Spice of a second life
One-time Penn State lineman Anthony Adams has built quite a post-football life.
Penn State insider Nubyjas Wilborn catches up with former Nittany Lions star and social-media sensation Spice Adams. They discuss Adams’ love for Penn State, how he became such a viral star on social media and more.
• All it takes to know Anthony “Spice” Adams beyond the viral videos is an understanding of the nose guard position. Adams learned the craft while playing for the Nittany Lions from 1999-2002.
Adams took his love for the position to the NFL when the San Francisco 49ers picked him in the second round (57th overall) of the 2003 draft.
But now, Adams is known for the multiple characters in his videos that often get millions of impressions on social media. The videos are so popular that many people who follow Spice Adams don’t have a clue that he spent years plying his trade in the pros.
A lot of players would get upset if fans didn’t recognize their athletic exploits, but Adams sees it as a badge of honor.
“I’m doing my job as an entertainer if you didn’t know that I played in the NFL,” Adams told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That means I’m putting in work. It’s crazy. I’ll post a picture of me wearing a 49er uniform. I’ll get people telling me I did a good job photoshopping myself in the jersey.”
Adams parlayed the right kind of locker-room talk into ads for Gillette and Pringles, among others.
“If you ask a bunch of defensive tackles which one of them wants to be a nose guard, you won’t see a lot of hands go up,” Adams said. “I always loved the grind. I wanted to take on the double-teams. Nobody wants to be a nose guard. That’s the dirty work, but that’s what I always loved.
“I wanted the dirty work.
That’s who I am.”
In a 3-4 defense, the nose guard has one primary task nearly every play. It’s his job to battle the center and possibly a guard to clog up space.
In a 4-3 defense, that same down lineman uses his quickness to get through the gap between the center and guard.
In either case, the nose guard is the forgotten man in the minds of casual fans. The defensive ends and linebackers get the sacks on the quarterback, and yet they can’t get the glory without the nose guard’s grunt work.
That nose guard has to be powerful physically, light on his feet, and intellectually conscious. You have to be talented but not take yourself too seriously.
The philosophy Adams used on the football field offers insight into his comedy.
“I can be whatever you need me to be,” Adams said. “I’m like a chameleon. I can adjust to any situation. I can make you laugh, or I can make you think. Sometimes, I can make you laugh while you’re thinking.”
Typically, Adams keeps it light on his timeline, but, as more details about the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis became known, there was a shift in the tone of Adams’ tweets. The first was a picture of Floyd to honor his life. Adams then began helping to raise money for a memorial fund for Floyd.
“We can’t be silent now,” Adams said. “There are so many ways to help the cause. There is room for everybody to support. Sadly, somebody had to die for people to realize that this country is built on racism. But it seems like people are starting to open their eyes. This feels different.”
Adams spent his football life with a balance of power and finesse mixed with humor.
Now, he hopes to use those traits to help fight injustice.
“The fact that this is out in the open has more people and brands willing to say that black lives matter,” Adams said.
“I think we are making steps in the right direction. Now, we have to keep it going.”