American Ninja Warrior has taken their show to Cleveland, where elite athletes will attack the most intense obstacle course. Fans all over the midwest made their way downtown, including former Ohio State offensive lineman, and former Pittsburgh Steeler, Mike Adams. We got in touch with him to chat about Ninja Warrior, the next steps in his professional career, and some advice for Ohio State’s line. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
LGHL: Have you been a big Ninja Warrior fan for a while? Do you think this is something you’d like to do? Not a ton of competitors have the “former NFL lineman” body type, after all.
Adams: Yeah, I’ve watched it here and there over the years. Obviously, as an athlete, it’s a pretty interesting show, it’s pretty different from anything else that you really get to see. But yeah, this isn’t really conducive to my size quite yet. Maybe if I shed a couple more pounds.
LGHL: Are you healthy right now? Do you think you’d want to give the NFL another shot?
Adams: Yeah, I’m completely healthy right now, but i’m retired. I’m looking forward to the next chapter in life.
LGHL: What do you think that might be?
Adams: You know, I’m interested in so many different things. Like the outdoors. I’m associated with an archery/hunting group, and we have a show on CarbonTV called “the timing of two man archery”, so I’m filming a lot of hunts for that. I’m also really interested in commercial real estate development. I also talk to men’s groups, churches, and different organizations with kids with developmental disabilities. Plus, I’ve got to finish school.
LGHL: How many classes do you have left?
Adams: About five classes. Not much left.
LGHL: There are so many players from Ohio State drafted recently, and likely more to come. If you could get all of them in a room, what sort of advice would you give them about the transition to the NFL?
Adams: You know, honestly, the coaches at Ohio State do such a great job at getting those guys ready to transition, just because when you go to play there, there’s an expectation that you’re going to make it to that level, so the whole time you’re there, you’re being readied for that. The support they have at Ohio State is about as good as it gets. I’d tell them to stay the course, keep your goals in mind, always have your goals and your faith be the forefront of why you do what you do. For me, that was enough to see me through.
LGHL: Is there a guy on Ohio State’s line right now that you see and say “that guy is gonna be playing on Sundays?”
Adams: Oh man, all those guys are a bunch of great athletes, a bunch of big men who move really well. You got Billy Price, who is coming back to anchor in the middle, and the guys on the outside, Jamarco and Isaiah, obviously I love watching those guys. I think they’ve both done a really great job and I’m excited to watch them this year. And then you’ve got Michael Jordan, who I thought had a great year last year, being the first true freshman to start the whole season since Orlando Pace. That’s a big deal! I know a lot of people probably don’t want to make a big deal out of it because he’s young, but it’s a huge deal. I think this year, this group has a chance to have a lot of success.
Best of luck to Adams in whatever he decides to focus on in his future.