I recently went one-on-one with former NFL linebacker Tim Johnson.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Tim: Adam, first, I would like to thank God for allowing me this opportunity to be interviewed by you, so I am forever grateful and humbled to chat with you.
I got to where I am today from having zero doubt that I would make it to the NFL. I made the decision upon entering 9th grade at Fairfield High School in Alabama, which was known for its talented and athletic community. During sophomore year (age 16), I opted to dedicate myself to football entirely, declaring that I was going to be part of the NFL. I wanted to make my parents and family proud, a sentiment I knew God would hear and help guide me through.
The challenges of honing my skills amongst the rawest and most talented group of athletes in my hometown were not without sacrifice. I failed an honors English class my senior year and didn’t walk at graduation with my class of 1996, which was a minor setback because I’d received a full-ride football scholarship to the University of West Alabama. I told my parents not to worry because I had a meal ticket supplied and a roof over my head once I completed summer school and graduated. Those types of hurdles early on would set the foundation for the continued challenges and growth spurts I’d face heading into college. But those moments were instrumental in me being where I am today.
Adam: What is the most surprising thing about life in the NFL? What is something that would shock fans?
Tim: The most surprising thing about life in the NFL is everyone is human. You may think everyone is a superhero or robot until you experience the team, organization, and locker room on a personal level. I discovered that these men around me all came from similar situations, with our different backgrounds still sharing so much in common.
Fans would be shocked to know that NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice gave me a $10,000 check for being the ‘Special Teams Player of the Year’ during our Oakland Raiders Super Bowl 37 run. Al Davis activated me in week 11, where I played in only 6 regular season games, 2 playoff games, and the Super Bowl. Jerry asked me after the Super Bowl if I wanted cash or a check. I said write me a check so I can photocopy it and hang it on my mom’s ‘Tim Johnson Wall.’ Legendary.
Adam: What are the best lessons you have learned through your career in football that are applicable to those of us who will never earn a living playing sports?
Tim: The best lessons I learned throughout my career in football are how to look everyone in the eyes, shake their hands strong and firm so they never forget you win or lose, smile, say ‘thank you’ or ‘good game’, and wish them all well.
With those gestures, it’s a professional way of saying “I will be back!” without truly stating it or opting to talk trash as many unprofessional people would do in the heat of the moment. Then it’s wash, rinse, and repeat game after game, season after season, and team to team.
I have developed an understanding of the ‘Business’ of the NFL, beginning as a Rookie on Baltimore Ravens’ Original Hard Knocks on HBO, being removed from the team in the final cut, then looking in the eyes and crushing the hand of NFL head coaches, NFL position coaches, NFL owners, NFL General Managers, and NFL players alike, sending a strong message around the organizations and the entire league that this ‘rookie’ Tim Johnson from Youngstown State University isn’t joking around and that he’s here to stay. The Ravens brought me back days later after they cut me in 2001, and I made the opening day roster as a rookie linebacker (LB) behind Super Bowl MVP and Hall of Famer LB Ray Lewis by not only making big plays, but representing myself as the consummate pro, appearing as a seasoned veteran LB.
Learning this aspect of the NFL helped me navigate from the start, preparing me to be cut later on multiple times by multiple teams and happily moving on from the Baltimore Ravens (Owner Art Modell, GM Ozzie Newsome), to the Chicago Bears behind Hall of Famer LB Brian Urlacher (Owner Virginia Halas McCaskey daughter of Founder George Halas, GM Jerry Angelo), to NFL Europe Rhine Fire (World Bowl X runner up and Defensive MVP), to the Oakland Raiders (Owner Al Davis, GM Mike Lombardi), where I became a staring LB and blocked a punt in Super Bowl 37, then back to the Ravens in 2006-2007 to close out my 7 year NFL career as an undrafted free agent.
I did play one season in 2009 with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders (Owner Ted Hellard, GM John Huffnagel) as I continued to become an international connoisseur of the game of football. Afterwards, I worked for the Washington Redskins in 2010 (Owner Daniel Snyder, GM Vinny Cerrato, and Morocco Brown), and they didn’t sign me, so I finally hung up my cleats and retired from playing football. Most draft picks never get the ‘Business’ until much later in their careers, and as a result, they struggle understanding how to move forward. I mention the Owners and General Managers of the teams because I’ve dealt with them all, happily walking in and out of the doors of their organizations, learning how they do business.
Adam: Who is the best teammate you ever had and why? What are the characteristics of a great teammate?
Tim: The best teammate I ever had was Kawanza Swann, a senior middle linebacker for Youngstown State University from Miami, Florida, who moved from inside Mike Linebacker to outside Sam Linebacker, which allowed me to play Middle Linebacker as an incoming transfer Junior from East Mississippi Community College.
YSU Head Coach Jim Tressel and assistant Coach Ken Conatser (who recruited me to YSU) had put me and Swann in the same dorm room during our 1999 training camp- I thought I’d have to fight Swann because he was mad I took his position, but instead, Coach Tressel had our team so focused on winning a National Championship that we all immediately shifted gears into becoming ‘selfless’, the first order of business for success. Swann surprisingly never said a word to me about the move, thus leading us to the National Championship game against Georgia Southern, where we came up short of our 5th National Championship at YSU.
What a Teammate Swann was, and that was my first lesson of what being a ‘selfless’ teammate was all about. Walking off the practice field one day, I expressed to Coach Conatser my concerns of having to fight Swann, and Coach KC just looked at me and answered with the slogan of our 1999 team, “Can’t Stop Now!”
Adam: Who are the greatest leaders you have played for and with and why?
Tim: The greatest leaders I have played for are Head Coach (and now Ohio Lt. Governor) Jim Tressel and Raiders owner Al Davis. Coach Tressel was fully committed to the goal of winning a National Championship every season, even making us write our personal goals down and meeting with us to discuss them. Al Davis had a simple slogan that still is a staple for the Raiders today that exemplified their approach to work – “Just Win Baby!”
Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Tim: Effective leaders make you first believe in yourself, all while making others believe in you and making you believe in your teammates. Writing down goals that I want to obtain and having them read back to me by the leader forces me into action, and I was able to bring them to life on and off the field. No dreaming, no daydreaming, no wishes… just all work, faith, and results.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?
Tim: Have the end goal in mind before starting any project or taking on any feat. A blueprint will help you build with purpose and have the best end results. Additionally, maintain good energy during completion – challenges will appear, but with the right mindset, they can be conquered because you will already be ahead of them all.
Finally, finish the job no matter what the outcome will be, because all of your hard work, dedication, and commitment will help you become better and more prepared for what lies ahead.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Tim: The best advice was actually what I didn’t receive from my dad when I called home after my true freshman season at UWA in 1996. I told him I was forgoing my full scholarship in Division 2 and transferring down to East Mississippi Junior College to get re-recruited to a bigger Division 1 scholarship. He simply replied, “Son, I support you.” With the opportunity to give me all types of feedback, it was my dad’s unwavering support that offered me the most advice, and that was to keep doing what I was doing, standing ten toes down.
Adam: What can anyone do to pay it forward?
Tim: Share your smile- it’s simple, and you pay nothing to smile through it all.
Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Tim: I play Polo! That’s right, from the football fields to the polo fields! Now, I am an International Ambassador for the International Polo Tour and Celebrity Polo player year-round. Thank you to my good friend and President of the IPT, Tareq Salahi, for including me in last year’s and this year’s game for the We Will Survive Cancer Celebrity Polo Match. Thank you to our mutual friend Effie Dolan for bringing me and Tareq together, which has created these magical Polo moments for me.
I am looking forward to practicing and playing more polo with the best IPT players and coaches in the world this winter Polo Season in Wellington, Florida, starting February 2026, while continuing to provide for my family and developing My Brain Crown Anti-Concussion HIP (Head Impact Prevention) Helmet System as Founder/CEO of my “Business” and brand HIP MD, LLC.
Turn over every rock and look under every stone. Some stones are heavier than others, and you might need help to lift and search under them, but still take a look because your opportunity for success could lie hidden underneath the one you leave unturned.
