Bruce Irvin has advice for Seahawks rookie Frank Clark about entering the NFL with ‘baggage’

"I try to tell Frank, 'The littlest thing with me and you is going to get blown into a big old story,' " Bruce Irvin told "Brock and Salk" about the advice he's given to Seahawks rookie Frank Clark.

BY ERIC MANDEL

Sep 2, 2015, 3:20 PM Updated: 3:39 pm

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Like Seahawks rookie Frank Clark, Bruce Irvin entered the NFL with a rocky past. (AP)

(AP)

Bruce Irvin has had plenty of advice for Seahawks rookie Frank Clark when it comes to overcoming a turbulent past. Irvin told 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Brock and Salk” on Tuesday that he’s spoken with Clark about the extra pressure that comes with entering the league with “baggage.”

“I try to tell Frank, ‘The littlest thing with me and you is going to get blown into a big old story,’ ” he said.

“Biggest thing is keeping him grounded and making sure football is his No. 1 priority,” Irvin added. “All the other stuff will always be there, but this football thing is limited. The window is small and you never know, we could go out here in practice and it could be over with.”

Clark, who was accused of domestic violence before the Seahawks chose him with their second-round pick, plays with Irvin along the defensive line. After Seattle’s third preseason game, ESPN.com ran a story with the headline “Seahawks rookie Frank Clark accused of attacking Philip Rivers”. That purported allegation stemmed from a play in which the Chargers’ quarterback was sacked.

Irvin thought the story was bogus.

“How do you attack somebody on the football field?” Irvin asked. “That’s what we do for a living, we attack people. And it blew into an ESPN story. I felt bad for the kid.”

Irvin, 27, discussed how he grew up poor, dealt drugs and spent time in jail before cleaning up his life and entering the NFL. He said it was important to distance himself from certain people and put himself in better situations.

“For me it wasn’t hard because selling drugs and getting shot at and stuff like that, it wasn’t fun, bro,” he said. “As much as people rap about it and say they do it, it’s not fun when you’re actually living it. For me, it wasn’t that hard. People can say what they want to – ‘He changed when he got money’ – but I’ve been at the bottom. I never want to go back.

“I have a son and a wife to support now, and everything I do is a reflection on them and my family.”