Anthem to adrenaline
Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, he stood on the visitors’ sideline at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. After initially being drafted by the New England Patriots out of Marshall University, the Powell High School product had been picked up by the Buffalo Bills to start his rookie year.
Now, with his NFL debut seconds away, he prayed, reflected and soaked in the moment as Danny Kaleikini’s voice carried over the crowd.
Oh say, can you see
By the dawn’s early light…
But as that voice wafted in the autumn Ohio air, another whispered two words in Smith’s soul: it’s time.
“It’s like the Pavlov effect,” Smith explained, channeling the feeling from his office chair 15 years later. “You ring the bell, dog starts salivating. And they’re not salivating because of the bell. They’re salivating because of the food. So for me, the national anthem means somebody is about to get their butt whipped. That song means it’s coming, the violence I loved. That means it’s close.”
By the end of his 11-year career in the National Football League, Smith experienced exactly 149 of those moments as a member of the Bills, Oakland Raiders and Atlanta Falcons.
“And the first one,” he said with a smile, “was just as good as the last one.”
So, with America 250 approaching, he delved into a cultural viewpoint few Americans actually can experience: the nostalgia and patriotism one enjoys as a professional athlete in the United States.
Jet-fueled flyovers, flags whipping in the brisk pregame breeze — Smith has been part of both in stadiums booming with noise each and every weekend.
“Folks in Europe would argue with me from a soccer perspective, and there’s some awesome soccer environments across the globe,” he said. “But when you’re talking about the United States, there is nothing like them stretching that flag across the entire field and singing the national anthem while you get to go play a kid’s game and make millions of dollars.
“I got to live the American dream and be a part of it. And I will be eternally grateful, mostly because my wife and kids got to see their dad run out of a tunnel with fighter jets flying over. There’s no other arena I can think of that I would’ve been more proud to be a part of.”
On the personal side, Smith noted he is not a political person and believes humans should use the Bible as their compass in life.
Smith said he does stand for the anthem when
it is played but emphasized the statement was not a shot at any former teammates who chose otherwise.
“They had a different story, a different life and different experiences than I had,” Smith said. “Me personally, I will always be a proud American who is so grateful to have been born in a country like this with athletic ability to play what is arguably the most amazing game ever created from a fan perspective.“
As that appreciation grew through his career, Smith became known as one of the most fearsome, physical tight ends in the league.
In the process, he used the lessons and leadership he developed in locker rooms throughout his career.
Now, he tries to pass along those principles as the owner and CEO of Triple F Elite Sports Training.
Smith returned to Knoxville and opened the venue in 2022, teaching kids how to “train like a pro” while reinforcing the business backbone: faith, family and fitness.
Aside from his work at Triple F, he enjoys watching his children compete in athletic events around town.
When the anthem is played for those games, Smith may not experience the same level of drama he did before.
But somewhere, deep down, there stirs the same
passion he felt that afternoon in Cincinnati.
“I hate to make it about anything but America because that was a cool experience,” he said. “You’re on the bus, and you go through warmups. Then when that song
starts playing, your livelihood, everything is on the line, and you have to produce. Then the crowd goes wild, the
ball gets kicked off and there you go.”
“Anytime I hear the national anthem, whether it be my son’s game or whatever else — that’s the one thing that gets me. I would say my prayer during that moment, feeling super grateful that I got to be in that moment one more time.”
