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T.S. Madison
This is your girl, T.S. madison and I'm coming to you loud, live and in color from the Outlaws podcast. Let me tell you something. I've got the voice. My podcast. The one they never saw coming. Each week I sit down with the culture creators and scroll stoppers. Tina knows Luna's exact will we ever see a dating show? My next ex.
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That's actually cute though.
T.S. Madison
And Chapel Rome.
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Rory
No Rory and Mali.
Mal
We are back with another episode of Rory and Maul don't know ball because we absolutely do not know ball. We know a little bit look about, but we know, we know. We know what we need to know. But today we are joined by somebody that's going to give us more of an insight on ball.
Rory
We are the violent side of it.
Mal
Yeah, yeah. The violence side, the physicality of the game. Today we are joined by a legend. Legend from the east coast. University of Maryland. Legend. With a 12th pick in the 2005 NFL Draft rule the San Diego Chargers selected an absolute. Just call him a tank monster. Make some noise for the legendary Sean Merriman.
Rory
Hey, and happy birthday as well. How we celebrating, Taurus gang?
Unknown Host
I'm about to be 41, dog. You know, them days have changed a little bit. I'm looking at doing a three day juice cleanse or something.
Mal
Yeah, so that's my type of. See, that's my type of. That's what I be on.
Rory
Yeah, my.
Unknown Host
Yeah, yeah.
Rory
My, my birthday was two weeks ago and I went to Detroit for work.
Unknown Host
You know when you, when you get like 40 and over, man, like, I think other people make more about your birthdays than you do. Yeah. You know, like what you doing for your birthday? I'm like that. When's when? My birthday. Oh, next week. Oh, I forgot.
Mal
You stop counting after a while, man. It just creeps. The next thing you know, it just creeps up on you.
Rory
Yeah, I turned 35 and when my family was asking me, all I was thinking was like, this is something I'm going to have to pay for.
Unknown Host
Right.
Rory
So why would I sell? You want me to go do something that I'm gonna pay for? All right, bet. Cool. I think I'll do nothing for my birthday then and save some money.
Mal
Sean, how you feeling though, man? What's going on with you?
Unknown Host
Not much, man. You know, we, you know, we got a big fight coming up, you know, from my MMA league, Lights Out Extreme Fighting. We got a big fight in San Diego, actually back in my stomach grounds at Casino Palmer, June 14, man. So just getting ready for that and then, you know, making some announcements too. With Lights Out Sports tv, my network, we added some new content getting ready for this big tailgate show this year. This through the NFL. The NFL parking lots called the ultimate fan zone. We've got 20. We're like live stream 20 teams tailgates, okay. With game day hospitality. One of the best tailgate companies in the country, man. So it's gonna be, it's gonna be kind of crazy because we got three former players Every team is host. So, like, when you talk about personalities and you talking about, like, guys just being comical and like, talking football and interacting with the fans like this, this is the biggest thing in me that just happened, really, in a pre game of sports. So just getting ready for that. Just grinding, just been working.
Rory
Oh, that's. I mean, that's the birthday party right there. You said 40 tailgates or something?
Unknown Host
Yeah, we're doing 20. 20 locations, 20 markets. So basically 20 games tailgates at the same time. So we'll be like simulcast and all of them, and it's gonna be super dope. Like, no one's ever done anything like this. So, you know, we'll be the first to do it on light side sports tv. All right.
Rory
I love that.
Mal
All right, Sean. So. So Rory and I, man, we got the. We started this show, man, because, you know, sometimes we feel like we know ball and, you know, we come to realize that maybe we don't know, maybe we just couch spectators and we feel like we could have made that catch or made that block. It's easy to say that, but somebody like yourself that played the game at such a high level, we're here to kind of dig into the nuances and break some of the stereotypes of people that sit home and say, oh, I could have. Exactly.
Rory
Skip Bayless, is what you're saying.
Mal
Well, yeah, Skip. We're not trying to be Skip Bayless, but let's start at the beginning. Sean, growing up in Maryland, you played basketball and football. What was the. Like, why did you go towards football? Why did football pull you more than basketball? Why did you stop playing basketball?
Unknown Host
You know, seeing Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley and those guys, like, you know, 11, 12 years old, you're like, yeah, football probably gonna be for me, you know, like, they was. They were so far ahead. And we all came, we all from the same area in Prince George's County, Maryland, you know, so getting to see.
Mal
Them, what's in the water out there, It's a lot of talent out of. Out of pg.
Unknown Host
Honestly, man, I'm surprised that, like, no one's done a big enough like, story on this. How much talent, not even just in basketball and football, too, and Vernon Davis and like, you know, Navarro Brahman. Like, it's crazy how many, how much talent has come out of this, come out of the area. And, you know, I was just one of, you know, I was just one of, man. So I, I, you know what, you know what got me into football? I was just too aggressive for basketball. And in my. When I was 11 years old, my basketball coach, end of the season, said, you know what? I got a sport that I think this. This will work well for you in.
Mal
Okay.
Unknown Host
And so that's. That's how I got introduced to the football field.
Rory
So I'm. I'm assuming you were one of those that fouled out maybe in the second quarter.
Unknown Host
No, it was. It was middle of third most. You know, I made it past halftime. But, you know, it's funny, you talk to any. You talk to any football player, the first thing like, oh, yeah, you nice to hoop in high school and college or whatever, I said. I was like Ben Wallace. You get what I'm saying? Like, rebound and defense, a lot of put backs and free throws, you know, but again, you need. You need guys on the court like that. Yeah, that's. That's what it is.
Rory
Did football come naturally to you when you transitioned?
Unknown Host
It was crazy because I never watched really watch football, and I didn't even know what to do. And so my coach was like, when he put me out, they said, look, whoever got that football in their hands, go hit them. And I said, what else? They said, no, that's it. I could do that. So that's what I did, man. First day of practice when I was a kid, the running back came and called like, a little swing pass out of the silence. And I came and whacked him, put him under, like, the water. Under the water coolers, you know, the water coolers were. So the water coolers fell down, and it was a big scene. And the kid's mom, she was there. She came running on the field practice and was cursing me out, right? And so I go back to the huddle, looking at my coaches like I did something wrong. And my coaches whispered in my ear, and they was like, hey, do that shit again. You know, they were like, that's what you do. So that's why. That's why I knew I was home.
Mal
And then the next day, seven agents were at the. Seven agents from different all over the country.
Unknown Host
Yeah.
Rory
How early was it obvious that you were different and that the league was probably in your future?
Unknown Host
For me, man, it was. You know, so when I talk about Kevin Durant and Beasley and all those guys, you can tell 11, 12 years old, normally like that, okay, these dudes gonna go to the NBA one day because they were. Everything that they were doing in the NBA, they were doing at 11, 12 years old. For me, it was like 13, 14 when I got into high school. That's When I kind of started to separate myself, where, where people like, okay, he's going to. He's going. This dude going to go to a D1 college. So I went to Frederick Douglass High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. And at that point, everybody's like, okay, this is going to be the first kid out of the school to go Division 1. And so I did that. And then when I got to Maryland my freshman year, it was like, okay, this going to be the, this going to be our highest draft pick. So it kind of like one of those things. As soon as I stepped on every level, it was always those rumblings, those talks.
Rory
I mean, of course it's hometown, but why Maryland as far as college?
Unknown Host
I grew up 20 minutes from the school, and like, for me, we just talked about so much talent coming from that area. Well, like Durant, Katie went to Texas. So all the big name guys, all the big name kids, when you came out of high school, they left. And I was like, man, if we, if we kept all the talent here, like, what if KD and Beasley and all these guys went to Maryland?
Mal
Right?
Unknown Host
You know, and so we had, like, myself, Vernon Davis, and like, I mean, like Navarro, Bowman. The list, I mean, the list is crazy, you know, Joe Hayden, you know, so we, we were, we were stacked up with so much talent, but everybody left. So I wanted to be like that, one of the first ones that came out as a, as a top prospect. I was the number one player coming out of the DMV area, DC, MD, VA area. And so when I went to Maryland, it was like, man, this dude had offers from Alabama, from usc, from Penn State. And I know for me, I was like, I'm staying home. I want to be the first.
Rory
And I know there's some age gap, but are you in contact with KD at this point? Vernon Davis, Beasley, Are you guys. Just because you guys are talking all the time.
Unknown Host
Yeah, we talk all the time. And I probably talk to KD a couple times a year or we're running to each other at, you know, some event somewhere and kind of chop it up. But we're, we're, we're a tight knit group, man. Like all of us, like, super tight as far as, you know, we see each other. I don't care if it's two years. Like, we run up to each other and we talk, like, we, you know, we talk on a normal basis, man, we just really tight. A tight knit group.
Mal
Sean, growing up, how much of football, like, when did it click for you that this is what you want to do. And then how much. How much of your day revolved around the game of football?
Unknown Host
Well, I mean, back in PG County, Washington, D.C. area, man, in the. In the late 80s and 90s, it was a. It was bad. Like, it's not like how it looks now where, you know, you can go outside, run at night in certain parts in D.C. and jog. Like, it was nothing like that. Like you wasn't going out. And so I knew for me to have a real opportunity, getting out of that football was going to be a big part of it, like, to go get education and go to Maryland or any school I wanted to go to. And so that's when I started to take it serious. But, you know, I had, you know, when I was younger, because of my living circumstances, like, I had anger issues. Like, I hated coming home to eviction notices. I hated coming home and didn't know if the house or gonna have heat or lights gonna be on. And so football was like my outlet. I get those two hours in practice a day or get those game times to go knock somebody head off. And it was legal. Yeah. I was like, man, I can go take my frustration out. And. And so I knew that that was a. Like an opportunity for me to get out of my circumstances. But I had. I had bigger goals too, man, just outside of. Outside of football. And I just knew that that was going to be the way that I was going to get there.
Mal
Now, what was the music scene like for you growing up in dmv? Obviously, we know some of the DMV legends and guys that came out, but, like, when Sean is in high school or, you know, working out, like, what was some of the music that you was listening to?
Rory
Are you Go Go or Baltimore club music?
Unknown Host
Go Go and Baltimore music? Both of them, you know. And so I listen to backyard junkyard, Rare Essence Eu, and I listen to a lot of K Swift out of Baltimore, a lot of Baltimore house music, but that was really it all, all the way through. And then I got into, like, my favorite, you know, rap group of all time, three six Mafia. And so I started listening like three Six Mafia a lot. But, yeah, probably. Probably out of those. That's. That's what I was listening to in high school.
Rory
Pause. Are you able to still do the swing that dance?
Unknown Host
I never. I've never been a dancer, but, you know, watch out for the big girls. Come on. Or something. I might, you know, I might move a little bit. Yeah.
Rory
I mean, do you hear even, Like, I. I feel like uzi and a lot of artists I feel like adopted a lot of the Baltimore club sound. Is that something that surprised you? Because it, it did take a while for Baltimore club to bubble into mainstream. I feel like now you hear that on Drill Records.
Unknown Host
Yeah, no, a lot of it. Especially because of Wale. Like when Wale came out, what got with Rick Ross and mainstream, you start hearing a lot of it. You start hearing Go Go and Beyonce's music.
Mal
Yep.
Unknown Host
You know, but Chuck Brown was, it was a huge influence on all of us like growing up and so just, just being, just being there and being around it, man. Like the DMV area is its own planet. Like it's his own country in its. In itself. You know, where you don't, you go from the dmv, you don't hear that anywhere else. The dress wise, you know, guys wearing drop socks and Tim's the lingo you won't hear anywhere else outside of the DMV area. And then it was, it was so big that it started to trickle out where you know, you go to Chicago, you go, you go start going to New York and you start hearing guys talk like they from.
Rory
From D.C. does PG county identify more with Baltimore or with D.C. because I've heard there's a big split.
Unknown Host
That's the million dollar question.
Mal
That's the split right there.
Unknown Host
That's a split. Because the truth is a lot of Baltimore cats and DC cats didn't like each other.
Mal
Yeah.
Unknown Host
You know, and so when I say Maryland, people automatically assumed that I was from Baltimore. But I was probably 35 or 40 minutes from Baltimore. Yeah, but like 10 minutes from DC, right. So I, I started actually saying I was DC because I didn't want to identify as from Baltimore because Baltimore had like this, you know, I joke with mellow about this sometime and stuff because you know, had like a dirty, like a dirty field to Baltimore. You know, D.C. guys look at it then. So, so I always, I always used to say that, you know, I was from Washington D.C. because I was more closer to Washington D.C. than I was to Baltimore.
Rory
And then what is it? Richmond? Montgomery County. What's the other one on Montgomery County?
Unknown Host
Yeah, that's what, that's where Wale's from.
Rory
Yeah. And that's. You would say more identifies D.C. than it does Maryland or Baltimore in particular.
Unknown Host
Yeah. 100% like you would think Wale is from D.C. before he is from Baltimore.
Rory
Yeah, well, I mean he'll tell us that too.
Mal
Yeah.
Rory
Love Wale. It's funny, the Virginia part of the DMV conversation is always the strangest one to me because there is like Alexandria and right there. But you still have such a big state. Like, I don't even think people. Do people from Virginia beach even claim the DMV or Norfolk. Is that way too far?
Unknown Host
Nah.
Yeah, that's just way. Yeah, you way out there. But again, you know, it's so hard to really talk about him because you talk about like Fairfax. Alexander. Alexander, you can get to from there to D.C. in 14 minutes.
Mal
Yeah, yeah.
Unknown Host
But you're in Virginia. Yeah. And so I think when you start talking about like Richmond, Virginia, you start getting on the outskirts.
Rory
Yeah.
Unknown Host
Like, you know, Chris Brown is from Virginia, Michael Vicks from Virginia, Iverson AI from. From va. So it's, it's again, man, it's. It's so crazy when you get in that DMV area.
Rory
Did you ever play against T.C. williams High School?
Unknown Host
No, that was. I think that was D.C. whatever.
Rory
What's the. Remember the Titans one? That's it, right? So I watched Remember the Titans my entire life and thought it was in like the Deep South. I found out that was five minutes outside of Washington, D.C. i thought they were in some farms, like thinking that.
Mal
That was like the deep.
Rory
The whole time I did not realize Big Pooch was like, nah, dawg, that shit is like five minutes from dc.
Unknown Host
So basically you thought Sunshine was from Alabama.
Mal
Yes, exactly.
Rory
100%. I'm like, this is some country ass shit. They was five minutes away from Southeast.
Mal
Exactly. All right, Sean, so you get drafted the 12th pick, 2005, you're going to San Diego playing for the Chargers. What is the first thought on your mind?
Unknown Host
Man, that I was. So I took my visits to the then Redskins, you know, now Washington Commanders. Yeah, I went to like Dallas Cowboys, the Lions, and I went to. To the Chargers. I've never been out to the west coast before. And so, you know, when I. Yeah, I wanted to kind of stay home again, like if I got a chance to play for the Ben Redskins, I'm like, oh man, I go to college here. Go. Then I'm the 9th pick overall. Like now you super hometown. Hometown kid.
Mal
Right.
Unknown Host
Man, I went, I took my visit to San Diego. I flew over that water for the first time.
Unknown Advertiser
Trees.
Unknown Host
I said, man, God ain't gonna bless me this way. Get drafted. I said. I said, only wait, man, I gotta do some more charity. Gotta go to church a little bit more. I'm getting drafted out of here.
Mal
Yeah.
Unknown Host
And when I got drafted, man, it was like the best because I always, I Would say this to everybody, man. Like, I love home. I still represent. I still got a 301 number. But you gotta go. You gotta see other things. You gotta get away a little bit to experience and see other things. And when I went to San Diego, man, it was like a dream come true, because, for one, they had a good team. I was coming into a good team. I think they were 12 and 4 that year before. Before I got there. And now you're in the west coast. And the best place, in my. In my opinion, San Diego, the best place to live in the country.
Rory
I've heard that before.
Mal
San Diego's beautiful.
Unknown Host
Yeah, man. I went there. I was like, man, this is unbelievable. You get a chance to be a high draft pick, 12th overall. Normally you go into Cleveland, you're going to Green Bay, you know, you're going somewhere that's not, you know, really a. A nice city that people want to get drafted to. Like, I. You know, I like Cleveland, but, you know, it's not San Diego.
Mal
It's not San Diego. No.
Rory
Maul talks a lot on this show about athletes having to compete with rappers in the club or, you know, when they get drafted to a city, they gotta deal with the drug dealers. What was it like competing with Navy Seals for women in San Diego? Cause that's a very unique experience to San Diego. The rest of these athletes had to deal with rappers in LA or New York or whatever. You had to deal with Navy SEALs?
Mal
Yeah, I'm taking Sean. I'm taking Sean. Kicking a rapper's ass, any other NFL player's ass. I just don't know if this Seal Team 6 is in the club. If I'm taking Sean Merryman over the SEAL team.
Unknown Host
Yeah, they not getting the sections, and I'm in.
Rory
Our tax dollars don't pay them enough. But, I mean, that is like a culture.
Unknown Host
I love our military, but they ain't coming with a bottle minimum, you know, So I think now, which was crazy, because San Diego didn't have really nobody else. They didn't have a basketball team there. They didn't have a hockey team. You know, like you said, it wasn't just the rappers you got. There was no other sports teams. Really?
Mal
Yeah.
Unknown Host
You know, the Padres kind of came around, but we were it. And so we were the basketball team. We were. We were like the highlight of the entire city. And so. And then two, we were winning.
Mal
Yeah.
Unknown Host
So on top of that, like, we wasn't scrubs, we wasn't bums, and we were out there winning games. And so now it's. You're at the top of the world at that point.
Mal
Who's the greatest. Who is the greatest athlete you've ever seen.
Unknown Host
That I played against or.
Mal
Or like just in general or actually both. That you played against and that you just seen?
Unknown Host
Honestly, probably Vernon Davis that I played with. As far as, like, just a freakish athlete, may do 250, ran a 4. 3. You just don't even see nothing like that. And crazy strong and athletic and explosive. And I played with Antonio Kardi. He was. He was another one. But, man, you get up there to the NFL, man, you start seeing some freakish. Like just some freakish players. But that's. I saw. Lyman is £350. It can windmill off the vertical. Like, you just. You said some silly. At that point.
Mal
Yeah.
Unknown Host
So you see. Yeah. Tons everywhere.
Rory
I mean, you had LT at that time, too. What. What was that era like? Even with Philip Rivers. Lt was Antonio Gates.
Unknown Host
Yeah.
Rory
All right, sensitive question. Why did that team not win the Super Bowl?
Unknown Host
See, now we gonna go there, huh?
Rory
Like, you guys had a squad.
Mal
Yeah. On both sides.
Unknown Host
You know what, man? I don't really regret a whole lot about my career, but that's one of them because, you know, I still talk to a lot. A lot of. A lot of friends of mine of hall of Famers, and they got super bowl rings and, you know, Marshall Fox, who I talked to, and Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders and all these guys who I was around, they got. They got either jackets and rings or both. That thing sting, man, because we. We had that especially. We were really good between the 2005 and 2010. We were very good teams. That 2016, man, was, in my opinion, the best team of the decade.
Rory
Yeah.
Unknown Host
And I know that the Patriots had their undefeated stuff in the Colts and, you know, but that team that we had, man, was so dominant. And you look back and we asked ourselves the question all the time. I was talking to LT Ladanian Tomlinson some months ago when we got together, and I was like. We bring it up like it just happened. Like how? Like how. Like, why not. Because we were so dominant as so many. Like, I played with potentially five hall of Famers on one team.
Mal
Absolutely.
Rory
Oh, yeah. You know, all y' all are getting jackets.
Unknown Host
Yeah. When you look at it like that, it's like there's been. There should have been no reason. I think my. The main reason is that we were. We were young and we were so good that we always felt that we can get back there. And so when it was things on the line like fourth quarters or big situations. I think that we, we didn't lock in enough in some of those things or penalties or just something dumb that we didn't really understand the moment because we were so good. We just, we felt invincible, man. I mean dude, practices used to be harder than the games. Like seeing Antonio Gates every day and then lining up against whoever it is, it didn't even matter. And so seeing Lorenzo Neal at fullback, you got to clash with him. You ain't get no clash out of anybody else than that Seeing lt we we were so stacked. But then one one year we had Ladanian Thompson start Michael Turner. Michael Turner backing him up. Who did, who killed it out there with the Falcons. When he left we had Darren Spros at the third string running back. That's how I mean we were just ridiculously stacked.
Rory
Mm. No worry about mall. You ever enter a phone plan and just think, wow, this is a great price. And then you get your bill.
Mal
Yeah.
Rory
And it's like, nah, this is not the price we said it was gonna be. But Boost Mobile does not do that. You pay $25 a month. Forever forever.
Mal
Visit boostmobile.com or head to your local Boost store today and get unlimited talk, text and data for $25 a month.
Rory
Forever forever 5G speeds not available in all areas. After 30GB, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan.
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Unknown Host
Made for this Mountain is a podcast that exists to empower listeners to rise above their struggles, break free from the chains of trauma and silence the negative voices that have kept them small. Through raw conversations, real stories, and actionable guidance, you can learn to face the mountain that is in front of you. You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you.
Refuse to identify, the thing that you refuse to say. Hey, this is my mountain.
Mal
This is the struggle.
Unknown Host
This is the thing that's in front of me. You can't make that mountain move without actually diving into that. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to conquer the things that once felt impossible and step boldly into the best version of yourself, to awaken the unstoppable strength that's inside of us all. So tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional well being and climb your personal mountain. Because it's impossible for you to be the most authentic you. It's impossible for you to love you fully if all you're doing is living to please people. Your mountain is that. Listen to Made for this mountain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
T.S. Madison
This is your girl, T.S. madison, and I'm coming to you loud, live and in color from the Outlaws podcast. Let me tell you something. I broke the Internet with a 22 inch weave. 22 inches. My superpower. I've got the voice. My kryptonite don't exist. Get a job.
Unknown Host
My podcast.
T.S. Madison
The one they never saw coming. Each week I sit down with the culture creators and scroll stoppers. Tina Knowles, Lil Nas X. Will we ever see a dating show? For the love of Lil Nas X.
Mal
Let'S do a show with all my exes. X marks the spot.
T.S. Madison
No, Here it is. My next X.
Unknown Host
That's actually cute though.
T.S. Madison
Laverne Cox. I have a core group of girlfriends that like they taught me how to love. And Chapel Rome.
Unknown Host
I was dropped in 2020. Working the drive thru. And here we are.
T.S. Madison
Now we turn side eye into sermons, pain into punchline and grief. We turn those into galaxies. Listen, make sure you tell Beyonce I'm going right on the phone right now.
Unknown Host
And call her.
T.S. Madison
Listen to outlaws with TS Madison on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Honey.
Mal
Hi.
Unknown Host
Key shout out to my thick thighs. We'll save lives. Clearly save lives. I'm a strong believer that there has to be at least one thick thigh in every relationship. Like it's personally why I don't really go for guys who have the same body type as me. Cause it's like playing a xylophone when you're cuddling, you know, bone on, bone hurts. Wait a second. Yvie, that was the hottest thing you've ever said. Can we please acknowledge it's the realest? That was not the hottest thing Evie's ever said. Trust me, for me, as the thick comes. Yes, it was. Okay, okay, Touche. Thank you very much. You know, queers love to date people who look exactly like them. You know, everybody's looking for that twin drum, but I need somebody to balance me out. You know, I'll be their, like, weird massage chair in the back with all my knuckles and elbows, and they'll be like my memory foam bed. You know, we balance. Honestly, the bigger the build, the better. I wanna feel petite, please. I love a man with thighs. I love a man with arms. A little belly. I've been super into the little, like, beefy po boys right now with a little belly. You put that little belly out. Hey, that's what you're supposed to have.
Hi, key.
Listen to high key on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.
Rory
To get you in a little bit of trouble. Only controversial question, Hypothetically, had Eli stayed in San Diego instead, do you think it would have been different?
Unknown Host
No. No, because, look, I don't want to take shots. Eli, because he was a damn good quarterback, and I think he's going to be in hall of fame at some point. But that defense that they had with Michael Irvin and, and like O.C. yuma, Yuri and Tuck. Justin Tuck.
Mal
Yeah.
Unknown Host
I mean, it was crazy. They. They had so many guys in that defense that also contributed. And you need a little bit of luck, man. Like that catch that my boy had off his health, like I'm catching.
Mal
Yeah.
Unknown Host
It just don't even happen. So I think that the cards fell in place with them also, too. You know, who they had to play against at the time. You know, the, the division wasn't. Wasn't always the greatest. I mean, Dallas, you know, Cowboys were good, but they just were dominant in that position.
Mal
Yeah, I hear that now. You went to San Diego, you wore number 56. Obviously, the legendary Rest in Peace Junior Seau wore number 55. How much of an impact did he have on a young Sean Maryman coming into San Diego? What were the conversations like with Junior Seau, man?
Unknown Host
So it's. You always watched him as a player, right? You see him running sideline and sideline, jumping over. He just, he played at a high level, like for four quarters. You don't Even see anything like that. Just next level. I didn't know how big Junior was until I got to San Diego. Like, he was San Diego. You step in there and you mentioned Junior Seow. You're like. You're talking about president level, where he has. He's just. He captivated that city. And, you know, he had his restaurant, he had charity events, and just. He was the most loved person between him. Him and Tony Gwynn to ever come through the city. And so I didn't realize how big he was. And I saw him when I got drafted, and I walked in, I was out there, and I walked in the lobby of the building. He was coming down the stairs, and we stopped, we talked for about, you know, a couple, three, four minutes, whatever. Told me, good luck. And, you know, he was, want to watch and see me play and see what I did. And at the end of the conversation, he said, buddy. He's like, all right, Buddy, man. Take it easy. Basically, you know, do your thing this year. And so in my head, I'm 20 years old, so I'm not even 21. I don't believe in my head, I'm thinking like, yo, Junior. Say, I just called me Buddy. Like, I'm. I'm kind of hyped up. I'm like, he called me Buddy. We cool. We friends, right?
Mal
Yeah.
Unknown Host
And so I go to a couple meetings, and then I walk out of this meeting, and I saw him going down the hallway, and he called everybody buddy.
Rory
It's deflated, like, you ain't special.
Mal
You're not special.
Unknown Host
It was his thing. He called everybody buddy, man. So I still tell that story because I thought I was like, yeah, I thought I was special. And, you know, he called me Buddy. And. But, man, he just. You know, I got a lot of workout tips from him. And even in his 14, 15, 16 year, during the off season, he still worked like an animal. Like, you just. He wasn't even real. And so I. In any doctors, he had, his therapists, nutritionist, I got. I hired them all. Everybody he went to, I hired everybody Junior had.
Mal
Oh, wow, that's interesting.
Rory
Well, since we're on nicknames, like Buddy, was there a specific moment that the nickname lights out happened?
Unknown Host
Yeah.
Rory
Was it overtime or was it one day that somebody's. Like, somebody's TV turned off?
Unknown Host
My. My. My sophomore year in high school, I knocked out four kids in one game. Okay, so that's. That's how the name happened. So.
Rory
No, no, no. You can't just breathe over that.
Mal
You can't gloss over knocking out four dudes. And, like, yeah, so I did that, and then I went and just had some Dairy Queen after the game, and it was just like, whatever, you know?
Rory
Yeah, now you have four other mothers that I'm sure you had to deal with.
Unknown Host
I. Dude, it was. It was a fiasco after that. So I. I walked off the field after that game, and, like, 20 or 25 students come run up to me, and they said, man, you knock those kids, you knock those kids lights out. And I was like, yeah, you know what? Call me lights out. And so.
Mal
Makes sense.
Unknown Host
I go to school. I go to school. And I. And I didn't even. I just said it. I didn't think anything to it. I went to school on Monday, and I got my. My backpack on. I got my books in my hand. I'm walking past, you know, everybody in the school, and they're like, yo, what's up, lights? So it. It already somehow carried. This was pre social media, so it already carried somehow in the school. And so I went home that day, and I literally begged my mother, let me get this lights out tattoo on my right forearm. And so my mother was like, a big smoker at the time. So I ran in the room, I opened the door, and, like, smoke just went everywhere. Like, I'm. I'm trying to move smoke out of the way so I could find her sitting on the bed. Say, ma, this. This lights out thing gonna be big, man. People already called me lights out. I want to get this lights out tattoo on my. On my right forearm. She looked at me and took one more puff of the cigarette and said, boy, get the hell out the room.
Rory
She knows branding. You were ahead of your time with branding and marketing.
Unknown Host
Yeah, yeah. So I always had that. So anyway, every day for two weeks, I bothered her, and she finally let me go get this lights out tattoo on my. On my right forearm, like, two weeks later. And so I got to. Let me. Funny story, I got to. Got to Maryland and put it on a big platform. I had a big game Friday night against Georgia Tech on espn. I had a big hit. And so, boom, that lights out thing came back on the national platform. I get to San Diego, and now you got LT Gates and Philip Rivers, Lorenzo Neal, Jamal Williams, like, all these, you know, Randall Godfrey, Donnie Edwards. They looking at me. I just turned 21. They're like, well, we're not calling you no damn lights out. Yeah, like, you're a rook. We calling you rook on 56. And so I, like. I looked at him like, okay, Cool. We, we had a game against Kansas City and running back Priest Holmes, who was one of my, you know, one of my favorite players of all time, and I went out and hit him and knocked him out. And after the, like when I, right after the game, I walked over and. LT put his hand out and was like, hey, good game lights. So I got, you know, I got my respect in from all the guys.
Mal
You gotta just show them one, just show them one time.
Rory
I mean, you put pre songs down. That's it. All right. I have to backtrack though. Can you walk me through all four knockouts? Your sophomore, like, can we do play by play, one through four of each of these teenagers being knocked the fuck out?
Unknown Host
Yeah, well, one of them, one of them was a fullback, one of them was a quarterback, one of them's a wide receiver to cut back. And it was a guy on kickoff. We did like an all off anymore.
Mal
Yeah, the quarterback, the wide receiver, the running back and a kick in a kick returner.
Rory
So you took away their offense and special teams in three quarters.
Unknown Host
Yeah, this is a guy that was blocking me on a, on a, on a onside kick. It was a lineman. It was blocked.
Rory
I was freshman year football. I remember because we had to do weigh ins every day. I was £102. If Sean Merriman knocked out the current wide receiver and it was like, get in there, Rory. And his nickname was Lights Out, I would have quit football my freshman year.
Mal
Yeah, you got to fuck that. I'm not.
Unknown Host
So it's funny. So after that game in high school, we talked about the parents when I was a kid, after the game in high school, I had one of the parents, we used to walk up to these little gates, these fence and walk on the basketball court in order to get up to the, to the football field. I had a parent account. You know, basketball players play defense and they get down they stands, they put their hands out.
Mal
Yeah.
Unknown Host
Parent is blocking me from getting on the field and said, I don't belong to play with her son. I need to show a birth certificate. And it was, it was crazy after that, man. Like they tried to get me off the field and they, they actually challenged the school. I had to produce all these kind of records to show that I was my age.
Mal
It's crazy.
Rory
I mean, I'd probably be that parent too though.
Mal
No, absolutely. I'd be petting in high school, walking on the field and my son is 5, 8, 1, 40th, like, get this fucking tank off the field, man. So we just had the, the NFL draft and the news coming out of the draft this year, obviously with Shador Sanders falling to the fifth round. As somebody who's obviously traveled that road and played college football and had to go to the draft, what were you thinking watching that? Did you feel like it was a personal attack on Coach prime and his family? Or do you feel like maybe, you know, as a player, Sean Merriman looks at Shador and says, the kid is not maybe as good as they think he is yet.
Unknown Host
Yeah, I think it was a combination. I think it was a combination of both. I think that Deion, who's one of my favorite players of all time, and I mean, I remember doing a. Back when I was a kid, I had the, the headband around the neck, doing the Deion Sanders dance in the backyard when I scored. So, you know, he's. He's one of my favorite players of all time. He has such a strong voice. You know, everybody listen to prime that I think that a lot of teams didn't want to be under that scrutiny, you know, and, you know, it was some pre draft stuff that was said, like certain teams that you're doing well, it won't go to. I think it was a little bit. I think that, you know, Shador probably rubbed some coaches the wrong way when those meetings. You know, I think that's a part of it. And also too, man, I think that, you know, if you're going to take on somebody with all this, all this, like, media and attention behind them, like, he better be a bona fide star superstar in order for you to deal with it, because the NFL will deal with it if you got some baggage or you got something with you. And they don't like certain things, but you just never wanted your position. They'll take a chance because they think there's enough upside for them to deal with whatever they got to deal with, right? So I think that the team's looking like, man, like you're gonna get judged by Dion if he ain't playing. You're going to have cameras in the locker room and media all the time on why this, why that? Because you got such a big name, a prominent player that would have, with a strong family name and a very opinionated, very like blunt. So I think it was a. It was a combination of everything, man. I don't, I don't think that. I don't think it was one thing. I think it was everything. When they went down, their draft board, their evaluation, they was like, boom, boom, boom, boom. Okay, we can't do it. I don't think that. I don't think it was one single thing that happened.
Rory
Yeah, yeah, I think I agree. Before we get off the lights out conversation, what was the hardest hitting running back? Not shiftiest, hardest to tackle. Who was the only one where you felt like, okay, I'm gonna hurt myself too trying to tackle this?
Unknown Host
I mean, the only one, the only one that ever got me was Maurice, y' all. Andrew in 2007. And you know, it's funny, like, people call him small, but you got to think he's just short. Ain't nothing small, ain't nothing.
Rory
Low gravity too.
Mal
Yeah, yeah.
Unknown Host
This dude got a 700 pound squat. 500, like, he's just ridiculously strong. And he probably like 250. So we're not that big of a size. He's just short, right? And so 2007, we went down there, played him in the game, and they ran this formation where the fullback named Greg Jones, who's also big as hell, like 632 or 6, 2, 250 plus or 260 running dead at me. So I'm ready to go up against him. He just moves a little bit over to the right, runs past me and Maurice Jones. Drew is right behind him, all five, six of them. And just boom, hit me right under the chin. And I didn't know what the hell happened, right? So I got up, I popped back up. Cause I'm like, I know nobody gonna see this. And so I didn't know it was going to be that big, right? So I got up and I heard the crowd say ooh. But I didn't really think it was ooh because of me. Because I got up so fast. I didn't really think so, man, we, we left Jacksonville because we lost that game. We left Jacksonville, we got home. By the time we landed, they had like two, all two full on commercials made on this head, man. I was like, yo, whoever in this editing house the flip commercials that fast. I'm like, I need to hire them because they do a magnificent job. They had two commercials made and you.
Rory
Need your royalties for being in it.
Unknown Host
Oh, dude. Like, it was, it was, it was bonkers. It was bonkers. But that's probably the only, the only time I got. I got got.
Rory
What about any tight ends that. That were tough?
Unknown Host
Rob Robin Krauski is probably the toughest. That's not. I'm, you know, Antonio Gates I'm gonna put up there, but he's my teammate. But after him, Rob Gronkowski was tough. Tony Gonzalez was tough to deal with. And some of the bigger ones, like the guy who was on the opposite side of Tony, Tony Gonzalez, people didn't talk about because he was a blocking tight end, Jason Dunn, but this dude was every bit of six, seven, almost 290 or 300 pounds, playing tight end.
Mal
Yeah.
Unknown Host
So he was hell to deal with. So. But yeah, we, I've seen, I've seen all the best of them.
Mal
Now. We talked to Terrell Suggs a couple weeks ago and unfortunately, you know, he was his first ballot to go into the hall and he was denied. Coach, Coach Billichek was on a podcast and you know, he said any, any player that he had to double team every possession is an absolute hall of Famer in his eyes. Terrell, you know, expressed to us his disappointment in not making it first ballot. How important is the hall to you, though?
Unknown Host
It, it is. But you know, for me, my, my career was cut short because of injury. Right. So I know that, you know, it's a long shot for me to get in and if I even have an opportunity to get in because I, and by the way, man, I believe in longevity. And when I saw Terrell Suggs not getting in, I said, man, I'm never getting in. You get what I'm saying? Because he has such a long and, and great career. But, you know, it used to be something that was a priority to me and for a long time. But then you start looking at it, man, is I started looking at the impact, like the impact you had on the game when, you know, when I was healthy and when I was playing for those years. And then, you know, I, whenever somebody talk about, you know, anywhere between 2005 and 2008 or 9, and you put me up there with some of the greatest and not only numbers wise, but just somebody is dominant, was taking over games and my name is to get mentioned. You know, I'm pretty cool with that. Like, to me, that's, I, I think that's dope for, for to get mentioned up there. The rest of those guys who end up going to the hall of Fame, but you were still talked about during that era.
Rory
Yeah, I hear that. Before we get to our don't know, ball trivia questions, I do have to ask because it's one of my favorite shows ever. What was it like to shoot on the show Entourage? I assume you guys shot that in one day, but it was still a pretty pivotal scene. Like you were there with all the NFL owners, Jeremy Piven, like, what was that day like?
Unknown Host
It was, it was Crazy how it happened. So I got a. I was good friends with Doug Allen, who created the.
Rory
Entourage Shout Out Doug Allen. He's a great podcast now, too. There's Entourage.
Unknown Host
Doug. Doug's the man. And so he had hit me up by the blue one day. He's like, man, I got this. I got this scene I think you'll really be really be good in. It's about a NFL team coming to la. And, you know, I think that you will be really good in this. So I was like, all right, cool. You know, Doug Ellen call you. And he said, this ain't gonna be good. Then. It's gonna. It's gonna be good. So I literally. I drove up, like, on a day's notice from San Diego to la. And Doug didn't tell me that everybody else at the table sitting in suits, right. So I come up there in regular clothes. He told me, like, what the scene was, and. And the whole thing. And I would have, you know, dressed accordingly. So I cool. Whenever I got up there. And I didn't know that, like, because we didn't see Jerry Jones, everybody, also in that episode, but they were all in that episode as well. I didn't know what it was about. And the crazy story was, outside of me supposedly being, like, the franchise player, wherever this team goes, gonna be the number one player that they want to draft or bring up into this trade to this LA team. Well, LA end up getting the team, like, you know what I'm saying? Several years later. And so just a coincidence. Coincidence of something like that happening was just. Was just crazy. And I still get asked about that show to this day. It's. It's like, all the time.
Rory
Yeah. Iconic Entourage, kind of. I feel like they predicted a lot of stuff. The LA team, Medellin to Narcos, Aquaman. There was, like, 10 movies that Vincent Chase had that ended up being real movies. Yeah. And then the whole la, you know, Chargers going, that was all in a hot garage.
Unknown Host
Entourage, it got to go down. Probably top five, top ten series of all time.
Mal
Oh, absolutely.
Unknown Host
My opinion, TV shows.
Mal
Absolutely.
Rory
Well, where do you have the Wire? Being a Maryland native?
Unknown Host
Like, two. Like one or two. Yeah, I think it's up there.
Rory
Yeah, for sure. I'd have Wire number two.
Mal
Of course you do. You love the Wire. All right, Sean, so we have some. We have some trivia for you, and you have some questions for us as well. We're going to see exactly how much ball we do or don't know, but we got to see how much music Sean doesn't know. So we got some questions for you. So we're gonna shoot our first question first. So with the first question, this Wale album, a DMV native, this Wale album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it the only album of his to hit number one on the charts. Is it A, ambition, B, the album about nothing, C, the gifted, or D, back to the Future Ambition? Nah, see, the gifted.
Rory
I would have got this wrong. I would have said B album about nothing.
Mal
Yeah, I would have said that one.
Rory
That felt like the highest peak in the singles.
Unknown Host
Yeah.
Mal
Jerry Seinfeld on the COVID Yeah. Yeah.
Rory
Well, even he did the mixtape.
Unknown Host
Ambition was the one with Jay Seinfeld on Interlude.
Rory
No, no, no. He had the mixtape about Nothing, more about Nothing, and then the album nothing, and that was all the Seinfeld stuff.
Mal
Yeah, yeah.
Rory
But, yeah, Ambition had singles on it. I could see that. But I would have got this wrong, too.
Mal
Yeah, I would have said ambition.
Rory
All right, it's on you. Did they give you the questions?
Unknown Host
Yeah. All right, so. So rank these quarterbacks in their career. Touchdowns from most or least, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, or Ben Rothersberger.
Rory
All right, most touchdowns, most to least. Most to least.
Mal
Ben Roethlisberger. Who is it? Ben Roethlisberger.
Unknown Host
You got Philip Rivers and Eli Manning.
Mal
Most to least, most touchdowns. I'm gonna go. I feel like Philip Rivers might have the most.
Rory
Yeah, I'm going Philip, Eli, Ben Roethlisberger.
Mal
Yeah, I'm gonna steal Rory's answer on that.
Unknown Host
So you got Philip one, Ben Roethlisberger two, and Eli Manning had three.
Rory
All right, all right.
Mal
You have been in Eli mixed up.
Unknown Host
Right.
Mal
Okay. But Philip was right, though.
Unknown Host
Yeah. Philip was number one.
Rory
I feel like Ben just always had a running game where Eli didn't, so I just assumed he had more touchdowns, but. All right, not too bad.
Mal
No, not too bad. We got one of them. Right. All right, second question. Future won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance with this song. A, like that. B, we still don't trust you. C, life is good. Or D, scientists and engineers.
Rory
I would get this wrong, too.
Mal
Won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance.
Unknown Host
What was the first one?
Mal
Like that.
Unknown Host
And what was the second one?
Mal
We still don't trust you. And then life is good. And then scientists and engineers. I'm going to the first one like that. No, it was actually scientists and engineers. He just won that one.
Unknown Host
Right.
Rory
Yeah. I mean, not like us cleaned up everything, so, like, that couldn't.
Mal
Yeah.
Rory
Even get a performance. I feel like, like, that would have gotten a Grammy had not like us existing.
Unknown Host
Yeah. Damn.
Rory
All right, so you.
Unknown Host
All right, let's go here. The Tennessee Titans quarterback is the only quarterback I accepted in my career. You got four of these here. All right, so we got Steve McNair. So this is the only quarterback I. I picked off, okay. From the Titans. Steve McNair, Kerry Collins, Vince Young, or Jake Locker.
Mal
I'm gonna say Vince Young.
Rory
Vince young was spending $40,000 in Applebee's, so I know his head wasn't in the game for a little. I'm gonna. Vince Young for sure.
Unknown Host
You go with Vince.
Rory
I'm going with Vince for sure.
Unknown Host
Carrie. Kerry Collins.
Rory
God damn. That would have been my second one.
Unknown Host
I thought you were gonna go with the least biggest name on there. Probably Jake. But yeah, Kerry Collins I picked off.
Rory
But how long was Kerry Collins even with the Titans?
Unknown Host
I think a couple years. Just enough to give me my inception.
Mal
Just enough to make that mistake. Right. All right, last question. This song was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 the week you recorded the only interception of your career. Is it A, Justin Timberlake Sexy Back, B, Fergie London Bridges, C, NS Barkley Crazy, or D, Neo Sexy Love. This song was number one on the Billboard.
Unknown Host
It's aod, man. It's aod.
Mal
I just gotta give me one pick.
Rory
The sexy.
Unknown Host
Let's go D.
Mal
It's actually a Justin Timberlake sexy bag. That record was fucking everywhere.
Rory
I heard Sex in Love as well, aod, but yeah.
Unknown Host
Yeah, that makes sense.
Rory
Yeah, that record was funny. Is. I probably would have went with Fergie London Bridges. Yeah, I mean, that. That record was everywhere.
Mal
That Fergie record was everywhere. All right, you got one more for us, Sean?
Unknown Host
All right, let me go. In 2006, I tied Char to tie the Charger single season sack record. Well, how many sacks? One. The first was 14. Second, 15. 16 or 17 in 2006. Tied this. The Charger single season sack record.
Mal
Fuck.
Rory
15.
Mal
I'm gonna say 16.
Unknown Host
17.
Rory
I apologize, man. I ain't.
Mal
My bad.
Rory
I should have went with the highest number.
Mal
I missed that game.
Rory
I thought it was 21.
Unknown Host
See, look, if you said. If you said 16, I'm like, all right, cool. But two sacks.
Mal
Yeah, yeah, 16. All right, so it was 17.
Rory
Nah, two of those were assisted.
Unknown Host
Whenever they assisted sacks, I would go turn into the NFL. Like, nah, man. You said I had this whole sack.
Rory
As you should.
Mal
Is that a real thing? Is that. That guys do.
Unknown Host
I used to do all the time.
Rory
Yeah.
Mal
That's crazy.
Unknown Host
The thing is, though, I used to tell my teammates, too, when I did, I didn't do it on the side of my.
Mal
I respect that, that I said, listen.
Unknown Host
Your finger, my whole hand was on him. Your finger only touched him. So I'm just letting you know I'm turning it in.
Mal
All right, before we let you go, favorite linebacker, Lawrence Taylor, Ray Lewis.
Unknown Host
I mean, I'm out of my game after Lawrence Taylor, but I'm going my brother Ray for life. Ray Lewis.
Mal
Can't be mad at that. Lt was a monster, though.
Rory
And I mean, not a Maryland native, but definitely adopted by the state of Maryland.
Mal
Oh, absolutely. Without a doubt. Sean, we appreciate you again. Give us, Tell us about the, the lights out.
Unknown Host
Yeah, yeah, yeah, man. We, we got a big fight in, in San Diego June 14th. Lights out of train fighting. 24 people can get their tickets. If you're listening in the SoCal area, make sure you check that out. Lights out. Accept.com and also make sure I'll download Lights Out Sports TV or available on every smart TV, iOS, Android, completely free. Got a ton of free live sports there and big ultimate fans on show. Coming out with a game day hospitality, man. We got, we got a big tailgate show coming up this year.
Rory
What would be the one athlete you want to see in the octagon?
Unknown Host
James Harrison. I already called him out.
Mal
Oh.
Unknown Host
I already said word since was no, of course not. I mean, but you know, look, I think that as y' all, y' all reaction, tell me everything that why. Why I want to do it. I think that, I think a lot of people want to. Want to see it. And you know, people tune in, we're doing the lights on Extreme fighting.
Mal
Yeah, that'll be crazy to see that.
Rory
The fact that he quiet though, I mean, saying something.
Mal
He might be training. He might, he might be in training. He might be in training.
Unknown Host
Two years. I ain't taking that.
Mal
He's been training for two years. Lights out Extreme fighting and lights out Sports tv. Sean Merriman, a legend. Thank you, my brother, for joining us today.
Unknown Host
Appreciate it, y' all. Thanks for having me.
Mal
Love.
Rory
Peace.
Unknown Host
Okay. Have you heard about this? Last year, Degree changed the formula for their Cool Rush deodorant. The fans rebel and wanted the old scent back. And degree listen and that doesn't happen often. They admitted they effed up and are bringing the original Cool Rush scent back. And it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. There's a reason why it's the number one man's antiperspirant. And it's back in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under $4. So try it and see what the fuss is about. Head to your local Walmart, Target and try to OG cool rush for yourself.
T.S. Madison
This is your girl, TS Madison, and I'm coming to you loud live and in color from the Outlaws podcast. Let me tell you something. I've got the voice, my podcast, the one they never saw coming. Each week I sit down with the culture creators and scroll stoppers. Tina Knowles, Lil Nas ex. Will we ever see a dating show? My next ex.
Unknown Host
That's actually cute though.
T.S. Madison
In Chapel Rome, I was dropped in 2020.
Unknown Host
Working the drive thru and here we are.
T.S. Madison
Now listen, make sure you tell Beyonce I'm going right on the phone and call her. Listen to outlaws with TS Madison on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast, honey.
Unknown Host
High Key.
Listen to High Key, a new weekly podcast. You better listen. That's literally the definition of being an Aries moon. Just one little spicy off comment, that's all it takes. Loves me at the cancer and then the Aries comes out and they said.
Who the is that?
No, you're gonna come for me being an Aries and you have a sag moon. Get out of here. But I'm a Capricorn rising, so that honestly balances it out and makes me more likable. Okay, that is your Capricorn talking. Listen to High Key Starting on Friday, May 30th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
This is an iheart pod.
Podcast Summary: Rory & MAL Don't Know Ball | Shawne Merriman
Release Date: May 29, 2025
Hosted by: Rory & Mal
Guest: Sean Merriman, Former NFL Player and MMA Fighter
In this episode of Rory & MAL Don't Know Ball, hosts Rory and Mal welcome a special guest, Sean Merriman, a renowned former NFL player drafted 12th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft. Sean brings a wealth of experience from his football career and his current ventures into mixed martial arts (MMA) and sports media.
Birthday Celebrations and Personal Reflections
The conversation begins with a light-hearted discussion about birthdays. Sean shares his plans as he approaches his 41st birthday:
[03:30] Sean Merriman: "I'm about to be 41, dog. You know, them days have changed a little bit. I'm looking at doing a three-day juice cleanse or something."
Rory humorously mentions his own recent birthday:
[03:43] Rory: "My birthday was two weeks ago and I went to Detroit for work."
Upcoming MMA Fight and Lights Out Sports TV
Sean reveals his upcoming fight:
[04:19] Sean Merriman: "We got a big fight coming up, you know, from my MMA league, Lights Out Extreme Fighting. We got a big fight in San Diego, actually back in my stomach grounds at Casino Palmer, June 14, man."
He also discusses recent developments with Lights Out Sports TV, highlighting a new tailgate show that will feature live-streamed tailgates from 20 different teams:
[05:10] Sean Merriman: "We've added some new content getting ready for this big tailgate show this year. We're like live stream 20 teams tailgates... This is the biggest thing in me that just happened."
Choosing Football Over Basketball
Sean recounts his early years in Prince George's County, Maryland, where he played both basketball and football. Influenced by watching basketball stars like Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley, Sean initially leaned towards basketball but ultimately chose football due to his aggressive nature.
[06:24] Sean Merriman: "I was just too aggressive for basketball... that's how I got introduced to the football field."
High School Incident and Nickname "Lights Out"
A pivotal moment in Sean's high school football career led to his nickname "Lights Out." During a game, he knocked out four opposing players, which earned him the moniker from his peers.
[33:05] Sean Merriman: "I knocked out four kids in one game. That's how the name happened."
Sean shares the story of convincing his mother to let him get a tattoo of his nickname, emphasizing his early dedication to his football identity.
Staying Local and Building a Legacy
Sean opted to attend the University of Maryland, hoping to be among the first from his school to reach Division I football. His decision was influenced by nearby talents like Vernon Davis and the desire to keep local talent within the Maryland area.
[10:52] Sean Merriman: "I was the number one player coming out of the DMV area... I wanted to be the first to come out as a top prospect."
Tight-Knit Community and Friendship with Teammates
Sean highlights the strong bonds he formed with fellow athletes, including Kevin Durant, Vernon Davis, and others, fostering a supportive and competitive environment.
[11:00] Sean Merriman: "We talk all the time. We're a tight-knit group."
Draft Day and Arrival in San Diego
Sean shares his excitement and apprehension upon being drafted by the Chargers, a team he admired and a city he had never previously visited.
[17:34] Sean Merriman: "San Diego was a dream come true... the best place to live in the country."
Influence of Junior Seau and Team Dynamics
Meeting the legendary Junior Seau was a significant moment for Sean. Seau's mentorship and approachability left a lasting impression.
[30:37] Sean Merriman: "He told me, 'Take it easy. Do your thing this year.' That was huge for me."
Nicknamed "Lights Out" and On-field Dominance
Sean delves deeper into the origins of his nickname and how it became an integral part of his identity on the field.
[33:35] Sean Merriman: "Twenty-five students came up and said, 'You knock those kids lights out.' And I was like, yeah. Call me Lights Out."
Challenges and Team Success
Despite having a formidable team with players like Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates, Sean reflects on why the Chargers never clinched a Super Bowl during his tenure. Factors included youthful overconfidence and key injuries.
[22:00] Sean Merriman: "We were young and felt invincible. In big situations, we didn't lock in enough."
Shooting Scene on Entourage
Sean shares a unique experience from acting on the popular TV show Entourage, highlighting unexpected connections with NFL figures.
[44:08] Sean Merriman: "I drove up on a day's notice from San Diego to LA... hit me up by Doug Allen."
Overcoming Challenges and Brand Building
From dealing with high school controversies to building his personal brand, Sean emphasizes resilience and strategic branding in sports.
[35:30] Sean Merriman: "Practices used to be harder than the games... we were so stacked."
To test his knowledge, Rory and Mal engage Sean in a fun trivia segment covering music and football.
Wale Album Debut Question
Future's Grammy-Winning Song
Chargers' Only Quarterback Pickoff
Billboard Hot 100 Top Song During Career-Defining Interception
Chargers' Single-Season Sack Record in 2006
Reflection on Trivia
Sean demonstrated solid knowledge, particularly in football-specific questions, while Rory and Mal engaged humorously throughout the segment.
Career Cut Short and Perspectives on the Hall of Fame
Sean discusses the impact of injuries on his career and his thoughts on the NFL Hall of Fame, expressing mixed feelings about his own prospects and admiration for peers like Terrell Suggs.
[42:16] Sean Merriman: "My career was cut short because of injury. I know that's a long shot for me to get in."
He acknowledges the importance of legacy and impact over mere statistics:
[43:06] Sean Merriman: "I believe in longevity... the impact you had on the game."
Upcoming Fight and Media Ventures
Sean reiterates details about his upcoming MMA fight and promotes his media platforms:
[52:43] Sean Merriman: "We got a big fight in San Diego June 14th. Lights Out Extreme Fighting... download Lights Out Sports TV."
Final Thoughts
The episode wraps up with expressions of gratitude from Rory and Mal, emphasizing Sean's multifaceted career and ongoing influence in sports and media.
Sean Merriman on Choosing Football:
[06:24] "I was just too aggressive for basketball... that's how I got introduced to the football field."
Sean Merriman on "Lights Out" Nickname:
[33:05] "I knocked out four kids in one game. That's how the name happened."
Sean Merriman Reflecting on Chargers' Super Bowl Runs:
[22:00] "We were young and felt invincible... we just felt invincible."
Sean Merriman on Meeting Junior Seau:
[30:37] "He told me, 'Take it easy. Do your thing this year.' That was huge for me."
Sean Merriman on Hall of Fame Aspirations:
[43:06] "I believe in longevity... the impact you had on the game."
This episode provides an in-depth look into Sean Merriman's life, from his early days in Maryland to his impactful NFL career and current endeavors in MMA and sports media. Through engaging anecdotes, personal reflections, and a fun trivia segment, Rory and Mal offer listeners a comprehensive understanding of Sean's journey, challenges, and achievements both on and off the field.
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