Club Shay Shay - Eddie George

Episode Date: February 6, 2023

Eddie George is here! The former Titans RB, and current head coach at Tennessee State University stops by Club Shay Shay to talk with Shannon about his playing career as well as his journey to becoming a head football coach. The 1995 Heisman Trophy winner, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and 4x Pro Bowler dives into what it's like coaching at an HBCU, and how Deion Sanders and Ed Reed's departures may change things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Yeah. I hated y'all. I especially hated you because you caught that wheel route. Yeah. And I said, what? They can't score. Y'all had 112 yards of offense and won the game. Got to roll the dice, that's why, all my life, I've been grinding all my life, all my life, been grinding all my life. Sacrifice, hustle pay the price, want a slice, got to roll the dice, that's why, all my life, I've been grinding all my life.

Hello, welcome to another edition of Club Shea Shea. I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor of Club Shea Shea, And the guy that's stopping by for conversation and a drink today is a Heisman Trophy winner, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, College Football Hall of Famer, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, a four-time Pro Bowler, first-team All-Pro, a Titans ring of honor inductee, has his number 27, retired for the Tennessee Titans, and the Ohio State Buckeyes, an actor, a producer, entrepreneur,

and the head football coach of an HBCU Tennessee State, Eddie George. Man. What's up, bro? Dog. It's been a while. It's been a while. It has, man. How you been?

Man, I'm great, man. Blessed. Can't complain. God is good. Glad to have you on your show to try this outstanding. You know what? Let's go ahead and do it. Yes, let's do it.

To March success. Yes, sir. Past and future. Amen, let's do it. To March success. Yes, sir. Past and future. Amen. Let's do it. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. That's right.

Oh, smooth. Oh, yeah, yeah. That's smooth. That's smooth. So how have you been? Man, I've been good, brother. Just chopping wood, trying to get these kids in check. You know, now I'm coaching at Tennessee State.

Right. I've been there for two years, going on my third year. Right. Trying to get the right bodies in the building. That being on the field, anybody that touches football, whether it's academics, nutrition, sports performance, raising money. You know, one of our biggest deals that we're doing now, I'm trying to get a football operations building built

where we have everything there from our meeting rooms, training room, weight room, all in one spot. Right now, we're just spread out all over the place. There's been a lot of negativity dealing with HBCUs. We saw the situation where Deion, Coach Prime, he leaves Jackson State, goes to Colorado. We see the situation playing out right now with Ed Reed and Bethune Cookman. So how about some positivity?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. The atmosphere, the ambiance, the pageantry that comes along with being an HBCU. How much did you know about an HBCU before you took the job at Tennessee State, and what did you learn once you got there? Well, I knew about HBCU football growing up. I mean, I was a big college football fan. I knew about Eddie Robinson, Grambling, FAMU,

Tennessee State, Savannah State, and I went to Forkington Military Academy in Virginia, where a lot of my teammates went to HBCU. Hampton, Howard, yeah, yeah. And my teammates went to hbc okay yes hampton hampton virginia yeah yeah and my cousins went to hb so i'm i grew up in the culture okay um and living in nashville uh we before we moved from when we moved from houston to tennessee we uh actually practiced at tennessee state okay uh the of years, but lived in the dorms.

Right. So I was very familiar with Tennessee State then. And over the years, I had friends that went to Tennessee State. I've had various projects at Tennessee State, so I knew everything about the university, the struggles,

the great history they had with football, some of the great alumni that have come there with oprah winfrey right dimension just one person 34 members in the pro football hall of fame come from hbcu yes indeed so it's it's it's a very strong brand when it comes to that right so i i knew of both the positives and the negatives walking into that situation. Did you always want to coach? Because, I mean, I played against you. Yeah. I know you a little bit.

Yeah. I didn't see the coaching bug biting you. When did you get the coaching bug and what made you say, you know what, after all the things that you've done, I mean, you're on Broadway, we're going to discuss that a little later. You know what, I'm going to throw my hat into the coaching ring. You know what, man? It fell on my lap.

Okay. And here's how it is. You know, like I said, I was happy, you know, playing golf. Right. Working on my nine iron. I was enjoying that. I was watching my sons grow up. My son actually goes to film school out here at USC.

Okay. My youngest is a high school football. I was joined being a dad. My wealth management business is booming. So I'm meeting clients and building that business up. And ironically, President Glover, who is the president of Tennessee State, is also the president of the AKA Foundation, who I do business with on the wealth management side. So it was right around COVID in 2020, and everything shut down. And I'm not acting. I'm at home.

Just figuring out, OK, what's life going to be like if we get out of this? Right? So she calls me one day out of the clear blue says hey or text me she says hey uh i need to talk to you about something very important so immediately i'm looking at okay let me look at the accounts right right to make sure all every dollar the money ain't jump for right exactly i don't want to pull anything out i'm like okay let's see right look at the accounts everything fine in fact it's growing because during during the COVID, everything was rocking. I said, oh, good.

She probably wants to add more money. Right. I'm like, all right, beautiful. Give her a call. You say, hey, President Glover, how you doing? How's everything? What's going on? She says, good.

I said, account's good. I see it's growing. I said, you thinking about adding more to it, right? Mm-hmm. So she says, no, no, not quite. I just want you to have an open mind about this. Uh-oh. I said, OK, you're calling me.

She probably wants me to do some fundraising for the university. OK, that's not my next name. Well, ask me for a donation. So I said, OK, we'll shoot it. What you got? She says, well, I'm thinking about making a change. And I want you to consider being the next head coach for Tennessee State.

And it was a long pause right there. And automatically, I'm offended. I'm like, woman, don't you? I'm financial advisor. I'm not trying to raise money. You don't ask me to be a head coach. And this is off the heels of what Deion has done. So I said, before I give a hard no, I want to keep the business relationship open.

I'm going to, you know, let me think about it. Let me pray on it. Right. You know what I'm saying? Let me let me pray on it for 48 hours. Now I get back to it. So I got off the phone, didn't give a second thought, and talked to my wife. I said to her, listen to this ridiculous ass idea. Linda Glover called me wanting me to be the next head coach for Tennessee State, knowing I'd never had a coaching experience. She says, well, why not? Baby, she sees something in you you don't see in yourself.

I said, well, I'm doing all this stuff. I've been acting. I've been trying to do this. I'm building my business. I don't't have time i can help or find one but i'm and they just probably want me to be you know the next flash in the news right i had no interest in that right just well at least look into it so as an exercise i said all right if i'm going to start a program how would i do it right and that's when everything started rushing. Right.

I said, okay, man, I can implement a financial literacy course. Right. Education. Right. This is what I'll do. I'll bring in this coach to do this and the strength conditioning program and nutrition and all these ideas is going, is keeping me up at night. And I said, oh, no.

You got power five ideas. You got HBCU. Yeah. Right, right, right, right, right. Exactly. Power five ideas.'s you buddy but that's what it came down to so long story short i put some things out there you know um they said well if i do this this is what i'm going to need my budget has to look like this right you must make a commitment to these key areas right um what are your plans to build out facilities right cost of attendance um addressing all the things that we're currently

talking about now right what is your plan because if you think i'm going to come in here just you know uh as a bleep on the radar or a a day you know just something that's going to be a flash in the pan, have zero interest in that. Right. But if you want to do something elite. Long term. Long term, I'm good because I am putting some stuff on the side for myself. I don't need to do this.

Right. I'm, you know, I'm sacrificing some things I want to accomplish. Right. Because I want to pour back into the game that gave me so much. Right. And pour into these kids and give them something. And Prime, what he did at Jackson State was inspirational. And I said, you know what?

And I talked to him about it. He says, man, you can absolutely do it. Right. And that gave me the vote of confidence. And once I committed to that idea of being a coach, it just took on from there. Has it been more difficult than you had previously? Oh, stop right there.

It hasn't been. Yes, yes. But anything worthwhile is uphill. But what you do is uphill. I've seen the battles that you've gone through upstairs and on the court, all that. I mean, all that comes

with it. But, you know, it gives me the tenacity that I have to see it succeed. The vision that I have for this program outweighs all of that. You know what I'm saying? I mean, there are days when I'm driving home like, man, you know what? Maybe this wasn't a good idea. You know what I'm saying? Things don't move as fast as we would like at SBCUs.

There are antiquated uh policies and operations that you got to work through right it's an old way of thinking so you've got to i choose to approach it completely different than then you know blasting it out there i had i like to influence people to get ultimately move us in the right direction correct that's progress okay that's to move it to an elite status. So that's kind of the approach that I've taken. When you look at it, obviously when a coach comes in, there's a lot of players that's already implemented,

and they say, well, I'm going to need like two to three years to get the players that I want, that I need, that understand my ideology. Yes, I'm going to work with some of the current players, obviously knowing that I'm going to run some of them jokers off. But give me a little while to get the players that I want. Now you're heading into your third year. Have you turned that corner yet?

Are you starting to get some of the players that you want that can implement your system? Absolutely. I mean, you get kids that fall off because of graduation. Some kids are not going to make it because they're ineligible. Some kids can't pass the drug test. Right. Some kids don't want that structured environment. Okay.

You know what I'm saying? There's some non-negotiables that I'm just not going to waver on. Right. You know, you played the game at a very high level. Yeah. You're very disciplined. You've been under some great coaches throughout your entire, you know what that looks like.

Yes. For inside and out. And so do I. So I'm not going to change or compromise how I was raised in this game because I'm cut from a different claw. Right. But I'm also going to have an ear of understanding and listen to these kids. Right. But some of it has got to go.

So to your point, yes, we came in, had to implement a strength and conditioning program, number one, better nutrition. We seen some bodies change, but the mindset didn't change. Right. You know what I'm saying? Bodies change, but the mindset. Still have to work on that. So I'm getting in those kids, whether it be from JUCO or from the portal, in high school, to come in and I have to mold them into what I want them to be.

Right. Yeah. I read where you talked to Coach Tomlin about how the best way to go about this job. What was some of the advice that Coach Tomlin gave you? He said that, first of all, be yourself. Okay. Don't try to emulate, you know, somebody else like the Belichicks or Saban. You know, they're very successful men.

Be who you are. Come from your strengths. And my strengths right now, I'm not going're very successful men. Be who you are. Come from your strengths. And my strengths right now, I'm not going to draw a lot, ISO. Right. I'm there to inspire. I'm there to bring in resources. Right. I'm coming from that perspective.

And that I could, you know, absolutely be the CEO of the football team. Right. That's what I am right now. You know, I'm there to bring in the right people, the right resources. I know what a good run play looks like. I know what kind of defense I want to install. I know the mentality that I want to have. And I delegate that, the X's and O's to my officer coordinator and my defensive coordinator, my special teams coach. And I let them do their thing. And the moment that that, I see issues within that, that they're not doing their job, that will be addressed.

Right. You see what I'm saying? Right. The most important thing to me, the biggest hire that I made, Shannon, was having a chief of staff. Okay. Someone that came from the world of academics and academia and building a program already. Right. A young man that went to Georgia State, helped build that program up.

And he came a long way. was out at new mexico so he understood the language the pitfalls the everything he was my guiding light okay and he was the buffer the buffer between myself and some of the administration so it was never any friction there. So that was very important for me to have on my staff. So to answer your question, we are turning the corner in the right direction, and I think we're, you know, hopefully we can have our first winning season. Are resources the biggest hurdle that you feel you've got to overcome or HBCUs need to overcome? It's that, you know what, brother, it is so much deeper.

More than that. It's very deep because it's that you know what brother it is so much deeper more than that it's it's very deep because it's systemic okay it comes down to um something that's been in place for 100 for 50 75 100 years and you're trying to change it and it's not going to be you're not going to be a football coach is not going to be able to change it this goes into politics all All right. Tennessee State just got awarded $250 million in land grant money that was owed to them over the last five decades. It would have been $500 million. Right. So they just get the money. But here's the catch. It has to go. They said it has to go toward existing buildings. They said it has to go toward existing buildings. The $250 million. Buildings that must be demolished.

No. That shouldn't happen. We should be able to dictate where that money goes. How you going to tell me? Oh, Shannon, we're going to pay your salary, but we're going to tell you you need to spend it on clothes. Right. Who does that? They don't tell it at the University of Tennessee. No.

In the other school. Right. But why Tennesseeessee state see what i'm saying yeah so why can't they say hey here's our money here's the money a third can go into an endowment a third can go to an annual fund another third can go to a new new facility right but no that and that's the problem to me because they still try to control exactly from a distance from a distance so that's that's the stuff that i'm seeing and it would stops us from truly growing and truly being elite right you know what i'm saying and on the flip side of that we've got to take those funds and manage it appropriately be good stewards of that money and have systems that are transparent to show, hey, it went to X, Y, and Z. Here is the return on your investment, whatever capacity that is.

I hear critics say it's celebrity head coaches because they look at you, Coach Prime, as former NFL players. Eddie Robb, you played with Eddie Robb at Alabama State. And they say, well, the problem is, is that they don't understand the inner workings of an HBCU. They went to Power Fives. There are these big names. And so they don't really understand what it's like to be at an HBCU. And you say, but I do because I've had

so many family members and I do understand. I understand it's going to take a long time, but I'm willing to roll up my sleeves and get dirty and help steer this thing in the right direction. Right. I don't understand it. I don't. And that's why I choose not to go in making declarations on what needs to be done so I can understand, to listen. Okay. Okay. Then come up with a compromise of how we move this in the right direction right you know what are those issues how have things been done before okay you know what i'm saying i i choose to be to to listen and then to be understood right in that in that regard

so um yes things are are different um at hbcus um The value system is different. Everything about the experience is different from a Power 5 institution. Let's just be real with it. Some things are great, but some things need to be updated and polished off and moved in the right direction. Tennessee State has their own issues, but then there are other hbcus that are doing things right right you look at fam use facilities yes great um previews the best in fcs really oh yes wow you look at their weight room you look at their um their locker room their facilities are top notch alabama state same

thing so there are some hbcus that are up there doing things right. Each institution is different. Have a different set of issues. A different set of issues, correctly. Right. When you heard, and like I said, you play with Eddie Robinson Jr. You know Eddie Robinson very well. I used to work out with him.

When he said Prime, for whatever reason, they had some issues. Prime said some things. Maybe Eddie Robinson said some things. They met at midfield to shake hands and you know they brushed each other off when you hear coach robb says prime coach prime isn't swat what was your immediate thought and then did you get on the phone and say rob we can't come on hey man you know what i laughed i thought i mean to me, that's kind of entertaining. You know, I think it's, you know, coaches have that. They're competitive.

Right. You know what I'm saying? Deion wound up winning the game. He didn't appreciate the things that happened in the game. Wop, wop, wop. You know, and when Deion did, he flipped it. You know, he turned it into a song. Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? It was viral. You know what I'm saying? It was viral. You know what I'm saying? Who ain't sweat, baby? I mean, that was genius. But, you know, I think I talked to Eddie about it. Right. And he understood, you know, it was the heat of the moment.

Right. And he wanted to let him know where he stood in terms of, hey, you know, you're not going to come in here and disrespect me, disrespect the conference and so forth. So I look at that as being the competitor. Right. Much, much like how we get down between the white lines. Right. When Baltimore came to Tennessee, it was no love lost.

If you died that day, congratulations. You're supposed to die. You did what you had to do so that's that's how i look at that right yeah when i look at the situation with uh um the sponsorship because it was a genius what coach what choice prime was able to do yeah he took some of his partners yes and he leveraged them yes the walmart the american airlines um he has a great relationship with michael strahan and he was able to get. So these guys look like they're well together. They didn't look like an all tournament team.

Some guys in jeans, some guys in slack, some guys in hoodie. You know, Beats came in and did a deal with the NIL deal with his son and they were able to get headphones. Is that something that you're trying to do? Some of your partnerships you're trying to leverage and says, oh, hey, guys, look, this is what I need. Can you help me do this? And can you help me do that? Absolutely. He provided a blueprint of success. And I'm going to take that same blueprint of success and put my thumbprint on it.

Okay. And leverage that into hopefully what we can get at Tennessee State. Right. into hopefully what we can get at Tennessee State. Right. Again, Deion or Coach Prime went into Jackson State with a plan. Right. A to Z.

The moment he stepped in the door, he knew exactly what he was getting himself into. He had everything lined up. You know, reality show. He had sponsorships. He was going to turn it into a phenomenon, which he did. And he put a hell of a product on the field. You know what I'm saying? And that, to me, was everything. So, yes, my plan is to, in fact, the next

couple of weeks, meet with some corporations in Nashville, which is a international... I heard Nashville is booming. Oh, God. You got to come. You got to come. Yeah, yeah, you know, you got to come. You know, my best friend, I know you coached yourself. Keith Byrne, the expansion team coordinator. But, Nashville, you know, you got to come. You know, my best friend, I know your coach is Keith Burns, the expansion team coordinator. But Nashville, they have some Fortune 500 companies

that would love to partner with us, and that is my plan to see how they can lend their resources, help us, you know, get us to a level where we're elite, and I think that's possible. I know you're playing notre dame in the opener first time notre dame has played in hbcu coach prime i listened to him talk he said look guys we got to start if we're going to take a money game make sure it's a money game yes don't take four hundred thousand dollars that's right and then you can use your four hundred thousand

dollars to travel if they give you four hundred thousand make them pay for travel exactly also bring the band to travel and make sure they play for the whole room and board for every, excuse me, for hotel rooms and food for everybody that's traveling. Right. Because if you just use your $400,000

that they paid you and you got to play for travel and you got to play for hotels, you ain't got no money. You come out on the back end, that's the zero. You made awesome. Yes, exactly.

You're in the red. Right. Right. So you just said Notre Dame, right? Yes. So yeah. We're good on that. Okay, okay. Yeah, the red. Right. So you just said Notre Dame, right? Yes. So, yeah. We're good on that. Okay, okay.

Yeah, and that was negotiated as such. I think it's a wonderful opportunity for our brand to have more recognition, to be seen in that regard. NBC, the only game on NBC. Right. First time, like you mentioned, at Notre Dame. Yes. Two historic programs.

And it gives us a chance to show who we are as a program. I mean, like you said, 34 Hall of Famers are from HBCU. Yes. Three or four are from Tennessee State. Correct. So Richard Dent, Claude Humphrey, to name a few. So it allows us to show where we are going as an institution and as a football team and as a program. So, you know, that's a wonderful opportunity to go compete at a very high level,

to prepare and to show off, you know, who we are and what we're about to do. I don't know if you have, but I know one of your goals, I don't know if it's already happened, is to move from SCS to FBS. Has that happened or is that what you want? No, no. We've looked at various scenarios of what that looks like, what needs to happen. And that's a much bigger play for the distribution. Because it's not just the football team goes FBS. Yes, everybody. Everybody has to go.

Golf, baseball. And there are some sports that we don't have yet to be FBS eligible. Right. So we've got to institute the baseball. You got to get maybe, you know, our AD, Mickey Allen, phenomenal guy, big thinker. He's thinking about bringing hockey to HBCU, you know. Wow. Because we have the Predators in town.

So they've had conversations. Wow. About that happening. So there are some creative ideas being floated around in terms of HBCUs and us going to the FBS level. We are sitting on, you know, some major bones at Tennessee State, not to mention, you know, 900 acres of undeveloped land. Wow. And that's the last real big parcels in Tennessee in terms of development. And that's where the growth is going. So there's some opportunities there for sure.

You mentioned that you had no idea, you had no interest in coaching, and then it kind of fell into your lap. Did you come out with it? Did you say, well, I want to stay two years, I want to stay four years, I want to stay five years? Is there a plan? Is there a timeline in how long you want to stay or what you want to accomplish while you're there?

Well, the decision was easy for me because I didn't have to uproot my family and leave somewhere else. It's literally my backyard. Right. I'm 15 minutes away already from Tennessee State where I live. My son's high school is around the corner. So my thing was, hey, you know, I have a five-year contract. Right. My goal is I'm 10 toes down. I'm going to be present where I am right now. So my thing was, hey, you know, I have a five-year contract.

My goal is I'm 10 toes down. I'm going to be present where I am right now and get this program in a direction where I need it to go and leave it better than when I got it. There will come a time when I won't be the head coach. That's obvious. When that is, I'm not sure. And I don't know what that looks like for me. I don't know if, you know, a power five five school is the next move for me I don't know if the NFL is the next move for me um do you want to coach at the next one do you want to coach absolutely I would love that so the coaching bug is beating you now you you I'm deep in there when I go in something I'm all in I mean I commit to that

thing and I'm all in so So, yes, I would look at opportunities outside of that because I understand what Prime was talking about. And for him to give everything he had to that university and to then

get the criticism that came along. But, of course. They tried to get him in the stand, though. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, he's done two undefeated seasons. I mean, that's never been done in the school's history. Right. But he has to think about the miles and the lives of his coaching staff

because he gave them – they gave him his life. His staff gave them their lives for two years being underpaid. Right. And on favors. So it's time for them to cash in on their opportunities as well. And I think it's awesome that he can take his son, develop him at Jackson State, and now take him up to a Power 5 school and say, okay, that Heisman Trophy is now real. That national championship is now real. This platform is now real. Right. That national championship is now real. This platform is now real.

You know what I'm saying? Right. And you have to respect that. Right. You have to respect it. How did you go about putting your staff together? I remember Hugh Jackson was on your staff who has tons of NFL experience, got the job at Grambling.

As I mentioned, one of my best friends, Keith Burns, on your staff, played a number of years in the NFL, has been a special teams coach at Washington. How did you go about putting your staff together? Because a lot of times, Keith Burns, on your staff, played a number of years in the NFL, has been a special teams coach at Washington. How did you go about putting your staff together? Because a lot of times you're putting people on your staff, you don't really have a whole lot of working relationship with them guys. You don't really know these guys. I didn't know a single soul.

Outside of Joe Bowden, who I played with, Brandon Fisher, who was on the sidelines when I was playing, I relied heavily on Jeff Fisher's guidance for that. I didn't have a roll of decks of coaches that said, hey, come roll with me. I was just thinking, okay, who can I call on to help me construct this together? So Jeff Fisher, my first year, was on my staff as a senior advisor,

and he was the architect to help me piece together who was doing what and so i'll get my sea legs underneath me in terms of that um he did a masterful job you know and in certain in terms of the great coaches that are out there interview quite a few guys hugh came up with some nfl experience uh burns who was uh probably you know gift in the building i would never tell him that that's my dude because he brings so much joy to it. He makes it fun to come to work. He makes it fun to come to work. And he loves what he does.

He's not there for a paycheck. No. You can see that. And I appreciate that about him. And he got your back. He got your back. Yes. Absolutely.

1,000. He's a dog through and through. 1,000. Joe Bowden, again, linebacker coach, played with me with the Titans. Brandon Fisher, I mentioned. On the offensive side of the football was Kenan Smith, who was our wide receivers coach, who's now going on to other opportunities. Corey Harkey, who got with the Buffalo Bills last year,

who was not going to get a ring, but led them to a great season last year. So I relied heavily on Jeff's guidance with that. And now the second and third go-around iteration of coaches, I've kind of taken control of that to see, you know, who can fit in, who can find a piece to the puzzle. You know, it's got to be the certain type of guy that can come in and coach these kids, but also mesh with the chemistry of the coaching staff. Obviously, the game is a lot different because you're not just relying

on high school guys. Now that transfer portal, and a lot of teams are getting guys out of the transfer portal. They're doing more of the transfer portal than they are recruiting high school kids. How have you been able to navigate that? It changes minute to minute, moment to moment. Two years ago, it was, hey, we're going to go 40-40, you know, 20 in terms of our ratio, breakdown, portal, JUCO, high school.

All right. And, you know, we're going to identify these body types. Well, the kids that we've gone after in JUCO are going up to FBS. You know, I'm like, whoa, you know, kids are getting offers from Austin P. And, you know, us and, you know, a fam, you are going to Florida State and Ohio State. Wow. Oh, OK. OK, so we got to find we got to be very creative in how we do it now. So now because of the portal is literally free agency. Yes. Seeing somebody go from Alabama, which is crazy to me, to Oklahoma. Right.

Like, well, what are you looking for? Right. You know what I'm saying? Like this whole NIL thing is still perplexing to me. But from our perspective, we're having to go more younger in terms of high school and development, because there's a plenty of high school kids that are out there that are not getting recruited. A lot of, quote unquote, four star, three star kids that are being overlooked. quote-unquote four-star, three-star kids that are being overlooked. And what's happened for us, we've developed, like, three defensive linemen that we inherited, and they're at FBS programs.

Wow. One went to West Virginia. Another one went to UAB. Another one went to Akron. Okay. So it tells me, ho, we're doing the right thing. Right. We're doing the right things.

We're developing these kids. Now we just got to figure out a way. Develop and keep them. Develop and keep them, keep them but use it you know to your advantage say hey you come here let me get you let me get your program for two years give me two years let me develop you get you ready for the next level of whatever that is right fbs or even the nfl you know what i'm saying right so it it's encouraging to see what we're doing and doing it right but it's encouraging to see what we're doing and doing it right. But we always have to shift with the current trend and recruiting and constantly finding what that is. That's the number one thing in the game right now is recruiting.

All right, I'm a five-star. And you got to come into my grandmother's house and you got to sell my grandma. You got to sell me. What's your pitch? Oh, Lord. Well, first of all, let's get a sip of this. Let's do that first of all.

Five star. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game, every single week, but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media.

That's Patrick Claibon, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away? Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl. I don't know why, Colleen. Catch the podcast, the NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day.

Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Before I get my pitch, first of all, I want to know what it is you want to accomplish. Ideally, I want to graduate. And then I got to go to the next level.

Because you see the house you're sitting in? In four years, my grandma's not going to be sitting there. Absolutely. And that's my number one goal. So how soon, how well can you develop me academically, football-wise, make me a better man, and get me to the next level? Well, first of all, you know, Tennessee State is a great institution in terms of academics.

I mean, you look at some of the great minds and great people that have come through there. First of all, Tennessee State is a great institution in terms of academics. I mean, you look at some of the great minds and great people that have come through there. I have a great business school. I don't know what your interest is. I was a criminal justice major. I want to be a lawyer. Criminal justice major. We can definitely get you a gift basket. Can you get Oprah to send me a gift basket?

If Oprah sends me a gift basket, I'm coming. I can see what I can do. I think I can get Oprah to get you a gift basket? If Oprah sends me a gift basket, I'm coming. I can see what I can do. I think I can get Oprah to get you a gift basket and a book. All right? I know you love to read. I'm coming to Tennessee State, man. But overall, man, I would, you know, I'm not one to sell or pitch. I really, I really like to try to engage myself in a conversation with a young man and find out what's important to him because

if that's what you want i can develop you i know what that looks like how much is it conversation with the young man as opposed to selling mom or grandma it's reading the room okay finding out finding out who the decision maker is okay you know what i'm saying yes because the young man is going to be influenced by somebody so if it's mom I was like okay you want to see your baby right right yeah so you want to go down to Jackson State and take a bus and the plane or you want to come directly to the International Airport in Nashville Tennessee 15 minutes from campus and come see him play right you know what I'm saying so location the ability to see your child play,

and knowing that our staff, when you come to Tennessee State, it is what it is, our staff really sells it. Right. You know, when you got guys like you said, Burns and Joe Bowden and Brandon and Theron H. down the hall who's our offensive coordinator, you feel the love. You feel the family. You know you're going to get coached hard.

Right. But it's going to come from a place of love. different any because when you and i played we didn't have some of the pitfalls that these young guys have now which is social media how difficult is it to coach in the social media age where clicks and likes and going viral are more important than becoming a great young man being being a great football player. Hey, man, you see it all the time, man. Everything's about the instant gratification. Okay.

It's about clicks and likes and how many followers do I have. And it's very difficult because kids are now looking at, hell, you know, you got Louis bags at your facility. What you want with it? You're not getting that. That's mine. I earned that. But, you know, it's, it's very difficult now to navigate through that.

But I, I know personally, I have to do a better job to, to figure that out, to, to attract some of these kids to some degree. But, you know, I'm not, I'm not about that. I'm not about the, the, the flash. I'm about action. You know But, you know, I'm not about that. I'm not about the flash. I'm about action. I'm about the work. You know, I'm about, you know, getting my hands dirty and hitting that iron, you know, iron sharpens iron.

Right. About the results. You know, I'm not into selling fluff. Right. So, but there is a balance that I must strike in terms of attracting a kid to come see who we are, what we do, and to get them the door to stay. Have you thought about becoming more active on social media? Oh, yeah, absolutely. I think about it all the time. I'm constantly

trying to figure out ways to put our message out there, to put my platforms out there in a very authentic way. That's not forced. That's not, you know, scripted. It has to be very organic for me. And I'm not going to strike until it's right. You know, I'm not going to continue to do something that's just to do it and it comes off as fake. It's not who I am.

Right. But it has to be real for me. I'm looking at you like your son. You're coaching your son. You have one of your sons at USC that you mentioned in film school and now you're coaching your son. Are you coach when you're coaching?

Are you coach or are you dad? Oh, I'm coach when I'm coaching. Okay. He knows that. It's going to be hard. It's going to be hard but fair. Right. You know what I'm saying?

And I coach my kids, my team anyway, like they're my sons. Right. So it's not going to be anything different. And, you know, I'll be dad on the drive home. But when he was getting recruited, I think it came down to two other schools. It was Navy and Furman. And I thought he was going to go to Furman. Right.

I wasn't going to coach him. I said, this is your life. This is your decision. You know what I'm about. You've seen us grow from year one to year two. You've been around. You've been on the sidelines and so forth. But he said, Dad, you know, I want to come play for you.

I said, well, why? He said, well, number one, I want to come play for you. I said, well, why? He said, well, number one, I want to help you build this. Right. Wow. And I believe in what you're doing. And, you know, if I want to go to grad school, get my master's in business, I'm going to do that. And if things don't work out in football, I want to get in the communications. I want to talk about football.

You know, talk about the game. So he has a plan. Right. As a high school plan. Right. As a high school senior. Right. There's some kids that don't even think that way that's 22, 24 years old. Right.

You know, still chasing the football dream. So I said, okay, let's do it. And now it's, you know, now with real skin in the game, if he's coming there, it's got to be right. Right. I got to see it through. Do you ever worry about him going home and say, Mom, Dad tripping. Dad tripping at practice today.

I don't know what Dad was on. Nah, that happens already. I'll be at his wrestling matches already. Lean on him, Eme. Lean on him. You know, yeah, I'm at his wrestling matches. I'm already doing that in the stands already. So, you know, I don't worry about that.

I worry about my wife more than anything else. You know, she's the tough one. Right. Yeah. Looking at your upbringing, you were born in Philly. You grew up, yeah, were you an Eagles fan? Oh, grew up bleeding Eagle Green. Ron Jaworski.

Yeah, yeah. Steve Spagnolia. Grew up hating Dallas. Yeah. Hating the Giants in Washington. Harold Jaworski. Yeah, yeah. Steve Spagnolia. Grew up hating Dallas, hating the Giants in Washington. Harold Carmichael. Harold Carmichael. Yes, I used to sell hot chocolate at the stadium. Oh, really? Yes, yes.

It was Eagle Philadelphia. It was the Eagles playing Washington Redskins. And I didn't make no money that day. I was a big football fan. I only took the job so I could watch the games. But they had, remember when Ghostbusters was out? Yeah. We had these packs on our back of hot chocolate, and we had cups on each side.

Right, right. So I was up in the upper decks, and I'm selling hot chocolate. And a play's going on, and I'm looking. And I go to pull it, and I'm pulling out the hot chocolate. I'm shaking, shaking it. And it wasn't coming out. So finally, I shot it out, And hot chocolate splattered everywhere, right? And it was on this woman's white mint coat.

Oh, man. Yeah, you got to go there. You got to go there. Hey, Tandon, she didn't notice it. Everybody looked at me. I looked at them. I took my stuff and ran down the stairs. I can't afford to pay for that joint.

But yeah, I grew up a big Philadelphia fan. I love my Sixers. I love the Lakers. Love the Flyers. Love everything about Philly sports right now. Yeah. High school football. I remember you said that I think your sophomore year,

your mom sent you to military school. Yeah, going into my junior year. What was that like? And why did she do that? Were you hard-headed? Oh, yeah. Listen, I had a 1.3 GPA in high school. So you couldn't get in prison with that grade?

I couldn't get in prison. Thought I was going to go to play a running back at Penn State. OK. And, you know, I was kidding myself. I was in la-la land. Right. And my mother could see where my life was headed. Okay.

You know what I'm saying? And she said, okay, I can make this move now, get him out of Philadelphia, get him in an environment where he can begin to thrive and to begin to see his potential. Whether you or the crowd you were hanging with. Oh, I was, it was, I was a product of my environment. Okay. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. It was a lot of drug use,

a lot of depression, you know, kids, you know, drinking, smoking, you know, stealing.

Yeah. And I wasn't that type of kid. I've never, I don't like to get high. Right. I'll drink every now and again, but, you know,

I was being influenced in other ways. And she said, I had to get out of there. but, you know, I was being influenced in other ways. And she said I had to get out of there. So at the age of 15, she sent me down to Forking Military Academy. Wow. In the middle of nowhere, literally. Like, Charlottesville is 30 minutes east or west. Richmond is about another 90 miles east.

And smack dab in the middle is forking military academy and when you talk about culture shock man it was tough i i didn't i did not um adhere to any of the rules when i first got down there that you had every second every second of the day was accounted for yeah he was doing something chores studying working out doing something and i thought you know this was a you know uh uh freelance willie you know doing whatever i wanted to do right but i had to learn real quick that yes i have to do my chores i gotta sweep to sweep the hallways. I got to wax it. I got to buff it. I had to clean the bathrooms.

I got to do all that stuff. And once I committed to the process of that, that's when things began to flourish. So I went there, man. I went to Fork Union. And you talk about some dudes. I believe it was about 18 guys that got Division I scholarships out of Fort King. Dogs. Went to North Carolina, Clemson,

Florida State, Savannah State, Virginia Union, Youngstown State, all over the country. Some dudes. And I went down to 6 feet, 178 pounds. And I had to get bigger, stronger, and faster. And that's what I did.

Were you a military? Was anybody anybody your family military? So the father my father was he served In the army my uncle his his brother served in Vietnam. My grandfather served in the military as well So you had some idea you have a general knowledge of what military structure was like But but general knowledge of what military structure was like. But. But, hey, I ain't got no parts in that. Where you had to do military, you know. Right. Hospital corners every day, two space fangers with your locker. Everything is at time.

If they say 630, hey, don't you cover that thing at 630 and 05. No, everything is a regimen. And so I did that for two and a half, three years. And I'll never forget it, man. is a regimen. And so I did that for two and a half, three years. And I'll never forget it, man. After my true senior year, I rushed for like 1300 yards. I was all prep, but my grades, you know, I had to really work on my grades. I didn't have, I had zero scholarship offers. I had a partial offer to Edinburgh. Right.

And this is going on my senior year. Right. And I'm like, well, what am I going to do? You know, so luckily they have a postgraduate program. Right. You can go back for a second year, another year. And I developed and I worked on my grades. And that's where I got really into reading. Right. You know, Faking Real Rich by Napoleon Hill.

Okay. You know, I was reading that every day and just having a positive mindset and just believing because I didn't have a place to go to at all. So I went back hoping that I could come back and garner some attention from some major schools. And I did just that, man. So it was a blessing in disguise that my mother, because she didn't have much money.

Right. And I always wondered, how didn't have much money. Right. And I always wondered, how did she pay for it? Right. And it wasn't until 1996 when I got drafted that she drove back down to Forking Military Academy and gave them that final check for my installment to pay off my entire school. Wow. Yeah. She sacrificed. She worked Yeah, she sacrificed. She worked six, seven jobs, man, as a model, flight attendant, waitress,

you know, God knows what else. It was just me and my sister, and she worked her ass off to put me through there. And it was definitely life-changing for me. So you're getting offers. Where was Ohio State? Obviously, it wasn't the only offer, but did they offer? Did you know you were going to Ohio State?

I wanted to go to Penn State. I grew up a Penn State fan. Right. My father, you know, he was a big football fanatic, loved running backs, and he was on drugs at the time. Right. And I wanted him to get clean. I felt like if he saw me thriving, being successful,

he would come to my games. It would give him the incentive to get clean. Right. Clean life. Right. And we'd have a relationship. So my goal was to go to Penn State and be a running back. Yeah, because they had some great ones.

Frank O'Hara, Lydell Mitchell, DJ Doja. Going. Yeah. Here you go. Kejana Carter. Kejana, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, they had some news. And I wanted to wear that black and white.

Right. You know, that blue and white. So black shoes. And so I'm getting recruited at that time. You know, I got Louisville, BYU, Nebraska came on the scene. And one other school, Virginia, UVA. I was really thinking leaning toward Virginia. But there was a guy that went to Ohio State who was at Fork Union,

who was my platoon sergeant a year ago. He was a trainer that taped ankles. Right. And he would call me from time to time. I hated him because he drove me crazy. I'm like, Danny, what? He's Danny Osmond. He said, Danny kept calling me.

He's finding out, you know, how are you doing? And, you know, playing in my high school years. And he was like, you're having a great season. What do you think about coming to Ohio State? And I was like, oh, man, that would be great. You know, they got Robert Smith, Damond Harris, Butler. But they got some dudes, too. All I wanted was opportunity.

So he says, well, I'm going to go talk to the head national recruiting coordinator and let him know about you. A trainer. Right. So I'm like, all right, whatever. So he calls me two weeks later, tells me to send up a tape. I send him a tape. They look at it.

He calls me back. He says, Eddie, they absolutely love you. Send another tape. I send another tape. I do this three or four more times. I'm like, I have no more tape to show. Right. But finally, they came down.

Ron Hudson, who recruited in the area, quarterback coach, checked out, you know, if I was 6'3", looked at the dimensions, see if I was the right fit. I went up there. It was the worst visit of my life because they didn't take me out to show all the goods. Right. You know how they match you with personality. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they think I was a military guy.

I was a military dude. So I sat in their apartment watching movies. Oh, man. At Ohio State. I got 24 hours. I'm like, look, show me where the women are. Show me the union. I want to see the steps show.

Terrible. So it wasn't until I went into Ohio Stadium before I went to the airport, the shoe, and I walk in there and I'm like, ooh. You get chills. Ooh, I get chills now. I said, hmm, there's something about this feels right. And I just felt it. And I started seeing.

You started visualizing. And I just felt it. And I started seeing. Started visualizing. You were like, man, I can see. Yes, yes, yes. I said Archie Griffin was playing. Yeah. Keith Byers. Yes. Chris Carter.

You know, all the greats, the great games. I said, just give me an opportunity. I mean, I'm willing to compete. I don't care who's ahead of me, whether, you know, these guys are going to the NFL. Just let me compete. And Coach Cooper offered me right on the spot. I said, I commit right here and didn't waver.

And the rest is history. I'm looking at your freshman year. You had a problem fumbling onto the football. You fumbled twice. I think it was against Michigan. Illinois. Illinois, yeah. And you lose that game because you fumbled twice inside the five-yard line.

Yeah, yeah. Your sophomore year, your third string, you barely even play. Yeah. You get back on the field your junior year, 1,400 yards, 12 touchdowns, and then your senior year, you go crazy. Yeah. What was it like at your lowest point your freshman year? Yes.

Everybody's – they were killing you, Eddie. I haven't lied. They were killing you. Hey, Sharp.'t gonna lie. They were killing you. Hey, Sharp. Hey, Shannon. Hey, Dolph. You know how y'all are, right? You got messed up.

You got started cracking on the butterfingers. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was carrying my tray. They holding their hands underneath the tray like, you want to drop your tray? I mean, it was bad. Right. And I was, I think in the one publication, they said I was the worst running back to come through Ohio State in the history of was bad. Right. And I was, I think in one publication,

they said I was the worst running back to come through Ohio State in the history of Ohio State. Wow. And I didn't know I was going to get off the doghouse. And I thought about transferring. I really did. Because I had success early. Prior to those two fumbles, I had three touchdowns

on national television against Syracuse. Right. It was nationally ranked at the time. And I was the goal iron specialist. And when that happened, I got shelved for two years, and I went in the tank. I got depressed, discouraged. My mother kept saying, hey, see you through.

You know, persist without exception. And I never forgot that. And I said, okay, I can leave Ohio State. I can jump in the portal and run from this. Or I could plant my two feet down and fight it off and embrace it and become better. And that's when I won the Heisman in my freshman, my sophomore year when I made that commitment. So I began to work out twice a day. You know, we used to lift and run.

So we would run 400s, 200s, time laps, all that. I would do that twice. I would study film. I would watch the greats. I remember watching Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, taking pieces of what they do. Emmitt with the hands, hat in hands, tight hands,

blocking, how he reads the hole, how he read the inside zone, outside zone, what was his foot he reads the hole, how he read the inside zone, outside zone. What was his footwork on the ISO? You know, all those little minute details so I can create my own style. Right. You know what I'm saying? And I committed to that.

And when I got the opportunity, you know, my junior year, my senior year, play with some dogs, you know, Orlando Pace and Terry Glenn certainly helped. And Ricky Dudley and Titan definitely helped. Right. But we committed to that. I committed to excellence in the rest of his history with that. So give me your – you named some of the great running backs. Give me your Mount Rushmore of college running backs. Of college?

Yeah. I'm going to throw a few out there. You got Barry, Bo, Derrick Henry, Earl Campbell, OJ, Tony D, Herschel, Ricky Williams, Rondane, Reggie Bush, Marcus Allen. Good Lord. But you got to mention Eric Dickerson. Okay. Dean.

Yeah. He did it at 19 with the horseshoe collar. What's that? Yes, sir. That neck roll. Oh, man. With the curl. Well, Barry, to me, you know, what he did in 11 ballgames, no one has still –

they still can't do it with extra games. They're not going to do that. Ain't nobody rushing for 2,600 yards. And they don't count the ballgame because back then the ball didn't count. He rushed for 205 touchdowns in the ballgame. So he got 2,800 yards. Right, right. So that ain't me.

So I'll say Barry Sanders. Oh, man. BoJack was nasty. Let me think here. I'm going to say Derrick Henry. Marcus was awesome. God, Marcus was great. First was 2000.

Herschel, I know. Herschel. But Marshall Falk. I mean, yeah. Marshall should have won Heidman. Grand Marshallel, I know. Herschel. But Marshall Falk. I mean, yeah. Marshall's the one to hide him. Grand Marshall, San Diego State. He was special. That all black.

Oh, yeah, he was special. Talk about the rivalry. Michigan, Ohio State. What makes it special? And did you know, did you feel, I mean, without even playing in it, did you know what it meant? Did you know what it represented? Oh, yeah.

Yeah. I mean, again, I studied college football growing you know what it meant? Did you know what it represented? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, again, I studied college football growing up. I knew about that rivalry. Everybody. That's the greatest rivalry in all the sports. You can say Yankees and Red Sox. You can say, you know. North Carolina basketball.

Right. That's Alabama, Auburn. USC, UCLA. But that one there, completely different ballgame. You know, Bo and Woody. And even it goes back to how the business schools were all set up. So that is a vicious rivalry. And that was probably outside of the Baltimore games that we had.

Yeah. That's what I was about to ask you. Oh, no question. Michigan, Ohio State, or Baltimore, Tennessee? You know what's funny? Dan Burns was just talking about this the other day. Yes, yesterday. Yeah.

He said, from his perspective, that was the baddest defense ever. I said, yes, it was. What's that? They were nasty. Four-three. Y'all ran a four-three cover, yes, it was. What's that? They were nasty. Four-three. Y'all ran a four-three cover, two beat it. They beat it. And they had a young Ray Lewis coming down here.

Yeah, man. And what you say? Y'all said this. Marvin said, how many points y'all? Yeah. He asked Marvin, how many? Six points. A field goal or two?

He said, give us 10. I'm like, Marvin, 10? Oh, give us seven. I'm like, Bobby, 10? Oh, give us 7. I'm like, but you know, they legislated that brand of football out. You can't play. You can't be that physical anymore. Because they literally went to the ballgame trying to knock it out. And they're going to knock it out.

Somebody leave it. Somebody leave it. That's not a lot. They're going to be 11th start. But 11th, they finish. That same level, they're going to finish. It was bully ball at its finest. It was. And you know what, man. It was bully ball at its finest. It was.

And you know what, man? I hated y'all. I especially hated you because you caught that wheel route. Yeah. And I said, what? They can't score. Y'all had 112 yards of offense and won the game. Won the game.

I knew it was outstanding. It really was. Discipline. There was not one weak link on it from corner to corner yeah you know you can find what somebody it was nobody there was nobody and that's and that's what you know with those wars that we had you know brought something out of me because the week of you know playing baltimore is like all right listen nobody's coming to town. Right. Don't bother me this week because there's a spiritual preparation

that you got to get ready for. Yeah, you got to get ready mentally. It's spiritually because the moment that you, that you shudder or wink or have a shadow of a doubt, you're done. Yeah. You're done. It was grown men on that field.

Right. You know what I'm saying? And it was nothing to play with. Right. And it really forced me to raise my level of play every time I faced Baltimore. I think it also helped that the two head coaches didn't like each other. Oh, yeah. Jeff Fish and Brian Billick did not like each other.

Yeah. And so they spent time taking shots at each other from a distance in the paper. So, you know, hey, Brian, he'd read what Jeff said, and I'm sure Jeff was reading what he said. Blood pressure going up on a Wednesday night. All right, if we can get it on today, it was like that. But, you know, those rivalries, man, I'm so honored that I was able to play and be a central figure in that.

You know, when I played at Ohio State, we beat Michigan one time. That's the time that they owned us. Right. We couldn't figure out a way to beat them. Oh, that was when you had them off the game. But I think Bianca Batuka went for like 300, 310, 313. Yeah. I remember they lost to Purdue

the week before. We didn't even watch that film. So we didn't know who we were going to see. They came out there, you know, against us, catch one hand,

catches, laying out, extra effort. You know, Bianca Batuca went off. You were crazy. We got him, you know,

he got drafted that day and had top 10 against us. But that's what that game, that got drafted that day, had top ten against us. But that's what that game, that's what that rivalry is about. You, did you pledge? Oh, yeah, Omega Sci-Fi. So, what made you, because they always try to get me to pledge, and I couldn't do it because I'm like, you know, I had me a nice ride.

I had nice clothes. You know, I had a brother to lead. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I couldn't let nobody wear my clothes. I'm going to be the only one wearing my clothes. You know what? I'm like, you know, I had me a nice ride. I had nice clothes. You know, I had a brother to lead. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I couldn't let nobody wear my clothes. I'm going to be the only one wearing my clothes. You know what? I'm curious. You know what?

I'm going to say this. I'll let you answer the question. You have Kappa tendencies, but you're a dog. Don't make a sign. I definitely would have been a purple dog. No question. I'd be a purple dog. No question.

You definitely stand on the shit. Yes, absolutely. So my sophomore year, I was going in the process. OK. And for some strange reason, you know, the process never happened. OK. And once my playing career took off, my junior year, I said, I don't have time for that. Right.

I got to go get this paper. Right. I got to go take care of my family. Right. I got dreams to try to go get. But I always had in the back of my mind, if there were ever a time for me to go back and do it. Right. I was going to do it.

So COVID was that time. Right. And you know what? I said, you know what? Hey, it's great. And the brotherhood is good. Yeah. It's a great friendship. The network is vast. Right. And you know what I said, you know what? Hey, it's great. And the brotherhood is good. Yeah. It's a great friendship.

The network is vast. Right. You talk about the Divide Nine. Jordan is a mega sci-fi. Shaq is a mega sci-fi. Yes, yes. And being on the HBCU campus. Yeah, man, it's different.

It's a different. The pageantry. The step show. It's different. It's different, dog. It's different. It's different. If my knees wasn't so bad, I'd be hopping right now, dog.

I promise you. I know Ohio State with the band, they dot the I. But there's something about that pageantry at the games, that band, them fans dancing nonstop, the major raps, they coming down, and man. It's a different animal, man. Our homecoming game was what? About 19,000. We played Jackson State

and Memphis. It was 50,000 fans, man. And a great game against Primer. But again, to hear their band and our band going at it, that's what it's about.

The band's not supposed to play when the other team got the ball. But they don't give a shit. They play when you got the ball. But they don't give a shit. Oh, you play it? They play it when you got the ball? I'm going to play too. Right.

Loud, too. Loud. Yeah. Non-stop. But that's HBCU football. Right. That's the love. You start out in Houston. And then I think Houston, you're 95, 96, 97.

And I think 98 is when y'all moved to Nashville. We moved in 97. 97, okay. That was my rookie year. Right. So we moved in 97, played in Memphis. Right, yep. But still lived in Nashville, which was crazy.

Right. Every day, every game was like an away game. Right. Then we played in Vanderbilt. Right. 98. Because we came here on the preseason. Yeah, yeah.

It was hot that day. It was very hot. It was very hot. It was very hot. You remember that heat, right? Yeah, I do. I do remember the heat. I see that. When I saw the waves,

I said, them boys hot. So, yeah, it was played there and we had subpar seasons. Right. We didn't have the fanfare. We couldn't give away

a ticket to those games. People would walk by Vanderbilt on a Sunday thinking there's a church revival going on over there. They couldn't. It was like, who's here? But it wasn't until 2000 when we changed the name, the colors, sold out every PSL, and just took off from there, man. We really appreciated having that because it finally felt like we were playing in the NFL. Prior to that, we were nomads.

You realize that when you're a first-round draft pick, there's expectation. But when you win the Heisman Trophy as a running back, the expectation is greatly increased. So they expect you to come in and do exactly what you did to see that you won the Heisman Trophy. And if you don't, they're like, how hard is it?

Right. My thing was, no, I'm here to dominate, man. I'm here to make my mark on the NFL. Right. Whatever capacity that is. And that was my mindset. Right. It wasn't – I put all the distractions aside.

I got me a nice little apartment on Holly Hall. Right. It was awesome. Houston, by the way. Anyway. Cheers to that. Okay. It was awesome. Houston, by the way. Anyway. Cheers to that. Cheers. To H-Town.

Yeah, man. Woo. Mm. Mm. Anyway. Woo. Yeah. But I got in the apartment, you know, was locked in on my craft, and Ronnie Harmon was

on our team. Okay. And he took me under his wing and showed me how to be a professional. Okay. How to prepare. Taking notes. Looking how to run routes. You know, all the little minute things.

Slowing down, you know, on my steps to approach the whole of a certain way. Right. Mel Gray, same thing. Told me about stocks and bonds, you know, things to read, how to read the stock market. So getting around those guys early on left an indelible mark on me in terms of how to be a professional and wanting to do more.

Right. You know, I watched you work, you know, at Denver, you know, your work ethic. I mean, I wanted to be talked about among the greats. Right. That was my goal when I wanted to start off fast. And you did, I mean, did, you know, your work ethic. I mean, I wanted to be talked about among the greats. That was my goal. I wanted to start off fast. And you did. I mean, you rushed for 10,000 yards in your career,

never missed a start, joining Jim Brown and Walter Payton as the only starting consecutive regular season game. You had 130 consecutive starts. Rushed for 1,000 yards all but one season. Mm-hmm. When it was time to leave Tennessee, how difficult of a decision was that it was very difficult um it happened faster than i thought um you know i signed a big deal two or three years prior to that hurt my toe um still played in the games we still had a small window with that particular team

to win. Right. And I didn't want to miss that. You know, I wanted to be a part of that. Those were my boys. So, it came down to,

I think, $500,000. And that $500,000 was symbolic to say, okay, I'm willing to take a pay cut, but don't be disrespectful.

Right. That's, I want to stay. If I take it down to a certain level, now you can get rid of me. Right. I mean, that's business. So we never saw eye to eye on that. I left and went to Dallas. Who did you blame that on?

No one. That was my decision. That was strictly my decision. But you felt it was disrespectful because they had already asked you to take a pay cut, and you said yes, and then they wanted to shave your hair. You know what? I think it was the organization. It was Bud Adams.

It was Floyd Reese. It was Jeff Fisher. I mean, I get the business side and how they've done players in the past, you know, Steve and me. And it was it was it wasn't with dignity because my vision was, damn, you know, how I was going to leave the game was at a press conference. Right. You know, my boys in the crowd and cameras pop, whatever that is, and and go out on my

own terms. But it didn't happen that way. So watching them when I was in the Dallas Cowboy uniform, watching the team that I helped build, you know, was painful. And it was hard for me to love the game the same way. I saw the business side of the game, and I could not adjust to it because I did not play for that. I did not play for money.

I played for the camaraderie, the love. That's what you miss the most. That's what I miss the most. You mentioned Steve, and you guys had a great relationship. And unfortunately, he died tragically in a murder-suicide. How did that impact you? Because I know you guys were so close.

Yeah. There's not a day I don't think about him. You know what I'm saying? I dream about him a lot, actually. Wow. And the dream is like we're out at the practice field. I can hear his laugh. He has a distinct laugh.

And he's laughing. He's joking with me. And I say to him, man, see, you're not dead. And I wake up. And I'm like, damn, you know, he's physically gone. But I think it's his way of telling me that I'm not. I'm on the other side. It's a different phase of life, but I'm not.

Watching him become, you know, the player that he became to be is awesome. Alcorn to MVP, leading the team to the Super Bowl. But in his dark moments though, Shannon, it was some tough times when the fans booed him. Yes. When he couldn't throw a five yard out with confidence. When he wasn't Air McNair. He was a manager

and he was selfless to the point where he didn't say much. He knew his role, but once he committed to his craft and dedicated to being the quarterback that he wanted to be, he was awesome. And I watched him go from, you know, not being able to throw a five-yard out to being masterful, calling plays within a play, you know, on the football field, won five rides and checking the play, you know,

manipulating the defense with his eyes and safety. I mean, all that stuff. It was awesome to watch that. To watch him go from that to MVP was awesome, man. I read where you say you struggled after leaving the game. You felt with depression. You felt at one point in time, I think if I'm correct, you can correct me if I'm wrong, that you thought you were suicidal at points.

I wouldn't say. That far? at points. I wouldn't say. That far? That far. I wouldn't say that. Because you were majorly depressed. But definitely majorly depressed. Because I didn't know what was next, man. Right.

I mean, I was hoping for another opportunity. Right. That never came. It never came. And I never had the proper closure right with that you know what i'm saying it never never had that that goodbye you were preparing for the opportunity but not for the opportunity to exit so you didn't have anything set up like okay this is what i'm gonna do i'm gonna go into business i'm gonna do this x y i

didn't have it tell them none of that it was none none of that there. Okay. You see what I'm saying? Yes. That wasn't there. So I had to go create it. Right. And that's when I got into acting. Okay. Okay. Because right around that time, I started doing TV. And I was getting some opportunities.

Actually, I was here at Fox Studios. And I did a couple more auditions. What did you do? Best Dan Forsyth? Best Dan Forsyth? Oh, yeah. John Salen. So I did an audition for, I think it was Ali.

It was terrible. Oh, man. The cast director took off my shirt. I'm delivering these lines. I'm saying, you know, hey, you can't make me do that. Something stupid. I don't know. But it was terrible.

I said, OK, you know what? If I'm going to do acting, I'm going to go and get acting lessons. I'm going to learn the craft. I'm going to appreciate it. And what I found by that, by going through my acting class, I worked with a young lady, a woman by the name of Anna Maria. Okay. Short Italian lady who's no longer with us for seven years.

And we would sit in her house, and she would make this Italian soup and we would sit there and read pages of ads, you know, and act it out and reading Shakespeare and reading all of these novels and I'm adding character and learning the art of acting, Uta Hagen, reading these, all these books. And just to be able to write. And I found that it was cathartic for me. OK. Because all of that pain and disappointment and discouragement and depression and frustration,

I was able to filter that out through a character and even through my own writing. And it was healing. And I was like, oh, wow, this is awesome. So then I got on stage. Did my first play, failed terribly. Broadway. I mean, normally acting, I mean, I don't really know anybody that's ever done it your way.

But normally I'm thinking of an actor, I'm thinking they're coming to Hollywood. I'm thinking they want to be on the big screen. But you went to Broadway. Why? You know, I watched Denzel. You know, I was studying. Raising a son? Saw him in Raising a Son. Saw him in Raising the Sun.

Saw him in Fences. Yes. Saw him in a couple different deals. I love Broadway. But right around the time I was looking at other actors, they said, well, if you want to act, you want to be an actor, go to theater. You know, if you want to be a movie star,

come out to Hollywood. And I thought about that. I said, well, acting well acting you know theater is for the actor because it's it's in real time it's like right now right and it's so much the stakes are high and you have to be able to be real in imaginary circumstances right and to be vulnerable and to really open up and go there so So that's what I did. I said, okay, if I'm going to jump on screen, if I'm gonna jump on a stage,

I want to be prepared for that. I want to study the art of being an actor, not a movie star. So that way, hey, if I could jump in front of a camera, we could have this conversation. It makes, it's the dojo. That's what I call it's the dojo okay that's what i call it the dojo or the weight room right for getting a camera and so forth because you're learning how to be truthful

and how to deliver lines and um the the blocking on stage and all of that so that kind of helped me you know and still does to this day uh for. Dude, what is the adrenaline rush? You come out in front of 80,000. You come out in the Super Bowl where you got 100 million people walking, and then you're on Broadway where you got maybe a couple hundred people watching. What's the difference? The difference is it's intimate. On the football field, you know, a few hundred yards away, you can fumble your boo,

you know, you get up, you shake it off, you can impose your will, you know, to get back into it. On stage, if you're out there by yourself, all you can do is save yourself. I remember I did a play, God's Trombones, years ago, and my lines, it was an ensemble and a lot going on. It was Judgment Day was the monologue, and it's all this stuff going on. There's African drums going on. There's streamers, sun, moon, all that.

And I was supposed to say, and the God himself stepped down with the sun in his right hand and the moon in his left. The stars clustered above his head and the earth under his feet. And God walked where he trod, hollowed the valleys out and out and balls the mountains up that's what i was supposed to say so it was my turn and much like these lights the heat of the lights i could feel the lights right i walked down center stage and it's packed theater's packed one night only see eddie george la la la right and i can see my my ex-teammates in the crowd. They're like, all right, you want to be this? All right, let's see this. I can see the smirk on their faces. I see my wife at the time.

She's like, oh, shit, he's going to crash. So I said, God himself stepped down. the sun is right-handed, moon is left. The wind is blowing. The grass is green. The animals are in the pasture. And God said, that's good. And I walked off the stage. And that's not what I'm supposed to say. No, no. Right, right, right.

That's not what you just said. Exactly. So I learned how to improvise. The ensemble was like, what did he just do? Okay. And I had to deliver another monologue at the end. And from that point on, I said, I'll never go back on stage again because I was terrible. But I said, you know what?

I got to go back and revisit it. I got comfortable and started doing Shakespeare. I did Raisin in the Sun, actually. I did Top Dog, Underdog a couple years ago. I did The Whipping Man, another drama show. So I've done, over the years, various roles. And Billy Flynn, for me, on Broadway, was just me going up there and auditioning. And it prepared me for that moment.

I said, damn, you know what? I'm going to be on Broadway. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes.

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Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl. I don't know why, Colleen. Catch the podcast, the NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So is that something you want to continue or do you want to progress your way? What is more,

what do you want to do more? You want to be a coach in a Power 5 NFL or do you want to come to Hollywood? That is an excellent question. I think now is the time where the entertainment side is going to be a little different. You know,

it may be not in front of the camera. I might be producing. Okay. The experiences that I'm experiencing now as a coach, that's a show. Right. You like it. Oh, yeah. No, no.

There's a lot of drama in that. You know what I'm saying? So, you know, I'm taking notes and I'm doing some things that, hey, I'm going to benefit, you know, my acting side will be something I'm going to write in terms of my experience as a coach. And my experience jumping into this. It all plays off of one another. Right.

So, you know, I feel like, hey, you know, if and when that coaching gig is up, I go to a Power 5 for five years and say, hey, thank you very much. I'm done. Come out to Hollywood and come drink with you. You know, write a couple scripts, make some movies, win an Oscar, Emmy, hey, thank you very much. I'm done. Come out to Hollywood and come drink with you. Write a couple scripts, make some movies, win an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, Tony. Be the first person to win a HeGOT. Is that where... Y'all know what a HeGOT is, right?

You know what a EGOT is, right? Emmy, Grammy. A HeGOT is a Heisman. Yeah, you're definitely going to be the only one with that one. You're definitely going to be the only one with that one. There You're definitely going to be the only one to win that one. I mean, there have only been a handful of women that's, people that's

won an Emmy Grammy, Tony. Yeah, yeah. I think Viola? No, no. I think Viola might. Rita Moreno. Whoopi Goldberg.

Whoopi Goldberg, yeah. I know Common is close. Yeah. I think he has to do a Tony. Yeah. He was on Broadway doing the show this past year.

Let's go back. I want to go back to the Super Bowl because that was, I mean, in Atlanta. And you were so close. So, so, so, so close. You were a yard away. And when you're so young like you guys were, you're just like, us and 4Go, we'll be back next year or the year after. But, I mean, and you never really got back again.

And what do you remember about that moment? I remember as we were driving down to go score. Right. The final drive. And Steve did his thing. He pushed down Kevin Carter through that strike, I believe, to Kevin Dyson. Picked up the first down call with timeout. And I'm dead tired.

I'm like, shh. Because we didn't have that week off. Right. Yeah, you went straight from the championship game to the Super Bowl. Right there. And we were all out there dead. Right. And I said, this is why I ran all those hundreds.

This is why I trained the way I do for this moment right here. And you couldn't tell me that we were not going to score going to overtime and find a way to win this ball game. Right. And when Dyson stretches out, try to get that ball over the goal line, immediately confetti is on in the air. And it's what? Gold and blue?

Blue and gold. And the stage comes out. And I'm standing there like, damn. It's really over. Shit, like, damn. Like, ah, no, I can't. It's got to be more time. It's got to be more time. And I just walked over to the sideline.

I sat there, and I just watched it, man, because I didn't want to leave the field. Right. There was still more out there. Right. And I said, all right, you know what? You're supposed to go to the Pro Bowl the following day. Right.

I told Jeff Fisher, I said, you know what, man? I don't think I'm going to go. I think I'm going to take a couple of days off, and I'm on that hill tomorrow. Right. And start working. I got to get back there. Because you've been there.

You know what it's like. You've been on the winning side of it. Right. So I said, I've got to see that confetti in the sky. And dedicated that whole year to training to put my best year together to get his back. And of course y'all ruined it. But, you know, I think about that now as a coach,

like maybe God has put me back into the game in this capacity. So I may not physically cross that goal line, but these young men will. Right. Maybe it's a championship. Maybe it's the goal line of realizing who they are, the potential, getting that great education, changing their lives, saving their lives, whatever that is. And that's the gratification I can get. You know what I'm saying?

Right. And that's kind of how I see this opportunity because I didn't ask for it. Right. I wasn't searching for it. Right. But when I searched my heart in the moment and really meditated on it for months, it felt like this was the move I had to make. Right.

Do you think the running back has lost value? Yes. And it's unfortunate. But in order to win a championship, you need a running game. How now? Isn't that ironic? You know, everybody talks about, oh, you can just put anybody at the running back position. Oh, really?

Ask Josh Allen at Buffalo. Yeah. We see what that looked like. You know, the teams that are now when it has some some sort of running right um i think the days of the one running back that can do everything is done right derrick henry is that last one right that can tote it in 30 in 30 out and still be dominant right um but it's very hit or miss with the rest of these guys one day to hot next to the cold it's very hit or miss with the rest of these guys. One day the hot, next day the cold. It's not consistent. And I think the game has changed.

Right. Now the college RPO is quarterback-centric. You know, the quarterback's doing everything. So, yeah, toward the end of my career, there was more, you know, two running back system. Now we're seeing three and four running back specialists. Right. You know, guys that can run routes, guys that can run the outside zone, another one that

can run the inside zone, one that can run pin pool, another one that can run fly sweep. Right. I mean, there's not that one guy that can do it all. And I think that's a travesty because there was a point in time when the running back was revered. Right. You know, much like a quarterback. Right.

You know, you had TD. Right. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Without TD, I don't think y'all win. Y'all don't win a championship game. Ain't no championship happening. Right?

Ain't no championship happening. Do you think we'll ever see another running back win the MVP? I think it can happen again. You know he doesn't probably be here. He'll have to break the record to do it. It would have to be. Because the quarterbacks are throwing for 5,040 touchdowns every year. Right.

So he's going to have to be. Somebody's got to run for 2,200 yards. It would have to be close to it. Yes. I mean, we've seen Justin Jefferson almost get 2,000. Yeah. And he's going to have to be somebody like the Russian It would have to be close to it. Yes. I mean, we've seen Justin Jefferson almost get 2,000 and he may not win it.

No, he's not going to win it. So it's definitely a quarterback award at this point. I'm looking at so who would you say is the best running back in Titans?

It's kind of like Orla's Titans because they're kind of like Let's say we'll mix it all together. So we've got you, Chris Johnson, D. Henry, Earl Campbell. For me, this is just me personally speaking.

I'm going to take me out of here quick. I'm always going to say me. Right. But Earl Campbell, EC, special. All right. I mean, he can do it all. He can do what Chris Johnson did and Derrick Kimby did and then some. He would obliterate linebackers.

Oh, yeah. He ran. So I'm going to say EC. But damn, Derrick, man, he's so special. I think he didn't get hurt two years ago. I think he breaks the record. Oh, without a doubt. He had 900 yards eight games in. and he was on pace to this Saturday.

And he's going to do it because he was durable. Right. But Chris Johnson, God, man. That speed was crazy. Outside of Barry Sanders, the greatest home run hitter in the NFL period. Speed was ridiculous. Yeah, it was crazy. Let's go back to that one matchup because that's the matchup,

and we had some great battles. We played you guys. People don't realize this, that you and I, we used to be in the same division. It was the Ravens. Twice a year. Twice a year. It was us, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Cleveland. Jacksonville.

In Jacksonville. In the same division. But everybody wants to talk about that divisional game in which we came there. You guys were the number one seed in the division. We had beat you guys. We were the first team to beat you. In Adelphia. At Adelphia.

Yeah. We were the first team. And so we felt very confident going back. What do you remember about that game? Everything. I remember everything. I remember something that came out in the article about me laying down, me being scared of rain.

Right, yeah. And that brought me the wrong way. That brought me the wrong way. I was quiet the entire week. Okay. And I said, okay. And I knew, and I think everybody knew, whoever won that game was going to the Super Bowl.

Oh, yeah. Nobody was going. I think we might have had the best scoring defense. Yeah. Number one. Y'all were number two. We had the best scoring defense. Y'all had the best total defense.

Total defense. Yeah, that's what it was. Yes. So I just remember going into that game. You know how typically you come out during warm-ups. You say, hey, dog, how you doing? Blah, blah, blah. You're pounding it.

None of that. The tone was set. Yeah. The tone was set. Yeah. It was going to be a war. And I just remember it was just back and forth. And it was bloody.

It was nasty. It was painful. You scored. We wanted to be scored. And it was nasty, it was painful. You scored, we wanted to be scored and it was nipping. The team that made that mistake was going to lose. We kicked, tried to kick a field goal, got blocked, went back, took all the wind out our sails because the drive on that defense. It was difficult.

It was not going to happen. Now, y'all were like a python. Yeah. Once you got the bite, rap was done. It was only a matter of time. Yeah. And without a scooping score

or pick six. Yeah. Yeah. And the thing about that defense, they were creating turnover. Yeah. Rip, pull, hammer. Sarah Goose is big behind.

Yeah. Hit the quarterback. Without the ball. Boom. Where's the flag? Nothing. Nothing. I'm looking at you, what you've done since you retired from the NFL.

You got a bachelor's degree in landscape architect from Ohio State. Earned an MBA from Northwestern. Appeared on Broadway. Owns a restaurant, Eddie George Bar and Grill 27. Owns a landscaping company and a wealth management firm. Taught classes at Ohio State Fisher College of Business. Why do so much? Did you feel like your life wasn't fulfilled?

Did you feel like you had not checked enough boxes? No, I had nothing to do with checking boxes. Landscape architecture, that was my major in school. Okay. And I was going to get my degree. Okay. And I was challenged to get my degree. Okay. And I was challenged by the fact that somebody said, hey, you're not going to do nothing with it. I said, why don't you build a business?

And I started my own landscape architecture firm in 2003. Okay. And I wanted to grow that business. So I went through some hiccups. Didn't quite understand the nomenclature associated with business. Right. Didn't read spreadsheets and this and that. So I said, okay, let me go get my master's in business to understand.

So I can understand. I'm not going to allow somebody to tell me anymore or what am I looking for, to sit over my shoulder and explain to me what's going on. I want to look at the numbers and know what I'm looking at and articulate that in an educated way. So I decided to get my master's in business. And while I was there, I figured that, hey, I probably can grow my landscape architecture business to a billion dollar business. So I got out of that. And then I said, OK, what can I do that I can, you know, have flexible time? You use my network of people that I know.

Build a business that's going to have a recurring revenue model. But also I'm passionate about helping others. Right. And it was wealth management. I said there was a situation that happened to me early in my career where a financial advisor almost stole all my money. Right. And I said, well, I can help young athletes with financial literacy and give them a plan of success, financially speaking. So I got my Series 7, my 66 license about around the same time I was studying to go to Chicago.

Right. So I had this idea that I was going to work with my three E's. My three E's are entertainment, entrepreneurship, and education. Okay. And to teach. So that's what I was operating in, was to act and tell stories, build my business, and then to teach this to young people so they can be set up for

success financially speaking that's what I was teaching Ohio State. Has the NFL invited you in to speak at the rookie symposium? I have over the years I have and I talked about various things I talked about my transition leaving the game matter of fact when they had like Clevelandveland um at that uh that spa up there i can't think of the name but um i'm going there and what's crazy is everything that i've done up until this point has prepared me to become a head coach right you know as an actor the ability to listen listening actively is what you do as an actor and then you respond. So to listen to these kids, to truly listen to them and what their issues are and to figure out

what they really want and how to get them to, from point A to point B, you have to listen. You have to listen to what others are saying about the university itself to figure out where the problems are. So that was one. And then the ability to teach, teach life, to teach life lessons, to teach whatever that is in the moment

and to be organic as a teacher has helped me. So all of that preparation and what I've done over the years wasn't about checking boxes. It was preparing me for what i'm doing now i thought you were on a path to be the next rock athlete turn actor why why did why don't you did you not devote the time because a lot i mean a lot of opportunity getting an opportunity was it the opportunity Was it the time? What transpired that all of a sudden, because it seemed like

you were in a lot of movies. I'm looking here. You're the best man. Holiday with Taye Diggs, Neil Lonson, Aletha Regina, Hallmore, Chestnut, Game Plan starring Rock. You were in some movies. I'm taking a hiatus. You're taking a hiatus? You're going to get back in it. But you said it might not be in front of the camera.

It might be behind the camera. It's a production company. Right. And producing stories. Right. You know, again, my son's at USC Film School. Right. And I can always jump into his movies.

Do you like telling stories? I do. I really do. It's the art of telling it. And to get the point across, as a storyteller, you're trying to do something to the character that you're playing across from right you're trying to do something to invoke an emotion into the audience you're trying to get a message across right that may be so that that um the ability to do that i think is very powerful right in terms of

telling a story and getting to influence people to do something to call a call of action right yeah married you've been married a long time yes sir married to taj former member swv how have you how have you been able to keep she's a public figure you're a public figure obviously how have you been able to keep your marriage so private oh i didn't think it was private um keep people well you know what i i try to keep my my name out the streets right you know and lo and behold i haven't been very good at that at all i can i can i can admit that you know i'm saying like hey i'm no angel right she knows that right um we've had our wars. We've had our moments. But that's what marriage is.

And I've learned to grow through that. I mean, she is a woman of grace and compassion. Right. And forgiveness. And I appreciate that. And she has my back, you know. And I've learned over the years as I've evolved and have grown, that in order for me to be, reach my full potential, I've got to be a hundred, you know, with her all the time.

And that's what makes it work is communication for us. And just being very honest with one another and where we are. And I think that's helped us go from one stage to the next stage. So give me some of your keys. What's some of your biggest keys? Getting married and staying married.

Getting married is understanding. Is there a right time to get married? No. I mean, you can always say, yeah, you know, 35 and a half. No, 40. No, you're never ready. Right. I think it's a half. No, 40. No. You're never ready. Right. I think it's a commitment.

And I'll say this. There's no formula. You can read all the books you want. Right. Each person is uniquely different. Yes. So you have to take the time to get to know that person, the time to be willing to go through all the highs and lows.

And love is an action word. Right. You have to choose to love. That's not a noun. It's an action. So you have to wake up saying, hey, I'm going to love my wife today. That means I'm going to make the right decisions. That means whatever she says you do, you're going to do, is say yes.

Right. If she says, hey, baby, do I look good in this dress? And she's bloated, you say, yes, baby, you look good. That's what I've learned. So, you know, it's all of that. Right. But she's my best friend. Right.

We still laugh together. Right. I make it a point to prioritize my time for her. Now, all that I'm doing, I do this every single Sunday. I didn't do it this week because I've been out here doing my thing, but I listen to a sermon at night, or a game might be on, and

I plan out my entire week. And I start with me first, and I always start with my private time in the morning. My meditation. Then I'll go into my workout. I'll swim, I'll lift weights, whatever that requires me to do that week. Yoga, whatever. And then I go down to the next phase of my life, that's being a husband and father. Date night. I schedule that in. I plan it in that time. So

I am intentional about the time that I spend with my wife, whether it's 15 minutes, an hour, four days. We may plan a trip three or four months down the line, but I try to create those moments with her because she's busy. She's still traveling. She's still singing. She's still doing her thing. She's doing a reality show now in Atlanta. She was down.

So we have to be intentional about how we're spending our time together. Right. I read somewhere says that when you get married, the man must date his wife every single day yes every day you gotta have patience and it's it's it is it is work yes it is work so it's working so it's it is anything worthwhile is uphill right you know what i'm saying i always say that and i always believe that and um it has its ups and downs it can get monotonous you got to do things to keep it fresh right you know what I'm saying? I always say that, and I always believe that. And it has its ups and downs. It can get monotonous.

You got to do things to keep it fresh. Right. You know what I'm saying? It's like, okay, you want to be a redhead or a blonde tonight? Right. You know what I'm saying? Hey, that has nothing to do with you. That's him talking. That's him talking.

You know, you know. Fitness, you're almost 50, and you're still in great shape. That's him talking. That's him talking. You know, you know, so. Fitness, you're almost 50. And you're still in great shape. That's something that. You little, hey, you, listen. You are the, dog. You are the, you are killing it, man. The fashion game.

Thank you. You look great, man. I saw your Twitter or your Instagram. You still throwing up iron without a spotter. 4'15". Like, what is this? What is this? And you DM and say, bro, get a spotter. 4'15". Like, what is this? What is this? And you DM and say, bro, get a spotter. You DM and say, bro, get a spotter.

I said, listen, I got to find out who your stylist is, though, dog. I'm like, yo, Shannon. Yeah, you got to be looking right. You got to be looking right, you know. Did that sweater you wore that night, man? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, you got a lot of love on there. That sweater was trending, man.

That sweater got me in trouble, too. Yeah. So what are your fitness routines? What do you eat? I mean, obviously, we can't eat like we ate when we played because we don't work out like we worked out when we played. Yeah, and I can't run like I used to. Right. So my knee is an issue, so I swim.

Okay. I try to swim twice a week. Okay. My goal has been, you know, try to get at least a mile in of breaststroke, backstroke. I'm doing a dolphin kick as well. So getting that cardiovascular in for me is good. And now that we have a weight room at Tennessee State, I get my weight coach, and we plan a conditioning day, weight day.

So I try to hit the iron. I just got my shoulder done. So I'm trying to get back into build my shoulder back up. So I do that, try to lift at least four days a week. My rest day consists of yoga, stretching, and massage. Right. So my eating is sporadic. So I still try to plan, eat every three hours.

Yeah, them coaches. Coaches don't have a regular schedule, so you eat at odd times. It is frustrating because, you know, I don't want to eat the Oreos, but, you know, I'm starving. I got to eat them more. Yeah, you got to eat them more. They got to get down. Yeah.

Well, Eddie, I appreciate it. I appreciate you stopping by the club, having a conversation. Best of luck this year and everything you do moving forward, man. Appreciate it, man. Thank you. Eddie George, ladies and gentlemen. Got the roll of dice, that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life. I'll see you next time. by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game, every single week, but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media

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