Stewart is a South Florida native who grew up in Miramar, a Miami-bedroom community. The area is a hotbed for football superstars; the sun, the sand, and the endless summer turn out some of the biggest names in the football world.
“People see my weight and size and see like, oh, I’m probably not fast, but growing up in South Florida gets the fastest competition you can find,” said Stewart.
Even with natural talent bubbling out of the numerous Florida springs, it is also an area that showcases the stark differences in socioeconomic classes. Shemar Stewart lived it.
“I came from nothing,” Stewart shared in a tone that in no way asked for pity, just stated a fact of the matter. “I’ve never been the person to not be humble. I’ve been humbled a lot of times, so I remain humble no matter where I get in life.”
When Stewart was 8 years old, he joined Miramar’s Optimist League, a pee-wee team. Coaches placed him at tackle. There was only one problem. Stewart had no idea what to do. And not in the sense of being 8 years old and not understanding the nuances of a B-gap. He had never actually seen the game of football played out before.
“I didn’t have cable,” Stewart recalled, which means he just did “whatever coach told me to do.”
The initial result?
“I was terrible. I was horrible. I had two left hands,” the normally impermeable Stewart guffawed, bending over in laughter. “I couldn’t do nothing. I couldn’t block…I sucked. I was just terrible. I didn’t know, I didn’t understand football.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
