The American Dream with Nate Boyer

Seattle Seahawks. I mean, the guys accomplished so much, lived so many interesting lives, and then got into acting as well, which we'll get into in the conversation. And then he had this other interesting moment in his life. He wrote this open letter to Colin Kaepernick and the Army Times, which then led to Colin Kaepernick inviting him to fly out and have a conversation with him. It's also interesting what he's done after leaving the NFL, after retiring from

the military. He started this incredible organization called Merging Vets and Players, and it marries these worlds that he's lived in kind of trying to find your purpose in life, and that's what this organization is geared to, and then of this incredible organization, he created a movie. It was his directional debut recently, this movie that is out called m v P. I'm telling you he has just lived such an interesting life, a life of purpose, doing so

much for our country. Just a truly incredible and inspiring guy. I hope you enjoyed this conversation with an ape boyar to me where I feel like you're the doset guy, the most interesting man in the world. You quite literally have one of the most interesting life stories. Green Bay College Football, NFL. Hollywan, Why do you think you've been able to navigate so many industries? I don't know how well I've been able to navigate them all, but I definitely have had a strong interests in all of them.

And I mean to be completely honest. When I was when I was in my early twenties and made decision to join the military, before I've been doing football, before really pursuing film and television all that stuff, I didn't have a ton of confidence. I mean, those are things, but I wouldn't have actually genuinely attempted or believe that I could do without that time in the military. Um for various reasons. I mean it first of all, taught

me how to how to work. That taught me how to uh communicate with people and sort of do my best to understand whether it's a culture or an industry or something that I don't really know anything about. Um. But but also it just developed confidence that you know, why not go try these things? Why not fully pursue them? I mean, life is short. Uh. If it's something that you're passionate about and interested in, like what are you doing? Uh,

you know, not going after that? But I think that's I think that's crazy if you're if you were able to you know, if you have uh the access and an opportunity. Uh, who cares if you fail at the end of the day. Really, So those are things that that kind of lessons that I learned along the way and things that I didn't necessarily I mean I didn't know at twenty three before I signed on the doggline

and took the oath, you know, to join the military. Well, and what's interesting is before you joined the military, you had moved out to Los Angeles, You're trying to get involved in show business. You get a call from your mom about nine eleven watching what was happening with the World Trade Center, and it seems like that's sort of

changed the trajectory of your future. It made you look at the world a little bit differently, different career ambitions, sort of talk about how that changed the trajectory of your life. Yeah, I mean, I think nine eleven was such a defining moment for so many of us. And obviously that definition varies on who you talk to and

and their relationship to that day. I was in I was living in Los Angeles at the time, far from New York, um, and far from really feeling connected to anything that was going on in the world outside of my bubble. Yeah. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. Um, my parents were really hard working people, you know. They they believe the first two in their families to to finish college, and um, you know, my my mother getting PhD at UC Berkeley in an engineering

field that was that was definitely mostly male dominated. And um my dad was a race horse, vetinarian and Golden gate fields out there and just really really hard working people. And for whatever reason, I mean, you know, we all rebel in some way. My rebellion of choice was just too uh, you know, not work hard to sort of like I think I had a lot of talent um and you know, I always tested well, but I didn't do well in school, if that makes sense. I just didn't.

I didn't. I didn't apply myself and I didn't I didn't do it was necessary. And also I didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't even know what I was into. And after high school I moved to San Diego. I worked on a fishing boat for a while, and I enjoyed it because I was making my own way, kind of doing it my way. Um, but I didn't, you know, I wasn't really ready for college. I took some firefighting classes, was sort of interested in that, but

not really. It was like, that's an honorable job. I'm nineteen, I'm a kid. I don't feel like I have an honorable bone in my body. I can't be a firefighter. Um. And so I just sort of turned away from that too, and then eventually found myself in Los Angeles, as he said, interested in in show business and film and television, like storytelling. It was something that I thought it was cool. It was like, man, I don't have a cool story myself, but if I could tell other people's stories, you know,

how cool is that? And that's where that sort of initially came from. Um, and then happened. I mean, yeah, I was. It was very early in the morning. I was living in this little, small apartment and I answered the phone and with my mom on the other line, and she's, you know, just telling me to turn the TV on. And I flipped it on, and you know, I saw what so many of us saw. One tower, I believe was already down, the other one was engulfed in flames, and it was just like what am I

looking at? Kind of had a loss for words, like I feel like I am right now. Even every time I try to take myself back to that day and envision that, and I'm just sitting there watching it on a nineteen TV screen. I cannot imagine being there. Um, it was just this shock and like what the one of the first things that really hit me is like what are you doing with your life? Like? Who? What are you a part of? Do you even have a care in the world? I mean, do you like you're here?

We're all here. I and I even believe that this at the time. Amazingly We're out here for some type of reason, but what is your reason? Like, what what are you doing? Look around, look at yourself and figure out where you can do something, uh, somewhat positive or impactful.

And eventually that that uh, that took me overseas and doing some relief work after a couple of years of kind of just searching, you know, traveling is whenever I could work odd jobs, save my money up and then go back backing somewhere and just try to figure out where is my place in the world. And I ended up I was doing some relief work in the Darfur and it really changed my life. That trip and being

around people that actolutely had nothing. But we're just so enamored with Americans and so grateful that someone would leave their country of relative safety as we have in the United States to go to Sudan and Chad and the dark of her and working a refugee camp, even though it was just for a short trip, but it you know, they were so grateful that And I wasn't doing anything special.

I was just um helping pass out food rations, playing soccer with the kids, you know, assisting in the medical centers, like simple stuff. Anybody could have done. And it was towards the end of that trip that I got I got malaria, and this local family put me up and and and I'm lying on this cop they set up for me in this in this in their mud hut, and listening to the radio they put next to the cot and the Second Battle of Felujah was playing on the BBC network, And it was like a sign for me.

It was just I don't know, I don't know if it was divine intervention or just luck or randomness that that this moment and where I was at physically and mentally kind of came together for this perfect which just like I had clarity of what I was to do next all of a sudden, and it was it was gonna was gonna join the military. So I came home and signed up, you know, and I went to a

refugee camp when I in Rwanda. And you know, saying stuff like that really does shape the way you look at life, shape that you know, you come back to America and it just really changes the way you think and you just see life. You know, it creates a different prism in which you view the world. You know, So you talked about you know, you went then joined the military. When you came back to the United States, you went through the Army Special Forces eteen X ray program.

Is that correct? And then so talk about that because my understanding is, you know, it took you went through about a year and a half for the Special Forces selection process, something that only handful handful of people were

able to do. That must have been incredibly intense. Then do you remember that and then kind of going through that process yet you know it wasn't I mean, it was intense, and I think I think some of the more intense parts of it were just the fact that I was now, you know, in the military at all. I mean, to go from never really considering it genuinely, uh, that I would do this with my life, and feeling feeling pretty disconnected from that world, uh, and just not

understanding what it would be like. And you know, you see what you see in movies and TV shows, and you hear what you hear, whether it's through the news or through you know, second hand third hand accounts, not not so much people that have been there, especially at that time. I mean, this was in two thousand and four, so, um, we've only been at war for a little over two years.

Maybe into three years, and so I didn't I didn't know anybody that was on active duty that had been to Iraq Afghanistan, like I didn't know who to talk to you like to ask. I just didn't know much about it. But I just felt compelled to go do something and uh, you know, fight for those they can't fight for themselves, much like I experienced with those people and in the Darfur Um. Of course, during the military,

quite different than volunteering at a refugee camp. Uh. So, I you know, I'd read about the Special Forces, the at Extray program as you mentioned, and I read about the Special Forces mission. The Green Berets motto was Dave press Alibert, which meant to free the oppressed, And you know that that sort of spoke to me like nothing

else really did. Within the military construct, I was doing some research and just trying to figure out, like where what's going to be the right job for me, Like what is going to make the most sense um And beyond the idea of being in an elite unit such as that, um, it was the piece of the mission that the Special Forces in the Army, what they actually do. There was a humanitarian element to the job. Foreign Internal

defense is what it's called. And essentially, I mean when you go over there to Iraq, Afghanistan, your your training, UM, you're often living with UM and fighting alongside host nationals so Afghans or Iraqis depending on where you are, and they in a sense become your brothers in arms as well. And it's UM. It's it's a very different experience than much of the military was a part of at the time.

You know, over the year, the years, the two decades really of war, much of the military sort of adopted what the special forces were already doing, that we're working with partner forces UM. And eventually as that mission developed into a train advised assist mission, you know that they were they were doing a lot of what the special forces were doing from the very beginning, and the special

forces had been doing since Vietnam really UM. But but that part of it really kind of sucked out to me, like, all right, well, if I'm in Iraq, if I'm gonna Afghanistan and I'm doing this job and I'm carrying out these orders and I'm I'm at war, uh, at least I'm doing so alongside the people that are going to

be living there. The people that are trying to rebuild their own country as well, and that, UM, that was of interest to me because I was, like, I mean, at the end of the day, that was I think part of the ultimate goal, like instilling some pride in those in those people and trying to give them a

fighting chance to defend their own country. Of course, as we all know now, that comes with a great amount of complication, and UM, it's certainly not an easy mission and the lack of resources and honestly, like just that the lack of um pride that a lot of them have much different than we do you have here in

the States. It was just an extremely challenging mission, and UM, I definitely want everybody listening that was a part of that to understand, Um, feel like you did your best and we get everything that we could, but it was just one of those things that is so much of it is out of our hands and I don't want to devolved into that conversation necessarily, but um, you know, but I mean that was for me working alongside those people that that Special Forces mission really stuck out to

me and really spoke to me, and that's, um, that was what I wanted to do. That was. It was like kind of special forces of bust for me, quick break more with Nate. Do you feel like doing all this, I have found my mission in life? Because you had previously talked about you know, kind of originally when you're a younger, a young man, not really you know, kind of feeling like you didn't know what your mission in

life was and sort of just figuring that out. Did this just sort of solidify that this is my mission in life? I think definitely. At the time at least it was it was like, well, at least for now, I feel, um, I feel like I do have a specific mission, and I feel like you have a responsibility. I mean that's part of what I needed that I didn't know was I needed some responsibility beyond taking care

of myself. I needed something to um to feel like I was building, uh, you know, with a team or or like a machine that I was an essential part of. And like if I wasn't there, if this cog called Nate was missing, the train went a run on time, you know what I mean. Like, I think that we all seek that, whether we know it or not. In some way, we want to feel like the matter and belong and all that stuff. I just didn't know that's

what it was. And so at this time, you know, for the first time, really especially once I had the opportunity to go overseas and you're part of this twelve man team. Um. You know, there's a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. You've got the men on your left and right that you have to rely on, but they rely on you as well, UM. And you just felt that connection to something figured than yourself and that yet that strong sense of purpose, um, that I hadn't felt before.

And you know, you developed this tightness with these people.

I mean, I remember some of the conversations you have, for instance, on my first deployment to Iraq with people that I barely knew before we left, and you know, within weeks were sitting around the firepit up on the rooftop between missions and We're talking about We're sharing things I've never shared with anybody else before, about my you know, my my path, my future, my dreams, what uh what what I what I what I care about, why I'm here. I mean things that I'm much more open and vulnerable

with today, willing to talk about with almost anybody. But you know at the time that was just not something I ever really did. You just feel this bond um that is unbreakable, not really and uh and it's crazy because some of these people even today, like I don't I won't talk to them for years and then we reconnect and it's like that, there's never that kind of small talk, awkward catchup. It's just like right back where

we were, um, which is really really crazy. So so that was just, you know, that was something that I never really had before. I mean I thought, you know, I played sports growing up, and of course you've got your teams and all that, but even at the high school level, it's just very different. I mean, you're a high school kid too, UM, but there's just not that that level of connection and ending understanding that everything you do on a daily basis work wise too, it's life

or death. Like the stakes are so high. I mean you have to execute, um. You got to do your job at the at the highest level in the in the most efficient way possible, UM, in the most creative way possible. At times as well, because of the lack of resources and UM, sometimes the mission that's ticketd to us isn't super clear, and we got to if we had to figure it out all those things. Uh, it's it's really interesting, um to just be around it and to um to have your your best friends also be

your heroes and your mentors and stuff like that. Um, it was it was quite a unique experience. I mean, I can't imagine having that kind of responsibility on your shoulders at such a young age. I would imagine that just leads to an incredible amount of camaraderie with the people that you're serving alongside. And what's interesting is, you know, we'll get into this a little bit later in the conversation, but you know, and then you went on to go

to the University of Texas. You walked on to the football team, and this will eventually kind of marry these different worlds that you've lived in, you know, a veteran as well as an athlete. But talk about walking onto the University of Texas. You went on to actually become a starting long snapper, but kind of talk about that journey and then when you got done with the military and then you know, turning to football. Yeah, that that was.

It was definitely an interesting and interesting turn and one that I I struggled with and still do at times, you know, with some of the the guilt of sort of leaving UM, the military. I think a lot of a lot of service members, a lot of war fighters feel that, and that's why some of them can't leave, you know, some of them stay in for decades. A lot of it is like beyond them genuinely enjoying what

they do or feeling that sense of purpose. It's the I can't leave these people behind, like I'm a part of this now, UM. And that includes the people also wearing camouflage that you're that you're brothers in arms with, but also the people overseas you know that you're meant to depend I think that that that's a tough one. And I was actually towards the end of a deployment

were season. I was eight years old and trying to figure out what I was gonna do next, you know, with my life, and UM, I finally had this desire to go to college and and even bigger than that, even though it sounds smaller than that and more childish, I had this desire dream of playing football. I've actually never played. Growing up, I played baseball, I played basketball, I played pretty much every other sport you can imagine, but I never played football, and I regretted it because

it was my favorite sport. You know, when I was real little, my mom didn't necessarily want me to play, and um and as I grew u and had that opportunity, even in middle school, I think I was just afraid that I would get cut or I'd ride the bench or whatever. You know, I put way too much stock in sports as a as a kid, Like it meant way too much to my life. Um, sort of my life revolved around it. And uh, and you know, it's it's at the end of the day, like sports are

very important and a huge part of our culture. And you know, obviously we just had the World Cup and you could just you know, that's a worldwide thing as well on the way that that those events bring people together. But but also, um, yeah, I just I put way too much pressure on myself around that stuff. And now at this age, you know, I'm twenty about to turn twenty nine. Uh, I'm just like, you know, what just

goes you weren't the youngest player. I was certainly No, I was, you know, I was I was the oldest. I was the oldest guy on the team. I was probably the oldest player in college football at the time, although I did see a story a couple of days ago there was a player that's I think he's thirty now that's uh playing He was playing at Buffalo. He was a main form of ABC and he's playing football Buffalo. I think it's a year though, but that's pretty cool.

Um anyway, Yeah, so I just I was like, you know, I just go for it. So I I got out, I came off of active duty. He ended up reing listening in the National Guard. So I was still in the military while I was at Texas UM and did deploy a couple of times while in college even but you know, it was still making that transition back to civilian life the sense and um and going to college at twenty nine, it was a weird transition. And the

other freshman or ten years younger than me. Um, and I'm walking around school with a backpack like everybody else, maybe a little bit of gray in my beard, but um, you know, feeling like, uh, some hope and promise and all those things that a lot of young people feel. That I first go to college, and uh, the bigger part of it, like I said, was football. I just wanted to play and it was fortunate enough to make the team when you went to try out and got

on the squad, and you know, I was on. I was on the scout team for that first year, so just to practice on the practice team, and uh you know, I was was fortunate enough to be asked to run the team out of the tunnel with the American and flag kind of lead them out on every home game. But I wasn't playing. And then my sophomore year, I started long snapping just to find a way on the field. It's a pretty thankless job for those that don't know. You're the guy that hikes it between his legs for

punts and field goals and extra points. But it's an important job. You gotta be consistent, you gotta be accurate, you've gotta be good at what you do. It's just thankless. You know, nobody, nobody cares until you do it wrong. And I had no problem with that. I've done plenty of thankless jobs in the military in the past. So I just wanted to find a way on the field

of play, and this was my opportunity. So uh yeah, So I started for for three years in Texas UM and by the way, the long Horns played at night. I don't know if this will be running at the time, but hopefully they've already won by the time this comes out. Um in the Alamo Bowl against Washington. But but yeah, you know, it was just like I've never really did into Texas. I've never I just I wanted to play for the long Horns because it was, uh, sort of

this led and dairy program. And I saw so many Longhorn flags and ball caps overseas when I was in Iraq among people in the Army. It was sort of felt like the Army's favorite team. So it just made sense for me, uh to try to go there and be a part of that. And uh and I loved it. I mean, I loved I love going to school in Austin. I loved the University of Texas is great, great great university, and um yeah, just getting the opportunity to play football

and live out that dream it was really special. Quick commercial breaks stay with us. I feel like it's gotta hurt really bad to get tackled ivoished. It can't be good. Um yeah, yeah, I got run over quite a bit at practice, you know, I mean I was supposed to be doing the tackle lead Um, but the reality was, you know, these these young men were a lot bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic, just better at football than me. And so I was on the losing end of a lot of

those collisions. I'll say that I can't, can't feel good. And then you went on to be in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. What was I mean for someone who obviously always kind of love football, had already always kind of had this dream that had been pretty cool to then have accomplished, you know, getting into the NFL as well. Yeah, it was. I mean, it was a dream dream come true. I think I think a lot of a lot of people, a lot of young people specifically.

You know, that's just like when you're a kid, that's what you want to do. You want to play, you want to be a pro athlete. You know, you look up to these athletes, they're they're heroes to you. Um, And and that's that's what I wanted to do as a kid. Um. I think in college, when I was actually playing and doing that, I didn't think that that was an actual possibility. Um, until I got asked to playing the Senior All Star Game out in Charleston called the Medal of Honorable So it was hosted by the

Medal of Honor Society. Uh. The game was only played for think two or three years, but it was at the Citadel. It was just really really unique opportunity to play one last game. UM. And it was just kind of, you know, for fun. It was it's not a bowl game, it's a it's they called the Senior All Star Games. And what was really important about that week though, were the practices because a bunch of NFL scouts We're coming to the practices and watching these players and evaluating talent.

And um, I actually had four NFL team even though I just turned thirty four years old. I had four NFL teams meet with me and said they were actually interested and in me as a player, as a long snapper. Uh. And they all said kind of the same thing. Look, you're a little old, you're small, You're gonna have to put some weight on, but you're a good snapper and you know you should go for it. And so I did.

And I kind of just spent the next four months putting on a bun to weight a game like thirty pounds. And it wasn't all a good weight, but it was necessary and uh, and I kind of just you know, I transitioned out of the military by that time at February that was the end of my military service, and I got signed with the Seahawks during the draft I think early May, um, and it was actually known as the greatest day in sports history at the time. It was kind of cool. It was the Kentucky Derby was

that day. Manny Pacquiao employed Mayweather had an epic fight. Um. There were like Game seven's in the NBA and hockey playoffs and all that, And of course Nate were was signed to the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent, which for me was a big maybe not for everybody else. Yeah, absolutely,

so it was a bit. Yeah. I took my dad to a Caps game before Christmas, and I literally had no idea that Edgin was so close to beating or getting to the I guess the second highest scoring goal and goal score and he got to eight oh two, which meant that now he's right behind Wayne Gretzky and ended up being like a hugely epic night. Like my dad was so stoked it was. I got super lucky that ended up playing such a big night. But I wanted to ask you before we get into m v

P in the movie. So like, obviously, I'm just gonna preface it. Not a fan of Colin Kaepernick ever since he wore the socks depicting cops is pig. Just don't respect the dude. But you had written this open letter to him in the Army Times, which led to him then inviting you out for conversation kind of talk about the letter and then sort of what transpired after that. This was about a year later, so you know, I was with the Seahawks. Yeah, played in the h I

was in O t A training camp. I got to play in one game in the preseason, and it was an amazing opportunity. You know, I once again to second college. I was asked to leave the team out of the tunnel with the American flag and then we're standing on the sideline before the game and the anthem starts playing. And for me, you know in college that the players are not on the field when they played the anthem of the stadium. Obviously, in the NFL it's very different.

I think everybody who's watched this football at any level is aware now that's very aware now that the anthem has played on the sideline with the players. They're out there on the field. And when I started playing, you know, I found the tallest flag in the building. I put my hand in my heart, and as a song played,

I started crying. I just was like thinking about, you know, friends of mine that were still serving men and women not all over the country, that we're still serving those that didn't make it back, including some some of those people that I that I knew, and those that were back home, but we're struggling with that transition, and all those things kind of ran through my head and I just was like I wanted people to feel what I was feeling out there on the field, like you know,

hope and possibility, and I wanted people to chase their American dreams too, and um, it just was like a powerful moment for me. Fast forward to almost exactly a year later during the preseason, and you know, Colin Kaepernick is sitting on the bench during the anthem um in protests of police frutality, social racial and equality, social injustice, all of those things. And it's of course a very

divisive time already and a divisive topic. I mean, you know, we all know that, like everybody kind of has a different opinion and take on on that whole situation. And you know, I got reached out to by a bunch of news organizations and I think what they wanted me to do was maybe come on their show and debate

the topic of anthem protests. And I understand why. I mean, it's a it's an interesting topic and there's a lot of opinions surrounding that and all that, and I just didn't want to be a part of that conversation because I had my own opinion, as everybody does about about you know, situations like that. But also, um, I tend to stay out of political discussions for the most part.

You know, I kind of got my own opinions on my own person and you know, I believe what I believed on every topic, and I think everybody should do that. I think everybody should have their own genuine feeling an opinion and not feel pressured to believe one way or the other. Um. And you know, so I just said, no,

I don't want to do that. In the Army Times, they kept hitting me up saying, hey, would you just write an article, an open letter, whatever you want to write op ed you know, and uh, and I said, okay, fine, all write something. So what I did is I just wrote an open letter to Colin Kaepernick as if it was if you know, I had him sitting in front of me in a few minutes to kind of share, share my my feelings on the matter and why I believe what I believe. And you know, I talked about

the dark fur. I talked about my time they're uh and dealing with with that and seeing that type of oppression of people. I mean, three people have been murdered in this genocide and women and children are left as refugees, and you know, that's what this camp consisted of. But there's still there's still a level of hope there, and there's people trying to do everything they can to help

the situation. And um, I think, you know. And then of course my time overseas and Iraqi and Afghanistan, and you know, working with Iraqis and Afghanis people with different opinions, different cultures and customs that I don't necessarily understand or even agree with, but I have to respect at some level and have to figure out a way to work together. And uh. And then I said, look, on this matter, you know, to me, This is why the the flag means so much to me in the anthem because of

my experience, you know, my my connection to it. I carried a casket with my best friend in it, Drake in an American flag, right. Um. When I hear the anthem, as I did in that game, it just hits different from me because of my experience, you know, because of what I did. And uh, and it's a very sensitive

and emotional and meaningful UM symbol. Those symbols are to a lot of people, and not only people that start in the military, but certainly a good amount of And I said, uh, you know, look at the end of the day, that's my experience, and that's why I feel the way the way that I feel. UM. And I understand how everybody feels that way, but I think that,

you know, it's important to understand that. But but and I also said that, you know, I look forward to the day that you're inspired to stand again when the anthem plays, I'll be standing right there next to you. Um. And he actually read the open letters, as a lot of people did. The sports journalism world actually pushed it

out quite a bit. It was became quite viral in the mettle matter twenty four hours and and Collins publicists reached out and said, hey, look, he's got a game tomorrow, but he wants to meet you down and Sandy Ago, where they played the Chargers in their final preseason game, and he wants to sit down and have a conversation with you. And I said, well, is there going to be like media around orning like that? And They're like,

no, no no, no, it's nothing like that. He genuinely is inspired by the letter and he just wants to talk. So I go down to San Diego. We meet in the lobby at the team hotel alongside Eric Read, one of his teammates, and you know, we had a very very open conversation about this whole thing. I mean, honestly, it was like two guys sit in the locker room trying to understand one another who had different backgrounds and experiences and all these things. And you know, to be honest,

he had to get He respected me. He had a lot of respect for for what I did in the military and um and all that. And I respected him as a player. I mean I was a huge forty nine years fan. I pulled for for Colin ever since he played at You know, University of Nevada Areno and went on to the fort which is my favorite team. Kind of brought us back from being an okay, not so great team, said the Super Bowl almost winning it.

And so as a player, you know, I I looked up to him as an athlete, and now that I was kind of sitting down with him and hearing why he was doing what he was doing, I respected his opinions and and and reasons for what why he was doing what he was what he was doing. Of course, you know, sitting out during the anthem was tough for me because of how that makes me feel and how a lot of people, not just in the military, but

just people in general, I feel. And you know, I just when he asked me point blank, you know, I didn't really give my opinion, Tilly asked, but he asked me, Um, you know, well, do you think there's another way I can protest that's not going to offend people in the military? And I said, no, no matter what you do, some people are going to be offended. I mean, this is something that's very sacred to a lot of people, and um, you know, it's it's when I look up at the

stands during a football game. It's like I see people of all different races and backgrounds, and you know a lot of them are wearing the same jersey and they kind of put aside those differences for three hours to watch a football game, and it's like a uniting time

for us. It's the only one of the only places that you know, in the first quarter you could spill beer and the guy sitting next to you and he's hugging you in the fourth quarter because your team scored the game winning touchdown, like that's a very special thing, you know. Um, And I mean he understood that, of course. I mean, this is the game that he you know, he played and um, and he said, well, you know, I just I want to find a way to not

offend people in the military. You know. That was something that really mattered to him. And I was like, well, I respect that. I said, if you're asking my opinion, I think you know, sitting on the bench maybe isn't the most inspiring thing, kind of isolated by yourself. I think you need to be alongside your teammates whatever you do.

I think that's important. It's important message for people in the country, like we don't always have to agree but sometimes we have to work together, you know, and we've got to put that stuff behind us and try to move forward as one. And calling agreed that that was important, and and uh, you know, the next part of the discussion was like, well, what what am I going to do? I mean, I committed to not standing. I said, I'm not going to stand until things change, you know, And

that's something that it's important to Colin. And I said, well, you know, if you're not going to stand, I think the only other option that makes sense would be taken a knee. I mean, I don't see it personally as disrespectful, just the the idea of kneeling and if people take a need to pray and propose to their future spouse, and when a players hurt on the field and the

football game, people taking me out of respect. And when I go to Arlington to visit my buddy Brad, I take a knee in front of you know, his his grave to pay respects um. So I think that that is, you know, I think it's a good adjustment personally. I think it shows that you're willing to um to change and and sort of find a middle ground here. And you know, and that was just kind of on a whim.

I was asked a question and I answered, you know, what I thought was a good solution at the time, And of course it wasn't seen that way by a lot of people, and I totally respect that as well. Um, A lot of people were very very upset that, you know, he still wasn't you know, he wouldn't stand and um, and a lot of people were upset with me or even meeting with them and having a conversation and suggesting

this kneeling. Kneeling was a terrible, terrible idea is still very disrespectful and all that, And I understand that, um, but I don't think a lot of people understand the full context of the of the conversation and of the

moment um. You know, Colin and I were not we're not close, we haven't spoken a long time, UM, and you know, it was just that was really the only time we ever met based and face and the kneeling, you know, coming out of that is is interesting because it's kind of I mean, it's it was a global thing, you know, it really, Uh, even through this World Cup this year, there was there's teams out there that that that sort of take a moment of silence and taking

thee out of respect. You know, it's it's a tough one and I'm sure there's a lot of people listening right now they are still very upset with me and making that suggestion. But it was just I was just trying to calm situation. I was trying to find a way for us to work together. I still am. I'm

very dedicated to that of a human being. UM. I just want to see us move forward as a country and respect one another, even if we don't always agree now and I totally I think you've earned the right, having served our country as a green bread that they don't have your opinion on this obviously and have your perspective, I guess the way I've always looked at him, and I still do even after the conversation of you know, the context is you had mentioned previously of you know,

people taking the knee. I view out of those those were out of respect, and I think what he was doing was not out of respect to the country in my opinion, And I just I have a hard time seeing how someone who had two parents who loved him worth tens of millions of dollars is somehow oppressed, so, you know, and I think a large part of you know, why, you know, there used to be a time where sports brought us together. Now it divides us among everything else,

is in a large part because of him. So I just, I really, you know, I try to respect people of all sorts, but I just have a really hard time reaching any level of respect for that man. But I see your opinion, and you know, obviously have a great deal of respect for you and everything you've done to the country, and so, you know, I think you are fully fully you know, fully with respect to have your

opinion um on the issue. But you know, I wanted to get into I don't want to spend too much time talking about someone I dislike, So we'll get into you know, so and then you know, after all this, so you know, we'll kind of skip a couple of steps because again, you literally have like the most interesting life story. Uh and I've done so many interesting things in your life. But you got into acting. You also

did an NFL A Network series called Indivisible. But you also started this amazing organization called Merging fetes and players with Fox Sports, uh NFL insider J Glazer and and it's really cool because this organization has kind of combines these worlds that you've lived in, combines the world of a veteran who is sort of trying to figure out what's next after leaving the military, along with you know, NFL players that sort of have a similar experience and

sort of figuring out what is next after their time in the NFL. You know, talk a little bit more about this organization, why you started it, and why it means so much to you. Yeah, I appreciate that least. You know, it's m v P. You know, it was really something that that that I kind of needed. Um. You know, it stands for merging Vets and players. We bring together combat vets and former professional athletes and help them find purpose and identity when they lose the uniform.

And that's how I felt when I lost the uniform, and I lost both of these uniforms in the same year, as mentioned you in, I left the military, UM, and I left and football. You know, I was released, I was cut. It was over and not on my terms, and it was hard. You know, I was thirty four years old. I felt like I had a lot of life left to live and a lot of a lot left to give as well, considered going back in the military. UM,

just trying to find my place. And Jay Glazer uh, who I've trained with to prepare for that opportunity in football with the Seahawks. UH. You know, he had this idea of like bringing these groups together, bringing athletes and vets together, you know, very similar, um storyline as far as your career ends at a pretty young age. You have to sacrifice quite a bit to be elite. Of course, we would ever compare war to playing sports or those

are completely different things. The battlefield, the ball field. We always make that distinction very clear that those are not the same. But the locker rooms are similar. UM. The identity with the uniform UM, you know, and feeling as though you're part of something, having that mission and purpose UM and identity and losing it is a very similar struggle that both groups deal with. And it's tough. It's

really tough. And and you know, talk about diversity the military, uh and and a sport and an NFL locker room some of the most diverse microposms in the country. Yet these people find a way to work together, you know, they find a way, um to put some of those things aside. And like see it through as a team, and you know, would be willing on a battlefield specifically, you know, willing to lay down your life for somebody that you don't even necessarily like or agree with, and

you still do it. And that isn't only consist of the people that you're fighting alongside. That consists of almost every you know, every American back home, the people that you're fighting for. That's really unique. UM. And then losing that feeling as though, like this is it's so important what I do and what I'm atat, what I'm a part of, and so UM is so necessary and you know we have this full, full volunteer force. UM I am. I am a part of this powerful important UM community

UH and tribe. And you know, I'd wear this American flag on my shoulder with a great amount of pride. And and then it's gone, you know, and you don't know where to go. And you know, we do a great job of training these people, preparing them for for for combat, preparing them to go do that. But what we haven't figured out and mastered is that transition. How are we preparing these people for the next phase? You know, how are we preparing these people when they lose the uniform, UM.

And I understand that. You know, the goal and the idea is to keep people in. You know, they've got to focus on attention. We've got to focus on the mission at hand. It's hard to put a lot of energy into when these people transition out of that thing. And the same goes for sports. It's like our focus is to go win the super Bowl, you know, it's not to care for the guys that used to play for us, and so it becomes challenging. So that's why you need organizations if and we're not the only one.

There's thousands of organizations and veteran service organizations specifically. They do a lot of great stuff, um, But it's up to us. It's up to us, as the American people too, UM to be there for them. And you know that's why we started MVP. We wanted to be there for these for these warriors. And uh, you know, most of our members are veterans, but there's a good amount of athletes too, and they don't a lot of them don't

have those resources. And I to your point earlier, you know, a lot of them, not all of them, but a good amount of them get paid a lot of money, uh, to play a game, you know. And so that's a tough one for them as well, to even put themselves in the same sentence as someone who served in the military. But the reality is that not all of them have

that story. Not all of them got to you got paid millions of dollars to play their support and most of them have such a great respect for the veterans and a lot of veterans from the military and good a man of respect for athletes. I mean, for me, it was a big escape when I was overseas watching football. Um. It kind of helped me turn things off and focus on something different outside of what I was dealing with

it war and uh. And so the organization now, I mean, we were in eight cities across the country, um, you know, eight physical chapters, but we were also available to anybody anywhere in the country who qualifies for our program. It's absolutely free for these vets and athletes. UM Vets and Players dot org is the website, by the way. But two years ago we decided to make a movie kind of telling our story about how this started. It was in the middle of pandemic, you know, as you know,

and everybody knows everything was shut down. Um, I was living in Los Angeles, which was completely you know, closed and locked up, and there was a lot of people, a lot of veterans um who were work in that industry that we're like, man, I just want to make something. I just want to I want to get back to work, I want to go and uh. And so I said, well, let's let's do it. Let's do it together. So we did,

like most of them, to make this movie. First of all, we had very little money resources, but we had a lot of passion and people that knew how to to overcome obstacles, and most of the crew were veterans UM. Every veteran portrayed on screen in the MBK movie is played by an actual vet. You know, it's a scripted narrative film. It's not a documentary, but it feels like it because it's the real people playing themselves and a lot of these athletes as well, I mean half the

half the crew from Fox NFL Sundays in the movie. Um, Michael Strahan, Howie Longed, Jade laser Um, so many others, you know, Tony Gonzalez and Randy Coutur to Hall of Fame elite athletes play themselves in the movie as well, and um, it's really it was really special to get

it done. But it's it's about a marine who was living in a homeless shelter and an NFL player first year out of the league, and both of them are just lost, you know, can't figure out how to move forward, have have lost their identity and their team, their uniform. And they meet one another and realize that even though on paper we got nothing in common, we're going through the same stuff and they help each other through it. And really, uh M, this this tribe of vets and athletes,

and that is the story of m DP. It's how we began. And I encourage everybody to go watch it. It's out, it's everywhere right now, streaming video on demand. Most people are watching on Amazon Prime, but you can watch it almost anywhere. Uh And you know, we really encourage you to watch that movie, to go check out m VP Emerging Bets and players through our website as well. That's some players dot Org and just support us in

any way you can. And if you know that's and athletes that qualify for our program, send him our way. We'd love to connect them and uh, with our group and help them with that transition well. And I love what your organization does and with the movie Highlights as well, because it kind of goes back to when we started off the conversation of when you just moved to Los Angeles before you know, he joined the military, before you did all these things and really just trying to find

your purpose in life. And so I think it's so important and what you're doing to try to bring purpose to people after you know, sort of thing these really huge careers and and kind of figuring out what's next or maybe feeling a little bit lost or feeling that they've kind of lost that purpose in life. So I think that's just so important. I appreciate that. I mean,

that's that's a big thing. You know. Transitions are just tough for anybody, for any any human being, you know, especially when you do something at a high level and you feel like this is important. What I do every day is important, It matters, especially if you haven't felt that earlier in your life, and then you do feel it, and then you're you're back into trying to find something

that makes you feel that same way. You know that you are making a difference and it's tough when you feel like you've peaked years old, which a lot of veterans and athletes feel. That's crazy. I mean, there's a lot of life left to live and no one should feel that way. You should feel as though you're just getting started, you know. But that's how a lot of these people feel like I'll never be great again and that I've already done, I've already reached the peak. There's

just there's no more mountains of clime. And that's tough. And then that's a lot of the reason that you know, the veterans suic hight academic is is still a major issue a lot of these athletes as well. Um, not just you know, suicide, but uh, you know, the levels of sort of depression and disconnection and feeling like you don't belong and nobody cares about you anymore. Um, and you just you know, you were just a piece of equipment and now you're kind of tossed to the wayside.

That's tough, you know. I mean, we're I think we're all that's an athletes. We all maybe at some level did feel like a piece of equipment that was utilized. But you know, equipment can be repurposed, and it's important that we do that all the time. You know, we repurpose military equipment into other things. Uh, and everybody loves that. But it's like people need to be repurposed as well. Uh.

And we're all capable of it. It takes us wanting to take that step and make that change and and kind of move forward, but it also takes organizations and groups of people who have their back and let them know that this is available and that we got you. Uh. And you know, that's that's something that's that's extremely vital in this time, especially with the war ending last year

and in the manner that it did. You know, it's really tough for a lot of people to feel bad from this twenty year war that what they did actually at the end of the day even did matter. You know, a lot of them feel like we did this for nothing. You know, my buddies died for nothing. And it's not true. It's not true, but it feels that way, and it can feel that way, and that's that's incredibly hard to

come to grips with. But people need to understand these these bets and and need of these athletes that you know, what they did in their past. It's not who they are. Who they are as a person that overcame so much and survived so much to get back here and um, and there's still a lot left again and we need you. We need you to help lead this country, you know,

back to where it needs to be. UM. It takes all of us, and I think especially these military better and especially these these people that for their lives on the line and sacrifice so much. Um, you're the ones that we need to step up here and uh and we want to look up to you and um and we need leaders and you are those people. Nate Boyer, you're only forty one. I think you found a lot of purpose in life. You have already done so many

incredible things. Just deeply, deeply respect your service to the country and then what you're doing to just continue to help people who have also served. You're an awesome guy, incredible story. Everyone go out and watch m v P. Thank you so much for joining the show. I really appreciate you giving us your time and sharing with us your story. Of course, so thanks for having me. It really means a lot that was neat lawyer. Everyone should go out watch the movie, show them some court obviously

has done a lot for our country. Deeply respect the guy just also seems like a super nice guy. I want to thank you, guys at home for listening every Monday and Thursday, but you can listen throughout the week. I want to thank John cast you and my producer for putting the show together and all the hard work that he puts into it. Feel free to leave us a review, give us a rating on Apple Podcast. I love hearing from you and hearing your thoughts. I appreciate you guys listening. Take care,