The New York Times-20080127-30 Seconds With Cris Carter

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30 Seconds With Cris Carter

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Cris Carter, who ranks second in career pass receptions with 1,101 in 16 seasons, is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He owns a security company, Carter Brothers, based in Atlanta, and received an award for entrepreneurship from the National Urban League. Carter, 42, is a host for HBO's Inside the NFL, a faculty member and coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and an ordained minister.

RAY GLIER

TROY, OHIO, WHERE YOU WERE BORN, IS THREE HOURS FROM CANTON AND THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME. DID YOU EVER THINK YOU WOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO GET THROUGH THE DOORS WITHOUT BUYING A TICKET?

I went there once on a field trip, and I went there before an N.F.L. preseason game, but as far as ever thinking I would get in, no. I grew up playing more basketball, so me thinking I would accomplish something the upper level of football was totally out of the question.

YOU ARE A MENTOR TO RANDY MOSS. WHAT DO PEOPLE NOT KNOW ABOUT RANDY MOSS?

How disciplined he is and that he has a great desire to win championships. He has a greater desire to win championships than he does to be famous.

WHY IS THE NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE RELEVANT?

If you look in the African-American community, and who's who and who African-Americans respect for what they do in the community on a daily basis, it's the National Urban League. We didn't grow the company from nothing to get attention, but to get it from the Urban League, it meant a great deal to us.

ANY ADVICE TO AN N.F.L. PLAYER FORCED OUT BEFORE THE BIG PAYDAY BECAUSE OF INJURY?

If he's been out just two or three years, he needs to go back and get his degree, because if you're injured, you can still limp into a classroom, limp into an office building for a job, limp and still wear a suit. The other thing is the N.F.L. is a jump-start on life; you should not go into the league and look at it as when I'm done playing, that's it, I'm retired. I don't care how much money you make, because you could have a great career -- if you're really, really lucky -- and that career could end when you are just 38, 39 or 40.

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