Jervey lived with fellow running back LeShon Johnson during part of his time as a Packer and the two lived by the Oneida Indian Reservation, near the airport. At the time, Johnson had 18 pit bulls, and they both took care of a female pet lion named Nala.
According to Jervey, Nala was a great pet. It even slept with Jervey from time to time. But after five months, there came a point when they knew it was time for Nala to find a new home.
"It did bite me one night and that's pretty much when we decided to get rid of it," Jervey explained. "Once it got to the size of a dog, it started to get pretty aggressive. I mean, it was so durable and it looked like a cat, but acted like a puppy. It started to chew on everything. I felt sorry for it too. We played with it all the time, but obviously it's cold in the winter and we had to keep it in the house.
"We took it to a ranch and they are taking care of it. It's really doing well, it's out in Oklahoma at this ranch where a guy had been in the business for like 40 years. Kids can see it and it's got a good home."
A different home altogether is what Head Coach Mike Holmgren preferred.
"He was more concerned than anything," Jervey recalled. "He just wanted to find out if it was true that we had it and why we did. It was funny. He didn't want it to affect our game, I guess."