1 00:00:01,520 --> 00:00:04,200 Speaker 1: Every day a week ago, clicks. 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:04,920 Speaker 2: Up the breakfast club. 3 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,600 Speaker 3: You're finish, the y'all done morning. Everybody is the j 4 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 3: Envy Jess, hilarious, Charlamagne, the gud. We are to breakfast club. 5 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 3: Lawla roses here as well. We got a special guest 6 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:16,800 Speaker 3: in the building. Yes, indeed, he said, just call them 7 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 3: dep deep, ladies and gentlemen. 8 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 2: Morris Smith. 9 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: Welcome man, there's a pleasure. Thank you for having me. 10 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,320 Speaker 1: I'm sorry I'm a little late. I would have crushed 11 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: breakfast had I been here earlier. 12 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, you still got time to get something done. 13 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 4: But you're the former executive director of the nfl PA. 14 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 2: Tell us what that title helped you know? 15 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: Simply, you're the head of the union. You represent all 16 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: eighteen hundred and thirty five players. You go to war 17 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: with thirty one billionaires. You do the best to make 18 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: sure our guys get paid. You make sure that they 19 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: have health care, make sure that they have control over 20 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: their work. You govern their pensions, their post career training, everything. 21 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: So you're the union representing a lot of players and 22 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: they're look, they're for most of our guys, it's their 23 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: first job, which makes it difficult to sometimes represent them. 24 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: Because they've never had the kind of jobs I had 25 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: coming up paper routes, working at a pizza place. Those 26 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 1: guys come into the business of football believing and understanding 27 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: how to play the game. They know virtually nothing about 28 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:25,119 Speaker 1: the ruthlessness and the cutthroat nature of the business. And 29 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 1: your job is the head of the union. At least 30 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: for me, I only had one way of doing it. 31 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: You know, my coach used to call it ten toes 32 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 1: to the line every day, going up against the guys 33 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:36,960 Speaker 1: who you know, sit in the sky suites and want 34 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: our dudes to work. And then the other thing is, man, 35 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: just tell the guys the truth. And sometimes they don't 36 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 1: want to hear it because they've grown up in a 37 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: culture of football that rewards them for everything they do 38 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: on the field, and they have a misunderstanding that Jerry 39 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: Jones doesn't care wow, and robber Craft doesn't care. And 40 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: you know, there's always that sign on draft Day that says, 41 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: welcome to the NFL family. And I told the same 42 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: rookies for fourteen years, you are not in the family 43 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: because you are not in the will. It's reality. I 44 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:16,920 Speaker 1: mean again, some guys don't like to hear that because 45 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:19,800 Speaker 1: it's a little brutal. That's where I came from, and 46 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 1: that's kind of the way I want to do business. 47 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:23,080 Speaker 1: But you're not in the will. 48 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:25,119 Speaker 3: What's the most difficult thing you have to deal with 49 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 3: with being headed at union? As far as dealing with teams? 50 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 3: What's the worst thing that the most thing that they 51 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 3: hate giving up? And I'm sure you can control control 52 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 3: what type of control all of it? 53 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: You know? I forget it was listening to Dion, who 54 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: was always great to me. He always had this line, 55 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 1: you either you either chase the game or chase the bag, right, 56 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: you know the bag, you chase the money, And sometimes 57 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: our guys are just focused on the money. What drives 58 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: the NFL is control. They want to control everything and 59 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 1: a you know, for example, up until twenty eleven, the 60 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: National Football League had the unilateral right, exclusive right to 61 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: add as many games to the schedule as possible. 62 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 2: It was just crazy. 63 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: They could have gone up to twenty one games, twenty 64 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 1: three games if they wanted to. I mean, I'm a 65 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:12,799 Speaker 1: little older than everybody else in the room. Don't say 66 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: anything else, happy birthday, But I remember a fourteen game season. 67 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 1: I remember a sixteen game season, you know, when it 68 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: went from fourteen to sixteen, the players never got any 69 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: more money. Wow, I don't know nobody does, right, it's 70 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 1: they No. From when they went from a twelve game 71 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: season to a fourteen game season to a sixteen game season, 72 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: they never got an increased shaff revenue. 73 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 2: I get it because the contract contract already sept for 74 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 2: the you. 75 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 1: You you just spread out the money along day, right, 76 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: And even guys when I came in in two thousand 77 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: and nine didn't understand that. Right. Yes, revenue increases, so 78 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: the cap goes up, but it's just like you know, 79 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 1: you're working at a I worked at Jerry's subshop, right, 80 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: you work Monday through Friday, Boston, give a you know 81 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: how you how you deal with your life or what 82 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: you've got going that day. But if the guy comes 83 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: in and says, hey, man, I got a good idea. 84 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: Everybody's gonna work on Saturday and Sunday, first question out 85 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: of my mouth would be what how much overtime on 86 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: a game? When they went from twelve to fourteen to sixteen, 87 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: the players never got paid overtime excury. So in twenty eleven, 88 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:23,559 Speaker 1: I mean we went through a war. I mean they 89 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,840 Speaker 1: declare a war on us. I do war. The big 90 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: win for the players in twenty eleven was we wrestled 91 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 1: back that unilateral control and we got the ability to 92 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: govern our work. So you know that resulted in you know, 93 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,599 Speaker 1: you fast forward to twenty twenty. The league wanted a 94 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: seventeenth game. Fine, you know, the players wanted a seventeenth game. Fine. 95 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,720 Speaker 1: Some players didn't won a seventeenth game. Fine, but it's 96 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: a democracy, so the players voted for a seventeenth game. 97 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: The kicker there was the league bought a seventeenth game 98 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty for approximately one point six one point 99 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: seven billion dollars over a ten year period. It was 100 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: a game they had for free in twenty eleven. The 101 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: game of football. The reason I wrote the book. It's 102 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:14,800 Speaker 1: about power, and I think that at the end of 103 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 1: the day, I never wanted a football book because I'm 104 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,120 Speaker 1: not a football guy. I was. My high school coach 105 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 1: will tell you I was probably the worst high school 106 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 1: football player he's ever seen. But I wanted to write 107 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:27,679 Speaker 1: Turf Wars because it's about power. 108 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 4: I love the header it says to fight for the 109 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:34,279 Speaker 4: soul of America's game because I thought to myself, does 110 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:35,279 Speaker 4: the NFL have a soul. 111 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: The NFL does not have a soul. The players have 112 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 1: a soul, right, And the NFL is the largest, most unregulated, 113 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:54,600 Speaker 1: socialistic business in America. The NFL privatizes their wealth and 114 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: socializes their cost. 115 00:05:57,320 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 2: Right. 116 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:01,280 Speaker 1: So you think about stadiums, for example, every state and 117 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: local government goes through a referendum to get taxpayers to 118 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: pay for the owners stadium. We pay for it. He 119 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: keeps the profit. So would they do better than anybody 120 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:18,040 Speaker 1: else in the country. There are no ten ks, there 121 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:22,280 Speaker 1: are no ten qs, There is no annual report, there's 122 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 1: no public board of directors, there's no sec control, there's 123 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:30,960 Speaker 1: no attorney general control, there's no state attorney general control. 124 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 1: They are a completely unregulated business. Up to a few 125 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: years ago, the NFL League Office was a five oh 126 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:44,679 Speaker 1: one c six nonprofit. They're gonna do twenty five billion 127 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:45,360 Speaker 1: dollars next year. 128 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 4: How can a corporation like that be a nonprofit not 129 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 4: a corporation? 130 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: But I'm saying, got time breakdown a little history, all right. So, 131 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: first thing that happens in nineteen sixties, they have the 132 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:05,680 Speaker 1: AFL American Football League and the NFL. Those two entities merge, right, 133 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: So think about it, like Low's and Home Depot. Right, 134 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: if Loans and Home Depot merged, what would be the 135 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: price of hammer five hundred dollars? 136 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 2: Right? 137 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: Because there's no competition In the nineteen sixties, That's exactly 138 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 1: what the NFL did. They became the merger of Low's 139 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: and Home Depot. So they merged. The only way they 140 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: could merge was they needed special legislation from Congress, which 141 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: they got. So think about it. The taxpayers, who these 142 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 1: dudes are supposed to work for, allowed the NFL and 143 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: the AFL to merge, which basically meant they eliminated all 144 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: of the competition from now until the end of time. 145 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:48,679 Speaker 1: First thing that happened. Second, under the Sports Broadcasting Act, 146 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: they also have the unique ability of negotiating singular television contracts. 147 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 1: So instead of the RAMS doing a TV contract, or 148 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 1: the Patriot It's or anybody else, the NFL does one 149 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:06,080 Speaker 1: big TV contract a year. Virtually nobody else can do that, 150 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: So they've cornered the market on the merger, cornered the 151 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:13,240 Speaker 1: market on media. At the end of the day, all 152 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: of the teams are not corporations. They are LLC's and 153 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: LLPs limited liability partnerships. So you know, my job is 154 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: to audit the teams, which you know gave me an 155 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 1: ulcer and you know, got me addicted to Johnny Walker Blue. 156 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,200 Speaker 1: But you think of those corporations, you take something like 157 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 1: the Dallas Cowboys, there is no one singular Dallas Cowboy entity. 158 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 1: They're made up of dozens of little LLPs and LLCs. 159 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:45,440 Speaker 1: They loan money to each other, they borrow from each other, 160 00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: they pay each other. So the way this thing works 161 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 1: from a tax liability standpoint is that they do everything right. 162 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:53,560 Speaker 1: You know what they pay in taxes at the end 163 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: of the year. Yeah, so they're not a corporation. They 164 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 1: don't file anything public. Make it even crazier, you cannot 165 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 1: find an audited financial statement for any NFL team or 166 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:15,320 Speaker 1: the NFL as it exists. They do not create audited 167 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,839 Speaker 1: financial statements because they don't want anyone to know. 168 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:21,079 Speaker 4: So when they put those numbers out and they say, hey, 169 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 4: we made this year this amount this year, that's just 170 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 4: something they're throwing out there. 171 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: There's just something they're throwing out there. And you know, 172 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:29,800 Speaker 1: and look, I like magazines like Fortune that do the 173 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:34,439 Speaker 1: valuations of teams that's not based on any audited financial statement. 174 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:36,720 Speaker 1: I mean, the only people who audit them is the 175 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 1: NFL Players Association, and we can't talk about how much money. 176 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:45,319 Speaker 3: I always wanted to know what a player is. There 177 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:47,520 Speaker 3: certain things that they cannot give a certain player, like, 178 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 3: for instance, let's say I don't want to say I'll 179 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 3: use Lebron James, right. I know it's not the same sport. 180 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:56,440 Speaker 3: But let's say I wanted Lebron to stay on my 181 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 3: team right right now, he's probably the biggest player, biggest draw. 182 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 3: Could they Could they give Lebron a percentage of a team? 183 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 1: No? Why is not? Because I like Michael Jordan. 184 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:09,080 Speaker 2: Why didn't you ask about I'm. 185 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: Trying to play, Yeah, who has the leveraged. 186 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 3: Patrick Mahomes, Pat Trady or Brady Tom Tom somebody like that. 187 00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 3: Would they give a percentage? 188 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:20,400 Speaker 2: Because they would? 189 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 1: They would? They is a different question. I think the 190 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:28,319 Speaker 1: answer is no. No team wants to give a player 191 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 1: a share of the team because no team wants to 192 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 1: give up that control. Right. But to your question, can 193 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:39,280 Speaker 1: they pay them that if the player demanded No, because 194 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:41,760 Speaker 1: that would be a violation of the salary cap. So 195 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:43,679 Speaker 1: the way the salary cap work, I mean, I'll make 196 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:46,320 Speaker 1: it really simple. You take all of the revenue that 197 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:50,079 Speaker 1: you generate in in sport. Players get about fifty percent 198 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,959 Speaker 1: of that revenue, that all, and then you divide that 199 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:55,320 Speaker 1: by thirty two teams. That's salary cap. Which it's not 200 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:59,040 Speaker 1: that complicated. If you gave an individual player a certain 201 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 1: ownership interest in the team, that would be a violation 202 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 1: of the salary cap rules. And here's why. 203 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:06,440 Speaker 2: And wouldn't all the owners have to agree on it? 204 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: Oh, all the owners. 205 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 3: Would have to agree on it, and they never would 206 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:10,400 Speaker 3: like you got to play it like Brady right and 207 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:11,319 Speaker 3: said Brady says. 208 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 2: I want to I want to leave New England. 209 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:13,640 Speaker 1: Can't do it. 210 00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 3: They said, you know what would give you one percent 211 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 3: of the team. 212 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:18,120 Speaker 1: Can't disdain he can't do it. I mean, look, if 213 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:21,080 Speaker 1: the players wanted to negotiate a new CBA and made 214 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:23,280 Speaker 1: and made that, you know, something that the players would 215 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:26,560 Speaker 1: want more power to them. I think it would be uh. 216 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:28,280 Speaker 1: I would think it would be a bigger fight than 217 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: you saw Kaepernick deal with because none of the players. 218 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 1: You know, again, these are for the most part, these 219 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:37,880 Speaker 1: teams fall into two big categories. Either they are family 220 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:40,959 Speaker 1: owned teams. You know, the Rooneyes, the Maras, the Hunts, 221 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:45,840 Speaker 1: or it's a set of owners who made some outside 222 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 1: money and they bought a team and they're generating money 223 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: for their own They do not want to share anything, right. 224 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 1: I mean, I'll give you the best example. There is 225 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:02,440 Speaker 1: no NFL team in the country that couldn't give their 226 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: city a percentage of the team if they wanted taxpayers 227 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:10,719 Speaker 1: to help pay them for a stadium. Think about San Diego. 228 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 1: A few years ago, they wanted to stay in San Diego, 229 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 1: they put up a referendum to see if taxpayers would 230 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:19,760 Speaker 1: pay for a new stadium. Taxpayers, overwhelmingly in San Diego 231 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:22,800 Speaker 1: said nah, we don't want to use our tax money 232 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:26,560 Speaker 1: for a new stadium. So the Chargers left and went 233 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 1: to Los Angeles. The only thing Dean Spanos had to 234 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: do if he really wanted to stay in San Diego, 235 00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: if he put his money where his mouth is and said, 236 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 1: I want the fans of San Diego to love us. 237 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:44,960 Speaker 1: I love the city of San Diego. The only thing 238 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:47,760 Speaker 1: he had to do was to do what you asked 239 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:49,960 Speaker 1: about Lebron. He could have gone to the city of 240 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:52,480 Speaker 1: San Diego and said, hey, look, I want taxpayer revenue 241 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:54,680 Speaker 1: to build a stadium. Here's what I'll do. I'll give 242 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:58,280 Speaker 1: the city of San Diego five percent of the team, 243 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 1: and the Medisons will own part of the churches. Did 244 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 1: you do that, No. 245 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 2: Some type of structure like that. 246 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:09,680 Speaker 1: They have a different structure the city and shareholders own 247 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:11,840 Speaker 1: on the team. And you know why that happened, right, 248 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 1: because it's all history and I'm just I'm just a 249 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:17,160 Speaker 1: dork at the end of the day. Right. So, you know, 250 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 1: back in the day, you know, you had all of 251 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:24,600 Speaker 1: these teams based in these traditional textile cities, you know, 252 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 1: Kansas City, Green Bay, you know, Chicago, Pittsburgh. I mean, 253 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 1: these are working class towns that I'm not knocking any 254 00:13:35,559 --> 00:13:37,840 Speaker 1: any of those cities, but those cities did not become 255 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 1: Los Angeles, Boston, and in Atlanta or certainly New York. Right. 256 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:46,119 Speaker 1: So you've got a little team in Green Bay, Wisconsin. 257 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:51,680 Speaker 1: Green Bay, Wisconsin. Everybody there knew that if we don't 258 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,559 Speaker 1: figure out something to try to keep this team in 259 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,040 Speaker 1: Green Bay, this team is going to another place. And 260 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:03,120 Speaker 1: this is before this is Beforeville, this is before expansion 261 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 1: teams anywhere else. Yeah, So the deal was they figured 262 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: out a way of woe. We will give you everything 263 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:14,280 Speaker 1: you want for a new stadium. But here's here's the pull. 264 00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:18,559 Speaker 1: We want the city to own the stadium and own 265 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 1: the team. And they said yes. But from the day 266 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:25,600 Speaker 1: green Bay was the green Bay Packers went to a 267 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: public ownership, how many teams followed that model to stay 268 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:35,040 Speaker 1: in their traditional city? Not one pure greed, pure greed 269 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: and pure control. Right, And so you know, look, I 270 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 1: wanted to write this book. Again, I'm not a football guy. 271 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:44,640 Speaker 1: I wanted to write this book because the way that 272 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:47,840 Speaker 1: the NFL is run is the way that our country 273 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:48,640 Speaker 1: is run. 274 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:50,880 Speaker 2: Down. I'm here for that. 275 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:56,040 Speaker 1: If you if you looked behind the current president's inauguration, 276 00:14:56,120 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 1: who was standing behind him? All the rich billionaire guys. Right, 277 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: it is about control over money. If you have control, 278 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 1: you will have the money for us to figure out 279 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:11,880 Speaker 1: a way how to get back to a system that 280 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 1: truly represents us, to have congressmen and congressomomen who truly 281 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:20,040 Speaker 1: represent us. We all have to understand that this is 282 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:24,160 Speaker 1: all about power. It has it is, yes, I get it. 283 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 1: Everybody wants to focus on money. It's about control and power. 284 00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: And if you are either unwilling or unable to go 285 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:37,240 Speaker 1: ten toes to the line to confront power like a 286 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: player's union did for fifteen years. You're just gonnat your 287 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 1: ass beat and the reality is man, you can I 288 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: love the eight years of Obama, but everything from the 289 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:53,440 Speaker 1: middle end of his term until now. We lost the 290 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 1: women's right to abortion, we have lost the Voting Rights Act. 291 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:02,880 Speaker 1: We have lost the ability needs to control redistricting and 292 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 1: jerrymandering in state houses DC. My home city is a 293 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:11,000 Speaker 1: home city that's got the National Guard patrolling. Let's get 294 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,920 Speaker 1: it clear. They're only patrolling the safe areas in DC. 295 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 1: Let's not get it twisted right. They're not in The 296 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 1: National Guard is not in Southeast. 297 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 2: Where I grew up. 298 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: Really, they're downtown at Union Station happening. I mean, unless 299 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: somebody drops an ice cream cone, you know. But again, 300 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:33,360 Speaker 1: you know, you're looking at a president that literally federalized 301 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:40,200 Speaker 1: the occupation of the nation's capital, and that's where I 302 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: grew up, that's where my parents grew up. But this 303 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:49,120 Speaker 1: is a president and a party that has run rough 304 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 1: shod and I'm a Democrat. They have run rough shot 305 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 1: over the Democratic Party for the last fifteen to twenty years. 306 00:16:58,400 --> 00:16:59,280 Speaker 2: It's been a blow up. 307 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:04,240 Speaker 1: Been a blowout, and my critique of the Democratic Party 308 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:11,480 Speaker 1: a misunderstanding of power. These people are not to be 309 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 1: negotiated with. They are not to be trusted. You cannot 310 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:18,400 Speaker 1: sit there and decide that you are going to make 311 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:21,800 Speaker 1: some sort of agreement with them and expect for them 312 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 1: to hold up their side of the agreement. They're not 313 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: going to do it. 314 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:28,960 Speaker 4: We magic question if the Democrats based off this analogy 315 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,600 Speaker 4: are the players and the Republicans are the owners. 316 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:32,880 Speaker 2: Who's the NFLPA. 317 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:37,840 Speaker 1: NFLPA is the players, NFL YEAHA is a union man 318 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,440 Speaker 1: of Democrats in this situation. Democrats in this situation. I mean, 319 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:43,119 Speaker 1: it's it's put it this way. I mean, I had 320 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:45,640 Speaker 1: a rough fight over fifteen years. I mean everything from 321 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 1: the Flategate to ray Rice to cap to COVID. I'm 322 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:54,320 Speaker 1: not saying we won every fight, but we fought every fight. 323 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:58,920 Speaker 1: And you lose one of the fights, you don't want 324 00:17:58,920 --> 00:17:59,679 Speaker 1: to fight. 325 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:01,120 Speaker 2: The Republicans, that definitely don't. 326 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: And I think in this analogy, at the end of 327 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,720 Speaker 1: the day, look, I don't have any friends at the 328 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:13,119 Speaker 1: nationale Football League. I Am not going to get a 329 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 1: holiday gift from any one of these I know it's 330 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 1: a family show, so I keep it clean. I'm not 331 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 1: gonna have any family show from these mfs. I mean 332 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:25,520 Speaker 1: I was gonna. You know, my mom might be listening. 333 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 5: She's like, normally I would go Look, I go with 334 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:36,880 Speaker 5: Harbor with our guys, right, because hard with our. 335 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:47,959 Speaker 6: Good God, like, are you drinking? 336 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:54,120 Speaker 1: I don't know what's in this. No, I go hard 337 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 1: with our guys because look, our guys come into the 338 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:03,200 Speaker 1: NFL system believing that because they are one of the 339 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 1: top two hundred and fifty guys that make it to 340 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:08,640 Speaker 1: the league every year when they walk across the stage 341 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:11,879 Speaker 1: at the draft, it always boiled my blood that our 342 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,280 Speaker 1: dudes hugged Roger Goodell like he gave them some shit. 343 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:16,399 Speaker 2: They didn't earn it. 344 00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, the only reason you were on the stage is 345 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 1: you were one of the top two hundred and fifty guys. 346 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: He didn't give you anything, So shake his fucking hand 347 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:30,760 Speaker 1: like a grown ass man, right, and then walk away. 348 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:32,840 Speaker 1: I mean, I worked for big law firms. 349 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:33,359 Speaker 2: They gave me. 350 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 1: You know, I got great jobs. There. There was a 351 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:38,320 Speaker 1: day and I didn't walk in and hug the managing 352 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,600 Speaker 1: partner like he gave me some stuff. I think you 353 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:45,680 Speaker 1: have a misunderstanding of power and a misunderstanding that these 354 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,840 Speaker 1: people are out to blow us out. 355 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:50,600 Speaker 2: How did you look at Roger Goodett? Did you look 356 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:52,959 Speaker 2: at him as moyal but an outlier adversary. 357 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:57,399 Speaker 1: Pure ass adversary. Wow, I mean, look Roger, I mean he. 358 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:00,399 Speaker 2: He's there to protect the owners basically. 359 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 1: That's not even basically. I mean he the commissioner is 360 00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:07,080 Speaker 1: a myth. So they created this title called commissioner way 361 00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:09,200 Speaker 1: back in the day because it makes us think, Oh, 362 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:11,720 Speaker 1: the dude's in the middle and he's just making sure 363 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:13,879 Speaker 1: that football is good for the players and football is 364 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:16,840 Speaker 1: good for the good for the owners. No, Roger gets 365 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:20,480 Speaker 1: paid sixty three million dollars a year sixty four. I 366 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:21,919 Speaker 1: mean he may have gotten the bonus. I don't know. 367 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:24,199 Speaker 1: I don't I don't get you, and I know I 368 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:27,159 Speaker 1: know when we do have lunch, he buys. So No, 369 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,159 Speaker 1: he gets paid sixty three sixty four million dollars to 370 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:34,840 Speaker 1: represent the interest of the owners and a plane for life. 371 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:38,400 Speaker 1: I'm not even mad about the money, is the plane. 372 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 1: That's the kind of thing where you're. 373 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:47,959 Speaker 4: Like Jesus, No football him to be objective about players. 374 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:51,560 Speaker 1: He's not paid to be an Are you able to 375 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 1: beat his? 376 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:53,720 Speaker 7: Well, were you able to beat his honest when you 377 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:54,400 Speaker 7: were in your role. 378 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,040 Speaker 1: I mean, I cannot get a gif. I came from 379 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:01,320 Speaker 1: out of football. Just background for me. I was a 380 00:21:01,359 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 1: homicide prosecutor for eight years in DC. After that I 381 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:07,080 Speaker 1: went to a big law firm. I didn't have anything 382 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:09,680 Speaker 1: to do with sports when I got elected into the job. 383 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:13,399 Speaker 1: So I came after a you know what I consider 384 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,240 Speaker 1: a legend, a guy named Gene Upshaw who was the 385 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,760 Speaker 1: former executive director. But Jean died in the job. You know, 386 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:21,600 Speaker 1: he went into the hospital on a Wednesday and died 387 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:25,159 Speaker 1: on a Sunday. And you know I ran against two 388 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,720 Speaker 1: former NFLPA presidents and you know I won. They didn't. 389 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:33,400 Speaker 1: So I always took the job from a standpoint of 390 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,520 Speaker 1: I never looked for an NFL job. I never wanted 391 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:39,159 Speaker 1: to work for a team. I don't need anything from 392 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:43,040 Speaker 1: the owners. I wasn't there to become your friend. So 393 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:45,680 Speaker 1: I know how to do one thing. I know how 394 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:49,640 Speaker 1: to do war right, and I know how to how 395 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 1: I was hired at Latham and these big, big law 396 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:57,119 Speaker 1: firms to basically represent the richest, biggest companies in the 397 00:21:57,119 --> 00:21:58,480 Speaker 1: world and do game strategy. 398 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:00,879 Speaker 8: That's what I know how hard was it for you 399 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,040 Speaker 8: navigating a Colin Kaepernick situation because people felt like y'all 400 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:04,760 Speaker 8: were hands off. 401 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:07,240 Speaker 7: You are very vocal, it seemed like you would be 402 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:07,760 Speaker 7: hands off. 403 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 1: But I wasn't hands off on that one. Yeah. You know, 404 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:14,560 Speaker 1: the first person to do an interview after Colin nelt 405 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 1: was me because I knew exactly how the league was 406 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:22,640 Speaker 1: going to turn that story. And you know, I didn't 407 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:24,879 Speaker 1: know that he was going to kneel. You know, it 408 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 1: was a preseason game, and I remember getting a call 409 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:29,680 Speaker 1: from one of my PR guys that this is now 410 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:30,800 Speaker 1: going to be a thing. It's going to be a 411 00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: thing tomorrow. So I gave an interview with the nation 412 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:37,160 Speaker 1: I think that night or that morning to frame this 413 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:39,520 Speaker 1: is why he's kneeling, and this is why he's doing it. 414 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:44,120 Speaker 1: But I also knew in a heartbeat that again going 415 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: back to this power man, once the league realized that 416 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 1: this is an individual player making a political statement that 417 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 1: is rooted in history and rooted in fact, I knew 418 00:22:57,480 --> 00:22:59,720 Speaker 1: in a nanosecond that they were going to come after 419 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:03,000 Speaker 1: him and come after anybody who supported him. That's just 420 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:06,199 Speaker 1: the way they played the game, right And so for me, 421 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:09,119 Speaker 1: you know, I go into game mode, you know, first, 422 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:11,280 Speaker 1: make sure that the message is out there in two. 423 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,159 Speaker 1: If there ever comes a day when we believe that 424 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:17,560 Speaker 1: he is going to be blackballed for what he's doing, 425 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:22,080 Speaker 1: that's why we joined his lawyers and we sued the 426 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: National Football League for blackballer. 427 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 8: I know you talk about it in your book a bit, 428 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:26,640 Speaker 8: but do you feel like he was black. 429 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:31,960 Speaker 1: Ball one hundred percent? I mean, look at I don't 430 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: want to say anything that gets a whole bunch of 431 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 1: other quarterbacks mad at me. But in the year that 432 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:46,560 Speaker 1: Colin wasn't signed other than the top five quarterbacks in 433 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:48,879 Speaker 1: the league, you know at that time, and I'm just 434 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:52,919 Speaker 1: talking about everybody from from Braiding, from Brady to Aaron Rodgers, 435 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:57,639 Speaker 1: everybody in the middle, Breeze, Pat Peyton, everybody. Colin was 436 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:02,439 Speaker 1: one of the top ten quarterbacks in the league. I 437 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 1: mean everybody there were. There were a bunch of other 438 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:09,800 Speaker 1: guys who had jobs, quarterback jobs. I don't think it's 439 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:13,639 Speaker 1: close that he was better than fifty percent of the 440 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:15,960 Speaker 1: starting quarterbacks in the National Football League at the time. 441 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:19,439 Speaker 4: When he worked out with the Raiders are when I know, 442 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:23,040 Speaker 4: when Rock Nation had put together the workout that he 443 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:24,840 Speaker 4: was supposed to go to, but then he went somewhere else. 444 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:26,679 Speaker 1: You the one in it, Yeah, the tryout in it 445 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:27,240 Speaker 1: in Atlanta? 446 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:29,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, what do you think of those two situations? They 447 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:30,800 Speaker 2: were just for shore or Hey. 448 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 1: Look, I nobody was more stunned than me that he 449 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:41,359 Speaker 1: didn't go through with that tryout in Atlanta. I know 450 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,359 Speaker 1: that there was a fight over some waiver or or 451 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: something like that. But you know, there were a bunch 452 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:50,040 Speaker 1: of college scouts there, I'm sorry, a bunch of pro 453 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:54,600 Speaker 1: scouts there. Sorry about that pro scouts there, and he decided, 454 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:56,680 Speaker 1: you know, for his own reasons, that that he wasn't 455 00:24:56,720 --> 00:25:00,119 Speaker 1: going to throw that day. That that surprised me. He 456 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 1: had disappointed me. 457 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:02,920 Speaker 2: He just went up the. 458 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:03,679 Speaker 1: Road he did. 459 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:04,879 Speaker 2: He went to a high school, high. 460 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 1: School where all the all the all the scouts want. 461 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 9: Yeah, you know, and again I just can't be blunt, right, 462 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:15,520 Speaker 9: But there were also dudes catching for him that day 463 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,679 Speaker 9: who were looking for jobs to They didn't go to. 464 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,240 Speaker 2: The houschol got you got you got you got, you 465 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:21,520 Speaker 2: got you. 466 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:26,520 Speaker 1: So look, the you lose one hund of the fights, 467 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:30,640 Speaker 1: you don't fight, right. If if I would have had 468 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:33,159 Speaker 1: to wave way to a magic Wand would I have 469 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:35,400 Speaker 1: wanted him to go throw that day and in front 470 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:38,439 Speaker 1: of a bunch of scouts and show off that freakin' 471 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:42,600 Speaker 1: arm and show off you know, his feet and his footwork. 472 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:45,680 Speaker 4: Yes, you go to be hard to keep him out 473 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:47,080 Speaker 4: of the league after that if he had a good show. 474 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:52,240 Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, because I think the pressure shifts, right. I mean, 475 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 1: everybody was there in Atlanta. Press was there, scouts are there. Man, 476 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:01,600 Speaker 1: he is going to do well. And it is, at 477 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:03,600 Speaker 1: least from the way that I look at the game strategy, 478 00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 1: it becomes incredibly hard from that moment for the league 479 00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:11,720 Speaker 1: to continue to hold him out of the league when 480 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:16,200 Speaker 1: you've got thirty some odd scouts there, the media is there, 481 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:18,639 Speaker 1: and he does well. I mean I just look at 482 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:22,320 Speaker 1: pressure points, right. That puts the maximum amount of pressure 483 00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: on the league at that moment. And what I have 484 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 1: loved to see him go through that process. Yeah. 485 00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:30,960 Speaker 4: But you know what, man, you know from your standpoint, 486 00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:33,160 Speaker 4: And I just got a couple of questions about Theavnick situation. 487 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:36,960 Speaker 4: Why why him though, because he wasn't the only player kneeling, 488 00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 4: so he was. 489 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:41,160 Speaker 1: The guy that started it. So you know, if you're 490 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:43,080 Speaker 1: reading the you know and again, I just I'm just 491 00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:46,720 Speaker 1: a war guy. If you know, whether it's you know, 492 00:26:47,119 --> 00:26:53,440 Speaker 1: the Art of War or Machiavelli's Treatise on War, you know, 493 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:58,800 Speaker 1: there isn't a warrior campaign in the world that doesn't 494 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:06,560 Speaker 1: try to kill the League general, right, And nobody really 495 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:10,560 Speaker 1: wants to talk about it that way. But I don't 496 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 1: care what war you have ever waged, or whatever war 497 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:19,200 Speaker 1: any country has ever waged from literally the beginning of time. 498 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:23,159 Speaker 1: If you get an opportunity to kill the general, you 499 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:27,280 Speaker 1: kill the general. And I think that the League took 500 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:33,440 Speaker 1: the opportunity to turn its guns fully on Kaepernick because 501 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 1: it was a hope, and I think it was misguided. 502 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:40,440 Speaker 1: I think it was a hope that if they show 503 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:44,119 Speaker 1: the rest of the players that they can control what 504 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:47,640 Speaker 1: happens to somebody with a loud voice, If they can 505 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:52,040 Speaker 1: control someone who looks like they might be bigger than 506 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:55,440 Speaker 1: the league, what do they do. They send a message 507 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,400 Speaker 1: to that guy you and they say, oh no, no, no, 508 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:01,240 Speaker 1: we can control and put a bullet and you, And 509 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 1: that's a message to everybody else. 510 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:06,080 Speaker 2: I don't think it did it from Neil. 511 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:08,159 Speaker 1: No, it didn't. And and honestly I thought that was 512 00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: one of the That was one of the best times, 513 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:12,439 Speaker 1: one of the few great times that I had in 514 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:16,440 Speaker 1: the job, because guys responded to that in a way. 515 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:19,639 Speaker 1: I'm always looking for guys to be to have a 516 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:23,879 Speaker 1: lettle of solidarity between them. And I mean, the owners 517 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:28,120 Speaker 1: are serial killers, Let's not again. They are absolute killers. 518 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:33,760 Speaker 1: And for the union to survive, forget us winning, for 519 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:37,400 Speaker 1: us to just survive, we need more solidarity on our 520 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:39,520 Speaker 1: side than you do with the owners. And that's what 521 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 1: you saw with our guys. And then that you know, 522 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:45,120 Speaker 1: that night after the President gave that speech in Huntsville, 523 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:48,040 Speaker 1: you know where he called and said, you know, wouldn't 524 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:50,800 Speaker 1: it be great if every owner right? I mean, I 525 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:54,680 Speaker 1: am sure that he did not understand that he called 526 00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:58,320 Speaker 1: every NFL player's mothers. 527 00:28:57,960 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 2: Son of a bitch. 528 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:04,560 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, from where we come from, you 529 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 1: can say a lot of things. You get to that point, 530 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:09,200 Speaker 1: there is going to be a laying of hands on 531 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,640 Speaker 1: you when you say. And I think when the Republicans 532 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:16,959 Speaker 1: woke up that morning and realized that even Trump had 533 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:21,840 Speaker 1: gone over the line by calling players mothers a bitch. 534 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 1: And that was the weekend you saw every player kneel. 535 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:27,440 Speaker 1: I mean I talk about it in the book. I 536 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:31,960 Speaker 1: flew to watch the Cowboys play, not because I'm a 537 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:39,040 Speaker 1: Cowboys fan. I went, we can go look. I mean 538 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:41,880 Speaker 1: that Michael Parsons thing work. I mean, you don't have 539 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: to talk about it. 540 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:52,560 Speaker 10: Okay, I don't know, you know, Okay, sharp objects, you 541 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 10: said that we that you went because. 542 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:57,480 Speaker 1: I knew Jerry's team was gonna kneel. And you know, 543 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:00,280 Speaker 1: Jerry had come out and said, nobody's kneeling on my 544 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:02,960 Speaker 1: team because that's the way that he believes in control. 545 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:05,960 Speaker 1: I knew his team was gonna kneel, and I wanted 546 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 1: to see what he was gonna do. 547 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 2: He moved his. 548 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: Self from the end of the line to the middle 549 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:16,120 Speaker 1: of the line and knelt because for the only time 550 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:19,720 Speaker 1: that he has run that team, he understood the difference 551 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:22,680 Speaker 1: between being on the train or being in front of 552 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:25,600 Speaker 1: the train, and he chose to be on the train 553 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:30,480 Speaker 1: because his guys decided as a group of men this 554 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:34,880 Speaker 1: and I was proud of him. But that's the job, right. 555 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:40,480 Speaker 4: Another question, because y'all see you got with Colin's lawyers 556 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:41,320 Speaker 4: and you sewed the NFL. 557 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:42,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, there was a settlement. 558 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 1: Yeah. 559 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:45,960 Speaker 4: Do you think that's when leverage was lost. Was that 560 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:48,000 Speaker 4: the right thing to do except to settlement? 561 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:51,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, so we represented him with his lawyers. 562 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:54,880 Speaker 1: His lawyers did the settlement. We didn't. I didn't know 563 00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:56,640 Speaker 1: about the settlement. I woke up and saw it on 564 00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:57,000 Speaker 1: the news. 565 00:30:57,080 --> 00:30:58,760 Speaker 2: Oh so the NFLV he didn't even know about it. 566 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:02,400 Speaker 1: No, that doesn't make since welcome to part of my job. 567 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:04,080 Speaker 7: That's how people were confused about it. I saw. I 568 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:05,480 Speaker 7: was saying with the hands on, hands off things. 569 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:07,760 Speaker 8: People were confused where y'all stood because things were happening 570 00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:08,920 Speaker 8: and y'all and. 571 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:12,680 Speaker 1: It's hard because you know, again, you know, I'm a lawyer, 572 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 1: and lawyers have attorney client privilege. I didn't know about 573 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:19,400 Speaker 1: the settlement. The NFL paid did not know about the settlement. 574 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:21,760 Speaker 1: We woke up and found out about it that morning, 575 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:25,000 Speaker 1: and as a result, it dismissed our part of the 576 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:27,959 Speaker 1: case against the league. That's the way it happens. He 577 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:30,440 Speaker 1: has the right to do that. He has the right 578 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:36,520 Speaker 1: to be represented by his own lawyers. Fine. At the 579 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:39,120 Speaker 1: same time, you know, I always tried to not second 580 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:42,240 Speaker 1: guest lawyers, you know, because I'm not there. I don't 581 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:44,840 Speaker 1: know what the terms of the settlement were I don't 582 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:48,840 Speaker 1: know how much money exchanged hands. I wasn't involved in negotiations, 583 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:51,520 Speaker 1: so I'm not gonna I'm not going to second guess 584 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:58,400 Speaker 1: another lawyer, but I will say this, the nflpa's job 585 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:03,000 Speaker 1: is to protect players, and again, I only know one 586 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:05,560 Speaker 1: way of doing that, and that is to start off 587 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:06,880 Speaker 1: at one hundred miles an hour and go to one 588 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:09,240 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty and if there's something in the way, 589 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:16,400 Speaker 1: you run over it. We were more interested in the 590 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:23,400 Speaker 1: facts of who made the decision to black ball a quarterback, 591 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:26,720 Speaker 1: a black quarterback of the National Football League. I'm interested 592 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:32,240 Speaker 1: in what's in your phone. I'm interested in what emails 593 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:35,160 Speaker 1: you're sending. I'm interested because I get all of that 594 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:38,520 Speaker 1: in discovery, right, just like the you know, the collusion 595 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:43,160 Speaker 1: lawsuit that I filed against the players after Deshaun Watson. 596 00:32:43,760 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: I filed that lawsuit before I left. I wasn't there 597 00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:50,440 Speaker 1: for the ruling, But the reason I filed that lawsuit is, Man, 598 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 1: we're looking for the truth because the truth gives us 599 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:59,360 Speaker 1: the ability to fight the control right. So my job 600 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:03,040 Speaker 1: in any callue usion lawsuit, man, I'm going hard and 601 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:07,600 Speaker 1: there's nothing to settle for the for the right. 602 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 4: So once you take all that money, you you you 603 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:12,360 Speaker 4: waive all the rights to set the discovery and everything. 604 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:13,840 Speaker 2: It's like you don't care about you don't care about 605 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:14,920 Speaker 2: the actual issue anymore. 606 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:17,120 Speaker 1: You never got it. 607 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 4: Okay, So I'm not second guessing anyone, but we're all 608 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 4: you all on the same. 609 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:22,120 Speaker 2: Page about that. 610 00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:28,040 Speaker 1: Obviously, not anybody read the book. Yeah, there's stuff that 611 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:32,160 Speaker 1: I'm trying to avoid saying saying because I had conversations 612 00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:35,040 Speaker 1: with their side of the lawyer. So I can't divulge anything. 613 00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 1: But I can tell you that I woke up and 614 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:40,560 Speaker 1: found out about the settlement from I think ESPN le. 615 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:43,080 Speaker 3: Me, what were your thoughts on the way to handle 616 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:48,920 Speaker 3: the Sanders young man control same situation? 617 00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:50,000 Speaker 1: Do you think that would think about? 618 00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:50,240 Speaker 2: Who? 619 00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:53,600 Speaker 1: Look, I don't know what happened, you know, I borrow 620 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:58,680 Speaker 1: this line from from James Baldwin all the time. I 621 00:33:58,720 --> 00:34:03,040 Speaker 1: don't know if in your heart you're a racist, but 622 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:07,800 Speaker 1: I see what you do. Right. So I look at 623 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:12,960 Speaker 1: the way in which a young black man knelt during 624 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:18,240 Speaker 1: a preseason game and the league turned. I believe every 625 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:22,680 Speaker 1: gun that they had on Colin Kaepernick. And again, let's 626 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:27,280 Speaker 1: be clear, he didn't interrupt a game. He didn't kneel 627 00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:32,040 Speaker 1: on the field, he didn't stop the game in any way. 628 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:37,200 Speaker 1: This was all before the game, right, So no one 629 00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:39,520 Speaker 1: can make an argument to me like they did during 630 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:42,120 Speaker 1: anthem that well, you know, d this is impacting you know, 631 00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:45,120 Speaker 1: the economics of the game, or this is impacting football. No, 632 00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:49,000 Speaker 1: even if it's during the national anthem, this is before 633 00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:51,560 Speaker 1: the game, right. And I got to sit in the stands. 634 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:54,600 Speaker 1: I look, I watch guys in the in the stands 635 00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:57,719 Speaker 1: during the national anthem, buying another beer, swinging another beer. 636 00:34:57,800 --> 00:35:00,680 Speaker 1: You go to Baltimore in the middle of the national anthem, 637 00:35:00,920 --> 00:35:05,120 Speaker 1: they yell, oh in favor of the Baltimore Orioles. If 638 00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:08,040 Speaker 1: you're going to say that that's disrespectful for him kneeling, 639 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:12,239 Speaker 1: it's disrespectful. Just as respectful for you to say something 640 00:35:12,239 --> 00:35:14,440 Speaker 1: about the Baltimore Orioles during the national anthem. But I 641 00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:18,400 Speaker 1: don't see anybody you know, pulling down or turning guns 642 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:22,520 Speaker 1: on dudes on that. They went after Colin because he 643 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:28,319 Speaker 1: was iconic and they were afraid that what he was 644 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:32,960 Speaker 1: doing would lead to other people doing things and they 645 00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:39,160 Speaker 1: would lose control. Then you get to the shod right, 646 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:46,160 Speaker 1: I don't know. I'm just being nice on the But 647 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:49,200 Speaker 1: then you get to Shud and again I wasn't. Nobody 648 00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:53,160 Speaker 1: invites me into the draft rooms. But I asked myself 649 00:35:53,160 --> 00:36:00,560 Speaker 1: a pretty simple linear question, is is he better than 650 00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:03,920 Speaker 1: Johnny Manziel Chadar Sanders. 651 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:08,440 Speaker 2: Johnny Manziel, Yes in college? Come on, l was a 652 00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:09,160 Speaker 2: beast in college. 653 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:12,239 Speaker 1: Now come on, man like he? I mean, I like 654 00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:16,239 Speaker 1: Johnny Manziel. I mean, yeah, Johnny Zelle's two people. If 655 00:36:16,239 --> 00:36:17,920 Speaker 1: you put them side by side. As far as who 656 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:21,680 Speaker 1: is more likely to be a pro caliber quarterback, Chadur 657 00:36:21,719 --> 00:36:27,040 Speaker 1: beats him to death. Right, it's inexplicable for him to 658 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:31,000 Speaker 1: fall as far as he did in the draft. You 659 00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:35,480 Speaker 1: think about the number of quarterbacks that the NFL owners 660 00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:39,080 Speaker 1: pull off of the draft line. He was predictable first 661 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:45,360 Speaker 1: round pull So so every other prognosticator is wrong and 662 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:48,880 Speaker 1: the NFL is right. No, that doesn't make any sense. 663 00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:52,400 Speaker 1: I just go back to the number of quarterbacks that 664 00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:57,560 Speaker 1: they pulled off that line. After you get to the 665 00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:01,000 Speaker 1: middle of the second round. Every one of those quarterbacks 666 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:03,640 Speaker 1: that you pulled off the line, I would have taken 667 00:37:03,719 --> 00:37:07,640 Speaker 1: Chador over any one of those dudes. So I find 668 00:37:07,680 --> 00:37:11,080 Speaker 1: it inexplicable except for one thing of why he would 669 00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:14,480 Speaker 1: drop so far in the draft on the draft side, 670 00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:19,200 Speaker 1: because remember, think about it, you draft this guy, you 671 00:37:19,239 --> 00:37:23,399 Speaker 1: know he still doesn't make the team. Right. I find 672 00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:27,120 Speaker 1: it inexplicable that a person of his caliber, the things 673 00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:30,279 Speaker 1: that he was able to accomplish in college, for him 674 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:32,680 Speaker 1: to drop as far as he did in the draft round. 675 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:35,400 Speaker 4: I agree with that. I disagree with the Johnny Manziel comparison. 676 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:38,000 Speaker 4: Like Johnny Menzel was a beast, he won the Heisman Trophy, 677 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:40,160 Speaker 4: Like Johnny was different college. 678 00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:43,680 Speaker 1: It's something to pros, right, But there's a lot of 679 00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:46,279 Speaker 1: dudes in who do well in college. I guess we're 680 00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:49,160 Speaker 1: you know, we agree to disagree, But here I think 681 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:51,000 Speaker 1: we can agree on there's only a lot of guys 682 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:56,440 Speaker 1: who perform in a college system whose size and skill 683 00:37:56,600 --> 00:38:00,600 Speaker 1: will not make them terribly successful in the pro system. 684 00:38:00,719 --> 00:38:03,759 Speaker 1: And I think that when you look at the arm 685 00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:08,080 Speaker 1: strength and the size of Shador and what he was 686 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:11,239 Speaker 1: able to demonstrate in college, both with his feet and 687 00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:15,439 Speaker 1: his ability to his ability to throw just crazy right, 688 00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:19,839 Speaker 1: what he was able to do in college mimicked what 689 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:21,800 Speaker 1: I thought he should be able to do. In the 690 00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:25,719 Speaker 1: National Football League. But fine, we can disagree about all that. 691 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:29,400 Speaker 1: I keep coming back to this guy dropped so far 692 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:34,640 Speaker 1: in the draft despite everybody rating him at a much 693 00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:35,520 Speaker 1: higher level, and. 694 00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:37,440 Speaker 8: Also the people like that. I think people were awaiting 695 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:39,919 Speaker 8: like his debut. I think he was two point two 696 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:40,840 Speaker 8: million views. 697 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:45,239 Speaker 7: It was the But doesn't so he plays well? We 698 00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:45,879 Speaker 7: know that, right. 699 00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:50,200 Speaker 4: But his third scring on the Browns right now is 700 00:38:51,280 --> 00:38:51,760 Speaker 4: how much. 701 00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:56,879 Speaker 2: You know Spring on the Browns right now? 702 00:38:56,920 --> 00:38:58,359 Speaker 1: I guess what I would say is there are. 703 00:38:59,239 --> 00:39:02,360 Speaker 8: I'm sorry, I was just asking how much does that matter? 704 00:39:02,440 --> 00:39:04,000 Speaker 8: Like because no one wanted to see him. 705 00:39:04,120 --> 00:39:08,520 Speaker 1: None to an NFL scout, NFL coach, you know, quarterback, 706 00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:11,120 Speaker 1: quarterback coach, man, they don't care about likes man. They 707 00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:14,279 Speaker 1: care about whether you can deliver the ball in a 708 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:18,399 Speaker 1: in a three x three box with you run and right, 709 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:21,440 Speaker 1: throwing right, and whether or not you can throw that 710 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:25,319 Speaker 1: ball on a line for thirty yards. That's what they 711 00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:28,120 Speaker 1: care about it. That's all they care about. My point is, 712 00:39:28,680 --> 00:39:32,400 Speaker 1: coming out of college, when you take all of the 713 00:39:32,400 --> 00:39:38,600 Speaker 1: predictors about Shador, did all of those predictive qualities point 714 00:39:38,640 --> 00:39:42,280 Speaker 1: to him going higher than when he came out. Yes, 715 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:48,279 Speaker 1: and again I don't know, but I do know one thing. 716 00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:53,160 Speaker 1: There is not an NFL owner that liked the way 717 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:56,880 Speaker 1: in which he carried himself in college. That is not 718 00:39:57,960 --> 00:39:59,160 Speaker 1: That is not their vibe. 719 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:01,360 Speaker 2: Right. It's so interesting about this conversation. 720 00:40:01,719 --> 00:40:05,800 Speaker 4: And I feel like, and I'm just going back to 721 00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:08,360 Speaker 4: this because I feel like, if Colin Kaepernick hadn't to 722 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:11,000 Speaker 4: settle and went through with the collusion, and you're all 723 00:40:11,160 --> 00:40:13,719 Speaker 4: able to get these emails and everything else, improve who 724 00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:16,640 Speaker 4: was doing what? Owners would never be able to collude 725 00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:18,719 Speaker 4: against the player like they did sh your door ever 726 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:21,399 Speaker 4: again it was president. 727 00:40:21,239 --> 00:40:25,040 Speaker 1: Or they would never be able to collude against players 728 00:40:25,719 --> 00:40:31,400 Speaker 1: like we found out in the most recent lawsuit. No, 729 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:34,760 Speaker 1: this was I fouled the lawsuit against the National Football 730 00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:40,360 Speaker 1: League that they were colluding against players getting free agent contracts. Wow, 731 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:44,439 Speaker 1: I'll file that in twenty twenty two or twenty three. 732 00:40:44,680 --> 00:40:48,719 Speaker 1: I was gone by the time the arbitrator ruled on 733 00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:52,239 Speaker 1: the case. And not throw any shade on my successor. 734 00:40:53,880 --> 00:41:01,000 Speaker 1: But it's easy. Well, facts, man, Facts hurt. And so 735 00:41:01,320 --> 00:41:06,200 Speaker 1: for whatever reason, it's still mind boggling to me my successor, 736 00:41:06,239 --> 00:41:10,440 Speaker 1: who's gone now decided that they would enter into a 737 00:41:10,480 --> 00:41:13,240 Speaker 1: secret agreement with the league and not tell the players 738 00:41:13,239 --> 00:41:17,160 Speaker 1: about the result of the lawsuit. And for whatever reason, 739 00:41:17,719 --> 00:41:21,319 Speaker 1: my successor told the players that the players lost the 740 00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:26,239 Speaker 1: collusion lawsuit that I filed, when in reality, the arbitrator 741 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:29,160 Speaker 1: found that the management council that runs the National Football 742 00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:33,880 Speaker 1: League colluded and told teams not to urge teams not 743 00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:37,600 Speaker 1: to give guaranteed contracts to players. Now, that's something that 744 00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:40,759 Speaker 1: I would have told the players, because first of all, 745 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:44,040 Speaker 1: they're entitled to know. And second, as soon as you 746 00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:47,840 Speaker 1: as soon as I would have found out that the owners, 747 00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:51,239 Speaker 1: the owners who run the league, you know, Craft, Jones, 748 00:41:51,480 --> 00:41:54,759 Speaker 1: Mara Rooney, all of those guys are on their executive committee. 749 00:41:55,440 --> 00:41:58,680 Speaker 1: Once I would have found out that those people told 750 00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:03,239 Speaker 1: the teams to not do guarantee contracts, I sue on 751 00:42:03,360 --> 00:42:08,960 Speaker 1: behalf of every player going back to twenty fifteen. That's 752 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:12,959 Speaker 1: what I would have done, because look, you lose one 753 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:15,280 Speaker 1: hundred percent of the fights. You never fight. 754 00:42:15,480 --> 00:42:16,960 Speaker 4: So when you find out the owners of colluding to 755 00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:19,600 Speaker 4: what happens, I don't well if. 756 00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:23,600 Speaker 1: In this case the conen for the for the owners, 757 00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:27,000 Speaker 1: it could be could be cataclysmic. I mean, think about it, 758 00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:30,759 Speaker 1: if if there were a player who I'm just gonna 759 00:42:30,760 --> 00:42:34,600 Speaker 1: try to make the math eas Let's just do Lamar, 760 00:42:35,719 --> 00:42:40,040 Speaker 1: you know, if Lamar or Russell Wilson or any of 761 00:42:40,120 --> 00:42:45,439 Speaker 1: these guys, the young man in San Diego, Herbert, sorry, 762 00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:47,719 Speaker 1: the Chargers Herbert. Let's just say that he wants a 763 00:42:47,719 --> 00:42:50,279 Speaker 1: fully guaranteed contract, and just to make the math easy, 764 00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:53,760 Speaker 1: he wants a fully guaranteed contract at three hundred million, 765 00:42:54,480 --> 00:42:57,239 Speaker 1: and the owner only gives him a contract of one 766 00:42:57,320 --> 00:43:02,520 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty million guaranteed. Theoretically, your damages are between 767 00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:04,799 Speaker 1: one hundred and fifty million and three hundred million that 768 00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:09,160 Speaker 1: he didn't get times every player that didn't get a 769 00:43:09,160 --> 00:43:13,640 Speaker 1: fully guaranteed contract. So you know, historically, if you think 770 00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:16,720 Speaker 1: about the one of the reasons the Major League Baseball 771 00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:20,120 Speaker 1: Union became so powerful. Yes, they went through a strike 772 00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:23,880 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety four, but what really broke the owners 773 00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:27,279 Speaker 1: in the eighties and the nineties, the baseball owners they 774 00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:33,120 Speaker 1: lost collusion cases lost them. And how it's. 775 00:43:33,040 --> 00:43:35,480 Speaker 2: Billions, so cabinet could have started president. 776 00:43:36,560 --> 00:43:42,880 Speaker 1: Anyway, read the book to make I'm not trying to, 777 00:43:43,520 --> 00:43:43,799 Speaker 1: I don't. 778 00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:45,759 Speaker 2: It's ain't even about him. This is about how that 779 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:47,920 Speaker 2: president could have been started to take these owners. 780 00:43:47,719 --> 00:43:49,640 Speaker 1: Because it's about the strategy of power. 781 00:43:49,719 --> 00:43:52,240 Speaker 4: Yes, because you're writing the book. Owners aren't stupid. Morons 782 00:43:52,280 --> 00:43:55,000 Speaker 4: on occasion, but not stupid. They realized long ago that 783 00:43:55,040 --> 00:43:58,680 Speaker 4: a single massive army is more powerful than thirty two 784 00:43:58,719 --> 00:44:00,920 Speaker 4: regional ones, especially while fending off an attack. And it 785 00:44:00,960 --> 00:44:02,719 Speaker 4: made me think about it, because you can have all 786 00:44:02,719 --> 00:44:04,400 Speaker 4: the money in the world, but if their unity and 787 00:44:04,440 --> 00:44:05,720 Speaker 4: group operation. 788 00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:08,560 Speaker 1: One hundred percent, that keeps them in one hundred percent. Man, 789 00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:11,640 Speaker 1: you want to be the next executive director of the NFL. No, 790 00:44:12,840 --> 00:44:14,919 Speaker 1: I guess I had to do a pitch too much. 791 00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:18,319 Speaker 1: Pick up the Thank you appreciate it, you do. 792 00:44:18,320 --> 00:44:20,680 Speaker 4: Bill Simmons podcast, Man, I would love to, Yeah, I 793 00:44:20,719 --> 00:44:21,160 Speaker 4: would love to. 794 00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:23,000 Speaker 2: I would love to think y'all have a great column. 795 00:44:23,040 --> 00:44:23,959 Speaker 2: We love to turn for wars. 796 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:27,520 Speaker 4: DeMarcus Smith, thank you for having tomorrow drow d. 797 00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:33,319 Speaker 1: Just tomorrows. Yeah. My mom, my mom wanted to call 798 00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:36,160 Speaker 1: me Lot Cannard or my dad did, but thank god, 799 00:44:36,520 --> 00:44:37,640 Speaker 1: thank god, my mother stepped in. 800 00:44:37,640 --> 00:44:38,920 Speaker 2: My name is Lenard. That's close. 801 00:44:39,080 --> 00:44:43,839 Speaker 1: Yeah, but Lot Connard is the duck. Yeah, that would 802 00:44:43,880 --> 00:44:44,600 Speaker 1: have been a little bit rough. 803 00:44:44,640 --> 00:44:46,200 Speaker 2: Would you look like a duck when you was born? 804 00:44:46,239 --> 00:44:51,479 Speaker 1: As damn that. I just the man. It went from. 805 00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:55,880 Speaker 1: We were on such a when he was born. 806 00:44:57,040 --> 00:44:59,960 Speaker 3: No, no, no, you know what, he's man. 807 00:45:00,160 --> 00:45:01,239 Speaker 1: He's mad about the cowboys thing. 808 00:45:01,520 --> 00:45:05,600 Speaker 7: Yeah, so salty, and so she was gonna name you Lochannard. 809 00:45:05,680 --> 00:45:09,279 Speaker 1: She was My dad wanted to name me Locknard. My 810 00:45:09,320 --> 00:45:11,160 Speaker 1: mother was like, uh no. 811 00:45:11,040 --> 00:45:17,759 Speaker 11: Yeah, Lenard means clown, so yeah, real crazy. We appreciate you, 812 00:45:18,160 --> 00:45:21,920 Speaker 11: but you guys, what just means what I. 813 00:45:23,719 --> 00:45:28,719 Speaker 2: Went show. 814 00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:30,799 Speaker 1: Thank you brother, the Breakfast Club this morning. 815 00:45:32,080 --> 00:45:32,640 Speaker 6: Every day. 816 00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:35,480 Speaker 2: A week ago, click your ass up. The Breakfast Club 817 00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:36,320 Speaker 2: finished