WEBVTT - Ryan Leaf talks Recovery, Surprises from The Big Game, and Being “Jacked” 0:00:03.920 --> 0:00:08.479 From the King of sports Books comes the Key sports 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:19.000 podcast Unleashed, presented by bet MGM. Here's your host, Joanna's 0:00:19.040 --> 0:00:29.360 Papas and Olivia Arlan Decker. Welcome Malcolm. This is Unleashed 0:00:29.400 --> 0:00:32.200 by bet MGM, the King of sports Books, and once 0:00:32.240 --> 0:00:37.440 again Los Angeles is the city of champions, the Lakers, 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:42.520 the Dodgers, and now the Rams. What a game, my god. 0:00:42.520 --> 0:00:45.000 They kept it interesting for the betters until the end. 0:00:45.080 --> 0:00:47.920 You honest, you took the Rams to win big. But 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:50.080 I don't think you're actually putting any money on it 0:00:50.159 --> 0:00:52.720 this week, right. I did not put any money on 0:00:52.760 --> 0:00:56.840 it because I don't trust myself. I don't trust you either. 0:00:56.880 --> 0:00:59.560 That's trust me. Yeah, So I didn't put any money 0:00:59.560 --> 0:01:02.280 on it. But let's just say I believe Oh b 0:01:02.480 --> 0:01:06.039 J does not have the unfortunate injury. He was already 0:01:06.400 --> 0:01:10.200 a touchdown in fifty two yards in. He looked like 0:01:10.240 --> 0:01:12.440 he had to beat on his man. And you know 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:15.080 that Ram's offense with him as a second or third option. 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:17.400 My prediction could have been right. They could have run 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:20.440 away with it if Destiny had didn't have other plans. 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:23.200 So I'm gonna say I was half right about a 0:01:23.280 --> 0:01:26.280 Rams blowout. I agree. I think you're totally right. Oh 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:28.760 b J was cooking up something special and that was 0:01:28.800 --> 0:01:31.160 too bad. Really sucks for him too, though, And and 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:34.160 of all the flak that man has gotten throughout the years, 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:36.880 Like I even found myself cheering for him. I really 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:38.959 liked him in that game. So that was too bad. 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:41.800 And yeah, you would have looked much smarter today than 0:01:41.840 --> 0:01:44.920 you look now. But I'm feeling pretty good because I 0:01:44.959 --> 0:01:48.000 went on all these shows for two weeks preaching the 0:01:48.000 --> 0:01:50.320 Bengals are going to keep it close. Take the Bengals 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:53.520 with the spread, take Ram's money line. Not to mention, 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:55.320 a lot of my props hit too, So can you 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:59.560 tell him just like I'm gloating, I'm excited, I'm feeling 0:01:59.560 --> 0:02:02.240 really crowd. You know. This is my first season in 0:02:02.280 --> 0:02:06.960 the betting world, and I ended on a high. You 0:02:07.080 --> 0:02:10.200 certainly did, and I have to give it up to you. 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:13.840 You called everything, You called everything right, and it's not 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:16.600 how you play the game, it's how you finish. You 0:02:16.720 --> 0:02:20.040 lost to me all year, but you finished strong and 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:22.920 you redeemed yourself. Oh D, I now can call you 0:02:22.960 --> 0:02:25.880 the great. Oh D, what an amazing set of calls 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:29.040 you made. Until next season where you kick my ass again. Oh, 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:31.800 don't forget Pro Bowl. I should have put my life 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:34.480 savings on the Pro Bowl over We were sitting there 0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:37.600 at that game in like early third quarter the overheit, 0:02:37.840 --> 0:02:39.200 and I was like, man, why did I only put 0:02:39.240 --> 0:02:40.919 a hundred bucks on? I should have put like ten 0:02:41.440 --> 0:02:43.680 dollars on that? Right, you made a little money. We 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:46.440 walked over and we collected, and then I went and 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:48.840 took money out intending to gabbling. But then I just 0:02:48.880 --> 0:02:50.840 spent it on cocaine. So that's what you do it for. 0:02:51.560 --> 0:02:54.119 I'm just kidding. I've never done cocaine in my life. 0:02:54.200 --> 0:02:57.080 Kids do not do it. That's a joke. I spent 0:02:57.160 --> 0:03:01.200 it at the buffet. I'm a fat, fat kid, be honest, 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:04.400 is a walking liability, and I the stuff like that 0:03:04.440 --> 0:03:06.520 makes me so uncomfortable, and he knows it. So I 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:09.400 just turned red. Every walking around Vegas, he just says stuff, 0:03:09.440 --> 0:03:12.320 and just I turned red. Okay, So we're not done 0:03:12.360 --> 0:03:14.840 with football just yet. We have a great guest coming up. 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:18.360 Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf will join us going to 0:03:18.400 --> 0:03:20.760 talk about the big game and with NFL Draft right 0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:23.280 around the corner, let's get his thoughts on the big 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:27.040 name quarterbacks available. Yeah. Man, I just missed football already, 0:03:27.080 --> 0:03:31.120 and it's crazy the odds for next year's Super Bowl champion, 0:03:31.200 --> 0:03:34.960 it's already up on bed MGM. Be honest, it's very early. 0:03:35.040 --> 0:03:39.640 But do you have any bets you like? Uh? Right now? No, 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:42.840 I'm taking a little break with my money. I'm gonna 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:45.800 try to maybe horse racing. Maybe I'll talk to Peter 0:03:45.840 --> 0:03:49.320 Andrew about some horse racing horses. Maybe I'll throw some 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:52.920 some juice on some uh some races. But other than that, 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:55.640 I'm just gear enough for us to focus on basketball, 0:03:55.680 --> 0:03:59.320 and I'm gonna start putting a little money on hoops. Yeah, no, 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:01.080 I hear. Yeah, We're gonna have a lot of fun 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:03.240 with the NBA. Now we can kind of dial in. 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:05.760 You know, there's an old adage in sports that no 0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:09.080 one really pays attention to the NBA until after the 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:12.440 Super Bowl. I know that's a major generalization, but I 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:14.560 think there's some truth to it. So now our show, 0:04:15.000 --> 0:04:17.080 we are going to pivot to hoops, and especially with 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:19.600 March Madness coming up, come on, We're gonna have so 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:23.039 much fun with that. Absolutely, and we'll also be covering 0:04:23.320 --> 0:04:25.520 the Turkish League for you fans out there in Turkey 0:04:25.560 --> 0:04:28.440 who've been listening. There's a player out there who's doing big, 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:31.640 big things and his team is doing well. So we'll 0:04:31.680 --> 0:04:35.120 be covering the Turkish league as well for those fans, 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:41.120 and by that I mean you and your family. All right, 0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:43.400 So we got bet MGM betting expert Peter and you 0:04:43.520 --> 0:04:46.839 joining us later on to discuss this week's action. But 0:04:47.080 --> 0:04:52.360 for now, it is time for us to lead. It's 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:57.640 time to leach. Oh my gosh, where do we start 0:04:57.680 --> 0:05:00.800 with this game? It was such a good Super Bowl. 0:05:00.839 --> 0:05:03.040 I gotta say, honest, we both flew out of there. 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:06.400 You Wednesday night meet Thursday morning. I'm glad I watched 0:05:06.400 --> 0:05:08.800 it on TV. I like watching the Super Bowl on TV. 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:11.360 I've been to so many of my life, and you 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:14.200 just pick up on more when you're watching it on TV. 0:05:14.400 --> 0:05:19.200 Like the halftime show was incredible, but the performances off 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:23.040 the field, I feel like could win an Oscar. The 0:05:23.080 --> 0:05:27.680 celebrities were all over the place. Martha Stewart, Guy Theory, 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:31.719 Charlie's thrown. You had Antonio Brown sitting next to Kanye 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:35.599 and a full mask look Kanye like went on one 0:05:35.800 --> 0:05:38.040 the Super Bowl Sunday. He was trending, he was in 0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:41.240 a commercial, he was being his normal weird self. But 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:43.520 I loved it. But I think the Super Bowl was 0:05:43.560 --> 0:05:45.919 filled with great storylines. You know a lot of people 0:05:46.000 --> 0:05:49.200 leading up to the Super Bowl talked about how likable 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:52.800 Joe Burrow is and the Bengals are, and I agree, like, 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:57.400 I'm totally on that bandwagon. But I thought, you know, 0:05:57.480 --> 0:05:59.800 when you have to jump on one team and just 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:02.400 defy it when your team isn't in the super Bowl, 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:05.920 the Rams were about as likable as you could get. 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:08.720 So for a two week span, I was all in 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:11.320 on the Rams. I was really excited, perhaps no one 0:06:11.400 --> 0:06:14.200 more than Cooper Cup. He nearly carried the Rams on 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:17.040 that final drive, converting a huge fourth and one, then 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:20.239 catching the game winning touchdown after nearly being knocked out. 0:06:20.560 --> 0:06:23.359 He capped off one of the greatest seasons we've ever 0:06:23.440 --> 0:06:26.400 seen from a wide receiver. He got Offensive Player of 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:28.960 the Year honors. I love that, and a Super Bowl 0:06:29.080 --> 0:06:31.440 m v P. Of course, his story about how his 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:35.080 now wife was supporting him through college at Eastern Washington 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:38.480 so he could pursue his NFL dreams. That's I mean, 0:06:38.520 --> 0:06:41.800 just straight out of Hollywood. He had almost no offers 0:06:41.800 --> 0:06:44.080 out of high school. He was very looked. So that's 0:06:44.080 --> 0:06:46.360 a great story. And he had one of the most 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:49.640 dominant defensive players of all time, three time Defensive Player 0:06:49.680 --> 0:06:52.080 of the Year Aaron Donald trying to get his first 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:55.000 ring one of the only things he had left to 0:06:55.000 --> 0:06:57.359 do in his career, really, and now he's kind of 0:06:57.400 --> 0:06:59.880 flirting with retirement. I don't know, he might come back, 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:02.440 might not, but either way, what a way to end 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:05.240 his career if that's what he does. Von Miller, you know, 0:07:05.279 --> 0:07:08.320 he was traded from Denver. He wins his second Super Bowl. 0:07:08.680 --> 0:07:11.120 He had only been with the Broncos, so that was 0:07:11.160 --> 0:07:14.080 a big deal. And now there's kind of talk does 0:07:14.120 --> 0:07:16.040 he go back to the Broncos if they're going to 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:19.080 put together a little super team here. But for this year, 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:22.760 he was an incredible story and incredible edition for the Rams. 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:25.760 O b J. How can I overlook? O b J. 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:29.640 He resurrected his career after getting out of Cleveland, fans 0:07:29.640 --> 0:07:32.800 saying he was washed. He came out dominating the game 0:07:32.880 --> 0:07:35.000 until he was injured right before the half. That was 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:37.320 that was really hard to watch. I hope he's okay. 0:07:37.600 --> 0:07:39.480 It's looking now like it is an a c L. 0:07:40.440 --> 0:07:42.800 Hope not, but that's uh, that's what happened in the 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:44.840 honest I know, you feel passionately about the way that 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:47.559 changed the game. I loved the end of the game. 0:07:47.640 --> 0:07:51.880 He's on the field crying, hugging his mom and his 0:07:52.040 --> 0:07:55.239 girlfriend who is nine months pregnant. She's due this week 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:58.560 with their first baby. And I wasn't sure if she'd 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:00.360 even go to the game. You know, I was social 0:08:00.360 --> 0:08:04.040 media checking if she was there, and she did, and 0:08:04.160 --> 0:08:06.240 he was kissing her belly and hugging her. I mean, 0:08:06.840 --> 0:08:08.920 that was a very sweet moment. And then of course 0:08:08.960 --> 0:08:11.720 Andrew Whitworth Walter Payton Man of the Year who at 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:14.400 forty years old, won his first Super Bowl against his 0:08:14.520 --> 0:08:17.240 former team. I want to say he's one of three 0:08:17.280 --> 0:08:20.640 players to play in his forties, Brady, Jerry, Rice and him. 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:24.680 So that's very cool. Eric Weddle coming out of retirement 0:08:24.760 --> 0:08:27.560 at age thirty seven, he last played in the NFL 0:08:27.600 --> 0:08:31.680 in twenty nineteen. He goes ahead, wins himself a Super Bowl, 0:08:31.760 --> 0:08:34.559 goes back to retirement. I mean, that story is awesome. 0:08:34.920 --> 0:08:37.040 And then I've been saying this for a couple of 0:08:37.040 --> 0:08:40.040 weeks now Matt Stafford and his awesome wife, Kelly, who 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:42.520 got diagnosed with a brain tumor a couple of years ago. 0:08:43.000 --> 0:08:46.000 They overcame that they've been such great role models. They 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:49.280 have four beautiful children, and he was just wasting away 0:08:49.320 --> 0:08:52.760 in Detroit for twelve seasons, he never won a playoff game. 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:55.520 He comes to l A and wins the whole damn 0:08:55.520 --> 0:08:57.800 thing in his first season. So I just I love 0:08:57.840 --> 0:09:01.040 their story. She's been on all these podcast and everything 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:03.720 this week, and she's just so relatable and funny, and 0:09:03.880 --> 0:09:06.439 I just love them. So got to talk about a 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:09.679 night you'll never forget to. Van Jefferson wins the Super 0:09:09.720 --> 0:09:13.160 Bowl racist to the hospital where his son was born. 0:09:13.240 --> 0:09:16.600 Just hours later. His wife actually left the game at 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:19.319 halftime on a stretcher. So I don't know what's in 0:09:19.360 --> 0:09:20.880 the water in l A. But a lot of these 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:24.360 rams wives are are popping out babies, like on Super 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:27.920 Bowl Night. That's uh, that's not good. But you know, 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:31.200 I'm a sucker for a good story. This team was 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:35.200 just riddled with them and so many players to get 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:39.560 behind and love. So my ramdom is now done. Now 0:09:39.640 --> 0:09:42.160 I'm back on to my Packers and Chiefs but boy 0:09:42.200 --> 0:09:44.520 were they an easy team and cheer for. That was 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:49.360 a great unleashed and vintage classic oh D having another 0:09:49.520 --> 0:09:54.800 team to root for, I mean talk about the I mean, 0:09:54.920 --> 0:09:57.559 you will just go wherever the good story is, like 0:09:57.640 --> 0:10:01.120 a good journalist, and I respect you for that. Yeah, 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:03.840 it was an amazing game with tons of good stories. 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:06.160 You almost feel like the Rams were the team of 0:10:06.200 --> 0:10:09.600 Destiny with all those stories that they had and that 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:13.680 they fulfilled. It is kind of fitting. Yeah, I'm Kanye West, 0:10:13.720 --> 0:10:16.000 of course, trying to steal the microphone from the game 0:10:16.040 --> 0:10:18.920 was trending, putting the math Fund, doing whatever he could 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:21.720 to get attention because he's upset that my friend Pete 0:10:21.760 --> 0:10:25.280 Davidson is pork and his ex wife. What can do 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:30.480 Pete Davidson is Helena Staten Island. He's causing wars with 0:10:30.600 --> 0:10:37.800 that big old piece that he has. Anyway, anyway, Yeah, 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:39.600 I mean I kind of had enough of Kanye West 0:10:39.640 --> 0:10:42.880 in his fencing helmet, you know, sitting there in l 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:48.640 a E. We get it, Kanye, you like to make news, alright, Yes, 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:51.760 so this is what I want on Leshawn this week. 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:56.800 It's really that I believe the Rams should have covered Okay, 0:10:56.960 --> 0:10:59.600 the game was heading, like we said, towards the possible 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:02.320 blowout it until my man O b J got injured. 0:11:02.440 --> 0:11:05.920 The kid had like fifty two yards and a touchdown, 0:11:06.320 --> 0:11:10.520 major contributor in that playoff run, and was probably about 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:12.840 to explode and be the m v P, which I 0:11:12.880 --> 0:11:16.160 did call in our episode with Terrell Owens. I said 0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:17.720 he was gonna be the m v P and I 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:19.640 think he still should have been the m v P 0:11:20.120 --> 0:11:23.760 again if Destiny didn't have something else in mind. So, 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:26.080 but here's what I really want to talk about. We 0:11:26.120 --> 0:11:30.000 saw some questionable coaching all season, and the only person 0:11:30.040 --> 0:11:33.000 that made a worst call than Kanye West wearing that 0:11:33.080 --> 0:11:36.080 goddamn fencing helmet on a ninety degree day in l 0:11:36.120 --> 0:11:40.360 A was Bengals coach Zach Taylor. I'm putting the spotlight 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:43.360 on you, my friend. I mean me as a casual fan. 0:11:43.440 --> 0:11:45.800 If I'm sitting there drinking Trulie's with my friend Paul 0:11:45.880 --> 0:11:49.600 Versey and I'm screaming at the TV, it's obvious. First 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:52.680 of all, what happened to the John Madden old adage 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:56.440 Take the points. Take the points. One of the first 0:11:56.520 --> 0:11:58.560 places of the game, they get all the way down 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:01.560 close to the red zone, kick the field goal, take 0:12:01.600 --> 0:12:03.720 the points that ended up going the other way, and 0:12:03.760 --> 0:12:06.240 oh b Jake scored that touchdown, So that's a ten 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:09.280 point turnaround right there. I mean. And then of course 0:12:09.559 --> 0:12:11.640 let's talk about the end of the game. In that 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:15.800 final drive third and one, every play there you're trying 0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:17.640 to get yards to get into field goal range. You 0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:20.920 do have two time outs, but why would you run 0:12:21.120 --> 0:12:25.559 the ball, especially with that line on the other side. 0:12:25.600 --> 0:12:28.640 Sam Donald, hungry as hell looking, eat up whatever, tries 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:32.760 to run through it, and why wouldn't you use Nixon? Okay, 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:36.600 this is ridiculous. So they end up running the ball 0:12:36.880 --> 0:12:38.679 it don't they don't get it. Then they're forced to 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:41.679 a fourth and one and Sam Donald makes his heroic 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:45.200 sack to end the game. It was a horrible call. 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:48.240 Keep passing the ball, don't force yourself to have to 0:12:48.280 --> 0:12:50.559 take a time out. In that situation, they should have 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:53.320 been thrown towards the sidelines or at least throwing you know, 0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:55.720 if they were taking the sidelines away defensively, they should 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:57.520 have thrown it and trying to get out of bounds 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:00.000 to keep events in the ball into field goal range. 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:02.840 They weren't there yet stupid, stupid call. It should have 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:05.880 went into overtime. I say the refs are not the 0:13:05.960 --> 0:13:10.360 villain here. I'm saying the play calling is. I'm ready 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:12.800 to be hired as a coach because I could probably 0:13:12.800 --> 0:13:15.080 do a better job. Well, you would do a better 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:18.480 job as a coach than a fact checker, because I 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:23.439 caught like three different players names said wrong. Well, reality, 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:27.280 and I'm just dying. You said Sam Donald, not Aaron Donald. 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:31.800 He said Joe Nixon not mixing? Did he say mixing? 0:13:32.240 --> 0:13:34.440 I probably got them both wrong, but that's what happens 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:38.040 when I get perturbed. And I just said perturbed wrong. 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:41.160 So I was perturbed and I said a few names wrong, 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:44.120 just like that play calling was wrong from Zach Taylor 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:47.000 And did I you say his name wrong? To John Taylor? 0:13:47.360 --> 0:13:49.520 There you go. You know I love you, and you 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:51.959 know it's just a theme of our show is how 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:54.840 you say a lot of players names wrong. But to 0:13:54.880 --> 0:13:57.320 be fair, I say a bunch of weird phrases wrong 0:13:57.360 --> 0:13:59.079 all the time and you call me out on that. 0:13:59.160 --> 0:14:01.760 But yeah, I just I can't get it right. I'm 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:04.120 just you know, I just can't get it right. But 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:06.959 that was a great unleashed, and I think a lot 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:09.600 of people agree with you. Let's see if our guest 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:12.679 this week agrees with you. Ryan Leaf is joining us now. 0:14:21.520 --> 0:14:24.240 Our guest today led Washington State to the Rose Bowl 0:14:24.320 --> 0:14:27.520 and was the number two pick of the NFL Draft, 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:29.960 behind a guy named Peyton Manning. It's too bad nothing 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:32.800 ever came of him, but his biggest comeback has been 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:37.040 in life itself. NFL and college football analyst Ryan Leaf 0:14:37.200 --> 0:14:40.320 is here. Ryan, thanks for joining us. You bet happy 0:14:40.360 --> 0:14:43.320 to be here, happy that super Bowl Week went so well. 0:14:43.320 --> 0:14:45.360 We got such a great game, and uh, you know, 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:47.800 ready to ready to start and attack the offseason. I 0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:51.680 guess absolutely. I was just saying you were everywhere super 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:54.280 Bowl week. You were on Radio Row, on all the 0:14:54.320 --> 0:14:56.800 TV shows. L A. Times did a piece on you. 0:14:56.920 --> 0:14:58.960 Tell us what your week was like. That was that 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:02.120 looked busy? Yeah, I mean super Bowl week usually is, 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:05.760 you know. I I I started this back. It's Super 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:10.120 Bowl fifty in San Francisco. I had recently been released 0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:13.520 from prison. I had gone up there to get a 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:17.800 health check through the NFL screening process, and when I 0:15:17.840 --> 0:15:21.200 was up there, ran into some close friends and they 0:15:21.240 --> 0:15:23.920 brought me onto Radio Row and it kind of became 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:25.920 this thing. I was starting to tell my story a 0:15:25.960 --> 0:15:29.040 bit and share it in the hopes that somebody needed 0:15:29.080 --> 0:15:30.960 to hear it would hear it. And it's such a 0:15:31.080 --> 0:15:34.720 huge platform. Super Bowl is even if you don't haven't 0:15:34.720 --> 0:15:38.640 watched football, you're long you tune into that game and 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:42.120 everybody's listening into the build up and stuff. So every 0:15:42.120 --> 0:15:45.920 Super Bowl has been pretty pretty busy, you know, opportunities. 0:15:46.480 --> 0:15:48.920 I mentioned how I watched the Ellen Show when I 0:15:48.960 --> 0:15:51.000 was in prison and the Houston Super Bowl, and a 0:15:51.040 --> 0:15:53.160 week later their producers were calling me and I was 0:15:53.280 --> 0:15:55.800 on Ellen with my family and everything like that. So 0:15:55.840 --> 0:15:59.800 I mean, it's it's been pretty crazy how far that reaches. 0:15:59.840 --> 0:16:01.840 And luckily for me and my family, I don't know 0:16:01.880 --> 0:16:03.640 if we would have traveled, if it would have been 0:16:03.640 --> 0:16:05.560 anywhere but l A, since we live in l A. 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:08.600 So it made it very convenient to do all the 0:16:08.640 --> 0:16:11.160 things that I was being asked to do over the 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:13.680 last week. In particularly, you talked about, you know, my 0:16:13.760 --> 0:16:16.760 work with Serious x M, which it is amazing coverage 0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:19.200 they have, They probably had the best set up on 0:16:19.360 --> 0:16:22.040 radio role a week long, and and then working with 0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:23.920 Sam Farmer at the l a times with this speaker 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:25.960 series that was huge, and yeah, I just had a 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:29.000 great week. Ironically enough, I find myself smack dab in 0:16:29.040 --> 0:16:30.720 the middle of the media now and I think it's 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:32.600 a bit of karma for how poorly I treated the 0:16:32.640 --> 0:16:35.080 media my whole life, I think when I was a player. 0:16:35.240 --> 0:16:39.320 So it is what it is. I enjoy talking the game. 0:16:39.760 --> 0:16:41.880 That's what I had gone to school for. UM. I 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:44.880 have a communications degree there at Washington State. So I 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:46.560 just took me a long time to figure out how 0:16:46.560 --> 0:16:48.880 to use it as a comedian. We you know, we 0:16:48.920 --> 0:16:52.000 spoke before we went on live, and I'm a comedian. 0:16:52.000 --> 0:16:53.960 So I got so many friends who were in recovery, 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:56.120 and I always tell them. A few of them are 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:57.960 really close to me that they're you know, they're my 0:16:58.040 --> 0:17:00.040 role models because I know what they have to go 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:02.240 through and on a day to day basis, and I 0:17:02.280 --> 0:17:04.160 just respect what they go through. So for anyone who 0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:06.960 doesn't know, that's your story, right, you struggled with that, 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:09.560 You've come through the other end. Now you inspire others. 0:17:09.880 --> 0:17:12.919 I was curious, UM, do you guys, those of you 0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:15.960 who played professional sports and who were in recovery, do 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:18.240 you guys communicate with each other, like I know Chris 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:21.560 Herring and basketball is a big story. He travels and talks. 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:23.760 Do you guys talk to each other? You're aware of 0:17:23.800 --> 0:17:27.440 his story? Oh yeah, Chris Aaron's story was incredibly meaningful. 0:17:27.480 --> 0:17:30.440 And early on when I was trying to figure out 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:34.159 how to live this, this public sober life, he was 0:17:34.200 --> 0:17:36.399 a huge mentor of mine. Right, We talked on the 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:38.920 phone a bunch, and we've kept up with one another. 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:41.879 You know, he started his own nonprofit and which has 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:45.600 ultimately turned into a recovery community and a treatment center, 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:48.040 and so he's a role model for sure. And then 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:50.879 you know, I got a chance at Super Bowl to 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:54.840 to see Max Crosby and Darren Waller and over the 0:17:54.920 --> 0:17:58.119 last year and stuff. Their stories are so impressive to me, 0:17:58.320 --> 0:18:01.320 especially being able to do it while they're still at 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:02.840 the top of their game. I would have loved to 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:06.240 have been able to address my behavioral issues and my 0:18:06.320 --> 0:18:09.640 mental illness when I was playing, because maybe I could 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:12.120 have been a better football player at that level. Right, 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:16.560 That's what led to the substance use, the failure with 0:18:16.600 --> 0:18:20.520 all the expectation, and I started wanting to numb that 0:18:20.760 --> 0:18:23.040 feeling of being a failure and all those things. And 0:18:23.760 --> 0:18:28.000 so those guys are so impressive to address the issues 0:18:28.000 --> 0:18:30.560 that are going on in their lives while they're playing 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:34.680 the most difficult professional sport there is in professional football. 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:38.000 Just hats off to the likes of all those guys. Yeah, 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:41.280 you mentioned mental illness and just at that high level, 0:18:41.359 --> 0:18:43.600 and even if it's Simone Biles talking about it at 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:46.560 the Olympics of the mental block, and then you mentioned 0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:50.280 football players this year bringing up addiction issues. It's something 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:53.439 that's been more mainstream. When you went through all this, 0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:55.800 no one was talking about this. And I'm kind of 0:18:55.840 --> 0:18:59.199 curious as you watch in college football, especially that we 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:02.240 love so much, these guys are now getting money, they're 0:19:02.280 --> 0:19:06.760 getting exposure, opportunities are bigger than they've ever been. What 0:19:06.840 --> 0:19:08.960 do you think about these athletes at the pro in 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:13.240 now college level dealing with this big world at a 0:19:13.359 --> 0:19:18.040 young age and the pitfalls that come with that. Well, 0:19:18.080 --> 0:19:20.760 I think, like anybody, you're going to have to address 0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:24.720 it at some point. And the idea that these young 0:19:24.800 --> 0:19:29.040 men and women were propping up their universities and making 0:19:29.080 --> 0:19:32.639 them a ton of money and not being compensated was 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:36.800 the problem. And so no matter what you do, people 0:19:36.840 --> 0:19:39.159 complain that you're setting them down a wrong path. If 0:19:39.160 --> 0:19:41.199 you're gonna make poor choices, You're gonna make poor choices. 0:19:41.600 --> 0:19:43.840 There's nothing you can do about it. We can educate them, 0:19:44.000 --> 0:19:46.840 we can show them the path, but people are going 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:49.520 to make the decisions they want to make. I had 0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:52.000 many of those come to Jesus moments with mentors and 0:19:52.040 --> 0:19:57.080 coaches and family when I was going through everything. If 0:19:57.119 --> 0:19:59.240 you're not willing to surrender and accept the help, it 0:19:59.280 --> 0:20:03.680 doesn't matter. You can't coddle everybody who goes through this process. 0:20:03.680 --> 0:20:05.800 People are gonna make mistakes and people are gonna flourish 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:10.280 because of it, and you shouldn't disallow those individuals from flourishing. 0:20:10.320 --> 0:20:13.439 Because some people can't make the right choices and and 0:20:13.560 --> 0:20:15.960 never take any accountability for their actions when they do 0:20:16.040 --> 0:20:17.600 make poor choices. And that I think that was the 0:20:17.600 --> 0:20:20.480 biggest problem for me. I just I never could look 0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:23.560 in the mirror and go, dude, it's you. You're the 0:20:23.560 --> 0:20:26.360 problem here, not the fact that somebody's paying you money, 0:20:26.480 --> 0:20:30.440 or or the media is writing stories about you, or 0:20:30.840 --> 0:20:33.520 online people are commenting on you. None of that matters. 0:20:34.000 --> 0:20:36.680 It's entirely up to you. That's why there's such a 0:20:36.720 --> 0:20:39.760 pull and what I talk about in terms of accountability, 0:20:39.920 --> 0:20:42.879 owning your part. So many of my friends who are 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:46.000 in recovery, they put that energy in other places. They 0:20:46.040 --> 0:20:49.120 become great stand ups, very successful. A lot of them 0:20:49.119 --> 0:20:51.280 are are jack. They're get in the gym and they 0:20:51.280 --> 0:20:54.280