Hall of Fame Inductee Sterling Sharpe with Carl Lee, Hollis Lewis, and Lisa Otey

Sterling Sharpe, the former Green Bay Packers wide out, joins Carl Lee and company IN STUDIO for a spirited discussion on his recent induction into the NFL Hall of Fame! Plus, Sharpe reflects on his career, his mindsets towards life and the game, and much, much more! With host Carl Lee, and co-hosts Hollis Lewis and Lisa Otey. Let's Talk!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Yeah, you gotta work. You gotta work, ry Shin. It's
mine gotta show. Everybody is my sign? Can you gotta work?
Cry Shin? Another mind? Who saw to die? To day line,
don't tell You've gotta burk.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Welcome to Let's Talk with Carl Lee and frequent guest
hosts Hollis Lewis and Lisa Odie, where sports culture and
community intersect. Join the crew as they dive into engaging
conversations with guests from all walks of the sports life.
Let's Talk as proudly presented by Attorney Frank Walker, Real Talk,
Real Experience, Real Results, Frank Walker Law dot Com and

(00:43):
by the all new historic Choyir Diner in downtown Charleston.
One line at Choyerdner dot Com led the conversation begin
on Let's talk.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
All right, ladies and gentlemen today, I have to say that,
and I hate to give credit, but said there is
credit due. I have at least the O D and
Halli Lewis, my normal co host building and I have
I think, I think a friend of mine that I

(01:15):
used to play against a couple of times a year,
by the name Sterling.

Speaker 4 (01:26):
I'm not done. I'm not done. I'm not done yet
that it is not see, we can't even get the
show start.

Speaker 3 (01:36):
Okay, So he just recently, just the other day, he
was he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and
I had the privilege to to be there, me and
my son, we were able to be there by his invite.
And uh, he actually has his gold jackets so that

(01:58):
we could actually see it, touch it and only imagine
what it's like. And and he is putting it on now.

Speaker 4 (02:11):
Everybody knows that he's got it on. So I said
that earlier.

Speaker 5 (02:17):
Try so for him to be a gentleman and let
me wear the jock.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
I'm chilled.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
I'm going to because I don't want to start with
the first question because I already know.

Speaker 4 (02:28):
So I'm gonna let Lisa or Hollis Lisa.

Speaker 3 (02:31):
I'm going to start with Lisa that she's a Packer
fan unfortunately, and she has the cheese head.

Speaker 4 (02:38):
She brought a cheese head.

Speaker 5 (02:39):
In cheese head because I was so excited to have
Sterling on this show. Yes, well, okay, so I get
the first question.

Speaker 6 (02:45):
Their question.

Speaker 5 (02:46):
Well, first of all, Sterling, thank you so much for
being on our podcast. Carl tried to pull this you know,
surprise birthday party stuff on Hollis and I said, well,
I suggested, we'd already talked about Sterling having like a
tribute type of podcast tonight in honor of you being inducted,
you know, into the profit by Hall of Fame. And

(03:07):
so I said, well, maybe he could call in again,
you know, and he left us hanging.

Speaker 4 (03:11):
And then this.

Speaker 5 (03:11):
Morning I asked Hollis and said, did you know he
sent us this text like, well, actually he's going to
be in the studio And I was like what, So
I was like it was so exciting. But but anyway,
so I'm going to go back, Sterling to the speech
that you gave at the Pro Football Hof ceremony, and
part of it when you were speaking about you and

(03:33):
Shannon and your early life experiences in rural South Georgia.
And one of the things that intrigued me that you
stated was at a young age that you and Shannon
really didn't have a whole lot of male figures or
role models in your life. You were you were basically
raised by these strong women, you know, part of your
that that are in your family. How did how did

(03:54):
that guide your career in football and in your outlook
on life in general.

Speaker 7 (03:59):
Well, the biggest thing is we had tremendous role models
that were farmers. We had tremendous role models that were
deacon at our church. But if you were an athlete,
you're trying to look and find someone that you know
you might want to want to try to be like.
But you know, growing up on the farm, we never

(04:21):
had that. And so for me wanting to be a
football player of my entire life, I wanted to be
sure because I wanted him to look at me as
that I didn't know what he was going to be
or what he was going to do, but I do
know I wanted to be his everything. And so that

(04:43):
was what part of my motivation was for my speech,
which I came up with about fifteen minutes before.

Speaker 4 (04:51):
I assume that too, I did.

Speaker 7 (04:55):
And also, my brother has been adamant about saying that
my journey to the Pro Football Hall of Fame was
harder than his because.

Speaker 6 (05:04):
I was first.

Speaker 7 (05:06):
You know, when you're first, people may not understand your
outlook on where you want to be and what you
want to do with this. So there's hard and I'm
going to say not a lot of support. You know,
my family was like, oh, you got a game, okay,
Whereas when my brother had a game, they were there.

(05:28):
So you know, you have to understand. And my thing was,
and I think I've said this a million times, I
was my own standard, so I never failed. And so
Shannon was like, Bro, you didn't have anybody in front
of you. I knew because you did it, I could
do it because that's how we grew up. So it

(05:51):
was just one of those things that I wanted to
say to reiterate that everything I did athletically I did
to impress him.

Speaker 8 (06:00):
Yeah, like I said, again, congratulations. We first met again
while I was a senior in high school and I
was at a West Virginia State spring practice where I
went to school. At at practice, you told me some things.
We'll talk about that all that I should have listened to,
but I didn't. So just coming from those you know,

(06:21):
humble beginnings and making that transition to obviously being a
Division one football player and playing in the NFL where
you're at today, do you think that really? How how
would you say that contributed to the journey and your
mentality of getting to it.

Speaker 7 (06:38):
Didn't It was just a way of life. You know,
I'm not gonna, you know, I'm in the Hall of Fame.
I'm not going to build myself up even more by saying,
oh my god, it was so.

Speaker 6 (06:50):
It was a way of life, you know.

Speaker 7 (06:51):
It wasn't like, oh, I can't wait to come into
some money so I can get us out of this situation.

Speaker 6 (06:57):
I wouldn't like that. I was always taught.

Speaker 7 (07:00):
We were always taught to whatever we were doing, whether
it was cutting grass or picking tobaccos or you know,
rounding up chickens, you do that job better than anyone
else does anything else.

Speaker 6 (07:10):
And that's all I try to do.

Speaker 7 (07:12):
Where I came from and how I was raised did
not contribute to me being a football player and luckily
being selected to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It didn't Being poor didn't motivate me to play football
any harder or any better, or any.

Speaker 6 (07:30):
Other sports I played. It was just a way of life.

Speaker 7 (07:34):
And when you have that way of life, every day
is the same day. So you just get up and
you go and do your job better than anyone else
does anything else.

Speaker 3 (07:44):
All right, I'm gonna I'm going to ask the question
in regards to what I'm going to say, your talent
and how you used it, Like when did.

Speaker 4 (07:57):
You realize like.

Speaker 3 (08:00):
I'm I'm that kind of guy, like I'm I can
be or I am that guy to be a great player.
Even once you get to the NFL, there's that there's
that walk in with confidence and believing that you can be,
or there is that walking in and saying, I'm already
that guy.

Speaker 4 (08:20):
So as soon as I get here, I'm going to
be that guy.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
When did when did you figure out college NFL is
just I can do this, and I can do it,
not just do it, I can do it at the
highest level.

Speaker 6 (08:35):
I never did. I know.

Speaker 7 (08:36):
All I wanted to do was play carl I just wanted,
you know, playing high school.

Speaker 6 (08:40):
Football was the best, the fun, the best man.

Speaker 7 (08:43):
And then all these coaches are coming down saying how
wonderful their school is and our program and you know.

Speaker 6 (08:50):
This and that and and no, that wasn't it.

Speaker 7 (08:53):
And I go to the University of South Carolina and
you know, you get to meet people from all walks
of life, all backgrounds, color shapes, you know, religious beliefs,
and that was fun. And when I got in the NFL,
that's all I ever wanted to do. So where a
lot of people would say, you know, once I got
in the NFL, you know, I never could exhale man

(09:13):
because I was always trying to. I had already proven
what I wanted to do, what my goal and what
my dream was, and that was to play. Being an
All Pro or a pro bowler, or doing some of
the wonderful things my teammates helped me do. That wasn't important.
I was playing. So I enjoyed playing like I played.

(09:34):
I was a kid playing football. I enjoyed going to practice.
I enjoyed lifting weights, trying.

Speaker 6 (09:39):
To eat right.

Speaker 7 (09:41):
I enjoyed praying for help to be able to play
up to my abilities.

Speaker 6 (09:47):
I enjoyed that.

Speaker 7 (09:48):
So I never really got to the point where I
am I'm a guy, I'm that guy, I'm a superstar,
or I'm trying to be the head of the pack.

Speaker 6 (09:58):
I never got there. M and and.

Speaker 3 (10:01):
For you all, and I've told you all this, but
I want everybody to to hear this. Of every receiver
in my entire career that I've played against, never did
I ever find one to be playing at the highest
level who was a fool the whole.

Speaker 4 (10:22):
Time during the game.

Speaker 3 (10:24):
Like like, I did not come here to be I'm
telling you like I am, I am, I'm I'm locked in.

Speaker 4 (10:33):
I'm trying to press him.

Speaker 3 (10:34):
I'm playing in Man and Man and I know who
I got, right, Like, I know this dude can play.
And he's like talking to me and he's telling me, right,
it's a it's a run.

Speaker 4 (10:44):
You can relax, you can relax.

Speaker 3 (10:46):
And I'm like thinking, I know he's lying and and
I'm and I'm trying to focus, and he like he
never stopped.

Speaker 6 (10:54):
I was never serious.

Speaker 3 (10:56):
And again the fact that he was never really like
you would think, I never had a game face.

Speaker 4 (11:03):
Yes, he never had the game face.

Speaker 3 (11:05):
He's the he's the guy that he's the player that
the coach is like, Okay, I don't even know what
to say to him because he's laughing and joking and
he's gonna go out and he's gonna play at the
highest left.

Speaker 8 (11:18):
And that was kind of my question because it seems
like from the comments that you just made, all the
interviews that I saw, is that I think a lot
of guys, talented guys, they can get in their own
head and there and they get in their own way, right,
it seems like you just never had a mentality where
you just you never overthought it.

Speaker 4 (11:34):
You were just like you said before, you just played.

Speaker 7 (11:36):
There's a lot of people that moved the goal posts
and they end up being miserable at a certain stage
in their life. Because the statement that I loved the
most is I didn't see myself here at thirty. My
career was over at twenty nine. I didn't see myself
here at thirty five. And I always ask when someone
says that, you know, because usually they're disappointed in where

(11:58):
they are. So when they say I didn't see myself
here at forty, I always go, well, what were you wearing?
And they're like, wait what, I'm like, what were you
wearing when you saw yourself at forty? And you know,
because that's a lot, and that's what you know. I
think what we have done to sports is we've made

(12:21):
it impossible for anyone to succeed. We made it impossible
that the kid can be Tom Brady. We've made it
impossible that a kid can be Carl Lee. You know,
we made it impossible for a kid to be Randy
Moss because, oh, their standard. We want to put them
so high, because once we knock them off, they'll fall

(12:44):
a lot farther.

Speaker 6 (12:46):
And so you know, the thing is is this was
my goal.

Speaker 7 (12:49):
And I start off every morning and I end every
night with this is my life. There are many like it,
but this one is mine. So I'm not going to
live of my life the way Lisa thinks I should.

Speaker 4 (13:02):
You know, you're great. Now you're you're great.

Speaker 7 (13:05):
You're in the Hall of Fame. But you know, where
do you do? You know Jerry Rice? And I'm like,
whatever Jerry Rice is, that's all Jerry. I was me
my entire sixty years on this earth. I have tried
my best to be me. Whatever that is. However, that
is based on how I was raised, the principles that
my mom, my grandmother, grandfather gave us. And so if

(13:27):
I could do that and even and I would say this,
you know, even before I was a Hall of Famer,
I could have a conversation about my career with anyone. Yeah,
because I was. I was happy with what I put
on film. A lot of guys can't do that because
they're thinking or trying now think you that you know,

(13:47):
Carl Lee played in the NFL. I wasn't Carl Lee,
but you know, so they try and either build themselves
up or they recognize the company and they try and
lower themselves. I never had to do that because I
was my own standard, so I never failed.

Speaker 8 (14:03):
And I think that's the thing I'm most impressed with,
right because I think that even guys at the highest level,
they have those bitter bitterness when they don't get those
accolades and when things don't go right and we're not
not praise to a certain level and degree. So for
you to almost i won't even say, be humble, but
just to be content with what you did, what you accomplished,
and did what you set out to do, and let
it fall there and then you can judge it however

(14:25):
you was to judge it.

Speaker 7 (14:26):
Well, you know in our Bibles we read that you know,
if you seek the Lord with all you have, all
the rest of this stuff will be added to you.

Speaker 6 (14:34):
So I only wanted to play. You know.

Speaker 7 (14:38):
My first high school coach, William Hall, taught me that
it's okay to pray for the other team, so the
care to pray for their health and well being, for
their safety, and it's okay to ask God not to
let us win or to help us win, but allow
us to play like we practice. Now, whatever that outcome
is that's a mirror shot you're looking at yourself. And

(14:59):
so I I've always felt that what I'm doing, I'm
doing this for me. I never did anything for public consumption.
Ninety percent of the people that haven't met me don't
like me. Ninety eight percent of the people that have
met me aren't sure if they like it because because

(15:22):
I never did anything to be well liked or to
make friends.

Speaker 4 (15:25):
Yeah, hey, so I have a question for you.

Speaker 5 (15:27):
Starting I'm going to go back to your career with
the Packers from nineteen eighty eight to nineteen ninety four.
Of course, you know, I've seen videos of you and
and reels and clips of you saying that you're a
Green Bay Packer for life, that you're you know, that
is your team. You're dedicated to that team. But then
I ran across today something that kind of, you know,
sparked my interest, and it was a video of you

(15:48):
talking about after you had your your injury, your season
ending injury surgery, that the organization never really reached out
to you after you know that was and that that
bothered you.

Speaker 6 (16:00):
Can can you tell something that bothered me? I was disappointed, Okay.

Speaker 7 (16:05):
I had you know, I knew I had this issue
with my neck from C one to C three. I
think it was I was born without a ligament attached
to your dens and your spinal cord. Whichever doctor's out there,
they know what I'm talking about, and so every time
I would suddenly move, I would bump my spine. So
when I had the surgery, you know, no one from

(16:27):
the organization agreement packer organization. Now when I say no one,
no trainer, no coach, no player, no front office person,
no secretary, no one.

Speaker 5 (16:38):
So do you still feel dedicated to the packers though?

Speaker 7 (16:40):
Do you still they got nothing to do with them?
You know, that's the whole point is it has nothing
to do with them. Okay, they didn't.

Speaker 6 (16:48):
You know.

Speaker 7 (16:49):
I was disappointed in the common decency of a man
to be able to work with alongside, get to know,
and not concerned with the health and well being of
another man that they know.

Speaker 6 (17:04):
So I was disappointed in that, yes, But you know what, I.

Speaker 7 (17:09):
Slept really good after I got out of my brace.
I slept really good, going to ESPN and then on
the NFL networking, continuing to live. I found it very
interesting though. Now granted these are totally two totally different people.
I found it interesting that when I was at my
perceived lowest point twenty nine my career is over, I

(17:31):
could go in and have surgery and not walk again.
I can go in and have surgery and die on
the table because of where my injury was and the
fact that nobody reached out. But then once I got
selected to be a member of the Pro Football Hall
of Fame, I heard from a bunch of people that
I didn't even know. So I found that interestingly odd.

(17:53):
But like I said, it never hurt, never stung, never mad.
I was just disappointed and some of those people that
were there during that time I heard from, and you know,
for for I'm I'm really trying to be better at
not meeting people where they are because I was real
good at it. So if you gave me attitude, I

(18:16):
was real good at me.

Speaker 6 (18:19):
And so I just I.

Speaker 7 (18:21):
Accepted their congratulations. But uh, you know, I know that
that I'm here for a reason and I don't know
what that reason is, which is good. But you know,
the Green Bay Packers are my organization. I don't have
to be there. I got an opportunity to play for
that franchise for seven years, and without them, I'm I'm

(18:42):
probably not wearing this jacket.

Speaker 3 (18:45):
Can can you give me, if if this is even possible,
if you could give me the moment that you were
walking out and your brother is standing there and you're
heading toward him.

Speaker 6 (18:59):
Can you even.

Speaker 4 (19:01):
Reflect on what that moment was like?

Speaker 6 (19:05):
Or you're talking about yesterday before during the Hall of Fame?
Yeses to build.

Speaker 7 (19:15):
Up is he was more excited about me being a
Hall of Famer than I was, and so his prayers
were probably a lot louder than other people who wanted
me to be a Hall of Famer because I think
he understood what kind of player I was and that
the only thing people would always say is that I

(19:37):
didn't play long enough. I mean, even this weekend in Canton,
I had people saying, congratulations, I'm being a Hall of Famer,
But boy, if you would have played longer, you'd have
all the records. And I'm like, wow, still ain't enough.
But you know, my brother's my best friend, and everything

(19:58):
that he has gone through, I've gone through with him.
Everything that I've gone through, he's gone through with me.
So you're talking about my brother looking at me and
being like a proud father or a proud little brother
or a proud parent. So yeah, that was really good,

(20:19):
really cool to see his face, to look at his
face and like I was saying about my speech, I
always knew that I was going to start with Coach
Hall because that's how I started playing, and I was
going to end with Shannon, but I didn't know how
to orchestrate or put that in order. And it was

(20:41):
funny how, you know, as Jared Allen was talking, it
kind of fell into place and I was like, I
don't want to think about it, just let it out.

Speaker 6 (20:48):
But when you.

Speaker 7 (20:51):
Standing there looking at his face and him crying and
in tears of joy, that was a pretty cool moment.

Speaker 6 (20:58):
It really was.

Speaker 3 (21:00):
I was gonna say, I just can't imagine it, and
I was. I'm sitting there, me and Dominic are sitting
there and we're like watching.

Speaker 4 (21:08):
This man, and it's like, I don't know if I
could even.

Speaker 3 (21:16):
Even feel like what you guys were thinking and feeling
amongst each other. But it was like I was so proud,
like like it was almost like my brother just went
in you know what I'm saying, because.

Speaker 4 (21:30):
I had gotten to I had gotten to know you.

Speaker 3 (21:34):
Well enough, good enough, and could understand because all those
guys that I covered, you know, all those people that
I covered, and people ask me who is this, Who's
the best guy?

Speaker 4 (21:46):
Who's that?

Speaker 3 (21:47):
And I'm like, well, I know you said this guy,
but let me tell you about that guy over there,
and let me tell you what he did, because again,
the most amazing thing to me, and I can't repeat
myself enough tonight to understand when you're playing. Let's say
it's a Monday night game, it's a Prime game. Everybody's watching.

(22:08):
It's Vikings and it's the Packers, and it's Sterling Sharp
and Carlley. This dude is laughing and joking. He's telling
us in the huddle, why y'all even in the huddle,
y'all y'all.

Speaker 4 (22:22):
Just playing man the man in blitzing, and I would play.

Speaker 3 (22:29):
I mean I literally, I literally would have to tell
the DB's like, don't talk to him, don't talk, because
he's gonna talk you into a touchdown.

Speaker 7 (22:38):
Her Thomas Thomas would talk, don't Chris Dovean.

Speaker 4 (22:45):
Okay, they're up.

Speaker 6 (22:47):
The highlight. I even got to talk to me a
little bit.

Speaker 4 (22:52):
They're not gonna be on the highlight.

Speaker 7 (22:53):
That's gonna be us and so you know, and that's
the thing about enjoying what you do.

Speaker 3 (22:59):
Do you think I hate to interrupt, but do you
think the fact that you you could enjoy it so
much had a lot to do with how great?

Speaker 4 (23:08):
Because I'm not gonna call it call it good, but
how great you were?

Speaker 6 (23:11):
Know.

Speaker 7 (23:11):
I think what it is, Carl, is like I said
about the destruction of sports.

Speaker 6 (23:16):
You got to be a certain way.

Speaker 7 (23:18):
You got to do it a certain way, you got
to understand it a certain way. And I don't know
if I will live long enough or talk enough to
be able to explain to people that the phrase your
best is good enough actually is. And so when I
was enjoying playing football at the professional level, you know,

(23:41):
my brother talked trash and his.

Speaker 6 (23:42):
Trash talking with he did. I talk trash.

Speaker 7 (23:46):
But I only talk to you because, man, we got
two and a half three hours to get through this thing.
I want you to come out healthy. I want to
come out healthy. You practice this week. I practiced this week.
In certain situations, we're gonna have to go up against
each other for a pass or a block. And I
want your best just like you want mine. Well guess

(24:07):
what that don't make you a bad guy if you win,
you know, you know. So I always wanted it to
be I'm doing what I want to do. If you're
not doing what you want to do at the level
you want to do it at, it's not my fault.

Speaker 6 (24:22):
And so I always tried to enjoy.

Speaker 7 (24:25):
Whether it was in Chicago or Minnesota or Tampa, I
wanted to play, enjoy playing, and.

Speaker 6 (24:35):
My best was good enough.

Speaker 7 (24:36):
I did my job better than anyone else did anything else.

Speaker 4 (24:39):
That's awesome.

Speaker 8 (24:40):
And not only did your brother follow you on the
football field, but also follow you on TV. Because what
people may not know is that shortly after your playing
career you went to ESPN. Now you as a teenager
watching you, you were like kind of the first person
I seen in that position, not only talking from a
player's perspective, not just giving the coach talk, but you

(25:01):
actually had some swag. You were funny, You had that charisma.

Speaker 6 (25:06):
So I was.

Speaker 8 (25:12):
Because because I think people What people don't realize is
like you were sort of the first generation of that
to have a former player come on television not just
be a robot.

Speaker 7 (25:22):
But I think it's not to cut you off. That's
the problem. The problem is is we all are. It's
so funny how our careers differ. But here we are,
on this day, at this time, sitting in the same place.

Speaker 6 (25:35):
I mean, here we are.

Speaker 7 (25:36):
How our careers different, Lisa, And here we are sitting
in the same place. So obviously what you did worked. Obviously,
hollis what you did worked. Here we are, you know,
as great as somebody may say or think we are.
We're sitting in the same place. And I think what
we're doing, what we've done to sports is we have

(25:57):
made those we want superhuman, and we have minimized those
we want. We have made the minimal. And my whole
existence has always been and not an act, but to
be me. And if you like it, that's wonderful. But
if you don't like it, you live in West Virginia.
I live in South Carolina. So if you don't like it,
I don't care. And I think that's the biggest thing

(26:21):
is just people will talk about being themselves and do
everything they can to be what you want them to be,
and that is so confusing that they never get And
I have adopted this about ten years ago. The difference
between joy and happiness. Happiness can be taken away. Joy
comes from within it cannot and so a lot of

(26:43):
people give up their joy because they're trying to make
you happy.

Speaker 6 (26:47):
I love it.

Speaker 8 (26:48):
And have you ever thought about kind of getting back,
whether it's podcast and whether getting.

Speaker 7 (26:53):
Or a there's too many people talking, okay, there's way
too many people talking to podcasts. There's way too many
people with an opinion, and there's way too many people
with an opinion that's not educated. I mean, and I

(27:15):
think what what a lot of people don't realize is
how powerful that.

Speaker 6 (27:20):
Mike and this tongue can be.

Speaker 7 (27:22):
And so for instance, if you go, well, give me
your Mount Rushmore of wide receivers, I go, you know,
I like Fred Barnett.

Speaker 6 (27:32):
Wayne Forbet, Uh.

Speaker 7 (27:35):
Jake read Yeah, and uh James Laughton, and people are
gonna go what I'm going? I thought you asked me
for mine? Did you ask me for mine? To give
you your Mount Rushmore? And I think we have fallen
because of everybody has an opinion, everybody has a mic,
everybody has a camera phone. I think what we have done,

(27:57):
or what we're doing, is we're ruining sport. So when
guys are get asking questions, they're trying to think while
you're asking a question, you're not getting the honest answer.
So if I can't tell you an honest answer, guess
what how about we just not talk at all?

Speaker 6 (28:13):
Well?

Speaker 5 (28:14):
I like that a lot, all right, all right, So
I want to go back to the Hall of Fame game.
I saw you on TV. I saw your interview during
the Hall of Fame game, right, And so it was
the Chargers versus the Lions, and it was the traditional
kickoff game for the NFL preseason. So, Starline, what are
your thoughts about preseason games? Do you think there's enough

(28:35):
of them? Too many of them? Do you think you
know it's a predictor of future's success For this season?

Speaker 7 (28:40):
I don't have to play, so I don't care. I mean, honestly,
the thing is is if you don't think everything that
we do is about money, you're killing yourself.

Speaker 6 (28:54):
So as a.

Speaker 7 (28:56):
Player, guess what if we'd have played two preseason games
and that's what it was, we'd had to play six,
then that's what it was.

Speaker 6 (29:03):
You know.

Speaker 7 (29:03):
I always used to say to myself, I never want
to say when I played, you know, we used to
do two a days for a month, yeah, and were
hitting and we were hitting. Yeah, And those two days
I don't like comparing myself or my era to what
they're doing today. Sure, I just sit back and don't

(29:25):
watch it because I play golf, so I don't really
concern myself. I don't really concern myself with what they're doing.

Speaker 6 (29:32):
But I don't.

Speaker 7 (29:33):
I don't have a thought on it if there's too
many or too little. It's like in IL, I don't
have a thought on guys making a million dollars or
two million dollars on their name, image and likeness, and
oh what would you have made? Well, I don't know,
because we didn't have it. So there's no sense in
racking my brain going back, making myself angry because I
didn't get denial.

Speaker 4 (29:53):
I find it.

Speaker 3 (29:54):
I found it interesting because like I don't I don't
really particularly care to watch football today either, Like I
don't have that as a as a thing, Like I
don't carry that. I don't even want to carry that
as a as a person, you know. And and I think,
I think what you have kind of done is you

(30:16):
I'll say you had forcefully put people at people uncomfortable
to come at you with football, you know.

Speaker 4 (30:25):
And and I think on.

Speaker 3 (30:26):
My side of it, I'll accept somebody having the conversation.
I'll listen to it, but it's not really something that
but but you you really want to reflect on And
I get that people people really want to hear it
from you when they when they're talking to you, they
want to know like and and can tell me who's

(30:46):
the best receiver, tell me this or tell me that,
and and I know that's important to them, But it
isn't something really that you're really gonna even understand when
I you know, I gave I gave him an now
of him and Rice of who I would think is
the best player, which would be him and not because
he's in the room. Yeah, I've said that forever, But

(31:12):
somebody who's a who's a Rice fan, it's gonna be like, well,
how do you get that?

Speaker 4 (31:17):
Like, how do you try to give you the opinion?

Speaker 3 (31:20):
I saw them both, you know what I'm saying, Like
I sit in front of them and try to put
my hands on them, and I can make that judgement.

Speaker 8 (31:27):
But just to go with that, though, I think for
the average listener it may be hard for them to
comprehend how gentlemen who have reached the highest highs in
the NFL don't have that sort of you know, passion
for the game whatever.

Speaker 6 (31:41):
Love for football.

Speaker 7 (31:43):
Yeah, the love for football because as a fan, they
talk to us like we're fans.

Speaker 6 (31:51):
As a fan, I want you to enjoy what I enjoy.

Speaker 7 (31:55):
I'm like, so you're telling me it's fun to go
sit in traffic for forty five.

Speaker 6 (32:00):
Minutes to an Now you telling me it's fun to
sit and.

Speaker 5 (32:06):
Do that.

Speaker 6 (32:06):
But I don't know.

Speaker 5 (32:07):
Maybe I'm just think got one.

Speaker 7 (32:11):
Of burger and a beer, so I'm gonna go and
miss the entire first quarter to get the burger in
the beer. Now I got to go to the restaurom
and I got to stand in the line for forty
five minutes to go.

Speaker 6 (32:22):
That's fun. Okay, you keep having it because.

Speaker 7 (32:28):
I'm gonna make it one less player that your personally
that you have to deal with. But it goes back
to be in your own standard. Everybody wants to compare
h this person to that person Deebo Samuels who went
to South Carolina. People go, oh, he reminds me of you.

(32:51):
What am I supposed to do with that? When you
look in the NFL? What receiver in the NFL reminded
you of you? And really look at receivers kind.

Speaker 6 (33:01):
Of like that.

Speaker 7 (33:02):
You know, So everybody's not asking a question because they
they want an answer. They're asking a question because they
want an answer that they can debate or kick.

Speaker 6 (33:13):
Around the work.

Speaker 7 (33:14):
So it has nothing really to do with the answer
you give. It has to do with what am I
going to do with the answer you give me.

Speaker 8 (33:22):
I think that's because what we try to do on
the show, we obviously we talk sports, but we also
talked social issues, mentality, different things of that nature. And
I think far as what I'm getting out of that
is sort of that standard. And I think to your point,
not just in sports, but in business in different fields,
we we lose that right because we we don't try
to just live up or achieve our standards, and we

(33:44):
try to make somebody else's standards or objectives.

Speaker 3 (33:48):
Grown always trying to connect somebody to Holicis Hollis is
kind of like such and such.

Speaker 4 (33:56):
At least, it's kind of like do is.

Speaker 7 (33:59):
I don't go tools or I don't go to teams
and talk to the team because I want you to
go on your journey your way. I want you to
be able to say, you know what, man, I played football,
but but uh, you know, I enjoyed every second of
the Man, that was great for me playing a lot
of golf and a lot of programs. I get a

(34:21):
chance to play with college golfers, and it's so interesting
to be like, you know.

Speaker 6 (34:26):
Hey, so hey house, where'd you go to school?

Speaker 9 (34:29):
Oh?

Speaker 7 (34:29):
Man, I just went to a little school up in
West Virginia. Man, it wasn't nothing big. I'm like, wait
a minute, So you went there, got an education, got
a chance to play golf.

Speaker 6 (34:38):
But you're gonna put your school down now because of
it wasn't.

Speaker 4 (34:44):
I that that is a that is a legitimate That's.

Speaker 6 (34:47):
What I'm doing. Hey, where'd you play football? Oh?

Speaker 7 (34:50):
I played at Metro State. Man, you know, just a
D nine school, you know, out in the middle of nowhere.
But I'm like, oh, but you went there, you got
an education, But now you're gonna minimize the school that
gave you a chance to continue to do what you
want to do.

Speaker 6 (35:06):
And that's just basically.

Speaker 7 (35:09):
I'm gonna trust, well, he went to South Carolina and
he was an All American, So I'm going to try
and lower my standard.

Speaker 6 (35:15):
Because it doesn't come close to his standard.

Speaker 7 (35:18):
And I think that's That's another one of the things
that we do in sport. We don't enjoy it for ourselves.
We enjoy it for whatever I can say, do or
for other people.

Speaker 6 (35:28):
I'm either going to make you look good or I'm
gonna make you look bad with my sport. That's how
we listen.

Speaker 5 (35:33):
So, Sterling, I'm gonna I'm going to bring up a
subject that's near and dear to Carl, Carl's heart, and
that would be Aaron Rodgers. So we know that, you know,
he's starting his journey with the Pittsburgh Steelers this season,
and he's he's already come out and pretty much said,
I think on the Pat McAfee show and several other
venues that this will probably be his last year. What

(35:55):
are your thoughts about his career and him coming to
the Steelers this year? For one, as to.

Speaker 7 (36:00):
Raw, that's that's a hard question to answer based on
the way you asked.

Speaker 6 (36:06):
Is there another way you could ask that question?

Speaker 5 (36:08):
Okay, let's see then let me put it in different words.
So he's he's definitely or he's not definitely. He said
on different social platforms that he's retiring this year, and
so he you know, he was on the fence, you know,
after he left the Jets about it.

Speaker 7 (36:25):
He's already retired, that's what you're saying. You're saying, aready
because you're saying he's already retired.

Speaker 4 (36:33):
Do you think so?

Speaker 5 (36:34):
Because I said he was on the fence about coming back.

Speaker 6 (36:36):
Then you're already retired.

Speaker 4 (36:37):
Yes, And I would one agree with that.

Speaker 5 (36:41):
Because I don't know if he's ever said that publicly.
But I mean, he took long and all I don't
know if to make that decision, which makes me think that, you.

Speaker 6 (36:50):
Know, my thing is is that I should never have
to tell you how good.

Speaker 7 (36:57):
I am, because if I I got to tell you
how good I am, then I'm probably If I could
tell you what I did, I probably didn't do anything.
And so when you know, studying psychology, when someone says
to you, can I be honest, they're ready A lot.

(37:18):
I don't mean this, Lisa address you have on I
don't mean this in a negative way.

Speaker 5 (37:25):
But and I'm a little nervous dressed for tonight, but
that's okay.

Speaker 7 (37:33):
There's a lot of things that ar does that are him.
I don't know him well enough to be able to
interpret his mannerisms.

Speaker 6 (37:41):
But you know, in our game, either you're in or
you're out.

Speaker 7 (37:45):
And if you're not in, then they will kick you out,
whether it's through an injury, whether it's through your teammates
not believing in you. You can't fake That's what I
love about sports. Can't fake it. Sure you either in
or you're out, and there is no in between. And
a lot of people fail in sports because hall this
ain't in it. He's doing it for me, and I

(38:08):
think that when I look at Aaron Rodgers, He's always
been a good friend to me. He's always been a
good you know, I think, a really good player, and
I think if everything falls their way, they could be
a really good team. He throws it too well. I
think he sees the field too well. I think he
orchestrates way too well. And I think if if they

(38:31):
can protect him running the ball enough, play action pass game,
he's one of the best. I think they could be
successful and whatever that is, you know, as I think
they'll have a winning record.

Speaker 3 (38:43):
Now. See my fear. My fear is if they don't
protect him. I don't know if he's able at this
point to take enough hits.

Speaker 7 (38:56):
He's mentally, he's mentally uh, he's very mentally. He knows
how to protect himself. I mean the ones you don't see.
You know, that's hard. But when he's in, he knows
who's going to get there first. He knows, he knows
that that you know, it's going to be this guy
or that guy.

Speaker 6 (39:13):
So you know how to position yourself.

Speaker 7 (39:15):
You know that you know how to position yourself to
absorb the contact where it's not as now how it
looks on TV. I think mentally he is. He's a
lot strong, a lot stronger, and a lot sharper than
people want to give him credit. Because you know, right now,
we don't like ar you know, we don't like the
fact that he's aloof sometimes, and we don't like the

(39:36):
fact that he wants to go to Egypt right before
training camp for we don't like those things because we
don't or we can't do it. So I think Aaron
has been in the league long enough that he knows
a lot of the tricks of the trade to be
able to survive it.

Speaker 4 (39:51):
All Right, cats of kittens, have you heard?

Speaker 10 (39:53):
The Quarrior Diner is back step into the classic vibe
of one of Charleston's most historic restaurants.

Speaker 4 (39:59):
Don't miss The Daily Blue Late specials.

Speaker 10 (40:00):
Breakfast served all day, every day, and free parking with
an outdoor patio covet for the summer at elegant basement
bar and customizable events Space ten twenty two. Quarrier Street
offers and experience unlike any other. Open seven days a week,
eight am to three pm. Visit Quarrierdner dot com for
all the need to know and relive the good times
at the Quarrier Diner.

Speaker 9 (40:21):
Let's face it, bad things happen to good people seriously
injured in a car accident, trucking accident, or even wrongfully arrested.
Life happens, and when it happens to you, you will
need sound legal advice and aggressive representation. That's when you
call Attorney Frank Walker at three zero four four one
three zero one seven nine. That's three zero four four
one three zero one seven nine, lock it in your phone,

(40:43):
text it to a friend three zero four four one
three zero one seven nine, or visit online at Attorney
Frank Walker dot com.

Speaker 2 (40:51):
Let's Talk with Carl Lee as presented by Attorney Frank
Walker and the all new historic Choyir Diner. Come in
on episodes, ask the crew questions or sauld you just topics.
On our Facebook page, search for Let's Talk with Carl
Lee and remember to like the page to become part
of the conversation. Subscribe by searching Let's Talk with Carl
Lee were in your favorite podcast service, and tune in
Thursday evenings at seven or Sunday nights at eight for

(41:14):
Let's Talk with Carl Lee. This is Let's Talk with
Carl Lee. Now back to the conversation.

Speaker 8 (41:21):
Now, now, I want to go back because you know
a lot of us, not I'm not gonna say a
lot of us, but some of us.

Speaker 6 (41:26):
See what he just did.

Speaker 4 (41:29):
That wasn't a lot of us.

Speaker 8 (41:31):
Well, I don't want to see a lot of them
because I ain't trying to put all brothers in that box.
But you know some of us, you know who cling
on the sports, You know we're from projects.

Speaker 4 (41:40):
I was from the projects right here in West Virginia.

Speaker 8 (41:42):
And I've heard your brother allude to your upbringing, but
I did not know until that interview the other day.
I mean what you guys did for money, your hustles,
you know, the hey rounding up the chicken, the rabbits,
I mean a thousand chickens for what was.

Speaker 6 (42:01):
It a dollar?

Speaker 8 (42:02):
Thousand a dollar one thousand, So because when I first
heard it, I thought it was a dollar per chicken.

Speaker 4 (42:08):
A thousands, that's pretty dollar a thousand, dollar a thousand.

Speaker 8 (42:11):
You said you would make around sixteen ten dollars sixteen thousand.

Speaker 7 (42:17):
If the four of us went in a chicken house
that had ten thousand chickens, we got a dollar a thousand,
So we made ten dollars.

Speaker 8 (42:23):
So what so just walk us through that? So does
that intel like you have to like physically grab them
and pitt them on the truck.

Speaker 7 (42:30):
Okay, So back in the day, back in the day
when we were doing it, let's say it's the four
of us. So let's say Carl would be a catcher.
So his job is to catch. So you do it
at night because they call them chickens for a reason.

Speaker 6 (42:49):
That's why you can't run up on them because they're
going to run away from you.

Speaker 7 (42:53):
So at night they can't see and so they'll all
huddle together. So Carl is the catcher and the three
of us are carriers. So we're either three and three
or we're three and four, and all we do is
is we walk and take them to the truck. He's catching,
so it could take you anywhere from an hour and
a half to two and a half hours. And you're

(43:15):
talking starting at eleven o'clock and you're talking about finishing
at one. Okay, now you've got to go home. You
got all this chicken stuff on you. Well you're not
just jumping into bed, are you?

Speaker 4 (43:26):
No way?

Speaker 6 (43:26):
Okay?

Speaker 7 (43:27):
Well okay, so now you don't You don't have running water.
So the water that you have, you go have to
heat up. So you got to wait for that to happen.
And so now you not in a bathtub. You're in
a what we would call a washtub, and so you
are legging and you know, you wash your body like

(43:48):
you wash your car from the top down, so you
wash your face and you work your way down. Well,
now it's three o'clock. So now you get into bed,
and guess what. You got to be ready for the
bus at seven point thirty or you know when I
started driving, You know you got to be at school
by eight.

Speaker 6 (44:06):
Then you got practice. You go do that, and.

Speaker 7 (44:09):
Then guess what, you do a little homework and then
we're right back catching him again tomorrow.

Speaker 8 (44:16):
And I guess that's what I'm saying because to me,
I'm just amazed because.

Speaker 7 (44:19):
The way of life all us don't don't be amazed.
But what I'm saying, and I'm what you're saying, don't
get up.

Speaker 8 (44:25):
And I love it because a lot of people come
from where I come from a similar background. We walk
through life with a chip because of that background. But
you and your brother, y'all don't like you said.

Speaker 7 (44:36):
My brother, my brother that motive And I said this,
it's amazing how two people can look out the same
window and see two totally different things. That motivated him
had no effect on me. And that's amazing, had no.

Speaker 6 (44:50):
Effect on me.

Speaker 4 (44:53):
Did you say you don't have a chip?

Speaker 3 (44:55):
No, No, Okay, I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna challenge that.

Speaker 4 (45:02):
Okay, Okay, I can so.

Speaker 3 (45:06):
So during your time playing and even after your time playing,
you have the ability to be distant with people. And
and I'm and and my thing is, where would where
would that? Where does that come from? Is that just
the uncomfortable when you say distant? Well, I mean what
are we talking?

Speaker 4 (45:25):
Okay? Like like you don't happen.

Speaker 6 (45:27):
I don't like. I don't like people.

Speaker 7 (45:31):
Okay, I avoid people as much as humanly possible. And
it's hard and.

Speaker 4 (45:35):
Where and where? Okay, and again, now think about this.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
You're a great football player, and now you're a notable
in history football player in the Hall of Fame, and
everybody's going to be attracted to you. I'm I'm, I'm,
I'm your friend. You decide you volunteered to come on
this show for me, invited myself. Yes you did, and

(46:01):
you don't have to do that. But there are but
there are people, and there are things that I know
and I've seen where you have been.

Speaker 4 (46:10):
Like no, well, coach, you ain't people.

Speaker 7 (46:12):
This this is my life. There are many like it,
but this one is mine. And my daughter's thirty one
years old. So when she was younger, she heard no
see many times, and we've tried to teach her words
like no, don't want or can't eliminate options. So on

(46:37):
a day where I don't want to sign autographs, the
answer is no, there is no option.

Speaker 6 (46:43):
You ain't getting one.

Speaker 7 (46:44):
Okay, however you feel or however your parents feel, or
take a picture, the answer is no.

Speaker 6 (46:51):
And a lot of people don't accept no.

Speaker 7 (46:53):
So what I do is is I try and help
those people by staying in a way stay away from them.

Speaker 6 (47:00):
So I don't put them to have to accept the answer.

Speaker 5 (47:03):
Note Sterling, I want to say something really quick. If
you don't have anything nice to say, come sit beside me. Okay,
I know we'll we'll keep each other great company. So
I want to go back to something that I've heard
you say several times. You've said it, you said it
before when we had you call into the podcast. You
mentioned it also during your hof induction ceremony, and it

(47:24):
was the saying that learned to follow.

Speaker 7 (47:26):
You have to learn to follow before you can where
you can lead. The problem is is it? And I
got or I get this a lot from people. We
as a society have gotten so strong that we don't
ask for help. We don't know what we're doing, but
we want to.

Speaker 6 (47:45):
Ask for help. When you learn how to follow, you
learn that.

Speaker 7 (47:50):
Guess what if I was coached by by two high
school coaches that really never played outside of high school.
One was at an all black school and coach Hall
and coach McCall is a military man who you know,
never played outside of high school. Why am I listening
to them? I get to college, I got a position

(48:11):
coach that played at Carson Newman little receiver knew what
he was doing, and so it kind of made sense.
But if you don't learn to follow, and following is
not doing what you do or saying what you say.
Following is watching what you do, watching how you say it.
And I remember my grandfather used to be very direct,

(48:38):
and a lot of people didn't like that. I did
because I knew where I stood. I always liked letting
you know where you stand because a lot of people
aren't sure. If Hollis likes them, you know, you know somehow,
and I just let you know where we stand, and
then all we can develop our friendship around that. When
I'm thinking for you, get you in trouble. Learning how

(49:01):
to follow is very It's a difficult task because that
means you know more than me. You know, I used
to always tell my daughter, I've already been your age,
you ain't never been mine. So wherever you think or
you feel like you may be smarter than me, your
neurons are firing faster than mine.

Speaker 6 (49:22):
Slow down, they're not.

Speaker 3 (49:23):
I'm stealing that you're doing that to night?

Speaker 4 (49:28):
I got four tonight.

Speaker 8 (49:29):
So and that on that same vein at least's question
you towards the end of your career. You had this
new coach, John Grutin, and to that point, I believe
you probably applied those same principles because I mean, you're
in you having all success, and you have this new
coach essentially teaching you a new way of sort of
looking at things.

Speaker 6 (49:50):
Yes or no.

Speaker 7 (49:51):
Okay, buddy, guys taught me position body position. Now you're
talking to a consensus all America. Leaving the University of
South Carolina. You're talking to a guy that the Green
Bay Packers drafted seventh in the first round.

Speaker 6 (50:07):
So I'm gonna come there and you're gonna do what
with me?

Speaker 7 (50:10):
So you got to learn to follow because he's got
a job, So why don't I incorporate.

Speaker 6 (50:15):
What he's doing into my game?

Speaker 7 (50:18):
And then I got sarm Lewis came from San Francisco
with Mike Hongren coached the greatest receiver that we've ever seen.

Speaker 6 (50:24):
Searm did two things for me.

Speaker 7 (50:26):
One, he taught me to understand why plays are being
called run and passed. And the most important thing Sharam
did for me was he never mentioned me and Jerry
in the same sentence, so he never took away my
confidence or made me feel inferior. When I got John Gruden,
he took my game to the absolute highest, which is

(50:49):
probably why I was okay with my career ending. John
Gruden told me, you know, you know enough about defenses,
and you know enough about defensive backs study other receivers
so you can incorporate what they do into your game.
I mean, just imagine, I'm coming off a year where
I led the league and catch his yards and touchdown

(51:10):
and I got John Gruden telling me, we're going to
do this well in leading the league and catches yards
and touchdowns. I said in an NFL record which I
broke under John Gruden. So learning how to follow. And
John Gruden is a small white quarterback from Dayton, you know,
quarterback of Dayton, So what does he know about playing receiver?

Speaker 6 (51:29):
You know?

Speaker 7 (51:30):
But when you learn to follow, you understand that they
got jobs to do and that they're in your life
for a reason. So the biggest thing is is I'm
here for a reason. I'm not here only because I
wanted to and calls one of my best friends, I'm
here for a reason. So I think what I'm saying
on these airways is supposed to be heard by someone.

(51:51):
And so what I got to remember is don't mess
this up. You know, you got a truth to tell.
Tell the truth. I don't need to exalt my self anymore.

Speaker 6 (52:01):
You know.

Speaker 7 (52:02):
I got a gold jacket that I didn't want, but
I got it. I got a chance to play in
the NFL, which is the only thing I ever wanted
to do. So in giving back some of the knowledge,
this is some of the things that I have to do.

Speaker 6 (52:15):
Love it.

Speaker 4 (52:16):
And you know, to your point in kind of closing
this out, but.

Speaker 3 (52:21):
Pete Carroll was that guy for me, and hearing you talk,
I can I can relate to what Pete was for me.
And it's it's amazing when you get that guy that
you're hearing and you're like everything that he says you
can you can equate to it, and like it's like,

(52:43):
oh I can do this, let me change this and
do it this way.

Speaker 4 (52:48):
And it changed my whole career.

Speaker 3 (52:53):
And when you find that, and I'm gonna say, if
you find it anywhere, if you can find a person
that you can see, you will, you will.

Speaker 6 (53:01):
They're in your life. The problem is is you're.

Speaker 7 (53:04):
Coaching me and Hollis is telling me, Man, Carl, don't
know what he's talking about.

Speaker 4 (53:09):
You need to be you need to be outside shape,
you know.

Speaker 7 (53:12):
So now I'm getting information from four different people.

Speaker 6 (53:16):
Now what am I? What am I going to do?

Speaker 7 (53:18):
So when you learn to follow, I'm going to give
Lisa her do you know what, Whatever I need to
do in TV or radio to be better, she's doing it.
So why don't I watch her when she don't think
I'm watching? Why don't I listen to how she speaks
when she makes a point?

Speaker 6 (53:34):
You know?

Speaker 7 (53:35):
And and the thing is is learning to public speak
like and and what I attempted to do in my
speech on Saturday was I wanted to I wanted to
come out serious and explain this ain't about me. This
gold jacket is not about me. Okay, I got what

(53:57):
I wanted. I got to play, That's all I want it.
This is for my family and my friends that made
the journey. I want you to understand how important it
was for them.

Speaker 6 (54:08):
Okay.

Speaker 7 (54:09):
So in doing that learning to follow, I was just
showing people or trying to tell people, and how I
spoke because your voice inflection tells you this is serious.

Speaker 6 (54:20):
Might need to take might need to And then.

Speaker 7 (54:24):
Before we go too far over the edge of the seriousness,
you know, my brother said that last time we were
here that he was the only player in the Hall
of Fame that could say this, that he's the second
best player in his own family.

Speaker 6 (54:37):
While I agree with that statement.

Speaker 7 (54:41):
So now instead of you falling over the edge, let
me bring it back and then you know and and
so you have something to say, and you want to
you want to be heard, and that's a problem. That's
your job is to say it, whether you hear it
now or tomorrow. I'm not here to change your mind,

(55:02):
but I'm here to get but naked in your mind.

Speaker 6 (55:04):
So when you driving home tonight you'd be like, You'll
be like.

Speaker 4 (55:09):
Wow, he striking this all out here.

Speaker 7 (55:13):
But I'm like, is when you get in people's minds,
it's not going to affect them right now. It's not
my job. My job is to tell you. I'm a messenger.
Let me tell you this. I'm not telling you to
do it my way. I'm telling you so you can
figure out how to do it your way. Because what

(55:34):
I had was is I had some really strong men
that I followed, and the guys that I talked about,
and Buddy and Sherman and Coach Hall and Coach McCall
I had some really strong women that I got a
chance to follow. I mean, when I first got to
my first Pro Bowl, carl adopted me. Hey man, you know,
you hang out with us. We're gonna do this, this

(55:55):
and this. You know where he could have easily ignored
me because I'm a new v I'm a first time
and he didn't. And that just showed me that I
could be that, you know, I could just be me
and enjoy meeting new people.

Speaker 6 (56:09):
And I mean and meeting him.

Speaker 7 (56:11):
I got to know Donna, I got to know Carlton,
I got to know Nay, his sisters, and his mom
and his dad. I got indoctrinated into the family. And
so just because of him being who he is. And
so I think what we have done a horrible job
of is my daughter didn't have an opinion until probably eighteen,

(56:37):
because you only get an opinion if you're paying bills
or you've got responsibilities. Now I learned to follow that way,
so I can lead that way now. But all the
lessons I learned and learning to follow, I was hoping
to use on my brother. And it's so funny that

(56:59):
everybody used to say, you know, be your own man. Shannon,
stop trying to be like him. Shannon, Look, Shannon, you
your own guy man, live your own life.

Speaker 6 (57:06):
And I it dawned on me. He didn't follow me.

Speaker 7 (57:12):
I followed him because everything I did had his face
on it.

Speaker 6 (57:18):
So I ain't leading him, following him.

Speaker 7 (57:21):
And so you know, our relationship as brothers, we never fought,
never been in a fight. We talk every day, We
talk about most things. I got an older sister that
he'll talk about stuff with also that he doesn't talk
with me. But the thing is that the dynamic havn't changed.
Once you're in, you're in. You know you're my brother.

(57:43):
So if my brother didn't play in the NFL and
was a trash collector, guess what he'd be. A trash
collector driving a Mercedes living in an eight thousand square
foot house. If my life would have been the same
because I can't help MS or the American Cancer Society
or American Heart Association, I can't help them. If my

(58:04):
family is struggling, and I can do something about it.
So you know, family is most important. You know friends
are most important, most importantly though they're all done out
of love. So you got to make sure you know
I love Carlee, and Donna knows I love Carly, and
because I love carl Lee, I love Donna. So that
is the premise on who I am and how I

(58:27):
was raised, and that's why I could have fun playing football,
I could have fun doing TV. I tried to have
fun this weekend at the Hall of Fame. It's difficult.
It's hard, you know, because I never wanted this, so
I don't understand it yet. I don't understand what happened
to me.

Speaker 6 (58:45):
But I'm learning.

Speaker 7 (58:47):
Like I said, I took a day yesterday to kind
of go back over everything. But I'm learning how to
be a Hall of Famer. In my mind, there's not
a certain way you got to be. But I'm just
learning to accept, you know, the congratulations and the admiration
because it's not why I did it. But I don't
understand that. Carl and I had a conversation. I hope

(59:08):
I'm going over. Carl and I had had a conversation
about I never understood. We play a team sport. We're
four and twelve. Hollis is our team MVP. Did he

(59:28):
do something I did? As you know, if we play
a team sport, we went as a team. We lose
as a team, but you're the MVP. But I equated
that to like a participation trophy. You know, we're going
to try and build morale and spirit. So Carl, you
gave up four touchdowns, but you were the defensive MVP.

Speaker 6 (59:50):
And you know, I never liked or understood that.

Speaker 7 (59:54):
I'm like, guess what I'm doing, what I want to do,
and you're going to recognize me for doing what? Because
if you're recognizing me being four and twelve and being
in the same room with these other guys, what are
they thinking? What have you done to them? And so
I've never enjoyed recognition, and so I've actually tried to

(01:00:14):
shy away or stay away from it as much as possible.
But you know, this is one of those things that
I had no control over, didn't have a vote, and
I was dealing with eye issues that I really wanted
to get sight back in my right eye. I can't
see out of my right eye right now as I'm
sitting here, and so I never really got to.

Speaker 6 (01:00:34):
The level of, wow, you know how big this is.

Speaker 7 (01:00:38):
So hopefully one day, you know, I've asked God to
let me experience what it's supposed to feel like not
for everyone of us. But what is this supposed to
feel like? I want to I want to get that.

Speaker 8 (01:00:50):
I think I think you know to your point, we
all here for a reason, as you articulated, and seeing
you and your brother on that stage that means the
world to a lot of us. I have a little brother, uh,
you know, talking about your story of how you came
up and just today expressing the mentality that you had
in order to just you know, move to where you

(01:01:13):
eventually moved to. I think you know this conversation, it
means a lot to a lot of people. And I
think there is a lot of lessons that even I'm
getting out of this, you know that I'm going to
apply to my career. So it's you may not see
it now, but I think again, just having that image
of you and your brother super impactful.

Speaker 6 (01:01:33):
Means a lot to this cheeseheadstor all right, well.

Speaker 3 (01:01:38):
Well we've accomplished, and so let me let me say
something to you, my brother okay, chasing you around and
you went back to the Pro Bowl, and I remember

(01:01:58):
those conversations.

Speaker 4 (01:01:59):
I remember remember the fun.

Speaker 6 (01:02:01):
We had, and.

Speaker 3 (01:02:05):
I never really saw it in the manner in which
you took it right like I just was, you know,
we just connected. But of every player that I've ever
met in my career from anywhere, the one guy that

(01:02:26):
mattered the most to me, the one guy that I
tried and in spite of your your standoffish way trying
to avoid me, I wanted this. And when I say
this this for you, I wanted that jacket for you.

(01:02:48):
I wanted that jacket probably I won't say more than
anybody in your family, but anybody outside of your family brought.
I wanted that and I wanted it because I knew.

Speaker 4 (01:03:00):
I knew.

Speaker 3 (01:03:03):
The guy that I chased around that number eighty four
in green, who who kept laughing, laying on the ground laughing,
was teaching me something about the game, how to have fun.

(01:03:24):
And to me, I want you to know, you long
overdue for your jacket, bro, but you could wear your
own colored jacket because to me, you were one of
the best people I know.

Speaker 4 (01:03:39):
And you have been that to me for as long
as I can remember.

Speaker 7 (01:03:43):
Yeah, and you guys have helped develop that part of
me because I do I stayed as far away from people.

Speaker 6 (01:03:51):
As I can. You know, and especially you know I
don't do.

Speaker 7 (01:03:55):
I probably turned down twenty of these a week because
I don't want someone to hear something and go oh
he said that that uh uh Carl. He said that
Carl Lee was the best corner in the in the league,
you know, and and so now every and I found

(01:04:15):
this very interesting, and I said this to my brother.
I said, you know what's really funny. All you guys
do is you take a topic and you'll say something
crazy and then Hollis and his podcast or grab that
and they'll spend an hour talking about that that.

Speaker 8 (01:04:32):
That you did the formula and Lisa and.

Speaker 7 (01:04:38):
I said, I said, bro, all y'all doing is y'all
are paying each other. Y'all just taking the five dollars
and you just pass it around. So but no, you know,
when you around good people, good things happen to you.

Speaker 6 (01:04:51):
Man.

Speaker 7 (01:04:51):
And I've I've been fortunate enough to be able to
recognize or I should say my spear has been able
to recognize good people, and you cling onto them and
the rest of him you kind of let go.

Speaker 6 (01:05:02):
That's why I wish you were at the party.

Speaker 7 (01:05:04):
Saturday night, Tony Dungee came over and he was like,
where's Carl. I said, I think he had to uh uh.
He had to give back. His son had something important
that was going on, so he had to get back.
And he was like, you know, just talking about you
as a player and as a person and you know,
coaching you. And I said to Tony, I said, you

(01:05:25):
ever tell him that I mean, because that's great and
I ain't gonna be able to say it to what
you said. And he was like, that's why I was
hoping that I got a chance to talk to him,
you know, today and or tonight, to be able to
you know, spend some time with him. But you know
that's the thing about life is you don't know. So

(01:05:46):
you got to take every advantage on telling Bruce Smith
Hall of Famer Bruce Smith is going through some things
health issues right now. And you know, we we facetimed
him on Wednesday and Thursday, we talked to him be
a speaker on Friday, because you know, the thing is
is athletes, the hardest thing to lose is your mind.

(01:06:08):
You may not be able to run and you may
not be able to jump, but your mind and if
something happens, you are there in your mind.

Speaker 6 (01:06:15):
You're in your head by yourself.

Speaker 7 (01:06:17):
And you know, we wanted to make sure, and we
want to make sure that Bruce understands that you ain't
going through this by yourself. You know, we've all adopted
prayers because I ask God every day since I heard
him going through this, if it gets heavy for him,
put it on me. Let me, let me carry some
of that, you know, let me. Let's let's help make

(01:06:39):
his load a little bit lighter. And so, you know,
relationships like I have what Carl and Donna. You know,
I call Carl and asked to speak to Donna. You know,
I call Carl and ask if I could take Donna
to the prompt. But you know, you know it's funny

(01:07:01):
that my relationship with most of my friends are we'll
do fifteen seconds of serious and forty five minutes the laughter.

Speaker 6 (01:07:07):
And that's that's all your fault. That's been hard to
help this whole time.

Speaker 5 (01:07:14):
It's a good combination, though I like it.

Speaker 4 (01:07:17):
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I hope you enjoyed the show.

Speaker 6 (01:07:19):
Stir.

Speaker 3 (01:07:20):
We truly, truly, truly appreciate you coming on. And uh,
I'll make sure that you get a copy of the show.

Speaker 6 (01:07:25):
No no, no, no, no check check a copy of the show.
Give me a check. I'll work on that one. Congratulations again,
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (01:07:33):
Dad, thank you.

Speaker 4 (01:07:34):
All Right, ladies and gentlemen, we get out here.

Speaker 2 (01:07:36):
I hope you enjoyed the show Let's Talk with Carl
Lee as presented by Attorney Frank Walker in the All
New History Choir your diner. Come in on episodes, ask
the crew questions, or suggest topics. On our Facebook page,
search forward Let's Talk with Carl Lee, and remember to
like the page to become part of the conversation. Subscribe
by searching Let's Talk with Carl Lee when your favorite

(01:07:57):
podcast service and tune in Thursday evenings at seven or
Sunday nights at eight for Let's Talk with Carl Lee.

Speaker 8 (01:08:19):
M