Jerome Bettis: Super Bowl Champion known as The Bus talks journey from the Detroit streets to NFL Hall of Fame, Pittsburgh's Pride, his family legacy, Notre Dame and defines today's franchise Running Back and what makes Saquon Barkley different

"The name on my back was always my moral compass." Jerome Bettis Here comes the Bus! Yes Pivot Family, we have an epic episode as Ryan, Channing, and Fred sit with NFL legend and Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, known in the football world as “The Bus.” Bettis shares stories from his humble beginnings to strong family bonds to renowned football career to his life journey making it from the streets of Detroit to the fame walls of Canton and inspiring moments along the way. Very few organizations have the identity the Pittsburgh Steelers have and Jerome Bettis is very clear on how that football organization shaped not just his play on the field but his way of life in how he approached every aspect of life. He recounts how Pittsburgh’s blue-collar mentality resonated with him, how the locker room shared in a special camaraderie with players embracing the culture that created the team's collective drive for greatness. Starting the conversation off with a little fun reflecting on the old rivalry between Bettis and Freddy T back in the days where Fred would have some of his best games vs the Pittsburgh Steelers which transitions the guys into talking the current state of the NFL, specifically the diminishing value of running backs and how today’s offenses have shifted away from the power running game Backs like them thrived in. Bettis calls out how Philadelphia being in the Super Bowl is no surprise since the team acquired Saquon who in Bettis' mind, is the ideal Franchise running back along with Derrick Henry, who both proved a strong ground game is a must for a team's longevity. Speaking of Super Bowl, Bettis recounts the pivotal moment that shaped his decision to delay retirement: a conversation with his late teammate Clark Haggans about playing the big game in Bettis' hometown of Detroit and how he couldn't miss that run. His decision led to a full circle moment capping his career with a storybook ending winning a Super Bowl title with his Pittsburgh Steelers. The discussion dives into Bettis’ early life in inner-city Detroit, where football wasn’t initially on his radar. He candidly shares how his high school coach helped steer him away from the streets, convincing him that he had the talent to play in the NFL. Bettis credits this intervention as his pivotal moment, leading him to Notre Dame, where legendary coach Lou Holtz recruited him and paved the way for a new opportunity. He opens up on moments of humility, including a funny story about winning Rookie of the Year but still being required to take out the trash at his parents’ house as well as insights into his father’s advice to always protect the family name and the pride he felt seeing fans wear his jersey...a constant reminder to uphold a standard of excellence. A journey filled with so many highs and powerful moments, Bettis never shys away from the lessons learned along the way, although he jokes he didn't think his own teammate Ryan would bring up the hardest one to talk about. Emotion masked with laughter, Bettis reflects on how his career could have ended so much differently after fumbling the opportunity of his life-long dream in the AFC Championship game vs the Indianapolis Colts. He takes Ryan, Channing and Fred through the rollercoaster of emotions in that few second span and how humility turned to hope and how his life was forever changed for the better and his legacy cemented in history books. With humor, wisdom, and candid storytelling, this episode highlights the many sides of Jerome Bettis—from the relentless competitor to the devoted family man. You don't need to be a Steelers fan to appreciate this powerful story filled with inspiration, lessons, prayer, perseverance, humility, and the pursuit of greatness. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money http://rocketmoney.com/pivot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  Having uncontrolled eosinophilic esophagitis, or E O E, can mean you're stuck in many ways. Like cutting your food into tiny pieces.

• 0:11Speaker 00

  Or stuck, chewing food for a long time.

• 0:15Speaker 00

  Dupixent Dupilumab, a prescription medicine for patients one year and older weighing at least 33 pounds, can help with that. It's a breakthrough treatment that can reduce inflammation in the esophagus and improve swallowing.

• 0:28Speaker 00

  How about this? Dupixent is not a steroid. It proactively treats E O E, so you can get ahead of it.

• 0:34Speaker 01

  Severe allergic reactions, including skin reactions, can occur. Get help right away if you have trouble breathing, or wheezing, or swelling of your face, mouth, tongue, or throat. Tell your doctor of newer worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection, or asthma. Don't change or stop other treatments without talking to your doctor.

• 0:49Speaker 00

  Feeling stuck with E O E? Start treating with Dupixent. Talk to your gastroenterologist or allergist today about Dupixent. Learn more at dupixent.com or call 1-844-DUPIXENT.

• 1:00Ryan Clark?

  There he is, yeah. My dog, Bussin'.

• 1:03Speaker 03

  What up, bro?

• 1:04Ryan Clark?

  Thank you, brother. Appreciate you.

• 1:05Channing Crowder?

  When they had the laser tape.

• 1:08Channing Crowder?

  Before they knew about the laser tape.

• 1:11Fred Taylor?

  You know, I'm good.

• 1:12Speaker 03

  Thanks for having me, boys. I'm proud of you, man.

• 1:15Ryan Clark?

  I'm so glad to have you here, man. Because Fred, all he ever talk about, Bussin', man, every time I played Pittsburgh, they was, "I put up 200."

• 1:22Speaker 03

  He did.

• 1:25Speaker 03

  That's what, man, we did not want to see. It was, it was a black and blue division, right?

• 1:29Fred Taylor?

  Yeah.

• 1:30Speaker 03

  Except for him. Everybody was like, the running back gonna be right here. And they, boom, that's what it's all. This is here, like, he gonna be here? Then he... He don't. He used to, he used to break off more long runs against us. Every time we played, he had a 60-yard run. It's like, are you kidding me? He was...

• 1:50Fred Taylor?

  Y'all, y'all set the tone, man. If you're gonna do anything in the league, you gotta go through the steel curtain. You gotta find a way to keep you off the field. And anything, it was, uh, Stu was back there too. A lot of times and, you know, it was just something about playing against dogs. Like that has to bring their best out you, catching up with these guys. Even the Dolphins had some real good defense.

• 2:13Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah.

• 2:14Fred Taylor?

  So that, you just try and, you know, you try to do your best. And a lot of times it kind of happened.

• 2:21Speaker 03

  His best, his best was always against Pittsburgh. I mean, I gotta say, do your best, you ain't gotta do it against us every time though. You know, I, it's cool to see y'all. It was.

• 2:31Fred Taylor?

  AFC Central, the old AFC Central, that was the real deal.

• 2:34Speaker 03

  It was real football. And you look at the game now and the, the running game is not the same. And it's not because you don't need to run the football. You still need to run the football, right? The problem is you don't have the same caliber of running backs that's coming out of colleges every year. Because when we were coming out, you had two or three dogs coming out every year at, at the running back position. You're like, man, this guy gonna be good, he gonna be good, he gonna be good.

• 3:06Fred Taylor?

  Right.

• 3:06Speaker 03

  You don't have that in you.

• 3:07Fred Taylor?

  Let RC get into the show, I got a point I want to make.

• 3:10Speaker 03

  You go ahead, mate.

• 3:11Ryan Clark?

  Okay.

• 3:33Ryan Clark?

  The voice you hear, the face you see is Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, Pittsburgh Steeler fame, Notre Dame Fighting Irish fame as well. Actually did my son show him, so I was so grateful, man. Thank you so much for that. Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor, I'm Ryan Clark, Pivot fam. Thank you for pivoting with us. Freddie, you may continue.

• 3:52Fred Taylor?

  No, I, I believe there is a lot of dogs. I think they're trying to dilute us. They trying to make us extinct and get rid of the position, kind of phase us out a little bit. The dogs aren't like they used to be, I agree. But it's still some really good talented backs that are coming out. It's just that, uh, kind of like the NBA, centers aren't. The position that they go after. Running backs used to be that position. But it's just that evolution of the game has changed and they're kind of pushing us to the back.

• 4:21Speaker 03

  So you say the center position, right? But here's, I think it's a similar situation as running backs. So the center position has changed because in middle school, the kid that's 6'8", 6'9", who you figure is gonna be a center? Now he wants to dribble the ball because now they're saying you need to be a wing, right? You need to be able to shoot the three, right? So now his skills back to the basket not the same as they used to be. The drop step, down, the switch. All of that is a little different now because now they need to, you know, swing with the ball, be in a triple threat position, be able to dribble. You're seven foot, what are you doing, right? But now the game has changed.

• 5:01Speaker 03

  So if football has changed because the running backs used to play running back and then sometimes they would play linebacker on defense, right? If you went both ways. So now because these offenses go lateral and not downhill, they want a smaller running back. So in high school, that guy who could have been a 220-pound running back, he's now a 220-pound linebacker. And he's now switched to linebacker. Because he's still fast, right? He's still aggressive, he's downhill, but he's playing linebacker now when he would have been a 220-pound running back. And he would have been playing at Florida, Georgia, LSU, all these schools.

• 5:42Speaker 03

  Now they're getting smaller guys because this offense is more sideways and lateral than it is downhill.

• 5:49Fred Taylor?

  It's the rules, they're going back to the rules.

• 5:51Ryan Clark?

  Your career, right, a stellar career, I think just changed the way, even in your time, you were a different back than many of the backs you played with. A huge reason to me that that Hall of Fame career was capped was winning the Super Bowl in your hometown of Detroit. A friend of ours, both of ours, passed recently, Clark Hagens. You know, I was there at his funeral and... I heard that Clark Hagens, though, one of the things he did while he was here is a huge reason that you got that Super Bowl. Can you tell me that story?

• 6:28Speaker 03

  So, the year, I think it's 2005 or 2004, we lost in the AFC Championship game, and we lost to Tom Brady and the Patriots, of course, right? And so, at that point, that was my 12th season, so I figured, man, this is it, I'm done. I mean, the three and a six starting to stretch apart a little farther, you know what I'm saying? I'm like, this is it, alright? And, so, after the game, the next day, we know you had your team meeting, the whole deal, and I asked Coach, could I talk to the team? And he was like, sure, right? And I just got up in front of everybody and really told the team that I was retiring. This was it, thank you for being incredible teammates, you know what I'm saying?

• 7:12Speaker 03

  It was a great ride, all of that. And, I mean, now the dry eye in the house, everybody, you know, tear it up. And so, that was it. After that meeting, Coach Kyler pulled me in and said, just don't, don't be so, you know, certain. He said, just give it some time, it's the pain of losing, I get it. He said, but, but think about it. I said, nah, I'm pretty, I'm pretty much good. Well, at the time, my wife was, was pregnant, my, my daughter was, was on her way, and as it turns out, I was, I was the first alternate for the Pro Bowl. Corey Dillon was, he, he broke his ribs in the, in the, in the Super Bowl, I think it was, something like that.

• 7:57Speaker 03

  And so, he couldn't play in the Pro Bowl, so I was the first alternate, so I go. So now, I'm just 12 years in, and I, I'm talking to my wife, and we, we got a baby, new baby girl, and she's, she's premature, so I didn't even want to go to the Pro Bowls. But I talked to my wife, I said, listen, What do you think, you know, our daughter Jada, she's in the hospital. You know, they want me to go to the Pro Bowl. What do you think? She said, well, you know, this will be a way, if you are going to retire, to get that taste, bad taste out of your mouth. Finish on a high, right? Having gone to the Pro Bowl. So that was the first hurdle. So then I do go. And just so happens, that year, we were 15 and 1. So we had like eight guys in the Pro Bowl.

• 8:41Speaker 03

  So with those eight guys, each guy brought a couple of teammates. So we had about 20 guys, 20 Steeler guys at the, at the Pro Bowl. And because we lost in the AFC Championship, the coaching staff was there, right? And because the coaching staff was there, Mr. Rooney decided to come. And he, they threw a big Steeler luau, right, for everybody. So we go to the luau, and I'll never forget, two guys. It was Larry Foot and Clark Higgins. And they say, man, JB, you, this is gonna be terrible, man. We gonna go to Detroit. We gonna win a championship in Detroit, your hometown.

• 9:20Speaker 03

  Larry said that, then Clark said, yeah, bussy, man, it's gonna be a shame. We gonna miss you. I was looking like, what? I didn't know that Super Bowl was in Detroit the next year. I mean, my mind was always on that year, that year. We didn't go to Super Bowl. It, I think it was in Tampa, it was in, it was in New Orleans, I think, that year. So I, I didn't even think about next year. And, and when, when Larry told me it was gonna be back at the crib, he, I was like, oh, man. And then Clark was like, man, we gonna miss you, right? And it was like, hold up, dawg, you ain't gonna miss me. Hold up, hold up, hold up. Just wait a minute. You know what I mean? It was one of that moments, you like, just wait a second, man. Stop talking. Let me think about this.

• 10:04Speaker 03

  And I left going home from that trip. And I said, okay, I gotta, I gotta, I gotta talk to the wife, right? Cause she already know I'm done, Alice, right? So I get back, I said, babe, um, I'm, I'm, I'm thinking about, you know, giving it one more shot. What you think? And she said, if you asking me, you already made up your mind.

• 10:33Speaker 03

  So when that happened, man, I called Coach and I was like, Coach, yeah, I will, I will do, I would, I would come back one more time. I said, but I'm gonna need a raise.

• 10:46Speaker 03

  Because that year I had to take a pay cut because they had brought in Deuce Davis.

• 10:51Channing Crowder?

  Yeah.

• 10:52Speaker 03

  And I was like, and Deuce got hurt and I ended up starting like eight, nine games. I was at a thousand yards. I was like, listen, you paid me to be a backup. Yeah, you paid me to start eight, nine games. I said, I need a raise. So they, he gave, he gave me a raise and then I came back, man, and made history. But it was close. We were last team to get in the playoffs. So I mean, it, it wasn't like a, a beautiful story after it all happened. We went and we was, we would, we sucked, but then we, we made it happen.

• 11:21Channing Crowder?

  How, how could you, how could you decide to hang it up and still do it? A lot of guys get forced out the game.

• 11:27Speaker 03

  You know what? Because I, I, I was one of those guys that said, if I can't go out and Coach, Coach Cowherd was, that partly was his fault. Because what he would always do is, he would always say, if, if 36 is out on the field, I know what I'm getting, right? He would always kind of, he would say that, right? And you know, I don't, I don't worry about him. Like when you know, guys would, you know, would, would talk about different players. Hey, what do you think about that? Well, if 36 is on the field, I don't worry about him, right? And that was always his mindset. And he would always say, if 36, oh, you ready? Okay, we good. And so that was always kind of our thing. And he would always kind of, kind of put that thought, you know, out in the, in the world.

• 12:13Speaker 03

  And so my mindset was if I'm, if I can't give all of what I'm capable of, right? If I'm not the same player, then I need to step away. And because I always would tell the, the running backs behind me that were in that running back room, your job is to beat me. You should want to be the starting running back, right? I would always tell them at the training camp, you should want to beat me. If you do not want my job, then you shouldn't be here, right? Because my, my job was to make sure our running back room was the best room it could be. Because I could get hurt tomorrow. And if I get hurt and if y'all not ready, then I'm a poor leader.

• 12:56Speaker 03

  And then so I would always say to myself, man, if I can't. Get it done. If I'm not able to do it, then I'm gonna step away from it. And so I was, I was at that point in my career where, you know, I was starting to get beat up, injuries, this and that. And I just didn't feel as though I could give 100%, right? And so that was the initial thought. And then when the Detroit idea came, I said, well, shit, I know I can muster it up for one more. I can give him 92 and a half. I get it. I get it. Whoa, whoa. Easy 36 out there. He might be 35 and a half, but he gonna be close. He gonna be good enough.

• 13:38Speaker 03

  So I, I said, I knew I could put it together and, uh, and get one more.

• 13:44Fred Taylor?

  You can go back home and say, what up, though?

• 13:46Speaker 03

  That's what I'm doing. You know what I'm saying?

• 13:48Fred Taylor?

  Well, no, you're, you're a true man, one of one. There was never a back like you. There'd never be another back like you. I mean, the things you were able to do at that size, speed, everything, you know, it, it's kind of ushered in. Teams wanting to try to copycat that and they couldn't replicate it at all. Uh, but I want to go back to, in that uniqueness in itself, the bus. Like, what's the origin of that? I remember my first game and we played you guys in Pittsburgh. I saw a commercial. You have like cornflakes, cereal and everything.

• 14:22Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 14:23Fred Taylor?

  With the bus on it. Like, that whole bus thing, where did that start?

• 14:26Speaker 03

  All right, great question. So a lot of people think it started in Pittsburgh and it didn't. It actually started at Notre Dame. And what happened was there was somebody, some, a kid wrote an article in the student newspaper that he remind, I reminded him of a bus, whatever. And I don't know the, I don't quite remember the analogy it took. It was taking kids to school or whatever, taking them for a ride. But whatever it was, it stuck. And so when I used to have a run, a big run, 8, 10 yards, the whole student body would say, nobody stops the bus, right? And so I did with Chad, right? And it was cool, right? It's like, all right. My special teams coach at Notre Dame.

• 15:08Speaker 03

  We used to joke all the time. He used to call me Bussy, right? So he'd be like, and our joke was how I feel today, right? Because, you know, I was always, I always had that ability to make people miss, right? Big guy, but I was still kind of agile. So he'd be like, "Bussy, how much you weigh today?" I'd say, "Ooh, I'm about 220 today." He was like, "Oh, you gonna have a good one today, right?" So we used to joke like that, right? And every game, he'd come ask me, every single game. "Bussy, how much you weigh?" "Oh, oh boy, I'm about 240." Oh, he said, "Oh, somebody gonna pay today." Oh, right? So he would always have something, a response to if I said I'm lighter. "Oh, you in trouble." If I was heavy, "Oh, they gonna get it." So he ended up leaving, going to Wisconsin, right? And coaching for Barry Alvarez in Wisconsin.

• 15:53Speaker 03

  When I went to the Steelers, so, you know, I go to the Rams. Then they, my nickname was the Battering Ram. They used to call me that, right? So when I got back to Pittsburgh, we were playing, the first, the first preseason I was in Pittsburgh, we were playing Green Bay. And the coach, his name is Jay Hayes, right? He had a brother that was the tight end in Pittsburgh named Jonathan Hayes, okay? But what happened was, he brought his kids to see their uncle, right? So he sees me in the lobby, and he says, "Bussy." Because I hadn't seen him in years. He said, "Bussy, what's up? I ain't seen it."

• 16:37Speaker 03

  So we, we, well, the Steelers broadcasters were sitting there, and they heard the interaction. And they were like, "Bussy." And then we had a famous broadcaster named Myron Coke. He's the guy, the originator of the terrible towel. And he had a very distinctive voice, and he was like, "The bus, look at the bus go." Right? And that's kind of was his, his stick, right? "I'm the bus." And then he said on that preseason game, "Ah, he kind of looks like a bus, right? I just nicknamed him the bus, right?" And so it stuck, right? And they start going, and we had black, you know, yellow pants, black. So it looked like a school bus, so.

• 17:22Speaker 03

  When he said it, Bill Hillgrove, he was the other announcer. He says, "Yeah, his nickname is the bus." And then he's like, "He kinda looks like a bus." And then that was it. And then we started, everybody started calling me bus. And I really didn't like it at first, right? Because I'm in the mall, and I'm like, "Hey, bus." And I'm like, "Dude, I'm not a bus," right? Because I'm thinking, it could be something sexier. He could have me in a Cadillac or something, right? Or something. Because when I was at Notre Dame, the offensive line coach, Joe Moore, famous offensive line coach, he used to call me, "Big as a truck, quick as a caddy, that's why they call him Big Daddy," right? So I was like, "I like that." "I like Big Daddy, I like that." But then when everybody started calling me the bus, I was like, "No, no, no."

• 18:07Speaker 03

  But then it was out of control, because then everybody started calling me. I was like, "Man, okay." But then I was like, "All right, it is what it is, I'm gonna go with it." And so, I had no choice, because the fans kinda had spoken, right? And they were like, "You the bus." And so, it worked. And then, black, yellow, let's school bus. So then I embraced it. And that was the rest of it.

• 18:31Ryan Clark?

  But see, I've now gotten to experience Notre Dame, right? We're SEC guys, you know, two Florida guys, LSU guys. We have, for sure, an elitist opinion on what football is, and what football tradition is. But getting to be there, man, it was just totally different, you know? And I've said this many times publicly, that's why I wanted to go to school. I fell in love with Tony Rice. Watching him play, Major Harris of West Virginia in the bowl game, all those things, you know? And to see the reverence they have for Lou Holtz, and I know he recruited you. What was it like the first time Lou Holtz comes to your house in Detroit to recruit Jerome Bettis?

• 19:15Speaker 03

  So, it's a funny story kinda leading into that. So, I grew up in the city of Detroit, right? In the hood, hood, hood. So, when the coaches would come to see me, all of them would get a big Cadillac, right? Everybody wanted to impress the other. So, all these coaches would come to the school in these big old Cadillacs. And I'm gonna reiterate, I was in the hood, right? It was grimy. So they would all come and just so happened Notre Dame comes this one day and there's a couple of schools that's there. And somebody runs back in the gym. One of the Cadillacs is gone, right?

• 19:55Speaker 03

  So they're like, oh, so then you see the scramble, all the coaches kind of, you know, going out to see, they hitting their button to see if it's their, if it's their car that was stolen, right? So it would just have to be two white Cadillacs that was next to each other, one, and the Notre Dame white Cadillac, his was still there, right?

• 20:15Speaker 03

  So fast forward, Coach Holtz is coming to the house now. I mean, Coach Holtz coming, it's 1990, 88, they just won championships, so they hot as ever. So he pulls up and the whole neighborhood is outside, you know, like, Coach Holtz coming, we want to see. In his form, he's great, I mean, he's so quick with everything. He pulls up and kind of, he's, you know, let's see everybody, you know, everybody on their porches and down there. And he's in a big old Cadillac and he says, hey Jerome, do you think the Cadillac could be good here?

• 20:50Speaker 03

  But everybody knew what had happened, it kind of got stolen, he was like, you think the Cadillac could be good here? And then everybody bust out laughing, right? And so he just broke the ice so well, right? Came into the house, man, and he was just, it, it was incredible, right? And coming to the house and then as soon as he came in the house, he knew in five minutes who the decision maker was. Mom. Mom, he went right to her, so he just pulled me and we like, me and my dad, we like, we right here. I mean, why, why you just talking to her, you need to be, and she like, uh huh, uh huh. He said, oh, you love the campus, it's so beautiful, da, da, da.

• 21:32Speaker 03

  And we're like, what's going on, right? And so as soon as he got up, Lee, you going to Notre Dame. You going to Notre Dame, I'm like, hold up, hold up, time out, time out. But, but he was just, he was incredible at how he was able to, uh, just manage and control the room and introduce it. It was, he was incredible and I'm just, it was an honor to have played for him, special man.

• 21:56Speaker 00

  Having uncontrolled eosinophilic esophagitis, or E O E, can mean you're stuck in many ways, like cutting your food into tiny pieces.

• 22:06Speaker 00

  Or stuck chewing food for a long time.

• 22:11Speaker 00

  Dupixent Dupilumab, a prescription medicine for patients one year and older weighing at least 33 pounds, can help with that. It's a breakthrough treatment that can reduce inflammation in the esophagus and improve swallowing.

• 22:24Speaker 00

  How about this? Dupixent is not a steroid. It proactively treats E O E, so you can get ahead of it.

• 22:29Speaker 01

  Severe allergic reactions, including skin reactions, can occur. Get help right away if you have trouble breathing, or wheezing, or swelling of your face, mouth, tongue, or throat. Tell your doctor of new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection, or asthma. Don't change or stop other treatments without talking to your doctor.

• 22:44Speaker 00

  Feeling stuck with E O E? Start treating with Dupixent. Talk to your gastroenterologist or allergist today about Dupixent. Learn more at dupixent.com or call 1-844-DUPIXENT.

• 22:55Channing Crowder?

  And by this funny, he was at South Carolina when I was coming out. Same thing. He went straight to my mom.

• 23:02Speaker 03

  Straight to your mom, right?

• 23:03Channing Crowder?

  How you doing, Coach? Oh, okay. Yeah, he gonna go, hey, Miss Pauline, how you doing? Yeah, he know, he know, he know the game.

• 23:10Speaker 03

  He know the game.

• 23:11Channing Crowder?

  But that, that legacy, because your son is now there.

• 23:14Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 23:14Channing Crowder?

  Is that legacy, does it mean as much now? Because even Ryan, LSU, but Joe went to Arizona State and Notre Dame. And now with these new NILs and all that stuff, like, that's a beautiful story, but I think that, I don't know if that dynamic's still gonna be there now, but what's going on?

• 23:30Speaker 03

  So, here's the difference. It's, it's a different kid that's going to go to Notre Dame. Because at Notre Dame, it's, it's different. Because we can all talk about it, it's just, it's not. It's not all football. Where you can go some, you go some places where it is, I mean, you go crazy, love SEC. It is insane, it is football. And it is at its finest because living, living in, in, in Georgia for these last, you know, 19 years. I've been able to see SEC and been, you know, immersed in it. Went down, spoke, uh, at University of Florida for, for their, and spoke to, uh,

• 24:15Speaker 03

  spoke with the Clemson team, did all this. And just really seeing diff, the differences, ACC, SEC. And it is football mania. And, but it's something different at Notre Dame where the kids there understand that it's, it's football, yes. But it's, it's something else and it's hard to kind of put a finger on what that is, but it's different. And I believe in this NIL era, yes, you're still going to be, uh, a part of that that's going to be, hey, you gotta play to play, it's, it's not even, that's not mistake what it is, right? It's business.

• 24:59Speaker 03

  Um, but I believe that Notre Dame can, can play in that space as well. But still keeping their identity of what they are. So I don't believe that this is a one-off. I think you got the right coach, um, that has the right message. And he's got an 800-pound gorilla of university behind him that will give him the resources that he needs. But I believe he's going about it a different way. And much like Clemson, the way they're looking at it, they're saying, we're not going to do this portal thing, we're going to do it our way, right? And you can commend them for what they're doing.

• 25:40Speaker 03

  And I think Notre Dame has a similar philosophy in terms of we're going to do it our way. It may not look like everybody else, we may not do that, but we're gonna get a select group of guys that's gonna make a difference for us and our program. And we're gonna have a base group of kids that believes in this philosophy, right? And that they're gonna be selfless, they're not gonna think about themselves individually, right? And they're gonna, they're gonna look for the best outcome for everybody, and they'll benefit as a result of that. And I think that's kind of the, the philosophy they're taking. And, you know, we have to be proven that it doesn't work.

• 26:23Channing Crowder?

  We just saw it work.

• 26:25Speaker 03

  We just saw it work.

• 26:26Channing Crowder?

  I, I'll test through it quickly before they go. We go to a lot of colleges and see different teams. We went to South Bend, they had me in a church looking at a big ass organ. I was like, man, I want a beer.

• 26:40Speaker 03

  Where am I at? You're like, where am I at? And we, we having football game tomorrow?

• 26:44Channing Crowder?

  People go to see the Basilica, man.

• 26:46Speaker 03

  They go to, they go to the school for that.

• 26:48Channing Crowder?

  That's right. It's a big ass piano, y'all, I'm just.

• 26:53Speaker 03

  Man, you wanna know who play that?

• 26:56Fred Taylor?

  We, we were in the same room, but we can all agree, because we spoke to the team. Coach Freeman brought us in, certainly had a great time, man, and can, can see why a kid would wanna go there, right? Uh, well, my question to you, Bussie, is, in the inner city of Detroit, how did they get you to, to go from the inner city to a South Bend, Indiana, like?

• 27:20Speaker 03

  Yeah, great question. But, so, it was twofold. One, it was, the football side was important in that, coming out of high school, I was a, I was a two-way All-American, so I was an All-American linebacker. And I was, at that time, a better linebacker than I was running back. So, most of the colleges wanted me to play linebacker. All the Big Ten schools, Alabama, Miami, all the, everybody really wanted me to play linebacker. But I knew, and my, my high school coach told me, you're, you're too short to play linebacker at the next level, right?

• 28:01Speaker 03

  He had coached Pepper Johnson, um, for the New York Giants, and he, you know. And Pep went to Ohio State and had success, so he knew what that looks like, right? And he said, you're just gonna be undersized, so you'll be a prototypical fullback, right? Because at that time, my size and the speed, everything, it's like, you're gonna be perfect there. So, he convinced me that that was the right way to go. And it came down to all the schools that I was visiting.

• 28:33Speaker 03

  They, I selected them because they were gonna allow me to play running. And it came down to Michigan, Notre Dame. And being from Detroit, that Michigan influence was huge, right? And they were pressing, pressing, pressing. But they wanted me to play inside linebacker. And that was the biggest thing. And my father was big on education, education, education, education, right? And so, the three schools that I ultimately was deciding against was USC, Notre Dame, and Michigan. And once I kind of picked those schools, my father took a step back. He said, okay, good, all those schools got great educational backgrounds. I'm not concerned at all about that. Because you gotta remember, nobody in my family ever played football.

• 29:18Speaker 03

  I didn't play football until my freshman year of high school. So I didn't play little league. And the only reason I played football was to get a scholarship. So my thinking was, I'm gonna take advantage of this opportunity and get this college degree. Because I don't even know about football. I never played football, I never watched football on television much. So I didn't know a lot about any of that. So it was about getting a degree. And then, when I'd started to get into it, Notre Dame was gonna let me play fullback. And they wanted me to be the fullback. And Michigan wanted me to be the starting linebacker my freshman year. But I wanted to play fullback, right? And they had just got the number one running back in the country. His name was Ricky Powers, from Akron, Ohio, I believe. And so, he went there.

• 30:03Speaker 03

  And the last thing that sold me was Bo Schembechler was retiring that Christmas Day.

• 30:11Speaker 03

  Christmas Eve, he went to see Ricky Powers, right? And that told me that Ricky Powers was the number one guy in that recruiting class. And he was a tailback. And they were saying, oh, we could play you like Leroy Hord, you'll play fullback, tailback. And once they saw I wanted to play running, oh, you can do that. But I knew he was gonna get the ball. He the man, you know what I'm saying? He's, you know, the head coach the day before he retired, go to see him.

• 30:40Ryan Clark?

  He ain't come see me.

• 30:40Speaker 03

  He ain't come see me. He went right by my house. I'm 30 minutes down the road, he went right by me. He didn't even come by on the backside. He could've gave it back, back. Let me stop here on the way in to come see him. He didn't do none of that, right? So I knew then, he was the guy for them. Coach Hope said, if you come, not only you play fullback, we won't recruit another fullback for a year or two, right? So I was like, okay. You showing me your commitment. And that really sold the deal for me going to Notre Dame and not going to Michigan because I probably would've went to Michigan had he not sold me on that.

• 31:21Ryan Clark?

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• 31:33Speaker 03

  Y'all know I love the financial side of things, or the lack of financial side of my coming out of my pocket, man. Rocket Money helped me out so much. They get in there, you give them your bank account number, your credit card, and they say everything that you're paying for. They've saved me so much money already. It's just January, so y'all have to lock into Rocket Money. They'll send you an email to unsubscribe, or they'll give you the number to unsubscribe. Rocket Money is a godsend.

• 31:51Fred Taylor?

  Yeah, man, I'm a witness. This year, I said I would be all about perspective. And sometimes it's knowing what to get rid of and what to live with. And for me, Rocket Money, I've been rocking with Rocket Money for the longest. They send you emails on uncategorized transactions and all these other different things. So you get those alerts, and those alerts remind you that I need this or I don't need that. So it's been a blessing in disguise for me.

• 32:08Ryan Clark?

  Man, getting Rocket Money was a game changer. They'll find your unwanted subscriptions, and they'll help you get rid of them. So none of those things will slip through the cracks. And Rocket Money has over 5 million users, and it also has saved over 500 million in canceled subscriptions. And they've saved Some of their members up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium services.

• 32:25Channing Crowder?

  RC, I'm one of their members now. Rocket Money, they will find your bills, scan your bills, and negotiate with those people to try to lower the bills. They're your personal financial advisors, almost, with your subscriptions, bro. You gotta get Rocket Money, man. I use them, you should use them. And they'll deal with customer service. I know y'all don't want to sit on the phone. Let Rocket Money sit on the phone. That's what they do. They're the best at it.

• 32:41Fred Taylor?

  Cancel those unwanted subscriptions and go and get Rocket Money. Go to rocketmoney.com/pivot. And now, back to the pivot.

• 32:48Ryan Clark?

  You mentioned your father's influence. When he dropped you off, he said, "I don't have money to give you, but I have a name, and don't mess that up." What did that mean to you going forward?

• 33:01Speaker 03

  I didn't understand it initially. At 18, you know, him dropping me off saying, "Okay, I get it. I understand that." And I didn't understand the significance of it until my last name was on my back. And I got an opportunity to play in the NFL. And then I got a chance to see people wear my jersey. And so, I had a different thought about people wearing my jersey. For me, that was the ultimate honor, that somebody chose me and my name, right, to wear on their back.

• 33:43Speaker 03

  And so, I always felt I needed to uphold that standard of what that means, because they got a lot of choices. They could have picked any other great players that played with this franchise. They chose me, right? So that means something. So, I always took that. And that thought of what my father said to me would ring there, because I understood that I can't mess it up. This ain't mine. This ain't mine. This is his, right? And so, that was always the thought whenever it was time for me to make a bad decision. I say, ah, okay, I know, I'm gonna fall back.

• 34:22Speaker 03

  And so that really became my moral compass as I continued down my path. Yeah, I made a bunch of mistakes. I'm not here to say I didn't, you know what I'm saying? But when it was those crossroad moments where you can go down this way, go down. I understood that, that that was the important part of it. Because I made some bigger mistakes in high school that, that fortunately didn't hurt me. But once I got to college and got through college, got to NFL, I understood what my dad was saying.

• 34:58Ryan Clark?

  I wanted to ask you about that. You know, when you were mentioning being recruited, you kept saying, I grew up in Detroit, the hood, hood. But you did grow up with both parents as well. But as someone that grew up with both parents, I understand that once I'm out of the house, those decisions are mine.

• 35:13Speaker 03

  Are mine.

• 35:14Ryan Clark?

  Right, those friends are mine, those people I surround myself with are mine. And you mentioned some mistakes you made. How did you avoid or who helped you avoid those mistakes taking you down a road that doesn't lead to the Hall of Fame?

• 35:32Speaker 03

  My high school coach, I gotta give him a lot of credit because he came into my house. Once he had heard that, that I was, you know, had some kids in the school, possibly selling drugs, having something to do with drugs. He, he didn't know quite what was going on, but he was like, this is not right. This doesn't sound like him and this something. So he came to, to my house and talked to my mom and dad, told them what he had heard and wasn't sure, but did not want this to happen. And he, I'll never forget, he sat in, in our living room and said, "Rome, you have the ability to play on Sunday."

• 36:15Speaker 03

  He said, "But you're going to ruin it," right? And I didn't even think that far, right? But he was like, "You have that ability, do not..." Screw this up. And so that's when I recommitted myself on to the football side. So I'm gonna give this thing a try and I'm really see if this can really work. And that's when I, you know, left the streets and said, you know what? I'm gonna give this a real opportunity.

• 36:47Channing Crowder?

  But that was pre, that was pre Notre Dame and that was pre Pittsburgh and that was pre Bussin' and that was pre Hall of Fame.

• 36:55Speaker 03

  That's pre Hall of, yeah, yeah.

• 36:55Channing Crowder?

  That like, that kid, like Freddie was talking about, that Detroit hood kid now being known in a whole city, having a nickname that the world knows.

• 37:07Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 37:08Channing Crowder?

  What were those struggles? Really the fame and the fortune. Did you, did it get to you?

• 37:13Speaker 03

  It was tough. It was tough because there's some good stories that kind of talk about that. When my rookie year in the league, I go out to LA, right? I got a pocket full of money in LA, right? And I end up being the Rookie of the Year. So everybody in LA know who Jerome Bettis is, right? So now I'm getting in the clubs, all that. I mean, it's like, everything that they see is parting for me, right? And I'll never forget, the season is over and it's like January, mid-January. My mom called me, she said, "Boy, when you coming home?" "Coming home?"

• 37:56Speaker 03

  So the first thing I did, I bought my mom and dad a house. First thing I did, because I knew, I bought them a house, nice area, the whole deal, right? So, you know, I'm like, that was it. I got a chance to do and take care of mom and dad. So she called me, "Boy, when you coming home?" I said, "I don't know." She said, "Hold on." She put my daddy on the phone. My daddy say, "Hey."

• 38:26Speaker 03

  When you coming home? I said, "Well, um, probably, you know, it's cold right now, so probably, you know, April, May when it get a little warmer." He said, "I'mma see you in a week."

• 38:42Speaker 03

  So I was like, "All right, all right." And so I packed it all up, went back home, and it was so, it was so humbling because now I have to move back into a house I bought for mom and dad, and I got a room in there, I'm taking out the garbage. I'm like, "This ain't the deal." I'm the rookie of the year. I'm the rookie of the year. I bought this house. What are we doing, right? And they were like, "Nope." Right, go ahead. And so, "Here's the rules of the house. Girls, you can't have..." Whoa, whoa, time out, time out. They have no girls in the room? Yeah, I mean, come on, I bought the house. So, you know what I mean? So, but what it did was,

• 39:27Speaker 03

  it was that sense of humility that brought me back. Now, had I stayed out in L.A. and was in the mix, and it probably would have changed who I was to become. But because mom and dad knew that I was out in L.A., you know, young, I was only, I had just turned 21. I was barely 21, and, you know, pocket full of money, like, "Uh-uh, we not, we know where this is going." So, they pulled me back in, and I credit that with giving me the humility that I've always had with the success. As it came, I always understood that I was still just, you know, this guy from Detroit

• 40:11Speaker 03

  that was very, very fortunate to have an opportunity to better myself, right? And become the person and player that I would become. So, I never lost sight of that.

• 40:24Fred Taylor?

  Yeah, Bussie was the first BMF bustin' right out of Detroit. No, but as I listen to you though, man, you know, you, as clean-cut as you appeared, you know, throughout the pinnacle of your career, you know, I know a lot of people want to be like you. But as I see here and listen to you, it seems that you needed Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was your Notre Dame. L.A. was your Detroit, Pittsburgh was your Notre Dame. Like, you had to go to football heaven in order to kind of get right and understand, like, this is my priorities. Am I far off?

• 41:01Speaker 03

  No, you are 100% right because at Notre Dame, when I was at Notre Dame, we maybe lost five or six games my whole time there. So, the idea of team was right there, right? Well, I get to L.A. My first year, I'm the Rookie of the Year, all this hoopla. And I'm 40 yards from the Russian title. Emmitt goes into overtime and wins it and he, you know, beat him by five. I'm a rookie, right? At the Pro Bowl, the three running backs for the Pro Bowl, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, and me. And it's like, whoa, right? It's real. As a rookie, and I'm like, okay, right?

• 41:47Speaker 03

  And so, that was great from an individual standpoint. But we were 5 and 11, right? So, for me, and it was hard for me to celebrate that because where I come from was about us all winning, right? Because, I mean, when I left, Rick Meyer, Reggie Brooks, we were 1, 2, 3 for Rookie of the Year, right? But we were all on the same team, right? And we all was louting each other's success, man, you know? Hey, man! And then, we maybe had another four or five guys that was in the second round. I mean, we had, you know, Tom Carr, Tommy Carr, he was a first-round pick.

• 42:31Speaker 03

  Jeff Burris, all these guys, Brian Young, all these guys were stars, were great players. But we were just guys that wanted to win for each other. When you go to the NFL, and all of a sudden...

• 42:46Speaker 03

  It's hard because we, you know, we losing. The next second year, we five and 11, right? I go to another Pro Bowl, but it's like, I'm not happy because the team is not winning. So, yeah, it was, it was that, that sickening feeling because we got guys on the sideline talking about, "What are we going to eat dinner at afterwards?" Man, we losing by 17, man. Shut up, what are we doing? What are we doing? That's focus, man. We gotta try to win this game, man. This game, oh, man, we good, we done. What? Yeah. I've never had that mentality. It was a blowout back in the day, though. I know, but still, I'm like, are we not even gonna try? We gonna, I mean, I never, I mean, I can't pack it in. I mean, we, we going, let's go, right?

• 43:29Speaker 03

  So, that mentality was, was foreign to me. And so, when I got to Pittsburgh, that was the mentality. It was like, we all in this, let's go, right? And they were a championship caliber team because I got there, they had just lost the Super Bowl to Dallas, right? So, I'm coming to a championship caliber team, right? So, I'm like, man, okay. And that philosophy was in the locker room, right? It wasn't the selfish philosophy. It wasn't, man, I gotta get mine, right? I don't know what's gonna happen. I gotta, no, it was, hey, let's get it, right? Practice was, was serious. Hey, it was, it was real, it was some hitting, right? And I was like, okay, I like this, right?

• 44:12Speaker 03

  Because out in LA, we just, you know, it's like a track game. We just jog, nobody hit nobody, like, okay. That's what I thought practice was like. I get to Pittsburgh and it's like, uh-uh. Banging. No, we banging, right? I'm like, okay, I could do that too, right? And I'm like, that's fine. So, that mentality was absolutely what I was looking for, what I needed, right? Because that's what I had been so used to. And so, we get there and immediately, I'm, I mean, we right into it. So, we going, boom, big year after big year after big year. And we got a chance to win a championship every single year, you know what I mean? Every year, we go into the season thinking, we're going to win a championship this year. Yes, indeed.

• 44:56Speaker 03

  Like, there was not one moment when I was in LA that I think that we had a chance to win a championship, right? Or even was thinking, man, this our year. Woo-hoo-hoo, let's go, boys, this it. No, it was like, alright, man, let's, I mean, see, I'm looking, I would, and I, I, I did it every year I was playing. I would look at the, the, um, schedule and be like, okay, that's a hundred, that's a hundred, that's a hundred.

• 45:22Speaker 03

  Right? And so, when I would get to Pittsburgh, you know, it was that same kind of feel, right? But then, I would like-

• 45:30Ryan Clark?

  That's a win?

• 45:31Speaker 03

  That's a win. We would be doing dubs. Oh, that's a win. Oh, that's a win. That's a win. Oh, man. We got, we got nine already.

• 45:39Ryan Clark?

  That's amazing.

• 45:40Speaker 03

  So we got three games, man, we gotta be ready for, right? And then I would come back and do, alright, hundred, hundred, hundred, hundred, hundred, hundred, hundred, hundred. But at first, it was dub, dub, dub. And so, that was the, the difference in the mentality, right? And so, that's what made Pittsburgh so special in our eyes. It was, it was a collective effort that we all gonna be, uh, we gonna be great together.

• 46:06Ryan Clark?

  I'm sure you've had to tell this story before. I've never heard you tell it. You know, you come back, footy, Clark, hey, it's gonna be 1-1 winning without you, but, hey, so that's the life. And here y'all are, y'all, I think y'all were seven and five. Y'all find a way to win, get to 11 and 5, get in the playoffs. Indianapolis, Bussie, they give you the football, Bussie gonna go on, take it home, win the game, get in the end zone. You get hit, ball pops out, man running down the sideline. Ben Roethlisberger makes the tackle. When that ball pops out, Bussie, man, what are you thinking?

• 46:40Speaker 03

  Now, I would have thought, of all the people, you would not be the one to bring this up. I would have thought there would have been a defensive gentleman that would have, would have raked me through the coals on this one, right? I definitely wouldn't have thought it would have been a Pittsburgh Steeler or all that, right? I just would not have thought-

• 47:01Ryan Clark?

  I've been setting you up for so much good, though.

• 47:04Speaker 03

  I figured that was gonna, I figured that was gonna come. But I figured my partner, oh, he was gonna give it to me.

• 47:09Ryan Clark?

  I had it on my list.

• 47:10Speaker 03

  I know you did. I know you did. But I ain't think, I just didn't think you would have brought it up. But it's cool. It's cool. That was a real dark, dark moment. Um, because-

• 47:26Speaker 03

  At the time, I knew this was probably my last year, right? So, you know, and so we had just come off a 15-1 season, right? And it's like, okay, here we go. Now, we in this stretch, we gotta win every game. It's road games and stuff. In this moment, we playing, you know, Peyton Manning, they the number one seed, they the, you know, they the, we like, okay, here we go, right? And so we, we there, we got it, right? And what happened was, late in that game, they had, I think they went for it on fourth down or something, we end up getting the ball back or turnover, something happened right there on the four or five yard line.

• 48:09Speaker 03

  Boom, that's it, game over, this is it, right? Drew, hey, let's go, bring us home. I was the closer, that was it, that was my deal. First down, they called the little counter, I knew what was coming, and that was bread and butter, it was no problem. And I just remember the play, like, this is painful for me, because this is the one moment in my career where I was, I was as vulnerable as you could ever be, right? And this also happens to be the moment that most people want to damn talk to me about, right? It's a poor moment, Bussie. Which is even more painful, like, all the good shit I did. And this is where we end up, right?

• 48:53Speaker 03

  So, so, in that moment, right? I'll never forget it, this is like so vivid for me. All the good stuff, you always kind of gravitate and remember those moments that you failed, right? And so, I pride myself on, on always coming through in the clutch, so. I get the ball, counter play, I'm going right inside my guard, Alifanica, I mean, and boom, linebacker come, all right? So, my job at that point is to get skinny, right? So, I see him, boom, I want to get skinny here, and man, if his helmet didn't just hit it perfect, bang, and it go right up in the air, and I'm like, and it's all in slow motion,

• 49:36Speaker 03

  boom, and I'm looking, ah, and I'm going backwards though, because my, and I'm looking, ah, and I see the ball, and I'm like, and boom, my man's like, he just... It was there, like, and you see him. So I'm on the ground and I see dude running. I'm like, no. And like, it's all happening in slow motion, man. It's like a movie, right? Like, and so by the time I get up and get moving, I see he zigzagging and zigzagging. And Ben is zigzagging. And Ben get him down, man. So that ain't even the worst of it, right? So that's like the happy moment. I'm like, oh, God, thank you, right? How about, I go to the sideline. I'll never forget it.

• 50:21Speaker 03

  I go to sit down. I look, ain't nobody sitting around me, right? Nobody, nobody, right? It's like I'm a leper, right? It's like, what? So I'm like, is this really? So I go over to the sideline, the stand. Fuck's this? Has this lead to me, right? I'm like, oh, really? Really? This is it? I'm like, oh, nobody gonna even stand around me? I was, I was so hurt, man. I was like, oh, my goodness. Couldn't believe it, right? I'm tearing up now. I was like, these dudes, dude be like this?

• 51:06Speaker 03

  This is it? This how y'all treating me? After everything I did, you know, you going back. Everything I did, this is, this is what I get, right? So I'll never forget, man. I just went down on one knee. And I was like, I don't believe this. And I said to myself, Lord, if this how you want this to end, I'm, I'm okay with it, right? And that's, I, I kind of gave a prayer and I said, if this is the way it's supposed to end, okay, I can live with that. I can live with that. And so I picked my head up and then that's when I smiled. The first time in all of that, I was just like, all right. I'll be alright. Alright, so I'm watching the game. And man, that dude missed that kick.

• 51:51Speaker 03

  I was like, I mean, he missed it? And it was like, a weight was lifted off me so much, man. It was, it was a crazy moment because I had, I was resigned in that moment that, you know what? This is it, this is how it's gonna end. My career's gonna end, this is gonna be the last play of my career. Right, it's like, man, unbelievable, right? So, that, all that was going through in that moment, and it was a dark, dark moment. I'm just glad it didn't last long, and he, he shanked it, shanked it over to the right.

• 52:24Ryan Clark?

  B Mac came up big on those.

• 52:25Speaker 03

  B Mac, a monster play, a monster play. In the right corner, I'll never forget it. Tipped that thing, and it was like, whoo! Because that was a shot, they was taking the shot, and that was they shot, they had set it up the whole, for that moment, they took the shot. They had what they wanted, and, and B Mac made the play, man, and changed the game.

• 52:46Ryan Clark?

  You should've invited him to your house at the Super Bowl, bro. You had everybody at the crib for mom's cooking, after they treated you like that.

• 52:53Speaker 03

  Everybody was there!

• 52:55Ryan Clark?

  After they treated you like that, bro.

• 52:56Speaker 03

  I had the whole team, I had the whole team, and everybody came.

• 52:59Ryan Clark?

  And they treated you like that before you even got to B Mac? You shouldn't have invited him.

• 53:03Speaker 03

  I probably shouldn't have had no food, I shouldn't have had mom lay it out for him. Because I should, what I should've did was, I should've been writing down the numbers of all the cats who, who was walking off on me. Okay, alright, okay, alright. Because it was hurtful, it was hurtful. The one moment I needed, well, it's just, I wanted to hide, you know what I'm saying? You know how you want to, you get in the crowd, hide behind your boys?

• 53:28Speaker 03

  And then just was dipping the ass in.

• 53:30Ryan Clark?

  And they won't be in the shot with you, they won't be like, hey, man.

• 53:33Speaker 03

  They not want to be in that shot with me.

• 53:35Ryan Clark?

  It's just being.

• 53:36Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 53:37Ryan Clark?

  They did your best.

• 53:37Speaker 03

  And then, when you look at it on the film, you see, I'm like by myself sitting on the d, and you get it. But you don't never think that, everybody dipped, everybody dipped.

• 53:50Channing Crowder?

  And I purposely went over where Kat was. I purposely went over where Kat was.

• 53:56Speaker 03

  I need a friend right now.

• 53:58Channing Crowder?

  I need a friend, man. I need a lifeline. I'm sending it, man. I need to call somebody to help, man. I need help.

• 54:06Speaker 00

  Having uncontrolled eosinophilic esophagitis, or E O E, can mean you're stuck in many ways, like cutting your food into tiny pieces.

• 54:16Speaker 00

  Or stuck chewing food for a long time.

• 54:21Speaker 00

  Dupixent dupilumab, a prescription medicine for patients one year and older weighing at least 33 pounds, can help with that. It's a breakthrough treatment that can reduce inflammation in the esophagus and improve swallowing.

• 54:34Speaker 00

  How about this? Dupixent is not a steroid. It proactively treats E O E, so you can get ahead of it.

• 54:39Speaker 01

  Severe allergic reactions, including skin reactions, can occur. Get help right away if you have trouble breathing, or wheezing, or swelling of your face, mouth, tongue, or throat. Tell your doctor of new or worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection, or asthma. Don't change or stop other treatments without talking to your doctor.

• 54:54Speaker 00

  Feeling stuck with E O E? Start treating with Dupixent. Talk to your gastroenterologist or allergist today about Dupixent. Learn more at dupixent.com or call 1-844-DUPIXENT.

• 55:05Channing Crowder?

  Man, y'all talk about B Mac, because I know B Mac. We the same, man, playing against each other. But then through Peasy, through Joey, that's my man, and then Ryan, and then now they got me in this circle of Steelers that's just crazy with pot, footy, C-Ham, and I can just keep going through them.

• 55:22Speaker 03

  But let me say this, before you even go ask a question. All good dudes.

• 55:26Channing Crowder?

  They just good dudes. That's.

• 55:27Speaker 03

  All good dudes.

• 55:28Channing Crowder?

  It's part of the question, though.

• 55:30Speaker 03

  I want to stop you because when you say all, every name you say, all good dudes, man.

• 55:36Channing Crowder?

  Fast Willie, all of them. Does Pittsburgh recruit those guys? Or do you get to Pittsburgh and become that guy? Because all them dudes, they solid people, they the same, but they, they got, all got a little switch. Uh, I, they all got a little switch in them, but. They will take their shirt off their back for you.

• 55:55Speaker 03

  You could say it though, they all got some craziness.

• 55:57Channing Crowder?

  It's a little something there.

• 55:58Speaker 03

  They all got some craziness, they all got something missing there. They say something missing. They all got something missing there, but they great, great guys. And here's what I say. I believe that Pittsburgh, they are willing to sacrifice a little bit of the athlete, the player, for the person. And I think they're intentional in the type of people that they want to represent their brand. And because it's not by mistake, all of these guys are incredible football players, but great people as well. And you don't get that many by mistake.

• 56:41Speaker 03

  You know, I believe it's intentional because player after player, you get the right temperament of player. And they do have a switch that when we all get together, we get on that field, it's competitive as ever, right? And so, they don't sacrifice that, but I think the first priority is the person and second, the player.

• 57:04Ryan Clark?

  Y'all talked about the running backs early on, but we have seen two running backs and a couple of running backs go to different teams and make a difference. Derrick Henry, those guys just lose, Saquon Barkley maybe playing in the Super Bowl this year. When you look at the difference that he's made at the position that we all talked about being devalued early on, when you watch him play, Bussie, what do you see?

• 57:30Speaker 03

  I see a player that has the home run ability, but has the ability to run in between the tackles. Because a lot of times you have either or. You usually don't have a player, a running back, that is an in-between-the-tackles runner, but also has the ability to go the distance. That's why Fred was so special. Because he could run in-between-the-tackles, right? And you can get to three to four yards, but then I can also break to 40, 50, 60 yards. And that's why Derrick Henry is so valuable. Because they can run in-between-the-tackles. Because I try to tell all the young running backs, you run inside to get outside. You cannot run outside to get outside.

• 58:14Speaker 03

  You run inside to get outside. And they understand that, right? And they have that physical capability as well, right? That they can take 20, 25, 30 carries if that's what it takes to win this football game. And that's the definition of a franchise running back. And I believe that term is the term that we have lost. The franchise running back. And I believe the organizations that have recognized it are the ones that are flourishing. And when you look at the decision that Philadelphia made, they identified him as the guy.

• 58:56Speaker 03

  And they said, if we can get him, it's gonna be a coup. Now, because if we can get, we get him behind our offensive line. It's exactly what they thought it would be when they were making this decision. They said, if we can get him, man, he could probably run 2,000 yards. Bang. And bam, yes, he's that good, right? And in Baltimore, they said, man, if we can get Derrick Henry, he can probably go bananas. 1920. And he almost ran for 2,000 yards. They understood the value of a franchise running back. And the teams are recognizing that. You saw Atlanta draft a running back in the first round. He is a franchise running back.

• 59:42Speaker 03

  You saw Detroit draft a running back. He is a franchise running back. So they're not devaluing them. They're not out there as plentiful as they were because you only got four or five colleges that run a pro-style offense that line you up at 7 yards deep and run downhill. You just don't see that anymore in college. So as a, if I'm identifying talent in the NFL, I'm not sure if these guys can handle it or they can. Be a downhill runner. Well, we know for sure these guys are, right? We saw him do it and we saw him do it in college, right? So, the NFL recognizes the talent,

• 1:00:24Speaker 03

  but they can't find that many franchise running backs. So, they're still there and when they see him, they pay him. Yeah. You see Taylor in Indianapolis. When you see him, you pay him. Because it's not a lot of them out there. So, if I can get one, I better hold on to him because he's gold. And those guys who have him are the teams that's playing in the playoffs. You see Cook in Buffalo. The guys that have him, Pacheco, right? You gotta have it. And what you start to see is all the teams that are in the playoffs, that have a chance to win a championship. That run the ball. They all appreciate the running game. And they all have a running back who can get it done.

• 1:01:07Speaker 03

  And I think that tells you what the model should look like. And the problem is, in college, we don't have as many. So, you gotta kind of sift through to find that one who can be that franchise running back.

• 1:01:22Ryan Clark?

  My other question is this, though. He mentioned a lot of names about Pittsburgh Steelers. And you said, like flipping a switch. The person that flips the switch more from who he is in his daily life to being on the field was your locker room neighbor.

• 1:01:38Speaker 03

  Right there.

• 1:01:39Ryan Clark?

  What was it like when Troy got to Pittsburgh, became your locker room neighbor? And what did you learn about him?

• 1:01:46Speaker 03

  Troy, I learned he was so thoughtful on so many different subjects. He had an opinion on all kinds of subjects, right? I mean, we talked about religion. We talked about, you know, business. We talked about so much stuff. And sometimes you don't realize how in-depth someone is, right? You know, he's a great player and he's this and he's that. And...

• 1:02:15Speaker 03

  Early on, I got a chance to see him develop as a, as a football player. Because they, they hadn't figured out his true gift, right? His, his true ability. He had a superpower to be around the football. He knew where the football would be. Even if the defense told him, he probably supposed to be over here. And he would say, eh, I know, but I know the ball is gonna be over here, right? And they didn't know how to, how to deal with that, right? And because of that, he felt kinda stymied, right? And so, it was, it was all in that process of them figuring out kinda who he was,

• 1:02:58Speaker 03

  and how he operated, and how he was built. And so, sitting next to him, I got a chance to have a kind of an inside track on seeing, uh, how he was processing everything, how he was dealing with different issues, you know? His wife, I think she was his girlfriend at the time, and then he got married. But to see all of this, right? And to see the person, the man, who he had, he's become. Uh, it was one of the, the best joys that I had as a player. Because I've never seen a player go from

• 1:03:39Speaker 03

  organization thinking, well, maybe we didn't get the right guy, right? Uh, we not sure on him. To him being a first battle Hall of Famer.

• 1:03:51Ryan Clark?

  Yeah.

• 1:03:51Speaker 03

  It just, that just, you don't see that. Usually, it happens right now. You switch, you go, right now, and you a star from, from the start. Um, but to see him, and to see him never change. He never changed the way he operated and the person that he was from day one, through all the success, right? He stayed as humble as ever, and it's, you would never know that this guy is insane on the field. You would never know that, by just sitting with him, talking to him, right? Had a great time, and then he get on the field, and he like... Who was that guy? Right, who's number 43? Right? I ain't the guy that I know.

• 1:04:34Speaker 03

  Um, so I, I, I, it was a treat to sit next to him and talk to him. Cause we talked, man, we talked about all kinds of crazy stuff you would not believe. But that, that was his mind and I probably, so he, we, we still, we talked to him. Hey JB, hey, what's going on? Right? So we, we get to, and he is just the same guy. And I think that goes to a testament to who he is. But, you know, those are the players that, that Pittsburgh seems to find on a consistent basis.

• 1:05:04Ryan Clark?

  He said that he decided in the offseason, going into the second year, that if he was as bad as he was the first year, he was gonna retire.

• 1:05:12Speaker 03

  Wow. Did he?

• 1:05:15Speaker 03

  Wow. And it wasn't so much he was bad, it's just that they didn't really have an idea of how to really utilize him. And then when, when Coach LeBeau kinda let him go, that's when it all kinda went, went bananas, right? And so, and then to see this guy here, I, you know, holding down, saying, I got you. He, he knew how to manage him on the other side. I got you though, I know what you, I know what you need. Do what you gotta do, I'll be there. You know what I'm saying? So that, that, that made a special combination. So being able to watch you guys from afar, knowing who he was and saw, watching how you were able to, to play off of the Batman, the Robin thing and say, you know what?

• 1:06:00Speaker 03

  I get you, you gonna be over, you gonna get the interception, but I'm gonna make sure this guy here is not running free.

• 1:06:07Fred Taylor?

  I think it's, you speak of Troy. I think it's something about the Polynesian, that Samoan culture. You know, where they can be just as gentle in conversation, but when they get on the field, they turn it up to another level. And that brings me back to your 2015 induction. You look around, you see Tim Brown, Will Shields, Charles Haley, but there is no Junior Sayow. In that moment, when you're preparing to give maybe the greatest speech, you know, of your life, to, to, to show how thankful you are for everything you've earned. But you look around and there is no Junior. How did that make you feel?

• 1:06:43Speaker 03

  It was hurtful because...

• 1:06:47Speaker 03

  I went to visit USC out of high school. I'll never forget. I see this guy in this Grand Cherokee. Back in the day, they had those, the Grand Cherokee. It was a red one and it had these yellow gold inky Rams and this stuff. And it's this guy sitting in the hatch in the back. He got like a tank top on and I think, I really thought it was Zeus. Because he looked like a Greek god. He had his T-shirt on and he had muscles that I had never seen before. And he's just sitting there chilling and I'm like, who is that? Right? I didn't know who it was, right? That's Julian Sayal.

• 1:07:30Speaker 03

  I said, what, what, what position he playing? He said, linebacker. I said, that's what the linebackers look like? I was like, woo, I'm in trouble. I was feeling good about myself, you know what I mean? I'm a fullback. I'm like 235 pounds out of high school. I'm a big dude. I see this dude, I'm like, that's what linebackers look like in college? Oh, man. I was immediately nervous because he looked that good just sitting there in this, in the back of this, this truck. I was just in awe of this dude. I'm like, wow, who is this? I mean, he was chiseled up, man, his T-shirt on. I'm like, man, you need to cover up, dude, man.

• 1:08:14Speaker 03

  And he was as cool as ever. Hey, how you doing today?

• 1:08:19Speaker 03

  And then, fast forward, we played against him when I was with the Rams. We play them all the time preseason. We, we, you know, practice against. I mean, was the nicest guy in the world, man. Which is, fast forward to that moment, I felt it was important that I continue his legacy. So.

• 1:08:42Speaker 03

  Some of the things, like when we had our luncheon and things like that and all of us were together, I would keep a seat there empty in honor of him because he, he earned the right to be in the room, right? Although he wasn't with us, I wanted us as our class to know that, you know, all of us are here, right? And it was just, it was that important because he, he meant so much to the NFL and to be able to play against him, I knew how special he was, right? So that was an important part for me and, you know, I, I made sure I acknowledged him.

• 1:09:24Speaker 03

  And I make sure every year, back when we at the Hall of Fame, I speak his name. Uh, because we have a time where all the guys just kind of, they want to say something, they speak. And so every time I, I have an opportunity, I make sure I speak and talk about Junior because how special he was, but how important he was. If you talk about the game, you can't fully talk about the game without mentioning Junior Sayow, the legacy that he left. So it's important as his classmate to make sure he is continuing to be honored and spoke of uh, in that light.

• 1:10:03Fred Taylor?

  Yeah, I, uh, this is the, the point where we usually try and rap and I ask the biggest pivot question. And I love that question, but I think something that's more important to me, you just mentioned legacy and family. RC's son, he just got a taste of Notre Dame. His son, Jordan, was there. Your son, Bussie Junior, Jerome Bettis Junior, is now going on to continue that tradition. When you went off, your dad said, um, I can't give you anything, but I can give you my last name. And in terms of legacy, your son is going off there now. Is there any message or anything that you left for him when you dropped him off?

• 1:10:41Speaker 03

  I wanted him to, you know, understand that this is his, his moment, right? And so in doing that, one thing that we did was, I, I, we were right about to leave and I'm, I'm about to go and because I had to leave earlier than my wife did. So we did a little video, right? And so, but, but the idea was, you know, when I came back to school in 2022 to finish my degree, I came back on campus and I said, this was kind of finishing. This was the last step for me to finish what I started. You know, coming to Notre Dame and all that, right? So, and I said, uh, and he actually brought it up that,

• 1:11:23Speaker 03

  hey, let's do a video back at the spot where you didn't, you know. And, and my point to him was, okay, great, but this is the start of your journey, right? And so my message to him was, I understand the legacy that, that I created here, but it's now your time, your opportunity to create your own legacy, right? And, and as a father, I know how challenging that is to, to have, to be, uh, following in my footsteps, right? And go to the school that I went to and the expectation that, that's placed on you.

• 1:12:05Speaker 03

  And I just wanted to reiterate to him, make sure he understood that, one, I loved him regardless of the success that you have or the failures that you will have, right? That's, that's gonna come. And I love you just the same. You're my son, right? And the only thing I've ever asked of you is to be a better person than I, I was. And I explained to him that he had done that, right? You have, you are a better person than I am, right? And I'm proud of that. And whatever you do going forward, uh, I'm gonna be, you know, proud of you and I'm gonna support you in everything that you do. So that was, that was my message to him

• 1:12:50Speaker 03

  because of the unique set of circumstances that he has to manage, right? And to deal with. And I know it's, uh, uh, you know, an enormous shadow that's being cast and, and, and doing all of that. But I just wanted him to know that you have, you have already surpassed every, everywhere that I would have ever wanted you to be. And so we did this video and he was like, okay. So he wanted to watch my video, see what I, what I said. So, and so he was like, all right, it's my turn, right? So I'm like, absolutely, it's your turn. I need you to own it. I want you to own it. This is your moment. It's not mine. This is your moment, right? So when he, when we did this, we did this little video.

• 1:13:34Speaker 03

  It was just great to, for him to own it because it was, I mean, you know. It's my turn, right? I'm like, absolutely it is. So, that, the message for him was that I just needed him to be a better person than I was. And, and that he has surpassed that and he's a fine young man. He's gonna continue to be that and I'm gonna love him the same. And, and not to put the expectations of the same success. And you're not measured by that, right? And so, that's, that's what we left with. And that's what I continue, because I think this is a continuing process.

• 1:14:15Speaker 03

  Because he's gonna have challenges that a lot of his teammates don't have, right? And is he ready for that, right? Is he ready for that challenge? Is he ready for that burden? And so, all those things that, as a dad, you gotta make sure you keep, keep pushing. But I'm, I'm proud of him and, you know, if he don't play it down, I am as proud of him than I've ever been. To see what he's kinda gone through from high school on, I mean, middle school, high school. So, huge success.

• 1:14:46Channing Crowder?

  And Buster, we kinda, we did that with our sons. It was all over ESPN a couple of weeks ago with Jordan Clark, Ryan Clark's son.

• 1:14:52Speaker 03

  Yeah, right, right.

• 1:14:53Channing Crowder?

  Is number one for Notre Dame, you know what I'm saying? So, that, that burden, I guess. Like, my kids are younger, so my sons are coming up now. My daughter plays sports as well. My question is the financial side.

• 1:15:02Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:15:04Channing Crowder?

  Is, is he paying for stuff now? Cause them boys get bread now. Like, is he still in daddy's pocket? Or is, bruh, you cut, you cutting little, little Rome loose.

• 1:15:13Speaker 03

  So, they, when they get the NIL, when they get their first NIL check, then everything kinda changes. So, right now, he's still, he's still in the pocket, but they got a schedule of how they, of how they pay these kids. And so, once, once he get out, when he gets a schedule, then you on your own, buddy.

• 1:15:36Speaker 03

  But the problem is, he gonna be off, he gonna be off my payroll. But his mother, I think, he got her locked in, so she always gonna be under the table.

• 1:15:50Speaker 03

  She always gonna be giving him the handshakes. No, nah, they didn't handshake. My kid's got Cash App. And they could just phoom phoom. Yeah, I'll never see it. I'll never know. So I know, yeah, he off my books, but he not off mama books. He ain't never be off mama books.

• 1:16:07Ryan Clark?

  Man, this was, this was amazing. We've been trying to get it together, Bussin'.

• 1:16:11Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 1:16:11Ryan Clark?

  For a long time. I'm actually excited and happy we did it when we did. You know, you got to meet my son and spend some time with him. That was special.

• 1:16:20Speaker 03

  Great young man.

• 1:16:21Ryan Clark?

  To me. Man, thank you so much. And now your son's going to Notre Dame as well. I'm sorry I had to bring up your worst moment.

• 1:16:28Speaker 03

  That's all good.

• 1:16:28Ryan Clark?

  But we talked for a long time, so you got some good ones in.

• 1:16:31Speaker 03

  But it's therapy, though. Every time I talk about it, it make, it's a better conversation, so it's a little therapy. I appreciate the therapy, though.

• 1:16:39Ryan Clark?

  Appreciate you, brother. Thank you, dawg. My dog said everybody left him. That is crazy, eh?

• 1:16:46Speaker 03

  Everybody quit me, man. They quit me, dawg.

• 1:16:48Ryan Clark?

  That is crazy. You sit down, you be like, they treat you like a field goal kicker that missed the kick.

• 1:16:51Speaker 03

  But, but here's the thing, though.

• 1:16:53Ryan Clark?

  That is the crazy.

• 1:16:53Speaker 03

  I felt it when I was on the, I said, well, maybe this just was a mistake. You know, I just came over and there wasn't nobody over here. I said, alright, I just went over there and I cried, I'm chilling, watching the game.

• 1:17:08Speaker 03

  Aw, man.

• 1:17:11Ryan Clark?

  Bussin', but everybody know the camera on you, though. You know, every play, they make, they putting the camera on you.

• 1:17:17Speaker 03

  But what I would have loved to have seen, like, a back camera to see how Cash did it, like.

• 1:17:24Speaker 03

  If they, if they noticed me, like, ooh, let me get on out the way, or they just kinda just hit me with the, oh.

• 1:17:33Speaker 06

  But boy, you know it, they gone.

• 1:17:35Ryan Clark?

  Hey, boy started talking to their individual coaches. Hey, Coach, yeah.

• 1:17:39Speaker 06

  Yeah, right, right.

• 1:17:41Ryan Clark?

  I was supposed to block him on that play.

• 1:17:42Channing Crowder?

  So when they run this double vertical, do we got to, uh?

• 1:17:46Speaker 06

  And they know who they are.

• 1:17:47Channing Crowder?

  There's some footage out there somewhere.

• 1:17:49Speaker 06

  It's somewhere, I want to see it.

• 1:18:16Speaker 00

  Having uncontrolled eosinophilic esophagitis, or E O E, can mean you're stuck in many ways, like cutting your food into tiny pieces.

• 1:18:26Speaker 00

  Or stuck chewing food for a long time.

• 1:18:30Speaker 00

  Dupixent, Dupilumab, a prescription medicine for patients one year and older weighing at least 33 pounds, can help with that. It's a breakthrough treatment that can reduce inflammation in the esophagus and improve swallowing.

• 1:18:44Speaker 00

  How about this? Dupixent is not a steroid. It proactively treats E O E, so you can get ahead of it.

• 1:18:49Speaker 01

  Severe allergic reactions, including skin reactions, can occur. Get help right away if you have trouble breathing, or wheezing, or swelling of your face, mouth, tongue, or throat. Tell your doctor of newer worsening joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection, or asthma. Don't change or stop other treatments without talking to your doctor.

• 1:19:04Speaker 00

  Feeling stuck with E O E? Start treating with Dupixent. Talk to your gastroenterologist or allergist today about Dupixent. Learn more at dupixent.com or call 1-844-DUPIXENT.