Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Badejo.
Hi Michael, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
My story began while playing football at an early age! A young kid that always wanted to find a way to get around school work to just play football. Loving the fact that I can play the game with so much energy and let the whole entire world see it. From playing many positions like Quarterback, Running Back, Offensive Line, Linebacker, and my favorite Defensive Line. It taught me so much in the game that I could apply my focus within the school as well. It helped me become the man I am today! From playing as a sophomore in high school on varsity to finishing the season with 10 full-ride scholarships to division one universities. The motivation as a young kid playing with older guys only humbled me even more to turn my success into a leadership role. Moving on forward, God would only continue to bless me with many more blessings. From the end of my high school career, I have become one of the only players to break school records in the number of sacks and tackles for loss and received division one full-ride scholarships. This lead me going towards my college career where I ended up finishing my career at Texas Southern University. My love for a Historically Black College University (HBCU) proved to me that it was where I needed to be. No matter the bigger schools that offered me to come to play, I knew that going to a school of culture would be a better learning experience for me. While attending TXSU, I continuously began to break school records which lead me into getting Defensive MVP all 5 years. This gave me enough recognition to get plenty of sponsors like Gatorade, Golden Chick, etc. This also put me in a great position after my collegiate career was completed to get a chance to speak with plenty of NFL scouts and attend NFL workouts. Around this time, I started a game plan to build up a clothing brand called B1 Collection. It is a brand that is meant to motivate everyone that “everything happens for a reason”. We may not expect some things to go our way all the time, but what we do need to realize is that everything happens for a reason and that is the motto.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It is never a smooth road for someone to get where they want to be. How can the story be interesting when it’s not difficult? I faced a lot of adversity in my life which made me into the better man I am today. From hanging with the wrong group of friends to finding the perfect circle for me that will push me to where I need to be. From not being as close to the Lord to being the closest I have ever been. When I hit my lowest that was when I found out who I really was. That’s when I knew that I could conquer anything that comes my way. I’ll never ever take anything for granted and will always remember when I was at my lowest.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Playing professional football has always been a dream for me. Now the time has caught up to me and I realize I have made it towards my goal of being a professional athlete. I am known as a guy that has a lot of energy and is always here to put a smile on someone’s face! I am more than an athlete that just plays the game of football. I am a guy that loves giving back to his community and does not expect to receive something back in return. I am proud to look up to my parents and siblings who have paved a way for me to be just as successful as them no matter the education field I am to push myself.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
The most important characteristic I feel that is important to my success is giving back. When coaches and scouts see a guy that is not all about themselves, they love that. They would take you in just because you care so much for your community on try to be a part of that 1% to make the world greener again.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baadeejo/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealBadejo?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
