UNRIVALED
Inside The Jersey featuring New York Jets’ Jonotthan Harrison
UNRIVALED introduces sports fans to the pro athletes they haven’t heard enough about. On this podcast you’ll hear rising and underdog athletes share their journey to becoming pros and their passions outside of their sport.
Welcome to our first guest Jonotthan Harrison, an offensive lineman for the New York Jets. Jonotthan tells us what it takes to maintain a professional football career and he shares the surprising reason he’s so passionate about eliminating bullying in schools.
UNRIVALED: What is the movie that you will never get tired of watching?
Jonotthan: Meet the Parents. It’s a curve ball, but my family and I watched that multiple times when I was growing up. Certain parts of the movie never get old. We still quote it to this day. I’ve been a huge fan of Ben Stiller ever since.
UNRIVALED: What’s the movie role you wish you would get cast for?
Jonotthan: Fast and the Furious because I have a thing for cars, and I drive confidently. I stay out of trouble, but I do enjoy a powerful car. I think that having one of those roles as an actual racer in the movie and performing the stunts on my own, I think that’d be really interesting and right up my alley.
UNRIVALED: What’s the vacation spot you can’t wait to revisit?
Jonotthan: I’ve been to Jamaica a few times because my family is from there. I went a few times when I was younger, and I went earlier this year. As an adult I realize how much I truly love Jamaica and one because of the family ties, but two because of the Caribbean Island vibe. Very relaxed, the people are friendly. You can drive inland, see the mountainous country and it’s a beautiful view. Then, an hour later you’re back on the coast. Jamaica definitely. I can’t wait to go back.
UNRIVALED: Who did you dream of being as a kid?
Jonotthan: Mike Alstott, the fullback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I think I first came across him on a video game and then I was like, ‘Oh wow!’ I loved him, the way he played, and I learned fullback. Early in my football career, that was somebody I idolized. I had every intention of playing fullback, but here I am playing offensive line.
UNRIVALED: What’s the video game that keeps you up way too late at night?
Jonotthan: I play a lot of Xbox. Right now, I’m on an Overwatch kick. It’s a game that came out five or six years ago now. A bunch of friends and I get on at similar times of the night and we play for a couple hours. Honestly, with video games, I guess I’m kind of like a quarterly guy. Maybe every three or four months I try to switch it up.
UNRIVALED: What is your go to pregame meal?
Jonotthan: I’m very routine oriented in all aspects of my life, but every pregame is the same: Brown rice, broccoli, chicken breast and a piece of salmon. I’ll also make a smoothie with some protein powder in it and a cup of coffee.
UNRIVALED: What’s the ritual or routine that has to take place before every game?
Jonotthan: As soon as I enter the locker room I change out of my travel attire and find the hot tub. I’ll sit in the hot tub for 10–15 minutes with my music. I have a pregame playlist that I always play. Songs range from rock to techno to rap, so it’s a wide variety of music. After that, I take a shower and then slowly start my stretching routine. I’ll head out on the field, get warmed up on the field, come back in, get all my taping done and then get dressed as I listen to my music and zone out for a while at my locker.
UNRIVALED: You mentioned Mike Alstott, but which team did you cheer for growing up?
Jonotthan: I was originally born in South Florida in Fort Lauderdale and a lot of my family were Miami Dolphins fans. We weren’t huge football fanatics. Football wasn’t like a big thing in my family, but the few of us that were fans were Dolphin fans. I liked the Dolphins, and I had a soft spot for the Bucs because they’re right up the road and the other Florida team.
UNRIVALED: Which coach or teacher still texts, e-mails or calls you on a regular basis?
Jonotthan: My high school coach, Walter Banks, keeps in touch with me a good amount. He’s at a different high school now, but not too far from my original high school. He’ll drop in every once in a while and check up on me. We have spoken about getting a camp together in the area, so I think that’s in the near future, getting like a youth football camp going back home.
UNRIVALED: If you weren’t a professional athlete, what career field would we find you in?
Jonotthan: Entering college, I wanted everything to do with becoming a psychologist and I still think that sports psychology is very interesting and the subject itself comes somewhat naturally to me. That was initially what I was trying to major in, but I was having trouble with one of the courses, so I ended up switching my major halfway through college to criminology and anthropology. Leaving college, I was very interested in becoming a homicide detective. I honestly think that that kind of job takes a problem-solving mind to kind of figure out how the crime or homicide happened, and I think that’s just kind of naturally how my mind works. I think that’s what I would be if I wasn’t in football right now.
UNRIVALED: What’s the product you would never forget to pack or leave home without?
Jonotthan: Genesis Green Superfood Powder. I drink it every single morning. There are many, many servings of vegetables in this drink and I’m a huge fan of it. I feel like my day isn’t right if I don’t have my drink in the morning. That’s something I travel with and want to give a shout out for because I’ve gone through endless tubs of this product. I naturally feel healthier. It could be a placebo effect, but I feel like I function better and I’m going to give some credit to that product for sure.
