Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules - The Robert Kraft Episode

Episode Date: July 10, 2025

Robert Kraft joins the show! We're live from Fanatics Fest in NYC to talk to our former boss, a pillar in the community, and the owner of the greatest franchise in professional sports. We talk dynasty, the best decisions he's made as owner, and more. RKK takes our patented Dude Ranking Questionnaire. We wrap up with the Chillest Dude of the Week presented by Coors Light. Thanks again to Michael Rubin and Fanatics Fest for hosting us! Keep up with Mr. Kraft and the Patriots via @Patriots across all social channels. Join Mr. Kraft in standing up to hate with his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS). Go to fcas.org for more information.  Catch the Dudes Live at GRONK & JULES PRESENT WELCOME TO THE NUTHOUSE! August 28th at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston. Early access tickets are ON SALE NOW! Use Promo Code: NUTHOUSE until 7/10/2025 at 10PM EST. General tickets will go on sale 7/11/2025.  Get tickets here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/gronk-jules-present-welcome-to-the-boston-massachusetts-08-28-2025/event/010062DAE4F48FBESupport the show: https://hoo.be/dudesondudesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, I'm Cal Penn, and on my new podcast, here we go again, we'll take today's trends and headlines and ask, why does history keep repeating itself? Each week, I'm calling up my friends like Bill Nye, Lily Singh, and Pete Buttigieg, to talk about everything from the space race to movie remakes to psychedelics. Put another way, are you high? Look, the world can seem pretty scary right now. But my goal here is for you to listen and feel a little better about the future. Listen and subscribe to Here We Go Again with Cal Penn on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Big Take podcast from Bloomberg News keeps you on top of the biggest stories of the day. My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day. Stories that move markets. Chair Powell opened the door to this first interest rate cut. Impact politics, change businesses. This is a really stunning development for the AI world and how you think, about your bottom line. Listen to the big take from Bloomberg News every weekday afternoon on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The murder of an 18-year-old girl

in Graves County, Kentucky went unsolved for years until a local housewife, a journalist, and a handful of girls came forward with a story. America, y'all better work the hell up. Bad things happens to good people in small town. Listen to Graves County on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to binge the entire season ad free, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. In early 1988, federal agents raced to track down the gang they suspect of importing millions of dollars worth of heroin into New York from Asia.

Had 30 agents ready to go with shotguns and rifles and. You're going. Five, six white people. Pushed me in the car. Basically, your stay-at-home moms were picking up these large amounts of heroin. All you got to do is receive the package. Don't have to open it. Just accept it.

She was very upset, crying. Once I saw the gun, I tried to take his hand, and I saw the flash of light. Listen to the Chinatown Stang on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you get your podcasts. We're at Fenway Park, throwing out the first pitch. They invited the team, and we go out with six trophies, and we have different players. Right before, underneath the green monster, these guys are fooling around. And Julian's throwing fastballs. Our boy, Gronk picks up one of the trophies and hits it, and there's a permanent ballmark in the back of the trophy.

and I guess if it was only one or two, I would have fixed it. But I thought, we're going to have a Grunk's memory for the history of the Patriots. I said we're leaving it. Welcome to dudes on dudes. I'm Julian Edelman and Rob Grunkowski somewhere in this atmosphere. And this is the show for your favorite dudes. Talk about their favorite dudes. Today, we've got a very, very special.

guest, Patriots owner, pillar in the community, and our former boss. Robert Kraft, and we get into talking the best decision he ever made as an owner. I gave up a number one draft pick. The Tom Brady statue. We all want to know. How is that jawline looking on the statue?

Is it nice and sharp? And then his favorite rapper. RKK, be up in the club with the rappers dog. Ask me the question after this season. Now we're talking. Then we use our patented dude questionnaire to find out what kind of dude RKK is. We wrap it up in this week's chillest dude of the week presented by Coors Light. You got to stick around to the end.

Dudes on dudes is a production of I Heart Radio. Special dudes announcement. We're doing another live show. That's right. In Boston on August 28th at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway. An evening with the Nut House. That we're calling it? Name TBD, but it will be both games and dudes.

It's a celebration of Boston sports. Dudes on dudes, games with names, collabs, cross-pollination, gronk, me, special guests, tons of surprises, be there or be square. Pre-sale tickets already happened. So maybe you've already got it. You're coming. Shows tickets are available again Friday at 10 a.m.

Eastern Standard time. Regular season, regular tickets, go buy them. They're on Ticketmaster.com. No promo code because the promo code's already over. Ticketmaster.com if they're still available. Go, it's going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be a blast. That venue is super cool.

You're basically in Fenway. Yeah. Literally. I just watched the town last night. Did you guys enter the stage? That's what I, I only brought that up because the last time we went to this venue at the MGM for Adam Ray. Yeah. I had a daydream when I walked through that I was in the movie The Town. Who were you? Slane.

Fucking I was slain. I felt like I would have been slain in that. But I, not really. But like, that's what I was self-picturing. I remember a job-hand type. I was like, man, they didn't really, like. I think you'd work for the feds. No.

Yeah. Remember, I always think about the, remember the dubover at the time when Tom went to Tampa? Yeah. They used the scene from the town where he said, you can come visit me in South Florida. And they get in a fight. Remember they did that with me and Brady? Yeah. Yeah.

So I always think about that too. So I just had like an epiphany. It would be fun. Go. So tickets. will be available tomorrow at 10 a.m. It'll be fun. It's going to be a fun night. And it's always fun getting the boys back sometimes in front of the people.

It's going to be a bigger crowd than the Wilbur. It's going to be like potentially triple the size. That's, but just one show. Scary. Without further ado. I never knew it was that. A do? Yeah.

Without further ado, here's our interview with RKK. One of the coolest dudes. This guy doesn't need an introduction. but he is a six-time Super Bowl champion. He's the cornerstone of the community up in the New England area. He's our former boss, but kind of like a dad. And also the guy that used to sign the bottom of the check. The bottom of the check.

Owner of the greatest franchise in NFL history. The guy that gave the squirrel Julian Edelman and myself an opportunity to show our talents. RKK. Are we ready? Robert Kraft. Welcome, Robert Kraft. KK, ladies and gentlemen. Stand up.

Give him a round of applause. Without RKK, Julian and I would not figure. His hands are so heavy. What a treat. What a treat. First time we ever do a live show and we have arguably the best owner in the national football league here with us. Arguably. Hold on.

Arguably, he is the best owner. He is the best. in the NFL football league. And not because his team has won Super Bowls, but because he cares about his players and he cares about the community and he cares about his fans. And I learned that from RKK from day one when I got there.

And on top of it, I'm building a playground in Boston area right on the Charles River. And RKK was so generous. He donated a nice portion of a nice, beautiful check to my playground that is opening in August. And that just shows how much. he cares about the community as well. He cares about his former players.

Thank you for everything you do, RKKK. Let's sit down and get into it. How lucky am I to have had these two guys for a decade together? I mean, if the good Lord lets me have another life, I want to come back as one of them.

I thought it was me. You always said me, but now Julian's a part of it? I would want to come back as Julian too. How about you combine us both? Oh, that's a good life. But the crazy thing is, what you guys don't realize, Mr. Kraft was around every day at our facility. So, like, we saw Mr. Kraft daily.

My name is RKKKKKK. RKKK, I know. Still, you know, it's just still Mr. Kraft, but it's RKKK. But he would be there. He'd be in all our meetings. And he'd always give us, like, a little bit of advice when we needed. He was an ultimate shoulder for when you were at low times in your life, with things on and off the field.

He was just a great guy. So it's so insane to have you here. We're really excited. We got to start it off with something about this new generation Patriots. How excited are we for this new Mike Rable era? I personally am very excited. We, you know, our family has had the privilege of owning the team for 31 years. 31.

And the last two years have been very tough. And I speak as a fan because, After my family, this team is the most important thing. And what I love about sports, and especially the NFL, in today's crazy world, the one thing that brings everybody together, like nothing else, is the NFL. People of all backgrounds, all political beliefs, and they're all rooting for the team.

And we've got to win. And I believe we're set up this year. to turn around what's going on the last couple of years. Heck yeah, we are. Let's go. Let's go. That's what we like to hear. RKK,

before you own the New England Patriots and you were thinking about it, what made you pull that trigger that you wanted to own the team? Was there a certain player on the team that you love to watch? Was it just a whole community that you love to be a part of? What made you really want to own the New England Patriots? Well, I had the privilege of playing a little football in college. It's the sport I loved. Even though I think I'm 35, the Patriots weren't created until 1960. I used to watch the New York Giants were like my home team because that was televised up in Boston. And I used to watch Frank Giffitt and Y-A. Tittle.

I too. I do. Juleski, Kat Kavich. And I just loved football. And I dreamt about one day trying to buy the team. And I had a greater chance to be a starting quarterback in the NFL because they're 32 than owning a team. And some, you'll look at the Steelers, the Giants, the beers.

Same family for a hundred years. 100 years. So, you know, in 85, I picked up the land in 88. I bought the stadium out of bankruptcy. And 94, we kept the team from moving to St. Louis. And it was a great moment in my life to be able to buy that team and live a big dream. And I say to everyone out there, especially the young people, dream big. and when it doesn't go your way,

keep coming back like the tide, and you'll be surprised. Most people don't persevere, and that's part of the key to success in life. Without a doubt. I mean, relentlessness. You're giving me a little dog, little dog vibes, Mr. Kraft. That's what we call, like, guys that are relentless in the league in the locker room.

So what was your best decision that you've made as an owner? to date. Well, the one that got questioned the most was in 99. I gave up a number one draft pick for a coach who had only won a little over 40% of his game to get him out for, I don't know if there are any jet fans here, but I think getting Bill Belichick to come to the Patriots in 1999. It was a big risk and I got hammered in the Boston media, but I think he was with us for 24 years and we did okay. Now, is it true, John Bon Jovi introduced you to? Yes. You know what? It was on the sidelines of the 96th Super Bowl when we were in New Orleans and playing the Green Bay Pack. My third year of ownership, and Bon Jovi had been a big fan of bills, and we're on the sideline,

and we became real good pals after that. Bon Jovi is awesome. I mean, he's basically a patriot. Now, I got to ask a real quick question. Were you ever mad at Gronk for denting the Super Bowl trophy truthfully? I mean, what kind of maniac would dent the trophy? Well, Julian, you were part of dancing the trophy. You threw the knuckleball to me while the trophy was in my hand as a baseball bat.

You knew I was going to take a hack. I didn't think you were actually going to use the Lombardi to swing right before. That's why I bunted. Were you ever mad at us, Mr. Krak, or RKK? So think about it. We're at Fenway Park throwing out the first pitch. They invited the team and we go out with six trophies. and we had different players

right before underneath the green monster, these guys are fooling around. We're warming up. And Julian's throwing fastballs. Our boy, Grong, picks up one of the trophies and hits it, and there's a permanent ballmark in the back of the trophy. And I guess if it was only one or two, I would have fixed it.

but I thought we're going to have Gronk's memory for the history of the Patriots. I said we're leaving it. So if anyone comes up to Patriot Place and visits us, we'll show you that trophy with the indent. And it sort of speaks about everything these two were. You know, we've got to have a good time in life. These guys are the best. and when they were on our team, there was a level of high spirit and positive vibes that was awesome.

Yeah, everyone always thinks that we just worked all. We had a lot of fun too. Yeah, we did have a lot of fun. We put the work in, work was always first, and then we played after. And we saw that from the top. Yes. That's how our craft led, put your work in, have fun, but ultimately, let's get our work done.

And talking about having fun, RKK, you won six Super Bowls. What's the best way to celebrate a Super Bowl win? Well, actually I was thinking about it. I thought I should ask them a question. Because when we were privileged to win the Super Bowl, it takes about three, four months to make rings. And then I always had a ring ceremony, and we passed out the rings in my backyard.

It was amazing. I thought, and that was pretty, we had some fun times. I thought you guys should tell me what went on either during the Super Bowls or at the ring ceremony, things I didn't know about that was going on in my backyard. Yeah, Mr. Crave, RKK, just don't go to the guest house after Uncle Snoop and I were there. That smell is nothing from anything we were doing. I plead the fifth on that one, Jules. I plead the fifth, plead the fifth.

And then lastly, before we get into determine what kind of dude you are, RKK, we keep on hearing about this Tom Brady statue. I think that we should just hire Gronk to be the sculptor of that statue and have him do the statue. I think that would be unbelievable. Everyone would remember that.

How big is this statue? We want to talk about the statue. How tall is it going to be? It's a wonderful, suggestion, except we made the statue last year. Okay. And Tommy started broadcasting, and we couldn't get them up. So we haven't coming August 8th.

And actually, I would love, since I saw your artistic work with the trophy, if you did it. But we had the privilege of spending seven figures to get, we have the trophy, I mean, the statue in storage, in Foxborough. We wanted to present it last year. We're going to unveil it. I believe it's August 8th. August 8th. First preseason game against Washington. You'll see it. It's unbelievable. He's not a bad-looking guy, you know. I mean, he's pretty handsome. How is that jawline looking on the statue? Is it nice and sharp? Is it 22-year-old jawline or is it 45-year-old jawline? It's Tommy 100%. Let's go. I just make a He is, you guys know, and the general public doesn't know, besides being a vicious competitor and an awesome player,

he's got a heart of gold. He does. And one of the finest human beings I've ever met in my life. So for us to have a permanent statue of him there for our fans, think about it. The greatest player in the history of the game, over 100 years, was the 199th pick, a calm pick in the sixth round. So all these great analysts for draft day missed it, and we locked out and got them.

And that's what makes the NFL so great. It's because everyone has a shot. Everyone has hope. There's countless stories of six-round, seventh-round, undrafted, worst teams coming back to win. The parody is the best, and that's why the NFL. is king. Should we get into the questions? Let's get into it. What kind of dude do you think Mr. Kraft is? So the first question to determine what type of dude our KK is with the dude

questionnaire formula. You ready to go RKKK? These are a series of questions that we came up with certified. Am I answering? You are quick questions. Nothing big. We'll take a couple notes. We'll have a couple comments here and there and maybe a follow up or two. So is what's the last book you read? The last book you read? The last full book was the Da Vinci Code. Da Vinci Code. Good movie.

You got to be smart for that. Da Vinci Code. All right. Who's the coolest person in your phone? Who's the coolest person in my phone? A lot of cool people. My bride. Your bride?

That's a great answer. Good answer. Smart guy. Smart guy. Get it right on the money. You see that right there? That's a brain. All right, question number three.

Who's your favorite rapper? Favorite rapper? Well, it's tied. Jay Z and Meat Mill. Okay, that's a three-for. What about Cardi B? She's dating one of your players right now, R.KKKKK. I know we got Cardi B in the locker room potentially.

We got to have her in the hallway. Come on. Ask me the question after this season. I want to see how that a tourn ACL performs. I love where your head's at. But you do have a little video. You can watch to see how the two of us relate. No, I can't wait.

It's a great addition. Getting back to the list. What was your college GPA? My college GPA? College GPA. Harvard, I believe, or Columbia and then Harvard? I went to Columbia College and Harvard Business School. GPA, undergrad?

I honestly don't remember. I think it was over three five, though. Over 3-5. All right. Three, five. I mean, he went to Harvard after it. He had to be pretty good at it. So what was your first car?

First car. Chevy, I believe a Chevy Impala. Ooh, Impala. But my favorite car was my late wife, a blessed memory, insisted she knew I loved Austin Martins. So when I was 45, We got an Aston Martin. Ashton.

James Bond. That's cool. James Bond. RKK. It was exactly. That's why. Did you have a lift kit on the Chevy Impala? You know what I'm talking about?

Matt, over here is six four. Just bouncing up and down the road. Cruising. I mean, he's East Coast. That's more West Coast. Come on, Rob. We know that. Convertible.

What's the movie that you've seen the most? It's a graduate. What is it? The, Graduate with Dustin Hoffman. Oh, before you guys were born. A little Dustin Hoffman.

Never seen it. Got out. Check it out. What do you prefer? A one o'clock game or a four o'clock game? Um, they're tied. Tied.

Smart man. You see that right there? As long as people are watching, we love, baby. And we're winning. Uh, favorite thing in your office? What's the favorite thing in your office? Picture of my boys. Oh, family.

All right. If you didn't own the Patriots, what would you do for work? Well, my mother of blessed memory wanted me to be a doctor. I don't have the brains for that. My father wanted me to be a spiritual leader. I'd probably be trying to do that. Bill Bridges. Rabbi RKK.

Let's go, baby. Rabbi. We'll be right back after this quick break. Here we go. Hey, I'm Cal Penn, and on my new podcast, Here We Go Again, we'll take today's trends and headlines and ask, why does history keep repeating itself? You may know me as the second hottest actor from the Harold and Kumar movies,

but I'm also an author, a White House staffer, and as of like 15 seconds ago, a podcast host. Along the way, I've made some friends who are experts in science, politics, and pop culture. And each week, one of them will be joining me to answer my burning questions. Like, are we heading towards another financial crash like in 08? Is non-monogamy back in style? And how come there's never a gate ready for your flight when it lands like two minutes early? We've got guests like Pete Buttigieg, Stacey Abrams, Lili Singh, and Bill Nye.

When you start weaponizing outer space, things can potentially go really wrong. Look, the world can seem pretty scary right now, because it is. But my goal here is for you to listen and feel a little better about the future. Listen and subscribe to Here We Go Again with Cal Penn on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Big Take podcast from Bloomberg News dives deep into one big global business story every weekday. A shutdown means we don't get the data, but it also means for President Trump that there's no chance of bad news on the labor market. What does a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, reveal. about the economy. Our breakfast foods are consistent consumer staples, and so they sort of become

outsize indicators of inflation. What's behind Elon Musk's trillion dollar payout? There's a sort of concerted effort to message that Musk is coming back. He's putting politics aside. He's left the White House. And what can the PCE tell you that the CPI can't? CPI tries to measure out-of-pocket costs that consumers are paying for things. Whereas the PCE index that the Fed targets is a little bit broader of a measure. Listen to the big take from Bloomberg News every weekday afternoon on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's what I've been told.

And that's a half-truth is a whole lie. For almost a decade, the murder of an 18-year-old girl from a small town in Graves County, Kentucky went unsolved until a local homemaker, a journalist, and a handful of girls came forward with a story. I'm telling you, we know Quincy Kilder, we know. A story that law enforcement used to convict six people, and that got the citizen investigator on national TV. Through sheer persistence and nerve, this Kentucky housewife helped give justice to Jessica

Curran. My name is Maggie Freeling. I'm a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, producer, and I wouldn't be here if the truth for that easy to find. I did not know her and I did not kill her or rape or burn or any of that other stuff that y'all said. They literally made me say that I took a match and struck and threw it on her.

They made me say that I poured gas on her. From Lava for Good, this is Graves County, a show about just how far our legal system will go in order to find someone to blame. America, y'all better work the hell up. Bad things happens. to good people and small town.

Listen to Graves County in the Bone Valley feed on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to binge the entire season ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Jonathan Goldstein, and on the new season of heavyweight, I help a centenarian mend a broken heart. How can a 101-year-old woman fall in love?

love again. And I help a man atone for an armed robbery he committed at 14 years old. And so I pointed the gun at him and said this isn't a joke. And he got down and I remember feeling kind of a surge of like,

okay, this is power. Plus, my old friend Gregor and his brother tried to solve my problems through hypnotism. We could give you a whole brand new thing where you're like super charming all the time. Being more able to look to people in the eyes. Not always hide behind a microphone. Listen to Heavyweight on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

All right. Courtside or box seats. Courtside seats or box seats when you go to the basketball games. What do you prefer? First row. Yeah, you got to go courtside. Courtside all day. I see you all the time at the Celtics games.

Living it up. Big game. You see RKK in the building always. All right. On you, Rob? I'm not sure if you ever ran a 40-yard dash, but if you have, what was your 40 time back in the day? 40 time.

I wouldn't be being truthful. I had okay speed. Like when I played, I could get through the line and go down the field 15, 20 yards, but then they'd catch me. Okay, quicker than fast, direction. More of a three cone guy. I'll put that in the notes. Kind of like you, Julian. More quicker than fast. Change direction. Very similar.

And if you're quicker than fast, that's actually better in the NFL as terms of town. Yeah, it's best to have both, but I would choose to be quicker than fast. Create separation. I feel like that skill set, you know, makes you a better player because of separation, because football is all about separation. Separation. Getting through the line. Getting through. I could do that.

and go 15, 20, 30 yards, but they'd always catch me. Now, RKK, you played high school football. I did not. You didn't? Did you play any sports in high school? No. No sports in high school? We observed the Sabbath, and so, out of respect to my dad and everything,

I didn't. I didn't start playing football until I went to college. What position? Half back. Halfback. Half back and safety. Quicker than fast. Two ways.

You're known for your style. You're known for your outfits. Take us through your game day look from head to toe. Game day look. Yes. And what type of shoes are you wearing? Are those the aircraft ones? Aircraft.

You know that Nike makes my own. Oh, yeah. Yeah. The CEO of Nike 12 years ago saw me wearing Air Force ones. I introduced them. at an event in Boston, a financial meeting. And he said, why don't we make you your own line?

And these generate a half million dollars that go to charities in the Boston area. And every year, Nike makes me a special Air Force one line. Good. He's always swagging. He went from the white collar. I remember the transition. Blue shirt, white collar, pink.

But that kind of faded after. Yeah. After our fourth Super Bowl, when you started getting to five and six, the swag meter, Mr. Kraft, went up. You started wearing the aircraft one, the jean, t-shirt. You were going T-shirt and then suit jacket over. I mean, I thought it was a hell of a cool jacket. I thought I saw you in the Metgala a couple times. Trying to learn from you too.

All right. Then our last question. How do you eat a steak? How do I eat a steak? How do you get your steak done? I like a medium rear. By the way, I didn't eat meat for a few years, and my medical doctor said,

your iron is very low. You should start eating some meat. So I love a good medium rear steak. Now, are you using a fork and knife? Yes. Now, what if no one's there? You're at a family barbecue, and you've got that big old rib eye,

and you see there's a little extra that meat on that bone. Are you taking that thing with the hand? I do that with any birthday cake. I get the frosting from the top or the middle. That's when I use my hand. So, all right, RKK, we're going to just kind of go over a little meat real quick. It'll be two seconds. Just to determine real quick. One second. So he likes Jay-Z Meat Mill. Loves Jay-Z. Mick Mill. He was a halfback and a safety.

Yeah, halfback and a safety. GPAs over three five. Da Vinci Code was a really good movie. And he read the book. And barely remembered his GPA because he didn't know he didn't know. He didn't need to know his GPA. Yeah. Had an Impala.

Yeah. I wonder if it was six. Paula, he over here. Shabby Impala. All right. Loves one o'clock. Loves one o'clock and four o'clock games. As long as they are watching.

All right. All right. What do you guys think he is? You think he's a dog? is he a stud? Is he a dude's dude? Is he a whiz? Is he a freak?

Or is he a whiz? One, two, three, whiz. Mr. Croft is definitely a whiz. I mean, a man who could have the smarts to be able to keep an organization going for 20 years the way it has been and then continually trying to rebuild.

I mean, you are a smart dude, one of the smartest men I've met. You always had the, the wisdom and the advice to any time I needed it. I mean, you're a wizzen in the book, Mr. Kraft. Thank you both. Innovative. I want to say we can learn from the two of them,

the kind of human beings they are. Both of them, Bill Bridges, bring people together, bring out the bright side of people. There's no envy or jealousy. They're a high-class, wonderful human beings. I flew down here just to be with them. So thank you very much. Wow.

Well, let's give it a round of applause. Make some noise for our KK, everyone. RKK. The best NFL owner in the game, and not just the best NFL owner in the game, one of the best guys out there. Always there for his family and players. Thank you so much, RKK, for everything.

Yes. There's one other thing about RKK. Whenever you were in trouble, whenever you did something wrong off the field, RKK was there for you. He always had your back. He always heard your side of the story after he saw what it was in the media. And he was always there for you to give the best advice as possible. Because he's seen it all.

He's been an owner for a while. He's been around. He's always in the building. So thank you RKK for everything. Julie and I wouldn't be here. without them right here to this day. So, man, how cool was that, though? How cool was this?

Do you guys enjoy our little show? It's fun. You know, we talk about our favorite dudes, and that's in every different form, any kind of player of any kind of sport. And check us out on dudes on dudes. We're on everything, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, my face, whatever.

Got a little bill in there. And how cool is this experience at Fanatic. Fest. It's a really cool opportunity for us as athletes after our career to continue using what we've earned on the field and staying connected with you guys, the fans, the people that honestly keep all this going. We're all here because of your support, because of what you guys do. And it's honestly the coolest thing to have this opportunity to have this convention thing. So thank you guys so much. Yes.

Check us out. Dude on dudes. We have a new episode that drops every single Thursday. We love interacting with our fans in the comment section. And to your next show, guys. We'll see you later. Thank you guys. Man, that was a really fun experience to get to interview O RKK,

in front of a group of people, a bunch of, you know. How was the audience? I couldn't. I was out back. I couldn't hear how the audience was reacting to stuff. I think they were really engaged. Yeah. I don't know.

What about Grunk? Was he engaged? Grunk was engaged. You know, we had to get away to reel back a couple times. Hey, Rob! Rob! But I think, dude, he's a pro. He's a pro.

He's a fucking pro. Like, when you see, like, when, raw, like, because I get nervous when I have. So stressed out. And Rob's just like, I don't care. Just give me the thing. I'm fine. We're good. Yeah, Rob.

Yeah, Rob, dude, Rob's a pro when it comes to doing TV shit, radio shit. Or like, any kind of. to perform it like whenever we do something like yeah man i've been practicing my lines for like two weeks you know he's always prepared he always goes in confident and you know that's how he played it's it's awesome to watch him transition so but that was a i thought that was a that was our first time really you know interviewing someone in front of people together now we did the the slate and the ninko episodes which those are that's it's different when you're it's different it's different you And there's, you know, we're still not crazy comfortable at it.

But we like the system that we have when we, we, we feel like we're doing it okay. But like, you know, when you do that kind of stuff live, like hearing each other, I could barely hear them. Yeah, yeah. And, and I could, I could, I could tell that Rob was having trouble hearing the answers from. Because he was further away. RKK, because he was further away. And we didn't have ear pieces. So we couldn't hear because it was allowed.

You're in an, you're in an, it's always like having like a dance party next. Fucking, yeah. There's like some wrestling music in the background. You got fucking, did we get his dude type right? Yeah, let us know. Whiz? He's definitely a whiz. Yeah, he's a whiz.

He's a whiz. He's a whiz. Also, Tom Brady statue's been made for a year. For a fucking year. Yeah. It's. You're gonna go. You gotta work.

I just hope it's at least. Making them go to a preseason game, though. I don't know. I think it's going to be amazing. Yeah. Regardless. Full feet high. That was awesome.

Tease for next week. Another interview from Fanatics Fest. Ooh, another one. Similar caliber. I mean, people are going to read articles. They know who it is. I know. But, you know, hey.

And these people. I'm just trying to tease people. So they come back next week. I'm just letting you know. Okay. Yeah, I got fan of the nutheads. What are they? What are our fans call?

Give us nuts No Give us a name We need a name in the comment section Let's put a poll up It was game nameys and gameys But then like You got too many shows

I guess it's too hard bro It's just fucking nuts It's just nuts It's just nuts Let's get into the chillest dude The week Brought to you by our favorite beer Coors Light

To get Coors Light delivered Straight to your door Visit Coorslight.com Slash dudes And celebrate responsibly And the chills do the week is Old Fanatics Fest Boy, what a spectacular

event or spectacle. What a spectacle that is. It was crazy. It's fucking huge. And you didn't even walk like the main area. You just in the back here. That went back forever. And there was a lot of stuff going on. It was cool. It's honestly brilliant. It's Comic Con for Sports. That 1,000%.

Michael Rubin and his team. I mean, it was, I didn't go last year. I didn't know how it was last year. But, you know, for the athletes, it was easy for us to get in and out. They had it. It was all dialed up. Like, operations was awesome. I mean, there was fans from everywhere.

Jack got his own golf cart. Jack got a golf cart. They had an open Starbucks bar. Yeah. Can't beat that. Saw some people in there. Derek Jeter. I mean, I saw everyone.

Who'd you see? Derek Jeter. I didn't talk to him. But CJ Stride was hanging around. CJ was cool. I got to talk to him for a little bit. How was that? It was awesome.

Yeah. I'm a fan of him. I told him, you know, I like, I like how he plays the game. And, you know, I told him, just got to live in the protection plans. You got Nick, you got Kaylee over there. We'll see what protections he's using. Get the protections right. So you're always protected because that's your asset.

Mm-hmm. You know, his asset is being able to, he sits in that thing. He sits in that pocket. He'll take a hit. but let's like learn so we don't have to take the hit and even if we have deficient linemen let's learn how to use the protections into our favor smart that's smart year three football you know you could tell that he's a hungry dude that's lurking to learn which was cool saw bryce young was in there yeah awesome you know told him what a what a I told him like that that was impressive

to have the year he had year two yeah off of what the first year was yeah that and it was you know it's going to be exciting to watch the Panthers this year. They drafted another receiver. Who, they got the Arizona State kid, I think. And then they had the kid last year, Williams, that balled out. Is it Williams? Who balled out their rookie last year? Did they have a rookie ball?

Oh, yeah, Xavier Leggett. Yeah, and then, yeah, they had McMillan, the Arizona guy, not Arizona State. Arizona. Just got a, you know. Arizona guy. Arizona. My bad. My bad.

Rob's not here in the building, but let's. But I got to see him. Hunter Renfro. too. Where? Panthers. Hunter Renfro? Yeah. Adam Thielen.

That could be a good, that could be a good tool for Bryce because they're both smart. He's, Bryce is a smart kid. Yeah. He's like, you're not a 5-10 quarterback that's like a first overall pick if you're not a fucking genius. Yeah. You know, and if you could do shit. So we know we can do it.

We saw him do it in college. We saw him doing it a little bit last year. You start giving him weapons. You get a smart guy like Renfro who could work the middle of the field. That'd be fun. Do you see anyone else cool? I mean, we hung out with RKK, Jonathan Kraft. Mark Wahlberg.

Mark Wahlberg was there. I mean, saw everyone. Who else? Oh, I saw Chris Weber. I saw Chris Weber. Yeah, cool. I thought that was cool. I loved Chris Weber when I was a kid.

Because at the time when I was a kid, the Warriors were like really trash. And the Kings were like an expansion team. and like they were fucking good lot of divots, Christy freaking him, white chocolate and then they got Bibby I was low key liked those teams I swagger jacked

yeah so I said hi to him he was really cool saw Aiden the streamer oh yeah um yeah streaming

it's crazy I think like 10 I think like 150,000 people were watching them live there really? It's just like live He's just live around. That's crazy.

Like, that's crazy. But he's a really cool dude. Who else did I see? Michael Rubin. Rubin was there, yeah. Hung out with Roobbs. Saw TB. Saw Eli.

Yeah. Didn't talk to Eli, but saw him. Tall guy. You're always reminded how tall those manning boys are when you see him. Did that thing with Peyton a few weeks back. I mean, they're just fucking large. men. They really are. They're tall.

They're like a legit 65. 65. 65. Yeah. Yeah. You look at Manning's and you don't like immediately think athlete but then you stand next to them and you're like these motherfuckers are athletes. Athletes? These are specimens. Yeah. Yeah. Specimens.

You competed in the little like competition. Yeah, I did the stone cold thing. You finished 95th overall. Which is kind of weak. I thought I mean, I didn't, they told me two seconds before. Yeah. I put that thing together

in five minutes, not even, probably three minutes. And if I knew like people were having props and stuff, yeah. Like Mr.

Kraft was there when I was about to go out and they gave me this jersey. So I was going to go shirtless in a fucking speedo with knee pads and a fucking rattlesnake vest on. But they weren't going to let me

because I thought, you know, out of the respect of the man who gave me a huge opportunity in life, RKK, I thought it would be, you know, appropriate to wear my Patriot soccer jersey that they were given out to people. Yeah. But honestly, mine was more realistic than anyone.

But it wasn't just that. Steve Austin, what did he do? He just went out and flipped off everyone, chug two fucking beers, flipped them off and walked back. So if we're talking method, I thought I killed it. But I think he did okay with that one. It's just that the whole competition. Yeah, I only did two things.

I got a herniated disc in my C7. right now. And then I go walk over and gronk over to the throwing thing, so I had to throw a couple. You got a little competitive there. I could see it. Well, I wanted, yeah, that's why I had to walk away, or I would have fucking done them all. I walked by that hockey thing, and I was about to start putting

the hockey and, oh no. I was going to start putting the hockey in the fucking washing the name. Rob, Rob won the hockey event. Rob's a monster. A hockey player, yeah. Rob played hockey. I think I may have played against him in a hockey tournament, because we're like the exact same age

and I played tournaments in his hometown a few times I might have played against them as like a youth hockey probably yeah dude Tom finished first overall

did he yeah Tom won a million bucks yeah and he bought the guy's car because of the guy wait Tom won everything so some of those things you have to be able to do well

I bet you practiced them though but there's like a kicking thing there was the wrestling there was the hockey there's the pitch thing the pitch let me see how you there's eight events

I want to see all the events he did. Closest to the pin. Oh, golf? Yeah. There was a golf one? Striking challenge with like a punching. Oh, did you see what John Cena did?

What? John Cena was going to do the punching thing. And then he was like, I'm going to do it. I'm going to punch it. And then he did like the fake, like a fake wrestling punch. Yeah, Charlotte was there too. We didn't see Charlotte, but she was there.

Tiffany Haddish finished ahead of you. Just so you know. Who? Tiffany Haddish. Oh, yeah. Cool. The two events. Wrestling walkout.

Should we go back next year? I mean, it was a hell of event. It's just, you know, it's, it was hot there. It was hot in there. Hot, a lot of. TV was working. They had him doing some stuff. TV was working.

They had him doing some stuff. He was the mayor of Fanatics Town. Dude, I tipped my hat to him. I went to his house, got my neck rubbed on by one of his dudes. Dev, shout out, Dev. Some dude-on-d-d-d-d-action. doing magic with the magic guy in the house. I don't know if I can even say that.

Did it already... Oh, that like... Magic guy? Is it the mentalist? Yeah. Or is it the other magic guy? I don't know. It's a magic guy that's been on hard knocks and stuff that we all have seen that...

Yeah, yeah. This guy's pretty, like... He's pretty freaky. He's pretty... He knows how to manipulate. He might be a freak. Shout out Fanatics Fest. Right? That was fun.

It's good for sports. Good for sports. And that was the chillest dude of the week. Thanks for our favorite beer. Coors Light. Get Coors Light delivered straight to your door. Visit Coorslight.com slash dudes and celebrate responsibly. Well, that's been another episode of dudes on dudes. Thanks again to RKKK, Michael Rubin, and all the fanatics fest and all of fanatics fest.

Subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcast. Comment a dude you want us to do and rate and review. Call in and ask questions on the chill line. that number is 5-6-1-2-0-3-57-8-9. Remember follow dudes on dudes on X YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. And remember, live show in Boston, August 28th, at the MGM Music Hall in Fenway.

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