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Why Brandon Williams Hasn’t Taken a Trip to Hawaii Yet | The MMQB NFL Podcast
On this episode of the Shoot Your Shot Podcast With Jonathan Jones on The MMQB NFL Podcast feed, Jones sits down with Ravens NT Brandon Williams to talk about what happened when he learned that he made the NFL Pro Bowl, the kind of music he plays in the locker room, his vacation plans after the NFL season and much more.
(Listen and subscribe to the latest episode of The MMQB NFL Podcast here. The following transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.)
Jonathan Jones: I [introduced you as a] Pro Bowl defensive linemen, and you kind of smiled there right? It was a long time coming, and this past season you were named to the Pro Bowl. This podcast is not about football, but I know that that was a significant moment in your life, right?
Brandon Williams: Definitely.
Jones: Tell me about the moment that you found out that you were in the Pro Bowl.
Williams: The moment I found out that I was in the Pro Bowl, actually, [Ravens VP of Public Relations] Chad Steele called me, and he told me on the phone. Hearing him call me is like, whatever, because he's a good friend, he's a great guy. He was like, "Man, dude, I feel so happy to call and tell you this." And I'm like, "Dude, what?" And he's like, "You made it into the Pro Bowl." And I'm like, "...What?!" And immediately I just start crying. I hung up the phone with him, I'm not crying with him on the phone obviously 'cause you know, I'm a man, but I hung up the phone...
Jones: But you had to get off the phone quickly because the tears were coming.
Brandon Williams: Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah, they were coming, so I'm like, "Thanks appreciate it, I got to tell my wife," and click. And just like I was in my truck at the time and I just bawled.
Jones: Are you driving and bawling?
Williams: No, I wasn't driving and bawling (laughs). I actually had just pulled up into the driveway, and he called me. I like backed up in the driveway, and I'm just sitting there, and I'm just like dude, finally after six years you know, at nose guard, after all the work I put in. You know after you know after everybody saying like nose guards don't make it to the Pro Bowl. Finally you know, I make it and I'll just tell my wife and we start crying and all that stuff. It was just an amazing experience, just a blessing—that's what it was. It was an amazing blessing that God gave me.
Jones: Did I read somewhere that like y'all would not go to Hawaii until you made a Pro Bowl?
Williams: Yep!
Jones: So tell me about that.
Williams: Growing up obviously you've seen the Pro Bowl in Hawaii every year.
Jones: And you're from Missouri.
Williams: I'm from St. Louis, Missouri.
Jones: Very far away from Hawaii.
Williams: Rarely any water unless you go into the lake. We got the Ozarks, I think is the closest thing to us that's water. So seeing that growing up, I'm like, if I ever make it, I want to go to Hawaii. So I got to the league finally, and I'm like alright, I'm not going to Hawaii until I make a Pro Bowl, and then obviously it's not in Hawaii anymore right. It's in Orlando. So I'm like I don't care, I'm still not going to Hawaii until I go to the Pro Bowl. And finally, I made the Pro Bowl but my wife's pregnant at the time so we can't travel really, so finally had our girl, our third kid, baby Rami. And you know now it's time to go to Hawaii. So as soon as the season's over with, I think we're going to take a nice little siesta, a hiatus, and go for a couple weeks and just kind of reconnect.
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