1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:03,680 Speaker 1: Alright, Uh, Peter, you can get us going and a 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: minute once I get out of here. No music, so 3 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:08,480 Speaker 1: you can just um just start the top. Yeah, because 4 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:10,959 Speaker 1: that music intro was a disaster for me last time. 5 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: I was like, I had no rhythm. No, I have 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: no flub. I got rhythm. It just I didn't hear 7 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 1: him right when it beat drop, I was like, all right, whatever, alright, 8 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:31,320 Speaker 1: I'm gonna hit it in five four, three to one. 9 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:37,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to the NFL Players Second Acts Podcast. I'm Peena 10 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:39,839 Speaker 1: Tillman and I got my guy Roman Harper with me. 11 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: What's going on wrong? Oh? Man, I'm living my dream 12 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: up here in Chicago. My wife has a marathon coming up, 13 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,520 Speaker 1: our first as a family, so we're not seven inches 14 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: doing all of it by herself. So I'm looking forward 15 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 1: to cheering her own brother. It's gonna be a great time. 16 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: And I got working between. It's good though, all right, 17 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: it's cool. Yeah. So this show was about players and 18 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: their poll NFL careers and what they're doing right now. 19 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: And today we have a very special guest. Uh. This 20 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: guy played thirteen years in NFL, played in two Super Bowls. 21 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: He's a former All Pro left tackle and in one, 22 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: he was inducted to the Philadelphia Eagles Ring of Honor. 23 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: Y'all show some love for John run yet ye another 24 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:29,839 Speaker 1: day in the ground, you know what I mean, another 25 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: day in the grind. So you're an interesting player because 26 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:40,039 Speaker 1: you retired back in two thousand nine, and unlike Roman 27 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:43,679 Speaker 1: and myself, you kind of got into something like really really, 28 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: really cool. So when did you know you wanted to 29 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: get into politics. It literally fell into my lap. You know. 30 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: It was one of those things where at the end 31 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: of the other eight season, my knee kind of fell apart, 32 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: if you will, and it was it was a progressive thing, 33 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: and you know, it went from you know, B sides 34 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 1: to an mc l and then meniscus issues, and it 35 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: was coming up on the end of my contract. Actually 36 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:13,920 Speaker 1: in O eight playing in Philly, we lost to the 37 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: Cardinals in the NFC Championship game and contract expired and 38 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: I had a knee injury, and I was in my 39 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: mid thirties, and I'm like, it's over, you know, And 40 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: you know, being the competitor that I am, people told me, 41 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:30,640 Speaker 1: being in your mid thirties, you can't recover from a 42 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 1: microfracture surgery in your knee. And I'm like, oh, really, 43 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: I watched this and it was it was really that. 44 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: So I went through I had surgery probably into January, 45 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: so January two thousand nine, and started started chipping away 46 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: at that and you know about I tried to get 47 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: back on a couple of clubs early that the two 48 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: thousand nine season didn't really pan out. And late September 49 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: I got approached by of mine that were actually in 50 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: state government that I've known, you know, our kids went 51 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 1: to school together and all that kind of stuff, and 52 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 1: they actually have asked if you have ever considered about 53 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:10,799 Speaker 1: running for office, and I'm like, you know what, I've 54 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: never taking a political science course of my life, don't 55 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 1: you know. You guys know you don't talk politics in 56 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: the locker room because it just people, and you know, 57 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: it was just that just didn't really have you know, 58 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:28,359 Speaker 1: a political Frankly, at the time, I wasn't even registered. 59 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: You know. I ran as a Republican, but I was 60 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 1: I was an independent, you know, and never affiliated with 61 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: a party or anything. So obviously if I went on 62 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: the Republican ticket, and you know, I had to go 63 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: over there and register with them and do that kind 64 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: of stuff. The odd thing was, you know, So that 65 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: was in October. I wasn't picked up by a team, 66 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 1: and probably right right around election day, so probably right 67 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: around this time of year. It was probably three or 68 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: four days after election Day, so basically next week. From 69 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: the point we're talking right now, I committed to it, 70 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: but I told them I goes if I had the 71 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: opportunity to get on a club and get my four 72 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: games in and get another accredited season. Yeah, and we 73 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:15,839 Speaker 1: happened to be lucky enough to go to the Super Bowl. 74 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: I go, I'll be back from February. I did the 75 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: same thing. So that's really what happened. So it was 76 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:28,720 Speaker 1: like there was, uh, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, someone went 77 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: down with the San Diego Chargers and I got called 78 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:35,359 Speaker 1: and two days later I fly from New Jersey all 79 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 1: the way out to California and I'm out there for 80 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: two months, you know, helping the Chargers do a playoff run. 81 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: Ultimately ended up losing in the second round of the 82 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: playoffs that year. But you know, I got those four 83 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 1: games in. Hold on, John, so I can hold on 84 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 1: hold on because I didn't I don't think I knew 85 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:55,040 Speaker 1: all of this. This is amazing. So first of all, 86 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 1: I had the same story where, you know, micro fracture 87 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:01,359 Speaker 1: mid thirties. Everybody said you can't do it. I didn't 88 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: do the surgery. Hats off to you for doing the 89 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,280 Speaker 1: surgery and being able to battle back for that. People 90 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 1: don't understand, Michael, fracture is literally the worst knee surgery 91 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,920 Speaker 1: to recover from. Um, so, hats off to you for that. 92 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: But the fact is, what was your campaign like the 93 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 1: whole time? I gotta know this campaign to hey, I'm 94 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 1: all in for you guys, Hey, New Jersey all the way, 95 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:24,600 Speaker 1: but if I get the call, I'm out of here, 96 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 1: just letting you guys know. How did that conversation kind 97 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: of go over? Were they all in with you or 98 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 1: were they kind of like, come on, John, you gotta 99 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 1: be here with us. And were you the candidate for them? 100 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: Because you've got to be the biggest man in the room. 101 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,600 Speaker 1: In every room, you step into intimidation all day long 102 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 1: if you don't vote for me. Oh so, Unfortunately, politics 103 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: is a dirty, dirty game, right and you know, like 104 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:53,920 Speaker 1: life life in business in general, it's all based on relationships. 105 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:57,279 Speaker 1: So when I decided to run for office, I have 106 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:00,599 Speaker 1: zero relationships because I have never run for you know, 107 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: school board. I've never run for you know, local township committee. 108 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: I've never done anything like that. So I had the 109 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,599 Speaker 1: only people I knew in the business. It's because of 110 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: our kids went to school together. And it was just 111 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:18,160 Speaker 1: very strange. So you had to build all those allegiances 112 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 1: and jump through all those hoops and do all of 113 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff. But I think, you know, even 114 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:27,240 Speaker 1: today somewhat the climate kind of pushes like we need 115 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,719 Speaker 1: more outsiders, you know, we need people that didn't grow 116 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:34,360 Speaker 1: up in the system, that are independent thinkers that frankly, 117 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:36,840 Speaker 1: a lot of times just wanna you want to shake 118 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: the tree. You know, you're not just there on cruise 119 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: control doing the fundraising that kind of stuff, and you know, 120 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:45,680 Speaker 1: you know you're not. You don't have any loyalty to 121 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 1: anyone else that's helped you along the way. And it was, 122 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 1: it was, it was a struggle. I was fortunate enough 123 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: at the time when I went through the process, somehow 124 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: I garnered favor of Governor Christie at the time, and 125 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 1: he was a huge help in the whole process because 126 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 1: he put a bunch of people in their places and 127 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: said this is my guy. If you don't like him, 128 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: I have a problem with you, so that that's really 129 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: what it came down to. And he he kind of 130 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: got to going, but then again he can do that, 131 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 1: so he's believing in you. You still got to go out. 132 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: You still gotta and it's no different than football. You 133 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: gotta go out and put the time in. You gotta 134 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: put the prep work in. You gotta get up in 135 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: front of people and speak. You gotta go shake all 136 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: the hands and kiss all the babies. And it's a 137 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: it's a grind, and it's I'll tell you, it's probably 138 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: twice as much time is actually preparing to play a 139 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: football game. What was it? What was it like one 140 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 1: of the toughest things that you didn't know going into Polly, 141 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:49,080 Speaker 1: Like you're finally in politics and you go to d 142 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:51,640 Speaker 1: C and everything, Like what was one of the things 143 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: that just shots you most when you when you were there, 144 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 1: I mean a lot of it was new. It really 145 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: took I mean it took me like one so I 146 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 1: got elected and in the office, it took me like 147 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: nine months to get my bearings. Like what is the 148 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: You know, it's no different than being a rookie anywhere else, 149 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 1: you know what I mean? But you think about the 150 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: you know, the totality of you know, you know, constitutional law, 151 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 1: public policy and all this kind of stuff, something I've 152 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:23,800 Speaker 1: never studied in my life. Right, So again, what happens. 153 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: You're only as good as the people you surround yourself with. 154 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 1: You gotta put it, you gotta put a team together 155 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:34,839 Speaker 1: that has the experience that you know isn't bowing down 156 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: to the powers that be if you will, and you 157 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: know that, and they're free thinkers. And I was fortunate 158 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 1: enough that I found those people. Believe it or not. 159 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,280 Speaker 1: My chief of staff I actually found through a connection 160 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 1: I had at w y P sports talk radio in Philadelphia. 161 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 1: He used to be the press secretary in an office 162 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 1: where she was the chief of staff, and I ended 163 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: up hiring her. It was the best thing ever. I mean, 164 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:02,240 Speaker 1: talk about an oddity a relationship I had through planning 165 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:04,560 Speaker 1: for the Eagles and doing the players show on the radio. 166 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 1: The guy introduced me to my future chief of staff. 167 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:10,199 Speaker 1: So it was just like one of those one of 168 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 1: those amazing things, and it was it was a challenge. 169 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: But the big thing I think is, you know, you 170 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:20,840 Speaker 1: sit there and you know people that are successful are 171 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 1: frankly um, you know, very they look inward, very self reflective, 172 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:28,320 Speaker 1: very honest about who they are, what they are, and 173 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 1: you go through the whole process and you're like, man, 174 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:35,679 Speaker 1: how the hell did I get elected? I want to 175 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:37,720 Speaker 1: know that. That's what I really wanted to know that. 176 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: I want to know was there any was there any hazing? 177 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:45,559 Speaker 1: Do do do politicians haze the freshman politicians do y'all? 178 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 1: Like make them write extra speeches for y'all, or like 179 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:53,079 Speaker 1: what make them take you out to dinner dinner? Run them. 180 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: There wasn't a lot of hazing at all. I mean, 181 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 1: but you know, it's no different than being on a 182 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,840 Speaker 1: team to like you'll have click. So all of us 183 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:04,880 Speaker 1: rookies kind of hung out together, you know what I mean, 184 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 1: and you know the veterans and old heads did their 185 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:11,640 Speaker 1: own thing, and it was just it was just different. 186 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 1: But I'll tell you, you you know, go back to that comment, 187 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:16,679 Speaker 1: is like, how the you know, how the heck did 188 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: I get elected? And then you start watching people around 189 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:22,559 Speaker 1: you and I'm like, oh my god, like how did 190 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 1: that guy get elected? And he's been here twenty years, 191 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:30,360 Speaker 1: he's just like So it's just one of those things, 192 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:32,960 Speaker 1: is like, And it's no different. I mean when you 193 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 1: look at the the broad stroke of stuff that you 194 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,480 Speaker 1: can accomplish, you know, at the federal level, and all 195 00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 1: the different things you touch you can't touch at all. 196 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: You gotta pick a couple of niches, you know. I 197 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 1: was fortunate enough, um I got a sign to the 198 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:52,520 Speaker 1: Armed Services Committee, so our military base here in New 199 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:56,440 Speaker 1: Jersey is the second largest employer in the state. UM 200 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 1: I was chairman of the subcommittee and the Veterans Administration, 201 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: and I was also on the Natural Resources Committee, which 202 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:05,480 Speaker 1: we have one of the one of the top fisheries 203 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:07,360 Speaker 1: in the whole in the whole country here off the 204 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: coast of New Jersey. So it was just it was 205 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:13,479 Speaker 1: things that were very very relevant to my to my constituency, 206 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 1: and it was something that was passionate about. You know, 207 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:19,280 Speaker 1: you guys know this when you when you're dealing with 208 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 1: veterans and active military, we have a lot more in 209 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 1: common than many people think. You know, they did it 210 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 1: and all of that kind of stuff. So it was 211 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:30,320 Speaker 1: it was a really natural fit for me, not only 212 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: from a constituent standpoint, but from a you know, a 213 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:36,640 Speaker 1: teamwork and motivational standpoint to be around all those types 214 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 1: of people. What's your time in Congress. What's the one 215 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: thing that you're most proud of? Like your your greatest 216 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:46,680 Speaker 1: accomplishment in Congress? Like, what's what's that one thing? I 217 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 1: would say this, and I still get it to this day. Um, 218 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,280 Speaker 1: you know, you'll be you know, on a on a 219 00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:55,240 Speaker 1: Saturday or Sunday morning walk you're walking down the street. 220 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 1: I still get people to pull over and say, you 221 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 1: know you have my brother out with all this Veterans 222 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:06,200 Speaker 1: Administration red tape, thank you so much. He was in 223 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:09,600 Speaker 1: a really bad place. He's doing so well. That kind 224 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 1: of stuff. I mean, just saying that makes the hair 225 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: on the back of my next stand up, And that's 226 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,680 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff because that was the approach I 227 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:20,760 Speaker 1: took to the whole process. It was. It was constituent services. 228 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:23,640 Speaker 1: You know, it's what a lot of companies lack a 229 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:26,920 Speaker 1: lot of time, the customer service aspect of it. A 230 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 1: lot of people go into it because they have a 231 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:33,640 Speaker 1: desire to be political and drive those agendas and all that. 232 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:36,000 Speaker 1: I was there to serve and that's what it was. 233 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: That's what it was about for me, and frankly, that's 234 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:41,480 Speaker 1: what it should be. And I always say that's why 235 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: it's broken because it is more about politics and in 236 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 1: its service. All right, John, I got a question though, 237 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:49,360 Speaker 1: because we all here now, like you just mentioned how 238 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: politics is so you know, vindictive, it's so this and that. 239 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:56,000 Speaker 1: Were you ever in there saw somebody get up say 240 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 1: this like crazy speech, all these you know, very very 241 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:02,079 Speaker 1: uh even being the biggest character, and then all of 242 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:03,840 Speaker 1: a sudden they come back and like, oh yeah, I 243 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: was just putting on for the camera. They were just 244 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 1: putting on. Did you ever seeing that sense of man, 245 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:10,840 Speaker 1: where'd they get all this energy from there? Not? That 246 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:13,080 Speaker 1: person is not normally like that either on eat on 247 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:17,760 Speaker 1: both sides the energy. I don't think it's fake. I 248 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,320 Speaker 1: think part of the frustrating problem is when you when 249 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 1: you think about, you know, when our when our forefathers 250 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: founded this country, where that was true academic debate, where 251 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:33,800 Speaker 1: they were off the top of their head, it was 252 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:37,120 Speaker 1: deep felt knowledge and passion and all that kind of stuff. 253 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 1: When you look at what we're going through now, it's 254 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 1: a script, it's planned, it's red it's all of that. 255 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:49,360 Speaker 1: It's not a lot of like debate and theory and 256 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 1: all that kind of stuff. That's an annoying part of 257 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:54,480 Speaker 1: it because you're sitting through it. It's like going to 258 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:58,360 Speaker 1: It's like going to a presentation and someone say, well, 259 00:13:58,400 --> 00:13:59,839 Speaker 1: I don't want to read this to you, and what 260 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:04,839 Speaker 1: happens They ended up reading the slides too, And that's 261 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:09,560 Speaker 1: what it was like, Okay, all right and tell me this. 262 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:12,360 Speaker 1: So if you want to if anybody has never heard 263 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:15,000 Speaker 1: this before, you maybe have a passion or wants to 264 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,959 Speaker 1: get into politics. You're saying that you need to get 265 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 1: on you need to run for school board. At first, 266 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:23,760 Speaker 1: that's like the beginner steps of politics. He's like school boy, 267 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: very local level stuff. Then jumping into into the big 268 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:33,640 Speaker 1: waters or you don't to I mean even um, you know, 269 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 1: even when I stepped down. The guy replaced the guy 270 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:39,680 Speaker 1: that replaced me, he had never been in politics. Yeah, 271 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: he was a business owner and he brought that acumen 272 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 1: to the job. But it was just that it was 273 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 1: like you gotta have somewhat of a passion for it, 274 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,240 Speaker 1: and you know whether it is you know, unfortunately a 275 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:54,120 Speaker 1: lot of them are driving with you know, political passion. 276 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:57,600 Speaker 1: But you know, you guys have many and I'm sure 277 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:00,360 Speaker 1: you guys done it. All of our teammates know. You're 278 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:02,920 Speaker 1: helping everybody out with their foundation, helping people in the 279 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 1: community and all that. When you take that aspect of it, 280 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,680 Speaker 1: that's how it works. You don't need the experience. I 281 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,520 Speaker 1: can tell you when you look at Capitol Hill, what 282 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 1: do you have? What do you have there? You have 283 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 1: a bunch of attorneys and I and I have I 284 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 1: have joggingly but half seriously say, there are a bunch 285 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 1: of attorneys that won't make partner a law firms, so 286 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 1: they had to find something else to do. And what 287 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:30,760 Speaker 1: all these attorneys got us to where we're at. We 288 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 1: need new visions in there. And that's really that was 289 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:36,640 Speaker 1: my approach, and I encourage people to do it. But 290 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:41,240 Speaker 1: I also say, as be careful because it is a dirty, 291 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 1: dirty game and it'll it'll wear on you, which is 292 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: part of the reason why I got out of it. 293 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 1: I mean, if you guys go and look. I had 294 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 1: an op ed in Politico when I actually stepped down, 295 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: and I had a football reference in it, and I 296 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 1: literally said, because there's too many people in this game 297 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:02,920 Speaker 1: to get elected to a Pro Bowl, then rather win 298 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:07,920 Speaker 1: the Super Bowl, the individual accolade versus a team accolade. 299 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: That was really the problem with it, because I've been 300 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:15,360 Speaker 1: in front of many groups of my colleagues, and I 301 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:19,960 Speaker 1: literally said, I don't care what my political affiliation is. 302 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:22,440 Speaker 1: I can vote anyway I want to on any piece 303 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: of legislation, as long as I'm willing to invest the 304 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: time to go home and explain it to my constituency 305 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 1: why I voted that way. And I said, most of 306 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: you people in this room default to principle. If you 307 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:38,440 Speaker 1: will that you won't vote for certain things. I goes, no, 308 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:41,880 Speaker 1: this whole thing is a negotiation, and if you reverse 309 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 1: engineer the math that goes into actually passing legislation, it's 310 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 1: going to tell you where that policy has to be. 311 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:52,640 Speaker 1: And they always default the principle of principle. I goes no, 312 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,360 Speaker 1: it's not about principle. It's about doing your job and 313 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 1: then go home and explaining it to people. Okay, yeah, interesting. Interesting. 314 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:05,919 Speaker 1: So the NFL veteran congressman and now doing what you 315 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:09,320 Speaker 1: do for the NFL, how in the hill did you 316 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 1: become an uba driver? That? That's pretty that's pretty interesting though, right, 317 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:22,200 Speaker 1: he's clearly a service person. Clearly disclaimer. The NFL HR 318 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:24,520 Speaker 1: Department didn't like that I was doing that, so I 319 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:29,399 Speaker 1: had to step now, but you know it was really 320 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:33,720 Speaker 1: it was really based out of boredom, if you will. 321 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:40,360 Speaker 1: So at the time, my um my two oldest were 322 00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:43,000 Speaker 1: in college, and my youngest one was still in high school, 323 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:46,720 Speaker 1: but she was She actually plays basketball at Villanova now, 324 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 1: but at the time we went in high school. So 325 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:52,280 Speaker 1: you're talking about those, you know, those spring and summer months. 326 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 1: So they'd be traveling all over the country, would be 327 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:57,000 Speaker 1: her and my wife, And I'm like, I can't pick 328 00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:59,400 Speaker 1: up and leave office on a Thursday to drive down 329 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 1: to Newport News and hang out there until Tuesday, you know, 330 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:04,800 Speaker 1: to watch five basketball games. So I was staying home 331 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:07,199 Speaker 1: on the weekends by myself, and I'm just sitting there. 332 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:10,240 Speaker 1: It's like, so, you know, I'm either gonna go hang 333 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:11,840 Speaker 1: out with the boys or I'm gonna sit here and 334 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 1: feed my face, which neither of them are probably good 335 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:18,919 Speaker 1: for you on a regular basis. Like, let's try this 336 00:18:19,119 --> 00:18:20,960 Speaker 1: uber thing. And I just set it up and I 337 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:23,639 Speaker 1: would literally sit there on the sit there on like 338 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,359 Speaker 1: a Saturday morning, watching TV. I turn it on and 339 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:29,159 Speaker 1: all of a sudden some would pay me for a 340 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 1: ride and I started driving around and next thing you knew, 341 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:35,800 Speaker 1: it was one o'clock in the morning you think about. 342 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:39,640 Speaker 1: There used to be this show called Taxi Cab Confessions 343 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:42,920 Speaker 1: and they were in New York and it would be 344 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 1: a taxi It was basically like uberwin a camera, but 345 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:49,200 Speaker 1: they would have these uh, uber excuse me, taxicab drivers 346 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: driving around New York and just pick up, you know, 347 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:54,680 Speaker 1: passengers along the way and they would have the most 348 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:59,440 Speaker 1: amazing conversations somewhere like you could see coming. Some were 349 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:02,439 Speaker 1: just completely blow your mind. What was like one of 350 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:06,920 Speaker 1: the greatest conversations you ever had with it with a passenger. 351 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:11,840 Speaker 1: There were there were a handful of them most most 352 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:14,159 Speaker 1: of my time, believe it's not. I was nervous energy 353 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:16,040 Speaker 1: on my part, trying to slouch in my chairs, and 354 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 1: then we try to figure out who I was, you know. 355 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:24,240 Speaker 1: But you know, once people figured it out, because obviously 356 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:26,479 Speaker 1: my picture was on was on the app, and I 357 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:28,919 Speaker 1: was using my first name and all that kind of stuff, 358 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:32,159 Speaker 1: and that they would figure it out. You know. I 359 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: would always bust on, you know, living in the Philly area, 360 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 1: and it was more locker room banter with a lot 361 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:41,600 Speaker 1: of people than it was anything else. Just poking fun 362 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:43,840 Speaker 1: at him all the time. There there wasn't you know, 363 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:46,160 Speaker 1: and they would ask a million questions, but it was 364 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:50,239 Speaker 1: a lot of it was football related. Unfortunately, though, you know, 365 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:53,119 Speaker 1: after getting out of politics, I kind of had to 366 00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:56,120 Speaker 1: stay up on both sports and politics because I would 367 00:19:56,119 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 1: get the questions just to have the conversation. So trying 368 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 1: to would politics because you never know where somebody's gonna 369 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:04,639 Speaker 1: come from with all of that stuff. But you know, 370 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:07,440 Speaker 1: it was it was a lot of funny. You got 371 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:10,120 Speaker 1: to meet some people, and you know, to that point though, 372 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:12,879 Speaker 1: I tried to Uh, I tried to get off the 373 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: road by two eleven thirty and night twelve o'clock so 374 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,440 Speaker 1: you didn't have to deal with all the people leaving 375 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:22,879 Speaker 1: the clubs after after he goes that's a nightmare. Another 376 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,680 Speaker 1: good comes after midnight. That's what the coaches used to say. John. 377 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:28,440 Speaker 1: I gotta know, though, sorry, Peanut, were you at Uber 378 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 1: X driver Uber XL Uber black? Like what kind of 379 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,960 Speaker 1: car were you picking up? But I gotta know, John 380 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:37,760 Speaker 1: Runnings picking me up in the Uber? You don't look 381 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:40,200 Speaker 1: like he was in a prius. Yeah, yeah, I don't 382 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:42,080 Speaker 1: think he's in the regular umber X. I just don't 383 00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 1: think he picked this to another level And it wasn't 384 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:49,200 Speaker 1: the most efficient thing. I was driving a gmc uh 385 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:54,679 Speaker 1: Sierra Durhmax crew cab, so a decent crew cab pick up. Yes, 386 00:20:55,640 --> 00:21:03,240 Speaker 1: I like it. Yes, do that comment all the times, 387 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:05,680 Speaker 1: like I've never been picked up in a pickup truck 388 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:08,680 Speaker 1: with right, That's exactly what I would say. Those things 389 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:12,840 Speaker 1: are massive. So how did you uh so NFL whatever, 390 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:14,920 Speaker 1: you know, they told you they didn't want you to 391 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:17,280 Speaker 1: do that anymore? How did you get into the position 392 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,320 Speaker 1: that you're in right now with the NFL? You know, 393 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:24,119 Speaker 1: it was just one of those scenarios. So, you know, 394 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:27,120 Speaker 1: many many and I know you guys know about Troy 395 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:31,560 Speaker 1: Vincent is Executive vice President of Football Operations, and I 396 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 1: was I was looking at some other jobs, player engagement 397 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:39,879 Speaker 1: jobs around the league at the club level, and Troy 398 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:42,679 Speaker 1: actually used to run that department at the NFL before 399 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:46,440 Speaker 1: he became e v P. So there was one club 400 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:49,160 Speaker 1: asked me to write the job description because they didn't 401 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:51,119 Speaker 1: have a job description. And I turned it around and 402 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 1: about you know, thirty hours, but I sent it to 403 00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:56,639 Speaker 1: Detroit to look over to say does this kind of 404 00:21:56,680 --> 00:21:58,879 Speaker 1: fit what you were? You know, how you set that 405 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:02,439 Speaker 1: department up before you you know, moved on and he 406 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:04,920 Speaker 1: didn't really move on. He's actually above it and overseas 407 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:07,119 Speaker 1: it now, but he was running it before and he 408 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:09,400 Speaker 1: only changed a couple of words in it. He goes 409 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:13,360 Speaker 1: by the way, he goes, I might have a position 410 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:15,360 Speaker 1: up here for you, and he goes, when's this interview 411 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:17,399 Speaker 1: going to happen? I goes next week, and I'm like, 412 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,280 Speaker 1: He's like, it's gonna take me some time. So, needless 413 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: to say, nine months went by before Troy I actually 414 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:27,879 Speaker 1: said I think I I really think I have a 415 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:30,359 Speaker 1: position for you. So again, to go back to the 416 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: relationship thing, Troy and I played in Philly for quite 417 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:35,440 Speaker 1: a few years in the early two appends, but it 418 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 1: was it was something where we knew each other and actually, 419 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,280 Speaker 1: Troy a couple of times I actually came down when 420 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:44,240 Speaker 1: I was in office and talked about team building and 421 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 1: leadership skills and all that and kind of how they 422 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:50,960 Speaker 1: transferred over into into government and all that stuff. So 423 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 1: you know, we had we had always kind of been 424 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:55,560 Speaker 1: in touch, so it wasn't it wasn't a big stress, 425 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 1: and he knew how I was wired, so it wasn't 426 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,920 Speaker 1: anything new, and it was just an opportunity. The guy 427 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 1: I had to jump at you because I'm still in 428 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:06,240 Speaker 1: the game and I'm still Shepherd in the game for 429 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:09,720 Speaker 1: the next generation. That's a lot of fun. But like 430 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:12,720 Speaker 1: anything else, yeah, there's a lot of long hours involved 431 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:15,159 Speaker 1: in it, but you know what, it's worth doing because 432 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 1: it's something I'm passionate about and I want to see, 433 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:21,120 Speaker 1: you know, my son place for the Packers now, So 434 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:25,840 Speaker 1: boom boom, No, No, we'll be able to, you know, 435 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:28,119 Speaker 1: create this game, make this game better, and you know, 436 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:30,800 Speaker 1: hopefully at some point maybe my grandson is around and 437 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:34,280 Speaker 1: has an opportunity to play in the league. John, that's 438 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:36,880 Speaker 1: that's a terrible team. Your son place where you know that, right, 439 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:39,639 Speaker 1: I'm a I'm a I'm a long time Bears guy. 440 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:43,399 Speaker 1: That's like, that's like the Cowboys, like that is. We 441 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:45,640 Speaker 1: don't even say Packers on this show. We say that 442 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 1: green team. That's all right, I say Packers. I don't 443 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:52,119 Speaker 1: hate the Packers. I think it's a beautiful place to play, 444 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:55,640 Speaker 1: love the Lambeau Field, the whole nostalgia behind it all. 445 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:57,919 Speaker 1: I'm a big Packers guy because you went to the 446 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,840 Speaker 1: Lands and y'all don't really have a rival. We don't. 447 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:04,159 Speaker 1: It's okay, like I like the pack. The odd thing is, 448 00:24:04,359 --> 00:24:06,880 Speaker 1: you know, going to the University of Michigan, we actually 449 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:09,960 Speaker 1: used to get We had a tally in the weight room. 450 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: Anytime you walked into the facility with green on. Obviously 451 00:24:13,359 --> 00:24:16,480 Speaker 1: Michigan State, right, they put a tally mark on the 452 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:21,080 Speaker 1: board and that that was a that was a sixty 453 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:23,520 Speaker 1: yard sprint on the last day of conditioning in an 454 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:26,399 Speaker 1: off season every time I walked into the facility with green, 455 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:30,199 Speaker 1: so green was not allowed in the facility, you know. 456 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:32,760 Speaker 1: And then in two thousand I signed with the Eagles. 457 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:35,479 Speaker 1: Now I'm wearing green now much son's wearing green. So 458 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:37,880 Speaker 1: it was something. And he went to Michigan to where 459 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 1: green wasn't allowed. So it's just like we'll all end 460 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:42,720 Speaker 1: up in green at the end of the day. That's 461 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:45,399 Speaker 1: kind of full circle. That's pretty cool. All right, we're 462 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:47,840 Speaker 1: gonna take a quick break and we'll come back with 463 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:52,240 Speaker 1: some quick questions for John. Y'all stay tuned. I just 464 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:54,640 Speaker 1: wanted to like John, like, you never took a break, bro. 465 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 1: You retired, you went straight into this. You've never taken 466 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:02,359 Speaker 1: a break. There was um. So I got a I 467 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:06,480 Speaker 1: got an office in January fifteen, I started a little 468 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:08,679 Speaker 1: business development firm I was doing. You know, I was 469 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:12,280 Speaker 1: making three or four thousand dollars a month doing it 470 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:16,040 Speaker 1: on my own. Yeah, and I'm like just like do 471 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:18,159 Speaker 1: I want to grow this or do I want to 472 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:20,199 Speaker 1: do something else? And there was a couple there was 473 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,800 Speaker 1: actually a couple of openings on on w I P 474 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:25,800 Speaker 1: on the radio, and I actually went back to that 475 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: guy and said, Hey, I think I want to get 476 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:31,520 Speaker 1: back into radio, and he said, okay, he goes. So 477 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:34,119 Speaker 1: he put me on the morning team on Monday and Friday. 478 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:36,840 Speaker 1: I did the Players show, the two Players shows on 479 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:40,000 Speaker 1: Monday night, and the Eagles pregame show on the radio, 480 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:43,200 Speaker 1: and I did television on Sunday night after the game. 481 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:46,240 Speaker 1: But I did that for you know, that nine to 482 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,560 Speaker 1: ten month period where Troy was kind of dragging his feet. 483 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:52,959 Speaker 1: So but you know, I got back into that so 484 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:55,199 Speaker 1: that that was really the only and that was my 485 00:25:55,280 --> 00:25:58,879 Speaker 1: thing to your point some time off to like just 486 00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:02,520 Speaker 1: not do anything, to be running around. So John, you 487 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:06,720 Speaker 1: were drafted in, right, correct? Yeah? Alright, the first thing 488 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,280 Speaker 1: you purchase, what's the first thing? He splurs it on 489 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 1: a pickup truck. Think I'm truck alright? Uh? Favorite favorite 490 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:23,320 Speaker 1: moment playing in the NFL. Favorite moment playing in the NFL. Uh. 491 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:25,360 Speaker 1: The unfortunate part is a lot of the bad ones 492 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:31,840 Speaker 1: stick out to you, you know, and unfortunately again, I 493 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:34,440 Speaker 1: think I lost two Super Bowls. I think I was more. 494 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:39,560 Speaker 1: I was more. I was more excited, you know when 495 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:42,560 Speaker 1: we you know, the the weird one. Um. So I 496 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,320 Speaker 1: was playing for the Titans, and we actually beat Jacksonville 497 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:48,439 Speaker 1: in the a f C championship game down there that 498 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:50,199 Speaker 1: and they were in the division. So that was the 499 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:52,959 Speaker 1: third time we beat him that year. That was probably 500 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:56,199 Speaker 1: the best, the best feeling because the next time we 501 00:26:56,280 --> 00:26:58,960 Speaker 1: won the NFC Championship in Philly, I just kind of 502 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:02,040 Speaker 1: walked off the field like, hey, we got one more 503 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 1: game to win. Let's not let's not get caught up 504 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:06,080 Speaker 1: in all this stuff, and let's go do this. So 505 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:10,440 Speaker 1: it was it was probably that first ANFC championship, wint. 506 00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:15,280 Speaker 1: So your personal mount rushmore of people that have been 507 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,160 Speaker 1: successful in helping you get to where you are right now? 508 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:22,520 Speaker 1: Who are those four people? My parents? Um, you know, 509 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,520 Speaker 1: I just spoke to my mother last night, so that's 510 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:30,080 Speaker 1: two of them, Um, both of them. UM, My wife, 511 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:33,560 Speaker 1: the stuff she has helped me with I mean talk 512 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:35,480 Speaker 1: about you know that that was a big part of 513 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:40,399 Speaker 1: going into politics. Hey, I'm not gonna be around you 514 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:42,680 Speaker 1: gotta be okay with this, you know. And we had 515 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 1: three kids, and you know, one in high school and 516 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:48,040 Speaker 1: two in junior high and you know, junior high, elementary. Ah, 517 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:51,919 Speaker 1: so that that was another big one. Um. You know, 518 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 1: people you know, coach Read one of the most supporting, humble, 519 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:02,000 Speaker 1: honest people. You'll every me. You can bounce anything off 520 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:04,480 Speaker 1: of him to this day. If I called him right now, 521 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:07,160 Speaker 1: he picked up on the second ring, you know, and 522 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:11,560 Speaker 1: that that that's a huge part of it. Um. And 523 00:28:11,359 --> 00:28:15,399 Speaker 1: and as far as people that I look up to, 524 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:19,320 Speaker 1: and I know he's gonna hate this, but Troy Vincent, man, 525 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:23,440 Speaker 1: I mean you watch that guy leads by example and 526 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:27,000 Speaker 1: argue with it. And he probably he doesn't I don't. 527 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:29,720 Speaker 1: I probably don't tell him enough how much I appreciate 528 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:31,879 Speaker 1: him and how much I respect what he does and 529 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:36,600 Speaker 1: how he carries himself. It's just something awesome. Fill in 530 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: the blank. My life right now is My life right 531 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:46,360 Speaker 1: now is awesome? You know My kids are My kids 532 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:48,560 Speaker 1: are killing it. I think that's the number one goal 533 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:51,360 Speaker 1: I have jokingly messed with my kids all the time. 534 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:53,720 Speaker 1: I said, my goal is to get you off daddy's payroll, 535 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:57,960 Speaker 1: no doubt, you know, and giving him every opportunity to 536 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:00,960 Speaker 1: make themselves successful to get it get them off of it. 537 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:04,840 Speaker 1: So yeah, obviously you know my son playing there, playing 538 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:08,080 Speaker 1: in Green Bay. I got my oldest daughters in grad 539 00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:11,200 Speaker 1: school and my youngest daughter is playing basketball Villanova and 540 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:14,719 Speaker 1: she's in the nursing school. I mean, it's all in 541 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:17,480 Speaker 1: front of him. We did a lot for the last 542 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,280 Speaker 1: twenty years. You did them all there. Now it's really 543 00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:24,760 Speaker 1: on them and it's it's exciting to watch and I 544 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:26,480 Speaker 1: feel like we can do a whole other podcasts on 545 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:29,400 Speaker 1: just how to get your kids off the payroll like 546 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:33,200 Speaker 1: that is a goal of most parents, especially fathers. How 547 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 1: do I get these kids off the payroll eventually? UM, 548 00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:39,360 Speaker 1: you're a great example of that, UM and a pleasure 549 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:41,640 Speaker 1: to have you on today too. Man, just hearing everything 550 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:45,280 Speaker 1: your angles, the way you talk about life. UM, your 551 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:47,880 Speaker 1: knowledge and experience of all these different things that you've 552 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:50,520 Speaker 1: been able to do an accomplishment, it's really cool. Uh. 553 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:53,480 Speaker 1: Nobody really has the experience that you've had that I 554 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,440 Speaker 1: know of through that's played NFL to be able to 555 00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 1: do this journey and path. Man, you're just a true serviceman. 556 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: I grew up watching you with the Eagles all those years, 557 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:06,320 Speaker 1: and I just did not know the personality behind the helmet. 558 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:08,160 Speaker 1: And this is probably one of the best things that 559 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:10,640 Speaker 1: we get when we get to sit down and talk 560 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 1: to you guys and just really see who you are 561 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:15,800 Speaker 1: genuinely as a person outside the helmet, who you have 562 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:17,680 Speaker 1: grown up to be as a man. I give a 563 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:19,320 Speaker 1: credit a lot of credit to your parents. I can 564 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:21,480 Speaker 1: tell you are raised right, and all you've done is 565 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:23,640 Speaker 1: just passed the torch on to the next generation. So 566 00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:26,920 Speaker 1: I appreciate it. Brother, Thank you. I appreciate you know. 567 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:30,760 Speaker 1: And it's really you know many people I used to say, 568 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,600 Speaker 1: that's on the on the campaign trail all the time 569 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:36,000 Speaker 1: I goes. When you talk about work ethic, people ask 570 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:39,480 Speaker 1: where you got it from. My dad was a U 571 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:43,920 Speaker 1: A W auto worker, man Blue Golar Flynn, Michigan. You know, 572 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:46,520 Speaker 1: that's where I grew up. And you're talking about a 573 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:49,520 Speaker 1: guy working six seven days a week, fourteen to sixteen 574 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:52,320 Speaker 1: hours a day. You didn't see him a lot. And 575 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:54,560 Speaker 1: when you spend time with them, guess where you're at. 576 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,240 Speaker 1: You're under the tree in the back working on cars 577 00:30:57,280 --> 00:30:59,520 Speaker 1: because you guyn't want to say that somebody else fix it, 578 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:03,040 Speaker 1: you know, to be able to have those you know, 579 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:05,240 Speaker 1: be able to work with these things and all of 580 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:07,280 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff. But understand what it took to 581 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:11,520 Speaker 1: actually support a family and get everybody heading in the 582 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:14,160 Speaker 1: right direction. And one of the most awesome things that 583 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:17,840 Speaker 1: I continually instill in my children and try to share 584 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:21,400 Speaker 1: with other people. Yeah, that's that's dope, John, I got 585 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:23,720 Speaker 1: I got one more question for you. How important was 586 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:25,920 Speaker 1: it for you when you left the game to put 587 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:29,400 Speaker 1: that energy into something positive? You know what, I think 588 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:33,960 Speaker 1: your your your positive outlook on life is really controlled 589 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:37,000 Speaker 1: by you all. A lot of the influences we have 590 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:41,720 Speaker 1: day in and day out, it's all negative. It's all negative, 591 00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:44,200 Speaker 1: and you got to be able to shut it out. 592 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:48,680 Speaker 1: I actually I take a kind of a sick, demented 593 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:54,160 Speaker 1: twist on humor, you know, um with everything online and 594 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:56,920 Speaker 1: try to spin in the positive of a both funded 595 00:31:56,960 --> 00:31:59,960 Speaker 1: people and that kind of stuff. It is really, really, 596 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:03,160 Speaker 1: really hard, but you really have to take a conscious 597 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:07,160 Speaker 1: effort to actually day in and day out when you're 598 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:11,000 Speaker 1: having that bad day. There are affirmations you can put 599 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:13,000 Speaker 1: in your head that will change your view of that 600 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:16,320 Speaker 1: day in a second. But you have to train yourself 601 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:18,120 Speaker 1: to be able to do that and open that book 602 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:21,360 Speaker 1: up and read those affirmations. And now that is one 603 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:25,160 Speaker 1: of the biggest things that I've learned, specifically going through 604 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 1: you know, the agony of the political arena and all 605 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:31,200 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff, is to be able to no, 606 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:36,040 Speaker 1: I'm on this downward trend. I have to step away, 607 00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:39,600 Speaker 1: open up, look at those affirmations and goes, this is 608 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:42,360 Speaker 1: why I'm doing this, this is who I am, and 609 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,040 Speaker 1: these are the people that I care and care about love, 610 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,680 Speaker 1: and I've got to change my view in this moment, 611 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:52,920 Speaker 1: otherwise it's going to affect everyone else I care about. Hey, John, 612 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:54,720 Speaker 1: you said something right Now, I gotta have I gotta 613 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:57,600 Speaker 1: follow up questions. So, when you're in that arena of 614 00:32:57,600 --> 00:32:59,720 Speaker 1: politics for so long that at the times that you were, 615 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:02,520 Speaker 1: what was something that you felt that you just knew 616 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:04,680 Speaker 1: you had but was found out it was really your 617 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:07,600 Speaker 1: biggest disappointment while you were up there, something that really 618 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:10,360 Speaker 1: almost took you to that dark place. Could you maybe 619 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:12,440 Speaker 1: share with this one of your experiences at that moment. 620 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:16,360 Speaker 1: You know, I want to say the one thing that 621 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,480 Speaker 1: I regret about it, and I did it a few times, 622 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:24,120 Speaker 1: but it was forced on me a little bit. And 623 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:32,440 Speaker 1: it's the psychology of humans and dealing with people, in 624 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:35,320 Speaker 1: communicating with people, and I knew it, but I didn't 625 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:38,040 Speaker 1: use it to the best of my ability because of 626 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 1: my stature, you know, you know, six seven at that time, 627 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:46,600 Speaker 1: I was probably pounds still I'm in the two nineties now. 628 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:53,040 Speaker 1: But of using that that presence to actually influence people, 629 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:57,680 Speaker 1: I didn't do enough. I did it on occasion, but 630 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:00,920 Speaker 1: it was something that just aside in and it's not 631 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:06,920 Speaker 1: overt you know, psychology, it's covert psychology, just your presence 632 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:09,719 Speaker 1: of growing up and talking to people and trying to 633 00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:12,080 Speaker 1: get him to come on board with all of that 634 00:34:12,160 --> 00:34:14,320 Speaker 1: kind of stuff. To the speech I was talking about earlier, 635 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:17,640 Speaker 1: it was like people are lazy. You don't communicate with 636 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:20,880 Speaker 1: your constituents, and that's what it was really about. And 637 00:34:20,880 --> 00:34:22,839 Speaker 1: a lot of people bought into that. That actually got 638 00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:25,480 Speaker 1: a standing ovation by a lot of people that understood 639 00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:27,799 Speaker 1: what I was saying, I believe it or not. And 640 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:32,400 Speaker 1: I didn't do that enough. I had to know you 641 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:34,680 Speaker 1: so you shared so much to us. And you know 642 00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:37,640 Speaker 1: you're talking about those at positive affirmations. You know, we 643 00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:39,960 Speaker 1: learned a lot from you today. Peanut can probably hit 644 00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:42,319 Speaker 1: you with a quote right now. He has all kinds 645 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:45,719 Speaker 1: of affirmations and quotes that he just spits out. You 646 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:48,520 Speaker 1: can tell you in and from who all the time. Yeah, 647 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:50,480 Speaker 1: I had my had my quarter of the day today. 648 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:53,600 Speaker 1: What was it? Um? Never ruined a good day by 649 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:58,600 Speaker 1: thinking about a bad yesterday. I like it. I like it. 650 00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:01,839 Speaker 1: Rome here, that's what a quote? Uh and it can't 651 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:09,000 Speaker 1: be from tupac um if you ain't first your last. Okay, 652 00:35:09,160 --> 00:35:13,720 Speaker 1: that's that's what Ricky boy. Come on, this is easy. 653 00:35:14,239 --> 00:35:15,840 Speaker 1: I gotta know what the people got you have. I 654 00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 1: gotta go with what the people know. I want to 655 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:25,560 Speaker 1: go fast. Oh my god, I just said that. Look, John, 656 00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:28,640 Speaker 1: we appreciate you coming on the show man. I found 657 00:35:28,640 --> 00:35:31,319 Speaker 1: out more about you than than what I thought I 658 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,839 Speaker 1: didn't know, and I appreciate you. Thank you for your time, 659 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:38,960 Speaker 1: thank you for your service. And yes, I myself have 660 00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:41,880 Speaker 1: lost two Super Bowls as well, and it still hurts 661 00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:46,680 Speaker 1: every single day. Those those championship rings never come out 662 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:49,719 Speaker 1: of the safe. I can tell you that I know 663 00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:52,000 Speaker 1: people ask you all the time, like don't you ever, 664 00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:56,000 Speaker 1: why don't you wearing on like they're the second place 665 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:59,160 Speaker 1: for me. I don't want to. Wait, I don't want to. 666 00:35:59,239 --> 00:36:02,759 Speaker 1: I'm sorry. It's just not if and I'm not I'm 667 00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:05,000 Speaker 1: not saying this to talk bad about anyone who got 668 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:08,560 Speaker 1: a silver medal in the Olympics. I just it's not 669 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,239 Speaker 1: it's not gold. I'm sorry. That's just me, that's just 670 00:36:11,480 --> 00:36:15,239 Speaker 1: that's just me. That's how I think. I'm super hyper competitive. 671 00:36:15,640 --> 00:36:18,720 Speaker 1: Don't disrespect to anyone with a silver medal. I respected. 672 00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:22,120 Speaker 1: I appreciate y'all, thank you all, but uh it just 673 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:27,040 Speaker 1: it sucks. It definitely sucks. All right. Well, as the 674 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:29,040 Speaker 1: one guy that has a Super Bowl ring on this 675 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:31,839 Speaker 1: podcast right now, I'm gonna close it out, all right, 676 00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:35,879 Speaker 1: So I appreciate you, John, Thanks Peanut. As always, don't 677 00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:38,640 Speaker 1: forget to tell your people about the show and give 678 00:36:38,719 --> 00:36:43,000 Speaker 1: a rating, a review, and a follow on Apple Podcasts 679 00:36:43,360 --> 00:36:46,560 Speaker 1: I Heart, or wherever else you get your podcasts at. 680 00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:48,080 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening.