Will Cain Country - From The Vault: How We Save the Next Generation of Athletes and Warriors (ft. Joey Jones & David Pollack)

Episode Date: May 25, 2026

On this special Memorial Day episode, Will is spending time with the family, but that doesn’t mean the conversation stops. Today we’ll be revisiting two of our most patriotic and inspirational conversations of the past year as the nation honors its fallen warriors. First up, a look back on Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s new standards for the military in fitness, hygiene, and personal appearance with Co-Host of ‘The Big Weekend Show’ Joey Jones.Plus, Former NFL Player and Author of 'Every Day Counts,’ David Pollack joins Will to explore the intersection of discipline and faith, offering practical advice on avoiding modern distractions in the age of tech as well as sharing some healthy strategies for raising the next generation of athletes. Subscribe to ‘Will Cain Country’ on YouTube here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch Will Cain Country!⁠⁠⁠ Follow ‘Will Cain Country’ on X (⁠⁠⁠@willcainshow⁠⁠⁠), Instagram (⁠⁠⁠@willcainshow⁠⁠⁠), TikTok (⁠⁠⁠@willcainshow⁠⁠⁠), and Facebook (⁠⁠⁠@WillCainNews) Follow Will on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WillCain⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey y'all, it's Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair. Ever order furniture online and wonder what if? Like, what if it doesn't hold up? That sofa was four days old. You should have ordered from Wayfair. With Wayfair, there's no what if. Just style you love and quality you can trust. Visit Wayfair.coma.

Wayfair, every style, every home. Happy Memorial Day and welcome to this holiday edition of Wilcane Country. It is Wilcane Country. Normally streaming live every Monday through Thursday at 12 o'clock Eastern Time at the Wilcane Country YouTube channel, the Wilcane Facebook page, but always here by following us at Spotify or on Apple. We hope you're having a nice Memorial Day weekend, but spending a little time with us is always appreciated.

Today we have a very special Memorial Day episode. We hope you enjoy. No more fatties among the brass in the military. It is Wilcane Country at the Wilcane Country YouTube channel on Spotify and on Apple. Out there in the Wilicia, Yeppie Anderson says the Oklahoma Four, Sooners, Bible Belt, tornadoes, and lakes. You know, the senator really spun it in, some political talking points like neighbors, we help each other. And that's great. And I'm not saying

it's wrong. But how do you even, what do you, if you were making a Mount Rushmore, how do you even carve out neighbors? But a tornado, I do think is Oklahoma. So I'm into, so far, I'm Native Americans and tornadoes for Oklahoma. Mark offered up his, his suggestion for New Jersey. Taxes, devils, jets, more taxes for the state of New Jersey. We can do this, by the way. with every state, and we should. We might as well ask our friend Joey Jones of the great state of Georgia here. He's the co-host, the new co-host of The Big End Show. He's also the author of Behind the Badge, an Unbroken Bond of Battle.

What's your for? See, this is how this happened, Joey. Congressman Andy Biggs told me Kentucky is known for four things. Bourbon, horse racing, basketball, and KFC. Okay, and it got us thinking, okay, well, what's the four symbols for every state? So your state, Georgia, what is the four? You couldn't bring us down to just four. I'll give you the four most current.

We got Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-A, Delta, and Home Depot. There's your corporate side. Then you go into history. You're talking about a state that's the home of the infantry down at Fort Benning. We also are cash props through the antebellum into the industrial era where peanuts, cotton, tobacco, and peaches, as everybody knows. So we brought those things. We've got Atlanta, which if you look at the state of Georgia and the Atlanta airport,

that's the gates to the south. That's the gateway to the south. You got to fly into Atlanta to go anywhere in the south. That's a big part of what we do here. I can keep going if you want me to. I mean, like I said, we've got the bulldogs. We've got to have to figure it out. We've got the Atlanta Braves.

You'd have to put the Atlanta Braves up there. The Atlanta Braves is literally the professional sports team of the entire Southeast through the late 1970s. I mean, that's all that was, that's all there was down here. Today, right now today, the closest MLB stadium to Atlanta as a bird flies is Cincinnati. So they are the team of the South. So you put the Braves on there, the civil rights movement. You could argue that some of the most important civil rights leaders were from or originated in Atlanta. It's funny you give Oklahoma Native Americans.

And by all means, there are a lot of Cherokee in Oklahoma, but only the ones that fell for the raw deal, The ones that fought and kept their land, they live here in Georgia. They never got on the trail of tears. I live in a town that's called the home of the Cherokee. Nuochoa is just right down the road from me, actually, which was the second headquarters of the Cherokee nation. So, I mean, I keep going, brother, all day long. This is turning into, like, this is turning into not you, me. So Oklahoma against Native Americans, sorry.

We're not doing place of origin. They are the Indian territory all the way up. They're not doing place of origin. Indian territory. Native Americans. They're not the Cherokee art native. Well, okay. I'm with you.

I'm with you, Indians. Indians, okay. I'm not into this PC Native American thing. It's Indians and it always has been, and that's how Native Americans feel about it, for the record, by the way. It's Indians. You're just playing semantics. Um, but it's Indian territory, Indian today, the most reservations, certainly, in terms of percentage of total state land.

That's Oklahoma. And you rattle off so many. But you've got to come down to four. And interestingly, Coca-Cola might be one of the four. Peaches as a stand-in for as well, peanuts. Peaches are probably – Peaches are peanuts. I think you've got to have one of those.

Sure. And by the way, here's an interesting thing. You've got to put the braves in there because that's what – The Braves? You got to put the braves in there. Tell me why you wouldn't put the braves in there. Well, because I just think of your state more as a football, passionate state than baseball. And what I would say is-

When you talk about what this state represents to the rest of the country, I mean, the entire Southeast are Braves fans because that's the home of Major League Baseball in the southeast. So when you put Turner Network on top of that and now you're broadcasting from the Mississippi to New York, it was a big deal. I mean, for two decades, three decades. I think there's an interesting conversation to have around football because, okay, I think it's one of the four for Texas. Senator Mullins said it's one of the four for Oklahoma. You rattled off the Bulldogs and you'd say it's one of the four for Georgia, maybe. So I got to thinking about this and I was like, okay, maybe football's too broad, right? I actually, as a Texan, would not sit here today and make an argument that we are more passionate about college football than you are in Georgia.

or they are in Alabama. And I think you have a debate probably between those two states for like most heightened passion centered around college football. That doesn't mean there's not passion in Texas. There's a ton of passion. But I think I am safe in saying I'm not sure the passion reaches the levels that it does in Georgia. What we have, and I don't even, I'm not going to count the cowboys like on this America's

team, you know, huge passion around the cowboys. But I think it's high school football. that defines Texas football passion. It is that Friday nights matter culturally in Texas. It is, what are you doing tonight isn't really a question. It is, what was the score in that other district game? It is what are the current rankings? It is that kind of thing.

And I don't know if in Georgia you guys care about high. I'm sure you do. I'm just saying at that level. So I feel like you may be in the debate for college football. And I think you're in a debate with Alabama on that front. I think we own high school football. When it comes to like as a symbol of passion and unique about your state, we get Friday night lights. I think like 60% or more of five-star athletes in the entire country come from California, Florida, Texas, and Georgia.

I'm not talking about, no, let me finish. Let me finish. That's true. Okay. Yeah, okay. So the reason why is people all over the country move to those states to play high school football. So in pockets of Georgia high school football is king. What makes Texas different is you have much more remote places like Midland Odessa where there is nothing else.

If you don't go to the Friday night football game, you got no live entertainment this week. It's different. Georgia's smaller. It's a smaller state and it's in the southeast. Every major highway runs through it. We've got the largest airport right in the middle of it. There's things going on. That's why there isn't enough room for a hockey team or the Atlanta Falcons come and go because the city of Atlanta has so much going.

on. The rest of the state's not going to embrace it. They've got their own thing going on. What makes Texas unique in the high school football is that you have cities that look like they're in the middle of nowhere that will build coliseums for their high school football team because they have that oil and gas money going on and they don't have anything else going on as far as they can see. I won't take that away from you at all. I'm not debating you. I'm going with you on it. Yeah. Okay. And by the way, Joey, unprofessional football? You know what I might actually give that to someplace like Pennsylvania. The passion of the Steelers fans or the Eagles fans is unmatched.

My sister-in-law, who is from Odessa, goes to Odessa Permian high school. Her sons played there, Odessa Permian. Now is at Clemson watching that passion, which is incredible passion as well, went to a Steelers game and said, this feels like college football. That's different than the way it feels in other places. You go to Pittsburgh, the whole city in town is into this. The whole city. All the sports scenes are the same color.

It's awesome. It is. It's great. I mean, listen, man, everybody's known for something. I'd say that when you get into the rivalry side of it, it's easy to start taking shots. But this conversation we're having right now, like, as much as it may seem menial or trivial, there was a time when that was the conversation. It wasn't, man, are you a Republican or Democrat? You know, and it's like, these things still matters.

They're our culture, and it's up to us if we imagine them or not. Oh, I love that position. I love that turn. I totally agree. By the way, two days. I mean, this is not the show I play. to do today, but this is why I like Will King Country. We're going to do whatever pops into our head. I mean, I have no idea what the audience feels about this. It's like, get to the shutdown.

Get to the government shutdown, which, by the way, I don't, God, I don't want to talk about the government shutdown. I would much rather talk about these. And I love how you said that, essential ingredients to American culture. And what, and you know, Joey, and we're going to get to Pete Hegg-Seth in just a second, but the thing I love about American culture in part is that, yes, you can identify it. But I actually love. the little pockets of difference and extreme difference between Boston and Georgia and Pennsylvania

and Texas and California in Illinois. I love all of that. I love this conversation we're having as of what makes you unique. This whole country is an experiment in localism, federalism, community building, and then a common bond around the red,

white, and blue, the stars and strives primarily for national defense. That's what we are. No, I spoke last week at a place, they called it, the organization was Waco's and Rock Springs, Wyoming. It's the Wyoming Association of County Officers, mostly county commissioners and most people, when you hear that, you think like roads, stuff like that. And it's 95, 99% Republican in that state. The Democrat and Democrat calling himself independent officers that are part of that association

are the president and vice president of the organization. Because when you get that local, What we know as Republican or Democrat starts to go out the window. When you get so local that you're deciding how you're going to spend money on 4-H, how you're going to fix the roads, how you're going to tax your county, a lot of that national argument goes away. Yeah, they're Democrat or Republican, but they also believe in almost the exact same thing that all the Republican or Democrat counterparts believe in for their county.

And that's what makes this country really amazing. Like, I get to go speak to these organizations. It's so funny, they'll put on their business cash. And I know if I go to Texas or Wyoming, that means my best jeans, my best boots, a buckle if I've earned one, a buttoned up shirt, and maybe a blazer. If you put business casual on there and you're going to Connecticut, that means a suit without a tie. And it's like that's that cultural difference. I mean, you know, it's like using the same words for something very different. And it's just an amazing thing to see in this country.

And I hate when we lose sight and we attack it because we have social media and we're exposed to everything. I used to say that when you came home from Vietnam, if you took your dad's hardware store and married the homecoming queen, that was as big of a goal as you could ever set for yourself. You know, and like, how do we get back to that? I don't know if we do, but I think we should. I live in Calhoun, Georgia. When they have a junior versus senior powder puff girls football game at the end of the year, the whole town shows up to watch. When they win the Division 3A or 3A football championship down in Atlanta, they have a parade on their way back up. When my son's drama class, when state, everybody shows up to watch the last performance.

It doesn't matter what's happening. This town's invested in it. And there are a lot of towns like that around the country. And it amazes me that we lose side of that to be stuck to a screen, caring about what Gavin Newsom's doing in California or what, you know, or what's happening with Zoron, Mondani and New York. Like, it's not that those things don't matter, but it's like that's not going to be the reason why I argue with my neighbor. You know, that's what bothers me about it. Totally. Let's take a quick break, but continue this Memorial Day edition of Wilcane Country.

Staple's Preferred Business Membership, built for busy business owners, because you've got bigger things to think about. With Staples Preferred, get free delivery, no minimums. Staples Preferred unlocks up to 3% back, plus 10% savings on print and exclusive wireless offers. one less thing on your plate. Actually, a lot less. Visit staples.ca slash preferred.

That was easy. Welcome back to this Memorial Day edition of Will Kane Country. Totally. Well, it wasn't. It unfortunately is becoming why you argue with your neighbor. But I share your utopic vision of what actually was. Not what could be, but what was. Okay, I want to talk to you about Secretary of War Pete Heggseth

and what he had to say about new standards within the United States military. A lot of people wondered, and I don't think this is the exclusive reason that all of these generals from across the globe were called back to D.C., but this was in part reestablishing the warrior ethos. And he had a lot to say about standards and PT, physical training, and so forth. And let's listen together to Secretary of War Pete Heggseth on the new standards in the United States military. Today, at my direction, each service will ensure that every requirement for every combat MOS, for every designated combat arms position, returns to the highest male standard only. Because this job is life or death.

Standards must be met. And not just met, at every level we should seek to exceed the standard, to push the envelope, to compete, its common sense, and core to who we are and what we do, it should be in our DNA. That seems pretty, I mean, common sense. And I guess the fact that it in any way is controversial illustrates how far we've wandered away from common sense. He went on to say that there will be one singular standard for combat readiness for soldiers. Women will not be given a lesser standard if women make it great. He acknowledged that it will have an effect on women soldiers.

fewer of them will be qualified for combat. But he said, so be it. So be it. That's the way it works. We're going to have the most physically ready combat military. Yeah, exclamation point. Bravo, clap, clap, clap. That's exactly what he should have said.

I was on with Bill and Dana, and I said it on there. I'll say it right now in front of you because I think you'll understand this. There are a lot of men or women in Washington, D.C. that would say the right thing in a small room. General Mattis kind of had a reputation for saying the right thing at the Pentagon Press briefing or, you know, something like that. But to say the right thing, the thing you mean, the thing that you said you would do on the largest stage imaginable. I mean, every major news network covering it, the president's coming on after you, that takes courage. And I don't know if there's that much courage in D.C., especially the Pentagon.

I really don't. To be that consistent with what you've said since you wrote the book on it, what, five years ago, four years ago, I was really, I was just very proud of him. And I just want to kind of peel back the onion just a little bit on this one example. He said to every male standard. And then I've already seen the, you know, crap for brains, people on Twitter at saying, oh, he's trying to get rid of women in the military. I thought, well, understand something.

If in the Marine Corps, as a man, you have to run three miles between 18 minutes and 28 minutes. But as a female, you have to run it between 22 minutes and 32 minutes. the male standards, the tougher of the two standards on the same thing. In another example, if in the Marine Corps you have to do 20 pull-ups and you have to do at least three of them in the past, 20 to make it to make it a perfect 100, but the females do what's called a flexed arm hang for time. Well, I can tell you a million times I've had to pull my body up over a wall in combat. I've never had to hold myself in a position with my elbows at a right angle for a period of time. that's impractical.

That doesn't measure my combat effectiveness. It's a made-up way of deducing someone's fitness and strength in a confines of how they could do it. And so my point there is you're talking about male standards because those were the original standards. They were designed around actual functional physical fitness. And he's bringing everyone to that standard. It isn't about weighing it towards the men.

It's about bringing everyone to the same standard. If you want this, if you want this title, if you want this EGA on your column, if you want this EOD badge on your chest, if you want that Ranger rocker on your shoulder, then go do what every other person that's earned that title has ever done before, regardless of your ethnicity or your gender. That's what he's saying, or your religion. And that's exactly what he should say. Senator Mullen just talked about this. He said, four star, five star, you've got to be up to these standards as well. well. You have got to be doing daily PT and twice a year you've got to meet PT standards. He's like, I don't want to, I think he said this. I don't want to walk up and down the Pentagon and

see fat generals. It doesn't make any sense. He called them out to their face. Yeah. So what do you think? Bravo. You know what probably spurred some of this? A lot of things have happened. I think all the vitriol from active duty service members on X after Charlie Kurt's assassination. I think seeing fat and overweight and out of shape and out of regs national guardsmen in D.C. Had something to do with this up front and center and for God and everybody to see. That had something to do with this. I think the reason why he put them all in one room today is so that they can't go,

well, that's not how it sounded when you came to talk to me or they don't go. That's not exactly what the policy that you presented in that PowerPoint. It sounded a little bit more like this. He told everyone in the same room at the same time, the exact same thing, there is no room for gray area. He said it to every single one of them. And you know what? There's something incredibly powerful about having to hear it with your peer to your left and your right. You don't get to claim what's, I can't remember the term, but basically you don't get to claim that you didn't know.

There's a term for it. Anyway, you don't get to pretend you didn't hear it. You don't get to pretend, well, that's not how you heard it. Everybody heard it at the same time. And now you need to ask yourself, am I one of those people? Am I one of those people that have been going after folks for doing their job? Am I one of those people that can't stay in regs myself? Am I one of those people that have been promoting people based on their gender and their ethnicity, not their performance?

Am I one of those people? If you don't earn something, you know it. And it's like it's that kind of thing. It's calling them to the carpet and saying, I'm standing here and putting this standard on myself. Absolutely it is. And anyone criticizing it, go on somewhere. Okay, last one, Joy, listen to him talking here about beards. No more beards, long hair, superficial individual expression.

We're going to cut our hair, shave our beards, and adhere to standards. Because it's like the broken windows theory of policing. It's like when you let the small stuff go, the big stuff eventually goes. So you have to address the small stuff. This is on duty in the field and in the rear. If you want a beard, you can join special forces. If not, then shave. We don't have a military full of Nordic pagans.

But unfortunately, we have had leaders who either refuse to call BS and enforce standards or leaders who felt like they were not allowed to enforce standards. What's the line about Nordic pagans? Is he talking about like Vikings having all an individual look and un-groomed? Is that what that? is. I love the broken windows analogy. Yeah.

I mean, honestly, what he's getting at there is there are Sikhs and Muslims in the military that have push and push and push so they can wear a turban and a beard or maybe even Jewish people with certain things that are part of their, their, their, their, Hasidic belief or what have you. And what he's saying is, listen, this is the military. We don't have these standards and these conformities to take you away from your religion. And we do it because that's what it takes to fall in line and show your discipline and your allegiance to this country. He very specifically said when it comes to working hard, keeping up standards and grooming, that is discrimination and it's the kind we need.

In other words, if you can't make those sacrifices for any reason necessary, good or bad, that's okay. Go live a civilian life and serve that way. Because if you're coming into this meritocracy, you're going to be one of those little green soldiers that you put on a table that looks just like all the others and can be flicked off at any minute. because you've got to be willing to put your personal interest, your personal expression, your personal identity. You've got to be willing to put all that on a shelf in order to do this and do it right. Because only then and only then will you be willing to sacrifice all of that in your life for the people to your left and your right. If you're the kind of person that's worried about being able to paint your nails, whatever color you want them to be, or being able to style your hair however you want to, or grow your beard the way you want to,

then now you're worried about being an individual. And there's no room for being an individual when you're serving in the military, especially in the time of war. And that's what all of this is about. I don't care if you want to put your Marine Alphas on and put a leather dog face on to take your official picture. Go be a psychotic freak in the civilian population that they would love you out in San Diego at least twice a year. That's okay. I don't hate you for it. I don't even dislike you for it.

Don't do it in my Marine Corps. That's exactly what he's saying. You see, you start all the way there because what he's saying is it started with growing your beard and your hair and painting your nails, and it ended with, you know, men dressing up as women and men dressing up, I guess, as a dog. That's where it led to. Because if you're going to make an exception for this person's religion, then now you've got to make an exception for this person who's agnostic, but their identity is as important to them as their religion. You see what I'm saying? That's the bullshit that they've dealt with for at least 10 years now. Oh, really good stuff.

Joey Jones. By the way, real quick before we go, Mark Adiso says, in the Wilicia. Massachusetts. Okay, here's their four. Championship fishing. No, no. That's two separations. He didn't use a comma.

Championships, fishing, industry, taxes, high energy costs. He did five. One, two, three, four, five. Yeah. I'm having trouble with the no commas, Mark.

I don't know what to separate here on this words. Is it industry taxes? Is it fishing industry? Is it championship fishing? Kai, use some grammar, Mark. I'm just joking. I just don't know what you're saying. He's got to put the tea party on there at least, you know.

Yeah, something revolutionary, right? Yeah, exactly. Sam Adams. Excalibur 1-4 says, don't forget about the masters, Joey. The master's. Yeah, I'm not a golf guy, but that's very relevant, very relevant, 100%. All right, Joey Jones. Check him out on the Big Weekend show and The Unbroken Bonds of Battle, his new book.

Always good to see you, man. Thank you, Joe. Thanks, brother. Let's take a quick break, but continue this Memorial Day edition of Wilcane Country. Welcome back to this Memorial Day edition of Wilcane Country. I haven't spoken to him in a while, but he's a friend of mine, and he is a former colleague at ESPN. He's a former NFL player. He's also the author of a new book.

It's entitled Every Day Counts. David Pollock now joins us. What's up, David? What up, Will, how you doing? Will, you've known me for a long time. So did you ever think this big, dumb animal could write a book? Absolutely not. How hard was the process, Pollock? I think about it from time to time. Oh, I would like to write a book. Man, it is such an undertaking. Like, I don't know where you even begin. You know, here's the deal, Pollack. One of your chapters is about discipline and everyday grinding and the power of routine. And I have to imagine that's how you approach. writing a book? Like you got up every day and you said, here it is. Half hour, first thing in the

morning or last thing at night. You wrote. How'd you do it? How'd you write a book? Well, first of all, you could do it because you're smart enough to do it. So someone like me who's had a lot of shots to the head, it becomes a lot more difficult. I don't have the greatest focus in the world. So to me, it was about sitting down for a 20, 30 minute stretch, get up, go walk, go do, come back, sit down for 15 to 15 to 20 minutes. Same type of a thing. And, you know, I was most interested in like anything we prioritize, right? Anything that we want to make a serious thing in our life. If we want to be fit and be in the gym, we've got to do it first thing in the morning. Like you've got to do it early. That's, I've got to be selfish in the morning so I can be selfless the rest of my day.

And I got to get my most important things done when the, when the wheels are turning the most and firing the most. And then the next most productive window for me is, like you said, before bed. Like the brain goes, it races. Where's my notepad? Well, how can I write down? What's important? So you definitely learn like your zones and where you focus the most. But that seems to come naturally to you, Pollock. I mean, you've written about it in this book, Everyday Count. And I'm looking at you, and I haven't seen you in a while, and just looking at you besides your finely groomed goatee. You clearly have to be a little bit. You clearly haven't eaten a piece of candy. You clearly are eating right. Like discipline, look at your gleaming

white teeth, your finely sculpted face. You're just grinding away on discipline. Well, it's, it's either a part of your life or it's not, right? I haven't had a sweet in 25 years. Like, that's not an option for me. Here's another thing, too, Will. Like, God did not give me the discernment of of moderation. Not my thing. So I can't just have a little or else I'm going to go off a deep end. Hence why I don't drink alcohol.

Why I don't gamble. It's not going to go well. It's the same thing with eating and stuff too. But like, you know, my routine in the morning is the same every morning. It just depends on what I have going on that day. So if I have something at seven, then I'm going to get up at, you know,

4.30 to get my two and a half hours in of which my routine is. You know, so I think you've figure out what works for you. You figure out what's important to you. And then it's amazing. When we prioritize what it's important to us, we take those steps and we start to get better in whatever field that is. In this book, Everyday Counts, you take us through a lot of the stories in your life that kind of led you to this, to how you live your life today. And I think it's fair to say this is not how you always were, right? I mean, this is even perhaps as a player, when not at the high school or collegiate level, this wasn't really always.

always who you were as a player. No, I think you learn, you know, as you get older, we get more mature and we learn ourselves. And I think you kind of look back and you go, oh, crud. That's what, like at Georgia. So I go to Georgia, I go to Georgia as a fullback. I move to defensive tackle when everybody got hurt in camp. And I'll never forget, Will, they're telling me all these things to work on.

And this is where everyday counts comes from. Like, they're telling me as a defensive lineman, get off the ball fast with a short first step, stay low, use your hands, all this stuff. And I'm like, bro, I can't do all of that at one time. And I'll never forget. I looked at my GA and I'm like, hey, I'm just going to get off the ball fast with a short first step. And whatever happens, happens. And so, like, I didn't have the capacity to learn all the things at one time.

And I think, you know, how do you climb a mountain? It's one step at a time. And for me, I had to take things in a small way, small goals. I did it when I started television. It's the same way. and realize what I was doing. But as you get older, you're like, oh, that makes sense. And as you start to have children, you start to teach your children.

You're like, okay, this is kind of what I used to be successful. And it wasn't about the big picture, right? I think so many people get inundated with, and to me, it's the windshield mentality. Like, if we're always looking forward, like, that's not a good way to live to me. Like, if we're looking in the rear view mirror and we're always looking backwards, that's not where we want to be. We want to be in the present. And that means, like, when I lay my mind.

my head on the pillow, did I accomplish the things I wanted to? Like, we all have those dreams, but we got to take those small steps every day, and then we start to accomplish those big dreams down the road. Let me talk to you about when an interesting part of the book, you talk about being called selfish. And the reason it's of interest to me is that, you know, to the extent that you and I have been together and I've gotten to know you, that's not a word that would pop up, you know, at the top of my list of descriptors of David Pollock. Now, I haven't known you your entire life. Maybe there's various times when that might have been more accurate.

But Marvin Lewis, holdout for you, described you as selfish. Yeah. That's those kind of words hurt, you know, like especially when you're, it's kind of hard. So I got drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals and, you know, you want to go play. You got drafted to be a football player. I'll never forget. I had the Bengals players calling me and be like, listen, man, this is what's going to happen. You're going to hold out because they're not going to offer you a fair deal.

He was like, that's not how they do business. And I was like, what? He was like, we're not going to be mad at you. This is a business. You've got to make sure you get your business done. Well, at one point, I'm the 17th pick in the draft. The 16th pick had signed and the 18th pick had signed. And you're like, okay, let's go right in the middle, guys.

That seems like common sense, right? Will, like, we can get this done. And when the organization's offering you less than the 18th pick, you're like, wait a minute, this isn't fair. Like, this is not, this is not how this works. Like, right? Shouldn't we be somewhere in the middle? And then, you know, the coach's job is to push the buttons to get you in. And now you're three weeks into a holdout and you're being called selfish, man. It stinks because everything in you wants to go play, but there's a business side of it. So, yeah, I mean, listen, I'll be honest. Like, I've been, I've been selfish and I've been air. a large part of my life.

Like, if I'm just being honest, like, I've had that. And I still do, man. You have kids will, and you're like, gosh, now I see it. Right, now I get it, man. Like, I get a kick out of people. Me and my wife used to say all the time, we're so busy. And then you have kids and you're like, what on earth was I talking about? I wasn't busy.

I was busy with watching shows and different things. And so, you know, selfish is definitely a word that I've been called and I've been guilty of as well. Well, I think you also tell the story. of when you were in high school and you got you got a wake up call and you know you you got to see yourself on film and what that meant for you is sort of a wake up call yeah my high school coach man he had just taken the job and i am a kid that's offered by ohio state in florida and Georgia and climpson and all these schools and he walks in and he's like hey good to meet you blah blah blah and he was like hey love to sit down with you watch some tape i'm like cool like you know

let's do this. He pulls me in his office and he sits down and he's like, hey, man, if we're going to go win a state championship, it would be great. I need you to work harder. And I literally, speaking of being selfish, I'm like, I'm the best player on your team. Like as a 17 year old kid, that's what's going on in your head. Like I got offers like, and he put on the tape, man, and I'll never forget. And he showed me some clips and I was like, son of a gun. Like, he was like, you got to run to the football with effort consistently. And he was absolutely right. And it was the first person. that really like called me out, slapped me in the face. And, and listen, I tell parents this all

the time because I'm in coaching. I don't know why I will, but that was the moment I was supposed to get it and it clicked for me. It's not always going to happen. We all have good intentions of sitting down with people and trying to help them see things that they don't see yet. And but in that moment with a new coach introducing himself and showing me like, hey, you've got to do better. And he came from college football and I was like, man, okay, this guy, you know, he's got some clout. And the way he said it challenged me and it changed me. It made me work harder in practice. And I finally realized like, oh my gosh, he was right.

I wasn't doing it like I should have. And it made me a better man. You know, it's interesting you talk about that you're in coaching. Now, you love sports. I love sports. Sports has been a part of your profession. It's been at times a part of my profession. You know, you now in coaching, David,

I'm sure you're getting a front row seat to something that I feel like I've seen through my kids and also just living in America today. And that's how many parents are so invested in sports for their children. And I think one of the things about being at ESPN and then a little bit in playing water polo at Pepperdine is I got to see the various levels of athleticism. I got to see the difference between a Division I athlete and a high school athlete. And then, you know, at ESPN being around you guys doing something different, not playing your sport, but you're talking about yet another level of extreme rarity, the level of athlete that actually. makes it to the NFL. We love to lion eyes and talk about the stories of guys who seem like every man,

like Tom Brady, who grinded it out, sixth round pick, beat higher-drafted guys, beat presumably more athletic guys. But if we're being honest, Tom Brady at every level of his life was a special athlete on the field compared to, you know, the mass population of Americans out there thinking their kids going to play college football, they're thinking their kids going to play college, you know, soccer or whatever it may be. And I just wonder, and out you have this exposure

in this first round seat, like your thoughts on how many people out there are living delusionally about their kids in sports? A lot. And I understand why. Because here's the thing, Will,

when you're around your kid all the time, you see the best parts of them when it comes to sport. And you're like, okay, wait a minute, I see the potential. But here's the thing. So does every other parent. Every other parent sees the same

potential and the same, same glimmers of greatness. But here's the thing, man, Youth League Sports is out of control. But let me just boil this down really clip quickly for all these parents. When you're young, aggressiveness wins. Point blank, the most aggressive kid is going to win. When you're in middle school, the kid who's got hair under his arms that's hit puberty is going to win, because they're becoming a grown man already. When you're in high school and beyond, genetics wins.

I can usually look at mama and I can usually look at daddy. Like there are elements of I can learn to work. Perfect example, Will. My son is a junior in high school. He had zero offers for anything. In June, or in June, he went to a camp. He was 6.1. He was 191 pounds.

His vertical was 32 and his broad jump was like 9.5. Nothing special. My man literally grew to 6.3 in six months. He's 225. He vertical 36 and he broad jump 10. Hits scholarship offers start coming in. Like it's just very simple, man. The measurables are going to be what they're going to be.

And that's what they're really, you know, looking for to start with at a high level. So I think parents get parents, your job is not to raise an athlete. Your job is to raise an adult, right? And in an adult, the cleats are going to be hung up and just, I would encourage them just to have fun and not make it. monotonous. You're way more inclined to turn them off than you are to turn them on. Like way more inclined. And I think we do that a lot in society, man, with this stuff. And we just do too much. And they're like, dude, this stinks. I don't even want to do this anymore. Let's take a quick break. But continue this Memorial Day edition of Wilcane Country.

Welcome back to this Memorial Day edition of Wilcane Country. That is 100% accurate and true. And then you layer on top of that that, that one. 100% of those athletes will have to become adults. A very, very, very small percentage of them will make enough money in the interim that they actually might be financially set once they have to face adulthood without being an athlete. But even among those, how many will manage that wealth or that income over that period of before they reach adulthood that it actually sustains or maintains their life? I mean, I just saw the story that O'Dell Beckham Jr. has filed for bankruptcy, and he made well over $100 million throughout his career. So it's like we spend all of this energy raising athletes to your point and never making them adults.

Yeah. And that's our job. And like, you know, it's interesting because what you're going to have to do though, Will, you're going to have to look different because the world is going to raise athletes. The world is going to do travel ball, Paloosa. The world is going to be, you know, that's what they're going to chase. and to do. And, you know, just like with us, man, like we have missed, like last year, I'll never forget my baby girl does, you know, travel ball on a national level, whatever you want to do

with that. I was told the coach, he's like, hey, we got to be there. He's like, you got to be there at the tournament at 10 o'clock. It was a Sunday. I was like, coach, we'll be at church and then we'll come. And he was like, well, what do you mean? I was like, I don't care if you venture. I don't care. Like, we're going to church as a family. Like, church is more important. I tell my kids all the time that God is more important than sport. So I have to show them. Like I can't now go to basketball every weekend or go to football every weekend or go to softball, whatever that looks like every weekend. And so the world is going to tell you you've got to go do, do, do busy, busy, busy, work, work. And I think you can set the things that are important for your family and you don't have to compromise.

Note from my producers that the female viewership is enjoying the appearance today of David Pollock here on Wilcane Country. If you want, you can catch David more often at C-ball, Kipball, on his podcast. Here's some notes from the viewers. Still carried away, says, I have always loved David Pollock and miss his commentary during college football. And then Lauren Fulford says,

Damn Good Dog. Remember listening to him on 790 The Zone here in Atlanta back in the day. So very popular out there, David. Thank you, thank you. Some Georgia fans. I like that. So you bring up the importance

of taking your kids to church over showing up for the, tournament. I know that you've written about in this book that that moment for you. I know that about you. I think many people have listened to you and know the importance of your faith. But when did that start? When did that start in your life? It started as a senior in high school. Never grew up one time going to church, never knew anything about it. The family never did it. And two things, two big events happened in my life. One, my neighbor across the street, he was like, hey man, we're having this locking at the church. Do you want to come?

I was like, what is that? And he goes, you go to the church and they lock you in. You spend the night. I'm like, no, why would I want to do that? And he was like, well, you get to stay up all night and play sports. I'm like, oh, okay, I'm in. And so that was the first step for me. And then I had a teacher named Mark Watson in a public school.

And man, the dude was just different. And he had a Jesus sticker fish on his computer. And I was like, you know, this dude's different, man. Like he just, he was so calm and so cool and so easygoing. And just something about his life was different. And that really led me to picking up a Bible and to reading for the first time and end up meeting with Mark Watson, that teacher. And I'm like, hey, I don't know anything about this. Can you help me go through it?

And he was like, absolutely. So we started to go through it. And I started to read about Jesus for the first time in my life and all the things about his life and his lifestyle and the people that spent time with him. And I'm like, man, this is crazy. Like, I've never known anything about it. And then that's when my fate started to really to take off. and then I got to go to the University of Georgia with Coach Rick who helped me grow as a man

and obviously the FCA's and the team chaplains and all the stuff that come beside you and it really helped my faith journey to get off on the start on the right foot. So how close was it for you to go somewhere else? You thought about Florida. You mentioned Ohio State was recruiting you, but who did it come down to?

Florida and who else besides Georgia? Ohio State, Clemson were the other ones. But nobody knows this, but like the biggest difference, there was one big difference between Georgia and everyone else. And it wasn't winning. It was Babadol.

It was Lindsay Pollock, who was Lindsay Hopkins at that point, was down the road 45 minutes. And wherever Babadol was, I was going to be close. So she was two years younger than me, and she was still going to be in high school. So I was like, man,

because everybody asked me all the time, like did you grow up a Georgia fan? I was like, I was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Like my daddy always growing up, He was like, you're going to be a scarlet night. And I'm like, what is a scarlet night? He was like, Rutgers.

He's like, we're going to go to Rutgers and wrestle. I'm like, and I'm six years old. When I moved to the south, I was four. And when I'm six, seven, eight, I'm like, no, I'm not. Like, absolutely I'm not, dad. But the other schools were great schools, but they didn't have the proximity to Lindsay Pollock. So your dad was brainwashing you to go to Rutgers, even while you were living in Georgia

because he was a New Jersey guy. And you were like, no, no, I'm not being. Scarlet Night? No, I visited Ohio State as a senior in high school, and I'll never forget, man. The plane lands, and I'll go, Mama, what's that white stuff on the ground? And she was like, you live here, you're going to get a lot of that. I'm like, uh-uh, no thank you. Okay, so stick with the South, go to Georgia. Clemson's not that far away, by the way. No. I think it's like an hour and a half drive, right, actually, from Clemson to Georgia. but that hour and a half mattered for your high school girlfriend who became your wife?

Well, I mean, I was 45 or 50 from Georgia, and then it's another hour and a half, Will. So, I mean, that's so far, man. Come on. Yeah, right. That's so far. Okay, whatever takes you become a Georgia Bulldog. That conversation we were having, David, about, okay, you got to raise adults. You can't just raise athletes. You know, I think that whenever I talk, I have a nephew, by the way, that does play at Clemson.

and he's really good. And I have, you know, other people in my life that I know, have known who are really good at football or other sports. And one of the things I do share with them. And this is really a lesson that I got working at ESPN is that thing that we're hinting at is that it does come to an end. And then there is this reinvention period that's difficult. That's difficult for even the best of guys. And, you know, you and I've probably talked about this. I know I've talked about it on air.

It's akin to the military, like a lot of guys who are Navy SEALs or Army Rangers, and then it comes to an end. It's like, okay, what do I do now? Because that defined who I am for so long. You know, and so then there's that moment for you when it's over as well. And I think it's interesting that also, by the way, TV came to an end. So you've dealt with the end of some things. And I'm curious how you navigated the end. I think that it's always how you look at it.

And, you know, one of my sayings that I've had since I was. in college. It was, don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. And I think just like football came to an end and football was what I worked for since I was four years old. And since I was six, I would tell anybody I wanted to play in the NFL. Like it was over. I was like, man, I can't wait for what's next. Like, because this was awesome. This was fantastic. College game day. I got to go travel the country and and go to the best venues and I got to talk about sports. Like that's amazing. I can't wait for what's next. You know, so I think that, you know, if we can keep an attitude, man, like the art of the possible.

That's what I've started to realize, man, because I didn't think I'd write a book. Like, I didn't think I'd want to speak across the country. I love doing that. And it's so much fun. And it's not something I knew I was going to do. But I feel like TV has really prepared me for speaking and sharing my story and my, my struggles, and my, not my successes, but how I've handled my struggles. And so I think it's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when.

When that storm comes in your life, because it's coming. And all of us that have lived long enough know that. Like, how are we going to be prepared to help it, man? And to get it 22 years old and to have your dream taken away and you have to reinvent yourself, like, it was awesome. It was one of the best things that ever happened in my life because I became a better husband. I became a better dad. I became a better son, a better friend.

Like, you only get those experiences. When you go through something hard, you really learn what it feels like. And then you have empathy and you have the ability to relate to other folks who are going through similar type stuff. But I think how do you, how does your mind chef go? It's the get to versus have to, right? Can we get to the point where everything that happens, man, I'm not worried about what happens. I'm worried about my response.

Like, we're already here. So now how do I respond? And I think as you go through some tough things in your life, you realize, like, I'm stronger than I think. And I'm built to handle this. What is that storm? What was that storm? What's the biggest struggle that you had to overcome? Well, probably my wife a year ago tomorrow is the anniversary of her craniotomy, of her surgery.

She got diagnosed with brain cancer. And I think that one, Will, was probably the hardest for me because, you know, me getting fired from ESPN. And by the way, that would tick my mama off because she's like, you didn't get fired. She got let go. I'm like, Mom, they told me not to come back. Like whatever you want to say, Mama. They locked the door and said, you're not welcome. But she got diagnosed with that, with brain cancer.

And I think the neck was me. The firing was me. And so I think it was easier to handle. But when your baby doll, the love of your life is going through something like that, it's I wanted to fix it. First of all, I wanted to take it, right? Like, I wish it was me. And that would have been great.

But to learn how to struggle and to learn how to go through something really, really hard that's not yours. And I feel like God was like, hey, listen, dude, like she's mine before she's yours. And, you know, instead of wrestling and fighting and struggling with God and dislocating a hip and breaking a hand and stuff, because you're not going to change the scenario, just kind of learning how to let go and let God. I think that was probably the most difficult. It was the most recent, too. But thankful to have so many friends and family in our lives that have come in and supported us and helped us get through it.

it because it's a totally different animal man when you got so many folks that are going to come in and fight with you yeah and i think in in in one sense what you're talking about is one of the hardest things for all men and that is control you know it's almost easier to take responsibility for our own failures or our own catastrophes because there is some element of control that's the that's the power of responsibility and i do think we live in a time when everybody tries to shirk To me, I've always found responsibility enabling. It's like, it's my fault. Well, if it's my fault, then I have some control over fixing it. I can get some control over how I respond. I can get some control over the next time. But when it's not me, you know, listening to you talk, my answer would probably be some things that have happened to my kids. That's when it's the hardest because of my limited ability to control what's what the outcome is or the lesson from it. And we don't, we don't, and a lot of people that have anxiety and worry and all these different feelings and emotions, man, in the end, we don't control it. So how much time are we willing, how much time and energy are we willing to waste on it? Because that's what it can be. It can be a waste of time, a waste of energy. And, and that's the, that's the everyday counts. That's kind of how it started in my life. And that mantra is like, I control today. So make the next right move, right? Like, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, worry about tonight. Right. Don't worry about it drives my wife crazy because, you know, like if

I'm leaving town the next day, she's like, what time's your flight tomorrow? I was like, baby, I have no clue. I'll look at it tonight before I go to bed. And she's like ticking because she wants to, I have to know. I have to, it doesn't change anything. And so I think it's a hard thing to understand, but I think it can be freeing. And you can understand that like worrying the great Van Wilder, right, worrying is like a rocking chair. It'll give you something to do, but it don't get you nowhere. Once we start to figure some of those things out, like we can relinquish control. And it's a freeing way to live, right? I'm not in control of all this. And it's not going to be predicated on every single little step that I make. Hey, what's the best moment on the field, David? If you

have this golden moment in your memory, the one that makes you smile the most often, what is that moment playing football? There's two. One is winning an SEC championship for the first time in 30 years at the University of Georgia. I know that sounds weird because they win it every year now and they win Natty's, but we were kind of part of that turning it around. So that was just so huge in 2002. And then the play that will I get asked about this play 600 times a year in the South. And people say, I remember where I was. There's a play against South Carolina where the quarterback rolls out the pass and I just try to knock the ball down. And when I try to knock it down, I hit the quarterback's like arm right here. And as it, as I hit it, I was just trying to knock the ball

down. And the ball kind of comes down his arm or his shoulder midsection. And I just grab it. And I was in the end zone. And so it was a touchdown. And we ended up winning that game 13 to 6 against South Carolina. But that play, I got to go to the ESPEs, which was so weird. And talk about putting lipstick on a pig because me on the red carpet just, I'm a defensive lineman. That's like Herb Street when I started at Game Day. He was like, kid, we got to work on your, like your, your, you're out ensemble. He was like, why aren't you can't wear sneakers?

And I'm like, Kirk, I'm a defensive lineman. Like my hand goes in the mud. That's what I am. And so, but that individual play was definitely a play that everyone always brings up when I, when I get to see him and talk to him. Here over on Facebook, David, is Jenny Coatee. Jenny Coat says, go dogs. Our son grew up with a picture of you.

and David Green praying before a game in his bedroom. Thank you for being an example to the next generation. That's pretty cool, David. Oh, thanks, Jenny. It's not me. It's he, but thank you very much for the kind words. Yeah, David is also an important person in your life, right? David Green.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, David was my, Greenie was my moral compass when I was younger, Will. I was the idiot that was like, hey, let's climb to the top of this and jump off. Like, let's do all the stupid things, plenty of energy. was my age, grew up with him, and he would always be like, hey, P, let's think about this. And I went to college, you know, with him and lived with him. And he was a critical, him and his parents, Rick and Kay, were a critical part of my journey and helping me and just everything, coaching, all the things.

Well, in this book, Everyday Counts, David has written about his career, his life, and the lessons at various times that he's taken through this journey, from TV to football, His journey with faith as well, as he mentioned, his wife's health crisis. And from high school, college, to pro, awesome lessons from a guide that takes every day seriously and present in every moment, as you can hear right here. Discipline and present every day. You can also check them out at Seaball-Gipal. David, it's always good to talk to you, man. Glad to have you here today.

Thank you. Will, great to catch up, Big Dog. Thanks. That's going to do it for us today. We appreciate you hanging out with this. Happy Memorial Day. We hope you will follow us on Spotify. by our Apple. We'll see you again next time. Listen to ad-free with a Fox News podcast plus subscription on Apple Podcasts and Amazon Prime members. You can listen to this show, ad-free on the

Amazon Music app.