Westlake High Graduate Keyaron Fox Opens up about NFL Career

Linebacker Keyaron Fox has played a key role in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ string of successes in recent years, repeatedly turning in big plays as a backup linebacker and stalwart special teams player.

Now preparing for his eighth NFL season, the former and Georgia Tech star has helped the Steelers reach two Super Bowls and win one since joining the team as an unrestricted free agent from Kansas City in 2008.

Fox (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) has paced the Steelers in special teams tackles in each of the past three seasons while also serving as a more-than-reliable backup at inside linebacker in Pittsburgh’s vaunted 3-4 defensive scheme.

He played extremely well in three starts in 2009, totaling 44 tackles (31 solo, 13 assists) for the whole season and a spectacular 82-yard interception return of a Brett Favre pass for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.

Fox played in every Steelers game last season, registering 23 tackles, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble while also defending two passes to help his team reach Super Bowl XLV, where it fell to Green Bay, 31-25.

The Steelers’ 29-year-old special teams captain, with seven career NFL starts to his credit, sat down recently with Cascade Patch and discussed a variety of issues, including the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing NFL lockout and his upcoming contract year. Here are highlights from the conversation:

Q. You’ve had a great career to date, playing in two Super Bowls and winning one, and now you’re getting ready to enter your eighth NFL season. Did you ever foresee any of this even in your wildest dreams while you were at Westlake or at Georgia Tech?

A. Probably in high school, I probably did. I had big career dreams and aspirations as a child. The older I got, the reality of the situation kicked in. After my first couple of seasons in the NFL, there were times when I wondered whether I was going to be able to play as long as I have. I tore my ACL/PCL (anterior cruciate ligament/posterior cruciate ligament) in my second season and I wasn’t accustomed to coming off the bench playing. So it was an adjustment for me in the early stages of my career.

Q. Any talk of the NFL these days is primarily about the ongoing lockout. What have you been doing to keep busy in lieu of the organized team workouts traditionally held in the offseason?

A. I’ve been working out at various places throughout the city – Fit for Life down in Union City, Catalyst Gym over here on Ponce De Leon and I still go over to Georgia Tech and work out with another personal trainer, Tom Bender. So there’s plenty of ways to stay in shape. It’s just not being able to do it with your teammates, guys whom you’ve built that camaraderie with. Not being able to train with them in the offseason is a little tough.

Q. What are the most important issues to you at stake in the ongoing lockout?

A. I think, as a player, we take a high risk out there playing on the field. It’s not like a business venture. It’s a bodily risk, something that affects your way of life after you finish playing. I think that what is going on right now with the lockout is important to the current players in the NFL, those who are trying to transition into the NFL and those who used to play. The owners have taken away a lot of programs, things we’ve earned. It’s about looking out for our futures.

Q. You’ve always played the game with such passion and emotion. Was it hard originally upon entering the NFL to separate the game of football from the business of football?

A. Yeah, there definitely is a difference. At first, I didn’t understand that. I didn’t understand why coaches would get so mad if you didn’t have a good practice. When I first came into the league, I didn’t have a whole lot of respect for special teams. Now I realize how that can often be the difference between winning and losing a game. I realize how very important it all is. There’s millions of dollars at stake each week in the NFL. This is people’s livelihoods. Not just the players, but the coaches and even the people who work at stadiums as well.

Q. Assuming the lockout is eventually resolved and there is a season this fall, what are your individual goals after coming so close to winning another championship last season?

A. I just want to keep working hard, developing and striving to become a starter. When I first came into the league, I wasn’t used to coming off the bench. I’d always been used to being a starter and playing the majority of the plays every game. I’ve made several starts throughout my career and my production has been high. Luckily for me, I had already been contacted by a few teams before the lockout who were interested in talking with me later about a starting position. So that’s made me feel good. I’m keeping all my options open right now.

Q. Does the possibility of landing a coveted starting job – whether it is in Pittsburgh or elsewhere – put added pressure on you to perform as you enter the final year of your contract with the Steelers?

A. Not really. The only kind of pressure is just finding a team that will give you a chance. Once I stick with a team and land somewhere, I feel very comfortable that I’ll be able to hold up my end of the bargain.

Q. What advice would you give to young high school- and college-aged football players who aspire to reach the same lofty heights you have?

A. My advice to the youth is to always make sure you put a high emphasis on education because that will be the key to anything you want to do. At any school you go to, getting your education is the most important thing. I would also tell the kids they need to stay away from trouble in the streets and focus on school and anything that will help get you a chance to go to college.

Q. Throughout your career, you’ve remained very active in the community in which you grew up. The stated purpose of your Keyaron Fox Foundation is to provide valuable mentorship and precious opportunities to young people as to better prepare them for life. Why has it remained so important to you to stay involved in the community?

A. You do it because you know what it’s like for coaches to make the time for you. You feel kind of responsible for helping to take care of some of the people in the community because they helped take care of you when you were coming up. You remember how well they treated you when you were a kid, so you try to pass it on. I can remember all the time that my coaches and all the volunteers put in, all the time they took to help kids like me. That took a lot of effort and dedication on their parts to give up their time for other people’s kids.

Q. The lockout has given you added incentive to think about life after football, but you’ve already begun taking steps towards that direction with various endeavors. Can you tell me a little bit about the water product, Victory H2O, that you and a partner recently introduced?

A. My partner, Eric Fears, and I have started production of the world’s first complete performance water. Eric has been a trainer for several years. Once he got to Georgia Tech, he started getting into the sports medicine side and really got into nutrition. Victory H2O is unlike anything else because it has no calories or artificial sugars and has advanced electrolytes to help you recover and hydrate. Eric was able to come up with two formulas and he presented it to me and I liked it. We haven’t hit the stores yet, but it is available on-line now at www.victoryh2o.com.