1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,520 Speaker 1: So I joked around with this next guest that he's 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,240 Speaker 1: the Dosekis guy, that the most interesting man in the world. 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: He's only forty one years old, yet he has lived 4 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: an extraordinary life. He has served as a Green Beret 5 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: doing tours in Afghanistan in Iraq. Then he went on 6 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: to the University of Texas to play on the football 7 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: team as a walk on at age nine, while also 8 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: serving in the National Guard at the same time. Then 9 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:23,439 Speaker 1: he went on to play in the NFL for the 10 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: Seattle Seahawks. I mean, the guys accomplished so much, lived 11 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: so many interesting lives, and then got into acting as well, 12 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,199 Speaker 1: which we'll get into in the conversation. And then he 13 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: had this other interesting moment in his life. He wrote 14 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: this open letter to Colin Kaepernick and the Army Times, 15 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: which then led to Colin Kaepernick inviting him to fly 16 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: out and have a conversation with him. It's also interesting 17 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: what he's done after leaving the NFL, after retiring from 18 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,559 Speaker 1: the military. He started this incredible organization called Merging Vets 19 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 1: and Players, and it marries these worlds that he's lived 20 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: in kind of trying to find your purpose in life, 21 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: and that's what this organization is geared to, and then 22 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: of this incredible organization, he created a movie. It was 23 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: his directional debut recently, this movie that is out called 24 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: m v P. I'm telling you he has just lived 25 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: such an interesting life, a life of purpose, doing so 26 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: much for our country. Just a truly incredible and inspiring guy. 27 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed this conversation with an ape boyar 28 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: to me where I feel like you're the doset guy, 29 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: the most interesting man in the world. You quite literally 30 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,559 Speaker 1: have one of the most interesting life stories. Green Bay 31 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: College Football, NFL. Hollywan, Why do you think you've been 32 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: able to navigate so many industries? I don't know how 33 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: well I've been able to navigate them all, but I 34 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: definitely have had a strong interests in all of them. 35 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: And I mean to be completely honest. When I was 36 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: when I was in my early twenties and made decision 37 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: to join the military, before I've been doing football, before 38 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,360 Speaker 1: really pursuing film and television all that stuff, I didn't 39 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: have a ton of confidence. I mean, those are things, 40 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: but I wouldn't have actually genuinely attempted or believe that 41 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: I could do without that time in the military. Um 42 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: for various reasons. I mean it first of all, taught 43 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,399 Speaker 1: me how to how to work. That taught me how 44 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: to uh communicate with people and sort of do my 45 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: best to understand whether it's a culture or an industry 46 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:45,359 Speaker 1: or something that I don't really know anything about. Um. 47 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: But but also it just developed confidence that you know, 48 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:53,639 Speaker 1: why not go try these things? Why not fully pursue them? 49 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:56,239 Speaker 1: I mean, life is short. Uh. If it's something that 50 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 1: you're passionate about and interested in, like what are you doing? Uh, 51 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 1: you know, not going after that? But I think that's 52 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 1: I think that's crazy if you're if you were able 53 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: to you know, if you have uh the access and 54 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,239 Speaker 1: an opportunity. Uh, who cares if you fail at the 55 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: end of the day. Really, So those are things that 56 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 1: that kind of lessons that I learned along the way 57 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: and things that I didn't necessarily I mean I didn't 58 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: know at twenty three before I signed on the doggline 59 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: and took the oath, you know, to join the military. Well, 60 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: and what's interesting is before you joined the military, you 61 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: had moved out to Los Angeles, You're trying to get 62 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: involved in show business. You get a call from your 63 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: mom about nine eleven watching what was happening with the 64 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: World Trade Center, and it seems like that's sort of 65 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: changed the trajectory of your future. It made you look 66 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: at the world a little bit differently, different career ambitions, 67 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 1: sort of talk about how that changed the trajectory of 68 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: your life. Yeah, I mean, I think nine eleven was 69 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 1: such a defining moment for so many of us. And 70 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,119 Speaker 1: obviously that definition varies on who you talk to and 71 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: and their relationship to that day. I was in I 72 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: was living in Los Angeles at the time, far from 73 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 1: New York, um, and far from really feeling connected to 74 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: anything that was going on in the world outside of 75 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: my bubble. Yeah. I grew up in the San Francisco 76 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: Bay area. Um, my parents were really hard working people, 77 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: you know. They they believe the first two in their 78 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: families to to finish college, and um, you know, my 79 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: my mother getting PhD at UC Berkeley in an engineering 80 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: field that was that was definitely mostly male dominated. And 81 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: um my dad was a race horse, vetinarian and Golden 82 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,679 Speaker 1: gate fields out there and just really really hard working people. 83 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: And for whatever reason, I mean, you know, we all 84 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: rebel in some way. My rebellion of choice was just 85 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:56,680 Speaker 1: too uh, you know, not work hard to sort of 86 00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: like I think I had a lot of talent um 87 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: and you know, I always tested well, but I didn't 88 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:04,920 Speaker 1: do well in school, if that makes sense. I just didn't. 89 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 1: I didn't. I didn't apply myself and I didn't I 90 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 1: didn't do it was necessary. And also I didn't know 91 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 1: what I wanted to do. I didn't even know what 92 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:16,640 Speaker 1: I was into. And after high school I moved to 93 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: San Diego. I worked on a fishing boat for a while, 94 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: and I enjoyed it because I was making my own way, 95 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: kind of doing it my way. Um, but I didn't, 96 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,159 Speaker 1: you know, I wasn't really ready for college. I took 97 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: some firefighting classes, was sort of interested in that, but 98 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,160 Speaker 1: not really. It was like, that's an honorable job. I'm nineteen, 99 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:36,040 Speaker 1: I'm a kid. I don't feel like I have an 100 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:40,160 Speaker 1: honorable bone in my body. I can't be a firefighter. Um. 101 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:43,279 Speaker 1: And so I just sort of turned away from that too, 102 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,920 Speaker 1: and then eventually found myself in Los Angeles, as he said, 103 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: interested in in show business and film and television, like storytelling. 104 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: It was something that I thought it was cool. It 105 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: was like, man, I don't have a cool story myself, 106 00:05:56,720 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 1: but if I could tell other people's stories, you know, 107 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:00,920 Speaker 1: how cool is that? And that's where that sort of 108 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 1: initially came from. Um, and then happened. I mean, yeah, 109 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: I was. It was very early in the morning. I 110 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,279 Speaker 1: was living in this little, small apartment and I answered 111 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:13,840 Speaker 1: the phone and with my mom on the other line, 112 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:15,919 Speaker 1: and she's, you know, just telling me to turn the 113 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:17,719 Speaker 1: TV on. And I flipped it on, and you know, 114 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:20,559 Speaker 1: I saw what so many of us saw. One tower, 115 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:22,680 Speaker 1: I believe was already down, the other one was engulfed 116 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:25,479 Speaker 1: in flames, and it was just like what am I 117 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:29,160 Speaker 1: looking at? Kind of had a loss for words, like 118 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:30,720 Speaker 1: I feel like I am right now. Even every time 119 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: I try to take myself back to that day and 120 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 1: envision that, and I'm just sitting there watching it on 121 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: a nineteen TV screen. I cannot imagine being there. Um, 122 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 1: it was just this shock and like what the one 123 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 1: of the first things that really hit me is like 124 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: what are you doing with your life? Like? Who? What 125 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:53,159 Speaker 1: are you a part of? Do you even have a 126 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: care in the world? I mean, do you like you're here? 127 00:06:57,400 --> 00:06:59,599 Speaker 1: We're all here. I and I even believe that this 128 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: at the time. Amazingly We're out here for some type 129 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 1: of reason, but what is your reason? Like, what what 130 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:09,360 Speaker 1: are you doing? Look around, look at yourself and figure 131 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 1: out where you can do something, uh, somewhat positive or impactful. 132 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: And eventually that that uh, that took me overseas and 133 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: doing some relief work after a couple of years of 134 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 1: kind of just searching, you know, traveling is whenever I 135 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: could work odd jobs, save my money up and then 136 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 1: go back backing somewhere and just try to figure out 137 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:36,800 Speaker 1: where is my place in the world. And I ended 138 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:38,679 Speaker 1: up I was doing some relief work in the Darfur 139 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 1: and it really changed my life. That trip and being 140 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 1: around people that actolutely had nothing. But we're just so 141 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: enamored with Americans and so grateful that someone would leave 142 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 1: their country of relative safety as we have in the 143 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 1: United States to go to Sudan and Chad and the 144 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: dark of her and working a refugee camp, even though 145 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: it was just for a short trip, but it you know, 146 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 1: they were so grateful that And I wasn't doing anything special. 147 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: I was just um helping pass out food rations, playing 148 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 1: soccer with the kids, you know, assisting in the medical centers, 149 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:19,360 Speaker 1: like simple stuff. Anybody could have done. And it was 150 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: towards the end of that trip that I got I 151 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:25,280 Speaker 1: got malaria, and this local family put me up and 152 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,560 Speaker 1: and and I'm lying on this cop they set up 153 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: for me in this in this in their mud hut, 154 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:33,560 Speaker 1: and listening to the radio they put next to the 155 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:37,440 Speaker 1: cot and the Second Battle of Felujah was playing on 156 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 1: the BBC network, And it was like a sign for me. 157 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: It was just I don't know, I don't know if 158 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 1: it was divine intervention or just luck or randomness that 159 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: that this moment and where I was at physically and 160 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: mentally kind of came together for this perfect which just 161 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,120 Speaker 1: like I had clarity of what I was to do 162 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:04,839 Speaker 1: next all of a sudden, and it was it was 163 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:07,240 Speaker 1: gonna was gonna join the military. So I came home 164 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:10,199 Speaker 1: and signed up, you know, and I went to a 165 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: refugee camp when I in Rwanda. And you know, saying 166 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: stuff like that really does shape the way you look 167 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:17,800 Speaker 1: at life, shape that you know, you come back to 168 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 1: America and it just really changes the way you think 169 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,719 Speaker 1: and you just see life. You know, it creates a 170 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 1: different prism in which you view the world. You know, 171 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: So you talked about you know, you went then joined 172 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 1: the military. When you came back to the United States, 173 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,920 Speaker 1: you went through the Army Special Forces eteen X ray program. 174 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 1: Is that correct? And then so talk about that because 175 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:40,360 Speaker 1: my understanding is, you know, it took you went through 176 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:42,559 Speaker 1: about a year and a half for the Special Forces 177 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:46,560 Speaker 1: selection process, something that only handful handful of people were 178 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 1: able to do. That must have been incredibly intense. Then 179 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 1: do you remember that and then kind of going through 180 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:56,040 Speaker 1: that process yet you know it wasn't I mean, it 181 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: was intense, and I think I think some of the 182 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 1: more intense parts of it were just the fact that 183 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,760 Speaker 1: I was now, you know, in the military at all. 184 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: I mean, to go from never really considering it genuinely, uh, 185 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 1: that I would do this with my life, and feeling 186 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:22,000 Speaker 1: feeling pretty disconnected from that world, uh, and just not 187 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 1: understanding what it would be like. And you know, you 188 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 1: see what you see in movies and TV shows, and 189 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:31,480 Speaker 1: you hear what you hear, whether it's through the news 190 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 1: or through you know, second hand third hand accounts, not 191 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:36,840 Speaker 1: not so much people that have been there, especially at 192 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 1: that time. I mean, this was in two thousand and four, so, um, 193 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:44,440 Speaker 1: we've only been at war for a little over two years. 194 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,040 Speaker 1: Maybe into three years, and so I didn't I didn't 195 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: know anybody that was on active duty that had been 196 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,360 Speaker 1: to Iraq Afghanistan, like I didn't know who to talk 197 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: to you like to ask. I just didn't know much 198 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:57,000 Speaker 1: about it. But I just felt compelled to go do 199 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:00,320 Speaker 1: something and uh, you know, fight for those they can't 200 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:04,600 Speaker 1: fight for themselves, much like I experienced with those people 201 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 1: and in the Darfur Um. Of course, during the military, 202 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:12,120 Speaker 1: quite different than volunteering at a refugee camp. Uh. So, 203 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,960 Speaker 1: I you know, I'd read about the Special Forces, the 204 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 1: at Extray program as you mentioned, and I read about 205 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:22,440 Speaker 1: the Special Forces mission. The Green Berets motto was Dave 206 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 1: press Alibert, which meant to free the oppressed, And you 207 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 1: know that that sort of spoke to me like nothing 208 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: else really did. Within the military construct, I was doing 209 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 1: some research and just trying to figure out, like where 210 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: what's going to be the right job for me, Like 211 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: what is going to make the most sense um And 212 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:50,800 Speaker 1: beyond the idea of being in an elite unit such 213 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:54,200 Speaker 1: as that, um, it was the piece of the mission 214 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:59,280 Speaker 1: that the Special Forces in the Army, what they actually do. 215 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 1: There was a humanitarian element to the job. Foreign Internal 216 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:06,439 Speaker 1: defense is what it's called. And essentially, I mean when 217 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:11,680 Speaker 1: you go over there to Iraq, Afghanistan, your your training, UM, 218 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 1: you're often living with UM and fighting alongside host nationals 219 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 1: so Afghans or Iraqis depending on where you are, and 220 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:23,839 Speaker 1: they in a sense become your brothers in arms as well. 221 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: And it's UM. It's it's a very different experience than 222 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: much of the military was a part of at the time. 223 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:36,320 Speaker 1: You know, over the year, the years, the two decades 224 00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 1: really of war, much of the military sort of adopted 225 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:41,480 Speaker 1: what the special forces were already doing, that we're working 226 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 1: with partner forces UM. And eventually as that mission developed 227 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:49,160 Speaker 1: into a train advised assist mission, you know that they 228 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 1: were they were doing a lot of what the special 229 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:53,600 Speaker 1: forces were doing from the very beginning, and the special 230 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:57,680 Speaker 1: forces had been doing since Vietnam really UM. But but 231 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,840 Speaker 1: that part of it really kind of sucked out to me, like, 232 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:02,960 Speaker 1: all right, well, if I'm in Iraq, if I'm gonna 233 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:05,959 Speaker 1: Afghanistan and I'm doing this job and I'm carrying out 234 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:10,640 Speaker 1: these orders and I'm I'm at war, uh, at least 235 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 1: I'm doing so alongside the people that are going to 236 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 1: be living there. The people that are trying to rebuild 237 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 1: their own country as well, and that, UM, that was 238 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,280 Speaker 1: of interest to me because I was, like, I mean, 239 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, that was I think 240 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:26,719 Speaker 1: part of the ultimate goal, like instilling some pride in 241 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 1: those in those people and trying to give them a 242 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: fighting chance to defend their own country. Of course, as 243 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 1: we all know now, that comes with a great amount 244 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 1: of complication, and UM, it's certainly not an easy mission 245 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:43,040 Speaker 1: and the lack of resources and honestly, like just that 246 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:47,960 Speaker 1: the lack of um pride that a lot of them 247 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:50,320 Speaker 1: have much different than we do you have here in 248 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:55,280 Speaker 1: the States. It was just an extremely challenging mission, and UM, 249 00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:57,560 Speaker 1: I definitely want everybody listening that was a part of 250 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 1: that to understand, Um, feel like you did your best 251 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:02,960 Speaker 1: and we get everything that we could, but it was 252 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:08,520 Speaker 1: just one of those things that is so much of 253 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 1: it is out of our hands and I don't want 254 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:15,040 Speaker 1: to devolved into that conversation necessarily, but um, you know, 255 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:18,320 Speaker 1: but I mean that was for me working alongside those 256 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 1: people that that Special Forces mission really stuck out to 257 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: me and really spoke to me, and that's, um, that 258 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:25,800 Speaker 1: was what I wanted to do. That was. It was 259 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: like kind of special forces of bust for me, quick 260 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:36,200 Speaker 1: break more with Nate. Do you feel like doing all this, 261 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:38,360 Speaker 1: I have found my mission in life? Because you had 262 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 1: previously talked about you know, kind of originally when you're 263 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:43,280 Speaker 1: a younger, a young man, not really you know, kind 264 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: of feeling like you didn't know what your mission in 265 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: life was and sort of just figuring that out. Did 266 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 1: this just sort of solidify that this is my mission 267 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:54,160 Speaker 1: in life? I think definitely. At the time at least 268 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:56,440 Speaker 1: it was it was like, well, at least for now, 269 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: I feel, um, I feel like I do have a 270 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:02,800 Speaker 1: specific mission, and I feel like you have a responsibility. 271 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 1: I mean that's part of what I needed that I 272 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 1: didn't know was I needed some responsibility beyond taking care 273 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:13,400 Speaker 1: of myself. I needed something to um to feel like 274 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 1: I was building, uh, you know, with a team or 275 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 1: or like a machine that I was an essential part of. 276 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,800 Speaker 1: And like if I wasn't there, if this cog called 277 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:26,160 Speaker 1: Nate was missing, the train went a run on time, 278 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Like, I think that we 279 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:31,200 Speaker 1: all seek that, whether we know it or not. In 280 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 1: some way, we want to feel like the matter and 281 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 1: belong and all that stuff. I just didn't know that's 282 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 1: what it was. And so at this time, you know, 283 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:41,240 Speaker 1: for the first time, really especially once I had the 284 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 1: opportunity to go overseas and you're part of this twelve 285 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 1: man team. Um. You know, there's a lot of responsibility 286 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 1: on your shoulders. You've got the men on your left 287 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: and right that you have to rely on, but they 288 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 1: rely on you as well, UM. And you just felt 289 00:15:57,560 --> 00:16:02,360 Speaker 1: that connection to something figured than yourself and that yet 290 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 1: that strong sense of purpose, um, that I hadn't felt before. 291 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 1: And you know, you developed this tightness with these people. 292 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:14,840 Speaker 1: I mean, I remember some of the conversations you have, 293 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:18,560 Speaker 1: for instance, on my first deployment to Iraq with people 294 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 1: that I barely knew before we left, and you know, 295 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,720 Speaker 1: within weeks were sitting around the firepit up on the 296 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: rooftop between missions and We're talking about We're sharing things 297 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 1: I've never shared with anybody else before, about my you know, 298 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: my my path, my future, my dreams, what uh what 299 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 1: what I what I what I care about, why I'm here. 300 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 1: I mean things that I'm much more open and vulnerable 301 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 1: with today, willing to talk about with almost anybody. But 302 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 1: you know at the time that was just not something 303 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 1: I ever really did. You just feel this bond um 304 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 1: that is unbreakable, not really and uh and it's crazy 305 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,200 Speaker 1: because some of these people even today, like I don't 306 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,639 Speaker 1: I won't talk to them for years and then we 307 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:09,119 Speaker 1: reconnect and it's like that, there's never that kind of 308 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:12,200 Speaker 1: small talk, awkward catchup. It's just like right back where 309 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:16,439 Speaker 1: we were, um, which is really really crazy. So so 310 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:18,800 Speaker 1: that was just, you know, that was something that I 311 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 1: never really had before. I mean I thought, you know, 312 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:23,120 Speaker 1: I played sports growing up, and of course you've got 313 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:25,000 Speaker 1: your teams and all that, but even at the high 314 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:26,960 Speaker 1: school level, it's just very different. I mean, you're a 315 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:30,480 Speaker 1: high school kid too, UM, but there's just not that 316 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:35,320 Speaker 1: that level of connection and ending understanding that everything you 317 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:38,880 Speaker 1: do on a daily basis work wise too, it's life 318 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 1: or death. Like the stakes are so high. I mean 319 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: you have to execute, um. You got to do your 320 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,720 Speaker 1: job at the at the highest level in the in 321 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:51,919 Speaker 1: the most efficient way possible, UM, in the most creative 322 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:54,280 Speaker 1: way possible. At times as well, because of the lack 323 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:57,960 Speaker 1: of resources and UM, sometimes the mission that's ticketd to 324 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,399 Speaker 1: us isn't super clear, and we got to if we 325 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 1: had to figure it out all those things. Uh, it's 326 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 1: it's really interesting, um to just be around it and 327 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:12,879 Speaker 1: to um to have your your best friends also be 328 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:15,919 Speaker 1: your heroes and your mentors and stuff like that. Um, 329 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 1: it was it was quite a unique experience. I mean, 330 00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:21,080 Speaker 1: I can't imagine having that kind of responsibility on your 331 00:18:21,119 --> 00:18:23,959 Speaker 1: shoulders at such a young age. I would imagine that 332 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: just leads to an incredible amount of camaraderie with the 333 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:31,439 Speaker 1: people that you're serving alongside. And what's interesting is, you know, 334 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:33,600 Speaker 1: we'll get into this a little bit later in the conversation, 335 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 1: but you know, and then you went on to go 336 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:39,600 Speaker 1: to the University of Texas. You walked on to the 337 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:42,160 Speaker 1: football team, and this will eventually kind of marry these 338 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,640 Speaker 1: different worlds that you've lived in, you know, a veteran 339 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:50,000 Speaker 1: as well as an athlete. But talk about walking onto 340 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: the University of Texas. You went on to actually become 341 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:56,040 Speaker 1: a starting long snapper, but kind of talk about that 342 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 1: journey and then when you got done with the military 343 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:02,320 Speaker 1: and then you know, turning to football. Yeah, that that was. 344 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:06,520 Speaker 1: It was definitely an interesting and interesting turn and one 345 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 1: that I I struggled with and still do at times, 346 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,320 Speaker 1: you know, with some of the the guilt of sort 347 00:19:15,359 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 1: of leaving UM, the military. I think a lot of 348 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:22,920 Speaker 1: a lot of service members, a lot of war fighters 349 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:26,000 Speaker 1: feel that, and that's why some of them can't leave, 350 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:29,959 Speaker 1: you know, some of them stay in for decades. A 351 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 1: lot of it is like beyond them genuinely enjoying what 352 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:37,000 Speaker 1: they do or feeling that sense of purpose. It's the 353 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:39,879 Speaker 1: I can't leave these people behind, like I'm a part 354 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:43,200 Speaker 1: of this now, UM. And that includes the people also 355 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:47,960 Speaker 1: wearing camouflage that you're that you're brothers in arms with, 356 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:51,720 Speaker 1: but also the people overseas you know that you're meant 357 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:55,040 Speaker 1: to depend I think that that that's a tough one. 358 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: And I was actually towards the end of a deployment 359 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 1: were season. I was eight years old and trying to 360 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:06,399 Speaker 1: figure out what I was gonna do next, you know, 361 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 1: with my life, and UM, I finally had this desire 362 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:13,400 Speaker 1: to go to college and and even bigger than that, 363 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 1: even though it sounds smaller than that and more childish, 364 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:21,919 Speaker 1: I had this desire dream of playing football. I've actually 365 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 1: never played. Growing up, I played baseball, I played basketball, 366 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: I played pretty much every other sport you can imagine, 367 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,440 Speaker 1: but I never played football, and I regretted it because 368 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 1: it was my favorite sport. You know, when I was 369 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:35,680 Speaker 1: real little, my mom didn't necessarily want me to play, 370 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 1: and um and as I grew u and had that opportunity, 371 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:42,960 Speaker 1: even in middle school, I think I was just afraid 372 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 1: that I would get cut or I'd ride the bench 373 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:51,000 Speaker 1: or whatever. You know, I put way too much stock 374 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:54,040 Speaker 1: in sports as a as a kid, Like it meant 375 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 1: way too much to my life. Um, sort of my 376 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: life revolved around it. And uh, and you know, it's 377 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: it's at the end of the day, like sports are 378 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:07,040 Speaker 1: very important and a huge part of our culture. And 379 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 1: you know, obviously we just had the World Cup and 380 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:12,280 Speaker 1: you could just you know, that's a worldwide thing as 381 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:15,359 Speaker 1: well on the way that that those events bring people together. 382 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:20,280 Speaker 1: But but also, um, yeah, I just I put way 383 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:22,720 Speaker 1: too much pressure on myself around that stuff. And now 384 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:24,880 Speaker 1: at this age, you know, I'm twenty about to turn 385 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 1: twenty nine. Uh, I'm just like, you know, what just 386 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 1: goes you weren't the youngest player. I was certainly No, 387 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:37,679 Speaker 1: I was, you know, I was I was the oldest. 388 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 1: I was the oldest guy on the team. I was 389 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:42,600 Speaker 1: probably the oldest player in college football at the time, 390 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 1: although I did see a story a couple of days 391 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:48,919 Speaker 1: ago there was a player that's I think he's thirty 392 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: now that's uh playing He was playing at Buffalo. He 393 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,119 Speaker 1: was a main form of ABC and he's playing football Buffalo. 394 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 1: I think it's a year though, but that's pretty cool. 395 00:21:57,640 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: Um anyway, Yeah, so I just I was like, you know, 396 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:03,200 Speaker 1: I just go for it. So I I got out, 397 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:04,920 Speaker 1: I came off of active duty. He ended up reing 398 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:06,920 Speaker 1: listening in the National Guard. So I was still in 399 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:10,000 Speaker 1: the military while I was at Texas UM and did 400 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 1: deploy a couple of times while in college even but 401 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:16,199 Speaker 1: you know, it was still making that transition back to 402 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 1: civilian life the sense and um and going to college 403 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,119 Speaker 1: at twenty nine, it was a weird transition. And the 404 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:24,439 Speaker 1: other freshman or ten years younger than me. Um, and 405 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:26,920 Speaker 1: I'm walking around school with a backpack like everybody else, 406 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:30,200 Speaker 1: maybe a little bit of gray in my beard, but um, 407 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:34,880 Speaker 1: you know, feeling like, uh, some hope and promise and 408 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:37,480 Speaker 1: all those things that a lot of young people feel. 409 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:40,800 Speaker 1: That I first go to college, and uh, the bigger 410 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:42,439 Speaker 1: part of it, like I said, was football. I just 411 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:45,200 Speaker 1: wanted to play and it was fortunate enough to make 412 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:47,480 Speaker 1: the team when you went to try out and got 413 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:49,399 Speaker 1: on the squad, and you know, I was on. I 414 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:51,320 Speaker 1: was on the scout team for that first year, so 415 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:55,199 Speaker 1: just to practice on the practice team, and uh you know, 416 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:58,680 Speaker 1: I was was fortunate enough to be asked to run 417 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:00,040 Speaker 1: the team out of the tunnel with the American and 418 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:02,560 Speaker 1: flag kind of lead them out on every home game. 419 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:05,439 Speaker 1: But I wasn't playing. And then my sophomore year, I 420 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:08,600 Speaker 1: started long snapping just to find a way on the field. 421 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:10,560 Speaker 1: It's a pretty thankless job for those that don't know. 422 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 1: You're the guy that hikes it between his legs for 423 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:16,199 Speaker 1: punts and field goals and extra points. But it's an 424 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: important job. You gotta be consistent, you gotta be accurate, 425 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:21,880 Speaker 1: you've gotta be good at what you do. It's just thankless. 426 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:24,359 Speaker 1: You know, nobody, nobody cares until you do it wrong. 427 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,120 Speaker 1: And I had no problem with that. I've done plenty 428 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:29,560 Speaker 1: of thankless jobs in the military in the past. So 429 00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:30,960 Speaker 1: I just wanted to find a way on the field 430 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 1: of play, and this was my opportunity. So uh yeah, 431 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:37,880 Speaker 1: So I started for for three years in Texas UM 432 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:41,399 Speaker 1: and by the way, the long Horns played at night. 433 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:43,840 Speaker 1: I don't know if this will be running at the time, 434 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:47,160 Speaker 1: but hopefully they've already won by the time this comes out. 435 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:51,960 Speaker 1: Um in the Alamo Bowl against Washington. But but yeah, 436 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:54,119 Speaker 1: you know, it was just like I've never really did 437 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:56,960 Speaker 1: into Texas. I've never I just I wanted to play 438 00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:59,639 Speaker 1: for the long Horns because it was, uh, sort of 439 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:01,680 Speaker 1: this led and dairy program. And I saw so many 440 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:05,520 Speaker 1: Longhorn flags and ball caps overseas when I was in 441 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:08,359 Speaker 1: Iraq among people in the Army. It was sort of 442 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:11,240 Speaker 1: felt like the Army's favorite team. So it just made 443 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:14,440 Speaker 1: sense for me, uh to try to go there and 444 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 1: be a part of that. And uh and I loved it. 445 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:19,199 Speaker 1: I mean, I loved I love going to school in Austin. 446 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:22,679 Speaker 1: I loved the University of Texas is great, great great university, 447 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:26,560 Speaker 1: and um yeah, just getting the opportunity to play football 448 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,880 Speaker 1: and live out that dream it was really special. Quick 449 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:36,960 Speaker 1: commercial breaks stay with us. I feel like it's gotta 450 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:42,400 Speaker 1: hurt really bad to get tackled ivoished. It can't be good. 451 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,640 Speaker 1: Um yeah, yeah, I got run over quite a bit 452 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:48,359 Speaker 1: at practice, you know, I mean I was supposed to 453 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 1: be doing the tackle lead Um, but the reality was, 454 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:56,159 Speaker 1: you know, these these young men were a lot bigger, stronger, faster, 455 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,800 Speaker 1: more athletic, just better at football than me. And so 456 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:01,879 Speaker 1: I was on the losing end of a lot of 457 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:05,560 Speaker 1: those collisions. I'll say that I can't, can't feel good. 458 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:07,520 Speaker 1: And then you went on to be in the NFL 459 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 1: with the Seattle Seahawks. What was I mean for someone 460 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: who obviously always kind of love football, had already always 461 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:16,120 Speaker 1: kind of had this dream that had been pretty cool 462 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:18,679 Speaker 1: to then have accomplished, you know, getting into the NFL 463 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:22,560 Speaker 1: as well. Yeah, it was. I mean, it was a 464 00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:25,400 Speaker 1: dream dream come true. I think I think a lot 465 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:29,200 Speaker 1: of a lot of people, a lot of young people specifically. 466 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:31,840 Speaker 1: You know, that's just like when you're a kid, that's 467 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:32,920 Speaker 1: what you want to do. You want to play, you 468 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:34,880 Speaker 1: want to be a pro athlete. You know, you look 469 00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:38,160 Speaker 1: up to these athletes, they're they're heroes to you. Um, 470 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:41,680 Speaker 1: And and that's that's what I wanted to do as 471 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:44,359 Speaker 1: a kid. Um. I think in college, when I was 472 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:46,399 Speaker 1: actually playing and doing that, I didn't think that that 473 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:50,639 Speaker 1: was an actual possibility. Um, until I got asked to 474 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:54,720 Speaker 1: playing the Senior All Star Game out in Charleston called 475 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:56,560 Speaker 1: the Medal of Honorable So it was hosted by the 476 00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:59,640 Speaker 1: Medal of Honor Society. Uh. The game was only played 477 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 1: for think two or three years, but it was at 478 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:05,560 Speaker 1: the Citadel. It was just really really unique opportunity to 479 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:09,600 Speaker 1: play one last game. UM. And it was just kind of, 480 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:12,600 Speaker 1: you know, for fun. It was it's not a bowl game, 481 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:15,359 Speaker 1: it's a it's they called the Senior All Star Games. 482 00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 1: And what was really important about that week though, were 483 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 1: the practices because a bunch of NFL scouts We're coming 484 00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:27,159 Speaker 1: to the practices and watching these players and evaluating talent. 485 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:31,920 Speaker 1: And um, I actually had four NFL team even though 486 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:34,760 Speaker 1: I just turned thirty four years old. I had four 487 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,639 Speaker 1: NFL teams meet with me and said they were actually 488 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 1: interested and in me as a player, as a long snapper. Uh. 489 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:46,880 Speaker 1: And they all said kind of the same thing. Look, 490 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:49,119 Speaker 1: you're a little old, you're small, You're gonna have to 491 00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:53,359 Speaker 1: put some weight on, but you're a good snapper and 492 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:55,680 Speaker 1: you know you should go for it. And so I did. 493 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:59,320 Speaker 1: And I kind of just spent the next four months 494 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:01,359 Speaker 1: putting on a bun to weight a game like thirty pounds. 495 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:03,280 Speaker 1: And it wasn't all a good weight, but it was 496 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:07,840 Speaker 1: necessary and uh, and I kind of just you know, 497 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:10,000 Speaker 1: I transitioned out of the military by that time at 498 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:13,480 Speaker 1: February that was the end of my military service, and 499 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:17,879 Speaker 1: I got signed with the Seahawks during the draft I 500 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:21,399 Speaker 1: think early May, um, and it was actually known as 501 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:23,119 Speaker 1: the greatest day in sports history at the time. It 502 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:25,800 Speaker 1: was kind of cool. It was the Kentucky Derby was 503 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:30,720 Speaker 1: that day. Manny Pacquiao employed Mayweather had an epic fight. Um. 504 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,720 Speaker 1: There were like Game seven's in the NBA and hockey 505 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:37,200 Speaker 1: playoffs and all that, And of course Nate were was 506 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:40,920 Speaker 1: signed to the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent, which 507 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:44,480 Speaker 1: for me was a big maybe not for everybody else. Yeah, absolutely, 508 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:47,480 Speaker 1: so it was a bit. Yeah. I took my dad 509 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,560 Speaker 1: to a Caps game before Christmas, and I literally had 510 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:53,720 Speaker 1: no idea that Edgin was so close to beating or 511 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:56,240 Speaker 1: getting to the I guess the second highest scoring goal 512 00:27:57,200 --> 00:28:00,600 Speaker 1: and goal score and he got to eight oh two, 513 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:03,719 Speaker 1: which meant that now he's right behind Wayne Gretzky and 514 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:06,600 Speaker 1: ended up being like a hugely epic night. Like my 515 00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:10,359 Speaker 1: dad was so stoked it was. I got super lucky 516 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:14,000 Speaker 1: that ended up playing such a big night. But I 517 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 1: wanted to ask you before we get into m v 518 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:18,960 Speaker 1: P in the movie. So like, obviously, I'm just gonna 519 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,480 Speaker 1: preface it. Not a fan of Colin Kaepernick ever since 520 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:24,800 Speaker 1: he wore the socks depicting cops is pig. Just don't 521 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:27,400 Speaker 1: respect the dude. But you had written this open letter 522 00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:29,640 Speaker 1: to him in the Army Times, which led to him 523 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:33,000 Speaker 1: then inviting you out for conversation kind of talk about 524 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:35,880 Speaker 1: the letter and then sort of what transpired after that. 525 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:38,480 Speaker 1: This was about a year later, so you know, I 526 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:44,760 Speaker 1: was with the Seahawks. Yeah, played in the h I 527 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:46,440 Speaker 1: was in O t A training camp. I got to 528 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 1: play in one game in the preseason, and it was 529 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:53,360 Speaker 1: an amazing opportunity. You know, I once again to second college. 530 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:54,440 Speaker 1: I was asked to leave the team out of the 531 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:56,840 Speaker 1: tunnel with the American flag and then we're standing on 532 00:28:56,880 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 1: the sideline before the game and the anthem starts playing. 533 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:03,560 Speaker 1: And for me, you know in college that the players 534 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:05,320 Speaker 1: are not on the field when they played the anthem 535 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:08,120 Speaker 1: of the stadium. Obviously, in the NFL it's very different. 536 00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:10,640 Speaker 1: I think everybody who's watched this football at any level 537 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:13,240 Speaker 1: is aware now that's very aware now that the anthem 538 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 1: has played on the sideline with the players. They're out 539 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:20,600 Speaker 1: there on the field. And when I started playing, you know, 540 00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 1: I found the tallest flag in the building. I put 541 00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:25,080 Speaker 1: my hand in my heart, and as a song played, 542 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:29,880 Speaker 1: I started crying. I just was like thinking about, you know, 543 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:33,280 Speaker 1: friends of mine that were still serving men and women 544 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:36,960 Speaker 1: not all over the country, that we're still serving those 545 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 1: that didn't make it back, including some some of those 546 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:42,480 Speaker 1: people that I that I knew, and those that were 547 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:47,080 Speaker 1: back home, but we're struggling with that transition, and all 548 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:48,920 Speaker 1: those things kind of ran through my head and I 549 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:52,720 Speaker 1: just was like I wanted people to feel what I 550 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 1: was feeling out there on the field, like you know, 551 00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 1: hope and possibility, and I wanted people to chase their 552 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:01,640 Speaker 1: American dreams too, and um, it just was like a 553 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 1: powerful moment for me. Fast forward to almost exactly a 554 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:08,400 Speaker 1: year later during the preseason, and you know, Colin Kaepernick 555 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:11,640 Speaker 1: is sitting on the bench during the anthem um in 556 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:17,880 Speaker 1: protests of police frutality, social racial and equality, social injustice, 557 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,920 Speaker 1: all of those things. And it's of course a very 558 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:25,520 Speaker 1: divisive time already and a divisive topic. I mean, you know, 559 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:27,960 Speaker 1: we all know that, like everybody kind of has a 560 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:32,560 Speaker 1: different opinion and take on on that whole situation. And 561 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:34,960 Speaker 1: you know, I got reached out to by a bunch 562 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: of news organizations and I think what they wanted me 563 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:43,480 Speaker 1: to do was maybe come on their show and debate 564 00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:47,720 Speaker 1: the topic of anthem protests. And I understand why. I mean, 565 00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:50,000 Speaker 1: it's a it's an interesting topic and there's a lot 566 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:53,719 Speaker 1: of opinions surrounding that and all that, and I just 567 00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:55,680 Speaker 1: didn't want to be a part of that conversation because 568 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:59,320 Speaker 1: I had my own opinion, as everybody does about about 569 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 1: you know, situations like that. But also, um, I tend 570 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:08,600 Speaker 1: to stay out of political discussions for the most part. 571 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:11,280 Speaker 1: You know, I kind of got my own opinions on 572 00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:13,520 Speaker 1: my own person and you know, I believe what I 573 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:17,479 Speaker 1: believed on every topic, and I think everybody should do that. 574 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:21,760 Speaker 1: I think everybody should have their own genuine feeling an 575 00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:23,960 Speaker 1: opinion and not feel pressured to believe one way or 576 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:28,240 Speaker 1: the other. Um. And you know, so I just said, no, 577 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:30,040 Speaker 1: I don't want to do that. In the Army Times, 578 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:32,280 Speaker 1: they kept hitting me up saying, hey, would you just 579 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:34,840 Speaker 1: write an article, an open letter, whatever you want to 580 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:38,960 Speaker 1: write op ed you know, and uh, and I said, okay, fine, 581 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:40,920 Speaker 1: all write something. So what I did is I just 582 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 1: wrote an open letter to Colin Kaepernick as if it 583 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:47,200 Speaker 1: was if you know, I had him sitting in front 584 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:48,560 Speaker 1: of me in a few minutes to kind of share, 585 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:52,040 Speaker 1: share my my feelings on the matter and why I 586 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,120 Speaker 1: believe what I believe. And you know, I talked about 587 00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:56,360 Speaker 1: the dark fur. I talked about my time they're uh 588 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:59,520 Speaker 1: and dealing with with that and seeing that type of 589 00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:03,880 Speaker 1: oppression of people. I mean, three people have been murdered 590 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:07,480 Speaker 1: in this genocide and women and children are left as refugees, 591 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:10,000 Speaker 1: and you know, that's what this camp consisted of. But 592 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:14,640 Speaker 1: there's still there's still a level of hope there, and 593 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:17,920 Speaker 1: there's people trying to do everything they can to help 594 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:21,280 Speaker 1: the situation. And um, I think, you know. And then 595 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:24,120 Speaker 1: of course my time overseas and Iraqi and Afghanistan, and 596 00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:27,800 Speaker 1: you know, working with Iraqis and Afghanis people with different opinions, 597 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:30,680 Speaker 1: different cultures and customs that I don't necessarily understand or 598 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:33,800 Speaker 1: even agree with, but I have to respect at some 599 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:36,640 Speaker 1: level and have to figure out a way to work together. 600 00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:40,480 Speaker 1: And uh. And then I said, look, on this matter, 601 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:46,520 Speaker 1: you know, to me, This is why the the flag 602 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:48,560 Speaker 1: means so much to me in the anthem because of 603 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:51,600 Speaker 1: my experience, you know, my my connection to it. I 604 00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:56,360 Speaker 1: carried a casket with my best friend in it, Drake 605 00:32:56,440 --> 00:33:00,400 Speaker 1: in an American flag, right. Um. When I hear the anthem, 606 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:02,560 Speaker 1: as I did in that game, it just hits different 607 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:04,600 Speaker 1: from me because of my experience, you know, because of 608 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:09,320 Speaker 1: what I did. And uh, and it's a very sensitive 609 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:13,840 Speaker 1: and emotional and meaningful UM symbol. Those symbols are to 610 00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:16,200 Speaker 1: a lot of people, and not only people that start 611 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 1: in the military, but certainly a good amount of And 612 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:21,800 Speaker 1: I said, uh, you know, look at the end of 613 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:25,440 Speaker 1: the day, that's my experience, and that's why I feel 614 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:28,280 Speaker 1: the way the way that I feel. UM. And I 615 00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:31,480 Speaker 1: understand how everybody feels that way, but I think that, 616 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:35,360 Speaker 1: you know, it's important to understand that. But but and 617 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:36,880 Speaker 1: I also said that, you know, I look forward to 618 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:38,680 Speaker 1: the day that you're inspired to stand again when the 619 00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:43,160 Speaker 1: anthem plays, I'll be standing right there next to you. Um. 620 00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:45,680 Speaker 1: And he actually read the open letters, as a lot 621 00:33:45,720 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 1: of people did. The sports journalism world actually pushed it 622 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:51,640 Speaker 1: out quite a bit. It was became quite viral in 623 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:55,040 Speaker 1: the mettle matter twenty four hours and and Collins publicists 624 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:57,200 Speaker 1: reached out and said, hey, look, he's got a game tomorrow, 625 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:00,320 Speaker 1: but he wants to meet you down and Sandy Ago, 626 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:03,760 Speaker 1: where they played the Chargers in their final preseason game, 627 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:06,320 Speaker 1: and he wants to sit down and have a conversation 628 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:07,520 Speaker 1: with you. And I said, well, is there going to 629 00:34:07,600 --> 00:34:09,680 Speaker 1: be like media around orning like that? And They're like, 630 00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:12,000 Speaker 1: no, no no, no, it's nothing like that. He genuinely is 631 00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:13,759 Speaker 1: inspired by the letter and he just wants to talk. 632 00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:16,880 Speaker 1: So I go down to San Diego. We meet in 633 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,719 Speaker 1: the lobby at the team hotel alongside Eric Read, one 634 00:34:19,760 --> 00:34:22,960 Speaker 1: of his teammates, and you know, we had a very 635 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:26,800 Speaker 1: very open conversation about this whole thing. I mean, honestly, 636 00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:29,560 Speaker 1: it was like two guys sit in the locker room 637 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:32,200 Speaker 1: trying to understand one another who had different backgrounds and 638 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:34,840 Speaker 1: experiences and all these things. And you know, to be honest, 639 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:36,640 Speaker 1: he had to get He respected me. He had a 640 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:38,120 Speaker 1: lot of respect for for what I did in the 641 00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:41,279 Speaker 1: military and um and all that. And I respected him 642 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:42,880 Speaker 1: as a player. I mean I was a huge forty 643 00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:45,640 Speaker 1: nine years fan. I pulled for for Colin ever since 644 00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:48,879 Speaker 1: he played at You know, University of Nevada Areno and 645 00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:51,480 Speaker 1: went on to the fort which is my favorite team. 646 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:54,160 Speaker 1: Kind of brought us back from being an okay, not 647 00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:56,600 Speaker 1: so great team, said the Super Bowl almost winning it. 648 00:34:57,120 --> 00:34:59,359 Speaker 1: And so as a player, you know, I I looked 649 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:03,120 Speaker 1: up to him as an athlete, and now that I 650 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:05,000 Speaker 1: was kind of sitting down with him and hearing why 651 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:07,000 Speaker 1: he was doing what he was doing, I respected his 652 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:11,440 Speaker 1: opinions and and and reasons for what why he was 653 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:14,000 Speaker 1: doing what he was what he was doing. Of course, 654 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:18,400 Speaker 1: you know, sitting out during the anthem was tough for 655 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:20,799 Speaker 1: me because of how that makes me feel and how 656 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:23,320 Speaker 1: a lot of people, not just in the military, but 657 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:28,279 Speaker 1: just people in general, I feel. And you know, I 658 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:30,160 Speaker 1: just when he asked me point blank, you know, I 659 00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:33,560 Speaker 1: didn't really give my opinion, Tilly asked, but he asked me, Um, 660 00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:35,640 Speaker 1: you know, well, do you think there's another way I 661 00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:38,320 Speaker 1: can protest that's not going to offend people in the military? 662 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:40,279 Speaker 1: And I said, no, no matter what you do, some 663 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:42,000 Speaker 1: people are going to be offended. I mean, this is 664 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:47,040 Speaker 1: something that's very sacred to a lot of people, and um, 665 00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:49,279 Speaker 1: you know, it's it's when I look up at the 666 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:51,680 Speaker 1: stands during a football game. It's like I see people 667 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:56,400 Speaker 1: of all different races and backgrounds, and you know a 668 00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:58,080 Speaker 1: lot of them are wearing the same jersey and they 669 00:35:58,120 --> 00:36:00,440 Speaker 1: kind of put aside those differences for three hours to 670 00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:03,880 Speaker 1: watch a football game, and it's like a uniting time 671 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:06,480 Speaker 1: for us. It's the only one of the only places 672 00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:08,640 Speaker 1: that you know, in the first quarter you could spill 673 00:36:08,719 --> 00:36:11,040 Speaker 1: beer and the guy sitting next to you and he's 674 00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:13,280 Speaker 1: hugging you in the fourth quarter because your team scored 675 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:15,959 Speaker 1: the game winning touchdown, like that's a very special thing, 676 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:20,560 Speaker 1: you know. Um, And I mean he understood that, of course. 677 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:21,759 Speaker 1: I mean, this is the game that he you know, 678 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:25,000 Speaker 1: he played and um, and he said, well, you know, 679 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:29,400 Speaker 1: I just I want to find a way to not 680 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:31,359 Speaker 1: offend people in the military. You know. That was something 681 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:33,200 Speaker 1: that really mattered to him. And I was like, well, 682 00:36:33,200 --> 00:36:35,920 Speaker 1: I respect that. I said, if you're asking my opinion, 683 00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:39,799 Speaker 1: I think you know, sitting on the bench maybe isn't 684 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:42,520 Speaker 1: the most inspiring thing, kind of isolated by yourself. I 685 00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:44,560 Speaker 1: think you need to be alongside your teammates whatever you do. 686 00:36:44,719 --> 00:36:46,880 Speaker 1: I think that's important. It's important message for people in 687 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:49,440 Speaker 1: the country, like we don't always have to agree but 688 00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:51,879 Speaker 1: sometimes we have to work together, you know, and we've 689 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:54,960 Speaker 1: got to put that stuff behind us and try to 690 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,920 Speaker 1: move forward as one. And calling agreed that that was important, 691 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:03,960 Speaker 1: and and uh, you know, the next part of the 692 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:07,000 Speaker 1: discussion was like, well, what what am I going to do? 693 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:09,279 Speaker 1: I mean, I committed to not standing. I said, I'm 694 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:11,080 Speaker 1: not going to stand until things change, you know, And 695 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 1: that's something that it's important to Colin. And I said, well, 696 00:37:14,719 --> 00:37:16,000 Speaker 1: you know, if you're not going to stand, I think 697 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:18,920 Speaker 1: the only other option that makes sense would be taken 698 00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:22,760 Speaker 1: a knee. I mean, I don't see it personally as disrespectful, 699 00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:25,239 Speaker 1: just the the idea of kneeling and if people take 700 00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:27,520 Speaker 1: a need to pray and propose to their future spouse, 701 00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:29,520 Speaker 1: and when a players hurt on the field and the 702 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:32,279 Speaker 1: football game, people taking me out of respect. And when 703 00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:35,440 Speaker 1: I go to Arlington to visit my buddy Brad, I 704 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:38,120 Speaker 1: take a knee in front of you know, his his 705 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:43,120 Speaker 1: grave to pay respects um. So I think that that is, 706 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:46,400 Speaker 1: you know, I think it's a good adjustment personally. I 707 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:50,520 Speaker 1: think it shows that you're willing to um to change 708 00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:54,319 Speaker 1: and and sort of find a middle ground here. And 709 00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:57,760 Speaker 1: you know, and that was just kind of on a whim. 710 00:37:58,040 --> 00:38:01,040 Speaker 1: I was asked a question and I answered, you know, 711 00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:03,960 Speaker 1: what I thought was a good solution at the time, 712 00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:07,640 Speaker 1: And of course it wasn't seen that way by a 713 00:38:07,680 --> 00:38:10,759 Speaker 1: lot of people, and I totally respect that as well. Um, 714 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:13,440 Speaker 1: A lot of people were very very upset that, you know, 715 00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:17,680 Speaker 1: he still wasn't you know, he wouldn't stand and um, 716 00:38:17,719 --> 00:38:19,719 Speaker 1: and a lot of people were upset with me or 717 00:38:19,719 --> 00:38:22,200 Speaker 1: even meeting with them and having a conversation and suggesting 718 00:38:22,239 --> 00:38:26,120 Speaker 1: this kneeling. Kneeling was a terrible, terrible idea is still 719 00:38:26,239 --> 00:38:29,960 Speaker 1: very disrespectful and all that, And I understand that, um, 720 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:31,880 Speaker 1: but I don't think a lot of people understand the 721 00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:36,880 Speaker 1: full context of the of the conversation and of the 722 00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:40,520 Speaker 1: moment um. You know, Colin and I were not we're 723 00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:44,040 Speaker 1: not close, we haven't spoken a long time, UM, and 724 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:46,440 Speaker 1: you know, it was just that was really the only 725 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:50,560 Speaker 1: time we ever met based and face and the kneeling, 726 00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:53,160 Speaker 1: you know, coming out of that is is interesting because 727 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:57,480 Speaker 1: it's kind of I mean, it's it was a global thing, 728 00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:01,359 Speaker 1: you know, it really, Uh, even through this World Cup 729 00:39:01,400 --> 00:39:03,600 Speaker 1: this year, there was there's teams out there that that 730 00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:05,960 Speaker 1: that sort of take a moment of silence and taking 731 00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:09,560 Speaker 1: thee out of respect. You know, it's it's a tough 732 00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:11,839 Speaker 1: one and I'm sure there's a lot of people listening 733 00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:14,520 Speaker 1: right now they are still very upset with me and 734 00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:17,080 Speaker 1: making that suggestion. But it was just I was just 735 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:20,000 Speaker 1: trying to calm situation. I was trying to find a 736 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:21,719 Speaker 1: way for us to work together. I still am. I'm 737 00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:24,360 Speaker 1: very dedicated to that of a human being. UM. I 738 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:26,560 Speaker 1: just want to see us move forward as a country 739 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:29,440 Speaker 1: and respect one another, even if we don't always agree 740 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:31,839 Speaker 1: now and I totally I think you've earned the right, 741 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,040 Speaker 1: having served our country as a green bread that they 742 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:37,000 Speaker 1: don't have your opinion on this obviously and have your perspective, 743 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:38,600 Speaker 1: I guess the way I've always looked at him, and 744 00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:42,000 Speaker 1: I still do even after the conversation of you know, 745 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:44,360 Speaker 1: the context is you had mentioned previously of you know, 746 00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:46,879 Speaker 1: people taking the knee. I view out of those those 747 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:48,880 Speaker 1: were out of respect, and I think what he was 748 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:51,120 Speaker 1: doing was not out of respect to the country in 749 00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:53,520 Speaker 1: my opinion, And I just I have a hard time 750 00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:56,040 Speaker 1: seeing how someone who had two parents who loved him 751 00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:59,319 Speaker 1: worth tens of millions of dollars is somehow oppressed, so, 752 00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:02,040 Speaker 1: you know, and I think a large part of you know, why, 753 00:40:02,239 --> 00:40:04,120 Speaker 1: you know, there used to be a time where sports 754 00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:07,040 Speaker 1: brought us together. Now it divides us among everything else, 755 00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:10,040 Speaker 1: is in a large part because of him. So I just, 756 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:13,040 Speaker 1: I really, you know, I try to respect people of 757 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:15,240 Speaker 1: all sorts, but I just have a really hard time 758 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:18,719 Speaker 1: reaching any level of respect for that man. But I 759 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:21,000 Speaker 1: see your opinion, and you know, obviously have a great 760 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:22,640 Speaker 1: deal of respect for you and everything you've done to 761 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:25,239 Speaker 1: the country, and so, you know, I think you are 762 00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:28,160 Speaker 1: fully fully you know, fully with respect to have your 763 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:31,239 Speaker 1: opinion um on the issue. But you know, I wanted 764 00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:32,600 Speaker 1: to get into I don't want to spend too much 765 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:36,080 Speaker 1: time talking about someone I dislike, So we'll get into 766 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:38,319 Speaker 1: you know, so and then you know, after all this, 767 00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:40,719 Speaker 1: so you know, we'll kind of skip a couple of 768 00:40:40,719 --> 00:40:43,120 Speaker 1: steps because again, you literally have like the most interesting 769 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:47,279 Speaker 1: life story. Uh and I've done so many interesting things 770 00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:49,279 Speaker 1: in your life. But you got into acting. You also 771 00:40:49,320 --> 00:40:53,080 Speaker 1: did an NFL A Network series called Indivisible. But you 772 00:40:53,239 --> 00:40:57,440 Speaker 1: also started this amazing organization called Merging fetes and players 773 00:40:57,520 --> 00:41:02,040 Speaker 1: with Fox Sports, uh NFL insider J Glazer and and 774 00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:05,400 Speaker 1: it's really cool because this organization has kind of combines 775 00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:09,120 Speaker 1: these worlds that you've lived in, combines the world of 776 00:41:09,160 --> 00:41:11,319 Speaker 1: a veteran who is sort of trying to figure out 777 00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:15,520 Speaker 1: what's next after leaving the military, along with you know, 778 00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:19,040 Speaker 1: NFL players that sort of have a similar experience and 779 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:21,759 Speaker 1: sort of figuring out what is next after their time 780 00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:24,200 Speaker 1: in the NFL. You know, talk a little bit more 781 00:41:24,239 --> 00:41:27,840 Speaker 1: about this organization, why you started it, and why it 782 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,520 Speaker 1: means so much to you. Yeah, I appreciate that least. 783 00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:33,360 Speaker 1: You know, it's m v P. You know, it was 784 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:36,640 Speaker 1: really something that that that I kind of needed. Um. 785 00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:38,480 Speaker 1: You know, it stands for merging Vets and players. We 786 00:41:38,600 --> 00:41:41,680 Speaker 1: bring together combat vets and former professional athletes and help 787 00:41:41,719 --> 00:41:43,880 Speaker 1: them find purpose and identity when they lose the uniform. 788 00:41:44,120 --> 00:41:46,000 Speaker 1: And that's how I felt when I lost the uniform, 789 00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:48,160 Speaker 1: and I lost both of these uniforms in the same year, 790 00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:52,880 Speaker 1: as mentioned you in, I left the military, UM, and 791 00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:55,120 Speaker 1: I left and football. You know, I was released, I 792 00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:57,600 Speaker 1: was cut. It was over and not on my terms, 793 00:41:57,680 --> 00:41:59,680 Speaker 1: and it was hard. You know, I was thirty four 794 00:41:59,719 --> 00:42:01,680 Speaker 1: years old. I felt like I had a lot of 795 00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:04,040 Speaker 1: life left to live and a lot of a lot 796 00:42:04,120 --> 00:42:08,600 Speaker 1: left to give as well, considered going back in the military. UM, 797 00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:11,640 Speaker 1: just trying to find my place. And Jay Glazer uh, 798 00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:15,440 Speaker 1: who I've trained with to prepare for that opportunity in 799 00:42:15,480 --> 00:42:19,480 Speaker 1: football with the Seahawks. UH. You know, he had this 800 00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:22,279 Speaker 1: idea of like bringing these groups together, bringing athletes and 801 00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:26,759 Speaker 1: vets together, you know, very similar, um storyline as far 802 00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:29,000 Speaker 1: as your career ends at a pretty young age. You 803 00:42:29,040 --> 00:42:32,160 Speaker 1: have to sacrifice quite a bit to be elite. Of course, 804 00:42:32,320 --> 00:42:35,080 Speaker 1: we would ever compare war to playing sports or those 805 00:42:35,120 --> 00:42:37,239 Speaker 1: are completely different things. The battlefield, the ball field. We 806 00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:40,279 Speaker 1: always make that distinction very clear that those are not 807 00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:42,880 Speaker 1: the same. But the locker rooms are similar. UM. The 808 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:46,400 Speaker 1: identity with the uniform UM, you know, and feeling as 809 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:48,920 Speaker 1: though you're part of something, having that mission and purpose 810 00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:53,400 Speaker 1: UM and identity and losing it is a very similar 811 00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:57,839 Speaker 1: struggle that both groups deal with. And it's tough. It's 812 00:42:57,880 --> 00:43:03,640 Speaker 1: really tough. And and you know, talk about diversity the military, 813 00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:08,759 Speaker 1: uh and and a sport and an NFL locker room 814 00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:11,640 Speaker 1: some of the most diverse microposms in the country. Yet 815 00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:14,680 Speaker 1: these people find a way to work together, you know, 816 00:43:14,719 --> 00:43:17,560 Speaker 1: they find a way, um to put some of those 817 00:43:17,560 --> 00:43:21,320 Speaker 1: things aside. And like see it through as a team, 818 00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:25,160 Speaker 1: and you know, would be willing on a battlefield specifically, 819 00:43:25,160 --> 00:43:27,880 Speaker 1: you know, willing to lay down your life for somebody 820 00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:31,480 Speaker 1: that you don't even necessarily like or agree with, and 821 00:43:31,560 --> 00:43:34,399 Speaker 1: you still do it. And that isn't only consist of 822 00:43:35,640 --> 00:43:38,200 Speaker 1: the people that you're fighting alongside. That consists of almost 823 00:43:38,239 --> 00:43:40,880 Speaker 1: every you know, every American back home, the people that 824 00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:44,960 Speaker 1: you're fighting for. That's really unique. UM. And then losing 825 00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:48,080 Speaker 1: that feeling as though, like this is it's so important 826 00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:49,640 Speaker 1: what I do and what I'm atat, what I'm a 827 00:43:49,719 --> 00:43:54,200 Speaker 1: part of, and so UM is so necessary and you 828 00:43:54,200 --> 00:44:00,000 Speaker 1: know we have this full, full volunteer force. UM I am. 829 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:05,120 Speaker 1: I am a part of this powerful important UM community 830 00:44:05,719 --> 00:44:09,040 Speaker 1: UH and tribe. And you know, I'd wear this American 831 00:44:09,040 --> 00:44:10,960 Speaker 1: flag on my shoulder with a great amount of pride. 832 00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:14,680 Speaker 1: And and then it's gone, you know, and you don't 833 00:44:14,680 --> 00:44:17,759 Speaker 1: know where to go. And you know, we do a 834 00:44:17,800 --> 00:44:23,960 Speaker 1: great job of training these people, preparing them for for 835 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:26,719 Speaker 1: for combat, preparing them to go do that. But what 836 00:44:26,840 --> 00:44:29,759 Speaker 1: we haven't figured out and mastered is that transition. How 837 00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:32,520 Speaker 1: are we preparing these people for the next phase? You know, 838 00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:35,240 Speaker 1: how are we preparing these people when they lose the uniform, UM. 839 00:44:35,280 --> 00:44:37,200 Speaker 1: And I understand that. You know, the goal and the 840 00:44:37,280 --> 00:44:39,440 Speaker 1: idea is to keep people in. You know, they've got 841 00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:41,319 Speaker 1: to focus on attention. We've got to focus on the 842 00:44:41,320 --> 00:44:43,319 Speaker 1: mission at hand. It's hard to put a lot of 843 00:44:43,400 --> 00:44:47,359 Speaker 1: energy into when these people transition out of that thing. 844 00:44:47,560 --> 00:44:49,880 Speaker 1: And the same goes for sports. It's like our focus 845 00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:51,399 Speaker 1: is to go win the super Bowl, you know, it's 846 00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:54,959 Speaker 1: not to care for the guys that used to play 847 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:57,799 Speaker 1: for us, and so it becomes challenging. So that's why 848 00:44:57,800 --> 00:45:01,080 Speaker 1: you need organizations if and we're not the only one. 849 00:45:01,120 --> 00:45:06,719 Speaker 1: There's thousands of organizations and veteran service organizations specifically. They 850 00:45:06,719 --> 00:45:09,520 Speaker 1: do a lot of great stuff, um, But it's up 851 00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:11,560 Speaker 1: to us. It's up to us, as the American people too, 852 00:45:12,440 --> 00:45:15,239 Speaker 1: UM to be there for them. And you know that's 853 00:45:15,239 --> 00:45:17,480 Speaker 1: why we started MVP. We wanted to be there for 854 00:45:17,719 --> 00:45:20,960 Speaker 1: these for these warriors. And uh, you know, most of 855 00:45:20,960 --> 00:45:22,560 Speaker 1: our members are veterans, but there's a good amount of 856 00:45:22,600 --> 00:45:24,359 Speaker 1: athletes too, and they don't a lot of them don't 857 00:45:24,360 --> 00:45:27,200 Speaker 1: have those resources. And I to your point earlier, you know, 858 00:45:27,520 --> 00:45:29,360 Speaker 1: a lot of them, not all of them, but a 859 00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:32,640 Speaker 1: good amount of them get paid a lot of money, uh, 860 00:45:32,680 --> 00:45:34,400 Speaker 1: to play a game, you know. And so that's a 861 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:37,840 Speaker 1: tough one for them as well, to even put themselves 862 00:45:37,840 --> 00:45:40,200 Speaker 1: in the same sentence as someone who served in the military. 863 00:45:40,840 --> 00:45:43,040 Speaker 1: But the reality is that not all of them have 864 00:45:43,160 --> 00:45:45,319 Speaker 1: that story. Not all of them got to you got 865 00:45:45,400 --> 00:45:48,879 Speaker 1: paid millions of dollars to play their support and most 866 00:45:48,920 --> 00:45:51,320 Speaker 1: of them have such a great respect for the veterans 867 00:45:51,360 --> 00:45:53,879 Speaker 1: and a lot of veterans from the military and good 868 00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:55,839 Speaker 1: a man of respect for athletes. I mean, for me, 869 00:45:56,239 --> 00:46:00,279 Speaker 1: it was a big escape when I was overseas watching football. Um. 870 00:46:00,320 --> 00:46:02,920 Speaker 1: It kind of helped me turn things off and focus 871 00:46:02,960 --> 00:46:06,880 Speaker 1: on something different outside of what I was dealing with 872 00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:11,080 Speaker 1: it war and uh. And so the organization now, I mean, 873 00:46:11,160 --> 00:46:14,520 Speaker 1: we were in eight cities across the country, um, you know, 874 00:46:15,160 --> 00:46:18,440 Speaker 1: eight physical chapters, but we were also available to anybody 875 00:46:18,520 --> 00:46:20,719 Speaker 1: anywhere in the country who qualifies for our program. It's 876 00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:24,200 Speaker 1: absolutely free for these vets and athletes. UM Vets and 877 00:46:24,280 --> 00:46:27,400 Speaker 1: Players dot org is the website, by the way. But 878 00:46:27,719 --> 00:46:30,359 Speaker 1: two years ago we decided to make a movie kind 879 00:46:30,360 --> 00:46:32,440 Speaker 1: of telling our story about how this started. It was 880 00:46:32,440 --> 00:46:34,640 Speaker 1: in the middle of pandemic, you know, as you know, 881 00:46:34,680 --> 00:46:37,520 Speaker 1: and everybody knows everything was shut down. Um, I was 882 00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:40,760 Speaker 1: living in Los Angeles, which was completely you know, closed 883 00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:44,320 Speaker 1: and locked up, and there was a lot of people, 884 00:46:44,760 --> 00:46:47,319 Speaker 1: a lot of veterans um who were work in that 885 00:46:47,400 --> 00:46:49,720 Speaker 1: industry that we're like, man, I just want to make something. 886 00:46:49,760 --> 00:46:51,320 Speaker 1: I just want to I want to get back to work, 887 00:46:51,400 --> 00:46:54,279 Speaker 1: I want to go and uh. And so I said, well, 888 00:46:54,360 --> 00:46:56,799 Speaker 1: let's let's do it. Let's do it together. So we did, 889 00:46:56,840 --> 00:46:58,960 Speaker 1: like most of them, to make this movie. First of all, 890 00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:01,239 Speaker 1: we had very little money resources, but we had a 891 00:47:01,239 --> 00:47:04,000 Speaker 1: lot of passion and people that knew how to to 892 00:47:04,239 --> 00:47:08,880 Speaker 1: overcome obstacles, and most of the crew were veterans UM. 893 00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:11,759 Speaker 1: Every veteran portrayed on screen in the MBK movie is 894 00:47:11,800 --> 00:47:14,440 Speaker 1: played by an actual vet. You know, it's a scripted 895 00:47:14,520 --> 00:47:17,319 Speaker 1: narrative film. It's not a documentary, but it feels like 896 00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:20,360 Speaker 1: it because it's the real people playing themselves and a 897 00:47:20,400 --> 00:47:23,160 Speaker 1: lot of these athletes as well, I mean half the 898 00:47:23,320 --> 00:47:26,560 Speaker 1: half the crew from Fox NFL Sundays in the movie. Um, 899 00:47:26,680 --> 00:47:31,080 Speaker 1: Michael Strahan, Howie Longed, Jade laser Um, so many others, 900 00:47:31,080 --> 00:47:34,080 Speaker 1: you know, Tony Gonzalez and Randy Coutur to Hall of 901 00:47:34,120 --> 00:47:36,719 Speaker 1: Fame elite athletes play themselves in the movie as well, 902 00:47:36,760 --> 00:47:39,480 Speaker 1: and um, it's really it was really special to get 903 00:47:39,480 --> 00:47:40,960 Speaker 1: it done. But it's it's about a marine who was 904 00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:43,600 Speaker 1: living in a homeless shelter and an NFL player first 905 00:47:43,680 --> 00:47:46,399 Speaker 1: year out of the league, and both of them are 906 00:47:46,440 --> 00:47:49,240 Speaker 1: just lost, you know, can't figure out how to move forward, 907 00:47:49,600 --> 00:47:51,920 Speaker 1: have have lost their identity and their team, their uniform. 908 00:47:51,960 --> 00:47:54,319 Speaker 1: And they meet one another and realize that even though 909 00:47:54,360 --> 00:47:56,160 Speaker 1: on paper we got nothing in common, we're going through 910 00:47:56,160 --> 00:47:58,440 Speaker 1: the same stuff and they help each other through it. 911 00:47:58,480 --> 00:48:02,920 Speaker 1: And really, uh M, this this tribe of vets and athletes, 912 00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:05,279 Speaker 1: and that is the story of m DP. It's how 913 00:48:06,080 --> 00:48:09,560 Speaker 1: we began. And I encourage everybody to go watch it. 914 00:48:09,560 --> 00:48:12,640 Speaker 1: It's out, it's everywhere right now, streaming video on demand. 915 00:48:12,719 --> 00:48:14,799 Speaker 1: Most people are watching on Amazon Prime, but you can 916 00:48:14,840 --> 00:48:19,439 Speaker 1: watch it almost anywhere. Uh And you know, we really 917 00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:22,520 Speaker 1: encourage you to watch that movie, to go check out 918 00:48:22,600 --> 00:48:25,799 Speaker 1: m VP Emerging Bets and players through our website as well. 919 00:48:25,960 --> 00:48:28,480 Speaker 1: That's some players dot Org and just support us in 920 00:48:28,520 --> 00:48:30,040 Speaker 1: any way you can. And if you know that's and 921 00:48:30,120 --> 00:48:33,000 Speaker 1: athletes that qualify for our program, send him our way. 922 00:48:33,080 --> 00:48:36,360 Speaker 1: We'd love to connect them and uh, with our group 923 00:48:36,440 --> 00:48:38,719 Speaker 1: and help them with that transition well. And I love 924 00:48:38,760 --> 00:48:43,000 Speaker 1: what your organization does and with the movie Highlights as well, 925 00:48:43,040 --> 00:48:45,040 Speaker 1: because it kind of goes back to when we started 926 00:48:45,080 --> 00:48:47,959 Speaker 1: off the conversation of when you just moved to Los 927 00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:50,880 Speaker 1: Angeles before you know, he joined the military, before you 928 00:48:50,920 --> 00:48:53,239 Speaker 1: did all these things and really just trying to find 929 00:48:53,239 --> 00:48:55,520 Speaker 1: your purpose in life. And so I think it's so 930 00:48:55,560 --> 00:48:58,160 Speaker 1: important and what you're doing to try to bring purpose 931 00:48:58,200 --> 00:49:00,719 Speaker 1: to people after you know, sort of thing these really 932 00:49:00,760 --> 00:49:03,359 Speaker 1: huge careers and and kind of figuring out what's next 933 00:49:03,480 --> 00:49:05,520 Speaker 1: or maybe feeling a little bit lost or feeling that 934 00:49:05,600 --> 00:49:07,920 Speaker 1: they've kind of lost that purpose in life. So I 935 00:49:07,920 --> 00:49:10,319 Speaker 1: think that's just so important. I appreciate that. I mean, 936 00:49:10,320 --> 00:49:12,520 Speaker 1: that's that's a big thing. You know. Transitions are just 937 00:49:12,600 --> 00:49:14,880 Speaker 1: tough for anybody, for any any human being, you know, 938 00:49:14,960 --> 00:49:17,640 Speaker 1: especially when you do something at a high level and 939 00:49:18,160 --> 00:49:20,279 Speaker 1: you feel like this is important. What I do every 940 00:49:20,360 --> 00:49:23,720 Speaker 1: day is important, It matters, especially if you haven't felt 941 00:49:23,719 --> 00:49:26,279 Speaker 1: that earlier in your life, and then you do feel it, 942 00:49:26,360 --> 00:49:29,600 Speaker 1: and then you're you're back into trying to find something 943 00:49:29,640 --> 00:49:32,360 Speaker 1: that makes you feel that same way. You know that 944 00:49:32,400 --> 00:49:34,600 Speaker 1: you are making a difference and it's tough when you 945 00:49:34,600 --> 00:49:37,360 Speaker 1: feel like you've peaked years old, which a lot of 946 00:49:37,440 --> 00:49:40,360 Speaker 1: veterans and athletes feel. That's crazy. I mean, there's a 947 00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:42,640 Speaker 1: lot of life left to live and no one should 948 00:49:42,640 --> 00:49:44,520 Speaker 1: feel that way. You should feel as though you're just 949 00:49:44,520 --> 00:49:46,759 Speaker 1: getting started, you know. But that's how a lot of 950 00:49:46,800 --> 00:49:48,960 Speaker 1: these people feel like I'll never be great again and 951 00:49:49,080 --> 00:49:53,399 Speaker 1: that I've already done, I've already reached the peak. There's 952 00:49:53,480 --> 00:49:56,360 Speaker 1: just there's no more mountains of clime. And that's tough. 953 00:49:56,440 --> 00:49:59,239 Speaker 1: And then that's a lot of the reason that you know, 954 00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:02,480 Speaker 1: the veterans suic hight academic is is still a major 955 00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:05,560 Speaker 1: issue a lot of these athletes as well. Um, not 956 00:50:05,640 --> 00:50:10,040 Speaker 1: just you know, suicide, but uh, you know, the levels 957 00:50:10,080 --> 00:50:13,480 Speaker 1: of sort of depression and disconnection and feeling like you 958 00:50:13,560 --> 00:50:16,759 Speaker 1: don't belong and nobody cares about you anymore. Um, and 959 00:50:16,800 --> 00:50:19,880 Speaker 1: you just you know, you were just a piece of 960 00:50:19,920 --> 00:50:23,200 Speaker 1: equipment and now you're kind of tossed to the wayside. 961 00:50:23,719 --> 00:50:25,879 Speaker 1: That's tough, you know. I mean, we're I think we're 962 00:50:25,880 --> 00:50:30,560 Speaker 1: all that's an athletes. We all maybe at some level 963 00:50:30,640 --> 00:50:34,279 Speaker 1: did feel like a piece of equipment that was utilized. 964 00:50:34,640 --> 00:50:38,040 Speaker 1: But you know, equipment can be repurposed, and it's important 965 00:50:38,080 --> 00:50:40,120 Speaker 1: that we do that all the time. You know, we 966 00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:44,840 Speaker 1: repurpose military equipment into other things. Uh, and everybody loves that. 967 00:50:44,920 --> 00:50:47,560 Speaker 1: But it's like people need to be repurposed as well. Uh. 968 00:50:47,680 --> 00:50:50,800 Speaker 1: And we're all capable of it. It takes us wanting 969 00:50:50,840 --> 00:50:53,480 Speaker 1: to take that step and make that change and and 970 00:50:53,719 --> 00:50:56,960 Speaker 1: kind of move forward, but it also takes organizations and 971 00:50:57,000 --> 00:50:59,719 Speaker 1: groups of people who have their back and let them 972 00:50:59,800 --> 00:51:02,919 Speaker 1: know that this is available and that we got you. Uh. 973 00:51:02,960 --> 00:51:06,360 Speaker 1: And you know, that's that's something that's that's extremely vital 974 00:51:06,800 --> 00:51:09,959 Speaker 1: in this time, especially with the war ending last year 975 00:51:10,239 --> 00:51:12,000 Speaker 1: and in the manner that it did. You know, it's 976 00:51:12,080 --> 00:51:15,359 Speaker 1: really tough for a lot of people to feel bad 977 00:51:15,920 --> 00:51:18,280 Speaker 1: from this twenty year war that what they did actually 978 00:51:18,760 --> 00:51:20,640 Speaker 1: at the end of the day even did matter. You know, 979 00:51:21,000 --> 00:51:22,920 Speaker 1: a lot of them feel like we did this for nothing. 980 00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:25,160 Speaker 1: You know, my buddies died for nothing. And it's not true. 981 00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:27,480 Speaker 1: It's not true, but it feels that way, and it 982 00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:30,120 Speaker 1: can feel that way, and that's that's incredibly hard to 983 00:51:30,120 --> 00:51:32,759 Speaker 1: come to grips with. But people need to understand these 984 00:51:32,840 --> 00:51:37,120 Speaker 1: these bets and and need of these athletes that you know, 985 00:51:37,160 --> 00:51:38,879 Speaker 1: what they did in their past. It's not who they are. 986 00:51:40,160 --> 00:51:42,439 Speaker 1: Who they are as a person that overcame so much 987 00:51:43,239 --> 00:51:46,080 Speaker 1: and survived so much to get back here and um, 988 00:51:46,080 --> 00:51:47,920 Speaker 1: and there's still a lot left again and we need you. 989 00:51:48,280 --> 00:51:50,680 Speaker 1: We need you to help lead this country, you know, 990 00:51:50,800 --> 00:51:52,959 Speaker 1: back to where it needs to be. UM. It takes 991 00:51:53,000 --> 00:51:55,920 Speaker 1: all of us, and I think especially these military better 992 00:51:55,960 --> 00:51:58,319 Speaker 1: and especially these these people that for their lives on 993 00:51:58,360 --> 00:52:02,400 Speaker 1: the line and sacrifice so much. Um, you're the ones 994 00:52:02,680 --> 00:52:06,399 Speaker 1: that we need to step up here and uh and 995 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:10,000 Speaker 1: we want to look up to you and um and 996 00:52:10,200 --> 00:52:13,720 Speaker 1: we need leaders and you are those people. Nate Boyer, 997 00:52:13,800 --> 00:52:16,000 Speaker 1: you're only forty one. I think you found a lot 998 00:52:16,040 --> 00:52:19,080 Speaker 1: of purpose in life. You have already done so many 999 00:52:19,120 --> 00:52:22,560 Speaker 1: incredible things. Just deeply, deeply respect your service to the 1000 00:52:22,600 --> 00:52:25,480 Speaker 1: country and then what you're doing to just continue to 1001 00:52:25,480 --> 00:52:29,000 Speaker 1: help people who have also served. You're an awesome guy, 1002 00:52:29,120 --> 00:52:31,640 Speaker 1: incredible story. Everyone go out and watch m v P. 1003 00:52:31,960 --> 00:52:33,560 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining the show. I really 1004 00:52:33,560 --> 00:52:35,880 Speaker 1: appreciate you giving us your time and sharing with us 1005 00:52:35,880 --> 00:52:38,600 Speaker 1: your story. Of course, so thanks for having me. It 1006 00:52:38,640 --> 00:52:57,600 Speaker 1: really means a lot that was neat lawyer. Everyone should 1007 00:52:57,640 --> 00:53:00,880 Speaker 1: go out watch the movie, show them some court obviously 1008 00:53:00,920 --> 00:53:03,440 Speaker 1: has done a lot for our country. Deeply respect the 1009 00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:05,640 Speaker 1: guy just also seems like a super nice guy. I 1010 00:53:05,680 --> 00:53:08,319 Speaker 1: want to thank you, guys at home for listening every 1011 00:53:08,360 --> 00:53:10,439 Speaker 1: Monday and Thursday, but you can listen throughout the week. 1012 00:53:10,480 --> 00:53:12,360 Speaker 1: I want to thank John cast you and my producer 1013 00:53:12,400 --> 00:53:14,759 Speaker 1: for putting the show together and all the hard work 1014 00:53:14,800 --> 00:53:16,840 Speaker 1: that he puts into it. Feel free to leave us 1015 00:53:16,880 --> 00:53:19,640 Speaker 1: a review, give us a rating on Apple Podcast. I 1016 00:53:19,680 --> 00:53:22,840 Speaker 1: love hearing from you and hearing your thoughts. I appreciate 1017 00:53:22,840 --> 00:53:24,040 Speaker 1: you guys listening. Take care,