“It was a good experience,” he said. “For me, I had so much anxiety leading up to it, I was kinda nervous about doing it, so it was a small win for me to just get the courage together and to go meet him. He seemed all right, he was nice, but he kept making all these excuses to why he wasn’t there and this and that. I was like, man, just own it, and let’s get to know each other now. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t bad.”
An absence like that is never good, but the real winner was Kyler, as his dad vowed that he would always be in his life.
“It’s a beautiful thing to be able to break that chain,” Brown said. “I just remember growing up, wishing I had a dad around, wondering where dad was, why wasn’t dad here, asking all these questions, and I was like, my son is never gonna ask these questions. And I made a point to do my best. And by no means am I perfect, but I’ve tried to learn from the mistakes I made and I’m just trying to be here.”
He’s lived up to that promise, and he’s also living up to another one by making his name in the biggest promotion in his sport. He’s honest when he says he never saw everything play out like it has, but now that he’s here, he’s not stopping because he can’t. He’s got to win – for himself, for Kyler, for Arkansas.
“I never thought I’d see myself where I am today,” said Brown. “But little by little, I built the confidence and built the skills to be where I am today. But boy, I tell you what, it does come with a responsibility that I didn’t know was gonna come. But it’s good for me. It keeps me sharp and keeps me on my toes, and the days when I don’t feel like getting my ass out of bed, it’s good to remember I’ve got a few folks counting on me out there or looking at me, so I’m trying to fill those shoes as best I can, but I wasn’t ready for it, that’s for sure.”
