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All right, So we've we've had many different conversations throughout the day here on tax Day. And for those of you that I'm sure have been worried about it, Austin is he's working his way through. He's about to potentially have his first you know, Uncle Sam annual check up where he's not your where he's where Uncle Sam's not beending you over right.
Right, he's actually he's actually given me a handout.
That's awesome.
And we also shared a really I mean this is this is one of the things I love about radios because you know that that's a story that I think honestly was made for radio, because there's a lot of people that have opinions on it. I'm sure one way
or the other. Austin was just a naive young adult that didn't realize that whenever he got laid off here during the pandemic, that you know, when he was told to file for unemployment, they weren't necessarily taking into the two account that he had another part time job, right, So he filed front employment, got unemployment, and then later you know, how many how long was it before you got hit up by I guess your ups rep where you work part time that said, look are.
You getting unemployment because you work here?
And you were just like, well, yeah, you know, because a big chuck of my income was gone when I got laid off at iHeart, but you know, because you already had another job, technically you weren't supposed to apply it. When did like how long into it was were you notified? Like, oh, I guess I shouldn't have done that, and now I need to worry about, you know, paying it back and hopefully not get into trouble.
I think it was probably like five months. I think I started in like April, and it took like a whole review process everything like that, which is that's why it's so baffled. Anyways, they had this review process, I had to put in other places that I worked. I told him I wasn't let go of ups. I was just only let go of this. But I think I got my first check probably in like June. I remember
it was around my birthday. And then I remember getting the call around like October, so it was only what June, July, August, September, about four or five months. So when they called me and they hit me with the well, buddy, what are you doing it?
He kind of alluded to it just now because we've had at least three people that have texted in to say that there would have been no real legal action for them to to, oh really to like get you in trouble because they gave it to you. Yeah, you know it's what I thought technically, like, you know, I could go and you know, if I put in the
wrong I don't even know. This is probably not the best example, but nonetheless, like it's their job to check and see if you were qualified to get unemployment or not,
and they didn't do enough homework. And again like still it was an honest mistake and just a young adult being naive, not realizing that in order to get unemployment you literally have to have like no job, yes, and uh, and you just learned through a trial and error that you know you got unemployment, but you weren't supposed to get it.
I thought the whole pandemic really just kind of threw off the precedence of everything back then. That's what I was under the impression of, because I did know when you go on unemployment, because I did try to do it before years ago. But from what I understood that you had to continually check in and say, I'm searching for this job, I applied for this job, I'm doing this. It's you're updating them on what you're doing to find work.
And I heard that that part was lifted, so maybe that's I took that in the same hand in his hand as me still having a job that I didn't have to report.
I got oh, we were all flying by the seat of our pants that when all this happened. I mean it was you know, and I think it's I'm sure I could do some digging and figure this out, and it's if it was interesting enough to me, I probably would figure it out. But if you end up getting paid a lot of money and you don't really know, like it was somebody else's mistake, the right thing to do would of course pay it back, especially if it's
just an honest mistake. But like what legal grounds, Like for example, Churchill Downs, who was Wes Welker who ended up being overpaid by you know, I think twenty grand or something. Maybe that's an exaggeration story, but at Churchill Downs on Derby Day, Wes Welker was being I mean, it made TMZ. There was all kinds of people posting photos of it on social media because he's throwing out
one hundred dollars bills to people. And he later said straight up like part of the reason why he's doing is because he won a big bet, but they also overpaid him and he didn't say anything, and that Churchill Downs has no legal I mean, I don't think they have any legal right to like or I mean, I guess they have a right to ask for their money back, but like, I don't think they can force him to
pay that back. That's their mistake that they made. But they put in some kind of like I think they put like a press release together, like basically saying he needed to give the money back, and it really turned out to if my memory's correct, which it may not be, it was just a really bad look for them to try to bully him to give the money back when in all reality, he's somebody of status that could probably he probably has multiple lawyers on, you know, in his
contact that he could that they could tell him like look, yeah, they don't have any they can say whatever they want, like you don't have to give that money back, And I'm pretty sure he didn't. So, you know, if somebody wins the lottery and it's a mistake, like and I guess there's levels as to how the mistake could happen, Like, I don't know, just it's one of those things that if I ever ended up And this is something we've
talked about on the show many years ago. If I ever ended up with an un godly amount of money for a random reason, like I found it, I stumbled upon it, I would be scared because I would know
that I'm not supposed to have it. And you know, if I randomly come across it, like hidden somewhere or buried somewhere, I mean, they know where it is, and they'll probably the people who hide that kind of money would probably have resources to find someone pretty easily and you know, get it back one way or the other. But yeah, I don't think it's ever happening. But I've never been lucky enough not to say you were lucky, because I'm sure that was a headache that you're happy
is almost over with. But yeah, I've never randomly just come across money, And you know, maybe one day that'll happen.
One time I was out of a club. Now this is a prettoint time, man, You stay in the clubs, dummy, stop it. Yeah, as a bouncer, maybe club scene, it's you bro that I had a fun club scene during the during the pandemic era that that was a really fun time. Well, just going over across a bridge in Indiana because those are the only places open granted that closed at like nine or ten o'clock.
Are you saying we had tyrants around here? Is that what you're saying?
Never mind a person that I know of, well, I had. We were out on the dance floor and at one point I remember looking down my buddy and nudged on me. He said, hey, look on the ground. There's probably about like seven hundred dollars worth of hundreds and ones on the floor. And I'm sitting there going, oh my gosh. Well he picks up like two of them and there is I just remember in my mind, Nick, I was
a good guy, Okay. I picked up what I could and I held it up and gave it to the DJ, and I said, hey, I think someone dropped this money. I knew that I wasn't supposed to have it, so with you saying it just like that, like it seemed too real to be true, Like it seemed like is this a plant? Like am I gonna bend over right now? And there's like somebody across the bar that's like, all right, here's a guy that's taking it, and they're gonna come check me afterwards.
By the way, that's what that happens.
It does people get caught on like hidding TV shows or just social media videos where they'll leave it like they'll they'll have somebody fake drop right one hundred dollars bills, it's not that's not a realm one hundred dollar bill, and see if you'll give it back to them or try to keep it. And like, I mean, that's the ultimate test. I mean, I I would like to think that I would do the right thing, but I had but you know, the money that was dropped probably the DJ just pocketed, right.
He had to have he had.
I remember an announcement with the DJ making hey, did somebody leave anything important that's not in their pockets anymore because they just returned it to the booth, and I remember one person going oh exploitive bleep and walk up there and then he got the he got the money bill.
Okay, good, Well that that's good. That worked out good. So well he probably had to say exactly what.
It was or they wouldn't know. And that's how you that's how you point like you said, the DJ.
So uh this something that this was probably this is when we were teenagers. So my sister and I I'm going to brag on her because I'll always when I think of her. This is one of the things that always I think of when i'm you know, not that I need to be reminded. She's a really good person, and you know, she's somebody that she's my big sister, but we're really close in age. We're fifty one weeks apart, which, yes, I was an accident. Nobody plans to have two babies
back to back like that. But anyways, I just remember she did something that was a very.
Good deed in what you should do.
It was doing the right thing, and I remember thinking, I'm not sure if I would have done that, but I know what she did was the right thing.
So I need to strive to be more like her.
She was sixteen years old, she just got her license, and she was at the gas station that is the closest to our home, and she was getting gas and I think there were two one hundred dollars bills that just somehow happened to be sitting near her car on the ground, and she picked them up and took them into the gas station and gave them to the attendant and said, I guess somebody dropped this, and I'm thinking one at this I mean, I'm a year younger than
her at the time. I'm thinking, like she could have kept that. Nobody would have known in two hundred dollars to a sixteen year old that's big money. That's big money, and especially back in you know, two thousan and four. So I mean, we're talking twenty years ago, and I don't know. I don't think I would have done that, because I would have justified it by saying, you know, it's not mine, but the person who left it's long gone, and if I take it inside, it's just going to
go to the worker. And you know, I think in her mind she just thought, well, I just know that it's not mine. So if they take it and they don't give it back to somebody who comes looking forward and they keep it, that's on their conscious They know
they know they took money that wasn't theirs. And I just remember thinking like, that's you know, And she didn't even honestly, had I not known of it happening or seen it happen, I don't think she would have told anybody, you know what I mean, Like she didn't do it
to be like, hey, I'm great. She just you know, she had a conscience about her and knew it wasn't her money, so she was going to do all you could at that point, which is to take it inside and hope that the person working would in fact give it to somebody who comes back and realizes they might have dropped a couple of hundred bucks. So, you know, I've never even been in that spot, but I'd like to think I would do the right thing.
But I don't know.
And here I am thinking, now, my parents raise me a little better. So when I told my mom the next day, I think you slapped me in the back of the head and said, what are you doing now? You're gonna ask me for money the rest of the week.
Yeah, I think, And honestly, like I think most people would probably say the same.
Thing your mom said, Like you know exactly.
We live in a world of the act where we want to we want to assume we would do all these things that are just the right thing when nobody's looking, because we have a conscience and we try to be good people and whatnot. But until you're like tested with it, you really don't know, you know what I mean, Like, you just don't know.
This is at a bar out on the South End in Oklahoona too. So I don't think like MTV was there producing like a good samaritan. Shtcha this guy trying to pocket the money two o'clock in the morning in twenty twenty, you know, But I don't know, I just have I have a goodness to me where I'm like, what trigger is, Like you just said money that knowing that I shouldn't have That's what sparked it more than anything, is I know I shouldn't have this. This other person
probably needs it. But at the same time, if you're flawting all that money at the club and you probably you know, do you really need it? You could probably you probably got some more somewhere body.
Another way to kind of, you know, maybe justify your Like if you were going to take money and not give it back, another way to where you could tell yourself that it was just you know that what you did wasn't wrong. Is that a lot of people don't use cash anymore, So like if the cash was already out, it was probably already spent that was going to go to the bar tab, So like it's not that big of a deal, you know what I mean.
That's like bank robbers who know.
That the the the money that's in the bank that they take is federally insured, right, so like they don't
feel they feel like it's a victimless crime. But what they don't realize is that when you are robbing a bank and you have someone under the belief that if they don't give you the money, then you're going to harm them, and that you have a gun or even even though you say you have a gun and you don't like that is absolutely that's the crime there, and that's something you have to be held accountable for because that's a traumatic experience that can impact somebody's life forever.
So you know, there are I mean, I guess there are some victimless crimes out there, but I don't believe that there are as many as you know, some people think that's just what people say at times to justify them doing whatever they do. To I guess sleep a little bit better at night. All right, Real quick, we got to get to our first break. We've got a shorter hour here because the Bats games coming up. But real quick, just to tell you guys where we've been.
Will continue the conversation as you move along, but a lot of conversation about Nata meant today because we had somebody on the text line ask you know, if it came down to it and you just had to make you could only afford one, and it was either making Case and Prior hole and bringing him back with whatever that cost, or paying natumant whatever he needs. I mean, I think it's a no brainer to take Case and Prior just because of where we are in college athletics.
If you can get both, hell yeah, but I would prioritize more so making it work with Prior. But I don't say that to say you gotta bend over backwards, like if he and I don't think he is. I think he'll announce that he's coming back here soon.
I believe that.
But you know, he's somebody that I think would help you, and there'd be a better chance of him making a big impact for you next season than Nata mint. But also, you know, with Casein, if he did realize, look, I'm not going to play pro. I need to get as much money as I can, and I'm going to hit the portal and see who throws the biggest amount of money at me. You know he has every right to do that. I don't think he will, but you know, we shall see. But another thing we've got to talk
about on the other side is Mark Pope. Losing a big transfer to Darien Devrees at Indiana doesn't mean Pope's doomed and Kentucky's going to be in big trouble. I think Pope's going to get it worked out, but I do want to review on the other side, what was said about the programs by Wilkerson as far as his decision, and as you could expect, Kentucky's already justified why they don't need him anyway.
So we'll get into that. We'll have some fun with it. Stick around right here on Sports Talk seven.
Ninety Now back to coffee and Company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven to nine day.
I did not see this earlier, but Mike James, former Louisville cardinal who transferred in se State only did not play a single second because of injury. He has now found a new home. He's transferred to Vanderbilt. So always Mike's one of those guys that I always would have loved to have seen get a get a clean I mean, he had a really rough, rough run and has honestly, since he's been a college basketball player. He was one of those guys that Chris Mack really liked a lot.
But at the time they were recruiting him, obviously it was the pandemic. So, you know, I think Max, I think Mack told me that that Mike James was one of the first guys that he really really felt like was going to be great for him and he really liked, but he'd never actually met him in person because he couldn't go watch him play in high school because you know,
of obvious reasons. But he got here at Louisville, was impacting in practice, got hurt, missed the whole season, and then of course played two years for Kenny Payne and that was a disaster. And then last year was with Kevin Keats at NC State and he didn't play a second because he got hurt again. So hopefully he can finish finish strong here, but he'll have I think two years maybe three years of eligibility left, which is crazy
to think about. Also, real quick, before we get back into the Wilkerson decision to commit to the degrees at Indiana instead of Mark Pope in Kentucky after Pope really rolled up the red carpet. There's all the footage and pit pictures of Pope with his letterman jacket on walking around Keenland in the winter circle with Wilkerson. I mean, you lose some it happens often. But with Kentucky, they're not used to losing players to Indiana. I mean, when's
the last time that happened. So we'll get back into that. But nico Leola Maliva probably didn't say that right. But you know who I'm talking about, right, Tennessee transfer who was trying to get more money and really hold Tennessee hostage and basically say you know, I might hit the portlandunless you throw me more money. Well they didn't balk, and they moved on. And now he's looking for a
new home. And I kept saying yesterday he'll probably get it because somebody will be desperate this and that, And it looked as if North Carolina was going to be the school to do it. Belichick was going to come get in, but that soured pretty quickly, at least the reporting of it that maybe Tennessee or maybe North Carolina either just decided they didn't want him, or maybe they didn't want to pay whatever he's asking for. But what I threw out yesterday just wasn't something I planned to
bring up. But just the comparison I made was Deshaun Watson, right, like, he got a crazy deal that nobody else would ever get in the NFL. Collectively together, let it be known to the players Association, to agents, to players, Look, that's just the dumb ass Browns. Nobody else would do that. Just understand, Yeah, that's the highest paid quarterback in the league, the most guaranteed money ever. But it needs to be
known that only the Browns would do that. We're not going to do that and just just be you know, and every I think, every single And maybe that was another factor as to why I still think it was foolish for the for the NFL to not want to pursue Lamorrow whenever he was looking for his new deal.
But maybe part of it was they were collectively saying, look, we know he's going to ask for more than to Shaan and we are we're making a stand essentially to let it be known that like that's not happening anywhere.
So I thought, maybe we'll see this happen with certain players in the college game, like like everybody come together and realize, yeah, we all want to get an advantage and gain an edge, but like maybe sometimes it'd be better for everyone if we collectively work together to just let players know that, yeah, they've got more power than they've ever had, and yeah they can make money, but
they can't bully. I mean what Nico is looking to do there was just bully Tennessee because he's thinking in his mind, they'll have to give me whatever I ask for because they're not in a position to lose their quarterback post spring, especially when they're coming off of an appearance in the College Football Playoff. Well they were, they let him walk. So the latest report from ON three is that multiple schools are interested, but they're making it known that they're going to wait and see if his
nil demands drop before they make a run. Like, the report is that multiple programs are ready to become contenders and come after him if he's open to a deal that's one million dollars, not the four million plus that he was seeking at at Tennessee, And he may end up being a case study down the line where like, yeah, this is what happens when you get real greedy and you've got you know, people trying to you know, and again you could make the case that he's looking out
for his son and making the most money for his son, but he's all I mean, like, wouldn't shock me if Nico's just going about his business and yet his dad saying, hey, no, we need more money, don't go to practice today, which is what happened. I mean, he wanted more money, they weren't willing, and he stopped showing up to team meetings
and they cut ties. Like that's like, there's no way, no way that Nico and his group had this in the plans, right, Like they just thought they could do this and get the money, and in the end they thought maybe worst case scenarios, we don't get it, but we tried. Well, no, you're gonna if you're gonna try
us like that, see you later. And that's the way it should be handled, to be honest with you, all right, turn ayways back to this decision from mister Wilkerson Sam Houston State Transfer and again this I didn't know he was going to make a decision today, but it was on the time. It was something I planned to discuss today, but I didn't realize the commitment was going to be
coming as quickly as it did so. Lamar Wilkerson is a sam Houston State transfer six to five combo guard who averaged twenty points a game a year ago, shot it forty five percent from three, I think it was, and he was wanted by just about everybody. It came down to Indiana and Kentucky. He visited both those schools and he ended up deciding to commit to Indiana over Kentucky, which really surprised a lot of people, you know, including myself, just because you know, rarely do you see somebody you
know in recent years picked Indiana over Kentucky. However, things are different now. Money's a big factor. Also, Cala Perry's not recruiting at Kentucky anymore. It's Mark Poe. So here is here's the quote from from Wilkerson. It was a pleasure to be recruited by Kentucky, but I didn't want to go to Kentuck Ucky and just be another.
Guy who's yours.
Basketball's big time is a big time name, and they haven't been where they wanted to be. I trust coach Debrees and what he's bringing in, the type of coach he is, and how he's going to put us in position to win.
Who's your basketball will be back? Now? The cope here is if in fact, you.
Know you want to play at a place like Kentucky or you know, the big times like the Kansas Is or maybe Caroline or Duke, you know you gotta be willing to you know, battle it out and not just be another guy like you got to earn it. You're going to be playing against the best because you're a Kentucky like that. That's one way to look at it.
But also, I mean, I remember Matt talking about this last year after he met with Mark Pope for the first time on ks R, because it really stood out to me because you know, Matt clearly is is you know, a UK fan, and you know, I think you'll tell you what he honestly thinks. But obviously you know he's he's a fan of UK, like I'm a fan of Louisville. So there's gonna be some positivity from his end that wouldn't be there for most, just like for Louisville. Same
can be said about me. But he said that Pope was still of the belief because he played at Kentucky and he realizes how special it is and how awesome that experience was for him. He's a walking testament to what it's like to play there, right, Like, look at this guy, he's living his dream that he thinks that you know, they're always going to have money, they're always going to have nil to compete with anybody else. But
you know you aren't going to get like that. You got to be able to come here knowing that you you know, you you have to vow what if if if it's equal everywhere else. Mark Pope is still of the belief that Kentucky will win out against anybody because it's Kentucky, not because of money, not because of role necessarily, and that I just don't think that's realistic anymore. And that's not I mean, I'm sure there's other coaches that think the same thing, but like for example, the Jasper
Johnson stuff, they ended up getting it right. He ended up committing to Kentucky. But I think they wanted guys to commit to Pope at Kentucky that are good, that are clearly of the caliber that can play at a high level, but they've got to, you know, understand this is a benefit for them, Like they're lucky to be here. That's not what this is anymore. Man Like, it just doesn't. It's no knock on Kentucky because again they are cream of the crop, right, I still think they have the best.
I think Kentucky basketball is the best job in college basketball. There's really not anything that any other program can provide
that Kentucky can't. But I think this day and age, recruiting anybody, transfers or freshmen, you're not wrong that it is a benefit for them to be able to represent your program, but that can't be the sales pitch, especially not like the big factor, like you have to compete with other like for those knocking Wilkerson all, he went to Indiana because he didn't want to have to compete
at Kentucky. Well, Kentucky, maybe they'll be just fine, but they didn't want to compete with Wilkerson for Wilkerson, right, because I guess they told him, you know, he would just be another like here's how we're gonna use you. This is you know, this is the role we have in line for you, and you know you can take it. And I doubt it was a take it or leave it situation, But.
I don't know, just.
I think As I've said many times, there's enough players in the portal. Mark Pope's a good enough coach that I have a feeling that they're going to be just fine. Like I think they'll have another good season, But I do think missing on players in the portal and even recruits at times like it may just be because look, other schools can pay top dollar two and that's gonna matter, right the days of getting guys because of your brand being the biggest factor and just being able to play
for a place like Kentucky. There's no death that still has value, but that can't be a huge part of your pitch, Like that's really that's a given. Like you have to understand these guys now have agents, they have representation, they know where they're going, they know that it would be an unbelievable experience to play for a program of
that caliber. But like, don't you know, don't enter, don't don't have me interview for a job at McDonald's if you want me to work there, and just let me know about the Golden Arches and how big of a brand it is and how big of a how big of a giant that McDonald's is, as they dominate the fast food chain. I know that going in. What are you gonna do for me to make me want to work here? Like this is all transactional now, and I think, you know, maybe that has nothing to do with why
Wilkerson picked Indiana over Kentucky. But like the only reason I brought that up is because I remember it stood out that Pope still was of the belief that like Kentucky can win out if it's even everywhere, because of the Kentucky brand, And I just don't think that's accurate. But you know, apparently they've landed another transfer. This is uh, let me see, Oh, this is basket, this is women's basketball. Sorry I thought they landed another player, but it's a
women's player. So anyways, we're out of time. The Bats are coming up next right here at Sports Talk seven ninety