Jonathan Vilma on ESPN's set of SportsCenter in Miami during Super Bowl LIV Sunday on Feb. 2, 2020. Credit: ESPN Images/Allen Kee
Jonathan Vilma never imagined himself as a member of the media, even when early in his career with the Jets his agent, Maury Gostfrand, suggested he would be a natural.
“I was like, ‘Man, no way,’” Vilma recalled. “We’re always taught as players: Don’t talk to the media. The media is bad. They’re not your friend. All that stuff. I was like, ‘I’m not joining the dark side. That’s crazy.’
“It was like being a traitor or something.