WEBVTT

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The night before the lawsuit dropped in late

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April of 22, I wanted all my kids to understand

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what was about to come. My son looked at me and

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said, Mom, it's about time you stood up for yourself.

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I will never forget that moment. And my jaw dropped

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and I cried harder because I realized that no

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matter what happened, I knew that even if I lost,

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that actually I won. Because my kids, this is

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where I, my kids saw that I stood up. A -list

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guests just continue to happen one after the

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other. Today we got Sage Steele, extraordinarily

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esteemed sports journalist with ESPN for 16 years.

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Maybe opened her mouth and said a few things

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that we're going to find out if she regretted

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or not about Obama, about Leah Thomas, about

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the vaccine. And she's here to share her story.

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Thank you so much, Sage. Thanks for being on.

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We really appreciate you spending time with us

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today. I'm excited. I feel like we have a lot

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in common. Oh, you and Layla have a lot in common

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because you spoke up. You know, I do want to

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caveat. I really, really, really want this episode

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to be on YouTube. So we have to be a little careful

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with our words. Especially, I know you had a

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lot of thoughts. We have to censor, erase. I

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have to censor, erase. I have to. We've already

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had one strike on a previous guest. And their

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robots saw the episode and told us exactly the

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offending content. chopped it and it was basically

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doing massive biopsy on our episode. It was reduced

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down to like a 40 minute episode. Yeah. I mean,

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that's the problem. It's like, well, I'm not

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saying anything offensive. I don't really use

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bad language, but I'm just, it's the truth. What

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do you want? And it's so hard to figure out that

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it's very subjective and they have that power.

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So I'll behave as much as I can. truth that's

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all i can do i know speak your truth and i know

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i know that's that's what we all want we actually

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have a show called the leila show and i'm only

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on rumble because there's nothing in my shows

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that will be allowed on youtube so i'm not even

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trying yeah i'm not even trying i'll yeah so

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i i am with you and since i have my own show

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as well um i get it it's a fine line So take

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us, just give the, for those who aren't aware

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of you so much, give us a little background on

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your career and how far along you got and what

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led you to get maybe some negative attention.

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Okay. That's like six questions in one, David.

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So like, no. Okay. The journalist in me is like,

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no, wait, which one do you want me to, do you

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want me to start with like the. The cancel part

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or the career part? Let's start with your career.

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Career, yeah. Okay. I know, because there's so

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much. Like, they're completely different lives

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almost. It's crazy. Yeah, you said ESPN, 16 and

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a half years. That was the most recent, I guess,

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official job I had, corporate America type. But

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many years. That was always my goal. That was

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always my dream, to end up at ESPN hosting SportsCenter.

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And that's what I did in 2007 after 11 years

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of local TV and regional TV. So, I mean, it was

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really an honor to, and I'm still so humbled,

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to have had this dream since I was 11 years old

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and, like, announced it to my parents at the

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dinner table. And I wanted to be a sportscaster

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and talk about athletes and coaches and their

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stories and what makes them great because I really

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am. truly still believe that sports is the great

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connector. It brings us together. No matter your

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skin color, your politics, gender, whatever.

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For those three hours on a football Sunday or

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a basketball game or our kids' little league

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softball game. we're all on the same team you

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know and that's why i like i felt that at a very

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young age and i wanted to be part of that um

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yeah so that's where the dream began in 1983

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84 when i was 11 and then um went to indiana

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university and graduated five years to do that

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so is where it is the longest plan possible that

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my parents would pay for and then local tv yeah

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southwind indiana and then indianapolis and then

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tampa florida and then regional in the central

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florida area and then up to dc for six years

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i had all three of my kids when i lived in dc

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so they're now 23 21 and 19. the oldest just

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graduated college and she's here in nashville

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where i am part -time and just started her job

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uh like yesterday literally so my whole hashtag

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yeah you want that get a job well she has a job

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and i'm so proud of her she just graduated in

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may and then the other two are going to be a

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senior and sophomore in college so um really

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full circle but that dream of the span Even though

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it didn't end the way I thought or wanted, I

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wouldn't change a thing, especially those 16

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years at the Worldwide Leader. So tell us what

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happened that got you into a little bit of hot

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water. I went on the podcast and said too much,

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apparently. But listen, it was a different time.

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This was September of 2021. And so much of the

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world. Isn't it amazing how much? it's changed

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when you look back of how insane it was then

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it's insane now in different ways but just the

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rules and the regulations and the judgment the

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cancellations everybody being okay with that

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almost encouraging it it makes me so sad that

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we were there i i must say as a i should have

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prefaced the entire conversation with this but

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i don't know i'm okay with all of it because

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i mean for me i can't speak for others because

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My faith has never been stronger. It has grown

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tremendously over the last five years. Personally

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as well, I was divorced in 2019 after 20 years

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of marriage, 27 years together. That's all I

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ever knew. But between that and the professional

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stuff, I don't know. I feel stronger than ever,

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even though it's been as chaotic as ever. In

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that time, in September 21, I worked for ESPN,

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owned by Disney. FYI, people don't know that.

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And in order to keep my job, I was required to

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get the vaccine, COVID -19 vaccine, and I thought

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it was wrong. But I did it because I needed to

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keep my job. And I have really struggled with

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that decision because I feel like I caved in,

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and I did. But, you know, I... three college

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-aged kids and um paying for everything by myself

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so uh what do you do you know there i am one

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of millions of people who had to make that decision

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so no sympathy for me here it's just explaining

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why i made that decision for me um and i'll never

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forget it i mean i was sobbing as i drove to

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that appointment to get the shot And I got the

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solo shot with that Pfizer. I don't remember.

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They're all the same and evil if you ask me.

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But I got the solo shot because I was like, let

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me just do one, like as little as possible and

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praying that I would have a fake shot go through

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my veins. It would just be water. Like that was

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what I was visualizing because I prayed about

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it ahead of time. And I'll tell you this, that

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day, which was exactly two weeks prior to the

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deadline, that I had to be fully vaccinated.

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So mid -September, September 30th, 2021 was the

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day I had to be completely vaccinated. And I

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sat in the parking lot and cried as I debated,

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should I go in or should I get fired? And then

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I did it. I went in and I sat down and the sweet

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lady who was administering the shot looked at

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me, said, are you okay? My eyes were all red.

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I was like, no, I'm not. And I told her, I'm

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being forced to do this to keep my job and I'm

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devastated. And she looked at me, she said, That

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is so wrong, and I am so sorry. I wish you would

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have just scored it in the air, you know, and

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written that you took the shot, something like

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that. That would have been pretty cool. Yeah,

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I mean, she had a job to keep, too. You know,

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that's the problem is everybody had these spears

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and cameras everywhere. You know, everybody was

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doing what they could to survive. Others abused

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that, certainly. But in that moment, her words

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meant a lot to me. And she grabbed my hand, and

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she held it, and then she... Put it in. And at

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that moment, I still get choked up when I think

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about it because something changed in me at that

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moment. And I'm still pissed off about it. But

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that was part of my journey, apparently. I'm

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still standing. And I got in my car and cussed

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myself out the whole way home. Like, you fell

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out. You loser. You caved. But I just kept praying.

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I did pray before that the night before in the

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morning of for a sign from God. Like, OK, if

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you like, what should I do? Because if I need

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to walk away, then I will. And I'll figure it

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out financially. I don't know. Figure it out.

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And something I got enough signs. I won't bore

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you with now. I got enough that told me that

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I was going to be OK to do it. So I drove home

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and had this previously scheduled podcast. with

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Jay Cutler, the former NFL quarterback. It was

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like his third or fourth show, and I knew his

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publicist who asked me to do them a favor because

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they hadn't had a woman on yet. And, hey, you're

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a sportscaster. Okay, sure, I'll do it. And I

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swear to you, I raced home from the pharmacy,

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and it was early September, mid -September, so

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it was still warm in Connecticut at the time.

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Connecticut, for those of you who don't know,

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is where ESPN World Headquarters is in Bristol,

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Connecticut. Lovely Bristol, Connecticut. And

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so I had this sleeveless shirt on, and I had

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a Band -Aid. where she put it in and i wasn't

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even thinking about it and i sat down and he's

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like we're getting ready to start and i was like

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i'm sorry i was late and i put up my laptop and

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he's like can i ask you about that and i was

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like sure i don't care i just have to take the

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shot like whatever um and then an hour later

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when he asked me he's like so what's that band

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-aid and i kind of looked at him i was like i

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forgot you were gonna ask me And I just explained

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what happened. I didn't explain nearly as much

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as I've explained to you. I said, listen, in

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order to keep my job, I had to get the COVID

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-19 vaccine. And I took a deep breath. I remember

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I looked out the window and I said, I think it's

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sick and scary that any company can force their

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employees to do something to their body. But

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I have a job that I need and a job that I absolutely

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love. And that was a decision I made about an

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hour and a half ago. And here we are. That's

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what I said. And about as soon as the podcast

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dropped, about two weeks later, my phone started

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ringing. First was my agent saying, immediately,

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my agent saying, so what exactly did you say?

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Because I'm getting a call from your bosses.

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And then the boss called. And that's when it

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all went crazy. And I was suspended and pulled

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off the air and forced to apologize. And that

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was the beginning of the end. Yeah. Unbelievable.

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So they force you to get the shot and then they

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want to silence you from saying that you didn't

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want to get the shot. But I got the shot and

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I complied. Exactly. There's so much irony and

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hypocrisy in that. Right. At the time, I didn't

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even think like that. I didn't. I was just spinning

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and I was so scared. I'm like, oh, my gosh. I've

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never been grounded. I was such a nerdy, good

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teenager. And so I'm like, I'm kidding. I've

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never been in trouble. I've never been fired

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from a job. Nothing bad had ever happened. I'm

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sorry. That's my espresso machine over there

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making a lot of noise. Always have one, right?

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So I just was like, oh my gosh, I'm sorry. I'm

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sorry. I'm sorry. I'll fix it. I'll fix it. I'll

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fix it. And then my agent's like, if you don't

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apologize, then they're going to fire you. I'm

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like, what are you talking about? apologize for

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what like i complied with their rules to take

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the shot i did what they wanted here we are but

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i can have an opinion about it um and he said

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you need to apologize um and then the boss called

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me and explained more about that he said well

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you whacked the company those were his words

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you can't whack the company you can't whack disney

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and this isn't going over well wow and so and

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then i i the other comments that got me in trouble

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allegedly were um about race and Obama. And Jay

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Cutler had asked me a good question about why

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it's important to me to say that I'm biracial.

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And it always has been important because I am.

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Breaking news. I am proud of that. And I have

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a white mom, Irish -Italian mother, black father,

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and I come from the most diverse family. Isn't

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that what we celebrate, diversity? Yeah, right?

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And so I remember in 2014, I was on The View,

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also on Disney, Sisters with ESPN, ABC, and Barbara

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Walters. I was sitting, she was right here to

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my left. And Jenny McCarthy and Sherri Shepherd

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and Whoopi Goldberg were to my right. And they

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asked me, why is it so important for you to say

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biracial? Why can't you just say black? And I

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was like, because I am. And so Barbara was very

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upset. Barbara Walters was very upset with this,

00:13:54.279 --> 00:13:57.960
I don't know, opinion. Like, what do you call

00:13:57.960 --> 00:14:00.980
it? It's who I am. And so she's like, well, our

00:14:00.980 --> 00:14:04.080
president, 2014, Barack Obama, he's biracial

00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:06.799
too, but he says black. And I was like, okay.

00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:09.639
And well, congratulations to the president. I

00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:12.820
mean, it's interesting to me because he was raised

00:14:12.820 --> 00:14:14.820
by his white mom and his white grandmother and

00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:17.620
his black dad was nowhere to be found. Oh, wow.

00:14:18.820 --> 00:14:21.419
But it's true. He wrote a book about it. It's

00:14:21.419 --> 00:14:23.600
amazing. No, but it's true. And what's wrong

00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:25.340
with it? Yeah, I don't understand. If you're

00:14:25.340 --> 00:14:27.879
biracial. What's wrong with it? Why are you 50

00:14:27.879 --> 00:14:30.419
% of your genetic makeup? Why would you want

00:14:30.419 --> 00:14:32.620
to ignore that? And if you're biracial, you're

00:14:32.620 --> 00:14:36.620
forced to pick a side. And it always tends to

00:14:36.620 --> 00:14:38.440
be the black side. It can't be the other side.

00:14:38.620 --> 00:14:41.759
It doesn't make any sense. You're appreciating

00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:43.679
both sides. You wouldn't have been here without

00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:48.870
both sides. So that's what I said, Leo. i kind

00:14:48.870 --> 00:14:51.250
of i was so awkward the whole thing was so awkward

00:14:51.250 --> 00:14:53.009
and the audience was quiet and barbara was just

00:14:53.009 --> 00:14:55.909
like you know howling at me and i'm like this

00:14:55.909 --> 00:14:58.669
is barbara walters i love her like what is this

00:14:58.669 --> 00:15:01.169
you know i'm a i'm a i mean everybody was young

00:15:01.169 --> 00:15:03.129
compared to barbara walters at the time you know

00:15:03.129 --> 00:15:06.990
um i mean i guess that what was that 14 so now

00:15:06.990 --> 00:15:11.110
11 years ago so i was like 42 43 i don't know

00:15:11.110 --> 00:15:14.450
no 41 and so i was certainly younger and less

00:15:14.450 --> 00:15:19.929
confident and i did say i mean I, I'm pretty

00:15:19.929 --> 00:15:22.590
sure my white mom was there the day I was born.

00:15:24.129 --> 00:15:26.090
So I feel like, and I tried to like make light

00:15:26.090 --> 00:15:28.830
of it and little, I didn't even know that behind

00:15:28.830 --> 00:15:30.269
me in the monitor behind me, they'd put up a

00:15:30.269 --> 00:15:33.509
picture of my family. So my mom and dad and my

00:15:33.509 --> 00:15:36.870
two brothers and myself. And so why is this a

00:15:36.870 --> 00:15:41.789
thing? And so whatever we moved on and like that,

00:15:41.850 --> 00:15:45.389
that was not a big deal in 2014. I repeated that

00:15:45.389 --> 00:15:48.950
story in 2021 on Jay's podcast. The exact story

00:15:48.950 --> 00:15:52.429
that I said live on ABC seven years prior, when

00:15:52.429 --> 00:15:55.669
I repeated it this time, it hit different. And

00:15:55.669 --> 00:15:58.409
all of a sudden, me saying that Barack Obama

00:15:58.409 --> 00:16:03.429
chose to stay black even though his black father

00:16:03.429 --> 00:16:05.870
wasn't there, I actually, I'm fine with that.

00:16:05.870 --> 00:16:09.049
I don't care. I'm saying, you're not going to

00:16:09.049 --> 00:16:11.149
criticize him. Why are you criticizing me? You

00:16:11.149 --> 00:16:13.950
do you. We happen to be okay right now, it seems,

00:16:14.049 --> 00:16:18.179
if kids want to identify as a cat. The identity

00:16:18.179 --> 00:16:21.039
thing kind of cracked me up. You can say you're

00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:23.559
a biological girl, but you can say you're a boy

00:16:23.559 --> 00:16:26.919
tomorrow and a cat on Thursday. And that's okay.

00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:30.000
What is it? Right. And that's okay, but you can't

00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:32.679
identify as who you were actually made by. Can't

00:16:32.679 --> 00:16:35.580
speak your own truth. Yeah. And that's where

00:16:35.580 --> 00:16:40.080
I was, but I didn't fully realize that, I guess,

00:16:40.100 --> 00:16:41.980
in 2021. I hadn't thought about it. It hadn't

00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:45.299
affected me per se. But when I said that, along

00:16:45.299 --> 00:16:48.730
with the Disney comment, Whoa. And that's when

00:16:48.730 --> 00:16:52.070
I got, that's when the real, I've been canceled

00:16:52.070 --> 00:16:54.370
a couple times before, but that's when the real

00:16:54.370 --> 00:16:57.169
cancellation began. Not just from, you know,

00:16:57.169 --> 00:17:00.129
my peers and social media, but from my bosses.

00:17:00.889 --> 00:17:04.690
You know, what right does the, so you can't trash

00:17:04.690 --> 00:17:08.049
your employer, basically. That's really what

00:17:08.049 --> 00:17:10.130
it comes down to. Do they have a right to control

00:17:10.130 --> 00:17:11.450
our mouthpiece? How has anyone been trashing

00:17:11.450 --> 00:17:14.789
her employer? She just said, I was forced to

00:17:14.789 --> 00:17:17.319
get it and I don't think it's right. That's not

00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:18.740
trashy. I mean, if there's a corporate narrative,

00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:21.599
you know, that they get to decide who we are,

00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:25.079
what is our image in the world, and anybody steps

00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:27.539
out of line and speaks against that, pops the

00:17:27.539 --> 00:17:29.819
bubble of our corporate narrative, that's no

00:17:29.819 --> 00:17:33.259
good. And is that the basis of the termination?

00:17:33.700 --> 00:17:36.960
Yeah. Well, there wasn't a termination. I wasn't

00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:40.660
fired. Everyone thinks that. And I understand

00:17:40.660 --> 00:17:42.160
why, because that's what some want the narrative

00:17:42.160 --> 00:17:43.859
to be, like the people who, you know, cancel.

00:17:44.579 --> 00:17:49.960
I sued. Disney and ESPN and settled out of court.

00:17:50.779 --> 00:17:54.420
So, you know, let me tell you that coming to

00:17:54.420 --> 00:17:58.440
that decision, that process, I don't know that

00:17:58.440 --> 00:18:00.079
I've ever been more scared. I mean, you talk

00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:04.200
about David versus Goliath. Me, one person, one

00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:08.059
woman, single mom of three. When I say single,

00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:09.720
their father is very much in their lives, but

00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:14.319
the financial aspect was 100 % on me. Wow. So

00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:17.450
I'm doing that alone. And it's just me versus

00:18:17.450 --> 00:18:22.410
Disney. That's how strongly I felt about this

00:18:22.410 --> 00:18:28.549
after being suspended, pulled off the air, made

00:18:28.549 --> 00:18:32.109
the publicly apologize. And then having assignments

00:18:32.109 --> 00:18:33.589
taken away from me. It's one thing if, okay,

00:18:33.650 --> 00:18:35.269
I do the apology, you take me off the air, I

00:18:35.269 --> 00:18:37.069
come back to work, you scared the crap out of

00:18:37.069 --> 00:18:39.450
me, fine, onward. No, but they, it was supposed

00:18:39.450 --> 00:18:41.390
to be over after that, but they kept taking assignments.

00:18:41.670 --> 00:18:43.960
And that's when I said, wait a minute. not only

00:18:43.960 --> 00:18:45.339
are you taking assignments from me after you

00:18:45.339 --> 00:18:48.119
said that i would be good if i apologize and

00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:51.720
we move on make it go away the worst part was

00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:54.839
that they allowed my peers to speak up because

00:18:54.839 --> 00:18:58.400
why because those peers of mine fell into line

00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:04.259
with the disney espn woke liberal narrative here's

00:19:04.259 --> 00:19:06.380
the question for you who's writing your story

00:19:06.380 --> 00:19:09.660
you or some random dude on the internet if you're

00:19:09.660 --> 00:19:12.980
sick of google gossip blogs or that one angry

00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:15.539
ex controlling how the world sees you, it's time

00:19:15.539 --> 00:19:18.359
to do something about it. Erased .com helps you

00:19:18.359 --> 00:19:20.200
take back your narrative by removing harmful

00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:23.180
content, outdated info, and straight -up lies

00:19:23.180 --> 00:19:26.099
from search engines. Your past shouldn't be a

00:19:26.099 --> 00:19:28.579
permanent headline. Erased .com gives you the

00:19:28.579 --> 00:19:30.880
reset button that the internet forgot to include.

00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:33.500
So don't let the web define you. Go to Erased

00:19:33.500 --> 00:19:36.380
.com, use code ERASED for 10 % off, and start

00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:39.170
owning your story today. Links in the description.

00:19:39.369 --> 00:20:07.519
Click it. Your future self will thank you. us

00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:11.519
crazy anti -vaxxers allegedly and how sick we

00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:16.440
were or going on an nba show and being emotional

00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:19.059
and tearful over roe versus wade being overturned

00:20:19.059 --> 00:20:23.119
on an nba basketball show or the alleged don't

00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:24.859
say gay bill in the state of florida and if anyone

00:20:24.859 --> 00:20:29.019
um used their eyes to actually read that alleged

00:20:29.019 --> 00:20:31.819
bill they'd see that those words don't say gay

00:20:31.819 --> 00:20:34.240
weren't even in the bill but they could say that

00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:38.380
their opinion about that on live national TV

00:20:38.380 --> 00:20:41.059
broadcasts on ESPN airwaves, and they were fine.

00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:44.599
To me, that was where I said, absolutely not.

00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:48.240
Either all of us get to speak or none of us,

00:20:48.259 --> 00:20:51.200
but to silence me and punish me publicly, as

00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:53.980
I will say, at that time, their longest tenured

00:20:53.980 --> 00:20:57.339
female sports anchor. I was the highest paid

00:20:57.339 --> 00:21:01.460
woman at the network, like 16 plus years, because

00:21:01.460 --> 00:21:03.319
my opinions didn't fall into line with theirs.

00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:06.299
then i'm in trouble and that's when i called

00:21:06.299 --> 00:21:09.299
an attorney um who's incredible a dear friend

00:21:09.299 --> 00:21:11.579
of mine i'm brian friedman who also was megan

00:21:11.579 --> 00:21:14.380
kelly's attorney he also was chris harrison's

00:21:14.380 --> 00:21:16.059
attorney the former bachelor host who was also

00:21:16.059 --> 00:21:18.720
cancelled um tucker carlson's current attorney

00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:23.460
wow he is an incredible strong human being he'd

00:21:23.460 --> 00:21:26.099
had some fights with abc and disney before that's

00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:29.059
when i called him on our show he's he's amazing

00:21:29.059 --> 00:21:33.799
um and he uh he's like young lady you've You've

00:21:33.799 --> 00:21:36.799
been wronged here. And as far as your point,

00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:40.960
David, about about employers and, you know, silencing

00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:46.700
you, they do have a right to do that. Private

00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:49.059
employers can do what they want. Will there be

00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:51.440
repercussions potentially? Yes. Here's the key.

00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:54.960
We realize that there's a statute in the state

00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:57.319
of Connecticut and it's a rare statute. I don't

00:21:57.319 --> 00:21:59.900
know how many other states have it. A rare statute

00:21:59.900 --> 00:22:03.710
that says that. You can absolutely criticize

00:22:03.710 --> 00:22:06.130
your employer if you're complying with their

00:22:06.130 --> 00:22:10.650
rules. So I had no idea when I did it. None of

00:22:10.650 --> 00:22:13.410
this was the plan. But when you have good representation,

00:22:13.890 --> 00:22:17.490
they say, wait a minute, check this out. And

00:22:17.490 --> 00:22:20.710
I was within my rights, unbeknownst to me. I

00:22:20.710 --> 00:22:22.410
just knew that I was allowed to have an opinion

00:22:22.410 --> 00:22:24.950
if I was complying. Like I knew that and wasn't

00:22:24.950 --> 00:22:26.769
trying to criticize the company. I held back.

00:22:27.309 --> 00:22:29.869
I mean, let me tell you, I held back. But when

00:22:29.869 --> 00:22:32.490
my peers were allowed to do that, And I was punished

00:22:32.490 --> 00:22:36.529
and silenced. I'm like, absolutely not. And that's

00:22:36.529 --> 00:22:39.829
where it began. And it took from the moment I

00:22:39.829 --> 00:22:43.849
was suspended, which was early October 21, to

00:22:43.849 --> 00:22:48.549
the day we settled and I left ESPN was 22 months.

00:22:48.789 --> 00:22:51.230
Wow. And it was a really long time. And so I

00:22:51.230 --> 00:22:54.789
went, I was, from the moment the lawsuit was

00:22:54.789 --> 00:22:58.630
filed was like April of 22. And so it was 16

00:22:58.630 --> 00:23:03.180
months of. an active lawsuit against your bosses,

00:23:03.420 --> 00:23:05.900
against Disney, but still going on the air to

00:23:05.900 --> 00:23:07.920
host your national TV show every single day.

00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:10.259
Did you go to the office every day? Were you

00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:13.619
working remotely? No, you can't do remote when

00:23:13.619 --> 00:23:16.059
you host SportsCenter. If you've seen it, it's

00:23:16.059 --> 00:23:20.440
a very highly produced, active show, highlights,

00:23:20.599 --> 00:23:23.779
graphics, hallways. So the lawsuit was going

00:23:23.779 --> 00:23:26.380
on and every day you had to look at these people

00:23:26.380 --> 00:23:31.150
in the eyes? Yeah. That's amazing. I love that.

00:23:31.230 --> 00:23:36.410
It actually is. I love that. I was anxious and

00:23:36.410 --> 00:23:39.049
really nervous to go in there every single day.

00:23:39.650 --> 00:23:44.190
But the coolest thing, the day that I was going

00:23:44.190 --> 00:23:45.990
back for my suspension, my parents had driven

00:23:45.990 --> 00:23:48.410
up from where they lived in Pennsylvania to be

00:23:48.410 --> 00:23:50.970
with me. Because I'd also gotten really, really,

00:23:50.970 --> 00:23:54.410
really sick with COVID after getting the shot

00:23:54.410 --> 00:23:57.069
that was supposed to prevent me. Oh, God. while

00:23:57.069 --> 00:23:59.150
I was suspended. Like it all happened at the

00:23:59.150 --> 00:24:00.910
same time. It was insane. So I was getting canceled.

00:24:01.069 --> 00:24:02.950
Everybody hated me. You should have gotten boosted.

00:24:03.630 --> 00:24:07.170
Right. Everybody hated me. Death threats, all

00:24:07.170 --> 00:24:10.210
the things for speaking up about a vaccine I

00:24:10.210 --> 00:24:11.630
didn't want that was allegedly going to protect

00:24:11.630 --> 00:24:13.890
me from getting it. And then I got it while getting

00:24:13.890 --> 00:24:15.990
canceled. So it was, so my parents drove up to

00:24:15.990 --> 00:24:18.250
be with me and I'm so grateful for those, those

00:24:18.250 --> 00:24:21.150
days. My dad was undergoing chemotherapy at the

00:24:21.150 --> 00:24:23.769
time. Should never have been around me. You know,

00:24:23.789 --> 00:24:26.059
this is. four years ago almost with COVID, we

00:24:26.059 --> 00:24:28.619
didn't know as much. But that's what parents

00:24:28.619 --> 00:24:31.440
do when their kid is hurting, right? No matter

00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:33.579
how old their kid is. And so that day when I

00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:35.579
was going back to work, I was, you guys, I was

00:24:35.579 --> 00:24:37.880
scared to death because I'd been told by my bosses

00:24:37.880 --> 00:24:40.220
that everybody hated me. Not everybody, but that

00:24:40.220 --> 00:24:42.720
a lot of people hated me. And I have apologies

00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:45.819
to give and it's going to be tense and just stay

00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:48.740
silent and go to work, head down. And so my dad,

00:24:48.819 --> 00:24:53.059
former football player and coach, he did the

00:24:53.059 --> 00:24:55.140
whole okay girls huddle up and it was me and

00:24:55.140 --> 00:24:57.119
my best friend who was also my makeup artist

00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:02.019
my mom huddle up and we said a prayer and from

00:25:02.019 --> 00:25:04.900
that day on every single day that i drove into

00:25:04.900 --> 00:25:10.079
work for 22 months i got in the parking lot and

00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:11.720
i would call my parents and we'd say that exact

00:25:11.720 --> 00:25:14.799
same prayer michael the archangel and i know

00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:20.079
for a fact that i was protected and i prayed

00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:23.269
every day that like I was able to kind of put

00:25:23.269 --> 00:25:26.690
a bubble around myself and not allow those negative

00:25:26.690 --> 00:25:30.809
feelings that people were throwing at me to kind

00:25:30.809 --> 00:25:33.630
of penetrate the bubble so I could go and do

00:25:33.630 --> 00:25:35.269
the job that I love. Because no matter what,

00:25:35.309 --> 00:25:38.609
I love my job. And I actually can look back,

00:25:38.650 --> 00:25:41.930
I did my best work during those 22 months of

00:25:41.930 --> 00:25:44.910
fear. I think I was protected. It was very much

00:25:44.910 --> 00:25:47.589
God. and it was also like every day i got a little

00:25:47.589 --> 00:25:49.670
stronger where i was like okay literally bob

00:25:49.670 --> 00:25:51.450
eiger the head of disney is probably watching

00:25:51.450 --> 00:25:53.450
me on his tv screen because he has all the tvs

00:25:53.450 --> 00:25:56.549
in his offices right and like throwing daggers

00:25:56.549 --> 00:25:58.490
at me and i can't speak for him that's just what

00:25:58.490 --> 00:26:02.029
was in my head and i'm like while i'm spewing

00:26:02.029 --> 00:26:05.289
his butt but i'm still on his tv screen and so

00:26:05.289 --> 00:26:08.609
i realize i'm like okay you can do this and still

00:26:08.609 --> 00:26:12.299
be still do the highlights to the best of my

00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:15.140
ability, and be a good teammate, and do good

00:26:15.140 --> 00:26:17.779
interviews. And so I look back really fondly,

00:26:17.779 --> 00:26:21.980
actually, on the toughest time of my life. So

00:26:21.980 --> 00:26:27.099
you were very polarizing during this period for

00:26:27.099 --> 00:26:29.660
a lot of people, your co -workers, your friends,

00:26:29.799 --> 00:26:32.759
your family. Did you lose or gain anybody along

00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:35.960
the way? Friends that are gone forever because

00:26:35.960 --> 00:26:40.160
of the positions that you took? A lot. A lot.

00:26:40.700 --> 00:26:44.000
about that but you know what do they say about

00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:47.339
friendships have a season relationships quite

00:26:47.339 --> 00:26:49.299
often have a season you hope that they're forever

00:26:49.299 --> 00:26:52.099
but then you know you hit tough times and you

00:26:52.099 --> 00:26:55.319
learn learn the hard way i guess people yeah

00:26:55.319 --> 00:26:58.740
one woman in particular that i loved loved loved

00:26:58.740 --> 00:27:00.640
loved who i really allowed into my life as well

00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:02.819
with my kids and you know personally and then

00:27:02.819 --> 00:27:06.579
um with her when she was going through some things

00:27:06.579 --> 00:27:10.430
with the network and she's younger So I always

00:27:10.430 --> 00:27:14.349
wanted to be kind of a mentor, at least a good

00:27:14.349 --> 00:27:15.869
friend to some of the younger women who came

00:27:15.869 --> 00:27:17.849
in, because I know how hard it is to start there

00:27:17.849 --> 00:27:20.089
as a woman at ESPN. I mean, back when I did at

00:27:20.089 --> 00:27:22.430
least. And she was going through a lot of things

00:27:22.430 --> 00:27:24.869
and would kind of rely on me for advice and guidance.

00:27:24.990 --> 00:27:27.250
And then I'd give it because I never had that

00:27:27.250 --> 00:27:30.210
person. So I was happy to help, hopefully help

00:27:30.210 --> 00:27:33.710
other women avoid the crap that I kind of experienced.

00:27:34.450 --> 00:27:38.920
And so when she. didn't even really turn she

00:27:38.920 --> 00:27:43.140
just went silent and then i would hear through

00:27:43.140 --> 00:27:46.019
other people things that she said you know not

00:27:46.019 --> 00:27:51.160
publicly but privately to them and that one was

00:27:51.160 --> 00:27:53.720
really hard a couple of others who are still

00:27:53.720 --> 00:27:55.400
there they're all still at the network on on

00:27:55.400 --> 00:27:59.519
air um yeah i saw one of them on tv yesterday

00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:01.500
because i don't watch i really don't i don't

00:28:01.500 --> 00:28:05.329
when you know so much it's like It's easier not

00:28:05.329 --> 00:28:06.769
to watch. And there are so many other ways to

00:28:06.769 --> 00:28:09.190
get your sports news. You don't have to. It used

00:28:09.190 --> 00:28:10.690
to be appointment television. You used to have

00:28:10.690 --> 00:28:12.990
to watch SportsCenter to figure out what happened

00:28:12.990 --> 00:28:14.710
in the game the night before. That was, you know,

00:28:14.710 --> 00:28:17.150
back in my college days. And it is no longer

00:28:17.150 --> 00:28:19.089
appointment television. It is no longer the product

00:28:19.089 --> 00:28:21.549
quality -wise that it once was. So I don't need

00:28:21.549 --> 00:28:25.369
it anymore. I have my phone. I can go on other

00:28:25.369 --> 00:28:27.150
platforms to figure out what happened and get

00:28:27.150 --> 00:28:31.269
good, if not better, analysis at times. I don't

00:28:31.269 --> 00:28:32.589
have to watch. But every once in a while, if

00:28:32.589 --> 00:28:34.390
I see it on and I see somebody, I'm like, ugh.

00:28:34.700 --> 00:28:40.579
I miss them, but I'm so glad that I know. Yeah,

00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:42.880
now you know who your friends are. Something

00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:45.839
similar happened to us. You know, we own a school,

00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:49.740
and I was very vocal about actually not wanting.

00:28:49.859 --> 00:28:52.059
I did the opposite. I did not want my teachers

00:28:52.059 --> 00:28:54.859
to get the vaccine. Fortunately, I was connected

00:28:54.859 --> 00:28:58.119
to a lot of doctors who they would call conspiracy

00:28:58.119 --> 00:29:01.660
theorists. who told me everything I needed to

00:29:01.660 --> 00:29:03.420
know about the vaccine. So I was trying to not

00:29:03.420 --> 00:29:05.019
just protect the teachers, I was trying to protect

00:29:05.019 --> 00:29:08.539
the kids, right? And I figured, what's the big

00:29:08.539 --> 00:29:11.559
deal? All the other schools are literally firing

00:29:11.559 --> 00:29:15.359
tens and thousands of teachers for not wanting

00:29:15.359 --> 00:29:17.400
to get the shot. Okay, you don't want to get

00:29:17.400 --> 00:29:18.779
the shot, you're fired. That's what the other

00:29:18.779 --> 00:29:22.660
schools are doing. And I did the opposite. And

00:29:22.660 --> 00:29:24.380
they came and they just. It's a private school,

00:29:24.599 --> 00:29:26.700
allowed to do what we want, policies, whatever

00:29:26.700 --> 00:29:30.740
you want. But they just tried to completely annihilate

00:29:30.740 --> 00:29:33.779
us, completely. How is it that all these other

00:29:33.779 --> 00:29:35.880
people can have a voice and say what they want,

00:29:35.940 --> 00:29:38.880
but when you go against what they want to do,

00:29:38.980 --> 00:29:41.759
all of a sudden you're out, including the federal

00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:44.059
government tried to come after us, mind you.

00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:46.279
And I'm telling the federal government, wait

00:29:46.279 --> 00:29:47.900
a minute, why aren't you going after all those

00:29:47.900 --> 00:29:51.869
employees who fired people? because they don't

00:29:51.869 --> 00:29:54.390
want to inject an experiment into their body.

00:29:54.670 --> 00:29:57.630
Exactly. You know, so what I want to understand,

00:29:57.829 --> 00:30:01.009
let's go behind the scenes a little bit more,

00:30:01.170 --> 00:30:05.930
right? Disney, of course, super left, super woke,

00:30:06.049 --> 00:30:08.069
all the things that we know about Disney, and

00:30:08.069 --> 00:30:09.690
you're probably not allowed to comment on that,

00:30:09.750 --> 00:30:13.950
but that's how I feel. No, I agree. I can say

00:30:13.950 --> 00:30:18.450
whatever I want. Okay, good, good. And it's just,

00:30:19.630 --> 00:30:23.369
To me, it's baffling. As you said, sports should

00:30:23.369 --> 00:30:29.089
be sports, okay? They're okay with pushing this

00:30:29.089 --> 00:30:33.490
left -wing propaganda on their show. They're

00:30:33.490 --> 00:30:36.230
saying it on the show. They're talking about

00:30:36.230 --> 00:30:40.930
it on ESPN, right? You're saying something outside

00:30:40.930 --> 00:30:44.549
in an interview, very simple opinion, saying

00:30:44.549 --> 00:30:48.680
something that's extremely factual. And yet you're

00:30:48.680 --> 00:30:53.740
suspended, you're ostracized, you're forced to

00:30:53.740 --> 00:30:57.279
say this apology. And even after this apology,

00:30:57.680 --> 00:31:00.039
we're still going to punish you. We're going

00:31:00.039 --> 00:31:03.279
to continue to punish you while your peers can

00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:07.480
say whatever you want. I want to hear, I want

00:31:07.480 --> 00:31:09.500
to understand more how that felt to your core.

00:31:09.940 --> 00:31:12.359
Obviously you were pissed, which is why you filed

00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:16.099
a lawsuit. And I admire you for it because the

00:31:16.099 --> 00:31:18.960
more people... who can stand up the way you did,

00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:22.480
the less this insanity is going to happen. Yeah.

00:31:23.099 --> 00:31:25.380
So I want to, I want to know more about what

00:31:25.380 --> 00:31:28.019
you feel. And then. Well, I was hurt. I think

00:31:28.019 --> 00:31:33.079
I was more hurt and then got angry. But, you

00:31:33.079 --> 00:31:35.039
know, I was able to separate it again, because

00:31:35.039 --> 00:31:36.579
I had to still go to work every day with a lot

00:31:36.579 --> 00:31:41.059
of those people. And so it was, it was a, it

00:31:41.059 --> 00:31:48.299
was a crazy time. It was. very confusing and

00:31:48.299 --> 00:31:52.019
i just felt like oh my gosh i've been a model

00:31:52.019 --> 00:31:55.779
employee for you for all these years i guess

00:31:55.779 --> 00:31:58.460
when this began i'd been there for 14 years for

00:31:58.460 --> 00:32:00.539
all these years i mean i was the person that

00:32:00.539 --> 00:32:03.400
you put in front of the big groups of people

00:32:03.400 --> 00:32:07.559
and for marketing purposes um charities etc i

00:32:07.559 --> 00:32:11.299
was their go -to girl and i was so honored it's

00:32:11.299 --> 00:32:13.099
like wait just because my pain's a little different

00:32:13.099 --> 00:32:15.500
now i'm not worthy of helping you raise money

00:32:15.500 --> 00:32:20.200
for cancer or just to be there to uplift girls

00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:22.880
who want to be a sportscaster or boys or anything

00:32:22.880 --> 00:32:26.299
to be part of special olympics like now i'm i'm

00:32:26.299 --> 00:32:29.839
out like this it just didn't make sense um so

00:32:29.839 --> 00:32:33.119
it was and then i was i was so embarrassed you

00:32:33.119 --> 00:32:34.759
know they wanted they want you to be embarrassed

00:32:34.759 --> 00:32:37.880
that's what the apology was the forced apology

00:32:37.880 --> 00:32:41.529
which i said trust me there's a lot of negotiation

00:32:41.529 --> 00:32:44.269
back and forth back and forth on the wording

00:32:44.269 --> 00:32:47.289
every little word mattered um i regret agreeing

00:32:47.289 --> 00:32:51.410
to that i do but they got me when i was afraid

00:32:51.410 --> 00:32:53.910
they're smart and it was like oh my they knew

00:32:53.910 --> 00:33:00.349
my personal situation they knew um that i loved

00:33:00.349 --> 00:33:03.650
my job and they knew that people were gonna come

00:33:03.650 --> 00:33:05.150
after me because of where we were as a country

00:33:05.150 --> 00:33:08.089
at that time um and the fear -mongering that

00:33:08.089 --> 00:33:10.779
had happened On all levels, but especially with

00:33:10.779 --> 00:33:15.339
the vaccine. So the anger did eventually come

00:33:15.339 --> 00:33:18.319
to the surface. And especially when I saw others

00:33:18.319 --> 00:33:21.859
being treated the same way. And I'm like, this

00:33:21.859 --> 00:33:26.660
is wrong. And there's another prayer that my

00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:30.779
dad had us kids memorize when we were young.

00:33:31.099 --> 00:33:35.579
He went to West Point. And part of the cadet

00:33:35.579 --> 00:33:39.869
prayer at West Point. It's something that he

00:33:39.869 --> 00:33:42.170
made us memorize and I've learned to follow in

00:33:42.170 --> 00:33:47.509
every aspect of my life. Will you share it? Yeah.

00:33:47.529 --> 00:33:50.150
It goes, help me to choose the harder right instead

00:33:50.150 --> 00:33:54.490
of the easier wrong and never to be content with

00:33:54.490 --> 00:33:58.170
a half truth when the whole can be one. Wow.

00:33:58.710 --> 00:34:03.569
So, half truth. Whole truth. I knew that only

00:34:03.569 --> 00:34:05.559
a fraction of the truth was out there. and I

00:34:05.559 --> 00:34:08.360
did at one point feel like it was my job to tell

00:34:08.360 --> 00:34:10.860
the whole truth about what's happening at ESPN

00:34:10.860 --> 00:34:14.199
and Disney and even today and the ability that

00:34:14.199 --> 00:34:17.320
the way that I'm still able to do this is strategic

00:34:17.320 --> 00:34:24.079
I'll say that but the harder right I mean it

00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:26.820
was the harder right to stand up and take on

00:34:26.820 --> 00:34:30.539
this behemoth of a company it was would have

00:34:30.539 --> 00:34:35.190
been easier and maybe smarter and certainly cheaper

00:34:35.190 --> 00:34:38.449
for me to stay silent. That's what they wanted.

00:34:38.869 --> 00:34:42.809
And coolest thing to come out of it, the coolest,

00:34:42.829 --> 00:34:45.710
coolest thing, the night before the lawsuit dropped

00:34:45.710 --> 00:34:50.269
in late April of 22, I knew it was going to be

00:34:50.269 --> 00:34:53.670
ugly, right? Like, who sues Disney? And who sues

00:34:53.670 --> 00:34:55.590
their company while they're still working there?

00:34:56.929 --> 00:35:00.190
Especially in such a public -facing role. And

00:35:00.190 --> 00:35:01.969
I wanted all my kids to understand what was about

00:35:01.969 --> 00:35:05.449
to come. because in the past anything i'd said

00:35:05.449 --> 00:35:08.590
had been blown up and they would hear it from

00:35:08.590 --> 00:35:11.570
teachers or coaches or other parents or friends

00:35:11.570 --> 00:35:13.409
who see something on tick tock that isn't certainly

00:35:13.409 --> 00:35:16.409
the whole truth so i just needed my kids to know

00:35:16.409 --> 00:35:18.389
what was going to happen and to buckle up and

00:35:18.389 --> 00:35:20.170
so i spoke to each one of them separately my

00:35:20.170 --> 00:35:22.889
oldest quinn she was a freshman in college nicholas

00:35:22.889 --> 00:35:24.969
was a senior in high school and my youngest daughter

00:35:24.969 --> 00:35:26.550
evan was a sophomore in high school and i was

00:35:26.550 --> 00:35:28.829
like guys what's coming and i i just want you

00:35:28.829 --> 00:35:32.280
to know you don't have to defend me like i I

00:35:32.280 --> 00:35:34.300
know it's hard for you, and I'm sorry for what's

00:35:34.300 --> 00:35:37.760
probably to come. If someone goes at you, just

00:35:37.760 --> 00:35:41.699
say, diversity of thought. My mom believes and

00:35:41.699 --> 00:35:43.440
leads with diversity of thought. And I don't

00:35:43.440 --> 00:35:45.539
always agree with my mom, but she has a right

00:35:45.539 --> 00:35:47.679
to her own opinion. And that usually silences

00:35:47.679 --> 00:35:51.900
people, usually, the sane ones. And so when I

00:35:51.900 --> 00:35:53.579
told each kid separately what was going to happen

00:35:53.579 --> 00:35:56.619
and told them that, my son. who's the quieter

00:35:56.619 --> 00:35:58.940
one in the middle of these two psycho daughters

00:35:58.940 --> 00:36:03.239
of mine. He's such a saint and very opinionated

00:36:03.239 --> 00:36:06.659
too, but just more observant and then waits to

00:36:06.659 --> 00:36:08.579
say what he feels where a lot of us women just

00:36:08.579 --> 00:36:12.880
go bleh. He looked at me and I was crying. I

00:36:12.880 --> 00:36:14.079
was in his bedroom and I was crying. I was like,

00:36:14.099 --> 00:36:15.639
I'm sorry, it's going to be ugly, buddy, but

00:36:15.639 --> 00:36:19.099
I cannot be quiet anymore. My son looked at me

00:36:19.099 --> 00:36:21.719
and said, Mom, it's about time you stood up for

00:36:21.719 --> 00:36:25.500
yourself. So for all the people out there listening

00:36:25.500 --> 00:36:29.579
who question, should I stand up? Should I say

00:36:29.579 --> 00:36:31.860
something? What effect will it have on the people

00:36:31.860 --> 00:36:33.579
in my life, the people that I love, my kids?

00:36:34.039 --> 00:36:37.800
I will never forget that moment. And my jaw dropped

00:36:37.800 --> 00:36:41.380
and I cried harder because I realized the whole

00:36:41.380 --> 00:36:44.820
time I'd been silent, mainly to try to protect

00:36:44.820 --> 00:36:47.519
my kids, to try to protect them from having to

00:36:47.519 --> 00:36:50.239
feel any pushback or ugliness because their mom's

00:36:50.239 --> 00:36:53.130
big mouth. So all these years I got quieter and

00:36:53.130 --> 00:36:55.469
quieter and quieter until I couldn't do it anymore.

00:36:56.050 --> 00:37:00.150
And my son saw it. He saw me making myself smaller.

00:37:00.489 --> 00:37:03.389
So what was I teaching them? That when the going

00:37:03.389 --> 00:37:07.250
gets tough, just get quiet and run away. I was

00:37:07.250 --> 00:37:10.289
mortified then that I'd waited so long. We both

00:37:10.289 --> 00:37:13.730
got chills over here. I have chills every time

00:37:13.730 --> 00:37:16.190
I put myself back in his bedroom that late night,

00:37:16.269 --> 00:37:21.559
the night before it hit. i knew at that moment

00:37:21.559 --> 00:37:24.000
you guys that no matter what happened no matter

00:37:24.000 --> 00:37:26.420
what happened if disney crushed me and bled me

00:37:26.420 --> 00:37:29.500
dry which they it came close you know because

00:37:29.500 --> 00:37:32.380
who can compete against that not one single human

00:37:32.380 --> 00:37:36.780
but i knew that even if i lost that i actually

00:37:36.780 --> 00:37:41.099
i won because my kids this is where i my kids

00:37:41.099 --> 00:37:46.119
saw that i stood up my kids saw that i was no

00:37:46.119 --> 00:37:48.099
longer going to be quiet and be bullied by these

00:37:48.099 --> 00:37:54.260
people and My prayer from that moment on was

00:37:54.260 --> 00:37:57.760
maybe my kids will be better and stronger than

00:37:57.760 --> 00:38:01.619
me and not wait until they're almost 50 years

00:38:01.619 --> 00:38:05.239
old at that time to say enough and to stand up

00:38:05.239 --> 00:38:09.639
for themselves in a professional, kind way. We

00:38:09.639 --> 00:38:11.039
don't have to be screaming and yelling and going

00:38:11.039 --> 00:38:13.980
to the levels of other people, but just know

00:38:13.980 --> 00:38:18.289
your boundaries. Don't let people dictate what

00:38:18.289 --> 00:38:20.289
you do in your own best interest and the best

00:38:20.289 --> 00:38:22.550
interest of your kids. So I was telling my kids,

00:38:22.610 --> 00:38:24.809
preaching, be strong, be tough, stand up for

00:38:24.809 --> 00:38:26.269
yourself, stand up for others. And what was I

00:38:26.269 --> 00:38:29.650
modeling? The opposite. Until that day. What

00:38:29.650 --> 00:38:32.010
Charlie Kirk was on here, he said, courage is

00:38:32.010 --> 00:38:34.389
when you take action and you really don't know

00:38:34.389 --> 00:38:36.820
what the outcome is going to be. Super scary

00:38:36.820 --> 00:38:39.639
place to be. But if you've been in this situation

00:38:39.639 --> 00:38:41.800
of being canceled, you have to. That's the recurring

00:38:41.800 --> 00:38:44.079
theme of all of us. You know what? I agree with

00:38:44.079 --> 00:38:46.219
Charlie. I talked about this with Charlie recently.

00:38:46.380 --> 00:38:49.159
It is courage. More importantly than courage,

00:38:49.420 --> 00:38:53.380
it's faith. That's where it is because faith

00:38:53.380 --> 00:38:57.199
to me is a belief that you will be okay going

00:38:57.199 --> 00:38:59.380
forward no matter which way that path leads you.

00:38:59.519 --> 00:39:02.000
I don't know what this next step is going to

00:39:02.000 --> 00:39:04.179
do for me, what's going to happen, but I have

00:39:04.179 --> 00:39:06.829
faith that I'm going to be okay. And so it's

00:39:06.829 --> 00:39:10.190
faith, number one, to me, followed closely with

00:39:10.190 --> 00:39:12.130
courage. But I don't have the courage if I don't

00:39:12.130 --> 00:39:15.150
have a belief. But for me, if I don't believe

00:39:15.150 --> 00:39:19.250
in God. Yeah, faith is a big part of our lives

00:39:19.250 --> 00:39:22.320
as well. We realize there's no accidents in life.

00:39:22.380 --> 00:39:25.119
Everything is unfolding exactly the way it's

00:39:25.119 --> 00:39:27.119
supposed to be for whatever purpose that might

00:39:27.119 --> 00:39:30.099
even be beyond our comprehension. And we just

00:39:30.099 --> 00:39:32.820
have to stay in flow and just stand in our truth

00:39:32.820 --> 00:39:35.840
and do what feels right. And there are no mistakes.

00:39:36.019 --> 00:39:39.059
Remember that our kids are watching and our neighbors,

00:39:39.280 --> 00:39:41.820
some of them who hate us. But I bet you too have

00:39:41.820 --> 00:39:45.199
inspired other people. I can't imagine how grateful

00:39:45.199 --> 00:39:47.519
some of the teachers in your school were for

00:39:47.519 --> 00:39:49.739
your stance because they were afraid. And when

00:39:49.739 --> 00:39:54.059
they see you risking it all for them, I bet you,

00:39:54.119 --> 00:39:57.199
I know you changed some of their lives and gave

00:39:57.199 --> 00:39:59.360
them the courage to stand up and help other people.

00:39:59.559 --> 00:40:01.440
Well, in a nutshell, I'll share the story. But

00:40:01.440 --> 00:40:04.019
we also had other schools literally reaching

00:40:04.019 --> 00:40:06.699
out to me saying, because you did what you did,

00:40:06.880 --> 00:40:10.579
I'm going to follow and I am going to not, you

00:40:10.579 --> 00:40:13.079
know, I'm going to go against the government

00:40:13.079 --> 00:40:15.739
trying to make me mandate my teachers and I'm

00:40:15.739 --> 00:40:18.230
not going to mandate them. She basically, there

00:40:18.230 --> 00:40:21.389
was a leaked Zoom where she strongly encouraged

00:40:21.389 --> 00:40:23.889
teachers, if you have to get it, just wait until

00:40:23.889 --> 00:40:26.190
the summer starts, which is literally only six

00:40:26.190 --> 00:40:28.530
weeks away. And it took on a life of its own.

00:40:28.630 --> 00:40:30.869
Went to the White House, went global. Media was

00:40:30.869 --> 00:40:33.190
camped out every single day trying to speak to

00:40:33.190 --> 00:40:35.070
disgruntled parents. And a lot of the parents

00:40:35.070 --> 00:40:37.230
left. A lot of the teachers left. They ran for

00:40:37.230 --> 00:40:39.510
the hills. But all this negative attention got

00:40:39.510 --> 00:40:41.550
us people from all over the world that moved

00:40:41.550 --> 00:40:43.989
to Miami specifically just to go to our school

00:40:43.989 --> 00:40:45.670
because they knew there was no other school for

00:40:45.670 --> 00:40:50.530
them. I wish I had known about you then. It was

00:40:50.530 --> 00:40:56.269
scary though. We were our rabbis and our spiritual

00:40:56.269 --> 00:40:59.929
advisors and meditating. It was like super intense.

00:41:00.210 --> 00:41:02.050
And the media interviews that we did, we learned

00:41:02.050 --> 00:41:04.210
very quickly. They really were trying to set

00:41:04.210 --> 00:41:06.110
us up and make us look really bad. And so we

00:41:06.110 --> 00:41:08.309
started to take interviews only in questions

00:41:08.309 --> 00:41:10.849
in writing beforehand. It was really, really

00:41:10.849 --> 00:41:13.409
nutty. It was a first for us. Even Fox, they

00:41:13.409 --> 00:41:16.570
were not nice. You know, I'm trying to share

00:41:16.570 --> 00:41:20.050
my, they're owned by Disney too, right? No, they're

00:41:20.050 --> 00:41:22.230
not. They're separate. But Fox mandated the vaccine

00:41:22.230 --> 00:41:25.750
for their in -studio employees too. Yeah. No,

00:41:25.849 --> 00:41:28.210
they were not nice. So what do you think is happening

00:41:28.210 --> 00:41:33.750
on the inside, right? So is it pharma that's

00:41:33.750 --> 00:41:36.710
controlling, you know, Disney because of all

00:41:36.710 --> 00:41:38.909
their paid advertisements? What is happening

00:41:38.909 --> 00:41:42.989
that they've made it a very clear line where

00:41:42.989 --> 00:41:47.679
it's okay to be, But if you even dare speak your

00:41:47.679 --> 00:41:50.860
mind about the right, give us some insight. I

00:41:50.860 --> 00:41:52.099
want to add to that. Yeah, same thing. I had

00:41:52.099 --> 00:41:55.360
a similar question. You were at ESPN for so long

00:41:55.360 --> 00:41:58.199
that you must have seen a cultural shift. How

00:41:58.199 --> 00:42:01.940
did it happen? Was it gradual? Was it always

00:42:01.940 --> 00:42:04.659
there and you never noticed? I mean, you saw

00:42:04.659 --> 00:42:06.699
it. You were there for a long time. Start with

00:42:06.699 --> 00:42:08.400
mine first. It was sort of the same question

00:42:08.400 --> 00:42:14.630
in a way. Yeah, I didn't realize. the shift until

00:42:14.630 --> 00:42:19.389
after you know um and then you go what is going

00:42:19.389 --> 00:42:22.630
on like why is this happening but unfortunately

00:42:22.630 --> 00:42:26.869
for me it was very much in hindsight so i mean

00:42:26.869 --> 00:42:29.190
i i first started to see some things i didn't

00:42:29.190 --> 00:42:33.969
love during the obama administration and um you

00:42:33.969 --> 00:42:37.210
know just the forcing obamacare down our throats

00:42:37.210 --> 00:42:39.750
without reading the bill and allowing people

00:42:39.750 --> 00:42:41.670
to ask questions and you know i was like huh

00:42:41.670 --> 00:42:45.000
okay whatever like there's only so many things

00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:47.940
i can control and i have a job and when i started

00:42:47.940 --> 00:42:50.739
at espn in 07 so right before that election my

00:42:50.739 --> 00:42:54.239
kids were 11 months old two and four and i'm

00:42:54.239 --> 00:42:57.119
working a morning show on national tv pressure

00:42:57.119 --> 00:43:00.000
stress exhaustion like i don't have time you

00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:04.139
know and then time went on and then you saw i

00:43:04.139 --> 00:43:06.699
saw more divisiveness um that was brought on

00:43:06.699 --> 00:43:08.559
in my opinion during the obama administration

00:43:08.559 --> 00:43:12.730
um and then the 2016 election came And that's

00:43:12.730 --> 00:43:17.230
where all hell broke loose, where I saw executives

00:43:17.230 --> 00:43:20.650
who previously told all of us employees at ESPN,

00:43:20.849 --> 00:43:23.190
don't tweet, stay out of politics, don't say

00:43:23.190 --> 00:43:24.510
anything. And then all of a sudden on election

00:43:24.510 --> 00:43:26.929
night, some of the highest ranking employees

00:43:26.929 --> 00:43:30.449
at our company were like going crazy. And oh,

00:43:30.489 --> 00:43:32.449
my gosh, Donald Trump saying terrible things.

00:43:32.550 --> 00:43:35.329
And, you know, just all vocal about why Hillary

00:43:35.329 --> 00:43:37.469
is getting screwed with this whole thing. And

00:43:37.469 --> 00:43:40.719
it was like how scared they were. what is going

00:43:40.719 --> 00:43:43.400
on these are our leaders who told us not to say

00:43:43.400 --> 00:43:46.239
a word who are on twitter what the hell is i

00:43:46.239 --> 00:43:49.119
i know so then i it was just confusing and then

00:43:49.119 --> 00:43:53.019
you okay trump is in and you just okay next i

00:43:53.019 --> 00:43:54.420
didn't know what to expect i just knew i didn't

00:43:54.420 --> 00:43:57.880
want her like if you actually do homework it

00:43:57.880 --> 00:44:01.019
makes sense as to why those who of us who voted

00:44:01.019 --> 00:44:04.360
for trump in 2016 did versus her sometimes it

00:44:04.360 --> 00:44:06.480
was just because and you know in spite of her

00:44:06.480 --> 00:44:11.690
whatever it takes was right And then 2020 hit

00:44:11.690 --> 00:44:15.190
with COVID and then George Floyd. And I really

00:44:15.190 --> 00:44:20.030
saw that. I saw how much they gave up as far

00:44:20.030 --> 00:44:22.409
as leadership and allowed all of the on -air

00:44:22.409 --> 00:44:23.889
people to say whatever they wanted when they

00:44:23.889 --> 00:44:28.469
wanted. Of course, it was only one -sided. And

00:44:28.469 --> 00:44:30.429
then I did. I asked why, like, what is this?

00:44:30.590 --> 00:44:34.349
And I remember listening to a podcast in 2020

00:44:34.349 --> 00:44:37.230
when my kids were, we lived in Connecticut, so

00:44:37.230 --> 00:44:40.820
my kids were shut down. um from school and you're

00:44:40.820 --> 00:44:45.179
all on the zooms and google meets for them to

00:44:45.179 --> 00:44:48.119
try to go to school as kids and no sports and

00:44:48.119 --> 00:44:49.619
you know everything's terrible and shut down

00:44:49.619 --> 00:44:52.800
i remember one night up late again i just gotten

00:44:52.800 --> 00:44:54.440
divorced when all this happened too so it's kind

00:44:54.440 --> 00:44:57.079
of a crazy time remember up late mopping floors

00:44:57.079 --> 00:44:58.519
like cleaning floors whenever i got stressed

00:44:58.519 --> 00:45:00.260
i would clean so my house was really really clean

00:45:00.260 --> 00:45:03.840
for years and um and i remember just reading

00:45:03.840 --> 00:45:07.900
about sorry listening to the podcast about the

00:45:07.900 --> 00:45:11.079
money the financial aspect of it and so you know

00:45:11.079 --> 00:45:14.059
i remember a hospital in orlando that and this

00:45:14.059 --> 00:45:16.460
is orlando this is florida at the beginning but

00:45:16.460 --> 00:45:21.059
people at mayo clinic there minneapolis where

00:45:21.059 --> 00:45:24.699
you know people come in with a head injury from

00:45:24.699 --> 00:45:27.400
a car accident or a heart attack but they're

00:45:27.400 --> 00:45:30.960
diagnosed as the covet death if they had covet

00:45:30.960 --> 00:45:32.420
even though it's not why they died because why

00:45:32.420 --> 00:45:35.340
they were getting paid 40 000 per patient approximately

00:45:36.710 --> 00:45:39.750
And so I'm like, wait, what? And then I started

00:45:39.750 --> 00:45:42.110
to go, well, what do you mean they're getting

00:45:42.110 --> 00:45:45.610
paid to list the death as a COVID death, even

00:45:45.610 --> 00:45:49.409
if they died from cancer? And so once you hear

00:45:49.409 --> 00:45:51.429
that, and this is probably April or May of 2020,

00:45:51.789 --> 00:45:55.489
immediately I was like, oh, hell no, something's

00:45:55.489 --> 00:46:00.989
going on. And then Big Pharma, Fauci, there's

00:46:00.989 --> 00:46:02.769
never going to be any accountability for it.

00:46:04.440 --> 00:46:06.159
Fauci now admits that he made up the six -foot

00:46:06.159 --> 00:46:07.980
rule. And I'm like, there's no accountability

00:46:07.980 --> 00:46:10.199
for how much this devastated so many people,

00:46:10.320 --> 00:46:13.480
kids, teenagers. The suicide rate's going way

00:46:13.480 --> 00:46:15.480
up. Those of you who say you care about the suicide

00:46:15.480 --> 00:46:17.699
rates, how about the suicide rates of black kids

00:46:17.699 --> 00:46:21.219
that skyrocketed? Look at what's happened since

00:46:21.219 --> 00:46:24.139
then with the trans ideology and things like

00:46:24.139 --> 00:46:25.619
that. Like, it's gone through the roof because

00:46:25.619 --> 00:46:27.280
all people had was social media, and there's

00:46:27.280 --> 00:46:29.539
evil people on there trying to take our kids'

00:46:29.599 --> 00:46:34.139
souls, and they're succeeding in some ways. I

00:46:34.139 --> 00:46:37.019
do believe it is all related to the almighty

00:46:37.019 --> 00:46:40.980
dollar and the finances that are involved with

00:46:40.980 --> 00:46:44.800
big pharma in every aspect. Now, if you go to,

00:46:44.880 --> 00:46:46.659
you know, one of my favorite places to shop is

00:46:46.659 --> 00:46:49.599
CVS. I love CVS. I find everything I need at

00:46:49.599 --> 00:46:53.260
CVS. The whole time on the loudspeakers, what?

00:46:53.699 --> 00:46:56.559
The new booster for COVID -19 is here. Make your

00:46:56.559 --> 00:46:58.940
appointment now with happy voices. And it's like,

00:46:58.940 --> 00:47:02.329
because every single time. Someone at a CVS puts

00:47:02.329 --> 00:47:04.630
a shot or Walgreens or any of them put the shot

00:47:04.630 --> 00:47:08.650
in anyone's arm for COVID, they get paid however

00:47:08.650 --> 00:47:12.030
much it is, 10 bucks per shot per person times

00:47:12.030 --> 00:47:16.130
how many per day? Tens of thousands, if not more.

00:47:16.630 --> 00:47:20.610
It's all about the money and the gullible people

00:47:20.610 --> 00:47:24.650
who accept what they say is the norm now. I just

00:47:24.650 --> 00:47:28.110
refuse. And deep down, I know a lot of people,

00:47:28.150 --> 00:47:30.480
most people agree with that. but they are afraid

00:47:30.480 --> 00:47:33.719
to say it or they're already bought and paid

00:47:33.719 --> 00:47:37.559
for. And it's so, so sad. How do you think the

00:47:37.559 --> 00:47:40.760
leadership of ESPN and Disney got so aligned

00:47:40.760 --> 00:47:43.860
ideologically? Do you have a theory on that?

00:47:44.440 --> 00:47:46.900
People want to survive. People want to survive.

00:47:47.059 --> 00:47:49.039
The leaders at the top are making a lot of money.

00:47:49.400 --> 00:47:51.440
And there's also clout that comes with working

00:47:51.440 --> 00:47:54.820
there. You know, I mean, you are getting to hobnob

00:47:54.820 --> 00:47:58.000
with some of the biggest, brightest stars, athletes

00:47:58.000 --> 00:48:00.340
in the world. especially if you're at the top

00:48:00.340 --> 00:48:02.920
of the food chain there. And you've got a ton

00:48:02.920 --> 00:48:05.480
of stock options. And you get to, everybody knows,

00:48:05.739 --> 00:48:08.599
everybody knows that company, you know. There's

00:48:08.599 --> 00:48:12.800
a handful of companies that are just global and

00:48:12.800 --> 00:48:14.940
been around forever and seemingly untouchable.

00:48:15.519 --> 00:48:17.400
Disney's taken some hits, though, over the last

00:48:17.400 --> 00:48:20.019
several years. And it's really been interesting

00:48:20.019 --> 00:48:22.880
to see because it's just not necessary. Like,

00:48:22.880 --> 00:48:25.739
why, when you go to Disney World, couldn't Mickey

00:48:25.739 --> 00:48:28.699
Mouse continue to say, hi, boys and girls? Mickey

00:48:28.699 --> 00:48:30.400
Mouse doesn't say that anymore. I don't even

00:48:30.400 --> 00:48:33.179
know what it is, but it's friends maybe. You

00:48:33.179 --> 00:48:36.079
can't say boys and girls. Like, what? What's

00:48:36.079 --> 00:48:41.119
so bad about that? I don't know, but I believe

00:48:41.119 --> 00:48:43.079
in my heart because I know some of these executives.

00:48:43.280 --> 00:48:45.420
I'm like, there's no way in hell they actually

00:48:45.420 --> 00:48:48.019
believe this. But they're bought and paid for.

00:48:48.360 --> 00:48:51.500
Life is too good. And the status that comes with

00:48:51.500 --> 00:48:54.539
saying you work at a certain place exists. I

00:48:54.539 --> 00:48:58.070
do want to make one thing clear. mean it when

00:48:58.070 --> 00:49:03.489
i say i wouldn't change a thing and i'm not bitter

00:49:03.489 --> 00:49:07.289
like i am so grateful i shudder at the thought

00:49:07.289 --> 00:49:10.429
of where i would be as a human being as a mother

00:49:10.429 --> 00:49:13.929
as a woman had i stayed quiet and done what they

00:49:13.929 --> 00:49:16.690
asked me to do apologize and shut up and go away

00:49:16.690 --> 00:49:20.849
and by the way making incredible money like life

00:49:20.849 --> 00:49:22.630
would have been easier if i stayed with that

00:49:23.000 --> 00:49:24.599
they probably wouldn't have renewed me for my

00:49:24.599 --> 00:49:29.639
next contract after my words but i get it makes

00:49:29.639 --> 00:49:33.440
me sick to think the what if so i can criticize

00:49:33.440 --> 00:49:37.219
and actually hope and pray that they choose to

00:49:37.219 --> 00:49:39.340
turn things around because there's so many good

00:49:39.340 --> 00:49:42.400
people left there and there's so much good they're

00:49:42.400 --> 00:49:44.659
brilliant their minds are brilliant at disney

00:49:44.659 --> 00:49:49.690
and at espn um and What a waste. And you've seen

00:49:49.690 --> 00:49:51.670
what's happened at the box office with Disney,

00:49:51.769 --> 00:49:53.809
right, for the last several years because people

00:49:53.809 --> 00:49:56.190
have said enough. I just want to take my kid

00:49:56.190 --> 00:49:57.409
to watch Snow White because that was something

00:49:57.409 --> 00:49:59.610
I watched when I was a little girl. And they

00:49:59.610 --> 00:50:02.849
have chosen to ruin it. The only way people can

00:50:02.849 --> 00:50:05.309
kind of slow that down is what? If we don't go,

00:50:05.449 --> 00:50:07.690
if we don't buy the product. And that's what's

00:50:07.690 --> 00:50:09.630
happened with ESPN and Disney. And I think they're

00:50:09.630 --> 00:50:12.590
starting to get it. They're stubborn. Let's see.

00:50:12.610 --> 00:50:15.369
This is our job as consumers now. If we don't

00:50:15.369 --> 00:50:19.760
like it. You can't participate, and that's hard

00:50:19.760 --> 00:50:22.599
for some people. You know, it sounds to me like,

00:50:22.659 --> 00:50:26.300
you know, and this is another common theme, strengthen

00:50:26.300 --> 00:50:31.840
your soul. By you going through this, this leveled

00:50:31.840 --> 00:50:35.019
you up as a human being. It took you from here

00:50:35.019 --> 00:50:38.679
to here, you know? And then your kids, your kids

00:50:38.679 --> 00:50:40.960
are watching you. You're their role model, right?

00:50:41.719 --> 00:50:44.159
And, you know, after your son saying to you what

00:50:44.159 --> 00:50:47.150
he said, I mean. I loved that you said it. It

00:50:47.150 --> 00:50:50.809
just felt like basically I had already won because

00:50:50.809 --> 00:50:55.530
your number one job is being a mom. Yeah. What

00:50:55.530 --> 00:51:02.630
a blessing that God chose me and many others,

00:51:02.690 --> 00:51:08.150
you guys, so many to fight back and stand up

00:51:08.150 --> 00:51:10.889
for people who can't or who are afraid to. It

00:51:10.889 --> 00:51:12.190
doesn't say that we haven't been afraid. I'm

00:51:12.190 --> 00:51:14.960
sure you guys have too. I mean, just for your

00:51:14.960 --> 00:51:18.579
well -being and to be able to establish and achieve

00:51:18.579 --> 00:51:20.840
your own dreams that come with some financial

00:51:20.840 --> 00:51:23.820
freedom and to eventually retire and spend, like,

00:51:23.900 --> 00:51:27.780
things that almost all human beings want, right?

00:51:29.440 --> 00:51:36.119
But I don't know. I'm so grateful that I saw

00:51:36.119 --> 00:51:40.829
it before it was too late. And I know. You know

00:51:40.829 --> 00:51:42.389
how many people I have come up to me in airports,

00:51:42.750 --> 00:51:45.369
restaurants, golf courses, like in the sports

00:51:45.369 --> 00:51:48.010
world. I'd been there for so long that I was

00:51:48.010 --> 00:51:50.050
certainly recognized a lot. If you like sports

00:51:50.050 --> 00:51:55.349
and that little world, I cannot describe since

00:51:55.349 --> 00:51:58.349
then what has happened for something that was

00:51:58.349 --> 00:52:00.389
deemed as so negative and ugly and devastating,

00:52:00.510 --> 00:52:03.849
certainly and costly. The number of people, grown

00:52:03.849 --> 00:52:08.929
men who will come up to me. This happened twice

00:52:08.929 --> 00:52:14.829
in one day. in tears saying i'm so scared to

00:52:14.829 --> 00:52:17.929
speak up for my daughter in sports who should

00:52:17.929 --> 00:52:20.530
not have to compete against boys thank you for

00:52:20.530 --> 00:52:22.309
what you're doing another man was just like thank

00:52:22.309 --> 00:52:24.130
you for having the strength because as a guy

00:52:24.130 --> 00:52:25.650
we have different expectations but as a girl

00:52:25.650 --> 00:52:28.409
i want you're a role model like i end up crying

00:52:28.409 --> 00:52:31.969
because i never had any idea i was doing this

00:52:31.969 --> 00:52:34.909
just because i was i'd been devastated by their

00:52:34.909 --> 00:52:38.230
decisions and so that was for me in my own survival

00:52:38.230 --> 00:52:41.420
in my own pride in my own heart I had no idea

00:52:41.420 --> 00:52:44.340
it would affect so many people. That is such

00:52:44.340 --> 00:52:47.559
an overwhelming blessing that has come from what

00:52:47.559 --> 00:52:50.500
I thought was the end of my career as I knew

00:52:50.500 --> 00:52:53.159
it. I guess it was the end of that career. But

00:52:53.159 --> 00:52:56.000
a beginning of even better. Oh my gosh, beginning

00:52:56.000 --> 00:52:58.659
of so much more. And the freedom to be here with

00:52:58.659 --> 00:53:01.239
you on a Tuesday, to be able to talk when I want

00:53:01.239 --> 00:53:04.059
to, not when they, not asking permission, hey,

00:53:04.280 --> 00:53:07.719
can I talk to the Erased podcast? Of course I

00:53:07.719 --> 00:53:13.579
would have said no, but in general. I get to

00:53:13.579 --> 00:53:15.519
go move my daughter into her first apartment

00:53:15.519 --> 00:53:17.460
after graduating from college and getting a job.

00:53:17.639 --> 00:53:20.000
I get to be there for my mother and father as

00:53:20.000 --> 00:53:23.380
they built up this 100 -year -old Spanish colonial

00:53:23.380 --> 00:53:25.820
down in Florida and did this beautiful garden.

00:53:25.860 --> 00:53:27.599
I got to be there to help with the garden tour

00:53:27.599 --> 00:53:29.659
in the middle of the week. You know what I mean?

00:53:29.739 --> 00:53:32.719
I get to do things that are so important to me

00:53:32.719 --> 00:53:35.559
that I never thought I'd ever be able to do because

00:53:35.559 --> 00:53:38.880
of this. This box I was living in, it was a nice

00:53:38.880 --> 00:53:41.059
box. It was a beautiful box. It was a comfortable

00:53:41.059 --> 00:53:44.519
box in many ways. But now, look, I have control,

00:53:44.820 --> 00:53:47.780
even though it's scary to start your own business.

00:53:47.860 --> 00:53:51.079
I always thought I'd work for a network my whole

00:53:51.079 --> 00:53:52.860
life and just keep making a lot of money and

00:53:52.860 --> 00:53:55.619
doing what I wanted. And now I'm like, oh, my

00:53:55.619 --> 00:53:58.260
gosh, I have to run my own business. I hate it.

00:53:58.320 --> 00:54:00.460
I hate having to learn about the behind the scenes.

00:54:00.599 --> 00:54:02.679
It's scary. YouTube, all the things. I'm like,

00:54:02.699 --> 00:54:06.940
oh, my God. But I'm learning. i can do this and

00:54:06.940 --> 00:54:09.239
i can have a good team with me and uplift them

00:54:09.239 --> 00:54:12.659
too and help other people too like so many blessings

00:54:12.659 --> 00:54:16.780
have come from the attempted erasure you know

00:54:16.780 --> 00:54:18.659
what's interesting uh we were talking to charlie

00:54:18.659 --> 00:54:22.239
kirk about queen esther oh my gosh we talked

00:54:22.239 --> 00:54:24.219
about that too and i'm walking and talking to

00:54:24.219 --> 00:54:26.820
unlock a door keep going no worries your story

00:54:26.820 --> 00:54:30.440
is also very you know resembles the queen esther

00:54:30.440 --> 00:54:33.079
story of course hers was literally like she could

00:54:33.079 --> 00:54:36.900
have been executed killed right but you know

00:54:36.900 --> 00:54:40.239
a lot of times when you're thinking about you

00:54:40.239 --> 00:54:42.659
might lose your job it almost feels like death

00:54:42.659 --> 00:54:44.719
you know it's the same thing like she could have

00:54:44.719 --> 00:54:49.739
everything taken away and instead her standing

00:54:49.739 --> 00:54:52.059
up of course, saved her people. But then even

00:54:52.059 --> 00:54:55.340
afterwards, now all of a sudden she's this powerful

00:54:55.340 --> 00:55:00.340
queen who is inspiring others and being an incredible

00:55:00.340 --> 00:55:04.739
role model. Had she just sat down and been quiet

00:55:04.739 --> 00:55:07.980
and not said a peep, she would not have been

00:55:07.980 --> 00:55:11.639
able to impact, one, save the lives, the millions

00:55:11.639 --> 00:55:14.579
of lives, but also be an incredible role model

00:55:14.579 --> 00:55:17.679
and a powerful figure that she became after.

00:55:18.400 --> 00:55:21.159
that moment that she actually spoke up and did

00:55:21.159 --> 00:55:25.179
something. I, it's so, it makes me uncomfortable

00:55:25.179 --> 00:55:27.880
sometimes because I, people have brought that

00:55:27.880 --> 00:55:30.340
up and it's such a, it's so, it's just humbling

00:55:30.340 --> 00:55:32.820
because it's not what I set out to do or what

00:55:32.820 --> 00:55:34.719
you set out to do. You're standing up for yourself.

00:55:35.139 --> 00:55:39.239
And I, I literally, I can say this honestly,

00:55:39.400 --> 00:55:42.500
I now know exactly why God has me on this earth.

00:55:42.539 --> 00:55:45.019
It is to be a mother to those three crazies.

00:55:46.480 --> 00:55:49.039
for a beautiful human being and it's to speak

00:55:49.039 --> 00:55:55.280
up and use my voice which if you ask my parents

00:55:55.280 --> 00:55:58.940
i was the shyest quietest kid and i had this

00:55:58.940 --> 00:56:03.519
crazy dream of being a sportscaster and um i

00:56:03.519 --> 00:56:05.639
had to change in order to achieve it because

00:56:05.639 --> 00:56:09.519
i was so shy and nervous And so my parents, sometimes

00:56:09.519 --> 00:56:11.880
they joke, they're like, what happened? My God,

00:56:12.019 --> 00:56:16.440
shut up. You know, because it has it has affected

00:56:16.440 --> 00:56:22.780
them greatly. To see the hatred, to see the death

00:56:22.780 --> 00:56:24.960
threat, to see people threatened to rape my daughter

00:56:24.960 --> 00:56:29.219
because of my. I think no matter what, again,

00:56:29.260 --> 00:56:31.679
as a parent, doesn't matter how old your child

00:56:31.679 --> 00:56:34.679
is, you want to protect them. You don't want

00:56:34.679 --> 00:56:38.940
them hurt. And they saw that in every way. So

00:56:38.940 --> 00:56:41.239
I get like I have some guilt because I know I

00:56:41.239 --> 00:56:43.139
put them through a lot just by speaking up. But

00:56:43.139 --> 00:56:46.719
now who's more proud of me than my mom and dad?

00:56:46.780 --> 00:56:48.539
And that's all that matters. I was able on my

00:56:48.539 --> 00:56:51.860
show, Sage Deal Show. Thank you. I think you'd

00:56:51.860 --> 00:56:54.940
like to plug. Just go for it. That's it. I've

00:56:54.940 --> 00:56:57.619
seen some of your podcasts. And we'll put your

00:56:57.619 --> 00:56:59.519
podcast link in our show notes as well. Thank

00:56:59.519 --> 00:57:02.619
you. But I only bring it up because I got to

00:57:02.619 --> 00:57:05.380
sit down with my mom and dad. I interviewed my

00:57:05.380 --> 00:57:09.659
parents. I saw. Yeah. sobbing halfway through

00:57:09.659 --> 00:57:14.139
it. Like, I got to do that. And that would never

00:57:14.139 --> 00:57:18.539
have happened had I, number one, stayed quiet

00:57:18.539 --> 00:57:20.179
during all the chaos from a couple years ago,

00:57:20.300 --> 00:57:23.159
or had I not had those great parents to push

00:57:23.159 --> 00:57:25.000
me out of my comfort zone when I was a really,

00:57:25.039 --> 00:57:27.500
really shy kid who had this crazy dream. There's

00:57:27.500 --> 00:57:29.780
just so much good that can come from being uncomfortable.

00:57:30.699 --> 00:57:33.800
Nick Saban, the former Alabama head coach, the

00:57:33.800 --> 00:57:35.460
greatest coach of all time in college football,

00:57:36.059 --> 00:57:37.940
The key to greatness, the key to success, get

00:57:37.940 --> 00:57:40.820
comfortable being uncomfortable. And I'm like,

00:57:40.860 --> 00:57:43.000
whew, I'm really good at being uncomfortable

00:57:43.000 --> 00:57:46.639
now. And I wouldn't change it. I always say that

00:57:46.639 --> 00:57:49.920
to people, whether I'm speaking at a college

00:57:49.920 --> 00:57:52.059
or university, anywhere, anyone who'll listen.

00:57:52.559 --> 00:57:56.679
I'm like, gosh, every time that I pushed through

00:57:56.679 --> 00:58:00.940
being uncomfortable, I realized, wow, I'm still

00:58:00.940 --> 00:58:05.159
here the next day. I woke up. and to live to

00:58:05.159 --> 00:58:08.360
see another day. And you realize, oh, I can do

00:58:08.360 --> 00:58:11.039
hard things because I survived the last one.

00:58:11.179 --> 00:58:13.980
So like, what are we waiting for? And the fact

00:58:13.980 --> 00:58:15.920
that life is going too fast. How am I 52 years

00:58:15.920 --> 00:58:19.880
old? I feel like so immature, so young, so energetic,

00:58:20.000 --> 00:58:22.119
but so much to do. And I feel like I have time

00:58:22.119 --> 00:58:25.079
to make up for because it took me too long in

00:58:25.079 --> 00:58:28.840
my own eyes, too long to get to this point where

00:58:28.840 --> 00:58:31.179
we can have this conversation and I cannot care

00:58:31.179 --> 00:58:33.679
if someone... doesn't like me. Like, man, we've

00:58:33.679 --> 00:58:36.079
got to teach our kids to get there a lot sooner.

00:58:36.340 --> 00:58:38.920
It's so inspirational. And also, thankfully,

00:58:38.960 --> 00:58:40.440
we live in this country, the greatest country

00:58:40.440 --> 00:58:42.719
on Earth, because you can't necessarily speak

00:58:42.719 --> 00:58:45.400
up in other places in the world. So we're very

00:58:45.400 --> 00:58:47.440
fortunate to be here. And that's part of our

00:58:47.440 --> 00:58:50.920
hope for this show. You know, our show is highlighting

00:58:50.920 --> 00:58:55.679
courageous, amazing people like you who went

00:58:55.679 --> 00:59:00.320
through the storm. And in every situation coming

00:59:00.320 --> 00:59:03.820
out of the storm, has made them stronger. And

00:59:03.820 --> 00:59:06.239
they've learned life lessons. And you know what?

00:59:06.320 --> 00:59:08.860
The next battle that might come around the corner

00:59:08.860 --> 00:59:11.059
is not going to be as hard. That's right. In

00:59:11.059 --> 00:59:13.400
fact, they tried to cancel us three times back

00:59:13.400 --> 00:59:16.059
to back. And the second one was not nearly as

00:59:16.059 --> 00:59:18.400
hard as the first one. And the third one was

00:59:18.400 --> 00:59:20.579
like, oh, this is easy. The third one was more

00:59:20.579 --> 00:59:24.199
about me. It was my first real rodeo. And the

00:59:24.199 --> 00:59:26.320
first two were her. I was like, I love it. But

00:59:26.320 --> 00:59:29.460
now we can't do that together. You know, I really

00:59:29.460 --> 00:59:32.030
love. And as painful as it is to see someone

00:59:32.030 --> 00:59:35.610
that you love have to endure it, like you knew,

00:59:35.670 --> 00:59:37.030
David, that you were going to get through it

00:59:37.030 --> 00:59:39.550
because you saw your wife do it. And then vice

00:59:39.550 --> 00:59:41.650
versa, you pull strength off of each other. I

00:59:41.650 --> 00:59:43.989
mean, I think that was the one thing because

00:59:43.989 --> 00:59:48.309
I just got divorced and I was very alone, literally

00:59:48.309 --> 00:59:50.510
and figuratively in that way. Certainly made

00:59:50.510 --> 00:59:53.590
me feel alone at work and all that. And it was,

00:59:53.590 --> 00:59:59.710
you know, intentional by many. And then. I don't

00:59:59.710 --> 01:00:01.369
know. I'm grateful for it because that's where

01:00:01.369 --> 01:00:03.989
my faith went to another level because I did

01:00:03.989 --> 01:00:08.469
it alone. And now I know that I never were alone.

01:00:08.849 --> 01:00:10.969
You weren't alone. God was right by your side

01:00:10.969 --> 01:00:14.429
the whole time. And that's what I never was alone.

01:00:14.590 --> 01:00:18.809
I just had to turn my way of thinking because

01:00:18.809 --> 01:00:23.119
when it's dark and the entire. world was caving

01:00:23.119 --> 01:00:25.179
in on you and i and you know sponsorships and

01:00:25.179 --> 01:00:27.460
the financial aspect that was lost as well people

01:00:27.460 --> 01:00:29.659
can't i had contracts with people to speak at

01:00:29.659 --> 01:00:32.059
their events or to host an event and they just

01:00:32.059 --> 01:00:33.880
canceled them and i could have fought back and

01:00:33.880 --> 01:00:35.380
said well i signed it so you still have to pay

01:00:35.380 --> 01:00:37.980
me and i just i was i let it go i was embarrassed

01:00:37.980 --> 01:00:40.460
i was ashamed because they did a good job of

01:00:40.460 --> 01:00:43.900
making me feel that way and i allowed it um and

01:00:43.900 --> 01:00:47.480
so now i'm like go for it you're not gonna you're

01:00:47.480 --> 01:00:49.500
not gonna do it to me a second time that's for

01:00:49.500 --> 01:00:52.909
sure and i can i be cheesy i am getting I'm no

01:00:52.909 --> 01:00:57.469
longer alone in the physical way either. I met

01:00:57.469 --> 01:01:03.730
the man of my dreams who, it's all God. It's

01:01:03.730 --> 01:01:06.050
such a wonderful story. Our mothers end up, our

01:01:06.050 --> 01:01:08.789
mothers have known each other for 32 years and

01:01:08.789 --> 01:01:10.750
never known each other ourselves. We ran into

01:01:10.750 --> 01:01:13.110
each other at an event and like, wait, what?

01:01:13.250 --> 01:01:18.409
You're who? And so I'm grateful that I see you

01:01:18.409 --> 01:01:21.630
two together and your relationship. It's obvious.

01:01:22.400 --> 01:01:25.219
and i'm like and dave always says to me because

01:01:25.219 --> 01:01:26.860
he knows everything and he followed my story

01:01:26.860 --> 01:01:28.639
before we even met just because our mothers knew

01:01:28.639 --> 01:01:30.559
each other so he knew who i was and watched sports

01:01:30.559 --> 01:01:34.159
and one of the most beautiful things he's ever

01:01:34.159 --> 01:01:38.800
said to me um is he's like i watched from afar

01:01:38.800 --> 01:01:40.920
when you did this alone and i didn't know you

01:01:40.920 --> 01:01:42.739
were alone he said but now i know everything

01:01:42.739 --> 01:01:45.280
he goes we'll never ever have to do anything

01:01:45.280 --> 01:01:48.239
like that alone again hopefully i don't have

01:01:48.239 --> 01:01:51.599
to go through that again but if i do I know I

01:01:51.599 --> 01:01:53.519
can get through it because I already have. And

01:01:53.519 --> 01:01:56.960
it's really cool when you realize on all levels,

01:01:57.179 --> 01:02:00.719
right? Our reason, what we have in common is

01:02:00.719 --> 01:02:02.780
that we are here to stand up for others who have

01:02:02.780 --> 01:02:06.820
felt alone, who have felt afraid, who have been

01:02:06.820 --> 01:02:11.300
canceled and ostracized. And so that's my goal

01:02:11.300 --> 01:02:13.900
with speaking up in general. Can we say exclusively

01:02:13.900 --> 01:02:20.079
on Erase that Sage Steele is in love? Sure, sure.

01:02:20.719 --> 01:02:24.940
Breaking news. Breaking news, I like it. I put

01:02:24.940 --> 01:02:29.059
it out there on my Instagram. It's definitely

01:02:29.059 --> 01:02:33.739
the most likes I've had. And that was, it was

01:02:33.739 --> 01:02:38.739
crazy to see. It's also a reminder. There's so

01:02:38.739 --> 01:02:42.059
much more good than bad out there. There's so

01:02:42.059 --> 01:02:45.480
many more good, normal people who just want to

01:02:45.480 --> 01:02:48.809
live their own lives. And it's okay to disagree,

01:02:48.949 --> 01:02:52.030
but so many people love seeing others succeed

01:02:52.030 --> 01:02:56.429
and rebound and love seeing love in every way.

01:02:57.070 --> 01:02:59.769
And that's what we do need to focus on. Yes,

01:02:59.949 --> 01:03:01.789
our stories and sharing them so other people

01:03:01.789 --> 01:03:03.929
can stand up for themselves in whatever way.

01:03:04.050 --> 01:03:07.690
But also because there is a lot more good. It's

01:03:07.690 --> 01:03:10.250
just the media focuses on the opposite. And I

01:03:10.250 --> 01:03:12.590
think our job is also to highlight the positive

01:03:12.590 --> 01:03:15.570
aspects that can come from negative situations.

01:03:16.230 --> 01:03:18.849
Yeah. And the more and the more people fight

01:03:18.849 --> 01:03:22.840
back. The more people stand up, this will happen

01:03:22.840 --> 01:03:27.239
less and less. My hope is that ESPN learned something

01:03:27.239 --> 01:03:30.119
from what they went through with you and that

01:03:30.119 --> 01:03:32.679
they do make changes for other people that are

01:03:32.679 --> 01:03:34.960
there. So no one else has to experience that

01:03:34.960 --> 01:03:41.199
because it's not right. I hope so too. I am not

01:03:41.199 --> 01:03:44.880
holding my breath for the ESPN Disney's of the

01:03:44.880 --> 01:03:51.369
world, but I will say, You know, that was my

01:03:51.369 --> 01:03:54.070
other goal for standing up. Yes, for myself,

01:03:54.730 --> 01:03:59.230
for my kids. So corporations realize, you know

01:03:59.230 --> 01:04:01.530
what, it's just not necessary. It's just not

01:04:01.530 --> 01:04:03.690
necessary to do this to crush your people. Because

01:04:03.690 --> 01:04:07.389
what you're actually doing is saying, I don't

01:04:07.389 --> 01:04:09.610
know, approximately half of the country, you

01:04:09.610 --> 01:04:12.349
don't care if they buy your products. Like, that's

01:04:12.349 --> 01:04:15.829
just bad business. It's stupid. Why would you

01:04:15.829 --> 01:04:19.780
draw a line in the sand? It's so... mind -boggling

01:04:19.780 --> 01:04:22.039
to me. So that was my hope, is that corporations

01:04:22.039 --> 01:04:23.940
say, no, if we do this, there's going to be people

01:04:23.940 --> 01:04:27.639
like Sage who fight back. And we win, you know?

01:04:27.840 --> 01:04:29.519
So one final question. I know that you've said

01:04:29.519 --> 01:04:32.699
in the past that people are a little weak, you

01:04:32.699 --> 01:04:34.699
know? Maybe you've alluded to it here before,

01:04:34.820 --> 01:04:37.579
that people are afraid to speak up because they're

01:04:37.579 --> 01:04:40.139
making money, they're getting to rub elbows with

01:04:40.139 --> 01:04:43.139
famous people. What would you say to those people

01:04:43.139 --> 01:04:46.900
to help them grow a set or something, to speak

01:04:46.900 --> 01:04:49.760
in their truth? I've said that a lot. Grow a

01:04:49.760 --> 01:04:54.840
pair. Yeah. Honestly, to each his own. I really

01:04:54.840 --> 01:04:57.320
do believe that. My time came later than I would

01:04:57.320 --> 01:04:59.079
have wanted. And I probably, maybe there are

01:04:59.079 --> 01:05:00.440
people along the way who are frustrated with

01:05:00.440 --> 01:05:04.480
me for being quiet. I don't know. But I will

01:05:04.480 --> 01:05:05.980
say the longer you wait, the more you regret

01:05:05.980 --> 01:05:08.260
it. Then you're going to look back and say, damn,

01:05:08.300 --> 01:05:12.880
what took me so long? However, if you choose

01:05:12.880 --> 01:05:16.699
to stay quiet, then you can't complain. people

01:05:16.699 --> 01:05:20.719
who refuse to vote or educate themselves on the

01:05:20.719 --> 01:05:23.980
candidates and the issue. And then the wrong

01:05:23.980 --> 01:05:25.940
person gets in and then they bitch and moan about

01:05:25.940 --> 01:05:28.139
it. I'm like, no, you can't have it both ways.

01:05:28.400 --> 01:05:31.940
Like, did you do anything to help get your person

01:05:31.940 --> 01:05:34.360
elected? That's what I really, I got in trouble

01:05:34.360 --> 01:05:36.719
for this two years ago when people were kneeling

01:05:36.719 --> 01:05:39.059
for the national anthem after Donald Trump's

01:05:39.059 --> 01:05:43.349
first victory in 2016. and then the nfl and nba

01:05:43.349 --> 01:05:45.190
and all these people and a couple of them they're

01:05:45.190 --> 01:05:47.250
kneeling and they're so upset and they didn't

01:05:47.250 --> 01:05:52.210
even vote i'm like shut up like you have your

01:05:52.210 --> 01:05:55.909
opinion means nothing to me because you didn't

01:05:55.909 --> 01:05:58.889
even try to educate yourself and to better not

01:05:58.889 --> 01:06:01.070
just your family but your community especially

01:06:01.070 --> 01:06:04.190
when you many of these people have such massive

01:06:04.190 --> 01:06:07.590
platforms so i the one area where i'm not nice

01:06:07.590 --> 01:06:12.099
is with this women's sports issue and where women

01:06:12.099 --> 01:06:17.199
who claim to be feminists and men as well, that

01:06:17.199 --> 01:06:19.340
whole woke world, and they choose to be silent

01:06:19.340 --> 01:06:21.679
on this most basic of issues, which is not political,

01:06:21.880 --> 01:06:25.679
which is not partisan. Almost 90 % of Americans

01:06:25.679 --> 01:06:29.039
polled agree that men and boys should not be

01:06:29.039 --> 01:06:30.579
in women and girls sports. This is not that.

01:06:30.780 --> 01:06:32.980
This is not rocket science. This is actually

01:06:32.980 --> 01:06:35.760
just regular old science where we know the differences

01:06:35.760 --> 01:06:37.780
between boys and girls and men and women. So

01:06:37.780 --> 01:06:40.030
what are we doing? and that's the one part where

01:06:40.030 --> 01:06:44.090
i say shame on so many people men and women who

01:06:44.090 --> 01:06:46.469
choose to preach but don't practice it when it's

01:06:46.469 --> 01:06:48.210
the most basic it doesn't mean that there's not

01:06:48.210 --> 01:06:51.150
a place for trans people absolutely not but don't

01:06:51.150 --> 01:06:53.929
fight for 52 years for title ix and remain silent

01:06:53.929 --> 01:06:56.349
at the most important time now that's where i'm

01:06:56.349 --> 01:07:00.489
impatient that's where i um am beyond disappointed

01:07:00.489 --> 01:07:04.670
and so many people many of whom i know um who

01:07:04.670 --> 01:07:06.829
have chosen to stay silent because i always say

01:07:06.829 --> 01:07:12.599
if just A group of us got together, like female

01:07:12.599 --> 01:07:16.440
broadcasters, sportscasters. We cover this stuff.

01:07:17.059 --> 01:07:20.440
Or how about former NFL athletes who know damn

01:07:20.440 --> 01:07:24.019
well there's not a woman defensive tackle who's

01:07:24.019 --> 01:07:25.480
going to be able to come and compete. There's

01:07:25.480 --> 01:07:26.960
a reason it's only going one direction, that

01:07:26.960 --> 01:07:28.679
men are invading women's sports, not the other

01:07:28.679 --> 01:07:31.880
way around. Right. It's so obvious. If one of

01:07:31.880 --> 01:07:33.300
these groups or a couple of these groups would

01:07:33.300 --> 01:07:35.889
get together. It's easier because you realize

01:07:35.889 --> 01:07:37.989
you're not alone. But this crap would have never

01:07:37.989 --> 01:07:40.429
even gotten to this point. But too many weak

01:07:40.429 --> 01:07:44.369
people, women and men, are choosing to stay silent.

01:07:44.489 --> 01:07:47.190
And now girls are suffering. So that's the only

01:07:47.190 --> 01:07:50.429
place where I'm like, no. And the thing is, too,

01:07:50.530 --> 01:07:54.329
is that you claim to be a feminist, not you,

01:07:54.409 --> 01:07:57.190
but these feminists, and then they're okay with

01:07:57.190 --> 01:08:00.750
watching a beautiful young lady have her head

01:08:00.750 --> 01:08:03.550
bashed in? by a man who's saying that they're

01:08:03.550 --> 01:08:07.550
a girl i mean it's it's dangerous it's downright

01:08:07.550 --> 01:08:09.929
dangerous somebody's gonna get hurt they've been

01:08:09.929 --> 01:08:12.250
getting hurt they've been getting hurt and it's

01:08:12.250 --> 01:08:14.829
just it's heartbreaking that so many people i

01:08:14.829 --> 01:08:18.170
i they've sold their soul that's it that's they've

01:08:18.170 --> 01:08:20.729
sold their soul for a dollar and you know what

01:08:20.729 --> 01:08:25.550
you know it's it's sad but i'm hopeful one day

01:08:25.550 --> 01:08:28.789
i had this vision that you know, in a particular

01:08:28.789 --> 01:08:31.949
sport, you know, that all the women would just

01:08:31.949 --> 01:08:37.090
sit down while this he, she is trying to play.

01:08:37.170 --> 01:08:40.149
Just all together in unison, sit down and say,

01:08:40.229 --> 01:08:42.930
you want that guy to play against us? We are

01:08:42.930 --> 01:08:45.350
all sitting down. None of us are playing. How

01:08:45.350 --> 01:08:48.250
quick do you think this would be over if that

01:08:48.250 --> 01:08:51.449
happened? I think so. But what I will say is

01:08:51.449 --> 01:08:53.600
it shouldn't be up to them to do it. It should

01:08:53.600 --> 01:08:55.180
be up to the especially with these high school

01:08:55.180 --> 01:08:57.140
girls and stuff, the adults in the room who know

01:08:57.140 --> 01:08:58.420
that there are differences and they're putting

01:08:58.420 --> 01:09:00.640
these women and girls in tough places. And they're

01:09:00.640 --> 01:09:04.000
16, 17, 18. And being they're the ones that are

01:09:04.000 --> 01:09:06.659
being told to do, you know, to push through it,

01:09:06.659 --> 01:09:10.260
whatever. But for many, for the vast majority

01:09:10.260 --> 01:09:14.680
of kids, their last real competitive sports action

01:09:14.680 --> 01:09:16.939
is going to be in high school, not college. So

01:09:16.939 --> 01:09:19.760
if this is their last chance at the state swimming

01:09:19.760 --> 01:09:22.279
championships. Or track and field or whatever

01:09:22.279 --> 01:09:25.779
it is. And this is their last shot. Their whole

01:09:25.779 --> 01:09:28.140
life, they know this is it. And then they're

01:09:28.140 --> 01:09:31.140
going to step aside. Like, I understand why they

01:09:31.140 --> 01:09:33.659
don't. It breaks my heart. This is their last

01:09:33.659 --> 01:09:37.079
shot. So that's why shame on the people who are

01:09:37.079 --> 01:09:39.020
putting, allowing them to be put in the position.

01:09:39.279 --> 01:09:40.960
And that's why I love what President Trump is

01:09:40.960 --> 01:09:42.840
doing. And I don't know how it's going to play

01:09:42.840 --> 01:09:45.579
out exactly, but the crushing fines he plans

01:09:45.579 --> 01:09:48.680
to drop on the state of California. Good. That.

01:09:49.739 --> 01:09:53.039
Because they're being such idiots with it and

01:09:53.039 --> 01:09:56.760
allowing girls' spots to be taken by boys, unfortunately,

01:09:56.840 --> 01:09:59.579
the president has to step in. And unfortunately,

01:09:59.880 --> 01:10:03.220
sometimes it seems, no matter the topic, that

01:10:03.220 --> 01:10:06.140
the only way to get people to listen is if you

01:10:06.140 --> 01:10:07.699
hit them in the pocket. And that's what's been

01:10:07.699 --> 01:10:09.960
happening, and I'm glad. I'm glad, too. So clearly,

01:10:10.199 --> 01:10:13.460
cancellation is still alive and well, and anybody

01:10:13.460 --> 01:10:17.140
who suggests otherwise, their eyes are not open.

01:10:18.010 --> 01:10:20.170
a little girl who's been trying to pursue her

01:10:20.170 --> 01:10:22.550
sport forever, and she's top of her game, and

01:10:22.550 --> 01:10:25.729
then she's in fourth place because one of the

01:10:25.729 --> 01:10:27.729
top three is taken by some transgender athlete.

01:10:27.869 --> 01:10:31.729
It's just so wholly unfair. And there's so many

01:10:31.729 --> 01:10:34.569
other ways people incorrectly called out in a

01:10:34.569 --> 01:10:37.789
Me Too accusation. They come in all different

01:10:37.789 --> 01:10:41.890
flavors. Sage Steele, thank you so much for being

01:10:41.890 --> 01:10:44.130
on our show. Really appreciate you. Thanks for

01:10:44.130 --> 01:10:46.229
sharing your story, and we wish you the best

01:10:46.229 --> 01:10:49.130
of luck. God makes no mistakes, and your future

01:10:49.130 --> 01:10:51.210
is as bright as ever, bigger and more abundant

01:10:51.210 --> 01:10:54.529
than ever. That's our prayer for you. Yes. Thank

01:10:54.529 --> 01:10:56.510
you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank

01:10:56.510 --> 01:10:58.010
you, and thank you for what you all are doing.

01:10:58.270 --> 01:11:01.250
Sure. I'm so glad that you guys got canceled

01:11:01.250 --> 01:11:03.770
a few years ago, because now what? Thank you.