget these people, don’t back stab them - stay connected as the storm will die down and you don’t want to be alone.

6) HAVE FUN!!  Enjoy the ride baby, it is amazing.

7) Don’t shoot yourself in the leg and end your career.

That’s it for now, bro.  I love ya and I sincerely hope that we can spend some quiet time together before my sentencing.

Peace and Love,

Plax