Ryan K. Russell, dressed in black with a necklace and silver watch, stood outside the doors of Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) Brownson Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Recently coming out as bisexual, Russell was on campus to present to students about his life, NFL career, and poetry.
Russell spoke with The Criterion about why he came to CMU, his NFL career, and had advice for both aspiring writers and athletes.
Q: Why did you choose to come to CMU in particular?
A: Well my brother, he’s stationed in Colorado, . . . he’s been in the Army since high school. And I’m familiar with Colorado, but not a lot. So I think it was an opportunity one for me to learn, and me to learn about a school that’s working so hard on inclusion and working so hard on making a safe space for all types of people whether it’s race and ethnicity, or sexuality.
And also just the outreach that I got was very much focused on making a change, . . . so the message that I got and the invitation that I got was just so sincere and so genuine and that made me really want to be here.
Q: Do you have any special book recommendations for students?
A: Oh my goodness, there are so many books, so many amazing books . . . I’m going to be so cliche, and stick with The Alchemist [by Paulo Coelho]. Just because I think it’s beautiful storytelling, I think it’s an easy read, and I think it’s a message that just talks about the science of the universe, it talks about connecting humans, it talks about a personal journey and a prize and really working on being present, being calm, and seeing the bigger picture.
Q: What advice do you have for student athletes here at CMU?
A: I would say take it day by day. Also sometimes . . . the bigger picture is daunting. If I would have started football at a very young age just kind of looking at the NFL and looking at, you know, the Reggie Whites and the Ray Lewises and the Ed Reeds and the Tom Bradys and all these guys, it gets daunting, and you see kind of this big journey, you’re like, there’s no way I could get there. So just to go day by day, that small things and details add up and they matter, and in the long run they are what will give you an edge.
Q: Do you have a fantasy football team?
A: Not this year. I usually do, yeah but so much is happening this year, that I haven’t had time to really do one . . . It encourages you to maybe watch a team you never really watched before, because now you have a guy on your team that plays for them. I think it’s a cool way to just broaden fandom in a way. I love fantasy football, I do need to get back into it.
Q: During the season, how much do you pay attention to… football?
A: It’s kind of crazy, because football, once you become a professional, it’s not a job so much . . . it’s more a lifestyle. You wake up, I know I was waking up at 5 a.m., doing treatment, hot tub, workout, breakfast, meetings, practice, more lift, more meetings, eating. It’s funny because you are so focused on football 24/7, but at the same time, you don’t see a lot of other football. Like you just see who you’re playing, and you watch your own tape and your own practice.
And it’s like a new season every week, because then you’re like oh my God, we haven’t played the San Francisco 49ers, what have they been doing? And then now you have to watch however many games they’ve played. And there’s times where we have a bye week, and then you finally get to sit and watch football, and you’re like . . . the Jaguars are 4-0? You’re like, when did this happen?
Q: What is your advice for student writers?
A: My advice is to keep writing. But if you aren’t liking what you write . . . read. Like me literally for these past two weeks, I’ve been trying to sit down to write, and I’m like, I hate all of this. If you’re in your own head, either your stories are all going to sound the same, or your ideas just aren’t going to excite you anymore. I think it’s important to be . . . an active student of writing.
