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On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Reggie Williams, former NFL linebacker, college hall-of-famer, Cincinnati City Council member and co-author of Resilient By Nature: Reflections from a Life of Winning On and Off the Football Field.
If you thought spending 14 years in the National Football League would be a highlight of Williams’ life thus far, you would be mistaken. Among the most memorable moments was when he envisioned a multi-sport complex for an iconic corporate brand, and when he saved the National Football League from an embarrassment for being insensitive to inner-city concerns during the Super Bowl by coming up with Youth Education Town, a multi-purpose education and recreation center built in South-Central Los Angeles.
Williams talks about growing up in Flint, Michigan; his 14-year career in the NFL; his Ivy League education; his multiple knee replacements; working for the Disney Company; and serving on Cincinnati City Council.