May 29, 2025 • 53 mins
Join host Coline Witt in this inspiring episode of 'Eating While Broke' as she chats with Chase Griffin, former UCLA quarterback and two-time NIL Athlete of the Year. Chase shares his incredible journey from excelling on the football field to achieving academic success at UCLA, all while embracing his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for finance.
Together, they cook a childhood favorite—spaghetti with turkey meatballs—while diving into topics like family values, faith, and Chase’s transition into his current role with University of California Investments. This heartfelt conversation highlights his dedication to addressing hunger and homelessness, navigating sponsorship deals, and balancing life’s many pursuits.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:13):
Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke.
I'm your host, Colleen Witt, and today we have very
special guests. Former UCLA quarterback and Name, Image and Likeness
Athlete of the Year Chase Griffin is in the building.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Thank you. This is a very unique You're a very
unique guest, So I'm very honored to have you here.
We don't get a lot of athletes, okay, and we
definitely don't get a lot of athletes with a resume
like yours.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I appreciate that. Now I'm glad to be here cooking
some good food.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yes, yes, So before we get into your whole story
of who you are, can you tell me what you're
gonna have me eating today?
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
So today we're gonna make some spaghetti and turkey meatboats.
I was talking with my mother when I was figuring
out what I wanted to cook, and she was like,
left spaghetti your whole life, And she sent me a
picture where it was a school assignment, probably like the
first or second grade, and I was talking about how
much I love spaghetti and meatballs.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Do you still wasn't most like the last time you
ate this dish?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Probably last week.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
That's hilarious. So you really now when you sent the
dish over, you were talking about making the meatballs from scratch.
And of course, guys, I didn't even want to be
a hater. I just was a hater only because I
was just like, I didn't know if you could handle
that much cooking and talking. But I really wanted to
learn from you.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yeah, I mean either way, I did.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
The store boughs, so it'll be good, really because I
wanted to hear your story. All right, go ahead, and
you can start whipping up these turkey meatballs. And is
there a reason why it's turkey by.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
The way, Yeah, I didn't really grow up eating pork,
but beef meatballs are good too, just just but turkey
was always sort of to go to.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Yeah, yeah, and I did learn and I didn't look
at this back. But what I've noticed with a lot
of groceries now because I don't eat pork or beef really,
is that they be having a lot of hidden ingredients
in the fine print. It'll say like turkey meatballs, but
then it'll be like put some pork meat in the
very very tiny pit to tiny print, you know. So
(02:15):
I didn't check our bag. But hopefully we're good. Okay,
it's all good.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
It's not the end of the world.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
And then so go ahead, take me back to I
want to say, five year old youth.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Okay, Yeah, I was living in Texas. I was born
actually at UCLA Santa Monica Hospital, So going back to UCLA.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Was like a homecoming for me.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
My parents didn't want me growing up in La so
I had moved to Austin really round Rock when I
was four. At that time, I just started playing violin
and I just started playing soccer, which is still probably
my favorite sport to watch nowadays.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Soccer. Yeah, but you ended up playing.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Football, definitely the other football. But I think I always
had a lot of energy as a kid, even in soccer.
Was really aggressive and I liked, you know, that aggressive,
violent nature of football.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
And that's one thing about me.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Even though I wasn't always the biggest player, I could
always take a hit and football has opened a lot
of doors from me. I'm always grateful for you. You
have siblings, Yes, I'm the oldest of three. So yeah,
so at the time when it was when I was five,
it was just my sister and I.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
She's two years younger than me.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
She's a senior at Stanford right now, shoutout road, super
proud of her. Yeah, he's only eleven, so he's got
all the upside in the world and now he got
two extra helpers and my sister and.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
I like how you positioned that. But as a young
and that's that's your your siblings. Did you watch the
Waynes interview? Yeah, your older siblings have a huge impact.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Yeah, I think that's always sort of informed how I've
seen my trajectory, like, not only how does it affect me,
and you know, God will in my future family, but
how does it affect.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
The immediate younger siblings.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yeah, so we're gonna keep the pasta up.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Big big shoes whatever. You don't do that one put
plastic on the stove.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Don't do that.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
So the meat balls, I read the package for you,
just a case. They said, just put water in the
in the bottom of the pot. I put a bottle
of water over there, and I don't know. I guess
they turned brown. I haven't made these. I'm trusting you
defeat us today.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, No, that'd be good.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
They just got it as long as they could.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Ye, Like they're pre cooked.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
You're just eating you just gotta heal man.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
So you go back to the violin, because where does
this enter in the scene where you're playing about can
you currently play the violin?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
I still can. I'm a little rusty.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I can't play the way I could when I was
growing up, and that's because I was playing every day,
like as a as a child, I was practicing all
the time. And then in middle school I played, you know,
in the Strings Project, which was University of Texas talent
development program, and then my chamber orchestra at my middle school,
I'd say it was one of the best chamber of
orchestras in all the public.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Schools in Austin. So but I've always loved music, you know.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
I was even going back last night listening to some
of the stuff I was listening to when I was
like five, six, seven, eight years old.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Like I remember there's a song called hell Yeah by
Jay Z and Dead Press that I.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Really loved, and you could play that on the violin.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
No, no, no, but I could still wrap it word for word.
But I've just always had a love for music, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Even more than sport. That music is the thing that
I love.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
And now I produce music, so you know, in my
spare time, whenever I'm not working on finance or not
not you know, working in media. That's that's where I
enjoy spending my time. It's both you know, productive, and
it's good for the mental it's a creative space.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
When you were younger, did you know that you want
Was there a particular field of interest that you felt
like you were going to lean towards when you got older.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Yeah, I wanted to go to the NFL.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I think the main thing was I was raising a
household of love and household where like potential was potential
was celebrated, so I never really felt like I wasn't
I didn't have the ability to be excellent and anything
that I put my mind to. My passion was sports,
and I liked violin.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
I prefer music production, so I would.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Say my main passion was sports, but the school always
came first.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
That was always the thing.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
I wanted to make sure, even if I didn't get
the offer I wanted coming out of high school or
anything like that, I'd be able to get.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Into any school and walk on.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Thankfully, I was a good enough player where that didn't
have to be the case.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
But you were a straight a student in school.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Oh yeah, yeah, no debating that.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
So take me back to your parents. What kind of
home environment you know, get so UCLA and a Stanford.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Kid, definitely, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
I mean I was blessed to have both my parents
very present in my life.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
And I never doubted that I was I was well.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
I never doubted that if I put my mind towards
something I couldn't grow in that. You know, we grew
up middle class in Texas, and you know, I will
say like I think I had more privilege than some
of my friends, especially at my high school, and that's
always stuck with me because I understand what platform and
with the things you're blessed with, it's a blessing to
(07:30):
be a blessing to others. So whether it was you know,
giving rides or just spending time now, it's really about
sharing perspective with my friends. I've been blessed with a
wealth of knowledge through experience, I think for a twenty
four year old, and wherever I can help provide either
opportunity or guidance, you know that that's always big to
(07:50):
me to be able to do that.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Were your parents strict on who you could be friends with,
I think it was.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
More so, I think they trusted my discernment. I think
when raised the way that I was raised, you just
learned to go where your love, your godho where you
feel you know, at home.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
And for me, I.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Think something good about me is I do see the
good and everyone like I'm a Christian.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
First, and so I.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Just a regular word.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Well, I just I can't look at anyone and not
see them as you know, a brother or sister, you know.
So as far as staying away from certain things, definitely,
But as far as staying away from people, like avoiding people,
I've never felt in me to do that, you know.
And I understand, like you know, depending on your self
(08:41):
confidence or depending on your ability to stay strong in
that you have to behave a different way. But for me,
you know, I always feel pretty secure and committed to
remaining myself no matter the environment.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Okay, what did your parents do for work?
Speaker 3 (08:56):
So my father he's a consultant, you know, he's worked
in the media space, he's been an entrepreneur.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
And then my mother is a teacher.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
She actually she teaches first grade at the at the school.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Where my brother goes. Yeah, yeah, it was funny. No,
he loves it. He loves.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Your brother is gonna be strong.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Yeah, I'm really so excited for him.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
You said he's eleven, Yeah, his fifth grade. That's a
big age gap. Your parents were like.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Yeah, I'm not even sure what they thought process was
on that, but that's a.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Big age gap. You were like a full teenager. Were
you excited when you're you're gonna have a little baby baby?
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Think? I was in shock. I had to sit down. Well,
you know, like for the longest it was just my sister.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
And I, and you know that that's sort of the identity,
like it's me and Rose, Me and Rose, me and Rose.
But you know, I had always prayed for a brother.
Funny enough, but you know, it's on God's time and
not mine.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
That stream.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
If that's a lot of order, you could scoop it out,
maybe I don't know, Yeah, yeah it should be. Okay,
this is the This is what happens when you have
a set win no sink. You gotta kind of make
it do what it do as.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Well as a plastic doubl I don't think so right.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
You're doing good. So I had a feeling that there
was an entrepreneur in there, because the whole mindset of
I could do anything. I said my mind too. Sounds
like complete typical delusional entrepreneur. That's how you have to be.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
I remember I was looking at a at an interview.
It was it buster Rhyme's like, it's not lousional if
it happens.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
But that's very true.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
You know, they're you know what you The world sees
you as delusional until it happens, but you I think
every entrepreneur has to be. The signature ingredient of being
an entrepreneur is you just have to be the biggest
dreamer and you you really do have. You have to
look past your environment. Right, you're creating a world that
no one has seen before.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
I mean the part of part of creativity, and the
most beautiful part of it.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Is it's two sided.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Like there's really nothing original, there's nothing new under the
sign but at the same time, there's always going to
be innovation. That's what makes people people that we where
we come from a creator, so we have the ability
to create.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
It's part of the reason why I love music so much.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
You don't speak like a twenty four year old. I'm sorry,
I just don't. I know that sounds good. I don't
know if people tell you that, but you just seem
well beyond your years. Your parents could teach your parents
in class.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Yeah, No, they're they're the best parents in the world,
you know, I think, I think, I mean, we'll.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
See how each one of us turns out. But i'd say.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
To today today, right now, they're just looking good today,
they're they're excellent. And you know, I'll always be grateful
for the household, always raising.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Yeah, to the point where your mom could say a
five year old picture of that's that's pretty impressive. Your
parents are still in Texas.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Yes, they're still there there. They'll probably raised my brother there.
I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I mean, my sister she's moving down.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
She's about to graduate and so she's moving down to
Los Angeles and we'll see. We'll see if my parents
make a migration out here.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Yeah, because now two of their kids are out here right.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Exactly exactly, so we'll see. And you know, they've lived
here before. You know, both my sister and I were
both born here.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Do you think the chance is high because they like
to be by.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
You guys, I think so.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
But I definitely think for raising gage, you know, my
little brother, I definitely think you know, it would make.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Sense to stay in Texas. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Yeah, they know how to raise a child in Texas.
There's there's some different elements out here.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
I feel like Las. Yeah, I feel like Texas is
definitely better homely family.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
I'm always grateful that I came from where I came from,
that I was raised. You know, it's a little bit country,
you know, but it's quiet, and you know, I really
you were talking about not getting in in the wrong
crowd and all that. There's enough space for where you
can really choose, you know, who you spend time around.
Sometimes in cities you sort of get, you know, mixed
(13:18):
up into it and.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
It's harder to avoid certain realities.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Okay, Well, now that I kind of got a good
idea that you grew up in a very good environment.
I love hearing that. Yeah, let's get into you decide
that you from a young young and that you want
to get into the NFL. So you start pursuing this path.
I'm guessing the parents like yours. They were like, heck, yeah,
(13:43):
you're gonna be in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
If we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it big
as that's sort of regardless of what it is, and
you know that that really applies to every part of
my life, and it's why I think I'm not like
extremely attached to, you know, any one thing. It's more
about just continuing to be my best self in whatever
it is.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
The opportunity is, so you graduate high school, the first
school you get into, you choose UCLA.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Yeah, so my first offer was actually Yale, and the
way I got that offer was crazy. I was at
a camp called QB Collective and it was put on
by a guy named Richmond Flowers, and he's one of
the best agents when it comes to NFL coaches, and
so all of the coaches at the camp were NFL
(14:34):
coaches at the time.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
There was a I think he was an analyst or.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Maybe a past game coordinator, but his name was Mike McDaniel.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Mike McDaniel went.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
To Yale, saw me there and felt like I was
one of the best quarterbacks at the camp. They all
had assumed based off my performance, I had a whole
bunch offers. This was coming after my sophomore year. I'd
thrown for three thousand yards. I was one of the
best sophomores in Texas and they assumed I had a
bunch officers.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
They like, where do you have offers from? I said,
I have zero offers.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Now I was I was probably five six, five seven
at the time, not ideal for a quarterback.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
But regardless exactly exactly, they didn't care. They tenth grade.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
They were asking where your offers were.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Well, football, you know their kids would offer seventh eighth
grade and it's probably getting earlier and earlier as training
gets better.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
But we were in a camp. So did your parents
pay for the camp or how did that work?
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah? So we were, we were invited. I forgot how
we got connected.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
My father has always been so good as far as
you know, going back to if we're.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Going to do something, we're gonna do it the right way.
So yeah, me too.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
I'm big fans, but when it comes to how you
how you do things, you have to seek out expertise.
And you know, he had he had heard about this camp.
He had seen this camp, and so you know, we
have we had reached out, got connected with Richmond, and
then Richmond did some research on me and it was like, yeah,
come out. Well anyways, McDaniel, who's now head coach of
(16:02):
the Miami Dolphins, he's a Yale alum and he called
up the head coach at Yale and said, I want
you to pull up this guy's film. Pulled up the
film offered me that day.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
So that was how I got my first offer. And
then after that, oh, we returned beyond Billboard.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Now it's always been I think a dream of my
father to have one of us go to Harvard, yeah school.
So when Yale was the first offer, you know, he
was ecstatic, but I'm sure, yeah, exactly what's up Harvor?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
And you know, down down the line.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Harvard definitely became a viable option. I was actually going
to go the week that I committed the U c
l A. I think I went to u c l
A on a Tuesday. I was supposed to go to
Harvard on Friday. And if Harvard would have offered me
that Friday, I might have committed, but UCLA got to
me first, and I committed on spot.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
What did your dad say when he found out on
Friday that Harvard?
Speaker 3 (17:09):
I mean, I think I think part of good parenting
is you have to you have to realize, now, if
it was Harvard and then some other university that that
wasn't you know, prestigious or something like that. I think
he would have stepped in and been like, hey, let's
think about it.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
Yeah, of course, but you.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Know U c l A when it comes to its
black history, as far as Jackie is running, Curtsey, Jackie Robinson,
Ralph Bunch, Like, there's just so many folks who've changed the.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
World, who've come through there and been athletes.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
And then you know, on the school side, number one
rank public institution in the country, it's in Los Angeles,
it's beautiful, weather is always good, and there's just so
many factors to where I think, yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Boston would have been a little chili.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Permafrost for six months.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Your parents are so proud. I'm sorry. We don't have
to do a you know what. You could play this
for them, you know what I'm saying. You can say,
go listen to the episode. They're gonna be very they'll
probably cry a little bit.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
I'm always very appreciative man. You know, like my father,
he's always dream big for his family. I think, you know,
whether he acknowledges or not, I really respect him for
the transformation he's done. And it's all about building upon
others work. Like my my Gigi, my my father's mother
did a lot of work to make sure that her
two kids, you know, went to college and went on
(18:28):
to be successful.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Did he come from a two parent household?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
No he did not.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
So he's done a lot of work to you know,
progress his family and God willing, I'm able to do
the same thing when it's my time, you know, I
think right now it's about building my foundation. My sister
is going to start living. We'll live together starting in June,
since we'll both be working.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
I was going to I was going to ask you that.
I was like, are you guys going to end up roommating?
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Yep, we are, So I couldn't, you know, choose a
better roommate. We shared a bathroom growing up, so we
know how to do it.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Yeah. But I always wanted to live with my siblings
when I got older, and it never happened though, Yeah,
we never roommate it all right, So you choose UCLA.
Now let's let's get into the gritty gritties, and I
yell is in effect?
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Yeah in twenty one? So what year did you go?
I got to UCLA in twenty nineteen, okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
And that process, that recruitment process was really you know,
there were a lot of ups and downs, and it
sort of taught me how to, you know, just trust
in my faith and continue producing.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Well, can we talk about the ups and downs?
Speaker 2 (19:34):
And definitely? Definitely.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
So you know, I got the early Ivy League offers
and then after that, you know, UCLA.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Was really my first Power five offer. Power five.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
You know, at the time, there was the PAC twelve,
so it was the big five conferences?
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Can it down for yeah, the women?
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Yeah, well just for the folks that yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
So there was the PAC twelve Conference, the Big Ten Conference,
the Big twelve Conference, the S, and the ACC. These
were considered the Power five just because these schools had
the most money, biggest media deals, and theoretically best players.
So I didn't have any of these offers just because
you know, I'm five to ten and as a quarterback,
you know a lot of colleges won't even look at
(20:15):
you if you know you're you're not a certain height,
you know.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
But you know, there there were definitely schools that were interested.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
They were just waiting on the first Power five. Now
I didn't give them that chance. I'm like, well, if
UCLA had had the confidence and conviction to offer me,
then I'm not going to wait on some other school
that was waiting on them to offer me. That's not
how it works. Plus, Ucla just had so many other factors.
I think academically, if I was going to pass on
Harvard had to be either UCLA or Stanford.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Yeah, there's a lot of fine institutions out there.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
And maybe if NIL was around while I was coming out,
you know, I was, I was the Gatoray Player of
the Year of Texas my senior year. There might have
been a school in Texas, or there might have been
a school in the South that might have had a
two or three million dollar an IL deal waiting for me,
and that would have you know, that definitely would have
factored into my decision. Yeah, but I think for the circumstances.
(21:09):
Once once they offered I was, I was fine with going.
But until then, like there was a lot of waiting.
I the IVY leagues are amazing schools in the football
they play is good. But I always knew I was
playing against guys who were committed to Oklahoma or committed
to Florida or committed at Ohiose State, and I was
beating them, and I was I was out performing other
quarterbacks with thirty forty offers, and I just knew that
(21:33):
I should be playing out of school at this caliber
when it comes to football, and that would provide me
the best opportunity to go to the NFL.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Yeah, so you have well, before we even get into that,
you keep mentioning the five to ten. Yeah, did that
have any type of mental warfare in you point or
put different points?
Speaker 3 (21:56):
So for me, I was blessed because I had school,
So football was do or die.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Like I knew if everything went to nothing, I would
get into Harvard like I believe that in my mind,
or get in anywhere. So football wasn't do or die.
It was the thing I loved the most. There was
a disappointment though.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
Going to camps where I would go and the coach
would be like, man, you's so good, like we love
your film.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
I'd be out there.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
I wouldn't miss it, throw the entire day like ever
before or five stars there, you know, missing missing a few,
thought I'm not missing. I would go in an entire
month of camps without one in completion, and it just
showed it's not always all on merit. Yeah, and it's
important to learn that, you know. I think as a
kid like it's important to do everything you can to
(22:42):
have the best merit, but there's always other factors in play.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
And for me, I think realizing that early.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
And still not letting that stop me from reaching my goals.
You know, it was a test of faith, you know
at that you know at that age you don't have
the perspective your dream is really all that power as
you And for me, I felt like my dream kept
on getting deferred.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
But part of trusting.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
God is gonna work out better than you even pictured
it for yourself.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
But you were having the conversations about the height one
hundred percent. I think that's totally relatable, but it's also inspiring.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
Yeah, yeah, no.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
And I would always look at quarterbacks in the NFL
who were out performing guys who were six five there.
I would look at Drew Brees, who's an Austin kid.
You know, that's why Saints are still my team, and
then Russell Wilson, like these are guys who are either
six foot or shorter than six foot who are some
of the best quarterbacks to ever play the position. I
never knew what it was like to play at six too.
I only knew what it was to dominate at five
nine five. Uh, and so I never saw it as
(23:42):
something that was hindering me.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
You do you think that that also made you play
harder and better.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
I never played with the chip on my shoulder because
of the height. I just honestly, you know, I feel
like I'm a pretty genuine.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Guy or a pretty well mannered guy.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
But it comes with like even as a little kid,
like I enjoy beating other people, like I enjoy keeping,
I enjoy keeping score, I enjoy winning, and you know,
I approach every aspect of my life like I'm not
measuring myself off other people. It's just like your competitive Yeah,
like why can I not be the best at this?
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (24:23):
I love that. So Okay, so you're at UCLA, you're
killing it. But when I look at your bio, you
have all these other goals. And the one thing I
was talking to my producer with was, you know, for
someone that's clearly looking like they're going to the NFL,
(24:43):
it seems like, you know you're talking about getting your doctorate,
you're working on your masters right now? Correct?
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Yeah, So I actually I have two masters from UCLA,
so I'm surprised at all. Yeah, I'm finished with school,
you know, for now.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
You have two masters already. Yes, what are they say?
Speaker 3 (24:59):
The master's education? So I did that. It was a
program that worked well with the football schedule. I got
my undergraden two years, so I got my undergradden public Affairs,
so I still had four years of eligibility, so I
had to be in school. So I wanted to make
sure I did Masters that. You know, I wasn't just
sitting in class for football sake.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Did all your schooling in.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Six years, but all my undergraden too? Yeah, how I
came in with some units okap tests and then I
also real smart, bro.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
My sister is the really really smart one. That's why
she got into Sandford straight up. But I know how
to do school well.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
And you know how to cook well.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
I'm watching you and I appreciate. Yeah, you gotta steam, definitely,
I see.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
I see.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
I like a seer and steam.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
You know, I should have had you make the meatballs
from scratch. I did not think he was going to
be this good in the kitchen.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Oh, it's all good. I grew up with an amazing
cook in the house with my mother. Whenever my father
would makesteaks, they'd be good too. He put a bunch
of seasons, a lot of a lot of Tony saturies.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
You ever watch all of the videos online and they're
making the steaks and the only thing they seasoned it
with is salt and pepper.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Yeah, I think that's more for health reasons. I understand,
you know.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
And definitely in our community there's there's certain medical certain
medical predispositions that that we struggle with. So I do
understand when people are vanilla with the seasoning did s.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
But speaking for myself, I definitely prepare. I mean I
definitely I'm a seasoning prefer for a well seasoned meal.
Now a little water.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
You're about to do the sauce, yeah, season the sauce.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Yeah, So what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna add the
sauce in directly with the pasta.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
I know, just you know, are you a big sauce
guy or like a little bit of sauce?
Speaker 2 (26:53):
I like sauce.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
I like sauce too. Sometimes I meet people They're like,
why did you put so much sauce on it?
Speaker 3 (26:57):
I'm like, no, I don't understand why. You know, you
can't you can't. Actually this this is what the Italians do.
They add the actual pasta water back in with the pasta.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Okay, so you're at UCLA. You're getting all these sponsorships
are you? Are you pursuing them or they pursuing you?
Can you walk me through that?
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
So actually I got my first sponsorship through LinkedIn. So
any young professional, any young any young person, just make
a LinkedIn. You never know what it will lead to.
You might meet the person who gives you your first
job on there. For me, I met the person who
gave me my first endorsement, deal guy by the name
of Rob Master, who at the time he was handling
(27:44):
a lot of Unilever in Therefore Degrees Marketing.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Yeah, so Unilever works closely.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
They managed a lot of a lot of companies on
the advertisement side, but namely Degree and Degree had a
campaign with staying the Up, winning awards for it called
the Breaking Limits campaign, and in this we all told
our story. For me, I told the story as far
as you know, a lot of you know, quarterbacks my
size being overlooked, but because of the caliber player I was,
(28:13):
you know, we still were successful.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
You know, we were still able to get there.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
I think that really catapulted my early career just because
it showcase you know, there were folks who maybe thought
I wasn't going to get you know, all the big
deals or anything. Well, my first deal was a big deal.
My first deal is a big deal with a categorical leader.
And then early on I also had Boots, Mobile and Shell,
so I already had, you know, within my first three
(28:38):
to five deals.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
I had three you know, marquee brands, and I.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Was able to also earn enough from those deals to
also you know, tie like as a Cristian like, I
wanted to give ten percent of all of my money
made and still want to continue that to organizations or to.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Causes I care about.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
You know, at Huddle High School, a lot of my
teammates and a lot of the community depended on the
school to eat during the day, so they would either
be on like free or reduced launch or breakfast. And
I wouldn't have been able to reach my goals without
you know, my teammates are without my best friends in
my high school. And so once I had money, I
wanted to make sure that I was giving towards a
(29:19):
cause that helped with that. So, you know, in particular,
my biggest partner to date has been the La Regional
Food Bank Wow, and in particular their program where they
provide meals on the weekends to LAUSD school children who
depend on on freeline.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
They provide the school on the weekends.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
They provide meals that way, when they're not at school,
they're also able to have sesseness.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Yeah, because I know LA has a lot of homeless kids.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Definitely.
Speaker 3 (29:47):
I think, you know, in working you know, with the
food bank and doing more research on how my foundation
can help, I think you sort of see like hunger
and children and homelessness and children are not things of
the past or not things of you know. Obviously it
happens in other countries, but it happens in America a
(30:07):
lot more common than people think. And I grew up,
you know, serving at our local serving center, and there
we had a food bank, we had a food pantry,
and I'm seeing, you know, folks where maybe it was
a teammate's mother or a friend's you know mother and father,
they're picking up food and I'm just like hey, And
then I realized, oh, my goodness, like my friend is
relying on the serving center to eat. And you know,
(30:30):
a lot of the time when you come from household
like mine, where you know, I was blessed to have a
mother who enjoyed cooking every night. You sort of you
don't realize that people, It's not a far away issue.
Food and security is something that affects people that.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
You know right now and that you care about right now.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Wow, when you got your first sponsorship deal and you
started getting these sponsorship deals, how did you conduct? How
did you negotiate? How did or how did who played
a hand? Was it you?
Speaker 3 (31:06):
It was really just my father and I the whole way. Really,
I was self repped, and I wanted to stay self
repped just because I felt like nobody could tell my
story like mine. And I also enjoyed the process. I enjoyed,
you know, making first contact with the company. I enjoyed,
you know.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Making the first contact or them reaching out.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
To their way. You did it in the way either way.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Sometimes sometimes I would be at an event and I'd
be speaking and a CMO would be there and chief
marketing officer and they would be like, we really love
your story, we really love how you're able to present
a brand and present yourself.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Let's find a way to work.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
And you know, as a creative, as someone who loves
music and loves film.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
You know, I really enjoyed the creative process.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
So in all of my fifty plus brand deals, for
the vast majority of them, I was creating the creative
or I was working with their creative director to creative
and then I was creating a shot list and the
interests of time where you know, initially my first shoots
took three four hours. It's like, no, if I spend
two hours ahead of time working on shot list, the
shoot turns into an hour match and it provides more
(32:09):
you know, vision as far as for the final product.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
With my with my videographer editor of choice. Yeah, so
I really found my way.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Where did you get the media part of the background
a game?
Speaker 2 (32:19):
My father he's worked in media, and then what does
he do in media though on the production side.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Yeah, but I think I also I just have a
I've always loved movies like.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
My town.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
Of course, we could go to downtown, but the nearest
place that was sort of like my haven that I
spent my time was the movie theater. So I would
I would, you know, we'd have our games on Friday
night and on Saturday, I'd love to go to the movies.
Sometimes I would go with friends, but Honestly, I love
going to the movies by myself.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
I just I just love the actual movies.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Yeah, I do that.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Yeah, there's no I sometimes I don't realize that. You know,
a lot of people don't do that.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
But I've always enjoyed it, and I've all enjoyed movies,
and so to be able to do productions and to
you know, sort of world build in a way with
primarily the brand's key performance indicators in mind, I think,
you know, being able to create value out of art
is one of the most beautiful and rewarding things.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
So you have a degree in education. Yeah, are we
almost down to you sitting with me?
Speaker 2 (33:29):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (33:30):
I know. Let's get him on the other mics. Nobody
likes the live mics and production. Really, no one does.
If you're an audio person, the live mics are like
your enemy, and then these mics are your friends. Yeah,
they'll complain on the other side real quick. But all right,
sorry about that. Didn't mean to derail you.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Oh no worry.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
So you you're doing all these deals with brands, and
this is in twenty twenty one, This is like three
years since twenty one, right, So this is becoming your
actual revenue stream. Yes, yes, and you're now running a
business of your own and your dad is watching his
(34:13):
son go to school and like have enough business to
even tie, Like, yeah, you're starting tie.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
It was great just because you know, I think definitely
there's a perspective shift once you start making money.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
What do you say that perspective shift is.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
Well, I think there's a sort of confidence that comes
from what I'm doing is creating value, not just for others,
but also for me. And that's one of the best
part about athletes being able to capture on the revenue
they create. It's like we've been value creators forever. We
just haven't been able to capture on the.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Entire part of the value.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Of course, we've been able to get to school, but
you know, there's just so much more. Frankly, if you're
helping someone make money, I think you should, you know,
for taken in a share of that revenue.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Yeah, a lot.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
We were barred from that, you know, for a long time.
And when I first got to UCLA, that's how things were.
Now in twenty twenty one one, aspect changed a bit
name image and likeness, where we were able to do
endorsements and things like that.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
But you know this coust that changed.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
There were a sleuve cases, so it was primarily on
the legal side.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
One of the one of.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
The biggest heroes in the history of I think college
athletic rights is Ed Obannon, a former Brewin Nate Smith
Player of the Year, national champion. So shout out at Obannon.
But he had sued the nc DOUBA for utilizing his name,
image and likeness and the NCAA EA Sports basketball game
and so that's why they had to stop producing that
(35:38):
game because they weren't paying the athletes air affair share.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Now they brought him that I'm older. He wasn't fresh
out of college. It was a little bit later, but
that was and he was ostracized for it, even by
the Brewin community. I know.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
It was really a shame. Now we've taken steps to
welcome by. I still don't think he's received the glory
that he deserves for the stand he took.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
That's literally changed the trajectory forever and changed, don't feels being.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Yeah, every every chance I get, I try to sing
his phrases.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
You know, he's worked very hard. Have you ever met
him or no?
Speaker 3 (36:19):
But you know there there there will be a day
in time for that absolutely.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
So, so that was what the start of it, and
then what happened after that.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
So after that, there were a slew of other cases,
most namely Austin versus NCAA, which in twenty twenty twenty
one called in to question the anti trust exemption that
the NCAA has. The reason why the NCAA has been okay,
the reason that NCAA has been able to act the
way that it does is it's had anti trust exemption. So,
(36:51):
you know, policies that aren't really in accordance with other
aspects of the American economy, they're able to operate, you know,
in their own sort of set of rules.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
That's how you have unpaid work.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
Basically, as far as the Austin versus NCAA case, it
called in to question that anti trust and the NCAA
saw the riding on the wall and so they started
rolling back their restrictions. You know, in twenty twenty one,
they rolled back their restriction on athletes capitalizing on and
exercising their name, image and likeness rights and then now
(37:26):
revenue share. Because of House versus Day, there was a
settlement where around two and a half billion dollars will
be paid to athletes from twenty twenty and on and
then because of this settlement and because of this precedent,
now athletes from revenue generating sports are going to be
getting paid every single year.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
But is there any for any of the previous.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
So there's some back pay and I'll definitely capitalize on
that chance.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
Do you Oh, you're gonna pray over it all?
Speaker 3 (37:57):
Got you got you do? You got a waitingness this morning?
Giving us this food, please ud be nourishment to our
bodies and thank you for giving us this opportunity to
you know, spread your platform in your son Jesus name.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Man, Amen, appreciate. I just saw King of Kings in
the movie theater.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
Last How was it?
Speaker 1 (38:14):
It was good? I don't know, because like I read
the Bible when I was like twenty nine. Okay, I'm
raised Jewish. Jews don't really talk about Jesus.
Speaker 3 (38:30):
It's a different perspective, like how you put it.
Speaker 1 (38:34):
But you know, because I know it's so well now,
it's interesting to see it play out. Have you just
signed out before we Your food is great. By the way,
there's a book series called Jean Edwards, A Tale of
three Kings Prison and the Third telf. He does like
this fictionized perspective of what like John the Baptist went
(38:55):
through or King David went through.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
But it's like a David's second best story in a Bible.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
When I say, I promise you these books are like
two three hour reads, but you will read them and
you will be like it just I don't know. It
gives you like a feeling of kind of like their
emotional like what they were processing in their like feelings
that I think the Bible does a really good job.
But I think to like carry the weight of like
being Jesus's cousin and knowing he's healing people and you
(39:23):
you about to get your head chopped of, you know,
like to kind of go through that that feeling in
those motions or whatever. Anyways, watching the King David The
Kings of King's movie, I did feel like it's interesting
after like reading the Bible to see these different perspectives.
But I did think about the Geen Edwards series a
lot while I was watching the movie, like, damn, I
(39:44):
would love to see them do a movie based on
the Gene Edwards series.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
Yeah, I mean to me, the religious movies are hit
or missed with me, but they're always fascinating.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
You know.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
I think part of the beauty of religion and faith
is it is so personally like it is subjective as
far as your walk with God.
Speaker 2 (40:05):
Can't I can't judge somebody else.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
No, no, but sitting here with you, I just got
an idea. I was like, we should only do a
Geen Edwards series. You should read the book, should read
the books. I'll order them and amazon them to you
or whatever. And and then since you're into media, you
could be like, yo, I think we should do this
project because there are so many like projects that are
(40:30):
kind of like off. You look at the Chronicles of
Narnia and all of those guys. You know, they do
do these perspectives. But if you read the Gene Edwards books,
to me, I just feel like it just captures like
a whole different embodiment of like walk with them. Like damn,
that is a difficult situation to be it, you know.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
That's why you know, the story of David to me
is just just fascinating.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
Like the Bible is far from boring. It's got some
of the you know, the messiest characters.
Speaker 1 (40:59):
Is the first time I read it I was like,
there was like, what's in there? I said, incests, right, murder,
It's a lot of crazy stuff.
Speaker 3 (41:07):
It's got the gambit as far as you know the
darkest parts of humanity, but also you know the best
parts of God.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
Yeah, your food is delicious. I said you could cook
and I was watching you salt and I was like,
we go see it came out good.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
It's gonna be seasoned. Absolutely. I grew up watching the
best in my mother.
Speaker 1 (41:29):
Yeah. So from an outsider looking in, you would assume
that based on everything you've said, you would you would
be looking towards going into the NFL definitely. But then
you read your resume and there's a pivot in there.
So I want to know what's going on.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Yeah. So now I work in finance.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
I work at a pension endowment fund called University California Investments.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
And Pension Endowments.
Speaker 3 (41:56):
So when you think about four one ks, it's not
just magical black box that you're putting a piece of
your paycheck into.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
It's literally what I think.
Speaker 3 (42:05):
Yeah, so there's somebody managing that account, and that's what
a pension is. So we managed on behalf of University
of California Office of the President.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
And also, you know all of our.
Speaker 3 (42:18):
Pensioners, which are primarily University of California employees.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
Does that mean you decide where that money is invested,
like with stocks and bonds.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
Or precisely so they're interesting. You know our team with
creating returns and protecting that wealth and then also providing
you money to the schools whenever they needed.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
Now what made you get into that line of work?
Speaker 3 (42:43):
I met our chief investment officer a few years ago
speaking out in event. I think he was a keynote
that was one of the panels, and I was just like,
what is University of California investments?
Speaker 2 (42:53):
I didn't even really know about it.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
I think I had some good business acumen. I've invested
almost all the dollars I've made from NIO.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
Very serious. Yeah, you didn't buy like a bunch of
Jordans with it.
Speaker 2 (43:05):
I mean, we're Jordan's school, so I got some ones. Yeah,
oh yeah, thank god.
Speaker 1 (43:09):
But I meant like, you didn't blow any of it
on anything.
Speaker 3 (43:12):
So when I got to school, I sort of set
my spending habits I lived off of and you know,
I hate asking anybody for money, so like, I just
lived off of the money I was getting from the
school off of my scholarship, our cost of living, and
our rent was paid for all of that. So I
just continued that, you know, all the way through my career,
and I sort of looked at my NIO money a surplus.
(43:33):
I'd give away, you know, a portion of it and
then the rest I'm investing for the future.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
And did you invest with this firm or no?
Speaker 3 (43:40):
So I invested, you know, personally, just within you know,
a regular brokerage account.
Speaker 1 (43:45):
So did you learn that early on.
Speaker 3 (43:48):
Stocks and all that, I'd say early on compared to
most you know, I've been investing since I started making money.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
But that's you started making later.
Speaker 2 (43:56):
Yeah, probably probably. I wasn't investing as a kid. I
didn't have money as a kid.
Speaker 1 (44:00):
Well where did you learn how to invest?
Speaker 2 (44:03):
Really from experiencing?
Speaker 3 (44:05):
Then my father he's you know, he's always had a
broker's account, and then he was just telling me the
money that are now, like I should invest it just
because the multiple, the earlier you invest, that multiple just
continues to ac crew. It's like having my own personal
sort of retirement or down payment for a house.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
Or you know, rainy day fund.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
I really look at it as my primary savings account.
Speaker 1 (44:27):
Oh, I like that. So where did the pivot from
the NFL. Well, your trajectories to say, I don't know
if I want to do the NFL anymore.
Speaker 2 (44:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:36):
So, you know, early on in my career at UCLA,
I played more and I played really well, especially in
the twenty twenty season.
Speaker 2 (44:42):
But over the course of my career, you.
Speaker 3 (44:44):
Know, depending on whether it be you know, injuries or
you know, more pertinent just coaching decisions, I sort of
saw like, if I wanted to play, I was going
to have to transfer. If I wanted to play, you know,
the amount of time I wanted to play, I was
going to have the transfer.
Speaker 2 (45:00):
And that was something that was weighing on my mind.
Speaker 3 (45:02):
But I also saw you know, the upside on what
I was doing on the media side, the upside and
being LA on the sports media side, and then you know,
started to build that relationship with University of California and
felt like I was really building a professional home for myself.
Speaker 2 (45:18):
You know.
Speaker 3 (45:18):
All that being said, I think if I was you know,
chasing the dream one hundred percent, I probably would have transferred.
But I'm not happy. I mean, I'm not you know,
unhappy with how it turned out. Like, I'm very grateful
I still have my health, my mind, my capability of thinking,
and those are things you really can't take for granted
(45:39):
when it comes to, you know, everything that football has
done for me.
Speaker 1 (45:42):
Yeah, I think as a as a mom and a woman,
my fear would be if like my son went to football,
because I did you ever watch the Netflix documentary It
was like on I think football players and their money, Yeah,
I mean.
Speaker 2 (45:57):
What my business?
Speaker 3 (45:59):
Yeah, I mean I think I think my mother probably
was praying over me every single.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
Play, you know, so she did talk about it a
little bit percent.
Speaker 3 (46:07):
And you know that that'll be a conversation for my mother,
my father, and my little brother just because he's getting
to the age where he'll probably start playing tackle football,
you know, more regularly.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Wow. Yeah, I feel like in the back of my
mind as mom, that's that's a be like of all.
Speaker 2 (46:23):
Dreams one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (46:25):
I mean, and like I know the amount of injuries.
I know, the amount of like just being hurt, whether
it be emostly like the spiritually drained and then especially
physically like you just is a culture where you got
to play through it. And I think that's a skill
set one hundred percent. But I also think, you know,
as a parent, you you may think twice as far
(46:46):
as you know, pushing a child into that. I don't
have kids, so I don't really know my perspective on that,
but I know watching my brother out there play, I
will definitely you know, be helping, you know, each play
he just gets up the same way that he started
that play, because that's.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
That's something that's when you're watching.
Speaker 2 (47:04):
Him, you know.
Speaker 3 (47:06):
For for myself, you know, I mean, yeah, it's like
I've definitely have my bell rung. I've definitely been hit,
and it's like next week you've not seen the same
way out your left eye. But it's also myself, like
I it's something that I love and something that I
accept the risk doing it. But when it's somebody else
(47:27):
that you love, you know, there's sort of a different
aspect included.
Speaker 1 (47:32):
So what's the end goal?
Speaker 3 (47:34):
So if I were to say what I want to
really do in generalized terms is build generational wealth early,
I think like that there's a lot of work that's
gone in for generations, generations to get me to where.
Speaker 2 (47:48):
I'm at now.
Speaker 3 (47:49):
And God has you know, done all the heavy lifting.
I think it's really just about taking advantage of opportunities now,
So continue to learn, continue to recognize my weakness and
play to my strengths, and then you know, going to
public service and philanthropy, whether it be you know, holding
elected office one day. I just want to be able
to affect change with a platform that I've been afforded.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
And you know, as I.
Speaker 3 (48:10):
A crew more and more wealth, I can be better
in my scale as far as philanthropy, and then do
all of that while maintaining my faith. If I do that,
you know, I know, you know what, whatever sort of
struggles or whatever is next for me, whether you know
it be a future family or things like that, I'll
be you know, well prepared for that.
Speaker 1 (48:30):
Are you super goal oriented at home?
Speaker 2 (48:32):
So?
Speaker 3 (48:33):
I think my parents set a lot of goals for
their children, and I think every good parents should.
Speaker 2 (48:38):
For me.
Speaker 3 (48:38):
I'm not the biggest planner. I'm more, you know, evaluate
what the opportunity is and just work the best at that.
Something will come out of that. That's sort of where
my trust in God comes, just because I feel like
trying to say how things are going to be five
years from now is Vain's vain.
Speaker 2 (48:55):
Yeah, you don't know as.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
A person, but what about like a year out a year?
Speaker 2 (49:00):
What I mean?
Speaker 3 (49:01):
I think setting goals is definitely good and I think
for some For me, my goal is just each and
every day, like what's on the calendar.
Speaker 2 (49:08):
All right, I'm going to be so good on this
like that. That's sort of how my mindset is. And
you know, I'll look down the calendar a little bit.
Speaker 3 (49:16):
But part of being really busy is you got to
take it day by day because if you have four
or five meetings, you know three of them are three
completely different things. You have to be able to sort
of disassociate and lock back in on certain things. You
can't be thinking about what's happening down the line when
when you're there, you'll be prepared for it.
Speaker 1 (49:33):
I find myself counting ours, Like if you're ever hanging
out with me, go and you'll be like what are
you doing? And I'll be like, I'm counting ours because
I count. Yeah, I'm constantly counting, like how long does
it take? To my girlfriends? We went to a birthday
dinner and one of my friends was like, what is
something that you've you know, you've done it. You'll be
(49:54):
proud of. I was like, I have no idea. I'm
stayingful for my friends. And they were like, yo, your
time management is in back of oh, And I was
like time management And then I started thinking to my
dad was like, yo, nobody you call it four o
two and you say where are you gonna be at
four or three tomorrow? She'll know exactly where and how
long it takes. And I didn't know. I've become like
anly obsessed over how long.
Speaker 3 (50:17):
Down to Yeah, I think that's the coolest part about
you know, sports, It's like you have to be regimented
by nature. I've been you know, doing twelve for you know,
fourteen hour work days between sports and school since I
was you know, since I was like six or seven,
you know, I would go to school, then I would
train after them homework. It's like after by then, do
(50:39):
you did a twelve hour work day in your.
Speaker 1 (50:40):
Seventh That was gonna be my next question is like,
what's the day in the life of you right now?
Speaker 2 (50:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (50:46):
So for now, Like I always try to start my mornings,
you know, started out immediately with prayer and then you know,
some type of music. I love sending verses out to
people so I always send it. There's a small group
of people. I send it on one.
Speaker 1 (50:59):
Of those I get friends that do the DM.
Speaker 3 (51:02):
Yeah, I'm not blowing up in boxes. It'll be just
you know, one or two you know, quick verses. Yeah,
I mean it's really whatever verse I was going to read,
I'll just share with other people. And you know, there's
some folks that really enjoy that. And then you know,
after that, I try to get a workout in, you know,
whether it be you know, running or lifting.
Speaker 1 (51:24):
And how long is that? Like an hour?
Speaker 2 (51:25):
Yeah, I keep it to thirty minutes, thirty minutes. Yeah,
I'm passing like your I'm past.
Speaker 3 (51:30):
I'm past the two and a half hour you know,
workout blocks of football. I'm not trying to impress anybody.
Speaker 2 (51:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:39):
I start out with some cardios, then you know, do
three or four core lifts, you know, and then you know,
finished with some cardio and I'm in.
Speaker 2 (51:47):
And then you know, I'll tend to have like my.
Speaker 3 (51:50):
First meeting around like ten or eleven, and then you know,
I'll do a few meetings and I take take an
hour for lunch. Maybe you know, practice on you know,
either do music or practice on a skill set and
then you know, I have my afternoon meetings, which is
normally like one or two, especially since we're on the
West Coast, a lot of the meetings are in the
(52:10):
morning because that's early afternoon for New York and abroad.
Speaker 2 (52:14):
Well, I like that.
Speaker 1 (52:16):
And then the weekends are off.
Speaker 3 (52:18):
Yeah, you know, honestly, for weekends, I spend a lot
of time on music. That's sort of like my recharge time.
Even during football, like when we were out of season,
that would be when I'd go to the studio, like
because studio sessions go from like yeah.
Speaker 1 (52:31):
And they never have windows. Yeah, never wonder you walk outside,
you'd be like.
Speaker 3 (52:35):
Oh, it's like the casino. I don't want you to
know this daytime.
Speaker 1 (52:41):
Well, thank you so much for spending time with me
today and feeding me. Truly an honor to sit with you.
Speaker 2 (52:47):
No, I really enjoyed it. I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (52:49):
If food was good, I appreciate the appreciate the ingredients,
camera coop was good, and went forward to watching the
Send it to my family.
Speaker 1 (52:56):
You better the parents. Shout out to the parents.
Speaker 3 (52:58):
Man.
Speaker 1 (52:59):
Really really thankful for all the work you did with Chase.
Speaker 2 (53:02):
Yeah, I appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (53:04):
Thank you he's up, guys. Peace for more. Eating while
broke from iHeartRadio and The Black Effect, visit the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke.
I'm your host, Colleen Witt, and today we have very
special guests. Former UCLA quarterback and Name, Image and Likeness
Athlete of the Year Chase Griffin is in the building.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Thank you. This is a very unique You're a very
unique guest, So I'm very honored to have you here.
We don't get a lot of athletes, okay, and we
definitely don't get a lot of athletes with a resume
like yours.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I appreciate that. Now I'm glad to be here cooking
some good food.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yes, yes, So before we get into your whole story
of who you are, can you tell me what you're
gonna have me eating today?
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Absolutely?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
So today we're gonna make some spaghetti and turkey meatboats.
I was talking with my mother when I was figuring
out what I wanted to cook, and she was like,
left spaghetti your whole life, And she sent me a
picture where it was a school assignment, probably like the
first or second grade, and I was talking about how
much I love spaghetti and meatballs.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Do you still wasn't most like the last time you
ate this dish?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Probably last week.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
That's hilarious. So you really now when you sent the
dish over, you were talking about making the meatballs from scratch.
And of course, guys, I didn't even want to be
a hater. I just was a hater only because I
was just like, I didn't know if you could handle
that much cooking and talking. But I really wanted to
learn from you.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yeah, I mean either way, I did.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
The store boughs, so it'll be good, really because I
wanted to hear your story. All right, go ahead, and
you can start whipping up these turkey meatballs. And is
there a reason why it's turkey by.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
The way, Yeah, I didn't really grow up eating pork,
but beef meatballs are good too, just just but turkey
was always sort of to go to.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Yeah, yeah, and I did learn and I didn't look
at this back. But what I've noticed with a lot
of groceries now because I don't eat pork or beef really,
is that they be having a lot of hidden ingredients
in the fine print. It'll say like turkey meatballs, but
then it'll be like put some pork meat in the
very very tiny pit to tiny print, you know. So
(02:15):
I didn't check our bag. But hopefully we're good. Okay,
it's all good.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
It's not the end of the world.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
And then so go ahead, take me back to I
want to say, five year old youth.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Okay, Yeah, I was living in Texas. I was born
actually at UCLA Santa Monica Hospital, So going back to UCLA.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Was like a homecoming for me.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
My parents didn't want me growing up in La so
I had moved to Austin really round Rock when I
was four. At that time, I just started playing violin
and I just started playing soccer, which is still probably
my favorite sport to watch nowadays.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Soccer. Yeah, but you ended up playing.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Football, definitely the other football. But I think I always
had a lot of energy as a kid, even in soccer.
Was really aggressive and I liked, you know, that aggressive,
violent nature of football.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
And that's one thing about me.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Even though I wasn't always the biggest player, I could
always take a hit and football has opened a lot
of doors from me. I'm always grateful for you. You
have siblings, Yes, I'm the oldest of three. So yeah,
so at the time when it was when I was five,
it was just my sister and I.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
She's two years younger than me.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
She's a senior at Stanford right now, shoutout road, super
proud of her. Yeah, he's only eleven, so he's got
all the upside in the world and now he got
two extra helpers and my sister and.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
I like how you positioned that. But as a young
and that's that's your your siblings. Did you watch the
Waynes interview? Yeah, your older siblings have a huge impact.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Yeah, I think that's always sort of informed how I've
seen my trajectory, like, not only how does it affect me,
and you know, God will in my future family, but
how does it affect.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
The immediate younger siblings.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yeah, so we're gonna keep the pasta up.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Big big shoes whatever. You don't do that one put
plastic on the stove.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Don't do that.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
So the meat balls, I read the package for you,
just a case. They said, just put water in the
in the bottom of the pot. I put a bottle
of water over there, and I don't know. I guess
they turned brown. I haven't made these. I'm trusting you
defeat us today.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, No, that'd be good.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
They just got it as long as they could.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Ye, Like they're pre cooked.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
You're just eating you just gotta heal man.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
So you go back to the violin, because where does
this enter in the scene where you're playing about can
you currently play the violin?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
I still can. I'm a little rusty.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I can't play the way I could when I was
growing up, and that's because I was playing every day,
like as a as a child, I was practicing all
the time. And then in middle school I played, you know,
in the Strings Project, which was University of Texas talent
development program, and then my chamber orchestra at my middle school,
I'd say it was one of the best chamber of
orchestras in all the public.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Schools in Austin. So but I've always loved music, you know.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
I was even going back last night listening to some
of the stuff I was listening to when I was
like five, six, seven, eight years old.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Like I remember there's a song called hell Yeah by
Jay Z and Dead Press that I.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Really loved, and you could play that on the violin.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
No, no, no, but I could still wrap it word for word.
But I've just always had a love for music, yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Even more than sport. That music is the thing that
I love.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
And now I produce music, so you know, in my
spare time, whenever I'm not working on finance or not
not you know, working in media. That's that's where I
enjoy spending my time. It's both you know, productive, and
it's good for the mental it's a creative space.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
When you were younger, did you know that you want
Was there a particular field of interest that you felt
like you were going to lean towards when you got older.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Yeah, I wanted to go to the NFL.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I think the main thing was I was raising a
household of love and household where like potential was potential
was celebrated, so I never really felt like I wasn't
I didn't have the ability to be excellent and anything
that I put my mind to. My passion was sports,
and I liked violin.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
I prefer music production, so I would.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Say my main passion was sports, but the school always
came first.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
That was always the thing.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
I wanted to make sure, even if I didn't get
the offer I wanted coming out of high school or
anything like that, I'd be able to get.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Into any school and walk on.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Thankfully, I was a good enough player where that didn't
have to be the case.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
But you were a straight a student in school.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Oh yeah, yeah, no debating that.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
So take me back to your parents. What kind of
home environment you know, get so UCLA and a Stanford.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Kid, definitely, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
I mean I was blessed to have both my parents
very present in my life.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
And I never doubted that I was I was well.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
I never doubted that if I put my mind towards
something I couldn't grow in that. You know, we grew
up middle class in Texas, and you know, I will
say like I think I had more privilege than some
of my friends, especially at my high school, and that's
always stuck with me because I understand what platform and
with the things you're blessed with, it's a blessing to
(07:30):
be a blessing to others. So whether it was you know,
giving rides or just spending time now, it's really about
sharing perspective with my friends. I've been blessed with a
wealth of knowledge through experience, I think for a twenty
four year old, and wherever I can help provide either
opportunity or guidance, you know that that's always big to
(07:50):
me to be able to do that.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Were your parents strict on who you could be friends with,
I think it was.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
More so, I think they trusted my discernment. I think
when raised the way that I was raised, you just
learned to go where your love, your godho where you
feel you know, at home.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
And for me, I.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Think something good about me is I do see the
good and everyone like I'm a Christian.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
First, and so I.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Just a regular word.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Well, I just I can't look at anyone and not
see them as you know, a brother or sister, you know.
So as far as staying away from certain things, definitely,
But as far as staying away from people, like avoiding people,
I've never felt in me to do that, you know.
And I understand, like you know, depending on your self
(08:41):
confidence or depending on your ability to stay strong in
that you have to behave a different way. But for me,
you know, I always feel pretty secure and committed to
remaining myself no matter the environment.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Okay, what did your parents do for work?
Speaker 3 (08:56):
So my father he's a consultant, you know, he's worked
in the media space, he's been an entrepreneur.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
And then my mother is a teacher.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
She actually she teaches first grade at the at the school.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Where my brother goes. Yeah, yeah, it was funny. No,
he loves it. He loves.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Your brother is gonna be strong.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Yeah, I'm really so excited for him.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
You said he's eleven, Yeah, his fifth grade. That's a
big age gap. Your parents were like.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Yeah, I'm not even sure what they thought process was
on that, but that's a.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Big age gap. You were like a full teenager. Were
you excited when you're you're gonna have a little baby baby?
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Think? I was in shock. I had to sit down. Well,
you know, like for the longest it was just my sister.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
And I, and you know that that's sort of the identity,
like it's me and Rose, Me and Rose, me and Rose.
But you know, I had always prayed for a brother.
Funny enough, but you know, it's on God's time and
not mine.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
That stream.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
If that's a lot of order, you could scoop it out,
maybe I don't know, Yeah, yeah it should be. Okay,
this is the This is what happens when you have
a set win no sink. You gotta kind of make
it do what it do as.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Well as a plastic doubl I don't think so right.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
You're doing good. So I had a feeling that there
was an entrepreneur in there, because the whole mindset of
I could do anything. I said my mind too. Sounds
like complete typical delusional entrepreneur. That's how you have to be.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
I remember I was looking at a at an interview.
It was it buster Rhyme's like, it's not lousional if
it happens.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
But that's very true.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
You know, they're you know what you The world sees
you as delusional until it happens, but you I think
every entrepreneur has to be. The signature ingredient of being
an entrepreneur is you just have to be the biggest
dreamer and you you really do have. You have to
look past your environment. Right, you're creating a world that
no one has seen before.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
I mean the part of part of creativity, and the
most beautiful part of it.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Is it's two sided.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Like there's really nothing original, there's nothing new under the
sign but at the same time, there's always going to
be innovation. That's what makes people people that we where
we come from a creator, so we have the ability
to create.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
It's part of the reason why I love music so much.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
You don't speak like a twenty four year old. I'm sorry,
I just don't. I know that sounds good. I don't
know if people tell you that, but you just seem
well beyond your years. Your parents could teach your parents
in class.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Yeah, No, they're they're the best parents in the world,
you know, I think, I think, I mean, we'll.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
See how each one of us turns out. But i'd say.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
To today today, right now, they're just looking good today,
they're they're excellent. And you know, I'll always be grateful
for the household, always raising.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
Yeah, to the point where your mom could say a
five year old picture of that's that's pretty impressive. Your
parents are still in Texas.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Yes, they're still there there. They'll probably raised my brother there.
I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I mean, my sister she's moving down.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
She's about to graduate and so she's moving down to
Los Angeles and we'll see. We'll see if my parents
make a migration out here.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Yeah, because now two of their kids are out here right.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Exactly exactly, so we'll see. And you know, they've lived
here before. You know, both my sister and I were
both born here.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Do you think the chance is high because they like
to be by.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
You guys, I think so.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
But I definitely think for raising gage, you know, my
little brother, I definitely think you know, it would make.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Sense to stay in Texas. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Yeah, they know how to raise a child in Texas.
There's there's some different elements out here.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
I feel like Las. Yeah, I feel like Texas is
definitely better homely family.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
I'm always grateful that I came from where I came from,
that I was raised. You know, it's a little bit country,
you know, but it's quiet, and you know, I really
you were talking about not getting in in the wrong
crowd and all that. There's enough space for where you
can really choose, you know, who you spend time around.
Sometimes in cities you sort of get, you know, mixed
(13:18):
up into it and.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
It's harder to avoid certain realities.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Okay, Well, now that I kind of got a good
idea that you grew up in a very good environment.
I love hearing that. Yeah, let's get into you decide
that you from a young young and that you want
to get into the NFL. So you start pursuing this path.
I'm guessing the parents like yours. They were like, heck, yeah,
(13:43):
you're gonna be in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
If we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it big
as that's sort of regardless of what it is, and
you know that that really applies to every part of
my life, and it's why I think I'm not like
extremely attached to, you know, any one thing. It's more
about just continuing to be my best self in whatever
it is.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
The opportunity is, so you graduate high school, the first
school you get into, you choose UCLA.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Yeah, so my first offer was actually Yale, and the
way I got that offer was crazy. I was at
a camp called QB Collective and it was put on
by a guy named Richmond Flowers, and he's one of
the best agents when it comes to NFL coaches, and
so all of the coaches at the camp were NFL
(14:34):
coaches at the time.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
There was a I think he was an analyst or.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Maybe a past game coordinator, but his name was Mike McDaniel.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Mike McDaniel went.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
To Yale, saw me there and felt like I was
one of the best quarterbacks at the camp. They all
had assumed based off my performance, I had a whole
bunch offers. This was coming after my sophomore year. I'd
thrown for three thousand yards. I was one of the
best sophomores in Texas and they assumed I had a
bunch officers.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
They like, where do you have offers from? I said,
I have zero offers.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Now I was I was probably five six, five seven
at the time, not ideal for a quarterback.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
But regardless exactly exactly, they didn't care. They tenth grade.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
They were asking where your offers were.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Well, football, you know their kids would offer seventh eighth
grade and it's probably getting earlier and earlier as training
gets better.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
But we were in a camp. So did your parents
pay for the camp or how did that work?
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah? So we were, we were invited. I forgot how
we got connected.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
My father has always been so good as far as
you know, going back to if we're.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Going to do something, we're gonna do it the right way.
So yeah, me too.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
I'm big fans, but when it comes to how you
how you do things, you have to seek out expertise.
And you know, he had he had heard about this camp.
He had seen this camp, and so you know, we
have we had reached out, got connected with Richmond, and
then Richmond did some research on me and it was like, yeah,
come out. Well anyways, McDaniel, who's now head coach of
(16:02):
the Miami Dolphins, he's a Yale alum and he called
up the head coach at Yale and said, I want
you to pull up this guy's film. Pulled up the
film offered me that day.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
So that was how I got my first offer. And
then after that, oh, we returned beyond Billboard.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Now it's always been I think a dream of my
father to have one of us go to Harvard, yeah school.
So when Yale was the first offer, you know, he
was ecstatic, but I'm sure, yeah, exactly what's up Harvor?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
And you know, down down the line.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Harvard definitely became a viable option. I was actually going
to go the week that I committed the U c
l A. I think I went to u c l
A on a Tuesday. I was supposed to go to
Harvard on Friday. And if Harvard would have offered me
that Friday, I might have committed, but UCLA got to
me first, and I committed on spot.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
What did your dad say when he found out on
Friday that Harvard?
Speaker 3 (17:09):
I mean, I think I think part of good parenting
is you have to you have to realize, now, if
it was Harvard and then some other university that that
wasn't you know, prestigious or something like that. I think
he would have stepped in and been like, hey, let's
think about it.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
Yeah, of course, but you.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Know U c l A when it comes to its
black history, as far as Jackie is running, Curtsey, Jackie Robinson,
Ralph Bunch, Like, there's just so many folks who've changed the.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
World, who've come through there and been athletes.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
And then you know, on the school side, number one
rank public institution in the country, it's in Los Angeles,
it's beautiful, weather is always good, and there's just so
many factors to where I think, yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Boston would have been a little chili.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Permafrost for six months.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Your parents are so proud. I'm sorry. We don't have
to do a you know what. You could play this
for them, you know what I'm saying. You can say,
go listen to the episode. They're gonna be very they'll
probably cry a little bit.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
I'm always very appreciative man. You know, like my father,
he's always dream big for his family. I think, you know,
whether he acknowledges or not, I really respect him for
the transformation he's done. And it's all about building upon
others work. Like my my Gigi, my my father's mother
did a lot of work to make sure that her
two kids, you know, went to college and went on
(18:28):
to be successful.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Did he come from a two parent household?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
No he did not.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
So he's done a lot of work to you know,
progress his family and God willing, I'm able to do
the same thing when it's my time, you know, I
think right now it's about building my foundation. My sister
is going to start living. We'll live together starting in June,
since we'll both be working.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
I was going to I was going to ask you that.
I was like, are you guys going to end up roommating?
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Yep, we are, So I couldn't, you know, choose a
better roommate. We shared a bathroom growing up, so we
know how to do it.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Yeah. But I always wanted to live with my siblings
when I got older, and it never happened though, Yeah,
we never roommate it all right, So you choose UCLA.
Now let's let's get into the gritty gritties, and I
yell is in effect?
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Yeah in twenty one? So what year did you go?
I got to UCLA in twenty nineteen, okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
And that process, that recruitment process was really you know,
there were a lot of ups and downs, and it
sort of taught me how to, you know, just trust
in my faith and continue producing.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Well, can we talk about the ups and downs?
Speaker 2 (19:34):
And definitely? Definitely.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
So you know, I got the early Ivy League offers
and then after that, you know, UCLA.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Was really my first Power five offer. Power five.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
You know, at the time, there was the PAC twelve,
so it was the big five conferences?
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Can it down for yeah, the women?
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Yeah, well just for the folks that yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
So there was the PAC twelve Conference, the Big Ten Conference,
the Big twelve Conference, the S, and the ACC. These
were considered the Power five just because these schools had
the most money, biggest media deals, and theoretically best players.
So I didn't have any of these offers just because
you know, I'm five to ten and as a quarterback,
you know a lot of colleges won't even look at
(20:15):
you if you know you're you're not a certain height,
you know.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
But you know, there there were definitely schools that were interested.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
They were just waiting on the first Power five. Now
I didn't give them that chance. I'm like, well, if
UCLA had had the confidence and conviction to offer me,
then I'm not going to wait on some other school
that was waiting on them to offer me. That's not
how it works. Plus, Ucla just had so many other factors.
I think academically, if I was going to pass on
Harvard had to be either UCLA or Stanford.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Yeah, there's a lot of fine institutions out there.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
And maybe if NIL was around while I was coming out,
you know, I was, I was the Gatoray Player of
the Year of Texas my senior year. There might have
been a school in Texas, or there might have been
a school in the South that might have had a
two or three million dollar an IL deal waiting for me,
and that would have you know, that definitely would have
factored into my decision. Yeah, but I think for the circumstances.
(21:09):
Once once they offered I was, I was fine with going.
But until then, like there was a lot of waiting.
I the IVY leagues are amazing schools in the football
they play is good. But I always knew I was
playing against guys who were committed to Oklahoma or committed
to Florida or committed at Ohiose State, and I was
beating them, and I was I was out performing other
quarterbacks with thirty forty offers, and I just knew that
(21:33):
I should be playing out of school at this caliber
when it comes to football, and that would provide me
the best opportunity to go to the NFL.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Yeah, so you have well, before we even get into that,
you keep mentioning the five to ten. Yeah, did that
have any type of mental warfare in you point or
put different points?
Speaker 3 (21:56):
So for me, I was blessed because I had school,
So football was do or die.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Like I knew if everything went to nothing, I would
get into Harvard like I believe that in my mind,
or get in anywhere. So football wasn't do or die.
It was the thing I loved the most. There was
a disappointment though.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
Going to camps where I would go and the coach
would be like, man, you's so good, like we love
your film.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
I'd be out there.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
I wouldn't miss it, throw the entire day like ever
before or five stars there, you know, missing missing a few,
thought I'm not missing. I would go in an entire
month of camps without one in completion, and it just
showed it's not always all on merit. Yeah, and it's
important to learn that, you know. I think as a
kid like it's important to do everything you can to
(22:42):
have the best merit, but there's always other factors in play.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
And for me, I think realizing that early.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
And still not letting that stop me from reaching my goals.
You know, it was a test of faith, you know
at that you know at that age you don't have
the perspective your dream is really all that power as
you And for me, I felt like my dream kept
on getting deferred.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
But part of trusting.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
God is gonna work out better than you even pictured
it for yourself.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
But you were having the conversations about the height one
hundred percent. I think that's totally relatable, but it's also inspiring.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
Yeah, yeah, no.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
And I would always look at quarterbacks in the NFL
who were out performing guys who were six five there.
I would look at Drew Brees, who's an Austin kid.
You know, that's why Saints are still my team, and
then Russell Wilson, like these are guys who are either
six foot or shorter than six foot who are some
of the best quarterbacks to ever play the position. I
never knew what it was like to play at six too.
I only knew what it was to dominate at five
nine five. Uh, and so I never saw it as
(23:42):
something that was hindering me.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
You do you think that that also made you play
harder and better.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
I never played with the chip on my shoulder because
of the height. I just honestly, you know, I feel
like I'm a pretty genuine.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Guy or a pretty well mannered guy.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
But it comes with like even as a little kid,
like I enjoy beating other people, like I enjoy keeping,
I enjoy keeping score, I enjoy winning, and you know,
I approach every aspect of my life like I'm not
measuring myself off other people. It's just like your competitive Yeah,
like why can I not be the best at this?
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (24:23):
I love that. So Okay, so you're at UCLA, you're
killing it. But when I look at your bio, you
have all these other goals. And the one thing I
was talking to my producer with was, you know, for
someone that's clearly looking like they're going to the NFL,
(24:43):
it seems like, you know you're talking about getting your doctorate,
you're working on your masters right now? Correct?
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Yeah, So I actually I have two masters from UCLA,
so I'm surprised at all. Yeah, I'm finished with school,
you know, for now.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
You have two masters already. Yes, what are they say?
Speaker 3 (24:59):
The master's education? So I did that. It was a
program that worked well with the football schedule. I got
my undergraden two years, so I got my undergradden public Affairs,
so I still had four years of eligibility, so I
had to be in school. So I wanted to make
sure I did Masters that. You know, I wasn't just
sitting in class for football sake.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Did all your schooling in.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Six years, but all my undergraden too? Yeah, how I
came in with some units okap tests and then I
also real smart, bro.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
My sister is the really really smart one. That's why
she got into Sandford straight up. But I know how
to do school well.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
And you know how to cook well.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
I'm watching you and I appreciate. Yeah, you gotta steam, definitely,
I see.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
I see.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
I like a seer and steam.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
You know, I should have had you make the meatballs
from scratch. I did not think he was going to
be this good in the kitchen.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Oh, it's all good. I grew up with an amazing
cook in the house with my mother. Whenever my father
would makesteaks, they'd be good too. He put a bunch
of seasons, a lot of a lot of Tony saturies.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
You ever watch all of the videos online and they're
making the steaks and the only thing they seasoned it
with is salt and pepper.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Yeah, I think that's more for health reasons. I understand,
you know.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
And definitely in our community there's there's certain medical certain
medical predispositions that that we struggle with. So I do
understand when people are vanilla with the seasoning did s.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
But speaking for myself, I definitely prepare. I mean I
definitely I'm a seasoning prefer for a well seasoned meal.
Now a little water.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
You're about to do the sauce, yeah, season the sauce.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Yeah, So what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna add the
sauce in directly with the pasta.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
I know, just you know, are you a big sauce
guy or like a little bit of sauce?
Speaker 2 (26:53):
I like sauce.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
I like sauce too. Sometimes I meet people They're like,
why did you put so much sauce on it?
Speaker 3 (26:57):
I'm like, no, I don't understand why. You know, you
can't you can't. Actually this this is what the Italians do.
They add the actual pasta water back in with the pasta.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Okay, so you're at UCLA. You're getting all these sponsorships
are you? Are you pursuing them or they pursuing you?
Can you walk me through that?
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
So actually I got my first sponsorship through LinkedIn. So
any young professional, any young any young person, just make
a LinkedIn. You never know what it will lead to.
You might meet the person who gives you your first
job on there. For me, I met the person who
gave me my first endorsement, deal guy by the name
of Rob Master, who at the time he was handling
(27:44):
a lot of Unilever in Therefore Degrees Marketing.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Yeah, so Unilever works closely.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
They managed a lot of a lot of companies on
the advertisement side, but namely Degree and Degree had a
campaign with staying the Up, winning awards for it called
the Breaking Limits campaign, and in this we all told
our story. For me, I told the story as far
as you know, a lot of you know, quarterbacks my
size being overlooked, but because of the caliber player I was,
(28:13):
you know, we still were successful.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
You know, we were still able to get there.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
I think that really catapulted my early career just because
it showcase you know, there were folks who maybe thought
I wasn't going to get you know, all the big
deals or anything. Well, my first deal was a big deal.
My first deal is a big deal with a categorical leader.
And then early on I also had Boots, Mobile and Shell,
so I already had, you know, within my first three
(28:38):
to five deals.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
I had three you know, marquee brands, and I.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Was able to also earn enough from those deals to
also you know, tie like as a Cristian like, I
wanted to give ten percent of all of my money
made and still want to continue that to organizations or to.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Causes I care about.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
You know, at Huddle High School, a lot of my
teammates and a lot of the community depended on the
school to eat during the day, so they would either
be on like free or reduced launch or breakfast. And
I wouldn't have been able to reach my goals without
you know, my teammates are without my best friends in
my high school. And so once I had money, I
wanted to make sure that I was giving towards a
(29:19):
cause that helped with that. So, you know, in particular,
my biggest partner to date has been the La Regional
Food Bank Wow, and in particular their program where they
provide meals on the weekends to LAUSD school children who
depend on on freeline.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
They provide the school on the weekends.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
They provide meals that way, when they're not at school,
they're also able to have sesseness.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Yeah, because I know LA has a lot of homeless kids.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Definitely.
Speaker 3 (29:47):
I think, you know, in working you know, with the
food bank and doing more research on how my foundation
can help, I think you sort of see like hunger
and children and homelessness and children are not things of
the past or not things of you know. Obviously it
happens in other countries, but it happens in America a
(30:07):
lot more common than people think. And I grew up,
you know, serving at our local serving center, and there
we had a food bank, we had a food pantry,
and I'm seeing, you know, folks where maybe it was
a teammate's mother or a friend's you know mother and father,
they're picking up food and I'm just like hey, And
then I realized, oh, my goodness, like my friend is
relying on the serving center to eat. And you know,
(30:30):
a lot of the time when you come from household
like mine, where you know, I was blessed to have a
mother who enjoyed cooking every night. You sort of you
don't realize that people, It's not a far away issue.
Food and security is something that affects people that.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
You know right now and that you care about right now.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Wow, when you got your first sponsorship deal and you
started getting these sponsorship deals, how did you conduct? How
did you negotiate? How did or how did who played
a hand? Was it you?
Speaker 3 (31:06):
It was really just my father and I the whole way. Really,
I was self repped, and I wanted to stay self
repped just because I felt like nobody could tell my
story like mine. And I also enjoyed the process. I enjoyed,
you know, making first contact with the company. I enjoyed,
you know.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Making the first contact or them reaching out.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
To their way. You did it in the way either way.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Sometimes sometimes I would be at an event and I'd
be speaking and a CMO would be there and chief
marketing officer and they would be like, we really love
your story, we really love how you're able to present
a brand and present yourself.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Let's find a way to work.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
And you know, as a creative, as someone who loves
music and loves film.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
You know, I really enjoyed the creative process.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
So in all of my fifty plus brand deals, for
the vast majority of them, I was creating the creative
or I was working with their creative director to creative
and then I was creating a shot list and the
interests of time where you know, initially my first shoots
took three four hours. It's like, no, if I spend
two hours ahead of time working on shot list, the
shoot turns into an hour match and it provides more
(32:09):
you know, vision as far as for the final product.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
With my with my videographer editor of choice. Yeah, so
I really found my way.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Where did you get the media part of the background
a game?
Speaker 2 (32:19):
My father he's worked in media, and then what does
he do in media though on the production side.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Yeah, but I think I also I just have a
I've always loved movies like.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
My town.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
Of course, we could go to downtown, but the nearest
place that was sort of like my haven that I
spent my time was the movie theater. So I would
I would, you know, we'd have our games on Friday
night and on Saturday, I'd love to go to the movies.
Sometimes I would go with friends, but Honestly, I love
going to the movies by myself.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
I just I just love the actual movies.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Yeah, I do that.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Yeah, there's no I sometimes I don't realize that. You know,
a lot of people don't do that.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
But I've always enjoyed it, and I've all enjoyed movies,
and so to be able to do productions and to
you know, sort of world build in a way with
primarily the brand's key performance indicators in mind, I think,
you know, being able to create value out of art
is one of the most beautiful and rewarding things.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
So you have a degree in education. Yeah, are we
almost down to you sitting with me?
Speaker 2 (33:29):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (33:30):
I know. Let's get him on the other mics. Nobody
likes the live mics and production. Really, no one does.
If you're an audio person, the live mics are like
your enemy, and then these mics are your friends. Yeah,
they'll complain on the other side real quick. But all right,
sorry about that. Didn't mean to derail you.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Oh no worry.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
So you you're doing all these deals with brands, and
this is in twenty twenty one, This is like three
years since twenty one, right, So this is becoming your
actual revenue stream. Yes, yes, and you're now running a
business of your own and your dad is watching his
(34:13):
son go to school and like have enough business to
even tie, Like, yeah, you're starting tie.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
It was great just because you know, I think definitely
there's a perspective shift once you start making money.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
What do you say that perspective shift is.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
Well, I think there's a sort of confidence that comes
from what I'm doing is creating value, not just for others,
but also for me. And that's one of the best
part about athletes being able to capture on the revenue
they create. It's like we've been value creators forever. We
just haven't been able to capture on the.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Entire part of the value.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Of course, we've been able to get to school, but
you know, there's just so much more. Frankly, if you're
helping someone make money, I think you should, you know,
for taken in a share of that revenue.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Yeah, a lot.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
We were barred from that, you know, for a long time.
And when I first got to UCLA, that's how things were.
Now in twenty twenty one one, aspect changed a bit
name image and likeness, where we were able to do
endorsements and things like that.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
But you know this coust that changed.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
There were a sleuve cases, so it was primarily on
the legal side.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
One of the one of.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
The biggest heroes in the history of I think college
athletic rights is Ed Obannon, a former Brewin Nate Smith
Player of the Year, national champion. So shout out at Obannon.
But he had sued the nc DOUBA for utilizing his name,
image and likeness and the NCAA EA Sports basketball game
and so that's why they had to stop producing that
(35:38):
game because they weren't paying the athletes air affair share.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Now they brought him that I'm older. He wasn't fresh
out of college. It was a little bit later, but
that was and he was ostracized for it, even by
the Brewin community. I know.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
It was really a shame. Now we've taken steps to
welcome by. I still don't think he's received the glory
that he deserves for the stand he took.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
That's literally changed the trajectory forever and changed, don't feels being.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
Yeah, every every chance I get, I try to sing
his phrases.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
You know, he's worked very hard. Have you ever met
him or no?
Speaker 3 (36:19):
But you know there there there will be a day
in time for that absolutely.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
So, so that was what the start of it, and
then what happened after that.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
So after that, there were a slew of other cases,
most namely Austin versus NCAA, which in twenty twenty twenty
one called in to question the anti trust exemption that
the NCAA has. The reason why the NCAA has been okay,
the reason that NCAA has been able to act the
way that it does is it's had anti trust exemption. So,
(36:51):
you know, policies that aren't really in accordance with other
aspects of the American economy, they're able to operate, you know,
in their own sort of set of rules.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
That's how you have unpaid work.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
Basically, as far as the Austin versus NCAA case, it
called in to question that anti trust and the NCAA
saw the riding on the wall and so they started
rolling back their restrictions. You know, in twenty twenty one,
they rolled back their restriction on athletes capitalizing on and
exercising their name, image and likeness rights and then now
(37:26):
revenue share. Because of House versus Day, there was a
settlement where around two and a half billion dollars will
be paid to athletes from twenty twenty and on and
then because of this settlement and because of this precedent,
now athletes from revenue generating sports are going to be
getting paid every single year.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
But is there any for any of the previous.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
So there's some back pay and I'll definitely capitalize on
that chance.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
Do you Oh, you're gonna pray over it all?
Speaker 3 (37:57):
Got you got you do? You got a waitingness this morning?
Giving us this food, please ud be nourishment to our
bodies and thank you for giving us this opportunity to
you know, spread your platform in your son Jesus name.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Man, Amen, appreciate. I just saw King of Kings in
the movie theater.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
Last How was it?
Speaker 1 (38:14):
It was good? I don't know, because like I read
the Bible when I was like twenty nine. Okay, I'm
raised Jewish. Jews don't really talk about Jesus.
Speaker 3 (38:30):
It's a different perspective, like how you put it.
Speaker 1 (38:34):
But you know, because I know it's so well now,
it's interesting to see it play out. Have you just
signed out before we Your food is great. By the way,
there's a book series called Jean Edwards, A Tale of
three Kings Prison and the Third telf. He does like
this fictionized perspective of what like John the Baptist went
(38:55):
through or King David went through.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
But it's like a David's second best story in a Bible.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
When I say, I promise you these books are like
two three hour reads, but you will read them and
you will be like it just I don't know. It
gives you like a feeling of kind of like their
emotional like what they were processing in their like feelings
that I think the Bible does a really good job.
But I think to like carry the weight of like
being Jesus's cousin and knowing he's healing people and you
(39:23):
you about to get your head chopped of, you know,
like to kind of go through that that feeling in
those motions or whatever. Anyways, watching the King David The
Kings of King's movie, I did feel like it's interesting
after like reading the Bible to see these different perspectives.
But I did think about the Geen Edwards series a
lot while I was watching the movie, like, damn, I
(39:44):
would love to see them do a movie based on
the Gene Edwards series.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
Yeah, I mean to me, the religious movies are hit
or missed with me, but they're always fascinating.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
You know.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
I think part of the beauty of religion and faith
is it is so personally like it is subjective as
far as your walk with God.
Speaker 2 (40:05):
Can't I can't judge somebody else.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
No, no, but sitting here with you, I just got
an idea. I was like, we should only do a
Geen Edwards series. You should read the book, should read
the books. I'll order them and amazon them to you
or whatever. And and then since you're into media, you
could be like, yo, I think we should do this
project because there are so many like projects that are
(40:30):
kind of like off. You look at the Chronicles of
Narnia and all of those guys. You know, they do
do these perspectives. But if you read the Gene Edwards books,
to me, I just feel like it just captures like
a whole different embodiment of like walk with them. Like damn,
that is a difficult situation to be it, you know.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
That's why you know, the story of David to me
is just just fascinating.
Speaker 2 (40:54):
Like the Bible is far from boring. It's got some
of the you know, the messiest characters.
Speaker 1 (40:59):
Is the first time I read it I was like,
there was like, what's in there? I said, incests, right, murder,
It's a lot of crazy stuff.
Speaker 3 (41:07):
It's got the gambit as far as you know the
darkest parts of humanity, but also you know the best
parts of God.
Speaker 1 (41:15):
Yeah, your food is delicious. I said you could cook
and I was watching you salt and I was like,
we go see it came out good.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
It's gonna be seasoned. Absolutely. I grew up watching the
best in my mother.
Speaker 1 (41:29):
Yeah. So from an outsider looking in, you would assume
that based on everything you've said, you would you would
be looking towards going into the NFL definitely. But then
you read your resume and there's a pivot in there.
So I want to know what's going on.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Yeah. So now I work in finance.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
I work at a pension endowment fund called University California Investments.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
And Pension Endowments.
Speaker 3 (41:56):
So when you think about four one ks, it's not
just magical black box that you're putting a piece of
your paycheck into.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
It's literally what I think.
Speaker 3 (42:05):
Yeah, so there's somebody managing that account, and that's what
a pension is. So we managed on behalf of University
of California Office of the President.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
And also, you know all of our.
Speaker 3 (42:18):
Pensioners, which are primarily University of California employees.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
Does that mean you decide where that money is invested,
like with stocks and bonds.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
Or precisely so they're interesting. You know our team with
creating returns and protecting that wealth and then also providing
you money to the schools whenever they needed.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
Now what made you get into that line of work?
Speaker 3 (42:43):
I met our chief investment officer a few years ago
speaking out in event. I think he was a keynote
that was one of the panels, and I was just like,
what is University of California investments?
Speaker 2 (42:53):
I didn't even really know about it.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
I think I had some good business acumen. I've invested
almost all the dollars I've made from NIO.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
Very serious. Yeah, you didn't buy like a bunch of
Jordans with it.
Speaker 2 (43:05):
I mean, we're Jordan's school, so I got some ones. Yeah,
oh yeah, thank god.
Speaker 1 (43:09):
But I meant like, you didn't blow any of it
on anything.
Speaker 3 (43:12):
So when I got to school, I sort of set
my spending habits I lived off of and you know,
I hate asking anybody for money, so like, I just
lived off of the money I was getting from the
school off of my scholarship, our cost of living, and
our rent was paid for all of that. So I
just continued that, you know, all the way through my career,
and I sort of looked at my NIO money a surplus.
(43:33):
I'd give away, you know, a portion of it and
then the rest I'm investing for the future.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
And did you invest with this firm or no?
Speaker 3 (43:40):
So I invested, you know, personally, just within you know,
a regular brokerage account.
Speaker 1 (43:45):
So did you learn that early on.
Speaker 3 (43:48):
Stocks and all that, I'd say early on compared to
most you know, I've been investing since I started making money.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
But that's you started making later.
Speaker 2 (43:56):
Yeah, probably probably. I wasn't investing as a kid. I
didn't have money as a kid.
Speaker 1 (44:00):
Well where did you learn how to invest?
Speaker 2 (44:03):
Really from experiencing?
Speaker 3 (44:05):
Then my father he's you know, he's always had a
broker's account, and then he was just telling me the
money that are now, like I should invest it just
because the multiple, the earlier you invest, that multiple just
continues to ac crew. It's like having my own personal
sort of retirement or down payment for a house.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
Or you know, rainy day fund.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
I really look at it as my primary savings account.
Speaker 1 (44:27):
Oh, I like that. So where did the pivot from
the NFL. Well, your trajectories to say, I don't know
if I want to do the NFL anymore.
Speaker 2 (44:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:36):
So, you know, early on in my career at UCLA,
I played more and I played really well, especially in
the twenty twenty season.
Speaker 2 (44:42):
But over the course of my career, you.
Speaker 3 (44:44):
Know, depending on whether it be you know, injuries or
you know, more pertinent just coaching decisions, I sort of
saw like, if I wanted to play, I was going
to have to transfer. If I wanted to play, you know,
the amount of time I wanted to play, I was
going to have the transfer.
Speaker 2 (45:00):
And that was something that was weighing on my mind.
Speaker 3 (45:02):
But I also saw you know, the upside on what
I was doing on the media side, the upside and
being LA on the sports media side, and then you know,
started to build that relationship with University of California and
felt like I was really building a professional home for myself.
Speaker 2 (45:18):
You know.
Speaker 3 (45:18):
All that being said, I think if I was you know,
chasing the dream one hundred percent, I probably would have transferred.
But I'm not happy. I mean, I'm not you know,
unhappy with how it turned out. Like, I'm very grateful
I still have my health, my mind, my capability of thinking,
and those are things you really can't take for granted
(45:39):
when it comes to, you know, everything that football has
done for me.
Speaker 1 (45:42):
Yeah, I think as a as a mom and a woman,
my fear would be if like my son went to football,
because I did you ever watch the Netflix documentary It
was like on I think football players and their money, Yeah,
I mean.
Speaker 2 (45:57):
What my business?
Speaker 3 (45:59):
Yeah, I mean I think I think my mother probably
was praying over me every single.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
Play, you know, so she did talk about it a
little bit percent.
Speaker 3 (46:07):
And you know that that'll be a conversation for my mother,
my father, and my little brother just because he's getting
to the age where he'll probably start playing tackle football,
you know, more regularly.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Wow. Yeah, I feel like in the back of my
mind as mom, that's that's a be like of all.
Speaker 2 (46:23):
Dreams one hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (46:25):
I mean, and like I know the amount of injuries.
I know, the amount of like just being hurt, whether
it be emostly like the spiritually drained and then especially
physically like you just is a culture where you got
to play through it. And I think that's a skill
set one hundred percent. But I also think, you know,
as a parent, you you may think twice as far
(46:46):
as you know, pushing a child into that. I don't
have kids, so I don't really know my perspective on that,
but I know watching my brother out there play, I
will definitely you know, be helping, you know, each play
he just gets up the same way that he started
that play, because that's.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
That's something that's when you're watching.
Speaker 2 (47:04):
Him, you know.
Speaker 3 (47:06):
For for myself, you know, I mean, yeah, it's like
I've definitely have my bell rung. I've definitely been hit,
and it's like next week you've not seen the same
way out your left eye. But it's also myself, like
I it's something that I love and something that I
accept the risk doing it. But when it's somebody else
(47:27):
that you love, you know, there's sort of a different
aspect included.
Speaker 1 (47:32):
So what's the end goal?
Speaker 3 (47:34):
So if I were to say what I want to
really do in generalized terms is build generational wealth early,
I think like that there's a lot of work that's
gone in for generations, generations to get me to where.
Speaker 2 (47:48):
I'm at now.
Speaker 3 (47:49):
And God has you know, done all the heavy lifting.
I think it's really just about taking advantage of opportunities now,
So continue to learn, continue to recognize my weakness and
play to my strengths, and then you know, going to
public service and philanthropy, whether it be you know, holding
elected office one day. I just want to be able
to affect change with a platform that I've been afforded.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
And you know, as I.
Speaker 3 (48:10):
A crew more and more wealth, I can be better
in my scale as far as philanthropy, and then do
all of that while maintaining my faith. If I do that,
you know, I know, you know what, whatever sort of
struggles or whatever is next for me, whether you know
it be a future family or things like that, I'll
be you know, well prepared for that.
Speaker 1 (48:30):
Are you super goal oriented at home?
Speaker 2 (48:32):
So?
Speaker 3 (48:33):
I think my parents set a lot of goals for
their children, and I think every good parents should.
Speaker 2 (48:38):
For me.
Speaker 3 (48:38):
I'm not the biggest planner. I'm more, you know, evaluate
what the opportunity is and just work the best at that.
Something will come out of that. That's sort of where
my trust in God comes, just because I feel like
trying to say how things are going to be five
years from now is Vain's vain.
Speaker 2 (48:55):
Yeah, you don't know as.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
A person, but what about like a year out a year?
Speaker 2 (49:00):
What I mean?
Speaker 3 (49:01):
I think setting goals is definitely good and I think
for some For me, my goal is just each and
every day, like what's on the calendar.
Speaker 2 (49:08):
All right, I'm going to be so good on this
like that. That's sort of how my mindset is. And
you know, I'll look down the calendar a little bit.
Speaker 3 (49:16):
But part of being really busy is you got to
take it day by day because if you have four
or five meetings, you know three of them are three
completely different things. You have to be able to sort
of disassociate and lock back in on certain things. You
can't be thinking about what's happening down the line when
when you're there, you'll be prepared for it.
Speaker 1 (49:33):
I find myself counting ours, Like if you're ever hanging
out with me, go and you'll be like what are
you doing? And I'll be like, I'm counting ours because
I count. Yeah, I'm constantly counting, like how long does
it take? To my girlfriends? We went to a birthday
dinner and one of my friends was like, what is
something that you've you know, you've done it. You'll be
(49:54):
proud of. I was like, I have no idea. I'm
stayingful for my friends. And they were like, yo, your
time management is in back of oh, And I was
like time management And then I started thinking to my
dad was like, yo, nobody you call it four o
two and you say where are you gonna be at
four or three tomorrow? She'll know exactly where and how
long it takes. And I didn't know. I've become like
anly obsessed over how long.
Speaker 3 (50:17):
Down to Yeah, I think that's the coolest part about
you know, sports, It's like you have to be regimented
by nature. I've been you know, doing twelve for you know,
fourteen hour work days between sports and school since I
was you know, since I was like six or seven,
you know, I would go to school, then I would
train after them homework. It's like after by then, do
(50:39):
you did a twelve hour work day in your.
Speaker 1 (50:40):
Seventh That was gonna be my next question is like,
what's the day in the life of you right now?
Speaker 2 (50:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (50:46):
So for now, Like I always try to start my mornings,
you know, started out immediately with prayer and then you know,
some type of music. I love sending verses out to
people so I always send it. There's a small group
of people. I send it on one.
Speaker 1 (50:59):
Of those I get friends that do the DM.
Speaker 3 (51:02):
Yeah, I'm not blowing up in boxes. It'll be just
you know, one or two you know, quick verses. Yeah,
I mean it's really whatever verse I was going to read,
I'll just share with other people. And you know, there's
some folks that really enjoy that. And then you know,
after that, I try to get a workout in, you know,
whether it be you know, running or lifting.
Speaker 1 (51:24):
And how long is that? Like an hour?
Speaker 2 (51:25):
Yeah, I keep it to thirty minutes, thirty minutes. Yeah,
I'm passing like your I'm past.
Speaker 3 (51:30):
I'm past the two and a half hour you know,
workout blocks of football. I'm not trying to impress anybody.
Speaker 2 (51:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (51:39):
I start out with some cardios, then you know, do
three or four core lifts, you know, and then you know,
finished with some cardio and I'm in.
Speaker 2 (51:47):
And then you know, I'll tend to have like my.
Speaker 3 (51:50):
First meeting around like ten or eleven, and then you know,
I'll do a few meetings and I take take an
hour for lunch. Maybe you know, practice on you know,
either do music or practice on a skill set and
then you know, I have my afternoon meetings, which is
normally like one or two, especially since we're on the
West Coast, a lot of the meetings are in the
(52:10):
morning because that's early afternoon for New York and abroad.
Speaker 2 (52:14):
Well, I like that.
Speaker 1 (52:16):
And then the weekends are off.
Speaker 3 (52:18):
Yeah, you know, honestly, for weekends, I spend a lot
of time on music. That's sort of like my recharge time.
Even during football, like when we were out of season,
that would be when I'd go to the studio, like
because studio sessions go from like yeah.
Speaker 1 (52:31):
And they never have windows. Yeah, never wonder you walk outside,
you'd be like.
Speaker 3 (52:35):
Oh, it's like the casino. I don't want you to
know this daytime.
Speaker 1 (52:41):
Well, thank you so much for spending time with me
today and feeding me. Truly an honor to sit with you.
Speaker 2 (52:47):
No, I really enjoyed it. I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (52:49):
If food was good, I appreciate the appreciate the ingredients,
camera coop was good, and went forward to watching the
Send it to my family.
Speaker 1 (52:56):
You better the parents. Shout out to the parents.
Speaker 3 (52:58):
Man.
Speaker 1 (52:59):
Really really thankful for all the work you did with Chase.
Speaker 2 (53:02):
Yeah, I appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (53:04):
Thank you he's up, guys. Peace for more. Eating while
broke from iHeartRadio and The Black Effect, visit the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Host
Coline Witt
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