GH’s Maurice Benard Tackles Poverty With NFL’s Freddie Stevenson

A huge sports fan, General Hospital’s Maurice Benard couldn’t wait to sit down with former NFL Fullback Freddie Stevenson and talk about his new book Trials to Triumph on his State of Mind video podcast. The book covers what led to Stevenson’s struggle from childhood poverty to success and much more.

Maurice Benard Discusses Struggles With Freddie Stevenson

Soap Hub is a porthole to all things in daytime drama and entertainment. On the surface, you might not think that a story on a football player would have anything to do with soaps. You would be wrong. Freddie Stevenson’s life story is as compelling as any soap opera storyline and even more. Let us give you a taste of what we are talking about.

Benard (Sonny Corinthos) starts off the show with an introduction to the former Bears’ fullback. “He wrote this book, Trials to Triumph, and it is kind of a ‘don’t listen to what anybody says’ book, and I love that. I want to get into the haters with Freddie because I have been through that, man.” Both men pulled out their best Cheshire cat smile.

Stevenson recalled the incident that started the ‘Trial’ part of his memoir. “Growing up was tough. We had our ups and downs. Early on, I think as a kid I thought we had anything we could have wanted. And I talk about it in my book that I didn’t really know what my father had his hands in. I found out that my father was a huge drug trafficker. One day the feds came in, kicked the door down, and took my father away.”

Poverty From A Child’s Eyes

“As a kid, you see what is going on but you truly don’t understand it.” The football star and author continued, “I remember a situation wherein particular it was an evening one day, about 8 o’clock and we hadn’t eaten the whole entire day and my baby sister was crying because she was just hungry. My brothers and sisters just looked at each other thinking we usually eat something. Worst-case scenario, we would have eaten a piece of bread by now but we hadn’t eaten so we were getting worried as well.

“My mom, she just gathers everyone together and just walks us down the street and then we come upon a McDonald’s. Once we go inside, she orders one cheeseburger and everybody is looking around, like man, there are five of us. What are we going to do with one cheeseburger?” Stevenson explained, “We didn’t know then that my mom only had a dollar to her name. The total came out to one dollar and five cents. And for some reason, the cashier was being difficult that day and wouldn’t allow my mother to get the burger with just a dollar. So my mom had to go around McDonald’s and beg for a nickel and eventually somebody was generous enough to give her a nickel.

“She gathered us all up and walked us all outside and started slicing it into five pieces. And we started eating. As we were eating, my older sister noticed that my mom wasn’t eating and she asked her why she wasn’t eating?” He shared the lightbulb moment that propelled his drive towards triumph, “That moment stuck with me my whole entire life.”

The two men go on to talk about his father’s life after incarceration and how he became a pastor, Stevenson’s skill at football and how a career-ending injury almost derailed his future, politics in sports and entertainment, and how hope and a positive attitude can conquer depression and anxiety. The episode runs a little over 25 minutes so grab a cup of coffee and prepare to be inspired! For Benard’s latest episode of State of Mind, go here.

You can follow Freddie Stevenson on Twitter and Instagram @strugglemade105. For a copy of Stevenson’s new book, check out the official site.

General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Port Charles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on GH spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.