S Ji’Ayir Brown Press Conference

S Ji’Ayir Brown

Press Conference – April 28, 2023

San Francisco 49ers

I know that you came out here on a visit earlier this month, can you talk about how that visit went and who you talked to? How do you see yourself fitting in here?

“The visit went great. I talked to everybody around the facility and it really felt like home. It gave me a similar version to how Penn State felt, just a family-oriented environment. I had a great visit in San Francisco, and I knew from the time I left the visit that it was the best visit I had been on, and that’s where I belonged.”

How has this last week been for you and what was today like? Where are you? Who are you with? Tell us the story of when you got the call.

“This last week has been amazing. I’ve really been anticipating this moment. Leading up to today, I told the family, ‘just come out and support and God will handle the rest.’ We ended up where we are supposed to be and I feel really strong about San Francisco.”

Who called you? Who did you talk to? What was the conversation like?

“I got the call from the DC [Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks]. It was so loud in there, I could barely hear them. I was trying to talk to them and all the family was screaming around me and I was trying to get away from them so I could hear. It was amazing. It was a great feeling that can only come once in your lifetime, so I’m definitely taking in this moment. Im very appreciative.”

You have had an interesting journey. I’m sure a lot of people didn’t expect you to be a third round pick in the NFL Draft. Did you expect that from yourself, say, three years ago?

“I always knew I had the talent but I just didn’t know the path that God had set for me. I knew I was going to be in the NFL Draft, I knew I would be drafted, I didn’t know when or where. But I knew I had the talent and I was more than capable of playing in the NFL.”

Your nickname is Tig, after Tigger the Tiger. How did that start?

“It started from Winnie the Pooh. When I was a baby I would always bounce around a lot. I wasn’t even a year old and I would bounce around on my mom’s lap a lot, so she started calling me Tigger the Tiger. As I got older it started to stick with me. I was just like, ‘you know what? Let’s chop a couple letters off, call me Tig.’ Everybody started calling me Tig and it has been like my real name, a substitute for my real name, since I was a baby.”

You’re a New Jersey guy, what do you know about California, the West Coast and Bay Area culture?

“Yeah, I trained out in California for three months. My first time on the West Coast and it was a great experience. I was in Westlake at the Proactive facility. It was a great experience over there. There is definitely different views than New Jersey, different weather than New Jersey, but it was a lifestyle I can get used to and I can learn to love.”

How familiar are you with the 49ers safeties? S Talanoa Hufanga, S Tashaun Gipson Sr., did you talk to any of them when you were out here?

“No, I did not talk to any of them but I’m more excited than anybody to conversate with those guys, learn from those guys, piggyback off of each other and see how we can help this team win a Super Bowl.”