Portis on Orakpo, Playing the Lotto and Shark Diving

Clinton Portis's presence at today's Redskins lottery press conference meant about five minutes worth of post-lottery chatting with the media, with the sort of vaguely understood ground rules that we'd ask at least a few ridiculous lottery questions. I gladly obliged on that account. Here is one of the more unusual sports press conference Q&A's you're likely to read today.

Why do you want to win the lottery?
So I can give everything up. When I say everything, I mean giving up my race. I'm turning into something else. I'm moving out of the country....I'm not taking no installments. You take your half, and give me my half, and I'm out.

How [are OTAs] going?
It's going pretty good. I so would rather not be here, but I mean, it's over Thursday, so I think it was fine. I think a lot of guys got the opportunity to come out and just get a feel. You know, looking at our young guys, I think Orakpo's gonna come in and help this team tremendously. There's some other guys who I think gonna be great in this organization, so it's a start.

You want to give up your race?
Oh yeah, when I win the lottery, I'll have to. Everybody gonna start calling me. So I'll be like a little French dude with a little curly beard or something.

Do you ever play the lottery?
I actually don't. I was just telling them, growing up, my mom used to play Cash 3 and Cash 4 and everything in the lotto, and I used to have to sit outside the car while she was filling it out, and I used to get aggravated. I really did, I used to get mad because I had to sit in the car while she was inside playing the lotto, and that used to be a waste of my time, and I never really got into the lotto.

You're gonna play this one then, right?
Oh yeah. I'm about to get started, let me tell you. I'm looking to win the Powerball, though, that's the easiest. Well, it's not the easiest, but that's where the money is.

You mentioned guys getting out of here on Thursday, what's your routine from the time these end to the time you have to be back?
Uh, I mean, it's a month. It's not like there's lots you can do. You know, everybody would like to [say], 'Oh, I'm going on a month hiatus, I'm going to South Africa, I'm going to find myself,' but you've got a month. Well, really, like three or four weeks. And of course you go spend time with family. Unfortunately for me, all my family birthdays in July. My mom, I already got plans for that. You know, go back and relax and come back in July ready to play football.

What are you gonna do for your mom's birthday?
Every year we go to Essence Festival. Her birthday is July the 5th, and Essence Festival is always that weekend, so we'll do New Orleans.

I was talking to Colt earlier, and he said you guys went shark diving, how was that?
It was great. I've got the video. I've got to bring it. So maybe I'll leak it to you guys. It was great. I hung out with Colt down in Hawaii, you know, he's the man out there. Everybody was like, 'Who is this little guy you're hanging with?' Colt was like, 'Awwww, this is my buddy!' The shark diving was a great experience, though.

He get treated like a rock star out there?
Man, he the man out there. Me and Cooley was talking about that. I mean, he's the man, assuredly. I think the things he did for Hawaii, putting Hawaii on the map, was great.

That's what it's like for you in Miami?
Noooo, people don't notice me in Miami, man, I'm competing with too many people to be famous in Miami. And up here I'm competing with Obama.


(washigtonpost.com)