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DJ Vian Aime, ESPN
it is In the summer of 2014, Priest Brooks needed a quarterback.
Brooks was a rapper and producer for Death Row Records in the 1990s and early 2000s and is currently the coach of the Pomona Steelers in the Snoop Youth Football League.
Enter 12-year-old CJ Stroud.
Brooks knew “it's hard to find a good quarterback at that age,” so “I wasn't picky.” He had heard glowing reviews about Stroud, who lives in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 40 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
When Brooks heard Stroud had left his youth league for a more competitive team, he called him and invited Stroud and his family to an informal workout to see if they were a good fit. But there was a bit of a hitch.
Stroud's mother, Kimberly, was skeptical about a league run by rap star Snoop Dogg, but her hesitation didn't last long.
“I went to practice and I saw that everyone was very professional and great people,” Kimberly Stroud told ESPN, “so you can't judge someone by their appearance.”
According to Brooks, Stroud dazzled crowds with his precision passing and commanded the offense to the point that “kids were glued to him,” and his play earned him a spot on a team in the Los Angeles-based league.
Stroud played two seasons in the league, but the game is different than what he remembers. The league, founded in 2005 for kids ages 5 to 13, planted the seeds for him to grow and learn the benefits of building relationships with teammates and coaches. Stroud, the quarterback for the Houston Texans, learned about communication, cooperation and reliability.
“Kids from other areas didn't have footballs that their mothers could afford,” Snoop said, “but at the same time, we opened the door to other kids. But the idea at the beginning was to help the inner city and give them a chance to play.”
Strode's precision and ability to bring teammates together regardless of their backgrounds were some of the skills he developed in Snoop's league that helped the Texans win the AFC South and reach the second round of the playoffs during Strode's rookie season.
“I was very competitive and I wanted to win, so I was like, 'I need to be a leader and find a way to get along with the guys,' and that was the first step,” Stroud told ESPN. “I started hanging out with the guys off the field. My mom would invite the kids over and let me stay over and they would let me go over to their houses.”
“It was good for me to learn that this is how you build brotherhood. I didn't think about it then, but now that I'm older, that's what it was.”
Snoop and Stroud Now, Snoop and the quarterback have a mentor-mentor relationship, but Snoop still relies on the quarterback for wisdom he can impart to his players.
“What's special is [Stroud] “That's exactly what we should be raising our kids to be,” Snoop told ESPN. “Good students, good athletes, respecting their elders and their parents, being a good listener. CJ was a good listener, and that's why he's such a great leader on the football field.”
“I like getting information from him because he's the future. … So I get to interact with the young people and stay active. It's a gift and I'm glad my football league has produced that.”
Looking Back Snoop Dogg CJ Stroud reveals he played in youth football leagues pic.twitter.com/XQvXBdNiqO
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 19, 2024
The league has around 14-15 teams with logos similar to NFL teams. The season starts in September with games played at local schools. There are 7 games before the playoffs begin, with the two final teams competing in the “Snooper Bowl.”
Snoop oversees everything but delegates responsibility to an executive committee and staff, including the league president and commissioner. His main goal is to provide a platform for “people who look like me.”
For Stroud, it was his first time playing on a team with kids from Los Angeles and the surrounding area, and he said the experience taught him how to “build trust and learn what works for each player” in order to get the most out of the kids.
Accelerating this process was Brooks, aka “Coach Fry,” a nickname that paid homage to Brooks' nickname “Superfly” during his time with Snoop and Death Row Records at the height of his music career in the 1990s. Coach Fry's relationship with Stroud became crucial during the quarterback's teenage years.
On the field, the coaches gave Stroud the authority to lead the offense, which helped Stroud take on a leadership role.
“Coach Frye was the only coach in the area who believed C.J. could run a complete passing attack and read defenses,” assistant coach Mike Dedman said.
Off the field, Stroud said Brooks “stepped up” during a difficult time for the Stroud family. Stroud's father, Coleridge, was sentenced to 38 years to life in prison in 2015 for kidnapping, carjacking and robbery. He will be eligible for parole in 2040. Stroud called Brooks “a father figure in my life.”
“Coach Frye is such a great guy,” Kimberly Stroud said, “and he played such a vital role during some of the tough times in CJ's adolescence, when his father passed away and his mother was working long hours.”
Brooks waived the league's entry fees and provided Stroud with a uniform. Stroud also developed a strong bond with Brooks' son, Don Jair, and staying at Brooks' home gave the two boys a feeling of being part of a large extended family.
“It was something I had to do,” Brooks said. “Seeing the sadness on his face and all of a sudden what he was going through, it was important to me to make sure he was taken care of. I tell all my kids, 'I love you all right.' I would die right now for all of them.”
Coach Fly's House A gathering for Stroud and up to 10 teammates — all part of the foundation for Stroud's role as the Texans' leader today.
Playing football, running through the streets, and when Brooks and other coaches took the kids to their favorite pizza place or Dave & Buster's to play were all part of that important bond for Stroud.
During his rookie year, teammates were always welcome to come over to his house. Tight end Dalton Schultz stopped by to watch film. Stroud's personal chef cooked for receivers like Tank Dell and John Metchie III. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil and Stroud even went to a Halloween party together.
“I grew up in Southern California, so I was exposed to a lot of different cultures,” Stroud told ESPN. “I'm able to appreciate people for who they are. I can relate to people really well. God has blessed me with that skill.”
One of the ways Stroud bonded with his teammates was through friendly snark. At Brooks' house, the kids would spend hours joking around on the front porch. “That's just the way they were,” he said.
“That got me in trouble sometimes,” Brooks said with a laugh. “I had to be really hard on them to stop him.”
Years later, Stroud still teases teammates. Last season, offensive tackle George Fant, who played power forward at Western Kentucky from 2011-15, was arguing in the locker room with Stroud about who was the better basketball player.
During the friendly conversation, Stroud showed his teammate a viral video of former NFL defensive tackle Anthony “Spice” Adams shooting the basketball and missing every shot, claiming it was Fant.
“His ability to connect with different people from all walks of life definitely helps us win in the locker room,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “His leadership ability makes it easier for our team to progress and move forward quicker.”
By age 12, Stroud knew how to run a film session. If a wide receiver ran a wrong route, he'd actually walk that route and explain what he wanted the route to be. He's now doing the same with All-Pro receivers Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins when Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowick introduced a new play that had the two go in motion during an OTA session in May.
Stroud made it a point to speak to all of his younger players, regardless of how many games they played, and it helped to bring the team closer together.
“He would always come on to our offensive line and try to talk to us,” said Dominic Perez, his former center in the Snoop Dogg League. “We didn't guard him on pass plays just because he happened to be the quarterback. We wanted to guard him because he was C.J.
Stroud's current teammates feel a connection on both the offensive and defensive end.
“CJ is a great guy, easy to work with,” defensive end Will Anderson said, “great friend, great brother, great teammate, everything you want in a guy like him.”
Though the Pomona Steelers are no longer around, Stroud remains connected with several former teammates in a group chat, exchanging prayers and positive messages, and Brooks was in attendance at the 2023 NFL Draft, where the Texans selected Stroud No. 2 overall.
Kimberly Stroud knew her son was a leader before he joined Snoop's league, but she believes participating in the league has strengthened that skill as he learned how to communicate with kids from different backgrounds and upbringings.
What began as skepticism for her has transformed into a lasting family.
“The Snoop Dogg League was so instrumental in CJ's journey,” Kimberly Stroud said. “It took a village to raise CJ Stroud. It wasn't just his mother. It was mainly God, but He put people on our path to help CJ on his journey. The Snoop Dogg League was one of them.”
