Anquan Boldin joins Luke and Nestor on Radio Row in Miami 2020 to talk Ravens memories and making the world a better place.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

baltimore, ethiopia, man, law enforcement, year, lamar, talking, left, fans, ring, work, feel, joe, raven, retired, anquan boldin, san fran, played, traded, payton

SPEAKERS

Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio, Anquan Boldin

Nestor Aparicio  00:00

Welcome back wn S T, Towson Baltimore and wn s t.net. It’s a shame that I lost my voice for one of the pieces that I was really looking forward to doing this week. So Luke is just going to do all of the honors.

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Luke Jones  00:15

We’re gonna push through we’re talking to Anquan Boldin here, you’re not gonna let a little raspy voice

Nestor Aparicio  00:22

I’ve never interviewed Anquan Boldin, he was he was camera shy back in the day. And Paul, how are you? Man?

Anquan Boldin  00:28

I’m good, man. Well, I

Nestor Aparicio  00:29

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mean, I keep up with you. And I run into you places and you’re always doing sort of good work. You gotta come back and help us fix Baltimore, dude, man, you got the ring. You know what I mean? Like, we do Baltimore positive stuff. You’re always community oriented, everything you’re doing this was a heck of a year for Baltimore, for the Ravens. And for Lamar to sort of get back where we, where we want to be.

Anquan Boldin  00:50

Yeah, it was huge man. And just just seeing you know, how successful the team was this year. Obviously, a disappointing end of the season, but man I love where the direction that they’re headed. I love you know, Lamar as the face of that franchise, you know, what he’s done to the city? How he’s, like, put a different energy there, man. It’s been great to watch.

Nestor Aparicio  01:15

Well, hopefully it is just the beginning. Right? I mean, this, you know, disappointment, you know, how quickly it can end for you in January, you know, in all sorts of ways, man, but you don’t feel it common. I mean, I think Matute on set, have to the game. Nobody prepares for the car wreck. It just happens, you know, and it feels like it happened. And now as a franchise, we you know, everyone John all the way up, Eric Ozzie all the way down, they gotta pick up the pieces and come back from the disappointment

Anquan Boldin  01:41

of all Most definitely. But I mean, you got to think about it every year you do that, whether you make the playoffs or not, you know, you as an organization, you have to get back off the mat and start over again. And I think that’s the beautiful part about it, you know, well, we didn’t accomplish our goal last year, but we have another opportunity another crack at it. So let’s do what we need to do to make sure that we’re the best team we can be to, to ensure that we have an opportunity,

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Nestor Aparicio  02:07

look, your departure, you know, and going off in the way you played after you left and us watch, I take phone calls for a living during that era, you know, so you know, there were a lot of people saying, If Anquan, were hearing all that. All the years later, we saw you come back. You feel like you’re a raven. I mean, you you’re not wearing a ring because you probably not your style, right. But the part of you for Baltimore, because I’ve I’ve heard you from the outside speak out about Baltimore, and challenges and things you want to accomplish in your life to help places like Baltimore Most

Anquan Boldin  02:37

definitely. I always consider myself a raven. Although I was only there for three years, it feels like I was there for majority of my career. Why is this a place that fit me? Just the mindset of being in Baltimore, the things that, you know, that are instilled in you. I mean, it was a perfect, it was a perfect match for me. I connected with the fans on a different level. And don’t get me wrong. I I enjoyed everywhere I played, you know, I started in Arizona, I was there for seven years. After I left Baltimore played in San Fran for another three years. And then

Nestor Aparicio  03:14

in Troy, he’s a 49. Right? I can have him sign this.

Luke Jones  03:18

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He’s a raven, right?

Anquan Boldin  03:19

I’m a raven. So but the connection that I had with the city of Baltimore was different than anywhere else that I played.

Luke Jones  03:25

And what was the origin of you retiring as a raven. Now, did Ozzy call you? Did you call him? Like, tell us a little bit about that? Because I think that was something that maybe caught a lot of fans by surprise, but it was an overwhelming positive developed. Yeah,

Anquan Boldin  03:39

it was, it was part of that, like, so. You know, I retired from the, from the NFL. And, you know, it’s always Who do you how do you want to be remembered, right? And I think for me, I want it to be remembered as a rare event. So it was me reaching out to the organization and letting them know, like so. Because, you know, you get the question all the time. And you see fans arguing all the time. Well, he played in Arizona for seven years, he was dragged, but he got a ring, he gotta read it, you know, I’m saying well, and then you have, you know, San Fran fans, and you know what, and for me, it’s, this is how I want it to end You know, I’m saying and I thought it was important for not only me, but my family as well. I have two sons. And, you know, my, my legacy that I leave I think is important to them and my wife as well. So, for me, it’s letting them know like, and my my, my youngest son was actually born in Baltimore. We were pregnant with him. When we got traded from Arizona to book Baltimore in our first summer there, we ended up having my youngest,

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Luke Jones  04:46

I can remember you being at the Best Western is your first training camp. Yeah, out in West College, and you hanging out with the family and seeing the baby boy. And it was cool. It was cool. You know, just as a reporter watching from afar trying to get got stories done. But to see that and to

Nestor Aparicio  05:03

what you were a big deal coming in, right? I mean, you were that missing. We always struggled with the wide receiver position. We’re still struggling, you’re trapped. And last year, right, we gave you away and somebody out there is listed saying shouldn’t have given a guy away next year. But you know, when you came in there was this sort of a renaissance thing to say, what can the offense be? What can Joe be when you came in and became a part of this? And maybe we don’t talk enough about it. You know about Joe. I mean, certainly in the aftermath of Lamar, there was no halo there was no hangover after Joe left. And, you know, check with Joe got roughed up on the way out, but I mean, as Joe always said to me, when I wrote preparing to which I still owe you a copy of you, we do a lot of winning around here, you know, and I hope that Joe’s legacy tied to your legacy and everything, the 47 and the 2030 championship means that, you know, you didn’t have a chance to come back and be a bigger part of that, right. And as Trent Dilfer has sat with me many times and talked about that 20 years ago, because it’s not perfect, right,

Anquan Boldin  06:05

right. It’s definitely not perfect. But I can say, you know, me leaving, I got satisfaction in the fact that I was brought to Baltimore to do a certain job. And I accomplished that, like you said, I was brought to Baltimore, to put them over the hump. And although it didn’t, it didn’t leave. I didn’t leave under the circumstances that I would have liked. I was proud. And I walked out with my head up, because I did what I came to do.

Nestor Aparicio  06:37

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I remember the night that they that they sent you out. I mean, it was a night of celebration. They were showing the film, I was at the Lyric. I mean, you were shocked. I mean, you you I mean at that time, I mean, it felt shocking to everyone else. And

Anquan Boldin  06:53

it was more shocking to me because I was actually on, I was on my way to Ethiopia to do some, some work.

Nestor Aparicio  07:00

Imagine that.

Anquan Boldin  07:02

When I land in Ethiopia, mind you, it was like a 15 hour flight. As soon as I get off the flight, there’s like 80 something takes messages, like everything is just hitting my phone, boom, boom, boom, boom, like, what the heck is going on? And my backup plan there is congratulations. How do you feel about the trade data out of whatever, two hard balls and I’m like, Trey, what traits do I call my agent? And I’m like, what’s going on? He was like, man, I’ve been trying to hit you up. He’s like, you’ve been in the air. He was like, man, they traded you to say I’m like, what? He was like, yeah, they traded you to San Fran. I’m like, You gotta be kidding me. So like, he was like, yeah, he was like, um, you know, San Fran wants you to come out. But I was like, Well, I just landed in Ethiopia, to do some, you know, charity work here. I’ll be back in probably two weeks or whatever. Now, you know, let them know, I’ll come come out as soon as I get back in. But, you know, for me, it was. I didn’t want to let that, you know, dampen the mood of while I was in Ethiopia. So I kind of, you know, threw it to the backburner. But when I really had a chance to think about it, you know, obviously, I wasn’t in line with that. I didn’t like the way it ended. Because I wanted the opportunity to defend my title. You know, we had just won the championship. And I felt like that next year, is like a really a year that you you really figure out who you are, what you’re about, you know, being able to defend the championship and, you know, didn’t have that opportunity didn’t have the opportunity to play against the Patriots on opening night. Like all of that stuff means a lot to you, you know, it’s not that you won the championship, but it is what it is now.

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Nestor Aparicio  08:44

Well, for you. The important stuff is the Ethiopia part, the Baltimore part. Tell me about what you’re doing now as as a retired athlete to continue things you were doing seven, eight years into your career. I mean, for Baltimore, specifically, and retiring Raven, I know there’s some things that tie you back to Baltimore, what are you going to do the next 1015 years? Because I know you got you got a lot of heart to do something good?

Anquan Boldin  09:08

Most definitely. So I, I helped co found the players coalition, and that is, guys, both former and current NFL players who are fighting for social justice causes. And I mean, we all know in Baltimore, we’ve we’ve had some rough patches. Yes. When you’re talking about law enforcement, you thinking about, man. You’re thinking about, you’re talking about the disconnect between the community and law enforcement, the distrust that’s there. And I think in order for us to be where we want to be as a country, we both have to work hand in hand. And when law enforcement do step outside of their authority, they have to be held accountable. And I think That only makes us safer as a community. Number one, it restores the trust back in the community for law enforcement, but it also makes the job of law enforcement a lot easier. So like, I mean, and I don’t like that. I hate when people say why are you bashing law enforcement? No, I’m not. Because if somebody breaks into my house tonight, the first thing I’m doing is calling 911. You know, I’m saying, Oh, this right. But I also hate to see law enforcement overstep their power and not be held accountable. I think that’s dangerous for all of us. So like in Baltimore, you think about the consent decree now all of that Yeah. Guys who had this drug ring going on? Like from? What is it Philadelphia

Nestor Aparicio  10:45

Police Commissioner Harrison on last month? We do that a Baltimore positive. I do that every week. Right? And we’re all in agreement that that’s unacceptable,

Anquan Boldin  10:52

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right? So and I don’t understand why why people have like, we’re all supposed to be held accountable, and NFL guys are held accountable. If you’re a law enforcement, you’re supposed to be held to come nobody is above the law. And I think whenever we hold everybody accountable, we’re better off as a country.

Nestor Aparicio  11:10

So let me know when I can help you with that. I know you’re here on behalf of Office Depot, Office Depot and OfficeMax as well. And former man of the year I got Walter Payton’s a boy over here on the other side. So yeah, I mean, he’s he’s here. Former Walter Payton Man of the Year, right. I mean,

Anquan Boldin  11:28

man, men’s era was recruited together. Like we. So me and him came out of high school the same year. And I was a huge Walter Payton fan growing. We all worked so I tried to schedule my visits around the same time he was he was visiting so I can meet his dad

Nestor Aparicio  11:49

didn’t work. No. Oh. Hey, man, keep up the great work. Tell me what you’re doing here with Office Depot and OfficeMax. Because Lord knows I use enough for their paper enough that

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Anquan Boldin  12:00

I’m probably going to continue to invest in our youth and education. And then small businesses, small businesses important I own one. Okay. And you should be one of the guys using the office. I was

Nestor Aparicio  12:12

I compete with the big guys. I know we look big league over here, but we’re not. Hey, man, thanks for coming by. I don’t know strange. All right. Well, we’ll work it out. I didn’t trade you you know, my you know, that’s all I’m saying. And I’m glad you’re back and I’m glad you retired Raven, and I’m glad you’re smiling with us. Where’s your ring, man?

Anquan Boldin  12:33

Is that the House man? I don’t wear rings.

Nestor Aparicio  12:35

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Nobody.

Luke Jones  12:36

So many players say it’s all about the memory the experience that’s just a little souvenir on the side

Anquan Boldin  12:41

that’s the show off to other people come back and

Nestor Aparicio  12:44

help help fix Baltimore support. All right. Well, the live there um, I’m involved. You know, Billy’s got that speech. Are you the chicken or the pig in the breakfast? The chickens involved gets the lead but the pigs committed. I’m committed to meal I have ownership. Anquan Boldin, we call him cue Commonwealth champion as I look up at the Super Bowl 47 program. I owe him a copy of Purple Rain too. We are wn St. dotnet am 1570 wn st Towson Baltimore. Talking good stuff. Good people. We’re live in Miami Beach with more from Super Bowl 54