Marcellus Wiley on the game: “Football did a lot more for me than I did for football”

Marcellus Wiley didn’t use football as an escape. It was more of a way for him to put his talents to good use, but most importantly to stay out of trouble.

“I just did it cause I was fast and I was fearless.”

“I never calculated what that could mean in terms of opportunity,” added Wiley. “I was great in school. I was eager to learn. I love just the whole process of learning. Discovery. So I was a nerd that could run fast that ended up playing football. That was my calculation. That was my recipe for success. It didn’t start off as an escape. It certainly gave me tremendous attributes. Work ethic. A passion. Something to focus on. Something to take me away from the idle time of being in the streets.”

Growing up in Compton, California, Wiley also discusses him valuing his education more than the sport of football and how he made it through such a rough environment with his family.

“So, I grew up on welfare. Poor. I was rich inside. I was rich in happiness. I was rich in stability. My parents were both in the home. So, I was blessed and thankful. But, there were a lot of moments there was hell to pay just to be where you were.”

Check out this special in-depth segment with Fanatics View on this edition of the interview special!