Episode 18: Rediscovering Your Path with Lori Locust

you know? And it's we love football and we're so excited for it, but you know, like our summer is quickly coming to an end. You feel that right as we're starting to cross these days off. It's like everybody's like it's summertime, and I'm like, it's almost time for camp, which means we're almost back to work. But I'm still gonna breathe deeply in and out of my nose. Maybe hold it for five seconds and out for five seconds, because no needs have anxiety. I'm pumped about sports. But

time is a flying man. Time is a ticking and it's actually that's a perfect lead into We have an incredible guest on the podcast today. Even if you're not a sports fan, you should listen to this because it is a woman that is the first, but not the last to do this. Lori Locus. She is the assistant defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This story

is incredible. I cannot wait to dive in. I know that you've been a big fan of hers for a long time, and um, you guys have a you know, social media blessing and a phrase, but like you guys have a relationship over social media, and I just cannot wait. I mean, think about this, this defense for the Buccaneers, what they did, and she is just you know, obviously we're women in sports. She's a fucking woman in sports standing, I mean, a leader of men. I'm really excited to

talk to her. But as you just mentioned, like once July comes around, it's like, okay, the season is upon us. The season is upon us. I start looking for tank tops appropriate to wear on television for the hot games. In the beginning part of this season, I start being like, where's my raincoat? Has anyone seen my raincoat? Did I bring it? Do you want to know an unbelievable story about my rain gear. I probably have never told you speaking of football. So guys, I'll just let you in

on a little secret. I have a bag on each truck. We have a Thursday night football truck, and then we have a Sunday truck. I keep a bag on each truck and it's got my rainpants, my rain jacket, and I go. And if you've ever seen me work a rain game like I fell, I love. I play the part like I do. I go baseball. Have I put my you know, extensions in a braid. I've got the raincoat, I've got the rain boots. I am like ready, I look like an official half the time. So I keep

that tucked away, sarah. Um and uh so if I ever need it, obviously we grab it. Well one season wasn't last year, maybe it was the two year before. Um. We always have to have our own food down on the sidelines. There's no time to really have a meal, but I always like to do like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or do some sort of bar And I love our crew. They're so wonderful before we get to the game, because we're at the game like twelve

hours before. That's an exaggeration, but it feels like it. Yeah, tell people at home, because I think they actually will find this interesting. So if you have a four o'clock kick, what time are you getting to the field? If we have it's a four thirty five kick, Sit back, everybody for America's Game of the Week, Um for you want me to do it? Coming up next, America's Game of the Week. Joe, Troy and Erin on the call. No, that's not how you say it. You say Joe, Troy

and Aerin. No, I know whatever. Alright, I'm gonna change it up this year. I'm just gonna leave you out of it. Let's go back to Joe and Troy. Okay, So it's for thirty five kick, America's Game of the Week, for think, and we usually get picked up. We see your show, we see the pregame show. We usually get picked up, like right right at the end of the pregame show, which is what time Eastern dude, that's ten o'clock. Well ten o'clock for the one o'clock kick, So you're

that's ted. So we get picked up at one or the three, three and a half hour. We get there three and a half hour, so you know, I get cranky, I'm hungry. So our guys on the crew. They usually get like subs and everything like that. They'll throw a turkey cheddar you know, let us come in my way. One game I had and it was a rain game, I put the sandwich in my rain duffel bag. We get to this is unbelievable. We get to the year that it was Patriots, you know, Cowboys at Patriots. One

of the worst weather condition games I've ever done. It was pouring sideways. It wasn't cold enough yet for it to turn into snow, but it was so freaking cold you couldn't stay warm. My notes were a mess, like it was a blowout. But before that, I went to go get my gear. I opened it up, and I'm like, what is that smell? For sixteen weeks that tech that turkey and cheddar cheese sandwich had been in my back. The amount of hold on it and it was all

in my rain gear was on. It was next level, next level rose holy sixteen weeks and it was like a hairy, gray and green fungus that was growing on my rain pants and growing on my rain jacket. It was did you throw it all away? I threw the whole bag away, Okay. Then I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you another story then, which you're better than I am. I had mice up at the lake and they went to the bathroom all over this blanket. But the pictures

I remember when I sent you that. Since got an exterminator because there was I was doing construction and I hate the contractor that did it the worst. He left the door open and it was mice. I took that blanket to the dry cleaner three times. I still use it. I still use it. I couldn't get rid of it. That's okay. That gross. No, you got this stuff out right,

You got all their little droppings out. I mean, there's nothing on it, but it's kind of I mean in when I'm saying it out loud, like there was mouse ship all over the blanket. And I still used the blanket. Like that sounds terrible. But so when you're cuddling up yourself in that blanket, you don't think of little rodents like legs and tails all over you, Like, no, I don't. But now I'm thinking about it, and I was like,

I don't know, I just love the blanket. I didn't want to throw it away, but um, good for you. Good for you for getting rid of that. Can you imagine if you got some like staff infection from your turkey sandwich on your rain gear. No, but I got enough respiratory infection after that game because it was so calm. Let me tell you. I sat there the offensive line.

I could not keep my hands warm because it was freezing out, and then my gloves were getting wet that you know, all the guys were like hanging out in front of that like heater or thing, and one of the old lineman I don't know who they were for the cowboys just grabbed my gloves and he just laid it on the heater. I was like, thank you. You know what I always loved when I was covering hockey, and you know this better than anyone being married to,

uh former hockey player. The gloves on those heat you want to talk about a bad smell, I would have to stand outside because during intermissions when you did your interviews with the players, um, and those gloves stunk so bad? What is the deal? Can we ask Jarrett why I love him? I know it's sweat, but how is that to be different than any other It soaks into the equipment.

I mean, I'll get grosser than gross on that not only does their gloves smell, but like I've literally driven home from with him from a game and I'm like, fucking smells in here his hands, like they would absorb this stink from wearing the gloves, so his hands would smell. Let's go one step further. I mean, you know not, why wouldn't we jaredt will love this. I mean my husband, I love him. He's got a hairy chest. I mean sometimes you know, at night you cuttle up and you're like,

oh my god, like do you have your jersey on? Still, Like it's just what happens, like the funk gets in a man. But he's right about this. He does say like there I remember not a lie when I was covering um and my dad talked about it in the podcast we did the Stanley Cup Finals. God love him. I forgot the player I was been may have been Kipper so Off. I was doing like an interview with after morning Skate his pants like the pads were hanging

right there, Crissa. I started dry heaving in the middle of the interview, like no, because it was so bad to get that. But Jared has said, like obviously, like the clean that they do, like the training staff, um, the equipment trainers, like they've done such a good job that it's not like that anymore. But it's the worst smelling locker room you can imagine, the worst tough Well. A woman that knows about bad smelling locker rooms is Lori local. She is going to join us in a

little while. Man. But it's easy. I bet you. Jared's like, Okay, I don't care how bad it smells when you're hoisting the Stanley Cup trophy two times or for her the Lombardi. The smell of victory is much sweeter, I will tell you, though. That's still one. I mean, I was so excited being on the ice and it was his second one, and it was such a crazy grueling playoff for them. They

had so many Game sevens in the series. But you go to hug them and they're soaking wet and they just smell like bo and you're like, yea, do they roll the mat? They roll the mats up right, You're not like walking out onto the ice. Oh no, we're on the ice. How are you afraid the ice? Well? I mean I wasn't gonna wear heels. There were some girls obviously those were two times Stanley Cup winners. But

I mean, I've worked the playoffs before. We had to walk on the ice, but I think I wore a low boot that night with my Stella McCartney neutral beige blazer. This is so interesting. Wait, this is so interesting because you think to yourself, if they win, that I'm gonna be photographed in this outfit. And you gotta like the Outphit is that what we're doing here. You want to know what we did after Game three in New York,

Megan Mitchell, you're getting some love right now. Game three, the Kings for and hand it to the Rangers, and we're like, holy shit, they could win this. Game four in New York, msg Meg and I are like, we gotta get a fucking outfit. So we're like going everywhere of yes, what we want to wear on the ice and be photographed. And they lost and we went back to l A. Well that's okay. You still eventually got your pictures. But those things last forever. Yeah, Oh they do,

they do. I have some great stories of girls just talking about how they were walking out onto the ice. One of my girlfriends, she said, not that year, but a year before she's pregnant, and she's trying to walk her little kid out on the ice as she's pregnant to go see her husband and her mother in law just motoror over to try to get to her son. And she's like, don't mind me holding your grandkid and my your future grandkids. You're mowing me over trying to

get to your son. I was like, I wasn't hurrying at all out there. I was. I remember watching Jackie quick dancing around. She her baby in her arms, going to Quickie And why is you worried about falling? I'm everybody. Oh my god, I will have to tell Jared for the Calm Down podcast. I g which, by the way, check it out. Don't you like that? How I put that in right? You got to check it out. There is footage from that night when we're all on the ice.

Someone wiped the hell out. I don't know if it was a girlfriend or maybe a news reporter, but they wiped the hell out. We've got to find it. You got to find it. And as your dad so sweetly retold the story last week about me eating ship at your wedding off the Ottoman, oh my god, you did. I would bet all the money I don't have on me eating ship on the ice. In fact, if I was going out for a celebratory thing, I never had

to go out onto the ice for interviews. But there's no chance that I would make it out alive, for sure. You do kind of like a poopy pants shuffle, like you have a diaper full of the more Jackson, is that you? But you do you like have to shuffle your feet, dude, there's no way he didn't have to take a ship. Oh god, I don't know. I said that to him. I go pro. You know what it looked like, because I had to interview him like like two weeks after that. You know what it looked like.

You know, it wasn't that I was like bullshit, It wasn't that. We all know what it's like when you have to get there fast. I paid my pants on the field. But that's another story. You know, you've realized what we've covered in just one segment. Mouse shit, yeah bo and crapping your pants and paying your pants, I mean, all in all, it's a great day. I've never crapped my pants. I do know someone that has well, like home, you know what I mean. That's where you should go

to the bathroom home or stay home if you know. Yeah, well, I mean we all could, we all could hope, right, America. But more importantly, I've only peed my pants in an inebriated situation. I need to know why you peed your pants on the field, but we're gonna use that for next podcast. I'm gonna tell you right now, you're also

lying you ped your pants on a Halloween costume. Anything before the age of thirteen doesn't count, you know, man, I'm sure Laurie is delighted to join us given this conversation. Hopefully she's not online yet. Coming up after our quick break so we can use the bathroom. Is Lori Locus, assistant defensive line coach the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. We'll be back with more, Hey girl, without further ado, This woman is the envy of many and has the admiration

of both of us and so many others. Lori Locus, the assistant defensive line coach for the Super Bowl winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You know, there are so many moments, Lauria from that Super Bowl run that stand out, but you on the field at the end, They Aaron and I just cry with the emotion into all of it. The men, I should say, right, um, we are honored to have you on the Calm Down Podcast, and we will not calm down about all the things that you

have done and the barriers that you have broken. Welcome to the show. Thank you very much, you guys. Really, it's it's an honor. I've been hyped about this all day, which is probably why I was thirty minutes early. But that's awesome. Well, I Chris has said it perfectly that and I've d m this to you, Lori. Chris and I, by the way, after that super Bowl we got on

the phone. It was CHRISA that called me first. We were walking the dog and we were just I think we talked for about three hours after the super Bowl and Chris I was like, I just this was unbelievable. The next morning, forget about you, Lorie, it's more about us. We were in our Chammy's watching the highlights and watching and I couldn't wait for the mic dup. And the mic dup was one of the best things. And that

is where we saw goose bumps. The exchange with you and JPP, and every time I talk about it to people, I just choke up, and because so many things, and obviously the one that we can all relate to is that we are women. And the one thing in my career that I just wanted validation from those guys that play, those coaches on the sidelines, those gms that are in those press boxes, and to see that man embrace you the way he did. Oh like, just knock it off. Knock it off. I found you on on Instagram. I

started dm ng you, I send you quotes. I like your stuff, and I actually was thinking about today. I just feel like you've become like a fairy godmother to me because I've started like venting to on d M. I just you are so wonderful and this is your fan club if you were looking for it, you know, I'm so honored. You have no idea. I mean, I've seen you guys, have watched you guys well before you know.

I've gotten to this level. So please understand, like what you do and how you do it speaks more to two more women than you know, because that's like you said, I mean, it's a validation, but it's also leading by example where we know what the knockis. Sometimes for women in sports, and when you do it the right way and you have the right reputation and your work ethics speaks for you before you even get into a room. Yeah, there's no better so to be affiliated with you guys

and to sit here and talk to you. It's really like I just I was so exciting, so well or even more humbled by by that. Hell no, I know that you were hired by the Bucks in two thousand nineteen, you became the first female position coach in the NFL, and and I, you know, just reading a little bit about where you came from the fact you played and so forth, I'm curious to know with you and Chris, I don't know if you feel the same way for me. It was never about I'm a woman. I'm different. I

just want to fit in. I just want the guys to respect me. I want them to know I am obsessed with the game. I have so many questions. Do you get hired of sharing things like the first female position coach in the NFL. I know you're proud of it, but how much is it just like, Okay, let's move on. I just want to fit in. Yeah, I mean, I definitely, you know, I don't do a lot of like self

reflection where like stuff like that like becomes markers. So I think that huge honor, right, But I never, like you said, I never set out to be that, or to have a title or you know, to rip and run with this flag of being the first or whatever. In my mind, it's not just getting here, it's staying here and love it, making an impact, being you know, viable to the organization, helping the team win, helping the players get better, still continuing to learn as a coach.

I mean, I'm not It wasn't ever like my end goal to just be the first and be like, Okay, that's it now, I'm done, you know what I mean and kind of fall back on laurels and try and make a career out of it. Yeah. I don't ever think in those terms. So sometimes when I get to ask that question, I have to think about it and it kind of takes me like off kilter because I'm like, oh, yeah, okay, yeah, that's what it was. But that's never been my motivation

as far as like coaching. We're you know, just being part of a staff at all. Just want to keep rolling. I've been very blessed to get my first extension with the Bucks. So hopefully that's you know, a good yeah right right to the rest of the people out there that you know, I'm with them and I'm blessed and we're looking to turn it around. I don't want to say, run it back. That was Kansas Cities, right, go for two? What are the bus saying? What are you guys saying

it camp? What's going to be yours? I don't know what the catchphrases yet, I've heard, you know, go for two, you know whatever. I'm sure somebody'll come up with something A lot that year then that LORI. I um am employed by Fox but I'm also employed by Fox Bet, which is a wagering platform. In our wagering world we call double down. So I'm going to say, for the box, you guys are doubling down on your money because you're

that confident in what you're doing. I I just have to I mean, again, there's so many things I want to ask you, but I just gotta, uh know, having a front row scene to what you guys did this year. I mean, of course Tom Brady comes back all of that, but man, Tom's not a dumb man. He came to Tampa because that dea. So what was it like for you? And to just know that this it was so I mean like I literally have goose bumps everywhere, talk like

just I'm not was I'm from Seattle. I mean jeez, I'm like trading like you know, turning on my hometown. But I like winners, Lorie and watching this um from Afar. I can only imagine the emotion um for you. Can you describe it at all? What this was like? Yeah? So, um, if you think about when we all came in, uh initially and the year that we had the first year, we knew that we had the talent base, We knew that we had the scheme, but there was a culture

shift that needed to happen. And be As certainly drove that culture change, but then Tom seemed to be the missing piece for it. Right. So it's not that anybody totally changed in the defense. Obviously, you know, we pick up other people, but the building had this lift when he came in, and you know, they talked about it being the Brady effect, and I have to tell you that that's true. And it's not that the guys got better, because they were very good. It's just we had another

year in the system. We had a professional come in who was a leader, who was a quiet leader, who was a champion in his own right, and it just was the right missing piece to the puzzle for everybody to be like, you know what, we're gonna be contenders, Like we can play at the level, we can dominate games.

And the thing looking back is on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, on a game by game basis, you're so locked in two, I have my opponent in front of me, and you can celebrate for about five minutes after that game, But like on that plane ride home on breaking film down because we have to get ready for the next opponent, probably by midday on Monday, So there's this constant churn of one gets put to bed, and meanwhile, as that one's coming up, you're already preparing

for the next opponents. So there's never really time where you sit back and you're like wow, like you know we're doing great, and you know we really dominated that game. Because you can always find things to work on and you can always find things to find tune. So it wasn't until the like the minutes after the super Bowl and I know that I know Aaron's follow a picture. I don't know if you saw the picture and my son and I collide laying on the turf m but

that's kind of like when it hit. You know, we're exhausted, were the COVID restrictions just everything like hit. That's when the emotions hit, more so than during the year, because you're just you're you're so wrote, you're so repetitive in your preparation. There's really no time to allow that kind of stuff to filter in because it can break focus, and and that's something that we just try so hard

not to have happened. My last question on Tom um I remember talking to Sue this past year JPP interviewing Shack Barrett, and one thing Troy Aikman and I had said after we saw you guys win in the NFC Championship game was the defense. The first thing they said was we we found that missing piece to the puzzle.

And they always were so great and complimenting him, and and Troy had mentioned to me, you know a lot of times guys could be like, all right, come on, I am so freaking sick of talking about Tom Brady, but that just shows the respect. I'm curious how somebody like him was able to come over and relate to the defense because he's got to figure out his toys over here on the offense, Like how is he getting? And those are some strong personalities on the defense that

Chris and I adore. But how did he? I mean, yes, I get it, he's number twelve, he's walking in the building. But it was never like it's like, oh my god, it's Tom Brady in our locker room. It's like that's our boy Tom. You know we're going for he's going for seven. How was that? How did that you see that unfold? I think it was really organic. I don't think that there was really anything marked like he sat down and had a power out with him, you know

what I mean. But I think that when you talk about like somebody like Sue, who's the ultimate professional and everything that he does, when he saw now the leader of our offense be in that same mindset being that type of championship sort of mentality like all the time, I think it's really let those guys say, you know it, he's okay, and we're going to stand behind him and we're gonna take care of our side of the ball because we want to give the ball back to him.

Like every time we were on the field, that was the main intent. We want to get the ball back to the offense. So I think just by again a mutual respect the careers, obviously some of them had crossed over. Um, it just was a natural fit bit. I don't think anybody could have realized until it actually happened. And he was in the locker room. So cool, you know, Lauria.

We were doing a Fox Watch party and Terry Bradshaw was on, coach Jimmy Johnson, Marshawn Lynch and then at the end Ray Lewis came on and so at this point it was a foregone conclusion that you guys were gonna win the Super Bowl. And I asked Ray, I said, you know what makes Tom Brady so great? And this will always stick out to me. He said, Tom Brady is great, but greatness is making everyone else around you better. And he said, that's what Tom does. And I found

it to be such an interesting to Aaron's point. When that defense knows that we can get the ball back into the hands of the man that's going to get the job done, and then it's easy to to be humbled by that, and so I can I can only imagine how much fun this run was for you. But as you you know, previously mentioned, it's not over right, It's not enough to just have that and I love I mean, that's that's It's why you play the game, right,

is to win and to keep going. Sort of, how do you rally your group now here in the off season to turn your your attention forward and celebrate the victory,

of course, but turn your attention forward. I think it's uh, I think it's I don't even want to say that it's easy because again, going back to the very first year, right, we knew we were out of contention for any type of playoffs, and there was something about the young guys enthusiasm to still really want to play the game right, which stuck out because I'm not at this level obviously, but like at lower levels, sometimes you know, when you're out of it, some guys check out and they're just

kind of like, you know, they're going through the motions, they're just not really engaged in the process. Whatever happens happens. They just want to get the season over with. It was never like that for the young guys, and that's stuck out to me because that's different, that's special. So now we go through this season, the young guys are still learning, the young guys are still there's so much upside and up to that you're going to see from

our defense. With the young guys having a third year in this system that yeah, and um, they can't wait to get back onto the fields and start to play again. So in everybody's mind, it's not really you know, oh, we're super Bowl champs. You know, we're this and we're that. That's kind of like, it's it's great, it's it's a dream come true. But that's been put to bed for all of us. Um and I think be a slept the tone pretty well too. He's like, you know, we're

not going to be complacent. We're going to go out and work, and by treating them in the manner that they've always been treated at this stage of our season, it's just really a clear message like, Okay, that was great. Now you know what do we do this year? And the guys have already brought into that, so I don't know that we're really gonna have to amp them up anymore than we are. We are, and like we talked

about with the crowds being allowed back this season. Um, it's just gonna be a whole other aspect for them. That's just gonna set them, you know, through the roof. I can't wait, and they can either. I have two questions. One, now that all the fans are coming back, I wonder how many new best friends you have and how they're all for tickets. And then my my second question, it kind of just your your startup with be a Bruce arians.

There's no cooler cat out there. Win or lose your booze. Yes, please write Chris at just the opportunity he gave you and what that means to you, and and you know how you'll always hold him up because of it, and just you know, getting into the NFL because it be a yeah, no, no doubt. First on the ticket thing, everybody already knows. Don't ask me, don't don't you know, don't don't want to be with your feelings hurt, don't only ask me for tickets, And yeah, be a uh it,

you're right, there's there's really nobody like him. And to have um, to have him, have the staff that we do, to have the connections and the loyalty, be so important to him and to be a part of that is mind blowing. You know. Obviously, my my days with him go back to Temple when he first started teaching, UM coach my ex husband. Yeah, there's a couple of guys on staff that were fellow teammates of my ex husband and one of our position coaches was his position coach

a Temple. So there's a lot of ties to this staff. But the people that be A surrounds himself with he knows and he knows that they can do the job, and he trusts them to do it. And the autonomy in the building, what he allows Todd to do, what he allows Byron to do, that's second to none too. So it's not even just you know, giving me, giving MJ you know, a start in the NFL, but it's looking past with the packaging looks like and looking at the promise and the potential and the chemistry on staff.

He doesn't like the word chemistry. I still say chemistry. Um, but how why doesn't he like the word chemistry. I'm not really sure, but I think he thinks that it's just you know it, it's a working model, not just something you know that just I don't know. I think that's one of those words he doesn't like. I'm not sure why we're gonna ask. He's like, I don't like the word chemistry, but I think that it's just he understands that it doesn't have to look perfect to get

perfect results. And I think that we're just, you know, we're an example of that bit. Man. It works, It really works. He might not like the word chemistry, but he likes the word culture. You had a fantastic article in the USA today and there was a great paragraph that I've found so important in Erin with your affinity to Alabama. Be A had mentioned the story that legendary Alabama coach Beart Bryant had told him that it's so important in building that culture within the locker room, getting

everybody to buy in. And it says how he told I'd rather hear it from you than than read the article back. But you know he talked about how he told you to be yourself. Could you replay a little bit of that conversation when he brought you into this building.

Albeit you guys had history, but now at at this next level, sure, I'll take you back a little bit further than that when I was working in Birmingham with the Iron and had gotten my resume in front of b A and got an email back about ten minutes later to say, you know, I'll get I'll be in touch, you know, which would have been enough right then, but

I was UM. I was waiting to pick up something at like a local store, and I got a phone call and I didn't recognize the number, so it didn't look like a Florida number, so I did n't pick it up and it was b A And I called him back and we had a ten minute conversation and it was just basically that it was like, you know, I don't want you coming in for media attention, no problem, not me, never has been. I want you to, you know,

learn as much as you can. I don't want you to filter who you are UM, and I want you to feel like you're comfortable enough to be able to add in when you can and learn as much as you can. And I'd like you to come work for me. Perfect check done. Sometimes he's a man of little words,

but he says a lot. And having Casey as a mentor working for Todd, you know, I do have a tendency to kind of lay back a little bit in coaching style, whereas like at the lower levels, like an arena or in semi pro, I was a lot more um involved and engaged sometimes, but I recognize the opportunity that's here to be mentored and to learn because I'm now part of Ba's extended coaching tree, I'm part of

Todd's coaching tree, I'm part of Casey's coaching tree. And when not if this staffs are to go in directions, because that's how this industry is, I want to position myself in a manner that they're gonna be like, yeah, Low can do the job, will take her with us, or Low can do the job, will recommend her somewhere else. So he knew that, you know, the only way you succeed is being authentic um and just really kind of

like working hard and putting your nose down. And that's what I've been able to do with this staff and it's been great. Low. What is your dream job more than this? Right now? We'll be back with more Calm Down podcast right after this, Low, what is your dream job? What do you look to as being mean all be all for you more than this right now? Yeah, let's

see what's the goal. Yeah, I mean I think that if you're talking like short term goal, um, just to stay employed in the league, and uh, long term, I mean I'd love to have my own D line room someday, um and be one of those defenses that we're talking about right now, and have those athletes that we're talking about right now and dominate offenses like we're talking about right now. Beyond that, you know it, it's just it's almost too much to like, you know, talk about because

it's uncharted territory right. I don't know how far I can go, but I'm certainly open to all opportunities. But I think in my mind, the D line room or a backer's room or something like that would be an amazing feat to have. Beyond that, you know, we'll we'll let it ride out. But the most important thing is to stay here enough and long enough to uh to see anything on the next level happen. Well, Well, there's you know it. It remains to be seen where you go,

but we know where you've been. And for those that are new to your story, would you mind giving a little background in an overview because this doesn't just happen, Um, you don't end up in the NFL. UM the way that you have without a probably many detours along the way. So how would you summarize your ascension to this position by um? So Aaron mentioned I've played. So I started playing full contact football in Harrisburg when I was just

about to turn forty. UM raised the two boys, Um, that were pretty small at the time, and working full time. What did you do? What were you doing that you were working full time? I am an insurance geek really to the Oh my god, I've been looking at all of my premium So we can just talk about that offline, I am. I can talk to you about liability, workers, comp insurance, car insurance. I got it. Um, she does it all. Yeah, So that was like sales, marketing, underwriting.

So a lot of those skills actually have come back into play and some of the coaching things so we have to do. So that's that was a plus. But I I heard really bad with my knee and then started coaching the women's team because I didn't want to be away from the game. So coached there for a couple of years, and then I went to high school level, and I was at the high school level for nine years at Susquehanna Township. From there, I did Men's semi pro in Harrisburg and in Virginia, and that was a

culmination of probably five or six years. I did Men's Arena for three years. I did showcase teams in Canada and Philly and Florida, and then went to Baltimore to the Ravens on the Walsh Internship Program and then Birmingham Iron and then now with Tampa. What was the hardest point in this journey getting here to Tampa? What what do you remember where you were like, maybe not on the ground being dramatic like me reenacting a video music video in my head, but just like where you're like, oh,

come on, it's like really this is hard. Yeah. Yeah. I think always trying to balance it out when the kids were little bit, I never wanted to do the semi thing that they had, and they never wanted to take away from anything that they wanted to do because of this, right, because it was always on the fringe. I always had to work. I always had to make sure that they were taken care of. I think what happened where it was like the lowest is that the

job that I had at a media group no names mentioned. Um, when I got the Baltimore internship, the internship obviously, you know, was six weeks and no job really should keep you on. But I was hoping because it was a sales position, they would at least let me work up to the time and then come back afterwards. Well, they fired me three weeks before I went. So I went to Baltimore with no job, no benefits, no source of income. When I came back, I just started to like immediately go

and survival mode. I got out of the apartment that I was in. I moved into a friend of a friend's house to house sit. I sold like all of my furniture, everything that I could think of to get rid of. And that's when I worked in the pet food warehouse and I walked dogs and it was just dream Yeah. Really the smell was amazing. Um. Yeah, that was at a time when my older son's already you know, established,

he's out in California, he's doing his thing. But my younger son was still in college and I was paying for his tuition out of pocket. And it was like a crossroad, right, So it was either like I either had to try and make it work or I was going to have to go back to work and just put it to the side. Like you said, like sometimes I always think like your path is never straight. You do have to go off the path and then you have to find your way back. You have to work

your way back to it. And it's not like I hadn't done it before. I was prepared to do it again, but it just that was a pretty low point because you know, like as a mom, to not be able to provide that was the worst feeling. And I was getting to that point where I wasn't If it was just me, it would have been okay, like, look, I can do without almost anything. For them, that was wicked.

So and in about that time, a former player called to talk to me about how my experience was in Baltimore, and I was telling him, you know, some of the stuff that was going on. It was cool that he called because you know, it's nice when, like you said, you have the respected the guys and they're calling, you know, to check in on their coach. And I had a friend that I had met who was the d lin coach at Dartmouth UM at a convention that I drove to.

Another long story about you know, sleeping in the car to try and get to a conference in Carolina, but he had invited me to go up to Dartmouth and it was like I didn't have the money, right, I either paid for gas and do a couple of things, or I made this trip to Dartmouth. And the guy was like, you know what, He's like, you always helped me. He's like, you always leave me twenty dollars for gas or for food, and he then mowed me a little lump some money so I could go to Dartmouth and

just be around football. And it was just like I was like, okay, Universe, I got it. We're gonna go full speed ahead. And um, from there, I got the call to go to Birmingham and then the rest of it started to just really pick up speeds while I got here. Laurie, I don't think it's a coincidence that you work in a sport that's all about team. You know, where you've had to lean on people throughout your journey. But it is a one collective, one collective team, right,

It's not a single individual sport. Um. I could go on and on and on, and I know you have other things to do, so we'll let you go soon. But I just I'd be remissed if I didn't ask you where the love of football? That's good. My mind's from my father. Erin's is of course from her father as well. Where did your love of football come from? You know what? I have no idea one. My family was really into football, like my mom and her ste the family would watch the Redskins because that's where she

was born and she grew up. My dad was a golfer like to my left. The US opens on right now as we've just been checking this stuff all day. But yeah, nobody else. I just remember the family used to go to Lake Thanksgiving Day games. There was a big city rivalry back in Harrisburg, and then we'd go home and eat. That was like the tradition on Thanksgiving.

But I was five years old and I was watching TV and the Steelers were on and they were terrible, and there was just something about it that caught my eye and I have not looked back and unabashedly have been a Steelers fan for fifty two years now. And just remember like all of the games. I mean, obviously you know how old I am. I Like I saw

the Immaculate Reception game. I was watching that game, so to just have the ability to go back into like the football like grimy great like time when you know it was probably terrible sort of players, but it was great for fans. That's where it started, and it just it never left me. Played in the backyard with the guys, traded the cards with, you know, the neighborhood boys. I mean, it was just always a part of we're around me.

And then when I got to play, just kind of reignited a different kind of love for the game, and then it took off from there. Yeah. Well, I mean, you no wonder you're on the defensive side of the ball, the steel hurtings. Come on. Now, have you met r Yeah exactly so he I've never met Terry. That would be like amazing. But we can make that happy gri oh goodness, that would be We'll get him on the phone right now. Do you want to talk to him? Oh my god, do it? Do it. We're gonna call

him right, Yeah, we're gonna call him right, Oh my god, Terry. Answer, he's probably like on the ranch or doing some reality and I hope you have pants on? Do you know have that reality? Well we will face side note though my spirit animal was Jack Lambert, so that's who I was every time we played in the backyard. God, I hope he answered the answers. If not, we'll facilitate. Will facilitate a FaceTime later. Oh you have to monitary. Hey Darlin, very busy. This guy with the reality of that shows

he's probably selling something somewhere. He's on the branch a bourbon or something. But um, I'll him to call you immediately happen. Yeah, I'm in the message him. He's the only one with the text. I actually was going to ask you, Um, I'm big right now just because of of crap in my life. Any books you highly recommend, reading, any quotes you live by anything. I just feel like I can't like breathe in enough what you're putting out there in the universe. So I just you're such a

agreed person to learn from. And I didn't know if you recommend anything or that you you have something by your bedside you recommend. So yeah, I mean I am. I am really anxiously awaiting the Nicole Lynn book. She represents me, like, read that book. But you know what, listen, I wish I was as worldly to be able to tell you like, this is the last book that I read, and I just I don't it's really awful. And you don't know breaking down films. No, I should use this

time to do stuff like that. But um so there's two things. What I will tell you is that with the new house and Christy you'll love this. I'm trying to decorate it myself. So I listen woman Instagram room, I'll help you is but so listen. So I'm trying to force a color scheme into like a house that does not support this color scheme. So we can tell Laurie, why are you trying to play a four three defense when you're a three four scheme? What are we doing

your stay in the colors? No, it will break this down in a language you can understand. Let's not force it. You know what, what's the color scheme you want? So okay, So this is the other thing. I'm kind of like all over the board. I think you'll understand this. It's a combo Mediterranean coastal farmhouse. WHOA, there you go. That's not that far off. That's not that far off. Mediterranean and coastal can go. We can go Italian coast with the Mediterranean and coastal, so that's fine, and then we

can bring in some wood elements for the farmhouse. When we get off here, I'm gonna get all the pictures from you and I'll help you put it all together. I come to your house and build it up for his reality show. We're talking there we go. That's the thing I'm happy to help is. I do a lot of Um, I do a lot of like meditative type of just like kind of like rebalancing recentering activities like daily and it's usually while dog like super early in the morning. It's just you know, taking in you know

the area. It's so pretty down here, and um, just you know, being grateful and just having that like kind of daily like walk and talk kind of faith walk all it's it just really helps to uh, to kind of put everything in perspective. You guys are are being, um, very zen and very positive. I'm gonna be petty for a second. Who you don't have to maybe you don't have to name names if you don't want to, but

who's someone on your path to your position? Now? That was like that ain't never gonna happen, and that when you sat there with that Lombardi Trophy. You thought to yourself, you know what I did it like I just like you don't have to name names, so you don't have

to name names. There's been a few. There's been a few, sure, um you know, and I thought about like un following them, but then I thought it's better for me to let them see all this stuff now that they'll never get to if I'm going to be a little bit pretty um, you know, on the back side of it. And I know, like I've told like, um, you know, the women at

the forum. There's a lot of times where you have to make a marked decision to carve people out of your life that really don't bring you told me this, Yeah, and then you have to be okay knowing that you're going to be cordial with that person, but you don't ever ever have to give them any energy ever again. And it's okay, and you can move forward and you can be successful, and they can watch you one Sunday period. They can buy a ticket, Oh amazing, and I will

not be leaving one. It will call sir or ma'am whoever that was along your path. You can actually watch my d line chase around quarterbacks all day for five sacks and the game suckers. God. So, Laurie, I will help you with anything with your house if you give me a little dirt on JPP that I can throw into this interview. I need this, I need some some scoopage. Yeah, he's um. I mean, you guys, saw I'm so proud

of him, you know what I mean. And everything he came back from everything, he came back from last year to be on the field, and like he just he just fucking leaves all of it out there, like he he's he's done at the end of the game, because he's just he's just such a fighter and like, you don't you can't coach that. You can't. That's so like internal to him. It's so special. He's such a special

athlete and a special guy. And I've heard, you know, like the knock you know sometimes he's like he's you know,

a misunderstood player and you know, blah blah blah. He's never been anything but very very like nice to me, very approachable, very professional, and I just I really really enjoy him as a person, and I'm just so glad that he's just kind of like that wild card like that I can't imagine and o C doesn't have headaches prepping for it, you know what I mean, Because you gotta pick your poison, Like who do you prep for? You prep for Shock? Prept for JPP? Do you prep

for Vita? Do you prep for Sue? Like? Who do you prep for? Do you prep for Evin? You prep for Lavonte leg And I was telling Aaron, you know, try on this year, you know, might be a little bit of a force too, So it's going to be a really kind of pick your poison type of year. And that's what I think. We're really all excited about. The good problem to have over there. We were talking about with JPP and Crissa doing this interview. He bet

on himself when he left New York. It was like, I'm watch me, I'm going too bad on myself and respect to him, and he has been through so much and I just think the way he's handled it has been just so classy. I think I was, I know, I was crying to Cursity yesterday just talking about his story. He's just somebody I'm just so happy I got to cover. And it's just a great, great guy. Yeah, yeah, he is.

He is that people gave him a chance, you know what I mean, they'd have the same type of feeling about him instead of just kind of taking some of the past into a cap. But yeah, yeah we will. We will end this incredible time with you with for me a simple question, what is the best part of your job? Just getting to go to one Buck every day, being around the guys. Yeah, it's just all of it. It's all of it. Just been able to wake up in the morning and make that trip has been an

incredible gift. So that's the best part of it. Can we laugh about one thing with being a woman in this industry? And I do know that you want to get male dominated out of the conversation, which I like. But I always tell people one of the best parts of my job, besides having the best seat in the house, is the line to the women's room is not that long compared to the men's line. It's like, suck it

about that. And like a lot of friends when we travel, I'm like, I get pissed because like somebody's in there, like who the funk? Else like me too, I'm like, get out of here. Guys walk out of our bathroom and I'm like, are you serious? You have your own line, get in it like for like eight thousand other choices, sir, but like, can you please leave that one for me? Yeah? I think I can't remember. It was my first year.

It may have, think Carolina. There was a guy in the bathroom and it was like, um, it was like our ore, like we're switching a we're so offense goes so sometimes you know, like you can have like thirty seconds it's a TV time out, Like I gotta go to the bathroom. There was a guy and the women's reath through when I was and I went install next to him, like do the fe don't mind on had a piece of day, I'll go into the guy's restroom. Sometimes let me take too long. I said, what do

we bring the whole makeup kitten here? What are we doing? Let's go, let's go, ladies, I need to use the bathroom, so let's go. Come on. Yes, I fully agree. Well, Laura, you're incredible. Thank you so much for your time. You and I will talk decorating and we will talk to schemes throughout the rest of the year. Thank you for your time. You're amazing in so many ways. Thank you,

appreciate you guys so much. Love you can't wait to give you a hug on the field when we see you out in l A when the Bucks come to town and we've got to get this Terry Bradshaw introduction to happen. CHRISA will make sure of it. On it. Double down, Laurie, Double down down. Thank you guys. Bye, You're amazing, Thanks Laurie. Calm Down with Aaron and Carissa

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