September 3, 2025 • 29 mins
Rob and Kelvin debate whether Kawhi Leonard deserves more scrutiny for his role in a series of controversies (most recently, getting paid under the table by the Los Angeles Clippers to circumvent the salary cap), and argue whether Roger Goodell is right when he says that football fans want the Monday after the Super Bowl to be a national holiday Plus, FS1NBA analyst Ric Bucher swings by to discuss the Los Angeles Clippers allegedly circumventing the NBA salary cap to get Kawhi Leonard an extra $28 million, whether these under-the-table deals exist across the League, and much more!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Pablo Tory finds out they've been doing some great work
with that podcast.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
A lot of investigated reporting.
Speaker 5 (00:30):
Can I tell you this, yie for people don't know,
there are a million stories if you're willing to read lawsuits.
When I worked to the Cincinnai Inquiry, we had a guy,
a reporter. His job was to read through lawsuits. Like
you know, you go to public record, you beat me
to it. Those are public It's are public records, rob
g And if you're willing to read through them, names
(00:52):
come up all.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Kinds of This is how you break stories.
Speaker 5 (00:54):
But a lot of companies don't invest in that, but
investigative that's how you get.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
And so shout out to Pablo and his staff for
reading through the lawsuit as it relates to this company
called Aspiration. All right, one of their co founders, Joseph Sandberg,
pled guilty to defrauding multiple investors. In the filing, they
noticed a list of creditors to which the company still
owed money. Listed among them was something called k l
to Aspire LLC, a corporation that shows Kawhi Leonard as
(01:25):
its manager. The filing show that Aspiration still owes Kawhi
seven million dollars. What's interesting about that is that according
to the reporting, Kawhi did not have a single endorsement
or mention of Aspiration during the lifetime of his quote
unquote deal, and in fact, in the document which is
signed by Kawhi Leonard which they uncovered, it shows that
(01:48):
Kawhi was paid or to be paid twenty eight million
dollars over a course of four years. Here's the kicker,
though only if he was still paying playing for the
Clippers now. Pablo went on to interview several people who
worked for the company, and one of the employees in
the finance department set on the podcast quote the deal
(02:10):
was to circumvent the salary caps. Here it is in summary,
Allegedly Steve Balmer and the La Clippers paid Kawhi Leonard
twenty eight million dollars under the table to circumvent the
salary cap to get him to Los Angeles.
Speaker 5 (02:26):
So they also found out that Balmer had put fifty
million dollars into that company that went on.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Yeah, that's the connection. You put money in there. He's
tied to it all of a sudden, and we all wonder.
You bring it up all the time.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
You and I have the.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Kawhi Leonard conversation, Like he didn't go to the Lakers.
You know, I thought he could go play with a But.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
I still don't think he wanted to be a part
of that. I don't think that had you know, the money.
Of course, Sweden is the deal, but to be I
don't think because he would have had an easier life
going there, could have won a lot of championships. Lebron
Ad and Kywalker and Kawhi. You know what I'm saying,
But go ahead, I'm just twenty eight million dollars. It's crazy.
I want to say.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
That tomorrow think about it, and after this case comes
out and both of us are Frans. Kawhi when he's healthy,
he's one of the best. He ain't never healthy, but
the silent killer he has been the silent assassin that
has been getting away with murder. He's just lay low
in the cut, don't say much, don't speak up, doesn't
necessarily its social justice. If it's this, if it's NBA,
(03:28):
if it's beef, if it's drama, he stays out the way.
And for most parts we kind of okay with that.
You like that because he stays out of the drama,
he stays out of the fray. But the silent assassin
has been getting away with murderful little things, like, for instance,
with the Spurs that has been one of the most
tight knick groups in all of sports the last twenty
five thirty years. But Kawhi's there Finals VP, things get
(03:49):
a little rocky, him and Uncle Dennis going at it
with the company, with the organization. There's beef, there's drama.
We don't know who's lying, he's heying, he's injured. They're
saying you should be back by now. Eventually they trade him,
they don't get anything for and then he goes and
he leaves. He goes to Toronto. They had to give
up Damarrow and now he's there and they win. But
he's like, I'm out. Other people we might have said, dang,
(04:10):
why would you leave this team. You got something going on.
It might have been more back class, but it's Kawhi.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
We let it roll. It's no big deal. You know
what the taxes are on Canada. You know, no, very hot.
Most people don't want to play there. Very hot. All right.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
So then now he's back to the States, goes to
the Clippers. And now we have a large reason why
that's twenty eight million dollars. Oh and mind you, if
you look up the dictionary, go ahead, look it up.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Go look up load management. Kawhi is there.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
So between load management, the way he left the Spurs,
who left the Raptors, now we find out twenty eight
million with the Clippers. I'm like Kawhi, the silent assassin,
which it pays to stay out, the fraid to be quiet,
has been getting away with a lot rob and again
this old will for see how this works out. This
happened again with Minnesota some years ago, back in the
nineties with Joe Smith and the league find them first
(05:00):
round picks and all that. We don't know what's gonna
happen with this. Obviously, investigations have to ensume blah blah blah.
But more so for me, on Kawhi. It's like, all right,
I see you. There's a lesson to be learned. Be quiet,
shut up, Leo. I'll stay out without the press and
all that. And you can get away with a lot.
Because anybody else rob who's done somebody half of the
things out made we would they would be getting blasted
(05:22):
for said thing.
Speaker 5 (05:23):
I disagree. I totally disagree. This has not This is
not a Kawhi deal. Kawhi can't write that deal in contract.
If his people approached Steve Balmer and the Clippers with
this could be like, hey, we got a bide by
NBA rule. He didn't write the contract for himself. They
were willing to do it. It's like a guy cheating
(05:46):
with the married woman. Right, I'm single, she's married. Who's
the onus on the one who has a commitment with
the husband? Right, you're married, You've made a commitment. I'm
just how many times no, no, no, I'm just trying
to say, Kawhi, you can go ahead.
Speaker 6 (06:04):
The Clippers are here, they know the rules that they're
circumventing a cap that's set up for the teams to
be able to sign players to put this on Kawhi.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
Now I'm not saying he's without blame, that he knew
this was going on and all that, But this has
to be he can't make the deal and force the
Clippers to break the rules and circumvent the cap. They
have to be willing to be a part participant in
it and be able to fund this other company.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
This is on the Clippers, not on Kawhi and the stuff.
Speaker 5 (06:38):
You're you know, you're giving him a hard time about
what went on in San Antonio. It's obvious he's been
hurt and he didn't buy into what they were doing.
I don't think Kawhi won two championships right his whole
You think he.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Doesn't want to play, don't.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
I don't buy for one second Kawhi doesn't want to
play or has faked any of his injuries or anything.
I think that I has really suffered and had issues
athletically because it makes no sense when he plays. He's tremendous.
There's no reason. He's a young guy. So I don't
buy into that. Okay, I don't buy into what went
(07:14):
on a San Antonio.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
I don't buy into this.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
This is not on him, and I love that Kawhi
did not go to the stacked team when he had
a chance that I am, but I said that showed
me a lot.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
You are not at ross right now, because if you
are at ross, you'll be buying up everything you clearly
you don't want to buy the fact that I'm not
saying Kawhi Leonard has been injured.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
We all know that. But other guys, what will we
be saying? Man? You got a man up, you got
to push.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
It was criticized big time by by uh Tim Dunkan
now who is it? Tony Parker and man Genobi came
out publicly and questioned his health, which you know that's
a code against players.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
You don't know my pain's that sounded like about the
be a Negro spirit. You don't know my page, what
I've been through. You don't know how I feel underneath
my skin. Who are you to tell me this is
an amazing blue song?
Speaker 7 (08:10):
Right?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
I'm just saying this is I'm not done with you.
You you not buying anything again. We know that guys
are injured, We know that guys are heard at times.
Kawhi Leonard plays when he wants to play. He's gotten
away with it, not mad, That's why we said it.
Kawhi Leonard again, the Spurs have been tight knit. We
don't hear nothing of really coming from Demartin Rose and
left the team still singing their praises. Everybody leaves and
(08:31):
sing the praises. Kawhi the only one that has issue. Kawhi,
you got me get back to you this twenty eight
million dollars. You do know he's in the NBA PA right,
He's a part of the Player Association, which means he
has to buy it by the CBA, which means he
has to.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
Buy by it. Brother, you can't get twenty eight million.
That was on the side.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
But I can't sign his own contract. Come on, now,
you can't he literally signs it.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
No, he can't. The team has to be handcot stopping.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Kawhises always have braids on the clippers.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
They get some of the smoke, They get all of
the smoke.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
Because all they have to do is if that was
the way it was presented, they could have said no, no, no,
this is against the cap.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
That's not what the present I'm not saying they did
present it. I'm saying they go to him and say,
hey man, we found a way around it. Here's twenty
eight million for this week Win Company, He says, cool,
all right, signs on.
Speaker 5 (09:21):
Dude, You think you think this is the only person
that's been circumvented a cap in pro sports?
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Oh nonota no, no, no, no, no no.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
You're talking about two that you caught. There are other
teams and other players that they not, So no doubt about.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
The only reason you know.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
The only way you know about this is because of
the documents that are public record. The only reason you
knew about Barry Bonds is because of Bouco and when
they uncovered the records.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
If you didn't know that the same thing, you wouldn't
know that. I wouldn't know anything until I know it.
Speaker 8 (09:56):
I know.
Speaker 5 (09:56):
But I'm trying to say that this goes on. This
is not a think think this is a Kawhi Leonard.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
I think this is a joonas slippers fliers just got caught. Okay,
Kawhi Leonard was the guy. Could have been Chris pulkuld
have been anybody, but this Kawhi Leonard, And I love
saying is Kawhi? Do we not bring him up enough?
Speaker 2 (10:15):
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Speaker 9 (10:27):
Hey, it's Ben, host of The Fifth Hour with Ben
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(10:49):
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Speaker 4 (10:50):
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Listen to The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller on the
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Speaker 1 (10:58):
Joining us now, Reck Milker f S one NB host
on the Ball podcast, Rick, what's up man?
Speaker 4 (11:05):
What's happening?
Speaker 7 (11:06):
What's happening? Gentlemen?
Speaker 5 (11:08):
So tell me about the dummy company that Fox Sports
one had set up for you so that you can
make more money than Skip Bayless. Oh, how we only
wish that's.
Speaker 7 (11:20):
The dream for all of us. Right, and I mean
the jokes kind of right themselves. When it comes to Kawhi,
he's getting paid double not to do anything like it
with we were already there were already questions about that
in terms of how much he was playing, he was
playing in the league. But now we got we got
a shadow job on top of it.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
It reminded me of college, like when I remember I
was covering Saint John's and Chris Mullen had a no
show job at a dealership.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
They used to do that. You remember that Rick in
the day.
Speaker 7 (11:51):
Uh, yeah, yeah, there was Remember the movie was a
big shot. What was the the uh the movie be
with the Shoves, This up with Up with the sun Zone,
Shine with a Red Hot Poker. It's about a basketball
It's about a basketball kid who who he gets his
job is watching the sprinklers.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
Yeah, I do remember that. I can't remember the name
of it.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Yeah, well that was his job watching a sprinkler. Yeah, hey, listen,
sign me up.
Speaker 7 (12:22):
Yeah exactly exactly. But but here, you know, in all reality,
like I had heard when when they first signed Kawhi,
there were there were rumors that there were there were
side deals being made, and I would dare say that
Balmer is not alone in terms of owners who find
(12:44):
sweetheart deals for players that they want to acquire. It
may not be as blatant as this, and it may
not have a paper trail, but I don't know that,
you know, tipping tipping players off to great investment opportunities.
Now that we have these billionaire owners who have such
wide and massive portfolios, their ability to enhance the offers
(13:11):
being made to players really isn't that hard. So in
some ways, like honestly, while great reporting bipolotry and great
late work, I mean just tremendous, tremendous work.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
We talked about that.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
You know, if you're willing to put in and read
these lawsuits and really, diggain Rick, you noticed as a
newspaper reporter, you can get these in for this stuff
out in there, stuff in there.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Yep, yep.
Speaker 7 (13:40):
But all that said, like ultimately it was twenty eight
million dollars wasted. Like they didn't they didn't get it,
you know, get me, give me, give me. What if
Joe lakeb has done something or Wes Eton and Mark
Lasri who a team that ended up winning championship and
(14:01):
ended up getting players or a player in a place
where you did not expect them to go and it
paid off. That's the story that I really, that's the
story that I want. And I say none of this
to disparage anything that Pablo did, but on the scale
of things that that like I look at it and
I go, yoh, Steve Balmery, yeah, you went above and
(14:22):
beyond to sign Kawhi Leonard and it didn't pay off,
Like you've already paid a penalty, like you bet on
the wrong freaking horse.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
So well, then, Rick, I want to ask you this then,
but stay there for a minute, right, So is that
the penalty that hey, your team just has men've this
guy barely plays or does the league jump in and say,
you know, we got to do something extreme, or do
they want it to quietly go away.
Speaker 7 (14:46):
I well, look, if they can prove that there's a
connection then or that it's clear that the Kawhi did
absolutely nothing to earn the money, I mean, there's still
the question of like did you know and I haven't
read all the documents, Maybe you guys have. If the
documentation clearly shows other than the interview that he had,
(15:10):
the blind interview of the of the worker who said
that this was you know, basically said this was cap circumvention,
the league has to do something. I mean, unless Balmer
with with every all the evidence that Pablo has, I
would say guilty until proven innocent at this point. So
(15:32):
Balmer's got to demonstrate somehow, some way that that that
he wasn't connected or not involved in this deal. And
short of doing that, I mean you look at what
the penalty was for Joe Smith. Yeah here than that, So.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
He's gonna be interesting.
Speaker 5 (15:53):
What'd you make of Charles Barkley's comments about the you know,
just the fan with where I get it. The money
is so out, you know, outrageous of your league. You
want to take it, but you know you don't. Yeah, yeah,
everybody doesn't have all those I know, everybody thinks everybody
has all the streaming and whatnot, but a lot of
(16:15):
people just have regular television at home.
Speaker 7 (16:20):
So what you're you're well, I mean, look, here's the thing.
The way that the NBA looks at at the TV
ratings and and and everything is they've saturated. They have
they have tapped out the domestic market, and so they
(16:40):
are looking to uh to expand and to take advantage
of their global reach. You can do that much easier
if you're streaming than with national broadcasts, and so that's
what dictated the direction that they win.
Speaker 5 (16:55):
But the only problem Rick, I'll say this too, is
you can and boxing used to be a huge sport
in this country, and when they made everything pay per view,
you cut into that. You stop kids from growing up
watching fights. Every fight's on at midnight from the West
coast and you got to pay eighty nine dollars. You know,
(17:16):
a lot of kids grew up and box is not
as big. And even a team like the Yankees that
are really popular, they have game weekend games on free
TV for a reason. They could just take the money too,
because they know that they don't want to, like you,
don't want to freeze everybody out from being able to be.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
A fan and watch the game. That's that's all.
Speaker 7 (17:35):
Yeah, No, I know, I mean I totally get that.
But they're playing the numbers game and they're looking at
the you know, I'm just I'm watching a lot of
EuroBasket right now and I'm seeing all of these fans
in the stands with NBA jerseys of the players that
are playing, not the Lithuanian jerseys, not the Slovenian jermy jerseys,
the NBA jerseys, and the league is looking at and
(17:57):
going those are our fans like, those are fans we
want to tap into. Those are fans that we can
get to buy a league path because they will do
they will do anything to to try to to uh
to watch and they're you know, as of right now,
they're fighting with the NFL, they're fighting the you know,
college football, Like they have so much competition here, they
(18:19):
don't have that same competition over there. That's that's that's
new blood out there that they think they can tap into.
And that's why Amazon, you know, edged out tn T
and NBC going NBC Universal has demonstrated that they have
the wherewithal to to go into streaming. So it's uh,
I hear you, Rob in terms of how we grew
(18:41):
up and and and it may cost them ultimately in
the fan share when it comes to the US, but
they think they can, they think they can make that
up globally.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Well, we'll wait and see.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
But I'm kind of the more alone the lines of
Robin just that you don't know your core, You've got
a core based Yeah, we'll do here right right, Yeah, Rick,
We're up against it, man.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
Thank you so much, appreciation.
Speaker 7 (19:04):
It my pleasure.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Guys.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
App Roger Goodell Megan's Round to promote the upcoming NFL
season with kicks off in about twenty three hours from
now when the Eagles take on to Cowboys, and in
any event, he was on the Today Show, as you mentioned,
during the conversation, he was asked about the idea of
an eighteen game regular season.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
Here's the exchange.
Speaker 8 (19:37):
Listen, we always say what do the fans want? What
are the fans really think is important? And I think
it's clear they want more regular season game versus preseason games,
and it's something that we'll work through with the players Association.
We continue to make our game safer, and I think
that's at the core of making that kind of a decision.
Can we do it safely for our players? But it
(19:59):
also so I think represents an opportunity for us to
continue to bring higher quality NFL content ultimately, and a
regular season game is clearly better.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
You mentioned giving the fans what they want.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
As you probably heard by now, a lot of NFL
fans would love to not have to go to work
the day after the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
The Craik always takes them Monday off, but America wants
to as well.
Speaker 8 (20:20):
Correct what point do we start to see the super
Bowl on President's Day weekend? I think if you went
to eighteen weeks regular season, that would probably occur. Okay,
is possible somewhere in the calendar could happen before that,
just because of the calendar the way it lays out.
But I think eighteen weeks would get you to that point,
and I think it would be a great, a really
(20:41):
great move.
Speaker 5 (20:42):
It's the biggest non factor I've ever heard, like this
whole idea that you need a day off or Monday
after the super Bowl?
Speaker 4 (20:51):
Do you know what time the super Bowl kicks off?
If you live here in Los Angeles? Three o'clock?
Speaker 5 (20:56):
What time does Sunday Night Football come on every Sunday?
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Eight o'clock Eastern? Right?
Speaker 5 (21:02):
And people go to work on Monday. You don't need
no holiday? What holiday? This is the NFL and these
fan like the NFL trying to make themselves more special
or more important than they really are. Really a national holiday.
It has to be so that people could be off
on Monday. And they don't have to after the super Bowl.
(21:25):
The super Bowl starts at six o'clock, which is earlier
than Sunday night football six o'clock. Even if the game
went till ten o'clock. You can't go to bed. You
can't want You can't have a couple of pops and some.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
Chicken wings and get up and go to work.
Speaker 5 (21:42):
Come on, man, this is where the NFL and people
think it's bigger than it really is. Nothing's changed here.
I keep hearing at national holiday, the super Bowl. It's
a Sunday, it's in the winter. You're not going anywhere.
We're just eating chicken wings and drinking a couple of beers.
My god, no, no way, no how.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
We don't need it to go to President's Day so
that you could go. Oh, the super.
Speaker 5 (22:11):
Bowl, it's a national holiday, it's a super Bowl Sunday.
Can we leave it as it is? Why? Why do
we have to overinflate stuff and make it like you
would be doing the people of this country a service, because,
my god, they gotta get up on Monday.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
And go to work after the super Bowl. You mean
the super Bowl that was a blowout and over in
the first half.
Speaker 5 (22:37):
Rob g the super Bowl was over, Go to bed
if you gotta go to work.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
You kidding?
Speaker 5 (22:43):
Who doesn't go to work because they watched the super
Bowl the day before?
Speaker 4 (22:47):
Who?
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Please?
Speaker 5 (22:50):
It's nonsense and you're right, sound like a softball question
that the NFL does.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
Media people through.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
To the NBC question, Hey, Roger and Dale is gonna
come on, please answer and ask him these questions. Listen
most of the ways I want to break this down.
First of all, he said, I just want to get
the fans that they need. Rob's I've never heard the
fans talk about an eighteen game. I've never heard of
fan man. I love the NFL. I can't wait, baby
(23:19):
we back, but oh I need an eighteenth game.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
Nobody said that. You just enjoy football?
Speaker 2 (23:24):
You know?
Speaker 5 (23:25):
You know what I would respect if the people there
at NBC said to him, Roger, can we be honest.
Speaker 4 (23:31):
Isn't this eighteenth game.
Speaker 5 (23:33):
Because you can sell a regular season game more than
you sell a preseason game, which is local television and
not on national.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
Isn't this about money? It's a this about money?
Speaker 1 (23:45):
And then you followed up with whatever he says with,
come on, what about the health? That's an additional game
because we all know preseason games, nobody's playing that hard
and they're not trying to hurt. You know, everybody's trying
to make it out a live, a real regular season game.
This is costing to get the chance to get to
the postseeds and get the playoffs and get to the
super Bowl. So guys are all in. It's a whole
different thing. So health clearly went out the windows just
(24:07):
about that. That's just money ground, money ground, and we
know that. And this is where so we went from
fourteen to sixteen used to be seventy twelve. That's why
I man, twelve, fourteen, sixteen, seventeen looks like eighteen?
Speaker 4 (24:21):
How long before twenty? You know what I'm like? When
does it stop? Right? And that's what made the game
beautiful is the scarcity. You know, every game matters, you know,
every week matters. We're all in. Twenty games is coming
up before you know it.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Now back to you, missus, Scrooge McDuck by humbuck, let
us get.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
A Monday off.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
It's everybody doesn't have seventy two days off, like you
just went on the world trip around the world.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
Can they get a Monday off? And they don't. They
ready to get Monday off? Can they double up?
Speaker 1 (24:50):
Can they go super Bowl Sunday rolling the Monday I'm
off not you know, February eighth or something, whatever it is,
and I gotta go to work. Let people enjoy. They're
like base since their family, their friend. I might have
friends around of town. We can stay up, we can
read half the super Bowl. We can talk about Janet Jackson,
what happened at the super Bowl halftime. We can talk
about Beyonce, how powerful she is she shut off the
(25:12):
halftime lights.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
And then maybe I want.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
To go out throw a Super Bowl Sunday night party.
I don't want to go to work. Look at you.
I thought you were a man of the people. Now
people are trying to get what they want to get
to watch super Bowl Sunday. Now I have to go
to work on Monday. It is a great marriage. Now
you're over here making.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
Us go to work.
Speaker 5 (25:31):
It makes no sense. Come on you at the game
starts you live in lane. Don't tell it starts at
three o'clock in the afternoon.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
You can't go to work on Monday.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
I tell her, if these stopped pocket watching, you stop clockwatching.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Don't don't tell her you can't go to the game.
Speaker 5 (25:45):
You can't go to work on Monday because you watch
a three o'clock Super Bowl game on the West Coast.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
No, I can't make it to work on Monday because
I was pregaming at nine am Pacific. You go by
four pm Pacific for the three pm kickoff on the
West Coast. I'm already about nine drinks in, he says.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
Come on, now, you got an alcohol problem.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
I got nothing to do with football and I enjoy
met Okay, then fine, then just make Sunday. Make Sunday
where the Monday afterwards everybody knows, like, you don't have
to come in till noon. If it's for all you
nine to five typical stuff, you don't have to come
into New Ones.
Speaker 5 (26:22):
They already have what all the holidays? People get off
enough already?
Speaker 4 (26:25):
What is it Why we can't what?
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Oh, you traveled the world, but I'll take it off.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
In Europe they take all the time off. They have
four holiday right by the way. I know we got
sidetracked though, you know.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Roger Goodwell's like, hey, you know, if we get the
eighteenth game, we can slide the Super Bowl to presidents.
They get the holiday, you know, They could have done
that anyways without an eighteenth game.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Wants you, yeah, make it another week, like you know,
another bye week. I really want to do another week,
get it. There's a way to do that without that.
But that eighteen game is crucial for him. And that's
the thing about it, man. The players need to stand
up if they really don't want it. Man up, they say,
you don't want to in the quarterback players gonna stand up.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
They can't even get healthcare and a pension plan.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Why don't last tell them to stand up? Rod they
stand up? Say even my you know my I got
Patrick Rose. Oh man, you know, I just I mean,
you know, we don't want eighteen games. You know, we
don't want.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
To say, you know, saying what the chess? We ain't
having it. Seventeen was the end all be all.
Speaker 5 (27:25):
We lost this, So all you gotta do is your
Patrick Mahomes and what these guys uh they could play
eighteen games.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
I'm not playing playing eighteen games this contract.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
You get enough players to say that what you got? Okay,
I'm not playing eighteen And I hate how he tried
to use the preseason. You are fans tell stay rather rotch? Well,
they didn't say they wanted more games. They just said,
if I asked you, which one would you rather watch,
weeks five of real recular season or preseason?
Speaker 4 (27:51):
Well, you say it like real season, Like.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
That doesn't mean I need eighteen seventeen, eighteen, nineteen twenty games.
That's just simply means real football is more important than
I'd rather watch.
Speaker 5 (28:00):
Well, now that they don't even play in the preseason,
why would I want to watch it? They used to
play in the preseason. Yes, come on, that's the difference.
That's why nobody wants to watch it. They don't play.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
And you could at least look me in my eyes
after I saw you know your said your favorite team,
favorite quarterback play the first half and charged me one hundred.
Speaker 4 (28:17):
Dollars for parking. Oh, they I want to talk about that.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
They want to talk about preseason, same dag on price,
same record season.
Speaker 3 (28:23):
Well, look, y'all, guys are so right. You can't turn
left right now. Here's the problem. And it's another conversation.
The other day, the two forward facing faces for the
NFL players, Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow, have both already
been on the record of saying, if we're gonna get
to eighteen games, just give us a nextra buy. So
all the leverage they would have had in these negotiations
out the window.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
When your two the four headed monster quarterback position and
I get it because they play quarterback and they don't
get I think subconsciously they're like, I don't get hit
that much. I just love the game. Yeah, you know,
I have more chance, the guy more chances to get.
Think about the other guys.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
I say, Kwon Barkley's five hundred touches, think.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
About that line and a block for your butt all game.
Hell with to Helmer right after bat Hi
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to check us out live every weekday from
four to seven pm Pacific seven to ten pm Eastern
on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The
Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream
us every day on the iHeartRadio by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Pablo Tory finds out they've been doing some great work
with that podcast.
Speaker 4 (00:28):
A lot of investigated reporting.
Speaker 5 (00:30):
Can I tell you this, yie for people don't know,
there are a million stories if you're willing to read lawsuits.
When I worked to the Cincinnai Inquiry, we had a guy,
a reporter. His job was to read through lawsuits. Like
you know, you go to public record, you beat me
to it. Those are public It's are public records, rob
g And if you're willing to read through them, names
(00:52):
come up all.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
Kinds of This is how you break stories.
Speaker 5 (00:54):
But a lot of companies don't invest in that, but
investigative that's how you get.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
And so shout out to Pablo and his staff for
reading through the lawsuit as it relates to this company
called Aspiration. All right, one of their co founders, Joseph Sandberg,
pled guilty to defrauding multiple investors. In the filing, they
noticed a list of creditors to which the company still
owed money. Listed among them was something called k l
to Aspire LLC, a corporation that shows Kawhi Leonard as
(01:25):
its manager. The filing show that Aspiration still owes Kawhi
seven million dollars. What's interesting about that is that according
to the reporting, Kawhi did not have a single endorsement
or mention of Aspiration during the lifetime of his quote
unquote deal, and in fact, in the document which is
signed by Kawhi Leonard which they uncovered, it shows that
(01:48):
Kawhi was paid or to be paid twenty eight million
dollars over a course of four years. Here's the kicker,
though only if he was still paying playing for the
Clippers now. Pablo went on to interview several people who
worked for the company, and one of the employees in
the finance department set on the podcast quote the deal
(02:10):
was to circumvent the salary caps. Here it is in summary,
Allegedly Steve Balmer and the La Clippers paid Kawhi Leonard
twenty eight million dollars under the table to circumvent the
salary cap to get him to Los Angeles.
Speaker 5 (02:26):
So they also found out that Balmer had put fifty
million dollars into that company that went on.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Yeah, that's the connection. You put money in there. He's
tied to it all of a sudden, and we all wonder.
You bring it up all the time.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
You and I have the.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Kawhi Leonard conversation, Like he didn't go to the Lakers.
You know, I thought he could go play with a But.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
I still don't think he wanted to be a part
of that. I don't think that had you know, the money.
Of course, Sweden is the deal, but to be I
don't think because he would have had an easier life
going there, could have won a lot of championships. Lebron
Ad and Kywalker and Kawhi. You know what I'm saying,
But go ahead, I'm just twenty eight million dollars. It's crazy.
I want to say.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
That tomorrow think about it, and after this case comes
out and both of us are Frans. Kawhi when he's healthy,
he's one of the best. He ain't never healthy, but
the silent killer he has been the silent assassin that
has been getting away with murder. He's just lay low
in the cut, don't say much, don't speak up, doesn't
necessarily its social justice. If it's this, if it's NBA,
(03:28):
if it's beef, if it's drama, he stays out the way.
And for most parts we kind of okay with that.
You like that because he stays out of the drama,
he stays out of the fray. But the silent assassin
has been getting away with murderful little things, like, for instance,
with the Spurs that has been one of the most
tight knick groups in all of sports the last twenty
five thirty years. But Kawhi's there Finals VP, things get
(03:49):
a little rocky, him and Uncle Dennis going at it
with the company, with the organization. There's beef, there's drama.
We don't know who's lying, he's heying, he's injured. They're
saying you should be back by now. Eventually they trade him,
they don't get anything for and then he goes and
he leaves. He goes to Toronto. They had to give
up Damarrow and now he's there and they win. But
he's like, I'm out. Other people we might have said, dang,
(04:10):
why would you leave this team. You got something going on.
It might have been more back class, but it's Kawhi.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
We let it roll. It's no big deal. You know
what the taxes are on Canada. You know, no, very hot.
Most people don't want to play there. Very hot. All right.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
So then now he's back to the States, goes to
the Clippers. And now we have a large reason why
that's twenty eight million dollars. Oh and mind you, if
you look up the dictionary, go ahead, look it up.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Go look up load management. Kawhi is there.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
So between load management, the way he left the Spurs,
who left the Raptors, now we find out twenty eight
million with the Clippers. I'm like Kawhi, the silent assassin,
which it pays to stay out, the fraid to be quiet,
has been getting away with a lot rob and again
this old will for see how this works out. This
happened again with Minnesota some years ago, back in the
nineties with Joe Smith and the league find them first
(05:00):
round picks and all that. We don't know what's gonna
happen with this. Obviously, investigations have to ensume blah blah blah.
But more so for me, on Kawhi. It's like, all right,
I see you. There's a lesson to be learned. Be quiet,
shut up, Leo. I'll stay out without the press and
all that. And you can get away with a lot.
Because anybody else rob who's done somebody half of the
things out made we would they would be getting blasted
(05:22):
for said thing.
Speaker 5 (05:23):
I disagree. I totally disagree. This has not This is
not a Kawhi deal. Kawhi can't write that deal in contract.
If his people approached Steve Balmer and the Clippers with
this could be like, hey, we got a bide by
NBA rule. He didn't write the contract for himself. They
were willing to do it. It's like a guy cheating
(05:46):
with the married woman. Right, I'm single, she's married. Who's
the onus on the one who has a commitment with
the husband? Right, you're married, You've made a commitment. I'm
just how many times no, no, no, I'm just trying
to say, Kawhi, you can go ahead.
Speaker 6 (06:04):
The Clippers are here, they know the rules that they're
circumventing a cap that's set up for the teams to
be able to sign players to put this on Kawhi.
Speaker 5 (06:16):
Now I'm not saying he's without blame, that he knew
this was going on and all that, But this has
to be he can't make the deal and force the
Clippers to break the rules and circumvent the cap. They
have to be willing to be a part participant in
it and be able to fund this other company.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
This is on the Clippers, not on Kawhi and the stuff.
Speaker 5 (06:38):
You're you know, you're giving him a hard time about
what went on in San Antonio. It's obvious he's been
hurt and he didn't buy into what they were doing.
I don't think Kawhi won two championships right his whole
You think he.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Doesn't want to play, don't.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
I don't buy for one second Kawhi doesn't want to
play or has faked any of his injuries or anything.
I think that I has really suffered and had issues
athletically because it makes no sense when he plays. He's tremendous.
There's no reason. He's a young guy. So I don't
buy into that. Okay, I don't buy into what went
(07:14):
on a San Antonio.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
I don't buy into this.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
This is not on him, and I love that Kawhi
did not go to the stacked team when he had
a chance that I am, but I said that showed
me a lot.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
You are not at ross right now, because if you
are at ross, you'll be buying up everything you clearly
you don't want to buy the fact that I'm not
saying Kawhi Leonard has been injured.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
We all know that. But other guys, what will we
be saying? Man? You got a man up, you got
to push.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
It was criticized big time by by uh Tim Dunkan
now who is it? Tony Parker and man Genobi came
out publicly and questioned his health, which you know that's
a code against players.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
You don't know my pain's that sounded like about the
be a Negro spirit. You don't know my page, what
I've been through. You don't know how I feel underneath
my skin. Who are you to tell me this is
an amazing blue song?
Speaker 7 (08:10):
Right?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
I'm just saying this is I'm not done with you.
You you not buying anything again. We know that guys
are injured, We know that guys are heard at times.
Kawhi Leonard plays when he wants to play. He's gotten
away with it, not mad, That's why we said it.
Kawhi Leonard again, the Spurs have been tight knit. We
don't hear nothing of really coming from Demartin Rose and
left the team still singing their praises. Everybody leaves and
(08:31):
sing the praises. Kawhi the only one that has issue. Kawhi,
you got me get back to you this twenty eight
million dollars. You do know he's in the NBA PA right,
He's a part of the Player Association, which means he
has to buy it by the CBA, which means he
has to.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
Buy by it. Brother, you can't get twenty eight million.
That was on the side.
Speaker 5 (08:46):
But I can't sign his own contract. Come on, now,
you can't he literally signs it.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
No, he can't. The team has to be handcot stopping.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Kawhises always have braids on the clippers.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
They get some of the smoke, They get all of
the smoke.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
Because all they have to do is if that was
the way it was presented, they could have said no, no, no,
this is against the cap.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
That's not what the present I'm not saying they did
present it. I'm saying they go to him and say,
hey man, we found a way around it. Here's twenty
eight million for this week Win Company, He says, cool,
all right, signs on.
Speaker 5 (09:21):
Dude, You think you think this is the only person
that's been circumvented a cap in pro sports?
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Oh nonota no, no, no, no, no no.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
You're talking about two that you caught. There are other
teams and other players that they not, So no doubt about.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
The only reason you know.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
The only way you know about this is because of
the documents that are public record. The only reason you
knew about Barry Bonds is because of Bouco and when
they uncovered the records.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
If you didn't know that the same thing, you wouldn't
know that. I wouldn't know anything until I know it.
Speaker 8 (09:56):
I know.
Speaker 5 (09:56):
But I'm trying to say that this goes on. This
is not a think think this is a Kawhi Leonard.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
I think this is a joonas slippers fliers just got caught. Okay,
Kawhi Leonard was the guy. Could have been Chris pulkuld
have been anybody, but this Kawhi Leonard, And I love
saying is Kawhi? Do we not bring him up enough?
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Speaker 9 (10:27):
Hey, it's Ben, host of The Fifth Hour with Ben
Maller along with my trustee sidekick David Gascon. Would mean
a lot to have you join us on our weekly
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Fifth Hour? I'll tell you it's a spin off of
the Ben Maler Show, a cult hit overnights on FSR.
Why should you listen? Picture if you will, a world
where we chat with captains of industry in media, sports
(10:49):
and more every week explore.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
Some amazing facts about human nature and more.
Speaker 9 (10:53):
Listen to The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Joining us now, Reck Milker f S one NB host
on the Ball podcast, Rick, what's up man?
Speaker 4 (11:05):
What's happening?
Speaker 7 (11:06):
What's happening? Gentlemen?
Speaker 5 (11:08):
So tell me about the dummy company that Fox Sports
one had set up for you so that you can
make more money than Skip Bayless. Oh, how we only
wish that's.
Speaker 7 (11:20):
The dream for all of us. Right, and I mean
the jokes kind of right themselves. When it comes to Kawhi,
he's getting paid double not to do anything like it
with we were already there were already questions about that
in terms of how much he was playing, he was
playing in the league. But now we got we got
a shadow job on top of it.
Speaker 5 (11:41):
It reminded me of college, like when I remember I
was covering Saint John's and Chris Mullen had a no
show job at a dealership.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
They used to do that. You remember that Rick in
the day.
Speaker 7 (11:51):
Uh, yeah, yeah, there was Remember the movie was a
big shot. What was the the uh the movie be
with the Shoves, This up with Up with the sun Zone,
Shine with a Red Hot Poker. It's about a basketball
It's about a basketball kid who who he gets his
job is watching the sprinklers.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
Yeah, I do remember that. I can't remember the name
of it.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Yeah, well that was his job watching a sprinkler. Yeah, hey, listen,
sign me up.
Speaker 7 (12:22):
Yeah exactly exactly. But but here, you know, in all reality,
like I had heard when when they first signed Kawhi,
there were there were rumors that there were there were
side deals being made, and I would dare say that
Balmer is not alone in terms of owners who find
(12:44):
sweetheart deals for players that they want to acquire. It
may not be as blatant as this, and it may
not have a paper trail, but I don't know that,
you know, tipping tipping players off to great investment opportunities.
Now that we have these billionaire owners who have such
wide and massive portfolios, their ability to enhance the offers
(13:11):
being made to players really isn't that hard. So in
some ways, like honestly, while great reporting bipolotry and great
late work, I mean just tremendous, tremendous work.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
We talked about that.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
You know, if you're willing to put in and read
these lawsuits and really, diggain Rick, you noticed as a
newspaper reporter, you can get these in for this stuff
out in there, stuff in there.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Yep, yep.
Speaker 7 (13:40):
But all that said, like ultimately it was twenty eight
million dollars wasted. Like they didn't they didn't get it,
you know, get me, give me, give me. What if
Joe lakeb has done something or Wes Eton and Mark
Lasri who a team that ended up winning championship and
(14:01):
ended up getting players or a player in a place
where you did not expect them to go and it
paid off. That's the story that I really, that's the
story that I want. And I say none of this
to disparage anything that Pablo did, but on the scale
of things that that like I look at it and
I go, yoh, Steve Balmery, yeah, you went above and
(14:22):
beyond to sign Kawhi Leonard and it didn't pay off,
Like you've already paid a penalty, like you bet on
the wrong freaking horse.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
So well, then, Rick, I want to ask you this then,
but stay there for a minute, right, So is that
the penalty that hey, your team just has men've this
guy barely plays or does the league jump in and say,
you know, we got to do something extreme, or do
they want it to quietly go away.
Speaker 7 (14:46):
I well, look, if they can prove that there's a
connection then or that it's clear that the Kawhi did
absolutely nothing to earn the money, I mean, there's still
the question of like did you know and I haven't
read all the documents, Maybe you guys have. If the
documentation clearly shows other than the interview that he had,
(15:10):
the blind interview of the of the worker who said
that this was you know, basically said this was cap circumvention,
the league has to do something. I mean, unless Balmer
with with every all the evidence that Pablo has, I
would say guilty until proven innocent at this point. So
(15:32):
Balmer's got to demonstrate somehow, some way that that that
he wasn't connected or not involved in this deal. And
short of doing that, I mean you look at what
the penalty was for Joe Smith. Yeah here than that, So.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
He's gonna be interesting.
Speaker 5 (15:53):
What'd you make of Charles Barkley's comments about the you know,
just the fan with where I get it. The money
is so out, you know, outrageous of your league. You
want to take it, but you know you don't. Yeah, yeah,
everybody doesn't have all those I know, everybody thinks everybody
has all the streaming and whatnot, but a lot of
(16:15):
people just have regular television at home.
Speaker 7 (16:20):
So what you're you're well, I mean, look, here's the thing.
The way that the NBA looks at at the TV
ratings and and and everything is they've saturated. They have
they have tapped out the domestic market, and so they
(16:40):
are looking to uh to expand and to take advantage
of their global reach. You can do that much easier
if you're streaming than with national broadcasts, and so that's
what dictated the direction that they win.
Speaker 5 (16:55):
But the only problem Rick, I'll say this too, is
you can and boxing used to be a huge sport
in this country, and when they made everything pay per view,
you cut into that. You stop kids from growing up
watching fights. Every fight's on at midnight from the West
coast and you got to pay eighty nine dollars. You know,
(17:16):
a lot of kids grew up and box is not
as big. And even a team like the Yankees that
are really popular, they have game weekend games on free
TV for a reason. They could just take the money too,
because they know that they don't want to, like you,
don't want to freeze everybody out from being able to be.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
A fan and watch the game. That's that's all.
Speaker 7 (17:35):
Yeah, No, I know, I mean I totally get that.
But they're playing the numbers game and they're looking at
the you know, I'm just I'm watching a lot of
EuroBasket right now and I'm seeing all of these fans
in the stands with NBA jerseys of the players that
are playing, not the Lithuanian jerseys, not the Slovenian jermy jerseys,
the NBA jerseys, and the league is looking at and
(17:57):
going those are our fans like, those are fans we
want to tap into. Those are fans that we can
get to buy a league path because they will do
they will do anything to to try to to uh
to watch and they're you know, as of right now,
they're fighting with the NFL, they're fighting the you know,
college football, Like they have so much competition here, they
(18:19):
don't have that same competition over there. That's that's that's
new blood out there that they think they can tap into.
And that's why Amazon, you know, edged out tn T
and NBC going NBC Universal has demonstrated that they have
the wherewithal to to go into streaming. So it's uh,
I hear you, Rob in terms of how we grew
(18:41):
up and and and it may cost them ultimately in
the fan share when it comes to the US, but
they think they can, they think they can make that
up globally.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Well, we'll wait and see.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
But I'm kind of the more alone the lines of
Robin just that you don't know your core, You've got
a core based Yeah, we'll do here right right, Yeah, Rick,
We're up against it, man.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
Thank you so much, appreciation.
Speaker 7 (19:04):
It my pleasure.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Guys.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
App Roger Goodell Megan's Round to promote the upcoming NFL
season with kicks off in about twenty three hours from
now when the Eagles take on to Cowboys, and in
any event, he was on the Today Show, as you mentioned,
during the conversation, he was asked about the idea of
an eighteen game regular season.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
Here's the exchange.
Speaker 8 (19:37):
Listen, we always say what do the fans want? What
are the fans really think is important? And I think
it's clear they want more regular season game versus preseason games,
and it's something that we'll work through with the players Association.
We continue to make our game safer, and I think
that's at the core of making that kind of a decision.
Can we do it safely for our players? But it
(19:59):
also so I think represents an opportunity for us to
continue to bring higher quality NFL content ultimately, and a
regular season game is clearly better.
Speaker 4 (20:07):
You mentioned giving the fans what they want.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
As you probably heard by now, a lot of NFL
fans would love to not have to go to work
the day after the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
The Craik always takes them Monday off, but America wants
to as well.
Speaker 8 (20:20):
Correct what point do we start to see the super
Bowl on President's Day weekend? I think if you went
to eighteen weeks regular season, that would probably occur. Okay,
is possible somewhere in the calendar could happen before that,
just because of the calendar the way it lays out.
But I think eighteen weeks would get you to that point,
and I think it would be a great, a really
(20:41):
great move.
Speaker 5 (20:42):
It's the biggest non factor I've ever heard, like this
whole idea that you need a day off or Monday
after the super Bowl?
Speaker 4 (20:51):
Do you know what time the super Bowl kicks off?
If you live here in Los Angeles? Three o'clock?
Speaker 5 (20:56):
What time does Sunday Night Football come on every Sunday?
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Eight o'clock Eastern? Right?
Speaker 5 (21:02):
And people go to work on Monday. You don't need
no holiday? What holiday? This is the NFL and these
fan like the NFL trying to make themselves more special
or more important than they really are. Really a national holiday.
It has to be so that people could be off
on Monday. And they don't have to after the super Bowl.
(21:25):
The super Bowl starts at six o'clock, which is earlier
than Sunday night football six o'clock. Even if the game
went till ten o'clock. You can't go to bed. You
can't want You can't have a couple of pops and some.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
Chicken wings and get up and go to work.
Speaker 5 (21:42):
Come on, man, this is where the NFL and people
think it's bigger than it really is. Nothing's changed here.
I keep hearing at national holiday, the super Bowl. It's
a Sunday, it's in the winter. You're not going anywhere.
We're just eating chicken wings and drinking a couple of beers.
My god, no, no way, no how.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
We don't need it to go to President's Day so
that you could go. Oh, the super.
Speaker 5 (22:11):
Bowl, it's a national holiday, it's a super Bowl Sunday.
Can we leave it as it is? Why? Why do
we have to overinflate stuff and make it like you
would be doing the people of this country a service, because,
my god, they gotta get up on Monday.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
And go to work after the super Bowl. You mean
the super Bowl that was a blowout and over in
the first half.
Speaker 5 (22:37):
Rob g the super Bowl was over, Go to bed
if you gotta go to work.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
You kidding?
Speaker 5 (22:43):
Who doesn't go to work because they watched the super
Bowl the day before?
Speaker 4 (22:47):
Who?
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Please?
Speaker 5 (22:50):
It's nonsense and you're right, sound like a softball question
that the NFL does.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
Media people through.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
To the NBC question, Hey, Roger and Dale is gonna
come on, please answer and ask him these questions. Listen
most of the ways I want to break this down.
First of all, he said, I just want to get
the fans that they need. Rob's I've never heard the
fans talk about an eighteen game. I've never heard of
fan man. I love the NFL. I can't wait, baby
(23:19):
we back, but oh I need an eighteenth game.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
Nobody said that. You just enjoy football?
Speaker 2 (23:24):
You know?
Speaker 5 (23:25):
You know what I would respect if the people there
at NBC said to him, Roger, can we be honest.
Speaker 4 (23:31):
Isn't this eighteenth game.
Speaker 5 (23:33):
Because you can sell a regular season game more than
you sell a preseason game, which is local television and
not on national.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
Isn't this about money? It's a this about money?
Speaker 1 (23:45):
And then you followed up with whatever he says with,
come on, what about the health? That's an additional game
because we all know preseason games, nobody's playing that hard
and they're not trying to hurt. You know, everybody's trying
to make it out a live, a real regular season game.
This is costing to get the chance to get to
the postseeds and get the playoffs and get to the
super Bowl. So guys are all in. It's a whole
different thing. So health clearly went out the windows just
(24:07):
about that. That's just money ground, money ground, and we
know that. And this is where so we went from
fourteen to sixteen used to be seventy twelve. That's why
I man, twelve, fourteen, sixteen, seventeen looks like eighteen?
Speaker 4 (24:21):
How long before twenty? You know what I'm like? When
does it stop? Right? And that's what made the game
beautiful is the scarcity. You know, every game matters, you know,
every week matters. We're all in. Twenty games is coming
up before you know it.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Now back to you, missus, Scrooge McDuck by humbuck, let
us get.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
A Monday off.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
It's everybody doesn't have seventy two days off, like you
just went on the world trip around the world.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
Can they get a Monday off? And they don't. They
ready to get Monday off? Can they double up?
Speaker 1 (24:50):
Can they go super Bowl Sunday rolling the Monday I'm
off not you know, February eighth or something, whatever it is,
and I gotta go to work. Let people enjoy. They're
like base since their family, their friend. I might have
friends around of town. We can stay up, we can
read half the super Bowl. We can talk about Janet Jackson,
what happened at the super Bowl halftime. We can talk
about Beyonce, how powerful she is she shut off the
(25:12):
halftime lights.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
And then maybe I want.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
To go out throw a Super Bowl Sunday night party.
I don't want to go to work. Look at you.
I thought you were a man of the people. Now
people are trying to get what they want to get
to watch super Bowl Sunday. Now I have to go
to work on Monday. It is a great marriage. Now
you're over here making.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
Us go to work.
Speaker 5 (25:31):
It makes no sense. Come on you at the game
starts you live in lane. Don't tell it starts at
three o'clock in the afternoon.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
You can't go to work on Monday.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
I tell her, if these stopped pocket watching, you stop clockwatching.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Don't don't tell her you can't go to the game.
Speaker 5 (25:45):
You can't go to work on Monday because you watch
a three o'clock Super Bowl game on the West Coast.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
No, I can't make it to work on Monday because
I was pregaming at nine am Pacific. You go by
four pm Pacific for the three pm kickoff on the
West Coast. I'm already about nine drinks in, he says.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
Come on, now, you got an alcohol problem.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
I got nothing to do with football and I enjoy
met Okay, then fine, then just make Sunday. Make Sunday
where the Monday afterwards everybody knows, like, you don't have
to come in till noon. If it's for all you
nine to five typical stuff, you don't have to come
into New Ones.
Speaker 5 (26:22):
They already have what all the holidays? People get off
enough already?
Speaker 4 (26:25):
What is it Why we can't what?
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Oh, you traveled the world, but I'll take it off.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
In Europe they take all the time off. They have
four holiday right by the way. I know we got
sidetracked though, you know.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Roger Goodwell's like, hey, you know, if we get the
eighteenth game, we can slide the Super Bowl to presidents.
They get the holiday, you know, They could have done
that anyways without an eighteenth game.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
Wants you, yeah, make it another week, like you know,
another bye week. I really want to do another week,
get it. There's a way to do that without that.
But that eighteen game is crucial for him. And that's
the thing about it, man. The players need to stand
up if they really don't want it. Man up, they say,
you don't want to in the quarterback players gonna stand up.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
They can't even get healthcare and a pension plan.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
Why don't last tell them to stand up? Rod they
stand up? Say even my you know my I got
Patrick Rose. Oh man, you know, I just I mean,
you know, we don't want eighteen games. You know, we
don't want.
Speaker 4 (27:20):
To say, you know, saying what the chess? We ain't
having it. Seventeen was the end all be all.
Speaker 5 (27:25):
We lost this, So all you gotta do is your
Patrick Mahomes and what these guys uh they could play
eighteen games.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
I'm not playing playing eighteen games this contract.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
You get enough players to say that what you got? Okay,
I'm not playing eighteen And I hate how he tried
to use the preseason. You are fans tell stay rather rotch? Well,
they didn't say they wanted more games. They just said,
if I asked you, which one would you rather watch,
weeks five of real recular season or preseason?
Speaker 4 (27:51):
Well, you say it like real season, Like.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
That doesn't mean I need eighteen seventeen, eighteen, nineteen twenty games.
That's just simply means real football is more important than
I'd rather watch.
Speaker 5 (28:00):
Well, now that they don't even play in the preseason,
why would I want to watch it? They used to
play in the preseason. Yes, come on, that's the difference.
That's why nobody wants to watch it. They don't play.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
And you could at least look me in my eyes
after I saw you know your said your favorite team,
favorite quarterback play the first half and charged me one hundred.
Speaker 4 (28:17):
Dollars for parking. Oh, they I want to talk about that.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
They want to talk about preseason, same dag on price,
same record season.
Speaker 3 (28:23):
Well, look, y'all, guys are so right. You can't turn
left right now. Here's the problem. And it's another conversation.
The other day, the two forward facing faces for the
NFL players, Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow, have both already
been on the record of saying, if we're gonna get
to eighteen games, just give us a nextra buy. So
all the leverage they would have had in these negotiations
out the window.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
When your two the four headed monster quarterback position and
I get it because they play quarterback and they don't
get I think subconsciously they're like, I don't get hit
that much. I just love the game. Yeah, you know,
I have more chance, the guy more chances to get.
Think about the other guys.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
I say, Kwon Barkley's five hundred touches, think.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
About that line and a block for your butt all game.
Hell with to Helmer right after bat Hi
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