Pivot Podcast

Special Pivot: Ryan, Channing and Fred get really personal opening up and answering your questions from life to sports to regrets to what ifs, everything is on the table and their responses may surprise you.

36 min
Apr 3, 202616 days ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

The Pivot hosts Ryan, Channing, and Fred discuss Jaden Ivey's release from the Chicago Bulls following controversial comments about LGBTQ+ Pride Month, debate whether NIL payments have softened college sports, and share deeply personal stories about pivotal life moments that shaped their careers and character.

Insights
  • Athletic talent provides tolerance for controversial behavior; lesser-skilled players face consequences that star players might escape with minimal penalties
  • Religion is frequently weaponized to justify discriminatory views rather than practiced as a foundation for universal love and respect
  • NIL compensation has democratized athlete earnings without degrading competitive intensity; rule changes and player entitlement are separate issues from financial compensation
  • Mentorship and family support systems are critical differentiators in whether young athletes navigate adversity productively or destructively
  • Divine intervention narratives reflect how athletes process luck, timing, and survival of near-catastrophic events that could have derailed careers
Trends
Mental health awareness in professional sports as a prerequisite for player retention and organizational accountabilityGenerational conflict over NIL compensation revealing resentment from older athletes who generated revenue without direct paymentCollege football competitive intensity remains unchanged post-NIL; rule evolution (targeting, QB protection) is the actual softening factorAthlete activism and social media commentary creating liability for teams, forcing organizations to enforce conduct standardsShift from paternalistic coaching models to transactional athlete-handler relationships driven by NIL monetizationReligious rhetoric as cover for discriminatory positions becoming more visible and contested in mainstream sports discourse
Companies
Chicago Bulls
Jaden Ivey's employer; released him citing conduct detrimental to the team following controversial social media state...
NBA
League criticized for Pride Month initiatives; subject of Ivey's controversial comments about LGBTQ+ support
WNBA
Partner league with NBA that strongly supports LGBTQ+ community; relevant to broader league accountability discussion
University of Florida
Alma mater of hosts; context for NIL discussion, book theft incident, and college football competitive standards
Miami Dolphins
NFL team where host played; referenced in career trajectory and near-fatal truck accident during off-season
People
Ryan
Co-host discussing Jaden Ivey situation, college sports NIL debate, and personal career pivotal moments
Channing
Co-host providing college sports expertise from Miami; shares personal story about unplanned parenthood decision
Fred
Co-host and mental health advocate; discusses Jaden Ivey's mental health needs and shares book theft suspension story
Jaden Ivey
Released by Bulls for conduct detrimental to team; made controversial comments about LGBTQ+ Pride Month and Christianity
Charlie Strong
Mentioned as influential coach who shaped Fred's defensive development and career trajectory
Lawrence Taylor
Cited as Ryan's all-time favorite player and inspiration; considered best defensive player in football history
Charles Woodson
Mentioned as Channing's college-era idol; exemplified defensive excellence Channing aspired to emulate
Walter Payton
Referenced as inspiration for Channing's love of running back position and professional football aspirations
Marshall Faulk
Mentioned as freshman-year inspiration for Channing's running back position preference and career direction
Curt Cignetti
Praised for building Indiana into powerhouse through talent identification and strategic NIL compensation
Tony Sparano
Mentioned as coach who took over Dolphins organization during Ryan's early NFL career
Steph Curry
Subject of Jaden Ivey's controversial rants about faith and religious beliefs
Anthony Edwards
Used as comparison example of star talent receiving tolerance for controversial behavior that Ivey lacked
Zach Thomas
Mentioned as Ryan's role model and inspiration for defensive excellence in football
Quotes
"If Jaden Ivey was Anthony Edwards, he'd still be on the team. He's not on the team because he's no longer good at basketball. And in not being good at basketball, you don't have the tolerance that great talent provides you."
RyanEarly discussion
"Jesus is love. He loves every human in his likeness. What does it matter who they're dating? What does it matter who they like? What does it matter who they married to? What does it matter to you? Why are you so against that?"
ChanningLGBTQ+ discussion
"Let these kids make money. The game is not changing. People that love the game are going to continue to love the game and have a couple million in the bank."
ChanningNIL debate
"I was going to have a baby with somebody I wasn't with and had no plans on being with. I was going to make my mom a grandmother at the age of 38. But I chose her. There was never a time I didn't."
RyanPersonal pivotal moment
"God watches over babies and fools and you a grown man. That's when God had his hands on me. So all of them situations, God had his hands on me."
FredTruck accident reflection
Full Transcript
I really get sort of jealous when I see these clips of other shows interacting with their supporters. So I was really excited when our producer decided to include you guys. But we started the show with important news from this week. Jaden Ivey's release from the bull sparked riveting conversation. And now me, Chan, and Fred will weigh in. And then we got to the good parts. Your suggestions. And no, not your suggestions about who we should have as guests on the show. By the way, if any of you guys have Lewis Hamilton or Michael Jordans or Dave Chappelle's numbers, please pass them over because we would love for them to be on our show as well. But we talked about things like who we admired, who inspired us, and we even got to pivotal moments in our lives. This one was fun. There was laughter. There was debate. And we shed tears. So thank you for the love. Thank you for the support. And thank you for your consistency. It's another three-man Wee Friday featuring the best fans in the world, you guys. Hold up. Amen. We had this crazy idea, right? That we was like, hey, let's ask the fans what they want us to talk about. And so most of them are just basically like, well, a lot of them are like, hey, we just want you to have these people on the show. And my answer to that is, if you have these people's numbers that you want us to get on the show, of course we want like Michael Jordan on the show. And of course we want all these like great WNBA players and track stars and all of these people that entertain and act. And we want them all. If you could help connect us with them, we'd be extremely grateful. Highlight a player. Yeah, we'd be extremely grateful. Getting a yes to do the show is much more difficult than you think. So we're going to answer some of those questions. This is Fred. This is Chan. I am Ryan. Welcome to The Pivot. Thank y'all for pivoting with us. I think before we get to that, though, I do want to talk about Jay Nive. He was just released by the Chicago Bulls. He said on one of his posts on his IG Live that he was released for conduct detrimental to the team. He went on to explain and ask how they see my conduct detrimental. He went on to rant about Steph Curry and his relation to Christ. He went on to rant about the LGBTQ community. So it was a lot of different things involved in him getting released. Freddie T, I know you are a strong advocate for mental health awareness and for mental health as a whole. This feels like something bigger than just basketball with Jay Nive. How do you kind of see what's going on with him? The bits and pieces that I caught, I do understand the Bulls released him. And allegedly it was because of certain, you know, anti-gay talk. He criticized the NBA in their approach on Pride Month, right? And, you know, he said he was against it. He spoke about his Christian faith and beliefs and, you know, it was against God and what we stand for. And on one hand, that is totally fine. If this is your faith, so be it. That's fine. But there is a time and a place to, you know, address those concerns. I don't know how much of his release came because of those comments. At the end of the day, he was just traded to Chicago in February. So I mean, him being released for his comments, we don't know, right? Really, truthfully. But his comments are his displeasure with how the NBA goes about their business in promoting these things. My stance is this. I do not have a problem with the LGBTQ or the gay community. I don't know all the letters. I'm human. I just wanted, I was put here to live life, not for a long time, but to go on this journey that God set me on. Not to question you or try to deter you from living a life that, you know, to the fullest of your ability. Those comments didn't sit well with me, but this is how he feels. And for that, I respect his, the way he feels. But I don't believe Christianity or your faith should come with disrespect for, you know, a community or a group of people. That part, I totally didn't agree with at all. So I don't know what you guys just thought. Man, people use religion and they take what they want out of scripture and try to make it to their narrative. I like that. Jesus is love. We heard that. I'm a Baptist. Jesus is love. He loves every human in his, in his, in his, he was, what was it? He was, they were made in his body. In his likeness. In his likeness. What does it matter? There are people out there that don't like Black History Month. There's people out there that don't like Women's Month. There's people out there that don't like LGBTQ plus month. Let people live. What does it matter who they're dating? What does it matter who they like? What does it matter who they married to? What does it matter to you? Why are you so against that? And for this young man, he has to understand that he is representing a league that has to be accountable for all their employees, which let's be honest, they are their employees, social medias and all the stuff that's come up recently. So he has to understand that. And I understand you have your stance on this and this and whatever you have, but man, he has to understand that he's representing a league and I just don't understand why people want so bad to get into other people's business. They're not messing with him. They're not fooling with him. Why even broach the topic of the LGBTQ community? What are they, what is that month doing to you? You have to wear a jersey patch? Like, let me know what, let I need to know why he was so upset and had to speak out about the month and why not? Like what, why did he need to speak out about it? What was it hurting him? How was it hurting him? Well, first thing is this and y'all know this from playing sports. If Jaden Ivy was Anthony Edwards, he'd still be on the team. If he had played more than four games this year, if he had played more than 33 games last year, if he had played more than 30 games the year before, if he didn't have the injury history that he had, he could say what he want, probably do what he want, get a slap on the wrist and be right back. He's not on the team because he's no longer good at basketball. And in not being good at basketball, you don't have the tolerance that great talent provides you. That's why he's gone. Now let's talk about the Christianity piece of it because so many times we use Christianity and we see that more and more in today's society. We use Christianity to veil the hate and the evil that we want to spew because people feel like if I say it comes from God, if I could point to where it is in the Bible, now I'm bulletproof. Where in Matthew 22, 37 through 39, it talks about the golden rule. It's love God first and then it's love your neighbor as you would love yourself. Like that's what we are told to do. And so to go on a rant about religion, to be questioned in other people's religion and then talk about the NBA's involvement with the LGBTQ community, knowing that you're also partnered with the WNBA, knowing that this is something that they support immensely, you're putting yourself in position to be treated in this way. And for Jade and Ivy, I think we have to look deeper into the mental health of what's going on as well. This is a player that was drafted fifth overall. This is a player to average a thing like 16, 17 points through his first two seasons that has dealt with injury, that has dealt with being traded, that is starting to be more and more open about the things that he is feeling and experiencing. Somebody needs to check on that young man. Somebody needs to have a conversation with him. Somebody needs to wrap their arms around him. And I understand that you can take what he said and we feel the same way as hateful to ward another group of people that doesn't mean he should be thrown away. We're seeing too many young men that deal with these things through sports in life that are now dying by suicide, that are now being put in bad positions. So for me, I understand why he's no longer on the team, but the other piece of it is I hope that someone gets him the help that he needs through this tough time. Alright guys, so we got a question from L.B.22 on the IG. He talked about the current climate of college sports. He believes it's gotten softer because they're getting paid more. Chan, you are more tapped into college sports than any of us with what you do down in Miami. Yeah, it's not getting softer. Y'all ain't watching the College Sports Playoffs this year. It's amazing. They was whooping ass. They were getting physical. Indiana, the UM championship game, all the old missing them. They were getting after it. It's people that are upset that these kids are making money. I don't understand why you're upset these kids are making money. What we call it, the 1% or 1% make it. Why are y'all upset that the 99% can get paid now and get a headstart in life? And if they fuck the money off, that's their decision to mess their money off. It's not a different game than it was when we played. It is extremely talented. It's actually higher scoring because I hate the rules of football now. You can't pinch a quarterback's nose more than get paid. Let these kids earn money off their name, image, and likeness. I remember being in the video game, number 55, at Florida Gators, but they had no name on it and they were making millions off of us, but we weren't making money. Let these kids make money. The game is not changing. People that love the game are going to continue to love the game and have a couple million in the bank. Dudes that weren't going to make it anyway weren't going to make it and they're not going to make it and they were going to be sorry anyway. It's not getting softer. Don't look at your salary and these kids' salary and get upset with them. Your ass should have worked harder when you were nine years old. That's what it is. It's almost, I don't want to say it, but like I'm not even B29, 47. I don't forget his name. Don't be jealous of these kids making money and don't judge the game of these kids making money because I'm telling you I watch college football a lot. It is not a lesser game after they started getting paid. It is the same exact product that was on the field in 1972 when nobody got a dime for playing games except for Taylor, but they, but it's just, I hate that narrative that the game changed. They're getting the check. It has not. Did you watch Duke and Yukon basketball? Have y'all watched the Final Four? The Martin brothers, they are out there balling as millionaires and I love it because a lot of them dudes that we're watching right now in their tournament are never going to play in an NBA roster. Right. Now I can, I can probably see where that comment comes from. The game has changed. The game has evolved until you were in the trenches. You really can't weigh how intense that game is. Like he has to be on the field to kind of see the level of intensity. Now from within, I do have a lot of friends that are coaches at different, at various programs from what they're saying, guys that have played college football, they would agree with that comment. They would say these guys, they show up to practice. They act like they don't want to be here half the time. If you take that money away, some of them probably won't be there at all or maybe they'll even change their attitude. So from that perspective, I can kind of see where, you know, some of the guys are entitled, right? They believe that I'm going to get this checked no matter what you do. I can perform however this is it. I've made it and I'll fall back. But then you have a select group of guys that probably have the RC mentality or the Channing mentality or even myself to say, shit, I just want to compete. Show me what you got. You know, that money is cool, but it's me and you right now. We locked in. So from the surface, I can see what he's probably saying. The rules have made the game to where you can't knock guys out. The major right hit, that would be called targeting. You know what I'm saying? So from that standpoint, I think the totality of it all, he is saying the game has gotten soft because he's probably old school, maybe used to those type of knockouts. We'll probably look at each other and say the NFL game has gotten softer because it's a different set of rules and certain things aren't allowed that were allowed. It was legislated out, but the same person that's going to get that check and hang it up is the same dude in the fourth quarter when he's tired and got a mouth bus three times is going to hang it up too. The dogs, you can give them a billion dollars and they're going to go out there and try to embarrass another man every single player. For that reason, really quick, RC, just really quick. I think if he were to separate it into two and not include the NIL with the intensity of the game, this is a different conversation, but because he put those two together, I can see your point and even the point about the game being soft. The game ain't soft because of the money. For some players, they're comfortable, they're complacent. Yeah, I see it. And now you have a reason to say, man, you don't got soft, bro. Like you should be grinding harder to get to that next level. But for the most part, there's just different dynamics. Like the game is just what the game is because of the evolution of the rules and you know, what they have now. So I think the question should be separate. The game ain't softer. It's all of these folks that wanted this free labor off of these boys that's pissed off now because they get paid. It's people that made their careers off of being able to slide little dudes a little bit of money under the table, you know, behave like a father figure. And then now those same people are complaining that the game has changed. And it's because you can't put your thumb on dudes anymore. And now I also hate that you got to keep recruiting a dude once he's on your team. I also hate that they threaten to leave if they don't get a certain amount of money. I do hate that as soon as they come to a place, they say, how much money you going to give me? But I don't hate it because it puts the school in a bad place. I hate it because it puts the kid in a bad place. Because now you got these hanger-ons and these handlers who are using these kids or taking percentages of their money that aren't saying, what's the best place for you to go to develop and become a great successful young man one day be able to run a business or be a great father or a great husband. It's like, hey, how can you go to this place, make as much money as you can right now? Right. And a lot of those dudes who make the top money, they don't go to the league anyway. But when you talk about what it's done to the game, it's actually given the game some new faces. Like Indiana has been able to become a powerhouse football team because Curt Signetti could coach. He can understand, he understands how to identify talent. He knows how to pay the right people the right thing and then develop them and put them on the field. Alabama is now at a disadvantage because we can't get all the five stars at our school now. So we don't have a second level group of individuals. That's better than your first level group of individuals. And those are the people that are pissed off. The people who watch the game and enjoy football know that the game is different and the game is not softer. The game is safer because it needed to be safer. But these young men are still playing hard. Now there's a process behind the scene that I'm sure is much different than when we played. But when I watched those dudes play in the college football playoff, there was never a time I watched the game and said, I am disappointed at the effort of these young men. And that's why a lot of them will be first round draft picks. All right, fellas, we got another question from contact DTM one on Instagram. He wants to know who are your favorite role models or persons that help you get to where you are or your favorite person growing up and that person that helps you get to where you are? We all probably got the same answer. Mama Dukes. You got Mike. So you spoiled. You got Mama and Daddy. But I got to give Mama a shout out. Kevin Whitley, high school coach, Charlie Strong. Y'all know without Charlie Strong, there wasn't no defense. And Zach Thomas, my role model was just wild now. Think about it. My favorite player, I think the best player to ever touch a football field in the history of time is Lawrence Taylor. I had a dog named LT. I have every Lawrence Taylor jersey. I bought them. I have helmets. I have Lord. I think Lawrence Taylor is the best human that ever put a football helmet on in the history of football. If you ever watched Lawrence Taylor films, I would say LT was my inspiration. But the people that got me there was Charlie Strong, Kevin Whitley and Pauline Pope. Yeah. When I talk about my idols and ball, the people I looked up to, I had a Charles Woodson. I cut his sports illustrator out and had him on my wall in college. He was in college my first year in college. I thought he was the epitome of a defensive bat. But growing up, my cousin Gary Lewis, he went to Alcorn State. He was the swag player of the year. He was drafted by the Raiders in the sixth round, played six or seven years in the league in Canadian football. But he took me everywhere with him when he came home. I remember when he would go train at the park in the off season, I would hold the bungees while he ran. I would just sit on the side and just watch him work. When he got drafted, he came home and he bought a Nissan Maxima. It had rims on it. It had tenet windows. He had sound in it. I was like, man, I want to be just like him. I wanted to go to Alcorn State because that was football to me. That was the only college games I would go to. I would see the Golden Girls. When they sit down, they'd be, you know what I'm saying? I thought that was the epitome. I knew the McNairs went there and all these different things. Watching him gave me something tangible that I could make it. Being around him and seeing him never change and him soaring into me. But even in the craziness, he married a Golden Girl. I was like, oh, you go to lead. This is how it worked. It was my younger brain, but everything he did, I wanted to do. How much time he gave me, though. How much love he showed me. He would tell me, yeah, like you're going to be better than me. He would tell me, you're more athletic than me. You're smarter than me. But just to him, though, yeah, I was all of those things because I had him. You know what I'm saying? Not everybody has that North Star that they actually touch, but I did. And so yeah, it's my cousin, man. I was like my big brother growing up, but definitely that was for me. You said, cousin, I got to keep it in the family. My uncle Eddie, man. He's the first athlete that I ever met. First person that pulled me out of the crib to roll me a ball and eventually, as I started to grow, he would come out here and say, race me. Race me. We run against each other. So he kind of got me started on the journey of wanting to do stuff athletically. But I believe that Walter Payton would be the person who actually took me and say, all right, this is what I want to do. This is what I love. This is what it looked like. Go be that. Eventually, that sort of evolved to my love for the running back position. Fell in love with Marshall Fogg as a freshman San Diego State, what he did with against UM down in Miami. And I just fell in love with that number and just the whole position all over. But truthfully, I would say the lessons that my uncle, that Eddie tried to teach me were mainly about life, learning to be your own person. He went to family on the track scholarship, fastest person in the area, state, all that different stuff. They called him Black Jesus back in the day, Rand Hurd. And he still has a record at my high school to this day from the 80s. Unfortunately, his life kind of took a left turn with his best friend. They were smoking weed. He passed him a joint. The joint was laced with, you know, cocoa, whatever. He called it a boom joint down south. And that high led to him wanting to chase greater highs. And that just derailed his life completely. So a person who had potential to possibly go to the Olympics or any of things, you know, he was good. It just went off track completely, of course. But these are the things that I was able to see and witness. You know, stealing from my grandmother, taking this, taking that. I said, I don't want to do drugs. If this is what it makes you do, I don't want to do that. And that helped me circumvent and navigate, you know, being on the streets after the football game, not drinking behind this person or not taking, you know, a blunt or anything from this person. It helped me get to where I needed to be. I think God showed me that because so I can be here. I can be to where my career took me. But Eddie was the first person that opened my eyes to anything athletic. And I would always consider him my mentor for that. Because he taught me a lot indirectly, you know. Damn. Yeah, man. That's my guy. Yeah. Instagram. She wants to know it's almost a pivot question, but it's both sides we can we can decide between. Is there a action? Is there a time, a situation in the past that could have changed your life positively or negatively that puts you right where you are today? Mine's about to be negative. I know it sometimes. I got out of some shit. For me, I wouldn't consider negative or positive. I think it was just something that was meant to happen. It was a negative action by me. I was in Gainesville, Borg, Antsie, just up there, you know, ain't a lot to do summer A, B. And myself and one of my homeboys decided to visit the law school. We were on a journey to steal books so we can sell them, flip them and get some cash, few extra dollars. I don't believe we would have been doing that if we had NIL back there. But we did what we did. What you stealing boxes for? You trying to be in a club? Books. We're stealing books to resell. So we went over there, grabbed a few books. He was like, I got two backpacks. Let's go. I went with him to the bookstore, sold the books. After that, they discovered who did it. We had to go and sit and stand before the Student Judicial Board. I ended up being suspended four games. Cosbury came back for me because D said, you know, Fred didn't take them. I took them, but we were together. So I'm an accomplice. So learned the lesson then because I had intentions on taking them. Spurry went to bat for me. They ended up taking one game back. I missed the first three games in my junior year. So for that, my intentions before the season were to go to the NFL, where I could redale and those guys who got drafted the year before I ended up coming out. So they were drafted in 97. That in itself was God saying, be patient. I got you. Now it looks bad, but I'm in control. I got you. Sit back and trust me. Played out my junior year, had a decent year, but I returned as a senior because the ratings were, I wasn't going to get drafted high after missing those three games. Came back my senior year, full-time starter. Spurry was giving me the ball, you know, throughout that season. Had 1,300 yards, Russian broke a lot of records and ended up going ninth overall. So I say to say that even though in the moment that situation seemed negative, but it was just God saying, I'm in control. And it put perspective on everything and timing worked out. And I'm an advocate of, you know, be patient. Things happen for a reason and let it happen as it may. Oh, that's a good one. I think we all have similar stories like that. I would have to say the moment that I found out that I was having Jaden, I was 19 years old. You know, I was going to have a baby with somebody I wasn't with and had no plans on being with. I was going to make my mom, a grandmother at the age of 38. You know, probably the piece of it that changed my life the most was, I wasn't ready to be a parent. Jaden's mother wasn't either. And so we were having all these conversations about adoption. And you know, they had found a family. I remember going to my mom and saying, you know, mom, if she's ours, I'd like to keep her. You know, and I asked my mom, did she think I should try to transfer to Tulane, you know, so I could be home? My mom and my dad was like, no, you know, you're supposed to be there. And we'll do whatever we have to do to help you take care of her. And you know, man, like I couldn't, it hasn't been perfect for sure. You know, I couldn't imagine life without her though. Yeah, I couldn't imagine having had the life I had with my family and with Jordan and Logan and thinking that there was a baby. I didn't give that opportunity because I was irresponsible or I was scared or I was ill prepared. And that could have changed my life if I didn't have my parents, you know, it could have changed my life if I didn't have that support. And you know, and for what her mother did early on in her life and making that decision. So for me, it was definitely that, right? Like that could have changed the trajectory of who I became and who I was. And through the experience of raising her, I am the man. I am today along with other things. So yeah, for sure, man. I love her so much. You know, she's now because she's older. We get to be friends. We get to talk about the ups and the downs, the adversity. But she gets to know that, you know, that I chose her, you know, and I tell her every time we have a conversation and every time things are tough, I tell her, I was like, just remember from the very beginning, I always chose you. There was never a time I didn't. My fool, Jay. That's my girl. That's my girl. Oh, she wanted to tell you to, she wanted to tell you to no more short kings. She said, she said, she said, tell Uncle Chan. Now you gonna make me cry for a boy. I got to do my side of the story. Goodness gracious. That's my girl. I mean, it could have been, it could have been D rail so many times as a grown man. I look back all the arrests I had felony charges at Florida assault and battery charges. And it Huntley Johnson, the attorney people heard about Huntley and what the swamp, whatever they call it, they show like he's the attorney for the ball player caught those charges. All these things, as I thought about the question, these are the things that made me really believe in God. Like I went to church as a kid and you God, like when I saw when I'm sitting in jail multiple times about the ruin and a great football career. That's what I'm sitting there and that's when you start praying. And that's the bad part of what people do. That's when you start praying is when you at your bottom, God, please get me out of this. I ain't never gonna find nobody again. I ain't never gonna drink again. God, please. And you really, he knows you lying to him because you lying to him. But it made me believe in God, but just I'm a rested Florida man. How if some of the, some of the dude I, you know, one of the dudes I hit broke his jaw. What if he hit his head on the ground and died? I'm in jail forever. Yep. Like as a grown man, I sit back and look at that. But bruh, y'all remember I crashed my truck in the way. I had a, I had a pickup truck, I had a dodge deal. And it's off season. I'm at a, I'm at a shake spot with skull and Franklin boys. And I leave and it's raining. But this is when the Hemmings first came out. I'm flying down the turnpike right there by Pembroke when it turns. So this 07, we was garbage at one of 15 and then parcel took over brought Tony Spirano in and all them boys. And so we ain't really met yet. And I'm flying back off season, flying back down the turnpike, probably doing a hundred from the shake spot. And I lose control of the truck. And I fly off into the grass and I hit a palm tree, big palm tree dead on, boom. And as soon as I hit it, the airbag hit me. Wham! And I did knock me out. All I remember is pushing back and then being asleep, waking up here in the horn blow. And I shake my head and I look over. I hit the palm tree so hard that the engine turned into the passenger floor. My door came open because the impact. I got to climb across to get out the passenger door because the engine pushed the passenger door. So I could get the passenger door open, push the passenger door open. If the engine would have turned left, my legs would have been crushed. My legs would have been cut off. I'm in the middle of my NFL career. That's that's year three for me for going into year four for me. If the engine, if the palm tree hit this side and that that side, feet away, that engine would have went to the other way, crushed my legs. Get out the car. Nobody's around. I run down to the highway. Put my finger out. I'm gonna start in the middle line back for the dolphins. I put my finger out on the side of the highway. A dude stops and picks me up. Think about that. Like the storylines never get out there because this is how God, and that's what I'm saying, bro. It took this and, you know, takes a tough time for hard-headed people or whatever. My sister always said, this is the one thing Alana said to me. She says to me, she said to me since I was in middle school, God watches over babies and fools and you a grown man because she knows I'm a fool. Walk to the highway, put my finger out. A man pulls over, picks me up, drives me straight to my front door. I got the cash in my pockets. $3,400. I was gonna show the man love. I turned to him, old white man, big beard, big truck, like a big white U-Haul truck with no signage on it. I said, man, I appreciate you. Go get money. He said, no, buddy. I've had some rough nights and drives off. There were so many different situations in that night that would have either cut my legs off, got me locked up, me driving too fast. I lose control. I hit somebody and not a palm tree. What could have happened in that, on that particular night that could have ruined my life? That's when God had his hands on me. So all of them situations, God had his hands on me, but to the Instagram, my Instagram family, it was a six, not even six, a two hour, one hour period that could have derailed everything. I haven't met my wife yet. I haven't had kids. I was just about to get my second contract. This is three years in. I ain't getting to the fourth. It was so much that could have happened in that window that y'all might not even know who I was if that night went differently. And that's how I know that God has his hands on me. I tell y'all, we riding around all the time, oh, it's raining, man. God got me, man. Y'all good. Y'all gonna call me, y'all good, man. God got me. Honestly, Chane, that leads us to the next question from Nevit underscore, is what was your plan B? My plan B, I was going to be a veterinarian. I went to Florida. I was studying animal. Why the fuck you laughing? How you going to ask me the question and start giggling? I'm listening. Go ahead. I'm sorry. Go ahead. A vet with no legs. Go ahead. I can't be a vet. Y'all haters. I was National Legion Honors and scholars and all of that stuff, man. Y'all better quit this giggling. I went to Florida to do animal science. Then once I started balling, they said, yeah, you might want to take ping pong and bowling because we know what your outcome is. I was going to be a veterinarian. Y'all can kiss my ass if y'all don't think I could be. Fred. You know, the only thing I ever really saw was like my mom come home each and every day in her sheriff's uniform. You know, I went to school to study criminology. And someone said, I can be a police. I can eventually get to appointing Bill Lawyer. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. I didn't have a solid plan B. I started out in criminology because of my mom. But I didn't really want to be a police. But because of, you know, seeing her, I know it would be an easier route for me, all of that's felt. But I didn't, like R.C. said, football was it. That was it at the end of the day. I was smart enough to do other things, but I didn't really have a focused plan B. Yeah, I mean, I think when you talk about a plan B, I knew there was a B. I just had no plan to get to it. I got B and I. You just had B. Yeah, I knew there had to be something else if it didn't work. I didn't plan for it though. You know, like you went to school because you were supposed to go to school. Like I started off in kinesiology. I was like, I could be a PT. And then I went to mass communications. I wanted to be a sports information director, which was things I believe I could have gotten to and could have done. But like, I just wanted to play football. I went to class because class was a part of playing football. And then while I was playing football in the league, and I know TV felt like a plan B, like that just kind of materialized because I was really good at plan A. And plan A was like to be present, to be in that spot, to do what coaches told me, to show up, try to outwork people. And when the lights came on, be as good as I could be. So people saw me. And when they saw me, it gave me opportunities to do other things. And I think that's what we get kids and young people so fixated on having other routes that we don't make them get tunnel vision on finding that goal. And that only happens in sports, right? Because if somebody tells you they want to be a doctor, right? And they pre-med, that parent is like, study, study, study, study, study, be this, do this. They're not telling them, but what if it doesn't work? And so I think that for me, I was like, I'm going to work hard on this. I'm going to do the schooling. But I wanted to be a ball player. Dr. Crowder. Hey, how you doing?