Designer touchdown

Football great Keyshawn Johnson aims to be the male Martha Stewart

BY: Andrew Chin

It wasn't so long ago that athletes were seen and not heard. For better or worse, those days are over. Whether it's football great Emmitt Smith wowing the world with his ballroom skills on Dancing with the Stars or hockey agitator Sean Avery taking an internship at Vogue magazine, athletes are more willing than ever to showcase their hidden talents.

Chosen with the first overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, Keyshawn Johnson has carved out an illustrious and controversial career as a football player. A key component of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2002 Super Bowl win, Johnson has been to the Pro Bowl three times and sits in the top 20 all-time in career NFL receptions. He also famously wrote a book after his rookie season, in which he made his feelings known about the solution to his team's one-win season with its direct title, Just Give Me the Damn Ball!

Since retiring in 2007, Johnson has made the seamless transition from NFL player to NFL analyst on the American TV network ESPN. However, he will be teaming up this year with the A&E Network to venture where no other football player has ventured before: interior design. Set to air for 10 episodes, Keyshawn Johnson: Tackling Design will follow Johnson's attempt to turn his hobby into a legitimate business.

"Sports fans are aware of Keyshawn's formidable skills on the field, but will be completely surprised by his talent as a designer," says Robert Sharenow, Senior Vice President of Nonfiction and Alternative Programming at A&E. "The fact that he is really trying to get this interior design business off the ground perfectly fits with our real-life brand — where we capture the real lives of extraordinary people."

While some, including former teammate Warren Sapp, are skeptical, Johnson is ready to show the world his hidden talent. "It's what I essentially hope to become someday," he told the New York Post, "a male version of Martha Stewart."

Keyshawn Johnson: Tackling Design airs Saturdays on the A&E Network.