The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot to get excited about this year.

There’s the possibility of reaching the Super Bowl which is currently slated to be played in Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.

Plus, the presence of multiple high profile players including Tom Brady, Mike Evans, Rob Gronkowski and Chris Godwin.

But there’s also reason to be excited about the future in Tampa. And one of those reason is because of young veterans like Carlton Davis III. I’ve already taken a brief look at why Carlton Davis a/k/a ” C-Murda “ was one to look for this season and going forward due to his physical gifts and tendency to break up passes.

But as much as anything, it’s his maturity on and off the field that’s got me excited about what’s next for the 3rd year starter. And that also made me curious as to how and why he’s been able to grow into the a leadership role so quickly and seemingly so well-adjusted.

I got the privilege and the pleasure to get just a few answers from his father, Carlton Davis II. I was to curious to know the experience of a father raising a successful collegiate athlete that turned professional.

I asked Mr. Davis how it felt to see his son become a leader amongst his Team.

He immediately clarified and specified “Leader of the DBs.”

“He’s a silent leader…leads by example”.

“He’s the 3rd child of 5. Responsibility gets handed daily.”

A man of few words, I quickly saw just how much of Mr. Davis’ influence is reflected in the young CB.

Some of you can probably relate to that middle child issue. You’re either taking orders from older siblings or having to relay them to the younger ones. Either way, you’re responsible for doing what you’re told and you got used to it pretty fast.

One of my favourite things about Carlton Davis III is his relatively quiet demeanor. He doesn’t do whole lot of over the top celebrating after pass break-ups or try to draw attention to himself which is pretty common amongst today’s players.

Mr. Davis stated that Carlton has always been humble. He said that he refused to dress him up with “drip” on his football uniform.

With so many cats looking for attention before they actually make something of themselves, it’s so damn cool to listen to him speak on things the way he does. He mentions work and progress more than anything else when he does speak.

Mr. Davis: “Definitely. “

“Since 5 years old, he’s been in a progressive program where he’d look at his goal, work the program with patience and look back at his work. This gives you an understanding of a process. He runs the same system on everything he does.”

This felt familiar.

I had seen this kind of mentality and practice from a particular group of kids in my schools growing up. And all of those kids lived on or near Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi. Also, my aunts and uncles that served in various branches of the military.

Mr. Davis confirmed that he, in fact, did serve 4 years overseas in the Navy.

As a Father, how does it make you feel to see him speak out using his platform to tell his truth in his experience and educate people through that social justice educational program?

Mr. Davis: “I cringed with every syllable hoping people would understand him. So yeah……Scary as hell. Remember Kaepernick.”

Remember that all important Human element I mentioned earlier? This one hit hard.

By the time I was Carlton Davis III’s age, I had 2 experiences with being profiled or possibly being shot by a scared police officer. That’s 2x too many.

Fifty-two years after Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, Mr. Davis, his son, Colin Kaepernick and so many others are still hoping to have people understand what Dr. King was fighting for.

The fear of having your child’s livelihood taken away no matter how many good deeds he or she has done has got to be crippling to a degree. All because they choose to speak out for what’s right. This isn’t to be confused with speaking an opinion. Be clear on that.

Be damn clear.

It’s about speaking out for equality and justice.

Mr. Davis also made it clear that his son wasn’t a leader of social justice, but a soldier in the movement.

Is there a thin line between telling Carlton how proud of him you are and telling him to keep pushing? And how do you find balance??

Mr. Davis: “Yes. A very thin line. Even as a parent, I have to check myself sometimes. The balance is consistency. I’ve been his biggest fan since Little League so he’s used to my antics.”

I had this particular inquiry with a couple friends in mind. I’ve got a couple friends and acquaintances with collegiate student athletes likely aiming to go professional. The balance between being a fan and an honest critic can’t be the easiest task. But it’s necessary.

With all this hysteria surrounding the QB(again), how do you as a parent/fan steer away from the silly sh*t? All the questions about the QB...All the opinions and finger pointing. Can you draw a line and just enjoy games?

Mr. Davis: “I do. But football will always have idiots and stupid people.”

A man of few words, but strong intent.

That’s Carlton Davis II & III.