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Speaker 1: We're in the Colts radio studio. I'm Matt Taylor with

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Speaker 1: Lara Overton. We're joined by Shaquille Leonard of the Indianapolis

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Speaker 1: Colts because the Colts have named Shack Leonard as the

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Speaker 1: team's nominee for the Walter Peyton NFL Man of the

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Speaker 1: Year Award, presented by Nationwide. Considered one of the league's

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Speaker 1: most prestigious honors. NFL players recognized for outstanding community service

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Speaker 1: activities off the field, as well, of course, as excellence

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Speaker 1: on the field. Shack, this is awesome, man, Congratulations on

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Speaker 1: this honor. When you found out that you were going

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Speaker 1: to be the Colts nomination for this award. What kind

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Speaker 1: of emotions did you have knowing the magnitude of what

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Speaker 1: this award means. Ah Man, I was so excited, um

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Speaker 1: for one, and just you know, grateful photo opportunity, and

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Speaker 1: you know, just you know, just wanted to, you know,

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Speaker 1: just be a part, you know, be a part of

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Speaker 1: something and show them that you know, more than just

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Speaker 1: a football player. You know, I'm a I'm a giver

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Speaker 1: and you know that's something that's always been me. You know,

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Speaker 1: I love to make people smile. I love to you know,

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Speaker 1: make people you know happy, and you know that's something

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Speaker 1: right now, is you know, just being a part of

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Speaker 1: this is you know, something that's a certified UM. You know,

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Speaker 1: the way that I'm doing things and the way people

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Speaker 1: see me around this organization. You've established your own Maniac

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Speaker 1: Foundation and that has really been the vehicle for a

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Speaker 1: lot of your contributions and your involvement. When you established

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Speaker 1: the foundation, what was the priority for you on how

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Speaker 1: you wanted to give back and the areas and the

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Speaker 1: communities that you were really trying to impact. UM. You know,

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Speaker 1: we wanted to focus on three different areas UM you

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Speaker 1: know of course, you know, education being one UM and

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Speaker 1: you know the physical you know aspect of it, making

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Speaker 1: you know, want people to be you know healthy. And

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Speaker 1: then you know, the last aspect was you know, helping people,

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Speaker 1: helping families in need when it comes down to food.

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Speaker 1: So you know, just trying to give trying to give

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Speaker 1: back is all different ways. You know, it's just more

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Speaker 1: than you know, athletes or students who you know need

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Speaker 1: to be you know, feel like they need to be loved.

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Speaker 1: So we just wanted to show it all the way,

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Speaker 1: you know, and all aspects as we possibly can. Is

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Speaker 1: there some one who impacted you growing up that instilled

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Speaker 1: this desire to give back. Oh yes, I got two

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Speaker 1: people for one, my mom. My mom just seeing the

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Speaker 1: way that you know, we're nine kids and you know,

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Speaker 1: not really having too much, but we had everything that

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Speaker 1: we need and you know, I've seen her go without

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Speaker 1: so we can go with. And you know that showed me,

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Speaker 1: you know, a lot about her. And then once my

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Speaker 1: brother Anthony, you know, got drafted and he just always,

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Speaker 1: you know, just gave back as much as possibly can.

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Speaker 1: And you know I saw that early, and I saw

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Speaker 1: that the money didn't change him. And you know, my

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Speaker 1: high school baseball coach I always told me, you know,

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Speaker 1: never forget where you came from. And that's something that

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Speaker 1: I'm you know, I'm big about man, and I understand

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Speaker 1: the struggle that I had, you know, growing up, and

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Speaker 1: I understood that. You know, I had a high aspiration

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Speaker 1: of you know, making it to the next level. And

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Speaker 1: there was people that I looked up to and you know,

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Speaker 1: physically being able to see them in person. You know,

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Speaker 1: that pushed me, you know, to be who I am today.

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Speaker 1: And that's why all my events, you know, I'm not

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Speaker 1: just you know, cutting a check or you know, making

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Speaker 1: a video. You know, I want to be there. I

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Speaker 1: want to be there so the kids can actually you know,

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Speaker 1: physically touch you know, see me and you know, and

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Speaker 1: just give them that hope. Because if I can tell

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Speaker 1: my story and they see the things that I've been

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Speaker 1: through in my life and now see where I'm at,

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Speaker 1: you just give that kid that one hope. And you know,

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Speaker 1: that's that's that's my job is just to give this

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Speaker 1: this this world hoping because I mean, the way this

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Speaker 1: world is going now, man, they need this positive energy.

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Speaker 1: They need influencers in their lives to show them that

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Speaker 1: there's a way, you know, besides you know, screetch and

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Speaker 1: as people that is out here that's really want to

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Speaker 1: help you. That's Shack Leonard with us see as the

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Speaker 1: team's nominee the Cults nominee for the Walter Payton NFL

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Speaker 1: Man of the Year Award, of course, presented by Nationwide.

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Speaker 1: This year's Shack you donate a nearly forty thousand dollars

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Speaker 1: to renovate Hilltop Park. That's a park in your hometown

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Speaker 1: of lake View, South Carolina. You hosted a football camp

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Speaker 1: there a backpack drive for about three hundred eighty three

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Speaker 1: hundred and eighty students at lake View Elementary coats for

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Speaker 1: kids thanksgiving turkeys in your hometown of lake View, South Carolina.

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Speaker 1: Why is giving back to that area and in lake View?

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Speaker 1: Why is that so important to you? Because the late

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Speaker 1: View you know, there's no Shaquille Linum without late View,

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Speaker 1: South Carolina. And that town gave me so much, especially

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Speaker 1: young when you know, at an early age, I knew

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Speaker 1: that I didn't want handouts, and there were so many

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Speaker 1: people around it gave me opportunities to you know, earn

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Speaker 1: money stuff like that. And there was so many people

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Speaker 1: who knew my aspirations and knew my driving, knew that

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Speaker 1: I couldn't work them, you know, nine to five at

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Speaker 1: the moment. But I knew that I didn't want to

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Speaker 1: hand out. So just being there and just filling out

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Speaker 1: in love and this is my way of you know,

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Speaker 1: giving back. And I know as kids, you know I

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Speaker 1: came from, I came from you know, a struggle, and

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Speaker 1: it's Late View was a very small town that you know,

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Speaker 1: everybody just comes together and when as a family in need,

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Speaker 1: and you know, I can remember when you know, my

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Speaker 1: clothes got burned. You know, the town was there, you know,

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Speaker 1: to give my family, you know, everything that you know

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Speaker 1: they could possibly give us. And you know, I just

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Speaker 1: you know, I'm grateful for that those things that I

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Speaker 1: don't you know, I don't forget and I'm you know,

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Speaker 1: I always try to give back to to that to

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Speaker 1: that town man because you know, we need that, we

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Speaker 1: need people to um you know, you know, don't forget

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Speaker 1: where they come from, because I feel like a lot

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Speaker 1: of times, Manu, when it comes down to celebrities, UM,

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Speaker 1: sometimes they forget about that hometown. They forget about them

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Speaker 1: kids that you know walking the same streets or are

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Speaker 1: sitting in the same seats they're sitting in and going

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Speaker 1: through the same problems that they're um that they went through.

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Speaker 1: In just me being able to give back and show

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Speaker 1: my face, you know, as much as I possibly can

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Speaker 1: back in the hometown, man Is. It's just you know,

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Speaker 1: a great feeling, um, you know, to see the small

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Speaker 1: on the kids' faces. We get to see so much

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Speaker 1: of the work that you do here in Indianapolis, also

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Speaker 1: in Lakeview. One of the things you did earlier this year,

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Speaker 1: you brought the South Carolina State Marching Band to Lucas Oil.

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Speaker 1: Everyone kind of got to see that performance. I know

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Speaker 1: that was something in particular very special for you. So

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Speaker 1: your connections to Lake for your connections obviously to the Indianapolis,

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Speaker 1: but another area in which you made an impact. You

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Speaker 1: donated to help fund the funerals and pay for the

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Speaker 1: caskets for some of the victims of the Uvalde School shooting.

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Speaker 1: Why was that an area where you felt compelled to

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Speaker 1: give and support and to help that community, because back

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Speaker 1: when I lost my brother, you know, it was you know,

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Speaker 1: we didn't have an insurance. You know, nobody's expecting where

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Speaker 1: no mother is expecting to bury their child, you know

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Speaker 1: that early of age or unexpecting like that, and there

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Speaker 1: shouldn't be a mother having to, you know, for one,

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Speaker 1: have the emotions of you know, a death of you know,

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Speaker 1: one of their loved ones and having to figure out,

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Speaker 1: you know, how to you know, pay for this funeral,

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Speaker 1: and that's a lot of stress on the family. And

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Speaker 1: I don't I don't want that, you know. If I can,

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Speaker 1: if I can help out any way that I possibly can,

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Speaker 1: that is my job. My job is. You know, I'm blessed.

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Speaker 1: I'm blessed where you know, you know, my athletic ability,

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Speaker 1: you know, with money and everything, but you know what

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Speaker 1: makes me happy is seeing other people happy. And I

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Speaker 1: just try to, you know, give back, and I don't.

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Speaker 1: I hate to see, you know, a family go through

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Speaker 1: that and all week long with struggle to find out

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Speaker 1: you know how I am. I'm gonna getting this pay

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Speaker 1: for anything like that. So I was just trying to

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Speaker 1: help out of them in any way that I possibly

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Speaker 1: could in that situation. We're in studio with Shaquille Leonard

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Speaker 1: Laara over tonight Matt Taylor Shack Leonard is the Colts

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Speaker 1: nominee again for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the

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Speaker 1: Year Award, presented by Nationwide. You do so much. You

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Speaker 1: talk about the Maniac Foundation, your involvement with the Colts initiative,

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Speaker 1: kicking the stigma, all that you do for Lakeview, South Carolina.

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Speaker 1: But you're a Hoosier now, Shack, and you've been here

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Speaker 1: since twenty eighteen. How much do you enjoy Indianapolis and

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Speaker 1: the people and getting to know sort of the fabric

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Speaker 1: of this community. Ah? Man, I love it. Man. It's

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Speaker 1: crazy coming from you know, a small town of less

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Speaker 1: than eight hundred and then you come here and you know,

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Speaker 1: you for one you know, they took my family in.

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Speaker 1: You know, my family can go out and you know

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Speaker 1: everybody treat them with nothing but love and in respect,

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Speaker 1: and they do me the same way. And you know

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Speaker 1: my job is to you know, to give back, you know,

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Speaker 1: not just on the field, but off to feel as well.

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Speaker 1: And you know, just having the interactions you know with

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Speaker 1: the fans and you know they're expressing them. You know

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Speaker 1: they love for the coats and the love for you know,

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Speaker 1: the players, and you know that's that's something I love. Man.

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Speaker 1: It's amazing to see, you know, how much you know,

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Speaker 1: these fans really do enjoy the coats and the love

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Speaker 1: their players. Shock. You have been so candid about, you know,

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Speaker 1: positivity and encouraging people, but this season has been a

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Speaker 1: struggle for you physically, emotionally, mentally. When you talk about

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Speaker 1: the community in this fan base, how much encouragement and

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Speaker 1: support have you felt from them, whether it's on social

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Speaker 1: media when you've been at games, to help you navigate

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Speaker 1: what has been a very difficult twenty twenty two. Ah, man,

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Speaker 1: I'm I realized that for one, you know, stay social media,

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Speaker 1: you know at times because you know, sometimes you know

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Speaker 1: that they say what they want and don't understand you know,

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Speaker 1: you know we're human too, and but you know being

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Speaker 1: in at the game and um, just hearing the real fans,

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Speaker 1: Hey shot, you know, we got your back, Hey shot.

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Speaker 1: You know, take your time. We understand what you're going through.

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Speaker 1: You know, just be you and we trust you. And

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Speaker 1: you know that that's something that you know, as a player,

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Speaker 1: that you love to hear from, you know, from the fans.

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Speaker 1: And you know it's been frustrating all year man um,

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Speaker 1: you know, with three three surgeries in one year. Um,

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Speaker 1: you know, not playing you know to you know my ability, Um,

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Speaker 1: you know, it sucks. And then just you know, being

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Speaker 1: able to stand on the sideline and watch other people

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Speaker 1: do what you love to do and it it sucks.

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Speaker 1: But you know I had to you know, take off

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Speaker 1: my helmet and put on a hat and actually you know,

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Speaker 1: help this team out. And you know, with you know

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Speaker 1: my IQ, you know what can I pick up you

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Speaker 1: know defensively, you know that can help the guys. What

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Speaker 1: tips can I you know, you know help the guys

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Speaker 1: out with and so that that was my role and

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Speaker 1: I just try to encourage them all the way through

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Speaker 1: and you know, keep them keep their energy level you

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Speaker 1: know high, you know, I just I'm I just want

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Speaker 1: to see my guys win. I want to see my

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Speaker 1: guys be successful. And you know, I'm gonna be their

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Speaker 1: biggest cheerleader, man, and you know, be their biggest credit

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Speaker 1: as well. And you know they understand that. And I

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Speaker 1: think that, you know, I got enough respect in the

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Speaker 1: locker room that you know, guys look to me, you know,

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Speaker 1: for that and for the validation and to to see, you know,

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Speaker 1: exactly how truly are they playing. Because I'm gonna keep

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Speaker 1: it room, gonna keep it a buck with him, and

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna make sure they understand, you know, what is

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Speaker 1: winning football was not winning football. And you know i'mna

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Speaker 1: hold you accountable at Shack Leonard with us. The final

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Speaker 1: couple of things, Shack, I mean just you talked about

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Speaker 1: the surgery there. I mean, as a second surgery in

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Speaker 1: five and a half months, how are you feeling physically,

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Speaker 1: how are you coming along with with that rehab? I

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Speaker 1: know it's early, yeah, man, I'm to be honest, man,

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Speaker 1: I'm feeling feeling way better now. And I know a

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Speaker 1: lot of people will say, well he said that once before. Um,

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Speaker 1: I can say, you know, the first surgery back and

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Speaker 1: you know June on June seventh, you know, we thought

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Speaker 1: we fitsed the problem, and you know, we thought it

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Speaker 1: was just gonna be a lot of time. But you know,

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Speaker 1: once you know, as we kept going and things wasn't

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Speaker 1: getting better, we had to figure it out. You know,

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Speaker 1: what's what's the issue. And once I had surgery, Um,

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Speaker 1: but you know it'd be three weeks tomorrow. You know,

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Speaker 1: I'm feeling them nerves firing again. I'm feeling it all

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Speaker 1: the way through my leg. So I didn't feel that

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Speaker 1: the first time I had surgery. So Okay, I'm actually

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Speaker 1: you know, I'm feeling better. I'm walking around better. I'm not,

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Speaker 1: I just I just I'm like say, I'm better. You know,

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Speaker 1: I'm I'm happy with where I'm at right now. And

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Speaker 1: you know, I just can't wait till, you know, continue

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Speaker 1: to get better. And you know, I just you know,

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Speaker 1: ready to get back on the field someway somehow. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: like you said, I know this this season has been

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Speaker 1: frustrating for you, right, I mean kind of on the field,

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Speaker 1: off the field, and then having to shut it down

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Speaker 1: with that with that second surgery. When you were out

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Speaker 1: there this season, did did you feel yourself or did

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Speaker 1: you have to kind of change the way that you played.

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Speaker 1: I had to change the way that I played because

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Speaker 1: I had no power on my left leg. So, man

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Speaker 1: um the problem was, you know, the nerve. I had

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Speaker 1: an impingement in my back that um call's nerves painting

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Speaker 1: all the way down to my cab, so I had

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Speaker 1: zero power of my calf. So now it really just

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Speaker 1: came down to my IQ of you know, trying to

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Speaker 1: figure out where's the ball going and how can I

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Speaker 1: beat my block as soon as as fast as I

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Speaker 1: possibly can because I didn't have that acceleration that I

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Speaker 1: once had last year. So it was tough. It was tough,

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Speaker 1: but it was more so, you know, a challenge to

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Speaker 1: me to say, Okay, I'm gonna watch film as much

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Speaker 1: as I possibly can understand the game, understand how they're

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Speaker 1: trying to attack me, understanding who's gonna block me in,

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Speaker 1: you know, put myself in a great position to make

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Speaker 1: plays whenever I could. Shaq, you and I have had

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Speaker 1: a lot of conversations about not only what you do

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Speaker 1: when you're here at the facility to rehabilitate and get

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Speaker 1: back and get into playing form, but also the things

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Speaker 1: that you do when you go home, you have a

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Speaker 1: lot of additional things. What are all of the things

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Speaker 1: as much as you can describe that go into getting

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Speaker 1: you back to the point where you're playing at the

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Speaker 1: level that you expect to be. Um, well, I mean

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Speaker 1: right right now, I had a you know, I told

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Speaker 1: him back a little bit just because of you know,

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Speaker 1: fresh out of surgery. But you know, before that, you know,

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Speaker 1: I was you know, here to what five or sits.

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Speaker 1: I go home and I see my I see my girls,

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Speaker 1: probably you know, thirty minutes to an hour if that.

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Speaker 1: Then I'm downstairs with my other doctor and I'm on

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Speaker 1: the table man till probably maybe one or two o'clock

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Speaker 1: each each night, you know, just trying to you know,

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Speaker 1: to do what I possibly can, you know, to get

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Speaker 1: back on this um, get back on the field for

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Speaker 1: for the guys. And you know, in the hyperbaric all

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Speaker 1: the time, I'm not really getting much sleep, but you know,

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Speaker 1: just you know, I was just trying to do absolutely anything,

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Speaker 1: you know, to feel better, anything to get back on

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Speaker 1: the field. If that meant you know me, you know,

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Speaker 1: sacrificing time with kids, sacrifice in my sleep. You know,

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna do that. I'm an ultimate competitor and my

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Speaker 1: job is to you know, play football and not standing

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Speaker 1: on the sideline. And I take that, you know, very

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Speaker 1: you know, I take that very proful. And I think

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Speaker 1: people truly don't understand, you know, how truly passionate I

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Speaker 1: am about playing the game, and you're still finding time

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Speaker 1: to get involved in the community, which is why we're

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Speaker 1: talking to you right again that Shack Leonard the the

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Speaker 1: Cults nomination for the Walter Peyton Man of Year. Last

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Speaker 1: one for me, Shack, And then we'll get you out

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Speaker 1: of here because I think again, I know you're you're

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Speaker 1: so swamped with your time. I got to ask you

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Speaker 1: about Zayre Franklin. He's balling out right, I mean leading

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Speaker 1: the team in tackles. How much of his play this season?

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Speaker 1: Did you know that he had in him just needed

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Speaker 1: that opportunity? Right? Ah? Man, Um, I'll say, you know, well,

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Speaker 1: I mean we came in together and you know, seeing

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Speaker 1: how you know, how he played and how he learned.

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Speaker 1: He's a he's a smart him being um. I mean

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Speaker 1: that we kind of joked about, you know earlier, you know,

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Speaker 1: maybe a year, one, year two, like your football doesn't

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Speaker 1: work out? He said they wanted, you know, they wanted

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Speaker 1: to be a lawyer. Yeah, it shows you out, you

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Speaker 1: know how smart that he truly is. And you know,

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Speaker 1: he's he take the game man. And you know, he's

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Speaker 1: like a sponge. You know, if you tell him one

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Speaker 1: thing and you know he's gonna he's gonna take it,

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Speaker 1: he's gonna wrong with it. And you know, he's a

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Speaker 1: he's a true leader, man. And that's one thing that

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Speaker 1: I love about zaiyear. He's he's a head hunter. You know,

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Speaker 1: he's he's very you know, he wanted to be a

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Speaker 1: intimidated factor out there when it comes down to you know,

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Speaker 1: the big hits and you know, making the plays around

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Speaker 1: the ball. Goll all day. Man. I'm happy for him,

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Speaker 1: you know, I just you know, I'm glad that you know,

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Speaker 1: he got this opportunity and I'm glad and that you know,

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Speaker 1: he's taking full advantage of his opportunity and you know,

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Speaker 1: making any people understand that you know, he's not just

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Speaker 1: a special team guys. What you know people thought he was.

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Speaker 1: And he's a he's a good linebacker man. And I

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Speaker 1: hope people you know you're seeing that now. Yeah, it's

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Speaker 1: a good Colts defense. But man, it'd be even better

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Speaker 1: with number fifty three out there. Shack Leonard again, congrats

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Speaker 1: on this nomination Walter Peyton Man of the Year from

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Speaker 1: the Indianapolis Colts. Shack continued success, continued, good luck with

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Speaker 1: the rehab and thanks so much for the time and

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Speaker 1: thanks for all that you do for the Colts in

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Speaker 1: the Indianapolis community. Yeah, so no problem, Thank you so much.