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Former Tennessee defensive back Inky Johnson addressed the football team on Friday night just ahead of the team’s scrimmage on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium. Johnson, who has become an outstanding motivational speaker since losing his football career due to injury, delivered an important message to the 2019 roster over the weekend.
Watch the full clip below.
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) August 18, 2019
"When you press forward in the midst of the opposition ... you're not just building a mentality for the game of football, you're building a mentality that's going to sustain you 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now."@inkyjohnson // #VFL pic.twitter.com/cxyEEXUy8C
Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt noted that he thought the effort level was up during Saturday’s scrimmage.
“There was definitely much more energy,” Pruitt said after practice. “So my question is, do we have to get Inky to come talk to the team every day? But there was more energy to start practice. So that was positive.”
Johnson played at Tennessee from 2004 to 2006. His right arm became paralyzed during a 2006 game against the Air Force Falcons, ending his football career. He’s been sharing his message ever since.
Inky joins a long line of speakers that Jeremy Pruitt has brought in during camp, including financial advisors, sleep experts along with experts on drug and alcohol abuse.