Only Sport with Ben Graham!

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I say welcome back to another massive episode of only Sport with a huge guest Ben Gran the first Australian to go to an NFL Super Bowl we dive into all of that we talk about Tom Brady and how he cost him his career he was the first

Fight to be cut three times in a season and an unforgettable flop oh you won’t see this one coming it’s a great episode that’s enough for me let’s Dive In we all love an impressive performance on the field and now thanks to our latest sponsor pilot you can have an impressive

Performance in the bedroom too pilot provides Aussie men with the clinical tools to treat bedroom issues like erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation not a fan of the doctor’s office pilot is all online so you can sort it out right now over the phone and with free delivery Australia wide you

Can be back on your game in no time head to pilot.com today and get started play hard until the final whistle with pilot Aces I know I always talk about the Ries but I got to offer you the discount again in case you’ve forgotten or in case you’re sleeping under a rock

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Check it out all right do we have a big show for you today let’s get stuck into it right we’ve got the king in the building the BG the big fell the the king of NFL as well the face of Australian um I guess American sport

Would would be you and uh anything that NFL whether it’s Flag Football you know American football TV Super Bowl you’ll see your face it’s great to have you in the studio mate I know we’ve uh We’ve upgraded you my first podcast ever online we went from Zoom to the van to

The Rolling media studio so it’s uh it’s great to have you back in big fella Tommy well it’s thanks for having me yes it’s we come a long way haven’t we from Co online to the van in that car park at Glen free oval and then of course in

Between times you’ve been hosting NFL armchair experts filling in for cam Luke you did a great job too by oh man was if it wasn’t for you I would have been in a lot of trouble I think I forgot to introduce myself I was trying to work

Out the stings off the commercials but mate it was uh it was great that was a good one to do with you and I thoroughly enjoyed that so shout out to seven for the opportunity but today mate it’s all about only sport our new show um with

All our NFL uh I guess fantasy football league friends and they’ve all come through as guests and it’s been good I think this is episode five now and we’ve had some we’ve had some interesting uh conversations we obviously big shout out to our sponsor pilot who has our main

Segment coming up the unforgettable flops no doubt you would have had a few in different sports so looking forward to um no not Unforgettable fls Benny not at home I mean on the on the sporting field but M let’s start off with as a young fell what Drew you to sport like

Who was it that said you know s was it Mom and Dad or what was it was it school and what sports were they well naturally growing up in jalong down the Bine Peninsula uh there was a fair bit of sport going on but I was born into a

Sporting family my grandfather Jack played over 200 games for South Melbourne uh my Uncle Rick uh played for jalong uh dad played a lot of country footy mom was a champion netballer back in the day so my brother and I my brother’s only 21 months younger than I

Am so we were always into something we were blessed I guess to be given the opportunity to play whatever sport that we wanted to try a hand at so so we did anything from gymnastics to basketball to Cricket to football but it was probably Athletics was the one that uh

Was my first love I just loved to run I was pretty quick as a kid and um I mom used to tell me a story about when I was in grade one school sports you know you run around the oval the oval’s like a cow padic but I tripped over fell over

In about the first 10 MERS and of course you would have gas and like oh hope he gets up well apparently I got up and I ran and end up winning the oh wow winning the race but I didn’t know really until I was in primary school

When I was doing Athletics um for you know Jong Athletics Club for Leopold and had um some good results as a junior so I actually thought growing up that I would be an athlete I was looking at Carl Lewis and Gary honey at the Olympics and um you know I I had some

Speed we won uh the gold medal in the Pan Pacific games in the 4X 100 I think I came I came last in the final in the 100 but it’s still eighth fastest kid in that age I guess so but I sort of um then tried me hand a basketball and

Athletics and then footy was probably the one though that I knew I would end up playing but it was my dad that held me back because he’d seen so many kids come into footy dad was a local footballer he was President coach of local teams he’d seen so many kids come

In at a really young age and be burnt out by the time they’re 17 and 18 and they’d lose that transition into senior footy so I actually took a year off and um and played tennis so I went on the BP cup and was in the McDonald’s Squad and

You’ve done it all so then I thought I was going to be a tennis player but it was footy um so I missed the year from under 15s to under 18s that first year cuz I was a late developer Tommy I uh I didn’t go through puberty until I was

About 16 and a half seven Late Bloomer Real Late Bloomer and a big boy so you must have went B I wasn’t like no but back in the doesn’t say you must have had a big grow I did I did yeah all people from year 12 to the reunion the

Next year wondered what had happened i’ grown about a foot you know I thought what’s going on down there you long no but it was it was probably um it was probably all of that the you know try what ever you want um see what you’re good at what you have

Fun with but it was footy um my first you know in this 18 year we won the flag we went back Tob back the year after and you know I got drafted at a time when there was 52 on the roster and they could have development players I was

Drafted sort of late um that doesn’t really happen now with the the uh the list so so small but um I guess I was lucky um to be given the opportunity to play many sports that’s great so yeah you kind of you’re the opposite of being

Burnt out do you think um do you think you had a chance at any other sports or was it pretty obvious that footy was your number one like you know did the old man say mate you’re very good at football I would stick to this one over

Tennis and all those other things you mentioned no well well Athletics was um my first real love I guess but you know when you get to a certain age when the kids are gone through puberty earlier um they’ve bigger and stronger oh yeah you remember that man I remember going cuz I

Was a bit like you you know you don’t have pubes and you’re lining up against these BLS they got armit hair right and you’re looking at him and you’re already intimidated you’re going this bl’s got like you know not only he muscle but he’s got the armpit hairs dangling down

And you’re going man I’ve only got a couple pubes you’re think this but then sometimes you can beat these blocks and I remember even in basketball you come up against them and go oh jeez these these blocks are pretty big pretty pretty powerful but they just going

Through puberty a bit earlier um same with footy as well but I always say to the kids that um are late developers like you one day you’re going to be bigger taller and stronger it’s an advantage to go through puberty later in life um and and the talent pathway in

The AFL very much identifies that for kids that are born in the back half of the year and maybe go through puberty a little bit later but I sort of you know it it was I felt like I was a good little athlete um one jalong athlete of

The year in 1984 there you go I was sort of on me you must have been quick I didn’t think you would be quick you must be but then um you know basketball it was sort of the Hobby Sport yeah um but still played a bit of rep basketball the

Tennis was probably just a gap Year from footy so I was probably always going to be footy I hated Cricket living down Beach used to love waving to on WE way down to the beach every I Reon your parents would have loved that decision cuz I look back and um Love Me cricket

Get love hanging out with probably the teammates but there’s days where I’d go out for a duck or you’d Bowl horrific and you’re driving you know your old man’s taking a day off in you know he’s probably got two weeks off and he’s taking you down to Bendigo and it’s 35

Degrees and you’re sitting in the field and he’s you just you think as a parent it’s a commitment and a half and to make cricket you know how hard it is to get no judgment to those that love Cricket yeah and I supported Jack my son who

Played Cricket at vavia for a number of Seasons but I wasn’t mad when he gave it up but but then it was footy um and I just loved the football environment mom was president of the ladies committee playing netball dad was coach and president so we basically was our second

Home my brother and I we lived there essentially so to play couple of flags mates um but I never got to play a senior game for liopo because I was I was drafted um in 91 so it was probably Al I had a few opportunities it was probably footy but I didn’t really

Appreciate the the lineage that my grandfather was such a we just got the um bio for his Hall of Fame for South Melbourne and you sort of don’t appreciate what a fantastic career he had so I guess part of it’s in the blood part of it’s natural um but it’s a lot

Of hard work as you know yeah there is a lot of hard work let’s talk about that what were some of the sacrifices you reckon you made as a young fell that you could share with people today um you know is there anything that you kind of

Gave up going through the ranks or you know what was it not really um probably mom gave up most the sacrifice cardus around town for uh Athletics to basketball to whatever it was whatever it was um now my I was probably lucky that things came sort of naturally

I the the biggest sacrifice I probably made was when I got drafted and I couldn’t go to O week for Deacon when I was what’s o week I don’t oh it’s orientation week so it’s a week of parties and got fun so I didn’t leave so while I was playing football uh and

Trying to get a degree at the same time I didn’t I had to give up that uni life you know the fun social life of all that because I was become a professional athlete well at that stage it really wasn’t too professional but it was getting there yeah that’s fair enough

That and that makes sense yeah it’s like most people giving up parties or whatnot you’ve given up the the social scene at Uni um very you’re ahead of your time Orin not many bgs would have gave up the uh orientation week back then you know

They would have had a little bit of a dabil orican well you know it was it was all it was it was tough because everyone from school going to UNI uh Deacon particularly you wanted to get there and see your mates and but then when you’re drafted and it’s like

Well hang on this is an opportunity I need to invest in wholly and solely um I uh I paused uni for a while to focus on my footy um because it was at that stage when it was becoming more and more professional it went from you know evening trainings because they all had

Jobs to to day training pretty much every day um so something had to give and that that was uni but you know that that was okay because you’ve got a new life a new friends and a new social experience when it comes to playing footy well said let’s let’s talk about

With that sport right so yeah if you’re if you didn’t if you didn’t go on to be this Superstar and we’ll get you to run on your um I want you to tell everyone your stats quickly in a in a moment AFL NFL just so we can get a quick Glimpse

But let’s if you don’t know Google it but Benny if you didn’t have sport what do you reckon you’d be doing if you didn’t play AFL and didn’t play NFL what do you think like where do you think you’d be today and what do you think you would have been doing as a

Young fell well I I would have still been playing sport I think I never forget the day I was driving home from uni and the draft was on and I heard my name right out on the radio and I but when it got to the third pick I thought

If my name’s not read out here like I may never play AFL again so then I my the rest of my life flashed in front of my eyes um and that was okay that was playing local footing for Leupold it was going to UNI it was getting a degree it was running a

Business it was you know being I had a majoring in Mar marketing and management so that that would have been okay and but I’ve used that to with what I do now um run some businesses we own some businesses um but that’s that’s okay I would have still played sport though

Would have still played at a at an amateur level and enjoyed everything that Community sport has to offer love it love it yeah there you go well there you guys wouldn’t have been wouldn’t have been like Dion preer down at the fruit and wholesale Market at foots gray

Here that’s where it was going with the old boy if he uh didn’t go top 10 everyone’s got a story right no that’s why we ask it it’s a great question um I don’t know what I would have done if I wasn’t playing footy it’s just a it’s a

Good question because everyone’s got a different Walk of Life and well see I might have coached um and that’s why I love coaching under 16s football and basketball um just giving back feeling like you got something to offer and and part of that is because of the experiences that I’ve been through and

You think you can impart some of your wisdom and knowledge on young men yeah well you’ve you’ve at all how many games AFL 219 and NFL or was it more seasons we’ll go Seasons eight and how many four clubs four yeah three in one year Tommy there you go so then that’s that’s

Something being you know moving clubs family your story you haven’t checked it out Tommy Talks episode one with Ben Graham listen to that it’s a cracker um we won’t uh I won’t you know notable bore you but we got a lot of other questions to ask over that time you just

Said three clubs NFL you know over in the states in one year I’d imagine this leads into the next question maybe not but what have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve had in your career and how have you overcome them well the No Doubt the biggest challenge in my

Sporting career has been the transition from AFL to NFL not just the sport and learning a new craft yes it’s kicking a football but it’s quite different to just picking up a ball and kicking it like in the AFL it was about moving to America and the Visa situation and the

Medical and having the family come over and um you know nothing was guaranteed until the season started so there’s a big risk that we took but we wanted to give it um our best and we did it together and you know my family a huge

Part of the reason why we spent so much time over there because there were some scary moments you know you you you pulled up at Customs because you’re on a you got a contract but you’re not on a sporting Visa so what do you doing here

And then you know my daughter got bitten by a spider but you take them to the hospital but you haven’t got medical because you haven’t got a contract because the season hasn’t started wow so it’s some some scary um challenges that we faced as a family but that’s what

Makes the journey so special knowing that we’ve been through that during my NFL career there certainly was some onfield challenges because there’s only 32 jobs in the world so to get one is really difficult but to keep it is even harder because there are thousands of people there every day trying to take

Your job so the challenge of punting a football might not sound like a challenge to some but when the pressure is on you every single time you pick up a football even at practice knowing that you can lose your job after a bad practice and I saw it

Firsthand um in 2008 when I was embarking on my fourth NFL season started with the Jets again again for my fourth year thought I was going to play for the Jets for the rest of my life at least 14 years like I did it you

Long and then uh week two I had a bad game against the Patriots gave Tom Brady good field position he scored four touchdowns on the back of it I got cut on the Monday that’s crazy got picked up on the next like the Thursday because the punter that replaced me p a

Hamstring and the Jets were playing in San Diego and I was with Darren Bennett spending some time with him and um I met they resigned me right so I gone to the hotel and the guys just thought I went back to Australia for the week that’s

Why the other pel was there so I was back so I was back in the fold we won the game played well all good two weeks later I got cut again because the guy that pulled his hamstring was right to go again and it was a cheaper

Option so that was a real like my goodness McCree is over I’m done cried in the car park in the car what am I going to do tell the family moving back to Australia uh but then I got picked up by the Saints and played in London at Wembley

Uh which was awesome and then got back to the New Orleans and Sean pton called the kicker and I in at the same time and said look boys we’re going to release you we’re going a different direction I found out later the only reason they signed me is because I had a passport

And they were going to London because they cut the guy the week before uh after the game and hadn’t got their [ __ ] together to and you’re the only one could get in the country that’s unbelievable right and and then uh and then a month later I was I found myself

At the Cardinals who were on the way to the Super Bowl so I was only the third player in NFL history to play for three teams in one year so it’s sort of crazy to to come for an environment where a contract is a contract you play you

Signed for Jong for five years you played long five years um but over there it’s just if you don’t perform you are that is I mean I know you’ve told me that before but just you kind of reminded me again that is crazy and you

Know it kind of leads into like how did you overcome it you know like what you know obviously there’s ways of overcoming it which is just kind of sticking out of the cliches but like and almost a fairy tale but I know Arizona’s probably oh

Know it was a fairy tale yeah yeah it was I don’t care about the result and I’m honest and open about this like when you when I when I tell that full story of that year I started the year on Sesame Street ringing the Wall Street Bell pin up boy

The Wiggles were coming out doing their Encore in my Jets Jersey like it doesn’t get much bigger when you live in New York and and that’s not I didn’t want that that’s just what it was like but then you get cut by the Jets twice by

The Saints uh and then you get picked up by the Cardinals late in the season and you end up playing in a Super Bowl like there’s like the challenges and the adversity and the ups and downs of that year on and off the field I still pinch

Myself that I even got through it I can give a [ __ ] whether we won the Super Bowl or not like I’m honored to be the first Australian to play in a Super Bowl and hopefully soon we’ll see an Australian win a Super Bowl but it’s more about the Journey of that year and

What we went through as a family um their support was amazing because you know there were times when you know we’re living over there without a contract so we haven’t got a Visa so we’re almost living illegally so you’re afraid to leave the country just in in

Case they don’t let you back in um so there’s all that sort of thing but you know it wouldn’t change anything for the world it was it was it was a great ride and you know I was lucky enough to play in the league for another four years

After that it is crazy you when you go home what was it like telling the fam especially the D that you know being cut I’m hey I’m back I’m cut I’m back I’m cut I’m back hey we’re now going to Arizona like do you remember those conversations what was it like like you

Know well as I said they I had their full support the kids were only really young um at that point Jack massan was born in New York in 2007 so we’re talking this is 2008 so he’s a baby the girls are only you know nine and seven years old a little

Bit yeah of course they do they’re at Primary School um but because it happened like we’d known cuz I was at the Jets for three and a half years a lot of what I went through our friends and past teammates had also been through it yeah so they sort of

Were um ready for it almost at some point it was going to happen to us but because we live so far away it’s okay if you’re playing for the Jets but you go back to Philadelphia to live it’s a long way to go back to Australia and then get

A call to say hey can you come for a workout so we wanted to see the year through CU what happens when you’re in between jobs all the other teams are like hang on a minute why is and he got a job we’ll work him out we’ll put him

On our depth chart so if something happens to our punner we’ve got we know who we’re going to sign so I worked out at about eight teams and it’s like why’ you get cut it’s like oh you know not you had a bad game you know everything

Nothing else going on it’s like no no let me show you I’ll show you what I can do and you have some good workouts and some bad workouts I was lucky enough I had a good workout for the Cardinals the Cardinals at that point were on their

Way to the playoffs for the first time in a long time they’re good team CT Warner Larry Fitzgerald anquin Balden and they’re a high scoring offense all they needed was a punter to pin the opposition deep when they stalled stalled Midfield and the drop punt was

My that was my onewood that was my go-to and I blew him away by my workout and how many balls I could just drop wherever I wanted on the one or two yard line and um that’s what won me the job and it was had an influence through out

The the playoffs um even in the Super Bowl we pinned them to the two yard line which causes safety we get the ball back we score to take the lead um so I feel like had influence there and then equal the NFL record the year after that for

Inside 20s because the coaches loved it trusted it sometimes as a punter your stats are affected when you’re punting behind a good offense because you’re always punting short distances rather than bad offenses when you’re backed up trying to kick Torpedoes to flip the field yeah I get that anyway we digress

No no it’s good I loved it I loved it I um this is fantastic just on the Super Bowl let’s just stay there what highlights from it you just said you pinned them deep back like do you remember it vividly like how many times have you watched it let’s talk about it

Um you know the moment when did you come on when was your first kick what was going through your head cuz my next question is high stakes and how do you handle pressure and if anyone out there listening right now it doesn’t get any bigger it’s the most watched one of the

Most watched events in the world World um probably outside of your soccer and all that and you know you’re coming on and the guys running at you they’re monsters so you need to get the ball as you said it’s not that easy there’s a technique involved and you need to

Execute and also obviously you just spoke about job security how do you handle them high pressure stakes and what were you doing thinking about but also talk us through the Super Bowl well so firstly coming from an AFL background you know when you run out to the ground

And you look around there’s some nerves set in and it might be a shot at goal that really you know that’s the thing that can mentally affect you you know gets into your head that what if I wish what if I miss but on once the game

Starts it’s 120 rolling minutes as a punter in the NFL you’re on the sideline and you are waiting for your moment so it’s it’s like uh every punt is like a shot at goal or a penalty kick in soccer so if you’re a soccer player and you’re

Just playing you got the rhythm of the game but if you’ve got to stop that’s why I love penalty shootouts cuz that is the epitome of pressure especially in a world cup World Cup final um but you you guess you learn to deal with pressure um through your experience especially in

The NFL because you’ve got pressure on you every time you train so when you play it is immense pressure but you I’m lucky to have an AFL background where you you sort of learn naturally how to deal with those pressures and trust your own ability and turn negative thoughts

Into positive thoughts and and ultimately just accept whatever happens you can’t blame anybody um you know if it’s a bad snap or the weather’s poor or you know it’s just you just have to live with it um but the superball you know I was hurt coming into that game I

Actually hurt mcgroin two weeks ago in the NFC championship game um but I was never in doubt to play but that was always playing on my mind and I ped okay in the super Bowl but it was that one punt that sort of I’d like to think changed the

Momentum of the game it really got us back into it um because special team sometimes is underrated largely underrated in the NFL um it’s why I love talking about it on TV and on radio because it’s a third of the game it’s a phase of the game that

Can change the momentum um but it led to that lead change when Larry Fitzgerald scored that touchdown so we minute 37 to go the Super Bowl we were lead we were winning so we’re on the sideline just saying how good’s this we’re about to win a Super Bowl after being called the

Worst team in playoff history after a 9 and seven record going in but ultimately Santonio homes catch in the back of the end zone which they still say was a catch not sure but again I don’t it doesn’t worry me it really doesn’t it’s all about the

Journey that we went through that year and the experience in the states yeah it’s 12 said mate it’s uh you just remember getting that pig skin and like do you know now that you’re not playing anymore but do you miss grabbing the pig skin and just launching it behind a wall

Well I still do kick with my son um and I’ve got a couple of friends that have got aspiring young punters that I’d like to spend some time with plus um coaching you know under 16s last year under 18s this year um I still like to

Kick you know the boys will EG me on and say go on Rose one rose one got be very protective that RI a ham screen or something but I still I still white flexible still but you know I’m 50 so what do you expect oh that’s brilliant I love it

Mate thanks for sharing that one it’s a cracker any advice for young kids and young men out there going through sport in general um from all of your experiences what would you be what would some of your greatest advice be especially being a coach well what’s something that no one’s heard before n

Well just a BG I’m Not Gonna Roll Off the the cliches Tommy um but I mean nothing beats hard work I mean you know that right not going to roll off the cliche no you’re right no you’re right everything if it was easy we be doing it you know that’s a clich

Who’s made it without yeah put in is that the first thing you’d say to young kids I had a meeting this morning with um a couple of professional athletes about a th hour R and they’ve never heard of it before now it’s not a thing

No one counts the hours but it is a thing some are naturally gifted some need to really work at it um but for junior sport I mean the motto is really to have fun enjoy what you’re doing it’s like anything in life if you were doing a job that you absolutely

Hated you know you’d probably not last very long would you no so you’re saying fun to a certain ex you know extent and then what age is it hard work the message well when you become professional yeah and the lead into that transition in in my experience and

Through my journey um you know especially when I first moved to America a lot of people said oh I want to go I want to go I want to follow in his footsteps you know what do I need to do and at that point of your journey my advice was

Just get as much out of your chosen career as you can before you give it all away and embark on a journey with no guarantees and because there are no guarantees um a lot of people have tried their hand at it um and look there’s a lot of

Successful we’re not just talking sport here we’re talking business um too a lot of Australians have applied their trade in whatever they do overseas and it takes hard work and commitment and Trust in your own ability and build strong relationships and few cliches in there yeah it’s good

Though no it’s good well it’s it’s good even if you keep repeating the same thing it’s you know that’s what people want to listen to there’s no there’s no magic there’s no magic word or magic thing it’s hard work like you said and commitment and spot on Tommy there is no

Magic pill um and speaking of magic pills if you need some help in the bedroom let’s go to have time with parot BG they’re friends at parot I’ll tell you what if you need some magic FS fellas these are the guys you hit up you

Want to play to the final whistle or you play hard with pilot a big shout out to our friends at P if you need some help in the bedroom or you just need some help don’t worry about going to the doctors BG if you need some help get

Your phone out bang pilot.com Au and uh you hit them up it’s uh it’s all just great confidential and you’ll get what you need uh over the internet free express shipping and a discount code with Aces 20 for a one-time use now BG our pilot Unforgettable flops the time

That you flopped on the field off the field I said we’ve had some crackers um so far there’ve been uh some really cool flops what would your pilot flop be well you know no career is perfect is it I can give you a thousand flops um well

Given that um you know NFL’s a bit of a a theme um well we’ll we’ll leave it we’ll keep it in the NFL yeah keep it NFL because I think no one else can no one else can keep it in the NFL so well so when I went over there

Um it my AFL career sort of followed me like people sort of were aware that I was um played This Strange game that they used to watch on ESPN in late night in the 80s and um so they knew that I was more or I was more athletic than

Just to be a punter because the punter and the kicker over there are somewhat they Specialists for a reason um so I to help uh have my teammates embrace me I was doing things that they were doing that punds don’t normally do lifts weights with them run their routes

With them wanted to be on Scout defense like and I was doing things well cuz I wanted to learn to the point where the coaches I was in a Hal Mary play on offense but also on defense to defend the H Mary so we’re practicing that

Ready for the game so I’d be on the sideline like waiting for that you know waiting for that moment but what I really wanted was I saw the other punters around the league with the ability to throw the ball or run fakes I want to run a

Fake and so we practiced his fake and it because in the NFL if you can’t execute a play in practice they won’t implement it in the game plan right so I kept I I kept this fake was awesome right it was a it was almost like a run pass option

But it was a uh kick run option so where I’d get it and if I if there was nothing there I’d kick it if there was a seam that opened up I would run for the first down yeah yeah cuz I wasn’t allowed to throw it yeah cuz I didn’t have a great

It okay yeah I love what you’re going with this yeah so practiced it in training camp it got implemented the game plan the week leading up we practiced it at training and it was implemented the game plan for that week so we’re at Meadowlands playing for the Jets all set the defense

On the special teams had shown this weakness so I thought this is it I’m going to go for it so so I got the ball and I looked up huge big gap huge gap but between their Edge and the Gunner and I tucked it and

I ran it and then I saw the first down and me eyes lit up and just as I was about to think get I was going to get a first down the whole collapsed their Defenders came from everywhere and I was going to get hammered and I wasn’t going

To get a first down [ __ ] myself and I kicked it I put it on my boot and it was a ugly Line Drive kick that went about 30 m next thing the flags are up because not only um I was past the line of scrimmage which is you can’t you can’t kick the

Ball after the line of scrimmage it’s like when a quarterback throws the ball after line of scrimmage and I went on the sideline and I was so embarrassed because they thought I was this superhuman athlete from Australia that could do absolutely everything on special teams offense and defense yet

This play I got it completely wrong that’s been probably the most embarrassing and biggest flop in my career there you go the flop from VG at the Jets running a fake and then [ __ ] himself and kicking the ball that is uh that’s outstanding you look

Forward to what year was that so we can chase the footage up no you’ll find it we’ll find it there you go it’s all over YouTube well we’re all over YouTube for some flops I’ll give you the tip there you go well that’s Hal time thank you BJ

Love it now it’s time to get off the field what is it what’s sports do you love you know if you’re at home you got the three days off like you probably do over the next break or you know Christmas break bre um that you’ve just

Had cuz it’s 2024 now you know what are the sports that you just put the feet up and love watching the most well yeah the important word in that question is most because I love all sports at the elite level I could watch anything like I might not watch baseball throughout the

Season but I will watch the World Series yeah I won’t watch basketball not a big basketball guy but I’ll watch the playoffs I could watch 10pin Bowling World Championship sailing I what it is I love the Olympics I love anything World Cup soccer uh you know any major golf tournament tennis tournament

Uh love it all because I think I appreciate the talent and the work ethic to get to where they are knowing how many people yeah well said are trying to get where they are um that’s what and I’ll stay around and watch their celebrations too because it’s so meaningful

That they what they’ve been through to achieve that moment um what I the sports I love the most though um is obviously the AFL and the NFL now that that so I grew up wanting to be an AFL player the NFL didn’t really come online until um

Darren Bennett beat me in a long kick competition in the AFL in 992 I won it the next year um and then at that point the fire was lit that maybe I’ll follow in his footsteps when my AFL career was done but I can’t believe how much I’ve fallen in love with the

NFL as a business as a sport as a player as a commentator it’s it’s just a and and it’s not perfect and I understand and appreciate why people can’t warm to it even sports fans you know I hear it all the time two stop start don’t know the

Rules um that’s fine that’s fine chess is a great game but people don’t like it because they don’t understand the rules they don’t understand the strategy I say just find a way to get involved in the NFL whether it be follow a team from your favorite city in the states or

Follow a team because you’ve heard of a certain player that you want to keep your eye on or sign up to a fantasy team where you have got no choice but to follow the players in your team and you’ll fall in love with it um it’s the

Way I fall in love with the English Premier League through fantasy but uh the NFL would be my most favorite I love it I love it and uh and and and why though like what’s the one thing NFL gives you more than all the other sports it’s played in a country of over

230 million people um so you know that that has to be uh a successful re the business side of the sport their their owned franchises whereas you know in the AFL they’re effectively owned by the members so you’ve got they’re like businesses they’re run by like businesses um and really anyone can play

It you don’t have to be you to play the AFL you’ve got to be fit strong skillful you know smart the way to explain it is if there’s six disciplines in the AFL you’ve got to be between a six and a nine in all of them where in the NFL

You’ve only got to be 10 at one thing and it’s the best of the best of the best so I think that the AFL is too saturated the talent Levels by the time you get to 30 on the list in every AFL Club I don’t think they deserve an AFL spot because I

Don’t think they’ve got what it takes to be an elite AFL player in the NFL you’ve got 1% of high school footballers going to play college and one sorry 3% of High School footballers going on to play college 1% of college footballers go on to have an NFL career so it’s the best

Of the best of the best uh then that’s what makes it so Elite um I hope that answers your question it’s well said I agree I man if you if you’re asking me I’d say this just what whatever he said because I love it it’s pretty much they’re Olympic athletes

They’re dead you know as I said offensive line defensive line they’re the strongest in the in the you know some in their in their country what they do they’re agile they’re just they’re phenomenal I love them um and well said back to sport what’s the most memorable

Moment you’ve got watching so just the moment you watched and went well you could almost cry I’m that happy um and then your most memorable moment in your career just one okay firstly as a spectator yep spectator is number one um well playing professional sport

For the best part of 22 years you don’t really get to a lot of sport um I mean but I I do enjoy it like going to the Australian Open um I like going to the Grand Final last year to see jalong beat the

Swans uh but if we kep the NFL theme or the American theme having the privilege to go to each Super Bowl to watch the two best teams in the NFL play off in the Pinnacle is is a great experience and to have a role in bringing that to

Australian sports fans um is pretty cool but I think the the most wow sporting moment I’ve been U as a spectator was in Michigan went to a college game when I was playing for Detroit and it was Michigan versus Ohio State huge rivalry huge rivalry it was in in the

Big house they call it in Michigan that why that was a whale moment is because you’ve got this huge stadium with no alcohol and it is the most passionate group of fans you’ve ever seen more passionate than the NFL far more passionate than the AFL like the AFL are

Passionate but this is was the Hard Sell to Americans I’d try and sell them the game and they’d say why is your Stadium half full you go to a college game there was 12 12,31 people in that Stadium all in sync all Michigan fans no they

Might have had a few in the tailgate yeah yeah yeah or snuck it in but that was the moment where it was like Wow people talk about college football and what a great experience it is that was probably my greatest sporting event that I’ve been to as a spectator love it yeah

Well I think you’re on the money with college what about playing is it the Super Bowl is it the grand what is it yeah well it’s definitely the Super Bowl um for obvious reasons but my first game was very memorable because of the journey and the challenges that we faced

In that transition with no guarantees it was on September 11 um it was a really emotional time I’m not a big crier but I did shed a tear when the planes went over for the game just with the American national anthem it just was that was super memorable um

Playoff wins are always memorable winning the NFC championship game in Arizona in front of your home fans knowing that we’re going to the Super Bowl was super special um probably that was probably that now that was probably my most memorable moment as a player winning that game the Super Bowl was special

For but that was the moment in Phoenix in front of the fans with your teammates with your family on the field with the confetti kids doing snow angels yeah that was probably that was probably the Highlight yeah that’s special can visualize it now thanks for that as well

Mate um I could talk to about we got to get back to only sport right because it’s uh not only NFL but it should be uh you know I love it um right now there’s a few more questions here but if you could be anyone in the world for a week

And just be in their body and their lifestyle you know just to experience something else just for one week only who would the athlete be and why you talking about now or like you click your fingers and you get to just jump into their their skin

Their body their mind for a week who would it be uh and we’re staying away from NFL no you can go anywhere with this you want to you want to be an NFL quarterback you want to be a basketballer you want to be an actor you want to be anything who

Would you be oh right yeah um oh we’ll stick with sport uh I’ve always had a man crush on Tom Brady but he’s since retired um Patrick Mahomes is my favorite player in the NFL um so if it was an NFL player it wouldn’t mind me Patrick Mahomes for a while uh Travis

Kel’s probably in the argument yeah he would be actually now he would be I met uh met Travis last year yeah great guy looks like a legend yeah fun guy good guy um sorry for dropping name there but we drop M drop I no I don’t

Know why people have an issue with name dropping I think it’s the best it’s what everyone wants to hear anyway um Eric Harland don’t know him oh sorry the soccer player I wasn’t I was thinking NFL sorry sorry cut that no leave it in leave it in I look like

An idiot but I know I was thinking NFL imagine being that good yeah I know walk in the streets and he doesn’t care he’s just like hey y normal dude like he lives in janj yeah just he is special isn’t he a unicorn the way he walks

Around like he is very marketable I mean you’re in business Sports I don’t know Sports Marketing but you’re in marketing he would be your pin up boy yeah yeah um there you go there’s a couple options what about the goat couple more to go who would be the goat in your odd

There’s a few that get thrown around just recently we had novat jovic was the goat in Dion pre’s eyes there’s only one goat though in uh this question who is the goat Michael Jordan MJ so MJ is the top any reason why you can’t like so like LeBron Tom

Brady Novak I I get Novak um is the goat but he he’s only just taken over Roger Federer who was the goat like Michael Jordan was the original goat now Tom Brady’s the goat well you can only have one goat yeah but yeah can you yeah on this

Question yeah okay Michael Jordan all right well let’s just roll into the next question then because this is my favorite segment this is uh this is if you get a pair of Ricks here BG you come on here and you get a pair of Ries like

You always do I’ve got you uh I’ve got you the tricker Champagnes uh so they’re they’re for you so I want you to whack these on this is the Rick’s lunch okay and there’s going to be a couple people that come with you so whack them on what do we got this is

Called the Rick’s lunch it’s a hypothetical but when you go to lunch and you whack the Ricks on you go get a boys you got three people at lunch and all you got to do is Rock up to lunch and have lunch with two of them but you

Got to tell one of them to go home these are the three people standing in front of you you got David Beckham Michael Jordan and Tom Brady you get to have a 2hour lunch talk [ __ ] all unfiltered you know you going for it the no there’s no

Cameras just you boys together but you got to send one home who are you looking in the eyes and and taking home maybe tell me who you’re keeping so it’s more well let’s I’ll start with Michael Jordan I’m going to keep Michael Jordan yeah you have to is the Cod I kind of

Know where you’re going to go with the next one right so so this is who I’m keeping I’m gonna yeah I’m I’m saying um that I would like I would like um oh it’s a tough one actually and you’re thinking it’s lunch it’s beers so there’s a dynamic there um

Well say it’s tough because I’ve I’ve met David Beckham met Tom Brady have you met Vex um I’ve had lunch with him already there you go they came out from Manchester United we had a Ford thing at the MCG it was lunch it was but it

Wasn’t like this is a different kind of lunch though yeah lad’s lunch well I have just finished um the documentary on beex and I you know when a documentary is done so well like that you do whatever you thought of them before you got a new found appreciation for who

They are and what they’ve gone through and how good they were uh so the second person that I would keep at lunch would be David Beckham there you go see see what are you saying to I agree with you by the way that that Doo makes you just

Want to you love him even more you didn’t realize how hard he had it what are you saying to Tom because Tom’s standing in front of you you’re sorry big fell well um so I was lucky enough as captain of the Jets to shake his hand

Twice a year um at the coin toss uh and a kicker that I played with Jay fely was best man in his wedding so I sort of got to know him a little bit um but but I don’t actually like as much as a Kiko was best man at his wedding that’s out

Right that’s out Michigan Michigan boys oh gotcha um but you know he cost me my job at the New York Jets because he capitalized my four shank punts so if if it wasn’t for him if we’re playing some raggedy ass quarterback that couldn’t capitalize on that good field position I

Still might be a hter in the NFL so I wouldn’t want to spend any more time with Tom sorry Tom it’s very well said just on that when you shook Tom Brady’s hand is it a firm manly shake like what was his handshake like oh unabated man crush on Tom

Brady you going remember played against him from 2005 to 2012 uh and then watched his success Post in I mean he’s the greatest quarterback of all time um but yeah no strong handshake strong handshake but I never asked for his jersey though you did now because I was I so Vince Young

Uh was a quarterback for Texas and he was my favorite college player and you know what happens sometimes is you get voted Captain because you’re the quarterback so he was Captain he was rookie I shook his hand um tossed the coin and said hey Vince after the game can we swap Jersey

No so I I then knew it wasn’t an NFL thing yeah I was trying to collect him you know favorite college player so if Vince Young said no I definitely wasn’t going to ask Tom Brady yeah well you should have just shot your shot but uh oh you know it’s normally a quarterback

V quarterback play they do the media thing afterwards but yeah man you hey he’s coming to Melbourne so you might be able to still get his jersey sign it talk about that story um they should get you up there haven’t already organized that well mate that is all I’ve got for

You on only sport uh we we appreciate your time your stories like anyone if you want to pair Ricks online go to rick.com and use the discount code Aces um again shout out is going yeah everything’s going well mate we got uh big big shows the fantasy going no no no

We won’t talk about my year we won’t talk about your year either because you’re creaming everyone that’s why he’s the man he’s uh he’s not just on TV for no reason you’re what have you been at the top of the charts for the last three years running I reckons hopefully you

Can finish the job um but uh mate thank you for your time really appreciate it to everyone listening and tuning in we hope you had a safe and happy New Year uh again shout out to our friends at Pilot Lads if you need some help playing

To the final whistle you know where to go pilot.com auu check it out Oran BJ I’ll be on there after this episode that’s all I’ve got for you thank you so much appreciate your support and we’ll see you on the next episode of only sport

One more time because I really mean it I just want to say a massive thank you for all the support you continue to give us at the O American Aces if you want to further support us make sure you like And subscribe hit the follow button so

You can keep up to date with all our exciting shows and announcements Ro now it’s time to give our sponsors a massive plug struggling to make it a third base before striking out wood not driving like it used to let me guess tackle gone a little bit soft no stress if if you’re

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Follow-ups over text with practitioners get started today at pilot.com AU and remember play hard until the final whistle with pilot he say I know I always talk about the Ries but I got to offer you the discount again in case you forgotten or in case you’re sleeping

Under a rock we have a special discount code for everyone that listens to this podcast or watch the podcast it’s Aces head online to rare.com and use the discount code Aces and you’ll get 20% off that’s right 20% off5th at checkout and free express shipping so head online rick.com you and check it

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