Stephen Weatherly is proof that athletes aren’t one-dimensional. Yes, he’s a disruptive defensive end who’s made his mark in the NFL with teams like the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos; but off the field, his interests and insight run deep. From crafting molten glass into stunning pieces of art to running a football academy that’s reshaping how young players are coached, Weatherly is thoughtful, self-aware, and multidimensional in every sense.
In a time where player development and mental health awareness are becoming essential conversations in and around professional sports, Weatherly is ahead of the curve. He doesn’t just want to make tackles, he wants to leave a lasting impact. Whether it’s mentoring young talent through the Stephen Weatherly Football Academy or exploring life through the delicate art of glass blowing, he approaches everything he does with the same tenacity he brings on Sundays.
Our conversation wasn’t just about X’s and O’s. It was about evolution; both personal and professional. Weatherly is at a stage in his career where he’s thinking about legacy: what he can give back, who he can help mold, and how he can stretch himself beyond the game. And yet, when we turned our attention to the current state of the NFL, his passion as a player came right back into the spotlight.
From his perspective on how to neutralize Tua Tagovailoa, to comparisons between Jalen Ramsey and ‘90s shutdown corners like Nnamdi Asomugha, Weatherly delivered deep football knowledge in a way only a seasoned pro can. He also touched on whether Zach Wilson has starting QB potential and what a Tyreek Hill and Jayden Daniels duo could look like in real time.
And just as important as the game itself, Weatherly opened up about mental health, the importance of emotional safety in sports, and what athletes need beyond game plans and locker rooms. This wasn’t your average football sitdown. This was Stephen Weatherly unplugged.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Can you share more about the Stephen Weatherly Football Academy and how it blends athletics with education, STEM, and the arts?
Stephen Weatherly: Yeah! The football side of it? Yeah. And I know I have my foundation work and I really love doing that, and I continue to do that stuff too, but now it’s starting to incorporate athletics. So I started it in 2020 when I was with the Carolina Panthers. We have a reading program for elementary school kids, a STEM Academy for middle schoolers and an art program, and that’s K through 12. The reading program is my own version of Attentive Based Reading Program where we give 91 awards; I wore No. 91 for every team I played for. We give the top reader a 91 second shopping spree in the toy section of Target for the semester; and we reward the top reader for each grade level and the Most Improved Reader at each grade level because I think it’s important to reward the kid that wasn’t trying, but then decided to try along with the kid that reads like, five Harry Potter books because that’s STILL impressive. But with that, we saw some tremendous results in North Minneapolis where it started, and then I took it to Charlotte, [North Carolina] and then to Columbus, Ohio and then I ran it in Atlanta twice. And so, that’s been a lot of fun. And then in the STEM Academy, I partner with iD Tech, and I give out free math and science courses to middle schoolers to try to cultivate the next generation of engineers. Something I wish I had when I was that age; it was hard for me to find that in Southwest Atlanta growing up so, now that I have some money I think it’s an important opportunity to help turn kids’ curiosities into passions, which is middle school I think is around that time when that happens so, we did that. And then we have the arts program. For the younger generation, we introduce them to new forms of art like glass blowing and pottery. For older generations and for my older artists, we teach them how to live life as an artist. We show them how to build their portfolio, how to properly structure their sales, how to pitch to get yourself into museums, why would you want to do that, the ideas of setting value…so on and so forth, but those are the three main pillars that we have.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What got you into glass blowing, and how has it helped you both creatively and mentally during your playing career?
Stephen Weatherly: Glass blowing? So you can make a cup or a bowl or something like that. It was something that I picked up early in my playing career since 2018. It was a hobby but then I really loved it, and I loved what it did for me in regards to keeping me regulated for my mental health because, when you do it you have to stick a metal pipe into molten glass that’s about 2000 degrees and no matter what kind of day you had or practice you had or anything like that, I had to focus on what was in front of me so it caused me to have to forget everything and if not for the day or for the week, I had to forget about it for the next 5 seconds or else I would run the risk of being burned. So, that’s why I loved glass blowing because no matter what you’re doing, you have to focus in for like…30 minutes and from that, you can make something beautiful. And I made a handful of cool things: a bunch of paperweights, a handful of functional cups and bowls, and the coolest thing that I made was a sword and it was in the Birmingham Museum of Arts for a year in one of their exhibits and so, that was the coolest thing I made.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Do you see yourself getting into coaching, and how has your personal football journey shaped that interest?
Stephen Weatherly: I do! I think it stemmed from my foundation work. I love what football has done for me and the doors that it’s opened, but it it is not my passion and it’s not thing that really gets me excited but, I love what it can do for others as well and so, to that point if any kids out there want to venture on this journey to be a professional athlete, I want to give them the tools so that they can navigate it successfully just like I’m doing with the other parts of my foundation, and I feel like that I’m uniquely skilled in doing that given my own personal story of not being a true lover of the game, but someone who saw it as a means to an end, right? It got me into Vanderbilt, well otherwise my mom couldn’t pay for it as a single mom in Atlanta. And then not only did it get me into Vanderbilt, it got me a couple million dollars playing at the next level which is also something that wasn’t really afforded to the average 21-year old black man, right? So I just took it as it came, and I chased it unapologetically, and it’s really turned out well for me, and it’s opened a bunch of doors and led me to my current life. But it was a LOT! And if I could help the next kid go through it and maintain a little bit more of their mind throughout the experience, that’s what I wanna do. And also on top of that, I know what it takes to make it to that level because I had to do it for seven years and so, I can actually teach a kid how to beat the block and how to actually be a better defensive end or outside linebacker specifically.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: As a defensive end, what’s the key to disrupting Tua Tagovailoa’s game and throwing off his rhythm?
Stephen Weatherly: You have to be confident in your reads. And for me, I would specialize in unconventional drops and so, being a defensive guy in practice, we do a lot of practicing how we’re going to drop into coverage, and as a quarterback, you have to get to be really good at dissecting what coverage they’re in as they’re moving. And so what I would do is for any quarterback that has been proven to be really good and has been a high caliber, especially accurate quarterback, you need to then get to the same areas to defend in a new and innovative way. And so, it’s really on the defensive coordinator to come up with a new and innovative way to get to the same old places with the same old people. And so, that’s how I would beat Tua and any quarterback really.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Is there anyone you’ve played against whose game reminds you of Tua, or is his style truly one of a kind?
Stephen Weatherly: No. I think his game is unique in the sense that it’s all about laser accuracy, and I think his offense is schemed up to get a lot of good misdirection plays in; and so to that point, I’ve never seen anyone run any type of offense similar to it with this much efficiency.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Who would you say is the NBA equivalent of Tua — is there a point guard in basketball whose game mirrors his style and efficiency?
Stephen Weatherly: I was about to say Kyrie Irving, but I would put it as whoever the second or third best creator off the dribble assist guy is. I think Tua is there — I think No. 1…if he can stay healthy and be able to make it through a whole season, I’m a firm believer that his offense is designed for him to be one of the best point blank, period; with the stats, he has to make it through and prove it. So to that point, I think he has the ability to be a Kyrie-caliber equivalent but whoever you would consider to be second or third — not definitely the fourth or fifth but, definitely the second or third best dribble, create-assist point guard in the league right now, that’s who I would consider him.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Do you think Zach Wilson has what it takes to eventually become a starting NFL quarterback, or is he locked into a backup role?
Stephen Weatherly: Zach Wilson? You know what’s crazy? Yes! I’m a firm believer that it is about…he needs to find a coach that trusts him and believes in him. And the good news is that — and I’ve seen it happen, and it happens like this and unfortunately, he’s in this boat: Every team that he’s on he will deal with a lot of — and it’s not just the head coach. It’s the quarterback coach and more importantly, the assistant quarterback coach, and what you need is a little bit of success, and those coaches go to their new teams. And when they get to those new teams, they can say, ‘I know a man that can help us win…and that will be his opportunity to go somewhere and show it with the right resources.’ Because I have seen people, and it’s about the resources and the amount of resources that the team is willing to put behind you to see success happening because if willing to give it my all with my quarterback, I can have success with ANY quarterback. They don’t need to be a hyper-caliber athlete. But if I don’t believe in him, I can take a top-five perennial, all generational quarterback and make him look like trash, right? And so I think there is so very much a real thing. So, if any team is willing to give him the resources, he has the ability to make every throw in the book and be a guy. You just gotta believe in him and give him a shot.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: Jalen Ramsey’s style with the Dolphins is physical and gritty — who from the ’90s does his game remind you of?
Stephen Weatherly: In the ’90s? That’s tough. I am not familiar with any ’90s hard-nosed, solid man-to-man. … Oh wait! Someone was just talking about him: Nnamdi Asomugha. A corner who was man-to-man and just loved to be physical, crazy hips and staying in your hip pocket all day; but he’s not a ’90s guy. But yeah, someone who was hard-nosed in your hip but also gritty…I’m gonna have to go back and do some research, but that was a good question!
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: The Nnamdi Asomugha and Jalen Ramsey comparison is interesting. Can you expand more?
Stephen Weatherly: When I think about great man-to-man corners and a man that was able to get to a point where he was in a flow state in a game, it was almost if he was like, he was dancing with the corners; and so that ability to do it all while going it in reverse, right? A mastery of that kind of thing; that’s what I think when I see Jalen Ramsey when he’s able to play at that caliber level, you know what I’m sayin’? And that’s about doing it consistently for all four quarters, which is key.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: While Tyreek Hill is still a member of the Miami Dolphins, his contract runs through the 2026 season. Thinking ahead, if he were to leave the Dolphins, do you think that he’d be a better fit with either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Washington Commanders?
Stephen Weatherly: He will have more productivity in a Washington Commanders uniform with Jayden Daniels…PERIOD. That would be a DANGEROUS combo!
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: If Tyreek Hill were to leave the Dolphins and join the Washington Commanders, how do you think his speed and playmaking ability would mesh with Jayden Daniels’ skill set and what kind of dynamic would that duo create for defenses to deal with?
Stephen Weatherly: His ability to keep the coverage….Going against a Tyreek Hill, right? And any X-factor guy — it changes the defense. So it’s like, you get used to running your defense this week and then you come into this week against him and things are just…DIFFERENT. You don’t run certain coverages. You don’t do certain things; it’s just certain things you just don’t do because he’s someone that so fast, and it’s been used in so many ways. It puts you in a binding position otherwise that you would be cool in but because this guy can get to this point by this time, your defensive ends can’t do anything and it’s a tried and true testament to who Tyreek Hill is and any receiver that can move that fast. It’s a reason why they’re deep threats. Those coverages mixed with Jayden Daniel’s ability to hit the immediate route game and his ability to run just as a purpose run along with his ability to improvise; all of that is a dangerous combo. And so you send Tyreek Hill deep. And if he’s not a designed deep route for him to get open, he can make the throw to beat him over the top but, if anything happens, he can improvise and make it to that throw. Also because you had a one-man lock, you have to have my amazing second and third receiver in a single coverage situation and they can run two-man routes on the backside all day long. You don’t have three great DBs like that, right? And so, that would be the bind that you would put everyone into if you were the Commanders. And so, yeah. I love that for them if that was a possibility. That is a problem that I DO NOT want to try to figure out! Because someone’s defense is gonna get paid if that happens!
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: What message do you have about mental health awareness, and how can people better support one another in everyday conversations?
Stephen Weatherly: The importance of reaching out and asking the sincere ‘How are you?’ But I say before you ask that question, I would encourage you to ask that question more sincerely and with that ask, I would also ask you to have grace for whatever comes out on the other side. Because when people are met with a sincere ‘How are you?,’ the average person will take that moment to unload whatever it is off their mind. And all you have to do is listen. You don’t have to necessarily jump into action. And so, those would be the three things that I would bring up: Be encouraged or encourage more people to ask, be prepared for an answer, and know once you get that answer you don’t have to do anything. Listening is a big part of it and so you have to feel that pressure as well in general, not just this month.
Stephen Weatherly isn’t just thinking about the next sack, he’s thinking about the next generation. Through his football academy, he’s creating a space for young players to grow not just as athletes, but as people. His approach to teaching is layered, purposeful, and rooted in something many overlook in the game of football: empathy.
His love for glass blowing, a delicate, intense, and exacting art form, mirrors the way he views life: Precision. Patience. Creativity. It’s a side of him that’s rarely seen but deeply telling. This isn’t just a football player with hobbies; it’s a person constantly pushing his own boundaries, both physically and mentally.
And when it comes to the NFL, his mind is still sharp. His breakdown of Tua was surgical. His evaluation of rising QBs and modern receivers was insightful. And his vision of how today’s elite talents might’ve fared in different systems or decades? Thought-provoking. Weatherly isn’t done with football, not even close. Coaching may very well be the next chapter, and from the sound of it, he’s preparing to embrace it fully.
But what really stood out in our chat was his honesty about mental health. The courage it takes to speak openly about emotional wellbeing in a sport built on toughness is commendable. Weatherly understands that players need more than strength…they need space.
Space to feel. To heal. To talk.
In a league that too often values silence over softness, Weatherly is helping change that culture. And whether it’s through a blitz, a blown-glass sculpture, or building up the next generation, he’s making sure his impact stretches far beyond the field.
