Welcome to the Draft Kings Collab. I think everybody's been waiting on this, I know since we started our show. This is something that I was interested in doing. No two men. I respect for the way that they live life, for the way that they played the game more than Stack and Matt, obviously Chan and Freddie Tea, but more importantly, what they're doing post career, I think is a step above.
Like so many people want to get into the business of broadcast of media, I don't think everybody can figure out how to do it and continue to remain their authentic selves. I think both of these brothers have done that, and they've done it in a way where they can go into any office building and do business right. But they can also walk into any hood and have conversations
with the same people that look like them. I think that's the important part about what we do, is being able to bring this right into the buildings of people that don't look like us.
Why are you talking about them like we ain't we ain't no good every day?
Let us give.
Sometimes.
Y'all know, these two.
Brothers doing so well that damn I'm doing well too.
But let us return to fame.
Okay, Okay, first off, we honored to be here with y'all and we can say the same things. I think just from watching all all your careers and we know what it takes to be in this space, and we know how hard we get critiqued. Athletes who's actually done it right, they'll go to a hospital and that a doctor tell him I need to cut you up and do this, and they'll be like, Okay, but we actually did the sport and are the experts.
Edit. But when we talk about it, we get critiqued.
So I respect how y'all handle at I respect how y'all support each other.
You know, I say many shows.
And I was just talking about it about how we know he always real humbed. Don't say too much, but y'all kep giving him his flowers and like, bro, be proud of yourself.
You've really done some great shit.
So I appreciate that, and I love seeing brothers give each other they flowers daily and also went it together.
So so salute you out too.
Appreciate and also too, I just think, you know, Ryan and your crew, you guys have kind of set the standard for what it's supposed to be. Like, you know what I mean, and I think both both sides. I mean, we've done it from a basketball standpoint. You guys have done it from a football standpoint, but also understanding that the platform that we were given, we've also understood that
that's gonna lead to other opportunities individually and collectively. And I think that's what you know, you love to see is you know, you on ESPN, me on ESPN, you guys doing other individual things that have stemmed from coming together and fellowship and and really just talking shit and have a good time, you know what I mean. And to be able to be paid like we are still athletes too, is another blessing.
You know.
I mean, I'm a man of like this many words, but no, that's.
Love, man.
And we try to lead with positivity, you know, like we know we have a lot to offer and our experiences, but really we feel like we have a bigger agenda, you know, and just really giving back to our community and doing it the right way. So I think from all of our experiences and just trying to bridge the gap, it makes it worthwhile, you know, to come here. I know, I'm not sure how you guys do it, but we're we're on the flight every week. We grinding, we hustle,
were trying to make it happen. And once we you know, decided to do this, we said we got to do it none stop.
And that's what the ultimate pivot is.
So everything you see of us give y'all were doing it out of our hearts.
The question I would have for y'all, though, is like the way, like everybody who plays a sport ain't tough, right, like you you know, cats that are athletic, cats that are talented, and their job was to go play the sport. And then there were other people who had a different
sort of grind in a way they approached it. Both of you guys being guys that kept it real on the court right that played physically, played the game with skill, with technique, but also seemed like y'all were always ready to be whatever you had to be to help a team win. And now you move into this this other realm of life, this other part of media where people expect you to be button up, people expect you to speak a certain way, act a certain way, sort of
retreated to yourselves. How have you maintained the exact people you are growing up? And now flipped it into the second career.
Uh.
I mean, I just think what has allowed us to have success hosts NBA is just authenticity. I think you know, what you see is what you get with us. Never perfect, but always real. I think through our career we understood the assignment.
We both didn't.
We both got drafted but didn't make our first run at the NBA, so we had to take different journeys to get to where we are. To both end up winning the NBA championships to both respect we played fifteen and fourteen years in the league is through who we really are. So I mean, I think that drive as
an athlete one thing we talked to Cod about. We did Cod's last interview, and you know, he told us, you know, as athletes were disciplined, were structured, were thinkers, all those things transfer over to business and I think, you know, everyone handles those qualities different but as long as you stay true to yourself and transfer and put the working because a lot of people think, oh man,
I can do a podcast. Shit ain't easy, like they said, were on flights every single week, tracking people down, doing our homework, doing our homework for our other shows, being fathers, being businessmen, being partners, there's a lot of stuff that goes into this, so we treat this as if this is our next app Although we're not physically on the field of the court, this is our next act.
We treat it as if we are still on the field of the court.
And I just think I've always had the attitude to I appreciate everything. So my attitude in the game was I got to prove myself constantly. I wasn't Kobe, or wasn't none of them, but I was. I was a player that competed with everybody. So I always played with a passion and played the game like I appreciate it. So coming into this space, I tell my team, I tell him every day, Bro, I appreciate you, because there's so many people that especially retired athletes, that don't have
nothing going on. I don't get the opportunity that the opportunities that we get in after sports. So I tell my team all time, I appreciate them, and we worked so hard, like this our last show, we won't have another show. We appreciate everything we get, and I think that's why we win it. And we appreciate our fans too, because we constantly show the people that support us that we appreciate them. That's why we always out in the community.
That's why we talk to people and engage on social media because we don't want we've we've never been the type that get the success from my fans but don't relate with them or interact with you know, I'm saying, I've always been somebody that that's always in the streets and like to be around the people because that the people that make us always made us.
They gave us the.
Motivation to make it being in the hoods with so many people saying you can't, so many people that didn't make it, that's the motivation we get to make it. So just appreciating my people around me, appreciating the gift and the opportunity to be in this podcast space, that's what keep me going and this space.
And it's funny y'all both talking about the transition, the transition out of sports and this space that we're in. I don't think you can chase money, because that was the one thing I do local radio on South Florida. I was working for I think was twenty seven grand a year. It wasn't about to check. It was about the experience of work. And communicating and all that stuff, And did y'all ever have that time when it was like it couldn't be about money because you weren't making
no money once you transition. And I think a lot of I would say and take it deeper. I think a lot of athletes struggle from making those millions whatever it is, and then why am I gonna work hard to make forty grand y'all see what I'm saying, y'all?
Was it ever time like that with y'all? Any of y'all?
I think it's just understanding we got to pay our dues now.
You know, as former athletes, sometimes we get tossed to the top of the totem pole or sometimes we get tossed to the bottom. So depending on every situation is you know how you maneuver and how you react. So as you said, you know, jumping into Fox at first and then ESPN and understanding it's not a ton of money, it's not what I'm used to making, but I understanding it's a hell of a platform to have my face on ESPN, have my face on Fox, to have my face on NBCB area, have my face on Showtime. So
my whole thing now is in this next act. My initial plan was to have my face on as many quality platforms as possible until one of them that I really really want to do can take over all of them.
Let me ask you a question, rn you know, I've I fell into a big space with George Floyd and becoming with a lot of say are speaking for the culture, and I think you you fell into that space, and I'm honored to say that. And even with sports and the culture, having that role, knowing eyes are always on you, knowing that that people are expecting your opinion to be what they want you to say, and it's not that
all the time. How do you handle that with being on TV and and being you know, out with the people, because everybody gonna agree with everything you say.
So I think y'all said it. I think y'all said it right at the beginning. Though if you authentic, it don't matter, right, Like I always say, it's easier for me to tell the truth because lives are hard to remember, right. So if I'm the same every time, that doesn't mean you have to agree with me. Because what normally happens is if there's something that you speak out on and a mass majority of people will agree with you. They feel like they want to agree with you all the time.
But now I'm talking for you, I'm not talking for me. And I think the other piece of it is too like every fight ain't my fight. You know, you you had a connection to George Floyd. You had a passion for that, and so you not only put your time into it and your money into it, but you put your face on it.
Right.
It's different when people see you and they connect you to something because now forever you were connected to that. And I think for me it was just like, right's right, you know what I mean? And I get it all the time now, right, Like if I even say anything that has to do with race or culture, it's because that's the new the new keyword, right is race vader Right. That word was created through this tumultuous time because they needed something that could discredit the truth, you know what
I mean. And so the people that use that word, they say, Okay, if we use this, this immediately turns the people who follow us to make this person feel or feel like this person is something else. But if I'm me, I don't give a damn no way, right, And that was the thing you know. And I tell this story all the time. I've told them in twenty and sixteen, twenty seventeen, during Kaepernick, they stopped putting me
on TV. Right. They would come in the production meeting and be like, well, the President said this, how do you feel about this? Or the President said this about athletes? How do you feel about this? And I'd give my answer. Y'all know how productions work. You do the show before you do the show, and then they go are you gonna say that on TV?
And I'd be like, hell yeah, and they be like, well, we're not gonna ask you, right. And in some of that and some of that, I respect them because it's some of that. At that time they were saving me from yourself, right, because if I go out there and I say that, now I'm viewed a certain way. But then let's fast forward to twenty twenty when you were a big part of it.
Now I'm on daze off, I'm at the house not doing nothing. Hey man, can you come on TV today? Your voice is so needed. The people want to hear from you. And the thing I always say about that was I was able to say I never switched up, right. I was able to say I didn't change up because they wouldn't put me on TV, right, I stayed myself. And I think that's what's important, because even if they don't agree with me, they know I'm not doing it for anybody else. That's truly what I feel.
And also, I think, too is something that's important is that you don't always We don't always were not always gonna agree with each other. We always gonna have different viewpoints. But I think in Jackson's All the time, you can disagree without disrespect. And I think now when people don't agree with you, they want to attack your person, your character, your family, and we all ready to fight it at any given time, you know what I mean. So that's
why we really got to be careful. But I think there's ways for me to disagree with Fred, or me to disagree with Channing or even Stack, but still have a conversation with respect, because again, at the end of the day, we're all learning, we're all evolving, and I think some people get so set in their ways that they block something that could truly help them, or sometimes they'll kill the message because they don't like the messenger,
you know what I mean. So I just think we have to really be more open minded and understand there's always going to be another opinion. There's always going to be another point of view that you don't necessarily have to agree with.
But hear it out if that's the space you're in, Freddy T And I give him this because, like me, I'm like, when I hear it, I'm ready to Like, we realized we had to start protecting each other in public. You know what I mean?
You probably calculated us.
Yeah, He's always thinking he's always the one that's measured, and he'll be like, okay, RC, Like nah, I don't do this, RC, I don't know about that. And that's how I know, Like when he it calms me down because I'm like, hell, if fred pissed off, we all got.
You be chilling man now.
But seriously, I think you know just the reason why we're here Draft Kings obviously, and I guess this is for everybody. Have you guys on your platform and then channel and Ryan, how do you use draft Kings platform to foster certain connections you know and be able to get certain messages out.
I think that DraftKings comes with a different demographic for us and for you guys.
You know what I mean.
So it's always a new opportunity to meet new people, shake new hands, and hear new points of views, but also get our point of view across to a whole new audience game fans, and sometimes they won't like what to be saying and possibly lose them. But at the same time, to me, it's about again, like I said earlier, my goal with being on different platforms, I'm speaking to some similar audience, but sometimes all these networks I'm talking to have different audiences that are in love with that
particular network. So for me to be on four different mainstream networks is the opportunity to meet new people and it foster new relationships and be brought into new situations and a lot of things with athletes too, is we're talking at the business side and the tech side.
You know, we're able to get into stuff.
Sometimes you got to put money in, but sometimes just your likeness alone is enough for these brands to build something around you or give you a piece of what they have because they like what you stand for, the way you carry yourself and the way you could educate you know, Uh, what's the word I'm looking for when I'm trying to sound smart, eloquently speak or you know, uh, you know, really speak to eloquently.
That's what it is, speak on the matter at hand.
So again, I just think it is we're always looking because especially you know with Jack and I, we were the bad guys. You know, he got in one of the biggest fights in NBA history and lost the whole season. I fought off the court and everyone knows the reason.
I but it's you.
Know, you.
Can ask me whatever you want.
I see, but I think people see a snapshot of you and give you a label. Well that's who Jacks of thugs because he went in the stands and protected his teammate. Or I'm a bad guy because I had to do some ship that I had to do. But again, it's it's always it's a small snapshot, and we really enjoy kind of changing changing ideals of those people.
What you gotta say, I asked this crowd, like and I asked this question like, no, no, we're talking about transition. How the fuck you drive for twenty hours? Mad thinking like hour, one hour, two hour, three hour, four, Like you gotta sit back soon, lady.
That was so, that was that was the urban legend because Kanye rapped about it.
I really only drove fifteen minutes.
Oh okay, that makes well. I was like quick trip because I know that I'm about to say, like I know, us life skilled fellas, like we won't be mad that long like I was.
I was, I was back in the house firing one up in like forty five minutes.
Quick round trip. That makes a lot of sit Yeah, uick round trip. Easy to stay mad that long? Yeah, fifteen yeah. I think though, like to the other space that I love.
What Matt's talking about, though, is actually using the platforms because there's only so long your name truly stays hot, right that there's a time when you're a player and you're you know, y'all mention it like you mentioned not being cold, and those like those guys are going to get first DIBs at a lot of things, right, And so when you do get your opportunities. I say this
all the time. Every day is an interview. Every hand you shake, every conversation you have, somebody's looking at you and trying to critique you and figure out what can they use you for. And so while people are using us to give them that face or to give them that voice, we have to be using that platform as well for the next step, for that step or for the next hand we get to shake where we walk into a different room.
Yeah yeah, I was gonna say, like to the point of why why this works and like the drafting connection and the podcasting because podcasting blew up the tech like the tech side blew up and all. No gonna talk about that. But I always say it as like people aren't used to seeing five alpha males sit down and not fight to what you said, like we disagree, Oh now.
We gotta fight. No, we ain't gotta fight.
We disagree and we respect each other. And I really believe is if this podcasting space, especially with ex athletes, it's like, oh, these are males that run there I call I call dudes, like not myself. These four ecosystems, like ecosystem are people that employ people and like everybody's making money off you just being alive.
And a lot of people don't know that.
And I've I've been around, I know, I hang with a lot of these ecosystems.
I call them lions, and people aren't used to.
So somebody that's really not a lion that sees five lions sitting around and just vibing and we disagree.
We good to disagree, we cool to disagree.
I think that might calm their little inside fire and what not. Well, fuck you buddy, So why you'ments are there because that's usually dude that get real hot to fuck you, fuck you money dude be But that's but that's why I really think this works. As I go through it and I go on pause, and I sit around with my two g's, you know, weekly and then just watching y'all from afar, like saying like these are lions, these are men. This is a dude that's sit in the car and be hot for twenty hours.
That was in my mind, man, I thought you were.
When I tell the story going forward, it's still twenty hours.
And then I saw this man better.
I saw this man throw a punch from here from him.
Damn you wanted to fuck him up.
So what a lot of y'all don't know is when I grabbed run, another beer was thrown in his face and he tried to throw the beer and get away.
So I couldn't let this lie.
I couldn't let that.
But also too, I want to say, you know, look how far we've come in and really shout out to DraftKings because none of us, as we said, none of us, with all due respect, we're superstars in our sport. We're all with role players and got the job done. But for us to be one of the talking heads for such a big company, and not just Draftings, we're all affiliated with other companies. But look how far we've come, and it's because we've been able to articulate our point
of view. Everyone's always told our stories, and with all due respect, most of the time it's white people trying to tell our stories. And sometimes they do a good job, and sometimes they misshit that we see. Other people may not see, but we see it. But I think we've been able to transition now to be able to obviously tell our own stories, give our brothers and sisters opportunity
tell our own stories, but then also encourage others. I can't tell you how many times people from the league have come like, yo, we've started our show because of all the smoke, or we want to be this version of all the smoke. And when we started this, it wasn't necessariity to inspire is the greatest human acting There wasn't necessarily first on top of our mind. But once we kind of got into it and we started getting that feedback, we took that as a badge of honor
because we are opening these doors. And Ryan said before we got on camera, it's athlete driven. Now media is athlete driven when we're talking about sports in particular. I know you guys would rather hear from with with our brother Steven A.
Smith.
As great as he is, he doesn't know what it's like to have to knock down the free throw to send the game into overtime, or to get it make a big play, or get get across the goal line for a touchdown. So although he's great at what he does, when it comes from the people who really did it, I think he obviously carries more weight and respect.
Hey, Matt, you talk about, you know, the evolution, right starting from about having your struggles then going up the three of you arec was undrafted. You know, you guys had your early challenges, but the three of you won championships. Channing and I we're on the outside.
I love it, guys.
By the way, I just want to say.
Every show when I'm joined by other champions, there are certain things we can talk about that Fred or Channing cannot you know.
This is when Matt was mentioned in.
You know, some of those moments.
I'm sorry, I know I was feeling because y'all are intelligent people.
I'm in a different round, but man, fuck you.
One I'm trying to make and I'm trying to make a crossover, right. I want to talk about like you guys' career, it's sort of like what we have here with technology and what the message we're trying to get across from getting technology just evolves over time, pretty much like your careers, and then but you don't know what it's gonna give you. There's been plenty times where I try to log into my DraftKings account to get that one o'clock parlay, I'm like, fuck,
the Wi Fi fucked up. I can't get my play in. But eventually it happens, and then it's a beautiful thing because I'm here, but I'm able to play the games all across the world, and that is the beauty on the flip side of technology, pretty much like your related like your careers.
It was some struggles.
Early on, but at the end of the day, those championships have, you know, have to mean something. So from you guys, perspectives, what's that feeling like? Because I wasn't able to feel it. I really want to know what's that.
I think the one thing too, that I want to say about you, because you won't say it, is.
Our careers were very similar.
This was not you know what.
I didn't want to I didn't want to check man.
Person, I'm a huge for you that I did some Hall of fame.
You got it.
Saying that what bun Bet I told bun b I love him to death.
I love his music. I used to text them testing he did.
I think.
I think that's the other thing though, And like even as it pertains to like the content and the way technology works, it's also understanding. I think when you have a certain career, it makes your grind different. Like I'm just a worker, you know what I'm.
Saying, Like you know it, like Chad knows it.
Like when we go in to a show man, like I don't I barely talk because like I got my notebook out, I got my phone out or wherever I got taking notes. Right, I'm trying to tell them, Okay, we're gonna do this. We're gonna do this, Like if they say this, like my thing is always being prepared. And the reason I'm like that was, like I knew most days ain't nothing I could do with Randy Moss anyway, Right, But if I prepare enough, there may be that one play I can anticipate. There may be the one hit
I can make that changed the game. I'm not gonna change it constantly. I'm not gonna do what he does because I wasn't that blessed talent wise, you know what I mean. I think now when you switch up and you get into this, like that's the other thing is people.
I'm trying to not say this like a bad way, but there aren't a lot of guys who were superstars who end up being good at this part of right, right, because there is so much work in it and there is like there's some shit you gotta shovel sometimes, right, Like like you gotta be able to deal with some
things where you aren't the superstar. You know, like when you walk out there with stephen A. Stephen A, that's his world, right, you know what I'm saying, Like they gonna cater to him more than they gonna cater to me, right, So you got to figure out how I'm gonna work and how I'm gonna get to a point though, to where that flips like my thing was like like just
like in ball, my thing is now on TV. Is like even though y'all my dogs and I'm working with y'all, when I'm finished, I want people to be like one of them things is not the same and it's him different.
Yeah.
And also too, I think what makes you guys work and us work is being a star in your role. So whatever that role is like, and I say with all respect, like I'm the quarterback on our team. And Jack, Jack was the one that told me that, like, hey, you're in charge when you cause I do the business side.
When you're in the meetings, I know I'm in the mood. I'm in the room with you.
So when you got people you love and trust and you can fall into your role. I remember one of the things that Doc Rivers told me what the Clippers was. You know, we got Blake Griffin, we got Chris Paul. Those are superstars. Everyone else can still be a star in their role. And when you buy into what your role is, you can do whatever you want and be prosperous. And and and one thing too is when you're in your own lane. There's never traffic. Like we all feel.
There's a ton of podcasts out here right now, but I don't feel like none of us are in competition with me and Stack because we bring a different dynamic. And on the flip side, there's a ton of podcasts in their space, and I don't feel like none of them are in a competition with the Pivot because they move a certain way and do different shit. Yeah we might be similar because we have the same past, but
we move way different now. So being a star in your role and that's not just in that's in life, in business, in your family, in your home, there's just fine what that role is. And although you could you can possibly wear multiple hats, master what that role is and then you can branch out and do some other things.
I know you're about to take it. But the one thing you said, though, that's powerful is that he told you that. Yeah, right, it's it's different, like you could feel it. But if he feels it too, like that's the synergy.
It's funny, I call it. It's what we do.
We do that.
He'll be like, r C. You're gonna start it. You you're an orator, you speak beautifully, and you say every fucking letter in all your words started out, Freddy, you're gonna give people flowers like we literally like as y'all see the shows, y'all y'all see, and y'all y'all get the uncle vibe, you get you know what I'm saying, Like, we get the vibe and people don't hit us a lot.
But as y'all talk, we'll talk and be like and even r C afreda throw me stuff and be like chaying, it's some wild ship something I didn't even see with my research, and they'd be like, yeah, like, hey, it.
Was Bobby Swerder. And I had read that the little chick.
That the man made his penis bleeding.
I said. I.
It was like, RC, that's not your place like that.
I gave it to y'all, said, he.
Said, r C.
He showed me the story and I read in the car and I was like, I got you.
Yeah, I can ask I can ask him with that country.
Damn what happened with that?
Arm said?
I knew the story already, but I could do that. She said, somehow see your little man, and now we're gonna get the story.
And that's what we like. We throw it off each other. Even though I see something with fred and I'm like, fred this, dude, this this, this, this, this this charity wise yep, Like nobody looks at me to tell you about no charities, Like what the fuck are you talking about? You help us? I'd be like Freddy, this dude. Game seventy five thousand last in this week. So we we like and you say the point guard, but we got three and y'all got two. But we we really do
the same thing. But it's really winning. It's all about winning. It's all about the come and goal, and everybody wants to win.
Yeah, And I think what's good too, is like you said, when you know your role in your space, I feel like we can all ask the same questions to you get five different answers because of the way we frame it, or the because of the way he can relate to giving back, and he can throw some shit in there that we may not know.
Or when you're talking about little Dick's bleeding, you might be able to.
Throw some stuff in there that bit I want to talk about you I'm talking about so I don't know nothing about that, but I'm just saying no. I say all that to say It's just like when you when you know your lane, relate and you can put a little bit more personality and and and personal experience behind the question and get more out of the person because you are We're coming from the right angles with the questions.
Stack for you, right. Like what I love about y'all shows when is where people sit down with y'all, you see a different side of right And I think part of it is being able to relate through the player vibe. But the other part is like, hey, man, like I know you are a real one for you, how do you use that though to draw people in but then get them to open up to you about things they don't do with other people.
I think for us, as everything we've been through in our life has been in the media, I've been on out and open. We why emotions on our sleeve, and I think we want that.
We want to come off as super vulnerable.
We want to come off as as not knowing everything because a lot of times, when I guess come on, we learning from our guests, We learning who they are at the same time. But a lot of times the way to soften up your guests by to wake them make them be more comfortable with you. It is about telling your own experience so you know that they can relate to you.
Right.
So I think a lot of times with me and Matt, like even with the brawl you talk about, the driving, with the Derek Fisher stuff, everything we've been through, but even with me calling off my wedding, you know, the George Floyd stuff, like a lot most of our life has been out there for everybody to see, and we embrace it. We don't run from it. We embrace it
because that's who made us. So we've learned how to make love to the bad times just like we make love to the good times, right, and that's what keeps us going.
And when people see that, I think we more relatable that way.
And I also think to creating a safe space. You know, all of us have been through the bullshit, the way the media could twist your words or you say something that we use this much and put the rest of bullshit on it. So we've created a space where everybody knows through.
Who we are and what we're about. That we're not trying to get trick you into saying no dumb shit.
We're not trying to get We're trying to go viral because we had a deep conversation.
We're not trying to go viral for you trying to say dumb shit.
And also do be able to create an environment where they feel comfortable. And you know, with our environment, when you come on All the Smoke set, we got music playing, We got food. If you choose to indulge in cannabis, we got plenty of that for you. If you choose if you want some wine or some alcohol, we got that.
So we want to kick it and talk before the show starts.
So when you get on set, Like my whole idea when I came up with All the Smoker is everyone can relate. I feel like, ladies, wherever your best conversation are the nail shop or wherever the man cave is where we have our best conversations, and I wanted to put a.
Camera on that.
You know, no matter who you are, the best conversation or kicking back watching the game, So how do you capture that and package it up and put it on TV? So that's what we felt like we've been able to do is just create an authentic environment where we can humanize our guests, like you know, rest in peace.
We keep saying his name. You know why.
Kobe was great hooping, but you didn't know like Kobe told us, like I don't want no one to remember me from my first twenty years. I'm like, mother fucker, You're Kobe Bryant, five time champion, one of the greatest players ever. He's like, no, bro, this next twenty years in business, you know what I mean. So it's just the opportunity to give people that safe space where.
They can come and find out and really tell people.
I think my favorite thing on our show is when we talk to whoever man I've never told nobody this. I love that, and we like, hell yeah, because they feel comfortable enough to share their authentic feelings that we know. On the flip side, that's what you guys really want to hear, is the real shit from these some of your favorite people.
But even with that, Matt, he stat be careful saying love around this boy.
He can get Lucy crazy as hell.
But I said bad love, good love. You just able to make love. You said bad love, good love.
You just making love.
I'm able to make love to the bad times.
Yes, just just be careful, be careful.
You never know what takes.
We take details up right, what jumped out and Matt, when you were speaking, what jumped out was you said safe space, environment and media, and immediately in my mind jumped out being minority owned. You know, that's pretty important where you can talk to your ship and pretty much direct the conversations to where the culture can get it and they can understand.
How important is that to you guys?
Well, I mean for me, that's my whole reason for being right, That's why people love me because I'm hood, because I've never changed because from basketball and all the smoke I've been Stephen Jackson that's all right, and me being my authentic self, me saying things that most people won't say, me jumping in front of things that might not benefit me, but me just having a big heart.
All those things make me who I am. So I think the way we.
Talk and and and and being honest with ourselves, people want that like they want that. But at the same time, if if me saying that I'm a silent person, if me saying that there's nothing in my in my closet that you can bring out today to say I embarrass myself, do I did anything? And and I stand on that, then I have to speak that I have to live that.
I can't.
I can't just be living one way and to come on the show and be a whole different person, because that's.
Not what our culture is.
Right If our coach has been watered down and been shown one way for so long, that's why we always looking at TV like, that's not us, that's not our culture. But now we're controlling our own narrative. Now we've shown up in sweats suit's dress how we're supposed to show up, right. So that's why I think that that's why we went in and that's why we got to be ourselves, because we can be successful and when looking like us, it's
no dress code, it's no playbook. We create our own playbook and that's what we show on the world.
And I think too.
On the flip side, for someone like me and Ryan, we can talk that side, but we can also put a student time and go on to ESPN and talk that other shit toack, you know what I mean, and be able to give you that Disney side of a real take, because obviously, like said Ryan, said Ryan, they were holding him out back in the Kapernick did because he was too real for the platform he was on at that time. But on the flip side, if he would have had his pod at that time, he would
have came and really kind of gave you that. So the versatility, we're all very versatile and we can all speak, you know, to different topics.
Did y'all y'all see this motherfucker that drug me on inside the NFL? He said, what you drugged me on inside the NFL?
You know, he didn't drag me.
The opportunity was there because Ryan did what he did, and now I gotta wear a suit and now I gotta do it right. I have no problem with that because I can switch over now. And that's what I think. Just the teaching part of this is that being able to be that's not your platform, but this is your platform,
so you can do what you want here. People saw me here so long for three years, almost four years, and then now I jump on inside the NFL, and I'm getting tweets and text like, bro, you ain't cussing, Bro, you ain't doing this.
I'm like, I'm not allowed to cuss.
But I am multi facetted to where I can be like y'all too. Y'all never had gave me the opportunity because I'm a college dropout and I talked.
Crazy all what you just say, you are what, I'm multi faceted, multi fast somebody.
I'm trying to teach this other light skinned brother some big words.
I'm gonna say this that I'm gonna thought that way.
Somebody say they made you, but I digress and it wasn't our sea.
You're amazing, brother. I just want to say you are amazing. You will tell you.
Yeah.
I don't want him to get mad.
That's a whole different thing.
But you know that's that's just in this conversation and what we're here for. You talk about being able to he's missed the tech mister TikTok that's what the kids call. And we're walking to the airport. That's the TikTok guy, and he's.
Going to any of us.
To me, he always goes M.
But that's the beauty of technology. Just taking it back there, like everybody got this device in their hands so they can see this guy. We laying together, We fly together. They running channing first.
Our c's on.
ESPN almost every day on inside the NFL Tuesday nights, and but everybody runs the channing because.
The most attractive one on the stage is me right now.
Second, but go ahead, well.
You know the other the other thing is too And I think I always make the confidence. I always take the conversation from fun. I know, I'm sorry, that's all I think. But Matt brings up a point that brings me to something else. You take what what I dealt with this week. Right, So I'm on TV and I got my suit on and were talking football, and nothing in football brings me to anything that is about our culture. I'm not asking those questions they want me to talk.
They're asking me about the games. This is whatever it is. But on our platform, I addressed Brady Quinn attacking Deshaun Watson's character, Brady Quinn making the joke the first time, even not his first time, but I say that. And then you have people like Marcellus Wiley, right, and he comes out and what he says about me is because he's he's pandering to his crowd. Well, I know he doesn't talk about this as much on ESPN, but on his own platform, you can see that he doesn't like
white people. Right, That's what he said. And then I was like, well, first off, I just say anything about that.
I said.
What I'm doing is I said, if I feel like there is something that affects our culture on my platform that I own, I will talk about it. I will address it. And if it's asked of me on their platform, I'm gonna say the exact same thing, and they're gonna have to figure out do they want me to address it on theirs? Right, it's not about like to me, it's not about the importance. Isn't about being able to switch up and do both because I could be one hundred sit hours. All five of us can do that.
You can sit around and talk about every motion and every movement on an office in basketball court, right, you can sit around and tell them, okay, gonna play the man and man like this, or if we're gonna drop his zone. You could do that if that's what you wanted to do. Fred could do the same thing, like we could do those things. You don't switch in any way to do that is that we don't control what's talked about on those We control this. I own this.
You're not gonna tell me what I'm gonna talk about here, because what I'm gonna talk about here is gonna affect us right, and I don't think. I think what's what's happened culturally is they feel like if I'm for us, I gotta be against them, and that's not the truth.
It's a way to be black and proud without the meaning another race.
And that's what a lot of people don't get. That's what a lot of people get.
I tell stories all the time about people from other races who I know love me more than some people my own color, and they've showed it in real time.
So I don't I don't get caught up in that.
I don't get caught up in that because, just like it said, people want you to say certain things, but if you affect it by they not come and say so. The best thing is is do best for you and worry about the people that's around your immediate family and the people that care about you, the people that you support, the people that rely on you. A lot of people, when they have opinions, they don't have nothing, nobody depending
on them, you know what I'm saying. They don't have no responsibilities, and it's easy to say things to the meaning next person when you don't have nothing going on.
How do you guys handle the response talking to the Pivot crew. The responsibility of known that you guys are trusted in the community and they lean on your words and live by your words, and they're motivated by your words and encouraged by your words.
Like, how do you handle that's a responsibility.
It's something that happened with Jack too when he was going through the George floydschit. I'm like, it's one thing being a leader on the basketball court, but now the world.
Is looking at you. You let the biggest protests.
In the history.
You know, your whole United States was sixteen countries eighteen, like eighteen countries. That's a whole other responsibility when people are looking to you for life, not just sports.
So how do you guys handle that responsibility?
Just being yourself? You gotta be authentic self. I think we said it earlier.
You know.
I always go back to something I say all the time. Exposure leads to expansion, you know, and you just speak to your experiences in life. You can't be phony. They'll see through that, you know. Every time I see you, Jack stat you like you speak from the heart.
You know what I'm saying.
No matter what, you'll get on your ig, get on your life and you just speak from the heart. You show love, you get love, you get hate, but you always have know how to go back and pivot and communicate to that. But you stand firm, and I think once you do that, people will say, all right, this dude's solid. You know what I'm saying. I can't see through him. Ain't no bs that come with him, So I'm gonna rock with him. So I think the pivot has done a good job back. They know what RC
brings to the table. You know what I'm saying. For everybody that try to say, oh, ESPN has you doing this way?
Nah, RC has a way to leverage that.
But he speaks COmON sense. And the same with Channing. They know Tenning gonna always be Tanning and speak from the heart. And myself, I'm very observant and I'm calculated and I see how things is going, but I'm always give you me at the very end of the day. So for us, it's simple, and that's the very reason we love our platform because we get to do that. We own our platform, We get to do that and nobody else can dictateor tell us.
What to do.
We control post editing. You know what I'm saying, so this month's Alisha. What she does is beautiful and she on the same shit we on.
I think the one thing I think, and we all said it like be yourself. You can't.
You can't paint nothing.
You can't paint no pictures like you're saying, I think we grew up that way. Like I think it's in you.
We can do that.
But the one thing I think that we do, and I've seen that people try to do. I don't know if y'all seen it, is that people try to tell you about him and him about you.
Yeah, you can't do that.
Hey, what does stat saying? Hey, when Matt said this?
What you think?
Bro?
We've mentioned so many things when people come up to me and be like, hey, man, Ryan did this, and I'd be like, I got Ryan here every time, here, every time, I'm like and.
They're like, but what do you think about?
What you feel about it?
Sad?
You can say whatever you want right now, I'm gonna take his side here, I'm gonna take I'm gonna take Freddy's side.
That's the That's the quickest way for me to know I need I don't need to be around you because I'm not going against him for.
Nobody, and that I think that's it's funny that y'all have that, because we've talked about it before. Where that we have that where I can I almost say I don't agree with either of them, But if you ask me about him, there's no way I'm even leaning.
Your way, I said. I tell him all the time, I'm with you when you're right, and I'm with you when you're wrong in public.
But I'm gonna tell you when you're wrong, though I have to say off to the side, and I think too not to cut you off right because Jack is again you you guys can see, he's emotional, he's real.
Words is hard on the sleeve.
But sometimes he wants to do and say stuff that is real from the heart.
But also could be affect our platform.
So he'll be like, bro, what you think about me saying this?
I love it because I know I can hurt us.
I think I think there's a place for it, but maybe not right now, you know what I mean, or maybe not this way you know what I mean, and vice versa.
So I think too to be able.
To taking that, okay, right, you know what I'm saying, I put it no.
Pride in that we just did. It was the tour thing.
Ye, well, he said too, it looked like a stripper from what he say to it like a stripper from and I took it as you disrespected strippers. But what I say ain't no mention.
That looked like he said something. And when it flew up we got only Oh. I was like, I was like, bro, you know what I'm saying.
People kidding me because I live at the Median MINDI like, bro, I got you. But that was too far And he was like, bro, I'm gonna figure it out. And then he called me and I don't want to tell exactly you know what I'm saying. All the backworks out.
He was like, yeah, bro, well because everyone can't say that to him, but he loves and respect you until he's gonna listen to you.
It was a a bunch of the conversations that we have to have with it.
But that's but it's really the respect of it.
You know why he could be like that because we had to start with him on.
The flip side the same room from this that coming.
About that, man, you know what, I throssed my legros my leg, my knees I'm about to go in.
You know, he'd have had an HR to for the pivot, so HR anything, I get it. I get it that he didn't had an HR. The thing to man that like I love about these two is like they didn't
change with the responsibility. I think that's the hardest part, right, I think you know, the way that you continue to nurture the relationship is the same way you earned it, right, you know, you know how it is, man Like, if y'all became friends because of a certain thing and he switched that up, that's gonna affect your friendship lit bit, right, that's gonna affect your relationship. And don't get me wrong. You know, like we had Michael Beasley and we didn't
We didn't expect that, right, it just happened. And in the moment when it happened, that's when the pivot became the pivot. But then we all of a sudden, we did all of a sudden become for the people. And so now, don't get me wrong, like anytime we're thinking about expanding the brand reaching you know, other audiences, people look at us funny because it's like you for us right now, you've gone and done that and there isn't that sort of grace of like, but we do understand
that there are other stories that are important. There are the things, and we're gonna always be rooted and that's gonna be our foundation. But y'all grabbed us in five shows. We didn't know what the hell we was, you know what I mean? And so like that's the things that you just continue to do, man, and like like this for us, we obviously just wanted to do a show with y'all period, At some point get an opportunity to
sit with y'all. But I do think it's a testament that it happens this way that platform about to say a platform like Draft King says, we respect you, we respect them, you know.
What I mean.
Let's let's that's muse.
But that's huge, that's huge, you know, for again for these big corporations to come to us to get the message across, you know what I mean. And again it's a testament to what we've shown and how authentic and real we've been and the way we've been able to utilize our platforms and expand from that and then like you said, not being able to put us in the box. We took a ton of ship because we did will Will Smith's first interview after he slapped Chris that's not.
Your space, that's not your space and.
Can you get my guy back on and just ask them how you doing? Can you doing wellness?
Check well?
Because we did Jada after that.
We did Jada before she dropped her book, and I never seen someone someone gets someone.
It was it was bad, you know what I mean. But I say all this like me because Jaya.
I was looking at data like Jason's lyrics like.
Dun Tail.
Always look.
The lift, but it was mutual energy. I was in the middle, but the energy was flowing like this, and I felt.
It some ways.
I felt it, you know.
But I say all that to say is like obviously, you know we came up in a certain way, and yeah, we speak for this, but at the same time, you can't put us in the box anymore because we can step outside it and speak to other things and other lanes.
It's about our culture as well.
I know we're taking up a lot of times, but we wanted to open it up for questions. If anybody has the questions, I don't know how we're supposed to. Are they gonna walk up to that microphone.
I had a quick question for you. How do you all think about going into corporate partnerships? Are there different metrics or different things that going you all and a checklist on partner with this brand, don't partner with this brand. This brand isn't aligned with our brand. This brain is in the line. Just talk to me about how y'all go.
I think what you said at the end is we've all fortunate enough now to think about it to turn down deals that don't align with what we believe in, what we represent, regardless of the money. Because again, like I said, for us to be real and authentic and then align ourselves with a brand that contradicts ourselves, no matter what the money is, we're gonna take that hitting.
It's not worth it.
So I think I know when I speak for Jack and and all the smoke, when we align with the brand. As funny as it may be, if we have to talk about manscape and shaving ourselves like it's shit that we fuck with, you know what I mean, it's brands that we can align it and really use. So I throw the money out the window, and do I really align with the qualities of what this brand represents.
That's the answer, ferial.
And if they want to control your content on how you do yeah, you can't say no, you can't.
Can't do it, you can't do it, We're gone.
You want to cut it.
But it goes back to the quality of what you put out. You know, we look at what we put out and we've heard from a lot of people that we got top notch production right and at Lasha, she's won thirteen Emmys and she always comes back. She always if you got to put this here, she if you got to put this here and this here, and it takes away from the quality riper. So we looked at deals, well we've turned down, especially in the first couple of months.
We were turning.
Down six figures early on and looking at each other like what we just do, but were like, fuck it, let's do it, and let's better on ourselves at least the.
Quality of our content.
It'll grow and then we'll be able to get it on the back end.
So an you turned down that six figures for that eight or nine figure down the road because you're staying true and all believe it.
And also to the other thing like when when you listen to people answer questions like you got to have their backstory as well, Like we didn't get into this part of our careers broke right, Like like we aren't. We aren't trying to take care of our families off of the first offer, right, we could play the longer game because we had ourselves set up in a different way, right, Like you can only you can only turn down what
you can afford to turn down. You know what I'm saying, Like if it's gonna nobody.
On this stage is worried about what they eating Wednesday night. Yeah, And that's the difference. So as we speak, like you know what I'm saying, we can approach things differently because we're building a brand after we've already had a brand. And that's why I'm trying to speak. A lot of young podcasts come to me and they asked me similar questions, and I'm like, you have to see what fred Freddy.
RC and myself where we were when we started.
So like yeah, hey, honey, thousand and it's a lot of money, but it's like you know what I'm saying, we can look further, we can look beyond, but it's there's different tiers where you live and there's different areas where people are trying.
To grow, and we we had we had a.
Head start, I guess with what we did and where where we where we came from.
Appreciate one last thing really quick. We didn't get into it thinking about We didn't get into it thinking about the money. Seriously, we got into it. We didn't know exactly how much money.
Could be made.
We just got into it and we we kept going. Channing and I we we were trying to prove a point and we had to pivot. And that's where the pivot comes from. And we couldn't have got a perfect more perfect.
There we go. That's it.
That's it.
Next, so it was good ship, that's carried away.
Look, that's it.
That's yeah, what's up with it? Both you guys? Podcasts are rocket ships right now? What's the what's the goal for you guys? Where do you guys want to see this kind of end up and not even just end up. Where do you guys want to see it go in the coming years to come?
That's a oh, that's a great question. I can be honest. When they called me, When chan called me and we FaceTime for an hour and a half, I didn't know where it was going to be honest, like, I thought it'd be a dope opportunity. I think for me, it's about creating something that has a legacy, you know, because you're gonna if you do really well, you're gonna make money.
Right.
If you do really well, we might get to a point to where we could sell it if we feel like selling it at that point makes the most sense for us. But in owning my own platform, I want this to like I come from a sports background, right, Like, the same way he talks about Kobe, That's how I
want people to talk about us, right. I want people to say when something else is made, when three other young brothers or three young young other young podcasters make a pot and they start taking off, I want people to be like, man, this is this reminds me of the Pivot, right, Like, like you could tell that they watched, Like that's what it is. That's what it's about for me, man, Like I want to create the dopest content. I want
to have the best space. But I want people and I'm sure they do too, like and I could be honest, like, I look at what they do because because they were in it before I got in it right, Like, I look at what they do. Okay, this is how they set it up, Like this is how people get comfortable. These are the stories they tell, right, Because I gotta look at that to say, this is what people gravitate to. Now,
how does Ryan Clark put his spin on that? And like at the end of it, I want people to be like, man, this is the dopest thing we ever saw. And it continued to evolve and like everything has a shelf life, Like at some point it's gonna be some other group of people they want to hear more than us, but at two of them. Man, I want to always be doing this. I never want to be here because once we get here, we die quickly.
And this is a very I guess it's a hippieist approach to things. I've been saying. What's my saying? Everything
always gonna work out? When we started and we ain't making no money, and we grinding, and we in Vegas for a week and we're going to we're going to them little bullshit little young boy basketball games, and were going to clubs and like we walking up to people and being like, hey, bro, you wanna jump in the pod And we're like grinding to do it and things will go down and somebody will canceled on us.
And things that happened.
And I said to everybody, like, listen, everything always works out how it's supposed to. And I told them that for years. So my thing, that's your question. I don't know where it's going, but I know we have something special and it's gonna be exactly where God wants it to be in six months, twelve months, eighteen months. And I really honestly have my wife's over here, my attorneys at like they know I feel that way. Like everything happens exactly the fucking way it's supposed to happen.
Just work real hard.
And I've been saying that for years, and that's my thing, and I know it's hippous and.
It's annoying as hell in the moment when you're trying to get him to do something.
Though, where where yet, bron God damn we in the cup.
Everything gonna work out with me. I'll be down there by twenty.
I appreciate it for real, y'all. Uh.
First off, y'all, voices are so important, Like you give man the ability to share their feelings and be open about it, and I appreciate that legitimate.
I appreciate that.
Have any of you thought about loaning your voices to ownership in your respective sports, like we would love to see more black men in these rooms making these decisions and helping these teams out. Like have any of y'all thought about joining ownership ranks?
I for sure have, Like that's you know, I have. I have this ten urre plan, which is why this is gonna have to end at some point. You know, first of all, I want to be a general manager though right, Like I want to I want to make decisions. I want to be in a position to control who gets what opportunities. And I think so many times we look at the top opportunity, right, and we're saying that we don't have head coach, or like you said, we
don't have ownership and all of those things. A lot of the reasons we don't have those things is because we also don't get the entry level opportunities as well. Right, Those go to those go to the cousin, right, or to Bill Belichick's son. Right, Those go to the person that John Gruden can call Mike McCarthy and say, look, I can't hire him because they know he's in my family, but won't you put him on for me?
Right?
We don't have people that are looking down the pipeline to make sure that it's equal opportunity. Na, don't get me wrong. I'm not just hiring you. I don't I want. I'm not gonna just put people in position based on how they look. I'm gonna hire the best people. But what I want to do is to be able to develop the best people on an equal playing field. And
so like that's definitely for me. Like that's the next step of what I want to do, is get it to being an executive, be a general manager, and my final the final thing I want to do, I want to be an athletic director at HBCU. So that's my last job when I'm done working and I'm done grinding, and I want to sit somewhere and be there for a while. It's getting an opportunity to give the game that we learned a lot of times the hard way that young brothers and young sisters feel like it's not
worth learning because nobody will teach you. Right, have somebody say no, I look like you, but I also understand in order to be what you want to be. You have to navigate the entire world. Right, this little microcosm of the world, isn't the whole thing?
Tell this whole rest of his whole fucking life. And when I get married, I want to get buried in New Orleans because my daddy and my grandmama in New Orleans.
God damn man, we got a whole lot of motherfucker's waiting minute.
I'm not.
Every show, every show.
So I love one of the things that you said about success doesn't have a dress code. I think that that's important for everybody in this room to really understand and embrace. But what is another key attribute that someone who is successful you believe they should have.
Well, I mean it's just confidence.
At the end of the day, when you wake up in the morning, you have everything you need to be great. I think that we we have we have poisoned to you to have them thinking that they have to go to social media to get validation of who they are and how great they can be.
Right, if you wake.
Up every every day in the morning, look in the mirror and believe in yourself and have confident in yourself, that's enough, right there. So we I've always been super confident. I come from a small town. I used to piss in the bed, right, he was like thirteen. I used to pis I used to piss in the.
Bed, games and games games.
I was, y, don't have no grass. We can piss on ourselves and get on the knee and the piss run down your leg.
You just wipe it off the water.
Huh, it's still on.
Now. But really, just believing in yourself.
It's really the first thing that you have to have, because if they're not gonna hire somebody that not confident, they don't they're not gonna hand nobody that they don't believe in that can answer a tough question when they're not around, you know what I'm saying, Or somebody who can handle the building when it's going down, right, they're gonna hind somebody who can supplement that while they're gone.
So you believing in yourself first and not expecting the world are people around you to tell you who you are.
I think that's the first step to success, and.
Then I'll pay you back off stack. I think it's about the follow through what Kobe said, you gotta finish the job. How many of us out here have had an idea, we sit on it and we say, all right, this is gonna be amazing, and then we don't do shit in that day.
Right, and then man, when else does?
And then you man when somebody else.
So it's about it's about to follow through finishing the job. So if something jumps in your mind, you gotta go through with it. All these so called entrepreneurs, a geniuses and creatives, they just went the extra step to finish the job. It's a process and once you complete that task, boom you there.
It's like Nip said, Man, he just ain't quit.
He ain't quit, right, all right, Phillis, I got a question kind of track of what they're talking about. But as a former athlete, have y'all ever thought about interviewing or having on y'all show guys that not necessarily made it to the league, The guys that you play with, your brothers, that play with in college that had the transition into corporate America. Because as you know, you guys
are part of the one percent. But there's another ten to twenty percent of us that don't make it to the league, get kicked our practice squad or whatever and have to find another avenue to go to be successful. So have y'all thought about bringing those guys onto the show to speak to that that bigger demographic, to give those guys hope and the avenue and other avenues to find success.
You shooting your shot.
I mean, I'm not saying.
I mean.
It's about It's about opportunity. That's what the pivot is. It's the ultimate pivot. So how at us will say we put something that we have?
So I I was gonna say, we have a show that just today a guy named Shae Cotton, who was one of the they said the greatest high school basketball player ever who did make it. And it's crazy the response and the feedback we've been getting from his story because to furtherier point, there's ninety nine percent of you that don't make it. One percent of college athletes make professional ranks. That means ninety nine percent of athletes don't, which is unsane, so worthy anomaly. The norm is the
people who haven't. So to be able to speak to that audience, we feel like it's huge. So we started something on All the Smoke called street Legends, just guys that hooped who were amazing, that didn't make it but still we're aver to make something of themselves, and to me, I feel like those stories are more inspirational because they're more realistic.
I think it's what he said as well. The difficult part I've learned is finding the right story right, Like somebody like Shae Cotton. I'm a big hoop fan, Like I know who Shae Cotton is, and so that story excites me, and that's something I want to learn about. I don't know how it works for y'all. Like for us, we've brought on people who we thought were great stories, Like we had Myron roll On right, Myron Rolle never became he like he never made an actual game roster,
but he was a Rhodes scholar. He was a college All American. You know, he's now a brain surgeon. And to us like that was like that's an amazing story. Yeah, you didn't make it in the league, but it doesn't matter, Like your calling is so much bigger. You know, he was in all of these different hospitals during COVID and we did get a good response from the people that watched it.
I've learned that.
If people don't feel a connection to a guy, like if you can't build it to make them really want to dive in it. So many people actually missed that message, you know what I mean. But if we tell you we got the rock on four million of y'all show up, you know what I mean? And that is like that like that is the thing is we'll get well, why don't y'all do this? Oh no, no problem, Like we'll do a mental health show period to talk about mental health.
We'll bring some on somebody on that that wasn't a popular player, but it's huge in the mental health space. And then people don't watch it. And so I think you you know, like we're still going to do those things, but if you're going to like want those questions that want those type of the shows we also have to support.
So y'all talked about being role players when you were kind of going into pivoting into your second career.
I guess were.
There any other options that you had before you landed on the podcast. And then I'm sure, as we all know, when you're breaking into a field that doesn't necessarily look like we all do, Like, were you nervous that this were you ever unsure that this was your lane?
Well, when when all the Smoker's verson starts. I mean was about to start. They wasn't sure on me, to be honest. We came up with the idea, like, who is Jackson, what is this he gonna beat people up every episode? Is he gonna come in here with a faudy and some dickies and the pistol?
Like no, that was like.
And he did and he did?
But nah, So I mean I think for us, we both were we both were doing TV at the time, and me and Matt always hang out. We brothers. A lot of people don't know. We came close when his mom passed from cancer. So that's when we really build our relationship. So doing the show what the conversation about building the show wasn't really a long conversation. Liked doing a show together, of course, we'll do it, you know. But he made this happen. You know, he he knew
the right people, He called the right people. So I believed that everything he was gonna do right. What did I know our podcast with view or is that today?
Know?
But I believed in it right. I couldn't have told you at the time, but in my mind, ye know, we gonna make it there, right, So you gotta believe in yourself, because if you don't, nobody else will.
My dude's on the pivot you RC him, I know you ESPN broadcast.
It's seeing.
Tel just did we know?
Okay, Well I got out. Nobody knew what he was gonna do.
I started to the way like r C and uh, you were doing you did a meeting before you retired before Yeah, so like some dudes know, they transition. So Artcing was doing me before A retired. He was on TV Matt and them. Credit just chill all day. Credit just chill all fucking day. But no, he he do a lot of stuff. But no, I didn't know I would go podcasts like I'm a are entertaining and mess
around and play like I do now. And that's why I keep like I keep that, I keep that level, like I keep that thing because I know what I am. I know why people ask me to be on that podcast. I know why a thousand people text me every day to come on the show because I just talked fun.
So I didn't know what I was gonna do after football.
And then once I retired, I was sitting around and my wife was like, you going back to play? You're going back to play, and I was like, no, I'm not. It's like what you're gonna do. So I bought three boats and I would go fish all day. I swear to god. I had two. I had a bass boat, I had a splats boat, and I had a DEPC boat. And I was like, I'm just fish all day and that shit got boring. So then I went back to the radio station and I started doing a couple of shows and all.
But I didn't know I was gonna do the media.
But then I saw it was good at it, and I just kind of transitioned and kept working. But you never know what you're gonna do because I was a college dropout, like I left as a sophomore, So like, just find your passion and work on it is my total is my ultimate message of what I'm saying, because I never knew I'd be sitting on stage with these four amazing people and talking about podcasting and talk about media and all that stuff.
But it happens. But like they were just saying, just grinding work.
That's a long time, bro.
Fuck you, Okay, ch I.
Got a question.
You keep saying college dropout, but you went to the league after your sophomore year.
Right, yeah, I dropped out.
That's not a dropout.
Dropout, No, it's not.
You went to the league.
I have thirty six credits in Florida.
Me too, or total two years, thirty six credits.
I got thirty six in college thirty six times.
I'm sorry, we only have one more. But just they put me in chemistry, I said, Man, y'all can kiss my if y'all.
Know how hard chemistry is, I do.
I passed it.
I dropped that three times. I took social dance twice. I took bowling twice, and I took golf. Just get him on the football field. What I say, think they got here, We're gonna do it right for you.
Go ahead, man, How do you guys stay humble yet motivated despite accomplishing so much.
I don't think.
I don't ever feel like I don't ever feel like it's enough. To be honest, I think, and I think what happens is people focus on success as a destination and don't focus on the work as a journey. Right, So when you look at the process of getting to anything, like the progress that you make every day, like those are the wins, right, And think about what Matt just said. They started a podcast because the podcast has done so well, because they own it. Now they're moving into a production company.
Now they're gonna bring people on which you're the same conversation that we've had the same conversations I've had with our producer. Right, Like I'm in making my next deal with ESPN, Like you're gonna have to give me a thirty for thirty, Right, I'm gonna have to produce that. Right, You're gonna have to give me an ESPN Plus show series, and like that has to come with what I'm doing. But when I started, that wasn't my goal because I
couldn't ask for it because I wasn't ready for it. Right, But once you work at something and you work to try to master that which you never truse, you work to try to master that. Now it's like, Okay, what's the next step that the hard work that got me here affords me? And now because I've earned myself or earned opportunities into those next rooms based on my work, I now take that same work ethic into that and whether's that lead me? And so I think that's what
it always is. It's always evolving, it's always the next step. And should you like be excited about your wins. For sure, you are blessed to have those wins. But what happens, like if we stop trying to win, we die, And I'm not ready to die.
And it's not hard to stay humble anyway, because like we're human beings.
We human beings, We just like y'all. We go through ups and downs.
Kids, you know, school, car wrecks, rush to the hospital. We deal with real life stuff too, so we have to be prepared for that too. And things happen every day our life. So we can never get complacent because we are protected that provide us and we feel like it's always gonna be somebody.
We can help.
So if we get complacent that one person that might need some help, we might not be able.
To help them. So that's why we gotta keep going.
And these people help me too though, Like when I watch him succeed and then every time I see him he's exactly the same way. Like that humility to me makes me say, like that's what it's about. If he gonna dap me off, always be the same, Always be the same dude I met years ago. I think those are the sort of people that continue to show you that it doesn't have to change because you're being blessed, because in truth, it ain't really.
Us, right, I think too, it's we're so lucky still.
I mean, we've all been retired for a number of years and people still want to take pictures and talk to us. I mean, when I first got here, they're like Matt the vi p is upstairs. I came right in here and started shaking to hands and taking pictures of people.
Because I feel lucky to be able to do this.
It'll be seven years in June since I retired, and I'm as big as I've ever been as a business and as a person. So to continue to just think, man, I'm lucky that these people still want to hear me talk, These people want to take pictures with me. Some of the girls in here was trying to flirt with me. You know, it's it's it's.
It's a blessing though, you know, it's a blessing.
To really to really be able to stay relevant after your dem because we're so much about what are you doing for me lately?
And what are you doing now?
For us to all be older retired people and and still have an audience.
Is a blessing if it's not dreaded, though, change your hair.
Like Puerto Rican.
That's Italian and Blacky that.
Got a big sweat head.
I don't know what you have answer that question. They got a big squad that been related to say talking go ahead. I'm sorry, hey. I think about like this, life is a hill. There's no I honestly think about this way. Life's a hill. You're declimbing or you're falling back. If you're not working, you're gonna fall Think about staying on the hill. If you stop, you're gonna fall backwards. So you're either driving forward or you're falling backwards. And
that's how I think about life. To ask the question, ma'am, Well, we appreciate y'all.