1
00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:04,560
Speaker 1: What's up, everybody, and welcome to the latest edition of

2
00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:08,840
Speaker 1: the Falcons in Focus podcast presented by Ticketmaster. I'm Scott Bear.

3
00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:12,479
Speaker 1: That's Tarren Walk, man of the hour. Falcons wide receiver

4
00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,480
Speaker 1: Van Jefferson is joining us. And before we get into

5
00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:19,960
Speaker 1: what are some pretty fun and interesting stories with Van,

6
00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:22,680
Speaker 1: we have to tell you that as the official ticket

7
00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:25,799
Speaker 1: marketplace of the Falcons and the NFL, Ticketmaster has a

8
00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:28,880
Speaker 1: wide selection of tickets available for every game. Whether you're

9
00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:31,960
Speaker 1: cheering on the Falcons at a hole or away, Ticketmaster

10
00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,000
Speaker 1: has you covered. Download the Ticketmaster app or find tickets

11
00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:39,200
Speaker 1: today at ticketmaster dot com. Slash Falcons. That's ticketmaster dot

12
00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:44,839
Speaker 1: com slash Falcons. Now, Van, we're going to start by

13
00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,600
Speaker 1: going back in time just a little bit. End of

14
00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:52,680
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl. Good day for you. Yeah, there's a

15
00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,520
Speaker 1: shot I think NFL Films found it or something like that.

16
00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:59,280
Speaker 1: But you're celebrating a victory, the Rams win the Super

17
00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:03,720
Speaker 1: Bowl in Los Angeles, huge moment professionally, and then someone

18
00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,399
Speaker 1: walks up to you with your kids in front of you,

19
00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,200
Speaker 1: I think, yeah, and delivers some news. What news did

20
00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:10,000
Speaker 1: they deliver to.

21
00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:10,720
Speaker 2: You in that moment?

22
00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,600
Speaker 3: Yeah, my wife was having a baby and right then

23
00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,319
Speaker 3: and there, and so you know, she didn't want to

24
00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:19,160
Speaker 3: tell me, you know, so I just played the game,

25
00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:21,800
Speaker 3: and you know, after the game, of course, you know,

26
00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:24,120
Speaker 3: I'm just full filled with excitement, you know, just went

27
00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:26,080
Speaker 3: to the super Bowl. But then you know, the lady

28
00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:27,479
Speaker 3: comes out, know heere, I said, you're having a baby.

29
00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,240
Speaker 3: And it's just like the ultimate like best feeling ever,

30
00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:31,960
Speaker 3: you know, winning Super Bowl and having a baby.

31
00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,520
Speaker 2: So it was cool.

32
00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:37,759
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I was just I was just like all

33
00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:38,319
Speaker 3: over the place.

34
00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:39,520
Speaker 2: I was just like all over.

35
00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:41,080
Speaker 3: The place, just trying to keep my kids calm and

36
00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:43,560
Speaker 3: me stay calm too as well. But it was a

37
00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:44,399
Speaker 3: good moment for sure.

38
00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,680
Speaker 1: So was was that the do date? Did you think

39
00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,840
Speaker 1: that it might have been a yeah?

40
00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:53,760
Speaker 3: I mean yeah, my wife kind of predicted it. She

41
00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:55,880
Speaker 3: was kind of like, he's gonna come on the super Bowl.

42
00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:57,360
Speaker 3: I was like, nah, he might need to come on

43
00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,040
Speaker 3: the day after. But you know, ultimately he came on

44
00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:02,040
Speaker 3: the Super Bowl, and you know, it was like a

45
00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:03,800
Speaker 3: lot of commotion. I had to get out of there

46
00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,040
Speaker 3: really quick, and I was like stuck in traffic the

47
00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,200
Speaker 3: whole time. But I was stuck in traffic, so I

48
00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:12,000
Speaker 3: didn't I got there. He was already born. But you know,

49
00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:12,800
Speaker 3: it's cool.

50
00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:14,280
Speaker 2: It was good. It was a good throw to see him.

51
00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,200
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's there's an interview you you and your wife

52
00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:21,080
Speaker 1: were on the Today Show, right kind of and she

53
00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,320
Speaker 1: was it was it's also her story, right, but to

54
00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:27,280
Speaker 1: hear this that she's she's in labor during the games,

55
00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:29,280
Speaker 1: she doesn't want to tell you, you know, and then

56
00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,040
Speaker 1: you get the news and you you know, rush over seeing.

57
00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:35,040
Speaker 1: It's kind of a lucky coincidence that you were playing

58
00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:37,519
Speaker 1: for the Rams and the Super Bowl was in Los Angeles, right,

59
00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:38,920
Speaker 1: so it was a little.

60
00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:39,919
Speaker 2: More comfortable exactly.

61
00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,000
Speaker 3: And I mean the week before, you know, we played

62
00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:45,360
Speaker 3: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and like that game was crazy,

63
00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:47,280
Speaker 3: you know, it was just going back and forth, and

64
00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:49,720
Speaker 3: I was like, man, you know Tom Brady fourth quarter,

65
00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:51,960
Speaker 3: Modi came back and len It Finnet end up scoring.

66
00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:53,639
Speaker 3: So it was just like, oh, what's going on? What's

67
00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,320
Speaker 3: going to happen? And then last second played Cooper cup

68
00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:59,040
Speaker 3: catches a crazy catching them back in it, you know,

69
00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:01,640
Speaker 3: to get us and feel ranging and then it was

70
00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:03,000
Speaker 3: just crazy. And then the next week we played the

71
00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:04,799
Speaker 3: forty nine ers, end up winning and going to the

72
00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:06,760
Speaker 3: super Bowl and the super Bowl being in LA. It

73
00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,239
Speaker 3: was just it all just played out perfectly. It's like

74
00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:11,840
Speaker 3: a movie. And you know, to have my son on

75
00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:13,679
Speaker 3: the day, especially to win the super Bowl, it was

76
00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:14,480
Speaker 3: just an awesome feeling.

77
00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,120
Speaker 4: I love that your wife didn't want to tell you. Yeah,

78
00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:20,160
Speaker 4: like nobody informed you midgate. Hey your child is on

79
00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:21,600
Speaker 4: is it her her way?

80
00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:23,040
Speaker 5: Did you know the gender ahead of time?

81
00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:25,200
Speaker 2: I did. I did, Yeah, so I knew it was

82
00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:26,400
Speaker 2: it was a boy the whole time.

83
00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,600
Speaker 3: And you know, of course me being a dad, and

84
00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,200
Speaker 3: you know, I was excited to have a boy. But

85
00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,040
Speaker 3: but it was it was a good moment, you know,

86
00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:35,880
Speaker 3: for all, for everybody in my whole family.

87
00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:37,880
Speaker 5: Did you have a name picked out ahead of time?

88
00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,000
Speaker 5: And did you pivot because of the day.

89
00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:43,120
Speaker 3: So we we kind of had a name picked out,

90
00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:45,120
Speaker 3: but we really weren't sure if we're going to go

91
00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:48,160
Speaker 3: there route. And then you know, at of the super Bowl,

92
00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:50,360
Speaker 3: you know, we still didn't know. And then just a

93
00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:52,080
Speaker 3: couple of days later, my sister's like, Hey, what, why's

94
00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,760
Speaker 3: your name Champ? And so we're like, that's kind of fitting,

95
00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:56,640
Speaker 3: you know, that's kind of fitting, you know, And that's

96
00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:58,600
Speaker 3: how I kind of got the name, So shout out

97
00:03:58,640 --> 00:03:59,160
Speaker 3: to my sister.

98
00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:01,560
Speaker 4: You'll ever have a conversation after the fact of like,

99
00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:03,160
Speaker 4: why didn't you tell me?

100
00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:05,960
Speaker 2: Right? Yes, but she was like she just wanted me

101
00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:06,400
Speaker 2: to focus.

102
00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:06,600
Speaker 1: You know.

103
00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:08,880
Speaker 3: That was a big moment for me and the team,

104
00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:11,000
Speaker 3: and so, uh, you know, I kind of kind of

105
00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:12,400
Speaker 3: wish you would have told me, you know, because I

106
00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:14,200
Speaker 3: knew where she was, and you know, it was just

107
00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:16,480
Speaker 3: a whole big deal. She got brought on on a stretcher,

108
00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:18,000
Speaker 3: and I was like, oh my goodness, you didn't tell

109
00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:19,800
Speaker 3: me all this, you know. So but it all ended

110
00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:21,919
Speaker 3: up working out, and you know, I got a healthy baby,

111
00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:23,680
Speaker 3: and my wife was okay.

112
00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:26,320
Speaker 4: For like the logistics of getting out of there, but

113
00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:30,280
Speaker 4: also knowing that she was taking a right we were

114
00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:32,480
Speaker 4: to the hospital, like all this crazy stuff.

115
00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:33,839
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was.

116
00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:37,279
Speaker 3: Nervous, Yeah, definitely have been. Yeah, definitely was definitely was

117
00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:38,960
Speaker 3: a nerve wrecking yeah, exactly.

118
00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:44,040
Speaker 1: And then from a from a professional standpoint right to

119
00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:49,600
Speaker 1: at a pretty young point in your NFL tenure, you

120
00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:52,840
Speaker 1: get to the mountaintop, right, like, what was that experience

121
00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:56,039
Speaker 1: like going through that Super Bowl run to win that game?

122
00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:58,600
Speaker 1: You're right, it was like a perfect day. Right, it's

123
00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:00,839
Speaker 1: in Los Angeles. Everything works out. You had a really

124
00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:04,159
Speaker 1: good year that year. What was that experience, Like, I'm

125
00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,240
Speaker 1: sure that something that you've been dreaming about your whole

126
00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:07,760
Speaker 1: life and then bang it happened.

127
00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:11,520
Speaker 3: Yeah, just that whole season was you know, it was

128
00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:13,279
Speaker 3: just it was a great season. But of course it

129
00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:15,560
Speaker 3: was up ups and downs during the season. I think

130
00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,239
Speaker 3: we went on like a three game losing streak and

131
00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:20,400
Speaker 3: we ended up just you know, coming together and you

132
00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:22,880
Speaker 3: know us me winning at all. But that season was

133
00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:24,960
Speaker 3: just a lot of guys just coming together. You know,

134
00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:27,360
Speaker 3: you shared one common goal was to win the super Bowl,

135
00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:29,919
Speaker 3: and you know that's what we did. And uh, you know,

136
00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:32,280
Speaker 3: to have that feeling, you know, winter super Bowl is

137
00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:34,920
Speaker 3: like no other feeling you know, you can never experience.

138
00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,359
Speaker 3: It's just you're that all time high, you know, and

139
00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:40,160
Speaker 3: uh definitely want to experience it again. And uh, it

140
00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:41,920
Speaker 3: was just it was just a great feeling to kind

141
00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:43,440
Speaker 3: of win win the Super Bowl and win it with

142
00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:44,480
Speaker 3: my guys.

143
00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,120
Speaker 5: I just can't even math them like now and the

144
00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:49,520
Speaker 5: baby all the fun day.

145
00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:51,240
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was a lot.

146
00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:53,560
Speaker 1: Yeah, and then there was a lot of interest in

147
00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:55,800
Speaker 1: the story right that that you heard from a lot

148
00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:57,920
Speaker 1: of I think I read three or four different stories

149
00:05:57,960 --> 00:05:58,960
Speaker 1: Seeplew Magazine.

150
00:05:58,640 --> 00:05:59,400
Speaker 5: Put out at least ten.

151
00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:06,400
Speaker 3: You are yeah for sure, Yeah, yeah for sure, Yeah, exactly, Yeah, and.

152
00:06:06,279 --> 00:06:10,400
Speaker 1: You have a super Bowl ring your dad Sean Jefferson,

153
00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:13,000
Speaker 1: who I grew up in San Diego. Sean Jefferson was

154
00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,039
Speaker 1: a big charger way back when. So I have a

155
00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,799
Speaker 1: certain affinity for for for what Sean Jefferson did also

156
00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:22,520
Speaker 1: played wide out ye and is and is a wide

157
00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:26,760
Speaker 1: receivers coach right coach for a number of different teams,

158
00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:31,880
Speaker 1: now coaching uh, the Carolina Panthers. When this podcast is released,

159
00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:33,360
Speaker 1: it will be Panthers week.

160
00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:33,760
Speaker 2: Yeah.

161
00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,360
Speaker 1: And now you've you've been on the other sideline before

162
00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:37,800
Speaker 1: because you were at the Rams and he was with

163
00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:41,720
Speaker 1: the Cardinals. But what's that experience like the guy that

164
00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:44,719
Speaker 1: you know helped you so much when you're younger, he's

165
00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:47,280
Speaker 1: now across the sidelines on enemy territory.

166
00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,600
Speaker 3: Yeah, a lot of trash talking during the week, I

167
00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:53,320
Speaker 3: say that, But no, it's a great feeling, you know,

168
00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:57,640
Speaker 3: especially you know my upbringing, you know, uh, you know,

169
00:06:57,680 --> 00:06:59,040
Speaker 3: he always told me, you know, once I told him

170
00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:01,480
Speaker 3: my goal of being in a football player. He set

171
00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:03,480
Speaker 3: everything aside and just you know, focused on that goal,

172
00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:05,279
Speaker 3: no matter how hard he was on me, and you know,

173
00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:07,000
Speaker 3: he just wanted me to accomplish that goal. And so

174
00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:11,240
Speaker 3: to have him, you know, as a mentor, especially him

175
00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:12,960
Speaker 3: doing it at a high level and me wanting to

176
00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:14,440
Speaker 3: follow in his footsteps, it's a blessing.

177
00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:17,080
Speaker 2: And you know, I remember playing in Arizona. I end

178
00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:18,000
Speaker 2: up scoring the session.

179
00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:19,960
Speaker 3: Down against him that week and then that was that

180
00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:21,560
Speaker 3: was crazy and that and they got the got this

181
00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:23,960
Speaker 3: whole reaction on TV and stuff like that. But you know,

182
00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:25,880
Speaker 3: he's always excited. You know, he had to kind of

183
00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,600
Speaker 3: like play it for the camera, you know, but but

184
00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:30,360
Speaker 3: it was a great feeling. It's always good to match

185
00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:31,440
Speaker 3: up against my dad.

186
00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,560
Speaker 5: I feel like he would have more conflicting emotions than

187
00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:35,520
Speaker 5: you in that moment.

188
00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:38,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, probably, so, I mean, yeah, exactly.

189
00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:40,320
Speaker 3: You know, he's on the he's on the opposing teams,

190
00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:41,840
Speaker 3: so he can't show you too much emotion. But I

191
00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:43,560
Speaker 3: think d down inside, he's like, yeah, that's my son.

192
00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:45,200
Speaker 5: Did you give him that one?

193
00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:47,880
Speaker 2: Yeah? I did, I did, Yes, I did. Yeah, that's

194
00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:48,360
Speaker 2: so awesome.

195
00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,560
Speaker 1: And he was also a member of the Atlanta Falcons

196
00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:53,480
Speaker 1: from two thousand to two thousand and two.

197
00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:58,600
Speaker 2: I think yes, so you were five, yeah something around there.

198
00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:02,680
Speaker 1: Are there any now that you're with the Falcons and

199
00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:06,080
Speaker 1: you're here, are there any like flashback memories of Oh

200
00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,400
Speaker 1: I was running around on this field or I've been

201
00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:10,480
Speaker 1: here before, Like, do you have any memories from that time?

202
00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:13,560
Speaker 3: Yeah, I definitely remember, you know, uh, being here and

203
00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:15,520
Speaker 3: getting to go on the field my dad, you know,

204
00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,440
Speaker 3: after the games like that, and you know him wearing

205
00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:20,400
Speaker 3: them at eighty four. It was cool, you know, cool moment.

206
00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:22,200
Speaker 3: My dad always wanted to be around the game. He

207
00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:24,120
Speaker 3: always wanted me to, you know, bring me around the guy.

208
00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:25,080
Speaker 3: So it's a lot of times I was in the

209
00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:28,200
Speaker 3: locker room just with my dad, just chilling. So just

210
00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,680
Speaker 3: being back here and you know him playing here too

211
00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:33,319
Speaker 3: as well. You know, it's great. So you know when

212
00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:35,520
Speaker 3: it happened, you know, he was all excited and you know,

213
00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:36,440
Speaker 3: you're just saying, you.

214
00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:37,520
Speaker 2: Know, I used to play there. So I was like,

215
00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:39,200
Speaker 2: I know, Dad, I know, yeah, I know. So it

216
00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:42,280
Speaker 2: was cool. What number was he he was eighty four? Yeah, yeah,

217
00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:48,079
Speaker 2: eighty four yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right.

218
00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:54,000
Speaker 1: But to have somebody in your family in your house, right,

219
00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:56,320
Speaker 1: I mean he's hard on you, but he he he

220
00:08:56,920 --> 00:08:59,880
Speaker 1: you have like a path right that that he did it,

221
00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,000
Speaker 1: you know, a certain way. You have somebody who you trust,

222
00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,400
Speaker 1: who can like speak the same language as you.

223
00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:05,559
Speaker 3: Like.

224
00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:08,160
Speaker 1: How much of a benefit was that for you as

225
00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:10,599
Speaker 1: as you were growing us and becoming you know, a

226
00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:11,320
Speaker 1: fetter letter.

227
00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:12,760
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was definitely a benefit to have.

228
00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:13,160
Speaker 1: You know.

229
00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:16,120
Speaker 3: I just remember, you know, everywhere he went, I was

230
00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:18,120
Speaker 3: just around him, you know, just learning more about the

231
00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:20,440
Speaker 3: game and seeing how pros work.

232
00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:22,079
Speaker 2: And I got to see.

233
00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:24,640
Speaker 3: Calvima Johnson, you know, I think he's a very sero,

234
00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:27,200
Speaker 3: you know, in my opinion, and just see him, you know,

235
00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:29,320
Speaker 3: how he was a pro and other athletes that my

236
00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:31,199
Speaker 3: dad has been around that I got to see, and

237
00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:35,280
Speaker 3: you know, just learning the game and you know, just

238
00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:36,679
Speaker 3: you know, trying to be around as much as I

239
00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:38,520
Speaker 3: can and learn as much as I can. So he

240
00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:40,800
Speaker 3: in every shape for in the Faston, he made sure

241
00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:42,120
Speaker 3: I was a part of the game, and you know,

242
00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:43,160
Speaker 3: it benefit.

243
00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:43,840
Speaker 2: Me a lot.

244
00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:45,920
Speaker 4: I don't know if this is true or not because internet,

245
00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,520
Speaker 4: but I read somewhere that he was once you decided

246
00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:52,000
Speaker 4: like this is my dream, kind of like flipped the switch.

247
00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:53,280
Speaker 5: Where he got tougher.

248
00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:54,640
Speaker 4: On you or it's like, I know what it takes,

249
00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,360
Speaker 4: so I'm not gonna let off the gas because you're

250
00:09:57,400 --> 00:09:57,760
Speaker 4: my son.

251
00:09:57,800 --> 00:09:58,240
Speaker 5: Is that true?

252
00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:00,679
Speaker 2: Yeah? Definitely yeah.

253
00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:03,160
Speaker 3: My dad, Yeah, my dad, My dad. My dad was

254
00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:05,280
Speaker 3: definitely hard on me, you know, at a young age.

255
00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:08,800
Speaker 3: But you know, it all worked out, you know, and right,

256
00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:10,480
Speaker 3: you know, it all worked out. So at the end

257
00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:11,920
Speaker 3: of the day, you know, I just thank him for

258
00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:15,040
Speaker 3: you know, being hard on me, you know, and uh,

259
00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:16,840
Speaker 3: you know, he got me to this, to this point

260
00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:18,360
Speaker 3: in my life, and you know, I'm so grateful for

261
00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:20,480
Speaker 3: him and thankful you know that God places him in

262
00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:21,839
Speaker 3: my life. So you know, at the end of the day,

263
00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:23,440
Speaker 3: you know, you know he was hard on me, but

264
00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:24,000
Speaker 3: it all worked out.

265
00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:24,240
Speaker 1: You know.

266
00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:26,160
Speaker 5: What was it like balancing that in the moment?

267
00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:33,959
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, uh, right exactly, you know exactly. So uh,

268
00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:37,280
Speaker 3: you know you kind of take you know, his dad,

269
00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:39,280
Speaker 3: you know, at home, but you know, when it's coming

270
00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:41,680
Speaker 3: to the games, i mean, high school college, you know,

271
00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:43,680
Speaker 3: he's he's coach mode, you know what I'm saying, and

272
00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:46,200
Speaker 3: you know he just wants the best for you know,

273
00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:47,880
Speaker 3: he just want the best for me, and you know,

274
00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:50,440
Speaker 3: I just got to take you with the grain of salt,

275
00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:51,520
Speaker 3: you know, because at the end of the day, you know,

276
00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:53,480
Speaker 3: he's my dad and he just wants the best. So

277
00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:55,160
Speaker 3: you know when he's hard on me, you know, I

278
00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:57,000
Speaker 3: just hear him all I got your dad, and you

279
00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:57,680
Speaker 3: just keep going.

280
00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:01,400
Speaker 2: Yeah. The Super Bowl, Yeah exactly.

281
00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:03,880
Speaker 1: You're your first team All state at getting.

282
00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:07,600
Speaker 5: The right yep, yes, sir, I mean yeah, so it seemed.

283
00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:09,640
Speaker 2: Like yeah, yeah, yeah.

284
00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:13,040
Speaker 1: Like what was your high school experience? Like, I mean

285
00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:17,160
Speaker 1: it's football crazy. Yeah, you probably have letters from big

286
00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,640
Speaker 1: programs all over the place, Like, what was that experience? Like,

287
00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:23,480
Speaker 1: I always find it interesting you're sixteen, seventeen years old,

288
00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:26,960
Speaker 1: You're you're getting you know, come to Georgia, come to Kentucky,

289
00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:29,160
Speaker 1: come everywhere, Like what's that experience?

290
00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:32,600
Speaker 3: Like, Yeah, it's a great experience, you know, something that

291
00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:34,440
Speaker 3: you know, you dream of, something that you know.

292
00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:36,679
Speaker 2: Uh. I mean, of course my mom and dad were

293
00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:38,160
Speaker 2: excited because I got to go to school for free.

294
00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,600
Speaker 3: But it's a great feeling, you know, especially having coaches

295
00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:43,600
Speaker 3: come to your school and having legs come to your

296
00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:47,160
Speaker 3: school and you know that these schools want you, and uh,

297
00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:49,360
Speaker 3: my high school coach, William Hester did a great job

298
00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,240
Speaker 3: of managing that for me and just being for me

299
00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:53,840
Speaker 3: there in a moment, you know, because it can get

300
00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:55,800
Speaker 3: kind of chaotic a little bit, you know, and especially

301
00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:58,160
Speaker 3: with college crew and you guys, coaches coming to school

302
00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:01,320
Speaker 3: every day, letters coming every day, people tugging on your

303
00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:03,360
Speaker 3: stuff like that. But it was a great experience. And

304
00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:06,160
Speaker 3: also I ended up choosing Ole miss at first with

305
00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:09,000
Speaker 3: a Hugh Freeze and then alsomely finished at Florida.

306
00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:14,120
Speaker 2: I finished Florida with fellow. Yeah, do you have any

307
00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:16,120
Speaker 2: good stories? Man?

308
00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:17,600
Speaker 3: We got a lot of stories in college, for sure,

309
00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:19,160
Speaker 3: but but.

310
00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:20,720
Speaker 2: No, he was just one of the guys, you know.

311
00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:22,880
Speaker 3: When he came in, you know, we just kind of click,

312
00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:24,920
Speaker 3: you know, and I know he was going to be

313
00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:27,719
Speaker 3: a talented player, and uh, you know he obviously he

314
00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:29,640
Speaker 3: is a great player, and so you.

315
00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:30,880
Speaker 2: Know, we kind of clicked when he got there.

316
00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:32,679
Speaker 3: And ever since then, our friends, it just took off

317
00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:34,920
Speaker 3: and we've been bested for instance, you know, since Florida.

318
00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:37,720
Speaker 1: Has that kind of eased the transition in here because

319
00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:39,960
Speaker 1: you've got somebody in the locker room, you know, and

320
00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:42,120
Speaker 1: you trust and I mean, you guys don't play the

321
00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:44,760
Speaker 1: same spot at least kind of ease that in because

322
00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:46,960
Speaker 1: you're coming in mid season. You know, it's a little

323
00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:48,880
Speaker 1: bit of a different experience as you try to get

324
00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:51,880
Speaker 1: used to her teens and things are.

325
00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:56,320
Speaker 3: And yeah, it's definitely made it an easier transition. You know,

326
00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:58,000
Speaker 3: I was talking to him on the phone before you know,

327
00:12:58,040 --> 00:12:59,800
Speaker 3: I got here, and you know, just telling me how

328
00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:01,760
Speaker 3: they his work and stuff like that. But you know,

329
00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:03,880
Speaker 3: he made it easy for me, you know, yeah, to

330
00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:05,120
Speaker 3: drive me around a lot when I.

331
00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,480
Speaker 2: First got here. But here, but other than that though,

332
00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:08,960
Speaker 2: he's you know, he's been helping me off for sure.

333
00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:12,400
Speaker 4: I remember both of them are so excited when because

334
00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:16,000
Speaker 4: Kyle talked about you being here before your first interview

335
00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:16,880
Speaker 4: and he's.

336
00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:17,680
Speaker 5: Just like my boys in town.

337
00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:20,480
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, and then it was very.

338
00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:22,400
Speaker 4: Similar with you or it's like, yeah he called me

339
00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:26,280
Speaker 4: the day before, yeah.

340
00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:26,720
Speaker 2: Exactly.

341
00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:33,840
Speaker 1: So your your full name Van? She Lashawn Jefferson Junior.

342
00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:37,079
Speaker 2: Yeah, yes, and yeah Van.

343
00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:39,600
Speaker 5: So your dad goes by Sean but same name.

344
00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:41,400
Speaker 2: Right, yeah? Yeah.

345
00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:45,280
Speaker 3: Is there like a family tradition or something like that, So,

346
00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:48,480
Speaker 3: I mean my grandma just you know, name it, and

347
00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:50,400
Speaker 3: so she just told my mom, you know, he has

348
00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:52,679
Speaker 3: to be named others dad. So my mom just had

349
00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:55,360
Speaker 3: to ride with it because you know, you know, my

350
00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:57,679
Speaker 3: uh my dad's mom was not going for it. So

351
00:13:57,760 --> 00:13:59,839
Speaker 3: at the end of the day she just so that's

352
00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:01,880
Speaker 3: my mind kind of got pressured into it, and that's

353
00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:02,440
Speaker 3: how I came up.

354
00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:04,079
Speaker 5: My name isn't your son?

355
00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:08,720
Speaker 2: Yeah? No, that was me that time.

356
00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:09,240
Speaker 1: That was me.

357
00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:11,440
Speaker 3: I just wanted to carry on the tradition, you know

358
00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:14,520
Speaker 3: of you know how one you know, you know, he

359
00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:16,640
Speaker 3: sees his dad playing in the NFL, and you know,

360
00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:18,880
Speaker 3: he can see his grandpa, you know that playing in

361
00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:20,760
Speaker 3: the NFL too as well, So you know, just to

362
00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:23,920
Speaker 3: have that name and to know that, you know, somebody

363
00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:25,720
Speaker 3: did it or perform, you know, just to carry that

364
00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:27,960
Speaker 3: on and you know, hopefully when he gets older he

365
00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:28,960
Speaker 3: can do the same.

366
00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:31,560
Speaker 2: Right, you're right, right, right?

367
00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:32,880
Speaker 1: So what do you call him?

368
00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:34,880
Speaker 2: I call him V. I just called him V.

369
00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:39,040
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I like that same name, but kind of

370
00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:43,920
Speaker 1: like different versions of it exactly being a dad now,

371
00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:46,960
Speaker 1: Like how do you think and like you had you know,

372
00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:50,400
Speaker 1: parents that were supportive and helped you achieve your dreams.

373
00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:53,720
Speaker 1: Right now that you're a dad, Like, what's what's the feeling,

374
00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:56,520
Speaker 1: you know, like for you now that you're on the

375
00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:57,240
Speaker 1: other side of it.

376
00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:00,560
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's great having kids.

377
00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:03,360
Speaker 3: You know. I love my kids and you know, their

378
00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:05,720
Speaker 3: joy every day, especially when you come home and you

379
00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:07,160
Speaker 3: know you ain't the door brow they're running up to

380
00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:08,320
Speaker 3: you and you get to see them. You know, it's

381
00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:11,360
Speaker 3: like the best feeling in the world. But you know,

382
00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:14,400
Speaker 3: just me now being a father, you know, and having

383
00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:16,840
Speaker 3: the responsibility of you know, my kids is you know,

384
00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:18,640
Speaker 3: kind of just doing the same thing kind of my

385
00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:20,960
Speaker 3: dad did, but in a different way of parenting, you know.

386
00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:23,360
Speaker 3: And of course he taught me things, but you know

387
00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:24,840
Speaker 3: I could do put my own little spin on it

388
00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:28,440
Speaker 3: too as well. So you know, I'm just you know,

389
00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,160
Speaker 3: they they're just they're just so innocent, you know, And

390
00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:33,000
Speaker 3: at the end of the day, it's just like, you know,

391
00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:34,680
Speaker 3: I'm my dad, and it's it's a great feeling.

392
00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:37,720
Speaker 4: I want to circle back just a little bit, thinking

393
00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:39,920
Speaker 4: of like your relationship with your dad, how he said

394
00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:41,640
Speaker 4: he was hard on you, but like helped you so much.

395
00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:45,080
Speaker 4: Did you ever feel like pressured to kind of live

396
00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:49,000
Speaker 4: up to his name and a national perspective?

397
00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:50,160
Speaker 2: No, not really.

398
00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:52,400
Speaker 3: At the end of the day, you know, wherever the

399
00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:53,840
Speaker 3: path I was going to take I was going to take,

400
00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:56,920
Speaker 3: you know, whether it's football, whether it's anything else. But

401
00:15:56,920 --> 00:15:58,080
Speaker 3: at the end the day, I knew I wanted to

402
00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:01,080
Speaker 3: play football, and wherever that PA took me, you know,

403
00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:02,360
Speaker 3: it's just going to take me. So at the end

404
00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:04,240
Speaker 3: of the day, I just trusted God in the situation,

405
00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:06,640
Speaker 3: and you know, ultimately I got here in the NFL,

406
00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:09,080
Speaker 3: which is which is great, you know, And by the

407
00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:10,840
Speaker 3: end of day I didn't feel any pressure to live

408
00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:12,920
Speaker 3: up to what he did. You know, I just wanted to,

409
00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:14,960
Speaker 3: you know, create a name for myself. You know, obviously

410
00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:16,880
Speaker 3: we had the same name, but obviously, you know, just

411
00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:19,200
Speaker 3: put my own spin on it and uh, you know,

412
00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:20,240
Speaker 3: do something on my own and.

413
00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:22,400
Speaker 4: That'll be something I'm sure you'll carry on to.

414
00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:25,280
Speaker 2: Your Yeah, exactly, definitely for sure.

415
00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:28,720
Speaker 1: So tell us your your draft day story. You get

416
00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:31,400
Speaker 1: taken in the second round. It was twenty twenty, so.

417
00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:33,080
Speaker 2: That's that's COVID COVID.

418
00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:34,960
Speaker 1: Yeah, so it's like a little bit different.

419
00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:36,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, I know, what was.

420
00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:40,000
Speaker 1: It like, can you recall when you know your rings.

421
00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:43,360
Speaker 3: And yeah, yeah, so it was it was crazy, you know.

422
00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,240
Speaker 3: I went to the went to the Singer Bowl, performed there,

423
00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:49,880
Speaker 3: and then getting ready for the combine, you know, on Wednesday,

424
00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:52,560
Speaker 3: like I'm doing the forty sprints in the hallway and

425
00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:54,560
Speaker 3: then uh, I get called down to the medical and

426
00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:56,280
Speaker 3: they say I had I got a Jones fracture on

427
00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:59,040
Speaker 3: my foot and I can't participate. So I'm like, I'm

428
00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:01,200
Speaker 3: just I'm sick. I'm like, oh, man, I can't participate

429
00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:02,040
Speaker 3: in combine, you know.

430
00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:03,840
Speaker 2: And then you know, I.

431
00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:05,840
Speaker 3: Get I go up to New Jersey because at the time,

432
00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:08,840
Speaker 3: my dad was coaching for the Jets, and you know,

433
00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:11,679
Speaker 3: I'm just sitting there, you know, uh, just waiting for

434
00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:14,040
Speaker 3: the call and obviously I see you know, I don't

435
00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:17,480
Speaker 3: know the areas that area cod but you know, yeah,

436
00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:20,600
Speaker 3: but uh I just hear Lessnie call like hey, you

437
00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:22,119
Speaker 3: want to be around. And it was just like the

438
00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:24,679
Speaker 3: best day ever, you know, and especially just being drafted

439
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:26,919
Speaker 3: into the NFL lifelong goal of you know, you had

440
00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:29,480
Speaker 3: since you're a kid. You know, everybody was overcoming so

441
00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:33,280
Speaker 3: much emotion, my mom, especially my dad, you know, and uh,

442
00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:34,919
Speaker 3: it was just a great feeling to have my sister's

443
00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:37,240
Speaker 3: there and my family there. It was it was just

444
00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:38,119
Speaker 3: a great moment.

445
00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:40,760
Speaker 1: Because there's there's like there's a lot. We're like we're

446
00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:43,119
Speaker 1: talking about you know, first team All State going to

447
00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,199
Speaker 1: an SEC school and there there's a lot of glamorous stuff,

448
00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:51,840
Speaker 1: right yeah, yeah, but you don't get there without doing

449
00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:56,160
Speaker 1: the work when nobody's watching, Like the hard grinding. It's

450
00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:59,679
Speaker 1: like all all those times, right like doing doing what

451
00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:03,280
Speaker 1: you need to do when you're not getting your picture taken? Right, Like,

452
00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:06,240
Speaker 1: does that kind of validate all Like all those days

453
00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:08,720
Speaker 1: when maybe you're sacrifice and you're you're not going to

454
00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:11,440
Speaker 1: parties when you would be, or you that you're having

455
00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:13,359
Speaker 1: to really focus on this.

456
00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:13,960
Speaker 2: Dream that you have.

457
00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:16,240
Speaker 3: Yeah, one hundred percent. You know it's days like that,

458
00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,520
Speaker 3: you know, and if you want to get to this level,

459
00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:22,639
Speaker 3: you know, you got to make sacrifices. And a lot

460
00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:24,680
Speaker 3: of the guys that you know I had on my team,

461
00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:27,760
Speaker 3: we all shared the same goal, and uh we always

462
00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:29,520
Speaker 3: took it upon ourselves to just you know, do the

463
00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:31,919
Speaker 3: extra mile, go to extra mile. And Kyle was one

464
00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:33,840
Speaker 3: of those guys. You know, I just remember nights on

465
00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:36,000
Speaker 3: nights we would just go to the facility and just

466
00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:38,480
Speaker 3: run routes or just catch on the jugs, you know,

467
00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:40,240
Speaker 3: just simple things like that. You know, if you want to,

468
00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:42,200
Speaker 3: you know, do something in life. You gotta you gotta

469
00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:44,800
Speaker 3: work hard at it. So that's something that my dad

470
00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:47,639
Speaker 3: is still to me, and especially uh at Florida they

471
00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:50,119
Speaker 3: instill that to you as well, and that that culture.

472
00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:52,879
Speaker 3: So but you know, it's just all that, you know,

473
00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:54,879
Speaker 3: when that phone call happened, just felt like everything was

474
00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:56,320
Speaker 3: paying off.

475
00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:59,680
Speaker 4: Yes, I did difficult and like, did it make it

476
00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:03,880
Speaker 4: seem like perhaps the goal, the dream was further away?

477
00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:04,879
Speaker 5: Decision?

478
00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:05,720
Speaker 2: Yeah, of course.

479
00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,080
Speaker 3: You know, I didn't have any plans on transferring when

480
00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:11,679
Speaker 3: I got to Old miss but uh, he Freeze ended up,

481
00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:14,200
Speaker 3: you know, not being the coach anymore, and me and

482
00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:14,680
Speaker 3: him had.

483
00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:15,320
Speaker 2: A great relationship.

484
00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:17,080
Speaker 3: So I just feel like it was just a new

485
00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:20,439
Speaker 3: time for a new stage, you know, and you know,

486
00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:22,159
Speaker 3: you have your dad was like, man, I got a transfer,

487
00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,320
Speaker 3: and at that time, you didn't have the transfer portal,

488
00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:26,840
Speaker 3: you know, so it wasn't you know, it wasn't immediately

489
00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:28,360
Speaker 3: you get to play. You might have to sit out

490
00:19:28,359 --> 00:19:30,080
Speaker 3: a year. So I had to go through this whole

491
00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:33,000
Speaker 3: long process of me trying to get elswell to play

492
00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:35,640
Speaker 3: that next season, which you know, by the grace of God,

493
00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,920
Speaker 3: I you know, got the opportunity to do. But you know,

494
00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,280
Speaker 3: it was definitely tough, you know, especially you know, I

495
00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:42,320
Speaker 3: had some great friends on the.

496
00:19:42,359 --> 00:19:43,880
Speaker 2: Team that you know, I didn't want to leave.

497
00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:45,240
Speaker 3: But at the end of the day, you know, you

498
00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:47,640
Speaker 3: got to make a businessision for van and so that's

499
00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:49,639
Speaker 3: what I did, and ultimately it worked out for me

500
00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:52,239
Speaker 3: and met some great dudes and I'm best friends with

501
00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:52,720
Speaker 3: to this day.

502
00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:55,120
Speaker 2: And uh, you know, we had some great seasons there.

503
00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:57,880
Speaker 4: What are those conversations like with your dad because more

504
00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:01,120
Speaker 4: old school didn't really transfer not and like now it's

505
00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:03,320
Speaker 4: even more common, so it's like you're in that middle

506
00:20:03,359 --> 00:20:04,800
Speaker 4: ground between very often.

507
00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:05,480
Speaker 5: And not at all.

508
00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:07,560
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, you know when I first came to

509
00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:08,960
Speaker 3: him about it, he was like, are you sure, And

510
00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:10,640
Speaker 3: I was like, yeah, you know, I feel like this

511
00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:12,600
Speaker 3: is not going to make for myself. And he was like, Okay,

512
00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:14,600
Speaker 3: if you feel that way, you know, then go for it.

513
00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:16,720
Speaker 3: And you know, my dad is transparent with me. He'll

514
00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:18,719
Speaker 3: be honest with me and tell me, you know, when

515
00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:21,440
Speaker 3: I'm when I'm lacking or you know, what I'm doing

516
00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:23,000
Speaker 3: good or what I'm doing bad. And I feel like,

517
00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:24,639
Speaker 3: you know, I need that, you know, because you know,

518
00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:26,159
Speaker 3: that's what he's supposed to do. And you know, we

519
00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:28,199
Speaker 3: had a great conversation about it, and ultimately I ended

520
00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:30,080
Speaker 3: up making that decision and like I said, it end

521
00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:30,879
Speaker 3: up working out for me.

522
00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:33,560
Speaker 2: Right exactly.

523
00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:35,600
Speaker 5: Is it?

524
00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:37,680
Speaker 1: It's playing football is still fun to you. I mean,

525
00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:39,960
Speaker 1: like so much of it is business, right and you know,

526
00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:42,399
Speaker 1: all these different things that go on around it and

527
00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:44,760
Speaker 1: all the hard work. But this is your job now.

528
00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,479
Speaker 1: But you still you still feel like a fourteen year

529
00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:47,840
Speaker 1: old kid.

530
00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,159
Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely still feel like a you know, fourteen year

531
00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:53,320
Speaker 3: ol kid. Obviously, now there's between fourteen and now is

532
00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:55,639
Speaker 3: that you know, it's money involved and stuff like that,

533
00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:58,680
Speaker 3: you know, but other than that, man, it's it's fun.

534
00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:01,520
Speaker 3: You know, football is fun. You know. Obviously the fun

535
00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:04,000
Speaker 3: day is Sunday, and uh that's the day you get to,

536
00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:05,960
Speaker 3: you know, show all the work that you put in

537
00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:08,560
Speaker 3: there in practice. But other than that, man, football is

538
00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:10,080
Speaker 3: just fun. You know, it's going to be fun for

539
00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:12,320
Speaker 3: you know. Of course, you got different aspects of it

540
00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:14,439
Speaker 3: when you go from high school to college, you know,

541
00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:16,240
Speaker 3: to the NFL. It's different aspects of the game. But

542
00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:18,000
Speaker 3: at the end of the day, football is football, and

543
00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:19,399
Speaker 3: you just got to enjoy it, you know, because at

544
00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,840
Speaker 3: the end of the day, you know, you get to

545
00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:23,240
Speaker 3: wake up and do something that you love to do,

546
00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:26,240
Speaker 3: and you know, God especially with the opportunity, So just

547
00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:28,280
Speaker 3: have fun, you know, no matter where the chists may

548
00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:30,560
Speaker 3: fall at the end of the day, you know, just

549
00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:31,399
Speaker 3: go out there and play.

550
00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:41,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, right, right, exactly, yeah, exactly. Okay.

551
00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:43,520
Speaker 1: At this point in the podcast, we do something called

552
00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:47,359
Speaker 1: rapid Fire. It's really all that rapid necessarily, but everybody

553
00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:50,960
Speaker 1: gets the same five questions. You're on the heart seat band.

554
00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:51,520
Speaker 1: Are you ready?

555
00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:51,919
Speaker 2: Ready?

556
00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:52,200
Speaker 1: Now?

557
00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:53,680
Speaker 2: Can I hype this up anymore?

558
00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:54,679
Speaker 5: Okay?

559
00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:57,840
Speaker 1: What is your favorite play of your career at any level?

560
00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:02,840
Speaker 3: Play playing against Arizona? H call like a take a

561
00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:04,320
Speaker 3: fifty yard touchdown against my dad?

562
00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:06,440
Speaker 2: Yeah? I love it. Yeah.

563
00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:09,280
Speaker 1: And you know what, people who sing in that seat,

564
00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:12,720
Speaker 1: they know their favorite play like immediately every single time.

565
00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:13,919
Speaker 1: It's like total recall.

566
00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:20,359
Speaker 3: Yeah that's a good one. Yeah, uh, it's yes. And

567
00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:22,040
Speaker 3: my dad's on his play yeap, is that he has

568
00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:22,600
Speaker 3: it in the case?

569
00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:24,000
Speaker 2: Yep, fantastic.

570
00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:27,600
Speaker 1: Who's your favorite athlete or who was your favorite athlete

571
00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:28,800
Speaker 1: regardless of sports?

572
00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:35,119
Speaker 3: Favorite athlete Kobe Kobe Bryant, Yeah, Kobe Bryant.

573
00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:38,239
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, not a football player, but you know, you

574
00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:41,040
Speaker 1: hear a lot about that, like the Mamba mentality, and

575
00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:44,400
Speaker 1: it seems like he's influenced almost like a whole generation

576
00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:49,080
Speaker 1: of the athletes too. Yeah, he has like growing up

577
00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:51,360
Speaker 1: and seeing i mean talk about a grinder.

578
00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, you know, of course people have the debate,

579
00:22:55,080 --> 00:23:00,480
Speaker 3: you know, Lebron Jordan, Kobe, you know, you know, but

580
00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:02,000
Speaker 3: you know, yeah, just the way they played the game,

581
00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:03,920
Speaker 3: the way that you know, you hear him talk about

582
00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:05,760
Speaker 3: the game, how passionate he was, how much hard work

583
00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:07,880
Speaker 3: he put into the game. You know, it's just amazing

584
00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:10,400
Speaker 3: to see how all that, you know, translated to the court,

585
00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:12,800
Speaker 3: and when he went out there, you could just tell,

586
00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:15,439
Speaker 3: you know that he was just locked in to you know,

587
00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:16,840
Speaker 3: to his plan and what he had to do. And

588
00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:19,080
Speaker 3: you know, obviously you know, he's one of the best

589
00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:21,800
Speaker 3: of all time, and you know, and it shows where.

590
00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:25,680
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, facts, yeah, I'm old.

591
00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:28,159
Speaker 1: Enough that m is like if like if you're in

592
00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:31,840
Speaker 1: your late thirties or early forties, it's like automatically Jordan.

593
00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:34,440
Speaker 2: Yeah, and then and then you.

594
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:39,800
Speaker 6: Just go back, Okay, next one, are you watching a

595
00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:44,320
Speaker 6: show or movie right now that you recommend show or movie.

596
00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:47,880
Speaker 3: I'm not watching it right now, but a show called

597
00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:51,119
Speaker 3: Snowfall probably everybody probably knows about it. Yeah, yeah, that

598
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,199
Speaker 3: was That's kind of one of my best shows that

599
00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:54,120
Speaker 3: I like, you never seen it.

600
00:23:54,400 --> 00:24:02,160
Speaker 2: Or watch it? Yeah, FX yeah yeah, oh yeah, yeah,

601
00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:06,440
Speaker 2: it's it's nice. It's like action. You can say action

602
00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:09,920
Speaker 2: is suspense. Yeah yeah, yeah.

603
00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:14,400
Speaker 1: Okay, let's see whether it's homemade or from a restaurant

604
00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:17,440
Speaker 1: or whatever. Like, what's like your like desert island.

605
00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:21,600
Speaker 2: Meal, desert island meal? Uh can my mom my mom.

606
00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:26,240
Speaker 3: Cooks like uh yeah yeah, my mom my mom cooks.

607
00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:28,760
Speaker 3: I think my favorite when I go home, I just

608
00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:31,600
Speaker 3: actually cook like pork chops and rice. Really yeah, that's

609
00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:34,560
Speaker 3: the best meal and perfect meal. Hat yep knows how

610
00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:36,720
Speaker 3: to make it spot on. So that's kind of my

611
00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:38,640
Speaker 3: goal to meal when I go back home and see

612
00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:40,640
Speaker 3: moms yep, yep.

613
00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:41,320
Speaker 2: Yeah.

614
00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:44,119
Speaker 5: Last one, you had a superpower? What would it be?

615
00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:46,120
Speaker 2: And why superpower?

616
00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:49,960
Speaker 3: Probably read people's moms, see what they think? Yeah, yeah,

617
00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:54,000
Speaker 3: his mind, see what they think? Yeah, see see what

618
00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:55,920
Speaker 3: people think. They'll probably be my super power for sure.

619
00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:59,640
Speaker 1: And then you go and you'd like gonna.

620
00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:05,080
Speaker 2: Play right, yeah, exactly, Yeah, and this is gonna be easy.

621
00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:08,640
Speaker 2: Well awesome, Thank you, thank you so much for having me. Yeah.

622
00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,840
Speaker 1: Focused podcast presented by ticket Master. Please do what you do, bring,

623
00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:14,960
Speaker 1: review and subscribe to the Atlanta Falcons Podcast Network on

624
00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:17,480
Speaker 1: an Apple podcast, Spotify, and of course subscribe to our

625
00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:19,560
Speaker 1: YouTube channel why do jat And we will be back

626
00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:22,720
Speaker 1: again next week with another awesome guest. See you