The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - South Beach Sessions - Vince Wilfork

Episode Date: October 30, 2025

Vince Wilfork is a natural born leader. The five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, two-time Super Bowl champion, and BCS national champion never faced an opponent he couldn't handle on the field - a credit to his parents and the challenges his family had to overcome. Vince takes Dan through telling his parents he was gonna be an NFL player at an early age, to losing them in college, and what it was like to realize they'd never be able to see him accomplish his dreams. Vince and Dan also dive into the feeling of having Bill Belichick call him the “captain of the captains, the true leader of the team” and “the best defensive lineman I’ve ever coached - that's player, leader, on the field, off the field, practice player." Vince also talks about being a key part of the Patriots' dynasty, his relationship with Belichick and Tom Brady, and how in retirement, he's honoring his father with his own line of barbeque sauce, GHI75. To get your own bottle of Wilfork's signature, delicious, gluten-free barbeque sauce, go to TheGHI75.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Draft Kings Network. Now, two-time Super Bowl champion, national champion in college football, five-time pro-bowler, and I say this is compliment, not insult. Half the man he used to be because Vince Wilfork has slimmed down and gotten healthy. Nice to see you, sir. It's a pleasure, but the heart still the same, no matter how much I will lose, the heart still stays. Well, you've always been saluted for your heart. I'm going to read some Belichick quotes to you that are very flattering because he calls you

one of the greatest leaders ever, but I told you before we started here, I was hoping to do some of this stuff biographically with you. So when did you know you were going to be a football player? Because I've read that you told your parents very early. Yeah, around four or five years old, I told my father, like, I want to be an NFL football player, you know. At a very young age, I understood who I was when it comes down to me and, you know, what I wanted to do. That's what I wanted to do. That's all I wanted to do. That's all I wanted to know about. And my father, he used to coach some football back in the day. So, you know, I only played one season of, you know, football. And it was flag because of my size and my, you know, my age. So, you know, I used to go to practice

all the time with my dad and watch him coach. And when they do drills, I'm on a side doing it myself. You know, when it was time for them to condition, I would go on the side and condition with them, you know, and that's how, you know, I kept up with football. And I went all that years, my childhood, I went all those years without playing no football after my first time playing it because either I was too young or I was too big. It was the weight limit or, you know, your age. And I used to miss both of them. So my next time playing football after that was in high school. So between, you know, four and five years old until high school, I played basketball.

You know, basketball was my sport, you know, and I was a pretty good basketball player, you know. And when I got to high school, my high school coach, he thought for sure I was going to. to pick, you know, playing basketball because that's all I did, you know. But I was like, no, I'm playing football. And he kind of looked at me. He's like, listen, you haven't played football since you was four or five years old. And, you know, all you used to do is play basketball, you know, the tournaments, the A, you know, and he used to watch me play.

He was like, you pick a football. I'm like, yeah, that's what I want to do. But not as a defensive tackle, right? Nobody wants to be a defensive tackle as a child. But, you know, my father, and my father was a great high school football player. Like, he was, you know, he was known around town as. could have been one of those ones to make it, you know, but some other stuff happened in this life

and what was more important to him at that time was, you know, starting a family. So he chose family over football. So I think I've always, you know, live my dream through my father. So every time he got a chance before he passed away to see me play, that was always a blessing. And I always wanted to make my father proud, you know,

and I knew me and my father connection was sports. You know, everything else, but, yeah, sports was like, yeah, you know, even my brother you know we my father was this this sports guy and we watched every sport you name it we watched it it didn't matter you know um and that's where i kind of get all my grit from my grind from understanding how to be a professional understanding how to play the game how to respect the game how to respect people you know because my father taught me all that and i used to watch my father how he communicate with his friends while they was coaching and then the players as he was coached just how he communicated and interacted with him

And so I kind of took all of that from my father and said, hey, I want to mow myself. I'm a football player. That's what I want to be. I'm going to put everything in this basket to be this, you know. And once I took it, once I got the high school and I really started, you know, taking the series and playing, it was no doubt for me. You know, I knew I never, I never played JV. I never played freshman. I was varsity, started varsity all four of my years.

My first year in high school, I was a defensive end, 275 pounds, defensive end. And then the next year, they moved me into defensive tackle. And I'm like, I'm talking with my coach. I'm like, wow, I'm, my father played defensive end, warden number 75. I play defensive end, wearing 75. That's what I want to do. Like, why I'm moving me to tackle, you know?

And I really didn't understand it at the time. But, you know, sophomore year, I was 300 pounds, you know. Yeah, so it's like, you know, to me, I'm like, I don't care about that, you know. But he was like, no, you know, this is your position. This is, and at first, I was rebellious. I didn't want to do it, you know, but once I started understanding and learning the game and just following, and I grew up a Hurricanes fan. So I've always watched Warren Sapp and Cortez Kennedy, Russell Mallet, understand who Jerome Brown was in the tradition of defensive tackles. And that's what my coach explained to me.

Like, listen, you're going to be in the line with these legendary defensive tackles that came out of University of Miami, you know. And once I saw it like that, I was all in, you know. And that's how I started becoming a defensive tackle, my second year in high school. And I never looked back from them. A lot of people don't understand is when I got to New England, I had to learn how to be a nose tackle. I didn't. I had no clue how to two-gap or how to be a nose tackle. So that was a whole new position.

That's crazy. Velichick says you're the best two-gap defensive tackle he's ever seen in 43 years of coaching. And I had to learn that. You had to learn it in the pros. I had to learn it in the pros. So when I got drafted in New England, and I got drafted, they just got rid of probably the best nose tackle ever with Ted Washington, right? True nose tackle. That's when you talk about nose tackle and two gap, he is, he's the top dog, right? So they got rid of him and they drafted me.

And, you know, at you and you and him, I'm penetrating defensive tackle. You know, I play a one eye and two eye and three techniques. We were going, you know, we were hitting and getting it. And when I got there, they were like, no, now we're not doing that. And I'm like, what you mean we're not doing? This is how we make plays. Like, what do you mean? So he's like, no, we don't do that here like that.

I'm going to teach you out a two gap. And your job is not to get moved. Yeah, I can't get moved. I have to take a beating. I have to take double teams. I have to basically hold up lockers for guys behind me to make plays. That's a two gap in those tackle. So at first it was, you know, it was rough.

It was tough because I'm used to just hitting it and getting in. And then I had to really learn that position. And it took me three years. It took me three years to learn that position. Once I finally got to a point and said, you know what, I'm a nose tackle now, now I have to be the best I possibly can now. When I got out of my palting phase and I don't want to do this, I want the sags, I want the TFLs.

Once I got out of that mindset and really focused and locked in on learning how to be in two-gap nose tackle, it was light scammer action. Explain to the audience or strangers what the relationship with your father was because you were a caretaker before you were 10 years old. Oh, yeah, absolutely. At 8 years old, you know, my father was in and out over the hospital. When I was 8, my brother was 10, we took care of my father. You know, my mom was in and out of work.

Sometimes she wasn't working. And when times she was working, we all was taking care of my father. And I remember being, what, 10 years old. me and my brother taking care of my father and at the same time having my grandmother pass away in my arms me and my brother arms at 10 you know so not only did you know I had to handle we had to handle my dad now we had to make sure and take care of my grandmother who died in our arms and I remember I mean it's one two o'clock in the morning we're driving to go to the hospital my mom driving and she my mom's crime me and my brother we we sit in the back and the seat, basically holding to my grandmother while she's deceased. And that's at 10 years old. So that woman, she was like a mother to me and my brother. You know, I tell my wife all the time, I love to be rubbed. And the reason I love to be rubbed is because that's where comfort. That's what my grandmother did to me every night. And mind you, my grandmother was probably 80

pounds, but she would lay me across her lap and she would rub my back every night. And she would put me to sleep, you know. So I tell my wife all the time where my grandmama did it to me. So it's like it's a comfort for me to be touched and be rubbed, to be, you know, nurtured, you know, because my life just wasn't set up like a typical kid where I can play. I can do this. I can have friends. I can go here. I didn't have that because, you know, me and my brother, we had responsibility at a young age to take care of my father. And we never, we never once. I felt bad about doing it. This was just something we did.

We loved my father so much. It didn't matter. But my father used to always tell us, I don't want to be a burden to you guys. You know, as a kid, I'm like, I don't care. Like, I don't hear that. We don't care about that. You're our father. We're going to make sure you're good, you know.

And it was times where, you know, my father would, you know, be feel good enough. And either was my brother or me. We would get out of school, drive. home pick my father up bring him to the practice get rid of the practice and practice and we all go home together and that was daily you know my father felt up to him and he was having a good day and he wanted to be out to football practice we would go get him we would take time and ride before practice you know just go home and get him so he can be out here because my father loved that and he loved us and he loved the guys like he loved my teammates and the friends and stuff he loved

that stuff so you know everybody used to call my dad and coach you know because he would get on anybody. He would coach anybody. He didn't matter, you know, and he's always having a sin. It's hard, but it's fair. You know, and I have a buddy of mine all the time. He always texts me. It's hard, but it's fair.

And every time he said that, I'm thinking of my father, you know. So our relationship was really, really good. And then it wasn't a normal relationship where, you know, we just had the freedom just to be a kid because we did it. You know, our freedom was taking care of my father. So a lot of stuff in life, you know, even now, you know, it's a lot of stuff that I have to learn at an old age and not not to put on top of it that you know being 20 21 22 23 years old and now all of a sudden get drafted my dream come true now I don't have my parents my father you know so you know all this money so where's you know my job and what my wanted my dream to be

I've got it so why I do what I have to worry about you know learning certain stuff because I am where I'm wanting to be but it doesn't work like that you know you still have to have some stuff in your life. You have to learn and you have to teach yourself. You have to educate yourself on some stuff. And we all go through that, you know, and I was no different. But, you know, at the end of the day, I wouldn't change anything. You know, the only thing I would change is to keep having my parents here. You know, but my process and how I had to go through my process and things I had to do to make things happen and make it shake. I wouldn't change any of that if I was put in the same situation. Oh, but the way that you're talking about this, you lost

your parents months apart while you were in college and they were both in their 40s. Like, I remember when that happened to you, reading and feeling heartbreak on your behalf. Like, how, what kind of suffering is that to be able to deal with that at that age? Yeah, you know, so I lost my father, June 5th. My mother's birthday, June 6th. So I lost my father, June 5th, you know. And a couple of days before that, you know, I would go see my father all the time in the hospital. You know, once I leave school,

And I'm in college. Once I laid school, I'll shoot up, you know, to boy and to see my father. And just to talk to him and just be around him. I would do that every day, you know. And last time I did it, I don't know if it was God or what, but something, my father used to always say, give me your national championship ring because you're going to lose it. Because I was known to lose everything. And I always always always tell my dad, like, no, I'm not going to give you this.

Like, I'm not going to lose. I'm not going to lose it. So, but something was on me that my last time seeing my father alive, you know, I called my mom. I'm saying, hey, you know, how's Pop's doing? He was like, he, he haven't talked all day. You know, he just, you know, being stubborn and what I said, okay, I'm on my way. And I said, let me go pick my ring up, you know, because I'm going to give it to him, right?

So I go pick my ring up and you and I get there. I bust in the room like, pops, what's up? And he know my voice and he popped up. Like, hey, son, I said, I got something for you. So, you know, I put the ring on his hand and his finger. And I'm talking about he was filled with him. He was overjoyed. I mean, he couldn't stop talking.

Now, mind you, this was a guy that went all day, not talking to nobody, not talking to the nurses, nothing, right? But now, all of a sudden, he had this energy, you know, so I felt good about, you know, leaving. But I know what my father been through because I've been through it with him. I've seen him. And my brother, we saw it. So we knew my father, over 20 years, my father struggled. But, you know, he just kept pushing, he kept pushing. But I knew that day, I'm like, okay, I made him happy.

You know, so I get in the car, head back home, and my mom called me. Yo, dad is just, he's steady. He called all the nurses in here showing me your ring, whoo-do-woo, so my dad was happy, you know. And I went home, and I said, hey, everything is going good. And, you know, he's fine. He's excited. He got the ring, woo, woo. And the next day, they called me and told me he passed.

And, you know, I couldn't believe it. But at the same time, it was like a, it was a peace because I know how much my father's struggle. he never seen he never let us see him struggle or feel down he never did that he was my father was a strong individual mentally and physical he was just strong strong strong so when i got that phone call it hurt me you know it hit me because my relationship the only thing i was doing is like when i make it and you guys don't have to worry about nothing else you're gonna have we used to talk about what kind of car you want my daddy wanted to escalate my mama wanted alexis you know what type of how

house you want. I got you whatever house you want. We got it. You know, so it was like me. I was playing for my parents, you know, but when I lost my dad, it was it was heartbreaking because of our relationship, but I understood that he was getting close, you know, it was just, he lost that battle, you know. So, you know, I kind of put it somewhere, and I was 20 at the time, six months from that, November 7th. My birthday is November 4th. So my birthday comes, November 4th, we're about to go play Tennessee, and Coach Koker called me. It's like, you can't make the trip. Your mama had a stroke. I'm like, my mom had a stroke. Like, what? So I'm like, okay, my first game ever, the only game I ever missed in college was, you know, going to check on my mom

after having that stroke, you know, and now, here you are. I'm 20 when my father passed away, okay? My mama just turned 46 the following day. My birthday, November 4th, I turned 21. In November 7, my mama had a stroke. So that caught me by surprise. That one, it caught me by a surprise big time because my mom, you know, she was a big lady, but for the most part, she was healthy, you know.

And I'm like, man, my father and my mama, so automatically I'm thinking like, man, what's going to happen to it? You know, I just went through it with my father. Like, what's going to happen to my mom? You know, all the normal stuff I'm sitting here thinking and I got football and, you know, I got a baby on the way. So it's like a lot of this stuff going on in my life right now, you know, I'm trying to figure it out, you know, at 21 years old, trying to figure it out, you know. And mom got to a point where she was okay. And, you know, we was pretty confident where she was. She was coming home soon, you know, doing her, you know, rehab and all that stuff.

She was doing fine with all of that. And sure enough, I'd get a phone call. Mama passed December 16th. Now, I can't remember that Christmas. The only thing I remembered is I quit. I quit football. I was done because people have to realize I'm not a self-revement. person. I played football for my parents to get them out of what they were in, you know,

seeing the struggles, being poor, being in the hood, seeing a lot of killings and being around a lot of stuff. So my whole objective was being a great football player for my parents, you know. But now I don't have them. So it was like, I'm done. I don't care about this. Like, whatever, you know. And that was my mindset. To my defensive line coach, he pulled me to the side one day. He was like, listen, he was going through some personal issues that year. And he told me what those personal issues were. And all I can remember was us being clowns at the University of Miami, the defensive line. It was like every day after practice, he had to leave. And we was like, and we used to always joke him. Like, you don't love us. You never watch film on us.

You never spend time with us. So we used to always joke him. But when he told me why he was doing that in that moment, felt bad you know i felt bad and he's like i'm not telling you what to do but just understand do what your parents would want you to do he's like i know you i know both your parents i know your dad very well i know exactly what he wants you to do he said i'm not telling you what you do but just do what they want you to do and i wasn't trying to hear just lost you know i'm 21 years old just lost two parents within six months from one another i want to hear that mess you know And once the desk kind of settled, and everybody was gone. You know, I took some time out and really think about it, you know.

And I called, you know, I called the team and say, hey, I'll meet you guys out in Arizona for the bowl game. And I think I got there, I don't know, a Tuesday when I can't remember. It was such a fog, but I got there kind of late, you know, and I just remember Andrew Swayze, our conditioning coach, he was just running me just to get me back, just to shake you like, hey, condition, condition you missed a lot of practice. You're like, you're going to play, we have the condition, we have the condition. And I always hated condition, but in that moment, I didn't kill, you know, it was just, I was a zombie. But all I knew was football, you know, and I went out and I played that game, and I really don't remember it. You know, if I watch clips now, some of those things I don't remember.

I now remember us being robbed. I remember that, you know, but. But even that, it didn't do nothing for me. I had no emotions towards a football game. I can't even imagine the fog you were in. How long were you in that fog? I was in that fall for the rest of my life, honestly, because I grew up in a household that our communication skills weren't good.

We had so much other stuff that's going on in my life. And in our household, communication wasn't one of us. So I didn't learn how to communicate, you understand? So that haunted me is still to this day. I have bad problem communicating certain things because that was just part of my life. I never learned. I never had time to because why everybody was out dating when having fun, figuring out who they were. I was taking care of my father, me and my brother.

That's what we were doing. We ain't have a luxury to do all of that stuff. We ain't have, no, we didn't have that luxury. we have school football home that's it and we're talking about at the young age so it took me a while to kind of understand who I am why I am the way I am and I'm not telling you everything is good because it's not you know it's not you know it's things and problems and issues I have as an adult that stemmed back from my childhood that you know I have to fight those demons but I'm willing to put the work in anything you know

know, I never shied away from work. It doesn't sound like you had a childhood, though. No, I didn't. But it's okay. God blessed me to have a successful career and a successful life, be around some good people, great people. Sometimes, you know, some of my friends didn't work out, you know, my first marriage didn't work out, but it's okay. You know, we all learn and we grow. It's just being, you know, surround yourself with the right people.

That's going to tell you the right stuff, not just be yes, man. When you say that you have communication issues and you were too busy surviving, right, to learn certain skills. Absolutely. And what does it entail taking care of your father for those who don't understand what that is at a result? Well, you have to understand. My father was at a point where he couldn't walk. He had to use a restroom. We have to pick him up, physically pick him up, take him to the restroom.

And that was constantly. My father would be so weak. my father would be so down my father would be just he would try to do stuff himself but he'll fall because my father was this guy that he never wanted to see he never wanted us to see him down never so he would try we caught my father so many times up and about moving around had no business doing it you know but that's my father and my father's a man so I know what it means for my father to be able to go fix a sandwich or give him a drink of water himself but at the same time i know the state that he's in as well so so a lot of times my father

you know fell and we find him on the ground and you know luckily that we're around we can hear it and he's on the ground and you know we get frustrated but at the same time we're the kids you know i can sit there and say why are you up what you can't be doing like we're the kids like at the end of the day i'm going to honor my mother and my father whatever that entails i'm going to do that. And that's how me and my brother were. And my brother, you know, my brother had the same opportunity that I had with football, but, you know, he's older. So my brother's seen a lot more things than I did. It had to be a part of a lot more stuff than I did because guess what? I was in school. I couldn't beat at 24-7 with my parents or my father. My brother was,

though. So my brother's seen a lot of stuff. And till this day, my brother hate hospitals. I do too because he was there every day. You got to understand from 90 to 92, my dad. that probably was in the house pit of out of those two years he probably was home probably a month in those two years all in all who is with him my brother 24 seven that was his deal you know so my brother stood in the paint um he did a lot of stuff you know um for my parents and it's stunning his grow you know um it's it's tough it's hard but i don't complain in life I try to figure out and find solutions. I don't want nobody having pity for me, but just understand.

That's why a lot of times people do certain stuff and people are a certain type of way and people don't know why. You have to understand what's their why. You know, there's a lot of people go through some stuff. What's their why? You can look at an individual and judge that individual for doing certain stuff. But what is his why? You don't know his story or her story. Until you know their story, you'll understand a lot more.

But just by judging from the outside looking in, Just like everybody with my career, everybody, oh, Vince, always happy, he's smiling, he's dizzy. I played every game with a broken heart. Every game. When I will walk out of the stadium into the tunnel where you have family and friends and they all gather on it, and I see mothers, I see dads, I see uncles, I see all of this stuff.

The only thing I had was my immediate family. That's it. Jeremy, I think we've arrived at the best time of year. Why? because every single sport is happening? I mean, basketball, football, baseball, I mean soccer. Squash. Squash, chess.

And you can enjoy all of those things with an ice cold Miller light. Ping pong. Picture me with a paddle in my right hand. Ice cold Miller light in my left. Just whooping people in ping pong. Sip, hit, sip, hit. I'll do that when I'm playing pickleball. Yep.

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is yours. Gambling problem? Call 1-800 gambler. In New York, call 877 8-8-Hope-N-Y or text Hope-N-Y 4667-369-469. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling, call 888-78-7-7 or visit ccpcpg. On behalf of Boot Hill Casinoin Resort in Kansas, pass-through of per-wager tax may apply in Illinois. 21 and over. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction, void in Ontario. Restrictions apply. Bet must win to receive bonus bets which expire in seven days. Minimumum odds required. NBA League Pass auto-renews until canceled. Additional terms at dkng.com slash audio limited time offer i've read you say that your only regret is that your parents your only professional regret is that your parents never got to see you play 100% because i did it for them

i i knew what it meant for my father to see me at a level that he could have been at but he didn't because he made some different choices in his life and i'm judging for that you know each is on but my father saw it in me at a young age he saw it and that's my only regret is playing the game and not having my parents there because I knew my father would have been in every game. I wouldn't have been able to get them out of my house. You understand my mama too? You know, I knew how much that would have took off of them

the stress level or just trying to make it every day and trying to do this and trying to do that. And see, people have to understand too. I'm built a certain type of way because I don't have family members fail us. I don't have family members turn their back on me and my brother my mom and my father will turn their backs on us family members so when people see me and and I act a certain type of way I don't or I don't put up with a lot of stuff I understand my story my family turned backs on me and I'm not saying all of them but key people yes turn it back on my

father and my family I witnessed that with my own eyes I've heard it with my own ears and at that time, you know, it's some stuff I wanted to do to them, you know. Um, but it is what it is, but, um, I've been through a lot, but, you know, I'm still staying through the grace of God, you know, that's, that's first and foremost, you know, because without him, I probably, I don't know where I'll be. I'll be, I'll definitely be lost and who knows where else, but, um, he's good, and it is what it is. So football or the end of football when everybody would be with their families was a reminder of your grief? But you know what?

I didn't know how to deal with that. A lot of stuff I dealt with just putting this in a way and keep it pumping because the ball never stops. The train never stops. You know, if I'm here or not here, the ball going to continue to roll. Oh, but you know it's not healthy now. As an adult to stuff, stuff, it all down. So now, you know, but like I say, That's how I dealt with it.

But now, again, it's impossible for me to handle that way. You know what I mean? Because I'm a lot smarter now. Got a little bit more wisdom and understand, hey, you have to communicate certain stuff. Well, it sounds like you've gotten a good deal better at communicating. I have, but I'm still not there, but I have. But it's all work. Life is about work.

You know, it's about work. I don't care how much money you have or how much money you don't have. If you're not good as an individual with yourself, it doesn't matter what you have. It doesn't. once you're okay and understand who you are in your purpose you'll be fine you'll be okay life's going to be whatever it is because guess what trials and tribulations will always be here you're going to always have problems you're going to always be disappointed you're going always be hurt you're going to always be disrespected how you handle those situations you

understand so um life is always I'm always trying to grow you know I'm always trying to grow. And that's I'm going to continue to. Can I tell people all the time? You know, I can cut grass today. And in two minutes, that grass is starting growing already. It doesn't matter. But you're good, you're good at gardening. You're good at work. You like work. Yes. Yes. You tend to a garden. Yes. Yes. I don't have one now, but, because I don't have a space, but yes, I'm a full fledged outdoors type of guy. And I tell my wife this all the time. and friends and stuff. I say, listen, I can do everything a woman can do except for have a baby,

but I can help make one, you understand me? So my parents, credit to my parents and credit, not even knowing growing up and have to learn how to cook, how to clean, how to nurture, how to care, not even knowing it was going to teach me a life lesson as an adult, right? So everything that I had to do as a young kid, now I'm to a point where I can do my daughter's had when she was young, which I've done, you know, I can, I can, I can, I can, I can, you know, I'm a nurture, like all those things I can do, you know, and it was just planned that way that and I'll be great in those areas, which I am, but I love the garden. I love the garden.

What do you see as your purpose? My, my purpose is to lead. And, you know, I understood that when I retired because when I played the game, no matter if I was in, you know, high school, college, or pros, I always was a leader, you know, and my leadership doesn't stop because I'm retired, you know, it's just a different form now. So I have to be able to lead in my household. I need to be able to lead because a leader going to always have to answer questions. People always come to you to get your knowledge or get some answer. And I pride myself on that. And that's the most important thing as a leader is you have to understand you have always been watched.

You might think somebody's not paying your attention, but you're always somebody is always paying your attention. They always listen to what you say. And they value that. So you have to be careful as a leader what you put out because people want to fall in your footsteps

because guess what? They heard Vince said this. You know, not only in football, but like, hey, if I'm talking to a, you know, a young guy outside of sports and just having a regular conversation, I'm I'm putting wisdom. I'm giving knowledge. I try to be supportive, you know. Negativity, I try to leave that alone. Like, what's the good in people and understanding that? So my purpose

is to lead on the field and off the field. I'm going to read some of these quotes from Belichick's as good a two-gapper who has ever played this game and Captain of Captains, the True Leader of the Team. That's a team with Tom Brady on it. And he's calling you the true leader of the team. And also So the best defensive linemen I've ever coached, that's player, leader, on the field, off the field, practice player. I mean, all I knew was football. You know, I think football was my outlet in life. You know, if I didn't have football, I can only imagine where I would be. But football was like second nature to me.

It's like waking up, you know, going to play a game. like that's how easy it was for me to be able to sit back and look at a formation and diagnose what's going on and it splits that that's my wheelhouse I put everything into that you know because I put everything into things that I care about and I love you know because I want to be the I want to be the greatest at everything I do what I choose do I want to be the greatest and that that's that's not going to stop did you please with rage, with emotion, all that stuff that you were pushing down. Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah. I was, I was mean. I was mean. I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was my will on you until this game is over. I'm going to beat your head in until I feel like it's enough. And all of those come from my pain, everything I've been through, you know, that's what it came from. But it allowed me to be who I needed to be. And people respected that for me. They respected did you ever run into a single person whose strength pushed you back because you were always

doubled team so did is there a name that you think of when I say yeah this person if I've got to play this person the night before I've got someone who's going to have more rage than me more strength than me um not more rage um I've played against some guys because you all understand it's a lot of it's a lot of people I was big and stronger than and on top of top of that what made me, I think, but what made me one of the great, a great player is my knowledge of the game. I was a smart football player. Um, but somebody matching, it's hard to match me in all three of those areas. Now, you might have somebody that might be strong, but they might not be smart as enough or somebody smart that's undersized. So it was never all of the shabang. You know,

the one guy that I could say that held his own. And I love him the death is Nick and Hango. Nick was very very good Nick Nick was smart Nick was strong he was big he could move Nick out of all the centers I played against

he is probably the most complete center that I played against and I had to play against twice a year you understand he was really really good and we had battles you know we had some battles

And he is one of those guys that if somebody need to get blocked single, he can hold his own. One of the few. Yeah, yeah, he don't need the double teams and all that. Like, he can hold his own by himself. You know, and it might be some more out there, but for me, it was Nick. Like, he was just, he was just good. When you talk about your childhood and the pain in your childhood, and the things that imprinted you beyond taking care of your father?

What are the things? How would you describe what was around you before you get to the University of Miami? Well, it's probably the same in every, you know, hood you go to a ghetto or a poor, you know, poor community, you know, drugs, you know, stealing, killing. It was no different for me. I've seen it all I've been a part of some stuff that I'm not proud of but it didn't

you have to survive survival you know and that's why I say a lot of times people want to judge you know poor people or the hood the ghetto but you got to understand

if this is all we know if this is all we know we're going to tend to lead towards what we know until you have that person come in and say hey you can't do this this way and this is why you need to be

be the one to get out of here and make it you know but a lot of people don't have they don't have that all the time they don't have that luxury of having people in their lives or around them that can steer them in the right direction um but thank god i was so foundation my foundation with my family and just understanding i grew up never wanting to the i never wanted to disappoint my parents ever so i my mindset was always like that and even to this day i take disappointment hard and I take when I disappoint somebody very hard because how I grew up you understand so I never want to disappoint my parents so I've always tried to do what I needed to do for them in mind and understand in order for my parents to get this car or this house I have to

me I have to be on the right trail I have to get my path have to be full of prayers and a lot of support around me. Now, I had a ton of prayers and I had a few support, not a lot. I had a few, but all I need is a few, you know, and I, and I understood what it takes to be the best. I understood what it, what it was going to take me and what I had to do to be successful for my folks. And I did that, you know, and look, you know, and look.

back at it now, you know, I had to sit out six months for the University of Miami because of grades for grades. And a lot of times, you know, people, when people talk about grades or you just at another, well, I had to miss school to take care of my dad. It wasn't that I just wanted to skip school and hang out and do it. No. I had to, I had to not go to school to make sure my dad was good. That bothers you, huh? Yeah, it bothered me because what bothers me is people that judge because people can point the finger all the time, but until you know that person's story, then you'll get it.

So, yeah, I set out six months. It cost me six months of college, which it tore me up because all I knew is football. It tore me up, okay? But at the end of the day, it wasn't the end of my career. Like, I got my grades right, boom, boom. I went in December. Fine.

Career started off. But, you know, a lot of, you know, around that time, you have to understand, you know, People were saying, oh, I knew he wasn't going to do this. He wasn't going to do that. You got to understand, like, people started doubting me. People started doubting me, and I love when people doubt me because I love prove people wrong. You were always responsible?

Yes. There was no choice, right? No choice. No choice. No choice. But that's why I am the man I am today because of everything I've been through. I know what I'm like the struggle. So I don't want anybody to get it twisted because of who I am now

And you saw me on Sundays and my life is easy Nah Nah my life no I had the work I had a lot of things going on in my life A lot of people probably wouldn't have made it And plus you also got some great stories out there even better than mine Some guys that made it What they had to go through in life but still made it

Who are these people who are doubting you? Oh, it was neighborhood people. And it was neighborhood people. But at the same time, you know, haters are going to hate. You know, being successful, a lot of people don't like people that's successful. That's just what it is. Because how can you be successful and I'm not? How come you get all of this?

And I play, I play football too. I play basketball. I did this in high school. I went to college. But how come you get to live out your children? dream and I couldn't. So you're going to have haters. And I always say, I love haters because that that lets me know I'm doing something right.

The day I don't have a hater, it's a problem. You know, it's a problem. So I love it. You know, like I said, I just like who I am. If I can touch anybody or a youngster that's going through a lot of stuff in their life and they hear it is, hey, listen, it doesn't stop. A grind doesn't stop. You know, your dream doesn't stop, you know.

And long as your life is going to give you what you put into it. If you work at it, you want to have good results. It's no different than anything else in life. If you practice and put forth the effort in things to make things better, it'll be better. But if you just talk about it and never make no changes, it won't change. Explain to me the relationship with your brother. Have you told him, have you thanked him for how? how it is that he helped you with your dad and how it is he helped you get where you are.

You know what? The crazy thing is, is I am because I have some plans for him soon, hopefully soon, because I put myself in his shoes. And, you know, at the end of the day, we all have problems. Like, you know, it is what it is. We all have problems. But for my brother to understand. his mindset, I had to look at everything through his eyes and understand what he's seen and what he

been through. When I was in college, what he had to do. His life had to be stopped. So we'll have that conversation. You know, we definitely will because like I said, I have something that I'm planning with him and for him. I think it would be awesome. You know, it's, I don't think it's never been done before, but when we get to that point, we'll see if it's ever been done. even if it's been done before or not, it's still going to happen. But it sounds cryptic, though. You've got a surprise for him.

Yeah, I got surprised for him. You know, my brother, you know, my brother, my brother, he's a warrior. He's a, he's a grinder. Like, he, man, he's been through a lot. He's been through more than I have, seen more than I have. Because you got to understand, he was there.

When I was in school, he was there. So I'm pretty sure, you know. It's a lot more stuff that I don't know that went on but my brother been through that you know and i got to a point where i had to start really judging my brother because until i realize his story is different than mine even though we grew up the same way but his story is different because his lenses are different and what he been through is different than what i did you see what i'm saying so i'm excited about what i have plan for him.

I think, you know, as a younger brother, I looked up to my brother. Like, you know, he don't, you know, I used to tell him, I'm like, man, I've looked up to you. Like, things you've done and even with you playing football and my brother went to college and, you know, I was the first person that I want to talk to him. Like, hey, what you learn? Because now I want to implement, you know, college stuff in high school. So what you learn, you know? So I'm probably, he means a lot to me.

We all, like I said, we all have our issues and ups and downs and stuff, but that's my brother. That's my blood, brother. We're okay. We're going to be fine. But everything, life can be tough. But when you get those tough times, how do you respond? That's the key. You somehow didn't start your freshman or sophomore year at the University of Miami, correct?

So you started your junior. year and then went to the pros and were a first round pick. But your first two years at Miami, you did not start. How did that go for you? Did you doubt at all? No, I never doubted because I was 100%. I understood 100% who I was. I knew, I mean, we could talk about it.

You know, my fellow hurricanes, but I was better than the detackers in front of me. That's just what it is. But, of course, they older. They've been there for a while. But what happened was I played more snaps and all of them. of them. And I made plays. So being at the University of Miami, the one thing I always loved about that is we never

complain about who's playing, who's not like, we didn't care. We knew we had a bunch of dogs. We knew we had our second strain just as good as our first strain. When we practice, we practice hard. We know that. So we never looked at, oh, I'm not playing. I don't want, no, we never looked at because we know we was going to be called upon. And you had to be ready to go.

And we were. And that's why I really never tripped on not starting. My job always was when I get my opportunity to take advantage of it. I don't care if it's one player 50. Take advantage of it. And that's exactly my mindset was. I'm going to take advantage of it. A lot of people think, and I understand the mental part of this,

that the quarterback is the hardest position to play. But I feel like your position is the physically hardest to play. Do I have that wrong? No, you don't. As a two-gapper, yes, because we take a beating. I mean, we take a beating. We don't go nowhere fast. We're taking up blocks.

Everybody else around us making the plays. We're not getting no stats. Not getting any of that. Like, we're getting up at the end of the bottom of the pile. We don't get talked about, right? So I think I changed that from a nose tackle standpoint because of the plays I made, which was unheard of as a nose tackle. I made some critical good plays in my career as a nose tackle.

But I came with a bunch of study. Like I, you know, my goal was if I can steal one play a game, just one, that's all I wanted to do steal one play. And I will watch film, I won't watch film, I will watch film, I will watch film and find that one play that I can steal, you know, and most of the time I did it. sometimes I watch something I really never got a beat on anything or sometimes in a game

where I hear something and I can okay okay I put that in the register bank because if I hear this again I know exactly what it is and everything is all gloves off like Bill I ain't playing technique last time he said this was this place I'm going to make this play you know so

and I think I got to a point with Bill once Bill realized the type of player I was you know that I wasn't just doing stuff just do stuff I play within the scheme but I was smart my IQ football IQ He was very high. I think Bill gave me a lot more league where to do certain stuff.

So it got to a point where, you know, I would handle the defense the front. Like the linebackers didn't have to talk to us. They just talked to the back end because I handled everything up there. I called the plays. I called the stunts. I moved people around. I did all of that. You know, it was plenty of times where, you know, I'll go to the sideline and I'll tell Bill,

hey, this is what they're doing. This is how they block it up. If we did, blah, blah, boom. It wasn't even the play. We just made it to play on the sideline. We do it. So I think I earned that trust from Bill because he understood that I wasn't just going to, I wasn't a selfish player. I wasn't.

So he understood, well, by me doing this, I'm putting our players in the best position to make the plays. It don't have to be me making them, but somebody need to make them. I'm not for to sit up here and take on a double team when I know what the play is. And you can just go do this. I'll do this. you do this how about that and i think that's where me and bill's relationship kind of he got built from um him knowing that i was a pretty good football player and on top of that i was pretty smart as a nose tackle how did you lead though did you find yourself in many confrontations

did you have any reason to be uh involved with conflict with teammates how did that work no i don't i don't talk a lot but at the same time you like you know you get tested and stuff. I always wanting to be I'm the one, all of this runs from me. I'm the engine. If the engine

isn't running correctly, the car can break down. Like, it ain't going to happen. So if I'm the engine, I have to make sure I'm on my P's and Q's. I got to understand. I know what I'm doing. I have to, I have to understand each one of my teammates is different.

The personalities is different. sometimes you can show somebody they'll learn you have to talk to somebody they'll learn or you have to walk through or you can it's multiple ways to learn in my job and I felt like if I'm playing with this guy I have to understand how he thinks

I have to understand how he learns and how can I get through to him so he'll understand to be on my baby I've been doing it for so long so I can just say something and I can have a player just sitting here saying okay what you because in my mind

I've already done it I've done it but I had to be, I have to be able to break stuff down because I want to be great. And football is a teen sport. It's not just about me. So if I want to be great, I have to make sure the people around me feel the same type of way and approach the game exact same type of way. So I think it was just part of me. I think it was my presence and how I talked and how I spoke and by them watching me.

You know, by them watching them when Bill put up highlights and he showed certain plays, they'll watch. watch, you know, what Bill is talking about. So they'll learn. So now they're like, okay, he's a real deal, you know what I mean? So I just think it came. I think it came with that. What is the closest that you have come to playing the perfect game? Do you have a game in your mind that you recall as?

No, no. I mean, I don't have good games, but perfect game, no. Because closest you've come. I didn't say perfect game. I just said closest you've come. I know guys like you never say they've got the perfect game because guys like you tend to be not very forgiving of themselves. Yeah, I think, I think the Houston, I played the Houston Texans. I forget what year was, but we played them in the regular season and I had a pretty good darn, like, I basically slowed their offense down myself.

So that was a pretty good game. And the AFC championship game against Baltimore, I forget what year. it was these years starting to run into them but when that you know i started the game off with a sack and a half and then third down later in that game third down i had a tackle for loss ray rise and then that fourth down uh i put the pressure on flacko they throw an incomplete ball and that was a critical point in that game because of the time um they was driving you know it was it was a lot going on so the sequence of those plays you know um it's pretty good but as far as I think I think people can define that about how many plays they made a game in.

What was the situation in those games, you know, for me to sit back. And I played a lot of football, so I'm probably missing some stuff. Who knows? But I had like 16 tackles for my third year against Buffalo Bills. So, you know, we can go. A lot to choose from. You know, it's a lot to choose from. So I just always wanted to be a person, my team, it's going to depend on.

You've been retired now for eight years. I know very few people in your position who don't struggle with retirement just because it's such a big part of your identity. And now you're, you know, 35 years old and you're like, well, the rest of my life is ahead of me. How did you deal with the transition? How did that go for you? It was hard. Transition is hard because, you know, when you take something away, you know, I've been on a regimen for 20. 25 years playing sports.

So my days were very similar for 25 years. So when you take that away, you kind of, you have to try to figure out what's the next, you know, transition. Like, what do you want to do next, you know? And then a lot of people get in certain stuff and a lot of people get depressed. A lot of people go through midlife crisis because, hey, all my life, this is what I've known. This is what I did. This is how I did it, you know.

6 o'clock in the morning. I had a purpose being up at 6 o'clock in the morning. And so now when I wake up at 6 o'clock in the morning, I'll stare at the scar. What is my purpose? So it can be hard. It can be tough. And I've tried so many different things. And nothing really stuck with me until I kind of got back to my basics and understanding my passion and my love.

And that's food. And that, I think the last two years with that kind of, it put me right back in the game. I feel as if I'm still playing the game now. This is how I wake up now. um connects you to your father too right yes 100% you know i grew up my dad man no matter how sick and bad my dad was um feeling how bad he was feeling my dad always found a way to barbecue it was like one and like yeah i'm not feeling good and i'm weak but hey let's let's go get these slabs of ribs and put on this you know so uh and also my mother my mother was it's a great

cook like i'm the fourth generation of great cooks like i have a list of people in my life that that's what they did. You know, I can remember being, you know, a young kid and going over to my grandma's house, she's selling plates, you know, and I can remember going in and smelling her cleaning shitness. And I'm like, no, I don't never want to eat that. It smells stink, you know. And so I remember those things, but I was surrounded by some great cooks.

And that's a passion of mine. It's cooking. You know, I love to cook, no matter if it's on the grill, in a stove, stove, stove, top. I like to bake. And you name it. I love it, you know. Because you're a giver, right? Yeah, I am. I got to get you down here to see if we can convince you. I don't know what it would take to convince you to help us with a spread around here where we would have the honor of having Vince Wilfork cook something up for us since you're over in Weston over that. I think we can make it happen. We'll have to do that to support GHI 75, your barbecue label. So you've poured yourself into

the business of that? Yes, yes. You know, GHI 75 stands for God. to have it, you know, 75. And that was something that my dad used to say all the time growing up. But when I got to the NFL, we called Situation of Football got to have it, you know. And it's like a must-have play. You have to have this play or you'll lose. So I kind of named it after, you know, all of those things from my childhood, my career in football. And every time I heard it and brought me closer to my father, I always let me know my father is around him.

So it's like I can hear him saying it. Um, so yeah, we, we, I, I really, the past two years, I really started taking this series. Um, I think this product is amazing. I, you know, um, it's a really good product. Is your mouthwatering right now? Yeah, because. Right now. That sounded like a slurping sound. Yeah. Because, you know what? Everything. Everything about this sauce, it has meaning. everything about it from the label from the flavor it just have meaning and what I've done and I poured out because I'm thinking about everybody and one of the main thing few things

that I really love about it is it's gluten-free right we don't use no high fruit toast corn syrup no preservators and it's coming in the glass bottle so anything you know we don't want to deal with micoplastic all that mess we don't we're not doing that good for the earth good for your body Like we're not, exactly. We're not going to play that game. So when I tell you, it took a lot, we put a lot into it just thinking about the average person. And also we deliver a great sauce. You've lost a ton of weight. Can you explain to us what football did to your body? Well, I've lost probably 70, 80 pounds. And that came from just stop playing football. My son was playing baseball in Texas, so I would be at to practice two, three, three hours a day in a Texas heat. So I'm drinking two gallons of water and I guess nothing.

And one day I just got on the scale because I always plumbing myself, man, when I retire you, I'm never getting on a scale ever again. I don't have seen it too much, right? So one day out the blue, I said, let me just get on the scale and see how much I weigh, right? Well, I was down 20 pounds. And now I'm like, man, am I sick? Like what I'm doing? Like, because I'm not doing nothing crazy. like so I started just monitoring what was going on what I was doing well half of my meals I'll eat

and I spend a majority of the time outside just just running around with the boys and the kids and that's it kind of trained my system like I didn't need all of that but now I'm into the point now where I feel a little things you know because I lost a lot of muscle mass I lost a lot of fat So I feel little things Like, you know, a little part of my back Or my neck or my shoulders, you know, my ankles Like little things I'll feel And it had come and it goes

But I didn't understand how big of a deal It was when I was playing When people used to tell me, man, I can't believe you can do that Man, that's crazy you could do that And I'd be like, man, it's not what are you talking about? But now I get it because I go to lift weights now. I'm not even half the person.

I am now lifting weights in the type of weight I'm moving. I'm not even half the person that was. So now it kind of put a perspective on who I used to be and who I am now. What is the most that you weighed? What is the most you ever weighed? I'll tilt the scale.

The heaviest I ever been playing football, 380. 3.80? Yeah. Oh, my God. That can't be good for you. When I got down the UM, after those six years,

months, 3.85. And the first thing my stringent condition to coach Andrew's phase said was, well, I'm going to get that baby fat off of you. That's what he told me. So I played at UM round 345. That's what my way in, you know, UN 345. So when I got to New England, they said 325. I'm like, where did that come from? Like, well, you weigh 323. It comes. I'm like, yeah, but I was trying to lose where to get down for y'all. And plus I was sick like my everyday weight is 340 345 you know and bill was like well tough luck so I'm like okay no problem I say I'll never miss the way in but I guarantee you you catch me two hours after it's a problem but when in on that specific day and when I need the way in or I always was good you never were

fine not one time because I never miss weight not one time no never miss weight no no you say it as as if it's matter of fact that's that's a big bill can tell you that I believe you it just sounds crazy yeah so you always weighed in you were never overweight no never overweight as a point of pride yeah i don't care what i had to do but i would be at that 325 when it's time to weigh in i guarantee you i was like a boxer i weigh in but two minutes later i'm hydrated back in i'm bad at 345 so were you doing all the stuff though were you in the song everything with everything you named like a wrestler oh you name you're a wrestler in high school you name and i did it like i would The funniest thing is, so when it's way in days, you can always tell because when you pull up to the parking lot, it's already kind of filled already.

And I would be driving going to work, and I would see Thai law. He's on the highway running by the stadium. But we always knew it was that, you know, it was time. And I got to a point where I'll get up to 3 o'clock, check myself, see what my weight is. If it's not what it needs to be, I'll start, I'll go run some miles. house before I go to work just so I know I made the weight. So explain it though to me because you said little pains and I think your pain threshold is an uncommon pain threshold. So my guess is that you were in pain a lot of times without even realizing how much pain you were in because it was just

your life for a long time. For the person who does not understand the job that you did for 13 years, five times as a pro bowler in that league, what is the body's cost on that? What does that feel like now and what did it feel like as you were doing it because I've got to imagine it was something that stayed with you. Yeah, when I was playing and when I had to go through it, so we said we play the game on Sunday. Monday we'll

go in and you know just do some light stuff, watch film and if we start implementing plays for this week, we start small there but Monday is fresh off a game. So your body and your adrenaline is still going. So Tuesday's our day off. So Tuesdays,

that's when your body really fills the impact of this weekend, right? Depending on the type of game you play, like if we play the Steelers or the Ravens, I'm going into Wednesday first, you know, first practice of the week stillsword from the game. But we can't stop because it's a new opponent. We have to put this in.

So you have Wednesday, Thursday, and sometimes, you know, Friday, you can recruit, recoup. Sometimes people recoup by Friday. Sometimes people don't. early in my career I recoup fast you know my body heals fast um it nums up you know um so by Thursday I'm good to go you know I'm back Ed I'm good to go by Thursday once I got later in my career it took me sat till Saturday so it was a couple times I played on a Sunday still sore the older I got and I'm still doing the stretches the hot tub I'm still doing all this

stuff, but just over time, it just catches up with you. And how about now, though? Like, I would imagine, I mean, in the morning, there's creaking? Honestly, honestly, right now, I can be good. And then one day out of the blue, my shoulder will go now. Or I have tingling in my fingers. Or my knee bothering me or my low back. Like, I just, my low back just decided it wasn't to bother me this past week for

whatever reason. So I'm still dealing with a low back, you know. Just little aches here and there, but nothing drastic. Nothing, like, if I want to go outside right now and play some basketball, I could. You know, it doesn't stop me from doing anything. But over the years, you're talking about 20 years worth of football in general. Over 20 years, those little ninks, and you start to fill them, you know, something that you forgot all about. Did anyone come close to tempting you out of retirement after you got to 35 years old?

No. No. Because, you know, I made it very clear to myself and other people. I say the day I started losing the love for the game. And my mind started thinking elsewhere besides the game, it's time for me to call it quits. And that's exactly what happened. You know, it got to a point where I was tired of going to meetings. The new generation that was coming in, it wasn't adding up with how I learned the game, the conversations that was having. And then I tore both of my groin. So I'm like, man, I'm not for the, like, this is not. And I started thinking about other businesses and other things. I'm like, okay, yeah, it's time for me to go. So I never wanted to take and cheat the game. I could have easy, like, I left the game healthy. I left the game healthy. That's why the Texans was kind of surprised that I retired because

we was talking about doing another deal. I left the game health. I left the game on my terms. I was tired of it. I was tired of hearing meetings because you got to understand, I went from the New England Patriots to the Houston, Texas, the same playbook. So I was listening. to the same playbook for 13 years.

But you also knew what winning was and what a champion looked like. And at that point, you knew that you were no longer going to be winning like that. Yes, which was okay. And I love the Texans. Like that ownership, I love them. You know, I love them because they try to create that atmosphere now. You know, now they have guys there. They have a good team.

They haven't won a game yet this year. they're starting to put the pieces in play, you know. And when I got there, it wasn't football first. It was all this other mess and then football come when it comes. And that was a disaster for the suck, you know. But now they put in football first. Like, if it ain't about football and winning, we're not dealing with it. Do you enjoy watching football now?

Yeah, I still. Yeah. Now me playing, do I miss it? No. I don't miss it. I miss the locker room. I miss the fans. I miss my teammates.

That's what I missed about the game. But the game itself, nah. Have you followed? Do you watch the documentaries on the Patriots and any of that stuff? No interest there? No. You lived it? I lived it.

I lived it. Because you got to understand, I grew up a Buffalo Bills fan. So I knew how crappy the Patriots was. I know. So I don't need to go back there. And plus the dinings of the years, I was part of it. So I don't need to see that. I was part of that.

So I don't have no interest looking at Doc Hughes on the Patriots at all, or no team, honestly. Is there a story, any story that you would share with friends who wanted to know something about Belichick and Brady that perhaps is not known, not about their relationship, but any sort of dynamic that you had with either of them individually that would be the story that is untold because both of them speak of you in. in a way that they speak of very few others? No, I mean, what I've seen with them, I've seen them bump heads all the time because they're too competitive. I mean, Bill is super competitive. Tom is super competitive.

So Tom's seeing it one way, Bill saying, like, I've seen them have them a conversation, but that's what their relationship was. Like, Tom challenged Bill, and Bill challenged all of us, just straight up. He don't care who you are. He'll call you out in front of the team. You know, and I always loved and respected Bill from that.

He's not just going to pick on certain people. No, he called his leaders out. He called Tom out. He called me out. He called Brucey out, Vrable, Seymour. He called all these guys drunk. Like, you name it, he'll call you out. So it really wasn't, really not him was crazy with them.

Now, if you talk to an offensive player, because you understand, Bill go to meetings. So who knows what happens in meetings, but as far as... I'm not even talking about the conflict. I'm talking about your relationship with both men. I wasn't talking about their relationship with each other. Oh, no. It's a ton of respect. I mean, you know, my relationship with Tom,

Tom was that I got offense, you know, and I just came with a different mindset and a different approach for the defensive players and the team in general because a lot of guys I understand. I take the time to get to know my teammates. When I cook, my teammates come over. We have conversations. We talk about family.

we talk about everything besides football so i wanted to know who you are as a person as a family man as a father husband also feel i wanted to know that because now i it teaches me how to gauge you and get through to you and i think a lot of my my teammates really love that about me because i don't see it the same i'm not going to say the same thing bill said i'm not going to say the same thing tom said because i think our relationship a little different a little deeper than that As far as, you know, Bill relationship and I, me and Bill have a great personal relationship off the field. Bill, Bill is a wonderful, wonderful person. Like, he really understands how life works.

And a lot of people don't understand that until you go sit and have a conversation with him in his office, just you and him. And you really break bread. You would see genuinely what type of man he is. Like, everybody sees this football and he's not going to talk and smile, this and cussing people out. But behind closed door, Bill is really good. comes. You are too, sir. It was a pleasure talking to you, and it's been a pleasure watching the entirety of a profoundly professional career. Thank you, Vince. I'm going to hold you to that. I'm going to keep this number, and I'm going to make everyone here, their mouth is going to

water when that G.H.I.75 is something you're slathering on that meet. No worry. I got you. Trust me. All right. Looking forward to it. Thank you, sir. Thank you, buddy. Jeremy, I think we've arrived at the best time of year. Why? Because every single sport is happening? I mean basketball, football, baseball. I mean soccer. Squash. Squash. Chess. And you can enjoy all of those things with an ice cold Miller light. Ping pong. Picture me with a paddle in my right hand. Ice cold Miller light in my left. Just

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Yeah.