Colin Kaepernick On Being Blackballed By The NFL

0:00Today is a really special one, indeed, for me in particular, because you guys know me, what gang and team I represent. Yeah. This guy's a nine or hater over here, but I'm just, I am. Hey, this guy led the Niners to a Super Bowl, and then took a knee that would change sports forever. New put out right now, the perilous fight is out. Welcome to the show, Colin Kaepernick. Thank you. Thank you. Good. This has been in the worst for a while. I've probably seen you a couple of times. So I remember I saw you at Jet Sweet X, I don't know if you're Arizona or, and I didn't want to press you, but I'm just like, bro, we need to sit down at some point. So I'm glad we finally got a chance to. Talk to us like what's going on with you right now. How's your day to day? Day day is a balance of training, fatherhood, running the foundation and building the business, which is an interesting balance to keep. Basically from time to wake up to time I go to sleep is sprint. You mentioned fatherhood.

1:00You got kids, one kid, two kids? Four year old girl. Oh, congrats. Okay, your girl dad. What's that like? I mean, I feel like having children was the biggest blessing I can ever ask for, and it completely changed me as a man. What does fatherhood done for you? Oh, yeah. It does change you. For me, it changed me immediately. Like, you realize your priorities. Completely changed. You also realize the, I think it's just like a fatherly instinct that kicks in. The extent that you'll go to protect your child is like, I love mess. I love my wife. I'll do everything to protect her. This little girl though, it's a different level. So I think that. You also maybe think about society in the world more broadly. It's like, I need to make sure I set her up for success.

2:02But there's millions and billions of other people that are trying to do the same thing for their children. And how do you actually create an environment where all of those kids can succeed and thrive? And putting that into perspective. Also some that just put more emphasis on the work that we've been doing and continue to do. So like, I think it's changed me in that way. And then also just the preparation and dedication of like making sure she's ready for the world. And that's the little things as far as how you show up as a father in the home. How you show up as a husband and to your wife. Also like what you're teaching her. She's been out a lot of time trying to make sure like she's independent, she's resilient. I try to avoid doing as much as possible for her, which is like a little counterintuitive. I'm like, I need you to learn these skills. So sufficient. Because there's going to be times I'm not there.

3:04And you have to be able to do it. It sounds a little bit crazy to think about. Whereas like a four year old, I'm like, I need you ready now. But I also know there's going to be a lot she walks into in the world. That's like, oh, that's your dad. People are going to approach her and come at her differently. And I need to make sure she's prepared for that. I got five girls and went through marriage. So I know the feeling. Oh, I need all the tips. Yeah. I need all the tips. Stay dangerous. Stay dangerous. Stay dangerous. Stay dangerous. Stay dangerous. My dad, I tell my daughter's all the time. I think my oldest, my three-oven's got it for the most part. They don't deal with guys that can't do what I do for them. So they are. I'm not going through no bullshit with you. My dad basically take care of me. So if you can't do better then why would I put myself through it? So I think me and their moms put that in their head at the young age. So now they're super independent, which I love. Which I love because I ain't got to pull up on them by them putting hands on them. I'm saying it all. I'm glad. But you are doing a great job.

4:06Thank you. 2020, when you first announced the book and it's finally here. Why did it take six years and why is now the right time? Yeah. It was a process right in it. And some of it was, as we announced the book, I mean the world drastically changed. We saw COVID. We saw George Floyd be murdered. We saw the protests that followed. And then it was also the work that was we were just ingrained in it. Like that was taking so much of the time of just how do we keep moving forward? That ultimately led us to this point now. As far as why now, I mean, one is greatest 10 year anniversary of the protests. Also. 10 years. It feels wild every time I say that.

5:07Right. It feels like yesterday. It also where we're at is a society today. Yeah. I think it is like, it is important that we center the work more and more because of the efforts that are being made counter to it. And just looking at where we're at today, police killings are higher than they were. But police budgets are larger than they were. There has been progress this been made in relation to policy at a local and state level. But we haven't seen that show up at the national level. And I think we need continue to center that. Also we have, we have midterms coming up. They're going to be pivotal for us as far as where we go as a country. So I think all of those things just make it perfect storm, perfect storm, perfect timing. Hopefully it's something that moves us to a place that we're able to create more change

6:08more broadly. Is there any message that you got to see from the book that you haven't said publicly? Ooh, there's a lot. There's a lot there. In some context around that, one of the things that was, was interesting part to navigate was in protesting and trying to prioritize the movement and the efforts there. There were times as counter to what I personally want to do. Like there's times I want to pop off at people. Not like, yo, I want to go with people. I want to go with a neck. But is that actually what's needed from me to be able to continue to move things forward? And most of the time it was like, no, I think that's actually going to distract from the goal and the outcome. I think the personal hit. Let me put that to the side and keep moving forward. So there's a lot of that within the book.

7:09And that's, I mean, some of it is personal moments from childhood. Some of it is, I made boy early in the protest. And then those things have continued to today. Just a lot of moments in conversations that I don't think publicly have shown up or the truth of them have shown up publicly. And I think that will be revealing to a lot of people within the book. I want to touch on the mental health side in a couple of different points. Right now I want to talk to just what you said. I mean, we're human. You're competitive. You are our national thing is to kind of be manly and you come at me. I'm coming to you. You being reserved and having to kind of bite your tongue and understand it's bigger than me at this point. How has that been because you have a lot of support, but the hate is always louder than

8:10the support. You have a million to millions of fans around the world, but you're normally only hearing hate. How do you process that? How are you able to turn your cheek or turn the next page? Like how is that mental side of it been for you? Yeah, that's. It's a balance process. Well, I say is I try to stay focused on the goal. And I think that's one thing is a quarterback and an athlete. You get trained into it. Here's the goal. Here's where we're going. Like, everything else gets out of the way. The part that became just the blatant hate and the racist stuff, like that's the you deal with and you navigate growing up. You build a resilience to it. It's not saying that you don't hear it, but like you have an awareness of I know what that is. The ones that were harder to navigate were like insincere and malicious attacks that

9:17were trying to like reposition narratives or reposition who I was as a person. And those are the ones that are like, why are you why are you trying to do this? You know that's not true. And there were there were a lot of the conversations we had directly with people. And we're like, that's not the case. Here's actually the facts. And it was like, oh, they would still go out and publicly say the things that they know aren't true. And those are the ones that are harder to deal with and navigate. It's like you're intentionally being malicious. But it's still not in the best interest of the movement for me to be like, yeah, I'm going to call you out by name or dresses. Could you can't fight them all? You can't fight them all. And then doing so, then it becomes, well, that's the focus. And it's like, well, why can't you all get it together? And it's like, you know what, you deal with it personally. You stay focused on the people that love you and care about you.

10:20Stay focused on the goal and keep it going. I want to commend you on that because that's just tough. I mean, even for me at 46, like, I'm past this. I'm not who I, but there's still some people that are poked the right way and they'll get that old motherfucker they didn't want to see. And I'm just like, oh, I knew I wasn't right. But sometimes just as you know, do we just, it comes out, but I want to commend you on because like I said, you've had so much negative energy and lives put out there about you. You just kind of have to take it, unfortunately. Yeah. So this book is obviously going to dispel a lot of that. It'll dispel a lot of that. And I think to your point, that's, I think that's even harder as an athlete. But right. Because like you're, you're trained to be a space of like, yo, if you come at me, come right back up. No, don't test me. Right. And try to, to temper that. Yeah. It's hard, man. There's a different skill set. I commend that. So we mentioned the 10 year anniversary of taking the knee out, I can't believe it's been 10 years. Where have you seen progress being made?

11:20Because I personally feel like we possibly taking steps back, unfortunately, since you're kneeling. Yeah. As a, as a, as a country. I say, yes and no. Okay. I mean, with directly, we've seen it with the work we've done, within Know Your Rights Camp, done those across the country. We've done internationally. We have our autopsy initiative to support families. We've done work. I don't want to cut you off. You just helped with Northern Wells. Yes. How did that go? There were parts of the autopsy that weren't able to be completed because they would help them in the first autopsy. So the, the throat, the lungs, so those weren't able to be assessed. So the data is frustrating. I, I hope the family gets clarity and gets justice. Yeah. But you, you try to do as much as you can to be able to, what are all the different angles

12:22that you can help support and try to bring the truth to light? But on, on that front, that's the area that we've been, we've been supporting. We supported protesters with legal defense, pro bono legal services. We've done COVID work. So like, we've seen all the direct impact within Know Your Rights. As mentioned earlier, we've seen this at policy level, at local politics, state politics. So we've seen progress there. We've also seen the counter to that of all the efforts to be able to roll back voting rights, to be able to roll back women's rights. We've seen direct attacks on black communities. We've seen it with ICE. So I think that this feels like a final push. In effort to try to take control and try to build that structurally into the system,

13:25which is also why it's so important to be able to reignite people around this. We have to take definitive action and bold action now. If not, we are going to be set up to fail for generations. Now I think that's the balance of, yeah, we have to acknowledge the work that's been done. And we're all starting to see some of this progress with whether it's Mamdani in New York, whether it's Abdul Al-Sahid. More progress. We're seeing people show up in politics that previously want to bend in a position to go out and win. I think we're seeing that from an overall undercurrent of people. And at the administration level, at the corporate level, we're seeing a lot more of that push to the right. I think that's where people have to fight and resist against that. I mean, I think to your point, I mean, this midterm to the biggest midterms, probably of our lifetime. And in that 28 election is going to be the biggest, but there are things you can do on

14:26your local and state level continuously to learn and be a part of what's going on. Let's switch lanes a little bit. Football, you mentioned earlier, you're still training. How are you? 38. 38. I mean, I know what the answer to this, I wouldn't have thought that. I thought you were younger than that. It is young. You miss football? Oh, yeah. Talk to us about that. That's another side of the mental that I wanted to tap into because, again, you quarterbacked my squad. So he's just a running guy. And the next thing you know, you're throwing for 300 guys in the Super Bowl, like to be able to kind of be taken out at your peak as an athlete, so to speak. You know, 26, 27, 28, 29. That's when we're at our best. Yeah. The rug was snatched from under your feet. So what has that been like and what's your hope at this point sitting here at the 38-year-old man? Yeah. I mean, I still train and prepare to be ready.

15:30I want one of them to open the door. One of the NFL owners. We know we spend the owners that have been keeping me out. Pad coaches say I'm a starter. We've had multiple coaches, multiple GMs that want to bring me in and Esman stop. The other part is I also know I can control what I can control. And to me, that preparation, that dedication and that mental resilience of continuing to go, that's important for me. And I also think it's important to make sure that I don't allow it to be something that I just quit on. That's not something I ever want to attach to me. I will always go as hard as I can, as far as I can, and push the bounds there, hoping to get a shot.

16:30I love that. Walk us back because I remember when it came back. I don't remember how many years ago, but the tri out where it was supposed to be at one place and it ended up being somewhere else. Obviously, you spoke on it a little bit, but not necessarily in depth. What happened with the tri out and you being somewhere else where that being said, I was a little confused. So walk us back to that. We were confused in the process. Yeah, just as confused as I was. So to walk through that timeline, believe it at this point, we're November 2019. Around that time period, we get a call on Tuesday. I get a call from my agent. I'm training with my trainer. He's like, I just got the weirdest call from the NFL League office. They said, you have a workout on Saturday or they said a workout up for you on Saturday. They need to know by 2 p.m.

17:34Yes or no? This is out the blue. This is out the blue. We've not been in communication with the league office at this point. There was no indication to us that this was coming. Just random call on Tuesday. We need to know by 2 p.m. We're releasing to the media like whether or not you're doing the workout after 2 p.m. All right, this is weird, but I've never heard of this. I've never heard of the league office saying that it would work out. That's not a thing that hasn't been done before, at least in my knowledge. I'm like, okay, who's going to be there? Who's a part of it? All the NFL teams will be there. We're going to do it Saturday. Tell us yes or no. So we're like, yes, we'll be there. We'll figure out the details along the way, but they ain't really sharing anything with us. And then as we're going through the process, like, yeah, we'll share the list of the teams that are going to be there and who's going to be there.

18:36We'll allow the media to be present as part of this. So all good, let us know. We're like, all right. So I actually flew out that day to go to LA to meet with Ava, Newverna, because that was the first day that Wednesday that we were going in the writers room for calling it a black and white. I flew out there. I would say through that week, we're trying to figure out what's going on. Who's going to be there? What's the workout? And my agent starts getting calls throughout the week. And teams are like, who put this together? Who put this together? Why is it on a Saturday? Workouts are normally on Mondays and Tuesdays. Saturday, we're out scouting college players, or we're preparing for the games on Sunday. So like, who put this together? This doesn't make sense. Like, we didn't put it together. We got the call. It said, hey, you have to add 2 p.m.

19:37You better let us know. So all right, we'll be there. And then as we got closer, we started getting clear and clear on like what the terms were around this workout. And a lot of the teams that were going to be there were like, they're low level scouts. They weren't decision makers. Two, they came back and were like, actually, we're not going to allow any media in. So there's not going to be transparency in the process. And we're like, okay, five, if you don't want the media there, let us bring a camera in. So we can film it as well then. No, you can't have a camera in either. So no media, no camera, they own that. And then the final sticking point was the waiver. And just for context, there's a waiver that athletes normally sign when they go to work out for a team. They're like, hey, if you go out and get hurt, we're not liable if you get hurt during the workout.

20:38I had signed that waiver on Friday for Georgia Tech. We went and did a dry run the day before. The waiver that NFL wanted me to sign waived all of my employment rights. That outside law firm dropped a waiver specifically for me. And we're like, this is the waiver that we're using. And whether it was collusion, discrimination, anything within my employment rights, holistically, we're out the window if I sign that waiver. We're like, when I'm going to sign this and my lawyers were like, it's malpractice if we tell you to sign this. We'll sign the regular waiver, like give us the waiver that you give everybody else. No, no, this is the waiver. That's it. Now to put into context, because there's always back and forth on like whether or not I should have signed. In 2022, I went and worked out for the Raiders. They gave me a standard waiver. I signed the waiver. No problems. No one ever heard about it. It was in a conversation because it was just the normal waiver.

21:42So in that scenario, we're like, all right, I can't sign this waiver. People are here. We have to work out. So we start calling around everywhere. Now, can we get a field? Can we get access? We'll go do a workout. We have people here. We'll just tell them where to go. And that's ultimately what ended up happening. Work out got live stream. I don't know who live streamed it, but I think it was on YouTube. And then after the workout, we also sent the workout to all 32 teams. So did any teams come to that workout? Yes, there were seven teams that came. Okay. There were one or two that were decision makers within that group. On the back end of that, one of the scouts that was there was like, oh, he's still on the wheat talent. So the question to be answered of, can you still play? Like we went out and answered that.

22:42And that was three years after being blackballed. And that was the most important question for us because that was the narrative people were trying to push. Do you actually still want to play? Are you still training? And we went out and showed that. So how we look at that and how I look at that workout is they were essentially trying to take a workout and use a silver bullet in that waver to be able to act. We're never going to hear from you again, because you're going to waive every employment right you have. Take us back to the process of actually taking a knee. How did that gesture come about? Did you talk to anyone about it? And then once you took the knee, what was the energy around you after that like? So the lead up to taking a knee, first three games of that preseason, I've been sitting. Steve Weish came in, asked me after that third game, why I was sitting.

23:48I explained why it's part of that going into that fourth preseason. So you were sitting down during the anthem. Yes. And then during that fourth preseason game or prior to it, I sat down with Eric Reed. Eric Reed from Baton Rouge, who was our first round pick as a safety out of LSU. And it was like, look, I see what you're doing and what you're trying to accomplish. I believe in it and I want to be a part of it. Would you be open to if we take a knee and allows us to address a number of issues that people have brought up as far as being part of the protest? I was like, yeah, I'm good with that. That was Eric's suggestion. Yes. Eric Reed's suggestion counter to a lot of what's out there. Now from that point, we went and met with Nate Boyer. And that's who ran around saying that he was the impetus for taking a knee and that positioning. But what followed after that was significant amount of pushback and racism and hate around it.

25:01But also significant support. And I say it's a very unique opportunity that I think very few people get is I got to see who people were very clearly in real time. I think it's very rare that you actually get to see people that way. And that that was hugely beneficial. Some of those were painful. Some of those were painful realization. But some of those became lifelong relationships and friendships that have built and grown over the years too. But the scale of this like is a national conversation, international conversation. And to put into context for people, I were 32 owners, 32 billionaires of the NFL that were working together against this.

26:09There was the NFL as a league working against this and also working with the president of the United States. He's about to say it's like it's the biggest hitter of all. So it like the what we were up against was in wasn't a small opponent in this. I think that realization also just made us that much more focused and dedicated to make sure that we are staying true to the purpose and the mission and being clear about that. The purpose and the mission you said in interviews which was clear when you start seeing it being hijacked. When you see your move of being hijacked by the president and claiming all kinds of falsehoods that this is what you're doing by taking a knee when you clearly said what the knee was for. How does that feel? Because that's not just a fan on social media. That's someone that's in charge of our country. Unfortunately.

27:11Not something I think you ever prepare for. But it poses a significant challenges. I think the other part is he used that as something to cover up his inadequacies as a leader. And to be able to deflect from like real policies and real systemic issues that need to be addressed. We're still waiting for a healthcare plan. But in all seriousness like that became something that we were combating. And because of the media behind it. It also became something that people are like, oh, we know we're going to get clicks. If we start promoting this. And that was a realization for us as well. Is people are coming to us and asking questions not because they genuinely want to get insight or genuinely want to address the issue.

28:16It was just like, hey, this is going to make me look good or I'm going to get a lot of hints on this. This is great. Like tell us more. And navigating that and trying to redirect those efforts back to the focus of police brutality. And then back to the work that's being done directly in communities. Talk to tonight. Talk to us about Nike. And how they've had your back. Consistently they've taken hits. They've taken a ton of criticism. But you guys have remained a solid partnership. Almost seems like a family. Definitely solid. You can see it. See it. We see it. Hey, before we turn the cameras on my whole crew, man, where you get them shoes? I feel like I'm asking that shit is a one of one. That's the whole special. That's the cap. I mean, Nike has been, they've been incredible to me. I mean, at this point together, at this point, we've been together for 15 years.

29:18And during that, that 2016, 2017 moment was actually some navigating of the internal of Nike. And shout out to to Gino who was leading, I believe it was brand for North America. He was like, I want to understand, have a better understanding of what you're trying to accomplish. And we're going to help bring that to life. And they've supported our work directly in communities. They've supported our work across a number of different things that we've been trying to accomplish. But ultimately that led to the Dream Crazy campaign in 2018. And that was a year plus in process. There was also a little bit inside on Nike is normally a significant team that are working on any one of those campaigns.

30:19This was like 10-ish people. So it was almost a very siloed project of like, hey, we got to get this going. We'll get ready to go. Gino ultimately brought that to the CEO, Mark Parker. And was like, all right, this goes live next Monday. And played it for him. And he was like, all right, play it back again. He goes, all right, if you believe in it, go with it. And Gino didn't tell me this in the moment, but he told me it's after that. He was like, I knew this either was going to work and I was going to look great. I was handed my resignation. And you remember the immediate reaction. There was initially the wave of hate that was like, oh, why are they doing this?

31:19And down the back of that ultimately was the wave of support. That is valuation jump $6 billion. I also think that became a critical point. And that was about how corporations approach the community. Because people spoke loud and clear, and especially younger generations. If you're aligned with our beliefs, like, weren't the support you weren't going to go all in. If you aren't, and we'll see this with Target now, like, if you aren't, we're going to pull every dollar we can and make sure that we hit your bottom line. It has been steadfast in that. They haven't rolled back any of their DEI policies, even though it's been targeted. So I think that becomes incredibly important for people to be able to know and understand as well. That's so. Mark Mooda Bura-Uf. How did he inspire you? Oh, man.

32:19My mood is incredible. For those who don't know, my mood also protested. Also cost him his career. And was cut short. If you haven't looked at his highlights, he stepped up for staff. Go back and look at his highlights. You can see his mastery. And he shared some of the insights of what he went through and how he had to think about and navigate it. And that was really helpful for me. Also, we meet incredibly grateful on the publishing side. We were able to support publishing his book and make sure that he maintained full ownership as part of that process. But he is one of those people that goes along with the Kirk floods and the Ali's and the Tommy and Johns

33:22in that lineage of athletes protesting and trying to create a better society for us. And oftentimes he doesn't get the love and respect that he deserves and isn't highlight in that way and the way that he should be. But so much love and respect for my mood. That's my guy. Jay-Z recently spoke on your name at Yankee Stadium. How did I think we're past Nilly and make you feel? I would say is less on a feeling side and more so on what are you trying to accomplish? To give a little bit of context, I mean, leading up to that point, he had worn my jersey on Saturday Night Live, publicly had been supportive. I have reached out and got connected to him

34:23and tried to meet with him, tried to get a phone call, wasn't willing to do that, which I understand people are busy. I just wanted to show gratitude and appreciation. They had tried to recruit me to rock nation. Which ultimately didn't do and some of that is covered in the book as well. But the past Nilly piece, what led into that as far as the days leading up? I got a call from Jay-Z the day before that press conference. And the reason I got that call was because the day before he did an interview with, I believe it was Andrew B. And he asked him, hey, you're doing this deal with the NFL, have you talked to Colin? He was like, no. So he called me the next day and this, I was like, can we, this was not the first time this had happened.

35:23Hey, let me call Colin. So when I go into this thing, I can say I talked to him. So I was familiar with this, this got a game. And get on the phone. He tells me he's done this deal. Told him I did. So the first time we got this, the first time we guys actually spoke to each other. This is the first time we spoke to each other. And this has been some years of being in touch. So the first time that we spoke together, tells me you did the deal. I was like, I disagree with what you're doing. You're selling the culture out to a bunch of races. At this point, we had done all of the discovery and depositions of the owners of the NFL. So we had all of the insight of the internal conversations as well. And he was like, well, they ain't strong. And I was like, look, I can't change what you're going to do

36:27or what decision you're going to make. Just keep my name out of it. That was my one request. Just keep my name out of it. And for me to try to minimize the work that we had done to justify the partnership with the NFL, that's the part that I was like, oh, I don't agree with how you move as a person. Like if you want to do a deal, that's all good to do a deal. But don't try the little work that's been done. And also, the millions of people across the country that are doing this work that directly impacts their lives. And to say we're past that work, that's not some mom behind. Now the other part that I would say is, in addition to that, after that moment, trying to plant fake stories around where I stand or offers that the NFL supposedly made me,

37:29which I've never received to offer from the NFL. That's where the malicious intent, I might, I'll understand your motive here. So keep your train of thought, please, because I'm tripping right now. There, it's been said, so this was completely fake that allegedly you would sign something on behalf of the NFL for a settlement. Was that real? Oh, so I- Are these two different things? These are two different things. Okay, I apologize. Two different things. Finish your first thought and we'll get to that next. Yeah, but on the back of this, my rock nation, his organization, they had tried to plant fake stories about me, as part of that. We got calls from the radio personalities and the media personalities around, hey, this is what we got a call on. Like, is this actually true? So we got all of those phone calls directly. So that's the part now. I don't understand the intent there.

38:31Outside of trying to justify the backlash that you're getting from people. Okay, so now back to the allegedly you signing, what I may have heard it was like you kind of signed your career way by signing this thing for the NFL. What exactly was that? Yeah, so within the NFL, you have the collective bargaining agreement. That's the agreement between the NFL and the NFL players association, which is the players union. For me, with the NFL black blowing me, my course of action is to file agreements, which is essentially litigation against the NFL under that agreement. And you go through an arbitration process. As part of that, and these are things that I had to learn along the way, everything as confidential as part of that process. From the time you enter it, I thought we would be able to expose all of the documentation and all of that, that was not the case.

39:33But your course of action to be able to be restored is filing agreements. Ultimately, as part of that process, we reached a settlement. The settlement is trying to recover wages. And that's really your course of action. Because of how the players the collective bargaining agreement was negotiated. As part of that settlement, I can still pursue my career. I can still speak openly or freely and say what I want about the NFL. So there's no sign my rights away in that regard. But a lot of it is, again, trying to be positioned that way to be able to say, oh, well, and you trying to recover wages that the NFL took from you. No, it was already yours. That, and money was already yours, technically. I mean, at that point, the NFL's actions were irregular that they were colluding against me. And then denying me a contract we quantified

40:36and try to recover as part of that. Now, what that equates through is losing approximately $150 plus million. But that trying to be positioned in the same light as cutting the deal directly with the NFL to undermine the protests is where that, again, becomes a nefarious positioning to try to justify that action. That's great. Thank you for having me, that's all. With the football season officially under the way, I've teamed up with Draft Kings to bring you a great new offer from California to New York. Draft Kings Sports is now available across all 50 states. No matter if you're catching the early matchup or following your favorite team every Sunday, Draft Kings let you make your picks in any location. New Draft Kings customers signed up using cold smoke. Spin $5 and you'll get 200 and total bonus rewards, which includes all markets and is paid out within 21 days. Remember, that's cold smoke. Download the Draft Kings Sports app today to keep the game at your fingertips throughout the season.

41:38Draft Kings, the crown is yours. Think about it, you wouldn't line a white receiver up on the offensive line or put an old line out on the receiver, right? Absolutely not. That's the recipe for disaster. It's all about putting the right fit in the right position. That's the idea behind the lawnmower line up from Manscaped, which is trusted by over 14 million men worldwide. You got the more straightforward slim sporty lawnmower go and then you got the all new lawnmower ultra-gint six that has all the bells and whistles. Whichever one you choose, they both deliver a clean, comfortable grooming experience with skin-safe technology to help reduce nicks and cuts. Bless a waterproof design for easy cleanup, found. Find Manscaped in the lawnmower lineup today at Target and CVS. [♪ Music playing in background, music playing in background, Listen, if you know me, I'm about rolling with my squad. An NBA 2K27 is exactly where Hooping is this year. It's all about putting the city on your back. I've been leaking up with the homies, getting our runs in

42:41and talking to talk on and off the court. We're talking about peer domination, whether it's put it up to the park or playing under the bright lights. Grab the guys and let your game speak for itself. Stop playing and get on the court. NBA 2K27, ball over everything. Today's episode is presented by Draft King Sports. Draft King is the crowned yours. Let's take it back. Uprigging. You were a serious baseball player growing up. So multi-sport athlete, what made you choose football? I love playing football. There's a camaraderie within football that I don't think you're getting anywhere else. Also, culturally football is very different than baseball. Yeah. And that was very important for me. Also, there's something within football that I think it may be this, how high the stakes are

43:42when you're on the field. It's like your physical well-being is that stake. And if you don't perform, that's a problem for you. I also think that that builds the adrenaline, the excitement of going out and competing at that level. And that's ultimately what drove me to football and want me, maybe want to chase and pursue that. Childhood adopted at five weeks. I'm biracial, Italian and Black. And obviously reading up on some of your stories, growing up or down predominantly white kids, like I did once I moved to Sacramento. What was that struggle in Turlock as Northern California, too, right? Yep. Yeah, so I went to you. Where about an hour from? From Sac, right? Yeah, that's OK. So what is that like? Because again, biracial, I lived in San Jose initially, and I was around everything but white kids. And then moving to Sacramento, we moved to a similar type neighborhood. My parents went out of there, their way to put me in white schools. And I found out that I was lacking in education

44:42by almost like three grade levels. You know what I mean? So they just figured I was going to be better off in these situations. But being white and black or Italian and black however you want to label it, I was never white enough and I was never black enough. What was your experience like? I mean, you definitely get those dynamics. But I would say it's a little bit unique for me because being adopted into a white family, predominantly white community is like, oh, you're black. Early old. Early old. Yeah. From the youngest age. And my parents were also open about that. That wasn't something that was hidden. So there's never a question there. You do get into like conversation around hues and shades and all of that as you get older. But I mean, how I approach things is when you walk out in the world and be like, yo, you're a black man. And you're going to get treated as such. You throw some tattoos on top of it. There's no escaping it. That's just what it is.

45:44No matter how far the ladder go up, we still niggas. And so I think that part always existed. What it did teach me though is you very quickly learned to be comfortable in spaces that look at you different. And at that point in time, there's the trying to figure that out and navigate it. How do I handle this and navigate? But that actually was phenomenal training for me, looking back for what was to come. And being able to stand in spaces that was like, everybody around you may look at you differently. They may not agree with you. But can you be steadfast in this or without flinching? And that became important. I think the other part is you also build the internal resilience of being OK with isolation.

46:52That's like, hey, if this is what it is, that's just what I have to navigate. And I think that all become useful skill sets as you let older in life while in those moments, they may be uncomfortable. Absolutely. The love for the quarterback position, ultimately the single most prestige position in professional sports, something you did at a very high level and did well. Where did the want to be a quarterback and who are some of the people you looked up to in that space? I love playing quarterback. You get all of the elements of the game. The guys look out, excitedly. Look at him. He's kidding. He's still a man. I love it. I love it, bro. OK, teach that. Oh, man. Because growing up, when you're watching football, do you point, you're looking at the quarterback. And like, oh, that's the premier position. You hope to be able to play that. And I say my early days, my family all being from Wisconsin,

47:52like we were Packer fans. So I actually grew up watching Brett Farve, which, yes. Oh, another story. Yeah. Ha, ha, ha. Hold it. I was young, y'all. I was young. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was called as a packer as a quarterback. As a quarterback. When I talk about a human, we're talking about as a quarterback. He looked nice. Nah, he did some of the stuff while he was playing. But a lot of what we see today hadn't happened yet. Love. So. So. But that was one of the people I grew up watching. And then being able to also start looking at black quarterbacks, like Randall Cunningham was someone early on, like loved the mobility, what he brought to the game. grew up watching Vic and Vince Young. Donovan McNabb. And these were all players that I was looking at, try to figure out, where does my game fit within this? And then obviously you have Peyton, you have Tom,

48:54like you're looking at those quarterbacks, while their style of play is slightly different. But within the position, you get the physical element of, and I have to go out and perform. I'm going to take some hits, especially the style of play that I had went, particularly when I got to college in the NFL. You get the physicality of the game. But you're also constantly in this mental battle. And being able to think about not only how you execute as an offense and how you lead an offense, but also thinking about the process of how you're going to execute within a game. And just to give an example of this, we had a sequence in the run up to the Super Bowl, where we had been saying up for weeks and weeks, one play that we ran in the Super Bowl.

49:56And it was three separate plays that built up to it. One was like a quick throw out to our receiver. We ran that for a few weeks. Then we were going to fake that throw, run a draw play. Then by the time we got to the Super Bowl, this had been called six to eight weeks that we had been setting this up. Get to the Super Bowl, fake the throw, fake the draw, play action pass, we take a shot, we score a touchdown to Crab Tree and the Super Bowl. Like those are the things you get to go through as a quarterback of like, how are we setting plays up, not just within this game, but weeks in advance. Like we, we knew we were just going to Super Bowl. That's what he's trying to say. We knew it was going to happen all the time. Yeah, he was going to say that. That was going to happen. Carry on. But like those become the moments that, that, that dope to be able to go through that process. Because you're also, you're doing it with your teammates and you're in there. All right.

50:57There's, there's the X's and O's on paper. And there's also the, the plays of like, hey Crab, on this one, like, here's what it is on paper. But like, this is how this DB is playing. We don't hit it like this. And those are things that no one sees, but they become so critical to your success. And like, you see that I'm basketball too. Like, what you draw up isn't how it actually plays out. And that feel for the game. And they're camaraderie in that. Like that becomes the, really, the, the difference maker of whether or not you win a loose. When you're in the pocket, when you're dropping back, what's going through your mind? When you decide the pass, I take off pocket clothes in there. I'll say depends with that pocket looks like. Yeah. Closing in on you. Me, it, you really are making split second decisions of. Die live. Die live. With Aaron Donnam-Nallem, good.

51:58Die live. What you want to do? There's some of it. Because I'll say, this is the worst one as a quarterback. When you see a free runner and you also see your receiver, and he's just about to clear someone to get into a window. So you got to hold it. And like, I need to just hold this split second longer. But I'm going to get lit up. But this is going to be a big play. Yeah. And you just have to own it. Yeah, you got to eat it. And though, those are also the most satisfying ones. Yeah. Because you put your life on it. Yeah, you put your body on it. Yeah. Life, life, life. Yeah, life, life. And those also become the moments you build trust with your teammates. Exactly. You build trust in respect. Yeah. Took that hit. You always hear him, damn, he took that hit, but made the throw. Yeah. The defenders changed since the last time you started deciding to take off and run since the, how they looking now, that's the change they see. It's like if you were to come back now, the business is unchanged as far as the new defenders.

53:01Some of these linemen like Aaron Donnamo, are they doing some things? Was they doing this when you was playing? We played against Aaron. You played the game one way, man. Oh, yeah. You going? Yes. Because the other part is I also trained and prepared for that. Same as the train. That was one of the things, especially being mobile as a quarterback, is like, I don't get to train the same way other quarterbacks. I have to train almost. I looked at it like three ways. After train with the physicality of a running back, the speed of a receiver, but all the mind in pocket presence is called a traditional quarterback. And it's like, how do you bottle that and build all those skillsets into one? But that gives you the space to be like, hey, you may be 6'6'270 running straight at me.

54:04Same time, I'm 6'5'230. I'm trained for this. It's still a big difference. But you also going to have to earn it. There's no freebies over here. I think that part of the game, because you also want to send a message to the defense. When you take hits like that, to me, I always want to get up and talk shit. I want to let you know that what you did had no effect. What a shit. That was a nut. Go ahead. Next time, hit me harder. The mental aspect of the game and the mental warfare, that becomes so important. I love it. You and Harball get there at the same time, 2011. What is something that best captures what it was like playing with Coach Harball? Crazy. Crazy. I remember Harball. He would be sitting in meetings. And he would have a dip in. He would have a diet coach. And he would be sitting there chewing on his nails,

55:07washing film with us. What's the edge? What's the edge that's going to help us win? And that showing up every day builds a mentality of the team of like, you have to show up that way. Also, you know you're going to put in long hours. Right? When I've found out how long I have to cut you off, your guys' practice days are. And it's compared to us, the shit is unbelievable. Bro, when Nelly, we can be in an out of practice and have a whole game plan of 45 minutes. You guys are there six, seven hours class work, like all kinds of shit. Oh, it's like school. Oh, when I first got to the NFL, how it was described to me is, you're basically getting a PhD in football. Like, for me, I was getting to the facility at, like, probably 5.36 am.

56:10I was going home at like 7 pm. That's crazy, bro. And that's basically you're getting that from August to December of January, depending on where you're at, playoff watch. You're going to, you're training, you're going to meetings. You'll be in meetings for a few hours. You go to a walkthrough, grab lunch quick. You go out to practice, come back from practice, you're reviewing film. And as a quarterback, you have to say, you get an extra film. And then by the time you go home, you go to sleep, you wake up, you do it again. And it's like, that's the grind of what it is. And under hardball, for us, it was like doing that grind. You see the dividends of it. Like, it pays off. And that's where it's like, oh, people have no problem doing it. Now, when it doesn't work, that's when people get to,

57:11like, you know, if it's not working, when it's not successful, you see people start tapping out. That becomes more difficult. But when things are clicking, like, people put hours and put work in to get to win. What was the first playbook that you had to memorize? What was that process? Because it comes a quarterback, too. How about you get something that's like this thick walking into Canada? So I came in in 2011, which was the lockout year for the NFL. Mario drafted. I drove up to the facility. And you weren't supposed to have any interaction with the team as players outside of going there to be like, hey, we got draft. They gave me some gear within that backpack. It was like, oh, here's the playbook. And the playbook is like a encyclopedia. Can do it. And what? What? What?

58:13I would say, for all the young athletes out there, reading is essential because the playbooks, they're no joke. And it's formations, it's motions, it's personnel is all of the running plays, all of the play actions, all of the red zone, all of the third down. Everything possible within this. And you just start going through it. And you just start practicing. Just one by one going through the pages. Now, the part that game that initially is like, all right, how am I going to get through this and how am I going to remember it? The second part is when you get into the season, week by week, you get a more distilled version. That's tailored to that team, to the game plan. But it's still not little. You're still getting to play book like this.

59:15And then you start wrapping through. All right, here's our first and second down plays. Here's our third down plays. Here's our red zone, all of the blue. Here's all of our autoboles. Yeah, I'm going to split the autoboles. Maybe this is not a video game, bro. This is a real game right here. Let me get you some context on autoboles, though. What's going on? So tell me. I'm just going to throw the fake. Go away. Oh, my rookie year. At this point, I was still back up to Alice Smith. We're playing the Saints in the playoffs. We had a red zone package. We would call one play in the huddle. We had six autoboles off and out one play. And it was all based upon different linebacker positioning and different defense line positioning and then secondary positions. We had never had an autobole package like that.

1:00:17That's crazy. And significant amount of time that we was via Alex going back and forth like. All right, run the film. What would you audible here? All right, we'll be going through. Going through. The differences in what we were trying to accomplish there and tell us from film, or here's the linebacker's feet. If this linebacker is back like this, that's a audible. If they're staggered like this, that's a audible. If they're shifted here, that's a audible. If they're shifted to the other way, it was so minute. Now in game, I don't think we got a single one right. Because it was. It was like, we tried to get too cute with the audible is within it. But just to give a sense of some of the mental preparation, that's one play call. And you're doing that across an entire game, entire play.

1:01:20You got to think for everybody. That's all. You have to trouble think for myself. Thank you for all the team. You have some of those players. Some of the best, too. Here's what you got to do, bro. Yeah, good. That's what you got to do, bro. I'm wrong. I'm wrong. I'm wrong. Yeah. I run around. Yeah. Even if it's to a big wall, just pick me up. Am I T? I'll teach them. You know what? Those are also some of the best players. That's what I'm trying to tell you. You're going through a wall. No bullshit. That's what you got to do, bro. So you get your break. Obviously, I was the established starter in 12 concussion issues. You take the job and keep it. What did you learn from a backup role, which is not very long time. Normally, quarterbacks get sit to three years. You're throwing in the fire after one and a half seasons almost. What did you learn from a backup and how did you apply that to what you did moving forward? I got to learn a few different things.

1:02:21One, I got to practice the skill set that had to develop at Nevada. I had to develop it prior, too. Always being put in a number two position and preparing like a starter. So not laying my position dictate my approach. So that was one piece that was critical. The second is I was very fortunate to have a quarterback, like Alex Smith, in front of me, who was so collaborative and willing to give me insight on his approach, how he was thinking about the game, and being able to pass some of that knowledge on. I don't think I would have been ready as quickly for the stakes that were ahead if I didn't get to work with him in that way. I was brilliant phenomenal teammate, and that helped set me up for success. The other part is a backup in San Francisco that don't think people fully appreciate.

1:03:21Every day in practice, I was going to get our defense. Our number one defense. So Patrick Willis, Navarro Bowman, Ma Brooks, Justice Smith, Aldi Smith, we had DeShon Goldstein, Dante Wittner. Our defense across the board was stacked. We had pro-bores across the board. Never one defense league. And that year. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I would say, yeah, Hall of Famers are there. For real. And they show up to practice the same way they show up the game. Yes, the game. They're going to talk shit to you. They're coming at you. And you also realize, for me, I felt like they were testing me to be able to see if you do step into this role. Are you ready? So also building that mentality of, oh,

1:04:24I'm going against some of the best every day. And being able to go out and win against them, that also helped prepare me for what I was going to see on the field. So I think all of those things helped lead to that moment. And then at that point, once I stepped on the field, everybody immediately jumping in and having my back. That's very hard to be able to do, especially when a team is as successful as we were at that point. Alex was playing incredible. The team was playing incredible. And for them to not flinch and be like, no, this is the decision. Like we're running with it. That wasn't a small feat from the team either. But to your credit, you didn't miss a beat. Respectfully, Alex did this thing, but you came in. You weren't bullshitting. You was playing with him. Oh, we can't. You can. You have another dynamic. Yeah, I was good. A lot of different, but you start the final seven games. You guys go five and two. You make the playoffs. But what was it?

1:05:25Was there a moment before you guys got to the playoffs? Or I mean, I know how crazy our fans are in a good way. Was there like a kind of a pitch myself moment? Or just kind of just every day with just living a dream? I would say there are a couple of different moments along that journey. One was after I got the first start against the Bears, while Alex had a concussion. He was still in concussion protocol. That was one. But the second one was the next week. I believe we'll play the Saints. And that's where Alex had cleared concussion protocol. And they made a decision of, oh, we're sticking with you. And that was like, oh, this isn't a, I did good enough in this game. I can make this position mild permanently if I go out here and do what I'm supposed to. So that was another moment. And then I think the one that solidified it

1:06:25during that initial seven game run was going up to Foxboro and playing Brady. And I believe at that point, it was December in Foxboro. For ease. I think they're the record in December at home over the last four or five years. It was like, basically, they don't lose. And we went up there and we put up like 34 on them and beat them. And that was, we went to Tom Stadium at Homefield and got a win in December. Like that's not supposed to happen. And that was another turning point that ultimately led to the playoffs. That was like, we're going to go to distance. You touched on something that I think a lot of athletes, but the fans may not understand the importance of the coaches having confidence in you. You mentioned Alex cleared protocol, but you kept the keys to the car.

1:07:25What did that immediately do to your confidence? To your point, very underappreciated by fans. When you know coaches have confidence in you, change everything. You know you can go out and let things loose. When they don't, you know every decision you make is going to be questioned. Looking over your shoulder. And for me, having that confidence was like, oh, we just got to go. It's all gas, no brakes. Now, what made this even more definitive for me was interesting is Harbock came to me after the season before we kicked the playoffs off. And I think he did this intentionally because he knew my mentality at that point in my approach. Like, I would take things very personally and be like, oh, I'm going to prove you wrong. And it was like, as once you know, when I made the decision to start you,

1:08:27the GM didn't agree with the decision. There were some other coaches that didn't agree with the decision, like management didn't agree. But like, you give us the best shot to go win a Super Bowl. Wow. And that was one of the moments that was like, I have to make you right. Like, I got to let all of them know you made the right decision. Like, you made the right decision. And I'm the one that's going to take us there. That's dope. I love that. Let's take a, let's take a stroll down memory lane. So division around first round at Lambo, you rush 16 carries 181, which at the time, or is it still current? A record for quarterbacks in a single game in a playoff regular season game. You're going into Lambo. A team you grew up kind of watching. They don't lose much during the playoffs. And there, and you guys went in there and did a number on them. What do you remember most about the game? How cold was it? Well, that, so we played them twice. The first one with the rushing record was at Candlestick. Oh, was it? OK. That was the first one. The second one, the following year, that was at Lambo.

1:09:31But the first one, we're playing prime Rogers. Like, you knew they were going to put up numbers. And it was coming in with a mentality of like, on offense, we're going to have to put up numbers. And we had a great game plan for them. We had put in some new pieces for them. And one of the things I remember most about this that I'm happy people have forgot about. But it's things would be the first drive of that game. I threw a pick six. Yep. I went out to a pick six and missed the tackle on the sideline. And I remember walking back to the sideline and seeing everybody being like, is this how you want to show up for us? This first playoff game, like we're trying to get to a Super Bowl. You come out the gate throwing a pick six.

1:10:33Like, I felt the energy. And I was like, oh, no, we got it. We had to come right back. Well, the next drive, go score a touchdown. And at that point, we're off to the races. There's a 181 yards on the ground. And we had 242.50 in the air. But it was like, offensively, everything worked. Yep, clicking. Everything worked. We got to a space that was like, it doesn't matter what we call like, you can't stop us. Which is, that's the place you always want to be. And FC Championship Falcons, down 17-0, you have a nice throwing game, but you guys come back and able to punch your ticket to the Super Bowl. Talk to us about that game and what it meant to like to, when that final horn went off, that you guys were going to the Super Bowl. We go on the road to Atlanta playing Matt Ryan. Another incredible quarterback.

1:11:35You want to go down 17 and sight? I'd say that we lose. Oh, yeah, 17. I'd say that you lose nine plus times out to him. And a lot of conversation on the sideline, a lot of conversation in locker room, which is, no, we're going to go back and get this one at a time. And that's what happened. We had some big plays on offense. Our defense. You got really solid in the second half. We, Frank Gore had a touchdown, Vernon had a touchdown, and just one by one came back in that game. And then winning that game and punching the ticket to the Super Bowl, I get into the Super Bowl and playing in the Super Bowl with some of you dream of as a kid. How do I get there?

1:12:37What do I need to do to get there? And then actually getting over that hurdle, the excitement with that, and then also being like, well, now we got to go prepare to win it. So for us, it was, you have the excitement, but you also have the, there's more. So like you get to celebrate but so much. But is the thing that you're, you're striber for? And then you get into. I back home next day, and you start recovering. You start your normal routine. You have a two week stretch leading into the Super Bowl. And it's like, let's go learn the Ravens inside now. So we're here. Super Bowl, nine or first to Ravens, the infamous blackout game. You throw for over 300 yards, but walk us through that game because obviously the blackout was a big part of the game. Two people could have murdered you on the other side of this game. Reg Louis, say, hey, Reg, they were murderers.

1:13:37Well, it interesting. We actually, we had game plan to target Ray. Because Ray was on the end of his career at that point. So we like the matchup. Ed is, Ed is such a wild card. He'll be anywhere. The one that people don't talk about that we actually have a game plan a lot for. So it's. So it was one of them. Hello, Di. Hello Di Nada. He was on the internal defense line. He was a problem. He was a problem. He was a mother fucker. What are those guys you had to double? Double. You always had, we had to know where he was on all the play halls. And it was like, we had audible space to palm where he was at. He was that much of a factor, which is to get that in the internal defense line. Like that's normally you're not game plan that way.

1:14:38So that gives you a little bit of sense of that. But going into the game, we're like, oh, this is ours. We knew the defense inside and out. We knew the vulnerabilities. We knew who we wanted to isolate in space. We had all that laid out. What we didn't do is we didn't come out and play like ourselves initially. First play of the game, we had rep this all week. Go out, we run a play action pass. Throw it to Vernon, 2025, our game. We had to get a game, a legal formation. Fly on the play. Now we had rep this over and over again. We had done it in our sleep. And small air, big expense. So 30, 35 yard swing.

1:15:42And we had little things like that throughout the first half and first two and a half quarters. Blackout happens, third quarter. I think at that point, we're in a similar position. We're down 17, something like that. Gives a moment for everybody to regroup. And then we come back and we start playing like ourselves. We have a quarter and a half where we're just rolling and playing like ourselves. That ultimately leads to us in a final drive, getting to five yards from the end zone. We have four shots at it to take the lead. And we don't punch it in. And that is probably the hardest thing to grapple with is being that close. I mean, like we didn't finish it.

1:16:44But within that, like, statistically, we had a great game. Like we put up 30 plus points in a Super Bowl. But not the day, those are things that's like, not that matter, because you didn't win. You didn't win, right? But I also look back and reflect on it. It's like, if we played that game 10 times, I think we win at nine. Wow. And that's the one time that we didn't. It's a lot, man. Over the last 10 years, when you look back at playing, we just touched on the stance you made. What's one thing that sticks out the most? The thing that probably sticks out the most, I think there was a missed opportunity collectively. I think part of that is I being the quarterback and being an athlete,

1:17:46you're constantly looking at like, what could be better? I think collectively missed the opportunity. I think as players, I think more broadly, I think there was a moment where there was enough focus, enough momentum that if we collectively got players to stand up, we could create significant institutional change. And I think that goes well beyond the NFL. We saw some of this in the summer of 2020 with the NBA. I think there was broader opportunity to push the bounds there too. They could have did more. That's, as one of those things, I don't love looking back and critiquing pieces and being like, yo, we think should have gone further. But from being honest about,

1:18:48there are more players that should have stepped up in more significant ways because collectively, the power that exists there, there is no NFL or NBA without our players and without our community. Right, which means the leverage there is so high. If one weekend of football players are like, yeah, we're not doing that until you address these things. That could be inside or outside of the NFL. Heavy. As soon as you start affecting dollars, hey, they'll call everyone of their friends and be like, we need this policy pass. We need these things addressed because you're affecting our business now. So we're making a policy pass on this money. And I think getting players to realize the power and influence that they have, I think that becomes really important. I think there was, there was a missed opportunity there,

1:19:51and that's not to say that still can't be seized, like that still exists today. So I think with the players that are out there, they should be thinking through that as far as how to be able to leverage it. So understanding our power to your point, it doesn't happen without us. Very different time, different day. Quick hitters, first thing to come to mind, let us know your top five quarterbacks of all time in your opinion. Woo, all time. I'm gonna throw Doug Williams in there. You gotta have Tom in there. That's a no-brainer. I'm gonna throw Aaron Rogers in there. Hey Rod. This is the best thrower under football. I would say still early, about throwing my homes in there.

1:20:51Patty. I'm gonna throw Joe in there. And you see Joe? Oh. This is a producer question. Did you wish that you can have one time where you could wet a white pants uniform for the Netherlands? The white lights. Oh, yeah. Oh, super. Oh, man. That the wiser cold. The wiser cold. The thing, bro. You got you ain't got all that. That was clean. I yeah, I wish we could have got those. We did get the all blacks though. That was five or two. That's five. That took some work to be able to get there. Yeah, that was different. So, be at all whites would be nice. That's what you made those Jersey famous. The black, black, black, black, red. That's the one. Yeah, that's the one. You got any hobbies or interests that people wouldn't expect from you?

1:21:52The one I get a lot of questions around now is my company in the AI education space. Briefly break that down if you don't mind. Yeah, so we have a company addressing literacy within K-12 education, also building better alignment from our districts to our teachers to our students. So, everything is aligned. But we're trying to address that 70% of students across the country aren't proficient in reading and writing. We also have a future being built with AI. That's all natural language. So, the foundational skills of reading and writing that our students don't have are actually the skills that they're going to need for the future with AI. And we've seen that impact with the digital divide directly in our communities. So, we're trying to address this with AI now to be able to improve the literacy and also ultimately build those skillsets for them. How do you get away from it all? Like, how do you own wine? Training is one space.

1:22:53Now it must become meditative to me at this point. The other part is spending time with my daughter. That's how you get away from it, yeah. It's still on daddy duties and have all of those responsibilities. But... You get joy from it? Oh, so much joy. And it's also like seeing her grow and develop, seeing her personality come to life. Like, all of those things get me so excited about her future. Like, that makes me happy. It makes me feel at peace. I love that. Five did against dead or alive. Okay. Oh, this is good. I go Malcolm. Nice. Malcolm makes. I go to Park. This one that most people probably will not know. Hat set shoot. Hat set shoot. So one of the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt,

1:23:56but her trajectory to become Pharaoh, is like the strategy and positioning over years to be able to bring that to life is pretty remarkable. And also just thinking about the time period as well. Like, so that's another one. Who else would I bring to this dinner table? I'm gonna bring Huey. Nice. I'm bring Harriet too. Nice. Nice. Miss Tuddin. One album you can listen to on repeat. No skips. Poor sale drive. Jay Cole. Dream skill position team. Give me one running back, three receivers and a tight end. One running back, three receivers and a three. Guys, you didn't get a chance to play with. Running back, I'm gonna go with, I'm gonna go with Barry. Can't go wrong with that. I'm gonna go with Barry. Pick somebody. Yeah. Receivers. I'm gonna go with Calvin Johnson. Right there.

1:24:58Also, side note. Played against Calvin when he was in Detroit. He came over and lined up on our side of the field. Biggest shit. Like a defensive vand over. I was like, Stafford, you got a good over here. Yeah, yeah. So I'll go Calvin. I'm gonna go Julio. Good. Another big boy. Actually, I'm gonna say one current here too. I'm gonna go with Justin Jefferson. Oh yeah. He a beast. Tight end. And tight end. I'm gonna tell you your gaze. Yeah, he just became my neighbor not too long ago. I didn't realize it. Oh really? So, like his kid was riding his little scooter in my little call the sack and my other son went to school with him. He's like, no son, that is like no. I'm like, can't tell me what that is. Oh shit. I literally like ride across street. Hardest hit you took in your career from who? Sean Weatherspoon. Sean Weatherspoon.

1:25:59Remember the play? Yeah, it was actually in college. Oh, okay. He was at Missouri and we had a fourth down going to Anzal. At this point, they were already blowing us out. But drop back, scrambling to the left, come back around to the right. And I see my tight end, the back of the Anzal. And I'm running full speed. And Sean is running full speed downhill at me. And this is one of those moments that we talked about earlier where I said, shh. Do I do it? I got him, but I know I'm gonna get lit up. Running full speed. I let it go. And he hits me right under my chin. Did it backflip? Yeah. No shit out of you. Woo. Oh, I've never been hit that hard again. Did it backflip, got up, and I was like, I think, I ain't even broke my jaw. And Tuesday, every once in a while, I'll get like,

1:27:00a little clickin' in. That is what I'll never forget. No one has replicated that. Damn. That's a good thing. Yeah, that's right. KG got like that too many times. Mm-hmm. If you could see one guest on our show, who would it be? But you have to help us get your answer on the show. Ooh. I like this one. I like this one. I'm gonna go with J Cole. I like that. Oh, sorry. That's too much. That's too much, sorry. That's super sorry. I got one more last question. It's a two-part question. I hope it's not the case, but if you've taken your last snap, in the NFL, would you want to be remembered for as a quarterback? And would you want to be remembered for as a man? I would say it's similar for each, just in the different contexts. Like, I want to be remembered as being great at what I did. Like, that pursuit of greatness in going out.

1:28:03How that shows up on the field is going out and going to the Super Bowl. Like, being a great teammate, putting the work in, and making sure I was doing everything possible to allow us to go out and win. And as a man, being great at all facets of that, whether that's a husband, a father, the work that I'm doing in the community, it is, I don't take for granted the amount of work and effort that takes to be able to accomplish that. And I hope in putting in the effort to try to accomplish that, that's how people remember the work that does. So, they definitely will, but you're going to go down at the all time. Tell them where they can find your book at and what else you got going on. It's your solo right here. All right. Check out the perilous fight available everywhere, except Target, September 15th. Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!

1:29:04That was good. I'm good, good. That was good, really. You guys also get an audible, audible original. Check it out. I think you'll enjoy it. Hopefully it gives you some insight, some perspective, also some motivation to be able to take things to the bounds of what is possible. Collin, man, we appreciate you. The two things that stood out to me with this interview was how you lit up about being a father and how you lit up talking about being a quarterback, bro. So, we appreciate your time. God bless everything. Invest a lot. Move on forward, bro. Thank you for your time. You're welcome, bruh. Green lips. – Thank you. – Thank you.