Big John holds down interview
1 thought it would be cool to
Jo an interview with Jean "Big
John" Downing this week
Some people may remember
him from his days playing foot
ball for Winston-Salem State
(1995-98). He was one of the
leading offensive tackles head
ing into the 1999 NFL Draft.
Things didn't workout for
him with football, but he still
found a way to make it big. He's
presently head of security for
rap superstar Lil' Wayne. Some
of you probably noticed him in
Lil* Wayne's latest video, "A
Milli.** He got a lot of face time
in that video. I usually hit John
up once every few months to see
what's good. I thought this
would be a good time to put a
conversation on paper.
He's cool, funny, knowl
edgeable and very down to
earth. He and I talked about a
number of things earlier this
week, including Lil Wayne,
Chris Paul, Josh Howard, the
Washington Redskins and the
late legendary coach Bighouse
Gaines. This was another one of
my favorite conversations sim
ply because Big John was really
putting me on to some new
knowledge. Take a look at some
of the things Big John and I dis
cussed on Tuesday evening.
Anthony: Hey, Jean.
What's good, man?
Big John: Nothing much,
bruh. How are you doing?
Anthony: (Smiles.) I can't
complain. I'm feeling pretty
right now. Let's talk about you
real quick. You got major face
time Tn Lil' Wayne's latest
video. How was that for you?
Big John: It was cool.
Know what I'm say in.' That was
really Wayne's idea. Most of the
time I'm kind of laid back. I'm
not trying to be in too many
videos. That was really Wayne's
idea. But it was cool. It was like
1 was working.
Anthony: Is that kind of the
what goes down behind the
scenes during a Weezy video?
Big John: Yeah, somewhat.
It was still directed. That partic
ular video was done in one take.
That was the kind of video
Wayne wanted to do. He actual
ly shot three videos that same
day. He was actually leaving
one video before doing that one.
You can see that- at the begin
ning of the video.
Anthony: What's it like to
work for Lil' Wayne?
Big John: It's a fun experi
ence. He's a really smart dude.
He's really about his business.
He's probably one of the hardest
working dudes I've ever been
around.
Anthony: How did you two
come in contact with each
other?
Big John: Um, I actually
used to work for Juelz San tana
and Dipset. I got hooked up with
Wayne through Juelz. They used
to hang with each other quite a
bit. But I really got the job dur
ing a Chris Brown tour in L.A. I
had a fight with four Samoans.
Everybody left me out to hang. I
guess they thought I was gonna
take an L. I came out of that one.
Anthony: (Smiles.) That's
wild. I know that you used to
play football, but what kind of
training did you have go through
to do what you do now?
Big John: I've been doing
this for 14 years. I was doing
this while I was playing foot
ball, during the summer time.
Anthony: Were you a
Photo by Anthony Hill
Jean "Big John" Downing is a former WSSU football stand
out. He's presently head of security for rap star Lil' Wayne,
and can be seen in his latest video ? "A Milli."
bouncer?
Big John: No, it wasn't
really bouncing. I was working
with other guys. My first job
was with Mad Lion (Dancehall
rapper). They would call me and
my crew when they came to
town. We would hold it down as
long as they were in town. It's
been since '95.
Anthony: How much do
you miss playing football?
Big John: It was a good
experience, but I don't really
miss playing. I'm at a different
in tfife last year?
Big John: One girl would
n't move her car. She parked her
car right in front of the bus, like
bumper to bumper. That's prob
ably the craziest experience I've
ever seen. It's not really a point
of me seeing a lot. It's really
about me keeping Wayne safe at
all times, because different peo
ple feel differently about Wayne
in every city. That's all.
Anthony: How do you have
a personal life with your sched
ule and duties?
One-on-One
with \nthony llill
time in my life. That was what I
did when I was in school. Now,
I'm into my career. I more so
miss the guys I played with. I
miss the people.
Anthony: How much did
you come in contact with coach
Gaines?
Big John: I used to come in
contact with coach Gaines quite
a few times. I was trying to play
basketball too. I was all right on
the court. I wasn't sorry. (Both
laugh.) But, I talked to him
(Coach Gaines) a lot. He was
always in the coaches office,
and we would sit down and talk.
He helped me with different
things.
Anthony:
What's the craziest thing
you've experienced on the road
Big John: It's hard. I'm
married and I have kids. So, it's
difficult. But I do everything for
my family and my kids.
Anthony: That's what's up.
Hey, what's Baby (Williams)
like?
Big John: Baby is cool. He
is real laid back. He's the boss.
He knows how to take care of
things, and he keeps the same
guys around him at all times.
He's like the people you see in
movies. He's the boss. It's funny
because people don't think of
Baby like that. He's probably
one of the most cool, laid back
guys that you would ever talk to.
He makes being there a lot bet
ter.
Anthony: I want you to tell
everyone how much love Chris
Paul gets in New Orleans.
Big John: Man, Chris Paul
has his face on the side of a
building. He's doing a crossover
or something. Yeah. Right
downtown.
Anthony: So, New Orleans
is LiT Wayne and Chris Paul?
Big John: Yeah. I would
say that" now it's more Chris
Paul because he's physically
there. Right now the city
belongs to Chris.
Anthony: (Smiles.) Who do
you keep up with the most from
Winston-Salem?
Big John: I talk to Josh
(Howard) and Chris most of the
time. I also go back to see coach
Blount every now and then. But
I really don't have too much
time to keep in touch. I stay
busy.
Anthony: Are you treated
like a celebrity when you go
places nowadays?
Big John: Oh yeah, espe
cially in the airports. A lot of
people recognize me from the
video. That's the main thing. I
honestly sign autographs and
everything.
Anthony: (Laughs.)
Speaking of that video. Where
did the idea for the Mohawk
come about?
Big John: I was getting a
haircut. And, I was asking
Wayne's barber to give me a cut
that makes me look big and
crazy. He said that I was already
big. He asked me if I would do
the mohawk. (Both laugh.) I told
him that I would try it. I'm
going to keep it. Wayne messes
with me about it all the time.
Anthony: When are you
going to see Wayne again?
Big John: Actually, I'm
going to L.A. on Thursday
(today) to do a video with T
Pain. I'll see him on Thursday.
Anthony: Cool. What do
you think you'd be doing if you
weren't doing what you're
doing today?
Big John: (Laughs.) I'd be
doing bail bonds. That was one
of the things that I was doing.
Anthony: OK. Do you have
a favorite NFL team?
Big John: Oh, I roll with
the Redskins all the way.
Anthony: What? You don't
like the Cowboys?
Big John: Cowboys? Who
are they? (Both laugh.) 1 have
been a Redskins fan since I was
a kid.
Anthony: (Smiles.) What
are your thoughts on Brett Farve
possibly coming back to the
NFL?
Big John: That's good.
Football is a tough grind. If he
still has that passion then he
should still play.
Anthony: I hear that. Let's
finish with free association. Uh,
Big John.
Big John: Works hard.
Anthony: Winston-Salem
State.
Big John: Best school.
Anthony: Coach Kermit
Blount.
Big John: Great man and
coach.
Anthony: Tory Woodbury.
(Former WSSU QB)
Big John: Good player.
Anthony: Young Money
Records. (LiT Wayne's record
label.)
Big John: The best.
Anthony: J-Ho. Josh
Howard.
Big John: A good man.
And, a good basketball player.
Anthony: No doubt. That's
what's up.
Wake photo
Wake's Natalie Sheary gave up an $8 J000 prize due to her
amateur status.
bheary finishes second
at CIGNA Golf Classic
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Natalie Sheary carded a
one-over 217 last weekend to
finish second in the Duramed
Futures Tour's CIGNA Golf
Classic in Bloomfield, Conn.
The Wake Forest sopho
more, playing in just her sec
ond Futures Tour event, shot
71-75-71 for the 54-hole
event at the Gillette Golf Club
in her home state. Sheary fin
ished second to Vicky Hurst,
who ended the three-day tour
nament at seven under par.
The closest amateur score to
Sheary's was Stephanie Kim'$
(Orlando, Fla.) 13-over 229.
Because of Sheary's ama
teur status, the $8,000 second
place prize went to third-place
finisher Song Yi Choi, who
recorded a two-over 218 on
the 6,401 -yard course. Sheary
has now competed in two
Futures Tour event, the first
being last season's CIGNA
Golf Classic where the
Hartford-native finished tied
for 19th.
Sheary led the Deacs in
i ? ?
2008 with a 74.2 stroke aver
age last season, won the
Northrop Grumman Regional
Challenge, finished fifth in
the ACC Championship and
tied for 28th at the NCAA
Championship. She became
the first freshman to win an
event for Wake since Marta
Prieto won the ACC
Championship in 1998 and
was named the College
Female Golfer of thfe Week by
GolfWorld magazine follow
ing the victory.
Sheary's win at the
Northrop Grumman in the
first event of the spring sea
son gave Wake Forest back
to-back individual medalists
for the first time in program
history. Nannette Hill won the
Landfall Tradition in the last
event of the fall season.
The National Golf
Coaches Association selected
Sheary as an All-America
honorable mention making
her the first Deacon freshman
since Alexandra Armas in
1995 to receive such honors.
2008
(jJindon, So/mm*
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