WEBVTT - EYL #19 More than an Athlete feat. Brandon Copeland 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:01.599 Hey, y'all, faris Rucker here. 0:00:01.800 --> 0:00:04.200 You know a lot of people ask me what inspires 0:00:04.200 --> 0:00:06.280 your music, and one of the big things is a 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:08.879 strong sense of place. That's why I love my home 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.680 states of South Carolina and want to share the awesome 0:00:11.720 --> 0:00:14.360 things that has to offer, from the beautiful mountains down 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:16.639 to the sunny coast. It's got it all, not to 0:00:16.680 --> 0:00:20.600 mention two of my personal favorites, great golf and amazing food. 0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:24.520 Come see why I love this place. Visit discover south 0:00:24.560 --> 0:00:25.680 Carolina dot com. 0:00:26.040 --> 0:00:28.400 Damn you did sell all. 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:56.840 Right, welcome back, Earn you Alsia Episode nineteen, almost twenty 0:00:56.840 --> 0:00:57.160 weeks in. 0:00:57.320 --> 0:00:59.920 It was all a dream? Is this? 0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:01.120 This is crazy? This is crazy. 0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:05.880 Now we want to thank you guys for rocking with us, 0:01:05.880 --> 0:01:09.600 for supporting us. You know, it's it's been a tremendous journey. 0:01:09.640 --> 0:01:12.560 Hell of arrived, man, and it just started. That's the 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:14.880 best part. So I'm gonna jump right into We got 0:01:14.920 --> 0:01:19.520 an extremely special guest today once again, somebody that so 0:01:19.800 --> 0:01:21.760 we if you listen to the podcast, you know we 0:01:21.800 --> 0:01:22.760 interviewed Al Harrington. 0:01:23.040 --> 0:01:23.200 Right. 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:27.399 Al Harrington was somebody that we wrote a post about 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:32.200 and then from that post, he you know, engaged with 0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:34.880 us and then we we we reached out to him 0:01:34.920 --> 0:01:36.480 and we went to l A and we actually had 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:39.559 a conversation with him right on the podcast. So once 0:01:39.600 --> 0:01:41.880 again similar situation. 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:43.640 Right, you want to get the backstart the power. 0:01:44.160 --> 0:01:44.399 Yeah. 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:47.520 Yeah, So this is this is the you know, uh, 0:01:47.920 --> 0:01:50.520 standard procedure for us is like, I'll read articles at 0:01:50.560 --> 0:01:52.200 five thirty in the morning. I think we spoke about 0:01:52.200 --> 0:01:54.920 that on when we were with Q and I'll go 0:01:54.960 --> 0:01:56.840 through articles and I'll find, you know, things that are 0:01:56.920 --> 0:01:59.240 very interesting and i think would relate on our page. 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:02.760 And I came across this article about Brandon Copeland and 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:05.440 I'm like, wait, wow, this guy's amazing. 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:08.360 And literally as I'm reading it, there's a special on 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:09.320 Sports Center. 0:02:09.360 --> 0:02:12.120 And I'm like, oh, no, no, no, this guy is 0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:13.839 on the same path as us. We have to meet 0:02:13.840 --> 0:02:15.840 this guy. We have to talk to this guy. And 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:17.839 said it to you like five thirty in the morning. 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:19.760 I know you're sleeping, but I'm like, he has to 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:21.080 see this. And as soon as you woke up, you 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:24.200 put the post up and the traction was crazy. 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:25.960 Yeah, it was one of our biggest posts. 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:28.840 So Brandon Coplan, if you're not familiar, he plays for 0:02:28.880 --> 0:02:29.360 the Jets. 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:32.880 But that's the only part of his story. He is 0:02:32.960 --> 0:02:33.320 a U. 0:02:33.360 --> 0:02:36.840 Penn graduate, if anybody's not familiar, Upinn has one of 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:39.320 the best business business schools in the world, the Wharton 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:43.160 School of Business. So that's you know, separates him from 0:02:43.160 --> 0:02:46.520 a lot of NFL players. But also he works on 0:02:46.520 --> 0:02:49.360 Wall Street during the off season. He has a real 0:02:49.480 --> 0:02:53.240 estate investment company, and he actually is a college professor 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:57.360 at Warton. So when I was reading his story, I'm like, 0:02:57.480 --> 0:02:58.880 this is crazy, Like you know what I mean, Like 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:02.799 we highlight bad things with you know, people make mistakes 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:05.160 in any realm, but it seems like athletes always get 0:03:05.200 --> 0:03:07.480 highlighted the most, right anytime that this is domestic violence, 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:09.239 anything like that happens. So it's like we need to 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:12.239 highlight this like this this is just a dope story. 0:03:12.360 --> 0:03:16.240 So I put the story out and once again I 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:17.880 put in this story, I'm like, y'all would love to 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:19.120 connect with you, and he. 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:21.480 Was like, yeah, let's connect. So I was like what. 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:26.680 So I shot with DM and we worked it out 0:03:26.760 --> 0:03:30.840 via you know, emails, and now we hate on our podcast. So, 0:03:30.919 --> 0:03:34.480 like you said, power social media, social media. So first 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:35.640 of almost thank you, thank. 0:03:35.520 --> 0:03:38.600 You pleasure to be here, pleasure to be with y'all. 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:39.760 I love what y'all are doing. 0:03:39.800 --> 0:03:42.400 Man, We're gonna jump right into it. 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:45.280 So all right, So the theme of our show is 0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:49.119 the backstory the financial side of sports entertainment business as well. 0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:51.680 But we we really focus on sports entertainment a lot 0:03:51.720 --> 0:03:54.920 because we feel like, especially in our culture, people don't 0:03:54.920 --> 0:03:57.720 fully understand what goes on behind the scenes, right, Like 0:03:57.800 --> 0:04:00.520 everybody wants to be in the NBA, NFL or sell 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:05.440 a million records, but they don't understand that these are businesses, right, 0:04:05.480 --> 0:04:08.440 It's sports business, the music business, the entertainment business. 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:08.680 Right. 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:10.160 That part gets left off the title. 0:04:10.240 --> 0:04:12.680 It always does. It always does, it always does. 0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:17.919 So you have a very interesting story, and we was 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:20.159 reading it, you know, the last couple of days. So 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:22.120 you said your first contract, correct me if I'm wrong. 0:04:22.200 --> 0:04:25.160 You made your contract with from one point two million. Yeah, 0:04:25.600 --> 0:04:28.360 I was good, But now you have like thirty five 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:31.320 forty thousand. Yeah, So yeah, can we just kind of 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:33.440 break that down because to me, it's interesting as far 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:36.440 as like NFL players, because you have an off season, 0:04:36.640 --> 0:04:38.240 so a lot of people don't aren't familiar, like do 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:40.440 you get paid on the off season or how frequent 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:42.520 do you get paid. And then there's a thing called 0:04:42.520 --> 0:04:44.599 the jock tax when you go to different states and 0:04:44.640 --> 0:04:49.040 you get taxed differently. It's not all so yeah, can 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:50.120 you kind of just break that down? 0:04:50.200 --> 0:04:54.320 Yeah, man, there's layers to that, layers. So yeah, So 0:04:54.880 --> 0:04:59.560 the way I think of the NFL is nothing is 0:04:59.600 --> 0:05:04.599 guarantee he unless you have certain stipulations within your contract 0:05:04.680 --> 0:05:05.760 and all that type of stuff. 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:08.320 Right, So if you're one of those players, which is you. 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:11.400 Know, more players are seeing that, that's a great thing 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:13.760 and a blessing to have. But when you see these 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:17.480 big contracts, you know, Russell Wilson one hundred and forty million, 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:20.720 I can't remember how much guaranteed, maybe sixty five or 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:26.640 something sixty quaranteed, right, that's what he can bank on, right, 0:05:26.680 --> 0:05:30.000 you see the big number. But if Russell Wilson gets 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:33.520 hurt in year four, year five, whatever, right, he's not 0:05:33.640 --> 0:05:39.360 seeing the rest of that money potentially. So that's different 0:05:39.360 --> 0:05:45.200 from basketball. That's different from baseball and other sports. So 0:05:45.640 --> 0:05:50.440 as I entered the league in twenty thirteen, I was 0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:53.000 undrafted out of University of Pennsylvania. 0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:56.760 I remember the Baltimore. 0:05:56.320 --> 0:06:00.240 Ravens called me my hometown team. I'm like, man, seek 0:06:00.279 --> 0:06:02.440 to be quite honest with you, I was pissed off, right, 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:05.120 Not because I was pissed off that I didn't get drafted. 0:06:05.200 --> 0:06:07.320 That was really what it was, right, and it just 0:06:07.360 --> 0:06:09.520 had a big chip on my shoulder. So for me, 0:06:09.640 --> 0:06:12.360 I've been fortunate to just have this lens on life 0:06:12.440 --> 0:06:15.320 and perspective where I'm not really a fan of too 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:20.640 much or anyone. So I remember, as a rookie enter 0:06:20.680 --> 0:06:25.120 in the locker room, and this is my hometown team. 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:27.480 These are the guys I looked up to growing up, 0:06:27.480 --> 0:06:30.640 and I remember this is fresh off of Super Bowl, 0:06:30.800 --> 0:06:33.200 Fresh off of Super Bowl. I remember, actually, you know what, 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:38.200 the perfect story that might describe me. As my agent 0:06:38.279 --> 0:06:41.960 at the time, he took us out right before the draft, 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:46.680 took us out in New York to some club up 0:06:46.760 --> 0:06:49.680 there to just celebrate that night before the draft of 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:51.200 like all the work you put in and all that 0:06:51.200 --> 0:06:54.400 type of stuff. And I remember, you know, like I said, 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:57.440 I grew up in Baltimore, that purple and black, you know. 0:06:58.000 --> 0:07:01.479 I remember being in the house and seeing them, you know, 0:07:01.560 --> 0:07:04.000 win the Super Bowl and bragging all my roommates and 0:07:04.000 --> 0:07:06.880 all that type of stuff, wearing that with pride and 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:11.640 in the club. That for me was like my introduction 0:07:11.760 --> 0:07:14.920 to the NFL, even though I wasn't even in it 0:07:14.960 --> 0:07:17.960 at the time. But you had all of these different 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:20.400 That was when the draft was still in New York, 0:07:20.440 --> 0:07:23.800 so you had all these different rappers and in different sections. 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:26.520 My agent had gotten us a section. I wasn't spending anyone. 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:29.160 My agent got as a section. 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.160 And the other guys there where you had Adrian Peterson 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:36.800 with a section, Ludacris across the way g Z, and 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:39.200 there was ray Rice, and I remember Ray Rice walked 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:45.400 up and I remember speaking to him and I'm like, yo, 0:07:45.480 --> 0:07:48.040 I just want to say, you know, you really put 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:50.720 on for the city. That was amazing what y'all did. Man, Like, 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:55.160 I appreciate you, respect you. But a couple of days 0:07:55.200 --> 0:07:56.600 like I'm gonna be in the NFL. 0:07:56.320 --> 0:07:57.080 Too, so. 0:07:59.080 --> 0:08:03.720 Ain't none of that fan the war right, like we competition, right, 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:06.280 But before that, I want to tell you how much 0:08:06.280 --> 0:08:08.840 I respect you. So anyway, I say all that to 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:11.680 say a few days later, I get the call go 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:14.320 to the Ravens. Had that chip on my shoulder. But 0:08:14.360 --> 0:08:16.760 the weird thing about the NFL is like I said, 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:19.160 I keep it. I've been blessed to be able to 0:08:19.240 --> 0:08:22.360 keep things in a perspective and understand that, Okay, I 0:08:22.440 --> 0:08:26.200 just got this call that says, hey, you're get a 0:08:26.280 --> 0:08:30.080 chance to sign up and you're a Baltimore Raven. Now, no, 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:33.679 I'm not right, Like, there's still another step to actually 0:08:33.679 --> 0:08:36.720 make the fifty three or to make practice squad whatever. 0:08:36.800 --> 0:08:37.000 Right. 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:38.800 Sadly, there's a lot of guys who are like, oh, 0:08:38.800 --> 0:08:41.679 I'm in it. No, right, Like the next week you 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:43.760 might be cut, or after this rookie mini camp you 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:46.680 might be cut. Right, So at that time, again, like 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:48.719 I said, I signed a three year, one point two 0:08:48.800 --> 0:08:56.280 million dollar deal. However I got cut going into the 0:08:56.480 --> 0:08:59.240 actual season, made it all through preseason and all that stuff, 0:08:59.280 --> 0:09:01.560 got cut going into the actual season, and that jumped 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:04.959 my money down to a practice squad guy. After four weeks, 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:08.360 I got cut from Baltimore, So I really got four 0:09:08.360 --> 0:09:11.880 weeks of pay. And then again, I mean there were 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:14.920 guys who got cut in the middle of training camp. 0:09:14.960 --> 0:09:16.760 There's guys who got cut after three days. 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:19.640 So that there's a process after you get drafted, right, 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:22.280 because that's even a little confusing, Right, there's OTAs that 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:25.640 you have to make the tap. Then there is training 0:09:25.679 --> 0:09:27.520 camp that you have to make the team. Then you 0:09:27.600 --> 0:09:30.520 got four preseason game yeah, and so trying to make 0:09:30.559 --> 0:09:30.880 the team. 0:09:30.960 --> 0:09:31.080 Right. 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:36.120 So the way I would think of it is you're 0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:38.920 never really on the team. You know, depending on who 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:40.920 you are, you're never really on the team. Like I 0:09:40.960 --> 0:09:44.240 even joke with my students this semester and even right 0:09:44.320 --> 0:09:46.240 right now, like I could get this phone, go start ringing, 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:48.640 Nigga call be like listen code, like did you bring 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:50.600 your iPad up here? Like we were going in a 0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:53.640 different route, right, And that's just the nature of the beast. So, 0:09:54.160 --> 0:09:57.000 like you said, every single day, I mean they always 0:09:57.040 --> 0:09:59.480 say that every day is an interview, but like literally, 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:05.679 like I think people don't understand that. Again, depending on 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:07.880 who you are, right your first round, second round, you 0:10:07.920 --> 0:10:11.079 probably are guaranteed that first year, right, But that doesn't 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:13.800 mean you're guaranteed three years from now, four years from now, right, 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:18.960 And that's you. You just hope and pray that young 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:24.360 guys come in and understand that. And me, fortunately I 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:29.080 understood it. It was what motivated me to want to be 0:10:29.240 --> 0:10:31.640 great and make the team and still be here seven 0:10:31.720 --> 0:10:35.200 years later, right, But for a lot of guys, Like 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:38.400 I remember rookie years, some guys would go to this 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:41.600 mall across the street from our hotel, and I remember 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:44.080 getting on Snapchat. Snap was like big at the time, 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:49.959 and getting on there and they literally walking in there 0:10:50.200 --> 0:10:53.160 selfie videos stunting like we're about to census SAG And 0:10:53.200 --> 0:10:55.280 I'm like, bro, y'all all making the same thing I'm 0:10:55.320 --> 0:10:57.959 making right now, which is like like maybe one hundred 0:10:58.000 --> 0:11:00.280 and fifty bucks after all. 0:11:00.320 --> 0:11:02.720 Right, so you had a one point two million dollar contract, 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:06.640 but then you four weeks in, you got demoted to 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:07.960 practice team right. 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:12.280 Now, so you get drafted or undrafted in the spring. 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:17.280 So like our rookies just showed up this weekend. So 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:22.000 where we may whatever we are right now, we train, train, training, 0:11:22.080 --> 0:11:24.600 you can be there's guys being cut, there's guys being signed. 0:11:24.600 --> 0:11:27.520 That entire time, like that roster is fluctuating. And then 0:11:27.640 --> 0:11:29.560 by the time you get the training camp, you start 0:11:29.559 --> 0:11:33.360 training camp in late July with ninety guys on the roster, 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:39.160 that roster fluctuates a bit, and then by the end 0:11:39.200 --> 0:11:42.760 of August beginning of September, that roster cuts down to 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:45.079 fifty three and then on top of that fifty three 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:47.440 you have ten practice squad guys. I made it from 0:11:47.480 --> 0:11:52.040 that May all the way through to August. I got cut, 0:11:52.240 --> 0:11:54.600 became one of those practice squad guys where your salary 0:11:54.640 --> 0:11:58.640 goes from a minimum of like four hundred thirty thousand 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:03.080 to one hundred thousand. And then four weeks later, four 0:12:03.120 --> 0:12:06.240 weeks into the season, that's when I got released from 0:12:06.280 --> 0:12:06.880 the team. 0:12:07.000 --> 0:12:08.319 And that's in Baltimore. 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:09.120 That's in Baltimore. 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:11.240 So none of that one point two million was guaranteed. 0:12:11.520 --> 0:12:12.560 None of it, not. 0:12:12.480 --> 0:12:14.959 Even I wish it looks good on paper. 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:17.120 Though it looks good, it sounds good. So there's also 0:12:17.480 --> 0:12:21.240 that that's the problem that that that you see that 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:25.680 headline and then the vultures come get your right family. 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:28.680 Because now it's like on paper, look he's a millionaire. 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:30.600 Yeah yeah, but that's interesting. 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:33.280 I think people don't fully understand that, Like I can't 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:34.760 drive that home. All right, You got a one point 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:37.760 two million dollar contract. None of it was guaranteed. You 0:12:37.840 --> 0:12:41.320 probably netted. How much you net probably probably like thirty 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:42.360 maybe that's. 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:43.400 How much you made from the. 0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:47.200 Baltimore Ravens, Probably like thirty. Because in the spring I 0:12:47.240 --> 0:12:48.840 made money in the spring, so like right now, you 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:52.280 might be making what maybe a couple hundred a week 0:12:52.360 --> 0:12:56.160 because they take your your hotel and stuff that's the 0:12:56.240 --> 0:12:58.720 team doesn't cover it. They cover it, but it's coming 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:01.560 out of your dam type of thing. I cover it, 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:06.120 but you just don't know, you know, you don't really 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:10.240 have a yeah anyway, so you're making maybe a few 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:12.160 hundred a week, and they cover your meals and all 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:13.640 that stuff on the weekend, so you don't really have 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:18.160 too many expenses. But then as you get to preseason, 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:20.800 now you're making I want to say, seven hundred a 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.360 week before taxes. 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:23.559 So. 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:29.920 You know, and that's what maybe five to six weeks, 0:13:30.360 --> 0:13:32.959 so you really like four you know, who knows what 0:13:33.040 --> 0:13:35.880 that is? Four hundred a week after all dollars done. 0:13:36.000 --> 0:13:42.720 Dollars yeah, dollars yeah. And then once the season hits. 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:46.280 As a practice squad guy, I was making I was 0:13:46.280 --> 0:13:49.640 seeing about four k after taxes. I think my check 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:54.120 was like seven thousand, seventy five hundred per week before, 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:58.720 so about four thousand after and less did that for 0:13:58.720 --> 0:14:01.720 four weeks, so that's about sixteen right there. So I 0:14:01.760 --> 0:14:03.720 probably made a little less than thirty from the Baltimore 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:08.120 Raisins and then two weeks later I got cut week four. 0:14:08.120 --> 0:14:09.800 Two weeks later, I got picked up by the Tennessee 0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:13.240 Titans practice squad with them for a bunch of weeks. 0:14:13.360 --> 0:14:15.720 I got cut by them. A lot of people don't 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:20.480 know this too. It's like in my family, they understand. 0:14:20.520 --> 0:14:24.880 And it's so funny that so at Tuesday at four 0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:27.440 pm Eastern is when your money is guaranteed for the week. 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:30.600 So for me and the way that my career has been, 0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:35.720 and I'm not superstitious, but I just I have certain things. 0:14:35.760 --> 0:14:38.480 I have my routine. My family knew. 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:43.600 Don't call me Tuesday after four pm Eastern, right, So, 0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:46.920 and where's that come from? Like I've been cut at 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:49.200 three fifty six pm Eastern wild, right. 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:51.120 So you don't get paid, don't get paid. 0:14:51.800 --> 0:14:54.080 So if you get cut at four h one pm, 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:56.600 I'm paid for that week if I don't. So when 0:14:56.600 --> 0:14:58.840 I was in Baltimore, they cut me on Wednesday morning 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:01.440 because they were like, had were planning on bringing you back, 0:15:01.600 --> 0:15:03.840 you know, to showing good faith you, you know, we 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:05.920 we like you, all that type of stuff. We just 0:15:05.960 --> 0:15:08.560 need to make some other roster changes. Blah blah, blah blah. 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:11.240 So you know, take the time off, you know, go work, 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:13.560 stay stay in shape, but we'll bring you back this week. 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:19.280 Then still waiting on that. But then Tennessee one time, 0:15:19.960 --> 0:15:24.320 these dudes, man, I uh, it's funny. I went and 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:28.480 did like a whole charity out event for him. I went, 0:15:28.480 --> 0:15:31.360 we went to a high school and uh, you know, 0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:35.960 Tennessee Titans jerseys and all that type of stuff. And 0:15:36.000 --> 0:15:38.120 on the way not on the way back. Later on 0:15:38.560 --> 0:15:42.400 that evening, I had some rehabs set up a massage 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:46.040 appointment and it's three fifty six. I get the call. 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:48.800 I'm like this random Tennessee number, pick up the phone 0:15:48.880 --> 0:15:51.800 and man, we need you to bring in your Oh man, 0:15:52.480 --> 0:15:54.360 y'all knew this before you send me on the event. 0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:57.360 The whole they sent you on, the whole charity thing 0:15:57.880 --> 0:16:00.600 and all that, And then they waited for minutes before 0:16:00.600 --> 0:16:01.480 the deadline of country. 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:02.880 So you don't get paid for the week minutes? 0:16:02.920 --> 0:16:04.640 What about the massage? You have to cancel it another. 0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:08.400 To be quite honest with you, I told myself, I 0:16:08.440 --> 0:16:11.240 was like, I probably should cancer because I don't know 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:13.200 when that next check you comes right right? You know what? 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:14.160 Hey, man, you gotta. 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:17.360 I probably need it right now, you know, I probably 0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:20.240 need to just relax. So uh so yeah, so my 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:24.680 family literally they would know, don't call me on Tuesday. 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:27.800 So literally at four to one, so years later, four 0:16:28.000 --> 0:16:32.200 one pm. Whenever I was good, I'd send them a 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:37.080 bunch of gifts, a bunch of money, we count making 0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:39.120 it range and all that type of stuff. And then 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:43.960 after you get to year five, uh, once that ball 0:16:44.040 --> 0:16:45.880 is kicked off in your first in the FO game, 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:49.520 then you're guaranteed your salary for the whole year. So 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:54.000 like last year, that veterans veteran, so last year was 0:16:54.040 --> 0:16:57.960 my first year having that. So after that first game, 0:16:58.680 --> 0:17:01.360 I just sent them like six to you know, sixteen 0:17:01.400 --> 0:17:04.359 different ones. But it's it's a lot of that goes 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:06.879 into it, basically, you know, with what you're getting at 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:08.720 is there's a lot that goes into it that people 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:11.520 don't think about. They don't understand. Yes, you see that 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:15.160 big contract, you see that big number, and that is great, right, 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:18.199 but what are you really getting from that one? You 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:20.840 got a fifty percent of it gone off. 0:17:21.119 --> 0:17:23.680 The talk about that because a lot of people don't 0:17:23.680 --> 0:17:25.880 fully understand how taxes work, right, and they're. 0:17:25.680 --> 0:17:27.640 Like, well, you should, you should set up corporation. 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:30.520 Like their employees, they get paid, it's like how you 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:33.040 get paid, right, so they don't have opportunity to defer 0:17:33.480 --> 0:17:34.040 the income. 0:17:34.440 --> 0:17:35.400 It's it's not an. 0:17:35.280 --> 0:17:37.880 Option, right, your boss ain't going for that exactly. 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:40.960 So I because social media a lot of times people 0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:43.639 write that like, well they if they were smart, Like, no, 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:45.760 it doesn't work like that, just like if you were smart, 0:17:45.760 --> 0:17:47.680 you were doing that, right, No, you don't have that option. 0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:50.560 So automatically fifty because you know how you tax. Automatically, 0:17:50.560 --> 0:17:54.760 fifty percent goes to tax gone off the red. Depending 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:57.080 on what state you're in, it's even higher. Right then 0:17:57.160 --> 0:17:59.119 it's stay taxed. They take that out of your paycheck 0:17:59.160 --> 0:18:00.600 every time you get paid in that in that. 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:05.639 Particular Yep, yep, they'll do that. Uh Like if you so, 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:07.919 if you're playing in California, so you look at the schedule, 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:11.080 you're like, dangn I got three games in California, right 0:18:11.280 --> 0:18:15.720 West coast trip that you know you get taxed at 0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:17.520 that California rates thirteen percent. 0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:20.640 And it's crazy because Rod Smith shout out to Rod Smith, 0:18:20.680 --> 0:18:22.520 He's he's been a loyal follow up from the beginning 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:25.280 and anybody has a no Rod Smith, he's a Hall 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:25.880 of Famer. 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:29.239 Rint not yet but a legend, legend. And dev Den 0:18:29.760 --> 0:18:32.040 Dever Broncos wide receiver Denver legend. 0:18:32.119 --> 0:18:34.960 So I put a post up a while ago and 0:18:35.040 --> 0:18:37.080 me and him he was common and he was like, yeah, well, 0:18:37.119 --> 0:18:39.920 people don't realize it's that all right. California has the 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:41.960 highest state tax in the country, right, like thirteen percent, 0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:43.520 like you said. But let's say you've played it in 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:46.240 for Miami Dolphins Florida, right, which Florida has no state 0:18:46.320 --> 0:18:49.639 income tax, right, So what happens is that you might 0:18:49.840 --> 0:18:54.119 practice in Florida from Monday to let's say Thursday, right, 0:18:54.520 --> 0:18:58.000 fly when you fly off on a Sunday game Saturday Saturday, 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:02.000 So you practice from Monday is Saturday in Florida, you 0:19:02.320 --> 0:19:06.200 are in Florida. You're in California for Saturday and Sunday 0:19:06.600 --> 0:19:10.120 maybe like Monday morning early. So you only spent two 0:19:10.200 --> 0:19:13.040 days in California, but the whole week is taxed in 0:19:13.119 --> 0:19:14.680 California because that's where you played the game. 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:14.840 Man. 0:19:15.280 --> 0:19:17.719 So even though you prepared, like only spend forty eight 0:19:17.800 --> 0:19:21.240 hours in that particular state and you practiced in the 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:23.960 state that you actually live in. But it doesn't matter. 0:19:24.080 --> 0:19:26.160 You played that game in that space for the whole week. 0:19:26.600 --> 0:19:28.760 The whole week's paycheck is taxed in California. 0:19:28.840 --> 0:19:32.320 Yeah, so you guys played Jersey state tax or is 0:19:32.359 --> 0:19:34.920 it right? That's what it got played? 0:19:34.960 --> 0:19:37.720 Yeah, okay, but I wouldn't be surprised New York trying 0:19:37.760 --> 0:19:38.520 to take a little bit of that. 0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:39.480 I'm thinking like. 0:19:41.800 --> 0:19:45.480 New York, but I wouldn't be surprised. 0:19:45.520 --> 0:19:48.639 Trust me, I'd have seen a lot I've seen, like 0:19:48.720 --> 0:19:51.159 you said, every so when we play a team in Texas, 0:19:51.200 --> 0:19:55.240 it's like, okay, cool, right, London games, London international taxes, 0:19:55.280 --> 0:20:00.159 they cost a bit too, right, Florida teams you know, 0:20:00.320 --> 0:20:02.359 you see Miami or Tampa ballion schedule. 0:20:02.400 --> 0:20:04.440 You're likes Tennessee, you know cool? 0:20:06.359 --> 0:20:09.520