9.9.22 - JR Interview with Mack Hollins

Brief show right here with you on CBS Sports Radio.

And right now on the E or I guess the NFL season has started already, but we're getting ready for NFL football on Sunday. Right now we're being joined by someone who's a dear friend. He's a Special Olympics champion ambassador. He is also a Vegas Raiders wide receiver.

We've had him here on the show. It's my main man, Mack Hollins. Mack, how are you, brother? I'm doing great, JR. I really appreciate you having me.

No doubt about it. It's good to have you back on the show. We're going to talk about some of the amazing things that you do with and for Special Olympics, including there's a cool gaming event that's going to take place tomorrow and next weekend.

We'll get into that. Obviously, everybody, this is the first football Friday for the start of the season. We saw the game last night. The Rams and the Bills got us all set. How are you feeling here on a Friday night, man? I'm feeling good. You know, this is this is what what we want to do.

This is what we do it for. You know, we go through the last who knows how long it feels like it was two months worth of training camp for this weekend. Obviously, the Bills and Rams got to get theirs out of the way. They got to get that it scratched a little bit, but ours is coming in two days and that's going to be super excited. We put in a lot of work and all the guys are ready to go against somebody in a different color jersey. No doubt about that.

The Raiders, your new team is going to take on the Chargers will have a chance and opportunity to see that. How does it feel putting on that that that black and that silver, man? Are you are you waiting for that? Oh, yeah. My very first interview, I said black and silver is silver and black.

The order matters is black. Okay. Yeah. No, don't worry.

I was I was at fault for that one, too. But it's super excited. You know, obviously, preseason is one thing you put it on and you know, I guess I don't know because it's your six.

It doesn't have that same feel as when it's really when it's a real deal game. So it's going to be really exciting to put it on for the first time on Sunday and and go to war with my brothers. Man, you talk about your brother. Mac Hollins is joining us here.

CBS Sports Radio, the JR Sport Reshow. Your offense is stacked. Your wide receiver room is stacked. The guys with the hands are stacked. Renfro, we see Devontae there. You got Darren Waller on the squad as well.

And then I'm going to get to you guys kind of squeezing into that that that Uber at that time. Talk about all receivers and hands and the offense that you guys have right now. Yeah, I think I think what's what's great about our room and, you know, receive room as well as just the whole offense and really the team in general is our ability to push each other. We have a lot of guys that have accolades and guys who have a history of success in this league, but we don't have anybody who's comfortable with where they are or feels like they're just supposed to be handed anything.

And that's, you know, I've been in the league a few years and I've seen that on other teams or heard of it from former teammates when they're on other teams. And it's just not a recipe for success. So, you know, nothing is handed to you in this league.

Nothing is given to you. Nothing is easy in this league. So to, you know, to be in a room and on a team of a bunch of guys that work hard and push each other. It's really exciting.

It gives you it gives you something to, you know, wake up and get out of bed and go to work for Special Olympics champion Ambassador Mac Collins is here with CBS Sports Radio Radio. What happened in that Uber, man? Hunter Renfro made Joe squeeze up in a Toyota Camry. You guys, you're six foot four by yourself, man.

Listen, I'll say this to the day I die. I got no problem with Hunter getting that Uber. When you order an Uber, it says it can fit four people and we have four people. I don't know if it's because we're both walk-ons or what it is, but I'm not I'm not ordering the XL if we don't have six, seven people. But it did happen to be probably the smallest car.

In all of Canton, Ohio, and we listen, we just hopped in and that, you know, those are good memories. Okay. Well, I mean, come on, you know, y'all about a foot bigger than me. Y'all are not y'all are not for people's size. So next time get a get a bigger car.

Maybe we'll pull our money and see if we can get some change together and upgrade. No doubt about it. Listen, man, the guy who's going to be throwing you the football, Derek Carr, we've seen him kind of just be all business. How's it feel being on the receiving end of his passes right now?

It's great. And he's, you know, as much as he's a great player on the field off the field, he's he's a great guy. And that matters a lot to a team and, you know, his ability to interact with any person and any player and how genuine he is to everybody. It's really like it's nice to see, you know, it gives you a little like puts a smile on your face and you want to talk there if you want to hang out there because he's a great dude and his kids are great families great and just brings a great energy. You know, you can just feel when people have good energy.

It's not a what they say or what, you know, the way they treat you is just they can walk in room and you're not even looking at them and you can just feel that the room is going to change. Matt Collins is here with us Vegas, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver you talk about Derek I remember the minute he got drafted I was one of the first people that interviewed him. The second he got drafted on Google. We did that first so it's nice to see his progression and I wish you in a raid is nothing but success man but you talk about him being a good guy Matt, you're a good guy. Special Olympics champion ambassador, I've done plenty of work with Special Olympics over the years with my media for the movement tour. And we're going to talk about gaming for inclusion but why is Special Olympics and organization that you work so closely with multiple reasons but I think it started I've always had a connection to it. I had a neighbor with intellectual disabilities growing up. I had a roommate in college who basically basically his brother had intellectual disabilities was a Special Olympics athlete. Throughout my career in the NFL at my relationship to the point where now I'm a champion ambassador has has grown with Special Olympics and I've just fallen more and more in love with it and just the athletes, the people involved with it. It's just something that makes me happy. Maybe it's a selfish reason that I do it, it makes me happy to be there and to hang out the athletes and watch them compete and to see how close that that bridge that people say there is between us really is.

It's not as a as far apart as it may seem, we're all people man that's just what it what it boils down to the human beings where we're all people, but I talk for a living. I can't run and catch footballs and be an athlete like you and you're very well read you're more than an athlete you're, you're a human being, you started book clubs you're doing work with Special Olympics what we're talking about here. You're also a gamer man and Special Olympics has something amazing that's going to take place tomorrow and then next Saturday as well. Talk to us about gaming for inclusion. This is a, this is, this is a big initiative that Special Olympics is really got behind and created and got behind.

It's going into the second year. And really, I'd say it's, it's something that kind of was one of the few good things that came out of COVID and being on lockdown. Is this opportunity to continue to close that gap between people with intellectual disabilities and without, because it gives people an opportunity to see that those with intellectual intellectual disabilities can do the exact same things that anybody else can like when you see some of these kids gaming and you're like, if you didn't know if you weren't looking at them or didn't assume anything you'd say they're professional gamer, the way that they're able to be like just win every match, whether it's rocket league whether it's fortnight or whether it's called dude like you'd be shocked. It's the exact same reaction that I see people when they first come to a Special Olympics event like, like any type of sports event, and they're in shock that same exact reaction is what I see with the gaming for inclusion stuff and it's so incredible to see that and that's what that's another reason this brings me back to just see somebody's life change, and their whole perspective on those with intellectual disabilities change right there. Mac I'm smart enough to not even try to play against anybody.

I will stand there and watch I know if I tried to play I'd get my behind handed to me I'll just sit down and watch that that's that's me majority of time I'm just what I do is I watch and I see who's the best and then I just try to just smooth talk my head to their squad. This is okay it doesn't always work for when it does a little bit of a front runner there's nothing, there's nothing wrong with that Mac Hollins Raiders wide receivers joining us. And so gaming for inclusion is going to take place tomorrow it's going to stream on Microsoft's switch platform. And next week, it will actually be the celebrity showcase so people who compete tomorrow.

They'll go down to the best of the best, and they'll take on former running back Jamal Charles, we got some WWE superstars we have some other people it's a big deal man. Oh yeah, it's a really big deal, you know, which has become this huge thing and then for the specialists to be able to partner with with Microsoft and do that type of stuff and now you're seeing these WWE stars Jamal chart like that would have never happened with because video gaming was weird it was the what, like, people that are never going to be successful do. And now all of a sudden you get locked in your house for two years, and all those people that have been getting really successful at gaming are now coming out on the back end as the successful people that are getting sponsorships that are getting paid or making a living off of video games and what's great is that that opportunity is now opening up for those with intellectual disabilities and it's like they're having the same opportunities, and now it's this huge event, and everybody has the opportunity to watch it, which will be super super fun especially because it's on a Saturday that means I can, I can, I can watch and I can enjoy it before we go out on the field and do our thing. I appreciate, appreciate that man I encourage everyone to go to Special Olympics dot org slash gaming for inclusion. The tournament that will take place tomorrow and then the celebrity showcase the following week man I know you got a game to get ready for I'm going to ask you this on the way out I don't expect the fancy answer man.

What are these Las Vegas Raiders going to do this season man. The goal is to score more points in the opponent every week so if you score more points to win the game. That's the goal. I appreciate that. Where can people keep up with you, all the amazing work that you do in and for the community and also Special Olympics man that thing will all be on all my all my platforms are at Mac Hollins so just my name at Mac Hollins. You know Fridays are my Fastback Friday days where I do videos on informational videos I got my MacBook Mondays.

You know, always trying to educate and make a fun then a little splash of football in there too. I appreciate that what's the last book what do I need to read Tell us Matt. Oh, um, if you're, I'm reading a book called the color of money right now which is pretty good. But if you're into, I read a book. That's a good laugh but it's has some serious part, lamb. Okay, called lamb I eat lamb I don't know about the book land but I'm gonna look it up there it's about it's about Jesus is best friend.

Jesus is best. Okay, I'm gonna check that out. It's a it's a fun read.

It's a fun read. Okay, Mac I appreciate you man I'm gonna go ahead and Google that right now. There you go, I'm gonna do it in the commercial break I appreciate you always being an ambassador for Special Olympics. I encourage folks to go ahead and check out gaming for inclusion. Mac, good luck with you and the raiders I'm sure I catch up with you before the season is done you're busy guy if not afterwards Okay, thank you so much Jr I really appreciate it.