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Vincent Mason, right, and Kevin Mercer of De La Soul perform at the SXSW Music Festival on March 14, 2014, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo)

St. Louis Rams running back Tre Mason drew national attention last football season as he set an Auburn single-season rushing record and led the Tigers to the BCS national championship game. In May, the St. Louis Rams selected Mason in the NFL draft, and he's preparing for his first pro season - on the field and off. He's been through rookie minicamp and is participating in OTAs with his new teammates while giving interviews and posing for football cards.

Fame, though, isn't new to the Mason family. Tre Mason's father, Vincent Mason, is a member of the pioneering hip-hop trio De La Soul. He's perhaps better known to music fans by his stage name DJ Maseo, among other pseudonyms.

For "The BK Nation Interview," the web site BK Nation had a father-and-son talk with the Masons for Father's Day.

St. Louis Rams running back Tre Mason carries the ball during practice on June 5, 2014, in St. Louis, Mo. (AP Photo)

Tre Mason said while he came to understand his father was a celebrity, that didn't change their relationship: "I still view my dad the same -- as my dad. I never got caught up in anything else."

Having a famous father, Mason said, has helped prepare him for the celebrity side of football.

"My dad is my role model," Mason said. "He taught me a lot about how I want to be remembered. He has helped me to know what to do financially. He has been through fame and fortune. Now it's my turn. He coaches me up with my character, with my money. What is my legacy going to be? My father told me all a man has is his name and his word."

Mason's father grew up without knowing who his father was, so he's not so sure about the role-model aspect. But he does have a clear idea of a dad's job: To tell the truth.

"At the end of the day, everyone is a role model," he said. "Just depends on what role you choose to play. I do not look to be positive; I look to be honest. I will be perfectly honest with you: My kids know I smoke weed, but Tre knows as an athlete that is something he cannot do. So he has to make choices for the life he wants to lead. As a ballplayer, that is something he cannot do. I am not the hypocrite to say, 'I do, but you do not do it.' I say, 'Understand the consequences.' Who am I to tell my kids not to have fun? When I was their age I had all the fun in the world. When you love your family, you never stop giving advice. And you never stop telling the truth. That is what a real father is to me."

Vincent Mason said sons who grow up without fathers can perpetuate that situation. He chose not to.

"I think I am a part of the small percentage that go the other route and are there for our kids," he said. "You have those cats who go 'I ain't (expletive) because my daddy ain't (expletive).' That is prevalent, and that mindset needs to change. To break that cycle, men do need to be in their children's lives. Never too late. It only becomes too late when someone actually dies. Everybody yearns to have not just their dads, but their parents, in their lives."

The Rams have another set of OTAs set for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. St. Louis is the only team in the NFL that will not hold a mandatory minicamp for its players this month.

READ THE ENTIRE FATHER'S DAY INTERVIEW WITH THE MASONS

