Snoop Dogg league 'instrumental' in C.J. Stroud's journey to Houston Texans stardom

Long before C.J. Stroud was leading the Houston Texans to first place in the AFC South, he was a 12-year-old quarterback playing for Snoop Dogg’s youth football league in Los Angeles, California. In a new feature by ESPN‘s DJ Bien-Amie, Stroud’s mother opened up about the beginnings of her son’s football journey, which eventually led him to Ohio State, then the NFL.

“The Snoop Dogg league was super instrumental in C.J.’s journey,” Kimberly Stroud said. “It was a village that raised C.J. Stroud, and it wasn’t just his mother. It was mainly God, but He put people on our path to help C.J. along his journey. The Snoop Dogg league was one of those.”

Priest Brooks, then the coach of Snoop’s Pomona Steelers team, found Stroud after some positive word of mouth reached him about the young QB out of Rancho Cucamonga. Despite the 40-mile trek into L.A., the family agreed to play for the team. It was a two-year tenure with the team, but it was long enough for Stroud to form bonds that carried on throughout his life.

At first, Stroud’s mother was hesitant to have her son play for the rapper’s organization, but their first visit to practice quickly changed her preconceived notions.

“When we went to the actual practices and saw how everybody was so professional and great people,” she told ESPN. “So don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Throwback to when @SnoopDogg revealed that CJ Stroud came up playing in his youth football league 😮 pic.twitter.com/XQvXBdNiqO

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 19, 2024

Stroud led Pomona Steelers for two seasons

As for Stroud, he took to the team immediately. According to Brooks, “the kids locked onto him,” as did the coach who became a father figure to him at just the right time. Brooks “stepped up,” according to Stroud after Coleridge Stroud, his father, had been sentenced to 38 years to life in prison.

“Coach (Brooks) is such an amazing person,” his mother said. “He was so instrumental for C.J. during the harder years of his adolescence — when dad wasn’t there anymore, when mom was working long days.”

Brooks’ home became a gathering place for Stroud and his teammates. Despite coming from different backgrounds, the kids became part of the larger Snoop family and for his part, Stroud learned to lead young men of all kinds at a young age. That skill has been a key tool in his arsenal, especially during his rookie season with the Texans.

“His ability to connect with many different people from all walks of life definitely helps him to win a locker room,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It just makes it easier for our team to progress and move forward much quicker because of his leadership ability.”

“I was so competitive and wanted to win so I was like ‘I have to find a way to be a leader and relate to these guys.’ That was my first step,” Stroud told ESPN. “I started hanging out with guys off the field, my mom would have kids come over and spend the night. She would allow me to go over to their houses.

“It was good for me to learn, this is how you build a brotherhood. I wasn’t even thinking about that back then. But now that I’m older, that’s what that was.”

Snoop praises his former quarterback for setting example

The former Buckeyes star’s coaches and teammates are now benefitting from the seeds the Snoop Youth League planted in him at a key development stage. Will Anderson, Stroud’s fellow first-round pick last year, praised his quarterback for his personality on and off the field.

“C.J. is a great guy, man. He is easy to work with,” Anderson said. “Great friend, great brother, great teammate and all the things you ask for in a guy like that.”

Stroud and Snoop maintain a relationship to this day. The rapper sees the Texans star as a shining example of what his program promotes in its youth players.

“It’s special because [Stroud] is exactly what we breed kids to be,” Snoop told ESPN. “Good students, good athletes, respecting their elders, their parents and being a great listener. C.J. was a great listener. That’s why he’s translating on that football field into a great leader.

“I like to get information from him because he’s the future. … So to be able to tap in with the youth and stay active. That’s a gift, and I love the fact that my football league has created that.”