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Anthony Adams Brings 'Spice' to Post-NFL Career

Before there were snapchats or selfies, Anthony Adams brought NFL fans inside the locker room with unparalleled access.

It was in the mid-2000s when the second-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers helped pioneer player-created video content. Back then, 49ers.com's "TV49" channel featured "The Adams Report," a mini segment where the team's densive tackle joined safety Mike Adams to bounce around the locker room and interview fellow Niners.

Anthony Adams parlayed the mini-web series into a promising post-NFL media career where he currently co-hosts "Inside the Chicago Bears," for the team he finished his career from 2007-11. Adams spent four years in San Francisco from 2003-06. He can now be found by the moniker "Spice Adams," which he uses on social media.

Little did he know that getting the courage to try something new in the early stages of his career would be so beneficial a decade later. Adams looked back at his humble beginning in the media world in a recent appearance on the 49ers Radio podcast.

Take a look back at the memorable career of the four-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers.

"A lot of the time we'd be tired from practice. We'd say, 'I don't know about this. I'm pretty tired. I don't know how this is going to go,'" Adams shared. "But we ended up making some great content. I didn't know that we'd be starting something."

Several 49ers teammates followed with their own player-hosted segments in the following seasons. Michael Robinson's "Robinson Report" and Joe Staley's "Joe Show" were two of the more popular episodic creations from 49ers.com's early days.

"It's crazy I would consider myself a pioneer," Adams said. "All the younger guys would call me, 'An old head.' I guess I have to relish in it."

"The Adams Report" typically saw the defensive duo razz young teammates like Alex Smith and Vernon Davis. The jokester interviewers would rarely disrupt the routines of veterans like Bryant Young, Jeff Garcia, Terrell Owens and others. Anthony would relish the opportunity to have interviewed those players back then. Even so, he looks back fondly on those locker-room relationships that were depicted on camera.

"I wouldn't believe anybody who would tell me that back in 2003, like, 'No way, the fans get to see this? Yeah, right!'" the defensive lineman said. "It's bananas now to see how social media is – you have Twitter, Facebook, Periscope, Facebook Live, Snapchat – everything and it's awesome for me."

Adams writes, produces, shoots and edits all of his own material.

"If I get an idea, I can tape it from my phone and post it," he began. "You can get a million views just from an idea. ... You get your name out there and you've started a brand, like 'Spice Adams' is a brand. I'm selling t-shirts on my web site and stuff like that. It's crazy."

"Spice's" reliability as a quotable player made him a popular figure with Chicago's media in the later stages of his career.

"Being a nose guard, that's like being the unsung hero," Adams said. "You don't get a lot of press. You don't get the media talking to you. You don't really get that shine. All you do is take on double-teams and you let your linebackers roam free.

"I became one of those go-to guys where the media would say, 'Let's get something from Anthony, he always has something honest or true to say."

Anthony's biggest media moment was the way he announced his retirement from the league.

In true "Spice" fashion, the lineman shared a viral video on his YouTube account. The proud NFL player revealed his retirement inside of an empty White Castle.

It was priceless. The video has 1.2 million views and counting.

A former teammate, Chris Harris, who currently works as the assistant defensive backs coach with the San Diego Chargers, urged Anthony to continue filming his hilarious antics and post them on social media.

That's when @SpiceAdams was born.

Since then, the former NFL player for the Niners and Bears has created his own style of sports comedy.

You can follow him on all of his social media accounts and check his broadcasting work on ChicagoBears.com.

"It was an opportunity to do something I love to do, make funny content and get in front of the camera," Adams said of his role with the Bears.  "It was a no-brainer for me."

Take a look at some of Adams’ best videos along with added commentary:

"The Adams Report"

"Anthony Adams Retires"

Adams: "I'm very into self-deprecating comedy. I don't mind when people laugh at my pain, so I created the retirement video. It just so happened I was driving down the street and I saw White Castle. I said, 'Let's go in there and announce the retirement there. Who would think this is where you would have a retirement party?' ... I put it out and it caught fire. It was crazy. … It got so much media attention. It was a cool experience."

"The 'Get on the Line' Coach"

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