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December 13, 2025 • 13 mins

Actor Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret and and former long snapper for the Seattle Seahawks, joins American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast hosts Joe Worley and Adam Marr live at Media Row in Baltimore before the 2025 Army Navy Game presented by USAA. The founder of MVP, Boyer shares his unique insights on leadership, discipline and the importance of service. With experiences that span both the military and professional sports, Boyer illustrates how foundational values shared in these worlds can inspire individuals to excel, and explains why organizations that help veterans find their tribe - like Merging Vets and Players and The American Legion are critical for mental wellbeing.

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:11):
So Nate Boyer here, former GreenBeret NFL long snapper and Co
founder of Merging Vets and Players.
He's currently doing fantasy football on his computer.
You can tell him what happened. I left my Uber.
I mean, I left my phone Internetblue.
It has been located. I went to check into the hotel
and I like pull out my reservation but I couldn't pull

(00:33):
out my reservation because I didn't have my phone and that's
that's what I'm doing. So I'm texting on my laptop.
And that's why, which is funny because it's only embarrassing
if you've done it twice and you said this is not my.
First time it's not my first time.
Yes, last time I did not retrieve it.
My buddy has it in his in custody so that's good.
I'll I'll get it back at some point, but.

(00:55):
We're we're bringing professional athletes and
veterans together through community and purpose.
So you've lived in both worlds, you've done a little bit of a
little bit of both and special operations in NFL.
What leadership lessons do you think tie in between the two?
And, and I know that that's probably a really common
question. So I guess what I mean is not

(01:16):
just in what you interact with other people, but what is it
that you think resonated with you when you were in the
military that made you realize this is something that I need to
carry forth into, you know, intothe sports world and.
Vice versa. Well, the, the biggest thing was
like was discipline, you know what I mean?
Like understanding and learning that you have to sacrifice a lot

(01:38):
to be elite no matter what you're doing.
And, and that can be obviously you do that in the military and
you're willing to, you know, I mean, people have, you know, in
our history, so many have sacrificed their lives.
So many have sacrificed a lot like you have that we can
physically see. And a lot of people have
sacrificed other things, you know, that we maybe don't.
And I think that that those things are very, they're very

(02:01):
similar, you know, but that discipline that you, that is
instilled in you, whether you like it or not, it kind of
sticks with you. And so without it, without the
time of the military, I wouldn'thave been able to even think I
had a shot of playing football, wouldn't even have believed it,
but I had to apply it. And those, those things like
some of the best, you know, soldiers that you're or military

(02:22):
members that you serve with and some of the best, best athletes
out there. Yes, they're talented and smart
and athletic or whatever, but they usually work really, really
hard. They're extremely disciplined.
And that's the difference, I think, between that motivation
and discipline that a lot of people struggle with.
It's very easy to get super excited about something.
But those are the easy days sometimes when you go to the gym
or when you, you know, you go towork out or you're, you're

(02:44):
eating a meal because it's the smart move and not, you know,
pizza because it's delicious, right?
Making a decision that day. I like, I love pizza.
So anyway, I do love pizza. Pizza's great, but.
Who doesn't? Somebody doesn't.
I question things. But but it's those days when
it's raining and you still got to go work out.
It's those days that that you know, you, you got something
going on with your shoulder and you're like, I need to do

(03:05):
something. Even if it's I walk in there,
right? And if I don't like it and it
feels weird, I'm going to leave.But I'm going to show up.
I'm going to show up because it's it's more learning how to
tell yourself no. You know what I'd be interested
to hear, Nate? Big game mindset.
You've played in some big games.Yeah, right, right.
Right, Texas for the Seattle Seahawks.
What? What are the Cadets?

(03:26):
I mean, this has got to be theirbiggest game on the season.
Army, Navy kind of doesn't really compare to anything else.
No, it is the biggest game, and not just for army and Navy.
I think it's the biggest game, football game that this country
plays. You know, I mean, seriously,
I've been to four Super Bowls and it's awesome.
It's really fun. I went to the one where Tom

(03:46):
Brady had that crazy comeback against the Falcons, right?
But still, sorry, but still in in in this stadium tomorrow.
The energy you feel and knowing that everybody, everybody on the
field playing is willing to die for everybody sitting in the

(04:07):
stands watching. It's like a crazy thing to kind
of conceptualize because yes, it's a game, but it's like it
just, it's just different, you know, it means so much more that
there's nothing that compares and and yeah, like I said,
Texas, I I've been to a lot of really cool venues and seen some
great games and played in some nothing.
What? Sticks out for you though, as
far as like your like one of your big games, whether it was a

(04:29):
championship, whether it was maybe a big moment for a reason
like not anticipated. It was, it was beating A&M and
beating Oklahoma, to be honest. You know, that was our Navy.
If you're an Army guy, yeah. Have them show up tomorrow.
Can work together. Yeah, exactly which atmosphere
was crazier at at home with A&M coming in or going to Kyle

(04:52):
Field? Well, I'd say Kyle, I got to
give him that Like, yeah, it's hostile territory, but that's a
their fan base is amazing, right?
And they're. Yeah, the the the history and
the pageantry, the core, you know, and and then the Yale
leaders. It's not my thing, but you know,
I get it. And yeah, it is very cool.
And they everybody's very you are they, they, they call it the
12th man for a reason. But like they, it is like a a

(05:15):
part of that team. You feel it.
An SEC guy, you know, for us it's like certain places are
dangerous. Like a, you know, you don't, you
legitimately don't carry Georgiastuff into Vol territory.
Like they're, they can, they can, they'll, they'll flip a
car. You know, and I didn't realize
that I it makes sense outside the SEC that there are other
places. Is that how you lost your leg?
That is, that is it. Actually, I didn't lose it.

(05:37):
SEC. Champion Middle 2020.
I walked in there with a Georgiashirt on.
They took it from me it. Was so.
Bad. That's cool.
I was actually born in Knoxville.
So yeah, my my dad was going to veterinary school at University
of Tennessee and my mom was working at Oak Ridge National.
Lab. He's a vet, too.
Exactly. He is the best kind.
Yeah. Well, no, when when I first,

(05:59):
like, I always thought a vet wasa veterinarian growing up.
I didn't think about that because I didn't really have
military in my family, you know?That's what I.
Want. Oh yeah, they're out there.
Double vets. Yeah, exactly.
But but yeah, no, you're right. I mean the SEC that that I think
except for this game, you know that some of those rivalries and
some of the being in the stadiums for some of those

(06:21):
games, it's, it's hard to compare, but this blows it out
of the water at the same time, like it is, it's just I, I say
it to everybody, whether they'rea veteran or not.
Like you got to go to an Army Navy game at some point.
I know it's an expensive ticket.It's a tough trip.
It's cold, but it is especially.Yeah, even knowing coming last
year for the first time, I was like, this is an energy.
This feels like a boxing match. To me.

(06:42):
Right, it was like everything upto like the kickoff was almost
like the the greatest pageantry show from the March on.
It was 64 fly over when the Armytook I'd tell this like to the
4F eighteens that when the Navy comes out, it's like we didn't
see that kind of like forces in in combat predominantly and
that's how you take the field. Exactly.

(07:03):
That's how you take the field toplay a game.
And we're like, hey, can we get a little close air support or
Nope, sorry, yeah, not on station.
Not happening. Realize that we're playing with
them too I think that's the the real secret yeah.
So I, I, I want to talk just fora moment about service yeah.
And. And the reason why is because I
think that a lot of times when people serve in the military,

(07:25):
you don't realize even when you're in that it's service
right until you get out in some ways, because it's you never
think to serve people to fill the hole that's left until you
do it. You go, Oh my gosh, this is like
when I get involved in nonprofit, all of a sudden I
feel whole again. What's happening with me?
Because you, you know, you thinkof service as its own word, as
its own term, not as the fact that you're giving something a

(07:47):
part of yourself. And that's what makes it
resonate when you're part of theteam, when you're a part of
something like that. So I want to ask for you, what
does service mean to you and in and ask you about what it feels
like to be sincere and to try. Yeah.
In a world that that seems like they want to make a joke out of
everything. Like we can laugh, but like

(08:08):
there's a moment where you, you lock it down and you, you.
Yeah, right. No, I think look like whether no
matter why you joined and there's various stories for
that. My favorite story of someone
that is very famous, that's thatserved is is is Randy Couture,
right. Six time UFC champ.
A lot of people don't know he was in the military.

(08:29):
I didn't. Yeah, yeah, he was in the army
and it was peacetime, you know. And he'll, he'll, he's the first
one to tell you that He's like, I don't want to say that I did
this and that, but it was because of that that he became
AUFC fighter. Like he learned how to sacrifice
in the discipline and all that. But he joined because he got his
girlfriend pregnant, you know, and he's like, I got to take
care of this kid. I need something steady.

(08:49):
And this is, this makes sense for me.
And that's why he joined. But what he became is like we
all do when we whether we like it or not, we become a person of
service. It's just in us like because
you're doing it, you're just doing your job when you're in.
But you realize once you're out quickly, yeah, how how like not
just the camaraderie and all that, but like how everything

(09:10):
you did, it really does matter. And it's hard to replicate that
and find that in the real world,quote UN quote, you know what I
mean? So I if you don't have service
at some part of your life movingforward, I think people struggle
even more. You know, like it's already hard
enough to take the uniform off and, and transition and, and and
do that. But it's it's it's even tougher

(09:32):
if you if service isn't a part of your life.
And that can be enough nonprofitthat could be to your family,
your neighborhood, whatever you know, but like you need it.
Yeah, well, Speaking of nonprofits, looking at your hat,
MVP, I mean, this is, you know, kind of this game is kind of the
example of the service academiescoming together around sport.
Yeah, MVP meets them on the other side of service, right?
Being able to bring the athletestogether with the veterans.

(09:54):
Such a cool mission, such a great place for you guys to host
the tailgate this year. Decided to check that out
tomorrow. But like, what's what's going on
in the MVP world? Man, So yeah, we're we're we're
continuing to open chapters where we can and when we can.
Austin's one of our newer ones, which is cool to me because I,
you know, went to college there and it's a great sports town.
We just did an event recently with the New Orleans Saints and

(10:17):
I was out here at the Commandersgame just two weeks ago, you
know, doing something with the coach, Dan Quinn, the
Commander's coach. That's another great story.
But when he when he was he was the coach for the Falcons when
they lost that Super Bowl, right?
A year later, he was out of a job and he found MVP because he
felt lost. You know, he was missed that
tribe, you know, and he missed that community.

(10:39):
And he's like, where's my lockerroom?
I need it. And and then he came back and
was great with the Cowboys and he's doing well with the
Commanders. They're having a tough year
right now. Their quarterbacks hurt and all
that, but it's a building year. But they, you know, they went
all the way to the NFC championship last year.
It's really cool. So anyway, yeah, that's what MVP
does. That's that's who we're there
for, veterans and athletes. There's a mutual respect between

(11:00):
the two groups, you know, but just like the legion, honestly,
like we need a place that we canall go and be with our brothers
and sisters and kind of feel that connection to, to what we
did. You know what I mean?
In some way, like, of course we got to move forward.
We shouldn't be living in the past and just glory days behind
us. Like our glory days should be
still ahead and, and with us every day and we should be proud

(11:22):
of what we did and not just dumpthat, but at the same time, like
don't rest on those laurels and find that find your tribe again.
Find the the people that did something that that were willing
to do what you did. You know, and, and sign on that
dotted line. Take that, take that oath.
And, and, and on the athletes side, of course, they're not in
the military, but like they're heroes to a lot of us.
They're heroes to me growing up.You.

(11:43):
Understand the struggle. It's really cool how you bring
all that together, but also to be able to tell those stories
and had a release recently, right?
Being able to really kind of package that together in story
form. And this was directorial for
you? Yeah, yeah.
So MVP actually came out a couple of years ago.
We just, we just moved to Netflix last week.
So that's what. I saw SO.

(12:04):
We were, yeah, it came out, we had, we were in, you know,
select theaters for a bit. And then we did, we were a
couple years on Paramount Plus and now it's on Netflix.
But yeah, it's, it's about a Marine living in a homeless
shelter and a former NFL player,first year out of the league.
And they meet and they're going through the same struggles of,
of, you know, completely different lives and backstories.
And you know, black guy, white guy, got money living in a

(12:27):
shelter, Family. No family, but they're in the
same space. You starred in it and directed
it. Yeah, well if you if you Co
write, direct, produce and act in a movie, you don't have to
pay those people. It was.
That's the only way we made. Them all on a budget.
Exactly. Exactly.
Free labor. Brother Nate Bauer, we got a

(12:48):
former. Come on, it's OK.
Got a lot going on. Nate Boyer.
Yeah. So breathe.
Breathe it in. I'll correct it.
I'll correct you. We we sure do appreciate.
You I appreciate you guys. Appreciate you, brother.
Yeah, thanks for. Everything you do, thank you
guys. Thanks.
Right on. Can we get you to sign the?

(13:09):
Hell yeah. You can sign a Boyer or Bauer.
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