The 2015 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl will be played on January 17 at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California and will air live on ESPN2. After Wednesday’s American team practice, Pro Player Insiders caught up with quarterback Jerry Lovelocke from Prairie View A&M. Lovelocke passed for 2,473 yards and 26 total Touchdowns (10 rushing) in the 2014 season. Read on to find out a little more about Jerry Lovelocke
Goals outside of football:
I actually want to open back up a restaurant for my grandmother. My family is from the islands. My grandmother used to own this Jamaican restaurant. (A break in the interview occurs as I inform him that I’m also of Jamaican, and he’s now my favorite player.)
On playing in NFLPA Collegiate Bowl:
I knew it would be a great opportunity for me and gives me a chance to play on the next level.
Some Favorites:
Food – Oxtail and Curry goat. Yes sir, I can cook.
Color – Blue
Place to visit – This is my first time on the west coast. I love it here.
Skills that he’s working on improving to be better on the next level:
My vision and of course being under center because I haven’t done it in the last couple of years since high school. That would be one of the main things I have to work on.
Life lessons learned while attending college:
Take every moment seriously. Don’t ever think it’s a game and take nothing for granted.
More Faves:
Movie – The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, it’s a mystery to the whole movie. I actually watched it three times straight to actually understand it. People mistook him for an old man when he was really a child in a grown man’s body. He had a child’s mind so there was a lot of things he knew he wasn’t supposed to do even though he was allowed to. He stayed within his mental confinements and didn’t leisure himself… [I asked if there were any similarities between him the main character of the movie] I traveled a lot when I was young. I was born and raised in East Orange New Jersey then I moved to Maryland, and throughout my time living in Maryland I played basketball so I did a lot of travelling via AAU-wise. In football when I started my college tour, I traveled a lot of places because I never wanted to stay in-state for school.
Favorite active player:
Peyton Manning, he’s the best to me actually. He’s a wonderful guy and he’s the prototypical quarterback, everybody knows that, and I’ve watched him since I was young. I pattern myself after him.
Player all-time:
My favorite player of all time? I have to say Michael Jordan man, he’s the greatest in basketball, but football wise my favorite of all time is Donovan Mcnabb.
Favorite team:
Ravens, gotta stick with them.
What he can change about the world if he could:
Right now, I would change the stereotypes man. People put labels on folks before they get to know them. Just from simple things of seeing them, of course we had the big racial issue in the past where your complexion would get you put in that stereotype before you even opened your mouth to see if you were knowledgeable. . .
Importance of athletes using the platform they have to address social issues:
Some people say that athletes should have no part in social commentary. Do you agree with that? No cause athletes are still apart of society whether they wanna say we are or not. We live in the same world as everyone else. Just because we are looked at in a different light and put on a different stage or platform from everyone else, we’re still people.
Lasting impression
I want people to remember me as the positive person that I am. Always with a smile on my face. Always trying to encourage someone to do better. Always seeing the glass half full instead of half empty.
Jerry Lovelocke certainly has the confidence to play the quarterback position in the NFL.
