Super Bowl Champion Darren Sproles Joins The Lights Out Podcast With Shawne Merriman

spros Um just found out. I thought he was finished up eight on all purposes actually number five on all purpose UM yards in the NFL. He should be up for the Hall of Fame, but he did also just getting the College Football Hall of Fame first time around, got the monkey off his back. So um, one of

the hardest working dudes I know. Uh. We we talked about signing with the same agent coming out of college, moving here to l A for the first time and working out two or three times a day and get ready for the combine and some funny stories and that with myself pac man. Uh. Travis Johnson was also a first rounder and UM in our legendary late agent Gary with Shard. So we got some cool stories here, some fun times. Uh derren spros. Hey, yo, So I'm gonna

start this thing out. Congratulations my dog on the College Football Hall of Fame. Man, that's that's huge. Man. How did you How did you hear about it? Though? Who did you find out through? Did they call you first or did you find out like when everybody else found out? But so they called me on Saturday. Yeah, they called me on Saturday. It was uh, it was a zoom call, um, like my college head coach that called me. Whatever. So we're talking and that's when they told me. When they

told me, man, you're talking about hYP man. Man. They could tell me nothing after that. Like, so, did you even know that you were up for it? Like what you know? Did you kind of because I know they had the finalist and they got the process or did they just go ahead and start selecting? See I knew, um, it's my first year like being up for it. Yum, Like I knew that part um, but I really didn't know.

Like you know what I'm saying, like that I'm actually gonna get in yeah because you know a lot of cash though they but when they when you're up for it. Then you're around for a couple of years and then you finally end up getting in, so that that ship was a big deal for you, you know, getting up the first time around. Man, that's like the monkey off your back, right off the top, right right. Uh. And

this is what I tell people. I tell people, Um, like my whole college career, man, I played my whole college career man at one eighty. So you can't tell me like you know what I'm saying, like you gotta be big and all this to uh to have a um to have a good like college career. No, you you don't, man. So so I wanted it for the people that don't know. So when we came out and No.

Five together and we end up signing with the same agent with the late great Gary with Shard Man, iverna tell you that there's no there was no better hype man than Garrett than than Gary Man. Garry Gary Man, if he sat in your living room he called, he'll call you before games, He'll I mean, he'll hype you up like no other man. So you missed miss Gary with Shard. But um, so we came out and me myself,

Darren spros uh pac Man Jones, and Travis Johnson. They end up getting drafted first round, picked to other Houston, Texas. We all signed with Gary with Shawnson. I don't we're meeting each other for the first time, and we're also in l A for the first time too, because I've never been to I don't know if you have, but I've never been to the West coast. So they so

they put us up. We all got we were in the kind apartment building, put us up in the Marina Dale Ready at the oak Woods, and we're practicing and working out twice a day right here, morning at night or morning in the afternoon. And so that's our first time we got a chance to meet each other. So

I'm like, yeah, that's my first time. Senior person, I was like, Yo, this isn't This is the same guy who was cutting up in college, you know, because you know, somebody talked about it being you know, the smallest and I'm like, nah, man, But I was shocked, dude. I was shocked. And I was like, you know what you did in college and the numbers you put up. I was like, man, and then you end up getting drafted

doing the same thing. Man, How how crazy? Was that man that transition because we all came in the same time and was working like it's still probably I'm not gonna watch you still probably one of the funnest times because that I had made even throughout my professional career,

right that's um um. What was crazy to me was was like was like when we worked out, we worked out together, and we both got drafted to the same team, like you know what I'm saying, Like that was a big thing, like, um, like for me wise and then and then like to see the way you work like that always made me work harder, like you know what I'm saying. So so I feel like like with us going to like the same team, like we was able

to like work together, like you know what I'm saying. Ye, God working crazy ways, bro, because I had we had no idea that we were gonna end up playing with each other at some point in time. So right, hey, lights, hey, tell the people what happened to you. You was going there, Hold up, tell the people what happened to you when you got on that Mindo track for the first time.

We had told you, Graig had told you don't get on this track, Like you know what I'm saying like like this track is different, Like you know what I'm saying, you must have gotten that track and pull your hamstring and your quald listen. So we at there, so you mind you your Darren Spros, pac Man Jones and you know they out there running on the track. I think we was at Santa Monica College, right, was at Santa Monica, And you know, they had already kind of told me before,

like hey man, this track is different. You know, I don't know if it was faster or the grip of it or whatever it was. So I'm feeling froggy. I'm I'm feeling good. You know, I got my type someone. I'm feeling I'm feeling speedy that day, and they told me, they said, hey man, you watch out for this track because it's different. So I go out there on the track and I'm, you know, I'm going around turning the corner and I'm I'm feeling good. I'm feeling that. So

I started to dig a little bit. Man. I pulled my hands tringing my car, and I felt like I pulled it straight off the bone. But life, but life, man, we told you though, I know, we told you, man, I know, and you know what, it was a lot worse because it was the injury was a lot worse than what I what I told y'all because I didn't want you all to laugh because before I went, y'all say, hey, watch out, was it deed with it? Darren who who was Yeah? Yeah, Darren. Darren willis one of one of

the best trainers on the West coach Man. We trained all of us for the combine, and so y'all then said, man, listen, lights, watch what you're doing on when you go out there, because that that track is different. So when I pulled, I pulled my hamstra. I pull my uh hamstring a little bit, but I really pulled my quad before this is this is three weeks before the combine, and I snatched that sucker right up and so it got better whatever.

But I did end up repulling it again during my pro day because it was it was like a week after that. So but that was funny. But this, no, this is the story I'm gonna tell people. I'm gonna I'm gonna let me know and I'm gonna throw myself onto the bus. So we were all, like I said, we signed, We signed with Gary wish Are we all

got the same major. We're working out in l A. None of us been in l A for the first time being out there, were at the Gold gym and out there and um muscle bet and I wasn't Marinda that already technically yeah, And so I just got off. I was sick. I had to flu, right, I had to flew for boy, I'm telling you, I had the flu, and I was sick, and I dropped about six or seven pounds, right, So I come in there and mind you every day, Like these spros said before, we're challenge

challenging each other. Pac Man. It was was sitting there talking and working. It was and Travis Johnson never stopped talking. Trat would never stopped talking. So so they baited me in in the gym one day. So we I think we put three sixty five on the bench. We're done bench your incline. So we put three it was bench, so we do. We got three sixty five when they were six five pounds, and I just got im sick.

So I know, I don't want to bait into this conversation, but you know the spros is telling me, hey, I can out lift you. I can do this I can do that, I said, Man, in my head, something told me not to do it, and I'm I'm saying, and then you poked me for the last time and that that's when I'm going on and jumped in it. And so there are spros. He did the three sixty five I think six or seven times. I think only gout it like four or five times. So I got outlifted.

I will I will say that. I will say that because but you know what, I knew. I knew I shouldn't have done it. And I was sitting there like I know it. I know it, and you pranked out like another one or two. Mand I was sick, so you I'd never tell you. I'm laughing about it now. But that whole week that you thought that flu was sick. No, no, I was sick. I was pissed off. But life but life. But like man, we want to remach and not now let's go and get the rematch. You you know what

I'm saying. You can redeem yourself. You know now now now, No, sir, I was that three sixty was that three? Ain't no way? Man? But you know it's it's different now, man, because you know when you were TYINGT and I mean you're just getting done. So I think you're still mentally and physically

closer to the game. But you know, after two years, man, like being out the game, your mind off, your mindset changed already because you you know, playing for three D that with three different organizations, has your mind set kind of changed walking away from it now? Yeah? Um uh, because my thing was like when I was younger, um, like my old heads, there's a on me, like like when we retired, we retired, like you need to keep

on working out. So I always got their mind framing. Uh. And the thing is like that's what I've been doing, Like, that's what I do. So you know, you know what one thing I always wanted to ask you though, because so we came in, oh five, we played together or was it was it five years or five years? Five years right? Five years six or six? Six years? Six? Yeah? Six? And so you so you left and went to another Onegnans,

You went to the Saints. I end up going and playing for Buffalo, and then you also played with Philly. You know how tight we were, man? Was it? This was it the same way when you went to the Saints in Philly or It is nothing like when when that because we came in we were young, so you kind of grow different relationships with other dudes. But when I see you post some time on your Instagram about mark Ingram and all these uh other people, like you

still you was tight with everybody. Yeah, like like what we have uh with the Chargers, that like that was special, like you know what I'm saying. Uh, But like the closest thing though, like with the Saints, like that was like that's the family over there, Like you know what I'm saying, Like like differ than football, Like you know what I'm saying. Uh, Like we are still close like

right now, like you know what I'm saying. Just like with the Charters, like you know what I'm saying, Like we still talk all the time, you know what I'm saying. So like with the Saints that that's they all close still. Yeah. Yeah, So that because I always tried to figure it out, like and you were still playing at the high level. Like by the time I got the Buffalo my achilles, my knee I had, you know, I was like, man, I'm only gonna play two more years. I'm in and

out there. And even though the like the organization was great, Uh to me. The teammates you know a lot of them casts if they're cool as hell. It wasn't insane for me because I I kind of knew I was on my way out anyway. I was about to hang it up. But um, I just I just feel like when you walk into the locker room, you twenty For me, I was twenty years old at the time two and you see you know lt and low Nil and Phiel Gays, Big, Jamal Williams, um Donnielle was Randall Godfrey, you know all

these older casts or Keenamcardel. Yeah, so you you're walking in man and you never For me, I just never had that shock again, like you like, wow, you're in the NFL. So even I was close with with the guys in Buffalo, like I just it was never really the same. So I was actually that because I see on your Instagram stories like your mark ingram and you know, dude,

you play with you know what I'm saying. So yeah, that I feel like I feel like to like when we came to the to the Charges, we had some stars, like you know what I'm saying, Like like real stars, they're like, you know what I'm saying, uh, and then like, um, we go to other places like sometimes day like that,

you know what I'm saying. But but like in the rookies, you know what I'm saying, Like when we came into the league and we came to the Charges, like, man, we had Drew Brees, Philip you know what I'm saying, Like we have some real stars. No, we we did. But if you if you look around in NFL, we we had just we had more star power than anybody. You know, you had had a paid Manny or you

had Eli Manning, had Tom Brady. But as far as stars like bonus five dudes that can go anywhere in the country and somebody can point them out and say, hey, that's that's such and such a place for the Charges like still like still to this day. And that's why for me it was a shock because you know, you you started planning planning that in that in that circle and you get remembered like with some of the other great players and some of the other great times we had.

So like that was cool for me. So what which because are you are you gonna you should be up for the Hall of Fame for for the NFL, though because your numbers would Um, yeah, I'm bringing it up absolutely because you were seven or eight on on the all purpose right five. So I don't know, like you know what I'm saying, Like that's my next you know what I'm saying, That's where I want to be. You

know what I'm saying. Did you envision that though? Because I remember we had I don't know if you remember though, but I came to your camp and Kansas was in Kansas, right was came to your camp in Kansas. I don't I don't know what year was, man, the old five oh six or seven? Was it? Somewhere somewhere around there, And we had a we had a brief conversation just about you know, we wasn't really talking about stats, but just talking about what we was playing on doing and

what she was gonna do. Has that have you this always thought about? That? Is that like a real possibility of you from where you came from And I got a chance to here her first hand, and you've been back at the crib with all you know, the kids and everybody and everybody respecting you to not only now get in the College Hall of Fame, but now potentially the NFL Hall of Fame. Did I ever cross your mind? No,

it didn't, Like you know what I'm saying. Uh, Like when I first came to the league, like I only thing I wanted to do was play football, Like you know what I'm saying, Like that's the only thing that was on my mind. You know what I'm saying. But but but like now that I'm finished, Like, um now that crossed my mind now, like you know what I'm saying, Like the reason you play this game? You know what I'm saying, Like you want to be in the Hall of Fame. You know what I'm saying. You want that

yellow jackie? Yeah? So what so what's next? Man? You want? Because I always people ask me all the time, and I know I bullshit around on like social media and I'm always playing around because it's you know, all that's just funny to me anyway. But are you are you thinking about getting a coaching or something, you know, getting back into the game and some capacity or nothing nothing, none of that. Um like right now, right now, I want to do like a scouting park, like you know

what I'm saying. But like like you on the on the player personnel side, yeah yeah, okay, But not being a coach, like no, no, but too many hours in No, I don't want to do that. But the scouting park, like you know what I'm saying, like finding talent, that's what I want to do. Yeah, that you're like one of the first ones I heard say that because they see they people want to coach or they don't want to coach. The first thing that I always say that for what you just said, there's no way in hell

I was too long. Money is not enough and you and you live, you living and dining in the year the year based on how your team do. And I'm like, I'm good on that. I'm straight. You know, I'm retired, man, I got other stuff going on. Man, so all adult, man, what I'm gonna let you go. But but yeah, I gotta get you in that in that gym. So I already offered these pros to coming and do so do a few of my m m A workouts, And somehow, some way he keep on disappearing. So I can't I

can't really catch up to him. But it's gonna happen. Yeah, we ulluh, we're gonna get in there. We don't get in there, man, Uh, let's go ahead. And spark Man. Listen, see so I can put these hands on. All right, boy, I'm out man, alright, appreciate you coming on, dude, Thank you problem Okay, thanks, thanks guys. I appreciate it once again for listening to the Lights of podcast for me. Sean Merriman and uh, it's so funny, man Like. It's one of the things for me that I love competition.

I love competing. It's one of my funniest things to doing. It's always great when you have other guys rounded the challenge the hell out of you and even know, you know, you got the small dinner spros. Uh. That was a true story. You guys just heard. He did outlift me in the gym one day. Uh, you know at uh in Marina del Rey at the Goals gym. He did do that. I had to flew. I'm a stick with that.

I had to flew and uh but anyway, man, he just I'm really proud of him and and um really honored to be his teammate because he's come a long way with a lot of different things, and you know, look look forward to see him on somebody's team and possibly a pro scout or something like that. So thank you guys for tuning in. I appreciate it. UM means a lot, man. We I think we're well over tuning the thousand downloads and doing extremely right well right now,

all because of you. So keep telling it, leaving, leaving us those great reviews, and uh we'll be back next week with another big one