Interview enough NFL players and you come to anticipate certain answers. At some point you’ll hear “I just go out there and give it 100%. ” Then there’s the old classic, “I just want to do my best for this organization.” And every now and then they throw in a “no comment” for good measure. But Charles Grant has seen the ugly side of the NFL. And once you’ve seen what he’s seen, politics takes a backseat to passion.
In a recent interview with chicksinthehuddle.com, the Saints defensive end talked about the upcoming fundraiser for his S.A.C.K. Success Foundation, his humble roots in Colquitt, Georgia, and of course, football. But it was an innocent question I posed to the 7 year vet that seemed to open up a can of worms. The question: “What free agency move surprised you the most?“
“Deuce. That one shocked me. He’s been around that city for a long time. He’s one of those guys you look at as a role model. That made me sick.”
It’s no secret that Deuce McAllister and Grant go way back. Charles was drafted to play with the Saints one season after Deuce. McAllister, the consummate big brother, took Charles and the other rookies under his wing. They’ve been “besties” ever since. Deuce even took part in Charles Grant’s star studded “Boys Night Out” event in Atlanta last year.
“God puts great people in your path and he’s one of those great people that taught me all sorts of things. His brother died… my brother died….He’s one of those people that when things are going bad, I can always talk to him.”
So, just like many of us Saints fans, Charles Grant found the news of Deuce’s release hard to swallow. But contrary to what you’d expect from someone in his position, he had the guts to say it out loud.
“Just for your loyalty to the man, give him a pay cut. Give him a chance to come back from the injury, not somewhere else but in a city he loved to play in. People love him. I didn’t think that was fair. They don’t care about the sweat, the blood, the tears, all the moving around (you) do for an organization. They don’t care. He’d spent 8 years in New Orleans.”
Got goosebumps yet Saints fans? Oh don’t worry, it gets better. You see no matter what you think of Charles Grant, you have to respect his honesty and his loyalty to his teammate. No canned sports answers: not when it comes to someone he didn’t just work with, but cares about.
“In my 7 year career, I’ve seen 150-200 guys come and go. I played with the great ones: Joe Horn, Norman Hand, Darren Howard, Ashley Ambrose…. I played with some great guys who told me how this business is and I didn’t believe it until they cut my man…I can’t control that.”
It seems that when Deuce got the boot, the other shoe dropped for this Saints player who’d hadn’t quite yet accepted the reality of life in the NFL. At the end of the day, it’s a business. Sure the Saints organization respects Deuce and players like him. But respect doesn’t pay the bills.
In the midst of all the drama, Charles Grant says he’s found peace this offseason by getting back into his 2-a-day workout schedule down in Georgia. There’s nothing better than a little t.l.c. and a home-cooked meal from mom in the quiet of the country. Charles is also looking ahead to next season and engaging in a familiar ritual with his teammates.
“Every Thursday night we have a d-line dinner. A different guy treats every week.”
So what’s Charles Grant’s restaurant of choice back in the big easy?
“I love my girls at Two Sisters baby! ( Two Sisters is a soul food restaurant on N. Derbigny). I eat everything man! I like my lil wings, my lil collard greens…whatever. I love good people man.”
One thing Grant likely doesn’t look forward to: the tough talk from many Saints fans who seem to have lost faith in him. Grant says while he gets some of the criticism leveled at the defense, he doesn’t believe all of it is merited.
“They pay season tickets to come and they support us. Some of them though, some really don’t understand. I think some of them are negative for (no) reason.”
As much as this guy opened up, it almost seems hard to believe he’s in the public eye. It was like talking to an old friend or the cool guy in the neighborhood who watches out for everyone. But one more question remained. How many games does Charles Grant think the Saints will win next season?
“Nah…no predictions. I’m not predicting nothing.”
Ahhh yes…the beloved “safe” NFL player answer. Now the interview is complete.
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I got chills.
Once again, nice work. Any interviews coming from our newest Saint, Jabari Greer?
WOW! He took the words right outta my mouth. Only he had an actual relationship with the man. My relationship was only in my head for the last 8 years.
Quit eating chicken and collard greens and get back in shape. We are negative as fans because both C Grant and Will Smith used to be good and now they are out of shape and probably going to be suspended because they went for a quick fix.
@ Greg: You know I’m trying to interview Jabari! I’ve already activated my stalking devices!
@ladysaint: lol!
@RSaint: hmm…sounds like someone o.d’d on the bitter pills this morning! lol!
LOL, maybe Charles Grant should’ve taken a pay-cut on his $20 million GUARANTEED money so that we could have kept Deuce.
His charity stuff is really awesome, too. If he does end up suspended for the first four games, his salary for those 4 weeks will go to charity as per NFL rules, so he’s even more charitable than it seems!
Enough of my being “negative for (no) reason” though.
This was a great interview, there was a lot of stuff about his pre-football life that I really hadn’t seen mentioned in other articles/interviews. Good work, Nola Chick!
Well, if CG thinks the criticism is unjustified then why did he and Smith and Deuce have to take Star Caps to make weight?
Doesn’t he think that shows poor work ethic, poor desire and a lack of commitment?
Oh, and how come he had 10 sacks only once in his career and only been averaging 3 a year since? How does that make him an elite DE?
thanks for the props. the way i see it, love the guy or not, you gotta at least respect his bluntness. and contrary to what a lot of folks have been saying, he’s been engaged in charity work since the start of the career..aka long before he got caught up in a legal mess. a lot more than u can say for a lot of folks.
also, LOVING the name Leon C Simon. My old stomping grounds…
@ marlboro man: i don’t think he thinks it’s unjustified. I get the sense that he completely understands why fans would be disappointed in his performance and how the defense as a whole has performed over the past few seasons. At the same time, I think his point was more that some fans will NEVER be satisfied until the team wins the super bowl. And I don’t think he has a beef with that so much. He just feels like even if the defense were pulling its weight, certain fans would still find something to pick at.
Just my take on his comments…
Grant needs to learn some of those canned answers. Showing that amount of disrespect for your employers can not bode well in the long term, especially for a guy who is achieving below his contract…
We pay you’ll salary and I would have like to see the Saints cut your non-sacking over weight over paid butt
I can understand how some people can perceive cutting McCallister as a slap in the face. BUT, it was the right business decision. I hate to see Duece in any other uniform than a Saints one, but it is the hard reality of the situation. I can’t read the coaches and decision makers minds but had the Saints been in a more tenable position concerning CG, he may have very well found himself being cut, too. And IMO, that would have been the right business decision as well. I’m a big ATL Braves fan, and seeing Smoltz in a Red Sox cap is going to suck, but business is business. The Saints are the organization that have afforded Grant The lifestyle he now maintains. Not saying he couldn’t have done it some other way, but I don’t think I’ve heard the Saints openly bad-mouth Grant, despite his less than stellar performance. Maybe blame can be spread around. And honesty is always good, but “made me sick” might not be the best choice of words to be levied against the team that pays your bills. A little mutual respect would be nice.