Prude Takes Tough Questions

Ronnie Prude wants to go into sports broadcasting when he leaves the National Football League. He majored in communications at Louisiana State, where he played cornerback for the 2003 national champion Tigers.

In the spirit of the goals he wants to achieve, Prude was more than happy to take part in the Scholastic Play-by-Play Network Sports Broadcasting Camp on Monday, June 25. The defensive back spoke to 62 boys and girls Monday, aged 10-18. Each young man and woman stood, introduced themselves and their fictional media counterpart and posed a question for the second-year player, even referencing media entities throughout the country from national outlets like USA Today, ESPN and Sports Illustrated, to local outlets like the Baltimore Sun, Comcast Sports Net and the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

Never experiencing this for himself as a youngster, Prude was eager to give the youth a taste of what he deals with on a regular basis on the flip side of sports broadcasting: as the interviewee.

After the initial introduction, hands shot up in the air and the students peppered Prude with questions for the entire hour-long media session.

"What will Willis McGahee bring to the Ravens?"

"Which teammates do you learn the most from?"

"How did it feel to play with (LSU QB) Jamarcus Russell? What type of success do you expect him to have with the Raiders?"

The campers had obviously put in their research and invested a lot of time into knowing their subject. Questions ranged from topics on former teammate LeRon Landry (brother of current Ravens teammate S Dawan Landry), playing under Brian Billick, how Nick Saban (former LSU coach) will fare at Alabama and his thoughts on the Ravens chances this season.

"In the offseason, are you recognized?" asked a camper, reporting from ESPN Deportes.

"I pretty much stay in the house and watch movies," Prude admitted. "So, I rarely have an opportunity for that. But sometimes people recognize me, and I say ‘Hey, what's up?' It's a blessing that people know you and your accomplishments."

One of the tough questions that Prude had to face included his emotions on expecting to and not getting drafted.

"Yes, I expected to get drafted, at least in the third or fourth round," he expressed. "It stung to not be drafted, but I came out and knew that with a chance, I could make it. Here I am. To have confidence in your ability and a desire to win is a strong part of that."

It was much easier for Ronnie to answer a camper's question regarding playing in Baltimore.

"It's a great city, and the fans are great. The weather is different than I'm used to, but I like it here. We have a great group of people in the organization and I'm excited to be a part of this team."

The Scholastic Play-by-Play Network Sports Broadcasting Camp is a week long program that introduces youth to the broadcasting field. This summer, eight camps will take place in seven cities along the East Coast. Through the camp, youth learn how to become sports broadcasters at the nation's premier Sports Broadcasting Camp for boys and girls ages 10-18.