October 23, 2025 • 48 mins
Dan Barreiro opens the show going over the details in the NBA FBI gambling scandal which is the biggest story in the country today before Sean Salisbury makes his weekly appearance for Vikings and NFL talk.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Disease your operation, Royal Flush Leader Fan Fan Radio Network. Sorry,
k Fair and k f A N dot com. One
minute and fifty two seconds, Pat, No, actually two minutes
and two seconds past the hour three o'clock Central daylight time.
(00:23):
Welcome back. It is a Thursday production, a very truncated
addition to the Bumper to Bumpert program. Between now and
five o'clock this evening, guards he produces. My name's Dan
Barrero Ingstein, writch newspaper the Twin Cities back in the day.
We're delighted you were along for what originally was going
to be a pregame. To the pregame, there will be
an element of that, for sure, but duty calls and
(00:46):
when news breaks we try to react to it. And
so today with the National Basketball Association in the meat grinder,
at least in terms of accusations, it will be a
fair portion of today's broadcast as well. Brat Shawn Brian
tamfe In text line is open at six four six
(01:06):
eight six. And by now I'm assuming most of you
know the particulars regarding well, I guess you could say, well,
hall of fame basketball player and now coach who the
Wolves just knocked off last night, right, Chauncey Billups think.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
About it, his last moment in the NBA might be
ant man Dagger in his squad.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Miami Heat guard Terry Rosier, and a more forgettable player
named Damon Jones all in the meat grinder for various reasons.
We are what two days into the National Basketball Association
season and the morning after some pretty impressive performances collectively
(01:58):
and individually on the part certainly of Anthony Edwards in Portland.
Where was the San Antonio Davy Dallas game? That was
in Dallas? Was it not when ban Yama was absurd?
Was it forty points in thirty minutes? Double check his box?
I think that was the most impressive impressive part for me.
He got to forty, but I think he only played
(02:18):
like thirty twenty nine or thirty minutes. And other interesting
performances over the course of the first two nights from
an individual or team perspective, And ain't nobody talking about
any of it in the wake of the press conference
this morning in which, as I mentioned, Billups, Rosier, and
Damon Jones are all indicted, and of course, perhaps just
(02:43):
as notably, the alleged participation in both of these scandals
of four reputed mafia crime families in New York, New York.
Your guy Cash Pttel, the FBI director, showed up for
the presser. This was at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn,
(03:03):
New York. To I guess add to the seriousness of
the accusations. Here, billups indicted for his alleged participation in
what is described as a wide ranging, years long scheme
to defraud card players in high stakes poker games, Operation
(03:30):
Royal Flush. That's what that refers to. And that scheme
are those schemes in which allegedly card players showed up
not knowing that the games were rigged. Also involved members
of the Bonano, the Gambino, the lu Casey, and the
Genovizi crime families. Is that the Big Four? I don't
(03:54):
know the pecking order in New York regarding crime families.
Are those the Big Four? Are we forgetting one or two?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I think there's a few others, but those are pretty
legitimate names there.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Rosier is thirty one. He's charged with taking himself out
of a game in twenty twenty three, so a co
conspirator could place a bet and win. You'll recall there
is a connection to not a well known player his
(04:25):
brother's much better known, but to former Toronto Raptors player
John Tay Porter. He received a lifetime ban from Basketball
got he in his investigation. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty for
betting on NBA games and manipulating his own performance in
a series so others could win a series of prop bets.
(04:46):
Bets were reminded that Porter pleaded guilty until July twenty
twenty four to one felony account of conspiracy to commit
wire fraud billups on leave Rosier on leave by the NBA.
No particular surprises there at all, Jones you may know
less about. He's charged in both cases. That's his claim
(05:07):
to fame right now. He's connected to allegations on Operation
Royal Flush and do we have did they have? They
come up with a pithy name for the NBA insider
trading scandal. They've got Operation Royal Flush for their hard part.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Was there?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
I think it was? Yeah, I don't remember what it
was though. He's and by the way, totally in the
two indictments, there's thirty four defendants, thirteen men accused of
being involved in organized crime. Jonesy, a former teammate of
Lebron with the Miami Heat. James brought Jones to Cleveland
in twenty thirteen, fourteen, as his personal shooting coach at first.
He eventually becomes an assistant coach with the Cavaliers, joined
(05:48):
Lebron in LA and apparently was still around the team
even when he wasn't formally employed, which meant he was
allowed to fly to away games on the team plane.
So according to the indictment, Jones was described as a
teammate or coach of a prominent NBA player who it
called Player three. That's supposed to be Lebron James okay
(06:11):
that in the indictment says Jones used his relationship with
that player and the team to gain information that he
then sold to professional gamblers. Jones found out on the
morning of feb nine, twenty three, that Player three, presumably Lebron,
would not play in a Lakers game against the Bucks
that night, told an unnamed co conspirator to place a
big bet on the Bucks because he was out and
(06:33):
Player three, you recall, had not been named in the
team's injury report at that point, but indeed would miss
the ballgame. I want to give you between now and
our three thirty guest Sean Salisbury. A number of nuggets
that have I found most interesting regarding this bombshell of
(06:53):
a morning for the National Basketball Association. We'll get the
obvious particulars out of the way regarding innocent, proven guilty.
I have a lot of questions about certain aspects of
these allegations that I think should be fair game and
should be part of the discussion. But there's if the
more people are reading from the indictments, the more specific
(07:16):
and more detailed these charges are revealed, and it makes
it appear as if there's a lot of If this
is all smoke, it's hard, it'll be surprising. It seems
as if there's some substance to this as well. Yep.
March twenty third, twenty twenty three, Rosier is playing for
(07:38):
the Hornets and he apparently lets it known to people
around him that he's going to leave the game early
with an injury. And on that occasion, and this was
the Red Flag Associates bet more than two hundred thousand
dollars on Rosier's unders and winnings were then delivered according
(07:58):
to the indictment, to Rosier's home. I mentioned Damon Jones
regarding the Lebron James stuff Feb Nine, twenty twenty three
game is the specific game involved here, according to the indictments,
that that was a game Jones did not I should
say James did not play and ruled out due to
(08:18):
ankle soreness. And that game came two days after James
passed Kareem Abdul Jabbard become the NBA's all time leading score.
Back to Jones, he sold or tried to profit from
non public information so that others could bet out and
including two defendants earnest and fairly. And I mentioned that
(08:43):
was regarding the the Lebron situation which he Jones allegedly
texts an unnamed co conspirator that a player was out
and that they should indeed bet on the bucks. Thirteen
members of the Banano, Gambino and Geneveasy crime families are involved,
among the the what I think we named four crime
(09:07):
families total involved in this whole deal. The indictment said
one unnamed co conspirator told a code defendant, Eric Ernest,
that the Blazers were tanking ahead of a March twenty
four to twenty twenty three game and that a certain
player would sit out Ernest then shared that information with
Marvez fairly, who shared it further and bet on it fairly,
(09:29):
and somebody named Shane Hennon bet about one hundred grand
on that Blazers game. The dog DJ, I should say,
allegas more on the Terry Rozier part of this. Regarding
that March twenty three Hornets game in the year twenty
twenty three, he tells a code defendant named de Niro Laster,
(09:50):
I'm going to take myself out in the first quarter
of that game so that Laster could then bet on it.
Laster shares that info. He gets paid one hundred grand
for it by this before I mentioned it before Marvez fairly.
According to the indictment, that information then gets shared with
others who also bet on it. I mentioned Shane Hennon.
(10:11):
He bets sixty one thousand dollars on prop bets on
Rosier's unders, and then ordered a syndicate of associates to bet.
To the indictment set in all, two hundred and fifty
nine grand waged on Roseer by that group. And for
the record, Rozier left that game after playing exactly nine
minutes and thirty four seconds, and he indeed did not return.
(10:34):
Now here's a nugget that interested me. And I don't
know if you've seen this anywhere. This is via I've
been reading heavily from the Athletic. The Athletics got a
really good series of threads trying to sort of distill
what is out there right now this game though via
the ESPN dot com story. Though Billups is not named
(10:57):
in the sports betting indictment, the description a co conspirator
who allegedly told it better that a number of Trailblazers
players would miss that March twenty twenty three game had
a playing and coaching career that matches Billups. Have you
seen that before? No, that was good to me. Now,
I the reporters on this story all pretty good. I
thought that was kind of interesting, and I had a
(11:20):
question or we may get a little help either on
or off the record later in the show. But one
of my questions was, can we assume that the FEDS
believe and I have not read the entire indictment that
when it comes to the card playing games, where as
I understand it, Billups is invited, they do the old Well,
(11:43):
big names attract interest, and we can get other people
to play exactly. We give you a chunk of money,
you just show up and play, right. But the allegation is,
of course, that the fix is in on who's going
to win, who's going to lose, and that the SAPs
who are brought along by a Chauncey Billups have no
(12:04):
idea that they have no chance to win. Correct. So
do we know that part of the allegation in Billups
case is that he had knowledge that indeed these games
were rigged, Because I'm wondering, well, does he come back with, well,
you know, these things happen. You get invited, I got
a big name, I show up. I have no idea
(12:26):
that the game is rigged. So I don't know if
that's discussed in any indictments, but that's going to be
one of the questions that interests me the most. Now.
I was told by a pretty good source that it's
likely that that's what the FEDS, if they're going to
bring these kinds of allegations forward, yes, on a federal level,
that they would believe he was that they believe they
(12:48):
have evidence to suggest that he was well aware that
these games were not on the up and up. Because
I've heard a couple of people early today before some
of these details came out. Let me tell you something.
I mean, I get it on integrity the game in
for insider trading. That's the most damaging thing to any
league at any point. That's why once upon a time
the league's and betting services leagues wanted nothing to do
(13:11):
with any of them. Right, that was the whole idea.
But then if it's okay, Phillips is playing some high
scale poker and maybe nobody who wins ends up obviously
reporting what they made not great, but we really does
that really on the same level. If it's as simple
as that, I would tend to agree with that sentiment,
which is, I'm not sure the average groove cares all
(13:33):
that much, but this is a whole new element to it.
If the element is well, no, he was involved in
a scheme in which others were defrauded a lot of
money and a lot of money and he knew it.
That puts it on another whole level. And at that
point it becomes I think, much more serious than I'll
come on, how many these guys with a lot of
(13:54):
money play high stakes pokers game poker games and no
one ever knows who won will talk about them, they
play them on the planes, hotels. It's all of that.
And there's the mob part of this as well. That
is part of what builds will have to explain. Bonus Bucks.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
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Speaker 1 (14:28):
We expect Sean Sagery at the bottom of the hour
and he will help us preview Vikings Chargers, which will
begin tonight with the pregame show and the fan At five,
Peter Bursch will file a live report from southern California.
I'm presumably a stadium right by then from the booth.
From the booth, that's four thirty today and Picks with
(14:49):
Gerby is scheduled for four two this afternoon. US attorney
Joseph Nocella Junior calling the charges against Rosier and Jones
one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online
sports betting became widely legalized in the United States. The
scheme is an insider sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential
(15:10):
info about NBA Association National Basketball Association athletes and teams.
I mentioned that the NBA has offered the requisite we're
taking this very seriously. Blah blah, and in blah. Rosier
was taken into custody in Orlando. The Heat had played
there Wednesday night, and I believe he's supposed to be
(15:33):
in court in federal court today. I don't know if
he has been yet, but that was the original scheduling.
Billups was arrested on Thursday after coaching the Blazers last
night to the Wolves come from Wolves come from behind
victory in that game. I think it was in the
middle of the night in his case that they came
(15:55):
to his house and he's expected to also appear at
a hearing. I'm looking at sort of the list of
this is actually from the indictment list of games that
are involved here, and what is interesting is I mentioned
(16:15):
that March twenty three to twenty twenty three game Hornets game.
That's the one where allegedly Rosier actively playing at that
point for the Hornets, tips off his buddy and we're
trying to get a little bit more information on the
buddy that I'm going to leave the game early because
(16:36):
of an injury, and that gets the ball rolling. And
then it was the next night, March twenty four, twenty
twenty three. So the next night insider information from a
longtime friend an NBA coach at the time that several
of the Blazers top players would set out a game
against the Bulls in full tank mode. Right, So it
(16:59):
was on consecutive nights that some of these same individuals
were also a part of this indictment had used that
information to gain huge opportunity to make lots of money,
including wagering over one hundred thousand dollars against the Blazers.
Then there's that Orlando Magic game April six, So now
(17:23):
this is just what another within two weeks of the
first two back to back nights where this is going
on a tip obtained through an insight connection to a
then Orlando Magic player. A co conspirator leveraged a relationship
with a Magic player to learn that several of the
team's top player would sit out a game against the
Cleveland Cavaliers, also information that had not been made public
(17:45):
and fairly, and the co conspirator pocketed a bunch of
winnings there. Those are some of the big ones. We
talked about the Laker games where Lebron did not play,
and then the Johntay Porter deal, a guy who's already
pleaded guilty. This is sort of where the case started.
Right then, an NBA player with the Toronto Raptors. He
(18:06):
informs a co conspirator and others that he would prematurely
exit that game that he was scheduled to play on
jan twenty six, twenty twenty four, and then in March
of twenty twenty four because of injuries, so that they
could place bets once again prop bets. Usually that's the
way this thing goes, yep, And that's sort of where
(18:26):
we are with them. You know, we've talked about this
before and it was it was always going to be easier,
whether it's fair or not to dismiss it. If it's
a fringe player, right, it's not good. But if the
most famous player involved is Jontay Porter, then the league
(18:48):
does not have that much of a stain on it.
Quite frankly, whether it should or not, that's just sort
of the way it works. But as the names get bigger,
and obviously this is a U in the case of Rosier,
a bigger name again, not a superstar name, but a
much bigger name. It becomes more problematic. Here's also where
(19:10):
it's interesting to me. As far as I know, the
league had said, we've investigated the rosier charges, right, or
possibility of what he was involved in, right, And I believe,
I don't want to say they cleared him, but I
think they came to the conclusion that they didn't have
enough evidence to render any kind of a judgment against
(19:30):
him or punish him. Correct.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
That's what his attorneys are essentially saying. They're saying he
was interviewed as a subject, I think, not as a
defendant like they were when we've been cooperating with these guys.
This is what they've said, and they took the photo ops.
So he's going to try to fight this thing, obviously,
go out and do that. Does that mean the fans
have more information? They obviously have more power.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
There's a better chance they are they're going to be
able to muscle people who are we don't even know
about who who are going to plead out to save
their own hides as much as they can with information
that the NBA never got a hold of. That's going
to be another one of the open questions here moving forward,
But we all know, I mean, the bigger the names,
the harder this gets to sort of say, ah, come on,
(20:14):
you know, these things happen every once in a while, right,
no big deal. And that's where we're at. And this
has always been the fear that the closer the league's
got to betting services, they went from literally, we're allergic
to them. Two we want basically to have them in
(20:36):
our arenas if we can legally to do it. Come on,
in whatever you want to do, how can we make
it easier for you? And this was always the danger
of going as far as they have. Now maybe it
wouldn't have mattered. You could say, maybe it wouldn't have
made any difference. And I don't buy, by the way,
the comeback of what are you talking about? I mean,
Rosier made a lot of money, how much? I don't
(21:01):
think that's generally very persuasive to me. People are weird
about money, man, Yes, if they can gambling and gambling
and if they can find other ways to supplement or
here I'll get another thirty thousand here, twenty thousand there.
Who knows that there's no telling the notion that because
you're a millionaire, you're less likely to want to take
the risks that's involved here. I just think we have
(21:24):
too many examples outside of the world of sports and
in the world sports, where what's proven over and over
again free money, Eh, you know what, this is pretty
this is solid. I'll take my chances with this thing.
So that doesn't mean he's guilty, but it means I'm
not sure I buy the thing. That just doesn't add up.
Because these guys make too much money in the first place.
(21:45):
Then you're taking care of your friends exactly. You're taking
care of it. Maybe some of those friends are compromised
for sure. You say, hey, man, I'm down eighty thousand.
They go, I don't want to give him my eighty thousand,
But if I can get the eighty thousand here right here,
you take, here's a way I can do it, exactly.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
I'm actually most fascinated in the poke stuff because if
you watch the press conference. I watched it today and
they were talking about the mechanisms that they use in
these poker.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Games to shoot these guys. Remarkable. It's scary. You know,
it's out of a movie. It's out of well, it's
out of what were the the Vegas movies. Ocean's thirteen. Yeah,
I know, this was literally some of this stuff is
out of Oceans thirteen. You're right.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
It's the shuffling mechanisms, it's the X ray tables where
you can see the cards, it's the signals on the cards.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
It's crazy, it's insane, it's crazy. Talk about if this is,
if this ends up standing, you know, the test of time.
You want to talk about the documentaries on this that
they there will be quite a few done. All right,
let's break. We're a little behind already. We'll come back
and chat football and maybe a little bit on this
story with Sean Salisbury as well, because Salisbury has become
(22:51):
a generalist generalist as well, but lots on Vikings chargers.
When we return questions for Sean salis where he hit
(23:16):
the branch on bride Kafe in text line six four
six eight six. That is six four six eight six,
Seawn joining us via the Connectico Water Systems hotline. We start,
apparently with some congratulations to you first grandchild. Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Yes, sir, thank you, Matt. That's hopefully first of many,
but said you can always give him back. Oh yeah, man,
the time, you know, it's the blessed beyond belief, my man,
and healthy, happy, and you know, I got a I
got a son now that just got married, as we
talked about, you don't don't know why. And then my
other daughter is is engaged, and my oldest boys running
(23:58):
restaurants and kicking but working too much. So life's good,
my man. Enjoy coming on with you. But yeah, I'm
proud and happy and everybody's healthy, and nothing quite like it.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
They are they all over the place. Refresh my memory
on where they.
Speaker 3 (24:13):
You know, I've got a real estate mogul in Austin
and a good place to get it some times in
real estate. He's a brinder. I got a son who's
a business partner, managing partner and chef in Austin as well,
and they're about to open their fifth restaurant. This is
a phenomenal streakout. And then uh stepdaughter here, and then
(24:35):
another daughter that is in New York. She was in
Austin as well, and she's in the design business and
as well as she is a world class like photographer.
And she's a musician, so she's a phenomenal singer and
guitar player and piano player. So she's a little bit
of everything, and she's engaged. So yeah, all over the place, well,
(24:56):
most of them in Texas, but for the most part
my daughter when she's a I like to have them close.
But sure, it's okay because she she got that arts
and she's changed in the world. So life.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Yeah, sounds like they're all doing well. That's so congratulating.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
I'm blessed. So that's a good thing.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Hey, let me ask you one before we get to
the ball game tonight. I want to get your view
on the the big indictments that were announced this morning
that obviously put the NBA in a very compromised light.
There's two different ones, obviously, one having to do with
the the the fraud poker games, and the other having
(25:32):
to do with insider trading and injury information. The assumption
what we're hearing again and we're going to hear it
as you know a lot more in the next few days,
is told you so that the as the decision was
made for for sports professional sports to instead of running
from gambling to embracing it to the degree that they
(25:54):
now have where everybody's in it together, that it's inevitable
that it's going to be more likely these sorts of
scandals are are going to be revealed. Do you think
that link is fair? Do you think it's just as
likely this could have happened anyway, or do you think
this is the degree to which you know sports leagues
have gotten in bed with various gambling agencies has made
(26:17):
it inevitable or more likely that these sorts of stories
are just you know, the tip of the iceberg.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
Dah, there's so many as you know, I'm sure going
through your show as I did on my National show today,
the layers and the branches to this or I think
the numerous needless to say, this has been going on
a long time. I'm not shocked. I don't think now
people are talking about it was a gateway drug basically
right Daniel smoke and then that's kind of how they
(26:47):
did it. But this ain't the first time. I could wait,
I mean, we could take it back a long time.
I think we're more aware of it and the hypocrisy
with sports leagues is insufferable. And I like to bet
on a game now and they know with all of
a sudden from Pete Rose on on down eight before Pete.
But do we or are we just paying more. It's
like it's like we have more cameras on games. Are
(27:09):
we paying more attention? We have social media? Do we
pay more attention to the videos people post? Are have
we been you know, cheap shots or arguments on the sidelines?
Whatever it is? Now? This is big, But are we
just more paid more attention to it? Do we turn
the other cheek because it wasn't? Do I think it's
a gateway to bigger problems?
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (27:26):
Do I think that we're over we are. I mean,
if a guy bets on football and he's a baseball player,
does it open him up to think, you know, maybe
I can get away with this, or we've been getting
away with it for a while and we just paid
more attention. I don't. I wish I know the I
don't know the hypocrisy reeks, because yes, they're gonna make
billions golf and then turn around and suspend Ridley for
(27:48):
a year because he's betting on a fantasy football for
sixty bucks. I understand the hypocrisy, but I mean, this
is real, and this isn't just in this situation as
we know this is I think the problem. It makes
it even more heightened and not makes it, but that
people are like, uh, oh, is you know bets on
the side, golf bets, you know, back to the Michael
Jordan tie and the speculation about that. We've seen this
(28:11):
forever and how you handle it. But I think we're
more irritated if your fans and because people bet there
there's a they believe me, there's an epidemic of it,
or there's a The biggest sports betting degenerates in the
world are on college campuses across this country. I promise
you it's a It may not be the size of
the money right, but the number of debblers it is.
(28:32):
It is bigger than any place I've been, and I've
been around it. But you know, when I was playing,
it never came up. Nobody talked about it. Yet you
were always warned by NFL security to be aware. So
I think there's more attention paid to it like anything else.
But you know, we're not talking we're seeing you know,
people talk. We're not talking about you betting your buddies
at one hundred dollars poker game, you know, or playing
(28:52):
cards on the plane trip home. We're telling people get
whacked for this. Yes, we're talking about premeditated I'm talking
about both. We're talking about guy and now it's gonna
make us And now it opens up other sports. Leagues
are gonna say, eyes are gonna come to us if
they already have it, which they have with class and
baseball and all the other stuff. Now I'll open up
the eyes. Think about this. I've always hated load management.
(29:14):
Every time. Now a guy sits out because he's got
a little bit of a hammy or a cold. What
are we thinking, Dan?
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Exactly?
Speaker 3 (29:20):
Okay, we're now follow the money trail. They're gonna take
billions and then a guy bets and we're gonna make
it more serious. And it's not stopping here. It's not
stopping at thirty one. And you and I both got
I don't know the names, but I assure you it's
not stopping, not only in basketball or in these sports
like now, do they protect bigger stars. I don't know
if it is bigger stars, but I know this the
(29:40):
things you should never do. Or three, you can have
the cartel. When an FBI guy with a blue jacket
and yellow lead lettering on it showed up your house
or they're involved, you're you're You're in major trouble. Secondly,
when the last name Luke Casey and Banano and Gambino
and who am I leaving out when they're involved. This
ain't just the Irishmen or a Godfather show. This is
(30:02):
real and this is you didn't pay your bet and
so this is principle. Now, it doesn't matter if it's
five thousand or five million. Now, families and head on
a swivel. And this is premeditated by Billups and the
rest of them for different reasons. But can you imagine
telling people that, whether it's the arrogance, the ego, the chase,
the adrenaline, making one hundred and fifty million in your career,
(30:23):
telling the teammates about nine minutes I'm going out that
you're counting on the under and then they deliver the
money to your house while FBI is watching and you're
counting it in your own Think about the levels to this.
This just isn't it your buddies at a friendly game,
we're talking stuff. Guys get killed for this stuff. So
I don't know, Dan, and I know, I mean, there's
so many you want to hit on all of them.
(30:43):
But do I think that it was a gateway drug
to bigger stuff? Sure? Do I think that's the only reason.
Absolutely not. But it you know, we criticize the steroid
era and bud Sea League and Adam Silver. This is
he's attached to this. Whether he's involved or do anything
about it, he is attached to it. How I think
it gets, We'll go find out. But do I think
it's gonna make it where we say, yep, this is
(31:04):
what you get when you invite it in. But if
you didn't invite it in, people are still doing it
illegally with bookies in every town, at every college on
the planet, and more players and coaches are probably involved
in people deciding games than we think. The problem now
is we know four big mafia families were involved in this,
and now the collateral damage becomes danger and like and
then stuff where you got to go and witness protection.
(31:26):
If you're sitting out of jail for prison. It's a
scary situation and a really damaging one.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Very well stated. I have one other question for you
that you can speak to better than either one of
us and our listeners, because one of the comebacks I
always hear is at a time like this is man,
these guys, why would they mess with this kind of money?
With the risk they're making. They're making tens of millions
of dollars. Some of them got, you know, one hundred
million they've made over the course of their career. And
(31:53):
I've said, I think that's irrelevant. I don't think that's
usually a really effective defense. Whatever, like you said, it is,
it's the thrill, it's I want to help out a
couple of buddies. But when it comes to money, Sean,
my feeling is, it doesn't matter how much you make.
In the case of many individuals, it doesn't inoculate them
from the idea of I can make a little bit
more money here, and I can get this this way.
(32:14):
I'm gonna go ahead and do it. Can you speak
to that being in the sand, you know, the where
there's a lot of money.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
Yeah, adrenaline junkies too, Dan, Yeah, you're one hundred percent correct. Listen, Now,
there are some who, like we all have done. You're
sitting at a blackjack table and you draw lost one hundred,
smaller than that, but legally, sitting at a blackjack table,
you lost a hundred, and you say, well, I'm gonna
chase it, and so you bet double, and you double
down and you split and all of a sudden you're
three hundred down. So you chase it and then Dan
(32:42):
you leaves Vegas. It's one thousand dollars loss. It's like,
what a bummer. But it's already taken now, So there
is some of that desperation. People just don't have it,
trying to get a quick fix. But in this case,
with this kind of money, that changes hands, and the
people were discussing and making one hundred and fifty, you're
making five, ten, twenty million a year. Now there are
some What happens is people that have earned money a
lot of it, we automatically assumed that they were smart
(33:04):
with it. There's more that go with it than we're
smart with it. I'm just telling you the ones I've
been to make ten, they say, well, what they spent it?
And they say they have a federal taxes right or
if they're a ten ninety nine, or have you right?
Or it's not taken out by their team. Point is
is some don't have it, but you are exactly. Let's
say they do. You say, how why would they do?
(33:26):
It's adrenaline, man, it's eagle. Why does a guy with
a ten wife cheat on her? And then Why does
he cheat on somebody? In idiots A five? Or why
does a woman cheat on a man? Is it because
they're in love with the other? Well, they love the chase,
they love the adrenaline. Why do junkies that rise fast
cars get fifteen tickets and are willing to get a sixteen?
I don't know, I know that been certain, I'm an
(33:46):
adrenaline junkie, not that way, but in certain things like
we love the challenge, the chase, steed and we have
people I say, well, when's enough enough? You know, guys
are going through contract negotiats. What's the difference in five
hundred million and fifty millions fifty or five hundred in
five hundred fifty mans fifty million. That's the way a
lot of athletes are. What made them great is there
is there selfish their attention that you know, grinding it
(34:09):
out more and more and more, getting better, training harder.
The same thing that uplifts them sometimes buries them. Ego pride.
It's not enough. I want more of my buddies are involved.
Who I won four in a row. I'm a better
gambler than the guy who says he's a gambler. But
it is the adrenaline, and I'm with you a lot
of the time it has zero to do with what's in
their bank account and everything to do with the adrenaline
(34:30):
or the chase of the win. And when they get
to the wind, they're looking for the next big one.
Drug dealers do it. You say how, stories tell how?
Why would this? I say it today? Why risk this? Well,
there's the answer. It's the adrenaline and the feeling of
I gotta find the euphoria, I gotta find some just
thinking your drugs. Whatever that addiction adrenaline is, it's not
(34:53):
a good thing. And sometimes the ego and pride to say,
you know what, what are you gonna do? Do you
know who I am? I've heard that hits two and
you know what, I can tell you what they're going
to do. They got blue and yellow riding on their jackets.
And you're dealing with families that wear suits and ties,
and they have dry cleaning businesses, and when you go
into their business, you ain't ever getting out. That's the problem.
(35:14):
So this is huge and it only gets bigger. So
I think there's a lot of layers to that, but
I am with you one hundred percent. I don't think
it matters about the ATM machine and what they can
get out of it. I think it comes down to
how they want it, because some of them may stend
it on their way out the door. Anyway. They love
the rush, and that may be the case here as well.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
All right, let's get to some football. How beatable are
the La Chargers?
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Very It's so this league is whacked out. A month ago,
the charge the Chiefs were left for dead. Now the
Chiefs are the best team in the NFL according to
Vinionan Vegas best odds to win it, and they are
playing like it in the AFC. A month ago, three
weeks ago, Man, what's wrong with Jalen Hurts? Well, your
Vikings found out, come out in the second half, get
a big play when you're coming out. Five field goals
(36:00):
by the Vikings later and a couple turnovers and missed opportunities.
Jalen Hurts is now a big time player. The Chargers
were running it healthy, offensive line, Man Herbert's playing at
a high level. They're gonna challenge the Chiefs well, backfield
banged up, offensive line banged up. What are they going
to do with the deadline? Herbert's getting questioned, is he
just a numbers guy? Why can't they win the big one?
(36:21):
And now they're reel and so, yeah, they're beatable. They
will get after you, and they're well coached, both coordinators
and their head coach. They are well coached. But you
can beat them, especially if you get at them early
and make them chase and they get into what they
don't want to get into, and that's a passing fante.
Hard Bud does not want to do it. And right now,
(36:41):
the chance to win offensively is they have to. They're
they're not pushing the move in the line of scrimmage enough.
So they are and with some players on your team,
notwithstanding a couple of coverage breakdowns last week, but they know.
They didn't run the ball very well in Philadelphia didn't.
So they're beatable. And you just got a guard on
the road against talk because they're primed for a big game.
(37:03):
I know they hung in there and Herbert had a
big game. It could be one of those if you
don't where both quarterbacks are thrown at forty five times
and you in the passing fancy the whole way, which
would probably favor the Vikings because of now Herbert may
be a little bit better player, and I'm a bit
successed as he is right now. But I think the
Vikings overall may be a better team right now, although
(37:23):
both they're reeling in certain areas, and yes, the Chargers
are beatable. I think they're better than their record. But
what you are who they say you are, and you
are what your record tells you. It's a team that's
reeling that's going to have to do something with the
trade deadline as well if they want to keep up.
And they're just as capable of winning four or five
in a row because the quarterback's dynamic. But a lot
of their yards, I mean, a lot of the plays
(37:44):
are coming on on when it's some garbage time. They're
catching up. They're not playing the type of football we
thought they were who they were at the beginning of
the year.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
So did Carson Wentz play erratically enough last week that
it's automatic almost no matter what how he plays this
evening in Los Angeles, that when the Vikings come back
off of a semi buy, you know, a ten day
layoff to go to Detroit to take on the Lions
(38:12):
in early November, that JJ McCarthy should be and must
be the starting quarterback.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
I think it's a no brainer simply because of the commitment.
We have talked about Dan about when he was We
cleaned out house for him to start. When he's healthy,
he's playing. Do I think that if Winz goes for
four hundred and three touchdowns and they win by the
time ten days rolls around, and if McCarthy's one hundred
percent healthy for they running out there. I do. Now.
(38:39):
Whether we think it's right or not, it's another thing,
but I do think they will. And you and I
kind of a brief exchange on Twitter during the last game.
He does enough and like in times that he got
to come back, he's making enough growth to say, to
tease you, he is. I mean, look at the numbers.
He keeps making enough complete and just enough to keep
you going, but then crushes you with the pit and
(39:00):
then he'll play in London or wherever and then throw
the great touch of actually damn, and then he'll put
you say he looks good, and he'll hang in and
bring you from behind, and then he'll miss a checkdown
that has twenty yards a running room. Then they'll hold
the ball in the red zone and take a sack.
Seven eight, yard loss and put you in a longer
one instead of a shorter where you can run it
instead of have to throw it, and then you got
to settle for a five field goals. So I think
(39:22):
he's done enough to warrant another start. If McCarthy's not healthy,
and I told you he you know, he looks more
confident as a player, but he lapses into those The
reason why you can't make a full commitment to him.
Aw you just when you say, okay, man, is he
making it tough on the Viking staff, you'll see a pick.
(39:42):
Is he making it tough? Dude? You can't hold the ball,
check it down. So doing enough to tease you, but
not doing enough to say when McCarthy's healthy, considering the
commitment they made to him, they're not going to put
him back in. My guess is, no matter what happens tonight,
if JJ's is close to one hundred percent as he can,
you'll see him starting because they will treat the extra
reps like a bye week.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
Judging injuries is a really dangerous business, and it's a
road I try not to go down because no two
injuries are exactly alike. There is a part of me,
though that is curious about this with this is I
think day thirty eight since he got hurt, and they're
still saying, you know, well, I guess I guess. Koc said, well,
(40:24):
if we had a full week, maybe there's a different
starter on Sunday. But they're still saying that he's not
full They're still saying that he's at best the emergency starter, right,
he's not even the backup for this game. And I
sometimes I do wonder whether they're they're being too Is
there such a thing as being too cautious with him?
(40:45):
Or is a guy used to play? Are you are
your eyebrows raised at all? Or do you say no?
On high ankle sprains, man, there's there's no rule. There's
a lot of Sometimes it takes this much time or more.
Speaker 3 (40:56):
I've played with one in college. We were getting right.
We had a week and I needed two weeks as
a high ankle spring against Stanford tainted. That did it all,
put it nice, it all, and it was painful, but
it was And it's different these days, and the money
and the rest of it. And as a guy, and
I was the starter at SC so I was that
guy at that time. But it's different and I was.
He was hurt and it was a pretty severe enough
(41:17):
to miss a lot of practice, but I needed the
two weeks. But I think each got pain threshold has
a lot to do with it, and I don't need
to put it on baseball. But I remember last year
Kyle Tucker Dan He they said, you know, he foiled
the ball off the shin and it was bone Bruce
for seventy days heard it was a bone bruise, and
I kept saying, that ain't a bone, Brews. That's trying
all of a sudden, with about about seventy days in
he ended up here sixty days. Oh yes, it's a fracture. Well,
(41:41):
I do think a lot of that's do with the
guy whoever that is. With JJ's case, it is a
test trained, a pain threshold part of it. And if
he if he was going to be ready in two days,
like you said, if we had a you know, they
played on Sunday, then I mean and and just two
days is the day was distinct emergency and can't play
(42:01):
or can play. And so I don't know that answer
because I'm not there, but I do know that high
ankle springs kind of like planet fasci itis. Although at
a different part of the lower half, you are set
in flint. Come on a heal Bruce Planner fasciatison two
months later, Guy's not playing. And I've had that too,
and it's painful. So I think it's pain threshold. And
I also think that if it put it is, if
(42:23):
Carson Wentz was urinating down his leg, I think he played.
And it comes down to because you've got to play
hurt in this league. You just don't play injured. And
I get this hunch he's hurt, but they just want
to make sure he's closer to undercent because there's a
second year guy that's basically playing as a rookie. You're
still swimming in the mental side of it anyway, so
they want to get it close. But it can be
(42:44):
it can fluctuate. It's not the same for everybody, and
it can fluctuate a month or two months, but it
comes a point in time. If it's just pain threshold,
sometimes you got to shoot it, suck it up and
go play. So I would imagine if it was a
Super Bowl and they wanted him a playoff game or
single elimination, he would be playing tonight.
Speaker 1 (43:02):
I'm a broken record on this issue. But but I'm
stubborn about it. All the indications are that the Chargers
are a team that you can run on all of
the discussion and the pronouncements in the offseason, again from koc,
I've got to call a different game, in part because
I've got a different quarterback, in part because we have
to we have to be more, we have to be
(43:23):
less finessey than we've been in the past. Vikings are
still on average running the ball less this year than
last year, when I still didn't think they ran it
at key times. They had what seven red zone plays
in which every time a pass was either called or
the QB changed it to a pass at the line
(43:44):
of scrimmage. I don't get it. Man. If you've got
if you're compromised, especially at the quarterback position by playing
a backup, or you got a kid who's just trying
to learn on the job, is it your job as
a head coach to attempt to help him out. And
the Vikings have know what jones out, They have a
runner who I think is willing to accept the responsibility
(44:05):
and do something with it. I don't.
Speaker 3 (44:06):
I just don't get it, all right, And you're talking
to a quarterback about this, and I am on your
page and in your church. Few one hundred percent I
don't get it at any time. I'm gonna once again
I will. I would like you say, I'm dying on that.
He'll end this one. Go check due, Just do some
research over the last three extend you anybody's listening, and
go check in in every game you watch, and I'll
(44:27):
bet you eighty percent of them. I know I do
it every week. I didn't do it this last week,
but eighty I would usually do it before the next
Sunday game. I'll bet you did eighty percent of the
teams that won last week. Fans a few ram the
ball at tenth wise, not yards at tenth wise, more
than the team that may be. And they'll say, well
that just goes with winning. No, No, it actually doesn't.
(44:48):
People use the pass as an extension of screen, of
the run game, the short passing game of the screen.
Here's what I'm gonna tell you. And I know your
affinity and mine. I love Kevin, I do, but you
can't keep talking it and saying we got to do
to call it different. You either got it in your
DNA or you don't Kyle Shanahan's running it no matter
what exactly, no matter what he's running it. Denny would
(45:08):
tell Brent, give me your best run. We're running it
regards now, you're down four touchdowns in one of those days. Four,
Your running backs are hurt, your tight ends, your running back.
I get it. But if you want to protect him
and not and teams have throw forty five fifty times,
you're not winning most of the time. Number twelve in
New England, they'll play around the league for every team.
He's just not that fortunate. You've got to be able
(45:29):
to run it. And it's not just running. You've got
to commit to it. And you can't get out of
it with two three and outs because your offense was embarrassed.
So it does nothing but help the guys late in
the game. So if you want to stop being finesse,
you got to call non finesse place. You got to
throw it, you got when essy, but you got to
beat him down, and you've got to impose your will.
Short of running against a ten man box, then it's
(45:49):
man coverage or one on one. Go do your thing.
But the truth is, I'm with you. I look at
it and I say what are we doing here?
Speaker 1 (45:57):
What?
Speaker 3 (45:57):
You can spread it out and still run it, but
what are we doing here? And you can't keep telling
us what you want to do When you're the guy
that's got to play sheet in your hand, it's DNA
And I'm not sure some defensive offensive coordinators or play
callers at times can get out of their own way
because like most we all lean on the crutch. A
quarterback leans on his wide receiver crutch. Are running back
(46:17):
leans on a decide he likes. You went to a
play caller. If he's right handed, we got a good
right guard right versa. We're gonna run there most of
the time. And you know what a play caller does
when it gets to that cut of time, does what
he feels best with and he loves to throw it.
I don't care if it's Macarthy or Witch. You got
a backup quarterback that you need to protect, and you
got a young guy you need to protect. What are
(46:38):
we missing here? You gotta run it. You got to
commit to it, and if you don't against the Chargers,
you're making a mistake because that's where you're gonna have
to live, and you're gonna have to win on first down,
or they will tee it up and get after you,
and they will come at you with blitzeres and pressures.
Speaker 1 (46:52):
I assure you, uh, just so you can be sure
of what I think. You already know that you're not
wasting your time with us. I want to read you too.
Texts that I receive just within the last five minutes.
The first is Dan Sean continues to deliver. Each and
every appearance brings a wealth of knowledge and depth. Keep
these conversations rolling. And then this is from a regular
(47:14):
guest on the program who happened to text me, can
you have Sean on every day? He is so on points?
So you got the fans here, man, they're still behind you.
Speaker 3 (47:26):
Well, I can tell you this. You know how much
I love you and guard ze even if they hated me.
I'm forcing my way off with you because I love
coming on with you. Secondly, I wouldn't want him money
to water too much. But you know what, I can
move to Minneapolis if you're looking for it. I'm giving
you a hard time. Tell me if there's room to see.
But the truth is you're much better without me. But
(47:47):
I love having you on. I mean I love being
all with you. And I'm not trust me. As long
as you'll have me, I'll be there. But I'm honored
and I'm sure grateful that those great fans in Minnesota
feel that way. It makes me happy and I don't
take it for granted one bit.
Speaker 1 (47:58):
Enjoy the ball tonight, Congratulate on the reaching that grandfather's status,
and we'll talk next week. Thanks man.
Speaker 3 (48:05):
Yeah, And I'm not going to say one word, and
I'll bet you the Vikings win tonight because that'd be
probably poor timing.
Speaker 1 (48:09):
Right. That is the one and only Sean Salisbury. We
got to move kind of fast because it's predictions with
Carl Gerbschmidt coming up, Peter Bursich from the belly of
the Los Angeles Chargers Beast. He will join at fourth
Disease your operation, Royal Flush Leader Fan Fan Radio Network. Sorry,
k Fair and k f A N dot com. One
minute and fifty two seconds, Pat, No, actually two minutes
and two seconds past the hour three o'clock Central daylight time.
(00:23):
Welcome back. It is a Thursday production, a very truncated
addition to the Bumper to Bumpert program. Between now and
five o'clock this evening, guards he produces. My name's Dan
Barrero Ingstein, writch newspaper the Twin Cities back in the day.
We're delighted you were along for what originally was going
to be a pregame. To the pregame, there will be
an element of that, for sure, but duty calls and
(00:46):
when news breaks we try to react to it. And
so today with the National Basketball Association in the meat grinder,
at least in terms of accusations, it will be a
fair portion of today's broadcast as well. Brat Shawn Brian
tamfe In text line is open at six four six
(01:06):
eight six. And by now I'm assuming most of you
know the particulars regarding well, I guess you could say, well,
hall of fame basketball player and now coach who the
Wolves just knocked off last night, right, Chauncey Billups think.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
About it, his last moment in the NBA might be
ant man Dagger in his squad.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Miami Heat guard Terry Rosier, and a more forgettable player
named Damon Jones all in the meat grinder for various reasons.
We are what two days into the National Basketball Association
season and the morning after some pretty impressive performances collectively
(01:58):
and individually on the part certainly of Anthony Edwards in Portland.
Where was the San Antonio Davy Dallas game? That was
in Dallas? Was it not when ban Yama was absurd?
Was it forty points in thirty minutes? Double check his box?
I think that was the most impressive impressive part for me.
He got to forty, but I think he only played
(02:18):
like thirty twenty nine or thirty minutes. And other interesting
performances over the course of the first two nights from
an individual or team perspective, And ain't nobody talking about
any of it in the wake of the press conference
this morning in which, as I mentioned, Billups, Rosier, and
Damon Jones are all indicted, and of course, perhaps just
(02:43):
as notably, the alleged participation in both of these scandals
of four reputed mafia crime families in New York, New York.
Your guy Cash Pttel, the FBI director, showed up for
the presser. This was at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn,
(03:03):
New York. To I guess add to the seriousness of
the accusations. Here, billups indicted for his alleged participation in
what is described as a wide ranging, years long scheme
to defraud card players in high stakes poker games, Operation
(03:30):
Royal Flush. That's what that refers to. And that scheme
are those schemes in which allegedly card players showed up
not knowing that the games were rigged. Also involved members
of the Bonano, the Gambino, the lu Casey, and the
Genovizi crime families. Is that the Big Four? I don't
(03:54):
know the pecking order in New York regarding crime families.
Are those the Big Four? Are we forgetting one or two?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I think there's a few others, but those are pretty
legitimate names there.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Rosier is thirty one. He's charged with taking himself out
of a game in twenty twenty three, so a co
conspirator could place a bet and win. You'll recall there
is a connection to not a well known player his
(04:25):
brother's much better known, but to former Toronto Raptors player
John Tay Porter. He received a lifetime ban from Basketball
got he in his investigation. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty for
betting on NBA games and manipulating his own performance in
a series so others could win a series of prop bets.
(04:46):
Bets were reminded that Porter pleaded guilty until July twenty
twenty four to one felony account of conspiracy to commit
wire fraud billups on leave Rosier on leave by the NBA.
No particular surprises there at all, Jones you may know
less about. He's charged in both cases. That's his claim
(05:07):
to fame right now. He's connected to allegations on Operation
Royal Flush and do we have did they have? They
come up with a pithy name for the NBA insider
trading scandal. They've got Operation Royal Flush for their hard part.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Was there?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
I think it was? Yeah, I don't remember what it
was though. He's and by the way, totally in the
two indictments, there's thirty four defendants, thirteen men accused of
being involved in organized crime. Jonesy, a former teammate of
Lebron with the Miami Heat. James brought Jones to Cleveland
in twenty thirteen, fourteen, as his personal shooting coach at first.
He eventually becomes an assistant coach with the Cavaliers, joined
(05:48):
Lebron in LA and apparently was still around the team
even when he wasn't formally employed, which meant he was
allowed to fly to away games on the team plane.
So according to the indictment, Jones was described as a
teammate or coach of a prominent NBA player who it
called Player three. That's supposed to be Lebron James okay
(06:11):
that in the indictment says Jones used his relationship with
that player and the team to gain information that he
then sold to professional gamblers. Jones found out on the
morning of feb nine, twenty three, that Player three, presumably Lebron,
would not play in a Lakers game against the Bucks
that night, told an unnamed co conspirator to place a
big bet on the Bucks because he was out and
(06:33):
Player three, you recall, had not been named in the
team's injury report at that point, but indeed would miss
the ballgame. I want to give you between now and
our three thirty guest Sean Salisbury. A number of nuggets
that have I found most interesting regarding this bombshell of
(06:53):
a morning for the National Basketball Association. We'll get the
obvious particulars out of the way regarding innocent, proven guilty.
I have a lot of questions about certain aspects of
these allegations that I think should be fair game and
should be part of the discussion. But there's if the
more people are reading from the indictments, the more specific
(07:16):
and more detailed these charges are revealed, and it makes
it appear as if there's a lot of If this
is all smoke, it's hard, it'll be surprising. It seems
as if there's some substance to this as well. Yep.
March twenty third, twenty twenty three, Rosier is playing for
(07:38):
the Hornets and he apparently lets it known to people
around him that he's going to leave the game early
with an injury. And on that occasion, and this was
the Red Flag Associates bet more than two hundred thousand
dollars on Rosier's unders and winnings were then delivered according
(07:58):
to the indictment, to Rosier's home. I mentioned Damon Jones
regarding the Lebron James stuff Feb Nine, twenty twenty three
game is the specific game involved here, according to the indictments,
that that was a game Jones did not I should
say James did not play and ruled out due to
(08:18):
ankle soreness. And that game came two days after James
passed Kareem Abdul Jabbard become the NBA's all time leading score.
Back to Jones, he sold or tried to profit from
non public information so that others could bet out and
including two defendants earnest and fairly. And I mentioned that
(08:43):
was regarding the the Lebron situation which he Jones allegedly
texts an unnamed co conspirator that a player was out
and that they should indeed bet on the bucks. Thirteen
members of the Banano, Gambino and Geneveasy crime families are involved,
among the the what I think we named four crime
(09:07):
families total involved in this whole deal. The indictment said
one unnamed co conspirator told a code defendant, Eric Ernest,
that the Blazers were tanking ahead of a March twenty
four to twenty twenty three game and that a certain
player would sit out Ernest then shared that information with
Marvez fairly, who shared it further and bet on it fairly,
(09:29):
and somebody named Shane Hennon bet about one hundred grand
on that Blazers game. The dog DJ, I should say,
allegas more on the Terry Rozier part of this. Regarding
that March twenty three Hornets game in the year twenty
twenty three, he tells a code defendant named de Niro Laster,
(09:50):
I'm going to take myself out in the first quarter
of that game so that Laster could then bet on it.
Laster shares that info. He gets paid one hundred grand
for it by this before I mentioned it before Marvez fairly.
According to the indictment, that information then gets shared with
others who also bet on it. I mentioned Shane Hennon.
(10:11):
He bets sixty one thousand dollars on prop bets on
Rosier's unders, and then ordered a syndicate of associates to bet.
To the indictment set in all, two hundred and fifty
nine grand waged on Roseer by that group. And for
the record, Rozier left that game after playing exactly nine
minutes and thirty four seconds, and he indeed did not return.
(10:34):
Now here's a nugget that interested me. And I don't
know if you've seen this anywhere. This is via I've
been reading heavily from the Athletic. The Athletics got a
really good series of threads trying to sort of distill
what is out there right now this game though via
the ESPN dot com story. Though Billups is not named
(10:57):
in the sports betting indictment, the description a co conspirator
who allegedly told it better that a number of Trailblazers
players would miss that March twenty twenty three game had
a playing and coaching career that matches Billups. Have you
seen that before? No, that was good to me. Now,
I the reporters on this story all pretty good. I
thought that was kind of interesting, and I had a
(11:20):
question or we may get a little help either on
or off the record later in the show. But one
of my questions was, can we assume that the FEDS
believe and I have not read the entire indictment that
when it comes to the card playing games, where as
I understand it, Billups is invited, they do the old Well,
(11:43):
big names attract interest, and we can get other people
to play exactly. We give you a chunk of money,
you just show up and play, right. But the allegation is,
of course, that the fix is in on who's going
to win, who's going to lose, and that the SAPs
who are brought along by a Chauncey Billups have no
(12:04):
idea that they have no chance to win. Correct. So
do we know that part of the allegation in Billups
case is that he had knowledge that indeed these games
were rigged, Because I'm wondering, well, does he come back with, well,
you know, these things happen. You get invited, I got
a big name, I show up. I have no idea
(12:26):
that the game is rigged. So I don't know if
that's discussed in any indictments, but that's going to be
one of the questions that interests me the most. Now.
I was told by a pretty good source that it's
likely that that's what the FEDS, if they're going to
bring these kinds of allegations forward, yes, on a federal level,
that they would believe he was that they believe they
(12:48):
have evidence to suggest that he was well aware that
these games were not on the up and up. Because
I've heard a couple of people early today before some
of these details came out. Let me tell you something.
I mean, I get it on integrity the game in
for insider trading. That's the most damaging thing to any
league at any point. That's why once upon a time
the league's and betting services leagues wanted nothing to do
(13:11):
with any of them. Right, that was the whole idea.
But then if it's okay, Phillips is playing some high
scale poker and maybe nobody who wins ends up obviously
reporting what they made not great, but we really does
that really on the same level. If it's as simple
as that, I would tend to agree with that sentiment,
which is, I'm not sure the average groove cares all
(13:33):
that much, but this is a whole new element to it.
If the element is well, no, he was involved in
a scheme in which others were defrauded a lot of
money and a lot of money and he knew it.
That puts it on another whole level. And at that
point it becomes I think, much more serious than I'll
come on, how many these guys with a lot of
(13:54):
money play high stakes pokers game poker games and no
one ever knows who won will talk about them, they
play them on the planes, hotels. It's all of that.
And there's the mob part of this as well. That
is part of what builds will have to explain. Bonus Bucks.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Speaking of money, Yeah, the fan and two men and
a junk truck want to give you a shot to
win Bonus Bucks. It is our national cash contest. First
keyword is cash. Go to KFEN dot com and enter
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Speaker 1 (14:28):
We expect Sean Sagery at the bottom of the hour
and he will help us preview Vikings Chargers, which will
begin tonight with the pregame show and the fan At five,
Peter Bursch will file a live report from southern California.
I'm presumably a stadium right by then from the booth.
From the booth, that's four thirty today and Picks with
(14:49):
Gerby is scheduled for four two this afternoon. US attorney
Joseph Nocella Junior calling the charges against Rosier and Jones
one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online
sports betting became widely legalized in the United States. The
scheme is an insider sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential
(15:10):
info about NBA Association National Basketball Association athletes and teams.
I mentioned that the NBA has offered the requisite we're
taking this very seriously. Blah blah, and in blah. Rosier
was taken into custody in Orlando. The Heat had played
there Wednesday night, and I believe he's supposed to be
(15:33):
in court in federal court today. I don't know if
he has been yet, but that was the original scheduling.
Billups was arrested on Thursday after coaching the Blazers last
night to the Wolves come from Wolves come from behind
victory in that game. I think it was in the
middle of the night in his case that they came
(15:55):
to his house and he's expected to also appear at
a hearing. I'm looking at sort of the list of
this is actually from the indictment list of games that
are involved here, and what is interesting is I mentioned
(16:15):
that March twenty three to twenty twenty three game Hornets game.
That's the one where allegedly Rosier actively playing at that
point for the Hornets, tips off his buddy and we're
trying to get a little bit more information on the
buddy that I'm going to leave the game early because
(16:36):
of an injury, and that gets the ball rolling. And
then it was the next night, March twenty four, twenty
twenty three. So the next night insider information from a
longtime friend an NBA coach at the time that several
of the Blazers top players would set out a game
against the Bulls in full tank mode. Right, So it
(16:59):
was on consecutive nights that some of these same individuals
were also a part of this indictment had used that
information to gain huge opportunity to make lots of money,
including wagering over one hundred thousand dollars against the Blazers.
Then there's that Orlando Magic game April six, So now
(17:23):
this is just what another within two weeks of the
first two back to back nights where this is going
on a tip obtained through an insight connection to a
then Orlando Magic player. A co conspirator leveraged a relationship
with a Magic player to learn that several of the
team's top player would sit out a game against the
Cleveland Cavaliers, also information that had not been made public
(17:45):
and fairly, and the co conspirator pocketed a bunch of
winnings there. Those are some of the big ones. We
talked about the Laker games where Lebron did not play,
and then the Johntay Porter deal, a guy who's already
pleaded guilty. This is sort of where the case started.
Right then, an NBA player with the Toronto Raptors. He
(18:06):
informs a co conspirator and others that he would prematurely
exit that game that he was scheduled to play on
jan twenty six, twenty twenty four, and then in March
of twenty twenty four because of injuries, so that they
could place bets once again prop bets. Usually that's the
way this thing goes, yep, And that's sort of where
(18:26):
we are with them. You know, we've talked about this
before and it was it was always going to be easier,
whether it's fair or not to dismiss it. If it's
a fringe player, right, it's not good. But if the
most famous player involved is Jontay Porter, then the league
(18:48):
does not have that much of a stain on it.
Quite frankly, whether it should or not, that's just sort
of the way it works. But as the names get bigger,
and obviously this is a U in the case of Rosier,
a bigger name again, not a superstar name, but a
much bigger name. It becomes more problematic. Here's also where
(19:10):
it's interesting to me. As far as I know, the
league had said, we've investigated the rosier charges, right, or
possibility of what he was involved in, right, And I believe,
I don't want to say they cleared him, but I
think they came to the conclusion that they didn't have
enough evidence to render any kind of a judgment against
(19:30):
him or punish him. Correct.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
That's what his attorneys are essentially saying. They're saying he
was interviewed as a subject, I think, not as a
defendant like they were when we've been cooperating with these guys.
This is what they've said, and they took the photo ops.
So he's going to try to fight this thing, obviously,
go out and do that. Does that mean the fans
have more information? They obviously have more power.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
There's a better chance they are they're going to be
able to muscle people who are we don't even know
about who who are going to plead out to save
their own hides as much as they can with information
that the NBA never got a hold of. That's going
to be another one of the open questions here moving forward,
But we all know, I mean, the bigger the names,
the harder this gets to sort of say, ah, come on,
(20:14):
you know, these things happen every once in a while, right,
no big deal. And that's where we're at. And this
has always been the fear that the closer the league's
got to betting services, they went from literally, we're allergic
to them. Two we want basically to have them in
(20:36):
our arenas if we can legally to do it. Come on,
in whatever you want to do, how can we make
it easier for you? And this was always the danger
of going as far as they have. Now maybe it
wouldn't have mattered. You could say, maybe it wouldn't have
made any difference. And I don't buy, by the way,
the comeback of what are you talking about? I mean,
Rosier made a lot of money, how much? I don't
(21:01):
think that's generally very persuasive to me. People are weird
about money, man, Yes, if they can gambling and gambling
and if they can find other ways to supplement or
here I'll get another thirty thousand here, twenty thousand there.
Who knows that there's no telling the notion that because
you're a millionaire, you're less likely to want to take
the risks that's involved here. I just think we have
(21:24):
too many examples outside of the world of sports and
in the world sports, where what's proven over and over
again free money, Eh, you know what, this is pretty
this is solid. I'll take my chances with this thing.
So that doesn't mean he's guilty, but it means I'm
not sure I buy the thing. That just doesn't add up.
Because these guys make too much money in the first place.
(21:45):
Then you're taking care of your friends exactly. You're taking
care of it. Maybe some of those friends are compromised
for sure. You say, hey, man, I'm down eighty thousand.
They go, I don't want to give him my eighty thousand,
But if I can get the eighty thousand here right here,
you take, here's a way I can do it, exactly.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
I'm actually most fascinated in the poke stuff because if
you watch the press conference. I watched it today and
they were talking about the mechanisms that they use in
these poker.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Games to shoot these guys. Remarkable. It's scary. You know,
it's out of a movie. It's out of well, it's
out of what were the the Vegas movies. Ocean's thirteen. Yeah,
I know, this was literally some of this stuff is
out of Oceans thirteen. You're right.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
It's the shuffling mechanisms, it's the X ray tables where
you can see the cards, it's the signals on the cards.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
It's crazy, it's insane, it's crazy. Talk about if this is,
if this ends up standing, you know, the test of time.
You want to talk about the documentaries on this that
they there will be quite a few done. All right,
let's break. We're a little behind already. We'll come back
and chat football and maybe a little bit on this
story with Sean Salisbury as well, because Salisbury has become
(22:51):
a generalist generalist as well, but lots on Vikings chargers.
When we return questions for Sean salis where he hit
(23:16):
the branch on bride Kafe in text line six four
six eight six. That is six four six eight six,
Seawn joining us via the Connectico Water Systems hotline. We start,
apparently with some congratulations to you first grandchild. Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Yes, sir, thank you, Matt. That's hopefully first of many,
but said you can always give him back. Oh yeah, man,
the time, you know, it's the blessed beyond belief, my man,
and healthy, happy, and you know, I got a I
got a son now that just got married, as we
talked about, you don't don't know why. And then my
other daughter is is engaged, and my oldest boys running
(23:58):
restaurants and kicking but working too much. So life's good,
my man. Enjoy coming on with you. But yeah, I'm
proud and happy and everybody's healthy, and nothing quite like it.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
They are they all over the place. Refresh my memory
on where they.
Speaker 3 (24:13):
You know, I've got a real estate mogul in Austin
and a good place to get it some times in
real estate. He's a brinder. I got a son who's
a business partner, managing partner and chef in Austin as well,
and they're about to open their fifth restaurant. This is
a phenomenal streakout. And then uh stepdaughter here, and then
(24:35):
another daughter that is in New York. She was in
Austin as well, and she's in the design business and
as well as she is a world class like photographer.
And she's a musician, so she's a phenomenal singer and
guitar player and piano player. So she's a little bit
of everything, and she's engaged. So yeah, all over the place, well,
(24:56):
most of them in Texas, but for the most part
my daughter when she's a I like to have them close.
But sure, it's okay because she she got that arts
and she's changed in the world. So life.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
Yeah, sounds like they're all doing well. That's so congratulating.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
I'm blessed. So that's a good thing.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Hey, let me ask you one before we get to
the ball game tonight. I want to get your view
on the the big indictments that were announced this morning
that obviously put the NBA in a very compromised light.
There's two different ones, obviously, one having to do with
the the the fraud poker games, and the other having
(25:32):
to do with insider trading and injury information. The assumption
what we're hearing again and we're going to hear it
as you know a lot more in the next few days,
is told you so that the as the decision was
made for for sports professional sports to instead of running
from gambling to embracing it to the degree that they
(25:54):
now have where everybody's in it together, that it's inevitable
that it's going to be more likely these sorts of
scandals are are going to be revealed. Do you think
that link is fair? Do you think it's just as
likely this could have happened anyway, or do you think
this is the degree to which you know sports leagues
have gotten in bed with various gambling agencies has made
(26:17):
it inevitable or more likely that these sorts of stories
are just you know, the tip of the iceberg.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
Dah, there's so many as you know, I'm sure going
through your show as I did on my National show today,
the layers and the branches to this or I think
the numerous needless to say, this has been going on
a long time. I'm not shocked. I don't think now
people are talking about it was a gateway drug basically
right Daniel smoke and then that's kind of how they
(26:47):
did it. But this ain't the first time. I could wait,
I mean, we could take it back a long time.
I think we're more aware of it and the hypocrisy
with sports leagues is insufferable. And I like to bet
on a game now and they know with all of
a sudden from Pete Rose on on down eight before Pete.
But do we or are we just paying more. It's
like it's like we have more cameras on games. Are
(27:09):
we paying more attention? We have social media? Do we
pay more attention to the videos people post? Are have
we been you know, cheap shots or arguments on the sidelines?
Whatever it is? Now? This is big, But are we
just more paid more attention to it? Do we turn
the other cheek because it wasn't? Do I think it's
a gateway to bigger problems?
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (27:26):
Do I think that we're over we are. I mean,
if a guy bets on football and he's a baseball player,
does it open him up to think, you know, maybe
I can get away with this, or we've been getting
away with it for a while and we just paid
more attention. I don't. I wish I know the I
don't know the hypocrisy reeks, because yes, they're gonna make
billions golf and then turn around and suspend Ridley for
(27:48):
a year because he's betting on a fantasy football for
sixty bucks. I understand the hypocrisy, but I mean, this
is real, and this isn't just in this situation as
we know this is I think the problem. It makes
it even more heightened and not makes it, but that
people are like, uh, oh, is you know bets on
the side, golf bets, you know, back to the Michael
Jordan tie and the speculation about that. We've seen this
(28:11):
forever and how you handle it. But I think we're
more irritated if your fans and because people bet there
there's a they believe me, there's an epidemic of it,
or there's a The biggest sports betting degenerates in the
world are on college campuses across this country. I promise
you it's a It may not be the size of
the money right, but the number of debblers it is.
(28:32):
It is bigger than any place I've been, and I've
been around it. But you know, when I was playing,
it never came up. Nobody talked about it. Yet you
were always warned by NFL security to be aware. So
I think there's more attention paid to it like anything else.
But you know, we're not talking we're seeing you know,
people talk. We're not talking about you betting your buddies
at one hundred dollars poker game, you know, or playing
(28:52):
cards on the plane trip home. We're telling people get
whacked for this. Yes, we're talking about premeditated I'm talking
about both. We're talking about guy and now it's gonna
make us And now it opens up other sports. Leagues
are gonna say, eyes are gonna come to us if
they already have it, which they have with class and
baseball and all the other stuff. Now I'll open up
the eyes. Think about this. I've always hated load management.
(29:14):
Every time. Now a guy sits out because he's got
a little bit of a hammy or a cold. What
are we thinking, Dan?
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Exactly?
Speaker 3 (29:20):
Okay, we're now follow the money trail. They're gonna take
billions and then a guy bets and we're gonna make
it more serious. And it's not stopping here. It's not
stopping at thirty one. And you and I both got
I don't know the names, but I assure you it's
not stopping, not only in basketball or in these sports
like now, do they protect bigger stars. I don't know
if it is bigger stars, but I know this the
(29:40):
things you should never do. Or three, you can have
the cartel. When an FBI guy with a blue jacket
and yellow lead lettering on it showed up your house
or they're involved, you're you're You're in major trouble. Secondly,
when the last name Luke Casey and Banano and Gambino
and who am I leaving out when they're involved. This
ain't just the Irishmen or a Godfather show. This is
(30:02):
real and this is you didn't pay your bet and
so this is principle. Now, it doesn't matter if it's
five thousand or five million. Now, families and head on
a swivel. And this is premeditated by Billups and the
rest of them for different reasons. But can you imagine
telling people that, whether it's the arrogance, the ego, the chase,
the adrenaline, making one hundred and fifty million in your career,
(30:23):
telling the teammates about nine minutes I'm going out that
you're counting on the under and then they deliver the
money to your house while FBI is watching and you're
counting it in your own Think about the levels to this.
This just isn't it your buddies at a friendly game,
we're talking stuff. Guys get killed for this stuff. So
I don't know, Dan, and I know, I mean, there's
so many you want to hit on all of them.
(30:43):
But do I think that it was a gateway drug
to bigger stuff? Sure? Do I think that's the only reason.
Absolutely not. But it you know, we criticize the steroid
era and bud Sea League and Adam Silver. This is
he's attached to this. Whether he's involved or do anything
about it, he is attached to it. How I think
it gets, We'll go find out. But do I think
it's gonna make it where we say, yep, this is
(31:04):
what you get when you invite it in. But if
you didn't invite it in, people are still doing it
illegally with bookies in every town, at every college on
the planet, and more players and coaches are probably involved
in people deciding games than we think. The problem now
is we know four big mafia families were involved in this,
and now the collateral damage becomes danger and like and
then stuff where you got to go and witness protection.
(31:26):
If you're sitting out of jail for prison. It's a
scary situation and a really damaging one.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Very well stated. I have one other question for you
that you can speak to better than either one of
us and our listeners, because one of the comebacks I
always hear is at a time like this is man,
these guys, why would they mess with this kind of money?
With the risk they're making. They're making tens of millions
of dollars. Some of them got, you know, one hundred
million they've made over the course of their career. And
(31:53):
I've said, I think that's irrelevant. I don't think that's
usually a really effective defense. Whatever, like you said, it is,
it's the thrill, it's I want to help out a
couple of buddies. But when it comes to money, Sean,
my feeling is, it doesn't matter how much you make.
In the case of many individuals, it doesn't inoculate them
from the idea of I can make a little bit
more money here, and I can get this this way.
(32:14):
I'm gonna go ahead and do it. Can you speak
to that being in the sand, you know, the where
there's a lot of money.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
Yeah, adrenaline junkies too, Dan, Yeah, you're one hundred percent correct. Listen, Now,
there are some who, like we all have done. You're
sitting at a blackjack table and you draw lost one hundred,
smaller than that, but legally, sitting at a blackjack table,
you lost a hundred, and you say, well, I'm gonna
chase it, and so you bet double, and you double
down and you split and all of a sudden you're
three hundred down. So you chase it and then Dan
(32:42):
you leaves Vegas. It's one thousand dollars loss. It's like,
what a bummer. But it's already taken now, So there
is some of that desperation. People just don't have it,
trying to get a quick fix. But in this case,
with this kind of money, that changes hands, and the
people were discussing and making one hundred and fifty, you're
making five, ten, twenty million a year. Now there are
some What happens is people that have earned money a
lot of it, we automatically assumed that they were smart
(33:04):
with it. There's more that go with it than we're
smart with it. I'm just telling you the ones I've
been to make ten, they say, well, what they spent it?
And they say they have a federal taxes right or
if they're a ten ninety nine, or have you right?
Or it's not taken out by their team. Point is
is some don't have it, but you are exactly. Let's
say they do. You say, how why would they do?
(33:26):
It's adrenaline, man, it's eagle. Why does a guy with
a ten wife cheat on her? And then Why does
he cheat on somebody? In idiots A five? Or why
does a woman cheat on a man? Is it because
they're in love with the other? Well, they love the chase,
they love the adrenaline. Why do junkies that rise fast
cars get fifteen tickets and are willing to get a sixteen?
I don't know, I know that been certain, I'm an
(33:46):
adrenaline junkie, not that way, but in certain things like
we love the challenge, the chase, steed and we have
people I say, well, when's enough enough? You know, guys
are going through contract negotiats. What's the difference in five
hundred million and fifty millions fifty or five hundred in
five hundred fifty mans fifty million. That's the way a
lot of athletes are. What made them great is there
is there selfish their attention that you know, grinding it
(34:09):
out more and more and more, getting better, training harder.
The same thing that uplifts them sometimes buries them. Ego pride.
It's not enough. I want more of my buddies are involved.
Who I won four in a row. I'm a better
gambler than the guy who says he's a gambler. But
it is the adrenaline, and I'm with you a lot
of the time it has zero to do with what's in
their bank account and everything to do with the adrenaline
(34:30):
or the chase of the win. And when they get
to the wind, they're looking for the next big one.
Drug dealers do it. You say how, stories tell how?
Why would this? I say it today? Why risk this? Well,
there's the answer. It's the adrenaline and the feeling of
I gotta find the euphoria, I gotta find some just
thinking your drugs. Whatever that addiction adrenaline is, it's not
(34:53):
a good thing. And sometimes the ego and pride to say,
you know what, what are you gonna do? Do you
know who I am? I've heard that hits two and
you know what, I can tell you what they're going
to do. They got blue and yellow riding on their jackets.
And you're dealing with families that wear suits and ties,
and they have dry cleaning businesses, and when you go
into their business, you ain't ever getting out. That's the problem.
(35:14):
So this is huge and it only gets bigger. So
I think there's a lot of layers to that, but
I am with you one hundred percent. I don't think
it matters about the ATM machine and what they can
get out of it. I think it comes down to
how they want it, because some of them may stend
it on their way out the door. Anyway. They love
the rush, and that may be the case here as well.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
All right, let's get to some football. How beatable are
the La Chargers?
Speaker 3 (35:38):
Very It's so this league is whacked out. A month ago,
the charge the Chiefs were left for dead. Now the
Chiefs are the best team in the NFL according to
Vinionan Vegas best odds to win it, and they are
playing like it in the AFC. A month ago, three
weeks ago, Man, what's wrong with Jalen Hurts? Well, your
Vikings found out, come out in the second half, get
a big play when you're coming out. Five field goals
(36:00):
by the Vikings later and a couple turnovers and missed opportunities.
Jalen Hurts is now a big time player. The Chargers
were running it healthy, offensive line, Man Herbert's playing at
a high level. They're gonna challenge the Chiefs well, backfield
banged up, offensive line banged up. What are they going
to do with the deadline? Herbert's getting questioned, is he
just a numbers guy? Why can't they win the big one?
(36:21):
And now they're reel and so, yeah, they're beatable. They
will get after you, and they're well coached, both coordinators
and their head coach. They are well coached. But you
can beat them, especially if you get at them early
and make them chase and they get into what they
don't want to get into, and that's a passing fante.
Hard Bud does not want to do it. And right now,
(36:41):
the chance to win offensively is they have to. They're
they're not pushing the move in the line of scrimmage enough.
So they are and with some players on your team,
notwithstanding a couple of coverage breakdowns last week, but they know.
They didn't run the ball very well in Philadelphia didn't.
So they're beatable. And you just got a guard on
the road against talk because they're primed for a big game.
(37:03):
I know they hung in there and Herbert had a
big game. It could be one of those if you
don't where both quarterbacks are thrown at forty five times
and you in the passing fancy the whole way, which
would probably favor the Vikings because of now Herbert may
be a little bit better player, and I'm a bit
successed as he is right now. But I think the
Vikings overall may be a better team right now, although
(37:23):
both they're reeling in certain areas, and yes, the Chargers
are beatable. I think they're better than their record. But
what you are who they say you are, and you
are what your record tells you. It's a team that's
reeling that's going to have to do something with the
trade deadline as well if they want to keep up.
And they're just as capable of winning four or five
in a row because the quarterback's dynamic. But a lot
of their yards, I mean, a lot of the plays
(37:44):
are coming on on when it's some garbage time. They're
catching up. They're not playing the type of football we
thought they were who they were at the beginning of
the year.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
So did Carson Wentz play erratically enough last week that
it's automatic almost no matter what how he plays this
evening in Los Angeles, that when the Vikings come back
off of a semi buy, you know, a ten day
layoff to go to Detroit to take on the Lions
(38:12):
in early November, that JJ McCarthy should be and must
be the starting quarterback.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
I think it's a no brainer simply because of the commitment.
We have talked about Dan about when he was We
cleaned out house for him to start. When he's healthy,
he's playing. Do I think that if Winz goes for
four hundred and three touchdowns and they win by the
time ten days rolls around, and if McCarthy's one hundred
percent healthy for they running out there. I do. Now.
(38:39):
Whether we think it's right or not, it's another thing,
but I do think they will. And you and I
kind of a brief exchange on Twitter during the last game.
He does enough and like in times that he got
to come back, he's making enough growth to say, to
tease you, he is. I mean, look at the numbers.
He keeps making enough complete and just enough to keep
you going, but then crushes you with the pit and
(39:00):
then he'll play in London or wherever and then throw
the great touch of actually damn, and then he'll put
you say he looks good, and he'll hang in and
bring you from behind, and then he'll miss a checkdown
that has twenty yards a running room. Then they'll hold
the ball in the red zone and take a sack.
Seven eight, yard loss and put you in a longer
one instead of a shorter where you can run it
instead of have to throw it, and then you got
to settle for a five field goals. So I think
(39:22):
he's done enough to warrant another start. If McCarthy's not healthy,
and I told you he you know, he looks more
confident as a player, but he lapses into those The
reason why you can't make a full commitment to him.
Aw you just when you say, okay, man, is he
making it tough on the Viking staff, you'll see a pick.
(39:42):
Is he making it tough? Dude? You can't hold the ball,
check it down. So doing enough to tease you, but
not doing enough to say when McCarthy's healthy, considering the
commitment they made to him, they're not going to put
him back in. My guess is, no matter what happens tonight,
if JJ's is close to one hundred percent as he can,
you'll see him starting because they will treat the extra
reps like a bye week.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
Judging injuries is a really dangerous business, and it's a
road I try not to go down because no two
injuries are exactly alike. There is a part of me,
though that is curious about this with this is I
think day thirty eight since he got hurt, and they're
still saying, you know, well, I guess I guess. Koc said, well,
(40:24):
if we had a full week, maybe there's a different
starter on Sunday. But they're still saying that he's not
full They're still saying that he's at best the emergency starter, right,
he's not even the backup for this game. And I
sometimes I do wonder whether they're they're being too Is
there such a thing as being too cautious with him?
(40:45):
Or is a guy used to play? Are you are
your eyebrows raised at all? Or do you say no?
On high ankle sprains, man, there's there's no rule. There's
a lot of Sometimes it takes this much time or more.
Speaker 3 (40:56):
I've played with one in college. We were getting right.
We had a week and I needed two weeks as
a high ankle spring against Stanford tainted. That did it all,
put it nice, it all, and it was painful, but
it was And it's different these days, and the money
and the rest of it. And as a guy, and
I was the starter at SC so I was that
guy at that time. But it's different and I was.
He was hurt and it was a pretty severe enough
(41:17):
to miss a lot of practice, but I needed the
two weeks. But I think each got pain threshold has
a lot to do with it, and I don't need
to put it on baseball. But I remember last year
Kyle Tucker Dan He they said, you know, he foiled
the ball off the shin and it was bone Bruce
for seventy days heard it was a bone bruise, and
I kept saying, that ain't a bone, Brews. That's trying
all of a sudden, with about about seventy days in
he ended up here sixty days. Oh yes, it's a fracture. Well,
(41:41):
I do think a lot of that's do with the
guy whoever that is. With JJ's case, it is a
test trained, a pain threshold part of it. And if
he if he was going to be ready in two days,
like you said, if we had a you know, they
played on Sunday, then I mean and and just two
days is the day was distinct emergency and can't play
(42:01):
or can play. And so I don't know that answer
because I'm not there, but I do know that high
ankle springs kind of like planet fasci itis. Although at
a different part of the lower half, you are set
in flint. Come on a heal Bruce Planner fasciatison two
months later, Guy's not playing. And I've had that too,
and it's painful. So I think it's pain threshold. And
I also think that if it put it is, if
(42:23):
Carson Wentz was urinating down his leg, I think he played.
And it comes down to because you've got to play
hurt in this league. You just don't play injured. And
I get this hunch he's hurt, but they just want
to make sure he's closer to undercent because there's a
second year guy that's basically playing as a rookie. You're
still swimming in the mental side of it anyway, so
they want to get it close. But it can be
(42:44):
it can fluctuate. It's not the same for everybody, and
it can fluctuate a month or two months, but it
comes a point in time. If it's just pain threshold,
sometimes you got to shoot it, suck it up and
go play. So I would imagine if it was a
Super Bowl and they wanted him a playoff game or
single elimination, he would be playing tonight.
Speaker 1 (43:02):
I'm a broken record on this issue. But but I'm
stubborn about it. All the indications are that the Chargers
are a team that you can run on all of
the discussion and the pronouncements in the offseason, again from koc,
I've got to call a different game, in part because
I've got a different quarterback, in part because we have
to we have to be more, we have to be
(43:23):
less finessey than we've been in the past. Vikings are
still on average running the ball less this year than
last year, when I still didn't think they ran it
at key times. They had what seven red zone plays
in which every time a pass was either called or
the QB changed it to a pass at the line
(43:44):
of scrimmage. I don't get it. Man. If you've got
if you're compromised, especially at the quarterback position by playing
a backup, or you got a kid who's just trying
to learn on the job, is it your job as
a head coach to attempt to help him out. And
the Vikings have know what jones out, They have a
runner who I think is willing to accept the responsibility
(44:05):
and do something with it. I don't.
Speaker 3 (44:06):
I just don't get it, all right, And you're talking
to a quarterback about this, and I am on your
page and in your church. Few one hundred percent I
don't get it at any time. I'm gonna once again
I will. I would like you say, I'm dying on that.
He'll end this one. Go check due, Just do some
research over the last three extend you anybody's listening, and
go check in in every game you watch, and I'll
(44:27):
bet you eighty percent of them. I know I do
it every week. I didn't do it this last week,
but eighty I would usually do it before the next
Sunday game. I'll bet you did eighty percent of the
teams that won last week. Fans a few ram the
ball at tenth wise, not yards at tenth wise, more
than the team that may be. And they'll say, well
that just goes with winning. No, No, it actually doesn't.
(44:48):
People use the pass as an extension of screen, of
the run game, the short passing game of the screen.
Here's what I'm gonna tell you. And I know your
affinity and mine. I love Kevin, I do, but you
can't keep talking it and saying we got to do
to call it different. You either got it in your
DNA or you don't Kyle Shanahan's running it no matter
what exactly, no matter what he's running it. Denny would
(45:08):
tell Brent, give me your best run. We're running it
regards now, you're down four touchdowns in one of those days. Four,
Your running backs are hurt, your tight ends, your running back.
I get it. But if you want to protect him
and not and teams have throw forty five fifty times,
you're not winning most of the time. Number twelve in
New England, they'll play around the league for every team.
He's just not that fortunate. You've got to be able
(45:29):
to run it. And it's not just running. You've got
to commit to it. And you can't get out of
it with two three and outs because your offense was embarrassed.
So it does nothing but help the guys late in
the game. So if you want to stop being finesse,
you got to call non finesse place. You got to
throw it, you got when essy, but you got to
beat him down, and you've got to impose your will.
Short of running against a ten man box, then it's
(45:49):
man coverage or one on one. Go do your thing.
But the truth is, I'm with you. I look at
it and I say what are we doing here?
Speaker 1 (45:57):
What?
Speaker 3 (45:57):
You can spread it out and still run it, but
what are we doing here? And you can't keep telling
us what you want to do When you're the guy
that's got to play sheet in your hand, it's DNA
And I'm not sure some defensive offensive coordinators or play
callers at times can get out of their own way
because like most we all lean on the crutch. A
quarterback leans on his wide receiver crutch. Are running back
(46:17):
leans on a decide he likes. You went to a
play caller. If he's right handed, we got a good
right guard right versa. We're gonna run there most of
the time. And you know what a play caller does
when it gets to that cut of time, does what
he feels best with and he loves to throw it.
I don't care if it's Macarthy or Witch. You got
a backup quarterback that you need to protect, and you
got a young guy you need to protect. What are
(46:38):
we missing here? You gotta run it. You got to
commit to it, and if you don't against the Chargers,
you're making a mistake because that's where you're gonna have
to live, and you're gonna have to win on first down,
or they will tee it up and get after you,
and they will come at you with blitzeres and pressures.
Speaker 1 (46:52):
I assure you, uh, just so you can be sure
of what I think. You already know that you're not
wasting your time with us. I want to read you too.
Texts that I receive just within the last five minutes.
The first is Dan Sean continues to deliver. Each and
every appearance brings a wealth of knowledge and depth. Keep
these conversations rolling. And then this is from a regular
(47:14):
guest on the program who happened to text me, can
you have Sean on every day? He is so on points?
So you got the fans here, man, they're still behind you.
Speaker 3 (47:26):
Well, I can tell you this. You know how much
I love you and guard ze even if they hated me.
I'm forcing my way off with you because I love
coming on with you. Secondly, I wouldn't want him money
to water too much. But you know what, I can
move to Minneapolis if you're looking for it. I'm giving
you a hard time. Tell me if there's room to see.
But the truth is you're much better without me. But
(47:47):
I love having you on. I mean I love being
all with you. And I'm not trust me. As long
as you'll have me, I'll be there. But I'm honored
and I'm sure grateful that those great fans in Minnesota
feel that way. It makes me happy and I don't
take it for granted one bit.
Speaker 1 (47:58):
Enjoy the ball tonight, Congratulate on the reaching that grandfather's status,
and we'll talk next week. Thanks man.
Speaker 3 (48:05):
Yeah, And I'm not going to say one word, and
I'll bet you the Vikings win tonight because that'd be
probably poor timing.
Speaker 1 (48:09):
Right. That is the one and only Sean Salisbury. We
got to move kind of fast because it's predictions with
Carl Gerbschmidt coming up, Peter Bursich from the belly of
the Los Angeles Chargers Beast. He will join at fourth
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