Rod Woodson recounts childhood house fire and KKK threat

Rod Woodson recounted a frightening episode from his childhood during an appearance on The Craig Carton Show. The video identifies Woodson as describing an attempted Ku Klux Klan attack involving his childhood home.

The account centers on a house fire that Woodson said occurred when he was about 11 years old. A report on the appearance says Woodson also described a threatening letter that his family received about a week after the fire. Those details make up the verified outline of the story shared during the interview.

Woodson’s football career later made him a prominent figure in the NFL. He played 17 seasons, recorded 71 interceptions and earned 11 Pro Bowl selections. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

The Hall of Fame also lists Woodson among the Baltimore Ravens players who won Super Bowl XXXV on January 28, 2001. His professional résumé includes both that championship and a place among the league’s most decorated defensive backs.

The childhood account adds a deeply personal dimension to Woodson’s public career. In the available interview material, he connected the house fire and the letter to an attempted KKK attack on his family’s home when he was young.