Maxx Crosby on vouching for Antonio Pierce: ‘everybody wanted to say it, I have the voice to do it'
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz is joined by the Las Vegas defensive end on Radio Row at Super Bowl LVIII to discuss what being the leader of the Raiders means on and off the field. Maxx joined Yahoo Sports on behalf of Invisalign.
Video Transcript
[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING]
JASON FITZ: Hanging out with Maxx Crosby, joining us on behalf of Invisalign. We'll talk about that in a second. But, first, we're playing What's In The Cards. Simple, we're gonna play higher or lower. So I'm gonna pull up a card. You're gonna look at it, and you'll tell me, is the next card higher or lower? You get it right, you get an easy question. You get it wrong, you get a hard one. Are you ready?
MAXX CROSBY: Yes, I'm ready.
JASON FITZ: All right, first card out of the gate is a 3. This is gonna be easy for him. All right, so, you've got a 3. What do you want, higher or lower?
MAXX CROSBY: Higher.
JASON FITZ: He says higher. He gets the 9. This is the easy question. Why can't you text me back? You are the worst texter in the world! I was just-- I was waiting for that one.
MAXX CROSBY: I'm a bad texter. I mean, everybody says the same thing to me. I try my best. But, honestly, I think it's my fault, because-- Well, I know it's my fault. It's because I get a lot of texts, and I work all morning, so by the time I'm, like, done with all my football stuff and working, it's, like, 12:00 and I've got a million texts. So, like, I don't know where to start. It's hard, and then some people get upset with me. And I'm like, I love you, I promise I still love you, but I'm bad with looking at my phone sometimes, so--
JASON FITZ: I had to make him uncomfortable on the first question.
MAXX CROSBY: It's all good. No, you're holding me accountable.
JASON FITZ: I will tell you this, we all know, NFL, like, there's a million times, we all say the same thing, like, you get them on a day they're texting, you'll get a text back. You get them on a day they're not, you won't. Higher or lower, what are you doing?
MAXX CROSBY: Lower.
JASON FITZ: He's going lower. Oh, it's a king.
MAXX CROSBY: Uh-oh.
JASON FITZ: I know, he's competitive, too. Like, I see the little cringe there. So now you get a tough question. You used your voice big time with the Raiders, and passionately, about wanting Antonio Pierce to be your next head coach. For you as a person, did you get any blowback from the organization? How did everybody handle that?
MAXX CROSBY: I mean, it wasn't the easiest situation. I mean, there were some people that had their opinions on it, good and bad. So, I mean, at the end of the day, for me, I know what I stand for and represent. I go to bed with a smile on my face, because I know where I'm coming from.
For me, my messaging was I want everyone to be thinking on the same wavelength as myself or AP. You know how I am. Every single day, I'm working, and I'm trying to improve in every single way I can, from nutrition, to training, to rest, to whatever I'm doing. So I want everyone aligned in that way. That's the only way we have a chance to win. So that's really where I'm coming from, and that's really what my message was.
Of course, I want to be a Raider. I'm a Raider to the core. Everyone knows that. But, yeah, some people felt a certain way, you know, but it is what it is. If I've gotta stand up for my guys, I'll speak for them, because everybody in the building, everybody wanted to say it, and, you know, I had the voice to do it. So, people have their own opinions. It is what it is.
JASON FITZ: Isn't that part of this journey for you, though, like, because you are a leader. You are one of the faces of this team, right?
MAXX CROSBY: No doubt.
JASON FITZ: So you think about what that means, and the power your voice has. At some point, if you want to win football games, and you look at something, and you say, this makes it simple, like, don't you need to use that voice?
MAXX CROSBY: 100%. I think that's the biggest part about being a leader. You've gotta do stuff that's uncomfortable. Sometimes, people aren't gonna like you, but at the end of the day, they'll respect it by the end. So, for me, you know, in the moment, people have their opinions.
You know, people were, like, you know, saying, he's not above the shield and whatever. I do everything to represent the shield every single day. And being a Raider is being different. I don't have to follow what the normal person does on a daily basis. If I have something to say, like, I feel like I've done more than enough to share my opinion, whether people like it or not. And I love being with the Raiders, like I said, and you're not gonna make everybody happy. That's what being a leader is.
JASON FITZ: OK, so, you're joining us on behalf of Invisalign. Not even a joke here, I just talked to my dentist about this. So, tell me about Invisalign, because I was like, man, I think I should do this! Like, what do you love about it?
MAXX CROSBY: I love it. I just started. You know, I didn't have braces as a kid, so I always see my friends having stuff, and they always complain about how it was hurting them and whatever, and they came to me with the opportunity. They're like, you know 400 people in the NFL have Invisalign, 400 players, so why don't you join? We're the best of the best. We're gonna help you out, whatever you need, boom, boom, boom. I'm like, all right, let's try it out. Why not? So I literally just started a week ago, and I'm enjoying it.
JASON FITZ: All right, check it out. Thanks, brother.
MAXX CROSBY: No doubt. Appreciate it, brother.