Ex-Jets star Darrelle Revis' first true love: Art

The inspiration for Darrelle Revis’ life-changing venture came long before he developed into one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history.

It came as a kindergartener in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.

“He was drawing at 5 years old,” Diana Askew said of her son. “He would make these ‘paper people’ and play pretend. He’d draw pictures of Michael Jordan, and if it wasn’t basketball, it was some other sport.”

Hoping to cultivate his love of art, she bought him a set of pencils, and young Darrelle drew whatever piqued his imagination, the charcoal lines expressing his thoughts.

“At that age, my mother was trying to put things in front of me to see if I was interested in it or not,” Revis told Newsday. “She said, ‘I’m going to buy you an art kit,’ and I’d just start drawing.”

Revis soon would gravitate toward playing sports. He eventually developed into an elite player with the Jets, a lockdown cornerback whose nickname — “Revis Island” — came to signify just how brilliant he had become in shutting down opposing receivers. He drew one-on-one assignments against such stars as Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Calvin Johnson and Reggie Wayne and shut them down, too.

Yet he never lost sight of his love for art, and as Revis now awaits word about whether he will join the most prestigious club in his sport — the Pro Football Hall of Fame — he already is deep into a second career that revolves around art collecting and spreading his conviction about the benefits of appreciating drawings, paintings and sculptures.

As diligent a student as he was about the finer points of playing defensive back, Revis now applies his passion for knowledge to studying the great artists of our time — and that includes fellow Pittsburgh-area native Andy Warhol, who opened new ways of thinking and seeing for Revis when he visited the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh as a child.

“I’m passionate about it,” said Revis, whose personal collection has grown to about 25 paintings and whose favorite artists include McArthur Binion, Barkley Hendricks, Andy Roberts, Stanley Whitney and Nina Chanel Abney.

“Art space is not always for these big purchases and these crazy investments,’’ he said. “A lot of children gravitate toward art, and unfortunately, a lot of the education system has stopped that art class you used to go to.”

Drawing resonated with Revis as a young child, his tastes have matured, and his appreciation for art — especially abstract works — speaks to him at a deeper level.

“Expressing yourself on a canvas is therapy for a lot of us,” he said. “Even if we go into an art gallery, there are masterpieces all around you and certain pieces that speak to you. Certain colors, patterns, shapes, just the design. It’s like music. They say when we listen to music, if you’re listening to Beethoven, our full brains function. It’s like that with art. It’s a very fun space to be in.”

Despite Revis’ relatively recent foray into the art world, his knowledge and appreciation of the subject are remarkably refined.

“I think it shows that, as an athlete, your skills are transferable,” said Jasmine Martin, Revis’ art adviser, who has partnered with him in growing his personal collection and creating a prominent role in the arts. “That same depth of perception on the field, he’s able to take that into art. There are paintings that even I can’t understand, but he’s able to see what’s happening and follow through with the concept.”

All in all, it’s a remarkable journey for a kid from Aliquippa.

Trading up and a phone call

A career in the arts was the furthest thing from Revis’ mind when Mike Tannenbaum made the phone call that changed his life on April 28, 2007.

Revis remembers the call as if it were yesterday. In fact, it remains the single most memorable event of Revis’ time with the Jets — up to and including the countless times he broke up passes and his 29 career interceptions.

“It was just a dream,” the former University of Pittsburgh star recalled of the moment he learned the Jets had traded up to take him with the 14th overall pick. “I knew about the Jets at the time — Vinny Testaverde and Broadway Joe [Namath] — but I didn’t know a lot about the organization. When they jumped up [11] slots to get me with the 14th pick, I was overwhelmed. I was on the phone with Mike Tannenbaum and I was like, ‘I won’t disappoint you. I’m going to give my all.’ Mike was probably like, ‘OK, kid, we’ll see.’  ”

Not so. In fact, Tannenbaum, the Jets’ general manager at the time, remembers that call as vividly as Revis does.

The run-up to that phone call was one of the most dramatic and nerve-wracking processes that Tannenbaum can recall, especially from the moment he was told by Terry Bradway, the former Jets GM who switched to director of personnel, that the Jets had no shot at getting Revis unless they moved up.

“Darrelle declared for the draft late [after his junior season], and in the old Big East the year he came out, there weren’t a lot of good receivers, so there was an authentic question about his ability,” Tannenbaum said. “Not that people didn’t think he was good, but to Terry Bradway’s credit, after he covered his Pro Day at Pitt and called me, he said, “When word gets out about this workout, he’s not going to be there [when the Jets selected 25th overall]. So we went through the process and we fell in love with Darrelle — physically, his measurables, as a human being and, my gosh, as a competitor.”

The night before the draft, Tannenbaum called Panthers GM Marty Hurney, who owned the 14th pick.

“Marty, there’s one guy we want to trade up for, but I’m not going to lowball you at the last minute, and I don’t want you to hold me up at the last moment,” Tannenbaum told him.

The two agreed on the parameters of a deal.

When it was time for the Panthers to select, Tannenbaum said, “the trade was done in 10 seconds.” The Jets surrendered their first-round pick, as well as second- and fifth-round choices to close the deal.

“We called Darrelle, and he’s very much a what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of person, so I knew he meant what he said,” Tannenbaum said. “He isn’t going to give you flowery praise, he’s going to tell you exactly what he’s thinking, and when Darrelle Revis says he’s going to give you everything he’s got, you can take that to the bank.”

Revis delivered on his promise.

Darrelle Revis career stats

Seasons: 11 (8 with Jets)

Games: 145

Passes defended: 139

INT: 29

TD: 3

Forced fumbles: 3

Pro Bowls: 7

All-Pro first team: 4

In his first six seasons, Revis was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and a three-time first-team All-Pro. During his time with Rex Ryan — the “Revis Island” portion of his career — Revis became one of the sport’s greatest cornerbacks and now is eligible for Hall of Fame induction.

Earlier this month, Revis, 37, was selected as one of 15 finalists from the modern era. A maximum of five players will be selected from that list. Former Jets defensive lineman Joe Klecko was named a finalist in the seniors category.

The Class of 2023 will be announced Feb. 9 on the NFL Honors Show the week of Super Bowl LVII in Phoenix.

It is uncertain whether Revis will become a first-year Hall of Famer, but there is little question that he will have a bust in Canton at some point. And if and when that day comes .  .  .

“We know accolades are a part of sports,” said Revis, who was inducted into the Jets’ Ring of Honor in November. “Sometimes those things aren’t decided by you personally and there are others who have an opinion on it. They watch the sport and try to pinpoint who’s the best, who’s the greatest of all time. For me, I’m so passionate about the game of football and my love for it.”

Revis was traded to the Buccaneers when John Idzik was the team’s GM. After a season in Tampa, he won a Super Bowl with the Patriots before returning to the Jets for the next two seasons and concluding his career with Kansas City in 2017.

In Tannenbaum’s mind, there’s no question about Revis’ credentials.

“I’m biased, but I think he’s the greatest cornerback of all time,” the former GM said. “I think he’s better than Deion [Sanders] because he was a better tackler, he was more physical, and while he may not have had the flashy interception returns, down-in and down-out, he brought more value than anyone else.”

Revis was at his best when he played for Ryan, who led the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances his first two seasons.

“Rex really put Darrelle on the map because his value to us was so rare because of what he could do,” Tannenbaum said. “From a scheme standpoint, oftentimes you’ll see the No. 1 corner take the [opposing] team’s second-best receiver, and then teams will double the best receiver. With Darrelle, it was literally good against good, and we can wipe out the other team’s best weapon. It changed the way we attacked opposing offenses. Rex always said, ‘We can change the math [of matchups].’ Well, we could change the math because Darrelle could take one man over the whole field, and he was going to erase the other team’s No. 1 option.”

Quiet appreciation

Revis rarely shared his love of art during his 11-year career, and even those closest to the seven-time Pro Bowl player didn’t know he held an appreciation for something that seemed so very different from football.

How could there possibly be a connection between the sheer physicality of a sport and the aesthetic appreciation of drawings or paintings?

And beyond that, there surely is no way that Revis gravitating toward the art world could help make him an even better cornerback than anyone could have expected.

But Revis will argue there was a definitive connection between the two. In fact, he lived it.

“I think art and athletics have a lot of similarities,” he said. “Look at it as the art of the cornerback. It’s an art form, just as it is for an artist or a painter. There is rhythm in what they do with what they paint on canvases.

“When a painter is in that moment of creating a masterpiece, you do have to have rhythm, you have to have poise, you have to have an imagination or a plan of what you can actually present on a canvas. That’s how I look at it in the sense of what painters do, just how the imagination can take that from their brain and actually make it come to life on a canvas.”

Had someone taken the time to ask Revis about his connection to art during his career, perhaps he would have expressed similar thoughts. And there were times when he was tempted to bring art into his life on a broader scale back then.

But he also knew that if he stretched his interest beyond the playing field, it might negatively impact his craft, so he kept it to himself.

“I have friends who were big fans of Derek Jeter,” he said, “and they’d say, ‘You focus on one task at a time,’ and Derek does the same thing. He’s laser- focused.”

It was that focus that prevented him from allowing himself to explore art more fully while he was playing.

“I wanted to collect art while I was playing, but I didn’t study the art space because I had to study Randy Moss or Terrell Owens,” he said. “I just didn’t want to be distracted, so I knew I had to hold off.”

Receivers vs. Revis in 2009

• Randy Moss (24 yards, TD)
• Andre Johnson (35)
• Terrell Owens (31)
• Torry Holt (24)
• Marques Colston (33)
• Steve Smith (5)
• Reggie Wayne (33)
• Chad Johnson (0)

But shortly after his career ended, he started visiting galleries and got to know artists whose works moved him. Unlike many NFL players who struggle to find purpose after their careers are over, Revis has flourished now that he has the freedom to explore a new world that continues to open up. He even has to stop himself from making too many purchases, and his partnership with Martin has made it easier to create a more deliberate path forward.

“Sometimes when you walk into an art gallery,” Revis said, “you want to purchase everything. But then my art adviser [Martin] will say, ‘We’re on a budget.’ Sometimes I’m like a kid in a candy store.”

“I think Darrelle is interested in being a great supporter of the arts,” Martin said, “and what we’re exploring is all the different ways that can take shape and what that can look like for him. Sometimes that means showing up at a Gordon Parks event. Sometimes that means donations to arts organizations, and sometimes that means collecting. The goal for him is to be a respected and appreciated patron of the arts in many different ways.”

The art world is taking notice, and Revis’ stature in that space is growing.

“He’s enthusiastic and committed, and he has expressed a deep love for the arts,” Brooklyn-based abstract artist Andy Robert said. “Darrelle is here for this, and he wants it to be a part of his life, and he is building a collection. I found it very admirable that he wants to take the same energy he brought to the game to our end, and have art and artists be a part of his life. He is an advocate for art, and he’s supporting artists as well as institutions with acquisitions.”

Revis said he has continued to draw, but not to the point of showing his work.

“I draw on the side here and there, but not where I might put it on display,” he said, “People sometimes say, ‘Put it in a frame, Darrelle.’ Ah, I don’t know. It’s not about me. It’s about having the passion for the art space and meeting new people, networking with people. It’s a very fun space to be in.

“This year, I’ve been going to a bunch of art conventions, and I think I have done enough research over the years where I’m starting to show up more in the art space and being involved in the experience and enjoying it.”

Whether he will get to enjoy it while wearing the gold jacket that comes with a Hall of Fame induction remains to be seen. But his legacy already is assured regardless of whether he makes it to Canton now or down the road.

And he hopes to be remembered not necessarily for his accomplishments but for his dedication to being as good as he could possibly be.

“Every day, I came in with a mission, a goal to not just dominate,” he said, “but also to challenge myself on a daily basis, regardless of the naysayers who were like, ‘He can’t cover that good, he’s not that fast.’ Just challenging myself and my teammates. Every day, I would come in and test myself, test my teammates and try to play the best football.”

By Bob Glauber

Special to NewsdayBobGlauber

Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”