Steelers' Larry Ogunjobi's Parents Taking His Xbox Away Somehow Eventually Led To Successful NFL Career

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a storied franchise that has always boasted an incredibly stout defensive unit. Several former players have busts at the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, while certain guys on the current team such as Minkah Fitzpatrick, TJ Watt and Cameron Heyward are looking to continue building a resume on the field to be inducted one day as well. While these three are the heart and soul of the current defensive unit, there are several players who help elevate the elite players' games. One of those is recently extended defensive lineman, Larry Ogunjobi, who has been a great piece of the defense since coming to Pittsburgh in 2022.

Steelers' Ogunjobi Tells Heyward The Story Of Why He Is Where He Is In His Career

Ogunjobi joined his teammate Heyward on his podcast, Not Just Football. The two talked about a plethora of different things including Ogunjobi's unique journey to the NFL. It's probably a story many have not heard before. He had no interest in playing football until his mother took away what any young kid loves to do: play video games. He told Heyward the awesome story.

"The only reason I started playing football is because my mom took away my Xbox. That is the only reason I got into football. I was about 350 pounds, obese. I was playing Call of Duty, Gears of War, Madden... it's funny I was playing with the Steelers on the little franchise thing."

The defensive lineman's parents were not pleased with the direction in which his life was going, so they decided to step in and do something about it. They wanted him to get healthier.

"I was just gaining a lot of weight. My mom and my dad came to me one day and were like, 'You know, you're killing yourself' and they took away my Xbox."

It's a fascinating story in a world where a lot of parents allow their children to play video games constantly. There's nothing wrong with it, but Ogunjobi's parents noticed what this was doing to his body, and potentially his future. They decided to take action because they wanted the best for their son.

The Xbox being taken away was just the beginning of his parents' effort to put him on a better path that didn't have to do with video games. His dad set him up with a strength coach not too long after.

"I'm probably like 15, 16; I'm throwing tantrums. I'm pi**ed off, mad at the world. I think my parents hate me. My dad goes to the park one day and he meets this coach. His name is Robert Mitchell. He's talking to my dad, [he's] like, 'You know, I'm worried about my son.' The coach says, 'I can help him.'"

Ogunjobi detailed the moments when Mitchell arrived to his house for the first time. He was extremely caught off guard and didn't even expect nor know who he was at this point.

"It was one Saturday morning. I get a knock on the door. This dude is at my front door and is like, 'Alright, let's go, 'bout to work out.' I'm like, 'Bro, who are you?' He's like, 'Nah, we about to go work out.'"

After the weight loss journey for Ogunjobi began, he was sure that he would have pleased his parents and he could get his Xbox back. The next condition that was thrown his way was getting on the football field.

"I start training with him. I start working out with him and then one day, after about a month or so, we drive by the high school and he's like, 'We're gonna stop at the high school real quick.' I'm like, 'For what?' He's like, 'You're gonna play football.' I'm like, 'No, I'm not.'"

The Steelers lineman had no intentions of getting into the sport at this point, but that didn't matter to Mitchell, the football coaches or his parents. It's truly an incredible story.

He went into more detail about his high school experience. Ogunjobi remembered not wanting to play and thinking he had satisfied his parents just shedding a couple of pounds.

"The deal was you were gonna help me lose weight because at this point, I had lost a couple pounds, so I was feeling a little more confident about myself. But I was like... football was not, you know, in the cards. That's not what I wanted to do."

He went through his first season and there were highs and lows, but the big thing that changed his outlook on the game was at the end of the season. He won something that led to him being hungry for more.

"I go through that [junior varsity] season. Obviously, ups and downs my first time playing, but I think the huge point for me was the awards banquet. At the awards banquet, I thought my best friend at the time, Trey Grimes, was gonna get the award for most improved JV player and they gave it to me. That was the first time in my life I felt like I earned something."

It all started with a simple suggestion from his parents. The Xbox was gone and he needed to find something else to do with his time. Ironically enough, he went to trying to build the Steelers franchise and win a Super Bowl on Madden when he was a teenager, and now he sees himself doing the same thing in real life. Things really do come full circle, huh?

Had you ever heard the wild story of what led Ogunjobi to the NFL and now the Steelers?