I’m so excited to have had the opportunity to interview Melani Ismail wife of former college and NFL football star Rocket Ismail. Melani’s husband Rocket was a Wide Receiver in the NFL and retired from the Cowboys after a very impressive career. During his career, Rocket recorded two 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Melani was very candid in her interview and gave very good insight on just what it’s like to be a football wife.
How did you meet your husband and how long have you been married?
We met in LA. His QB at the time Vince Evans tried to introduce us several times. Vince tried for a year but it never worked out. A friend of Vince, Steve met me on a fluke. Steve and I always seemed to end up at the same places. Within two months he set me and my husband up on a blind date. When we met over dinner we put two and two together that Vince had tried to introduce us all along and it had to be fate. It was destiny. We were married three months later. It’s been 15 years now and we have four kids. We had been in the same circles the entire time and knew the same people but had never met. So it felt like destiny.
Tell me about you
I was born in Illinois and ended up finishing high school in CA. I was always good at cutting hair so I had a business doing it by age 14. I began working in the entertainment business behind the scenes with people like Arsenio Hall. I love the music and entertainment business.
Now share something people would be surprised to know about you
I’m not that surprising. I tell everything!
What would your worse critic say about you?
I’m far too sensitive and I think I can change the world. They also may say I have unrealistic expectations of the world. My family calls me Oprah! I really like people and I’m a free spirit. That all can be looked at negatively.
Do you think any of that is true?
Yeah I would say so. I’m very open and I wear my heart on my sleeve. You have to learn how to adjust. I want to make a ton of money one day so I can feed children.
What has your experience been as a football wife?
A lot of transition goes on in football. You want your relationship to be solid within those transitions. The key is to learn how to navigate through them. I tell young wives not to panic when they come. There’s even a transition in how people treat you. When you have a lot of money or you’re a starter they treat you one way. You make the best of it. You get through the transitions.
Has it been as glamorous as many think it is being married to an athlete?
Very little is glamorous. For us it was stressful from day one. I was 23 and walked into issues. We wish we had taken the time to enjoy the moment. Live in the moment.
What are your personal and professional interests?
Personal- To grow old and grey with my husband and watch my kids do what we didn’t do. I don’t want them to go through what we did. I want to walk the life I tell other people to live.
Professional- I value life to a point I want to value everything I have and share with people. I love music and I write books. I happen to be an artist because I feel no one can sing my songs. It’s something I wanted to do for a long time so I’m doing it.
Are you involved in the community?
Yes here and there. In the early years I did more with the churches. Now I work with Women Called Moses. http://www.womencalledmoses.org/ We deal with domestic violence. I also want to feed children one day.
How were you cast to be on the VH1 show, “Football Wives”?
Chanita Foster who is another cast member asked me to do it. She saw me sing once in DC and told me she thought I was an amazing artist. I kept in touch with her. One day she asked me to do the show and I blew it off at first but she brought a trust factor in it for me to open up my home and life to the cameras.
I’m sure having players wives as friends is a good support system…
It’s kind of like being in the service. As long as you play it’s another world. The NFL is a circle and you count on all the resources in that circle. People will rob you blind so you have to lean on each other.
Overall, what was your experience on the show and would you do it again?
It was a great experience and I looked at it as on-the-job learning. We were in the moment and it was intense. It stretched me. It was drama and a roller coaster ride for real! I hope that in all of it, people can see the progression in the relationships. If people get the journey, it will be an undeniable hit!
Do you have any last comments Melani?
Keep watching every week and you have to watch until the end. It’s a journey. Give us an opportunity to tell the story. Oh and bloggers, give us a break! Be easy on us. We may have a bad hair day or forget to put on make- up from time to time! We also may fight but don’t talk bad about us.
Melani again, thank you for your time. You were a blast to interview and I look forward to seeing more of you in the future. You seem to have a wealth of knowledge that I'm glad you are sharing with young football wives. There are lessons to be learned from those who have already done it and that's in anything.
Be sure to check out Football Wives on VH1 beginning next Sunday, October 24th on VH1 at 10:30pm.
**Photo's Courtesy: VH1**
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