A snapshot is not a relationship.
Former San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary raged about tight end Vernon Davis in 2008 in one of the most memorable NFL postgame press conferences ever.
“Cannot play with ’em. Cannot win with ’em. Cannot coach with ’em,” Singletary roared after he sent Davis to the locker room during a game following his personal foul for slapping a Seattle Seahawks player. “Can’t do it. I want winners.”
The scathing response humiliated Davis. It could have jeopardized their friendship, but instead, it became a defining moment, a turning point. Davis made a mockery of the outburst, shedding his selfishness. He became a winner, boasting a Super Bowl 50 ring for his half-season with the Broncos. And he is succeeding in life, reinventing himself as an actor, producer and, in August, an author, when “Playing Ball,” his memoir on his path to the NFL and beyond, comes out.
Singletary wrote the foreword.
“We always stayed in touch. I am close to his family. I viewed what happened as something I could grow from,” Davis said. “Everyone saw the rant, but they didn’t see what was going on behind the scenes. He was always talking to me in the lunchroom, giving me advice, talking to me about God and family.”
Davis, 40, arrived in Denver midseason in 2015. The idea was that he would provide speed on seam routes and allow coach Gary Kubiak to employ more two-tight-end sets with Davis, Owen Daniels and Virgil Green. Pairing Davis with future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, who was limping through his worst season, was supposed to give the passing attack a boost. Instead, they played seven quarters together as Manning dealt with plantar fasciitis in his foot. Davis caught 20 passes on 28 targets for 201 yards over the final nine weeks. His playoff highlight was a downfield block to help extend a 34-yard second-quarter run by running back C.J. Anderson in the Super Bowl.
The transition to a new offense midstream proved difficult. But for Davis, the ring is a testament to his career (two Pro Bowl berths, three All-Pro teams) and a crowning achievement that goes beyond the numbers.
“Denver was a really amazing experience. Guys will play for 15 years and never have an opportunity to win a Super Bowl,” Davis said. “It was meant to be. Most people figure you are supposed to win with the team that drafted you. But it doesn’t always happen like that. The hard work paid off, just in mysterious ways.”
As the sixth overall selection in the 2006 draft, Davis finished with 7,562 receiving yards and 63 touchdowns. The statistics offered only fragments of his story. Davis was straight out of central casting at 6-foot-3, 248 pounds. His physicality camouflaged mental health challenges. He began confronting issues halfway through his career, seeking therapy and leaning on his faith.
Talking about it, he stressed, remains important.
“Mental health is huge, and unless you are going through it, it’s hard to understand. I struggled with panic disorder and anxiety. Some days are tougher than others. Unless you have been there you don’t know how it feels,” Davis said. “It’s a big deal. For me to be able to share this and bring hope and inspiration, you can’t ask for anything better than that. I feel like that’s my duty, that’s my job, my obligation to be able to create awareness.”
When football ended, Davis’ curiosity did not. He has filmed more than 30 projects and acted in six movies, including as a murderer in “Ritual Killer” with Morgan Freeman.
Athleticism does not translate seamlessly to acting. But Davis’ life and sports journey prepared him for the long hours and attention to detail.
“I love creating. I love taking something from its infancy stage and forming it. And I did learn my discipline from sports,” Davis said. “It dates back to when I was a kid growing up in a neighborhood that wasn’t ideal for raising a family. How do you make it out of a situation like that? It takes resilience. And it takes discipline.”
Davis wasn’t sure he wanted to tell his story. He figured he should wait until he’s older. But his experience, he believes, can help others. His career changed in a moment because of a news conference. He overcame long odds to reach the NFL and several challenges to stay productive through the 2019 season.
And yet, he has never stopped evolving. Any doubt he had about his book changed when Davis confronted tragedy. His brother Vontae, a standout NFL cornerback, died April 1 at the age of 35.
“That’s one of the toughest moments I have ever dealt with. He’s someone I have talked to every day since we had cell phones. He was my best friend, my brother, like a son, all of the above. I couldn’t have asked for a better little brother,” Davis said.
“To have him pass before me, it is something you never think about happening. I know I am going to see him again someday. But it showed once again that there is no expiration date on life. That’s one of the things I talk about in my book, and why now is the time to release it. Tomorrow is never promised.”
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