The Group Chat Episode 39: Courageous Departure

Sachs to Appolus. Change is difficult, but it's often necessary for real growth, and so, like the monarch caterpillar becoming a butterfly, today we celebrate the courageous departure of Caroline Can a k A c C and Max Henson a k A Max Henson. These two colorful, talented young adult links have touched us all, but they've grown wings and now it's time for them to fall on. I'm mcmixon, Welcome to a historic group chat. That was everything I hope that was gonna be it more and more. We

knew that this news could not come from us. We needed someone to come in and and make it special, and Mick, you nailed it. You did that for us. Thank you. I feel before we got it here, I was like, you know, Mickey, you know you prepared something right, And he was like, no, I don't believe in preparation. And I was like okay, then, like you know, I guess he maybe he just does this stuff just completely off the top of his head. And then of course we were as soon as we get ready to record,

outcomes a notebook and he's got some words written. And I was like, oh, this is gonna be good when you get to be my age that your cognition is not what it what it once was. But I'm gonna miss you guys. Thank you for having me on the show and w B, it's good to see you. This is kind of sad. I mean, it's a little melancholy. You guys have have been amazing. And CC when she for came in, um, I think, um she and I kind of identified with one another right away. That that,

and I loved how she's a curious minded individual. She's a gifted interviewer. She listens like a Rottweiler terrier and you know on air talent though is really rare. But in my mind, when I learned more about Caroline and how the kind of thought she puts into relationships and gift giving and and she thinks of other people first. And that's a rare quality in our business. And the legend of Maximilian Jay Henson. My golly man. He he

came in just a little skinny, scrawny little thing. He kind of reminded me of myself, a slightly less good looking, robust, alpha male version of me. And um and Max. I've enjoyed getting to be friends and and being a coworker of you for these years. Well, I have to say I knew that you were lying when you said you didn't prepare for this, because every Saturday of away games, I would witness Meck writing his script to en up

the game of the next day. This is in between cheese bites from our plane charcuterie board that we would have. But I feel privileged to have a script written in your notebook that you opened so many games with this past season. We'll put this on eBay and it will probably go for one cent or historical. I'm not affairs manager with him. Yeah, put that in the museum. So where are you where you guys? Headed to the hard What's the meaning of this? How could you do this

to us? I know no one leaves the mother ship. I know it's true. Well, I don't know if you know this. I'm getting married, I know, and it's still on an um. Distance. Marriage was not something that Parks and I wanted to sign up for. So I'm heading back to Indianapolis to begin our lives together, and I'm I'm getting out of football completely. I'm well, I'm marrying football,

so that's going to keep me in it. I'm not getting I'm not getting out of football the marrying it, but I'm gonna I'm gonna work in the nonprofit world. So I'm starting with a new foundation in Indianapolis, and I'm excited. You're gonna make the world a better place. There's no room for that in football. So it's a good well. I always said if if I there were two ways that I was going to get out of football. One if I was having kids. I'm not there yet where we would love that one day, but this is

not that day. Or if I was able to help people and do something that that is. This is a fun job, but I want to be able to go home and be fulfilled that I was able to help people. So this was this was my opportunity. So I'm taking it. So Maximilian is already Mary, So what's your excuse? I am getting out of football? Um, just kind of taking things in a little bit of a different direction here.

I feel like I've had a really great run doing let's a very fun job but also a very all consuming and challenging job, and just priorities have changed a little bit for me personally, and just sort of felt this was the right time to challenge myself in something a little bit different. Um, which is hard to do because this is been so awesome and this was my my dream job was to do exactly what I'm doing right now. Um, but the dream has sort of changed,

I guess it's the best way to put it. And so we say where you're going, Um, well, let's just say I'm moving into the corporate communications world, so discount corporate communication products with UM. So it'll be it'll be a different sort of pace and feel to it, for sure. UM. But I just think it's I think it's time. It's It's as hard as it might be to say, of

what since you've worked here, are you most proud man? Uh? Individually, I would say in the eight years Panther fans just being able to trust that when I have something to say, it's um there's credibility to it. I think that's personally what I'm most proud of is just what I've been able to develop with the readers and fans who followed this team over eight seasons collectively. How far we've come as Digital part been from twelve to where we are now is without a doubt, what I'm most proud of.

I mean, I'm the only person left from the group that I walked into in everybody else has since came after um Or has left themselves, so it's changed so dramatically, And I'm super proud of the work we did in twelve. You know, that's not to say that we didn't do great work back then, but the way it's evolved, and the people that we brought in, the amount of talent, and you know, the level of just Panthers Digital is on.

We've said this for a long time. We've punched above our weight for a long time, and I think a lot of people have had a hand in that. So to be a small part of it, uh, And you want to you want to leave a place better than you found it, right, And I sort of feel like I can. I can say that confidently with where this

this group is at, no arguments. What about you c C. I think how quickly I don't know if it was the fan base accepting me or how I meshed with the fan base, but I was only here for not even a year, eleven months, and I feel you'll, like, I know Panther fans and that they know me, and that it wasn't just a one way streets. I think a lot of times in the media it's I never see who I'm speaking to, but they see me through social media or videos that I do or interviews, so

it can sometimes feel like a one way street. But I feel really proud of the fact that I tried to get to know Panther fans quickly. I tried to answer questions. I tried to, you know, follow them on social media and see what their lives were like and and quickly get to know Panthers fans and growing up one.

I think I had a bit of a leg up on that, but I'm pretty proud that I think even leaving here, people will still be invested in my life because I let them get to know me, and I got to know them and It wasn't just because on Sundays we were talking about the same thing. It was, you know, on Tuesday we were sharing you know, where we were eating or you know what what we were doing outside of just the football world. And um, I

think that's I think that's rare. I think that takes a great fan base to allow me to do that. But then you know, I'm I'm proud of the way that I went about it for eleven months of doing it. What will you miss most about this? Gig h. This has been my identity for my whole life. Sports has been and from the time I was you know, playing everyone plays soccer when they're little, and then you go into high school and you still play sports, and volleyball

was what I chose. So I played that at the next level in college, and then I got out and started covering sports. So I've always been able to say, oh, I'm Caroline can and I do this in sports, and sports is so easy to talk about. Everyone wants to know about it. I think what I'm going to miss and and have to find again is just what is the new identity of me? What what you know? When when people ask, oh, you know, Caroline, what do you do or you know, what do you consider? You know,

whatever it is. I mean, that's been a big deal for me, and I think to put it perfectly on him and I were talking about it just last week. Of the decision to to take this next step in our careers was easy. We knew it was the right decision. Our lives are going in a different direction. But then going through the process of doing that and detaching yourself from what has been your identity for your entire life

pretty much is the most difficult part. And it's gonna be hard to just watch the world continue, the world that you've worked in for so long, to just keep going full steam ahead while you've exited, because you put so much into this and you put, you know, all of your time and your effort and everything that you have into this job, and and to to step away from it is the right decision, but it's gonna be tough to to do everything you just said completely feel

the same way. I would say, I'll miss just the adrenaline rush that comes with you know, whether it's something as walking into the stadium before the NF Championship game and just knowing all that it's about to take place and then so just something as simple as like knowing I've got a really good story and hitting published and knowing that people are about to really enjoy what I've put together. Um, that that feeling is what I'll miss for sure. Keep in touch. It's been an honor to

work with you both. We said this on the podcast. What was this the last one of Hags have a great summer? You would write that in your books. We're just saying, you know, I have a great season, Hags. Mick, thanks for everything you did for us. I know we worked with you. Thanks for the kind words. Okay, you're beautiful. All right, fine, well, Nick, thank you so much for joining us. But he's not our only guest on this. What you now have come to realize is the farewell podcast.

This is this is the last group chats that we're recording live together, the three of us. We do have one more episode coming that is just going to put the bow on the group chatted to be the best of coming next week. But we do have a special bitter sweets. Um. It has been weird to put this whole episode together because it has been a lot of farewell thoughts and how can we make this final group chat all three together. We even got a photo taken earlier before we started it like a real one. Man.

I'm just so excited about how Mix started this thing off. That was that was He really could not have been any better. But we aren't done yet. We have very special guests coming on the podcast now. But we have to say there are many reasons we wanted these next two on the podcast, but I think a big reason

because we need their advice on something. I think, you know, Max and I particularly, we're navigating an interesting part of our lives, so we we are bringing on familiar voices and faces, although you're not going to see them, yeah in this podcast. Saying goodbye to the Panthers is is a difficult thing, and these two are familiar with that

very thing, very very different circum stances. Jake, as we all know, had a very emotional goodbye from the team and um, you know that was a press conference that I think he still jokes about now, but at the time was a lot of raw emotion. And Jordan's was a retirement ceremony where we had Ryan Khalil and the Quartet serenade him too Happy Trails. So to have both of them here providing some insight and some advice maybe as to how to move forward. I think we'll be

really helpful. It is so there you haven't We're having Jordan Gross and Jake Dilone join the group Chat. So, guys, thank you so much for coming on. Well, thanks for having us. I'm so happy to be on. I've listened to you guys since the inception with group Chat, and I'm a little hurt that I haven't been invited all but maybe, but maybe it's the ultimate honor because you have to wait until the biggest show to have Jake and I on. So actually, now that I think about it,

thank you and I'm flattered. Yes, it's the big finale. That's that's the only one that we deserve to have you guys on, right we there's nothing like listening to Max's voice and Caroline like the It's like you guys are in harmony and different. We're not talking about Will sticking around. Well, we'll talk about Will whenever he leaves, but for now, you know, you two it's like a two octave difference. But the harmony, the harmony is perfect, so it's going to be tough to replace. And then

well yeah. And then there's Will, who was actually in an acapella group, the only one that knows something about harmony, can't even join in harmony with us. Well, there you go. I know. I'm actually why didn't you get invited to sing at the press conference? I wasn't here? Then? Well that was that was in my time in the wilderness, after after Jordan's. After Jordan's pranked me as an intern and then sent me off into the wilderness. You're just You're in a long list of people that were pranked

by me, and most of them failed. Do you remember what you did to him? Gosh, I remember having fun with Will, but don't remember this specific instance. It. Will probably has nightmares about this, I really do. I've told this story. So the brief version was I was sent into the weight room to get Jordan's for an interview and he was doing uh an ab workout with a medicine ball. You know, he was not he meant to say,

with a tractor time. And I went up to him and I said, hey, Jordan, whenever you get done, they need you in the locker room for an interview. And he kind of stopped midway through to say, wait, what what did you say, and the ball kept being thrown at him and it hit him in the face. Yeah, And then Jerry Simmons, who is the strength coach at the time, came over and gave me a piece of his mind. So was it really a prank or did it actually happened? It was, It was a prank, but

that went a little bit wrong. The ball was not supposed to hit Jordan in the face. But yeah, just add that to the list of head injuries. Well all the way through. Well, you guys aren't getting serenaded unless Jake and I can come up with something in the next couple of minutes here. But I will say you

are deserving. The players always get a big send off and it's always news breaking, but you two both deserve to have some song and dance surrounding your departure because you'd be hard pressed to find anybody in the pork with either of you that would have negative things to say. So I I never want she and the emotional and say awesome only for a year, Max and I spent more time together than that. But well done, and whoever gets you next is lucky to have you and Jake.

We must we must do something wrong because we both showed up for one year together and people are leaving like crazy. So we gotta figure this out. Man. Everybody just I don't understand it. I mean, they just want to like get up and leave. Now, the question would be, are they intimidated by us? Is that I don't I don't know. I would doubt. I would doubt that's it.

But that has to be a question that's brought up right. Well, you know what really started it for me of me thinking about leaving was that BS of someone else winning Rookie of the Year for our radio Chris. Yeah. I mean that that was really the start of the domino effect that just got me out the door. Jakes the quarterback. He had to win. There. They're used to people being, you know, talking like they're so great and getting the big contracts and all that stuff. So he had Jake

had to win. Plus he was the only true rookie. You know, I was here for a short time before, Caroline, you've been doing this Jake, Jake's the only rookie. He needed to win the quarterback. It's the right thing to do. I guess he was the only one that technically fit the criteria to even win the award, but I still

think there should have been a closer battle for that one. Yeah, I just know that when we would throw when we throw it down to Caroline on the sidelines and she'd do her her her update, I'd think, God, I gotta really get better at this job because she's way better than me. And then I just try to think of something that's karenly would. They're like, yeah, so the old lineman, I can tell you right now, here's what they're thinking. You were just making things up. Oh every single game.

Don't tell them because I'm coming back next year more made up stuff. You know, No, we won't, we won't. But who wasn't that said, you've you've listened since the beginning. That was me Jordan Jordan's what is your what's one of your favorite moments from the group chat? I didn't What did you guys do the during the awards? One of the awards shows? Was it? Which one? Was it the Auscar? Was it the Oscar? Yeah? That one was good. That was creative because you had your best dressed and

you had your Oh I like that one. That one's entertaining. You know, I get a lot of time. It's you guys have made it easy to keep up with the team because you can only read so many you know, mixed not was on before us, he's not on now. To defend itself, you can only get so many, like written reports or whatever from the field. Group chat gets you Panther news, much like this episode today, Panther news with hardly any serious, natured any of it. So that

one was good. I mean, you're gonna get a little bit of Panthers football, Will's calves, anything else that we we deem appropriate for that day exactly. But what do we got, Jake for advice for moving on? I'm sorry, yeah, I'm I'm sorry. I was polishing my Rookie of the Year um. For moving on, I think the biggest thing and one you don't burn any bridges, which I don't

think either one of you are burning any bridges. Usually you burn the bridge when you get fired or cut, and I don't think that's I was the only one in this group chat that got cut, you know, so you don't need to rub it in, but I was the only one in Jordan's retired on his terms, you know, YouTube or whatever. You'll think you're moving on for bigger and better things, So, uh, don't burn any bridges. Uh. And and second of all, you never know when you

can come back. You just never never know. Did you guys think that you would be back? Well, no, I'd be totally honest. I knew at some point. Now it took a little time. Yes, you're always going to go back to Carolina at some point, but to say that it would be in the capacity that it is now, uh No, I can't say that was something at that

time of my life that I truly thought about. I hoped I would be but when we decided to move back home to Idaho, I just thought that the distance would be too great for me to be a part of things. So incredibly flattered when the conversation came up to be on the color team. And then just what an amazing time we live in when you can run podcasts or live radio shows or whatever and you don't even know where everybody is that's on the radio show. Right,

So that's been wonderful. Last Jake said, don't burn any bridges. And you guys aren't enjoy being away though too. I'll say that, you know, when I got done playing football and you guys different roles, but you can you can understand this, the pressure of the NFL and for you guys, the deadlines and to have stories and in website bits and be up and you have your personality be you know, lively and fun all the time like that wears at you.

And for me as a player, you know, I had a lot of different roles in a high level of pressure on me, and when I said I was done, it was like it was a giant weight off my shoulders.

Just to get to exhale a little bit and see the funny thing that you'll see, especially you know, Caroline, You'll still be in the football world a bit with your husband, um, you know, being with the Colts, but Max, if you're you know, away from football more, you'll see how the whole world lives and half the people out there more don't even know what the Panthers are, right, And it's funny to say, but like there's this whole other world that goes on and it's wonderful to kind

of get to live in that a little while and then swoop back in when you want to. So um no, it's good stories to tell of where you've been so far, but where you're headed is going to be even better, and it's it's people will always find it interesting that you wrote articles for the Panthers, were an offensive linement for the Panthers, worked in the weight room, for any where that your life has touched. The NFL is always

going to be a topic good discussion. And when people meet you and are introduced through a friend or something else, is my buddy Max, he used to be a writer for the Panthers. How about that? And then you have to tell who the best interview. People are gonna wanna know who's the best guy to interview? Man, you gotta tell me right now, tell me some funny stories. You're nailing the voice. So that's why it'll be. I just

told I just predicted your future. But no enjoy it. Yeah, I mean it's I think, you know in eight years and I was, I was lucky Jordan and obviously wasn't didn't have the pleasure of covering Jake, But Jordan and I started in twelve, so I got in right when you guys were starting to really get things clicking a bit um, you know, Cam coming into his own and twelve and four the the kind of magic ride that team kind of went on after such a poor start,

and then of course we know what happened in fifteen and you know that kind of era of Panthers football. I feel very privileged to have gone a chance to be, you know, chronicling every step of that journey. Uh, and obviously you were a big part of that. And just the locker room culture. I don't know what other locker

room cultures were like across the league. This is the only team that I've gotten a chance to be embedded with, But I don't think that there were many that were really quite like what this group was and what you guys had established during this time. No, I think you're exactly right. That's one thing. Jordan played for one team, and I was, you know, I have was with the Saints and the Panthers and the Browns and Texans. But I can promise you not all locker rooms were like

the one we had in Carolina. Um, it was. It was unique and different. It was just, uh, it was a very serious, but it was very loose on the Also, it just it was a way you had professionals and I knew how to had a good time on the field, how to be ready to play, but then off the field. And when I say off the field, meaning in the locker room, it was you probably got to see and hear things that not many locker rooms get to be like.

And that culture went from one coach to a to another because Jordan played for coach Fox and you know, we the players ran that locker room. You know, from from Steve Smith to to Jordan, I'd like to think myself, you know, uh, to Thomas Davis, the John Beeson's, Ryan Khalil's the players ran the locker room. And then Rivera gets here and the same thing those players, they policed it, and it was evidenced by the success that was that

was uh had that was on the field. So it's a that's something that's pretty unique to Caroline in itself. I can guarantee you that. Well, we do have to bring up here is that the final thing of when you guys are really getting off the hook, really with with Max and I stepping away because I'm not gonna say we beat you guys in downloads for podcast, but I would just recommend that the two of you never look up the numbers if you want to think that you are the number one Panthers podcast that ran for

this season. What what if you mean beat us and downloads? What is that? What? What? What are the qualifications? Alright, fine, you may have beat us by a little bit, just a tiny bit, yes, a little did well I should have stopped listening then I probably got us too closely by. Well. Actually, if it's a per episode basis, you guys won. But if you're talking total show, total episodes, they did do more episodes, that doesn't out we did. We did. We

did quality over quantity. No wait, he's saying we did quantity over I just we just we worked harder, though he worked harder. Oh my gosh, statistics are for losers and Jordan. Listen, I've already had the Rookie of the Year trophy up on my mantel. I'll give you the you know, the download trophy that we'll send that to fruitlent Idaho. I mean, well, I guarantee, our guarantee will beat Max and Caroline next year. Yeah. So, speaking of being able to just take a deep breath and exhale

all the pressure, you're welcome, thank you. Yeah, I have another bringing in. They're bringing in fresh blood. Caroline said, you guys are leaving, then we gotta you know, maintain our stakehold on the top podcast. You gotta you gotta do your scouting report before the season begins and make sure you're going to beat him. I'm gonna get I'm gonna get a point. Do it. And inside source tells me this new podcast is garbage. I'm gonna leak it out there to people. Oh man, well, guys, thank you

so much for calling in. I know, I had a blast working with you guys this year. It was fun to hear both your voices on the radio. And I'm bummed. I'm sad I'm gonna miss it, but just now I'll be tuning in and and it'll be a little bit to listen to make in his poetic way of setting up the game and all of his antidotes. But you guys were fun, always gave a lot of insight, and I appreciate you guys. Well, I would feel the same. Best of luck and and you know the new endeavor Um.

One thing you do have to look forward to the weather. It's so much better better in Indianapolis than it is, So that's something that you're gonna be able to enjoy. Um. But no, it was. It certainly was a lot of fun. Um. I guess you can say y'all are professional and y'all work I mean somewhat. I'm just saying that, just agree. But uh, but we did a good job, and Caroline, you were on it. You know certain things I'd like

to think. I would watch a game and and try to watch sidelines as much as possible because you can just kind of tell some things. And next thing, you know, I can hear David Langdon in the years in my ear, in our ear saying going down the Caroline and what I want to say you you you already come up with about what's going on in the sideline. So that was pretty good at So whoever's gonna fill your shoes will uh will have to be ready. Well thanks guys. Yeah,

I would echo that. Jake said it all and and he talked about Caroline, so I'll talk about Max. Max, you always uh, we're very approachable and fair to the players. And then getting to work with you on the media side as well, and did a nice job of letting guys, building trust and rapport with guys. Yes you're a homer, but also reading your articles, especially now from Idaho, staying

up with the team, they're very fair. So you did a nice job balancing that and that's tricky, you know, Caroline, you did that as well, but that's a tricky thing to do. Some nice job and we'll see you guys again, look forward to getting together down the road. Well, I think it's the poll. I think is allergies. I'm just crying now on here. But guys, seriously, thank you so much for joining us. Um it is just to see you later. We're not really going that far, but guys,

thank you so much for calling in. Thanks a lot. And you know what, I think we just kind of up some you know, podcast downloads. Jordan, I think we helped him out. This is the Jordan and Jake podcast hang off. Thanks guys, Bye bye. Well, Caroline has really only a matter of time until the next like Hall of Honor reunion, they invite us back and we'll get to spend time with Jordan and Jake. And honestly, you know, I was kind of looking at the banners the other day.

My name is a little longer. I think I think our designers can work on that. Though. What's the rule? How many years do is I have to be what you're reviving? Yeah, I guess that's true. We have to be a few more, but eventually we'll get invited back fitted for our Blue Blazers. We need to figure out who's on that voting committee really slide slide our names in there. But we're not done with the guest. We have another guest and that the next person we're bringing on.

We we made him the president of the groupies that the president of our fake fan club has a number one fan but we do want to We wanted to bring him on because obviously, if no one listens to your podcast, you don't get to keep having a podcast. So all of you out there that listened every single week, which tweeted us, leave us reviews all those things, we we really really do thank you so much for doing that.

But we are bringing on you know him on Twitter as mayor of Flavortown, although if you search mayor Flavortown there are many many mayors. So we're just going to let him introduce himself, um and we're just going to talk to him about all the great service that he's done for us as president of our fan club. Right now, we have a special guys joining us, So thank you so much for joining us. Mayor of Flavortown. Thank you for having me. Where are you currently in my apartment

in New York City. We didn't know what you were going to sound like we were hedging bets, but okay, we didn't get any exactly what we thought from your altar on Twitter, which is obviously not you. But this was a discussion that we had a couple of weeks ago about what exactly will you break it down for us and tell people, tell people what's going on your avatar and also your handle because we like to pub people that are funny. So you guys actually nailed it.

If you did, I can't recall who it was, but it was. It is Guy Fietti. Um. But if you actually look at the avatar, it is exactly So. When when I first moved to New York, I was traveling a ton for work, and I happened to live on the same floor as Bobby moynehead and he and I obviously kept odd hours because I was flying in at five am, he was leaving a snell at five am, and we would both be completely drained in the elevator

together and we would communicate through basically a series of grunts. Yeah, he's as funny as you would expect. And after I moved, he actually moved first, but then I left the building. It was my tribute to him. Okay, but this is not your only celebrity connection. Um, you shared a hot tub with a celebrity. Oh yes, when I was When I was we'll keep it PG here a child. Um, but I think it was eleven years old ish in Hawaii.

Um just happened to run into a certain teen heartthrob who uh was staying at the hotel and ended up sharing a hot tub with Mr Jonathan Taylor Thomas. It's pretty good, right, Although I love the way you set that up that you made. I was like, where is this going? Yeah, Bill was getting nervous. It's like private school, you know. Vibes over there just like like, oh, this

is gonna be bad. Well we do know we uh, since we put you in charge of the groupies and you are the president of our fan club number one, we I mean thank you for your service of doing that, um and yeah and letting us volunteer. I know, it's it's I know, it's kind of a lot of you know, coordinating and making sure that all the events run smoothly,

So we really do thank you for that. But we we did want to get your first impressions because when we first came up with this idea for the group chat, we named it the group chat because in a group chat, you talk about anything and everything. So we didn't want we don't want to plan too much. We just wanted to come up and talk about what we wanted to. So when you first heard the group chat, what were

your thoughts? Well, As a life flung Panthers fan, having moved away from Charlotte, it disconnects you a little bit. I love the way you know, you guys kind of converse like friends, which I'm sure you are. It's all it's all fake. It's all fake. We hate who we

hate each other more. It's a good It's kind of like shooting it with your friends, just talking about the Panthers, and you know, you get a little behind the scenes action from from you guys that you're at the stadium so much, but we do live here, it feels like. But Mayor, we appreciate you joining us. We appreciate you taking on the large task of being the president of our fan club. I know it was a heavy lift. Um but someone had to do it, and we really,

we really do thank you. It's really just a lot of hate mail reading, but make it work. Well. The good news is, um, you're not gonna get that anywhere you might get up. You might get more positive mail now than us Yankees are off the air of may Thank you so much. We at least know your first name. It is Mark. We appreciate you joining the group chat and we can still be friends on Twitter, and you're

welcome for no longer receiving hate mail. Yes, I'm sorry to see the show go, but thank you guys for your service. Thanks for listening to Mary. I appreciate it. So hopefully we get a couple more positive reviews from mayor of Flavor Town to kind of kick us off here and in one final big push of some not even not even from him, just everyone, just everyone, just please just go flood us with five stars. That can be our goodbye. It's just go fly with positive reviews

and five stars. Most tell us that we made you laugh and cry. This is an emotional episode. I want to hear how sad you are. Yeah, try try, that's especially like when you're saying goodbye to a place of work, especially, Like it's just it's nice when people are sad when you tell them, you know, like it may you want them to be sad, like you don't want them to be sad, but it's also like it shows you that this was a special place and it meant something that

you were here and worked with these people. So yeah, all of our listeners now there tell us about how sad you are that we're leaving. Well, I will say, through this entire experience of you know, coming to the conclusion that I was going to leave, and you know that, I felt a little funny because eleven months is going to be my entire time with the Panthers, and so I felt, sure, it's not eleven years. The way people

talk about you, it's eleven years. I think that's been the most surprising part of this is you know, like like we were talking about with Mick, we pour our our heart, our soul, our time, everything. I mean there there are many sacrifices that are made with any job, but especially one in sports where a lot of people aren't paying attention to sports unless it's in their free time. So we are working more than just the nine to five. We're working when it's other people's free time, so sacrificing

a lot. And I think maybe that's why it feels like eleven years, not just eleven months. It has been. It's just been really cool and a little bit emotional too. Here from an organization that you've only been with for eleven months. Let you know how much of an impact that you made and in the way that they're going to miss you or hey, I'm still going to call you about this, and you know, I just I think

that has been for me in this last couple of weeks. Um, it's been probably the most speaks to what speaks to what you've done and what you've accomplished in just a short time here. It's yeah, I mean I think that's absolutely deserved. Um, like you said, you have you haven't been here a full year, but I mean just ask around and it certainly doesn't feel that way and that that's a credit to you and the work you've done here so well. I think I was here for eleven months,

you were here for eight years. Eight years a long time. It's the only job I've ever had. I have an intern with the Broncos coming out of school and then it's been here and that's it. Like I've literally grown up here. Will loves doing this and of course so he did it to me like she pulled up like old videosve just just looking at me like it's crazy, Like I just look like a child. Um. So I've literally grown up here, which is what makes this hard. Um just because you spend you spend so much time

here and just I'm thirty years old. I spent nearly a third high life just working for this place. But when I think about the end of something, I says storyteller, I really think about the beginning and kind of to your point, Caroline, like I think about first deciding to like pursue this and the sacrifices that it took because it was always looked at as an awesome job, right everybody who would want to work in sports, who wouldn't

want to work and the NFL. In order to actually do it, you have to compete with all those people who want to do that very thing. So I think about the weekends in college, driving to Duluth, Minnesota to cover a hockey game when the rest of my buddies were partying on a Saturday, you know, and my first assignment for the student newspaper covering a track and field event. They didn't even tell me what I was supposed to cover at the event. They just sent me there and

you're covering how many It was impossible. I don't even know what I wrote after that store, but that was like my first assignment. So I just think about all those things and then to get as far as it took me here to be at the super Bowl, to be with an NFL team for eight years, I mean, not not bad, not bad. Did you think about during those weekends though, when you were first starting out of that being a sacrifice, No, at the time, you know

that it was. It was a blast, right. I have just with my buddy, with the two of us for the Hockey Beat writers, and it's what we wanted to do like this. It wasn't. It wasn't like this was homework assignment that we were forced to do for a class. Like this is we we signed up for it, um. But I think just looking back on it now, it's just it's it's just something to reflect on as as

a man, all of that kind of work. That's I think what's sad about saying goodbye to or closing this chapter is just because you know the amount of work and the hours and the sacrifice that went in just

to just making this possible. So kind of closing that because it's it's hard because you just you know will obviously Caroline, all of us, anybody who's makes it to a chair like we're sitting in right now, has gone through a lot and and sacrificed a lot to to be there as fun as cool jobs as I'm sure people probably are like I don't need to hear this, and mean, you guys get to get paid to watch football, you know, And I hear that too, Um, but yeah,

there's there's a lot that goes into over the years making something like this possible, and at the end of something that's just always find myself just sort of thinking about those moments. Yeah, I think about the beginning to IF And the reason I asked that about sacrificing is because in the moment you don't realize I mean, you're a college kid and all we wanted was this, and so you don't think of it as sacrifice. That's what

I wanted to do. But I think looking back now getting to the point in my career where I am I am able to help other people that want to be in this role, and so you turn around and they're asking you questions. And I think that's when it dawned on me how much we have put into these careers. And everyone does, whether you're an investment banker or a secretary or you know, anything that anyone does, you're putting in the time and the sacrifice to be able to

make that happen. And I think, as as I look at this next chapter of my life and next chapter of my career, I think that's what I'm I don't know how to half do something we've been all in our entire lives and our entire career. And I think that's a great way to live. But I'm genuinely concerned about my work life balance because we don't haven't and I hear that a lot of people don't have that. So if you have any tips out there, of uh,

you'll never feel at work life balance. But I'm going to be taking a month off to just get resettled into set parks and I up well and where we're living, and to try and take two of everything and get rid of one of those and put it into a space where we can we can live comfortably. But it's just such a new it's a new stage of life, and we really do we appreciate everyone following along with

this part of our lives. We hope, like I said earlier, we I hope that I've made a connection with painther fans that isn't just about football, and that we can continue to connect because I think that's a part of the job that means the most to us. It's fun to cover football, and it's fun to do that, but if you didn't have a connection with who you're talking to and the fans and all of that, it's certainly would not be as fun. So we're not saying goodbye.

We're just doing it on the podcast because they won't let us back on here. What we leave. Yeah, I mean I'm excited to come back for for a game, maybe tailgate. That would be an experience, right, I will say, did I tell you guys about the bye week or it wasn't I think it was our bye week. Yeah, I had my first beer out a football game at a game. Yeah, I forgot you could do that. It's amazing, Right, I'm excited and believable. Yeah. No, So I'm excited for that.

Maybe pop bye practice every once in a while. I'm I'm looking forward to not having to be at every panther's practice. I've been at every panther's practice for eight years, so I'm gonna take a little bit of break from that. But maybe I'll stop in every once in a while and that will be nice just to to still be in the area. And you know, I'm excited for the

next people who are going to be doing this. You know, I just think it's sort of time for somebody else to at least I can speak for myself do what I've done. It's time for somebody else to tell tell the stories. And I've had a good run, and I'm looking forward to seeing what a fresh voice and a fresh perspective brings to this um. And I'll be following along for sure. We do have much more ahead of us, just for being the three of us sitting around the

podcast talking and we haven't heard from Matt. He's crying, He's really sad. He just he's not quite over, you know, talking to Jake and Jordan's and just realizing the heaviness. Are you gonna make it without us? I mean, people will be a lot nicer to me. Probably he did get picked on a lot while we were sitting here. Although did I live up to my New Year's resolution? Okay, good, Well, now you don't have to worry about it, because it is that time where we are wrapping up our fair

well episode. We really really do thank you guys so much for giving us this opportunity to talk to you every single week and to stay in touch with you on social media. But none of that has to end um, and we do have one more episode coming. We're going to share the best of group Chat, which I don't know for you guys, it's been really fun to go back and listen to the ridiculousness that we said into these micros. Literally the first episode. Oh yeah, the first

five minutes of the first episode. Just wait, you have to tune in next week because the very first thing that will says on this podcast you might have tear. It might be better than when Matt forgot who suitcase? Probably not, but in the moment, we do think it'll make you laugh at guys, thank you so much for giving us this privilege to bring you the group Chat every single week. We hope you enjoyed this farewell episode, and we'll talk to you one last time next week.