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Speaker 1: Welcome to the NFL Players Podcast. I'm in s Williams,

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Speaker 1: as May is mental health, Awards is money. We recently

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Speaker 1: recorded an honest discussion about mental health in the NFL,

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Speaker 1: led by legend Chester Pitts, fellow legend Max Strong, and

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Speaker 1: Arizona Cardinals Calvin Beacham. Let's listen, in fellas, how are

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Speaker 1: we doing this? How are we doing this? Beautiful afternoon?

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Speaker 1: And I'm uh, I get the distinct honor and pleasure

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Speaker 1: to have a pretty cool conversation with you all. And

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Speaker 1: we're gonna hit him some points that maybe a little

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Speaker 1: bit uncomfortable at times, but I believe that the messaging

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Speaker 1: and the information that we need to as men that

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Speaker 1: have played this game, we got to make sure that

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Speaker 1: information gets out first and foremost stouting out the gate.

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Speaker 1: You know, considering your careers, like the way they went,

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Speaker 1: both personally and professionally. Um m m, what was your

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Speaker 1: secret sauce to longevity? How did you guys? How did

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Speaker 1: you find a way to last as long as you did?

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Speaker 1: And since you know what, Ice, since you're holding the bar,

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Speaker 1: you have to start with you with you know, it's

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Speaker 1: a great question. You know, come into the league not

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Speaker 1: being drafted, you know, having feeling like I'm kind of

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Speaker 1: behind the eight ball a little bit, and then ended

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Speaker 1: up playing my whole career one organization. I look back

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Speaker 1: on there something that brings me a lot of joy,

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Speaker 1: a lot of pride. But you know, in that was

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Speaker 1: a lot of it was a lot of struggle. I mean,

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Speaker 1: you know, as you guys know, you know, whether you're

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Speaker 1: drafted or whether you're draft, you gotta go in and

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Speaker 1: earn your spot. And yeah, and so I remember that pressure.

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Speaker 1: A matter of fact, I remember when I first walked

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Speaker 1: in and the coach we had about six players in

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Speaker 1: the in the in the room, and he said we're

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Speaker 1: gonna keep five maybe six guys, And I was like wow,

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Speaker 1: looking around and pretty much everybody else but me, well

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Speaker 1: was on the team the year before. I'm like, oh man,

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Speaker 1: this is this is a lot of pressure. You were

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Speaker 1: the new guy. There's a lot of pressure exactly. So

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Speaker 1: I just knew. I just knew right off the bat,

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Speaker 1: like this is gonna be different for me, and I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna have to you know, I can't play around, you know,

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Speaker 1: I gotta did the undrafted status that that always did

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Speaker 1: you use that as motivation? Was that always a factor in,

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Speaker 1: you know, the first rounder had come in, or a

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Speaker 1: second rounder and come in. But the way you always

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Speaker 1: viewed yourself as an undrafted guy, was there a little

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Speaker 1: bit bit of a chip to prove that I belong?

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Speaker 1: No question the question. I always felt like they were

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Speaker 1: trying to replace me. And I said, you know, even

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Speaker 1: even you know after you know, a latter part of

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Speaker 1: my career with my best years, and I went to

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Speaker 1: a couple of Pro Bowls, it was an All Pro

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Speaker 1: and they were still drafting fullbacks, Like they don't even

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Speaker 1: draft fullback? Who drafts the fullback? They were drafting fullback?

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Speaker 1: We're in this drafting Where was that? Exactly? Like how

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Speaker 1: did that happen? But but you know, I just I

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Speaker 1: just had to remember the business, you know, and I

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Speaker 1: to take it and not take it personal. And it

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Speaker 1: kept me hungry. Um, it kept me alert and UM

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Speaker 1: I think present, you know, but I knew that I

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Speaker 1: wasn't gonna be able. I didn't accomplish all of that

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Speaker 1: by myself. And I knew I was that was never

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Speaker 1: gonna happen. I always had a support team around me,

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Speaker 1: you know, teammates. I was surprisingly when I got there,

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Speaker 1: Guys were older, and you know, a lot of times

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Speaker 1: guys are protective, you know, you know, you gotta you

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Speaker 1: new guy coming in the room. It was like, man,

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Speaker 1: coming for my job. You know, I'm not gonna give

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Speaker 1: you any secrets or whatever. Man. I had guys that

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Speaker 1: were just like nope, man, here here's that. They were

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Speaker 1: just talking to me, giving me tips and stuff or

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Speaker 1: how I could get my job done and how I

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Speaker 1: can make the team and stuff. I was like, wow,

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Speaker 1: this is this is not what I expected. And I

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Speaker 1: know that's not everybody's experience, but I was grateful to

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Speaker 1: have that, and I tried to as I got older

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Speaker 1: as a player, I tried to be that for for

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Speaker 1: other guys as well, you know, because I know and

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Speaker 1: this this game is hard enough, you know, on the field,

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Speaker 1: trying to make the team and trying to win games.

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Speaker 1: You know, I felt like the most important part of

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Speaker 1: it was just a relationship and what what I wanted

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Speaker 1: it to be when the game was over with. So

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Speaker 1: it makes sense. What about you, a young carliage, you're

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Speaker 1: going into going going in the UH where you're going

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Speaker 1: to your ten right right into your tier. It's still

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Speaker 1: still going strong with UH. You know, the same same question,

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Speaker 1: Like what is I mean ten years is ten years

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Speaker 1: is ten years especially going through one year. We just

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Speaker 1: went through COVID too and you and you're still around,

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Speaker 1: so you know, it's it's to to MAT's point, it's

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Speaker 1: a lot different. You know, one team versus fol teams.

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Speaker 1: You know, this is the fourth club that I've been

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Speaker 1: a part of as long as all the checks clear, bro.

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Speaker 1: But it's it's it's a difference, you know. But I

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Speaker 1: mean just the you know, you pick up your family,

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Speaker 1: you go from one city to the next city, another

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Speaker 1: city to the next city. You got to go and

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Speaker 1: be relationships all over again. You gotta start all over

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Speaker 1: again within the new locker room. But I mean, it's

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Speaker 1: it's it's the relationships like you mentioned that matters to

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Speaker 1: the uh, the guys in the locker room no matter.

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Speaker 1: And you know, much much like you said that you

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Speaker 1: go into those locker rooms that you don't have people

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Speaker 1: who are so guarded. Um, you have to be vulnerable.

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Speaker 1: And as you get older, you realize, you know, the

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Speaker 1: shoes have now flipped in and the game is not evolved.

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Speaker 1: And much like people poured into youth kind of early

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Speaker 1: on in your career, you don't have to reciprocate it

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Speaker 1: and pouring to the younger generation. You hit on something

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Speaker 1: that kind of was leading into my my next thought

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Speaker 1: of my next question is when it when it comes

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Speaker 1: for you know, the need to to ask for help.

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Speaker 1: We this is a hyper masculine all tough guys, no weakness,

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Speaker 1: hit a s SOB in the mouth every single play game.

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Speaker 1: So how is it that you know, two men that

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Speaker 1: have said the secret sauce to their longevity in the

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Speaker 1: sport has been because they have been willing, you know,

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Speaker 1: to ask for help, or have guys that are in

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Speaker 1: the locker room that are willing to look out for

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Speaker 1: them to lean on them. You know, how how does

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Speaker 1: that all come together? How to said you know coming

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Speaker 1: to fruition. To me, I just think it's about listening. Man.

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Speaker 1: You're sitting on those stumps and sharing you know, jokes

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Speaker 1: and in life and what you did to night before

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Speaker 1: and you know how you grew up and all of

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Speaker 1: that kind of stuff. I think, you know, that's all

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Speaker 1: that's all good and well, but you know, when you're

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Speaker 1: just sitting down and guys are really when they when

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Speaker 1: they're sharing their lives and they're getting vulnerable, they share

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Speaker 1: things with you. It's like, whoa man, Okay, that's different.

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Speaker 1: You know. I was just talking to a former teammate

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Speaker 1: the other day. We were having a dinner for one

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Speaker 1: of our office lineman who's going to the Hall of Fame,

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Speaker 1: and and I reached out to him, you know, hey,

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Speaker 1: I just wanted to hook up with you, and uh

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Speaker 1: he called he when I saw him at the at

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Speaker 1: the dinner, he felt bad. He was like, man, I

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Speaker 1: didn't call you back, man because he was going through

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Speaker 1: some stuff. And I was like, yeah, just you know,

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Speaker 1: that's okay, man, you know, you tell me what's going on.

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Speaker 1: He's like, well, he said, just be honest with you.

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Speaker 1: I'm going through a divorce. And I was embarrassed that

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Speaker 1: I didn't know how to say that on text. I

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Speaker 1: didn't know how to say that. Don't believe that messes

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Speaker 1: on the phone or an email. L He said, but

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Speaker 1: that's what's going on, man, And they've got some other

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Speaker 1: challenges and stuff with with a kid and stuff in

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Speaker 1: their family. And I was just like, wow, man, it's like,

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Speaker 1: you know, we played together for like seven eight years,

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Speaker 1: you know what, I'm like, man, And he still felt

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Speaker 1: awkward with telling me stuff. So just I just think

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Speaker 1: having that man able to sit down and listen for

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Speaker 1: those key things that those pauses and yas and voices

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Speaker 1: or what they're sharing their little you tell it they're

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Speaker 1: a little bit apprehensive or holding back and just being

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Speaker 1: willing to go there and just say, hey man, this

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Speaker 1: is we all go through it. I'll tell you tell

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Speaker 1: me your words that I'll tell you mine because I've

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Speaker 1: got them. You know, there's there's no We're not all

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Speaker 1: up here just trying to fake like you know, we

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Speaker 1: got everything figured out. We we do need help, you know.

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Speaker 1: I think that the better question is how do you

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Speaker 1: approach that? Like, how do you approach that conversation? How

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Speaker 1: do you approach I mean it's easier when you're still

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Speaker 1: playing because you have the sanctity of the locker room.

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Speaker 1: You know what happens in the locker room. We talked

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Speaker 1: about in the locker room. We've had fights in the

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Speaker 1: locker room, We've had hugs in the locker room. Everything

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Speaker 1: has gone down in the locker room. And until this

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Speaker 1: new social media age, nothing ever got out of the

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Speaker 1: locker room. But but when you know, guys make that transition,

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Speaker 1: it can be it can be really tough. Like you

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Speaker 1: just said, a man you play, how many play, how

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Speaker 1: many games you'll played together being going to the Hall

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Speaker 1: of Fame like a heck of a ball player. But

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Speaker 1: was was having a tough time bringing that to you.

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Speaker 1: For you. You you still got that, you still young Cartlage.

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Speaker 1: Maybe you still room. I mean you have a safer

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Speaker 1: zone still, you know, you still have the safer zone.

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Speaker 1: But I would go back to what you talked about,

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Speaker 1: is it's just ability to just sit down. Much like

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Speaker 1: we sit down right now, sit down. We're just sitting

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Speaker 1: down and you know for offensive linement, you know, you

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Speaker 1: you one of us as you sit down, and and

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Speaker 1: that changes the entire dynamic of the conversation. You know,

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Speaker 1: guys get to you know, having a little sip on

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Speaker 1: something and people start opening up, you know, especially if

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Speaker 1: there's something, if there's something Heavy's just one thing you

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Speaker 1: can always say about most guys that play football, like

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Speaker 1: in comparison to you know, the other professionals and the

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Speaker 1: other sports. You know what I what I've just loved

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Speaker 1: about football is that you know the level of ego

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Speaker 1: never it's it ain't like basketball ego, It's not like baseball. Ego.

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Speaker 1: You know you're gonna have, you know, some premier donna

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Speaker 1: receivers or quarterback every now and again. But the brotherhood

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Speaker 1: of playing football is just a it's a different animal

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Speaker 1: because we know how much we need each other no

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Speaker 1: matter how no matter how fast you are, how strong

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Speaker 1: you are, whatever it takes. Especially as an offensive line,

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Speaker 1: especially down in those trenches. We know, no matter how

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Speaker 1: good the left tackle, no matter how good he is,

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Speaker 1: if the center is not good, it doesn't matter. The

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Speaker 1: old line sucks. That's that's just you know that, that's

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Speaker 1: just the way it is. We know, you know, we

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Speaker 1: we hold, you know, hold the rope together. But being

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Speaker 1: able to have even have these kind of conversations and

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Speaker 1: just sit down and talk to each other like men,

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Speaker 1: and and when something's wearing on, you got to be

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Speaker 1: able to be able to have that space. And because

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Speaker 1: of that brotherhood, it's a lot easier to have that conversation.

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Speaker 1: It's interesting about about moving talking about being on four

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Speaker 1: different teams and moving around with the family and relocal

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Speaker 1: and relocate and how hard that is to like re

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Speaker 1: establish relationships not only with not only with another team

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Speaker 1: and organizations, coaches and locker room players how about the community.

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Speaker 1: How about the the pressure your your wife feels to

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Speaker 1: connect with because I don't know about you guys. When

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Speaker 1: I go home, you know, there's there's there's the reason

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Speaker 1: why they have that. That's saying happy, happy wife. My

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Speaker 1: wife ain't happy. Okay, We're gonna have some problems, but

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Speaker 1: my wife needs to have somebody who she can connect with,

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Speaker 1: and my kids and going to school and the community

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Speaker 1: they are part of. Do they feel I mean, that

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Speaker 1: was a big reason beyonest with you, truth be told,

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Speaker 1: that's a big reason why I stayed in Seattle. I

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Speaker 1: had had opportunities to move to other places, but I

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Speaker 1: think that's been my biggest struggle, honestly really, because the

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Speaker 1: thing is is, you know, at one point in time,

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Speaker 1: we did three cities in three years, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, New York.

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Speaker 1: My wife is in Pittsburgh getting a nursing degree with

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Speaker 1: a two year old. I'm in Jacksonville playing. She's flying

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Speaker 1: back and forth from Pittsburgh to Jacksonville, and then we

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Speaker 1: go to New York and we have another baby in

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Speaker 1: New York. So we having babies, you know, all the stresses,

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Speaker 1: and it's like it's like, you know, you're not even

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Speaker 1: sitting down long enough to build that rapport to be

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Speaker 1: able to say, Man, I'm you know, I'm struggling with this,

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Speaker 1: like I don't know how to handle this life at

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Speaker 1: home right now. She ain't even at home for us

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Speaker 1: to handle this at you know, they don't have to

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Speaker 1: playbook for that, man, MANU over that. But both of

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Speaker 1: you guys mentioned your wives, and you know, I could

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Speaker 1: see like the real support there. Would you say that

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Speaker 1: that your wife was the your your greatest support system

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Speaker 1: kind of through it all and through the transitions. And

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Speaker 1: then I think my question is after the wife, who

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Speaker 1: was the greatest supporter or greatest supporter you know through

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Speaker 1: you know, through it all, throughout your careers. I would

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Speaker 1: say it's she's probably the single most important. She's the rock.

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Speaker 1: She's the rock. Man. I agree, happy wife, happy life,

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Speaker 1: you know. Uh, you know, it's it's one of those

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Speaker 1: things when when you have that piece, it does help.

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Speaker 1: But I think after you get out of that layer,

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Speaker 1: like who can you actually talk to? Who can you trust?

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Speaker 1: You know, what I've had for me, it's been you know,

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Speaker 1: teammates like Ramon Foster who I went to, you know,

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Speaker 1: I think the draft was in Tennessee a couple of

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Speaker 1: years ago, and Man, we're on the back back porch.

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Speaker 1: He's smoking some steaks and we sit down. It's a

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Speaker 1: fire pit and we're throwing stuff from the fire pit

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Speaker 1: and man, just letting it all out. Man, And it's like,

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Speaker 1: that was the first time I was saying my in

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Speaker 1: my career that I actually sat down and relaxed long

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Speaker 1: enough for that to happen. You know. I think about

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Speaker 1: a teammate, Germany Partnell, who was in Jacksonville, you know,

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Speaker 1: just actually having the time to like, you know, we

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Speaker 1: was losing a lot in Jacksonville too, so it's like

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Speaker 1: we had a lot to talk about. We're looking at

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Speaker 1: we're looking at our wounds, and you know, we're going

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Speaker 1: to going to five guys and getting the burger in

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Speaker 1: the shape, you know what I'm saying. So we had

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Speaker 1: enough time to to to lamit. But it's like those

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Speaker 1: type of moments, but you don't feel comfortable enough to

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Speaker 1: share with your significant others, to be able to have

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Speaker 1: that real rapport with somebody in the locker room, to

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Speaker 1: have that real, like real conversation. Hey, I suck at

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Speaker 1: this right now. I am not the man the husband,

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Speaker 1: the father that I need to be right now. And

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Speaker 1: sometimes it's it's only somebody that you've played next to.

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Speaker 1: You know, You'll bled together, you've sweated together, you've lifted together,

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Speaker 1: you're one you've lost together, And it takes those type

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Speaker 1: of relationships to be able to get you through that

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Speaker 1: next mouths in your life, that next moment in your life.

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Speaker 1: How did you push through that? And when I say that,

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Speaker 1: I mean we talked about tough guys. We talked about

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Speaker 1: you know, it's not really viewed as how men that

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Speaker 1: play ball should do. How did you overcome being worried

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Speaker 1: about or that, or or or exposing yourself to that

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Speaker 1: level of vulnerability. For me, it just comes down to trust. Man.

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Speaker 1: You know, if I trust somebody, I mean I think

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Speaker 1: we as football players, that could be a double a

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Speaker 1: sword sometimes right, Like you trust somebody and then they

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Speaker 1: burn your's like you never again, you know. But at

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Speaker 1: the same time, I think that puts it like a

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Speaker 1: I think that puts like a high level of accountability

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Speaker 1: on each of us just to be there for each other.

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Speaker 1: Like we man, we spent we spend more time you

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Speaker 1: think about when you're playing, you spent more time with

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Speaker 1: not just that even training, these all that stuff that

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Speaker 1: you spent almost more time with those guys in the

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Speaker 1: locker room than you do with your families, your physical family.

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Speaker 1: If I can't trust you, man, who cannot trust I

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Speaker 1: think just that just building that and having that with

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Speaker 1: with guys and and just coming through, I think, coming

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Speaker 1: through for him when when they need to really need you.

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Speaker 1: And you know, we always tell people, yeah, I'm thinking

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Speaker 1: about your praying for you, I'll call you and stuff like.

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Speaker 1: But but if you don't actually do that stuff, follow through?

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Speaker 1: What's the follow through? I think the foalter is just

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Speaker 1: so so violently important. And so you know, I know

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Speaker 1: that a lot of guys um you know the plan

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Speaker 1: now and and they realize it too. Man, money don't

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Speaker 1: don't buy you happiness. You know at the fact, it

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Speaker 1: will bring you more problems. What does it look like

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Speaker 1: on the other side, Like, what does that follow through

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Speaker 1: look like on the other side? You know, I'm still

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Speaker 1: I'm current, But what does that what does that follow

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Speaker 1: through look like on the other side? Because guys talk

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Speaker 1: a lot about you know, once you leave the locker room,

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Speaker 1: you don't have that that bond, that relationship that that's

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Speaker 1: that's safe. That's safe space in essence, what does that

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Speaker 1: what does that safe space now look like on the

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Speaker 1: on the other side, That's a very fair and very

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Speaker 1: tough question. I would say I'm a I'm a little

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Speaker 1: bit different than the norm because I ended up being

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Speaker 1: an o G when I came into an organization as

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Speaker 1: a baby. You know, the Texans were brand spanking new

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Speaker 1: in two thousand two, and I was, you know, the

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Speaker 1: original draft class. And then I stayed there and I

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Speaker 1: played there for eight, you know, eight years, and I

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Speaker 1: was consistent and always always around. But while I was playing,

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Speaker 1: I made it I made it a point to be

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Speaker 1: good and be cool with everyone I was. I was

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Speaker 1: the NFL. I was a player rep for the team.

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Speaker 1: So you know, when you're the player of you have

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Speaker 1: a responsibility. You know, information comes down then you have

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Speaker 1: to find a way to disseminate it to every man

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Speaker 1: in that locker room. However, they absorb information to learn it,

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Speaker 1: and that is what I think really helped me build

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Speaker 1: a lot of relationships with other positions, Guys that weren't starters,

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Speaker 1: guys that weren't on the offensive side on the ball.

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Speaker 1: That's what That's how I got tight with a lot

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Speaker 1: of defensive players, when you can get another player to

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Speaker 1: vouch for you as the kind of person that you

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Speaker 1: are when something is tough and when something's tight, I

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Speaker 1: end up getting a lot of just random calls sometimes

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Speaker 1: from guys that you know that that played, you know,

348
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Speaker 1: after I played, but they said, hey, we we we

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Speaker 1: we heard you the man, Uh can you help us

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Speaker 1: out with this? And I just think that consistantly constantly building,

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Speaker 1: constantly building, and like you said, just constantly being there.

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Speaker 1: It builds trust. And when guys trust you, you have

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Speaker 1: a chance for them to take a chance on coming

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Speaker 1: to you because you know. So My my next question

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Speaker 1: I was not gonna ask of you, guys, is what

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Speaker 1: would you say to somebody to get them to take

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Speaker 1: that leap if you have something going on, you're not

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Speaker 1: sure if you can trust, you're not sure, but take

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Speaker 1: the shot. There's a good chance that any man that's

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Speaker 1: in that locker room with you is going to do

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Speaker 1: the right thing by you and not do the wrong

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Speaker 1: thing about you. So that that was one thing I

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Speaker 1: wanted you really to say. So everybody you know here,

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Speaker 1: because if you're gonna put out put out that message

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Speaker 1: to somebody how would you do it? I said, Man,

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Speaker 1: just we're brotherhood and then it's alone. Man, we're not.

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Speaker 1: I think sometimes guys think they have that questions because

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Speaker 1: they feel alone. They felt like, man, I don't I

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Speaker 1: don't have nobody in my life I can trust or

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Speaker 1: who I want to go to. I don't want to

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Speaker 1: get burned. I don't want to get left behind. You know,

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Speaker 1: ask all those questions, and we gotta be there for

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Speaker 1: each other, you know that. I just think we're here.

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Speaker 1: You know, guys are here, you know that. And there's

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Speaker 1: so many I mean, we have the legends community obviously,

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Speaker 1: what trusted are part of, you know, in terms of

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Speaker 1: when guys get out of the league, and our whole role,

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Speaker 1: our whole thing is we want to stay engaged with

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Speaker 1: guys connected through we stay connected. Man. We got twenty

380
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Speaker 1: some thousands like living legends that played this game. Man,

381
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Speaker 1: we want to stay connected with everybody, right, nobody When

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Speaker 1: he walked through this thing alone and then other things,

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Speaker 1: I was just say, man, just just there's so many

384
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Speaker 1: there's resources out there, right, and we all know this, right,

385
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Speaker 1: we we sit in the meetings and coming to tell

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Speaker 1: you got all this stuff and bad like I don't

387
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Speaker 1: want Okay, collective, that's right. You haven't already paid George,

388
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Speaker 1: you might as well use it. Do we get him

389
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Speaker 1: the action I wish. I wish I had to die

390
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Speaker 1: for every time they came in and heard that, and

391
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Speaker 1: I was like, man, I'm to try to get the

392
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Speaker 1: lunch man, hurry up and finish this conversation because I

393
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Speaker 1: got some food to get to. But it doesn't. When

394
00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:33,520
Speaker 1: the rebber meets the road is when it's all over,

395
00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:38,359
Speaker 1: it's it's quiet bad, Like okay, what did they say again?

396
00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:41,080
Speaker 1: There's so many resources out there, you know, for guys,

397
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Speaker 1: you know, no matter what situation you're in, whether it's

398
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Speaker 1: you need financial help, but you need continuing education or

399
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Speaker 1: whatever it is, there's the stuff that for you and

400
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Speaker 1: especially you know, coming out of the climate that we

401
00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:56,920
Speaker 1: were just you know, well we're still in it. We're

402
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Speaker 1: not out of it right there with the vaccination have

403
00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:03,080
Speaker 1: done yet we probably this could be going for another

404
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Speaker 1: couple of years. Man, where we can't. Somehow we're gonna

405
00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:07,600
Speaker 1: have to figure out how to stay and gage and

406
00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:11,080
Speaker 1: access that stuff that's available so the guys can get

407
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Speaker 1: whatever they need, whether it's just somebody to talk to

408
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Speaker 1: on the other side, or somebody to give us some

409
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Speaker 1: advice and then put about how to better do whatever

410
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Speaker 1: it is that they want to do when you so

411
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Speaker 1: you're still playing you you are still going back, and

412
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Speaker 1: you're gonna be in the locker room, you know, just

413
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Speaker 1: off this conversation. Uh has anything changed as the way

414
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Speaker 1: you'll engage with guys now or if you know a

415
00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:38,359
Speaker 1: guy is going through a rough time in a rough spot,

416
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Speaker 1: just putting your arm around him, how will you take

417
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Speaker 1: this conversation and apply to the men that you are

418
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Speaker 1: in the locker room going forward? I think you have

419
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Speaker 1: to be even more intentional. You know, I'm an nfl

420
00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:52,879
Speaker 1: p A rep too, So it's like I understand, I

421
00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:55,560
Speaker 1: understand that that facet of it and understanding you have

422
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Speaker 1: to be able to disseminate information, but you just have

423
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Speaker 1: to be even more intentional. I think that's the number

424
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Speaker 1: one thing. And you know I was playing and joking

425
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Speaker 1: about eating, but I think that's the best way in

426
00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:10,520
Speaker 1: which for me it allows me to get to know

427
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Speaker 1: you better and get to you know, kind of break

428
00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,800
Speaker 1: down that that possible barrier that may be there. It's

429
00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:20,199
Speaker 1: just being able to to build on that relationship pull up,

430
00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:23,200
Speaker 1: pull up, the pull up the chair, you know, during

431
00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:26,480
Speaker 1: one of them them dog days and training camp you know,

432
00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:30,399
Speaker 1: um now training camfe what y'all training? Let me get me.

433
00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,120
Speaker 1: That's a whole other. That's a whole another segment right there,

434
00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:37,880
Speaker 1: you know. And ain't doing them going to lift sometimes

435
00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:45,760
Speaker 1: to run around and underwear it ain't. But it while

436
00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:48,960
Speaker 1: I have you here, I say this truthfully, we stand

437
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,359
Speaker 1: on the shoulders of those who came before us. Y'all

438
00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,040
Speaker 1: came before us, y'all set the stage for for where

439
00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:57,119
Speaker 1: we're at as a union, as a as a league.

440
00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:00,479
Speaker 1: Where we're at, I mean, this game is is what

441
00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:03,640
Speaker 1: it is right now because of you know, the sacrifices

442
00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:07,000
Speaker 1: that you all made playing in the trenches before me.

443
00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:12,040
Speaker 1: Trust you, I got much respect for fullback period. You know,

444
00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:19,080
Speaker 1: period they don't they got back. So you know, ain't

445
00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:23,080
Speaker 1: nobody running ice on them all, you know. Not That

446
00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:27,480
Speaker 1: in itself has to be said because if you realize

447
00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:32,240
Speaker 1: what the legends have done before us, how they found

448
00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:36,280
Speaker 1: a way to thrive in spite of we have to

449
00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:38,359
Speaker 1: find a way to thrive in spite of and that

450
00:22:38,359 --> 00:22:40,520
Speaker 1: that way is to spend time with each other to

451
00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:42,680
Speaker 1: get to know each other and get to know the real,

452
00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:47,919
Speaker 1: the real the real men behind behind them. And the

453
00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:49,639
Speaker 1: thing is is, you know, early on in my career,

454
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,240
Speaker 1: I would do football camps, and I think we've all

455
00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:55,400
Speaker 1: done football camps in some shape form of fashion. And

456
00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:57,760
Speaker 1: for me, that was the time where I really got

457
00:22:57,760 --> 00:22:59,440
Speaker 1: to see people for who they were and they got

458
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:00,959
Speaker 1: to see me for who I was. I brought him

459
00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:03,560
Speaker 1: down to my house, They came to my grandmother's house.

460
00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:06,840
Speaker 1: They ate my grandmother's cooking, my mother's cooking, you know,

461
00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:12,359
Speaker 1: so you got it was true. It was true intimacy.

462
00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:15,240
Speaker 1: You know where you're getting to really the root of

463
00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:17,640
Speaker 1: who somebody is. To allow a man to come into

464
00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:19,840
Speaker 1: your house and eating your mother and your grandmother's table,

465
00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:23,440
Speaker 1: that's that's that's more than Hey, we're going out to

466
00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:30,080
Speaker 1: the State House as close and as tight as for real,

467
00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:33,679
Speaker 1: so to be able to for me, that was that

468
00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:36,480
Speaker 1: was special. Going to other guys camp. I remember going

469
00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:39,399
Speaker 1: to Pouncey's camp, you know him and his brothers and

470
00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,480
Speaker 1: you know um spending time with his mother, his father,

471
00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:45,639
Speaker 1: you know, his family. Going to Will Johnson's camp in

472
00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:49,120
Speaker 1: West Virginia, going to German Partnell's camp, you know, going

473
00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:51,760
Speaker 1: to a different special well, I mean, I think that's

474
00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:54,240
Speaker 1: the way that you know, just a very tangible way

475
00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:57,440
Speaker 1: in which you're able to build on a real relationship

476
00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:00,040
Speaker 1: with guys across a lot of strength and straight and

477
00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,760
Speaker 1: in connection, you know, and it deepens it. And I

478
00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:04,840
Speaker 1: think you know, as a current player, that's the way

479
00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:07,480
Speaker 1: in which we can tap into to spending time with

480
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:09,960
Speaker 1: one another because what we're gonna do in training camp

481
00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:12,480
Speaker 1: and O T A. S. That is what it is.

482
00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:15,159
Speaker 1: But to take time out of your schedule to go

483
00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:19,600
Speaker 1: to somebody else's home, to spend time in somebody else's environment,

484
00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:22,120
Speaker 1: I mean, I think that takes it to a much

485
00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:25,000
Speaker 1: deeper level. And then it's easy to talk about the resources,

486
00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:28,720
Speaker 1: and it's easier to it's easy to say, hey, you know,

487
00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,720
Speaker 1: make sure you check out you know, the NFL website

488
00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:37,520
Speaker 1: and you know, benefit as much as you can. Just

489
00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:42,280
Speaker 1: shut up, rookie, just right, just the money in the fort,

490
00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:46,640
Speaker 1: whatever the max is in there. It's easy to have

491
00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:51,440
Speaker 1: that conversation when you when you really know somebody, they

492
00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:53,560
Speaker 1: know you, you know their kids, and I mean that's

493
00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:56,040
Speaker 1: another thing. You get to spend time with their kids,

494
00:24:56,400 --> 00:24:59,040
Speaker 1: their kids growing up with your kids. It's like that

495
00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:02,119
Speaker 1: connectivity just it changes the game over the over, the

496
00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:05,040
Speaker 1: you know, over the over, the life, over your life

497
00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:07,760
Speaker 1: in the league, and over when you get rid of transition.

498
00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:11,240
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm just now seeing guys transition. I talked

499
00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:13,000
Speaker 1: about Ramon. I know what r J is doing that.

500
00:25:13,119 --> 00:25:15,160
Speaker 1: I know A Miles is doing that. You know, because

501
00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,239
Speaker 1: I saw them when they were you know, need how

502
00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,480
Speaker 1: to adduct. So it's like seeing them now. It's it's

503
00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:22,359
Speaker 1: it's fun of seeing them now, you know. So you

504
00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:27,040
Speaker 1: know what, how do we the most resistant of resistance,

505
00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:34,359
Speaker 1: the naysayer, oh oh, bitter Becky. How do we get him?

506
00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,359
Speaker 1: How do we get him too to believe? How do

507
00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:39,520
Speaker 1: we get him to trust? How do we get him

508
00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,439
Speaker 1: to say when he needs help? Come on, man, just

509
00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:44,359
Speaker 1: pull me to the side. It's already. Just be me

510
00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:47,080
Speaker 1: and you and let's work through this thing. It's the

511
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:51,800
Speaker 1: best way to engage him. I don't I don't know

512
00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:54,600
Speaker 1: if there's a one answer to that, I'd say, for me,

513
00:25:55,560 --> 00:26:00,480
Speaker 1: be asked, what's your alternative? What's what's your alternative of that? Man?

514
00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:03,400
Speaker 1: I mean, because I think that's the conversation that people

515
00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:06,440
Speaker 1: need to have. It is when they don't, when they say, hey,

516
00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:09,320
Speaker 1: I don't want to take and manage these benefits and

517
00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:11,840
Speaker 1: and things that are out there for him, It's like, really,

518
00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:15,200
Speaker 1: why not? What? What? Why? Why? Why would you not

519
00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:17,560
Speaker 1: do that? They're there for you, that that that to

520
00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:19,359
Speaker 1: help you this and it's not a sign. It's not

521
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:24,880
Speaker 1: about labeling you in some ways, it's all confidential. It's

522
00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:27,879
Speaker 1: not there to label you, call you a coward or

523
00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:29,840
Speaker 1: weekly or any of that stuff. It's to help you

524
00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:32,280
Speaker 1: to be successful. Do you want to be successful? Do

525
00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:33,720
Speaker 1: you want to be your best? Do you want to

526
00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:37,000
Speaker 1: be the best version of yourself? That's what this is

527
00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:39,440
Speaker 1: there for. Man. I mean it would be a crime.

528
00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:42,760
Speaker 1: It's a crime to me when people don't use it.

529
00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:44,600
Speaker 1: You know, if you play one year, if you play

530
00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:47,159
Speaker 1: fifteen years or however many years, if you don't, if

531
00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:49,399
Speaker 1: you earn something and you don't take advantage of it,

532
00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:51,560
Speaker 1: that's a that's a car that's to me, that's a crime.

533
00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:55,240
Speaker 1: It's just like to waste that way, like why would you?

534
00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:58,040
Speaker 1: Why would why would you do that? And usually that

535
00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:02,119
Speaker 1: brings out another layer of conversations. You know what I'm saying, Well,

536
00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:05,439
Speaker 1: I don't want to do it. Because of you know,

537
00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:09,639
Speaker 1: blah blah blah, whatever it is, because of my my wife,

538
00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,120
Speaker 1: or because of you know, I'm afraid of how I'm

539
00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:16,680
Speaker 1: gonna look or and then you can any good enough? Yeah? Yeah,

540
00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:18,639
Speaker 1: and I passed the classes. If I try to go

541
00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:22,280
Speaker 1: back to school, yeah, I wouldn't be when, so how

542
00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:23,920
Speaker 1: I'm gonna doing it when I'm thirty two? I don't

543
00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:25,520
Speaker 1: want to be embarrassed. But like, man, you think you

544
00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:27,760
Speaker 1: can't you think you only do thirty five years old

545
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:31,560
Speaker 1: that then finished school. They played this game. I promise

546
00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:35,199
Speaker 1: you you're not by alone, you know, so, so you

547
00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:37,520
Speaker 1: can have that conversation about with people that mean to me,

548
00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:39,840
Speaker 1: it's just like what else are you gonna do if

549
00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:41,439
Speaker 1: you don't If you're not gonna take advantage of this,

550
00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:44,960
Speaker 1: you know? So what about you see a youngster in

551
00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,520
Speaker 1: the in the locker room. That's no, that's not for me.

552
00:27:49,359 --> 00:27:51,480
Speaker 1: I don't need that, you know. I think when you're

553
00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,239
Speaker 1: and y'all got so much wisdom. Man, you know, I

554
00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:57,480
Speaker 1: think as a young person you just try to force

555
00:27:57,560 --> 00:27:59,480
Speaker 1: feed it, which is probably not the right way to

556
00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,640
Speaker 1: doing something else. But it's like here the resources you

557
00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:06,960
Speaker 1: need to take advantage of this. I'm not gonna ask

558
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:10,640
Speaker 1: no questions. I'm not sure to try to smooth talky.

559
00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:14,120
Speaker 1: This is out here. You need to spend time doing it.

560
00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:18,280
Speaker 1: You know, with wisdom and in age and maturity, you know,

561
00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:19,960
Speaker 1: you think about it a different way. But I think

562
00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:24,320
Speaker 1: for for me, it's like, hey, this is this is here,

563
00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:28,879
Speaker 1: you know, take advantage of it. For one K it's here,

564
00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:35,239
Speaker 1: UM tuition, reimbursement, it's here. It's so many you know,

565
00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:39,880
Speaker 1: here's the list goes on and on and it's just

566
00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:43,480
Speaker 1: unbelievable and pushing folks to use it. It's so important

567
00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:46,040
Speaker 1: it's here. You know, all the resources. You know, whether

568
00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:49,360
Speaker 1: it's with your local club in your city, you know,

569
00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:52,360
Speaker 1: it's here, um and it's up to you. And I

570
00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:56,040
Speaker 1: think more than anything, it really has put the onus

571
00:28:56,280 --> 00:29:00,360
Speaker 1: on you as an individual to want to be your best.

572
00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,200
Speaker 1: If you want to be your best, take this initiative

573
00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:10,160
Speaker 1: to be I really feel like persistence is the key

574
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:16,000
Speaker 1: to that. And there's varying forms of persistence. Is you know,

575
00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:19,200
Speaker 1: persistence you can drink from a water fountain or as persistence,

576
00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:22,400
Speaker 1: and you could drink from a fire hydrant. Either way,

577
00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:27,040
Speaker 1: as long as it's constantly coming to you constantly reminding

578
00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:32,880
Speaker 1: you of man, these are tools to help you be

579
00:29:33,760 --> 00:29:36,680
Speaker 1: the best man. You can be the best dad, you

580
00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:39,160
Speaker 1: can be the best human, you best brother, best it.

581
00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,200
Speaker 1: And I think that that's a big piece of it

582
00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:45,040
Speaker 1: is if they're resistant, and then we find out the

583
00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:48,880
Speaker 1: reason they're resistant, then we stress to them the importance

584
00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:52,240
Speaker 1: of Okay, be the best you can be. Well, some

585
00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:54,920
Speaker 1: people are like, hey, I'm pretty damn good where I

586
00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:59,600
Speaker 1: am Jack, I'm cool, but then stressing well, why not

587
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:02,880
Speaker 1: be head? Or if you can be better? If you

588
00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:07,320
Speaker 1: can be my favorite saying, if you're an NFL starter

589
00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:13,360
Speaker 1: on your worst day, your thirty second best on God's

590
00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:17,440
Speaker 1: green Earth, at what you do, that's your worst day,

591
00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:22,040
Speaker 1: but why not be top ten? Why not be the best?

592
00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:26,040
Speaker 1: Where what I mean with Tom Brady being all the

593
00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:28,960
Speaker 1: conversations that Tom Brady has been in, if he was

594
00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:33,520
Speaker 1: only the fourth best or the sixth best, Tom said,

595
00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:38,280
Speaker 1: I'm gonna be numero una, sorry, Mr Montana, It's just

596
00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:41,400
Speaker 1: how it is. He went to go do that. Now

597
00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:44,680
Speaker 1: he's a different self motivator, but I guarantee there's somebody

598
00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:47,640
Speaker 1: always constantly in the background pushing him because he's put

599
00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:49,840
Speaker 1: people in position because he knows what he needs to

600
00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:52,720
Speaker 1: push him to be his best and getting guys to

601
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:57,840
Speaker 1: understand that being your best it's worth it. To provide

602
00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:01,120
Speaker 1: feedback or request the topic for discussion, email us at

603
00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:17,160
Speaker 1: NFL Legends at NFL dot com