Miami Dolphins’ Safety Michael Thomas has played four seasons in the NFL so far, three of those being with the Miami Dolphins. He is one of the most versatile players in the NFL. With him being able to play safety, defensive back and be a key contributor to special teams he is very vital to the team’s success.
Michael is very passionate about his career on the field, but is just as passionate about his career off the field. First and foremost Michael is a huge family man, he and his wife Gloria have a two year old daughter named Genesis. He loves being a dad more than anything! He also continuously and generously gives back to the community and has done this well before his NFL career started, and was even awarded a key to the city in Fort Pierce, Florida. Another incredible thing that Michael is about to accomplish is getting his MBA from the University of Miami.
Michael and I talked about playing in the NFL, fatherhood, and how doing work in his community is a great life lesson he can share with his daughter.
Art Eddy: Let’s first talk some football. In your first NFL game you got your first interception when you caught a ball from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to secure a 24-20 victory for your team. I am guessing there couldn’t have been a better way to make a first impression. Take me back to that game and what you will always remember from it.
Michael Thomas: That was the craziest experience of my life. It was a lifelong dream to play in the NFL. I finally got mine after two years of being on the practice squad. My only job was to play on special teams that game.
Two guys ended up getting injured late in the game. I didn’t even take a practice rep with the defense the whole week. They were like Michael we need you to play. I was thrown into the game. I was put into the slot position, which I played in all through college. I was familiar with it. I knew Tom Brady was going to target me. You know a guy fresh off the practice squad. If I was Tom Brady I would probably target him too.
Every chance I got I tried to make a play on the ball. The last four plays they were in the red zone. The first play I knew the ball was coming to me. I am guarding (Danny) Amendola one on one. He is running a go route. He is in the end zone. I look up and the ball is coming my way. Amendola had the ball in his hands, but I knocked it out. I couldn’t believe it. I was excited. I was pumped. I just made my debut in the NFL. I made a big play in the game. Everyone is hyped for me and they don’t even know my name yet. (Both laugh.)
Now it is fourth and goal. The game is on the line. There are only a couple of seconds left. They made a call that allowed me to be freed up. I look up again and the ball is coming my way. It was all in slow motion. I just go up and make a routine catch like I do in practice. As I am catching the ball I am falling to the ground. Everything went silent. I then realized I just caught an interception from Tom Brady to win the game. It was overwhelming. It was crazy.
AE: What was your transition like from college to the NFL? What was the biggest challenge for you playing in the pros?
MT: It was a couple of things. Obviously facing adversity. Everyone has some type or form of adversity that they face. Mine was overcoming what they deemed as not being a “draftable” guy. So one was going through the draft.
Number two was being on the practice squad. You are not getting the film study or the opportunity to play. A team will have to take a leap of faith just to bring you on their team. That is what the Dolphins did. I learned how to face adversity.
I learned how to work when I was on the practice squad. I don’t know if you are familiar with that process, but those guys work way harder than any other player on that team. They are doing all the scout team stuff. They are lifting way more than anyone else. They are learning way more. So I definitely learned how to work and face adversity. That prepared me when I got called up by the Dolphins.
AE: What is your training process like during the offseason?
MT: The offseason is really not the offseason. You are constantly working. I probably go for four days out of the week working out. I try to do some upper body and lower body lifts. I am constantly conditioning. I am making sure that I am in shape when we start up organized workouts.
AE: You also are getting ready to finish your MBA from the University of Miami. What drove you to get that degree? 
MT: All the stars aligned for that. I was thinking about whether or not I would go back to school. This opportunity just came up. Our Player Engagement Director for the Miami Dolphins, Kaleb Thornhill had this opportunity come across his desk. He said, ‘Mike, this is for you.’
It was right at the University of Miami, which is only a 40 minute drive from our facility. This was something that I could take advantage. It was an opportunity to get an MBA. They work around NFL schedules so you will never actually be sitting in a classroom. It was a great opportunity and I knew that I needed to take advantage of it.
AE: Off the field you do a lot of fantastic work in your community. You were awarded the key to Fort Pierce, Florida for your community efforts. Tell me about some of your work you do in the community.
MT: It was crazy getting the key to the city of Fort Pierce. I heard about the work that Scott Van Duzer and the Van Duzer Foundation was doing. He was taking kids in that neighborhood of Fort Pierce and putting them around role models. They were positive father figures and role models from that community. It would be firefighters, policemen, businessmen and people working in that community. They are showing those kids a positive example. You don’t have to be a product of your environment. You can dare to be different.
As soon as I heard about what they were doing and how these kids were getting exposed to all these kind of resources I knew I wanted to get involved with that. They put me in and allowed me to be a part of it. The mayor ended up giving me the key to the city. That was a crazy experience. I loved it. It filled me with so much joy to see how these kids really appreciated someone on the NFL coming out to take the time to spend with them.
AE: Switching to fatherhood now, what are some of the core values you looked to instill in your daughter?
MT: I want to be a positive father figure for my daughter. I want to show her an example of what a man should look like for when she has a man in her life when she gets older. We are years away from that. (Both laugh.) I don’t even want to think about that, but I still want to give her a positive example. 
That is one thing that I am trying to do.
The main thing is just being a great provider. Somebody who she can learn from and being able to give her everything she needs. That is my main goal. I want to take care of my daughter. I learned all of those values from my father. He is present in my life. He is a great example for me. I am trying to follow in his footsteps and be a positive role model. I want to contribute to society and be a great role model for my daughter.
AE: What is the biggest difference from the time you were a kid to now as your daughter is growing up?
MT: First off she is almost two. She already knows how to work my phone and my iPad. (Both laugh.) She knows how to get to the apps. She can get on YouTube and watch the videos that she wants to watch. She is singing along. That is crazy to me that she can operate that. I know some people who are technically challenged and can’t do that, but she can.
AE: What advice do you have for new dads out there?
MT: Give them room to grow. They are young. They are going to make mistakes. It might be frustrating at times. You are trying to get them to do stuff. You are constantly cleaning up their mess. Understand that they are kids and that they are learning. They are picking up after you on whatever you do. My daughter is like a parrot. She repeats everything that I say and everything that I do. Give them room to grow and show them a good example.
Life of Dad Quick Five
AE: What is your favorite family movie that you guys like to watch together?
MT: We don’t have a favorite movie, but I will say that the TV station that is always on is the Sprout Channel. She loves all those shows that are on Sprout Channel. The Chica Show, that is definitely one of her favorites.
AE: Do you guys have a favorite song that you all like to dance to?
MT: (Laughs.) She has a few. I will say the one that she is most animated with is Itsy Bitsy Spider.
AE: Describe the perfect family vacation.
MT: We have been able to travel with her a lot. She is great on planes. The ideal vacation would probably going to any of the Disney resorts. Just letting her run around. I don’t think that they will be ready for Genesis. (Both laugh.)
AE: Do you play fantasy football?
MT: (Laughs.) No, I don’t. It seems cool though.
AE: For you is there one team that gets you pumped more than others when you face them on Sunday?
MT: Not really. I will say this. When you do play the Patriots you got to bring your A game. They are technically sound. They rarely make mistakes. They are going to be on the P’s and Q’s and they have one of the best quarterbacks in the game. That is a game where I feel like you can make a name for yourself.
Follow Michael on Twitter @Michael31Thomas