5 Surgeries,1 Lesson: The 100% Injury Rate the League Won’t Say Out Loud - Kavon Frazier | DSH #1596

Summary

Podcast Summary: Digital Social Hour

Episode: 5 Surgeries, 1 Lesson: The 100% Injury Rate the League Won’t Say Out Loud - Kavon Frazier | DSH #1596
Date: November 1, 2025
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Kavon Frazier (aka K Black Simba), former NFL Safety, entrepreneur

---

Overview of Main Theme

This episode dives deep into the realities of life as a professional football player, particularly the unspeakable prevalence of injuries in the NFL, the volatile business side of the league, and the journey of rediscovering identity post-retirement. Kavon Frazier opens up about his own experiences—five surgeries, abrupt team cuts, and emotional struggles—while sharing lessons in resilience, purpose, and faith. The conversation provides unfiltered insight into both the hardships and opportunities of pro sports, and how they've shaped his second act as an entrepreneur and mentor.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life After Football: Rediscovering Purpose (02:00–04:45)

• Kavon moved into retirement in 2022 and candidly discusses the common "identity crisis" athletes face when their playing days end.
  • “I did have a lot of time to sit down and really try to figure out who I am. And that was like my biggest... that’s what I really value the most with being out of football now... is really figuring out who I am as a man.” – K Black Simba [02:12]
• Notes that his smooth transition was helped by having interests and business ventures outside of football.

2. Short NFL Careers & the Importance of Networking (03:01–05:53)

• Highlights the shockingly short NFL career average (~2.3 years) and how important it is to form relationships during that brief window.
  • "Nobody want to talk to you while you retire, right?... If you made those relationships while you was playing, that’s what mean the most.” – K Black Simba [04:45]
• Reflects on not being fully aware during his playing days that the end comes swiftly and unexpectedly for most athletes.

3. The Painful Business of Getting Cut (05:53–09:50)

• Kavon details his unexpected release after a preseason injury and how teams manipulate the business rules to their favor.
  • “If I would have not played, they wouldn’t have been able to cut me—[I’d be] hurt... But since I went in and actually tried to play, they use that as ammo... ‘Hey, this guy was healthy.'” – K Black Simba [07:56]
• He also discusses the politics of joining a new team as a veteran and how organizations prioritize their own draft picks.

4. 100% Injury Rate: The NFL’s Hidden Truth (11:31–13:48)

• Kavon pulls no punches about the brutality of football:
  • "He just got to know... what he's signing up for. Like, you know, you going to get hurt. Like, it's 100% injury rate, right? So, you know, don't be surprised." – K Black Simba [11:31]
  • He reveals he's had five surgeries—both knees, both shoulders, foot, and a torn pectoral—and the toll continues post-career.
  • "You get anything done in your knees, bro, like, it's never going to be the same." – K Black Simba [13:13]

5. Hooping and Athletics After Football (13:48–16:11)

• Kavon and Sean bond over basketball and how athletic principles such as perseverance translate into business.
• They discuss the mindset of pushing through discomfort and how that shapes success in all areas of life.

6. Burnout vs. Passion (16:43–18:46)

• Both men agree that true passion makes burnout almost impossible:
  • "I don't know if I necessarily believe in burnout, bro... if God is really giving you a vision for something or he really giving you that gift to pursue something, you know, I just don't think that you'll get burnt out." – K Black Simba [17:17]
  • Sean concurs, only seeing burnout when people aren’t passionate about their work.

7. Business After the NFL: Built For It (19:09–29:28)

• Kavon didn’t have a clear financial roadmap post-NFL but capitalized on needs he had as an athlete, creating a facility ("Built For It") catering to hands-on recovery and training for pros.
  • "I was seeing that, you know, I needed somebody to take care of my body... It’ll be dope to have everything in one. Right? Training, PT, chiropractic, massage.” – K Black Simba [27:14]
• Emphasizes the power of solving problems you’ve experienced first-hand—his business grew from his own need for comprehensive body care during his playing days.

8. The NFL, Meritocracy, and Team Dynamics (19:36–25:32)

• Kavon expresses disillusionment with the notion that skill and effort alone determine success in the NFL:
  • "The best player don't always play... if this guy's a safety and they paying him, right, four times the amount that they paying me... He gonna get the first op to play, right?" [21:11]
• Reveals the hidden dynamic of comparing oneself to teammates and even rooting for them to fail, as a twisted byproduct of competition:
  • "That's one thing I hate about the NFL... You start comparing yourself with other people... My own teammate, if I see him miss a tackle... I would be, like, a little bit happy on the inside... Just because, like, we in competition.” – K Black Simba [22:52 & 23:15]

9. Faith and Grounding (30:23–31:49)

• Kavon closes by sharing his faith and its centrality to his post-football journey:
  • “God is the most important aspect in our lives... me finding myself was first me or God finding me.” – K Black Simba [30:24]
  • He stresses the necessity of a spiritual foundation amid the noise and complexity of modern life.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the business side of football:
  “The business side of it kind of messed it up for me a lot. So I wanted to make sure I ended the game just like I started it. With joy.” – K Black Simba [10:12]

• On player vs. player competition:
  “If you rooting against your own teammate or you thinking negative against your own teammate and you want him to do bad, naturally, like, you know, you’re probably gonna not be ready to play as well.” – K Black Simba [24:16]

• On entrepreneurship and problem-solving:
  “My businesses that I have now is literally a God given... Him just giving it to me... it just went from one thing to another.” – K Black Simba [25:51]

• On faith and discernment:
  “What type of information is true and what’s not and what do you base the truth off? ...The Bible gives us... that source to go back to. To really decipher, like right or wrong.” – K Black Simba [31:03]

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Identity Crisis Post-NFL: 02:00–04:45
• First Cut & NFL Business: 05:53–09:50
• The Truth About Injuries: 11:31–13:48
• Entrepreneurship—Built For It: 19:09–29:28
• NFL’s Internal Competition: 21:11–25:32
• Faith and Refinding Self: 30:23–31:49

---

Closing Thoughts

This episode offers raw insight into the untold truths of an NFL career—the physical toll, the harsh business realities, and the difficult journey of navigating life after football. Kavon Frazier's humility, candor, and faith-driven approach shed light on both the costs and possibilities of life as a professional athlete. His core message: Know the league is ruthless, invest in yourself beyond the field, build your tribe, and root your identity in something deeper than your career.

Transcript

[Audible Narrator]

The wait is over. Dive into Audible's most anticipated collection, the best of 2025. Featuring top audiobooks, podcasts, and originals across all genres, Our editors have carefully curated this year's must listens. From brilliant hidden gems to the buzziest new releases, every title in this collection has earned its spot. This is your go to for the absolute best in 2025 audio entertainment. Whether you love thrillers, romance or non, your next favorite listen awaits. Discover why there's more to imagine when you [e-mail] BestOfTheYear this is one thing.

[K Black Simba]

I hate about the NFL. You start comparing yourself with other people and I start finding myself doing that a lot. My own teammate, if I see him miss a tackle, the whole fans be mad. Everybody be genuinely mad. And I would be like a little bit happy on the inside just because we in competition, but that's like just a byproduct of like, what the business side of it does.

[Podcast Host]

All right, guys, we got K on here today. Caught him right before the celebrity poker tournament. You ready for tonight, man?

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, man, I think so. I think so. My father in law, he gave me some advice.

[Podcast Host]

So, yeah.

[K Black Simba]

So I'mma stick. I'm. I'mma stick with his advice for sure.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Tournaments, you got to play different, right?

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, bro. I played the last one and, you know, I try to play normal, like my normal style, but I feel like you got to be a little bit more patient.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

Right in the tournament.

[Podcast Host]

Absolutely.

[K Black Simba]

This one, I'm gonna sit back and chill a little bit more.

[Podcast Host]

Let's get it. How's life been since retiring in 22? Been a few years now. You had a lot of time to think about it.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Where are you at with that journey, man?

[K Black Simba]

It's been good, bro. It's been good. You know, a lot of guys, you know, even me, like, a lot of guys went through or go through that, like, identity crisis type of phase, and they right as they're phasing out. And I went through it. Mine wasn't as extreme just because I already had something I was working on outside of football.

But I did have a lot of time to sit down and really try to figure out who I am. And that was like my biggest.

Honestly, that's what I really value the most with being out of football now.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

Is really figuring out who I am as a man.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I know you had a podcast back in the day talking about that purpose, right?

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, the podcast was simply. And we stopped it, we paused it just because, you know, our schedule is Scheduling conflicts. But it was talking about the challenges that athletes go through as they transition out and bringing awareness to it. I mean, I think that's the biggest thing. Like, guys don't really, while they're in it, they don't realize that, you know, it's going to come to an end. Even though, like, man, football is that one sport to where it's going to be. It's shorter. Like, like, like people. The lifespan of an NFL player is shorter than NBA or mlb. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Two years, right?

[K Black Simba]

Like that.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

I mean, yeah.

[Podcast Host]

I mean, I think I looked it up. It was like 2.3 years, right?

[K Black Simba]

Some guys, bro, I see some guys that's only playing play for a year and then they got to go over or to the CFL or. Right. I mean, guys don't really play in the league long. Yeah, right. So. But you know, you know, I had the privilege to play six years. You know, I was five years before, you know, I had my first cut. And.

When that first cut came, like, it was almost like.

It was shocking, bro. Like, like. And I talked to a couple other guys that's going through that same. In that same phase now. And it's almost like you don't even know what to do when you get cut first. Right. So.

So, yeah, bro, I think football is definitely that sport to where guys don't really fully understand that. Hey, you gotta make the most of it, right? You know, on and off the field while you're in it.

[Podcast Host]

Absolutely. It's so interesting to me because you dedicate your whole life. You were probably playing like 20 years and then the average career is two years.

[K Black Simba]

That's crazy.

[Podcast Host]

So you're putting 20 years just to work for two years. That's crazy, right?

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, yeah, bro, it's 20 years. I mean, really, most people play for about 20 years and then two years is the. Yeah, is. It's a crazy perspective.

But, you know, it can be beautiful at the same time, Right. If you make the most out of it. You know, I would like to say I did a pretty good job at it, building relationships while I was in the league. Because nobody want to talk to you while you retire, right. They see you watch. Some people think that you washed up, right?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

And they see the stats of all these guys going broke after they're done playing.

But if you made those relationships while you was playing, that's what mean the most, right? So, you know, in Dallas, you know, I was able to make some pretty good relationships while I was playing. That still. It's still ongoing now.

[Podcast Host]

Nice. That's good that you had that mindset. Right? So you're already thinking ahead, man.

[K Black Simba]

You know what, man? I don't even know if I really even had that mindset. Right. I just think that.

God allowed me to be in multiple different rooms in different situations when I was younger. So, you know, I naturally just progressed to that. But I don't think that was, like, my main thought process while I was playing. I was still, like, doing the things that the younger guys do with the mindset of not really understanding that this thing is going to come to an end. Right. So.

But I think God blessed me and put me in those different seats and gave me opportunities just to. To be able to teach guys what not to do now. Right, if that makes sense.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I love it. You said that first cut really caught you off guard. Was that due to, like, an injury or what exactly happened when you got cut, man?

[K Black Simba]

You know, it was actually a crazy situation, and I. I don't even know if I told this story too many times, bro. I was in Cincinnati. I played for the Cowboys for four years. Played cover year. It was with the. I was with. I was in Miami. And then.

I had another shoulder surgery after Miami, and the Dolphins or the. The Bengals picked me up, you know, in the middle, well, at the beginning of summer, OTAs and stuff like that. So I went there, and I was actually playing pretty well. But you could still tell if you ever was in a locker room. Like, you could tell if the coaches rock with you or not, right?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

And I could tell, like, the coaches really didn't. I could tell they really didn't fuck with me. So.

You know, it was just more motivation to me to just to go out and play and make plays. Right. So our first preseason game, man, I think I had. I really only had three attempts on special teams, and I had three special team tackles.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[K Black Simba]

And then I had, you know, on defense, I had an interception, right? So, you know, I had all these. And very minimum amount of plays. And then the. And at the end of that game, I ended up. I get a thigh bruise, right? So, you know, if you ever had a thigh bruise playing football, you really can't. You can't navigate with a thigh bruise, Right. So the next preseason game was preseason game two. You know, I really. I couldn't. I really shouldn't have been playing. I couldn't play. And they was trying to push me to go play. And I should have known, right. I should have understood the business side of it at the time, but, you know, I didn't. I was young. I went in and I played, and I played like, two snaps and was like, man, I can't play. I can't really move my. I can't really move my knees like that.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

And came out the next day. They cut me. Damn right. If I would have not played, they wouldn't have been able to cut. You hurt. Right. So it would have had to be, like, a settlement or something like that. But since I went in and actually tried to play, they use that as ammo. Holy. Yeah. Hey, this guy was healthy, right? He.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[K Black Simba]

You know what I mean? So, yeah, bro, I haven't told that story to nobody else, I don't think.

[Podcast Host]

Damn. Thanks for opening up so that. That, to me, is like, the politics of the sport. You said the coach didn't like you. Maybe they invested a lot of money in someone else that had your position. Right?

[K Black Simba]

Yeah. I mean, but it's also the nature of the game. I mean, just imagine, like, you know, I'm a year six, and I'm at a new team with new coaches. They didn't pay me, right? So I'm not one of their guys. And they had six other years of draft picks right after me or five of the years of draft picks after me. Like, they already got the guys at that time. Right. So you coming in and you trying to, you know, turn some heads. Right.

It just don't always happen.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[K Black Simba]

Because teams already have their guys. When you go in as a. As a vet.

[Podcast Host]

Damn.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And then you couldn't get on another roster after that.

[K Black Simba]

I mean, I played for the Raiders, and that was my last year, but that was that same year, but it was later in the season. And, you know, I told myself as I was going in with the Raiders, like, hey, I'm just about to have fun like this my last year. I'm done.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, so you already were checked out?

[K Black Simba]

Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, bro, imagine not.

Like somebody closing your podcast station down for 10 weeks, right? And you just have to figure out something else. Right? And that was me, right? They. I didn't get signed for, like, 10 weeks throughout that season. It was a 20, 21 season.

The first, like, 10 weeks, I wasn't signed. So, you know, I already. I already moved on to business. I was still working out, Right. I was waiting for opportunity, but I already was fully invested in my business, Right?

And then once I got signed, I'm like, hey, this is. I'm just gonna go out with a bang, right? You know, I want to finish this game Just like I started it.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

And I started it with joy. Right. I enjoyed it. Right. I was a kid and, you know, in the middle, like, the business side of it kind of messed it up for me a lot. So I wanted to make sure I ended the game just like I started it.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Would you ever let your kid play in the NFL?

[K Black Simba]

I mean, I got four daughters, so, I mean, but, you know, if God blesses us enough to do have a boy or to have a boy, eventually. Yeah.

[Sponsor Announcer]

I would shout out to today's sponsor, Quince. As the weather cools, I'm swapping in the pieces that actually gets the job done. That are warm, durable, and built to last. Quince delivers every time with. With wardrobe staples that'll carry you through the season. They have fall staples that you'll actually want to wear, like the 100 Mongolian cashmere for just $60. They also got classic fit denim and real leather and wool outerwear that looks sharp and holds up. By partnering directly with ethical factories and top artisans, Quince cuts out the middleman to deliver premium quality at half the cost of similar brands. They've really become a go to across the board. You guys know how I love linen and how I've talked about it on previous episodes. I picked up some linen pants, and they feel incredible. The quality is definitely noticeable compared to other brands. Layer up this fall with pieces that.

[Podcast Host]

Feel as good as they look.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Go to quint.comdsh for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. They're also available in Canada, too.

[K Black Simba]

I mean, he just got to know, you know, what he's signing up for. Like, you know, you going to get hurt. Like, it's 100% injury rate, right? So, you know, don't be surprised.

Right, if. If it's a major injury, right? I have five. I have five surgeries. So you just got to prepare for that, though, right? And you gotta work, like, don't be like, you know, I got hurt, but I was the one that was delivering the pain, right? I was hitting other people, and that's why I got hurt, right? But it would have been worse if I was on the other side of that, right? If somebody was delivering a pain to me, right? It could have. It could be real dangerous, right? So, you know, I just won't want my son to understand that. Like, you know, once you on this field, like, you know, it really turns to war. Like, you gotta flip that switch.

[Podcast Host]

Damn. Five surgeries. That's crazy.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, I have five surgeries.

[Podcast Host]

Which one was the Worst?

[K Black Simba]

I mean, I don't know. I mean, I have foot, knee, knee, Both knees. Not. Nothing like. No, like acos or anything. And then both shoulders, and then one of my shoulders, I tore my peck.

[Podcast Host]

Jeez.

[K Black Simba]

His shoulder, you know, it was like a bank cart, so it chipped off bone when it dislocated. I mean, the shoulders was cool. Like, the recovery is just kind of hard because you got to sleep in a recliner and stuff like that.

The peck is obviously the most tedious. Like, it took the longest to heal, right. Because I tore that off the bone cheese. And then both my knees, I would say those are the worst because those are the ones that I'm having issues with continually, continuously now.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, right now you are.

[K Black Simba]

I mean, you get anything done in your knees, bro, like, it's never going to be the same.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[K Black Simba]

Like, it's. It's just the nature of that joint, right? Even if it's a small scope like I had, you know, you. You just always gonna have, you know, pretty tender knees after that. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Damn. So you. You never felt the same after those knee surgeries?

[K Black Simba]

Nope. Never. I mean, it's. I can still sprint, right? I could still move, but, you know, you got a lot of. You get a lot of aches and pains. You know what I mean? I get them in my shoulders, too, but not as bad as my knees.

[Podcast Host]

I feel that. You still hooping? I know you used to play basketball, too.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, yeah. Not. Not as much.

Man. I get super sore from hooping, bro. Yeah, hooping is like a whole different.

[Podcast Host]

Animal of a workout, especially outdoors, right?

[K Black Simba]

I've never really hooped outdoors. If I'm hooping, they got to be indoors. They got to be on a court, a real court. But yeah, bro, it's just a different workout. It's different movements.

Yeah, bro, I haven't hooped in a while.

[Podcast Host]

If you're in town tomorrow morning, I'll bring you to Lifetime.

[K Black Simba]

All right, cool. So we might have to get it in.

[Podcast Host]

You can still dunk or what?

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, yeah, I guess they'll dunk. I guess.

[Podcast Host]

You still got bounce?

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, yeah, for sure. I don't have my hooping shoes, but. Oh, you might have to get it.

[Podcast Host]

What size are you?

[K Black Simba]

12.

[Podcast Host]

I got you. I got you. I Bet I'm a 13, but I might have a 12 somewhere. I love hooping, bro. That's my favorite sport.

[K Black Simba]

You grew up hooping?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I played AAU and stuff.

[K Black Simba]

Okay.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I. A lot of my mindset in business actually comes from sports and basketball. Like Helped me a lot in business.

[K Black Simba]

What's the mindset, if you don't mind hard work?

[Podcast Host]

Perseverance. I was never the best kid at first on the team, but through hard work and perseverance, I would. By the end of the season, I would be like, one of the best. Yeah, I was never athletic, so I had to really work.

[K Black Simba]

He was in that corner.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah. I was a mid range shooter.

[K Black Simba]

Okay.

[Podcast Host]

Back when I was growing up, threes weren't hot. I think Steph Curry kind of made it hot, you know, now everyone's just chucking up threes.

[K Black Simba]

Right, right, right.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. But yeah, I was also a track runner and, man, you need good mindset to be a good runner, man.

[K Black Simba]

Track is different, bro. Track is different. That's one thing that I picked up. Well, I mean, I grew up running track, but I picked up running long distance now a little bit, which is probably why my knees hurt a little bit. But.

And that has been one of the biggest challenges, like running, like, for a long time. Right. I mean, I'm not running no 5k or nothing, but, you know, I'll run for. I run a mile, right? And then I'll pause and I run another mile and stuff like that.

I feel like that teaches you a lot about yourself too, and I think you can. You build a lot of resilience, right? You build a lot of like perseverance pushing through the hard times when you really are running. I mean, bro, especially in Texas. Like, we running in like 100 degree heat, right?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, it's hot out there. Humid too.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah. So I do like running too. That's dope.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I, Yeah, I could run a mile in four, 40, half mile and.

[K Black Simba]

Oh, so you run and running?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah.

[K Black Simba]

I was like, yeah, see, I ain't doing that. I'm. I'm like eight minutes.

[Podcast Host]

Nah, like I said though, when I got joined the team, my mile was probably like seven, eight, nothing crazy. And then by the end of my junior senior year, I was the best kid on the team and it was all hard work and perseverance. But you, you really ought to be locked in, man. You would run 10 miles a day straight. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[K Black Simba]

But that's a blessing, though. I mean, I think that's one of your gifts though, because you can even see it on the podcast. Yeah, he's talking about an episode every day.

[Podcast Host]

Like, oh, at least. Yeah, I filmed 50amonth.

[K Black Simba]

That's crazy. Yeah, I mean, like, you gotta have a different type of mindset to do something like that, right? Like, you Gotta be like, see the vision. Right? And be fully invested in making that accomplishment.

[Podcast Host]

Exactly. And people ask me about burnout, and I don't get that because I'm so passionate. And I feel like this is impacting so many people that I don't ever get burnt out. Like, I just feel like this is so important, you know?

[K Black Simba]

Yeah. I don't know if I necessarily believe in burnout, bro. Really, if it's your.

Because, because, you know, I get some employees that ask, like, if we're going through an interview process, and, you know, if they bring up burnout in the interview process, like, you know, I probably won't hire.

[Podcast Host]

Wow, that's funny.

[K Black Simba]

But just because, you know, if I'm being real, like, you know, like, I understand, right. At a young age and your parents push you to do something that, like, they want you to do, and that creates burnout. But if you're really passionate about something, bro, if you, if, if, if, if. If God is really giving you a vision for something or he really giving you that gift to pursue something, you know, I just don't think that you'll get burnt up.

[Podcast Host]

Agreed.

[K Black Simba]

Now, I do think that, you know, everybody should rest, right? You know, I think rest is really important, right? That you should dedicate a day to rest. Right. Or, you know, some people dedicate a whole week to rest, right? But you should have, like, a sabbatical. I do think that's important. But, you know, I don't think that.

You know, you'll get burnt out if you don't. I just think that that's something that is necessary to do.

[Podcast Host]

100. I agree. I think it's a hot take for some people to hear this, but, like, when you're working a job and you're not passionate about it, that's where I think you could get burnt out, because you don't.

[K Black Simba]

100.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, but if you're doing what you do, you know, with the business, you're doing a lot of real estate, right?

[K Black Simba]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

You probably love doing that.

[K Black Simba]

I mean, bro, it. I'm passionate about it, right? Because I'm helping people. You know, my other business built for is. Is my main business. That's what I spend, you know, probably about 90%, 80% of my time on. And the real estate is the other 20%. But, you know, I'm helping people. I'm seeing guys coming up, you know, in the draft class that.

Is very similar to me, right? I'm seeing guys that's very naive about the NFL and very ignorant about the business side. Of the NFL, and that's how I came in, right? So, you know, I get to really pour into these guys, right? I get to really help these guys. So, yeah, bro, I'm super passionate about it. So. So just like what you were saying, if you're passionate about something, bro, it's. I just don't think that it's. It's almost impossible to get burnt out of it.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I love that. So when you say you were naive, did you just think your skill was enough to make any team? Like, what do you mean by naive?

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, bro, I mean.

Just the whole business side of the NFL, it kind of disappointed me a little bit, right? And now, don't. Don't get me wrong, like, I'm extremely grateful. Like, I.

Extremely grateful, bro, Of. Of. Of being able to have that opportunity and being able to have that on my resume and to see what it has done for my life and my family, like, now, right? Like, extremely, extremely grateful. But going into it, I wish I would have had a mentor or somebody to. To tell me what to expect going into it, right? Like, my first NFL game, real NFL game ever going to was me playing in it, right? So I never really.

I never really had anybody or. Or nobody in my family to, like, talk to me about, hey, this is what you got to go in. Like, this is what to expect. None of my college coaches, right. You know, I went to a small school, so we didn't have a lot of people making it to the league, right?

Yeah, bro. So, you know, I wish I would have understood a little bit more about the business side in that before I went into it, just because, like, once I learned about it, you know, I was kind of, like, heartbroken a little bit, right? Because, you know, I know it's for money. I know you playing for money. I know, like.

Right. It's the. It's the most competitive league in. Right. In the world. But, you know, the best player don't always play, right? Like, if. If you with somebody, if. If I'm a safety and this guy's a safety and they paying him, right. Four times the amount that they paying me, right? Yeah, they gonna play him. He gonna get the first op to play, right? And I just. I just never really experienced that, bro. So it was, like, almost a shock to me, and I feel like. Because I reacted and not really responded.

My reaction just wasn't right.

[Podcast Host]

I feel that.

[K Black Simba]

Right. It was a little bit immature. So I wish I knew what I was going into before or at least had some sort of an idea yeah. So I can prepare myself on that. Right. And I just didn't do a good job preparing myself for, like, that respect.

[Podcast Host]

For admitting that, first of all. But, yeah, that. That makes a lot of sense. It must be frustrating knowing that you're more talented than the person playing ahead of you. Right?

[K Black Simba]

But they're getting paid more and not even talented, bro. Like, you know.

I knew I was working harder than all these players, right?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

I knew not only I was working harder, that when I was getting the opportunity, I was making plays. Right. And everybody knew it. Right. But just because, you know, this coach might like this guy better or, you know, they named him a captain at the beginning of the season, or they. They paying him a little bit more than they playing me. Like, they got to play him. Right. He gotta get the first opportunity. And, you know, it almost created this.

This is one thing I hate about the NFL, is it almost.

It teaches you. Well, not teaches you. You start comparing yourself with other people. And I think that's. Once you get into that type of a mindset, it's just all downhill from there, Right. Cause you're not even being yourself anymore. You comparing yourself to this other guy.

[Podcast Host]

Right?

[K Black Simba]

Right. So. And I start finding myself doing that a lot, right? My own teammate, if I see him miss a tackle, right, the whole fans be mad. Everybody be genuinely mad. And I would be, like, you know, a little bit happy on the inside, right? Just because, like, we in competition and. But that's, like, just a byproduct of, like, what the business side of it does. All right, people.

[Podcast Host]

Damn. No, that's. Yeah, that's so interesting. Like, you're rooting against your own teammate, kind of.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, bro. And it sucks, though, right? Like, I. I don't want to do that no more. Right. Like, I wish I knew what I knew now. Or I wish I had this mindset that I have now and knew what I knew about the NFL now, and I could go and redo it, right? Just because naturally, if you rooting against your own teammate or you thinking negative against your own teammate and you want him to do bad, naturally, like, you know, you're probably going to not be ready to play as well. Right?

[Podcast Host]

Right. The mind is super powerful, right?

[K Black Simba]

So.

So, yeah, bro, it's a lot of guys in the NFL that has that mindset.

[Podcast Host]

Damn, I didn't even know that of.

[K Black Simba]

The business side of it. Like, everybody want to feed their family, bro. Everybody want to go out here and make money, and the only way to make money is if you own that Field. Right. But if this guy's on the field and you not, and you genuinely. You truly think that you better than him. Right. Like, you have that type of mindset. Yeah, that makes sense.

[Podcast Host]

No, it does. Like we said earlier, you're putting your whole life into this one of yours.

[K Black Simba]

Right.

[Podcast Host]

They want to be given the spotlight. Right.

[K Black Simba]

100.

[Podcast Host]

That's crazy. That's a crazy dynamic because you want the team to be united, but at the same time they're dealing with, you know.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, bro. And that's what, you know, I love the Cowboys. That's my. That's my favorite team.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

But I feel like you see that a lot with the Cowboys. It's like because of the business side is so powerful, because the brand is so powerful.

It doesn't bring any unity with. Within the team. Like every. It's like every player see they selves as.

As a CEO. Right. Every player see they selves as their own business within this organization. As you should to a certain extent. But, you know, at some point, y' all got to come together as a team.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

We got to play football.

[Podcast Host]

Absolutely. We'll end off with some business stuff. Did you have anyone guiding you on investing the money you made in the NFL?

[K Black Simba]

Nah, bro. Not really, bro.

You know, we go through financial advisors and stuff like that. Right. You know, I have five different financial advisors throughout my.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[K Black Simba]

Five or six, so. But no, not really, bro. Honestly, bro, my businesses that I have now is literally a God given. Like him just putting me in this role. Like him just giving it to me. Like, it was like I didn't have this crazy vision or anything. Like, you know, a lot of people have, right. Or they say they have. It was really like God just like, hey, like, you know, he gave me an opportunity, I took it. And you know, it just went from one thing to another. Right.

[Podcast Host]

So it wasn't even planned.

[K Black Simba]

My business that I have now, neither of them is where it was planned. Right. It just kind of fell into my lap and I just capitalized on it in that season. Right. I did kind of see what was needed. Right. So for instance, like.

How do I say this? I want to say anything that I'm not supposed to, but you know, in the NFL.

You gotta think about it. It's like 53 guys on the team, right. How can you give all these 53 guys, like the best, you know, medical treatment, the best, like hands on therapy and stuff like that? You just can't. Like with, you know, four different athletic trainers, you can't.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

So when I was in the league my first couple years. I was seeing that, you know, I needed somebody to take care of my body. I needed a massage therapist, a physical therapist, a good chiropractor, and all of us was going to a whole nother place outside of the facility just to take care of our body. Right. So, you know, I was like, man, it'll be dope to have everything in one. Right? Training pt, chiropractic massage. Right. So these guys can literally come here in the off season. They be there. Some. Some guys be there the whole day, and they work out, they shower, they see our physical therapist, they see our chiropractor and our massage therapist. But these guys in season, they're coming out of practice and they're coming right to the facility, and that's what I was doing at this other place. But it was built off of a need of these players needed to have more treatment, if that makes sense.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. No, so you basically. Yeah. You solved an issue that you had as a player.

[K Black Simba]

Right.

[Podcast Host]

So when you retired, you knew that they still had that issue. Right.

[K Black Simba]

100 smart.

[Podcast Host]

That's how all the best businesses are solved. They see a big problem and they. They solve it.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, no, no, I mean, that. That was. And then obviously, you know, it was a little bit. I mean, I wouldn't say it was selfish thinking, but I. I did wanted a place for myself to. To work out at as well, too. I was going to all these other places, paying crazy amounts of money to train. Right. I will. I thought it would be dope to have my own spot, so, you know, and from there, bro, it just grew.

[Podcast Host]

I love it. Yeah, that's in Dallas.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, Our two locations in Dallas.

[Podcast Host]

Nice. Yeah, you got to make one in Vegas, man.

[K Black Simba]

Man. We had a partner out here that we was partnering with, but that partnership kind of fell through. Over.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because there's lifetime out here is packed, dude.

[K Black Simba]

Like, you got lifetime. You got a project. Well being.

[Podcast Host]

That's a good one. Yeah. Sean Fritz. Shout out to him. He's been on the show. Yeah, I might join that one.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, we was good buddies that went. Or. Because, you know, he was with the. The Raiders.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, he was like the therapist at the race.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, sick. Yeah, that spot's probably the best in Vegas.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah. Yeah, they got some good stuff. They got a lot of equipment, though. They got equipment everywhere.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, it's, like, amazing there, right?

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, bro. It's crazy.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Well, dude, it's been really cool. Good luck tonight. Where can people find you?

[K Black Simba]

You talking about like on ig?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, on social media.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, bro. People can just go on. My IG is K underscore K A Y underscore Black Simba. Yeah, bro. My ig, my Twitter. And then, you know, if y' all want to find our business is builtfor it.com b y o t the number4it.com.

[Podcast Host]

Awesome.

[K Black Simba]

And I appreciate you having me on here, bro. You know, I. I see everything that you're doing in the podcast space and it's dope.

[Podcast Host]

All right?

[K Black Simba]

It's dope because you not only, you know, I know this might go a little bit over, but like, you're not only focusing on like one genre, Right. You touching on a lot of different things.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

And I think that's dope, bro.

[Podcast Host]

That's the goal, man. I want to get all the messages out there.

[K Black Simba]

Yeah, yeah. And my message, right. Because I did tell you that I won't come on here unless I can't share the gospel.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[K Black Simba]

Talk about God, you know, and that's my message, bro. God is the most important aspect in our lives. And as we was transition, as I was transitioning out the league, you know, me finding myself was first me or God finding me. Right. So, you know, as I'm talking to these athletes, like who's in the league and about the transition and even the younger athletes, it's really important for them to try to get that relationship with God first.

[Podcast Host]

I love it.

[K Black Simba]

You know, and that's is not only an opinion, is what I've learned from experience.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I can tell. It really got. It's important to you. It guides your decision making process.

[K Black Simba]

I mean, it keeps you grounded, bro. Like we was just talking about it, all this stuff on social media, so many different teachers, there's so many books out here of people who may or may not have been successful. Right. Some people just get successful off they book. Right. And then they sell it. Right. You know what I mean? It's like, what do you. What type of information is true and what's not and what do you base the truth off? Right. And you know, the Bible gives us. I mean, it gives me that source to go back to. To really decipher, like right or wrong.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, right.

[K Black Simba]

Or to.

Yeah. To decipher or discern right or wrong. Right. So.

That'S my biggest thing, bro. It's like, you know, I told you, bro, if I'm talking on any podcast, like, I won't ever talk on the podcast if they won't let me talk about that.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I never try to limit my guests, so thanks for sharing that, man. Thank you. Yeah. And check him out on social media, guys, and hopefully he wins tonight. See you next time.

[K Black Simba]

I appreciate it.

[Sponsor Announcer]

I hope you guys are enjoying the show. Please don't forget to like and subscribe.

[Podcast Host]

It helps the show a lot with the algorithm. Thank you.