The Divide Live: Brandon Graham Interview -- 2/9/24

Eagles DE Brandon Graham joins Mike Powers on The Divide Live to discuss what lies ahead for his future, some powerful messages that have stuck with him, and his thoughts on the future of some of his teammates.

LISTEN: Fans can listen to The Divide Live on Fox Sports The Gambler on 102.5 FM and 1480 AM in Philadelphia as well as on 104.1 FM in Trenton, NJ. In addition, the show can also be heard on the station’s website here, podcast here, or on the iHeartRadio app.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to the Divide with Mike andCorey, two die hard baseball fans who
don't agree on anything. Which sidewill you choose? This? We're here,
Philly Catty put your boy Todd Frazier, Hey, what fulp? This
is Cliff Floyd. You can't catchme on the Divide. You can catch

(00:20):
me on the Divide on Fox SportsThe Gambler. Hopefully our disagreement one day
bring us all together. So soso corny, my own our disagreement,
bring up I do Fox Sports,The Gambler, The Divide Live, Mike

(00:43):
Powers here a special guest friend andGraham. What's up? Man? Hey?
How you doing? Man? Thisis a game changer for sure.
You know How's life? Life?Life is good, man. Life is
happening right now at a fast pace, and I'm trying to slow it down
a little bit. It's super jealous, Like, honestly, you know,
you announced your retiring right ye afteryou got one more year, which is

(01:07):
amazing. But I was just tellingyou, I'm nineteen eighty five, you're
nineteen eighty eight, and if Iget to retire, it's probably in twenty
five more years or so. Youknow, man, that is crazy.
That's crazy. I mean, Igot I gotta beat following suit with you.
Man, They'll give me another big, another set of another set of
skills in this area. I wasgonna say, so, do you have
an idea? I know it's stillfresh. Everything you got to enjoy this

(01:30):
last year for sure before you startthinking, But are there other passions you
have in this world that you reallywant to tap into? Well, you
know what, I'm going to thismedia boot camp that NFL's offers, and
I'm going there April ninth through theeleven, and so they gonna put me
through a bunch of this and hostingmy own shows. And I want to
see just how I do because Ilike what I sound like. But it's

(01:53):
just all about knowing what I'm talkingabout and getting those early jitters out of
now. Light's camera action. It'stime, you know what I'm saying,
And so I'm looking forward to itbecause it's opportunity that I should have been
took advantage of. But they neversay never, and it's never let you
know what I mean, But I'mdoing it right now. I'm pretty much

(02:16):
doing it right now. So I'mexcited. Speaking of lights camera action,
you were just on TV ABBD Elementary. Oh yeah, yeah, I got
a bunch of questions for that one. Yeah, it was awesome. I
was I couldn't believe you guys wereon that long on a zoom call.
Yeah, was it really zoom orwas there like cameras behind? It was
really zoom. It was really zoom. Like we was in Philly and they

(02:37):
was there and we can see themand they can see us during that time,
and uh, it was cool becauseI didn't realize it was all on
people behind. It wasn't all onpeople. They they edited, they edited
somewhere they looking at us, butthey don't never show all the people because
we ain't see all them people thatwas in that room. Really really,
that's I was wondering what the moviemagic was. I was like, I

(02:58):
couldn't wait to ask you that.Because the messaging is awesome with that show.
And obviously I went to school tobe a teacher and I'm not a
teacher because you can't make you can'tprovide for a family, right, Like,
it absolutely stinks, So it meansa lot. One The messaging even
in that TV show was amazing becausewe were just talking earlier about family and

(03:20):
stuff like that and you know,I have a daughter, so I'm like,
some man's gonna ask her to marryher. I hope she gets to
have a decision because it's almost likethe biggest gotcha moment in the world,
and that happened on that show.So it was just it was awesome.
You know, obviously you're gonna killit in media, and that was just
so cool to see. Man,I appreciate it. That was so cool
for them to hit us up orhit me up and say, hey,

(03:42):
we want Brandon too. So Iwas like, oh, and no question.
So my dad never got to seeme in this outlet, like before
I ever started podcasting, he wasalready gone for a few years. I
just got to sit in on aphone call with you and your dad,
and it really got me. Man, you guys, that's so awesome.
Were there other any other figures inyour life that like gave you a memorable

(04:05):
moment that you'll never forget. I'llgive you an example. My coach Fred
Brighton, he had this model downby two right, So when we were
playing baseball where the score was alwaysdown by two, we like we got
a crooked number on the board.I go up to him after I hit
a double. I had a littlebit of swag. I'm like, coach,
what, what's the score? Andhe's like down by two? And

(04:25):
I rolled my eyes and he grabbedmy shoulder and he's like, Mike,
if you live your life like you'realways down by two, you will always
win. So yeah, like likedunk with me. Man, that's like
nine year old me, Like justright, So, uh is there anything
like that in your life or anyother leaders that you're like, dude,
that guy just changed my life.Well, you know what I think for

(04:47):
me, My first moment was whenI was in my dad's car and we
I had got hit in football andthe first time in past, and so
I was seven. I want Iquit. I ain't want to play no
more. And so my dad hadthis talk with me like, look,
man, you know you started it. You know you finish it. But
if you don't want to do itnext year, it's cool. But you
started it already, so you mightas well go ahead finish it because you

(05:11):
can't quit. You know what I'msaying. We don't. We don't quit
over here and all that stuff.So that's what even even now, like
it's hard, Like it's just hardbecause it's about to be over. But
I ain't quitting, but it's justabout to be over, you know what
I'm saying. But it's like Ialways had that that mindset, like when
I like, man, like somebodylooking out looking looking at me right now.
Now it's my kids, but itwas my mom and dad. Like

(05:32):
when I'm out on that field,I just know somebody watching me, like
you know. So I'm always likeI can't quit when I get tired,
you know. So that's what kindof stuff. Philly is beyond excited that
you did not quit, and wethank you for not quitting, you know.
And one other thing, Gary Richardtaught me this at an older age,
and it was passion out ways abilityand I believe that with all my

(05:53):
heart and and that's why I tryto be as passionate as I can.
And when you announced that that wasto be in the locker room, you
could just sense that you were gonnaleave it all out on that field.
Yeah, man, And it's socool just to like what you said,
like, man, it's like youdown by two. It's like, man,
you can't get comfortable, you knowwhat I'm saying. That's really and

(06:15):
everything, like you know, youcan't get comfortable because you can get comfortable
because you think you see what it'slike when you in the in the prime
of that, in that moment.But as soon as some stuff go bad,
that's when you really see what yougot. You know what I'm saying,
and you see the real of things. So it's like being down by
two. I mean, I'm alreadyfeeling like that. So it's like,
whatever y'all, whatever you do tome, I'm already knowing I gotta go

(06:36):
to the next thing. Yeah,let's go. I'm actually happy I helped.
Yeah that's cool. I never heardit like that, but that's cool.
It's definitely and it opens stores becausetwo is not enough to quit,
you know, or give up onyourself, but it's enough to be like,
I gotta get I gotta get going. Because if you're down too,
especially on a baseball field, dude, you're still in it. But it's

(06:57):
it's tough, right because because thenext person that's that's up on you right
now. You know what I'm saying, Like, hey, you you you
coming right behind him, you knowwhat I'm saying, and vice versa.
So you're from Detroit. I knowyou said you were rooting for the lines
a little bit. They should haveacted like they were down by two,
you know, Like, boy,it was funny because like with all that
nonsense with script and all that otherstuff, how many people do you think,

(07:21):
uh really would have thought the worldwas scripted? If Eminem versus Taylor
Swift would have happened in the SuperBowl, that would have been crazy.
Oh man, Hey, but theythey slip won that battle already because halftime
that boy he thought he was andI thought it was too. I thought
that we was gonna see Eminem manTeslis Swift together, but they had another

(07:42):
plane. One last question, We'regonna get you go because you know,
you've been here all day and weappreciate all your time. Thank you,
Frankie durself for letting me have somemoments with you. And it's been epic.
You're an amazing person. Uh,it's it's just unbelievable. Uh.
You know, my last thought isJason Kelsey, are you going to convince

(08:03):
him to come back? Well,you know what, I see what he's
doing in the media issue. Hegonna convince himself to come back because hey,
this love that he getting right now, you got to enjoy it,
and I know it'll be a burstof love, he said. He coming
back from the Eagles. They aredefinitely welcome home with open arms. Well,
we can't wait to see you backon the field and I wish you
nothing but the best and enjoy thislast ride man. Yes, sir,

(08:26):
I will. I appreciate you,thank you. We'll be right back.
This is The Divide live on FoxSports The Gambler. If you can wager
on it, we're talking about it. It's The Gambler.