Jerimiah Spicer: There and Back Again

For many, the battle that happens between the lines of the playing field will be the hardest thing they do. Whether that be in practice or during game day against their top competitions - the physical and mental toil the football field can bring is fierce. However, for Jerimiah Spicer, going toe to toe with a massive offensive lineman or chasing down a quarterback rolling out of the pocket is child’s play compared to what he’s been through. 

His life was filled with hardships, unexpected turns, and more. But through it all, he kept his eye on the prize and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Now, he stands here today as an inspiration to us all. 

FROM THE STREETS TO THE FIELD

From the very beginning of Spicer’s life, he had the deck stacked against him. He was born into one of the toughest situations that a young boy could be born into. He wasn’t just born homeless, but into about the toughest place one can be born homeless. 

“It was rough growing up for me. I grew up in the streets. My mom was on drugs, downtown LA - Skid Row,” he explained. “So I was down there with my mom for a few years. I wound up getting taken away and ended up getting placed with my grandmother.”

It was in the custody of his grandmother that he discovered football. Of course, football was already in his blood. His uncle had been a standout at Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California, and had hyped the spots up for young Jerimiah. However, his grandmother, being a strict Christian woman, didn’t want her grandson to play any sports or do anything that put his body at risk. In fact, all she originally allowed him to join was the local swim team. 

“It was pretty tough because my grandma was like a diehard Christian. So she really didn't want us in no sports,” he said. “She didn't want us hurting ourselves. She also didn't want us having no girlfriend, no friends, no nothing. So she was just wanting some church and stuff like that. So it was pretty hard and pretty difficult.”

It wasn’t just convincing his grandmother that it was a good idea to switch from swimming to football, there was also the issue of money. Youth sports, especially football, can be pricey when you consider all of the equipment and what goes into it. As a result, it took a helping hand to get him to where he was going. 

“So one day I had come out of swimming practice, and I saw all the kids on the football field at Marina Valley High School. And I was like, grandma, I want to do that. I felt it in my soul,” Spicer said. “I got to begging my social worker and just, just kept asking, asking, and then they finally signed me up… My social worker helped my grandmother put me in football because my grandma couldn’t afford it by herself. Then, you know, the rest was just history after that.”

FROM THE FIELD TO THE STREETS

From the first moment he stepped foot onto the field, Spicer understood that there was more than a chance that he could do something within the sport. After joining the Marina Valley Cougars in elementary school, he had the confidence to know that he was special between those lines. And nobody could tell him any different. 

“I already knew. Especially me going to elementary, seeing the talent level of the whole school. Then, middle school, me always being one of the best dudes in the school - top two, top three best dudes in the school, if not number one,” he explained. “So I already knew, alright, I’m better than the whole school. I’m better than the dude they think is the best. That’s how I feel, so I know I’ll make it, you know what I mean? I already had that confidence in myself.”

That confidence in himself would be key throughout his journey. He continued to dominate on the field of play at every level, but outside of the lines, he continued to fight other battles. He was taken from his grandmother’s custody and placed in group homes. He spent time in juvenile detention and even more time on the street. But no matter how hard things got in his personal life, he persisted in his dream of football. 

As he progressed to high school, that dream became more and more real as colleges started to take notice. And not just because he was a phenomenal linebacker, but because he carried a 3.9 GPA through his high school career. The work on both ends was so good that he managed to get four different Division One offers to play football at the next level. However, that’s when things took a downward turn. 

“I had all these D1 scholarships coming out, but I ended up messing up and getting in a fight and breaking somebody’s face,” he said. “I lost all my scholarships for that one mistake. That was a big lesson for me, that mistake right there was a big turning point.”

After losing those scholarships, he didn’t know what to do. For the first time in his life, that dream of football seemed to be slipping away from him. Not only was he worried about the scholarships lost and what would become of his football career, but he worried that the fight would send him back to juvenile detention. 

“I ran away from my group home. I lost everything, and in the midst of that, me running away, I ended up helping my grandma move. My grandma ended up dying, so you know, then boom, back in the streets again,” he explained. “I was just in the streets, sleeping in abandoned apartments, just sleeping in people’s houses on couches, floors, different places, man - wherever.”

AND BACK AGAIN

After losing all that was important to him in a short period of time, Spicer was left without much direction. The place he once dreamed of seemed a million miles away. However, that wasn’t going to stop him from getting there. One day, he woke up and decided it was time to act and make things better for himself. 

“I was like, my mom is dead. My grandma is dead. My dad - I ain’t seen him in years, you know? I’m losing friends - some of my friends got shot and killed. So I’m like, I got to make a decision,” he said. “I got to check myself into school or something. I got to do something with myself, and that’s what I did. I went to the Child Protective Services office and I went and got my ward of the court papers - went to Riverside City College.” 

Spicer used his time at RCC to straighten out his life, but also to get back into the thick of his dream of playing professional football. While his college background is not necessarily one that leads to the next level all that often, much like all the other obstacles in his life, that wasn’t going to stop Spicer. 

“It all came from hard work and just not giving up, not taking no for an answer. And I was like, just manifest it and take control of your own life. That's what I did,” he said. “I just put my film on DVDs, start going to NFL training camps. I started passing my film on DVDs. Then, I had digital business cards. So I put my film on business cards. So, I passed my film out and started letting them scan my digital business card with their phone. They had all my information, too.” 

Spicer did that day in and day ou,t hoping to find one opening to get to the next level - to keep playing football a little longer. Finally, one day, Spicer caught the break that he had needed for a long time. 

“I was just popping up on guys, just XFL, NFL, everything, you know, and then ended up meeting with coach Anthony Lynn with the LA Chargers,” he said. “He and I made an agreement. The agreement was I go to Arena Football, and I get first-team all-league, would he bring me in? He was like, yeah, so I went to Arena, got first-team all-league, and I led the whole league in tackles.”

That led to the promised opportunity on the Chargers practice squad. While he didn’t wind up playing for the team in the NFL, that season in Arena, along with his time with Los Angeles, has led to countless opportunities for Spicer in both the indoor and outdoor game.

Spicer will be back in the AF1 for the coming year as part of the Arizona Bandits. He hopes that his story of perseverance can help others in their times of need. And he looks forward to helping build the AF1 into a platform that people aspire to be a part of.