The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for Jun 24, 2020

Episode Date: June 24, 2020

If you feel that you were proven right about the Bubba Wallace situation then it says a lot about youAvery Bradley not going to Orlando with the LakersThe Seahawks considering signing Antonio Brown is all about the 49ersMajor League Baseball will be great this yearGuest: Emmanuel Acho, new Co-Host of FS1's Speak For Yourself Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down,

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Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a Wednesday. I'm still rolling up my sleeves. This is the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we are on IHeart radio, we are on Fox Sports Radio, we are on FS1. Great show today. Emmanuel Acho is new to FS1. He'll be joining us top of next hour. A delightful guy. super talented guy. He's the digital superstar in America today. So I met him for the first time yesterday. He's going to be on the show today. Can't wait. Joy Taylor is joining me. Joy, how are you? I'm great. Good morning. Good morning, everybody. Five or six times a year I drive to work, and I know race is going to be a topic. Those are not my favorite days, but today is one of those days, and we need

to talk about it. The FBI says the rope in Bubba Wallace's garage had been there since October, that Bubba Wallace was not a victim of hate crime. The FBI report concludes, and photographic evidence confirms the garage door pull rope fashioned like a noose had been positioned there since early as last fall. We appreciate the FBI's quick and thoughtful investigation and thankful to learn this was not an intentional racist act against Bubba Wallace, the only full-time black driver. It should be noted. A crew member for Richard Petty Motorsports. The sports's greatest legend ever discovered the new Sunday at the Alabama racetrack.

NASCAR was alerted and contacted the FBI, which sent 15 agents to the track to investigate. There are four groups of people, I believe, in America. There are people who are racist, and they have evil in their heart. That's the first group. The second group are people that can be insensitive. They feel bad. There is not evil in their heart. They regret things they've said or done over their lifetime.

The third group are people that weaponize racism daily. They wake up and see it, go to bed, see it, and think everybody should be fired, who's ever said anything clunky in their life. And then there's the fourth group, and I like this group. They talk about racism where it exists. They're worried about growth and gain. getting better. They talk and we should listen. The problem, of course, in America is all four of these groups exist on every street corner. Go to a street corner in Nebraska, New York, L.A.,

Minneapolis, Kansas City, Seattle, Denver, Portland, and Los Angeles. All four groups exist. When I first heard the news yesterday, I think, like a lot of you, I was relieved. Thank God. Thank God. this is not true. But for a lot of people, and I was on Twitter for about 10 minutes, and that's all I could take yesterday, it was a, I told you so, I told you so. You told me what? Racism doesn't exist in America. Racism doesn't exist in NASCAR. Up until two weeks ago, the Confederate flag was the symbol of the sport. And in fact, when they announced it would be banned the reaction by many, certainly not all, but a lot was anger? In fact, the day of the race before it was rained out to the next day, there was a flag

flying over the track in Talladega, saying defund NASCAR with a Confederate flag. NASCAR officials acknowledge they were concerned how this would land the banning of the flag in Alabama. We now live in a perpetual world of blame. I'm right, you're wrong. You're wrong, I'm right. This morning, people wanted to blame Bubble Wallace and last night. Bubble Wallace did not turn anybody in.

It was the King Richard Petty's group who did. And if you don't think Bubble White, Bubba Wallace, has a right or has not seen some uncomfortable things in his history as the only full-time NASCAR driver who was black. I don't know what I have to tell you. Well, but Wallace would have the right to be sensitive, but you can't blame him. He's not the one that brought it up.

Well, it's NASCAR! Because they got ahead of it? Because they were horrified of the news? I mean, one of the first rules of all these major corporations I've always worked for is get ahead of a story, don't react of it. Well, blame the media. we weren't supposed to report something NASCAR delivered to us? If the NFL, the NBA, hockey, MLS, or NASCAR delivers a statement,

and it's the kind of statement they're probably horrified and embarrassed about, I'm going to trust, it's true. Listen, if the Lakers, and this is not analogous to anything, but if they announced today LeBron broke his ankle and he's out of Orlando, I don't have to get that double-checked. It's not like they want to announce. that. But we got to blame Bubba. We got to blame NASCAR. We got to blame the media. Folks, if yesterday was a day that you feel like you won, maybe you're telling me what group

you're in, this doesn't take away how great the race was. It doesn't take away the finish. It doesn't take away these NASCAR drivers supporting Bubba Wallace. It doesn't take away concerns of racism going forward. It takes away none of that. Bubba Wallace, NASCAR, and the media did nothing wrong. And most NASCAR fans, I believe, have good in their heart. Bubba Wallace had a tweet this morning. He said, integrity. God will always test us to show how strong we truly are,

still standing proud and still smiling. Too many people feel like they need to win the moment. It's not about the moment. It's about growth. And for the last two weeks, Here's the good news. We've seen a lot of it, thankfully, in NASCAR. All right, let me segue to this.

Not unexpected, although I didn't know the situation with Avery Bradley's son, but Avery Bradley of the Lakers has opted out of the NBA restart. He's citing family concerns. He's a very solid player. He started in like 45 games for the Lakers. He's really a good two-way player. He's LeBron's kind of teammate. He's smart.

He plays on both. ends. You can depend on him. He's not a superstar, but he's the kind of classic guy, the Shane Badiye, the Avery Bradley, just the kind of glue guy that plays on both ends that LeBron loves. So once again, LeBron goes into a postseason and it's not quite ideal for him. But Avery Bradley has a son, Liam, six years old, who struggles to overcome some respiratory illnesses. So right now, Avery's not going. Number one. it's absolutely the right move for Avery Bradley. Let's not argue over that.

I got kids. It's the right move, period. Number two is this is the reality of COVID-19. We have no idea what's going to go on. One of the things I just think is fascinating about what the NBA is doing is I don't know what I'm going to get. I mean, my whole life I've watched the NBA playoffs. what I'm going to get. The best players will flourish. The veteran players will be more dependable than young players. The refs will mostly swallow the whistle and get out of the way for the stars.

And the best player in the league, be it LeBron, or if it was Duncan, or if it was Shaq, or if it was MJ, Magic, and Bird, they usually end up in the finals. Don't always win it, but they always end up. This year, I have no idea. Our player is going to be in shape. I have a feeling some are going to be in great shape. Some are going to be in terrible shape. Is the basketball going to be good? I could be terrible. Basketball is the only sport.

Soccer and baseball, players are often separate. In hockey and football, you can wear masks and lots of padding. Basketball is the sport where you sweat on guys and breathe on guys and talk to guys. Is half this league going to have COVID two games in? It's also going to be basketball with no fans. part of me thinks it'll be like playground basketball. Guys working each other one-on-one, it's going to be fascinating. Part of me thinks it's going to be brutal.

No fans watching James Hardin and Russell Westbrook and LeBron James. I still believe the Clippers are the best team. I think the Clippers were 11 and 1. I still think the Clippers have a championship-winning coach and a star player. I think the Clippers should be favored. I think the Clippers are going to win the championship. And none of this changes today. And let's be honest.

If money wasn't driven by sports, and that's not bad, but it's driven by sports. If it wasn't, we would have just canceled the NBA season. We wouldn't have forced people to go from bubble to Orlando bubble. But here we are with a basketball season about to take place in about a month. And my prediction, it's going to be choppy. At times it's going to be bad. It's going to be unpredictable. It's going to be uneven.

And what you saw with Avery Bradley is just. the first little domino to fall. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to

me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet.

Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing life.

Helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike! I'm a comedian! I'm not qualified to give good advice! Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite. The worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coultera podcast network available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This mental health awareness month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey. of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more.

Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. So there's a report this morning, and part of me was surprised by it, that there's a strong sense that the Seahawks are going to sign either Josh Gordon, who's been suspended multiple times by the NFL, very, very talented guy, got an addiction issue, or Antonio Brown, who I don't think is the world's best human being. Now, Antonio Brown's a great player. For about a six-year stretch, he wasn't just the best receiver in the league.

It wasn't close. His average year was 11 touchdowns, 1,500 yards, and 114 catches. I mean, it was absurd. It's one of the great six-year runs. It's like Randy Moss in his peak. He just couldn't guard it. But not a very good human being. So my two takeaways on this are there's a lot of teams that would like Antonio Brown.

but Seattle trusts Russell Wilson because he always does they trust them and just make it work Russell Wilson makes everything work bad old lines good old lines rookies veterans Russell Wilson makes everything work and Seattle's saying well

not ideal but he'd make it work that's a big tip of the cap to Russell but I think there's something else at play here I think the San Francisco 49ers are so formidable that it is forcing everybody in their division in Seattle, the L.A. Rams in Arizona to take big swings.

When you wake up in the morning in that division and you look at San Francisco, you see what appears to be the best young coach in the NFL, the best tied in in the NFL, the best defensive line, and most are really, really young and getting better, you have a better-than-average young franchise quarterback that could be there for 10 years, and the front office appears to know what they're doing. It's scary.

And so the Rams last year took a big swing on Jalen Ramsey. An unhappy player with loads of talent. Wasn't always the greatest teammate and gave up a bunch of picks for him. And Arizona bailed on Josh Rosen and said, we're going to get Kyler Murray. We're going to get this college coach. We're going to go get D-Hop at wide receiver. And now Seattle is saying, we're not beating them head-to-head roster-wise.

San Francisco, this is why 44 coaches have been fired. since Nick Saban took the job at Alabama. After about year three, everybody in the SEC said, oh, God, this is an avalanche of football greatness. And they started peeling off firing good coaches, like Les Miles. You know, this is why, and you see this a lot of times in sports, the bills, the jets, and the dolphins. Joy talks about this all the time.

After about year three or four of Tom Brady and Super Bowls, it's like people started hiring patriots and building teams just to beat Tom Brady. When you see greatness happen early, it's not hard to see Sabin by year three, or Brady by a second or third Super Bowl, or the San Francisco 49ers and go, if we don't get ahead of this, if we don't take some big swings on this, we're going to get buried for the next 10 years because San Francisco's not going away. They just gave Kyle Shanahan as another extension. Garapolo got to a Super Bowl in his first full year is 21 and 5 as a starter.

Bose is better than we thought he would be in the NFL. George Kittles unguardable. And all those young receivers like Debo appear to be getting better by the game. So I think at some point there's a nineer fear in that division. You better take some big cuts and big swings and big chances. or you're going to be buried by that Niner Avalanche for a long time. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app.

Tradition is an incredibly powerful thing. I grew up in a small town on the West Coast. I've had the good fortune to live on both coasts and in all four corners of the country. I think it's actually made me a much better broadcaster. I've been in the heart of the South and seen the love and the passion for NASCAR and college football. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, which is football country, college or pro. I now live in Los Angeles where basketball is king and people like sports but really love their life. And then I lived in the Northeast for 11 years where baseball and tradition rule.

Tradition can be wonderful. It gives us great memories, generation after generation of doing things that feel good for the fabric. of our country and the fabric of your family. But tradition sometimes is odd. And I didn't grow up in an overly religious or traditional family. And when I moved to the East Coast, it was remarkable to me how really smart people because of tradition would eat things, do things, and watch things that were frankly boring and bad.

Baseball's got a lot of tradition. But good God, it needs changes. And it's going to get some of them now. 60 games means more urgency for every game. Hallelujah. A DH in both leagues. Hallelujah. In extra inning games, they will put a runner on second base to start the inning.

So we don't have 17 inning games. Hallelujah. How ridiculous is it for a sport that is often played? The majority of the games are Monday through Thursday, and everybody has to work tomorrow, that you have people at the ballpark till 1245. Forget the drive home, forget falling asleep because a game goes into 16 innings.

It's patently absurd. Playoff baseball games have often ended at 144 in the morning. If I told you I watched the Ravens and the Chiefs last year in the AFC Championship, and it ended at 2 a.m. You'd go, what idiot scheduled the game that late? That's been baseball for the last 20. years. We're getting changes the sport needs. Too much of baseball is about tradition and habit,

and we're doing it because we've always done it this way. I can't wait for baseball. Every weekend series will matter. You can't go on a four-game losing streak. The Yankees and the Dodgers are favored. If they fall four games under 500, it is a sprint to sneak into the playoffs. I said this years ago to a friend of mine, I said if you came up with baseball and, in In 2020, you tried to sell it to investors. So you had like an investor, like a Mark Cuban, these hedge fund guys, these venture capitalists in a room. And you go, I have this sport. Okay, okay.

It's really slow. There's 162 games. Some games last five hours. Does it have stars? Yeah, but they're almost never on TV. They're in the dugout. You'd be like, yeah, I'm not going to invest in that. But if you had those same investors and you brought up, say, MLS soccer and you said the games are really fast, there's no stoppage, the ball's always in play, the stars are always in the game, the TV camera's always on the stars, and you can score at any moment.

Investors would be like, oh, I'll invest in that. In the iPhone era, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's quick. I get the stars on television. There's no stoppages, 245 minute halves, under two hours. you can do that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, you could do it weekends. MLS would be an easy sell to investors. Baseball would be an incredibly difficult sport for investors. It's slow.

Now we're getting rid of the length. We're getting rid of pitchers hitting. We're getting rid of the potential for 17 inning games for people you know with a social life. This is going to be great for baseball. And sometimes people, even smart, successful people have to be forced into change. That's what's happening in baseball. And I can't wait. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games,

from buzzer beaters, to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff.

Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better.

What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gershershersh, accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They hold and Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues.

I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewives franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected.

We're becoming more individualized. But we actually meet people in. connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The next person I'm going to introduce debuts on FS1 later today with Marcellus Wiley. He is the new co-host of Speak for Yourself. And his brother, Sam Acho, has played in the NFL for a long I think eight or nine years.

Emmanuel played briefly in the NFL. And then he wisely said, instead of getting hit, I'm going to deliver the hits. And he recently did something that exploded online. It was called Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. It went viral. I saw the Matthew McConaughey pieces. Oprah retweeted it. And it literally took over the Internet for about a week.

And how lucky are we to introduce him to you? Emmanuel Acho now joining us our first in studio guest in almost four months. Let's bring him out. An in studio guest. And in you have no idea. Everything is Zoom and phone call and in an office building. And first of all, it is great to see you. I want to start.

I had seen you on ESPN. I got TVs on all the day. And I had seen you. And my bosses, you know, from time to time will say, what do you think of this? What do you think of that? What do you think of this? And so, you know, a couple months ago, they're like, what do you think of that? And I'm like, big energy, good-looking guy.

I can see his muscles through his suit, hire that guy. That's the goal. That is the goal, Colin. But let me ask you about the conversations with a black man. Yeah. Because, first of all, it takes some courage. Race is one of those topics where you can be incredibly well-intentioned. And the avalanche comes down in you.

So the moment the epiphany, you thought, I'm going to do something, and I hope it lands well, which it did. Where was the epiphany the moment? It came out of pain. It came out of anguish. It was birthed out of a little bit of fear, to be honest. I realized I went to an all-white private school growing up, essentially, majority white. Graduated with 75 people, St. Mark School of Texas, a private school in North Dallas, adjacent to Highland Park. But then I played ball at Texas, and then I played in the NFL.

So I was fluent in white culture and I was fluent in black culture. And I realized our nation is facing one of its greatest divides ever, which is the racial divide. And so I said, you know what, Colin? Let me act as a bridge, stand in the gap between my white brothers and sisters and my black brothers and sisters and try to find a way to at least bring forth some education because education will lead to empathy. empathy will lead to grace. Grace will help with aiding, understanding, and that is one of our biggest issues in society. The first episode, people don't realize, it was never supposed to be a monologue. Remember, it's called uncomfortable conversations with a black man. I had a dear white friend who drove

three hours she was supposed to do it with me, came from Dallas to Austin where I recorded the first episode, and then at the last second, she got a little bit of cold feet. An hour before we were supposed to tape, I said, don't worry, it's all good. I'll do it myself. I put my head down. I said, three, two, I looked up, I stared dead into the lens of the camera, and nine minutes, 27 seconds later, it ended up going viral. 30 million people since viewed it. So it was never supposed to be a monologue. It was supposed to encourage and enhance dialogues, and thankfully it's done so.

And the response and the reception, it's been amazing. You know, it is interesting. I told Joy this today is we have had several of these conversations over the last, I would say, month. And I drive to work and I think to myself, I did it this morning. I have a 20 minute drive to work. And I'm thinking to myself, Bubba Wallace, I'm white 56. Dad was a doctor. Mom was from England. I should not be, this is not my space. If people look at me jaded, eye roll, totally get it. But it's called the herd and I start my show with a nine minute rant. And for people like me over the last month, I've said to myself, and I think I've told Joy this, it's listening time.

It's not talking time, but I'm a talk show host. Do you sometimes see having gone to Highland Park, which is a very well-heeled, very affluent area of Dallas? It's very, and you've seen people who perhaps are insensitive. They just don't understand certain things they have. Do you sense from people like me who I think I have a good heart, but I can be clunky, I can say things and go, oh, good hell, that's awful. Do you sense sometimes, and I'm not looking to be a victim here, my apprehension on race topics.

Yes. Phenomenal question, phenomenal point. So, to clarify, so I went to school St. Mark's adjacent to Highland Park. I know some people will be watching and look that up. The issue we face in America now, it's not so much overt racism. What I mean by that. It's no longer, you know, people owning slaves or people, saying the N-word. What it is now is racial ignorance, racial insensitivity. Again, I went to a

predominantly white school, so what I got a lot was, Acho, you don't even talk like you're black. Acho, you don't even dress like you're black. Or my all-time favorite, Acho, you're like an Oreo, black on the outside, white on the inside. Oh, good hell. Those weren't said with negative intentions because they were said by 10, 11, 12, and 13-year-olds. They thought, I don't know, maybe in some weird way they were paying me a compliment. But what you're saying, when you say you don't talk like you're black, you are saying that a black person does not sound educated. And because you sound educated, Emmanuel Lacho, you don't talk like you're black. That's the issue we face in society is not first degree or second degree racism, but third degree racism, which I read an article and I understood the parallel.

It's similar to involuntary manslaughter. It's not as if it is intentionally meant to hurt, but rather by living your life ignorantly, you were unconsciously hurting another person. And that's the goal of these conversations. And that's the benefit of these conversations is because they help educate. So Bubba Wallace, my initial reaction yesterday was, oh, thank God. It was incidental. Yeah.

That's my. I don't think it's a day to celebrate a win, told you so. The Confederate flag was banned two weeks ago. It was met initially by many with anger, which tells you all you need to know. But what was your initial reaction to it? I think we have to make something abundantly clear. Let's make sure the agenda stays on track. What I mean by that?

2016, Colin Kaepernick takes an E in for three years, four years, that agenda was moved about a flag. Let's remind everyone, Bubble Wallace did not find the noose. Let's remind everyone, Bobba Wallace did not conjure up this story. Let's remind everyone that Bubba Wallace was told something, and he ran with what he was told, along with us, the media. Let's clarify that and make that overtly clear. Now, if I can be honest with you, I'm glad it happened.

Why? Because America's most segregated sport came together in a way, in a manner, in a powerful act that we otherwise wouldn't have seen. That's a great point. So if you really ask me in the privacy of my own brain and the privacy of my own heart, America's most segregated sport banded together with you saw everyone behind Bubble Wallace in that picture. and marching together. They came together in a way we wouldn't have seen otherwise. So is it unfortunate?

Are we a little hypersensitive right now as a culture? Hypersensitive as a society? Of course we are. And rightfully so. But let's make two things clear. It wasn't Bubba Wallace who found it. And secondly, NASCAR wouldn't have come together like this otherwise. So heck yeah, I'm happy it happened.

Simple. Emmanuel Ocho, co-host, speak for yourself. NFL for three years, University of Texas. He'll debut, speak for yourself with our, friend Marcellus Wiley. Great to have you in today. Let's segue to a couple of football issues. I have never thought, I am way past when I cover the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was the last team I covered. There were a couple guys in the locker room that I didn't think were good people. But I always remember talking to the front office and they're like, listen, man, people come from

different areas. There's 55 players, 12 in the scout team. Antonio Brown may at times bother me deeply. But I get the game. This is about winning football games. It's not about perfection. It never has been. I mean, there are people walking past me on the street. I have no idea what's got. There are people I work with that may harbor resentment or anger toward me. I have no idea. I know some of the things I've seen publicly with Antonio Brown bother me greatly. How do I reconcile that with? He makes my team better as an athlete. And now as a broad Bothered by Antonio Brown getting another shot or understand it's the reality of professional sports in America?

I don't think those two things are mutually exclusive. It is the reality of professional sports that oftentimes we will look past the players off the, not oftentimes, always. We'll look past the player's character or look past the players off the field incidents for the sake of enhancing the team. But here's what we have to remember. Some things aren't quantifiable. And that transcends sports.

As soon as I sign with Fox, Joy, she reaches out to me. Carissa reaches out to me. Shannon Sharp reaches out to me. And they're like, hey, it's a family here. We take you in. It doesn't matter how talented I am. What matters is that there's something that you can't quantify, a skill set which can't be quantified,

which helps build and boost the overall performance of an entity. And whether that's Fox Sports, whether that's the herd, whether that's speak. I say that because, A, B, to me, the most talented receiver of the 2010s, period. Yeah. Like, I don't care what anybody says. He's, dude, I've seen this man beat double coverage time and time again. Dude's a free. But if you're a team like the Seahawks, what do you need them for?

I mean, like you said earlier, Russell Wilson makes everybody else already better. Tyler Lockett, top flight receiver to me when it comes to big play receiver. Was considered a complete gadget guy at college. Kansas State. I played against Tyler Lockett, I believe. He might have been a freshman when I was a senior when I was at Texas. You got D.K. Metcalf, everybody thought he was going to be a bust. Big build, can't run her out.

Can't run. Looks like Tarzan plays like Jane. Yes. Not to me. Look like Tarzan played like Tarzan. And so if you're a team like the Seahawks and Russell Wilson, you don't need A.B. Who could benefit from A.B. That's the question you have to ask yourself. Well, a team that plays in an obscure city or a team that has, you know, more of a loose cannon head coach.

Like, say the Buffalo Bills or the Las Vegas Raiders. Well, guess what? AB had a chance to play at both of the first. those organizations squandered it. And so I think AB is a freakazoid receiver. Absolute beast. It's just not worth the risk if I was a GM. See, that's my thing.

I said that about Baker Mayfield. I got a lot of heat for that. And I said, he's undraftable to me because I have a rule. I was just talking about this the other day with a friend. My rule in life is I refuse to babysit other adults. I'll babysit children. but I won't babysit adults. I will not hire somebody or work with somebody

that I drive home with a knot in my stomach because a 48-year-old co-worker, I have to babysit. And so that's my problem with Antonio Brown. There is a babysitting element here. You drive to work or drive home, and you think, I've got to smooth this thing out. It doesn't work for my personality. And think about this for it.

This is what people who, whether you covered it, you've been in the locker room, you understand. Even if AB doesn't want to be a. distraction. He'll still be a distraction because he has to be. The media has now made him. We will make him a distraction. If he goes to the Seahawks, Russell Wilson now has to answer questions about AB. Whether he drops a pass, whether there's a miscommunication and an interception is thrown because AB ran a wrong route or even the quarterback messed up, it's all going to become a big deal. And that detracts from the growth of the team. So while AB is a freak top flight receiver,

and I still think he'd probably be top flight, even at 31, maybe going on 32 years old this season. I still think he'd be a top flight receiver. But if there can be addition by subtraction, there can also be subtraction by addition. That's really well put. I'm going to steal that. Please do, just cite your sources.

Sight your sources. You know what Tony Bennett, the singer says, you steal from everybody, it's research. You steal from one guy, you're a thief. So I steal from everybody. Emmanuel Lacho joining us on the radio side, TV side, obviously. So here's, this is something about COVID.

that's fascinating. So I consider I want to be thoughtful. So I wear a mask. I go to Best Buy. I go to Dick Sporting Goods. I go to my grocery store. And then if I see, I'm going to a place with older people, I think, just don't be a jerk. Just put it on. Yesterday, I was sweating. I was in the gym. And two of the people in there were over 60. And I thought, just, just wear it. The minute they walked out and there was a bunch of young hustlers, I was like, okay, mask is off. Because they had their masks off. So again, you're a professional athlete today. You're mindful and thoughtful, and we should wear masks. Japan, by the way, where they have a mask wearing culture, they don't have nearly the COVID outbreak of America. That is their culture. It's not our culture. We like our liberties and our freedoms,

and you won't tell me what to do. And so I look at this, the mask. Would you be comfortable going to camp as a professional athlete, how would you tell me what it's going to be like for your brother and you, Sam and you, the mask culture among football players, basketball players. How does it land? How do you be mindful but not be petrified 24-7 that I'm going to contract something? In all honesty, I think the athletes, what they'll simply do is you'll abide by the rules. You'll abide by the legislation. But within the locker room, I just don't know that the math.

culture is going to really exist only because as a football player, you're putting yourself in harm's way of several things. Injuries, concussions, really anything and everything that you can think, both physically, mentally, emotionally. So I don't know, Colin, I'll be honest. I don't know and really understand how it will affect the game. Let me put this in perspective for the listener and for the viewer. College of the NFL, when you get hurt, if you and I are the

practice field and you roll your ankle at the 25 yard line. Say you fracture your ankle in practice. The coach is going to blow the whistle, move it up 15 yards, and you're just going to sit there rolling around. You're just going to, ah, agony, you're just going to be rolling around. And we're going to move it up to the 40 and keep playing. It is not a no man left behind kind of thing. It's honestly a you're getting left behind. That's what's going to happen. That's the culture. It's the nature of the beast. I think that's what's going to happen even within sports and COVID because it's either we keep it pushing or we stop for everybody. And I don't think that right now the sports leagues, both college and professional, are willing to stop. You saw what

happened at LSU, even at Texas at these different universities with outbreaks. It's like, yeah, 13 people are in isolation. Anyway, what time's practice tomorrow? You know, that's just how it goes. That's how it's going to have to go if we want to see sports be played. Do I agree with it? Not necessarily, but do we want to see sports be played? Yeah, for the most part, absolutely. Emmanuel Acho. So I could sit and talk to you all day. You're just fascinating. You're just a star. So a couple days ago, I did something. And in the morning meeting, I think I joined the morning meeting on the phone these days because of COVID. So I said this during the meeting, I said, oh, this is going to be big digitally. I said, college football fans are crazy. It's just

crazy. You meant you put a plaque on the wall, everybody goes crazy. So I said, there's only really 16 teams in college football from this point forward that can win a national championship. I said the big four, and here's my rule, if you take the best coach in the history of your program, everybody got their best coach. USC got either, you know, John McKay or Pete Carroll or whatever it was or John Robinson, and Bama got either Bear Bryant or Nick Saban. Absolutely. If you, everybody, Florida State got Bobby Bowden, Miami got Jimmy Johnson.

The four best programs in the country are Alabama, Oklahoma, Oakland. Ohio State and USC. It doesn't matter how good Texas' coach is because Mack Brown only won two titles. And Darrell Royal didn't win as much as Barry Switzer or Bud Wilkerson. And then I said there's 12 other programs that I think can win a national title, but they need breaks and they better hope that the guy in their division that's great doesn't have the best coach.

And so I put Texas in the second tier. Are you bothered when I say, because I have a reason why I think they're not as good as Oklahoma, I think the city of Austin is more than just football. I think Norman is football. But I'm going to say it to your face, Oklahoma's got a better football program than Texas. Are you deeply bothered by that? Can we do one thing?

I don't know if the jib can. Can we just cut to that shot of me smiling in that Texas jersey if we may? Sure. But before I dare respond, because some of my happiest and best moments were in that burn orange, proudly wearing the Texas on the front, proudly hooking them. By the way, great. Great. Phenomenal unies.

I didn't have the facial hair then. but it's fine. Am I bothered by that statement? I think there's a little recency bias, which is fine. I think there's a little recency bias. You've seen that Lincoln Riley, freaking first round number one overall quarterback, first round number one overall quarterback, Jalen Hertz. Oklahoma has proven, especially in recent years, to be better than Texas. So I have no problem with you saying that. Now, I think historically speaking, When you think about a man like Mac Brown, who I played for in the College Football Hall of Fame, when you think about guys like Vince Young, one of the best college football players ever,

not just at Texas, but ever. I don't know that you could put in Oklahoma above Texas if both programs had their best at that time if we were going to engage in this hypothetical conversation, which I'm fine engaging with. But I agree with you on Alabama. Absolutely. I agree with you on Ohio State. Absolutely. USC, I don't know. I don't know. I'm not convinced. When it comes down to what you're really getting at, though, I'm looking at the recruiting pools. I'm looking at recruiting pools. And Texas and the state of Texas is clearly a better recruiting hub and a recruiting pool than somewhere like Oklahoma. However, you can't look at what Oklahoma has done the last three years and try to argue that Texas has been a currently better football program. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to do that. Who's the third best coach in the history of Texas?

Because I go to the third best coach in Oklahoma. I go to the fourth best coach. Bud Wilkerson, Barry Switzer, Bob Stoops, Lincoln Riley's the fourth best coach. I think that what Texas is, let me answer it this way. Let me answer it this way. Tom Herman is hopeful, and Texas's fans are hopeful that Tom Herman becomes that third best coach. Darry Royal MacBrown. Darryor Royal MacBrown.

Now, I'm personally putting Mac Brown ahead for several reasons on the field and off the field. I'm putting Mac Brown ahead. After Mac Brown won the National Championship in 2005 beating SC what he said in the locker room, it stands with me forever. He says, and I wasn't on that team. I came through years later. He said, I hope this is not the greatest day of your life. I want you to go on to be great fathers, great businessmen, great husbands.

To me, life is about more than just sports. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing. But Tom Herman wins 10 games, wins seven games. wins eight games. Texas went all in on that man, mind you, to see consecutive 10 win seasons. When you have a quarterback like Sam Ellinger, who everybody's saying is a top five quarterback in college football, when you have a head coach like Tom Herman, Texas needs to win 10. That's what I said yesterday. Point blank period.

If they don't win 10, the two biggest boosters at Texas are going to start telling the AD, look for the next guy. But think about this for a second. What people have to remember, it doesn't matter about defense. and yes, I played linebacker. It doesn't matter about special teams, no matter how much you want to talk about the three phases of the game

and how important they all are. Look who was in the playoffs last year. Joe Burrow and LSU. Justin Fields in Ohio State. Trevor Lawrence and Clemson. And you had Jalen Hertz in Oklahoma. The best quarterbacks were in the playoffs. No, the sports changed.

It's just totally changed. That's what it comes down to. And so if Texas does have the best quarterback or one of the best quarterbacks in Sam Ellinger, you just have no excuse. And so as a Texas fan, as a Texas alum, as a former Texas athlete who always bears the T-ring, which means you played at Texas and you graduated from Texas. I always wear it because I'm prideful in that. There's just no excuse.

And this is me speaking as a college football analyst now. Like you're saying, Texas has no choice. You're going to see Clemson there this year. You're going to see Ohio State there this year. You're probably going to see Alabama because Alabama is just always making some noise. after that, Texas probably needs to get in. I'm with you. Emmanuel Ocho, absolute pleasure.

Good luck. You don't need it. And I thank you so much for taking the time today to do this. I just feel like I'm sitting next to somebody who's got all sorts of wisdom, man. How old are you? 29. God, that's just discouraging. God, that is so discouraging that at 29 you have all this wisdom. Last night, a blown call changed a game.

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