It was one of the rare insights into the soul of Ed Reed.
As the former Pro Bowl safety sat on the stage to announce his retirement from the NFL as a Raven, Reed showed a soft side rarely on display during his 11 years in Baltimore. He was sensitive and emotional. He preached and philosophized.
It was impressive.
Reed won't be officially retired until 4 p.m. Friday, but his brief time out of the game seems to have mellowed him. He always has had a big heart, but he seldom showed it to the media. His interviews were often short and unpredictable.
But within the past year, three family members have died, and he is spending more time with his family. Ed Reed seems at peace.
A lot of the questions Reed heard Thursday addressed his illustrious career: the 64 career interceptions and the 1,590 return yards, not including the playoffs; the 13 multi-interception games, the most in NFL history; the 13 touchdowns he scored, including three off blocked punts.
But this wasn't the old Reed that I had come to know and feud with. The old Reed was combative and extremely moody. The joke was that if his sweatshirt's hood was up, he was in a bad mood. If it was down, he was having a good day.
Reed had a great day Thursday.
"I'm going to be doing a lot of things," said Reed, a future Hall of Famer who trains several NFL players. "Right now, it's spending time with the family, building my foundation, doing the things we do in the community, still doing those things, making myself available to the young guys.
"I'm trying to get the word out to these young guys about taking care of themselves, how to handle yourself in the NFL, being a professional. I think we need guidance with that in the league. However I can help with that, hopefully, that will be something that you see me doing. I didn't say I'm hanging my cleats up. I just said I'm retiring."
Since coming to the Ravens with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2002 draft, Reed has purchased tickets for 26 kids at Booker T. Washington Middle School for every home game and raised funds for other various Baltimore schools.
And now he seems just as eager to make a name for himself off the field. He is in the beginning phases of building a 2-acre multipurpose park in New Orleans, close to his hometown of Saint Rose, La.
He coaches his son's recreational football team in Atlanta and was disturbed by the recent riots in Baltimore. Those scenes apparently hit home with Reed and reminded him of his own upbringing.
For a man who often had few words, Reed saw Thursday as an opportunity to deliver a message.
He joked several times about possibly coming back to play, but it's clear he no longer gives that much thought. Pro athletes, especially the great ones, often hold on too long, and Reed did.
But he is on a different mission now. His No. 1 priority seems to be helping others.
"We all are one community," Reed said. "We all work together. We all need to be back in the community. Even if you're not an athlete, you need to be in the community. Go back into the community and help somebody. Talk to somebody, talk to those kids, because it's the kids that are the ones that are our future.
"Home has always been in Baltimore. My heart has always been in Baltimore; it will always be in Baltimore and in M&T Bank Stadium."
That's what made his announcement so special. It's rare these days for a player to spend his entire career in one city, as Ray Lewis did, and even though Reed split his final season playing for the Houston Texans and New York Jets, he always will be a Raven.
Watching some of his highlights Thursday brought back great memories. There were numerous big plays, but what made Reed special was that he could cover so much ground in such little time. And his ball skills were so tremendous that he could start as a wide receiver.
"We would see that occasionally in practice," former Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason said. "He was the best athlete I've ever seen, on any level."
Reed had that long, loping stride, and he could make big plays at several positions. He might have been a free safety, but in his prime, he was one of the best tacklers in the NFL and forced 12 fumbles.
He could block punts or return them. Lewis got a lot of credit for being the quarterback of the Ravens' defense, but it was Reed who directed the secondary. Reed was fine being Lewis' sidekick, even though he finished with nine Pro Bowl selections and Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2004.
As Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome noted Thursday, Reed wasn't just a playmaker, but a game-changer.
"Whenever we knew it was time for a play to be made, we would all say: 'It's Ed Reed's time," Newsome said.
Now it appears that Reed's best work is ahead of him. He thanked the Modell family Thursday as well as current owner Steve Bisciotti. He thanked Ravens officials as well as coaches John Harbaugh, Dean Pees, former Ravens defensive backs coach Donnie Henderson, his teammates and fans.
But this isn't a farewell for Reed; it's just him saying hello to a new beginning. If he's as helpful off the field as he was productive on the field, he will make another major impact on some kids.
He seems more content now than at any other time in his life.
twitter.com/MikePrestonSun