Chiefs Safety Quintin Demps Talks Locker Room, Playoff Loss and More

There’s a lot more to Kansas City Chiefs safety and kick returner Quintin Demps than meets the eye. Originally drafted by the Andy Reid-led Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft, Demps played with the Houston Texans from 2010 – 2012 before joining the Chiefs last season. He led the team with four interceptions and was the primary kick returner. However, there’s more to him than just football.

A successful motivational speaker and accomplished musician, Demps just started his own record label, Purpose by Faith Music Group and as part of that release is running a competition where aspiring musicians can send Demps an Instagram of them singing. The winner will receive a trip to Houston, Texas, and a studio session with Demps, along with a dinner and more.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to chat with Demps, and the biggest question I had for him revolved around the Chiefs locker room.

The NFL has taken a huge hit in the public eye in the past few years. With the New Orleans Saints being involved in the “Bountygate” scandal which allegedly involved defensive coordinator Gregg Williams placing bounties on certain opposing players and offering bonuses to his players for “taking them out” — including Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith when he was with the San Francisco 49ers — the public opinion of the NFL locker room was skewed. Then this past season came the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin debacle in the Miami Dolphins locker room. With allegations of bullying, paying erroneous fines for the offensive linemen “kangaroo court” and extorting money from rookies, the NFL locker room took another huge hit.

I wanted to hear what Demps had to say regarding the locker room culture and what the Chiefs locker room was like during the 2013 season.

"“The locker room was neat. It was actually a brotherhood. They had been through some turbulence with the Jovan [Belcher killing himself and his girlfriend] thing. But it seemed to go so well for us and we had each other’s back.”"

Looking back to the 2013 season, there were a lot of memorable moments, especially for Demps. Though my favorite Demps moment was that kickoff he took to the house in the Week 14 matchup against the Washington Redskins, Demps was a bit more team-oriented with his answer.

"“Going to the bye week [9-0]. Going into the bye week undefeated. We were on top of the world. It was a great feeling and it was great to be a part of.”"

As interviews with Chiefs players generally do, the conversation quickly turned to what Kansas City barbeque establishment Demps liked the best.

"“Oklahoma Joe’s. Yes, sir. It was so good. I didn’t like Gates at all.”"

So there you have it, Addicts. Another endorsement for Oklahoma Joe’s from a Chiefs player.

Although I was pretty sure I already knew the answer to the question, I wanted to ask Demps about his contract talks with the Chiefs and if there was any chance he might come back to the team next year.

"“I have no idea. March 11 is when everything starts to transpire and I’m just really looking forward to that date. I’m excited for this offseason. I’m coming off of my best year since I’ve been in the league so I’m excited to see how things are going to work out, but I don’t know anything as of right now.”"

Wrapping up the interview, I talked to Demps about the final Chiefs game of the season in the Wild Card matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. As tough as it was to be a fan watching at home, it was 10 times as bad for a player on the field. I asked Quintin what he thought happened in that loss.

"“I’m not sure. I would have to give credit to the [Indianapolis Colts] coach [Chuck Pagano]. They got hot. Andrew Luck got hot. They were at home so momentum started to swing into their favor and they just capitalized.”"

As I mentioned earlier, Demps is hosting a music competition as part of his new label. That contest ends today and though he told me he had the contestants narrowed down to the “top three,” he didn’t have a winner yet.

You can read more about Demps’ music label, as well as download his first single “No Struggle” at his website, www.purposebyfaith.com.

If you want to listen to the entire interview, click below for the audio.