Throughout the summer, the Jets' editorial staff will take a deeper dive into the personalities, interests and lives of players off the field. This series will serve as a gateway for fans to get to know the players on the Green & White. The first installment features cornerback Brian Poole.
Why was Mother's Day so special for you this year?
BP: This was the best Mother's Day for me, because I bought my mom a house. It was a promise that I made to myself. I always want to take care of my mom. We only get one mom, so I always want to take good care of her. I was in a position where I could buy her a house so I did it for Mother's Day. Just seeing the look on her face, and seeing the feeling that it gave her, it was unimaginable.
You're known as one of the best-dressed players on the team, and you take a lot of pride in your outfits. What inspired your passion for style?
BP: It's definitely something that I always took pride in. Growing up as a kid, my parents always had we dress well, so it was always something that I took pride in. My dad always stayed on me about keeping my shoes clean and stuff like that. So, I would say that I definitely always took pride in looking nice, and I would say my parents did as well. I tried to keep the family tradition going.
Who is the best-dressed Jet?
BP: I would probably have to say it's as a unit. I would have to go with the DB unit, there's a lot of stylish guys in that group.
You're very active in the community. What drove you in that direction?
BP: Growing up in my area, there are a few guys who played in the NFL — Tyrone Williams, Fabian Washington, and Mike Jenkins — who would always come back into our community and throw a kids camp. I always said that if I made it to the league, I would come back for my community and have a kids camp. They would always bring some of their teammates around, and as a kid who was inspired to play in the NFL one day, that was big to me and it was something that I never forgot. When I finally made it to the NFL, that was something that I said I wanted to do. Hopefully I can inspire some kids, and when they get to the NFL, they can inspire more. Hopefully we can keep inspiring kids generation after generation.
What are your thoughts on Michael Jordan's 'The Last Dance'?
BP: It was phenomenal, it was amazing. I was always a Jordan fan, but I'm even more of a Jordan fan after getting a lot of the background on the stories that we all knew but didn't know all of the background of it. His will to win—at the end of the day that's why we do what we do. We all want to win. It just says something about somebody who was 6-0 when they got to the finals. To me, that just says something about somebody who has played at the highest level. I know how hard it is to win. To win six times, and to get there and never lose, that's pretty exceptional.
