We Yes, we took a victory shot. Now when did the victory shot start?
I don't even know the origin of when he started doing it in Green Bay? Maybe I think really early on in Green Bay. And it was always before the game though before it always gives a little toast, and yeah, it does his whole thing. Do you know what the toast is? Do you know what the hot toast is?
I mean, I think I know what the toast is, but again, I'm now I'm nervous to mess up something else about Keith. It's really quick, play hard, play safe, just win the fucking game.
There you go. And then he would slam his little shot glass.
He would slam. He would take a shot and then throw it onto the ground.
Yeah it Hi, I'm Ajhawk and I plan on taking all of Brian's money in Lake Tahoe.
Hi everybody, and welcome back to Off the Beat. I am your host, Brian Baumgartner, and today ding the bells, Ding dong, the witch is dead. We have an NFL legend on the podcast. Guys, I can't tell you how excited I am to talk to my old friend, the one and only AJ Hawk. Now we know that the best offense is a good defense. I think someone said that once, and well AJ shows that more than anyone. You might know him from his time on the greatest NFL team of all time, the Green Bay Packers. No,
that's not up for debate. The all time leading tackler for the Green Bay Packers. He played from two thousand and six to twenty fourteen. I'm talking one hundred and fifty eight consecutive regular season games. Yes, you heard that right, and during that time he won a Super Bowl, then went on to play for the Bengals, the Falcons, and since retiring from the sport, well, AJ has launched quite an impressive career as a sports analyst for Fox Sports ESPN and most notably, as a co host on the
Pat McAfee Show. So if you don't know him from sports, well, you likely know him from entertainment. Today, we're going to dive into his career, what drew him into football, the entertainment side of sports, and why he will always consider himself a Packer. I'm excited. Are you excited? I'm excited? Yeah, here we go a jay Hawk. Everyone. Bubble and squeak. I love it.
Bubble and Squeakna.
Bubble and squeak.
I cook it every month, left over from the ninety.
Four what's up? Ajay?
What's up? Brian? How you doing?
I'm good?
How are you great? You know, same old just I've been listening, man, I text you like a month or two ago. I think about I've been listening to a lot of the stuff you do. Man.
Well, I really appreciate that, you know before. I mean it feels like I've been doing this now for seventeen years. But before this, I was on your podcast, the Hawk Cast back in the day.
Correct. Yeah, I don't know when that. I have to go back and look exactly the month in what year that was. But yeah, I started doing that while I was still playing. And I I mean, you know, bruh, like other people don't know. But you know, like I've seen every episode of the Office five thousand times. My wife and I still watch it. Hey, what's going on? What do we have to watch? Not a whole lot, and then we always just come back to the Office, So you know, like that's that's our thing that holds
our family together. My young kids love it too, so are huge fan? Are they watching it now?
Oh?
Yeah? I got a twelve ten seven and six year old, and we've we've opened it up to everybody. Everyone loves it. Everyone dies laughing because you know, I realize your kids like watching them when they're seeing when their parents laugh and think something's funny. So my my six year old sees us laughing at you know, Meredith, your boobs are showing like that's a common thing in my in my uh in my household. From my young kids, that's like their favorite. They think that's the funniest thing ever.
So yeah, now do they want are they are they allowed to watch every episode?
I mean, we've thought about that. We started to wonder like, okay, should we like be better parents and say there's some episodes that should I don't. Are there any episodes that you can think of that they should not be allowed to watch? Because it's almost beyond them. I think some of the humor, the things that may be wrong or bad for kids to see.
I guess, well, I mean the one that pops to mind. And I only bring it up because it's I mean it it is historic, as I as I have been taught, we were the first half hour television show, right, so comedy half hour television show to have that really deep man's voice come on at the beginning and say the following program may be unsuitable for children under thirteen. You were discretion advised? Yes, can you guess the episode? It was very early on?
I mean I think especially early on in some of those episodes.
I mean, let me just say this. Dwight says the word clytoris.
Really what is this? What?
It's still on?
The sexual sexual harassment episode and Michael brings in the sex doll and at the end there's a long exchange where Dwight is asking. He goes to Toby and asks him a lot of questions.
Yes, some of that stuff, I see some of it. I think that's a bit beyond my kid's comprehension. Right now, we'd have to have a little conversation if they really dug deep into what was going on.
Now we'll stop talking about the office in a second. But I have a question, because I get this all the time, people who say they watch it over and over and over again, they say, except for one episode, Scott's Todts, Oh, scott Scott's Todds people too uncomfortable for some people. Yeah, I think it hits a little too close to home or something.
Yeah, that might I get it. Yeah, I mean, I do make myself. I guess it's not the first one I go to because it's such an unbelievable episode. But the acting and writing is so unbel like, it's so crazy that you do feel horrendous. You feel just it is tough. You're right, that's probably my least watched episode honestly.
Yeah. Uh well, look, you and Laura, your wife. I have gotten the privilege of getting to know you through visiting Green Bay, and of course are exploits on the golf course, the golf course, your brother as well. I'm going to talk about your dad. I mean, I feel like I know oh everyone.
I mean, it's awesome. And you do, Brian, you do? Like do you?
You?
Pretty much? Have You've done like pregame victory shots with my family. You've done. You've been involved in every kind of tradition that I think my family has.
All Right, well, let's go back early for you growing up in Cattering, Ohio. Attended Centerville High School. Now, how close to Columbus is that.
It's about hour and fifteen minute drive.
Not too bad, right, And your dad, I know played college football.
No, No, he's gonna. Oh, I'm so pumped you said that. Please keep it in. He did not play college He didn't play any college sports. We joke about his athletic ability a lot. So really, I'm so happy you said that. So he's gonna he's gonna claim that. He's gonna say he did now because he heard you try to say he played college football. He played baseball in high school and football, but didn't play in college.
I so the oh did he go to Ohio University?
Yes, went to Ohio University and was like a radio TV major and had like you know, was had a fake name, J. T. Hawkins and it was a radio DJ.
Well, here's the thing. He must be.
You know, you always say everything you hear, you read on the internet is not true. He must be trying to get it out there that he played linebacker at Ohio University, because how would I have known that he went to Ohio University. I don't remember that conversation, but that's what it. That's what it says. Very interesting.
We never know, you know, with everything going on right like the deep fakes, I mean the Tom Cruise deep fake videos, I don't know which one's Tom and which one's whoever this other guy or whatever it's computer animated.
Well, I know you guys spend a lot of time analyzing those videos in your current employment. We'll talk about that later. So your dad was was not an athlete, so that was so how did you get into sports?
Was it important to your dad? Was this something that was important to your family?
Yeah, well, so I'm the youngest. You Actually, I don't know if you've met my oldest brother, youngest of three and so.
I know Ryan.
Well, yeah, my oldest brother, Matt cohen Burke, he played high school and not in college. But my middle brother, Ryan, he played quarterback at Ohio. You so that might be sticking in your head. That may be why you have a little bit of the football on your brain with my family.
No, I have that here.
Keith Hawk played linebacker at Ohio University, you know what, Let's go with it.
And he did. It was too far back to check the records, anyway, You're right, I think he did. Think he I think he had a couple of huge games that he must have blown his knee out early, you know the end of his career.
Did So, why why was sports so important to you?
Growing? It's really all we did or all we knew. I just I knew what my two older brothers were doing. And my middle brother Ryan, he's two years older than me. We just grew up playing football, baseball, and basketball. That's just what we did and I never really thought of anything else. We just did it because it was fun and our free time, that's what our free time. We're playing roller played hockey in the park and stuff like that. So it was a good era, a good time to
grow up. I'm I was born nineteen. I'm thirty nine years old right now, and that time growing up was awesome. Like that's all we did was go outside and play different sports. But I just wanted to be like my brothers. You know, both of them played and they were good, and so I was always constantly just chasing them and wanted to kind of have what they had.
Pretty much the moment where it becomes well, it's a hobby or it's an activity. It's something that you do, and then there's a choice that you want to pursue it more for a career or beyond that sort of activity phase. When did that come for you? When did you realize this was something that you could do in college? End or beyond man.
I never really thought of playing in college, like, Okay, So when I was young, the goal, the dream was to play for my high school team. Go you know, Friday night Ohio high school football. It was a big deal, right, I say it all the time. I remember watching the varsity team when I was fourth fifth grade, going to games and hearing them walk into the stadium from the locker room because they're wearing metal tip spikes. I wasn't allowed to wear metal tip until you get in high school.
So it's a big deal. That was always my dream, my goal and everything. And I was lucky that my older two brothers played there. I got to play two years with my middle brother Ryan, so my freshman year he was a junior. My sophomore he's a senior, and he was the starting quarterback for four straight years there, and so I got to play running back with him too, both of us on the offensive side of the ball
for a little bit. It was It was awesome. But I didn't really think about college until late in my high school career. Probably my brother had been he's was getting recruited to play quarterback. He went to Miami of Ohio first and went there as a quarterback in the same class as Ben Roethlisberger, and he ended up transferring to OHIOU and started for a couple of years there.
But he actually, yeah, he came into OU, and Ben actually red shirted, and my brother came and started playing right away and was like doing a little slot receiver trick plays all this stuff, and then Ben came in and Ben became Ben and so it all worked out, and he's friends with him and everything, and we love him. But I was watching him getting recruited. I was going on some of those recruiting trips with him around on the MAC and schools like Northwestern Indiana, places like that.
And then going into my senior year in high school, I went to Ohio State's camp and they hadn't offered me a scholarship yet, and a lot of guys had been offered. I guess that we're going to be coming in and I did what I guess. I did enough at that camp to get a scholarship ball for from Jim Tressel, and I committed right away and it was never a question of me going anywhere else. And yeah, then I was very lucky to go to o Higo State at a great time as well.
You were a big Ohio State fan as a kid growing up, right, Yeah, I.
Was, but compared to like the rest of not the rest, but of a lot of people in Ohio, they probably technically couldn't say I was like a die hard fan, like I'd loved Ohio State. I looked at it like it was a fantasy world. It was never real to me, like you could go there and play there. I didn't. I didn't go to a game until I was like a sophomore in high school being recruited. That's the first time I went to a high of state game, just because I feel like on weekends we had our own games,
our own stuff happening. But yeah, I knew if I wanted to play in college and I had a chance there was even a sliver of hope to play at Ohio State, I was gonna do whatever it took to get there. So yeah, I knew I wasn't gonna go anywhere else.
When you signed to go to Ohio State, was it as a linebacker?
Yes, it was as a linebacker, But then there's four linebackers come in just in my class alone, and one of them was the USA Toda player of the Year, like I was kind of an afterthought kind of, I think, And they said linebacker, and then people claim there's a couple of coaches that thought it meant when it put me at fullback too.
So were you a late bloomer? And I'm not even saying that as a joke, Like.
N No, I wasn't. I don't think I was. No, I wasn't a late bloomer. I actually so. I committed to Ohio State going into my senior year of high school football. My first game my senior year, I was the punter. Ran was running a fake punt, playing in my foot in the ground, and a dude just took his helmet and ran it right through my knee and popped my knee straight back, and I tore my PCL
and then a bunch of cartilage. So I got it scoped and just cleaned the cartridge out, rehab my PCL and came back and played the last like three or four games my high school my senior year. Lucky, I was already committed and they didn't pull my scholarship, so that was a big I thought for sure I was done. I was like, Oh, there's no way they're gonna they're gonna give my scholarship to someone else. But luckily they never even waiver.
So even though you go to Ohio State, you end up, by the way, winning a national championship with Ohio State. Did you at that time think this that you were gonna pursue it beyond college or was it just a step for you?
It was definitely a dream, Yeah, that'd be cool to play in the NFL someday. It didn't really become a reality until later way down the road. I think in college though.
Well, guys, he ends up winning the Lombardi Award. You're an All American twice. I mean, I don't know if you're being modest right now or if if this is really where your mindset was. I'm trying to find that moment for you, where for you it clicked or was it just gradual. Was it just one play at a time, one year at a time.
Yeah, I think it was gradual. I think you just how I've always tried to just be I'm pretty consistent, which is boring. Like I have no problem eating the very similar foods day after day, the same thing. I don't need a bunch of variety. I do I'm kind of a creature of habit I think, and you know, I'm not definitely not the biggest guy or the fastest dude, but I know like I'm not gonna quit and I'll be there. And luckily too. When I was young, especially
in college, I didn't think about anything. Now that I'm older, I think back on different things, I was like, Wow, I was truly in the moment. I didn't I legit was not really thinking very far ahead at all, like just hey, what do we gotta do today? And then let's just keep it moving. And I had a great time too. I loved it. Made so many great friends in college that still live around me now and now our kids play together.
What a great lesson that is, though. I mean that because that's it's very surprising with all of the people that I talk to. For most people, they begin to look ahead, and it sounds to me like for you, you were, Yeah, you were just truly.
Naive, very naive. I think I didn't think of it. I mean in a good way, though. I'm very glad I was, because I didn't realize that until I came back to a game when I was three or four years into the league. I came back during a bye week and I was watching it. It was a night game in Ohio State, and I remember tapping my wife and I was like, is this what it looks like? Like? What I was like, is this what it looks like?
She's like, yeah, this is football. These are games. And I was so scared for these dudes, Like I was so nervous for him. I was like, in my head, I'm thinking, do these guys know like every single play, the whole game can hinge on what mistake you make or a great play you make, Like there's so much on the line here. I felt like watching from the stands.
I never really thought about that before until I was there in that moment, and then it made me realize, geez, I'm glad that I never thought about any of that when I was playing. We were honestly just just goofballs, having fun and join ourselves.
That's so interesting. I mean, what, there's one hundred thousand people there, and clearly, when you're at home, you you must feel, like feel the sound that that many people creates. But it's so interesting for you that different perspective because you're in the moment, you're down there and you may hear or acknowledge that there are people that are watching.
But like you said, not being a fixture at Ohio State games before you went right, like, not really being there on that other side probably takes some pressure off now that I'm paid about it.
I think in the moment, don't you think some of the best golfers are dumb as a rock because they don't ever think about their bad shot. They don't They're not walking up to their ball on the eighteenth fairway knowing, hey, if I get up and down from here, I'm gonna win whatever, whatever gigantic tournament, a major. They're legit. Just they're walking, well, look at that tree, Oh, look at that that's cool. And then they both knock it to
two feet and tap it in and call it a day. Like, if you could have that brain in golf especially, you can win a lot of tournaments.
Yeah, you and I know for sure there are great golfers who are not very smart.
Yes, that is lots of Yeah, it pays. It pays to not be very smart out there. In certain ways, they are very maybe whatever their intelligence is, other ways that they helped turn it on.
When you're at Ohio State, you are focused on criminology.
Yeah. I wanted to be a cop. You wanted to be a cop. Yeah, that was that was the plan. Yeah, so crime I took. I mean it's basically, yeah, criminology, sociology major. Took a lot of sociology classes. Didn't have a lot of math to take. That was definitely part of it. Numbers just don't work. My brain does not compute numbers. And I've known that for a long time. Yeah, me too.
Okay, so you uh so you start becoming named in All American in the country, and you win the Lombardi Award, and so at some point you start turning your attention towards the draft, right and like playing football beyond right?
Yeah, definitely, uh yeah. Going into my senior year, yeah, I guess I didn't. I luckily didn't think about it too much, but I knew, yeah, hopefully if I go out here and play well, I could be a first round pick. Hopefully that was the thought. And we won, and we want to win a national championship. I got there my freshman year and rode the coattails of guys and got to start one game and play all the special teams and everything, and play in spots and other games.
But we had an unbelievable group of like of older guys that I got to learn from. But yeah, I wanted to go do it as a senior, and we weren't able to do that. My senior year we lost two games and weren't able to win the national championship. But yeah, going in, I knew, hopefully this is this is the plan to play after this. I knew I
definitely wanted to. I had the desire. And then after the season, I was stayed in school and worked out there and then would fly out and have you go go to the combine and then fly out and have visits the month like leading up to the draft and other teams and doing all I was still in school when I was doing all of that, and then got drafted by the Packers.
Yeah, drafted fifth by the Green Bay Packers. You had another line of first round defensive picks by the Green.
Bay by the Green Bay Packers, I do have Why are you a Packers fan, Briy, I I don't know if.
First off, let me say this, I want to say that it was a mistake, but it wasn't. I woke up today and I put on the University of Georgia shirt.
I respect for that squad. They're great, Kirby Smart, They're a great team. High of State played them tough, played them tough in the playoffs. Georgia, Man, you guys got a good thing going down there.
Brian, Do you wish you had gone to Georgia instead of Ohio State? No, because you'd be a better You'd be a more successful person had you done that.
You didn't even go to Georgia.
I know, I know, but I didn't play football. Mu right, Hey, if that's right. If I had played football, yep, I would have gone to Georgia.
Would you? Did you play football at all?
Growing up?
Just a little?
I mean, I you know, I had my bad leg situation pretty early before before I really had the opportunity to get into it. But if I had, I would have gone to Georgia. That's That's really all I have to say about that. Oh why am I a Packer? You know why I'm a Packers fan because of you.
Not me. It came on for me.
But okay.
AJ gets drafted fifth by the Packers in two thousand and six and in twenty ten or following the twenty ten season, wins the Super Bowl in Dallas, Texas. I call that the Ice Bowl because there was so much ice out you guys didn't have to deal with. We couldn't hardly get to the stadium, But I was there. I saw you play the all time leading tackler for the green Bay Packers nine seasons twenty six to fourteen. If my math is right, eight years, nine seasons with
the Packers. Do you consider yourself a Packer?
Yeah? Absolutely, I technically got played eleven years. I played one year with Cincinnati after my nine in green Bay, and then I got a season with Atlanta the year they went to the Super Bowl, which had a great experience there. By the way, I was only there a month. Awesome experience. Loved all the coaches. Still talk to a lot of them, but yeah, always really always a Packer.
Yeah, that's interesting. Your experience in Atlanta was great, and you still communicate with them.
Dan Quinn was the head coach. I love that guy. Jeff Olbrick is now the Jets defensive coordinator where our buddy Aaron Rodgers is at, and Aaron loves Jeff. I knew Olbrick would enjoy having him there. He was the linebacker coach at the time in Atlanta, and I was there four games and they were awesome. I learned so much and just really maybe it was just because I was old and I wasn't even playing it on playing I was already doing working as like an analyst on
FS one, doing some games by then. But they had a bunch of guys go down one week and tried to bring me in there, and maybe just because I was older and I knew, I was like, oh, this is like a really cool experience, and so I took a bunch of notes, tried to see how they ran things. It was just a cool like it was almost like watching like different ways, like hey, there's a lot of different ways where you can lead and you can run an organization or a team or how you interact, and
it was just really cool. They had a lot of good people there. Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator. I mean, it was littered with stars everywhere.
I want to talk about the Packers for a little bit. Your greatest memory of being in Green Bay.
I mean Super Bowl is tough to top that, it really is. But if being like weirdly not, I don't know, I'm not some I'm not into mystical crazy like getting real deep talk or anything, but honestly, the coolest thing about Green Bay and my wife and I this is the thing we missa just the people, like the guys and their wives and girlfriends and their kids. Like we had a really special thing there for a long time. We feel like we should have won more super Bowl
It's no question, but especially that Super Bowl year. Man, our team was so close and we didn't We didn't even know it at the time, but yeah, just looking back, just really special people that we still communicate with. My wife still takes trips with Green Bay girls every single year and we try to meet up as much as we can, so I think the order we get, the more we realize how special it was and kind of grow to appreciate that stuff.
I've said many times, if you don't have a team, if you don't have a reason to hate Green Bay, if you go to Green Bay, it's hard. It's really hard not to root for them, because the experience really is singular in all of sports. I'm gonna tell I'm gonna give one. There's many examples, but one, because I'm talking to you. I was in Green Bay for a game, your dad, your brother, who I knew well from our
golfing days, and your dad was there. And now I don't want to I don't want to screw something else up about your dad. But your dad bought a house, right, Your family bought one of the houses directly adjacent to lambeau Field, essentially to stay in because they wanted to come out and see games.
Right, yep. Yeah, when I got drafted, I was freshly new. Hewed got married right before camp and I didn't even know it, but yeah, he got the house and he said, we, well, obviously I want to come to every game and I want to bring friends, and I'm not going to do that too. You're a new Hewed, Like, I'm not going to stay with you guys. And obviously, yeah, that was like, I guess that was very nice of him, But it was like a he and my mom were in college again.
They'd have different couples come up every weekend and have party, like they had the greatest weekends for home games. It was. It was a great idea.
So if you've never been, the houses are literally right there next to the fairly small parking lot, and before the game, you tailgate house to house, and really what it is is garage to garage. There was one house that I always go to that had literally had put in a urinal like bathroom with a urinal in the in the garage there and TVs everywhere. Your Dad's was
not as glamorous. I think when I was there, it was minus eight degrees and we were on folding chairs in the garage, in the garage that was not heated in any way. But we yes, we took a victory shot. Now, when did the victory shot start?
I don't even know the origin of when he started doing it in Green Bay? Maybe I think really early on in Green Bay. And it was always before the game though before it always gives a little toast and it does his whole thing. Do you know what the toast is? Do you know what the hot toast is?
I mean, I think I know what the toast is, But again I'm now I'm nervous to mess up something else about Keith. It's really quick, play hard, play safe, just win the fucking game.
There you go. And then he would slam his little shot glass.
He would slam. He would take a shot and then throw it onto the ground.
Yeah, that was it. Yeah. I don't know how. I think it started early on in Green Bay, I guess yeah.
Yeah, what an incredible thing for you to have your family be able to be a part of that those nine years in Green Bay and have that experience. Clearly they they love it. Do they still have the house?
No, they sold it shortly after my time was up. They didn't have any trouble selling that thing. Yeah. It was only like two, like probably three streets over from Lambeau. You could, I'm sure you could hit your driver and hit Lambeau from their front yard if you could move some trees. Yeah, no, for sure. How did you get on the when you when you came over to the house and did the pregame victory shots. Did you coordinate that with Ryan, my brother? I think that through I
think that was through your brother. Yeah. I was gonna say, because all of a sudden, I'm I remember I was in the locker room, I think, and they sent me a picture or sent me a video of you guys doing the shot. And what's Brian doing. I didn't even know you were going. Yeah. No, so uh.
For those of you who don't know, AJ is a fixture at the American Century championships, which we've talked a lot about on this podcast. In beautiful Lake Tahoe. We're both gonna be there here in a couple of weeks, and so we had gotten to know each other and AJ's brother Ryan is AJ's caddy. I have a regular caddy and Aaron had the same caddy and we would have a caddy race on the seventeenth hole there and I watched it fairly recently. Again it is still uh, it's still entertaining.
There's like sixty yards of sand that they run through too. That's the biggest thing. I think that's when their legs start to burn trying to carry the bag and it gets competitive, man, I know, especially year one that was very competitive.
Yeah, it was a lot of fun. So yeah, So I've gotten to know AJ's family and his wife there as well. Excited to go back.
Oh my gosh, you're kidding me. Like it's it's amazing. It makes me I don't play much like a whole lot of golf, but because of Tahoe, it makes me love go like I want I want to play, just to get out there and try to not be horrendously bad out there. So that's everything is geared towards Tahoe for.
Me me too. Uh do I owe you money? I do not believe so well, Okay, I paid you. Okay, AJ got me last year for sure.
I kept the ball in play more than I ever had. Man, I don't know how I could. I'd have to punch out like six hundred times each round this passion. I still didn't play great, but I still I just put the ball in play a little bit.
I want you to tell the story to everybody about how it started. Aj AJ became a fixed You're in tahole because there's a there are two very populated holes in Lake Tahoe, a whole seven and whole seventeen. And AJ started tackling a fan from the stands. Talk about how that started in the first year, because all I remember is you thinking you were going you.
Had killed the guy that was year two. I thought he died. Year one was a great shot. It was very clean shot. I could get the year too. Yeah. So basically we're to seventh hole, like you said, we're walking up to the tea box and my brother Ryan is caddied for me every single year out there. And that's how unbelievable that tournament in Lake Tahoe is that he's like, someone's gonna have to kill me to get me to not caddy for it. He just just he didn't eve get hit any shots, but he just wants
to go. That's how cool the whole tournament is. But we walk up to the tea box and there's a group of guys, maybe ten dudes, bit rowdy, boozing, having a great time, and oh, my brother, that Ryan looks at me. He's like, hey man, this guy wants He asked if you tackle him. And I looked at the dude and he's a big guys like, all right, okay, I guess yeah, why not? And I went, I like put my shoulder directly into his ribs, like I hear the breast go out. Oh like I could hear. It
was just the time. Whatever happened, it timed up where everything just hit the right moment and it was a good shot. It looked good. I didn't I thought I was gonna rip my pants. I didn't rip my pants. I didn't fall down. He went down. Then he gets up and I hug him and everything's great, and then I realized instant, I'm like, oh my god, like am I gonna get kicked out of the tournament. I was like, these guys, not, are they gonna let me even play
like that sucks? They might be pissed. And then the next hole, I'm walking and I see a couple of the you know, the big the big time people with the NBC American Century everybody, and I was like, hey, man, I'm sorry the guy asked me to do it. I wasn't whatever, and they instantly said, no, were you kidding me? That was great it Look we got it on video. We're gonna run it tonight on NBC or NBC whatever. And I'm like, oh, thank goodness. And then I tackled him for man, four or five years in a row.
And now it's funny, we've kind of like we started we arm wrestled one year after that, like we're all growing up, we're all getting old, I guess because now their group has grown as well, like they've all there's more and more people every year with their group and the company they have, and then now it's it's hilarious.
Now.
I just last year when I was out there, we saw them and we just kind of we didn't do anything it. I think it was the first year, we didn't do anything like physical, no arm wrestling, no weird bubble wrestling thing. We did one year. I didn't tackle him, I didn't hit him, and we're like, oh man, how you doing. Like he's like cots of kids, and it's like, wow, we're really we've grown up together. Like once a year I see these people and I started going. I was
probably twenty five when I first started going. I'm almost forty now. So yeah, like we've watched each other grow up through this whole thing, and our bond of me getting to tackle that guy.
Well, that's what is so special about that week, right, I mean you and I getting to know each other. They I mean just like odd couples. And I'm I'm not I'm not even making a joke. You and this guy that the relationships started by you tackling him and almost killing him. The second year, it's so great. I can't wait to be there.
You've been playing a lot too. I listened to the show. I know you've been playing a lot. Well see how you hitting it? Hitting good?
Right?
You probably scratch.
Now listen, I got here. I'll tell you this. I got some clubs showing up today.
Are you a guy now or what I you know what I am of course p XG man kaboom baby, kaboom. Yeah. If you're gonna come at me, you better you better get the best. That's all I'm saying I got this year is you're actually now that you have ESPN money, Maybe we double the bet this year, maybe we make it a little more expensive.
Okay, all right? Oh was that an Okay, Yeah, I'm in I'll do it all right the time. You're way more consistent than.
You beat me last year. You beat me last year, but you I remember paying you.
It was horrible. It was horrible. It was a great, great night, it really knows it was. It was my first time were finishing in the positive numbers. Ever, there you go. So I need some strokes then, is what I'm trying to say.
You won last All right, I'll say this is actually it works exactly the opposite.
You won last year.
I'm sure you hadn't off. I'm sure you got a bunch of bad breaks and the ball bounced out of bounds and things like that.
No, by the way, I do have to tell everyone this. I'm sure they're bored of hearing of our golf but let me tell you this, aj almost killed me once. This is not this is not a joe.
Uh.
They've redone the course, the old number eight. I am legitimately mid green, chipping out of the rough. I had was not in the bunker there on the left, but I was just on top of it, and I am chipping, and suddenly I hear and I was like, what the
what was that? And you were on the tee and had driven So this is where you have the advance that is not this is not a driveable par four, by the way, but it was a par four that you just got a hold of and it went in the right direction, which sometimes for you it doesn't.
And you almost killed me sometimes. I mean, if I would have known that, I'm sure we would have yelled for. Did anyone yell for? Maybe they gave me the go ahead, they said, hey, we're good to go. That's Unfortunately we've hit over the head of people in our group before. Can you know if you can't see him, if they're running over the little swell yet i'd something. I guess, patience, you gotta just quit an extra beat.
You're reckless, You're reckless.
I disagree. I disagree you and Pa both.
Do you love what you're doing now?
I do.
I absolutely love what I'm doing now with Pat mcafeel on the Pat on his show, The Pat McAfee Show, five days a week. And I never really thought I was going to commit to anything five days a week like that consistent. Honestly, when I first got into like media stuff, I was doing a lot of serious XM radio and yeah, doing like analysts work on games, traveling to college games a lot.
So you were traveling with that, you were traveling to games cover of years Fox Sports, Yeah.
Yeah, and I did some a bunch of stuff from the Conference USA games that I was doing for a couple of years after that, different online stuff. And then when I started getting doing work with Pat, and then when I started going basically five days a week, probably three years ago, I stopped going to games on weekends. And my kids have gotten order and I'm already like assistant coach on a lot of their teams and stuff,
so I can't weekends would be tough. I think if I was gone for fourteen straight weekends.
Well, you're a smart guy, you're an engaging guy, but you know, this is a this is a hard business. I know, oh to break into talk to me about meeting Pat and how this came about to join as a co host on the Pat McAfee show.
I mean, it was super organic. I don't even know the first time he started his show. He had his podcast first, when he was still playing for the Colts. Yeah, and he asked me to come on. Now, were you friends? No? No, I didn't even know each other. The first time we really met in person actually when I was I was on the Bengals for my one season with the Bengals, he was on the Colts. We played a preseason game. We were both captains that game, and that's like when we officially, Oh hey, what's up?
Man?
Like I knew of him and what he was doing, and then somehow we started. I came on a show and it was awesome, you know he was. He's very unique and super talented and smart and funny in different way than anybody. So we kind of had a It was always fun. I would keep I would come on there every once in a while and ask me to come on and be on for twenty thirty minutes and enjoy it. Never thought anything of it. And then he was with Barstool and they asked me to join he
and guy named Jerry Thornton for a podcast. We'd record it every Sunday night after the Sunday night football game and we would just recap and talk about all the games that happened that day. Honestly, we really enjoyed it. I loved it. It was really fun. And then after that I would go on a show a little bit.
I mean, I don't know, once every couple of weeks maybe, and then right before, right as COVID hit, I was like, man, we should do something, like everything's shutting down, there's no sports, there's nothing. We should do something more consistently. And then after that he would go live on YouTube and I would join him. It's called McAfee and Hawk Sports Talk, and that's how it all started. I did it like three days a week, and that eventually became five days
a week. And now yeah, and it's awesome, h Paton. You got to know the boys, and it's just how it's where it is now is ridiculous, Like it's bizarre, and it's the most fun I've ever had by far doing anything. When it comes to I guess you could call it in the media job it's not for me. It's yeah, it's fun, it's really fun.
Well, it is entertainment. It's groundbreaking in a lot of ways, and not surprising. The number of viewers and subscribers five days a week on YouTube is over two million people. The latest reports I heard is that you personally have a one hundred million dollar contract a year at ESPN the next twenty years. You got some good sources, Brian, which is really impressive. That you have managed to take this little, this little side job and turn it into
an empire is incredible. I was going down the rabbit hole about all of the information about the contract and oh, there's all kind of I know, it very entertaining. Are you excited? Just announced in May you guys are going to be moving to the original mothership ESPN, same show, but no bad words. That's that's no eff company, just words, just no F word.
And then Pat offered that up to them as like a negotiation, not a negotiation, as like goodwill, like hey, won't say the F word, try not to say it as much, but everything else is out there, and they, yeah, they want the show, they want us to do the real show. And he Pat was talking to a bunch of different people on where to take it or where you could go with it, And that was always his first thing from the jump, like you don't have any you have no creative control over this. He's always had
complete ownership of it. And that's how it is going there. And it's gonna be on from noon to two on ESPN like the big ESPN, the main main deal, and it'll be yeah, and then we'll keep going on YouTube after that twelve to two times.
Now will you will you be on from twelve to two? Are you still going to come in an hour late? I know that's a good question. That's what's cool funny about the show. We don't it's pretty uh spontaneous. We don't sit there and draw out a box and B block and C block and do all this stuff. It's very organic and it's very like instan off our instincts. So yeah, there's still a bunch we haven't even really thought about that. We'll figure out here in the next
month or two. I mean, I was thinking about this knowing I was going to talk to you today. You're like smart, like a fox. Everybody else is in studio looking at Pat with his cut off. What do you call them tank top shirts on roaming around, pacing back and forth and guess where AJ is AJ is in Columbus, Ohio. How in the world is that?
Just?
So here's what I thought. What I thought was, tell me if I'm right that it was the start of COVID and that's just that became what you did and then you just stuck with it or did you just say I'm not leaving Yo?
It was it was COVID. I'm here like I knew, Like, there's no way I was. I have four kids, we built a house in Columbus well a while ago, and yeah, there's no I mean, it would be if I could be in studio every day with everybody. It's awesome and it's very fun in studio, it's just not possible for me and I drive there during the season. Since Pat's on game day as well, he leaves Friday mornings, I'll
drive in every Friday during the season. I'll drive to Indianapolis and go host a show from studio while Pat comes onto the show from the game day set. So I'll do that every Friday, and then unfortunately, the only time I'm really even at when I go to India I'm at the studio is when Pat's out of town basically, so it's fun when I can actually get there and we're in studio and we do stuff together, that's when we obviously we love that, right, you know? It was funny.
I was doing some research here and I went on the YouTube for the Pat McAfee show, and I saw, like two days ago, there was a screenshot. It was the same, the same exact picture, and I thought, oh, did they upload the wrong video on both No, you guys, you were just wearing the same thing. You guys, don't You don't think about wardrobe there at the Pat McAfee show.
No, it's very I guess you could say I'm simple like that. And I used to try. I used to wear different different shirts or whatever, and then Pat would always wear his black tank top. And so for the last year or two, I don't know, I have like four or five shirts that I wear on the show. They're all either a black long sleeve or a hoodie.
Yeah, he goes that's true. He goes color. Sometimes he's got a purple one that really pops everyone's.
While he does have a colorful one, but yeah, no, his go to is a black tank top everyone he wore T shirts for I don't know, a couple of weeks stretch there. He thought he was gonna wear T shirts and he couldn't do it. He didn't like it.
I guess interesting. I got to ask you, I'm curious about this with the change over to ESPN. You know we're not You're not going to change anything except except the use of the F word. Has anyone talked to you about your signature prop?
I guess what do you mean?
The cigar?
Oh?
No issues? That's another good question, Brian, that's another great question. No, no one said anything to me, bully me. I enjoy it. Well, keep me focused, keep me focused? Is that right? Well? I'm a naturally like I can get, you know, off track if it gives me something to do. I'm not fidgeting like I'm a fidgitor kind of always doing something look around, And that definitely keeps me locked in. And I enjoy it. And it's really the only time I
smoke cigars is on the show. Really, it feels right to when I'm doing the show to have a cigar and I'm like, yeah, I don't. It's definitely not a prop. It's not a gimmick. I should say it's yeah, I know it just turned into it.
I didn't mean a gimmick. I really literally meant a prop. And what you just said to me is actually that is a huge actor trick. Really, Yeah, that you if you have a prop, you have something to focus some of your energy on. I'll tell you James Spader. I mean, I don't know if he would like me saying this or if he even agrees, but I used to watch James Spader, and I mean he he knew how to
work a spiral notebook. No, I mean he yeah, I mean when he's going to open it or close it or write something, or how he holds it, you know, how he would hold it in his hand, and he would think about all of these. I mean he worked props better than any actor I've ever seen. I will say that. So it actually makes a lot of sense what you're saying, that you have this cigar you can go to if you need a moment to think or process or yeah, makes a lot of sense.
And it's always it's like anything like smoking's like it's about like it's a whole process. I gotta you know, I cut it. I got it sometimes everyone's very particular. I stab it a bunch if you feel like the poll is not enough and all that. So I enjoy it. I definitely enjoy it. And it keeps me. It does kind of keep me on track, I really think. So.
It's interesting, though. I wonder if the Mothership is going to say anything about that.
Man, I don't know.
I'm just bringing these things up. I don't know, it'll be interesting. I can't really thought about that. I can't wait to see the transition. I can't wait. And I hope, God, you've been so successful. I hope you just stick with it. I hope it is the same. I really do. We will. Yeah, I think padd will make it the same. Yeah, I agree with you.
It's gonna have to be What do you mean it's gonna I don't think we know any anything else.
Well, well, that's a great point. You're a smart guy. You're not fooling me. You're a smart guy. But yeah, I get it. There's well, there's a reason it works.
Yeah, it's authentic. It's real. No one's there's no plan. We're just there. We're just doing it, having fun.
You're just doing it just like you're playing football. Take it a play at a time, take it a month at a time. That's the game at a time, a year at a time.
Man.
Yeah, so smart. Helpful for golf too.
By the way, be dumber. We've got to be dumber on the golf course. Yeah, be dumber. I'm not mentioning any names.
Playing football or what you're doing. Now, what do you get more joy from?
That's a good question. That's a very good question. I mean football, anyone I'd played. I'd played football until I was dead, if you could, I mean, I but I understand the game my body do. I understand you can't physically. But yeah, football is awesome, man. But now, I mean what I'm doing now, like I would my technically my job. With what I do with Pat, I hope to do it for the next one hundred years. Honestly, I love it, I really do.
Yeah, that's so great. I'm so happy for you. I mean again, where we started, AJ Like Pat had had the podcast before you even retired, so you were thinking ahead, my friend.
Yeah, I was just I was a fan of other podcasts too, and I didn't I did know that I wanted to do something in the media where whatever that might be. But I honestly from being a fan of listening to podcasts, that's what made me start my own, and I knew, yeah, this is also it's a way you can reach out and speak to cool people like it's hey, come on, brob, you want to come on my podcast? Like that's it, and always like wow, they're
actually the actually here, like this is cool. I'm actually doing this so early on especially, and that's yeah, I'm glad I did it. I'm not like a super I'm not naturally an outgoing dude that just talks all the time. That's not who I am. But I definitely talk way more now than I did when I was in high school or college, that's for sure.
Well, you're on one of the largest sports entertainment shows in the world right now, or at least in the United States. That alone makes you an expert. There are four teams in the AFC East. List them in the order that they're going to finish the season this year.
Come on, now, I'm not doing predictions. I can't prea to predictions yet. It's early.
That's why I said, But I'm talking to you now, how are the Jets going to be?
How about that? I mean, the Jets should be awesome, don't you think they? Before Aaron got there, they had a really really good team. And now Aaron's there, So let's see how far I can go, man, I mean that's what I think. It's gonna be very interesting. Does it worry you that everything seems to be so awesome and so positive now and everyone everyone's so happy? Does that scare you?
No?
I'm just interested to see how it plays out.
You know, Okay? If I did? Yeah, I mean, of course I would pick the Jets to win the ANFC East, wouldn't you. I mean, there's a lot of good teams over there. There's a lot of good teams over there. Who would you pick? Okay? Are the Dolphins? No, you're gonna say that. I think everyone's saying the Patriots are gonna come in last, aren't they? Yeah?
East, that would be that would be general consensus.
Yeah, then probably you'd probably I mean, yeah, Jets, Bill's Dolphins, Patriots or I would imagine a lot of people would do or they go Bill's Jets? Maybe? Yeah? Are you gonna go to some games?
New York Dolphins are are unknown? Look, I hope to go back to Green Bay and maybe check out New York. And you know, I'm gonna go everywhere this year. Yeah, I'm gonna go everywhere. You said, you're a packer. You still root for Green Bay?
Yeah, I'll never not root for him. But it does feel different without Aaron there. It will feel different, no question. But yeah, all my all the people that keep be connected to the Packers are still there. And they're the equipment staff, the training staff, doctors, all those people that don't turn over, like coaches and everyone else.
Yeah, it's a special place, man, it's a it's a special place, you know. I have, over the last couple of years, done some hosting on Good Morning Football, and I am jealous of what you get to do now. The time that I spend over there, I love it. I love hanging out and talking about sports.
It's fun, right.
Yeah, But they're not gonna let they They won't let me sit in my what does Pat always say, in your library above your garage or your loft or whatever he says. Yeah, yeah, they're not gonna let They're not gonna let me do that.
I don't know though they might you could, especially now that now it's normal to have remote stuff on big time Network TV, Like there's people that are doing full shows from addicts like this. So that's luckily the timing worked out for me too to be able to stay.
Here, right, That's what I figured, dude. I'm so happy for you and your success. Just one of the great guys, and I feel so lucky to call you and consider you a friend. And I'm just so happy for you and the success that you have had with Pat on that show. And I know you guys are just gonna kill it on ESPN. So congratulations, it's awesome.
Thank you, man, I do I really really appreciate that. It's the connections you make from playing in the deal in Tahoe, playing in the golf in anyone. I'm sure people break get annoyed listening to people talk about Tahoe, but it's like, yeah, it's sorry, Bud, like it's it's awesome, but just it's the people. It's everybody. All the guys and girls that play in the event are cool because if you're a douche, they don't invite you back, Like if you're a turd and they don't, you don't come back.
And that's the thing. So everybody's like, man, this is really cool. I want to come back next year and that's what I've been doing for like twelve years.
Yeah, it's really fun. I can't wait. July fourteenth through the sixteenth on various NBC, my Mothership networks and sports stations and on the mother Ship I know on Saturday and Sunday. Check it out AJ Hawk, myself and many many more.
AJ.
I can't wait to see you and give you a hug and maybe have a beverage and tons of laughs and the normal bet, the normal bet. I'm making the normal bet right now. I'll see you. I'll see you really soon. AJ, thanks for coming on.
Great seeing you brides appreciate it. I'm a fan of the show obviously. Thank you for having me on. Man appreciate it. Kim not wait to see you in Tahoe.
AJ, You're the best, and more importantly, you always make me laugh, so thank you for that.
Thanks for the packer love.
That's what she said.
I don't know if that even works, but AJ, thank you for coming on today. Listeners, you can find AJ on Yeah, the Pat McAfee show. He and Pat are incredible. Be sure to check them out. And as always, you know where I'll be this time next week.
That's right sitting right.
Here in your drums lobes.
I'm in your ears.
I'll see you next week.
Off the Beat is hosted and executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Ling Lee. Our senior producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and our intern is Thomas Olsen. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by the one and only Creed Bratt,