February 16, 2023

By Dr. Valerie Wardlaw

Contributing Writer

 

JuJu Smith-Schuster, former USC Trojan wide-receiver, ex-Pittsburgh Steelers, and is a Super Bowl Champion. A wideout for the Kansas City Chief’s, Smith-Schuster finished Super Bowl LVII with seven receptions for 53 yards in the win.

He was prominently involved in the controversial holding penalty which put the Chief’s in position to kick the championship winning field goal. And to his surprise, the win and his play earned him extra pocket money - $1 Million.

 

“I’m not going to cry right now, but probably when I get home or in the locker room I’ll cry,” Smith-Schuster said. “Honestly, it’s just crazy to come here and play on a one-year deal to chase a Super Bowl ring. I just thank all my coaches and my teammates and everyone around me for making this possible, and obviously the man above.”

Smith-Schuster joined the Kansas City Chief’s on a one-year deal during the free-agent market. With the Chief’s, Smith-Schuster had 78 receptions for 933 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season. He was the Chief’s second-leading receiver behind star tight end Travis Kelce. Not bad for a young man from the LBC – Long Beach City!

Smith-Schuster battled a knee injury during the middle of the season and struggled during the AFC Championship game. He wasn’t certain that he would play in the big game, but he did. Smith-Schuster said, “I have always bet on myself,” and that belief ended with him receiving the most coveted hardware in football.

JuJu Smith-Schuster is known to walk to the beat of his own drum, and he does not mince his words. He found himself in a Twitter war with Eagles cornerback James Bradberry on Valentine’s Day when he taunted him over his crucial holding penalty in the Super Bowl.

The mele started with a tweet from Smith-Schuster wishing everyone Happy Valentine’s Day with a heart emoji but the post contained an image of Bradberry with the words: “I’ll hold you when it matters most.” It was Bradberry who drew a holding penalty late in the fourth quarter giving the Chief’s a first down which allowed them to milk the clock before kicking the game winning field goal.

 

 

 

This tweet did not go down well and Eagles all-star wideout A.J. Brown immediately let his displeasure be known tweeting:

First off congratulations. Y’all deserve it. This is lame,” Brown wrote while quote-tweeting Smith-Schuster’s post. “You was on the way out the league before Mahomes resurrected your career on your 1-year deal Tik-Tok boy. He admitted that he grabbed you but don’t act like your like that or ever was. But congratulations again!”

Bradberry hit back reminding Smith-Schuster that he was in fact “All Pro.” Other players entered the fray with Eagles all pro cornerback Darius Slay calling the tweet “Lame AF.”

 

 

 

 

And former Chief’s superstar Tyreek Hill weighed in saying that Smith-Schuster is “playing the victim.” Cowboys defensive back Micah Parsons said, "social media has allowed players social media skills be better than their football skills."

This is the same man who believes that the best Philly cheesesteak is not served in Philly.

This is Smith-Schuster, live and unedited, as he stays true to himself, being authentically JuJu.

Amazingly, Smith-Schuster discovered on live TV that he would receive $1 million bonus for his role in the win. During a sit-down with the NFL Network, Smith-Schuster discovered that he earned a bonus that doubled his yearly salary. You got to love it…the bliss of youth.

Smith-Schuster credits his aunt with giving him the moniker  ‘JuJu’. He liked it from the very beginning, saying, “It’s a pretty catchy name.” Smith was four years old when his stepfather, Lawrence Schuster came into his life. It was his stepfather that introduced him to football. Smith-Schuster played high school ball at Long Beach Poly, a high school according to the LA Times,  that has “produced more NFL players than any school in the United States.”

In 2015, JuJu Smith paid tribute to his stepfather, legally changing his last name to the hyphenated Smith-Schuster.

Initially, JuJu Smith thought he would attend Oregon but surprised his family with his commitment to the school 25 miles from Long Beach, the USC Trojans.

Of his decision, Smith-Schuster said he loved that the school was close to home and his church.

I’m a very strong Christian man, he said. I can go home to church where everybody already knows me.”

As a Trojan, he had 143 catches for 2,178 yards with 15 touchdowns along with 15 kickoff returns for 183 yards. A Pittsburgh Steeler for five seasons, Smith-Schuster had 323 catches for 3,855 yards and 26 touchdowns.

As a Steeler, he was named to the 2019 Pro Bowl replacing his injured teammate, Antonio Brown.

When asked about his career so far, Smith-Schuster believes that all roads have led to this moment.

“I have played football since I was four years old. This is a dream come true, it feels unreal to play in the Super Bowl, but dreams really do come true.” And now Smith-Schuster can add Super Bowl winner to his name.

“When the clock hit zero, I was just looking for my family,” Smith-Schuster said. “... Honestly, it’s crazy. It’s wild.”

Category: News