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And we return to our American stories. Up next, we're going to hear from Richard Herzog, author of Pay Dirk. Through his childhood, Richard always longed for a role model.
someone to look up to and help him navigate the hardships he was facing in the home. But his inspiration ended up not being a person at all. Which board? Here is Richard with his story. I grew up in a small section of Gretna, right on the other side of the river from New Orleans.
Historically, it's not much different from New Orleans per se as the culture goes. We had one room with... a large number of people living on top of each other. In one bed. You had really at the end of the beginning, you had one bed, so maybe three or four boys were sleeping in that one bed, and then eventually we got some bump beds.
So you had one on the top, one on the bottom, and then maybe two or three would land in the big bed. and then my sister would land on the couch in the living room. You were always on the go too. Because you know, you live by that rule, you just stay outside until it's time to eat.
So you're either you know you're either involved in and Games that you make up, your own. Little world of climbing on trains, jumping trains to get to the ballpark as they're moving. I mean, come on. You gotta try that once, right? swimming in the river and you could just get up on the barges and jump into the river so That was fun.
And it was kinda like growing up like Tom Sawyer. And You know, we didn't lack for anything because we didn't know what it was like to have anything. The way I can describe growing up where I grew up, all you needed was a pair of shorts and some underwear and you were good to go. You know. You don't have to worry about shoes.
Well, you know, in New Orleans, uh You're either going to a celebration or you're going to make one up. There's never a worry. Do you just go on to the next day or the next thing and the next event?
Now New Orleans is not a part of this world. as far as I'm concerned. But For me, it affected me. Seeing how it affected other people, the drug life. I've seen people Died at an early age.
Friends who have lost to overdoses, you know, fighting came early and often. And I was pretty good at it.
So. You know, it's a hard environment to get out of. I mean they're entrenched. but it has that kind of spell on you.
So at home It's it's an abusive situation. You know, I'd had my share of abuse. I'd seen my more than my fair share of abuse. My mother suffered severely with depression. She's trying to raise six children in a small house.
My dad was a blue collar worker. Mm-hmm. Their marriage was one big ball of conflict. I would scratch my head every day thinking how did they get married?
So I watched a lot of wars. You know, then you got to, in this small space, you got to witness alcohol. But you were also living under these guidelines or this, you know Paint by color. Orders. This is what you do.
This is how you do it. You don't ask questions, get moving, boom.
So your curiosity was shocked.
So life's in motion. All these. Things that are happening inside the home gets softened somewhat. Bye. Sports.
It was the one thing I was really good at that I could enjoy. I didn't you know, I was lands away. when I was playing ball. You know, you can get on a ball field and fresh grass and sweaty uniforms, and basically knocking the snot out of each other if you're in football. And enjoying it, and not get arrested for it, or thrown in detention, or whatever.
He was like, man, I can do this. My Mother's cousin was Mellot, and I knew I had some. Athletic influences in May. You know, I would watch some things on TV. I'd see athletes play and I'd go out and try to replicate it.
And I'd keep working at it until I got pretty good. And Loved it. Just absolutely loved it, loved competing. You know, I was determined I'd be in the best on the field all the time. I played ball at school.
So, you know, growing up, had success at sports, had a lot of trophies. Trophies are put on the mantelpiece in a very interesting environment. You know, it had a shotgun and a record play and a crucifix surrounded by it.
So the heavy hand at home was coming down on me pretty good. And At run scared from everything I just witnessed. And then I'd run trying to get back into the football game. Because that's where the comfort was. You know, I never got to having a relationship with someone to kind of soften the blows or maybe.
Give me some sage advice or Just point me along the way.
So I think from... That part of my childhood going in right before I hit high school, I was wanting something to kind of say that the you know Richard. You are a decent human being or you you are this, you are that. And kind of build up my self-esteem a little bit instead of always being held under thumb. And Just generally just to feel like being loved.
So Always a pretty Pretty confused child. I had a lot of talent from my shoulders on down at that point, but I did not have a whole lot of confidence between my ears. Richard went to an all-boys Catholic school. One day a boy in his class decided to play a prank on the teacher. and when he invited Richard to take part in it, he declined.
So Eventually the guys caught And I wanted to Check to see how the teacher was doing. I was being sincere. I purposely missed the bus, date after school. and went and visited her in a classroom. She was there grading papers and I knocked on the door.
and we started a conversation. And uh that's where really the relationship began. you know She was heavily influential. on me because She was a mother figure to a degree. She was my teacher.
She was the first homecoming queen at the University of New Orleans. She was absolutely gorgeous. You know, she had it all. And the way she interacted with me and the conversations we had. I felt like for the first time, was learning.
and actually talking to someone who gave me the time. and the attention. and felt sincere about it.
So, your mind goes to these places because you're hoping and thinking and wishing that. This lady's going to set you straight and help you out. Yeah. After Richard talked with his teacher for a while, she offered to give him a ride home from school. We walk to the parking lot and there is a Burnt Orange, 1972, Montego.
And I thought, oh gosh. Teachers must get paid a lot of money.
Okay. And I got in, and it was, you know, just brand new smell and. The ride home was unlike anything I'd experienced in my life. It was calm. It was musical.
It was fun and funny. It was wit being shared. It was uh laughter. And it stuck with me. But the drive home, you know, that day was the first.
And then she just asked me if I need a ride home.
So I stopped riding the bus and started riding with her. And we're listening to Richard Herzog, author of Pay Dirt, share his story with us. Growing up in New Orleans, Small house, one bed, then bunk beds. Always on the go, as he said, we stayed outside. until it was time to eat.
Kind of like growing up like Tom Sawyer, he described. But not so much for the home life, the celebrations of New Orleans.
Well, lots of drugs, lots of alcohol. and lots of abuse in the family. My parents' marriage was one big ball of conflict. I was lands away, however. when I played sports.
And then that teacher of his, who just taught him about a different world in that car ride home.
Some peace, some laughter. and some encouragement and love. When we come back, more of Richard Herzog's story. Here. on our American stories.
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Malcolm Glabwell here. I recently recorded the first episode of Smart Talks with IBM. where I learned how AI agents are joining AI assistants as a major productivity tool. Let's start with AI agents. AI agents can reason, plan, and collaborate with other AI tools to autonomously perform tasks for a user.
Brian Bissel, an expert from IBM, gave me an example of how a college freshman might use an AI agent. As a new student, you may not know How do I deal with my health and wellness issue? many credits am I going to get for this given class? You could talk to someone and find out some of that. But maybe it's a little bit sensitive and you don't want to do that.
Bissell told me. You could build an AI agent, a resource for new students that helps them navigate a new campus, register for classes, access the services they need, and even schedule appointments on their behalf, which in turn buys them more time to focus on their actual schoolwork. we can see patterns of how agents and assistants can help. Employees and customers and end users be more productive, automate workflows so they're not doing certain types of repetitive work. over and over again and streamlining their lives and making data more accessible to them.
24 hours a day. To learn more about IBM's AI agents and how they can help your business, visit ibm.com/slash agents. Over 300 channels, zero bills. That's TiVo Plus. Curated movies, news series, and sports highlights.
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Back to school. It's an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming and kids may feel isolated, a vulnerability that human traffickers can exploit. Human trafficking doesn't always look like what you expect. Everyday moments can become opportunities for someone with bad intentions, whether you're a parent, teacher, coach, or neighbor. Check in.
Ask questions. Stay connected. Blue Campaign is a national awareness initiative that provides resources to help recognize suspected instances of human trafficking. Learn the signs and how to report at dhs.gov/slash blue campaign. At homes.com, we do whatever.
It takes to get you the in-depth info on local schools you won't find anywhere else. things like student-teacher ratio, test scores, and school programs. And sometimes that requires attending school recitals.
So Many. Recitals. That's my son. Isn't he terrific? Yeah, a real prodigy.
Homes.com We've done your homework. And we're back with our American Stories and with Richard Herzog. When we last left off, he'd begun to form what he thought was an innocent relationship with his teacher. hoping she would be a mentor for him. Let's return to Richard.
It was the last day of school. And she had driven me home. And well I thought. It's been good. But I've got all this tightness in me, like I'm a loser.
I'm not going to get to talk to her anymore. You know, I was romanticizing. But I gotta accept the reality of it. No matter what I'm thinking, I have to accept the reality she's married. And I just have to go on.
Over the summer, Richard had a job working at a local family-owned restaurant called Burdue's. I think that helped me. Move on a little bit. You got the things you love. You've got sports.
You've got your job. And so I learned how to keep busy in that moment. And we're at work one night. And Ms. Burdue answers the phone, and I'm just standing nearby, and she says.
Richard, do you have a telephone call? I'm thinking Who's calling me? At work. And It was her. She said, I've been thinking, and I like talking to you, and I like being with you, and I want to see you again.
Let's get together. And away we went. It was then that Richard's teacher told him if he gave up his sports, which practiced every Saturday, they could instead spend that time together. By then I was heavily influenced.
Now she's my drug of choice, basically.
So you know, whatever she said, I'll listen to. And It was like, yeah.
Okay, she wants to see me. And I'm going to give up sports to do this.
So yeah, by then pretty much far gone. I didn't tell anyone. Until It's hard to get physical. But no one knew. what to do about it.
After several months of spending time together in forming this inappropriate relationship, Richard's teacher asked him if he would come for a ride with her. Gee. It was quite Quieter than she normally was, and um Then just basically just tells me we can't go on like this anymore. We can't do this anymore. I think by this moment in time People are talking.
And there's still no answers as to exactly what happened. other than she said she got scared and ran.
So That's where it was left, basically. I mean, it was like. Right then and there.
So There was so much to deal with. I couldn't tell my parents. I couldn't tell anymore the administration. Certainly want to go to a priest and That was the hard part. There's just no help.
It was just shutting the door. I had nowhere to go. I had no one to talk to. I didn't think anybody would believe me. And so I would see her on a daily basis.
And I'm a zombie. I'm in a total Inexplicable fog. And so that's how I'm living. every day. Two years of high school of going through that was excruciating to say the least.
But I was also determined that I was going to get through it. I wouldn't go let her kill me. By the time I got out of high school, you know, I had these jobs that were just crazy. They were going nowhere fast. I could accept things as they were.
you know, live where I was living, drink beer, get up and do it again. And think life was good. You know, I could have settled for that. But And I got to thinking. But you know what?
I've wasted all my talent, that this is not what I'm supposed to be. I just was not fulfilling my potential that I think God had given me. At this point, Richard started going to football games at the high school he'd attended to watch his friend John, who was the quarterback. I would sit in the stands and I would be filled with so much anger. in resentment.
and not towards John or the team or anything. I was pulling for them, but the resentment of That could have been me.
So I would walk out of the stadium during these games being the probably the meanest, maddest person. And everybody else is celebrating and I'm like, you know, just get away from me. Because I'm ready to fight.
So. That was me standing in the fire. I went and I faced that. and I knew it would be hard. But that drove me.
I got to do something if I can't be a ball player. that I'm going to coach. And I decided to turn the page then and there. Richard's friend John was being recruited by Ole Miss to play football. and he told Richard he should go there too for college.
I never heard of the old mess. except for Archie Manning. I didn't know who Olmiss was, but I knew who Archie Manning was.
Well, as John's getting recruited, I'm living right next door to him.
So all these Recruiters are coming in his house, and when he decides that he wants to sign with the old miss, Archie shows up at the house. And of course, I'm over there, and I'm meeting Archie Manning and Steve Sloan. And so I got to thinking, yeah, man, I'd really like to go up there. It came up before I actually enrolled in school and saw it, and I was like, yeah. I like this place.
And getting seven, eight hours away. was kind of a cure for me. You know, I could separate myself at that point. And There was something about it that grabbed my soul. But I also know that I'm here to focus And I want to get my degree and I want to coach.
So I got on that track of That's what's happening. And I mean, God must have been looking at me something because I end up running the athletic dorm here. I was in charge of 400 athletes. And, you know, then I'm. getting to travel with the team and I'm at some of the practices and Fight.
Wow. But you know In all this, The darkness is still there. The problem, the issue is still there. By the law. and by definition, you know It was statutory rape, which I had no idea what that was at the time.
because I did not know the difference between improper and a proper relationship. In my mind, I was like, well, this is how relationships are. whether you're married or not. You know, that you can't really commit to something. And that's what I learned.
at an early age.
So I was in therapy and Knowing something was wrong. It was just like a miracle, you know. The lady said. I'm gonna send you to this. counselor.
who can give you this test. and I think she can help you.
So I take the test and I scored high and that's not a good thing. But it does give you answers. And The answers for me were to get into the 12-step program. And I felt like it was the first time I had been in church in a long, long time. But there's so much empathy.
and you know spiritual togetherness that You're all rowing in the same boat going in the same direction. You know, and you just really want to get well. I'd quit drinking. I started lifting weight, started running, doing all these things, getting healthier. After going through 12 steps and working with Olmas Athletics, Richard then went on to become head football coach at another school in Tennessee.
and led the team to four state championships.
So One accomplishment is building on top of the other, which That in itself was the therapy, if there is such a thing. For me, And then as you accomplish something, you gain more confidence. And That's when I started to think, okay. I got some confidence here. It's time for me to be more proactive than I've been.
And I thought that forgiving was important. Because It all boils down to She was an adult. And What she did was abuse. and cause a lifetime of grief. And I wanted to forgive her, I wanted to forgive myself.
Forgiving her was extremely difficult because you're always caught between forgiving and forgetting. And then the ugly part of me would, you know, the anger would rise again and like, can I really forgive her? You know, you said you did, but can you really do this? That was always very difficult. But I felt like I could confront All of it.
and have some clarity. And You know, I was like. There's got to be a voice for people who have had the experience I had. This happens to males too, believe it or not. And I want them to know.
That if they have this and they're going through what I went through, they don't have to take their life. They can win. And You know, I think the best thing that you can do is forgive.
So In the end, I beat it. And a terrific job by Madison Derricott on the production. and a special thanks to Richard Herzog, author. of Pay Dirk. and how he overcame The sexual abuse, and let's face it, that was sexual abuse.
And men face it too, from women and from men. It's as important telling those and sharing those stories as when women do. And my goodness, getting to Ole Miss, and we broadcast right here in Oxford, Mississippi, getting seven and eight hours away from what happened to him, but in the end, He still had to face the darkness, and the way to do it was forgiveness. We have found that again and again. that when the victim Forgives the victimizer.
Life began. The story of Richard Herzog, a terrific overcoming story here. on our American stories. Life's messy. We're talking spills, stains, pets.
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Free, no sign-ups, no fees, just press play. That's TiVo Plus. Free, binge-worthy, and always on. Check us out at TiVo.com. Hey, what's up, it's Mario Lopez.
Back to schools, an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming and kids may feel isolated, a vulnerability that human traffickers can exploit. Human trafficking doesn't always look like what you expect. Everyday moments can become opportunities for someone with bad intentions, whether you're a parent, teacher, coach, or neighbor. Check in. Ask questions.
Stay connected. Blue Campaign is a national awareness initiative that provides resources to help recognize suspected instances of human trafficking. Learn the signs and how to report at dhs.gov/slash blue campaign. Hold up, we got one play. Everything we work for comes down to this.
Quick question. Speaking of workouts, how would you rate your athletic program? Bro, we're in the middle of the state championship. Oh, so like a B plus then? Dude, get out of our huddle.
Well, at homes.com, we leave it all on the field to get you detailed information on local schools. Off the field! Off the field. Copy. All right, go sports.
How'd he even get in here? Homes.com. We've done your homework. With great deals coming this Prime Big Deal Days, October 7th and 8th, greatness is a deal away.
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