WEBVTT - Tracy Perlman: The Godmother of NFL Players 0:00:05.400 --> 0:00:08.320 I'm Peanut Tillman and this is my uncle Roman Harper 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:11.360 and this is the NFL Player Second Acts podcast. I 0:00:11.440 --> 0:00:15.080 know I look younger and I'm actually older. He's actually younger, 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:18.360 but he looks older. We do this banter all the time. 0:00:18.520 --> 0:00:21.360 I just and he has never won any great Gray 0:00:21.440 --> 0:00:24.239 is Gray is in right now, Gray is in. And uh, 0:00:24.400 --> 0:00:28.000 it's just if you're older. You know what we should do. 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:31.240 We should just ask all of our listeners and viewers 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:33.280 to make sure you tell a friend, to tell a friend, 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:35.320 to tell a friend, to make sure you continue to 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:37.720 check us out, give us a like, a review, and 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:40.720 a follow. Anywhere you listen to your podcast, whether it's 0:00:40.920 --> 0:00:46.599 Apple podcasts or iHeartRadio podcasts, please look out for us. 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:49.560 Give us a review, click like, Tell a friend, Yeah, 0:00:49.720 --> 0:00:52.160 listen to what Pino's saying except for the old part. 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:56.600 And speaking of friends, this this next guest. She's an 0:00:56.640 --> 0:01:00.560 amazing woman. She's actually the first female we've had on 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:05.640 this podcast. She has tremendous value in the league. She's 0:01:05.680 --> 0:01:08.080 one of the senior vice presidents, one of the only 0:01:08.160 --> 0:01:13.400 women that hold that title. She's the godmother to all 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:17.600 players that have played that are retired, that are Hall 0:01:17.640 --> 0:01:22.280 of Famers. She's the one who's responsible for this podcast. Y'all. 0:01:22.520 --> 0:01:33.039 Please check out our good friend Tracy Peerlman. So you 0:01:33.040 --> 0:01:37.080 are the first ever female guest on the podcast. 0:01:37.240 --> 0:01:37.840 I'm honored. 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:38.920 So how do you feel about that? 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:41.399 I'm honored. I'm so honored to be talking to the 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:43.040 two of you. And you're not fighting. 0:01:43.200 --> 0:01:45.720 No, we're not. We're not. You're like the godmother to 0:01:46.040 --> 0:01:49.680 all NFL players. I agree. Nobody knows that either. Yeah, 0:01:49.840 --> 0:01:52.960 nobody knows. Everyone knows you when you have a problem 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:55.400 or when a player has a problem. When I'm frustrated 0:01:55.440 --> 0:01:58.600 with something, I just text you, like, what about these calls? 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:01.640 What is the commissioner doing? What is Vince doing? Can 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:03.800 you can you tell Troy uh To? 0:02:05.200 --> 0:02:08.639 Does Troy Vincent remember he played defense? Is exactly? 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:08.959 Yeah? 0:02:08.960 --> 0:02:10.920 What the text say her all the time? 0:02:10.960 --> 0:02:11.200 He does. 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:14.240 But it's not just me though, It's like seven hundred 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:18.160 other players will text you like how awesome does that 0:02:18.400 --> 0:02:22.080 feel for you to know that, like all these these 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:25.760 grown men trust you and they they take your advice 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:28.240 or they want to listen to you, or you're connected 0:02:28.240 --> 0:02:29.760 to them in some kind of way, like you have 0:02:29.840 --> 0:02:31.760 put shoe stamp on the NFL with players. 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:34.000 It's important to me that they know, and I don't 0:02:34.040 --> 0:02:36.720 care if anybody else knows. It's important to me that 0:02:36.840 --> 0:02:39.520 you know you can call me for anything. Nobody else 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:44.120 needs to know that. And that's exactly why I'm here 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.120 and the reason I moved to football. When Troy asked me, 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:49.960 was I wanted to impact players' lives. I don't care 0:02:49.960 --> 0:02:52.200 about the rest of it because you didn't. 0:02:52.200 --> 0:02:53.800 You didn't know that about Tracy, did you? 0:02:53.800 --> 0:02:53.960 No? 0:02:54.000 --> 0:02:56.720 I did so. I think he's just now starting to 0:02:56.760 --> 0:02:59.560 see it, like, damn, she know everybody. Everybody knowing Tracy. 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:02.679 I didn't know she was such a mover and a 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:07.400 shaker either. You know, I keep received I'd received her email. 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:11.000 I'd been told to email her multiple times throughout my 0:03:11.120 --> 0:03:14.359 career when this had popped up, or you know, post career, Okay, 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:17.200 you need some help with this situation, text this person, 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:20.760 and it was always Tracy Peerlman. I didn't know Tracy 0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:24.600 Peerlman personally until I've moved on. In the last year 0:03:24.600 --> 0:03:26.880 and a half, I've got to know you a lot better, 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:29.240 and it's been awesome to see It's been awesome to 0:03:29.240 --> 0:03:32.440 see you do your thing, and you really have impacted 0:03:32.480 --> 0:03:34.320 so many. I just thought you were on the other 0:03:34.440 --> 0:03:37.280 end of an email for so long. I didn't really 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:41.240 understand your true job and the whole impact of the 0:03:41.240 --> 0:03:44.440 holistically part of everything that you do for the NFL 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:46.040 and especially for the players. 0:03:46.400 --> 0:03:50.240 I think it's dope in the sense of it's a 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:57.000 male dominated industry. Yes, and you are, or maybe the 0:03:57.040 --> 0:03:59.360 proper term is you were I think one of the 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:04.720 first executives yes, in that position. Yes, How how intimidating 0:04:05.080 --> 0:04:08.360 was that for you to be one of the only females. 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:08.960 I don't think. 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:11.000 I don't think she was intimidated. I want a room 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:13.200 full of men. I would love to know. How did 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:16.360 how did you initially try for the job and get 0:04:16.360 --> 0:04:16.760 the job? 0:04:17.279 --> 0:04:19.760 Well, I started at the NFL the day after I 0:04:19.800 --> 0:04:24.480 graduated from college. So I had gone through the ranks 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:29.239 and I had been in multiple departments and a job 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:33.440 was open as an SVP. So I you named the level. 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:37.080 I have been the level coordinator manager, senior manager, director, 0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:39.360 and I was a VP at the time, and it 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:41.400 was kind of I was kind of stuck and I 0:04:41.440 --> 0:04:44.000 was doing all the entertainment stuff. I was working with players. 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:47.520 We launched the Legends community and there was an SVP 0:04:47.720 --> 0:04:50.880 job open that I did not interview for. And I'm 0:04:50.920 --> 0:04:53.160 in my office and I see on my phone Roger 0:04:53.200 --> 0:04:56.599 Goodell calling me. I'm like, this can't be good. And 0:04:56.640 --> 0:04:58.400 he said, come down to the office. I just want 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:00.920 to talk to you for a little while. And he said, 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:04.160 why didn't you interview for this job? And I said, 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:06.640 it's not the job that I want. He said, well, 0:05:06.680 --> 0:05:09.320 what job do you want? I said, I want to 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:12.120 be in charge for everything for players. There is no 0:05:12.160 --> 0:05:16.520 one who is handling everything that players need, talking to 0:05:16.520 --> 0:05:19.440 them community. He said that doesn't exist. I said, I know, 0:05:19.880 --> 0:05:22.320 but you asked me, and that's what I want to do. 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:24.800 And you know, we talked for a little while longer 0:05:24.800 --> 0:05:26.280 and I went back and I did the job that 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:29.520 I was doing. And about a year later, Troy Minton 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:33.880 called me and he said, I'm creating job that is 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:36.480 all about the players, and I need somebody to run 0:05:36.520 --> 0:05:39.240 it and it's all player work. But I think it's 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:42.200 your job and we're going to create it from the 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:44.840 ground up. And he told me I had to get 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:46.840 rid of all the cool stuff I was doing, booking 0:05:46.880 --> 0:05:51.599 the halftime shows, booking Kickoff, doing the movies, and I 0:05:51.640 --> 0:05:54.560 went back. I thought about it. I talked to my 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:56.240 team and I said to Troy, this is what I 0:05:56.240 --> 0:05:58.120 want and he said, it's yours because I know you 0:05:58.160 --> 0:06:00.120 care about it. Yeah, and he said, what do you 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:01.320 want it to be? I said, I wanted to be 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:03.200 a support and service to players, and we'll figure all 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:04.000 the rest of it out. 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:05.560 So what year was this, Tracy? 0:06:05.720 --> 0:06:09.200 It was six years ago, So that's exactly. 0:06:08.880 --> 0:06:10.080 What I fairly knew. 0:06:10.520 --> 0:06:13.000 That's exactly why I asked that question, because I've seen 0:06:13.120 --> 0:06:18.279 a change in the NFL's legends community since these six 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:21.640 years that you've had this job. I've been retired now 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:25.600 six years, so I've literally seen the efforts change from 0:06:25.600 --> 0:06:27.880 when I first got out to where now I received 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:30.760 so many more emails, so many more opportunities, and all 0:06:30.800 --> 0:06:33.520 these other things that we're literally trying to change the 0:06:33.560 --> 0:06:38.359 outlook of former players, their outlook and expectations on what 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:40.640 it's like to be retired and what the NFL can 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:43.120 actually provide for them. And maybe you can speak to 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:45.400 us a little bit about what you've tried to help 0:06:45.440 --> 0:06:47.960 implement or guide us into that third place. 0:06:48.000 --> 0:06:52.719 It's so interesting we had to change the culture in 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:56.440 the buildings. We want a player first. Culture. I want 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:58.520 to walk into a room and when people say to me, 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:01.919 I want a player, did you xyz? My response is 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:05.560 always what's the value to the player? And now, sitting 0:07:05.560 --> 0:07:08.000 on that side of football with Troy, I can say 0:07:08.040 --> 0:07:10.440 that when you're on the marketing side, you have a 0:07:10.480 --> 0:07:13.600 transactional relationship with a player. Hides Tracy, I have money 0:07:13.600 --> 0:07:15.960 for you to do in appearance. Will you do it? Great? 0:07:16.160 --> 0:07:16.600 You show up. 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:17.720 There's really no investment. 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:21.720 No, And even though we kept trying to create that relationship, 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:24.360 it was very difficult being on the business side because 0:07:24.400 --> 0:07:26.720 it's a business. When you're on the football side, it's 0:07:26.720 --> 0:07:30.360 about it's about you as a person. And we can 0:07:30.480 --> 0:07:33.640 take that and you've seen the shift in our building. 0:07:34.040 --> 0:07:36.920 Whenever somebody says to me, hey, we need a player, 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:38.920 and here's what we're going to do for the player 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:42.400 is now in the conversation, you know, we we were 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:45.840 doing something and they said they had a list of 0:07:45.920 --> 0:07:50.000 assets and the assets player was number one. And I 0:07:50.000 --> 0:07:52.000 got up and walked out of the meeting and said, 0:07:52.160 --> 0:07:55.480 when you guys understand that this is not the players 0:07:55.480 --> 0:07:57.840 are not your asset. The players are the reason we 0:07:57.880 --> 0:08:03.520 have this initiative. I'll come back and everyone has now 0:08:03.600 --> 0:08:06.400 shifted their view. And I think you've seen it a lot, 0:08:06.600 --> 0:08:09.440 oh ycause you've worked with everybody in the building where 0:08:09.840 --> 0:08:12.040 sponsorship says, well, how can we make this a better 0:08:12.080 --> 0:08:16.640 opportunity for players? Everybody is now talking that way, and 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:21.360 we really had to shift everybody's view. And we did 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:23.679 the same thing at the club level. We were talking 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:26.640 this morning about building up the PE departments because player 0:08:26.720 --> 0:08:29.520 engagement is a trusted resource for players. At the club, 0:08:30.040 --> 0:08:32.400 you need to have support there. You can have one 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:37.840 person for ninety men. That's not fair. So we've just 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:40.880 been trying to do one thing at a time, and 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:43.360 I know it hasn't been that beast, but at the 0:08:43.360 --> 0:08:45.199 same time, I think it's been more impactful. 0:08:45.559 --> 0:08:48.720 I think the thing that I appreciate most about you, 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:53.240 what a lot of people don't know, is you're like 0:08:53.559 --> 0:08:58.800 the conduit. You are a champion in your own regard, 0:08:58.920 --> 0:09:03.360 but the players value your opinion so much and they 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:06.240 text you, they call you, and then you take those 0:09:07.760 --> 0:09:12.520 texts and opinions and you present them to Troy, to 0:09:12.559 --> 0:09:15.120 the commissioner. Because there are several things, but I'll just 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:18.360 text you like, hey, you know, maybe we could do 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:20.560 it like this, or it's just a fault that I 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:22.719 was thinking in that moment. And then next thing, you know, 0:09:22.760 --> 0:09:24.280 I was like, yeah, we got that done. Like I've 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:29.400 done that to you probably maybe four or five times. Yeah, 0:09:29.440 --> 0:09:32.760 and the thing actually got changed, and I was just like, 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:36.439 oh damn. Like there are people I call you, you said, 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:37.440 movers and shakers. 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:40.920 Yes, that's why you can't use the word intimidated with Tracy. 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:43.800 I call you. I call you the key, the key 0:09:43.840 --> 0:09:46.800 to the city. There's there's a key to the city 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:50.320 at every job that I've I've had, whether at every level, 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:53.959 whether it's the team, whether it's uh like the league 0:09:54.000 --> 0:09:57.199 office or whatever. I think everyone thinks the commissioner does 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:00.400 run it. I don't think so. I think there's a 0:10:00.400 --> 0:10:04.199 person like you and they're actually running it. You're the 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:06.760 key to the city. Like wives Heather, she run the 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:10.520 house like it's we to face, But there's always a 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:14.080 key to the city, someone behind the scenes, like running everything. 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:17.679 I truly think that that person is you and your staff, 0:10:18.200 --> 0:10:21.080 everyone on your staff, Like I love hanging out with y'all, 0:10:21.080 --> 0:10:23.440 and I don't do nothing with anybody else. I just 0:10:23.480 --> 0:10:26.000 hang out with the staff like I feel like I'm 0:10:26.040 --> 0:10:28.400 a part of this is I was going to say, 0:10:28.440 --> 0:10:31.240 that's very true. Only hangs with you guys all the time. 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:35.040 That's why he knows all of you. I know everybody. 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:35.839 What are we doing? 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:36.240 Like? 0:10:36.480 --> 0:10:40.400 It's cool. So you've had such a huge impact even 0:10:40.480 --> 0:10:43.439 before this current role that you have right now? What 0:10:43.480 --> 0:10:47.760 would you say your message to all the players like 0:10:47.960 --> 0:10:50.320 that you've helped today and the players that you have 0:10:50.400 --> 0:10:52.080 and helped moving forward? Like what do you want that 0:10:52.120 --> 0:10:53.680 message to be? What do you want to be known 0:10:53.720 --> 0:10:55.760 for as TP? 0:10:56.160 --> 0:10:56.240 What? 0:10:56.520 --> 0:10:59.439 Like? What do you want I don't know. 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:01.480 The person and behind the scenes who helped me get 0:11:01.480 --> 0:11:03.560 through it. I just want to be the person who 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:06.360 helps you on your journey all the way through when 0:11:06.400 --> 0:11:09.080 you get in, when you're playing, and when you get out. 0:11:09.280 --> 0:11:12.120 Who's kind of helped mentor you through year? How long 0:11:12.160 --> 0:11:15.079 you've been in the NFL almost thirty one years, almost 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:17.640 thirty one years, who's been like the one person that 0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:20.840 has helped you get to where you are right now? 0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:23.719 I would say there are two. And the commissioner at 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:26.640 the time that I started, he wasn't the commissioner, so 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:29.760 he was somebody who I emulated. He was my mentor 0:11:29.880 --> 0:11:33.320 at one point and at that time, like I didn't 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:36.560 know he was going to be the commissioner, and I 0:11:36.800 --> 0:11:40.360 just like that he makes people accountable. You know, when 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:44.280 we launched the Legends community, everybody nobody wanted to go 0:11:44.360 --> 0:11:47.160 in the room to ask him for the money because 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:50.520 we needed money. And I went in and I pitched 0:11:50.520 --> 0:11:52.440 the whole thing and I asked him for it, and 0:11:52.480 --> 0:11:55.880 he said to me, you're accountable for this. It better work. 0:11:56.880 --> 0:11:59.079 And then he smiled and said, you should ask me 0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:03.680 for more money. But it made me feel like he 0:12:03.800 --> 0:12:06.959 was proud. He understood what I was asking for and 0:12:07.120 --> 0:12:09.360 he challenged me, and I said, you know what, I'm 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:10.719 going to make it work, and when I come back 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:12.360 in next year, I'm going to ask for double the money. 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:16.200 So I feel like he's always been a champion for 0:12:16.360 --> 0:12:20.480 what we do and players don't know he is a 0:12:20.640 --> 0:12:24.559 champion for players, And whenever we talk about it, if 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:27.000 I have a player in the office, he's like, oh, Trace, 0:12:27.000 --> 0:12:31.120 spring him down. He wants to have that interpersonal relationship 0:12:31.160 --> 0:12:34.040 with the guys. And the other one is Troy if 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:37.400 I didn't move over to Troy, I may not have 0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:42.360 stayed because I felt like I hit his ceiling and 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:45.200 I feel like they both kind of pushed me along 0:12:45.240 --> 0:12:49.000 the way, and every day Troy's like, well, what else 0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:52.520 are we going to do? So it's still challenging. You know, 0:12:52.559 --> 0:12:54.360 I've been with Troy for six years and we just 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:58.040 keep moving forward, which I don't know a ton of 0:12:58.040 --> 0:13:00.199 people who are in a job for so long who 0:13:00.240 --> 0:13:02.080 say they have moved forward the whole time. 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:17.559 So, Tracy, two quick little compliments for you. Number One, 0:13:18.000 --> 0:13:21.480 Peanut always brags about how all you do is just 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:23.600 get things done, and that's probably one of the greatest 0:13:24.000 --> 0:13:25.960 things that you've been able to do. And you, guys, 0:13:26.080 --> 0:13:29.280 relationship is that he can mention something or people say 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:32.160 things to you and you just somehow another it just 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:34.719 starts to happen. And you told me a story the 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:37.200 other day when we actually got to go into the room. 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:39.160 I don't even know what you guys call it. It's 0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:39.959 not a conference room. 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:40.840 It's way bigger than that. 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:46.319 General session like the general session room where all these 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:49.560 owners meetings happen, which thousands of people inside this room. 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:52.240 It's auditorium room. And I got to go in there, 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:54.280 and I was just observing it all because this is 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:57.400 my first trip here and just really witnessing it because 0:13:57.440 --> 0:13:59.839 players don't get to see all this no where. Every 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:03.040 thing really starts ground level with all the rules, the 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:08.640 expectations and everything. And so and you said, what was 0:14:08.679 --> 0:14:12.520 one of the best experiences you said bringing players here? Yes, 0:14:12.600 --> 0:14:16.160 you let off with players talking about Brandon Marshall coming 0:14:16.240 --> 0:14:18.240 up here and speaking to the players about the Mike 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:20.920 Cause My Cleats, Yes, and how it all started here. Yes, 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:23.080 And I didn't know that. And could you maybe just 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:26.200 share a little bit of that story with our listeners, 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:28.760 because I think it's a great story and only that 0:14:28.840 --> 0:14:31.840 about Brandon Marshall, what everything he went through, who's a 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:34.520 former guest on this show, But then also it will 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:36.440 also kind of give us an insight of what your 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:37.880 power and impact has been as well. 0:14:38.360 --> 0:14:43.040 So My Cause My Cleats was actually created because of 0:14:43.080 --> 0:14:46.760 a fine that Brandon Marshall dot. So Brandon was wearing 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:50.920 lime green cleats during games and he kept getting fined, 0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:54.920 and he came into the office to see us, and 0:14:55.040 --> 0:14:57.120 in a room full of people who are not used 0:14:57.120 --> 0:15:01.480 to being told anything like he literally said, I am 0:15:01.600 --> 0:15:04.440 sick of you telling me what I care about, and 0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:08.600 I want to be able to show people this is 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:10.520 what I care about. Mental health is important to me. 0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:13.880 Why can't we do something where players have the platform. 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:17.760 And he wanted to do EyeBlack and Gloves, and we 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:20.320 ended up with the Cleats. It took us eighteen months 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:23.400 to get the Cleats thing done, and when we were 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:25.680 going to host this meeting, my cause my Cleats had 0:15:25.720 --> 0:15:28.080 been the most successful program we ever launched with players. 0:15:28.480 --> 0:15:33.680 Thirteen hundred players participated in the first year, and they 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:35.120 were like, we got to get somebody in here to 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:36.480 talk about it, and they wanted me to do it, 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:38.600 and I was like, we need Brandon Marshall to talk 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:42.280 about it. He started this, he needs to tell the story. 0:15:42.800 --> 0:15:46.400 And he talked about number one, how he almost got 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:49.240 thrown out of the game, how the commissioner essentially saved 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:53.440 his life by threatening him because he was very difficult 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:56.000 and he had gotten in a lot of trouble and 0:15:56.320 --> 0:16:00.880 he just shifted and everything changed and he captured this audience. 0:16:01.520 --> 0:16:04.720 It was unbelievable. He talked for about eight minutes and 0:16:05.360 --> 0:16:08.040 no one spoke, no one moved in their chair and 0:16:08.440 --> 0:16:11.520 for owners, head coaches and gms to hear a player 0:16:11.560 --> 0:16:14.320 perspective on something that could have gone in a very 0:16:14.320 --> 0:16:16.560 bad direction. But I don't know what it was like 0:16:16.600 --> 0:16:18.080 to be in the locker room. I don't know what 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:21.160 it was like when you hear you're being fines because 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:24.120 you're wearing a uniform the wrong way. So whenever you 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:27.200 call me, I take what you say to heart because 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:29.600 I can do something for you and be your voice 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:30.320 when you can't. 0:16:30.680 --> 0:16:32.400 Yeah, I think that's dope. 0:16:33.960 --> 0:16:37.440 It's another thing that Tracy said, that's beautiful because I 0:16:37.560 --> 0:16:40.680 talked to some of the Panthers or Carolina representatives for 0:16:40.720 --> 0:16:43.680 the Legends community, and all they do is talk about 0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:46.240 how great you are, and they look, it's been some knockdown, 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.720 drag out some meetings with a little bit of emotions. 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:54.680 Hasn't always been sunshines and rainbows. But we were moving 0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:57.440 in the right direction. And one thing you said, Tracy 0:16:57.480 --> 0:16:59.400 that was beautiful that I had never thought about. It 0:16:59.520 --> 0:17:02.600 is like, look, we call it the NFL Legends community 0:17:02.640 --> 0:17:05.639 because you are there legends. If you are even on 0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:08.480 a roster, it doesn't matter for how long you're a 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:11.480 legend in some community because the odds of you making 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:14.080 it are so small, and most of us don't think 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:17.480 about that because we've been this process. We've been wrapped 0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:19.560 up where we got to be the best, and if 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:21.199 we don't have this hall of fame, we don't have 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:23.359 this type of career, or we always feel like we 0:17:23.440 --> 0:17:26.359 fall short, and that's not true. And we need to 0:17:26.359 --> 0:17:28.639 be told sometimes from people that we don't know or 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:31.120 people that care about us, that hey, you do matter. 0:17:31.200 --> 0:17:34.239 You are a legend. It doesn't matter what you think 0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:37.879 your NFL career was. You are a legend to somebody 0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:40.600 and especially to us. So thank you for that as well. 0:17:41.320 --> 0:17:46.440 So communication is it's big right in this business. 0:17:46.520 --> 0:17:49.800 And what you kind of alluded to was when Brandon 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:52.080 went in that room and he was talking to these 0:17:52.119 --> 0:17:56.680 executives or this room full of non players. Yes, they 0:17:56.760 --> 0:18:01.000 weren't used to being told what to do or they 0:18:01.040 --> 0:18:04.560 just won't be there. They weren't used to being spoken 0:18:04.600 --> 0:18:07.320 to in that manner. Let's just say that with the 0:18:07.320 --> 0:18:11.120 positions that they hold, do you think that communication has 0:18:11.200 --> 0:18:15.119 gotten better at that level of senior leadership at the 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:15.960 league office. 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:18.840 Yes, And I say that because now they always say 0:18:18.880 --> 0:18:21.040 to me, Tracy can we get ten players on the phone. 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:25.159 So for Pro Bowl we interviewed sixteen players when we 0:18:25.240 --> 0:18:28.199 changed the Pro Bowls and we had zooms where we 0:18:28.240 --> 0:18:30.760 said to players, what do you want this to be? 0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:33.439 Do you want to play a tackle game? No? Do 0:18:33.480 --> 0:18:34.600 you want to play a flag game? 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:34.840 Well? 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:37.359 What would it be? How can I play? And we 0:18:37.400 --> 0:18:40.679 got the feedback. You know, we dodgeball is a Pro 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:43.760 Bowl skill because Joe Thomas told us he wanted to 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:47.480 play dodgeball. So I think that now they see when 0:18:47.480 --> 0:18:49.760 we talk about social justice traits, I need ten players 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:52.880 when we do rules changes, Troy says, I need four 0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:56.280 offensive alignement in this meeting, so when with the cat 0:18:56.480 --> 0:18:59.200 that catch no catch, there were a ton of wide. 0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:00.600 Receivers, so confusing. 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:04.959 But imagine ten years ago, twenty years we would not 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:08.800 have asked a player an opinion, and they'll like, we 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:11.280 asked players for opinions on everything, and we got some. 0:19:12.200 --> 0:19:15.200 We got some feedback. Yeah, like some of the feedback 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:18.600 is rough, but it's but we need it. We don't know, 0:19:19.200 --> 0:19:21.360 you know, we're in the middle of the prospect feedback 0:19:21.400 --> 0:19:23.520 for combine. You and I were talking about this yesterday, 0:19:23.880 --> 0:19:26.199 like we need to know the things that just are 0:19:26.280 --> 0:19:27.159 uncomfortable and are not. 0:19:27.280 --> 0:19:30.879 Right right, And sometimes the NFL probably never thinks about 0:19:30.920 --> 0:19:34.320 this because when you play, or when you're in that 0:19:34.359 --> 0:19:37.200 position as a player, you do come away or walk 0:19:37.200 --> 0:19:40.199 away with a different understanding or feeling than most. We 0:19:40.240 --> 0:19:41.359 talked about the combine. 0:19:42.480 --> 0:19:44.560 Seek to understand so you can be understood. 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:48.760 It's beautiful. Another beautiful quote by Charles Peny. Tell me 0:19:49.119 --> 0:19:50.360 he's always blessing. 0:19:50.040 --> 0:19:52.560 Us with more. Yeah, reading his knowledge. 0:19:52.240 --> 0:19:55.600 Baby, I love it so Tracy, I don't want to 0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:56.359 continue to hold you. 0:19:56.400 --> 0:19:58.560 I know this was war in the moment. 0:19:58.560 --> 0:19:59.600 This is beautiful and I'm PROMPTU. 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:00.800 I love this. 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:05.879 So what will be at the end of your dash 0:20:05.920 --> 0:20:09.680 when it's all said and done, when you leave the NFL. 0:20:09.440 --> 0:20:10.520 In another thirty years? 0:20:10.640 --> 0:20:12.960