Winning With Malcolm Jenkins

We kick off the second season of the Mighty Writers Podcast with a conversation with former NFL safety and two-time Super Bowl champ Malcolm Jenkins who recently published a revealing and introspective memoir, “What Winners Won’t Tell You: Lessons from a Legendary Defender.”

In addition to his achievements on the field, Jenkins is admired for the work he did with Anquan Boldin and other NFL players to form the Players Coalition, which transformed the NFL by bringing together owners, players and other stakeholders to fight racial injustice. In 2010 he founded the Malcolm Jenkins Foundation, which aims to make positive change in the lives of youth in Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and his home state of New Jersey. 

In this episode, we discuss writing, influential people and moments in Jenkins’ life, activism and fatherhood.
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The Mighty Writers Podcast with Maureen Boland is produced by Mighty Writers in partnership with Rowhome Productions. The executive producer is Tim Whitaker. Rowhome’s executive producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. This episode was produced by John Myers. 

Our theme song was composed by Jim Morgan.

This episode also includes music from Blue Dot Sessions.

Transcript

Winning With Malcolm Jenkins 

Maureen Boland: Welcome to the Mighty Writers Podcast, a show featuring stories and interviews that will call your heart to action. I'm your host, Maureen Boland. The rest of season two of the podcast will be coming later this fall. But as the leaves change, the air cools. and conversations about football start to take over at the proverbial water coolers.

We couldn't resist the chance to kick off our season a bit early with a conversation with former NFL safety Malcolm Jenkins about his new book. What winners won't tell you lessons from a legendary 

defender. 

Malcolm Jenkins: Yeah, I didn't want to write a book, just patting myself on the back. I know the title is, you know, what winners won't tell you.

So it gives you this insinuation of like winning and success, but really it's failures. There's perseverance you've got to go through. There's lessons you have to learn to be a consistent winner. 

Maureen Boland: In addition to being a two time Superbowl champion first in 2010 with the New Orleans Saints. And then in 2018 with the Philadelphia Eagles, Jenkins was a.

Three time Pro Bowler, a first round draft pick, and recipient of the Jim Thorpe Award for the best defensive back in the nation when he played college football at Ohio State. But Jenkins is equally admired for his achievements off the field. Especially for the work he did with Anquan Boldin and other NFL players to form the Players Coalition, an organization that transformed the NFL by bringing together owners, players, and other stakeholders to commit millions of dollars and enormous attention to the fight against racial and social injustices, especially in the areas of policing.

criminal justice, education, and economic advancement. We at Mighty Writers feel a special connection to Jenkins because he shares our commitment to children and families in underserved communities. Founded in 2010, the Malcolm Jenkins Foundation strives to make positive changes in the lives of youth in Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and in his home state of New Jersey.

In this conversation, I talked to Malcolm about his new book, What Winners Won't Tell You, Lessons from a Legendary Defender. We discuss writing, influential people, and important moments in his life, activism. and fatherhood. Welcome Malcolm Jenkins. And thank you for talking with me for the mighty writers podcast about your new book.

What winners won't tell you. I am a Philly girl and I do celebrate with the Eagles, but I'm not an expert on football by any means. Um, and this book is very heavy on the play by play action on the field. And. And what I kept thinking, well, first of all, I think fans are going to love that I live with one.

So I know to be able to go back to these like really crucial times on the field and to be able to get in your head, I think is going to be really exciting for a lot of readers. And I kept thinking that what it felt like was like you were trying to bring the reader into your flow state. So I was thinking about that and I was thinking like, since you've left football.

Are there other things in your life that can bring you into that? level of absorption and intense focus and is writing like that 

Malcolm Jenkins: for you. Yeah. I would say the book is probably the first thing that I, that has been close to, you know, what I've done on the field. And the reason I wrote it, you know, the play by play was, you know, a lot of those.

most of those games, everyone's watched them. You know, we remember them. Um, but what I wanted people to see was one to feel like they were inside my helmet, but also to see the cerebral aspect of the game. A lot. I grew up with that, that trope that, you know, guys are dumb jocks, or you only think about quarterbacks in most times white quarterbacks, the cerebral players on the field.

Um, but that was never the case, you know, and I learned very quickly through some of the guys I used to watch like Jonathan Vilma early in my career, uh, on the defensive side of the ball that were, the game is so intellectual and so cerebral and that flow state doesn't come from, you know, you just step on the field, there's a crowd here and now all of a sudden you get in a zone.

It comes through preparation and process and that's been one of the more difficult things or one of the. In life. But also with this book, I had to figure out a process. Long story short. It took me probably two years to ideate the book. But due to some, some, some kind of crazy circumstances, I ended up writing the book in 30 days.

Oh, wow. Right before the deadline. Um, and it, I think it made for like, I literally put myself back into those, that training camp mode and use all of those same kind of tools and activations, the preparation and preparation. You know, that I did in football to write this book and was really, really happy with what came, what, what, um, the product that came out.

Maureen Boland: As a teacher, I observed a lot of football players, you know, as students, and I couldn't agree with you more that like, it took me a while to get it, but I realized in. My ears in the classroom, how many of the most intellectual kids were drawn to football and not only that, but obviously the most disciplined kids, um, you say in the acknowledgments that one of the reasons you wanted to do this.

Maybe actually, I think in the acknowledgments, you say it's the main reason is so that your daughters would hear your story from your voice because you've been written about so much. And there is so much documentation. I felt it was extremely genuine because you were celebratory of yourself in some moments and critical of yourself and other moments like you were giving a really balanced view of those moments.

And it just felt very honest, I guess, is the right word. Thank you. 

Malcolm Jenkins: Yeah. Yeah. I didn't want to write a book. Uh, just patting myself on the back. I know the title is, you know, what winners won't tell you. So it gives you this insinuation of like winning and success, but really it's, that's not really what winning is about.

It's a journey, right? Most there's failures, there's perseverance. You've got to go through, there's lessons you have to learn to be a consistent winner. And I want it to be honest. You know, this is, we we've seen, you know, football and it looks, you know, we have this perception of like football players, especially.

You know, uh, successful ones. You know, my introductions always two times Super Bowl champion, you know, NFL player, all those things. But none of that really pays any acknowledgement to the real journey of success. And so I wanted to be frank. I wanted to be honest, um, and really showcase. That that journey that I've been on and put context to what everybody's witnessed on that field, right?

Maureen Boland: I want to turn now to some of the important people in your life and Early in the book you write really compellingly about a good friend from childhood named Calvin And then you come back to Calvin in the acknowledgements at the end of the book Can you talk about Calvin and why it was important to feature him in your own story?

Malcolm Jenkins: Yeah, I think For a long time, um, I carried a lot of guilt, um, from that, that relationship because I saw us, you know, we were best friends growing up and we're on similar paths. Um, and he made life decisions that took him one way and I almost, I wanted to go with him. Um, but he. You know, almost stiff armed me, pun intended, like, Hey, no, this is not for you.

Stick to it, you know, the opportunities you have. And we know where my life went. And I, and I've always felt like, you know, confused about like, well, why wasn't I that kind of friend for him? Uh, why, you know, didn't he have that kind of agency for himself? And I carried a lot of that. Um, But as the years went on, he and I reconnected and he's, he came to my camps a couple of times and my foundation things.

And we've talked, uh, multiple times. And I realized that he had been working in his purpose, you know, even back then, like that was part of his journey. And even right now, what he does, um, he works with formerly incarcerated men and women to get back into the workforce. And he's like, he loves his job. He understands his purpose.

And like, as I'm writing the book, I'm realizing he was walking in that purpose. Like that journey was necessary for him to be where he's at. Um, and so it's, you know, it's one of those things that it was important for me to even showcase how close, you know. Those things are how one decision can change the entire trajectory of someone's life, especially for young black boys.

Um, and I, and I didn't want people to look at my example and say, see, be like him. If you'd be like him, you know, you'll avoid all those things. It's like, no, it's even, even me. You know, I could have easily been the same orator, all these things that you see. I could have been doing this in the wrong way. Um, but I, but if it wasn't for the guidance of some great coaches, a great friend, a real friend, um, you know, those are the things that have, that have kind of kept me on that, that that path to 

Maureen Boland: success.

So speaking of great coaches, you dedicate the book to the late Mr. Lawrence Lester, coach L, um, who was your teacher and track coach at Piscataway high school. And by the way, I grew up in a track family and your description of the 400. And how he told you to run the 400. I grew up around track conversations.

I never heard anything like that. That was really eye opening. All of the strategy that went in that one lap around the track. Um, and as you say, toward the end of the book, Um, Coach L is still the measuring rod against which you take inventory of your own deeds. So clearly Coach L was much more than an excellent coach.

Can you tell us a little bit more about him and what he meant to you? 

Malcolm Jenkins: Yeah, he was like a second father to me, you know, and, um, Ooh, I almost got emotional. I haven't talked about him in a long time. Um, you know, and it was hard because, uh, so every game I went to once I left Ohio state, I remember he used to be the first person to tell me, you going to play in the NFL.

And I used to look at him like he was crazy. It's like, look at your hands, look at your arms, you know, trust me, go to the league. I mean, I go to college and every single game he texts me beforehand. NFL, same thing. And he started getting sick. And I remember trying to spend more time with him and having him come up.

And so when he ultimately passed, um, I was asked to speak at his funeral and his funeral was, or the ceremony was held at the high school on the football field and the stadium is packed. And you start to think this is just a school teacher. You know, this is a local high school coach and track coach that has had generations of kids come through his classrooms and be affected.

And so it wasn't just me, it was, you know, so many others. And so when I start thinking about how do I measure my impact with, you know, a platform that's almost a thousand times the size of his, you know, it's, it's humbling. And it's something that I strive for so that when I'm, you know, said and done that I can rest on the impact that I've had, you know, because I know.

What his work spawned, like how many kids turned out to be, you know, phenomenal people because of his influence. Uh, that's something I strive for. 

Maureen Boland: So, uh, you, you said you felt a little emotional talking about Coach L. So, um, trigger warning, I'm going to talk about your, your grandmother. Um, so your grandmother is a central figure in your story.

And even though she's no longer with you in the flesh, she's really alive in your spirit. And you write about how you developed a habit of talking to her and to your two grandfathers during the National Anthem, and this was well before the protests. Right. Um, but you do write about that moment when you decided to protest to raise your fist, and you talk about how in your heart and mind, As that moment was approaching, you were having a conversation with your ancestors.

Yeah. And can you talk a little bit about that conversation? 

Malcolm Jenkins: Yeah. I think, you know, when you're in a, when you're a public figure, right. You've, you've got so many opinions. that are, you know, pushed on you. It's the media, it's the fans, it's your teammates, sometimes it's your family. Um, and even my own voice.

And, you know, at some point you have to think about what voices actually matter to me, right? Like what, what voices am I going to follow? What is the barometer of which I'm going to measure myself? And one of the things, you know, coming out of New Orleans, I realized that I never used to take the time to like, You know, pay attention to my surroundings.

I never looked around the stadium. I never looked in the stands. I bet like even my family, I never really paid attention to where they were. And I realized that. you know, the game is not promised. So when I got to Philly, I began to just think about those things and, and, and wonder, you know, how, if this was the last game, you know, with my grandparents, those, you know, love me that I care about the most.

And I respect, would they be proud of, you know, what I'm doing, not only on the field, it started on the field. And then I started contemplating like as a man, what is it that I'm doing? Um, and that was the first time, you know, when it started to protest that it became that those conversations and I, and thoughts about them being proud became more than just what I was doing on that field.

And more so the man I was becoming, the things I was representing. Um, and that was, you know, for whatever reason, that was a resounding like, yes, we are proud of you. There's no doubt in my mind. And that gave me a lot of courage. That was something that motivates me when I know, you know, at the end of the day, the people who I want to make proud, you know, are proud of me, a lot of people will be disappointed in me.

A lot of people will have their opinions. Um, but the people who matter most to me are what I try to keep at top of 

Maureen Boland: mind. Yeah. So let's continue talking a little bit about the activism, which is so much a part of who you are. Um, so in chapter nine, which is entitled step up, you write about a meeting that you organized in 2016 with community leaders, business leaders, teammates, and others.

Um, and that was with Philadelphia police commissioner Richard Ross. And this was in response to the police killings of black men, including the murders of Philando Castile and. And at the end of that chapter, you write reflectively about the meeting and you say,

The front lines were always replaceable and could easily be reproduced. And I'm wondering, given all that's happened since that moment in your life and in the life of the country, do you have any thoughts about that moment? And do you have a clear idea of what it means to reform the system? 

Malcolm Jenkins: Yes, that was kind of the beginning.

And I was, I took the same approach there as I did with my foundation and the same I do with football. It's like, I'm not just going to insert myself in. Say, Hey, I think everybody needs to do this. And I, I don't know what the , what the situation is, so I had to do some recon and figure out like what are, what's are the things specifically in Philadelphia that the community's asking for?

What are some of the challenges with the police department and what is my role, you know, in this, my role is not the expert. My role is not the guy who's gonna come in and fix it, but I am able to convene this meeting. And I think that was, you know, my biggest role, uh, and then just listening as we talk to experts and learn more and more about the, the entire scope of the system, you realize that there is no reforming a system that, you know, is in its origins been corrupt.

It's really about abandoning the system. And then creating a new and it's like, that's really the hardest part about this political system that we're in right now is that we are fighting to create very small changes that have little effects that didn't get. Change back in another election cycle. And the majority of us don't like having the conversations about new systems and destroying the old, because there are people who benefit from the way things are and there's a lot of money in it.

These things are deep rooted. And then that becomes, that is really the larger conversation that we always kind of divert to. We focus on the one police officer, we focus on the one incident, the crime rates, these things. Um, and then they just continue to happen. And eventually. And where we are now is we almost get numb to it.

We see it so much that we get numb to it. Um, and so. So, you know, it's, it's important that we continue to fight and continue to raise our voices, but I've also pivoted to a place where, uh, I can't wait for people to save us. It's like we have to take control of our own lives. Um, and so that's, you know, why my foundation is focused on financial literacy and, and school specifically in Philadelphia and North Jersey.

Um, because I want kids to, I don't want them to be, you know, dependent on, uh, a government. Or, you know, uh, or a system to save them. I want them to figure out how to do it for themselves. Um, and grow up empowered so that they can change those systems, you know, with leverage, you know, it's, it's, it's all those things.

So my, I've always tried to understand the situation before I took action. Um, but that meeting was really the kickoff of that journey to like, okay, I need to learn what the landscape is to figure out how. I fit into this puzzle, 

Maureen Boland: right? Um, I guess later in that journey, um, you co founded the Players Coalition and together you came to an agreement with the NFL owners over the protests and the NFL correct me if I'm wrong, um, allocated 89 million dollars for racial justice, social justice initiatives and You don't say it explicitly in that part of the book, but it was clear to me that that must have been extremely stressful at that time.

It must have been extremely stressful, um, and contentious and hard and you were playing football the whole time. And it's hard for me to imagine how you had energy for all of that all at once. Um, can you talk about that a little bit? 

Malcolm Jenkins: Yeah, it was definitely one of the roughest moments of my life or periods of my life.

But that's why the chapter is entitled Step Up. You know, it's one of those things where, um, you can't be afraid of things that are hard. That was, you know, I talked to Mr. Mr. Lesnar was one of those things. He is like that because something's hard can't be the excuse. Um, and I also understood the value of.

opportunities that you have. So, you know, those moments don't come every year. They barely come, you know, in a lifetime. Um, what Colin Kaepernick started that, that was a moment we needed to all like stand up on. Um, and so it was, it was a balance of trying to figure out how to best affect the people. Right.

And again, we were not the experts. Um, the NFL is not the solution. So, you know, I, the NFL didn't cause racism and it's not going to solve it. They surely have influence and surely have resources that can help us. Uh, and so then you're in this game where, well, even if you don't want to help us, just give us what we need to, again, so we can be advocates for ourselves.

We can create vehicles. And that vehicle started with about 12 players and grew to over a dozen professional sports leagues that now have subsidized subsidiaries under the player coalition. And that, and that to me is something that like, I can stand on that, like that, that is. bigger than me. And it was like, so when I look back at that moment, how stressful it was and how we had to hold all those things together, it was worth it.

Uh, and, and we're setting up the next generation behind us and hopefully, you know, wherever we took that, the next group goes. So like, if you look at the NBA, they, they modeled what they did with the NBA players and the NBA off of what we did with the NFL. And they went in a bubble and, and they created all of these social justice initiatives.

They use the blueprint that. Um, and so, you know, the things you do, it might not, you know, you might not be the one that's standing on the podium or the one that gets the credit. It's not about that, but you might create something that sparks somebody else that will change the world. And, uh, and again, that goes back to, you know, Mr.

Lester and those things that how I gauge, uh, success and failure. Um, that's, that's how I look at it. 

Maureen Boland: Right. And I know you know this, but like, as a person who spends so much time with teenagers, you know, the impact of being able to see people take a stand, you know, and, and I saw in the classroom in the last, uh, five or six years that I was in the classroom that kids were different, you know, kids were taking stands that they had never taken before and no one influences, especially young men more than football players.

So. You know, the impact is, there's no way to measure what, what that was. for so many people. 

Malcolm Jenkins: Yeah. And then you just do what you can. And I think what we're doing now and seeing now is a more empowered athlete. Like if you look at what's happening across college football, across the NFL, even in NBA and across all sports, you see a more vocal and empowered, emboldened athlete.

Um, and that's what we want. That's, you know, we, we hold up the Muhammad Ali's and, and you know, the, those guys from the past because they were, the few amongst many. Um, and now it seems like there's a lot of voices. There's a lot of, you know, people stepping up to the table and that's what you want. You just want to push the envelope just a little further.

Yeah. 

Maureen Boland: Cause I'm sure it's not easy being by yourself. Cause I know that the way you tell the story, it sounds like there were moments where you felt not totally alone, but there were, it wasn't like there were crowds of people behind you at certain moments. You had to, yeah. 

Malcolm Jenkins: Yeah. I mean, but that's the journey to anything, you know, to any success.

If it was easy, everyone would be doing it already. And so you kind of go into it understanding that there are going to be moments where I'm alone. There's going to be moments where this is hard. It's gonna be moments where I'm going to want to quit. Um, and hopefully you have at least one or two people, you know, to pull you out of that.

And, and, and that was the thing. It wasn't just me. I, you know, there were moments where I even felt alone would realize like, nah, I'm part of a collective right here. And, you know, he He was more steady than I was. I talked to him, you know, he's like, I don't care about none of what nobody's saying. I'm here just to do this, you know, we are focused on the plan.

Uh, and that was reassuring for me that, that, that helped me, that kept me grounded from all of, you know, the whirlwind and the attention and things like that. But there was, you know, the fact that, uh, when the coalition split and Anklon was no longer in the league, I was the main voice, you know, and as a football player, you can't avoid the media.

You got, you have to.

And so it was just this constant, you know, um, it was almost like being, you know, a press secretary. Like you got to stand up and, and, and answer all the questions every single time and do it with grace and do it with humility and do it with poise. Um, knowing that any words you say, uh, can be used against you.

Any words you say can, can topple all that you're working for and that it was bigger than me. I'm speaking on behalf. Of issues that are bigger than me, I'm speaking on behalf of, uh, uh, a collective that's bigger than me. And that's a lot of responsibility, but that's something that, that I've always embraced.

Maureen Boland: You're listening to the mighty writers podcast with me, Maureen Boland, we'll be back.

Hi, I want to take a moment here to say a few words about Mighty Writers, the nonprofit that teaches kids to write. It also happens to be the nonprofit behind this podcast. Mighty Writers launched its program from a South Philadelphia storefront 13 years ago with a singular mission to teach kids to think clearly and write with clarity so they can achieve success.

Today, with multiple sites in Philadelphia and New Jersey, that same mighty mission still stands. At Mighty Writers, we believe that writing holds a multitude of powers. The most obvious is that you can express how you feel, and what you want, clearly. Learning to write forces all of us. And when you're thinking clearly, you make smart decisions.

That's important for all of us, but maybe especially for kids who are faced with all kinds of challenges and choices as they navigate adolescence and the teen years in these difficult times. At Mighty Writers, we've been able to reach kids across Philadelphia and well into New Jersey with the power of writing.

And we're just getting started. If you'd like to know more about Mighty Writers and what we're up to, go to our website, mightywriters. org. Thank you. You're listening to the Mighty Writers podcast. I'm Maureen Boland. Let's get back to my conversation with former NFL player Malcolm Jenkins. His new book is called.

what winners won't tell you. I want to move on to, um, a couple of periods in your life that were, it seemed like you experienced a lot of, um, personal, psychological, spiritual growth. And so one is kind of going back in time to when you were in college and you write about being at Ohio State and the experience of being, um, in two really different spaces in the white space of evangelical Christians.

And then in the Black space of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. And I thought that chapter was really interesting. And I, you know, I imagined like that must've also been a time of, I don't know if conflict is the right word, but there was a lot going on. Can you talk about that period? Yeah. Like what were you learning in that period where you were kind of split between two very different social contexts?

Yeah. 

Malcolm Jenkins: I mean, it's. That's the one part about college football that are leaving, you know,

their neighborhoods and pockets of the world to come on to these, you know, predominantly white institutions. And, you know, you're a superstar, but just. It's so crazy. You're accepted. Everybody's like loving on you, things like that. And you, you get put into a program in which you're supposed to act this way, talk this way, walk this way.

And I kind of felt myself going down that path, but you, there's this a voice in you that just, this feels so foreign, you know, uh, you don't ever feel like you're completely yourself. Uh, and then I found, you know, the Omega sci fi and these, and what that did was really put me around the black. events and and population on campus.

All of a sudden you feel you find these safe places where you're not thinking about how people are evaluating, you know, you know, what you look like or what you say or how you talk. You feel so much more at home and at ease. And that's important for everybody, especially, you know, athletes with so much demands.

You're trying to perform in school, trying to perform on the field. And yeah, You don't really have that place to, to feel like you can put your guard down. And Omega Psi 5 was that for me and, and, and all of the places that, that, that fraternity took me. Um, I don't think that we talk about that enough, or at least highlighted enough, these black, uh, the Greek letter organizations and how much they've done for, you know, black society, really.

They were started as for that very reason to be a safe haven, um, and, uh, and, uh, an impact club for Black students who couldn't go anywhere else and get that it creates that pocket of home away from home 

Maureen Boland: So the other period of your life is actually Well, it was chapter 11 and it's after the Eagles Super Bowl victory in 2018 and it starts with a meaningful trip to Ghana a country you went on to visit many times and ends with some reflections on the end of your marriage and And you share a lot about what you learned working with a team psychologist, Stephanie.

I didn't, couldn't quite find the last name, but Stephanie, who had, um, helped you earlier in your career. And I wanted to know what were some of the important things you learned that helped you through that tough time. 

Malcolm Jenkins: The chapter 11 is the shortest chapter in the book because it was the most painful to write.

Like one of my greatest failures, I believe is, is the failure of my marriage. And And all of the things internally you had to deal with thinking about like, how am I going to be a father now? You know, my, my idea of success at that time was to have a happy family, kids. And you know, that, that was the measure of success and that was failing.

And this was directly after the highest, you know, the highest Superbowl, um, is also, you know, that chapter is about. what you're responsible for and what you're not as one individual, you know, who's the head of now a family there's, you went from being a dependent to very quickly in your early twenties being now the sole provider for everyone in your family, your parents turned to dependents and you're, you're only in your twenties.

That's a, that's a. a thing you're not really prepared for. Um, and when all of those things, you know, kind of crumble, you have to realize that nobody's responsible for you. And so you have to be responsible for you. And so there's a balance of like, okay, what can I do? And what, and what I can do, I ought to do.

But I also need discernment to realize what I can't do. Um, and I can't play every role. And that's why the chapter is named one 11th. Cause one of the key things about football is in the best things is there's always 11 guys on the field. Every role is different. The quarterback has way more, you know, has so much more responsibility than, you know, the alignment, but The quarterback can't do his job if the lineman doesn't protect.

He can throw the ball, the receiver doesn't catch it, then the quarterback's ineffective. So all of these things, you know, play a role, whether it's sports, whether it's your family, you know, there are different roles. Some people have more responsibility than others, but they're all, everyone must play their role for us to succeed.

It's the same in business. And I think that was that chapter is just reflective of me trying to figure out and be honest with myself about what I can do, what I can't do, how to take care of myself, but also how to with discernment and love take care of others. Um, and it's a fine balance. 

Maureen Boland: Yeah. So you're the father of two young girls.

Um, and so much of your work, and it's come through in this interview off the field is centered on the lives of Children, especially those from underserved communities. I work for Mighty Riders, which is, um, an organization that does a very similar work to what the Malcolm Jenkins Foundation does. So I thought we would close this conversation with some questions about Children.

You've done a lot of things. The organization does a lot of things. What do you think it has been the most impactful thing that your foundation has done? 

Malcolm Jenkins: I think the most impactful thing that we've done is continued our work. Um, we started in New Orleans with a scholarship program. Um, and we built that.

And then when I left New Orleans, the number one question is, you know, are you still going to keep, are you still going to do your work in that city? Um, And we have. We've continued that work this entire time, done over a decade of work in the city of New Orleans. Um, and so when it comes to the foundation, it really comes down to a lesson that my father taught me.

He used to make us go out in front of our house if there was any trash, you know, on the curb, he'd make us go clean it up. And we'd come back in the house thinking we were done and he'd send us back out and say, no, you got to clean the two houses to our left and to our right. So essentially we were responsible for our block.

We were responsible for what we call home. And through my foundation, that's, that's me replicating that lesson. I want to take care of all the places that I've called home. So we operate in Ohio where I went to school, Louisiana. In New Orleans, where obviously I cut my teeth in the NFL, uh, Jersey, where I'm from.

And then obviously Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. That's where we do the majority of our focus. And we've had longstanding programs in each of those places. And to me, that's really the most like, that's the proudest thing that you can do is there's so many ways to help and people do it, you know, when they feel good about it, but consistently showing up for communities is, is really the best thing that you can do.

Always, you know, people just show that like somebody cares, somebody has not forgot about me. That alone gives people hope to sustain. Um, and so we fed tens of thousands of people. We've given hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships. Um, you know, we've seen people come through our football camps.

Like I can remember one kid from my football camp, you know, a few years later, I'm lining up against him in the NFL. And so it's like, you get to see the fruit, the fruit of your labor, um, over time. And that's really one of the things I'm most proud of. My mom is really the key to all of that. She's the one who pushed the vision to start the foundation.

She's the president of it. She runs the day to day. And is the one who makes sure that all of the things that I want to do, you know, when it comes to giving back to the community, get executed, um, and often, and also building on top of my ideas. So it's, it's, it has been one of those things that as a family, we're able to give back because we, we feel like we're blessed.

Um, but we, we want to focus on those places that I've called home. 

Maureen Boland: That's great. Um, and I couldn't agree more that consistency is. Really important. A lot of the kids that I've worked with really don't expect. Or organizations to stick around and it takes a while to prove yourself. And, um, so I really appreciate that answer.

So what does winning as a father look like to you? 

Malcolm Jenkins: I had to really define that for myself, uh, after a while, uh, I think, especially right after my divorce, you know, um, immediately I start to think, you know, as a father, I'm failing, you know, I'm not able to be in the house every, you know, every single day.

Um, and one of the things through therapy I had to work through was, you know, it was like, who, who determines if you're a good father? Is it society? Is it, you know, somebody else is like your, your children are the ones who will tell you. And so I had to begin to like, see myself through their eyes. Um, and when I do that, I know that I'm a good father.

I know everything that I do is intentional. Uh, even, even though, you know, I have them 50 percent of the time, um, that 50 percent now makes me be very, very intentional about my time with them, um, to where I turned down and protect that space. Like a lot. I turned down gigs. I turned down, you know, opportunities to protect the time that I have, um, and I, and I'm hoping obviously over time that they, they get those lessons that, that I pour, I'm pouring into them and teaching them all the things I know that I'm making sure that they're loved.

They feel loved. They feel protected. They know that I'm here. Um, All of those things, you know, are just important for fathers to communicate, to showcase over time, uh, to be consistent and, you know, it took work like. It, that takes work to be a good dad. You don't just get the, you're a good dad mug, plop it on your desk.

And all of a sudden, you know, fatherhood is done. It's like, no, it takes, it takes work, intentionality and consistency over time. And it's not going to stop. Right. They are 10 and five or nine and five. That's not going to stop for their entire lives. Right. So, and that's the thing too, that, you know, fatherhood is not like a game.

It's not like you make one mistake and then the clock runs out and you're done. You have your entire life to correct wrongs, to make things right, to be the father that they want to be. Um, and that's really how I look at it. I look at how they're doing. I look at their health. I look at how they see me. Um, and I ask, you know, like, how am I doing?

How are y'all feeling? Am I being too, too crazy right now? Do I need to calm down? Do you feel like you can talk to me? Do you feel safe around me? Um, those are things that I'm, I'm constantly, uh, monitoring and 

Maureen Boland: working on. Well. I want to thank you for bringing so much joy to Philadelphia and in particular to my husband because I mean, he could be in a bad mood and then something will flash on the screen about the Super Bowl, the 2018 Super Bowl, and it can change his whole day.

And I know that's true for all kinds of people in the city. And it just it was a super happy time for everyone I know. And Thank you so much for being on the Mighty Writers podcast, and I hope you keep writing. I'm a writing teacher at heart, so let's see 

Malcolm Jenkins: what's next. Yeah, I can't wait. Definitely already thinking about new ideas.

Writing was fun for me. I'm glad that this book was motivational for you. That's what I was hoping, that my story, you know, would inspire so many people. I hope everybody reads it. Uh, and they go get it, uh, whatwinnerswonttellyou. com, get your copy. 

Maureen Boland: Yeah, we bought a bunch of copies, um, and we're gonna do some workshops with some kids at Mighty Writers, so I'll probably be one of the people helping design that, so I'm looking forward to it.

Truly an honor and a pleasure to meet 

Malcolm Jenkins: you. I appreciate that. Thank you so much.

Maureen Boland: Malcolm Jenkins is the author of the new book, what Winners Won't Tell You In it, Jenkins offers readers his own version of the Hero's Journey. He brings us surprisingly close to the literal battle on the football field. But just as close to his personal and political confrontations. All of the battles required not only courage, but focus, analysis, reflection, and humility.

As someone who taught the Homeric epic, The Odyssey, to thousands of students over the years. I've long been convinced that we can never have enough of these stories because all of our lives require courage and all of us, no matter how strong or confident we may appear, are in a constant conversation with our fears.

We fear failure. We fear success. We fear being alone, we fear others, and we can experience all of these fears and more within one afternoon. That's how much courage life requires. And stories like the ones in Malcolm Jenkins book are the best place to turn when you need a dose of courage. In The Acknowledgements, Jenkins writes directly to his young daughters.

He says, If I teach you one thing from my story, let it be that I want you to live out the most expansive versions of yourselves. Never be boxed in by fears of failure or the opinions of those too scared to try. My sense, after reading the book and speaking with Jenkins, is that he has that wish not only for his daughters, who he loves, as he puts it, with every bit of energy in his body, but for all of us.

His commitment to justice, his willingness to put himself on the battlefield of life, he does that because it is the right thing to do, not because it's easy or because he doesn't feel fear. He does it because it is what his beloved high school track coach and his ancestors would want from him. And because he knows that others will follow his lead into a more powerful version of themselves.

Like I said. We can never have enough stories like this one.

The executive producer of the Mighty Writers podcast is Tim Whitaker. Our show is produced in partnership with Rowhome Productions. Rowhome's executive producers are John Myers and Alex Lewis. This episode was produced by John Myers. Our original theme music was composed by Jim Morgan. This episode also features music from Blue Dot Sessions.

To keep up with the Mighty Writers podcast, follow at Mighty Writers on Instagram, Facebook, and X, formerly Twitter. You can tweet me, Maureen Boland, at mcgboland. And don't forget to subscribe to the Mighty Writers podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify. Or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening and catch you next time.