Shawn Johnson East & Andrew East

The bars.

Yo, it's your boy, calm nasty alongside your dad, not my dad, Taylor Lawana. When I say alongside, he's absolutely not here next to me. I'm sitting in the closet at my house right now shooting this intro for you beautiful sexy looking pups. Dude. It is a great day to be us. It is a great day to be a fucking wolf, dude. And I don't know why I'm

Man.

He's an absolute stud. And also for the Tailgate shout out are insanely popular brand sponsor Anheuser Busch and the boys out in Saint Louis out in Ajax Turner, the local distributor out here around Nashville. Ajax Turner. Shout out to those boys. Man, They've gotten us taken care of for tailgating, for just everything, man. And we're really we're really trying to do our part with the hashtag don't

My gosh, they with us. They're the cutest old kids in the world.

Yeah.

Yeah, your house though, bro, without you even knowing it?

Oh really? Yeah?

Ok?

Yeah, So that was the house I bought going into my last year, and yeah, Hop and Gabby rented out and I had went back to get furniture to move it. My girlfriend and I we just moved out here on the West End, and so we were kind of gathering furniture and we went back and I asked Hop. I was like, hey, man, are you are you? Are you the only one living here? And uh he was like, yeah, I have. We have a couple of people that house it for us, but it's just to look over the house.

We were I mean, I was only after for three weeks last last season, so he housed us for like two of them.

Yeah. I don't know who it was. It was like a buddy and they had like their their individual photos and a couple's photos in the bathroom. In the bathroom, yeah, the babysitter. And I was like, there there's photos all up. I was like, I can't even tell you guys live here. I was like, so I need to take these tables and couches and beds. And I was like, are you sure it's okay. He's like, yeah, man, that's fine. You know,

Didn't you walk in on the confrontation of it?

Oh?

Yeah, we were there when it split up. Happens happened with the roommates. Really, I've never been a part of anything like that, but it was crazy. Nah.

Yeah.

It was like they were moving all their stuff out and they came back and like no eye contact made. You could tell there's a lot of salt in the room. Oh you know, Hop and Gab. We were just trying to play cool and call him and relax.

Yeah, super awesome people. I love those guys, man. So then when you came you came to the Redskins, I even forget what happened. Like Twitter's just fun, and do you remember do you remember when we were tweeting.

Or something, so our first interaction I had. I had some grievance against you will because you because somebody tweeted out like I can't wait to see tress Nick Hop and Andrew East on the field, uh in Nashville. Yeah, and you were like, yeah, me neither dot that dot, but who's Andrew East? I was like, what's up, dude?

Oh man? And then I was like I sent the gift, like I'm not calling him dad or something like that cop you'd like him or something. Oh man, I miss all those guys. But uh, yeah, you were on the Redskins and you've been on every fucking NFL team, but you're like, we're you're like the Josh McCown of special of a long snapper without the Josh McCown like money and contracting year. And then ye're out.

I know, yeah, I wouldn't mind that part of it, but had.

Some good times. We've been all over. We moved to Oakland for the Raiders the morning after a wedding. That was that was a fun one.

Yeah. I saw that. I saw the video where you guys had your wedding and then the next morning you go out to the Raiders. Raiders try you out? Like what three times?

Yeah?

Yeah?

Are you in here to try out? Because maybe I oversew. I'm like, they signed me three times.

You know what I'm saying.

I was signed?

So you went there? Okay, did you go there? You worked out and probably did a physical.

I was signed a contract. There were times with them, he was really and I just keep getting cut in camp. That's my m O.

Bro.

Oh my god, dude, I've signed like all the contracts.

How many? So how many teams have you been on?

Uh?

So seven? I was on an Alliance of American Football.

I saw that.

So I've been on seven pro teams, including the Memphis team there and signed nine contracts. Ahly, dude, that's a journey, but you know how it is.

Yeah, yeah, it is a fucking journey. I mean that's how that's how it works, dude, it's like a it's like a revolving door, like guys will come in and out, and sometimes you don't know if you should get to know somebody or not, because the next day they can be gone. And who's the team you were there long? Who's the longest you were with the team?

I guess technically the Redskins?

Really, yeah? Is the Redskins? Where you were?

That was my first regular season game I played, really my fifty year in I played my first game.

I was, uh, I hate, I hate to roup because I want to continue talking about that. But we have sewn on the bus too. And Shawn's actually the superstar. No, she's the Olympian gold medals and silver right, yeah, gold and silver medalists. You were like a prodigy as a kid, and you guys are coming on the bus and I was kind of telling him, I'm like, yo, uh, Andrew hit me up and he wanted to kind of collab and they had to come on the bus and I'm like, yeah,

Three I was on It was the Seahawks here, I guess just to Seahawks.

But you went out and tried out at numerous spots.

Redskins, you signed three contracts.

Okay, I'll trust you. This is what cool. This is what's cool though, And I'm super thankful to have married this chick. There's nobody else, honestly that probably would have put up with the Shenanigans of the NFL having to move around like at split seconds notice besides her, Like just thinking about she went pro when she was twelve and left home and had that instability like for a long time. So it's cool just to think like how that kind of worked out, you know.

Yeah, Like now I want to go over. I'm like, you left home to go pro at twelve years old. I did as a gymnast, and it's like, what in the hell does that even entail? Like going pro at twelve.

Years old, that's a good question. I signed my first agent when I was twelve, so professional status and going pro was basically like I made the United States national team at twelve years old and then I signed an agent at twelve, which sounds so ridiculous, but I would travel to Houston once a month for a week and a half and train there and then go back and forth between every country in the world and then Iowa, which is where I lived, and then trained in Houston.

So oh my gosh.

Yeah, so NFL is nothing.

Yeah, yeah, I was gonna say, it's like you say, there's nobody else that can that. You having somebody like that who understands the complete business side of everything. Everybody thinks it's like such a such glamour and nice fairy tale like the business it's super We're all super grateful, like it's a blessing, like nobody gets to kind of do this stuff we get to do. But at the same time, those like behind the scenes grind of an athlete and just going through it and you went through it.

You played in Nebraska?

Yeah, yeah, Cornhusker. That's right. I know you are idiots out wondering around, but uh, yeah, there you go. But I saw I knew Dobson super close with Dobson because he was like he was there the whole time I was in Nebraska, and then in some off seasons I would come back and kind of consult if I learned anything new from him, and I would train at Bendi for like a few days at a time and a mirror of Doulah. And I came back one year and he had me speak. He had me speak to the team.

Dobson does a great job.

Love do they gotta. I like the way they run everything there. You know, it's like our root for Vandy because I see what happens behind the scenes, like where they kind of like how hard it is to win football games at Vanderbilt with hell.

Yeah, but that makes you mad. That makes me mad, though, because you got Stanford Northwestern Duke basketball. It's like, why can't Vandy be true?

But you probably know Vandy seems to be their academic first. They seem to be way harder to get in and in school to play football, whereas Stanford will try and find loops and holes to get athletes to come to Stanford and get admitted. Whereas Vandy they don't care, like you have to meet certain requirements to play at Vandy.

Which is a good thing.

Yeah, at the end of the day, it is a good thing. But it's like, uh when it comes to football, Like the academic world is kind of separate from the football world, and the academics kind of runs Vandy, where Stanford you have sports and they probably co exist and sit at the table like, hey, how can we get certain guys here? Hey, how can we do this? We're in Vandy. They kind of don't don't care as much, so kinda they got it. They seem to have to

A positive surprise in Nebraska. You have a cool story though undrafted free agent. Now you're what six years.

In yeah, going on seven, and it's crazy. A part of me feels a part of me feels bad not being as prepared for this interview because this morning my agent calls, I'm flying out to Saints tomorrow to do a workout. Hype, dude, I'm super hype. So by the time everybody hears this, it won't just know that this is the day where if I potentially sign with the Saints, this is the day where I'm doing a podcast with you guys. So I'm like, I have a lot of anxiety right now because I kind of do this podcast.

Do you feel like you doing a Shawn and I have had a lot of conversations about We've put out YouTube videos, podcasts, everything. Do you feel like you doing this podcast will affect your NFL career? Like say, in a way say it. Coach listens to Will comptonce podcast Busting with the Boys, and they're like, oh, this guy is not my type. I don't want to like you go down to New Orleans and the guys like you just don't vibe with him because of what he heard on your podcast.

Potentially, but also I think we've had We've had very We've had Arthur Smith and I get feedback from coaches onto these teams that I've played on or that know who I am and stuff like that, and they kind of reach out to me and talk about how much they love the podcast, and honestly, like I know what I am at this point, Like I know I can play well, and you know how the league works, Like if somebody brings me in this year, they're looking at me as a depth special teams guy right now, right

So that's kind of you throw active player in there, just kind of throw a jab at me.

No no, no, no, no no. You were doing your thing though, while you were doing your thing though, while you were playing. I'm just thinking, like, it's unique what we do. Like you kind of journal and have that vlogging kind of mixed with your podcast and YouTube channel, and you with your lifestyle of like always recording the stuff you guys are doing as you guys are doing stuff. So I think that makes it super unique.

A couple of things. One, it's gonna be sweet to look back on this and see what happens with the Saints.

Yeah.

Two, I gotta tell a quick tailor Lawan story, please do because I'm at my second My second game was the Titans in Nashville, back home. It was so awesome to like because we live here now full time. Yeah, and first of all, I remember seeing you. You rock the visor all the time.

Yeah, it's a good look.

It's a good look.

Got you man, you're a white but after you gotta have some swag about you. Nobody's gonna respect you. Got the towel and yeah.

Yeah, Anyway, after the game, I see some Titans players on the Redskins side sideline and Taylor he's you know, he's got.

This ding j no story. I bet guys, here we go.

I'm over there, like saying hello to my family because we had thirty people come out awesome, And all of a sudden, I look back and there's there's Taylor, just like holding up. He's pointing his finger like this and laughing like like Joker from Batman type of insanity out of his face. And then all of a sudden, right in front of me, a helmet from.

From Josh Norman right there.

Gosh, dude, if you look at the footage, I'm like standing right there like this is my second game.

I don't know what to do. What in the hell is going on out here? Oh my goodness, man, that game was so fun, dude, just because the Redskins, Like, look at that go back for why.

I think I'm about the very big Yeah, what was he doing over there, Taylor? That's what it was, old I cross in the back somewhere anyway.

Yeah, Taylor, Taylor, there's the helmet in the back. Taylor like does his little bow and arrow, you know, yeah, after the game, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I didn't know. I

I gotta can I tell the Marshn Lynch story that has to do a Sean. Hey, I'm just I'm just telling stories.

I'm just rolling.

That's all right, this is great, this is great. We don't it's we're all here to talk about it.

So I'm coming out of Vandy, it's my last year in school, and I'm like looking at the film like it's gonna be so cool. And Sean has the opportunity to go to the Super Bowl as like a Yahoo like correspondent. So we go to the media days and they want her to talk to Tom Brady and Marshawn Lynch. It was it was a patriot.

I know she was a big You were working for Yahoo Edition.

Oh inside sorry, inside edition, and so we were we were talking about Britney's fear.

It was legit.

Dude is sweet.

But Marshawn Lynch, this was a year that he was saying, I'm only here so I don't get fine, right, yeah, yeah.

And so, and I was instructed to throw skittles at him to try a reaction out of it. And I was like, there's no way you're gonna get me to throw a bag of skittles at this guy.

You'd old probably that would probably have been a great video.

It's it's up, dude. So the whole time in the interview, he's saying, I'm only here so I don't get fine. I'm only here so I don't get fine. And then you see he like gets distracted off stage to the left and he like interrupts whatever he was saying. He's like, he's like, oh you kind of cute though he's talking about Sean.

Dude.

It's the only thing, the only thing he said other than I'm only here zona good fine.

I got fired be it from my correspondent John because they really wanted me to get him to answer questions. I was like, I'm a former athlete myself. I'm not gonna like throw candy at an athlete. Just try to get a response out of them. So I got his attention. I was like, just want to wish you good luck and like kind of like tossed a bag of skittles.

Is it was it skittles? That's his thing?

Yeah, and like toss his way and then yeah.

She's like was it was it this? And You're like, you know what it was? You know what he said to you. That's all. That's a good you got.

You gotta finish the story.

So then I'm on the raiders with him when he made his comeback, and I my first interaction, well, something you'll learn about me. Sometimes I say things and this goes for a dating process too, Like I mean, well, but it comes off way wrong. So my first interaction with Marshan, I thought it was gonna be a great idea to confront him about this situation. And I was like I went up to him, was like, Marsian, nice to meet you, Yo, I got a bone to pick.

Uh.

You called my wife sexy and I'm not good with that. He was like, he was like, but was I lying though?

Yo?

That is.

Anyway we were.

Yeah, dude, he's just he seems like a super cool cat like that. That response is like it just puts a small on my face, Like how do you just say? Hey? Was that right? Though? I just like squash anything that even if you were actually upset. But uh so take I don't even know which story to start with. Probably where you guys met at Vandy?

We met because of Vandy.

You tell the story, You tell your story, Tell a little bit of this.

I met Andrew's oldest brother, his name is Guy East at the London Olympics. He was racing as a cyclist for the United States, and I had a friend who was his teammate. Found myself at the event, met him and he just wouldn't stop talking about his younger brother that I had to meet.

So were you in the him? Were you in the Guy? No? You know what I'm saying, Andrew Like, if she hits me up, I'm questioning, like, Yo, were you into my bro first? And I was just next choice? What is?

Uh?

Yo? What is what's the village? Like in the Olympics, you hear the stories like just just fucking be real about it.

If I'm gonna be honest.

I want honesty. This is you. You've seen some of the podcasts I.

Was when I was at the Olympic village. Okay, so we literally had to.

Talk about what you've seen then, now we don't.

We had armed guards outside of our doors, so we nothing happened with the gymnasts, but yeah.

What would you see with the older crowd. We don't need to name any names. I need to know some stories you're lying tell you. Okay, there we go, that's what I need.

We're talking about my mom when we started dating.

Sent me that ESPN article about the condoms.

Yeah, they write one every Olympics. I feel like, but she's the only her.

Quoted, the sixteen year old, which is so messed.

Up making out on you were She's like the only athlete mentioned I think in this article. Looking up, I think it's like twenty twelve.

So the one who got quoted in the article of there's all the condoms and they talk about the village, that's your quote they were quoting.

No, no, no, no no. She was mentioned as like, just asked Sean Johnson and Taylor Finny who were making out on.

Let's go.

If I no, like, no, I just have your my husband and my husband sitting here.

And then that's how I met Andrew. Was Taylor Finny was Guy East's teammate.

Oh so.

Yes, I was very.

Hey yeah, no, no, we got to dive into that. So, guys, teammate that you were talking about is what's his name?

Taylor Finny And that's the one you were.

Making out with.

Yeah, and Taylor puts you on Andrew Kid.

Yeah, I think it's like the last No.

Sorry, I don't want I don't want to butcher that. Hey did Taylor did Taylor? What's Taylor? What Taylor Finny? Did? He hook you guys up?

He approved it. He was like, you're a good guy.

This was one of those things that Sean said I never dated Taylor. I never dated Taylor.

And then it was like it was like and you're just thinking, like I'm not stupid.

It was literally an Olympic flank. And again I was a child, but everything that I heard as a child and everything that I saw as a child at the Olympics is yeah, it's very true.

Wait is this it right here?

What? What did you there? It is Taylor Finny was looking for.

Guys. This is like, hi, drama, it.

Doesn't matter, Like this is like, this is hilarious because I remember when this article came out, not that I knew all the names, but you're always like, oh, do you guys see like you know the Olympic Village and what goes on.

So we had armed guards outside our doors at the Olympic Village because we were the only minors in the village. So I don't know why I'm telling you all this. Taylor Finny lived in the village, like in the apartment complex I think below us, and he would always he was always the guy that would like throw us snickers.

At night, and I was like, can we clarify it?

Says he would throw a kissing session. That sounds better than he would throw you as snickers because you.

Guys were we would just sit on the patio and talk every night. Yes, and became an Olympic fling. This is really weird, guys.

Now, would you witness stuff that? Like when what everybody thinks about the Olympic Village is that stuff? Yes, that's a real deal.

Well, okay, you think about it. All these like elite minded athletes emotions. They've worked for so long and been so restricted with like everything, they finished this like Olympic movement. They've reached the epitome of their sport and now it's just a free for all in every sense.

Really free in every Yeah. Wow, that's fucking crazy.

Well, and it's the Olympic village. There's no media, there's no tourists, there's it's just athletes of Olympians, a lot of Olympians.

And how many Olympic Games did you go to?

Just one?

Just one? You were going to do another one? Right to do, but that's when you tore your knee? Yes, what happened to your knee? And what what happened?

I went skiing?

Is that politically correct?

Oh?

That's real.

I didn't even get hurt in gymnastics. I was trying to make it come back. I went skiing. I tore everything in my knee, a c l mc lemaniscus, a hamstring. Holy shit, try to do a reconstruction and still come back and it just wasn't working.

And you retired the week before that next Olympics. Yeah, so twenty twelve.

Before Olympic trials, I could have competed, but I just knew if I competed, and if I made the team, which there was a good chance I was, my body wouldn't have lasted through the Olympics. So I bowed out.

Oh my gosh, yeah, how how what was that like when you the moment you tore your knee skiing? I assume it's just you were just out having fun with new family friends yep, family, and you knew was it a an was it an accident or something that kind of just loosely slipped a freak accident.

My safety release on my ski was broke and I didn't know it. I took a really small fall, but my ski got caught in the snow and my boot didn't come out, so I like rolled over my leg.

Did you know right away?

Yeah?

Were you just tears right away?

No tears because you shock.

You didn't know at first how bad it was. You probably thought I might have tore something.

You could I feel like as athletes, you're very aware of your body.

And you knew something was wrong.

Yeah. I mean I heard a huge pop and you don't hear that with like a sprain or a strain.

What was going through your mind?

What if I could never do gymnastics again?

And then like how.

You're really scared to tell my coach because that's the one rule he had training was you could do anything you wanted. You just couldn't ski, and yeah, were.

You guys together at this point? No, No, God, Andrew wouldn't allowed that. Man. Yeah, that's that's brutal. But then you're gonna make a comeback.

Yep.

It was that process pretty rigorous.

It was. It was the first time I had really had a bad injury in my career. So it was the first time I ever doubted my body, which is really hard. Like having any fear or doubt in your body, I think is a huge weakness as an athlete, and for me, I would picture things going wrong instead of

So I don't know about you, But you take toward all or anything like that before games, No, yeah, like not not quarter zone, but you're taking all these anti in phlegmatories that are trying to mask whatever pain you have so you can go out there for the purge.

Which makes it so much worse afterwards, what's up which makes it so much worse.

Yeah, you're so sore, Oh, because.

Your body way past what it should like be doing.

So what what made you think this is the time I should retire? Or did you did you it was a week before Olympic trials, did you know before that week that you were going to ultimately retire or did it kind of hit you like it was coming up and you're like, I can't do this or I should.

Have Or I was kind of on the fence for for quite a while, probably at least six months leading up to the trials. My body was just falling apart. And then I feel like my mind wasn't as strong, just because I was kind of losing the passion and I had frustration with my body and the sport. So it was just it was a mix of things. But a week before Olympic Trials, I remember watching so we have two different trials. We have the United States Championships

So I just kind of you say dreading meaning doubting if you make the team, or you're dreading like you almost didn't want to make No.

I didn't want to make the team really only because my body was falling apart, and because my body was falling apart, my mind was falling apart.

I just want and stuff like that.

In the sense of like with gymnastics, we flip on a four inch beam that's four foot off the ground, right, So if you get upon a beam and you're getting ready to do a standing you know, three sixty three sixty, and you start doubting your ability, you get hurt. That's like when huge injuries happen in our sport. And I started doubting myself and I started these like I don't know, I would picture everything that could go wrong instead of what could go right.

Yeah, and that when that happened, and that's.

Very, very scary for our sport, and I just knew that if I made the team, I was probably going to break at the Olympics and I just wasn't for me anymore.

Wow, that's crazy. I never doubt myself when I'm about to do three sixties on a game, I've never doubt. I'm like, yeah, I'm about to murder this shit. Dude, that's crazy. Yeah, did you did you ever doubt your decision after it happened? Like regret thinking, Okay, you went through all when did you tear you knee? What year was it?

The year after the Olympics and nine?

Yeah, and then you're going because it's only every four years, You're leading up to twenty twelve, and then you decide to retire, and then you retired the Olympics. Go on, did you ever watch the Olympics or after? Where You're ever getting that? I should have just done it because who knows, like you never get those opportunities.

I actually went to twenty twelve and I had to commentate, So that's where I met guy East.

That's right. She wouldn't have met me if she was competing.

Yeah, if she was, she wouldn't have met you, right.

Because I couldn't have gone to the scling whatever. I'm glad I met you. I knew it was the right decision for me. I never doubted that, Like I never regret the decision I made. I'm very clear in my heart that it was the right decision for me. But I had so many people around me, sponsors, agents, parents, even where their regret of it was almost it put pressure on me, and it kind of made me doubt my decision.

And theirs support for life. Yeah, I mean, everybody loved you, you know what I mean, And I'm not saying that, but you're like, yeah, everybody loved me, but you feel like everybody's so supportive of you, and you don't want to let people around you down.

Well, and inter and I have talked about this. Had I competed and made it the two does twelve games, I mean financially, I would have been set up for a long long time.

By competing in twenty twelve.

Yeah, very I was very well set up.

What's a number seven?

Don't do it?

Don't do it? Does that? Does that? Does Does something go wrong if you bring that number up? No? Like us, I mean, you know, you're You're used to people knowing what you can make by googling you all the time. So I'm never I never feel bad about asking people how much how much could give? That's interesting because people can come at you and just know, like everyone just knows either even if they bring it up or not.

That is interesting.

They're just like if they think anything, like you know, they it's not that everybody and whoever listens. That's with me all the time. It's not like I sit there and think like, oh, they expect me to pay for stuff, But there's you know, if something comes if something comes down, people know how much you make and think this doesn't this doesn't this wouldn't bother. Well even if we made him do this, it's like it's not going to affect them, you know what I mean? So me asking that, I

It's such a like it's such a hypothetical question. Just because you have X amount of sponsors that are going to pay, you know, what's a minimum number at least in the millions?

Seven?

Oh, I have no idea for I really don't know what she's saying.

Is this. Imagine she goes to the second Olympics and wins all the gold medals. So it's like commoentation jobs, you get like set up. It's not only what you make from the sponsors that year, it's everything that comes after.

Too, and the gym this team at that time, if I'm wrong, but it's like it that was the team that everybody wanted to follow, was the gymnast team, right, because you guys came after the track and steel and stuff, right, and then it was like, hey, you know, you guys are on serial Bond, you guys are everything. Yeah, you guys were like untouchable.

So it would have been it would have been financially amazing, amazing. But a week before those contracts took place, like I had, I had signed them, but they go into effect during Olympic trials, so all your prize money starts coming in with your medals, and if you make the team, I had to call every single one of those sponsors and say I'm not going anymore.

And you had to, or you would have had.

To I had to, oh man. And so that's when like the your agents come into play and your parents come into play and they're like, are you out of your mind?

So you knew what you could be, what you.

Were walking away from, absolutely.

And it still didn't. It still didn't even affect you, didn't.

I was. I was so ready to be done that it was the greatest decision I've ever made. But it was the hardest decision for everyone around me.

It's interesting too, because people are so driven, like by money,

Have been had I been on that team.

You never know, that's true. I mean, I take a gold medal over Andrew. I'm just kidding, bro, I'm just kidd been.

This is this is what's amazing.

Though.

We walk into a mall or definitely a gymnastics gym and little girls, I kid you, not just tears when they see.

Her, they with you.

Well no, no, but it's because like.

I mean, you've built a brand. Let's not let's not bullshit. I'm thinking like, okay, uh, well have andreel On, Like I knew who you were you text me and I'm like, oh, did you get my number from trust or somebody from Hop Pop. Yeah. I'm like, oh, I'm sure one of the boys get my numbers. So they felt good about giving them the number, Like, yeah, of course I want to sit down with you.

But you know what I've known my brand is Sean Johnson's husband. That is what it is.

Well, I'm first thinking I didn't know Charlo had told me, Uh, Charo. I was sitting with Charo and she was like, Andrew East that's Sean Johnson, eese husband and good and I'm like who. I'm like, Who's I'm like, I said, who Shawn Johnson. So we'll humble her a little bit. And she's like, remember it said Olympia we were I was telling you about when they when you know, when he got it on the Redskins. I was like, oh for

Straight from the London Olympics where I was commentating for the Today Show, I went straight to Dancing with the Stars.

I know it's nice, flex solid.

I didn't mean it.

Dancing with the Stars. Okay, I heard of.

It, and it was during that well, when I was on the show that him and his brother Los Angeles.

Yo, there's there's grinning going on right now.

She booty called me pretty much? Is what happened?

Okay, there we go. I want to hear the story from answer now because she's great, like she's holding something back.

So I slid in her DMS like I formed the boy, formed the Twitter just so I could get tweeter right and then.

Wait, wait wait, I don't formed the Twitter just to tweeter.

I was not Yes, I was not a social media guy. But anyway, I got a number via d MS.

So we started talking calling, which I'm trying to gave you my number.

Yeah, I know, but it makes I'm pretty who who'd you d M her account, you gave him your number. It was somebody running I.

Was running my own account. I gave my number.

Okay, okay.

So then she like ghosts me for like a month, and on my birthday, she.

Says on Dancing with the Stars, bro, what you just You probably got that, you probably got a little you probably got a little egg profile. Pick Like, who in the fuck me for my number? Anyway?

She said. She sends me a text on my birthday like a midnight says, I want to fly out to l A.

Yeah, I was at.

Midnight, at midnight, I want to fly out to l A. I'll cop it off for you. I'll handle your expenses, so kid you not.

Next day, I jump on a plane class and I'm out there.

Your mom cannot listen to this.

Oh she's a listener.

So I was. I was coming out of a very very bad relationship and is very bad. Sure, and I was very drunk, and I don't mean it like a bad way, but I was like I should text this guy. And I was like, you want to fly to l A. I fall asleep, wake up sober, and I get a text saying I'm on my way.

Only wait, wait, stops up. Were you guys texting in between the d M number and the fly la? She just texted you on a whomen That's what I'm saying, man, That's what I'm saying. You dropped your lugging running of course, and I.

Was like, what kind of guy would do this?

Yeah, psyclepath in l A and she she's not responding.

Duh, got this whole thing? Do you think you're just hey, I'm here.

So it worked out. My brother had a bike race out there that same weekend, so that was like that was gonna be planned A or B.

And then so I finally like he texted me enough to day. I got out of Dancing with the Starry rehearsal on TV show and I met Andrew and his brother along with one of my friends that I was looking with my girlfriend at the time. We met for dinner. We had dinner. I was not very impressed. I was just like, this.

Guy's with Andrew, you were impressed? Oh my god. And somebody helped my guy right now so that he was not impressed. Andrew, why went you impressed? Was he nervous?

I don't know. I think I was slightly just freaked out because he gets a random text message from a random chick two am flying here, and he does it.

And you were saying that since you were drunk, now that you've came to your senses, now that's why you're like freaked out because.

You're all in it. Yeah, so it gets better. So after dinner and this is.

All circling around dancing with the stars.

Yes, okay, So after dinner, me and my girlfriend were trying to be like nice. We're like, oh, can we like drop you guys off at your hotel?

She's about to blast me.

I feel like she already has been. But it gets better.

And his brother go, oh, we don't have a place to stay. We're just gonna sleep in our car tonight.

And I was like, what is that true?

Or he's just that's part of your game. I am homeless tonight.

I took I took it as part of his game. I was like, what is this guy doing? So then I'm the really big idiot and I'm trying to be nice and I was like, well, you can stay in like our guest bedroom if you want, and he isn't like an idiot, is like yeah, I love that.

This is going.

Man, this is bad dude, put the camera on him. Put the camera on him.

Dude, I was gonna get murdered. I don't know.

Yeah, Okay, continue, We'll let her finish and then we'll go back and we'll let we'll let you, we'll let you talk a little bit.

And then he comes back to our apartment with his brother and me and Mike.

But you knew his brother.

Barely, but yes, we had had like an hour. Yeah, and so we get back to my apartment. My girlfriend, I go straight upstairs to my room and we locked ourselves in and we like pushed the doors and are like the chairs in front of the doors because I literally thought we're gonna get murdered or something. And then yeah, that was it. He did not I would have taken at a different level.

No, okay, so then she didn't hanger. Yeah, yeah, I don't want to go farther now. I want to hear any of your parts of some of the games she might some of the holes she might be missing. Is that all accurate? So here's the thing, and reflecting on your game, like what would you have done differently, what would you have done differently, or what did you feel like you were doing wrong to make her so creeped out.

So when I when there's an opportunity in front of me, I'm going to take.

It without even knowing what your game plan is.

So that goes for the flight, that goes for I would rather have a bed to sleep in than the car. Yeah you know what I'm saying.

Did she pay for your plight? No?

No, no, no, no, okay, no my dad did.

But shut out dad. So is there anything she missed? Anything you want to add?

We had a good time that night. I was not getting off I'm going to murder you tonight vibes.

No, but so you didn't just immediately run in your room like you guys. Probably hung out and it got better or did you become.

An I fell in love? That was the night I fell in love.

I don't know if you need to be saying I don't know if you need to be saying that this is amazing.

They were all like this other random stuff. It was your twenty first birthday and you're like, I've never had a drink before in my life, and I want to get drunk.

And I was like, I never said I never said I want to get drunk. And I said when she started dripping off me.

Know, she's a little savage over there.

So she didn't talk to me for nine months after that.

No, so you guys part of ways. And then there was ghost It was nothing for nine.

Months, not from me but from him.

I was texting, damn, and she was leaving you on read. So I would be like, what is it like if you text somebody? How many texts are you going without them?

Going to dig yourself up before you just fold.

Up in close shot.

So when I was texting with charro Chari would kind of try and big timmy a little bit, and if she wouldn't respond to me, I wouldn't text her back or send any repeat text or nothing repeat no, repeat text. I'm not doing that. And then when she would, uh, if she would text me eventually responding to the same the ship I was talking about two days ago, I would just not respond to her for like two days and then try and you know, big time it up.

And you know I would text her like six times repeat text six.

Times in those nine months. No, no, no, no, no, no, six times a day.

No, everybody calmed down, everybody just chill out. It would be like.

Six times of the course of probably like a month.

I'm sweating my heart, I know.

He's like, and then, yeah, you got the ring. I mean your game works somehow, and we're gonna get so we're gonna get into that. So everybody sitting here like, damn, did he like corner her in the marriage or what? Like, it's I'm sure it's gonna get better.

I am rethinking everything right now.

Text me six times a month.

But theyn i'd be like, like, what we're the text though, any repeat texts.

Like Hey, what's your favorite candy?

Yeah?

Holy ship, dude, real, I believe it.

That's why he said.

It's all like innocently and like you're like, hey, what's your favorite candy?

Loves this right now? He don't love this right now.

I'm thinking, JOK, saw you though, Holy shit. I'm saying, hey, what's up, what's going on? What have you been up to? And then like he might text again and like, yeah, great chat, I can't wait to hear about it. But it's like, hey, what's going on, hopeball's well? And then the next chat, what's your favorite candy? Oh my gosh, anyways, how did this get better? For the love of.

God, he would like just continue texting, and I would finally send something back, probably like once a month. I would send something back. And then nine months later you called me, which was the first time.

He'd like, so you weren't responding, and then he's like, no again, I'm calling.

I composed the most elegant you did.

It was this. It was the now. It was the cheesiest, most like, hey, what is.

It called something vers reality that you thinkality?

He said something. After nine months He's like, if football has taught me anything, it's how to persevere.

Yes, and then like I respect that a little bit.

It was like a book and he's like, I remember. It ended with would you accompany me to the CMA Fest?

Well, now you're trying to throw You're trying to throw your way around a little bit.

You didn't even have tickets? Well he didn't have tickets, and I said yes.

I said, I got VIP tickets to CI Fest. You want to come? She said yes, And I was like, I gotta give tickets.

Oh my god. And were you responding to them at all of until this point?

No, no, oh my god.

So I booked a fight to Nashville.

Yeah, you need to.

Write a book. You need to write a book. There's a lot of hope strategy. He just text until hey, you want to go to this VIP I got I got box seats, and then they say yeah, and then he's got to find away.

Well, the moustas impressed thing is you found a way and we sat in a box at the CMA Fest.

It's right, Brad Paisley.

Yeah, who hooked you up?

Dude? It was a friend of a friend of a teammate. He was like, I'll give you these tickets, but I have to meet Sean. So like I was texting this dude like trying to run the logistics, like where we're going to meet up? I've never met this guy. And then I'm trying not to be weird. I was like, hey, Sean, we're going to meet my friend. I never met this guy.

And this is in twenty thirteen though thirteen and June. So you went not okay, okay, okay, okay. So you went the awkward, little weird flout to La drawing texts and it was awkward, and you say you weren't impressed to nine months of ghosting, not responding to your texts for nine fucking months, to making up a story saying you want to go to vip c m A Fest and that's what you responded to.

Yeah, I love country music and I was like sure, and then we had a blast. And then actual story was my girlfriends had set me up on three dates. This was one of them. The day were they were counting this as one. I was supposed to stay in Nashville for like a day, fly to Chicago for another date,

Oh really boom, just so CMA Fest did it? That's right, the CMA Fest date did yes? Yes, And you thought in your head, this is the guy I'm going to marry. So that that was the night you fell in love. Yes, you fell in love way soon. You're like, you're like what they write about in stories like don't fucking I'm like, you know, you're like trying to mentor your little high school is like, listen, my man, don't fall in love with her. It's shit doesn't matter right now. That was you.

I just saw the twinkle in her eye. You know, You're like, okay, I.

Could I could be interested in that saw the twinkle. That was when I saw the twinkle. And that was in twenty thirteen, that's right. And then what comes after that?

I moved to Nashville for him, for him.

Now she's the psycho one.

Yeah, holy shit, how quickly?

Three months later?

Three months later? Oh my god. Yeah, vip he voice for everybody out there listening, VIP CMA tickets. CMA Fest will be next year. Get the VIP tickets. Figure out who you want to love and marry and fucking bribe them with tickets. Then they'll be forever.

Im. The vest is in June. I'm mage in October. So yeah, that was soon.

And then we're now to kind of pivot and go a different direction. Were you already branding yourself and your YouTube channel kind of lifestyle personality? No, what got you started in that?

He started it?

You were were now? Were you already doing this shit.

No, I had no idea. So I got picked up by the Chiefs in twenty fifteen, so we got engaged in twenty fifteen. I was like, Flex the number one long snapper coming out of college, Okay, which means.

Nothing, though, absolutely, that's Flex number fucking one in the world, number one in the world.

Say that because it's a joke, because you can't rank long snappers.

Well you can, you're number one anyway.

But I thought. I was like, I was like, man, I'm gonna have this ten year NFL career, We're gonna be living a good life. Get cut in camp, and I'm like, shoot, sign up to be an Uber driver. Didn't have anything.

I came home today and he literally said he had signed up to be an Uber driver. And I was like, okay, we need to work on our identity a little bit.

And you guys weregether and living together and then you signed with the Chiefs.

So no, I was just graduating college and we didn't live together when when I was in.

College and you just lived here lived okay.

So then then I get cut and one of her friends was like, I just started a YouTube channel. You guy should look into it. And I was like, okay, I could start that. Sean has like a lot of fans that would love to see you.

What were you doing at this time?

Sorry, work, motivational speaking kind of going.

Around and speaking, because you can fucking do that, No, no doubt. I respect that for sure. I would too. I'm speaking to Vanding. I speak to vanderbuilding fucking teams like that guy. Okay, so she's doing that. And then You're like I had nothing to do. So I was like, I gotta.

I'm like sad depressed little because you.

Realize the NFL is now what the thought it was.

Yeah, bro, oh my god.

That's a hard truth to kind of go through a little bit too.

And so this is I'm pumped for you because you just getting that check from your first sponsor. You realize like, oh, I'm in control of this and I have I have another skill outside of football that I can do.

Yeah, it's pretty It fires me up, Like you know, you want to like I want to coach, like I have interests in other areas. So I'm kind of just trying to find trying to find it. And I realized I have fun with like, you know, all the relationships I have the personality like stuff on social media, and I'm like, I should try and figure something out. So

Like, we're rolling through credits right now.

Oh yeah, I got I say Taylor. If I say Taylor and not other people, it's gonna be like, oh, Taylor is the one who helped you. But there's a lot of people telling me to do it, and you finally just take that leap of faith in doing it.

Yeah?

Is that how? So you're bummed driving fucking uber? Yeah?

Bro, So we put out our first YouTube video December twenty fifteen. You go back to look at it. It's trash. We had no idea what we're do.

Don't go back and look at it.

I'm going to because I think that's the best kind of shit. It's freaking full circle looking back where you came from.

Yeah, we had no idea.

Where.

Who was the YouTuber that got you to look into Mallory Irvin? She has stud She's great, dude, check her out. She is a Kentucky girl like Miss America. She's been an amazing race, has like this wild personality.

She's great. Check her out all right, she has her own podcast too. Anyway, So we started making videos and then it took us about a year to really like start gaining momentum on that, and then it became like a legit thing. And now that's that is like our that's what we spend most of our time doing in football, and her speaking are like side gigs at this point.

Love that isn't that awesome?

Yeah?

And so so with YouTube, was it mainly was it always both of you? Was there more of a focus on her at first because she was she's you know Sean Johnson.

Yeah, yeah, Look I don't know a lot about marketing, but I do know that there was a lot more people searching for her than there was. No question, Yeah, it is mostly her.

And then for you was it You always knew you were just going to kind of document your whole run on everything.

So we started vlogging. We did like this collab with this family who like filmed twenty minutes other day every single day, and that was like two months into us doing YouTube, and so I saw, like I didn't know that daily vlogging was a thing. I didn't watch much of YouTube before then, and so I was like, I

Fucking crazy, you know what I'm saying.

Oh yeah, And I was and as a little kid coming out out of middle school, high school, like you just think of the NFL. You think Peyton Manning, these guys that are locked into one team for for ten years, you know, yeah, you don't see you don't see guys like me. So I was like, this would be interesting to document. Plus I want to show it to my kids to show them that I'm a boss. And I was like, trying out for NFL tas you know what I'm saying, I feel even if I never actually like

So is there more in between that's turned into this whole thing? So what was your guys' process about kind of growing the YouTube because we're new to it too, so fucking any tips.

Collapse?

Yeah?

Yeah, I was very anti social media when he started YouTube.

Right when you guys started, were you very nervous about people being in your lives like that? And then also commenting all the time?

She already had it, so I had it, But I had come from the sports entertainment world where like you signed with Coca Cola, and Coca Cola says, you can't say this, you can't wear this. You can't. I mean, it's it's very strict, and with YouTube, it's not strict at all. You just show your actual life. And I had never done that before, and I felt like I was like moving into a world that was my own that the world had never seen before.

Yeah, and I hated that, right and and yeah, I mean you say like used to it because we're in a spotlight, but it's in a spotlight of our comfort zone playing a sport for like when we were dropping

If someone critiques you, you like you know in your heart, you're like, oh you're wrong, Like I know my ability, my talent, right, But if someone like critiques your real life, you're kind of like, oh am I doing this?

Right?

Yeah? So it's just it's more vulnerable and weird. But we've kind of figured it out a little bit.

And how long has the YouTube channel been going on since twenty fifteen?

About three years? Yeah?

Yeah, yeah, was the YouTube channel called the East Fam The East Fam and you have your own as well.

Too, right, yeah, that's where I put my podcasts.

So East Fam, And then what's your podcast?

My podcast is called Redirected, but my YouTube channel is just Andrew East.

Talk a little bit about your podcast before you ask me a question.

So, like I mentioned, I thought I was going to come out of college, come out of Indy and play ten years in the NFL, signed with the Chiefs, get cut, and now I have to find something completely different to do. And I had no idea what that was going to be.

You know what I'm saying by you taking that leap exactly, finding that redirection of like going after it.

Yeah, but here's here's a YouTube. So I actually put together a little we do like consulting now for Google, and I put together a little course because.

I go ahead.

They did this survey for like younger millennials and there's thirty four percent of them want to be YouTubers when they grow up, and then like the second most was like thirty percent want to be blogged, so like all of them want to be online doing these online careers kind of terrifying.

So I was like, it is weird wondering. It makes you think, like where is it going to be in twenty thirty.

Yeah, nuts, who knows. Yeah, But I'll put together's course because everybody's trying to get into it. And I feel like there's two misconceptions that people think wrongly about. One is like people don't make sharable content. So like just like you guys did with that Jalen Ramsey clip, like you got a really solid SoundBite that ultimately barstool Sports is able to pick up right right, A lot of

Yeah?

Yeah, you're preaching, I'm preaching. He's spend too much.

He's spent some wisdom. He is now, no, you're completely right. Like we had Brendan shaub On and he was kind of he was kind of telling me that whole gig. He's like, once it gets you know, once it climbs here, like we'll get you out on the West coast. And you know, because we have we have all these fucking people we would love to talk to. It kind of helped inspire us or me and myself one anything wanting

Does this bus move?

No, bus doesn't move yet? A bus doesn't move yet. We're going to because initially we're thinking, we were thinking about getting a studio. We were thinking about like what studio could we get in? You know. One of our guys was like, hey, there's this bus out back and I was like me, I started I started no with most things until I find the yes. And I'm like, Taylor's gonna love this. Taylor's very like impulsive and immediately fell in love with it. And I knew he was

So see, so what I did with Sean, you have that in YouTube, sitting on some side somebody's ranch until they until they get on your bus.

Yeah, that's true perseverance, man, we have that perseverance. Right, What else am I missing boys, Matt, Because I mean, at the end, at the end of the day, we can do it. We can do a part two. We come back and circle around like I'm bummed that It's like, I'm not bummed, but I'm bummed that I can't go to your studio tomorrow. Two years Like, I looked at yours and I was listening to I was listen to the Decker stuff and I was like, Yo, this is

That's right. Himalaya, I like him. Malaya is where I listen to podcasts. Okay, looking at me like you never heard of it?

I never heard of it. I've heard of Himalayan Sea salt. Good, you know what I'm saying. They made a podcast platform, but yeah, find it all there. Do you have a pot or anything or you just you just do you huh and you just make sure he videos it.

She's not.

She's still not even like really bought in with the video stuff. But we're getting there.

What who does your guys editing?

It was until like six months ago we hired a full time editor.

Why are you looking for a job over there?

I mean my man is always looking. Don't never say no, ball you never say no. We will take all conversations. I'll be your agent. I'll take a five I'll take a five percent.

I don't think people want to be our editor. Though. We push out at least two videos every week.

It's a lot to on YouTube.

Usually send in the footage like the night before.

So yeah, I mean ship. We we have some close calls too. We're just we're just some boys of the busy. We're just some boys of the bus trying to make some magic. Dude. Yeah, Matt, anything is there anything I'm missing? Yeah? Social media is where can we find you guys?

Sean Johnson on everything that's right?

And then Andrew D. East. You gotta drop the D, Andrew D. East, I can't drop the D.

Does somebody have I can't drop the D? I got the yeah? And what so what happened with the whole Sean Johnson? Why isn't it Shawn East? It's because you're you're just so iconic.

This is Oh my gosh, it's gonna sound bad coming for myself. It had just kind of become a brand when we got married. So like I'm actually Shawn East, but the like my brand is pretty much Sean Johnson. Yeah, Like little kids don't come out to me saying like, oh hey, Sean East. They East Johnson.

Well, by the by your guys a story you guys told I think it should be. Andrew Johnson got my man picking these flights, these last second flights, Like I appreciate you guys coming on. We're gonna have to do this again because an hour is not enough for an hour is not enough for this, your guys a story. But you guys also have individual stories, so we might need you to probably sit out in the car one day while she does one and then we rotate. Hell, yeah,

But he usually de skiped because all of your interviews are from all over.

Good luck tomorrow, though, I appreciate that.

Man, I'm hype. Dude, who that nation. We'll see if it works out. You never you never know, I mean you freaking though, dude, you know this business. You never know, but uh now this will be cool once it once it does.

Drop more stories for your podcast.

Yeah, for sure, and we'll do We're gonna I'm telling you we're gonna do this again. This was a great time. I'm glad freaking Hob gave you the number. Shout out Dustin Hopkins and Gabby. I hope you guys are taking very nice care of my house, not doing anything wrong too.

They are. It's beautiful.

Okay, good, good, good, good good well Thanks again for coming on. Yes, go ahead, drop the hook