Tim Tebow: Journey from Heisman glory to fighting human trafficking

39:11And there can be some really, really hard circumstances and it needs to be met with kindness, compassion and love and mixed in all of those needs to be truth. It's not just we're going to pick and choose one. It needs to be all. Do you think legislation should be changed nationwide to align with that? I believe that we should stand for life. And every life, I believe, is fearfully and wonderfully made, is one of one, is created in love, by love, and for love, was made on purpose and for a purpose. And when you believe all of those biblical truths, like I would believe them about you. I would believe them about every single person here

40:09therefore if I believe that you have infinite value and worth that God created you in love, by love, and for love when I see you that way what should I do? I should value you it's part of the the heart of look again the the book that i just finished writing is that we would look again because how many times in my life have i looked and i haven't seen something the way that it was or i haven't seen something the way that i should and i think our heart as a society should be to fight to see people with a love and a value. I'll tell you a story to illustrate this. A few years ago, we were at a night to shine, and this was in the middle of COVID, so we had something called shine-throughs where they could stay in their car but still drive through a red carpet, and all people were cheering on the outside, and it was just so special.

41:18And we were in Arizona for this one and there was this Corvette that was coming around very slowly and all these people are cheering from the outside and there's a young girl in the back seat standing up with pom-poms and she's cheering and she's just going crazy and she's absorbing it and it's pulling through and I'm just looking at her face and the joy because she's being celebrated and loved and valued and treated as the queen. And then it pulls by and I'm just already emotional watching this and as the Corvette pulls by I see on the back it says royalty on board. And I thought man that's it.

42:03I don't know how to explain it but that's

42:11And so many times our society has not treated her like there was royalty on board. You were quoted some point during the latter portion of your playing days as saying, I've never found my identity in who I was as a football player. I found my identity in who I am in Christ. And when you find your identity as a Christian, then regardless of your status or your fame or your popularity or your position, that never changes. So the roller coaster that the world has always looked at my life and viewed, I'm very thankful that I didn't have to live it. Yeah, I would probably tweak that and say, I believe that to be part of what I was pursuing, but I also believe I would miss the mark on that too many times too.

43:02Like, that's the truth. Because you're human. But I try to do that. But I have too many times. I know it's not a satisfying identity, but I've still placed it there so many times anyways. I would say I've missed the mark on that a whole lot more than I would like to admit. But good for you for acknowledging it and recognizing that because it's funny, I'm reading that, I'm like, come on. Yeah, still so many times, even after you know it, But I still lose sight of it. Why? So I have a portrait in that room because that's our TV room where I'll go in and we'll watch for the most part a lot of games, right?

43:50Do you know how easy it is for me to go in there, watch a game and lose perspective? In losing perspective to you means what? Just on what really matters. loose perspective on how I'm supposed to see the world, how I'm supposed to see people. And how does that come out in you when you're in those moments? It's easy. You could watch Florida lose last weekend, and you can be so frustrated, loose perspective. You can get caught up in just so many things that just don't matter. But why I tell that story is because there's a portrait right when you walk in, and you have to see it when you walk in, and you have to see it when you walk out.

44:30And I put it there for a reason because I know that I have a tendency to lose perspective on things that just don't matter. It doesn't mean that we can't care about them. It just means when they're not in their proper position, then I'm out of whack. And it's a portrait of a young boy named Fransky. Fransky is from Haiti and to make a long story short that Fransky was abandoned as a baby with special needs and a whole bunch of issues that he had to fight and Fransky was taken into the care of our partners and many days when I would be in Haiti I would get to carry Fransky and Fransky never had the ability to speak and never had the ability to walk but several years ago Fransky got sick.

45:25We're in reigning Jacksonville right now? Yeah and we had to rush him to a medical clinic that wouldn't take him because they viewed him as cursed and insignificant because they believed because he was born with special needs and so to make a long story short rushed him to a hospital hospital, another hospital, another hospital. They wouldn't take him, they wouldn't take him, they wouldn't take him. And then by the time they got him into a hospital that would admit him, within a few minutes he ended up passing away.

46:04And when I walk in and out of there, I need to see that portrait of Fransky because it It reminds me of the things that are more important and it's a portrait of Fransky wearing a crown smiling because when I would carry him around even though he couldn't talk, every room that you'd bring him in, that you'd carry him in, he would light up the room with his smile. And so I wanted to see him the way I'm supposed to see him as royalty with the crown, not as the way that too many people that saw him as insignificant or less than and viewed him as cursed. And we think, well, we don't actually view people like that.

46:53Well, maybe not all the time, but we don't view people with worth and value. We look by them. We look past them. We look around them. Why? Most of the time because we think they're not important enough to stop for. How did the idea for the foundation come about? I was 15 years old and I met a boy in the jungles of the Philippines. He was born with his feet on backwards and he was treated as less than insignificant and cursed. But I I knew he wasn't less than to God. And I knew that God was pricking my heart saying, yeah, Timmy, but what are you going to do about it? Not what do you just feel about it?

47:37What are you going to do about it? And that was when I was 15. I didn't know. I couldn't have verbalized it like that. I didn't know what this means. I just knew this is why I have such an... You knew you wanted to do something. I knew I had to do something for those that were at least the last of loss treated as less than and all the boys and girls like him and I didn't know what that looked like I didn't even really know how to articulate it I still have my like my testimony coming back where I'm first telling that story and I'm trying to find the words that was that was ripping at my heart and I didn't know what it looked like how How do I go live that out?

48:23I don't know. And so that was in my last few years of high school and then into college and most of those years still getting to go back to a lot of those different islands and villages. But then to get to your question about the student government overrun organizations and stuff, we thought, man, we have to be able to find a way to do something to make a difference. And back then it was a little bit different with the rules in NCAA. And so we appealed to them and asked them if we could have like a charity event. And after a few times they give us a yes. We had a powder puff football tournament.

49:04I think the first year we raised maybe like$15 ,000 for orphans in several countries. And then the last year going into my senior year, we asked to do it on a bigger stage and get all the football players involved and all sorts of things. And I said no and no and no. And we appealed and appealed and appealed. And eventually we won. And then we had a whole week of charity events where we had Powderpuff Football. Every female organization would sign up. And so there was all the sororities and other organizations. And then they would draft football players as their coaches. And then we had... Fun.

49:43Yeah, it was awesome. And then we had ice cream parties in the hospital with all the kids. We took all the kids to Disney World, loaded up buses and took them there to be able to serve them at Disney. We ultimately had the Powder Puff football tournament that we ended up having thousands and thousands of people buy tickets to. and that was an awesome tournament that ended up having the championship game in the swamp with 60 ,000 people before we played the orange and blue game. And ultimately through all of that and then being able to use some of the different gear that we wore for games, jerseys and stuff like that to be able to sell it as well for the orphans.

50:29we were able to, NCAA allowed us to do that, and we raised over half a million dollars in a week for our finishes, and so it was really special. How much money do you think you've raised today? Oh, I don't know. Okay, if you had to guess. I have no idea. That would be too hard to guess, but we are so grateful for all the people that have partnered to... Hey, wait, your dad told you growing up you're allowed to brag about your achievements if somebody asks. It's only when... Not really in that same way. Not in that same way. I mean, if there's ever something to brag about, that's a pretty good one.

51:12But it's, you know, it's not bragging on anything that we've done. Just what we get to be a part of and who we brag on is the special lives that we get to serve that really are many of the greatest heroes that I've ever met in my life. What do you do each year with your Heisman Trophy? We auction it off for different ministries. We've never auctioned it off for Tim Teo Foundation. We've auctioned it off for a lot of other Friends ministries. What do you think that's brought in? It's brought in a good amount. I don't know the exact number, but well over a million. How about your long-term goals with your foundation?

51:55To get to as many hurting boys and girls and women and those that are suffering and those that have been abandoned or abused or exploited or trafficked or viewed as less than as many as we can possibly get for as long as we possibly can. And Lord willing, it will still be serving a lot of people long after I'm gone. The Cure Hospital in the Philippines, tell a little bit about that. It's a very near and dear place to my heart because we're able to care for many of the boys and girls that were just like that boy that I met when I was 15 years old. Many of them from all over the country get carried in or wheeled in, rolled in, and they get to walk out and it's not just a surgery that changes their life it's also the way that people see them and treat them and the love that they experience because one of the things in the States that we don't always get to see and understand is what happens in a lot of honor shame cultures when they view you with the stigma or they view you with the disability or they view you as you're less than, you're insignificant.

53:23And we'd hear just more kind of ignore certain people or walk around them, but too many countries still view people as truly less than. And for so many of those lives that have been viewed that way, but then to be operated on and cared for and loved not only changes their life, but their family's life, but then also so many times the way they're viewed afterwards. And it's just why it's one of my favorite places in all of the earth. A night to shine. I think this past year there were something like 820 of them? Yeah, something like that. 820, 822, something like that. 822. There you go. What makes it your favorite event of the year?

54:08We're getting ready for our fifth year anniversary of the foundation. And our president at the time came to me and they said, I said, Demi, what about for our five-year anniversary, since we serve people with special needs in several countries around the world, what if we did a prom night feel for all of the kings and queens, and we treated them as kings and queens? What if we did something like that? Because we knew of two churches that did a Jesus prom event, and we thought, man, that was really cool. He said, so what if our five-year anniversary, we did something? I said, man, that sounds awesome.

54:44He said, okay, where do you want to host it? like Florida, New York, Texas, California, Philippines, Mexico, where would you want to? And I said, I think we need to do it everywhere. And he's like, no, for real, what are you talking about? And I said, I think we need to do it everywhere for every single boy or girl, man or woman that hasn't been celebrated and loved and treasured. We need to try to do it for all of them. He wasn't super happy with me. But we pitched the idea to our board and our very small staff at the time. And we prayed about it and thought, how could we do this? And so we came up with, I think it was maybe a 70-page manual that first year of all of the things.

55:32And we thought, man, this is who we need to partner with is churches. Because we want the best night of a boy, girl, man, or woman. and hopefully their year or their life to be with the church. And that first year, I believe we were in 44 locations in 26 states in three countries 11 years ago. And we flew to North Carolina for the first one. And I said, hey, before we walk up, let's stand outside. I want to watch for a little bit before I get up close to everyone. And I saw some of the boys and girls going down the red carpet. And...

56:22I got to just see the joy in them from afar. and I thought it's something that's pretty special. What about it still chokes you up?

56:38A lot, but it's watching the people that love the kings and queens light up when their boys and girls light up. And then we flew from North Carolina to South Carolina and before I walked in the arena that it was in, a mom ran up to me and she grabbed me pretty intensely and she said, my daughter, she'll never get married, she'll never have kids, but tonight she felt like a princess. There was a funny moment with the Pope not too long ago, right? I can't believe I'm telling this story. This is unreal. So my wife's showing the Pope videos and translating to see the Boys and Girls and Men and Women, the celebrations.

57:31And then we're talking about that. And then one of our team members, who is just awesome, she is introduced to the Pope. And she, a lot of times, will say, you know, we love and we're honored to fight for individuals with special needs. but it doesn't come out that way. She looks at the Pope and says, yeah, we fight people with special needs.

58:01I was like, what? And so you could see the Pope's translator is like, do you want me to tell him that? Like, is this a real story? Like, you want me to? And then I was like, no, no, no, no, no, that's it. It didn't come out the right way. and she's amazing. So we still laugh at that and we'll never let her live it down. So you have used this Night to Shine event though as kind of a launching off point for leaning in more in a particular region. Like take Guatemala and you started off with one and now you have, I think, six schools there. Explain that. Well, it's really been such a catalyst for us in so many areas that Night to Shine opened the door in a country and built relationships and also built kindness.

58:51And so where a lot of people have opened the door to say, hey, you know, the more that you could be here, we'd love it, the more that you could open doors for you. It's really been life-changing and door-opening and just things that we could have never possibly imagined. We were at your office, and we saw the amount of staff between Foundation and your company. I think it's easy to listen to somebody talk about it in general terms, but just give some color, if you don't mind, to the scale of what you're doing. Well, it's our calling and it's our passion and it's what we wake up and think first and foremost every day.

59:42How can we care for the MVP, the most vulnerable people? Today we've been able to serve in just over 110 countries around the world from inception and we're trying to get it to as many herding in as many ways and have as many good strategies and logistics and team members as we possibly can to fight for those that can't fight for themselves. So when I first came up with the mission statement, I was just thinking about that boy that I met when I was 15 years old and I just graduated from Florida. And I thought, what does he need? What does every boy or girl like him need? And I thought that our mission statement is to bring faith, hope, and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need.

1:00:34So what we wake up every day is how can we best fight back against the evil in the darkest places and make as big of a dent in it as possible against those that are being treated as less than insignificant, cursed, or devalued, exploited, or trafficked. Those are our people, and that's who we try to show up for every day. I want to ask about human trafficking and then afterwards get into, you know, move on from here and get into athletics and, you know, some of your career that just kind of helped in allowing you to create positive change. But explain your wife's role in getting you involved in this.

1:01:19My wife's role in getting me involved in what? Human trafficking. trafficking? Well, we had been fighting in the space for a little while before me and Demi had ever met. But what was special is when we connected that a few of the things that were really near and dear to my heart was caring for those with special needs and those that are being trafficked or exploited was also near and dear to her heart because of her sister with severe special needs. And she got held at gunpoint by several men in a very scary moment. And thankfully, she was able to get away. But that led her to a fear that led to a wanting to learn, to fight, to help protect the vulnerable.

1:02:17And so it was two areas that she really cared a lot about. And so when we got together, it was just, it was two of the areas that we spent the most time talking about. What stands out most to you from the human trafficking stats? It would be that we think it happens over there, meaning over in another city, in another state, in another country, but that's not true. It's happening here, it's happening in our neighborhood, in your neighborhood, in everybody's neighborhood, and it's happening right under our noses. When we talk about the distribution of CSAM, we're third worst in the world. When we talk about purchasing of live streaming, we're the worst in the world.

1:03:06And that's live streaming rape? Yes. Yeah. Um... Yeah, if we talk about, like, the red dot map, just for a screenshot of the month of April, there were just under 112 ,000 IP addresses that were seen downloading, distributing child rape images under the age of 12. Like, that's a screenshot of the evil that's taking place. How do you combat it? every day with partnerships, with strategy, with care, with legislation, with fighting on Osmani battlefronts, with caring for as many survivors, with rallying as many people in any and every area that we can. We have to step up and stand up and it's not going to go away if we act like it's not real.

1:04:03We have to be able to look at it, strategize, create a strategy, and then step forward and fight against it. Because in my opinion, it's one of the worst evils in the world today. What do you think has to be done to actually get as close as possible to ridding the problem from existence? I don't, I try not to say anything like I think we can end it because I don't know that we can. It's been a problem for a really long time. the abuse and exploitation of each other. But I do believe wholeheartedly that we can put a massive dent in it. And I think there's a few things that are really important to putting a dent in it.

1:04:54One is working together. It's one of our non-negotiables, that there's power when we come together, that we would actually care more about the mission than we do about the credit, and that we would put down all of the things that stand in the way, that we would rally, that we would partner together, that this can't be just this organization or this organization or this three-letter organization or law enforcement. It has to be. It's one of the fastest-growing businesses. It's one of the worst evils in the world. It is happening at an incredible rate. One of the things that is most disturbing, I wouldn't say that, one of the disappointing things to me in all of it is even sometimes when we talk about it and we share.

1:05:51Do you know how many times people have said to me, don't tell me, I don't want to know.

1:06:01And it hurts because if we can't talk about it, how could we even be on the same team to fight against it? The NB wins when this stays in the dark. It comes to the light and we talk and we rally and we create armies and teams. And I don't mean like an army. I mean all of us working together as an army of people that want to stand for good, that want to stand for faith, hope, and love, that want to stand for the value of every single person on every single day and every single place. If we do that, I believe we can put it in. And this is billions of dollars we're talking about that changes hands.

1:06:43What do you want the government to do? Well, we're working with them in a lot of ways, but we're trying to get a lot of different legislation. Operation Renewed Hope. Yeah, that's one of the big ones that we're working on, and that's specifically for victim identification. It's a database, which is a database at Interpol.

1:07:07They're able to see well over 50 ,000 boys and girls that they can see their rape and abuse images. You can look at their crime scene videos, but you have yet to identify those boys and girls. So at C3, the Cyber Crime Center, right now there's only seven victim identification specialists that are there. And every day they're going through this material trying to identify these boys and girls. Could you imagine if there were seven of you and your goal was you had to get to over 50 ,000 boys and girls and being able to identify them? And so a big heart of this is we're going to push that from seven to 200 victim identification specialists that every day are identifying these boys and girls.

1:07:50And then after we're able to identify them, then we can try to safeguard them and bring them into a place where they can get the true care that they need. But it's a city of boys and girls that have yet to be identified. And many of them are continuing to get abused and raped over and over again. And law enforcement can watch that rape video, but have yet to identify them. And that is why this Renewed Hope Act is so important. Where does it stand? In the process. It's a slow process. I see a look. Some things that we want to make urgent sometimes don't always feel urgent to everybody. And so we're trying to, every one of these is urgent to us because it's not just another video.

1:08:37It's another boy or girl that are suffering on the other end of that lens that we can't wait. So part of your ability to create positive change and have this platform started with your athletic success, or at least that played a role in it. And I want to take you back to college. you go over the course of a year from being a backup to winning the Heisman. Ever have a period of your life that changed more than that? That's a good question. Definitely been some ups and downs in short periods, that's for sure. But I think one of the things that was really helpful my freshman year was even though I was a backup, that I got a lot of really significant, meaningful playing downs, just one to handle big moments and pressure.

1:09:37And so then when you kind of take over, you're like, I've already been in a lot of really big situations in a lot of the biggest games. And so I think it really helped from a belief, I can do this. I've been in some of these situations. and I think that really helped where it didn't feel like, oh, this is overwhelming, even though there's those nerves and that pressure and that overwhelming. And I mean that not just in the sense of from the media, just the sense of how much also you care about it, right? For me, being at Florida wasn't just a college experience. It was also my parents' first date was the Florida-Georgia game.

1:10:21My grandfather and my mom's side's dream was to see Florida win an SEC championship game. He passed away before that could happen. Wait, and to think you almost didn't go to Florida. That's true. What was that? Like 20, 30 minutes before you're going to make the announcement. No, no, at the last second. Closer than that. Yeah, closer than that. Because it was between Florida and Alabama. Yeah. And.

1:10:51talk to both coaches. But I really did try to truly make not what was best for the fan that I was but for the player and young man that I was. Which is really hard to kind of compartmentalize that too. And my parents did a great job of just not swaying me and just letting it be my decision. Okay, take me to those like final moments before you announced it and what's going through your head? Well, I've been agonizing about it for several days and trying to figure it out, narrowing it down and narrow it down to Florida and Alabama. And I loved both schools. And it was like literally came down to the last second.

1:11:38Even when I said University of Florida, there was still a part of me that regretted it. I didn't know if I made the best decision. And when we got in the car afterwards, I asked my mom for a trash bag because I think I'm going to throw up. I was just so close with so many of the players and staff at Alabama. And I think it's really hard that you feel like you regret it because you also hurt people. The disappointment in that. And I carried some of that weight. It wasn't that I didn't love Florida. It's just, man, to hurt people is hard. and I'm not good at sometimes having some of those hard conversations no no there I'm a people pleaser by nature and that makes it difficult and I honestly think just because of being a people pleaser it's um you want to please people you want to make people happy and sometimes it makes it even harder and I think sometimes I miss the mark because they also because I don't want to have sometimes a conversation you know confrontational conversation and maybe it was needed maybe that would have been better.

1:12:51I don't believe that niceness is the same as kindness. Is there an example with regards to your athletic career where you feel like it would have made a difference. Yeah I'm sure there's probably a lot of examples of just whether it's a conversation that I'd have up front with a coach or a teammate or maybe you handle something or maybe they give you feedback and I should have responded one way, but I just said, yeah, that's no problem when I really could have said, well, but I'm questioning this. I'm trying to figure, you know, and you're just... Is there one most notable example of that that comes to mind?

1:13:32You're like, how much do I reveal here? No, I just...

1:13:39There's not one that really comes to mind of a specific story, but that's something my whole life I've, and to this day, I have to work on every day. By the way, speaking of college, you ever think about if the NIL existed when you were playing? Not really. Oh, come on. People mention that. But it's just, you know, I loved, beyond loved my time there. And I wouldn't trade it. My teammates, the friends, the family, I wouldn't trade it for anything. And not only did you have a great time there, you went back for your senior year, you graduated, you know, did everything right. Here's a tough one for you.

1:14:29Aaron Hernandez what was he like back then he was a teammate that was extremely competitive that I think had a different side than a lot of how the media just portrays it and it's obviously a house to I think just trying to sensationalize something isn't always doesn't make it accurate or good and I think there's been too much of that has been sensationalized rather than just kind of tell the root of the story. What do you think gets lost in the media coverage of him? I just, I think telling the other, some of the other side of what he came through and what he worked through, he's working on, and it's just in every area, you know.

1:15:40Which was what for him? Because to your point, what you see in media is just headlines, right? Yeah, and I think it's just sad for a whole lot of people, you know. It's why it's hard for me to even answer your questions because I don't want to be a part of just talking about it. I don't want to, it's not really my place and I don't want to because there's still family and so many people are affected in other ways. and it's just, it's hard to know what to say, when to say, why to say it, because it affects so many people. And it's hard. It's hard, you know, for a lot of people, for victims, for his family, for so many people.

1:16:44So it's just, you know, try to be tender to all of that. Okay, so I guess my only other question without getting into specifics, and I know you had exposure to an incident with him at the swamp even back in the day. But when you see the news of just what happened with him, And just take me through what you go through in your head. I think every bit of it is just sad and heartbreaking. And I also think that all of us need to remember that we need to be in good community, good fellowship, that we need to be in relationships with people that can love us and care for us. I think it should also be something that convicts us that if we aren't careful, We can all go down different roads, and we're never immune from going down a road that isn't a good one for us to go down.

1:18:04And I think it should be a challenge to all of us. Like, man, I know that I so quickly can get full of a whole bunch of bad things and miss the mark and lose perspective. and we're not immune from those things. And I hope we look at some of them and we learn from different situations that have gone before us so we don't sometimes step into some of them. Because you know how many times I could have learned, but I still did it because I was just stubborn or proud and I wouldn't learn or wouldn't grow before it got to a place where I should have and it hurt too much to scar me and then I learned from the scar.

1:18:42Why is it so important to you to not say anything negative about him? Why would it be important to me to? What does that help? He's got family. The victims have families. Who am I to think I can speak into that? Like, I don't want to fight against that type of pride and arrogance. I don't want to have it. And I also care very, very much for him and his family. And it hurts. Every bit of it hurts. And so I don't want to join that side of just jumping on and saying stuff. It's not in my heart, and I don't think it's wise, and I don't think it's helpful. I want to completely shift gears in talking about the NFL, and we can start with a team you both played for, the Patriots.

1:19:43I heard this story and was kind of floored by it. You, to your credit, rightly get offered a million dollar endorsement deal for a day of work. Take me to that conversation you had with Bill Belichick. Yeah, it just was an awesome opportunity from a really good company that stood for really amazing things. And they really wanted me to be a part of it. It was during an off day. Not a bad deal, right? No, but I was asked by him when I joined the team to do my best of going under the radar and not bringing too much attention. I said, yes, sir, I'll do my best. And he was just always so honest and forthright and honestly really kind in a lot of areas.

1:20:35was Timmy. And we had a great relationship since I was in college. Him and Coach Meyer were close. And there's been a lot of times I got to know him early on in college. And so I called him and said, hey, this is an opportunity. And he was just very straightforward, like he always is, but kind about it. He said, Timmy, I'd really appreciate it if you turned it down. And what was your contract with the Patriots at the time? I don't think it was even a contract. I'm just trying to make the team. And I turned it down. Maybe I should have said yes because I got cut a few days later. But that day of service would have been twice as much as I would have made if I would have made the team for the entire season.

1:21:18But I think, you know, a few times how I've used the story and talking with people is that, man, if I would be willing to do that, to just try to give myself a 1 % of 1 % of 1 % greater chance to make a team, right, as a backup, then what should I be willing to do for the things that really matter to me? Like, if I would do that to make a team, would I have done that for the things that I would say matter more? Okay, now, was that a situation, though, when talking to coach, where you should have actually stood up for yourself and felt like I don't know. I don't know. I think every situation just takes discernment, figuring out.

1:22:04I don't know. It's a good question. So you had, as you said, no job, no car, no home after the Patriots cut you. What was your lowest point during that period? That's a good question. I'm not sure if it would have been then or it would have been the year before after the Jets season. both of those were pretty low points. How so? I think just disappointment. Just didn't go the way that we wanted it. Also the feeling of I wish I would have handled certain things differently. In what way? I think from even certain things to like some of the, when I landed and landed there in New York, like press conference I did, like I wished I wouldn't have done some of that.

1:23:01I wish I would have just probably handled a few things differently. And then I think, but obviously for, it just wasn't a, we don't win and it's a disappointing season. And I think there was not just regret of the outcome, but there was, I just wish I would have handled some things differently. What about when Urban cut you? That was very disappointing. But I don't necessarily even really blame him. But give color to the disappointment, if you don't mind. I think more of the disappointment was actually a pride issue. Because I got to play one preseason game, and it didn't go the way that I wanted.

1:23:53and I think I got cut the next day or the day after that. I think it was maybe a day or two after my birthday too, something like that. And Coach Meyer and Trent Baalke, the GM, handled it so kindly and nicely when they let me go. But I think what stung was the thought that,

1:24:18is this my last go-round is this how I'll be remembered because if you turn on any TV it was all of my worst plays being repeated over and over and over again on probably every sports talk channel and it was that that fighting of the pride that it was about my ego and Demi was doing such a good job of encouraging me in the middle of it but I was still fighting it because it was a lot of my ego that I was fighting and right about that time is when our military evacuated Afghanistan and we had team members that were serving there and then I got a chance to fly to a location in the Middle East and the location that we landed and we're serving there were people fighting for their lives that were sick that were stamped that were hurt that were certain people were bleeding out it was a really chaotic crisis filled situation and we got to serve and after a little while we got to leave from that country and fly to another one and it's the first one since being cut a few days earlier that i said god thank you i could really say that mean it god thank you thank you for letting me get cut because if i wouldn't have been playing for the jaguars and then i wouldn't have got cut at this time i wouldn't have actually been here to be reminded of what i was called to do you see what i view was a setback was really a setup because I would have had something planned and doing something and, you know, playing baseball or had TV or something else, then I wouldn't have been able to just fly to the Middle East to go serve.

1:26:04And it was such a reminder to me in a disappointing moment, in a low moment when you're thinking, man, is my sports career over? Is this it? Is this how I'll be remembered? All of my worst, all of my worst, all of my worst. It's not like there was anything that was remotely close to a peak. It was like low points. But I'm so grateful God wasn't like, I know you feel like this, but I use this. And I'm reminding you that you're called for something that's different. It's more important than a game. And that was so meaningful. And I'm so grateful for it. Backing up momentarily, you're with the Broncos.

1:26:45You have as good of a season as you could hope for in your first season starting. And then I think they give you the ability to get traded to kind of wherever you want. The Jags owner has said he offered more money and a higher draft pick. What was the thinking at the time in your mind? Why not to come home? Well, I would have loved it. But we were all told that besides the ownership, that nobody wanted me here. And so it makes it really hard when the ownership wants you, but the staff doesn't. How do you think through that at the time? I don't know. That's hard. It's obviously a dream come true.

1:27:42I would love it. I mean, are you kidding me? I loved Jacksonville, I loved it. But you also, I think most people would get this. It's important to go to a place you think you're wanted, right? That just changes so much. Well, and the reports about it at the time weren't that. It was that, you know, they were interested and for whatever reason, you know, didn't come. Obviously missing a key part of the color to the story. It's because it's not really my place to even, like, you know, just bring that up. It's not about, you know. You think you should have gotten another starting opportunity? I think I should have done better with the opportunities that I had.

1:28:33Do you? Yeah, I think I just could have handled it better. I mean, I got an opportunity with the Jets and should have performed better with the Patriots, should have performed better. Eagle should have performed better. What would you have done differently? I would get into certain types of training and focus and just all of it. You think so? I mean, didn't you, you were busting your you-know-what? Yeah, I mean, I tried to work hard, but obviously there was a lot of things I wish I would have just done better, improved on. I don't want to make it about I should have got another shot. No, I should have made more with my shot.

1:29:19There's a big difference. What's the takeaway from those experiences? I think everyone is different. Everyone was learning. Everyone, I still have special relationships. Everyone, I still root for so many of the people. I would say something that I learned from every one of those stops

1:29:42and stuff that I wish I would have done different at every one of those stops. And a lot of the things that I learned were also because of some of the things that I wish I would have done different. How do you view the time you spent in baseball? I loved it. I enjoyed every bit of it. Maybe the game slightly more than the bus rides, but it was just an awesome process. I, even in the setbacks and the injuries and somehow frustrating and disappointing some of those were, I'm just, I loved it. I think there really is something special about being able to look back and say, okay, you know, I have a lot of regrets about a lot of things, but I don't have many about this because I really pursued it hard.

1:30:25It ticked me off when I read this quote when I was preparing for this, because the Mets GM had come out. You know, this is forever ago now. And he was talking about, you know, signing you. And he's like, it's part talent and then part because of Barnum and Bailey. And I'm like, you know, here this guy is sacrificing kind of a lot to pursue this. And I don't know. I'm sure you saw that back. I don't know that I did. I tell you, I had such a good relationship with everyone at the Mets. I still feel like I do. I loved it. They just treated me so first class and so many teammates and coaches. I do not have anything but praise about my time with them.

1:31:17And you said before you made the decision to go all in on football, one of the hardest decisions I ever made was choosing football over baseball. It was really hard. Really? Yeah. I loved baseball. Loved it. And it was really hard to figure out because I either had to go to, I didn't have to, but I was either going to go to college early and start in January and go play football or stay, play baseball that spring and go pro for baseball out of high school. and that was agonizing and I feel like my my mom especially was pretty influential in that never not forceful at all but just sharing how important college education was to her too and so that and I think probably the biggest thing was if I look back and I said I don't get to experience one.

1:32:14Which one am I going to look back and say, I wonder what that would have been like the most. And that was never playing in the swamp and all those SEC stadiums. And so I, it's kind of the way I tried to look at it a little bit. And I've tried to view some things in my life, which one, if I look back, would I regret the least? So I, it's funny, I want to ask you about your decision-making process and, and broadcasting in the just remaining moments we have with you. I wanted to start with broadcasting though. What do you enjoy about it? I love being part of the game. I love the passion. I love the contagious atmosphere.

1:32:51I love that we get to be on campuses. It's such a been a part of my life. I really from my first memories I have loved, loved, loved all football but especially college football. The passion, the pageantry, the traditions, the rivalries, I've always loved it. I've been so passionate about it. It feels like if you cut me open, hopefully there's a few good qualities, but one of the first thing I think is going to bleed out after hopefully a love for people and for the Lord would be, man, I love the game. I love the passion and pageantry. It's just very near and dear to my heart. I don't know. It's hard to explain.

1:33:39It's just been such a part of my life for so long. What interests you in business? A lot, but especially business for ministry, using it, being able, like when we talk about the fight against trafficking and you talk about, hey, what are all the areas where it's not just enough to fight it in the nonprofit space or in the safeguarding and our safe homes. It has to be fought in the business sector. It has to be fought in the technology sector. It has to be fought with funds. It has to be fought in so many areas because it's infiltrating all of these areas and we have to be able to fight back. So that's like an area that we're heavily invested with Eagle Freedom Fund in building up technology companies that are fighting to either safeguard or care for or fight against these evils that are taking place because if they're using technology to do it, we have to also be able to fight back with technology against it as well, and that's just one example of a lot.

1:34:43You're on the boards of what companies? Not many, but I'm a GP in that, and I'm very grateful. We're so grateful for that. I sit on the board at TTF, and I'm very passionate about that. It's one of the callings, greatest callings I feel like in my life, but not many other boards, only a couple. Tell about the sports teams you're part of. Yeah, well, I love, I've just been able to see how cool sports can impact a community, and so get to be part of a couple ECHL hockey teams in Tahoe and coming soon in Augusta, and I love that. Also, of Sporting Jacks here in Jacksonville. I really have such a love for so many sports.

1:35:36But if I'm being totally honest, I love even more of what those sports can do. The role models in communities, the way it rallies people together, the way that it gives family something to do around meals or holidays or care for or get dressed up for. It can do so much in your community to bring people that might not talk to communicate, to do special things. And I just, I love it. What do you see as the business opportunity there? Oh, I think that some of these minor league teams can be a really special, a good business. They're bringing good partners and good people that really care about it.

1:36:13And you do things a certain way. Hopefully we can do good for people and also have a return on investment with it as well. Best financial decision you ever made? That's a good question. It's probably the first time anyone's ever asked me that. I can tell you that one of the worst investments I ever made, I got a call and we invested in a company and it was a disaster and it was a big loss. and it was a very interesting few moments because I got a call about it and then I got a call two minutes later from our team where we just got the chance to safeguard out of a terrible situation 26 kids. You just had the biggest loss ever in one investment or one day or one event.

1:37:29And such an impactful. And I was so convicted about which one am I going to care about more. And I really hope it was those 26 precious lives. How about best financial advice you ever received? To invest in things that are going to last forever.

1:37:50and then another more practical piece of advice that was a good piece of advice was to you only have so much time so how can you invest in things that there's an ROI when you're asleep and it was said to me by a very successful businessman but it impacted me in a different way I thought you know he's right you only have so much time so many days but then I actually took that to heart for TTF how can we have strategies that are multiplying even when we are aren't physically there you know so it's really to have that same mindset that he was talking about for for business but have it for people.

1:38:41That multiplication factor. Then lastly on the decision making front, explain what you were talking about a moment ago about making decisions from the standpoint of what you think you will least regret. I think a lot of times when you chase dreams in life you have the pain of discipline Discipline or the pain of regret? Both hurt, but the pain of discipline feels a lot better very quickly. When you finish a workout, during that workout it sucked for a little bit, but right afterwards man it feels good. And you're grateful that you pushed yourself and then there's a recovery phase and you improve from it.

1:39:27The pain of regret lasts a whole lot longer. It feels a whole lot worse. and too many things in life that I regret. And so I don't want to try to think about things in life that, OK, if I make this decision, I'm going to regret this the least. If I pursue this, I'm going to regret this the least. Ultimately, to have things that are more important, things of significance and meaning and purpose. And then lastly, as the columnist once pointed out, you have a level of optimism that borders on irrationality. The genesis of that is what? I don't know if I'm optimistic or I just I don't believe that when I say some of these things about humanity and people that's optimism.

1:40:20That's a belief. That's a belief in every life. That's a belief in who our creator is and how he created us and what he's created us for. Or I think optimism is you're saying, I'm optimistic things will turn out a certain way. I don't know about that. But I totally want to believe in the worth of who you are and the worth of who God created you to be and the value in which you have and the meaning and the significance. And I hope I see you that way and therefore I hope I treat you that way. That's very different than I'm optimistic. No, hopefully it's a conviction of a deeply held set of beliefs versus just turning out a certain way.

1:41:03Thanks for doing this. Does that make sense? Sure. Yeah. Thank you, Graham. I appreciate it, man. Thanks for listening to this week's podcast. Don't forget to leave a rating and review. And for more in-depth interviews, visit GrahamBenzinger.com.