WEBVTT - Getting Open with Tony Richardson 0:00:07.600 --> 0:00:09.840 Hi, everybody. My name is Lindsay Young and I am 0:00:09.840 --> 0:00:13.160 a staff writer and assistant editor here with the Minnesota Vikings. 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:16.200 Thank you so much for tuning in to another segment 0:00:16.320 --> 0:00:19.680 of our Getting Open series, which focuses on all things 0:00:19.760 --> 0:00:23.280 mental health. Throughout this series, we've had the opportunity to 0:00:23.280 --> 0:00:26.800 talk with a number of current players, including Eric Kendricks, 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:31.080 Jalen Holmes, Adam Feelin. We spoke with Vikings general manager 0:00:31.160 --> 0:00:33.600 Rick Spielman, and last week we had the honor of 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:37.560 hearing from Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randall, who 0:00:37.760 --> 0:00:41.040 really shared his thoughts and his heart around the topic 0:00:41.080 --> 0:00:44.959 of mental health, specifically within the NFL Legends community. So 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:48.159 that's why I'm so excited this week to sit down 0:00:48.240 --> 0:00:52.120 with fellow NFL legend Tony Richardson. Now, Tony had a 0:00:52.240 --> 0:00:56.160 sixteen season career in the NFL. He spent most of 0:00:56.200 --> 0:00:58.920 his career, the first part of his career in Kansas 0:00:58.920 --> 0:01:01.000 City with the Chiefs, and he then played for the 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:03.800 Vikings in two thousand and six and two thousand and seven, 0:01:04.040 --> 0:01:06.480 which we'll hear more about in a second. And Tony 0:01:06.840 --> 0:01:11.560 is equally passionate about working with NFL alumni and really 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:15.280 being a part of that network, that community, and also 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:18.920 encouraging others to look out for their mental well being, 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:22.200 to be aware of mental health, and to really normalize 0:01:22.240 --> 0:01:25.280 that conversation around not being okay. So let's tickle us 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:36.360 into what Tony had to say. Tony, thank you so 0:01:36.480 --> 0:01:39.479 much for joining us. As we just mentioned in our 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:42.280 intro for fans who maybe don't know as much about 0:01:42.319 --> 0:01:45.880 your career, sixteen season career in the NFL super impressive. 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:48.560 Of course, just two of those years were in Minnesota, 0:01:48.600 --> 0:01:51.320 two thousand and six and two thousand and seven, the 0:01:51.400 --> 0:01:53.440 ladder of which was a Pro Bowl season for you. 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:55.880 It was probably a short and sweet time for you. 0:01:55.920 --> 0:01:58.360 But what did you appreciate about your time in Minnesota 0:01:58.360 --> 0:02:00.840 with the Vikings? You know, I was definitely, Uh, it 0:02:00.880 --> 0:02:02.720 was it was it was a change, I think just 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:04.720 because you know, I had been in Kansas City. So 0:02:04.760 --> 0:02:06.920 actually I played seventeen years, so a lot of people 0:02:07.080 --> 0:02:09.000 because I had one year with the Dallas Cowboys on 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:11.639 practice squad, so since the count against my pission, I 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:15.520 say seventeen um, but you know it was different, you know, 0:02:15.520 --> 0:02:18.600 it was uh, you know, I spent eleven years in 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:20.640 Kansas City. And that's kind of where you know, I 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:23.000 kind of my football career kind of blossomed and and 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:26.280 you know, took off and then um, you know, uh, 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:29.160 the Vikings actually had a leadership change, a new head coach, 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:31.040 and then a dear buddy of mine by the name 0:02:31.040 --> 0:02:33.840 of Les Pico happened to be uh, happened to come 0:02:33.840 --> 0:02:35.639 over to Minnesota and he said, hey, you know, to 0:02:35.840 --> 0:02:38.520 Rich uh, you ught yourself to just kind of look 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:40.960 around and come come check out and see what, you know, 0:02:40.960 --> 0:02:44.440 what direction organization is going. And it was as soon 0:02:44.480 --> 0:02:47.480 as my feet you know, touched the ground and uh, 0:02:47.560 --> 0:02:50.079 in Minnesota, it was just like it just felt right, 0:02:50.240 --> 0:02:54.480 you know, from the greeterers at the airport to you know, 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:57.760 the hospitality, the Vikings organization, the leadership and the direction 0:02:57.760 --> 0:02:59.880 they were going. You know, it just felt right. And 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:03.560 then um, you know, obviously the first year I actually 0:03:03.560 --> 0:03:05.160 had an injury, so I was, you know, I was 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:07.960 out time the first year. Second year, we bought this 0:03:08.000 --> 0:03:10.560 guy and by the name of Adrian Peterson, who was 0:03:10.560 --> 0:03:12.720 actually over my shoulder right now in a Pro Bowl picture, 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:16.280 and he gave me life. And it's interesting because you 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:19.280 know I initially said, okay, you know, come to Minnesota 0:03:19.440 --> 0:03:21.359 two year deal and I'm pretty much gonna hang the 0:03:21.400 --> 0:03:24.440 clicks up and ap literally he's just like taking um. 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:27.680 You know, her older dog starts to start slowing down 0:03:27.680 --> 0:03:29.400 a little bit. You get him a puppy, and so 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:32.040 I got me a puppy, and so Ape would be like, hey, 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:34.600 Tis you want to run sprince after practice? I was, oh, yeah, 0:03:34.639 --> 0:03:36.600 we want to sprince all the time. And I was like, Okay, 0:03:36.600 --> 0:03:38.280 over back, that's one. He was like, no, let's do 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:40.920 this over back, over back, that's one. I'm like, how 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:42.960 do you want to do before? I'm like, bro, we 0:03:43.120 --> 0:03:45.240 just finished practice and you want to do all this running. 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:47.800 But it, uh, you know, he gave me life, um, 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:49.640 you know, just to be able to see a young 0:03:49.680 --> 0:03:51.960 man that gifted um, to be able to work in 0:03:52.120 --> 0:03:53.840 you know, work in the community. It was, it was. 0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:56.480 It was a great opportunity. Well I love to hear that, um. 0:03:56.560 --> 0:03:58.840 And if I'm not mistaken, you ended up not hanging 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:00.520 up your cleats like you mentioned. And then you did 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:03.880 finish your career with the Jets, so played another few 0:04:03.920 --> 0:04:08.000 seasons for the past ten years or so. Then, how 0:04:08.040 --> 0:04:11.520 have you stayed connected to just the NFL family and 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:14.440 why is that something that's important to you. Yeah, so 0:04:14.920 --> 0:04:17.680 the department actually I work right now and actually I work, 0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:21.680 you know, along John Randall and obviously Tracey McDonald with 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:24.640 the Vikings, and so my position is I'm the Northeast 0:04:24.680 --> 0:04:27.600 coordinator for Legends Community. And I think, um, you know, 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:29.760 it's kind of one of those things because my last 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:32.320 year in twenty ten twenty eleven was a year we 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:35.159 actually had the lockout and I was on the union 0:04:35.200 --> 0:04:38.240 side of that lockout, and I think I just kind 0:04:38.240 --> 0:04:39.920 of needed to take some space away just to kind 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:41.840 of clear my mind from the NFL as well as 0:04:41.880 --> 0:04:43.800 from the Union. So I kind of, you know, it 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:46.560 was in kind of a different space where just trying 0:04:46.560 --> 0:04:48.919 to figure out what was next and this opportunity, you know, 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:50.320 I'm still living here in New York City, and the 0:04:50.320 --> 0:04:53.560 opportunity you know, um, you know, came to my table 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:57.040 about helping former players and helping them in that transition. 0:04:57.120 --> 0:04:59.080 And I was thinking to myself, like, you know, I 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:00.599 kind of wish I had some them that kind of 0:05:00.600 --> 0:05:02.840 pulled me through that transition. And you know, one thing 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:05.320 in life, we realize we're always transitioning, you know, I 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:07.680 don't care if you're eighty, if you're ninety. There's a 0:05:07.720 --> 0:05:09.560 transition in some form in your life, and the more 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:13.040 people and the team that you can have around you, 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:15.640 you know easy that transition is going to be. And 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:18.400 so you'm the Northeast coordinated for Legends community and so 0:05:18.480 --> 0:05:21.240 my two teams I support living here in New York 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:23.400 and New York Jets and the Giants. But we work 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:26.800 as a team. And so if there's someone you know, 0:05:26.800 --> 0:05:29.440 maybe a former Viking that's here in the New York area, 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:30.960 John may call New York and say, hey, can you 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:32.560 get on the phone, you know with such and such 0:05:32.680 --> 0:05:35.080 or vice versus. So, you know, we work side by side, 0:05:35.120 --> 0:05:37.000 and the number one thing is just making sure our 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:39.920 guys are doing well, you know, after football, and just 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:43.359 trying to allow them and understand like the power to 0:05:43.400 --> 0:05:46.840 shield and the opportunities that you can have m you know, 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:49.479 staying connected, you know, back with your NFL clubs. I 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:51.520 love that you brought up John too, because we just 0:05:51.560 --> 0:05:53.840 did a recent segment with him, and it's great to 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:56.320 have both of you a part of this series. I 0:05:56.440 --> 0:05:58.040 know that you had mentioned a little bit to me 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:01.479 about being involved with MVP can you try tell us 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:04.559 a little bit what that looks like. Yeah, So MVP 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:07.400 is something that's very near and dear to my heart. UM. So, 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:12.040 MVP the acronym is merging veterans and players, UM, and 0:06:12.040 --> 0:06:14.880 it literally it's something I kind of knew about UM 0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:17.839 for a while with my dad being former military. So 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:20.520 my dad served thirty thirty two years of Vietnam veteran 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:23.560 proper heart. My sister did twenty eight years and four deployments, 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:26.680 and so it's it's kind of the exact same transition, 0:06:26.800 --> 0:06:28.640 you know, I saw my sister, Well, at first, I 0:06:28.680 --> 0:06:31.840 saw my dad transition, you know, being uh, alpha male 0:06:32.040 --> 0:06:35.239 and being uh, you know, someone in the leadership position 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:38.560 and having soldiers around, and everywhere he goes people saluting him, 0:06:38.560 --> 0:06:39.960 and all of a sudden he comes home, my mom's 0:06:39.960 --> 0:06:42.039 not saluting them. So I saw him kind of go 0:06:42.080 --> 0:06:44.800 through that transition of uh, you know, just what's what's next? 0:06:44.880 --> 0:06:49.520 And so what Jay Glazer and Nate Borrier um, they 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:52.720 actually they actually served with Pat Tillman and so he's 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:56.200 a he was a marine if I'm standing corrected, and 0:06:56.440 --> 0:06:59.680 he actually served and he actually played for the Seattle Seahawks. 0:06:59.720 --> 0:07:02.880 So they started just to kind of see, like you know, 0:07:03.040 --> 0:07:06.919 veterans and professional athletes kind of go through that same 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:12.880 type of loss of identity, kind of trying to figure 0:07:12.880 --> 0:07:14.800 out what's next, and you know, doing something at the 0:07:14.840 --> 0:07:16.600 highest level and then all of a sudden it's over 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:19.040 and it's like boom, and so it's um, it's an 0:07:19.080 --> 0:07:21.640 opportunity and it's really been great because it's something that 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:25.920 helped me tremendously through the pandemic. Because normally it's an 0:07:25.920 --> 0:07:29.720 in person workout for thirty minutes and then you sit down, 0:07:29.920 --> 0:07:31.840 drab some water, and everyone sits in a huddle, like 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:33.880 the true huddle like you have in football, and you 0:07:34.000 --> 0:07:37.679 just talk and you share and it's unbiased. There's no judgment, 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:42.160 there's no politics. Don't force religions, really, don't force opinions 0:07:42.200 --> 0:07:45.080 unless somebody asks, like for you know, for help. But 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:47.400 it's just an open opportunity just to sit and just talk. 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:49.960 Because I think, as men and women, because the servants 0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:52.280 of women as well, you know, we harbor all of 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:53.960 this stuff up. You know what I mean. It's like, 0:07:54.240 --> 0:07:56.720 you know, because we're told in football, hey, if you 0:07:56.760 --> 0:07:58.760 break your finger, okay, tape it up. You gotta keep playing. 0:07:58.800 --> 0:08:00.840 Oh you dislocate your elbow. Okay, you can't be hurting. 0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:02.960 You gotta keep playing. And so I think what our 0:08:02.960 --> 0:08:05.080 society has kind of raised us to say it is 0:08:05.120 --> 0:08:08.760 like when you're hurting inside, um, if you're feeling lonely, 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:11.280 if you're feeling sad, you gotta tough it up. You 0:08:11.320 --> 0:08:14.800 gotta build that scar tissue and just keep going. In life. 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:17.160 You can't do that. You cannot go through life building 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:19.720 it up because eventually, build up, build up, build up, 0:08:19.720 --> 0:08:21.760 and it's going to be it's gonna be an overload, 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:24.520 and you know, unfortunately, bad things happen. And so what 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:27.000 it really allows me to do and I'm that's you know, 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:29.560 my day to day is zoom, zoom zoom. So yeah, yeah, 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:32.960 yesterday we just launched Seattle and so it's a hybrid, 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:35.560 so they actually there were some um, some members in 0:08:35.640 --> 0:08:37.800 the gym and then afterwards we did a thirty or 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:40.040 we did an hour huddle and it's over zoom. So 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:42.520 I did Seattle yesterday, I did New York last night, 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:45.840 and I did La and it's just great because it's 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:47.720 like my family now and it's like I look forward 0:08:47.760 --> 0:08:50.560 to it and you know, people share wins, and they 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:52.880 also share when they're having just things they just need 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:54.760 to talk about. And I think when you have a community, 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:59.560 it's like literally having sixty therapists at your anytime you 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:02.400 need them. And we say the magic really happens after 0:09:02.440 --> 0:09:05.200 the huddle. So we make a point to check on 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:07.280 two or three people that you hadn't checked into. And 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:09.240 you just don't know that that a little check in, Hey, 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:11.000 you're just picking up the phone or sending the text 0:09:11.000 --> 0:09:12.320 and to say, hey, you know, how are you doing? 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:16.800 What's going on? And just the way the weight of people, 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:18.520 you could just feel it, like sometimes you get on 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:20.440 the phone and you could just feel like, man, I'm 0:09:20.480 --> 0:09:22.160 so glad you call it today because I was actually 0:09:22.240 --> 0:09:24.480 just I was going through something. And I think just 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:26.920 having that community has really helped me tremendously and just 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:30.400 like it allows me to be vulnerable and it shows 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:32.240 me that I don't have to go through this life 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:35.640 alone and I can, you know, I can build my 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:38.360 team back up again, and I think that's very important. Yeah, 0:09:38.360 --> 0:09:40.480 and that was an organization that I was not super 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:42.360 familiar with before you shared it with me. So I 0:09:42.400 --> 0:09:44.520 thought that was really a neat thing and I think 0:09:44.520 --> 0:09:46.719 it's cool how you talk about the overlap between those 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:50.200 two different types of life transitions, and it sounds like 0:09:50.240 --> 0:09:53.120 for you, it's really beneficial because it not only is 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:55.680 a support system for you through MVP, but you're also 0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:59.800 able to help support other NFL legends through your role 0:09:59.800 --> 0:10:02.200 that you work on with the Legends community. And it 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:05.679 sounds like mental health, um, and you know, maintaining your 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:08.520 mental wellbeing and of those around you is a really 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:12.760 important role in both of those positions. Yeah, it definitely is. 0:10:12.760 --> 0:10:14.520 And I think that's one thing and I'm so glad 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:16.920 that we're able to talk about mental health because before, 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:20.560 you know, even when I had the stigma, if somebody 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:22.520 would seeing a therapist or said they had a therapist, 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:23.920 they just want to put you in the corner and 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:26.080 it's like, oh, something's wrong with him. And it's not 0:10:26.720 --> 0:10:28.360 the fact that we're getting out in front of it 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:31.000 and understanding that. Uh. You know, just when I would 0:10:31.040 --> 0:10:32.840 go to the gym and do biceps, I'm building my 0:10:32.880 --> 0:10:35.600 bicep muscle. If I'm doing squats, I'm building my quad. 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:38.400 You definitely have to continue to keep working on your 0:10:38.600 --> 0:10:41.200 on your mental health. It's because mental health is not 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:43.880 a bad thing. Mental health is mental health. Um, you 0:10:43.960 --> 0:10:46.600 cannot be mental health disorders, of course. But the more 0:10:46.640 --> 0:10:48.200 we get out in front of it, and the more 0:10:48.240 --> 0:10:50.560 we can say, hey, you know what, I'm actually not 0:10:50.600 --> 0:10:52.920 doing so well today, Hey I actually need to talk 0:10:52.960 --> 0:10:55.560 to someone. Um, that's when we really can start to 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:57.920 make a difference in our society. And it's you know, 0:10:58.000 --> 0:11:00.440 it's and it's unfortunate because even you know, in our 0:11:00.559 --> 0:11:04.160 NFL family, um, you know, we've seen the tragedies, you know, 0:11:04.520 --> 0:11:07.160 weekend and week out, and you hear about, you know, 0:11:07.200 --> 0:11:10.040 different things that are going on. And you know, uh, 0:11:10.040 --> 0:11:13.960 Al tomb who's a great receiver, just had a situation 0:11:14.160 --> 0:11:16.840 that I found out about yesterday that his daughter was 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:20.400 her life was taken by her husband in front of 0:11:20.400 --> 0:11:22.520 an eight month old child. Like that's that's some real 0:11:23.000 --> 0:11:25.760 heavy stuff. And it's even though it didn't if it 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:28.600 even though I know Al and it's not my daughter, 0:11:28.679 --> 0:11:32.000 but it still wears on you. And if you it's 0:11:32.000 --> 0:11:33.760 still just you know, because you hurt for him, and 0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:35.960 you hurt for that family, hurt for that community. And 0:11:36.000 --> 0:11:37.720 so I think the more and more you just kind of, 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:40.120 you know, just have someone to talk to and have 0:11:40.160 --> 0:11:42.640 a support system, get out in front of mental health. 0:11:42.720 --> 0:11:44.480 And it's just um because every day in our in 0:11:44.520 --> 0:11:47.680 our world, you know, it's it's almost sometimes where I 0:11:47.679 --> 0:11:49.200 just don't you want to turn a TV on because 0:11:49.240 --> 0:11:51.560 I'm afraid of like, okay, what, you know what, what's 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:53.200 going to be the news of the day. And so 0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:54.640 I think the more we get out in front of 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:57.600 it and understanding like our young people, UM, I do 0:11:57.640 --> 0:11:59.640 a lot of work in the anti bullying space. I 0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:01.959 just did a really nice deal with a high school 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:04.560 here in New York yesterday over zoom of just talking 0:12:04.600 --> 0:12:07.640 about you know, just dealing with you know, bully like 0:12:07.679 --> 0:12:09.840 cyber bullying and all like all that stuff plays on 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:12.120 your mental health. So yeah, I'm glad we're able to 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:13.480 get out in front of them and talk about it 0:12:13.520 --> 0:12:16.640 and share that mental health is okay, it's okay to 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:19.160 have a therapist. Is welcome to have a therapist. I 0:12:19.240 --> 0:12:21.600 love talking about therapist and it's a it's a great thing. 0:12:22.280 --> 0:12:25.120 Since you brought that up, having a therapist to talk 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:26.800 to you. And I think especially you hit the nail 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:28.880 on the head. I think life is always hard, but 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:32.680 this past year people have been isolated so many difficult 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:37.000 things going on, you know, whether it's racial tensions, the pandemic, 0:12:37.160 --> 0:12:40.160 loved ones being ill. What would you maybe say to 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:42.960 somebody who is intimidated by the idea of seeing a 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:45.760 therapist or who has never gone through that process before, 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:48.800 about what it's been like for you. Yeah, I would 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:52.480 just say, uh, just drop the stigma because I think 0:12:53.920 --> 0:12:55.400 you know, and I would just give examples of my 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:57.680 own personal life. It's just like you know, living here 0:12:57.720 --> 0:13:00.280 in New York City when the whole world shut down, 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:03.600 you know, living in an apartment obviously, you know, like 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:06.280 not seeing this easier if you're living like a ten 0:13:06.280 --> 0:13:08.440 thousand square from home, it's just more space to be lonely. 0:13:08.480 --> 0:13:10.840 But you're a when you're in New York City, it's 0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:12.959 like the walls, Like some days the walls felt like 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:15.439 they were they were closing in. And you know, for me, 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:18.920 you know, having my dog obviously was a tremendous help, 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:22.040 but just having someone to talk to, because you know, 0:13:22.080 --> 0:13:23.920 it's and a lot of times it's not even necessarily 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:27.360 like you're asking for an opinion, but just having someone 0:13:27.360 --> 0:13:30.360 to talk to because you know, I could talk to Rambow, 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:31.960 he's not my dog he's not gonna talk back, but 0:13:32.080 --> 0:13:34.320 just you know, just having someone So I would just 0:13:34.520 --> 0:13:38.480 I would telling anyone who's just um, it's healthy. It's 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:40.920 it's healthy, and it's and it's needed. And if you're married, 0:13:40.960 --> 0:13:43.480 sometimes your spouse might not be that person, you know 0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:46.000 what I mean, because you might be sharing some things 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:49.680 that potentially that you just need to you know, work through. 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:52.040 And so just having someone to be able to talk 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:54.120 to and have someone that's trained in that space, I 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:56.640 think it's really really helpful. And that's the beautiful thing 0:13:56.720 --> 0:14:00.120 about MVP is we do have each other, but we 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:03.559 have a clinician that's on all of our calls because 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:05.640 you know, sometimes there's some guys share different things and 0:14:05.679 --> 0:14:07.040 you can kind of pick up on signs and the 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:09.240 clinician to jump in and she's like, hey, as soon 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:10.679 as we get off this call, you know, I can 0:14:10.720 --> 0:14:12.480 tell you're angry, I can tell there's some things that 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:15.720 you're really harboring, and let's get on the phone call afterwards. 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:18.840 And so having someone's trained, I think it's very beneficial. 0:14:18.920 --> 0:14:20.480 And I was just telling anyone to just drop the 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:23.440 stigma and just try it, because I think, you know, 0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:25.200 it was things that it's funny too. It It just 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:29.120 and I just acquired a new therapist, like right at 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:31.240 the beginning of the pandemic, and the first time we 0:14:31.440 --> 0:14:32.760 were on the phone and I was like, okay. I 0:14:32.760 --> 0:14:35.040 think it was like a thirty minute, you know, meeting, 0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:36.320 and we end I'm talking for an hour and a 0:14:36.360 --> 0:14:38.840 half and I just remember sharing stuff about my childhood, 0:14:38.840 --> 0:14:41.200 about things were just popping up, and I'm just like, man, 0:14:41.240 --> 0:14:43.040 next thing I know, I'm in the kitchen and I'm 0:14:43.080 --> 0:14:45.080 like cooking, and she was like, oh, you're like cooking. 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:46.800 I'm like, I love cooking, and it's like my therapy. 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:48.560 And so it's just it's just all those different kind 0:14:48.600 --> 0:14:51.160 of things. And I think the more you share it 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:53.200 and you start to pull back the layers and you 0:14:53.240 --> 0:14:55.760 start thinking, like, man, maybe the things that I'm dealing 0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:58.800 with at age forty nine was something that I didn't 0:14:58.800 --> 0:15:00.480 address when I was three, you know what I mean. 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:02.440 It's like all of that goes hand in hand. So 0:15:02.440 --> 0:15:04.800 I would tell anyone who's listening, you know, to this, 0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:10.640 or anyone's hesitant about seeing a therapist, I would say, 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:12.440 just go for it, because it's the best thing I 0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:14.480 have going in my life. And I wish, you know, 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:16.080 I wish I would have done this a lot earlier 0:15:16.080 --> 0:15:19.520 in my life, and I can definitely, you know, personally 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:21.520 attest to everything that you just shared too, and would 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:24.240 encourage people to do the same to at least kind 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:26.400 of explore that. One of the things that I love 0:15:26.400 --> 0:15:29.680 about the Vikings organization is that they do have a 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:34.320 clinical psychologist and a clinical psychiatrist that are available for 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:36.920 the players, the coaches, but also all of the staff 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:40.560 within the organization as well, which I think are such 0:15:40.720 --> 0:15:45.000 important resources. When we were talking with John Randall, I 0:15:45.080 --> 0:15:47.480 know his career started a little bit before Years and 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:49.400 ended a little bit before Years, but you guys did 0:15:49.440 --> 0:15:52.520 overlap there for some time in the NFL, and he 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:55.360 was just talking about the way that the stigma has 0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:57.320 kind of started to break down over the years, and 0:15:57.360 --> 0:16:00.960 how mental health has been to become a more accepted 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:04.880 topic to talk about, especially within professional sports. What do 0:16:04.880 --> 0:16:07.480 you appreciate about seeing the tide kind of starting to 0:16:07.560 --> 0:16:10.400 turn there and seeing the league put an emphasis on 0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:14.080 this topic. Yeah, I actolutely applaud the league. And so 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:16.840 a dear friend of mine is In Yaka. So In 0:16:16.920 --> 0:16:20.000 Yaka actually works for the NFL and she even just 0:16:20.040 --> 0:16:24.320 had We just did our Legends summit and our second 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:28.880 day of training was an hour and a half training 0:16:28.920 --> 0:16:32.000 on mental health. And I applied the NFL because it's 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:34.160 it's a thing that I think we should have been 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:37.200 doing a long time ago, because you know, I mean, 0:16:37.400 --> 0:16:40.560 we do realize that, you know, we play a sport, 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:43.000 and you know, and I know for a fact, like 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:45.120 the day I signed my first NFL contract was the 0:16:45.200 --> 0:16:47.360 day they were already trying to replace me. So that's 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:49.920 just the nature of how our business sales. But I 0:16:49.960 --> 0:16:52.920 think we owe it to these young men who come 0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:56.480 into this National Football League to not just build up 0:16:56.480 --> 0:17:00.840 their football body, but build up their overall body. And 0:17:00.880 --> 0:17:02.680 so I think we in effect that the NFL has 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:05.040 really jumped out in front of it now of saying 0:17:05.040 --> 0:17:06.760 that we have to you know, I know, part of 0:17:06.760 --> 0:17:10.480 the CBA, every team has to have a clinician and 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:14.400 psychiatrist on staff, and it's it's something that's definitely needed 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:17.240 because and for me, I would make it mandatory, but 0:17:17.280 --> 0:17:19.320 at least they're available, but I would make it mandatory, 0:17:19.440 --> 0:17:22.000 like you know, every Tuesday, you got fifteen, you got 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:24.359 thirty minutes, forty five minutes just to talk to somebody, 0:17:24.359 --> 0:17:26.720 because you know, I was talking to a buddy of mine, 0:17:27.119 --> 0:17:30.080 Orlando Pace, and he's part of the Legends community as well, 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:34.479 and he was just sharing a little bit about his journey. 0:17:34.480 --> 0:17:37.760 So he was the first overall draft choice as an 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:41.280 offensive linement, so he was getting drafted. He got drafted 0:17:41.320 --> 0:17:43.919 to the Saint Louis Rams. They were one of the 0:17:43.960 --> 0:17:46.280 losing his teams in football history, so all of a sudden, 0:17:46.280 --> 0:17:48.399 they're like, Okay, why would you draft an offensive linement 0:17:48.440 --> 0:17:50.640 that's not a fancy pick. And so he was talking 0:17:50.640 --> 0:17:53.600 about that mental stress that he had to endure because 0:17:53.640 --> 0:17:55.240 everyone was saying, Oh, he's going to be a bus 0:17:55.920 --> 0:17:57.879 or he's not going to pan out, um oh this 0:17:58.000 --> 0:18:00.240 draft pick is too high, and he was like, I 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:02.960 had nobody that I can talk to because you can't 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:04.800 talk to your parents about what that stress level is, 0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:07.280 like they haven't done that. You can't even really talk 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:09.920 to your coaches about what it is to be really 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:11.760 they have to carry the weight of the world. He's 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:13.320 a big man, so he was able to do it, 0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:16.280 but to carry the weight of the world or the 0:18:16.320 --> 0:18:19.040 city on your back every single day and just the 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:21.879