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Speaker 1: The MVP Minnesota Vikings Podcast is back and better than

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Speaker 1: ever for the twenty and twenty five twenty twenty six

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Speaker 1: football season. I am your host Vikings Entertainment Networks Tatum Everett,

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Speaker 1: and I'm excited to sit down with you each and

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Speaker 1: every week, bringing to exclusive interviews, some behind the scenes stories,

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Speaker 1: all the latest from inside the Vikings organization. Before we

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Speaker 1: get into today's episode, which is a really, really fun

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Speaker 1: one to kick it off with, I just want to

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Speaker 1: share a couple of exciting upcoming events around here. For

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Speaker 1: training camp at TCOPC, which of course is twin Citi's

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Speaker 1: Orthopedics Performance Center. Training camp practices are listed at Vikings

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Speaker 1: dot com, Backslash training Camp, or you can check them

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Speaker 1: out on the Vikings app. But a couple of my

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Speaker 1: ones to watch out for This Saturday, July twenty six,

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Speaker 1: We're kicking off training camp with Back Together Weekend, the

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Speaker 1: Saturday edition presented by the Salvation Army. It features youth

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Speaker 1: football and cheer clinics, a taste of the Twin Cities

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Speaker 1: from Soulbol, and then on Monday, August fourth, you better

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Speaker 1: circle this one because that is our annual night practice

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Speaker 1: in TCO Stadium.

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Speaker 2: From five to ten. Practice will start at seven that night.

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Speaker 1: It's an adventure not gonna want to miss with the

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Speaker 1: Viking's Table food truck on site and a local artisan market.

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Speaker 1: And finally, just another note for you, the joint practices

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Speaker 1: are always going to be fun. That's Wednesday, August thirteenth

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Speaker 1: and Thursday August fourteenth, the New England Patriots come to

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Speaker 1: town before that preseason matchup on Saturday. And of course,

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Speaker 1: these no doubt are the two most intense practices all

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Speaker 1: training camp long.

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Speaker 2: So let's get into the show.

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Speaker 1: We're gonna kick things off with a special episode featuring

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Speaker 1: Brian Assimwa and Aaron Jones, who recently returned from an

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Speaker 1: unforgettable trip to Ghana. From flag football camps to cultural

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Speaker 1: deep dives. They've got some amazing stories to share.

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Speaker 2: Let's get into it.

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Speaker 1: Spallon Montan is the Twin Cities premier salon and spa

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Speaker 1: destination and proud official hair sponsor of the Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders.

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Speaker 1: With three convenient locations any Dinah, Woodbury and chan Hassen.

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Speaker 2: There's a Spalan close to you.

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Speaker 1: Visit online at spelan dot com.

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Speaker 2: Joining us here in TCO Radio Studios.

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Speaker 1: We've got Brian Asmat and Aaron Jones, and it's a

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Speaker 1: really special conversation we're going to have today because we're

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Speaker 1: going to go to your off field adventures that you

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Speaker 1: had this off season and talk a little bit more

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Speaker 1: about your trip to Ghana with NFL Africa. Now, Brian,

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Speaker 1: obviously you're kind of spearheaded this with your be Authentic foundation.

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Speaker 1: You're an NFL Flag Football ambassador. What was it like

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Speaker 1: and what does it mean to you to be able

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Speaker 1: to bring that program there that summer.

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Speaker 3: Honestly, it's the unbelievable feeling because I always tell this

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Speaker 3: story when I was ten years old and I lived

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Speaker 3: in Ghana.

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Speaker 4: You know, when I was when I said football, they

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Speaker 4: thought soccer.

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Speaker 3: And then now going back, you know you say football,

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Speaker 3: They're like, Okay, I get what it is. So I'm

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Speaker 3: to see the growth the transition of like how American

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Speaker 3: sports have transitioned to Ghana. It's it's amazing and I'm

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Speaker 3: happy that I was able to, you know, bring a

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Speaker 3: couple of guys, guys that I you know, are really

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Speaker 3: close with on the team and some guys just probably

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Speaker 3: live next to me too, So it's even a wonderful

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Speaker 3: feeling just being able to just go back, give back

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Speaker 3: to the youth because they deserve that opportunity to try

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Speaker 3: a new sport, but also like have the opportunity to

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Speaker 3: play it at a high level.

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Speaker 1: Right because you brought Jordan Addison and Aaron Jones. Aaron,

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Speaker 1: you making a significant contribution to Brian's foundation.

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Speaker 2: We did, which helped with the invitation to come up.

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Speaker 2: So what part of it?

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Speaker 1: I mean you you worked it into your schedule, which

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Speaker 1: was not easy. So why was it so important for

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Speaker 1: you to do not only to donate, but to be

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Speaker 1: there in person.

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Speaker 5: I've seen what he was doing on a big scale,

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Speaker 5: and uh, part of that's part of what I want

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Speaker 5: to do is give back to the to the kids

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Speaker 5: and give the game back as well, be a resource

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Speaker 5: and use my platform in that way. And Ba had

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Speaker 5: called me, he was like, hey, you want to go

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Speaker 5: to you want to come to go I'm doing a camp.

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Speaker 5: I'm like, what are the dates? He told me? And

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Speaker 5: I was already going to Kuwait. So I just called

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Speaker 5: my my marketing people. I'm like, hey, I want to

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Speaker 5: go to Kuwait?

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Speaker 4: Does this work?

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Speaker 5: Can we get the flights changed from here to from

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Speaker 5: from Ghana to Yeah, it was. It was honestly, God

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Speaker 5: because I can't believe I still talking about it yesterday.

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Speaker 5: I was like, bro, I still can't believe I was

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Speaker 5: in Africa, like sitting back and I thanked him. I'm like,

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Speaker 5: thank you for making that happen, because I don't know

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Speaker 5: if I've ever would have.

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Speaker 6: Went over there.

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Speaker 5: And then just the experience I had was so real,

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Speaker 5: Like I'm like, man, like I've got to meet the King.

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Speaker 6: I got to uh talk.

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Speaker 5: To so many kids, and some of these kids knew

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Speaker 5: who I was, and so You're like, man, I'm I'm

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Speaker 5: all the way over.

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Speaker 2: Here across they know who I am.

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Speaker 5: Right, they knew who he was, they knew who the

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Speaker 5: Vikings were, like they were, and they were just so

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Speaker 5: blessed and so thankful for us being there. So it

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Speaker 5: was it was life changing for me.

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Speaker 2: That's amazing.

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Speaker 1: I want to get more into what you did outside

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Speaker 1: of the camp, but let's talk more about the camp

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Speaker 1: and bringing football to Ghana. It was in road to

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Speaker 1: La twenty eight, which obviously is a nod to the

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Speaker 1: Summer Olympics, adding flag football, and you had the National

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Speaker 1: Flag Football Talent Scouting Camp at the University of Ghana.

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Speaker 1: You're able to have them run through drills and things

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Speaker 1: like that.

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Speaker 2: Over one hundred, over one hundred. That's incredible for the

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Speaker 2: first thing.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, what was the standout moment for you when

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Speaker 1: you had, I mean all these these guys looking up

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Speaker 1: to you, what was the standout moment?

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Speaker 3: The standout moment for me would be, Uh, there was

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Speaker 3: a kid that tried with five hours to get to

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Speaker 3: the camp to showcase his ability, and that just speaks

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Speaker 3: to the volume of the talent and like the type

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Speaker 3: of guys that are in Ghana that.

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Speaker 4: Just are seeking an opportunity.

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Speaker 3: So he drove five hours, came in, didn't stretch, and

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Speaker 3: ran a forty yard dash and ran like a four

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Speaker 3: to four or something like that, and it was just unbelievable.

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Speaker 3: Like the grip the like want to to be a

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Speaker 3: part of something so special like this. I think that

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Speaker 3: was the highlight of my day, but also like it

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Speaker 3: was my birthday and being able to spend that with

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Speaker 3: you know, all the kids that show up, the participants

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Speaker 3: was something that I just, you know, absolutely appreciated, just

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Speaker 3: because I don't think there will ever be a birthday

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Speaker 3: like that where I'm able to spend you know, my

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Speaker 3: day giving back to the community, especially a place where

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Speaker 3: you know I'm from.

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Speaker 4: So it was amazing.

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Speaker 2: Aaron, what was.

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Speaker 1: The energy like having conducted camps yourself and now you're

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Speaker 1: halfway across the world doing this at the University of God,

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Speaker 1: what was the energy like?

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Speaker 6: The energy was electric.

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Speaker 5: You just see those kids their bright eyed listening, waiting

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Speaker 5: for instruction, waiting to be coached up, but also competing

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Speaker 5: because we did like a combine drill and you were

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Speaker 5: hearing like when one person's going on there cheering each

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Speaker 5: other on and you think like, okay, we're competing, I'm

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Speaker 5: gonna beat your time, but these kids are getting hyped

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Speaker 5: for each other, and it was it was something that

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Speaker 5: it was something to see, especially once they got to

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Speaker 5: plan got to playing actual flag football after that, and

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Speaker 5: you're like sit back and you're like, hey, these guys

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Speaker 5: got some talent, like yeah, they need to be playing.

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Speaker 4: Raw talent that just need to be worked on, and you.

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Speaker 6: Can like these guys can put on some pads and

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Speaker 6: play like.

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Speaker 1: And so now they're a part of a training program

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Speaker 1: right where they are trying to feel the team for

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Speaker 1: the twenty twenty eight flag football Olympics. So I mean

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Speaker 1: it's tough competition. How do you hope to help with

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Speaker 1: their pursuit in.

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Speaker 3: This just I think it's just always just giving back.

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Speaker 3: I think now we've set up an infrastructure. The Authentic

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Speaker 3: Foundation has you know, found a way to you know,

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Speaker 3: give these guys resources, a pitch to practice on, you know,

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Speaker 3: coaches to help them advance their skill sets. So that's

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Speaker 3: kind of you know, my way of helping us just

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Speaker 3: set up the Authentic Foundation, and now my brother has

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Speaker 3: done a tremendous job of you know, giving guys tasks

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Speaker 3: to you know, make sure that these guys are getting

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Speaker 3: better every single day.

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Speaker 1: Not to mention the cleats two hundred cleats from the Bikings.

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Speaker 6: Might have been a real part the.

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Speaker 2: Teammates and staff. Yeah, why so, because as.

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Speaker 5: Soon as be a that's the hard work that people

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Speaker 5: don't see behind the scenes. After the season's over, he's

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Speaker 5: going around collecting cleats and he's telling guys, hey, I'm

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Speaker 5: gonna send this back home, and some guys probably don't

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Speaker 5: believe them, but he actually got them over there and

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Speaker 5: shipped them over there himself, and then camps over he

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Speaker 5: puts them out and you just see the kids going

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Speaker 5: crazy for him. And then there's kids probably grabbing the

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Speaker 5: socks twelve and they're probably the size eight, and they're like.

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Speaker 6: I'm gonna make this work, make it.

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Speaker 5: And they were just so so thankful to be given

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Speaker 5: something for free. And even that that kid who he

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Speaker 5: was talking about who ran the four to four, he

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Speaker 5: ran that in no cleats, no stretching, no just tennis

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Speaker 5: shoes hopped out there and ran.

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Speaker 2: I mean, you probably didn't even believe your eyes at

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Speaker 2: that point.

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Speaker 5: You're like, twice he read it twice?

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Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, that's crazy.

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Speaker 1: I mean so clearly, like the town is there, you're

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Speaker 1: working on on on helping them learn the drills, like

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Speaker 1: the actual game itself. How do you hope that what

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Speaker 1: you're doing there and maybe the Olympics is a possibility

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Speaker 1: even if it's not. What do you hope this does

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Speaker 1: for the sport of football in Ghana?

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Speaker 3: I think it's just lifelong impact. You know, it's bigger

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Speaker 3: than just the Olympics. It's you know, creating an atmosphere

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Speaker 3: where you know, kids like me can say, Okay, I

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Speaker 3: want to play this sport and it actually comes to reality.

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Speaker 3: You know, you look at the NFL right now, you

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Speaker 3: know there, you know a lot of players that are

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Speaker 3: from Africa. You know a lot of Nigerians, a lot

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Speaker 3: of actually you know a small amount of Ghanians. So

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Speaker 3: you know, what I want to do is to give

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Speaker 3: Ghana a platform to say, hey, you know, we've got

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Speaker 3: the talent there too, and the NFL should come, you know,

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Speaker 3: look out for the players there. So that that's kind

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Speaker 3: of my main objective is to continue to broader the

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Speaker 3: the perception of players in Ghana so that you know,

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Speaker 3: they're once given the opportunity to change their family like

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Speaker 3: I was. I know, you know with the football how

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Speaker 3: I was able to change my entire family. And I

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Speaker 3: just look at you know, those kids in their eyes

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Speaker 3: and say, man, you got the talent, but you just

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Speaker 3: can't get the exposure.

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Speaker 4: It's crazy to me.

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Speaker 3: So giving them the exposure to change not only their

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Speaker 3: lives but their family's life is something that you know,

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Speaker 3: I just love because I know how I was able

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Speaker 3: to do that.

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Speaker 4: For my family.

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Speaker 1: Now, the camp was obviously a big part of this,

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Speaker 1: but you were able to experience getting culture. What was

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Speaker 1: something that stuck out to you as a like, Wow,

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Speaker 1: I'm never going to forget this moment, I would.

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Speaker 6: Probably say, me and the king.

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Speaker 5: I don't know how many people get the opportunity to

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Speaker 5: meet a king and then just to sit there and

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Speaker 5: listen to them talk. And he thanked us for coming

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Speaker 5: and he's like, you guys don't have to do this,

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Speaker 5: but you're doing in the South of the kind of

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Speaker 5: so your heart. He thanked b A. And then also

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Speaker 5: the sports ministry. Everything goes there goes through a sports ministry,

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Speaker 5: so we got to meet with them as well see

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Speaker 5: what like see how they do it there and what

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Speaker 5: goes into it and just how it's it's a little

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Speaker 5: different from the States, like everything is, and they're they're

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Speaker 5: building it up there.

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Speaker 6: So it was cool to see, uh.

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Speaker 5: And then I would say just walking the streets as well,

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Speaker 5: we were getting food on the on the street.

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Speaker 3: It's basically like a Frida egg with a sweet bread. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: it's done right in front of you, so we cook

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Speaker 3: it right there.

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Speaker 4: I took them boys out.

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Speaker 3: It was like six or seven am and we're just

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Speaker 3: standing out there and like how Ghana is, Like they're

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Speaker 3: cooking on the street, like the main streets.

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Speaker 4: So probably walked a couple of blocks.

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Speaker 3: From down from a hotel and you know, took them

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Speaker 3: to the spot and the ladies literally making it right

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Speaker 3: there in front of us, like and it was.

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Speaker 5: Delicious and everybody was so friendly. Yes, yeah, so friendly.

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Speaker 5: It's no like no violence there.

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Speaker 6: It was. You're like, man, I could I told you,

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Speaker 6: I'm definitely coming back.

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Speaker 1: I mean as as someone whose parents immigrated from Ghana

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Speaker 1: and meeting the king, like what kind of a moment

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Speaker 1: was that.

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Speaker 2: Being able to share with with your parents.

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Speaker 4: It was a it was a good moment.

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Speaker 3: So my family is actually from Kumasi, so we were

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Speaker 3: actually in a kra so I met the Akra king.

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Speaker 3: You know, my next goal is to meet the Kumasa King,

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Speaker 3: which is not a say to to the second and

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Speaker 3: you know that much that will hit much harder for

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Speaker 3: me because my family like comes from that distinct like culture,

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Speaker 3: like that Seco tribe. You know what I'm saying that

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Speaker 3: just those tribes, so it I can't wait. But honestly,

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Speaker 3: just meeting him too is just it was just amazing,

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Speaker 3: you know, seeing how important he is to the god,

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Speaker 3: the god culture. You know, it was good.

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Speaker 1: How do you think this trip Aaron changed your perspective

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Speaker 1: on football outside of the United States?

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Speaker 5: The game is glowing globally, globally, and that's part of

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Speaker 5: why I wanted to go there to help spread it

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Speaker 5: as well. But you guys, you have guys who are

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Speaker 5: interested in playing who may not just have that resource

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Speaker 5: to make it over to here or make it over

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Speaker 5: to UH college and the States, which is BA is

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Speaker 5: providing that now, which is so cool to see.

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Speaker 6: Uh.

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Speaker 5: But there there's a huge interest. They know who is

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Speaker 5: the top guys in the NFL are I follow some

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Speaker 5: of them on Instagram.

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Speaker 1: You see the many times they ask you about Justine.

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Speaker 5: Too much.

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Speaker 6: They were happy with who was who was there?

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Speaker 5: Yes, so it was to see that and then sorry,

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Speaker 5: I forgot the other party.

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Speaker 1: What oh, just the role as an athlete in glow

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Speaker 1: and I interrupted, you.

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Speaker 2: Know, you're fine, but the role as.

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Speaker 1: An athlete to bring football outside of the United States,

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Speaker 1: Like how that changed your.

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Speaker 5: Perspective that that it is kind of already there, but

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Speaker 5: they need to see it, like they need to.

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Speaker 6: I say, if you can see it, you can touch it.

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Speaker 6: It's attainable.

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Speaker 5: So we we we gave them that. Now they have

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Speaker 5: something to work towards, like, hey, there's people here who

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Speaker 5: care about me. There's he's setting up the infrastructure the

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Speaker 5: resources there to help me continue to grow my game

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Speaker 5: and hopefully, like he said, they the NFL goes there

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Speaker 5: and starts a pathway program like they did in Nigeria.

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Speaker 5: And then now you're putting kids there in the NFL,

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Speaker 5: and like I said, the interest is there already everywhere.

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Speaker 5: That's why I feel like, that's why you see games

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Speaker 5: going to We're going to Dublin week. They got Spain,

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Speaker 5: they got Spain her possibly in the future, Dubai things

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Speaker 5: like that.

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Speaker 1: So one day and one day, right, yeah, what what

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Speaker 1: how can fans in the community help you out, Brian

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Speaker 1: with this, Like how can they be a part of

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Speaker 1: this growth of football?

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Speaker 4: Okay?

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Speaker 3: So one way to help is first follow the be

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Speaker 3: Authentic Foundation page on Instagram. It's literally the Authentic Foundation.

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Speaker 3: And then also I have a website called the Brian

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Speaker 3: asa dot Com website and through that you'll also be

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Speaker 3: able to see all the things that we've done our

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Speaker 3: mission and how we plan to continue to serve the

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Speaker 3: youth out there in Ghana. And then also there's a

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Speaker 3: you know, ninth donation link, So we appreciate donations to

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Speaker 3: help this cause because you might not see the impact now,

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Speaker 3: but you will see it one day when you see

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Speaker 3: a guy you know what the last name is of,

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Speaker 3: Assam Want or you know I Jimi or whatever it is,

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Speaker 3: you know playing in the NFL or even college, Like

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Speaker 3: giving these guys and resources and opportunity to play at

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Speaker 3: another level, that itself is huge because again they don't

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Speaker 3: they don't get that that luxury of two four seven sports,

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Speaker 3: or you know, a college coach going to recruit them

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Speaker 3: in state. So you know, you might not see now,

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Speaker 3: but one day, you know you'll look back and be like, wow,

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Speaker 3: like I help this kid get to where he is.

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Speaker 2: So it's exciting, it is.

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Speaker 1: It's really really great what you guys are doing. I'd

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Speaker 1: be remiss if I didn't ask you about just the

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Speaker 1: start of camp. I mean, we're back here, Aaron. How's

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Speaker 1: it feeling You're back again for another season? Fans are

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Speaker 1: so pumped to.

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Speaker 5: Have you back.

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Speaker 1: I'm sure as as Ava well obviously, but what are

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Speaker 1: you really looking forward to as you just kind of

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Speaker 1: have your first practices today.

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Speaker 5: Definitely, I'm super blessed to be be back. Didn't want

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Speaker 5: to go anywhere, so glad to be back, and I'm

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Speaker 5: just looking forward to getting after competing, and I said.

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Speaker 6: It's like riding bike.

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Speaker 5: We're out there and the walkthrough and you can tell

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Speaker 5: everybody a sharp they're ready to they're already go.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, And I think most of.

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Speaker 5: Us because we got a lot of our team back,

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Speaker 5: so a lot of us aren't trying to learn the offense.

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Speaker 5: We're comfortable with it now and it's like, hey, we

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Speaker 5: have we have some unfinished business. We know what we

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Speaker 5: have here. We have all the talent that we that

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Speaker 5: we need and now it's on us to just get

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Speaker 5: it done.

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Speaker 1: Yes, speaking of consistency, third year with defensive coordinator Brian Flores,

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Speaker 1: you're kind of more comfortable in that system. Now, what

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Speaker 1: are you excited about, Brian, about this camp just kicking off.

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Speaker 3: I think for me, I'm excited just for another opportunity

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Speaker 3: to go out there and just play the game that

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Speaker 3: I love. Every day is a wonderful day just to

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Speaker 3: go out there and play. So for me, it's just

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Speaker 3: having that level of consistency, just like you just said,

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Speaker 3: so stacking days with the opportunities I'm giving and making

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Speaker 3: sure that I capitalize because you know, I know how

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Speaker 3: I'm able to use my skill set to my advantage

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Speaker 3: and playing it within the defense could be a good way.

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Speaker 3: So I'm excited too. It's gonna be a good year.

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Speaker 1: Well, I thank you so much. Thank you for your time.

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Speaker 1: I know it's probably lunchtime.

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Speaker 2: You guys got to get fuel up.

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Speaker 1: Before you go back out to practice, so we appreciate

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Speaker 1: you talking about that.

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Speaker 4: Thank you. I appreciate you for real.

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Speaker 2: Thank you, guys.

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Speaker 1: Well, that'll wrap up today's episode of MVP. Huge thanks

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Speaker 1: to Brian and Aaron for opening up and sharing what

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Speaker 1: this trip meant to them, not just as athletes, but

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Speaker 1: also as people. It truly is amazing to see how

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Speaker 1: football can connect people from across continents and cultures. And

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Speaker 1: it's easy to get caught up in the game, but

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Speaker 1: moments like these remind us how powerful connection, culture and

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Speaker 1: giving back can be. Thank you guys so much for

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Speaker 1: tuning into the MVP. Now we're just getting started as

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Speaker 1: the season is quickly approaching, now.

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Speaker 2: Is the time to stay connected.

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Speaker 1: New episodes drop every Thursday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube,

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Speaker 1: giving an inside look at training camp.

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Speaker 2: I'm Tatum Everett.

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Speaker 1: And we'll see you next week with more stories, more voices,

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00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:53,840
Speaker 1: and more vikings.

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00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:54,879
Speaker 2: Football school.

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