A.J. Francis can currently be seen in the new WWE series on A&E WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures. But before he made his way to WWE, he spent time in the NFL, playing on the defensive line for several NFL teams. PopCulture.com recently caught up with Francis, who shared a funny story about Russell Wilson when he was with the Seattle Seahawks.
“When you join a new team in the NFL, in the team meeting room, everybody has their own seat, Francis said in our series PopCulture@Home. “I would always sit in the front row because nobody ever sits in that row. I would sit in the front row and then I would look to see where everybody sits where seats were open the next day.”
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Francis goes on to say that he was sitting in Wilson’s seat, but Wilson didn’t make him move. “I go sit in the front row. And when I sit down, I’m sitting there waiting for the meeting to start. The next thing I know I get a tap on my shoulder. I look up it’s Russell Wilson. He’s like, ‘Hey man, you’re in my seat.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, like my bad, I didn’t expect anybody to sit in the front row.’ He’s like, don’t worry about it, bro. And then he sat right next to me. And then from that point forward, me and Russell became cool.”
Francis signed with the Seahawks in November 2015 after being waived by the Miami Dolphins. He played in two games and recorded one tackle. But before Francis was hanging out with Wilson he got to play with Tom Brady, as he spent time with the New England Patriots in 2013. Francis didn’t play in a game during his time in New England but enjoyed getting to know Brady and coach Bill Belichick.
“Tom Brady is one of the cooler guys that I ever got to spend time around,” Francis explained. “He’s not anything like you would think the greatest quarterback of all time would be. He’s not the nicest guy to the media all the time, but I think he learned that technique from Bill Belichick. But to his teammates, he’s real cool. I still got a pair of Ugg slippers that he got me when I was in New England to this day.”
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NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
