‐ Hi, I'm Kenny Smith.
And welcome to "Young Athletes and the Road Ahead"
brought to you by NBC and our proud sponsor Beyond Protein.
‐ Where's the beef?
On the cow where it belongs.
‐ Thanks, Beyondé.
And tonight we have our special guest,
presidential candidate Dwayne Johnson.
‐ Kenny, always good to see you, my man.
And looking crisp as always.
And good to see you too, Beyondé.
‐ Where are my lettuce lovers at?
‐ [chuckles] ‐ So as you know,
our show focuses on the challenges
that young athletes face off the field.
‐ That's right. ‐ And you didn't start playing
football till your junior year of high school,
and it took you to one of the top college
football programs in the country.
‐ The U, baby! ‐ The University of Miami.
‐ Say it with me, Kenny. I know you want to.
‐ Tar Heel born, Tar Heel bred.
And when I die, I'll be Tar Heel dead.
‐ Wow, dead. That's some commitment.
‐ You know, when you think back,
is there anything that you've learned about adversity
that you would say sticks with you today?
‐ Oh, yeah. I remember facing
one of the toughest challenges of my life.
When I got to the University of Miami,
it was in 1990, and I was a freshman.
And I was joining the reigning defending national champions.
Let me tell you something, brother.
We were the baddest pack of dogs
walking God's green Earth.
Plan was to become a starter, kick ass on Saturdays,
get drafted by the NFL,
and buy my parents their first‐ever home.
Speaking of, when I left for Miami,
my parents shut down their cleaning business
in Pennsylvania and moved to Tampa to be close by.
‐ Dewey trying to look so tough.
‐ He only smiles for his mama's cooking.
‐ Love you, Mom.
Now, unfortunately,
my grandmother Lia became homeless
and was in Samoa at the time.
She was deported, lost everything,
and she was very sad.
We eventually got her back into the country
and back on her feet,
but that's a story for another time.
My dad got a job driving a liquor truck.
And he loved telling everyone who his son played for.
‐ Hey, everybody,
let me know if you need Miami Hurricane tickets.
My boy's on the team.
‐ I'll take some tickets. Can I get ten?
‐ Ten? Greedy, Larry.
‐ My mom also worked,
but her number one job was worrying about me.
She was never far from my mind...
‐ ♪ Yes, the rhythm the rebel ♪
‐ And neither was the promise I made
when we lived in Bethlehem.
I wanted to give her and my dad a better life.
And reminders of that better life were everywhere.
Practice at the U was intense.
And you had a lot of eyes on you.
‐ ♪ Yo Chuck you gettin' 'em nervous ♪
♪ They can't handle this ♪
♪ They gonna break down ♪
‐ From a rebel it's final on black vinyl ♪
♪ Soul rock and roll coming like a rhino ♪
♪ Terminator X ♪
‐ Okay, guys, circle up!
Oklahoma drill!
Cristobal!
Freshman, let's see if you're
a candyass or a hardass.
[all shouting]
Hey, you, get me some coffee grounds to chew.
I am tired as a one‐legged cat in a sandbox.
‐ Yes, Coach Orgeron.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[whistle blows]
♪ ♪
‐ Argh!
[all shouting]
‐ Nice, Johnson!
You got the most violent upper body I ever seen.
‐ Thank you, Coach! ‐ And polite as [bleep] too.
Your momma raised you right, boy.
Sanka? I don't chew on Sanka, son.
You find me that good Italian crap with the gondola on it.
Yeah.
‐ All right, who's next? ‐ One, two, three...
all: U! ‐ Let's go.
‐ Good job, guys.
‐ Hey. Nice practice, Big Fresh.
‐ Yo. Thanks, Russell.
‐ Russ. Mr. All‐America. Nightmare Boy.
Or the Conscience. That's how I approach the game.
I keep it cerebral, you know?
‐ Yeah. Totally. ‐ Uncle Luke pulled me aside
during your practice, said he liked your game.
‐ Uncle Luke Uncle Luke? From 2 Live Crew?
‐ From 2 Live Crew. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Want to invite you to a party at his house tonight.
‐ He said, "I want Dwayne Johnson to come to my party"?
Or like how did he say‐‐ did he say‐‐
‐ Hey, calm down. Calm down. But be excited.
I mean, he never invites freshmen to his house,
so, you know, don't embarrass us.
Come correct, and dress to impress.
‐ It's not gonna be a problem.
[dynamic music]
♪ ♪
Turtleneck, fanny pack, chain...
[inhales] Dwayne.
‐ Yo. ‐ Hey, bro.
‐ "Dear John's" about to start. ‐ Heading out, Omar.
Record it for me.
‐ Noice! What's in the fanny pack?
‐ Pop Tarts and condoms.
both: Eat it and beat it. ‐ Noice.
‐ Hey, don't call him.
‐ I'm gonna call him. ‐ Babe, he is in college
living his life.
When I was 18, I was already on my own wrestling.
‐ But he's never been on his own before.
What if someone tries to steal his ATM pin number?
‐ He'll be fine.
He's 6'5",
230 pounds with genuine Rocky Johnson blood
flowing through him. Ain't nobody gonna rob him.
And instead of worrying about Dewey,
why don't we enjoy being empty‐nesters?
‐ Aren't we already doing that?
‐ Look, this is an entertainment coupon book.
It's like the Bible, but for happiness.
Video King, rent one get one free.
50% off Rene's Dolphin Palace.
Babe, we could be swimming with dolphins tomorrow!
‐ I've always wanted to swim with dolphins.
‐ Uh‐oh. Oh, no, not tomorrow. Some blackout dates.
But yes, soon!
[Young M. C.'s "I Come Off"]
♪ ♪
‐ ♪ Now I wrote this record for when I perform ♪
♪ Lonely nights inside a university dorm ♪
♪ I put pen to paper with a paper to pen ♪
♪ For the times I'm rockin' the mic ♪
♪ In front of women and men ♪
♪ I get raw like Eddie, rough like Freddy Krueger ♪
♪ With a Luger turnin' men into spaghetti ♪
‐ My man, Violent Torso. ‐ Michael Irving, damn!
‐ Oh, please, please. Call me "Playmaker."
‐ Playmaker.
Hey, aren't you hot in that coat?
‐ Oh, come on, baby. You know my ice keep me cool.
‐ Okay. ‐ Yo, come on.
Uncle Luke wants to say hi to you.
‐ Hey, Michael, how you doing? ‐ Oh, my goodness.
Ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies!
Yo, meet my partner Dwayne Johnson.
This kid right here, he's gonna be a star one day.
I promise you.
‐ Kid? Aren't you, like, 30? ‐ I'm 18.
But I make love like I'm 30.
Ladies. Was that too much?
‐ Yeah, man. Way, way too much.
[upbeat funky music]
‐ Oh, hey!
Dwayne Johnson.
This is the freshman turning all them heads at campus.
‐ Yo, Uncle Luke, I'm a huge fan.
I played your tapes so much, I broke three Walkmans.
‐ Oh, damn, the key is not to use auto‐reverse feature.
You got to hand‐flip them tapes, man.
Ain't no Walkman in the world that can handle my bass.
‐ Right, my bad. ‐ Hey, you know what, man?
We got big expectations for you, young blood.
‐ I got big expectations for myself.
I'm gonna move the crowd.
‐ See, that's what I like to hear.
You got to bet on yourself.
‐ Honey, you shouldn't have. ‐ You know it's a good one
because of the width in the back.
‐ Yeah, you like it? ‐ Oh, we love it.
But it's too much. How can you afford this?
‐ I put it on layaway, you know? I bet on myself.
‐ Throw this old small bitch TV in the trash.
‐ Hey. And that TV is just the beginning.
In a couple years, it's gonna be
a three‐bedroom ranch house in that box.
‐ A lot of young athletes can relate to trying
to take care of their family.
‐ It was my goal, Kenny.
And I was on my way to making it a reality.
‐ All right, circle up, guys!
Men, this Saturday is our season opener against BYU.
Those Utah boys like to throw those pretty passes,
play that finesse game, and what do we like to do?
all: Hit 'em in the mouth! ‐ Yeah! Oklahoma drill.
Cristobal, Johnson, rematch.
[whistle blows]
[all shouting]
‐ Lightning's not gonna strike twice.
‐ We've all seen how this movie ends.
[dramatic music]
‐ Ready, set, hike.
[rock music]
♪ ♪
[groans]
‐ I just swallowed my damn grounds.
‐ All the ligaments in your shoulder are torn.
I'm sorry, Dwayne. You're out for the season.
‐ Wait, what? No, that can't be‐‐
‐ Look, this is bad.
But at least it happened before the season started.
All right, we'll redshirt you so you won't lose a year
of eligibility.
You rehab your butt off, you come to team meetings,
and continue to study the game,
next season, you'll come back even stronger.
‐ That must have been devastating.
‐ It was.
But, you know, injuries are just part of the game.
And I really believed in what Coach O was saying.
There was no reason why I couldn't hit rehab really hard
and then come back even stronger.
‐ I don't care what the coach says.
You're injured. You should come home.
‐ Mom, they reset my shoulder. I'm fine.
‐ Babe, injuries are part of the game.
Remember when I broke three ribs
against Big John Studd,
then after the match, Andre kept tickling me?
‐ I knew something bad was going to happen.
I had that mother's intuition. But you started distracting me
with dolphin coupons, and boom, Dewey gets hurt.
‐ I'm gonna dominate rehab
and come back stronger than ever, Mom.
‐ Tough as nails, just like your old man.
I got some hernia X‐rays
that will bring a tear to your eye, son.
‐ Rocky, no one wants to hear about your hernia right now.
‐ You say that, but when they hear the story,
they're always riveted.
‐ Dewey, are you sure you're okay?
‐ Mom, trust me. I'm fine.
‐ And were you okay?
‐ No.
‐ And after dropping their opener to BYU,
the 'Canes look to pick up a win
in their first home game of the season.
‐ Hey, brother. ‐ Hey, Mario.
‐ Sorry you got hurt on that play,
but I want you to know I got your back.
Can't wait for you to get healthy.
We'll make each other great.
‐ Don't worry about it. No hard feelings, brother.
‐ Today I play for you.
‐ Who's Vicki?
‐ My mom's best friend is going through a divorce.
‐ Won't people think you're honoring a girl
named Vicki Johnson?
‐ Well, you'll know it's half for you.
‐ All right, boys, gather up.
[all hollering]
We're gonna go out there today,
and we're gonna do three things.
[together] What's that?
‐ We gonna hit, stick, and bust [bleep]. What else?
[together] Talk [bleep]! ‐ What else?!
[together] Talk [bleep]! ‐ What else?
[together] Talk [bleep]! ‐ Let's go!
[all hollering]
‐ Man, you never want to be the guy in jeans.
[all hollering]
‐ Oh, it was bad, Kenny.
And the jeans, they were wide.
It was the first big injury I had experienced.
So I did what I knew how to do.
I hit rehab hard.
The gym was always my sanctuary.
Outside of getting my shoulder healthy,
I didn't care about anything else.
I just couldn't get myself motivated
to prepare for games that I wouldn't play in.
So I started blowing off team meetings,
started blowing off class.
My shoulder might have been getting stronger,
but my mind wasn't.
[groans]
‐ Mr. Johnson, something to add to our conversation?
‐ Yeah. I pressed B, but it didn't jump.
I was spiraling.
‐ Yo, you still playing Sega?
Don't you have a final tomorrow?
‐ Yeah, at 6:00 a. m., worth 80% of my grade.
‐ Seems like a lot of percent. Shouldn't you study a little?
‐ I tried, but I just don't care.
‐ All right. Obviously, you're in a bad place.
But staying in this room all day isn't helping.
We got to get your head straight.
‐ Yeah. ‐ Turn off the Sega.
Let's me and you go grab some drinks
and get into a fight.
‐ I can't wait for you to pretend to hold me back.
Yo, this is perfect. Knock back some tequilas.
Throw some fists.
Yo, keep a lookout for some contenders.
‐ Violent Torso. ‐ Yo, The Conscience.
‐ Where you been at, man?
I ain't seen you at none of the meetings.
‐ Uh, you know, I've been around.
‐ Oh, okay.
Well, what you standing on line for, man?
'Canes don't wait in line. Come on inside, baby.
‐ Go.
‐ Yo, why is he getting in? He's not on the team.
‐ What'd you say?
‐ I said you're not on the team.
I've seen every game, and I have never seen you play.
‐ Oh, is that right? What do you think, Omar?
Should I show this guy I'm on the team?
‐ No fighting here. If you want to throw,
take it to Drunk Alley.
[both grunting]
‐ Hell yeah. Drunk Alley.
Let's go.
‐ I don't think you want to do that.
‐ You heard what he said to me, Omar.
This is why we're here, man.
‐ I've seen this guy at my judo tournaments.
He's past a black belt.
His belt goes up so high, they ran out of colors.
‐ You know what?
I'm not even sure I know what he said to me.
‐ Probably misheard. ‐ Couldn't have been that bad.
‐ Sorry. We're at capacity. ‐ What?
You were just about to let us in.
I was here with my teammates.
Hey, Uncle Luke.
‐ Oh, hey. Dan? ‐ Dwayne.
‐ That's right. That's right. That's right.
Hey, I heard you messed up your ankle.
‐ My shoulder. I'm redshirting this year.
‐ Yeah, I heard this place is hiring.
Maybe you can do security for Bongos.
[laughs] ‐ I'll see you later, my man.
‐ Dude, where are you going? ‐ Far from here.
‐ What about your final?
[door rattles]
‐ Miss Carla, your drunk ass at the wrong door again!
‐ Go home, Miss Carla! ‐ You're at 3B!
Hey! ‐ Dewey!
‐ Surprise!
‐ What are you doing here? Is something wrong?
Your Christmas break isn't for a week.
‐ Oh, I'm fine. Everything's great.
I finished finals early, so I took the bus.
‐ The bus? Did you‐‐ ‐ Yes.
I stayed awake the whole time
so nobody could put anything in my mouth.
‐ Are you hungry?
Want me to make your favorite, steak and teriyaki wings?
‐ Ma, it's almost midnight. Yes.
‐ [laughs]
‐ Come here, boy.
‐ Hey, TV looks good. ‐ Doesn't it?
We were looking forward to watching you on it this season.
But hey, next year, right?
‐ Yeah, right. ‐ Did your momma tell you
how many horizontal lines this thing got?
[voice fading] Boy, it's all about the amount
of horizontal lines, son.
‐ Third down. Third and six‐‐
‐ Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, you're kidding me.
That's PI.
‐ Breakfast wings.
‐ Oh, you're the best, Mom. Thank you.
‐ So tell me about finals.
Which one was the hardest? ‐ Yeah, they were all hard.
Sorry. I'm just trying to watch the game.
‐ Oh, sure. We'll talk later.
‐ Mm‐hmm.
I was happy to be home.
away from all the disappointments at Miami.
[funky music]
But that happiness didn't last.
‐ ♪ I got the blues but I don't mind ♪
♪ All I have to do ♪
♪ Is get to you and then I feel just fine ♪
‐ [sniffs]
‐ ♪ You're so good ♪
♪ The way you give ♪
♪ You so good ♪
♪ You're the best there is ♪
‐ Now by the time the ball is thrown, Notre Dame...
‐ Here, this is for your juice.
Hey, it's a nice day outside. We could go see that gator,
see if they got ahold of anymore fast‐food containers.
‐ I'm kinda tired; I think I'm just gonna watch the game.
♪ ♪
Nowadays they'd call it depression.
♪ ♪
‐ The sofa bed and the vacuum.
But back then,
the accepted medical term was...
‐ Hey. Snap out of it! ‐ What?
‐ You've been sitting on this couch for days.
Go out, get some air.
Ah! You didn't even look through the booklet.
‐ Dad, I don't want to swim with any dolphins.
‐ You don't know what you're saying right now.
When I come back, I want you to pick out three fun things
you want to do.
I talked to him. He's fine now.
‐ He's not fine. Something's wrong.
‐ Well, maybe his shoulder's hurting
or he's burned out from finals.
‐ Rocky, I am telling you something's off.
He's not himself. He won't even talk to me.
He keeps saying he's just tired,
but I know that's not true.
‐ Okay, what should we do?
[chuckling]
Look at us, wearing each other's tank‐tops.
Hey, Easy Money. You're looking good.
Hey, this is my kid Dwayne I was telling you about.
Plays football for the U.
‐ Dad, stop saying that. ‐ What? It's true.
‐ Technically, it's not.
I haven't played a single snap yet in a game.
‐ Ah, it's just a matter of time.
All right. What's going on with you?
‐ Nothing.
‐ Well, your mom thinks it's something.
And I think she's right. She's worried about you.
That's why we're at the gym. It's a safe space. So talk.
‐ I don't want to talk. ‐ Come on, son.
I know‐‐hey, Tyree.
Boy, when you gonna listen to me
and get into bodybuilding? Hey, this is my kid
I was telling you about, plays football for the‐‐
‐ Dad, stop!
I don't play football for Miami.
I'm barely on the team. I wear jeans on gameday.
‐ Jeans? What do you mean?
‐ I haven't been to team meetings in months, and...
I didn't finish school early. I blew off finals and left.
I got injured in the last practice
before the season, Dad.
The only freshman that was gonna get on the field
and that one play‐‐
‐ Son, you can't dwell on that. If you let yourself
get stuck there, you're gonna stay stuck there.
‐ I tried, but I can't get it out of my head.
‐ Hmm.
That thing, that voice in your head, that's fear.
It's trying to make you doubt yourself,
trying to steal your confidence.
But you can't let it.
You got to tune it out and keep going.
‐ I don't know how.
‐ Yeah, the how is different for everyone.
I spoke my dreams out loud.
That way, I could try to live up to them.
People can say a lot of stuff about me, son.
But the one thing they can never say is that I gave up.
I always kept fighting.
So is this the life you dreamed of,
sitting on your parents' couch watching TV all day?
Because if it is, hey, you did it.
I'll get you some shifts driving trucks,
and then the fight can be over.
Is that what you want?
Or do you want to keep fighting?
‐ I want to keep fighting.
‐ Wow. I'm surprised your dad
was so ahead of his time as far as mental health goes.
‐ Yeah, it surprised me too.
And my dad was just letting me know that I wasn't alone.
And that's what I want to share with your audience, Kenny,
is that you're not alone.
If you're going through it and you're struggling
and you're depressed, you're not alone.
And it's okay to ask for help.
And asking for help isn't a weakness.
Asking for help is actually our superpower.
‐ Amen to that, brother. ‐ Preach.
‐ Now, I played for a lot of coaches.
Did your coaches have Rocky's understanding and compassion?
‐ Like I said, it was a different time back then.
‐ You blew off your classes and your finals,
and you got a point‐freaking‐7 GPA.
The dolphin they enrolled in classes
as a publicity stunt got a 0.9.
‐ I'm sorry I let you and the team down, Coach.
But I'm gonna fight to earn back your trust.
‐ Just get your ass back in shape,
show me that upper‐body violence
and you hit some sum' bitches in the mouth.
[grunts]
I need to stop chewing coffee.
‐ I wasn't going to let Coach O down or my family.
I was ready to fight for my spot back.
‐ Come on. Let's go. ‐ Go where?
‐ I made us reservations at Rene's Dolphin Palace.
Let's have a swim. ‐ For real?
‐ [laughs]
Thank you for helping our son.
‐ Oh, bring your camera.
I want to have a dolphin jump over me while I look up.
‐ Thanks for joining us, man.
I appreciate you coming here, Dwayne.
Before I let you go, we got a special surprise for you.
‐ What's up, man? I can't hear.
Yeah, tell him I can't hear him.
What do you say, man? ‐ It's Coach O.
‐ How's your pad level?
‐ Low. Low. ‐ Low man wins.
Low man wins. [laughter]
We've all had a learning curve
when it comes to head stuff.
But I've always respected how you fought
through hard times, Dewey. You didn't quit.
Me and you've been down, but we've never been out.
‐ That's so true, Coach. I want to say thank you.
And I love you. Thank you, Coach.
‐ Very proud of you. And I love you too, son.
Go, Tigers!
‐ Wow. ‐ That was Coach O, everybody.
‐ All right, man. [chuckles]