Michelle Beisner-Buck found out when sitting down with the current Detroit Lion defensive standout for a feature to be broadcast on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown show.
The show will air prior to ESPN's Monday Night matchup between the Detroit Lions and New York Giants, with the show airing on ESPN from 4-6:15 p.m. MST.
Beisner-Buck started the interview with some chit-chat in hopes of breaking the ice, and quickly discovered Ansah's unique sense of humor, the same humor that helped endear him to BYU fans, teammates and coaches while playing for the program from 2010-12.
“The ice was broken from the first question,” Beisner-Buck shared. “I asked him to describe the main differences between Ghana and the United States and Detroit. He then said, ‘You know, one’s in Africa and one’s in the United States’, and I was like, ‘Oh, we got a smile on our hands.’ He started laughing immediately and the ice was broken. He was really relaxed and great.”
The interview focused on Ansah's Ghanan roots, with ESPN accompanying him on a trip back to his hometown of Accra, Ghana, something he makes sure to do during every offseason. This past July Ansah was able to host his first football camp in Accra, according to the report, while providing participants with cleats and shoes.
During the interview, Ansah recalls being struck at how most participants opted to take the shoes provided over the cleats, as the former provided a basic necessity that several of them didn't enjoy. "It was a really humbling experience for me," he says in the interview.
Ansah also expresses the desire to help and inspire those he can in his home country realizing that although he can't help everyone, that touching just one life will make all the efforts worth it.
“He’s very well put together,” Beisner-Buck said. “He is very spiritual. He’s very grounded and deeply-rooted in his loyalty to his native roots and his family...He takes none of his success for granted. He does not take any of the adversity he had to get through to where he is now for granted. He's a very humble and grounded guy. I was really impressed with him.”
Ansah is in his fifth season playing for the Detroit Lions after the organization used the No. 5 pick of the NFL draft on him in 2013. He starts at right defensive end for the Lions and was made the NFL Pro Bowl team in 2015.