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Speaker 1: Welcome to the NFL Legends Podcast, an NFL podcast for

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Speaker 1: the players, by the players. Here is your host, four

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Speaker 1: teen year NFL veteran and Hall of Famer Anius Williams.

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Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to the NFL Legends Podcast. I'm Anius Williams.

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Speaker 1: Today's guests NFL Legends, Ezra to our ulu, and we're

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Speaker 1: going to talk about everything from singing that's right football

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Speaker 1: players do sing, to diversity and inclusion to play defensive

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Speaker 1: line in even mental health manners. So welcome Ezra, he

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Speaker 1: aloha and he's thank you so much for having me.

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Speaker 1: This is seriously, this is amazing. I'm so honored to

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Speaker 1: be on your podcast. I want to start with the

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Speaker 1: obvious question. All right, which of these made you more

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Speaker 1: nervous playing an NFL game? Are singing to national before game?

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Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, I tell you what. I tell you

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Speaker 1: what it was my rookie year, they asked me to

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Speaker 1: sing the national anthem for one of the TNT games

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Speaker 1: on Thursday night. And I'll tell you what it was.

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Speaker 1: I have to probably say singing the national anthem in

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Speaker 1: front of what a hundred thousand people, because you know,

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Speaker 1: when you're playing football, you get you know, you can

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Speaker 1: hide with your ten other guys and stuff that you're

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Speaker 1: playing with, but unless you get a sack or anything,

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Speaker 1: and then you're highlighted. But as far as was singing,

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Speaker 1: it's just you and so I think singing would be

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Speaker 1: more nerve racking than anything else. So how did the

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Speaker 1: broadcat is how did they even know you can sing? Um?

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Speaker 1: I think they saw me singing. Uh. Um. You know

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Speaker 1: when I was in college, I did a couple of

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Speaker 1: the national anthems in college and uh and stuff like that.

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Speaker 1: And I think they're, you know, they're marketing and promotional people.

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Speaker 1: They you know, they sort of kind of know everything

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Speaker 1: about you when they recruit you, right or when they

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Speaker 1: draft in the NFL draft. So I think they got

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Speaker 1: all that information from that. And that's Oregon State. Yeah, Oregon,

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Speaker 1: say o, sus as the Beavers? Right? Yeah? So, as

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Speaker 1: resident about twenty years since you went public as a

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Speaker 1: gay man who's played in the NFL. As part of

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Speaker 1: your journey, a few years ago, you launched a Super

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Speaker 1: Bowl inclusion party in the whole city. What inspired you

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Speaker 1: to create even Oh my gosh, good question. You know, Um,

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Speaker 1: let's rewind a little bit, right, I played nine years

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Speaker 1: in the NFL as a closeted game man, and and

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Speaker 1: so it's one of those things where I had this

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Speaker 1: one saying, brother, hate in any form is wrong. It

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Speaker 1: was my way of battling discrimination and hate while being

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Speaker 1: in the closet. And so it was one of those

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Speaker 1: things it's just sort of kind of caught on. And

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Speaker 1: so when the opportunity came when the Super Bowl was

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Speaker 1: here in Minnesota, because that's where I live. I live

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Speaker 1: in Minnesota, I decided to start an organization called Hate

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Speaker 1: is Wrong. And so we decided to do the first

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Speaker 1: NFL Super Bowl Inclusion Party. And it was the reason

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Speaker 1: why we created that is because I've been to about

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Speaker 1: twelve Super Bowls and never ever have I've seen us

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Speaker 1: the LGBTQ community represented. So what I did is I

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Speaker 1: wanted to I wanted to do a party that would

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Speaker 1: include everyone, not just the football fans, not just the Straits,

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Speaker 1: not just you know, the Polynesians or the Whites or whatever.

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Speaker 1: I wanted to include everyone. It was affordable, and I

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Speaker 1: wanted everybody to have that NFL experience. Um. Not only that,

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Speaker 1: it also I wanted to educate people around the world

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Speaker 1: that you know, we exist, the gay players exist because

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Speaker 1: as you know, it's such a homophobiic. I mean, it's

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Speaker 1: such a masculine it's a masculine sports, so it was

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Speaker 1: hard for us to come out and be ourselves. And

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Speaker 1: so it was one of those things where I did

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Speaker 1: that to educate people, to for letting them know who

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Speaker 1: we truly work right and that we did exist because

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Speaker 1: I'm not the only one. There's a bunch of other

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Speaker 1: of my brothers that played in the NFL and put

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Speaker 1: their sweat and their blood into the sports to make

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Speaker 1: the NFL what it is today. So that's the reason

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Speaker 1: why we did it. And then also we also raise

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Speaker 1: money for anti bullying programs. So we used that platform,

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Speaker 1: the Inclusion Party, to to do good. So everywhere we go,

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Speaker 1: everywhere the super Bowl goes, we go and we raise

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Speaker 1: money for anti bullying programs or diversity programs in the

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Speaker 1: city where the super Bowl is, and we the money

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Speaker 1: stays there and we just we just we just wanted

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Speaker 1: to get the word out. We want people to enjoy

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Speaker 1: and be proud of who they were, no matter what

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Speaker 1: uh walks of life they came from. It was Inclusions

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Speaker 1: been so important to you, It was so society. You know,

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Speaker 1: I think inclusion and stuff for me is very important

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Speaker 1: because ever since, you know, I've always felt excluded from things,

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Speaker 1: right from you know, especially playing in in in playing football,

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Speaker 1: I sort of kind of felt excluded. And when I

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Speaker 1: say excluded, meeting not when you're not able to be yourself,

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Speaker 1: not to be true to yourself. And you know this

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Speaker 1: right in order for you to sort of kind of

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Speaker 1: you know, to play the sports, right it's one of

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Speaker 1: those things where it's hard if you have a crippling secret,

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Speaker 1: and for me, I wasn't able to share who I

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Speaker 1: truly was. I mean small little things right that my

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Speaker 1: straight buddies that played in the NFL took for grantedge

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Speaker 1: introducing them to their to their wives, to their girlfriends,

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Speaker 1: going to the parties, not going alone, not taking the person,

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Speaker 1: and stuff that you gave your heart too and you love.

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Speaker 1: So just small little things that sort of kind of

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Speaker 1: accumulated to ginormous stuff. And you know, I get that question,

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Speaker 1: what's the big deal? What's the big deal? Is try

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Speaker 1: going through the highlight of your career, like you know

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Speaker 1: as well as I know, it is so difficult to

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Speaker 1: make it into the NFL. The statistics are are like

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Speaker 1: slim make one percent to make it, and so it's

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Speaker 1: like anything else when you get to the highest point

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Speaker 1: of your career and not being able to share it

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Speaker 1: with the person that you love. I mean right there,

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Speaker 1: that that alone, right, And I've been introduced to all

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Speaker 1: my friends, families, their girlfriends, you know, seeing all of

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Speaker 1: that sort of kind of stuff and knowing that I

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Speaker 1: couldn't do that. So you know, I've always felt excluded

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Speaker 1: from things. It's very important stuff in this society, in

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Speaker 1: this world that we start moving towards inclusion and diversity.

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Speaker 1: It is the wave of the future. If you don't

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Speaker 1: jump on, you will definitely get left behind. As you

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Speaker 1: can see with all the craziness that happened in it's

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Speaker 1: one of those things where people are feeling excluded from society.

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Speaker 1: They're feeling excluded from things that they feel that they

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Speaker 1: should be a part of and this should have right.

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Speaker 1: So I think that's why inclusion is very important right now.

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Speaker 1: It's a hot topic across this nation along with diversity,

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Speaker 1: especially with Black Lives Matter, UH and all of that.

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Speaker 1: It's one of the things that we need with the

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Speaker 1: LGBT key community as well. We're just all finally realizing

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Speaker 1: this stuff is that we're in it together. Right, all

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Speaker 1: this individuality and stuff where you know, this group would

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Speaker 1: try to do something and that group would try to

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Speaker 1: do something, and actuality is for the same cause. Right.

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Speaker 1: It's because we feel excluded from a lot of the things,

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Speaker 1: the rights that we deserve. Right, in order for us

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Speaker 1: to move forward and grow and heal, we need to

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Speaker 1: come together. And that's why I think it's very important.

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Speaker 1: So how do we as citizens defeat this thing of

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Speaker 1: on humanity? Well, you know, there's so many answers to

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Speaker 1: that question. Man, there's so many people and and every

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Speaker 1: answer is right. It's if it comes out positive with

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Speaker 1: amazing right. For me, I always tell people the thing

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Speaker 1: below your nose and above your chin is called a mouth.

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Speaker 1: We need to use it. You need to find your voice,

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Speaker 1: you need to say something. Right. I think a lot

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Speaker 1: of times, you know, we're about the same age. I

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Speaker 1: think that's how it was back in the old days, right.

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Speaker 1: I mean, when we saw somebody bullying another kid, we

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Speaker 1: said something. When we saw somebody bullying another Polynesian, you know,

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Speaker 1: we stepped up. So it was like that that unity

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Speaker 1: that we had as a culture at the community as

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Speaker 1: the pride of a school or anything like that. It

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Speaker 1: was very important, and I think we lost it along

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Speaker 1: the way, right, And I think now people just are

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Speaker 1: afraid to say stuff, to use their voices because it

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Speaker 1: just takes one click and you can reach a thousand

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Speaker 1: people one click and stuff too. Like you know, it's

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Speaker 1: one of those things where you know, as to all

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Speaker 1: those gays, if it clicked a thousand, two thousand people

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Speaker 1: see it, right, And so we're living in that the

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Speaker 1: era of the clicking post, right, and so right now,

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Speaker 1: I think, you know, it's very important, it's very important

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Speaker 1: and stuff. But I think people need to use their voice,

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Speaker 1: stand proud, uh also figure out where you came from,

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Speaker 1: figuring out your history. That also will empower you to

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Speaker 1: do the positive thing. Right. So there's so many elements

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Speaker 1: that will come and come to this this. I'm just

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Speaker 1: bringing one little piece of the element. There's a lot

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Speaker 1: of things that our brothers in the alumni and the

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Speaker 1: Legends community can do. A lot of them don't think

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Speaker 1: that they can make a difference. Well, I'll tell you what.

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Speaker 1: I don't care if you just you touch one person

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Speaker 1: or two or whatever it is. I think if we

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Speaker 1: come together as a legend community, we can do some

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Speaker 1: amazing things. We can make that change. Let's not leave

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Speaker 1: it up to the person or the players and stuff

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Speaker 1: that are like highlighted now because you all know and

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Speaker 1: I know and stuff there'll be a part of our

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Speaker 1: community when the time comes right. So I think as

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Speaker 1: legend communities, we have a lot of power and I

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Speaker 1: think we can reach out a lot of people. So

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Speaker 1: that's why I'm on here right and I'm asking for

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Speaker 1: the legend community to support my cause. Hate is wrong. Uh.

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Speaker 1: You know, we support a bunch of amazing organizations. And

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Speaker 1: uh again, do you ask you a question? We need

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Speaker 1: to use our voices, the mouth, you need to speak up.

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Speaker 1: Here's of course you mentioned the term homophobic. So as players,

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Speaker 1: and let's just say even the current players today, if

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Speaker 1: there is one of our teammates, one of our brethren,

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Speaker 1: that is gay, what's the difference, Ezra, between being homophobic

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Speaker 1: and developing uh in the locker room with something that's

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Speaker 1: different as relates to Okay, now, I thought all of

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Speaker 1: us were all straightened. One of my brethren happened to

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Speaker 1: be gay. What's the difference between those our brethren, the

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Speaker 1: men getting comfortable, getting a better understanding, getting educated versus

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Speaker 1: being homophobic. Does that make any sense that question? Um? Somewhat,

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Speaker 1: I think, yeah, somewhat, it makes sense. And stuff. I think, like,

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Speaker 1: you just know, the education, education, education, right and bringing

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Speaker 1: it to the forefront. I think, you know, right now,

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Speaker 1: the NFL is doing, you know, a good job with

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Speaker 1: the community, right with the fans going out there, the

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Speaker 1: outreach programs and stuff that they're reaching out to the fans,

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Speaker 1: you know, educating people on who we truly are, you know,

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Speaker 1: getting that pink dollar, as we would say, right, the

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Speaker 1: pink money, because now they're knowing stuff that the pink

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Speaker 1: money is very strong, right. And so I think as

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Speaker 1: far as like you know, uh, education is a big key.

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Speaker 1: What I'm focused on is taking it to where we

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Speaker 1: are the players, right, the locker rooms whatever that, the camaraderie,

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Speaker 1: the meeting rooms or anything like that. Sort of like

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Speaker 1: when you go to the gym, right and you shower

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Speaker 1: with other guys and you change with other guys and stuff,

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Speaker 1: and you just don't know, right, It's one of those

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Speaker 1: things where it's okay, right, why can't it be like that?

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Speaker 1: And you know, and a lot of guys knowing stuff

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Speaker 1: who's gay and who's not gay or whatever. Right, I mean,

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Speaker 1: they can tell. But what I'm trying to say is

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Speaker 1: the we need to figure out a way and stuff

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Speaker 1: to bring it where we can educate a lot of

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Speaker 1: our brothers. Because if I ask anyone on the team,

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Speaker 1: on the team, if I asked them if they do

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Speaker 1: a gay person, believe me a percent will raise their

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Speaker 1: hand because we all know somebody in our family, our

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Speaker 1: friends that are gay. Right, So I think what it

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Speaker 1: is and stuff, it's a respect thing. People need to

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Speaker 1: respect your your your space. They need to. Like I

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Speaker 1: played nine years in the NFL, I never did anything

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Speaker 1: remotely to try to, like, you know, hit on one

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Speaker 1: of my players because that wasn't the place to do it.

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Speaker 1: But not only that, that was a place of family,

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Speaker 1: That was a place of camaraderie, that was a place

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Speaker 1: of us, you know, coming up as a team. Right,

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Speaker 1: what's the difference, man? I used to line up with

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Speaker 1: you on the D line and stuff and go to

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Speaker 1: battle with you, right, and so now you're going to

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Speaker 1: change your attitude and stuff because I decided to give

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Speaker 1: my heart to the same sex. So es gave my

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Speaker 1: heart to somebody that I love, right. I mean, it's

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Speaker 1: one of those things I think, but a lot of

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Speaker 1: it is I think people, and like specially men playing

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Speaker 1: in the NFL or any type of sports, right, we

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Speaker 1: sort of kind of get brainwashed when we were little kids,

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Speaker 1: right from church and from everything else, right of homophobia.

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Speaker 1: Every time you bring up the word gay, right, the

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Speaker 1: things that come along with it is homosexual, right, all

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Speaker 1: these negative things, right. But what we need to do

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Speaker 1: is just sort of kind of change the language. I

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Speaker 1: spoke at the Rookie Symposium. Gosh, a long time ago.

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Speaker 1: I have talked to a bunch of the players that

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Speaker 1: were in that Rookie Symposium, and I'll tell you what,

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Speaker 1: it really helped them to have somebody that's been through

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Speaker 1: the trenches, that have that have gone through what they're

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Speaker 1: about to embark. Right. But I had one stupid question,

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Speaker 1: three players, one stupid question, right. The one question was,

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Speaker 1: so if I call you act and you are, is

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Speaker 1: that offensive? So it took everything in my power not

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Speaker 1: to get over that table and stuff and choke his neck.

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Speaker 1: But but I just it's one of those things where

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Speaker 1: I looked around the room and I saw a bunch

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Speaker 1: of the players and they were doing like you are, dude,

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Speaker 1: you're crazy like that whole the mumbling and people like

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Speaker 1: So I saw the change happening, right. I saw people,

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Speaker 1: all these players telling this guy, why did you do that? Dude?

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Speaker 1: Like this is it thought? He thought he was going

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Speaker 1: to get laughed, but what he did get people just

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Speaker 1: saw the hate that he brought out, not the funniness. Right,

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Speaker 1: and then afterwards a lot of the guy said, dude,

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Speaker 1: he does not represent us. That to me, I saw

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Speaker 1: a change, right, and this is like fifteen years ago, right.

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Speaker 1: I saw the mood, especially coming from someone like me

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Speaker 1: that was like in the closet and scared like to

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Speaker 1: come out because a bounty would have been on me,

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Speaker 1: or craziness would be on me. It's just it's one

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Speaker 1: of those things. Though I'm tough, it's not I could fight.

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Speaker 1: I'm someone I'm six four three pounds, man, I'm someone

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Speaker 1: I can find. But it's just one of those things.

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Speaker 1: What really hurt is that living with a crippling secret,

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Speaker 1: not to being able to share my life. So I

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Speaker 1: think just educating players like that, I think will make

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Speaker 1: a difference, right, and how them understand and putting them

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Speaker 1: in my shoes or anybody else that's playing in the NFL.

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Speaker 1: That's game, right, And it's not about eroticism, it's not

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Speaker 1: about that. It's about team, it's about family, it's about

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Speaker 1: all those things that they believe in, just as much

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Speaker 1: as you believe in. Homophobic I mean, just gosh, it's

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Speaker 1: just crazy right when you use that word. Obviously, it's

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Speaker 1: you know, when somebody is homophobic, that means this, you know,

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Speaker 1: they don't like gay people, right, And it's just you know,

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Speaker 1: it's just like when somebody is racist, they don't like

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Speaker 1: a culture that's not theirs, like you know, or in

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Speaker 1: that in most of the cases of South African American culture. Right.

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Speaker 1: So I think it's you know, it's one of those

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Speaker 1: things that we need to eliminate. And the way we're

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Speaker 1: gonna really eliminate it is that is putting it on

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Speaker 1: the table right for people to talk about, right, That's

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Speaker 1: how it's gonna hear anything. I'm not sure if you've

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Speaker 1: been to a therapist, but I've been too many therapists

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Speaker 1: and stuff, and it's one of those things where what

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Speaker 1: you talk about it, right, when you talk about it,

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Speaker 1: what happens, the healing starts. You deal with it. And

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Speaker 1: so that's what we need to do. Let's not be

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Speaker 1: afraid of it. Let's talk about it, right, Let's put

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Speaker 1: it on the table. Right. If you have an issue

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Speaker 1: and stuff with me, so let's talk about it. If

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Speaker 1: I have an issue with you, let's talk about it. Right.

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Speaker 1: I put that saying when I go and talk to schools,

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Speaker 1: I put hate in any form is wrong on the chalkboard. Right.

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Speaker 1: Have all these kids come up and put stuff down.

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Speaker 1: We have like a quick fat four eyes all these things, right,

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Speaker 1: And then afterwards, I tell you what, we have this

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Speaker 1: beautiful discussion with all these kids and they start realizing, oh, okay,

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Speaker 1: I didn't know that that hurt you. I didn't know.

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Speaker 1: So you can see the healing process this work through

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Speaker 1: the room right at that young age. So I think

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Speaker 1: if they can deal with it and to handle it,

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Speaker 1: then we definitely can deal with and handle it. So

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Speaker 1: in the locker room, and one of the things you said,

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Speaker 1: you you really want to start gearing towards the locker

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Speaker 1: room right in the camaraderie. Right, And you mentioned eloquently

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Speaker 1: you said, as a gay man, when you're in the

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Speaker 1: locker room, it's your brothers, your family, right. So what about,

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Speaker 1: as I said, the player who's getting used to it,

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Speaker 1: who's getting educated, And so let me do the opposite.

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Speaker 1: So if if I'm a hetero sexual man and I

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Speaker 1: see women, if all of a sudden I have women

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Speaker 1: that come in my locker room and I'm attracted to women, mhm,

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Speaker 1: it's a high probability I'm gonna have some attraction. You

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Speaker 1: follow me what I'm saying. No, that's what I'm talking.

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Speaker 1: I follow you. But I don't think the majority of

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Speaker 1: people that go to work every single day when they

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Speaker 1: see an attractive man or attractive woman go automatically to

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Speaker 1: the sex. Oh no, I agree, But they're also they're

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Speaker 1: also not in the locker room where we don't close them, right,

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Speaker 1: So that makes a little different. And the reason I

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Speaker 1: was asking is how would you educate the guys to

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Speaker 1: even get comfortable. I know what you're sharing is relates

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Speaker 1: to how you see it right right now? Is how

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Speaker 1: do we have dialogue the players who see it like

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Speaker 1: the example I just gave right, well, I think what

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Speaker 1: we need to do is discuss it and talk about it.

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Speaker 1: If you feel uncomfortable, we're a towel. If you feel

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Speaker 1: like it's one of those things, right, Like you go

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Speaker 1: to the gym, right, you're walking around naked and stuff

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Speaker 1: like that. Is that if you feel uncomfortable, we're a towel, right,

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00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:25,600
Speaker 1: as simple as that. It's like now we're telling people

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Speaker 1: to wear a mask. Some people don't want to wear them. Right,

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Speaker 1: it's to protect yourself, but also other people. It's just

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Speaker 1: a respect thing, That's what it is. It's a respect thing. Right.

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Speaker 1: But you cannot cannot take away what I bring to

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Speaker 1: the table when it comes to being a part of

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Speaker 1: a team. Right, you cannot take away the tackles and

348
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Speaker 1: the sacks and the comer. You can't take away. But

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Speaker 1: then that's what they do. They take away all of it, right,

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Speaker 1: they take away everything. When you're a gay person, they

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Speaker 1: put you on the bus list. Well wait a minute,

352
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Speaker 1: how can I be on the bus list when I

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Speaker 1: was the first rookie to start all six engage from

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Speaker 1: Packer history. How was that? I'm a bus right, I'm

355
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Speaker 1: a bust list that I made the all rookie team, Right,

356
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Speaker 1: how am I on the bus list? So what I'm

357
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Speaker 1: trying to do? They try to smear you and they

358
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Speaker 1: try to take away everything. Right, Oh, you probably was

359
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Speaker 1: the bench warmer. Oh oh, I wasn't a bench warmer.

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Speaker 1: Man used the google izer. You can tell and stuff.

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Speaker 1: You can go googleize my stats, right, I I contributed

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Speaker 1: to the team, I contributed to the NFL. All of that. Right.

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Speaker 1: But so if you just think of it that way, right,

364
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Speaker 1: you think of it as I think things will change. Man,

365
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Speaker 1: if you feel uncomfortable it stulf, I'll wear a towel.

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Speaker 1: Just like when they started having women coming to the

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Speaker 1: locker room for interviews the media, sometimes more towels and

368
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Speaker 1: sometimes didn't. They gave you a towel to wear, right,

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Speaker 1: So it's the same ass respect that you need to

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Speaker 1: give an individual that goes to battle with you every

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Speaker 1: single day. Right, But in order for us to make

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Speaker 1: a change, we need to talk about it. Right now,

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Speaker 1: we're not talking about it, right. I believe like probably

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00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:09,439
Speaker 1: of the players don't really give a crap because they

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Speaker 1: have somebody in their lives that is part of the

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Speaker 1: LGBTQ community. Right. And if you focus on going into

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Speaker 1: the workplace as a workplace and that's my way of living, man,

378
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Speaker 1: that's playing that's my I'm not gonna you think I'm

379
00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:25,479
Speaker 1: gonna screw it up just for that it's like one

380
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Speaker 1: of those things like, oh man, you know, so I

381
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Speaker 1: think we need to have the conversations. That's what we

382
00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:32,520
Speaker 1: need to do. We need to educate, we need to

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Speaker 1: have respect right for each other. That's it. They have

384
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Speaker 1: to understand the stuff. What I contribute to the team

385
00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:40,840
Speaker 1: is just as important as they contribute to the team. Right.

386
00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,320
Speaker 1: But the problem is they try to wipe out you.

387
00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:46,439
Speaker 1: They try to take everything away that you've done right,

388
00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:48,479
Speaker 1: telling you that you were a bad player, that you're

389
00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:51,480
Speaker 1: a bench warmer, that you probably do nothing right. That

390
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:55,119
Speaker 1: right there as who's saying those things? Well if you

391
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Speaker 1: society people. And then also you know, the packers put

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Speaker 1: me on the bus list, you know with a bunch

393
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Speaker 1: of other people you know back in the days and

394
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Speaker 1: stuff like that. You know, those things hurt and I

395
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Speaker 1: mean right people in the Christian community and the Christian faith.

396
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Speaker 1: I'm a Christian man. I grew up Pentecostal. Said they

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Speaker 1: have got hallelujah church man, I know the Bible. If

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Speaker 1: you don't know the Bible, that don't come at me.

399
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Speaker 1: There's always that one person, that one community that just

400
00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,520
Speaker 1: hates on you. Right, But what you know, who cares

401
00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:26,240
Speaker 1: I'm Mr Loha man, I'm gonna be happy regardless. I've

402
00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:28,480
Speaker 1: been through hell and back, so just nothing that you

403
00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:31,119
Speaker 1: can do to hurt me. I've been molested when I

404
00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:34,600
Speaker 1: was a little kid, like multiple by women, men, thinking

405
00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:37,520
Speaker 1: and stuff that I was a poster child for being molested. Right,

406
00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:40,240
Speaker 1: But you know what, I didn't let that all. I

407
00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:42,160
Speaker 1: didn't that, I didn't hang my head, I didn't get

408
00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,520
Speaker 1: into depression. What I did is I moved forward. Man.

409
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Speaker 1: Every single time I fell down, every single time people

410
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Speaker 1: hit me or people like I would would push me down,

411
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Speaker 1: I would always get up, right because I tell you what,

412
00:21:55,320 --> 00:22:00,520
Speaker 1: tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow is another day, right the child,

413
00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:04,280
Speaker 1: when you will going through those things, did you ever

414
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Speaker 1: or even as an adult, I felt that why wasn't

415
00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:12,480
Speaker 1: somebody there to protect me? What was that like? Yeah?

416
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Speaker 1: I mean I think as your child and stuff, you know, Yeah,

417
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Speaker 1: you have those questions, right, and you just want to

418
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Speaker 1: die basically, right, you're in prison, right, You're in this

419
00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:22,960
Speaker 1: mind prison and stuff that you created. But I tell

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Speaker 1: you what, the Bible when I was a young kid,

421
00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:30,399
Speaker 1: when I was then going to church, Polynesian kids we

422
00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:34,040
Speaker 1: have to like memorize five verses. Right, So I came

423
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Speaker 1: across this this verse he said, don't put your trust

424
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Speaker 1: in the flesh, because the flesh will fail you. Put

425
00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:43,520
Speaker 1: your trust in God because he'll never feel you. So

426
00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:45,720
Speaker 1: if you wonder why I'm here today talking to you

427
00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:48,920
Speaker 1: on your podcast, that is the reason. The man upstairs,

428
00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:51,919
Speaker 1: man God has been good all the time to me. Right,

429
00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:54,920
Speaker 1: He's always made me understand the things that I needed

430
00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:57,639
Speaker 1: to do to be successful in my life. Even though

431
00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:01,360
Speaker 1: I question why, why? Why? What he did he gave

432
00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:04,159
Speaker 1: me blessings. Right, I didn't like I didn't dwell on

433
00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:06,040
Speaker 1: all the past and the dwell on all the negative

434
00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:07,960
Speaker 1: things that happened to me. What I did is that

435
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,480
Speaker 1: I moved forward, right, I look towards the future, and

436
00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:14,399
Speaker 1: that's what I did. And so, yeah, of course you

437
00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:17,760
Speaker 1: know all those things and stuff. You always ask that

438
00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:19,800
Speaker 1: question why when you're a little kid. But I tell

439
00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:24,360
Speaker 1: you what as an adult growing up, I we all

440
00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:27,119
Speaker 1: have I tell this to a lot of people. You

441
00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:31,480
Speaker 1: We have control of our own destiny. That's the way

442
00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:34,280
Speaker 1: you choose to do it and how to get there

443
00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:36,920
Speaker 1: is up to you. Right, If you want to dwell

444
00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:39,399
Speaker 1: on the past and hold onto that hurt. All it

445
00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:41,680
Speaker 1: is going to bring you hurt if you want to

446
00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,640
Speaker 1: move forward and let it go, not forget. Now there's

447
00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:48,560
Speaker 1: a difference. You can let it go, but don't forget, right,

448
00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:52,359
Speaker 1: don't forget and move forward in your life God, and

449
00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:55,240
Speaker 1: listen to God. He's gonna bless you, right, He's gonna

450
00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:58,639
Speaker 1: bless you abundantly. Right. So there's so many things you know,

451
00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:01,160
Speaker 1: even now and stuff when I I get hate mail,

452
00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:03,240
Speaker 1: and now that I get all you know, all these

453
00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:06,680
Speaker 1: negative reactions are like why are you doing this? Why

454
00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:08,840
Speaker 1: are you doing the inclusion thing? Why you're doing a

455
00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:12,600
Speaker 1: diversity thing? Right. I just listened to the man upstair.

456
00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:15,399
Speaker 1: That's all I do, right, and he'll leave me right.

457
00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:18,639
Speaker 1: So you know, as as I listened to you, I

458
00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:22,359
Speaker 1: started to open our podcast with I greet you with

459
00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:26,480
Speaker 1: the love of the Lord. And as also as a

460
00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:29,440
Speaker 1: fellow christ follower, you give him my life to Christ

461
00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,640
Speaker 1: my junior in college. One thing I know from our

462
00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:36,560
Speaker 1: faith and you know this their outlines as relates to

463
00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:41,080
Speaker 1: parameters that God calls for us believers to follow. And

464
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:45,399
Speaker 1: one of the things I love is God's ability to

465
00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:49,399
Speaker 1: love us. And then in the direction any area that

466
00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:52,240
Speaker 1: we need change in our lives. He brings it to

467
00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:55,720
Speaker 1: our attention, right, and then from there helps us make

468
00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:59,239
Speaker 1: whatever changes we need to make. Right, And that's the thing.

469
00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:02,560
Speaker 1: Right will make judgments when they have no authority. Right,

470
00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:06,800
Speaker 1: people give you answers when they're not welcome people. When

471
00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:09,119
Speaker 1: it comes down to it and stuff, it's all about

472
00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:12,600
Speaker 1: you and the relationship that you have with the man upstairs. Now,

473
00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:14,440
Speaker 1: you know, do I fall and do I slip? And

474
00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:18,800
Speaker 1: my perfect absolutely not. But no one is right. And

475
00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:20,800
Speaker 1: the Bible says we all fall short of the glory

476
00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:23,920
Speaker 1: of God, not just the Gage or the Polynesians or

477
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,720
Speaker 1: the trades or whatever. Right we all right, So if

478
00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:29,520
Speaker 1: you stick to the book and I know the big

479
00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:32,640
Speaker 1: question and stuff, there's things in the Bible about homosexuality

480
00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:36,959
Speaker 1: and all of that, right and stuff like that. But regardless,

481
00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:39,719
Speaker 1: if you don't like the color of my skin, my hair,

482
00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:41,560
Speaker 1: or who I decided to give my heart to you,

483
00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:45,520
Speaker 1: you're still looking at a child of God. Sure, So

484
00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:48,240
Speaker 1: on judgment day and and so we're going through this

485
00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:51,639
Speaker 1: because I think this is very important for my community

486
00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:55,800
Speaker 1: to hear as well as other people. Right when you

487
00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:58,280
Speaker 1: get to judgment day and stuff, and God's gonna ask you,

488
00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:01,880
Speaker 1: what have you done or if you're the and why

489
00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:06,200
Speaker 1: did you discriminate against Ezra and the LGBTQ community. What

490
00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:10,359
Speaker 1: are you gonna say because it's gay and I'm sorry,

491
00:26:10,359 --> 00:26:13,040
Speaker 1: you better come up with something better than that. So

492
00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:15,639
Speaker 1: I do what I do for my children. I do

493
00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:18,880
Speaker 1: what I do for all the kids that have committed

494
00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,040
Speaker 1: suicide because they're gay, for all the hate that they

495
00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:25,080
Speaker 1: have got from other people, for all the kids and

496
00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:27,480
Speaker 1: stuff that are living in the darkness right now that

497
00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:31,440
Speaker 1: are living with this the scripty secret, right I'm speaking of,

498
00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:33,880
Speaker 1: for all of them, because you know what, I love

499
00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,159
Speaker 1: them just as much as I love you and everyone

500
00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:39,680
Speaker 1: else that's gonna be watching this podcast. So I love

501
00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,960
Speaker 1: that that that we bought religion into it. We brought

502
00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:46,600
Speaker 1: not not religion, we bought God into it, right, Because

503
00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:49,120
Speaker 1: that's what I tell people. You can turn your backs

504
00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:52,200
Speaker 1: away from religion, don't turn your backs away from God.

505
00:26:52,480 --> 00:27:00,560
Speaker 1: And people ask me, what does this world need today? God, love, unity, suspect,

506
00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:04,600
Speaker 1: and kindness. Five things I'm sure we can add so

507
00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:07,600
Speaker 1: much more on it. Five things I was just um,

508
00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:10,280
Speaker 1: I took some me time. I would do a relax

509
00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:14,280
Speaker 1: and I was taking the elevator down to the lobby

510
00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:17,719
Speaker 1: and the guy there's somebody in there, and I said, oh,

511
00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:19,840
Speaker 1: I can wait, you want me to wait? And then

512
00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:22,080
Speaker 1: the big amile on my face is like, oh my gosh,

513
00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:25,840
Speaker 1: that is so it was, that's so amazing. That's what

514
00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,959
Speaker 1: we need to do in this world. We need respect,

515
00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:32,280
Speaker 1: we need kindness. So like, yeah, come on in and

516
00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:34,040
Speaker 1: stuff like he was just like, so we had a

517
00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:37,480
Speaker 1: beautiful conversation. It was this ministring to each other. How

518
00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:42,720
Speaker 1: what the world needs? Kindness, respect, right and just um,

519
00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:44,680
Speaker 1: you know, for each other and that's what we need.

520
00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:51,520
Speaker 1: It's been amazing to hear to hear you, to hear

521
00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:55,800
Speaker 1: your story, know what you've been through. And as we

522
00:27:56,080 --> 00:28:01,119
Speaker 1: end this, where can people connect with you? Okay, social media?

523
00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:04,680
Speaker 1: Where it did you book? So m Before we end this,

524
00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:08,560
Speaker 1: we're doing our fourth oh my gosh, fourth annual UH

525
00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:12,640
Speaker 1: Super Bowl Inclusion Party. It's gonna be and panel and party.

526
00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:16,040
Speaker 1: It's gonna be UH February five for the panel and

527
00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:20,080
Speaker 1: February six for the party and for the panel. Let

528
00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:21,560
Speaker 1: me just tell you what we do. For the panel,

529
00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:23,760
Speaker 1: we bring in experts from around the country to talk

530
00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:27,480
Speaker 1: about issues that deal with inclusion and diversity. So it's

531
00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:30,080
Speaker 1: gonna be an amazing panel. We have people like Billy

532
00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:32,880
Speaker 1: Bean who is the vice president and Ambassador for Inclusion

533
00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:36,560
Speaker 1: for the MLB, UH, Tony Richardson who is also an

534
00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:40,560
Speaker 1: NFL Legends Community UH, Carli Knox who is the vice

535
00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:44,520
Speaker 1: president for the Links w n B A Bonnie Thorsons

536
00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:46,920
Speaker 1: also with the w n B a UM, and then

537
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,520
Speaker 1: we have Barbara Roberts who is the first woman governor

538
00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:52,760
Speaker 1: of Oregon. She's gonna be on the panel. We're gonna

539
00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:56,240
Speaker 1: be discussing everything. Myself and I put in a request.

540
00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:58,280
Speaker 1: A good friend of mine is Corey Booker. But obviously

541
00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:00,760
Speaker 1: you got to go through the channel of riptoria and

542
00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:03,480
Speaker 1: stuff like that. Plus what's going on the craziness and

543
00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:06,120
Speaker 1: stuff that's going on. Well, I encouraged and I want

544
00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:08,760
Speaker 1: everybody to come to tune in. And also we have

545
00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:14,560
Speaker 1: Andrea Jenkins, who is the first transgender councilwoman here in Minnesota.

546
00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:18,000
Speaker 1: She's gonna be also talking about some social diversity and

547
00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:20,760
Speaker 1: all everything. We're gonna put it all up. There's nothing

548
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:23,280
Speaker 1: that's off the table. And then the Inclusion Party is

549
00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:26,520
Speaker 1: going to be February six, UM and people can go

550
00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:31,280
Speaker 1: to our website Hate is Wrong dot org that is

551
00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:34,160
Speaker 1: Hate is Wrong back or super simple and then you

552
00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:36,200
Speaker 1: can find out all the information about the things that

553
00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:39,880
Speaker 1: are going on. People can reach me on Instagram, Mr

554
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:44,480
Speaker 1: Aloja on Instagram or just my name on Facebook and

555
00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:48,280
Speaker 1: everyone else as Sarah to alo Eratolo. People can buy

556
00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:52,040
Speaker 1: my book online. They can support us in two different ways.

557
00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:54,040
Speaker 1: They can donate or they can buy a T shirt.

558
00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:57,560
Speaker 1: We support some amazing organization and I would just welcome

559
00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:00,920
Speaker 1: all the Legends community to us to pay and to

560
00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:04,000
Speaker 1: to help because we need to stick together. We need

561
00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:07,040
Speaker 1: to help each other grow and move forward. Um. But yeah,

562
00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:09,120
Speaker 1: so thank you so much brother to having me on.

563
00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:13,480
Speaker 1: And this is so quick question. The panel? Will that

564
00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:19,080
Speaker 1: be virtual? Yeah, normally everything is at the Super Bowl,

565
00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:22,360
Speaker 1: but because of COVID, we're doing it virtual. It is free,

566
00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:25,360
Speaker 1: the panel and the party is free for people. I've

567
00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:28,360
Speaker 1: had educators contact me colleges because they're gonna let their

568
00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:30,800
Speaker 1: students watch it. So it's one of those things that

569
00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:33,040
Speaker 1: you know, we need more of stuff like this. We

570
00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:36,480
Speaker 1: need panels like this to talk about racial differences, talk

571
00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:40,440
Speaker 1: about inclusion, diversity, unity and love. Right, So, that's what

572
00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:42,320
Speaker 1: we're gonna be doing. I have some amazing people on,

573
00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:45,320
Speaker 1: so I hope everybody tunes in and you know, reach out,

574
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:47,680
Speaker 1: you know, share it, share it with everybody else. So

575
00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:53,080
Speaker 1: this has been amazing, man, Thanks for joining us. Yea,

576
00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:56,440
Speaker 1: the best is yet to come. Yeah it is, man,

577
00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:59,320
Speaker 1: It's just yeah it is. It has been yet to come.

578
00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,120
Speaker 1: So thank you so much for having me. I love

579
00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:04,440
Speaker 1: the Legends community, man, and thank you for embracing me

580
00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,680
Speaker 1: and also my fellow gay brothers that played in the league.

581
00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:17,160
Speaker 1: Thank you. It's an honor. Thank you. This has been

582
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:21,200
Speaker 1: the NFL Legends podcast. To provide feedback or request a

583
00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:25,000
Speaker 1: topic for discussion, email us at NFL Legends at nfl

584
00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:25,560
Speaker 1: dot com.