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Now, on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Mike Brown. My God, what a job he did. I couldn't believe that it was happening.
From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. I'm even so happy I would hug Dane Doma. For a split section. Earlier on the show. MLB insider Jeff Passen.
NFL network insider Tom Pellicero. Coming up. ESPN college football analyst Josh Pate. And now, it's Rich Isen. Hour number three of the Rich Heisen Show is on the air.
It's been a very Brendan Sawsby-heavy program with the Texas Tech quarterback apparently getting set to. Tap out on his legal path to playing in the NCAA this year and go to the NFL and say, I'd like to join you now and have a supplemental draft. And we talked about it with Tom Pellisero from the NFL perspective of things, Josh Pate, who we spoke about, who I think we last spoke with two Mondays ago when when Swordsby first got a A ruling from a Tarrant County judge. there in Texas saying You could just sit out two games and play because the NCAA didn't didn't support you in your Battle with mental illness in the form of a gambling addiction. Josh is going to join us with his two cents on that.
844-204-ITH is the number to dial. Jeff Passeng showed up, and we had a very entertaining, informative, and enlightening chat with the baseball insider in Hour One. If you missed any of our show, there's our YouTube channel, over 1.1 million subscribers/slash/followers there right now. And there's also the Disney Plus page that you can watch us live through and check out all of our archive material, including this episode today, as soon as it's over. We appreciate you doing that.
There's our podcast. You can listen to us as well. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial on the program. We're about to have an overreaction Monday on a Tuesday in a moment, but Just want to revisit what we spoke about quite a bit yesterday, and that's the New York Knicks winning a championship. This is day three of my life where I can recall waking up in the morning and say, my Knicks are NBA champions.
I still can't believe it's happened. It really is unbelievable. I'm enjoying watching them go through the media car wash, if you will, all over Jimmy Fallon's program. I think every Knick showed up on Jimmy Fallon last night. I love all that stuff.
I can't wait for the parade. The parade is on Thursday. I like championship parade. I just love, you know, everything. Everybody's kind of it's kind of endearing.
Mike Brown is endearing. The fact that he sings Who Let the Dogs Out because that's what his flag football team that he coached when he was in San Antonio as an assistant under Popovich. That's what they were. They were called the dogs, and that was their chance.
So he mentioned that from the podium before game one of that series. And I'm like, this will be used as a. A moment. After the finals, to point out that either Mike Brown was not ready for primetime or was keeping everybody loosey-goosey and is a champion head coach. Thank goodness it's the latter.
And you're seeing him, you know, and Brunson saying he's got to stop doing that. Apparently they didn't know the background. to this Oh, okay. You know, Baja Man twist to the story that I did not see coming. Yeah, he was with Kat and Brunson.
Last night. I forget what show. Yes. They looked utterly embarrassed by him.
Well, you know what? It's it's fun, it's endearing, it's great. Even I believe Brunson and Josh Hot Hart's podcast. Put out a video of James Dolan talking to the team before the playoff run. Did you see this?
I've seen clips of it. And his speech was. Inspiring. Like, I was totally blown away by it. And for real?
Yes, I'm not kidding. I watched it. I'm like, way to go, man. What a message to deliver to this team. And the thing that really hit me.
The thing that really hit me is he said to all of them. When we win the championship, he basically said, I believe you can win this. You've just got to sacrifice. You've just got to, for these next 10 weeks, place everything else aside and focus on this. And he said at one point, when we win the championship, Not only will you get a ring, But I'll give a ring.
to your significant other or spouse. Yeah, I always thought, wondered about that. And he goes, I think most of you in this room have one. But if you don't Pick out whoever's the most important person in your life to help you. Get to this point.
And win it all. That person will get a ring. That's pretty dope. He turned into Oprah. Like, you'll get a ring.
You'll get a ring. And your wife will get a ring. And your girlfriend will get a ring. Or your mom will get a ring. Or your dad will get a ring.
Like, it was unbelievable. And I'm like. Where the hell has this guy been? You know, the only other way I've seen him face forward is toxic. Or at least that's the way I read it.
I was looking at it, I'm like, this is unbelievable. Have you changed your thoughts a little bit? Listen, man, winning helps, and he is. He got it done. And the Knicks got it done, and the front office got it done, and the players have gotten it done.
And I'm going to go here. Uh oh. I'm going in this direction. Because all of this stuff about how, hey, the Knicks are likable and I like these guys and this is amazing and look what the city feels like and look what they've done for the city and look what they've done for themselves. Because James Dolan did tell them, if you win a championship, it will change your life.
It will change your life. It will change all of our lives. He said, it will change my life. And And everybody's Talking about this About how great it's for the city and great for this and great for that. And I'm getting texts from people congratulating me, and it's great, it's awesome.
And it's brought people together. There's a little bit of a subtext of this is a one-off. Little bit of a subtext. that this is a one-off. This championship?
And I'm saying, what if. This is the start. Of a run for the ages, not just this. Six week, ten week playoff run. That what they did Is one of the most impressive runs.
Ever And many metrics. But what if Brunson And his performance is actually now going to make him A Jordan-esque closer. That you can't stop. At the end of the day. What if?
Hmm. They raised the banner. And the Knicks are a clear-cut. Front running team. And even if not.
Even if not, even if they are the two-seat or the three-seat, and they're going to have some regular season issues. like they've had Where they're not a 60-win team. They're not blowing the doors off places. But they're good enough. And they're going to get a home court advantage spot in the first round.
And then comes next April. And it's like, okay. Good luck beating him again Because they know how to close. They've got the rings. What if this is the beginning of a run?
in a back-to-back championship for the New York Knicks. I mean, why can't that happen? Because they haven't There hasn't been a repeat champion in nine years. Denver thought it, Milwaukee thought it, everybody, Boston thought it. Oklahoma City.
I understand. There's a lot of parity in the league right now. But why not? It's awesome. Just outside of that.
Talent-wise, coaching-wise, team-wise, chemistry-wise, why not? I mean, I got it. I hear you. Are you on the Franco plan today? What does that mean?
Our caller Franco. Frankie in Texas saying that the Raiders are going 12 and 5 next year. No, I think this is far more realistic of a possibility than that. Drug testing at work. No, no, no, no.
Why not? Yeah, sure. Why not? Hey, he's a Nick fan. I meant that in support.
Uh why not? Why not, indeed? Because they're young, they're good. There's no contractual re-signings that are going to bust this thing up in the immediate horizon, I don't believe. Nah, but Brunson's got a contract coming up, what, next year?
Yeah, but guess what's not going to be a problem, I think, at the end of the day. If he's already taken a buck 13 less, you think he's going to do that again those days? I don't know. Let me tell you what he's not going to do again.
Well, how do you know that? How do we know that? How do we know that that's going to be required anyway?
Well, maybe not. We don't. But you already got the deal, and it wasn't like a 10 million, 100 plus million. Just saying. His wife would slap him if he did that.
It feels to me that the subtext of everything is like: nice run you had there, man. Hold on, Mitchell Robinson is a free agent. Great. Jose Alvarado is up after next year. Kat is in two years.
Kat's owed a lot of money. He's owed $118 million over the next two seasons. See how it goes. OG is signed through the next three years. Same thing with Jalen Brunson, but he is on the cheap, cheap now, around $40 million over the next three years.
I'm just saying, why not? A run. Why can't they be the front runners? Why can't they be that team? You know, and they're inspiring everyone else.
Dan Campbell's talking about it in Detroit for crying out loud. to finally get there uh with a pretty loyal fan base. Um You know, it's pretty special to watch what they did, you know, and whether you like it or not, you respect it. You know, you respect what it took to get through all that and to overcome. Um You know, and to will it to happen, to make it happen, you know, so.
I think there's something to that, and look, that's what we're striving for. I mean, just Doesn't It does matter. But it doesn't. Man, it's about winning, and it's about winning a championship. Whether you did it last year or you hadn't done it in 50 years or 30 years, you just.
That's what that's why we're in this business, man, to be the best of the best. And that's what drives you.
Well, obviously the Pistons winning or the Tigers winning or the Wings winning or the Lions winning. I think the Lions in particular, though, would be similar to what the N the Knicks have engendered for New York City. Detroit's not a two-sport Team Town. Right. Right.
Like New York is. But I'll tell you this. I know a lot of State. Fans up there and East Lansing. That can't stand me and I can't stand them.
That If the lion's one They would come together just like the Yankee and Met fans are right now in New York. And that's why I'm thinking maybe a light bulb's gone over the head of Dan Campbell. over this sort of thing. Why the hell not? For the Knicks to go and be dynastic.
Yeah, baby. I'm saying it now. I'm saying it before the parade. Al in Dallas, you hear what I'm saying, Al? Are you picking up what I'm putting down, Al?
On this front? Yeah, I think some of the, I think it's great. I mean, this is unbelievable. I mean, I'll take a big hit of what Franco took, too, if it takes, you know, if it takes this happening. Absolutely.
But Franco's saying the Raiders are going 12 and 5 after. No, I'm joking to dead. No, I know. I think that's what I'm talking about as a far more realm of a possibility. Brunson Doo.
You heard what I had to say yesterday, Al, right? Brunson Doon to the Spurs is on par of Jordan. On the par of Michael Jordan, 45 points in a closeout game on a road of an NBA Finals. You know, like, why can't he be that guy again and again and again? And now suddenly he is ascended.
Even greater. to the heights that he's currently at. Why not? Wouldn't put a past him. I'm not.
I mean, he has just. Shushu the doubters. Uh Forever. This has been an amazing. amazing run.
You know, I don't know what it's like. You know, I have the experience of all four of my teams winning championships while I'm around. It's been fortunate. This is like giant type-esque. Stuff not eighty six Giants, not eighty six Mets, not teams that were expected to win.
You talked to us in January, you know, we were all we've been sitting here convincing for years, right? You never would have thought that this was possible in January. And then when the Celtics got hot, you know, we still even doubted it going into the playoffs. I'd probably lose to Detroit. The problem was the Celtics.
This is the greatest playoff run since my Giants. And I think it's even better. It's better to be honest with you. I agree because of sheer dominance. I mean, it it it's unbelievable.
But it it it and It all starts, Rich, with if you go back and just look at I hate to be New York-centric, but I'm going to be. You look at the when the ownership finally makes changes to management that gets it and knows what it's doing, I mean, I think we all kind of dismiss Leon Rose and World Wide West unless you're really kind of new. You know, and the basketball connections that they have. I mean, you see what the Giants did with George Young, you see what the Yankees did with. you know, Watson, Michael and Cashman.
The Mets with Frank Cashman, for God's sakes, and David Checketts. I mean, it all starts there.
Now, he tried, you know, Phil Jackson, he tried, didn't work. But this has been an unbelievable, un This has been an unbelievable Month Right? Guys like you and I are brought back into the fray. You know, like People are like, you're a Nick fan. I'm like, I bleed.
Blue and orange, and so do you. But we just got you know, like any other fan, we just got Disenchanted with a poor product. Yeah, and I believe blue and orange for basketball. That's as you know, Al. The other one, not so much, which is why I just give you an example here for the Knicks.
That's a Met fan on the phone. I'm a Yankee fan. We're rooting for the same team here. And then after that, I got to turn my back on you. You know what I mean?
The only team we root for, I guess, right? I mean, to be honest, I mean, Rangers, but you're not really a big hockey guy, you know. But I guess, you know, you're not an Allen fan. Al, I appreciate the conversation. I got another problem.
Okay. I got one more problem, Richie.
Okay. The discount code Del Tufo is not working. I don't know. I got to work on that. I got to work on that.
I don't know. We'll send you off to his bots to handle it. Thank you. I also got it. I got to push back.
This is not as good as the 07 Giants. I mean, the Knicks had the fourth best title odds entering this season. The Giants were 15th heading into that year, and they were the sixth seed in the playoffs. I hear you. I hear you.
And you're in a one-and-done situation. No, I hear you. I don't know, man. The Knicks. And they beat a team in the finals that was going to be the best NFL team ever.
They didn't beat a bunch of rookies.
Well, I mean, it's all we were overreacting. It's the overreaction Monday on a Tuesday. Go ahead. Hit it. Hit it, please.
That was terrible. That was crap. That was garbage. This place sucks. Overreaction Mondays.
Mondays. Monday. Monday. On a Tuesday. What do you got over there?
Hey, guys, everybody, happy Tuesday. Good to see you. Hey, I'm coming out hot, Rich. You're riding high. All of New York is riding high.
I know. I usually ride high in April and get shot down in May, and now I'm riding high in June. You're back up again in June. June. It's a whole new lyric for that's life.
You know? But here's the thing, guys. The Knicks didn't win the NBA championships. The Spurs lost it.
Alright. Come on, what are we talking about? The Spurs were such a better team. They led for 72% of the minutes played in this whole series. But basketball games last for 100% of the time.
Come on now, man. Don't be ridiculous. Don't be ridiculous. The Spurs lost it.
The Knicks still had to make shots. They still had to put one. I'm not even going to dignify this with the conversation. And you're doing this just to, you know what my answer is going to be. And you're doing this just to rile me up to start.
It's absurd. By the way, tonight. Would have been, I believe, the analytics game six between the Cavs and the Spurs. I don't know who would be up three games to two. But we dominated most of the time.
The other time we sucked and we lost. That's what happens. When is that Cavs Analytics parade? Is that tomorrow or Friday? I don't know.
I think it's virtual. Is it a Zoom parade? Yeah, yeah, it's a Zoom. I think so. All right, I just had to get that out of the way.
Okay, good. But here's the thing, and I think this is a good point. Hear me out on this one.
Okay. The Spurs would have been better off losing Game 7 to the Thunder. Why? Why? Because here's the thing.
If they would have just lost game seven to the Thunder, right? It would have been, oh. Great plucky Spurs team. They're really fun to watch. They're a year away.
They're going to get there. Wemby's not the villain. He's not hated by everyone across the world right now for his alleged cheap shots and see you never. Everyone would have still liked them heading into next season. They would have been a happy, plucky group.
And, you know, you could have beat the Thunder. That would have been a really fun, entertaining series. But now everybody hates the Spurs. What are we doing? Listen, you would have been better off losing game seven to the Thunder.
This is why you're so good at overreaction Monday and Monday on a Tuesday or Tuesday on a Wednesday, whatever the hell day we're recording with the why that we do this, is because this is ridiculous. No, no, no, no, it's because a lot of the topic bars and topics that are put out there are based on what people are saying about a team.
Okay. unlikable Wemby, for instance. All this villain talk. No, I know you loved Wemby two weeks ago. How many people know do we know did anybody hopefully everyone saw the video of Wemby and I believe Champagne went to a children's hospital in San Antonio yesterday?
Okay, guy is just young. immature at that moment in time. Um, and then, like I said, in the same way that I love how games 45 and 63 and 72 matter to him in the regular season, him losing in game five of these finals. where everything was going well enough. Um for most of the games.
Uh I think um Is a lesson for him and how to be professional in moments where you're. You're not playing your best, and you get a result that you're upset with. And one of the things he also said that he learned. Is how mistakes get magnified in these situations.
So I believe the five games in which they played against the Knicks will be highly valuable for them moving forward to make them a better team and better in crunch time and better here and better there. Um and It will better serve them than getting knocked out in Game 7. Regardless of what people are saying about wending. Let him go hang with the monks and get over here. I don't think it's weird.
What else you got over there, Chris? You know, we talk a lot about Jalen Brunson, his path from Dallas to New York. And I'm looking at, I analyze that, and you combine letting him go with Luke, the crazy-ass Luca trade. It's the biggest roster blunder in NBA history, TJ. It's worse than Bowie over Jordan, and Darko over Mello, and the Dirk trade on draft night, Kobe to the Lakers, Sonics trading Pippin.
It's worse than all of those combined. It's tough to argue that I mean They had them both. They had both of them. Same draft. I know we were playing the result.
We're playing the result. But You knew Luca being traded in the manner in which it... he was traded was absurd. Brunson at the time. Yeah, but now, I know, combined with God, you'd have paid him $100 million to stay put in Dallas and be the backup until Kyrie was done or whatever?
Or is that what it was? Backup. No, they got Kyrie after. Oh, that's right. I mean, whoever he was backing up at the time.
He would eventually play his way. You don't think. I know. I'm trying to push back here, obviously, inartfully and inaccurately.
So. I can't push back. I don't think this is an overreaction, Chris. Oh, it's so bad.
Sorry, Maverick Sam.
So bad. What else you got over there? You know, there's a young guy in San Antonio, and he had a rough finals. You know, Mitch Johnson had a rough NBA finals, but he's a young up-and-coming coach.
However, TJ. Old Mitch better worry he doesn't get Doug Collins. Fit. I think they like him, and I think he's got the same way that they're. Hey, you know who else was a young, promising coach coaching a young superstar?
Doug Collins. What happened to that guy? I got it. He got more than one year, though. I don't know.
This is. This is I'm worried for Method. He got Rheinsdorfed and he got Kraused. You know what I mean? I don't think you should.
I think it's just as much of a learning curve for him. What if Steve Kerr wants to go back home to San Antonio?
Okay. Well, it's a different story, but You got a young coach who's going to grow with these young players. Can I say this is an overreaction now, but put a pin in it? What else you got, Chris? I'm still fired.
I'm World Cup high. I'm still riding high from the U.S. win on Friday night. They're playing again this Friday. I'm going to be a 30 overreaction Monday topic.
No, not Cape Verde. It's U.S. We're winning the group, and we're making the semifinals. Oh. Semifinals for this team.
Riding.
So we are winning multiple knockouts. Multiple knockouts. Just like Greg Bert Halter said, we're going to be successful in the future. Semifinals. Final war.
I'm with you. Let's go. I'm with you. Come on. I'm not going to be sitting here on tape saying this is an overreaction, this is absurd, and then it gets played back when they do it.
No. I'm not doing that. This is happening. I'm not doing that. Alright, last one.
It might be in that guy. No, why would you want to be that guy? Look at those uniforms. Yeah. Fantastic.
Yeah, you don't want to end up on the video that comes out afterwards when it's in black and white with the sad boys in the hood sax music. I don't want to do that. I don't want to be the one being the algae in the reflection pool. No. No, it's going to get fixed.
The World Cup. Here's the last one, guys. Yeah. The World Cup and all these NFL stadiums. It's proven that they should all have grass fields.
What are we doing? It looks amazing. I don't know. I mean, but it's just for six weeks. Figure it out!
I'll figure it out. Yeah. I like it too. They do look amazing. They do look amazing.
And you know that's what the players want. I don't give it to them. I don't think that's an overreaction either. Is that a Seratiana one? I know she's all about that.
No, she likes it. No, I came up with that. Oh, you did? This was all me this week.
Okay, no outsourcing. You've got a professional writer to punch up your material in your house, buddy. Good stuff. That's overreaction Monday on a Tuesday, right there. While the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent, the future stars who are already turning heads at age 14 because Next doesn't wait for an invitation, and neither do we.
Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability. And we're still doing it. Every day. The future isn't some far-off concept, people.
It's already here.
Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. Josh Pate is next. This is the Rich Eisen Show. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.
While the world watches the stars of the FIFA World Cup, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent, future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. Because Next doesn't wait for an invitation, and neither do we. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability. And we're still doing it every day because the future isn't some far-off concept.
It's already here.
Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. Rich Eisen here. And summer's here too. And that means it's travel season.
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Alrighty. Mm-hmm. Auto. parts. Josh Pate is here.
Our radio audience has returned. Josh Pate of the Josh Pate College Football Show and all the other spots on ESPN right here on the Rich Eisen Show. All right, Josh, what happened in Texas Tech over the last eight days after we last talked with Brendan Sourceby getting a ruling in his favor to play this year? Yeah. Well, I think maybe some people calculated that eventually, if they turned the eye of the stove off, it would just slowly cool down, it would slowly diffuse.
And really, when they got that injunction, maybe people thought it would go that way. It did not go that way. As it turned out, it was never going to go that way. And a couple of things that were key indicators to me, Rich, were: number one, When they got the injunction, which led to a high likelihood he was going to play. Not a certainty, but a high likelihood he was going to play.
I thought Texas Tech needed to just keep their mouth shut. I thought the best, most shrewd PR move at that point would be to tell them, shut up. Don't say a word. You just got a favorable ruling. Vast majority of the college football public and just society at large looks at it and thinks that's the wrong decision.
They think it's more a loophole or a breakdown in the structure than something that should have happened. Nothing you say at this point is going to turn an ounce of public opinion your way.
Well, they released a 22-minute video with five guys from Texas Tech, all some of whom I know very, very closely. They're great people. They were largely telling the truth in that video, but it didn't matter because of the optics of it. No one even bothered to listen to the video. They just saw it as, oh, well, they got their way, and now they're going to try and gaslight us into explaining why this is a good thing.
Trying to explain their approach. The public didn't have time for it. The public didn't want to hear it. That was part one that led me to realize this is not going anywhere. But then part two, I don't pretend to understand all the legalese of this, but the Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, when he sent that letter, sort of on behalf of Texas Tech the other day, as it's been explained to me, that opened a whole new door, that opened a whole new can of worms on this thing.
And it provided the Big 12 and the other member institutions in the Big 12 who were not prepared to take this lion down. It provided them legal recourse. It allowed them to return the serve, in other words. And I think even over the last 24 hours, it became very apparent the dam had broken. And it became very apparent we're fighting a losing battle.
At this point, the temperature has changed. The wind direction has changed. And then it's just. I don't know if they feel this way, but I feel in the immediate aftermath of him declaring for the supplemental draft, it's best for all parties. Because you can never prove a counterfactual.
Like you could never know how something was going to play out when it doesn't. But I don't think it takes too creative a mind, Rich, to go down the road of what it would have been like at Big 12 media days, what it would have been like in the lead up to week one, what it would have been like maybe with. You know, people with political aspirations in other Big 12 states trying to make a name for themselves the week that they're going to play Texas Tech and trying to get injunctions and trying to do all this sort of thing. It was going to be a really, really ugly scene for everyone involved. And so now you rid yourself of that.
And look, for the Texas tech piece of all this, I think there were a lot of lessons learned out there. Because in moments of crisis, like if you're a major organization, you want a united voice. You want a single voice. And it felt like there were about three or four different voices coming out of Lubbock. And it's just, as long as you learn from it, it's not a total failure.
And I could say that about Brendan Sourceby, I could say that about the NCAA, I could say that about a lot of entities here. But I think the end result here is: yeah, things changed. And the result of those things changing, I think, is a net win for all parties involved.
Well, it's not just that, too, Josh. It's just 22-year-old quarterbacks and college football are supposed to be enjoying the spotlight or trying to, the spotlight they're trying to deal with is the pressure of playing the position. Not being the avatar of what's wrong in college athletics, which is what Brendan Soursby has been for quite some time. And even if you do feel for whatever reason that his His checking into an inpatient rehab program was part of. The plan to try and get a judge to say this is an affliction that the NCAA should be trying to help him through, not.
Punish him for what caused him to go in. Um, that you're still talking about a 22-year-old kid with clearly something on his brain, on his mind, that needs to be dealt with. Do any anybody know? How he's doing. Right now, through all of this, Josh, or that's just.
kind of second, third hand information that nobody's really checking in on. You know? To my knowledge, he hasn't spoken publicly. I haven't talked to him. He went in the building, to my knowledge, when I was out there a couple of weeks ago.
So, I mean, it's actually interesting that you asked that question, which means it's a good question. I don't know. I have no idea. I will say this. Maybe this will be spoken about a little bit more in the coming weeks when there's nothing left to lose and people unpack their real feelings on this.
You know, it was viewed externally as Texas Tech was making every move here. You know, Texas Tech was the one making every argument. And to some degree, they did. Brendan Soursby and his camp, if you want to call it that, they were sort of the ones leading charge on this. They were the ones leading the charge on, you know, filing this, filing that, saying this, saying that.
Now, ultimately, it doesn't really matter. It's the same message. Where it's coming from is sort of irrelevant. The only reason I present that. The question you just asked.
Whether he's going to be eligible this year or not, or whether he's going to play college football this year or not, well, if the basis for the reason for this whole thing is to be believed, and I believe it, well, then that reality is still there. If you're talking to me about gambling addiction as the reason for all this, well, that reason's still there. And I've never suffered from addiction personally. Many of us have. Many people in this audience have.
There may be people in the audience that have suffered and/or are currently dealing with gambling addiction. But whatever kind of addiction it is, there's not an off switch on it. And so, if it is to be believed that this was authentic, and I got every reason to believe it was, well, that's something that's ongoing. And until we hear from him. And until we get full testimonial from that side of the table, so to speak, that answer is anyone's guess.
And then one of the posts that I saw across my screen. today is like a clip from Planes, Trains and Automobiles of John Candy with Steve Martin, after they have a scary, life-changing experience, and Steve Martin is just absolutely done with John Candy, just livid with him. And John Candy's laughing and saying, Wow, we can laugh about it now that we're all right, right? And John Canney has the Texas Tech logo on him, and Steve Martin has the Big 12 logo on him. And it was brilliant.
It's funny, but also somewhat true. Like, what's the relation? Like, what happens now? that this thing has gone in this direction. Josh.
I don't know that that thing thaws for a while. And it's just kind of me feeling it from the outside. There were some things said. There were some shots taken. I, Rich, I fully believe there was a movement mounting to take matters into their own hands as a conference because what do we have?
I don't even know, 15 or 16 teams in that league.
Well, whatever that number is, minus one, the one being Texas Tech, everyone else was in pretty much lockstep. That this is the wrong move, that we don't want him play in there. We don't think he should be able to play there. Whatever you feel about that, that's whatever you feel about that. And Texas Tech's well aware of that.
And Texas Tech, mind you, this is already a program. This is already a group of people. Lubbock, Texas, culturally, West Texas. The vibe is already defaulted to, it's sort of an us-against the world mentality out here. West Texas is a long way from Dallas and Houston.
It is a different planet than those places. I happen to love it out there. Most of America's never been there. And so when you combine that attitude, And the defensive nature, the willingness to fight at a moment's notice. When you combine that with the circumstances that just presented themselves, maybe it contextualizes Texas Tech's actions a little bit more in this.
But then, like you said, once it's kind of gone, the lingering effect is Texas Tech feeling some type of way towards their own conference. No one's forgetting this. You know, this situation's done. No one's forgetting it.
So I think it may be frosty for quite a while. And the Swordsby camp didn't see a lot of this coming or didn't. Think about it or You know what I mean? Like, uh, hey, if we force if we do get this ruling, there will be such holy hack going on uh that it might not even be worth the squeeze to the point where You may have to go to the NFL because we're not going to get a resolution prior to. that safety valve having uh a june twenty second deadline, right?
Like they didn't see that coming? I really think there was a lot of underestimation about how much blowback there would be because of the specifics of this. You know, you could take this into another compartment. Maybe a guy's got an ongoing investigation into some type of criminal behavior or activity or whatever, and that may be in the societal scope of things way worse than betting on games, but strictly within the confines of the sport, the Outcomes of the games and the integrity of it, that's paramount. And that was, you know, what had everyone up in arms.
The NCAA, I mean, they stumbled nine ways from Sunday when it came to the Baylor situation, the sexual assault situation a long time ago. But like a lot of people look at the NCAA and don't even expect them to be capable of being the governing body that oversees investigating that, or maybe the Penn State deal before the Baylor deal. But Enforcing basic rules like you can't bet on the games, that should be inside the NCAA's purview. And so I think they looked at it, Rich, and I think they severely underestimated the blowback if they did get their injunction on that. They thought they could game the system here.
And they thought, because of the way the calendar works, if we get our injunction, we can just drag it out and we'll play our season. And at that point, it'll be moot. And look, maybe if the circumstances didn't involve betting, maybe people would begrudgingly look at it and say, oh, well, system's broken. They were just, it was a pill that no one was willing to swallow on this. And that's why it is really important.
Those crisis management teams, those PR firms, they get paid a lot of money. In these cases, you've got to have someone that can see through the fog and guide you on this stuff. Otherwise you You act in a nature that really makes it look like you're unaware of how the outside world is thinking. And interestingly enough, Josh, just to put a ribbon on it, I mean, you do think that it should be within the purview of the NCAA to have teeth in handling some sort of a gambling suspension. Yet, what really did start this is what you said, what really got the ball rolling, was the Big 12 saying we feel we should suspend him under our rules.
And Ken Paxton, the The Attorney General of Texas. Basically, filing preemptively saying if you try that, there's going to be a big hell to pay. And then other attorneys general in other states in the Big 12 are like, well, we're going to chime in too. And that seemed to raise this a heck of a lot more than the NCAA saying we want an expedited answer on whether. This Ruling that Sorseby got two Mondays ago can get handled now.
It seems like the Big Twelve and the Attorney Generals or Attorneys General getting involved, that was it. That seemed to be the one that was the accelerant. A lot of people who I view as being far smarter and more adept legally than me have said point blank. If Ken Paxton doesn't. Say what he said.
If he doesn't write that letter, Brendan Sorsby is probably playing for Texas Tech this fall.
So, whatever that domino was, that's a really, really big domino because legally, what it did, and again, I'm going to skate around this because I'm not going to try and use terms I don't understand, it provided the Big 12. the ability to do something legally more than just yell and shout and put out statements on Twitter. Once that happened and once he used the language that he did, it was game on. Josh, thanks for the time. Greatly appreciate it.
Well, I look forward to chatting with you more, brother. Thanks again. Appreciate you, Richard. You got it. Everybody, check out Josh Pricks.
College Falls Show. Right here on The Rich Eisen Show. Like that guy. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show.
All right, let's sneak in. Jay in Los Angeles here on the program. What's up, Jay? Jay. Oh my God, how are you doing, Rich?
What's going on? Is everything all right, Jake? Let's go. I'm doing phenomenal. Let's go next.
Um Not born, but raised in New York since the age of four. And uh I've waited a long time for this, you know? Yeah, I'm with you. I've seen the Yankees win, I've seen the New York Giants win. But there's nothing like The New York Knicks winning.
That brings a city together like this. No doubt, Jay. I mean, because when the Yankees won, Mets fans are like, I'm not going to that parade. When the Giants won, Jets fans are like, you know what? Do I wanna go to that parade?
Do I not?
So they can figure it out, what it feels like. That's right. Knicks fans get them all. That's horrible. But the reason I'm calling is yes.
But uh I have a two and a half year old daughter, and we had some people over on Saturday. My voice is still hoarse, so please forgive me. I hear it. I was yelling so much. Um She went to bed at 7.30 and 8.30 my wife goes downstairs.
and brings her back up. Uh, it's like four minutes left in the game. And Mackie, my daughter Michaela, Mackie. Shut up my lap. And we're going, let's go next.
And she sat there and going, Papa, let's go next. I love it. Nothing better than that in my entire life. I cannot even explain. I will me uh yes, I live in LA and this is a Dodger town, a Lakers town.
And all that beautiful stuff. But also, people in Los Angeles don't understand sometimes, please forgive me for saying this, is You know, New York is a city built on friendships and love.
So Well, and you know, and obviously, Jay, I would feel the same way, you know, of saying that too. Other cities that listen to us right now would probably. Proffer to say the same thing. All I will say this because we're almost out of time for the show is I'm so sorry. No, it's all good.
You're sharing, man, and I love it. And I appreciate that story you said about your. Your daughter, you know, I just doubt my dad had me on his knee watching. Clyde, Fraser, and the rest of the Knicks close out. The Lakers in 1973 watching on television.
I can only hope that your daughter isn't 56 by the next time.
Next week. Like I am right now, because I was basically your daughter's age when they won the last time. Thank you for the call, Jay. I was actually, no, I was three and a half. I was turning four.
You know. Turning four. And that's the neat thing about generations, right? Passed down, we say that all the time here. When championships are won, and certainly by fan bases that have been waiting a long time, it's the marking of time, you know.
When Michigan won it all. You know, I was r remembering when I was on campus running from my fraternity house to the Michigan Daily to close the newspaper and how old I was and I was in college then, you know. And now I'm you know Talk about the marking of time here. And can't believe that I'm actually a guy that's. talking about championships won by his teams.
You know, and the Michigan wait would have been shorter if it wasn't for Brunson.
So he owed me.
Okay. We've got a heck of a show tomorrow. We'll talk about that on Disney Plus. We've got multiple championship coaches. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast.
You can watch and listen to The Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app, The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
