HOUR 2 - Will CJ Stroud Make It Through this Season? + Spurs Announcer Fired for Cheating on His GF

Summary

Payne & Pendergast — HOUR 2: July 10, 2026

Overview & Main Theme

This episode is packed with sharp, honest sports talk rooted in Houston, focusing primarily on the future of Texans quarterback CJ Stroud. With host Luke Morrow sitting in for Sean Pendergast alongside Seth Payne, they dig deep into the critical question: Will CJ Stroud actually make it through this season as the starting QB? The duo further dissects the national media narrative, quarterback contracts, and what the Texans should do, while also lightening the mood with a wild off-court drama: the firing of the San Antonio Spurs' TV announcer after a very public cheating scandal.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. CJ Stroud’s Job Security & Performance Concerns

• [03:10] Setting the Table:

  • Luke Morrow introduces the main debate—will CJ Stroud keep the starting job all season, not due to injury but due to performance.
  • The discussion is spurred by Mike Florio’s recent take on Pro Football Talk, questioning whether Stroud’s post-season struggles might compel the Texans to make a change.

• [03:48] Florio’s Take (Quote):

  • “If CJ Stroud continues to struggle, you can’t just continue to blindly let him play… The flaw would be to blindly cling to CJ Stroud if what we saw in the postseason… continues into 2026.” — Mike Florio

• [05:00] Seth Payne’s Response:

  • Seth acknowledges that if Stroud played as poorly as he did in the postseason, “you’d have to move on from him. That would be an abject disaster. I just have a hard time thinking that’s going to be the reality.”
  • He dismisses the idea that Davis Mills or Graham Mertz are real starting alternatives—no one is “clamoring for Davis Mills,” despite his 3–0 record as a spot starter.

• [07:52] Luke’s Analysis:

  • “Of course, if he’s playing like historically bad, you’re going to have to pull him… But no one played as poorly as Stroud did in those two playoff games.”

• [08:30] Backup Quarterback Logic:

  • Seth rails against national media for forgetting how backup QBs can look decent “for a brief period,” but that’s not equivalent to starting a whole year.

Notable Quote — Seth Payne [10:25]:

“It’s like if you find your dream house… and on the final inspection, you find a dead body in the pantry. Wait a second, we gotta hit the brakes on this… That’s what it’s like with a generationally large contract for CJ after the playoffs.”

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2. Stroud’s Playoff Collapse — Outlier or Trend?

• [11:37] The Sam Darnold Comparison:

  • Luke points out parallels to Sam Darnold, who bombed in big games for Minnesota, but then excelled with Seattle.
  • “If the Texans had to make a decision today, maybe they’d feel the same way of, ‘we can’t pay him based off what we just saw in the playoffs.’ But, like Ross [Tucker] said, the good thing is you still have time to try to figure out if that was the outlier…” — Luke Morrow

• [12:57] Contract Timing Isn’t Everything:

  • Seth dispels the notion that you must pay your star QB after Year 3.
  • He uses the Ravens (Lamar Jackson) and Cowboys (Dak Prescott) as examples where "kicking the can down the road" hasn't ruined those franchises.

• [14:39] What Would it Have Taken for a Contract?

  • Speculates that, had Stroud played well in the playoffs, the Texans might consider the going QB rate ($55M/yr), but his marketability is now uncertain pending 2026 performance.

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3. Stroud’s “Benchability” — Real Possibility?

• [16:03] Thin Ice or Not?

  • Luke wonders just how close Stroud is to losing his job: “How bad would he have to be to actually get benched this year?”

• [16:40] Seth’s Line:

  • It would take “historically bad” play for Stroud to be benched in the regular season—a performance meltdown with no mitigating factors (e.g., weather).
  • “If you bench them, that's pretty much it,” referencing how delicate QB confidence and team dynamics are.

• [18:27] Mental Toughness & Locker Room Dynamics:

  • “It's a much bigger deal… especially with CJ. I don't know if I would put him in that top tier of mental toughness… If you bench them, that's pretty much it.” — Seth Payne

Notable Quote — Luke Morrow [17:51]:

"I'm of the school of thought that if you were to make that move… it's hard to go back to Stroud if you pull him… I just feel like mentally or confidence-wise, that's too hard to come back from."

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4. The “Game Manager” & Defense Narrative

• [19:26] Luke’s Hypothetical:

  • Could Texans coaches or execs convince themselves that average QB play is “good enough” given the defense?
  • Seth fires back, clarifying that Seattle’s Sam Darnold wasn’t just “getting by”; he played at an MVP level for stretches.

• [21:25] ‘Average QBs’ Who Won Big:

  • They discuss Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, and Nick Foles as non-superstars who played like MVPs during their title runs.

• [22:08] Rare QB Benching Examples:

  • Seth lists Matt Schaub in Houston and Donovan McNabb with the Eagles (2008) as rare starting QBs benched mid-game who came back to succeed—a major outlier.

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5. What Must Stroud Do to Earn the Contract?

• [27:54] Audience Question:
  • What does Stroud actually need to do this year to get paid?
• [28:16] Seth’s Criteria:
  • “I think they were genuinely encouraged by his growth… If he was not dramatically better, but still operating and handling all of these situations the same way… as long as the team was still good, I'd be cool with paying him.”
  • It’s more about situational awareness, ball security, and overall steady improvement than raw stats.

Notable Quote — Seth Payne [31:01]:

"No kid goes to bed at night dreaming of being Trent Dilfer… there was definitely something psychological going on in [Stroud] pressing or trying to make things happen."

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6. Locker Room & Leadership Vibe — Foster Moreau on CJ Stroud

• [32:12] Foster Moreau Interview Clip:

  • “His arm talent is exceptional… he's always chasing greatness, he's underrated with his legs… He's a leader for us regardless of circumstance.” — Foster Moreau (Texans TE)

• [33:42] Seth’s Response:

  • Seth jokes Moreau “sounds like a GM,” but key is that new teammates are still checking in on “how CJ’s feeling.”
  • Notes it’s telling that so many interviews focus on Stroud’s mental state, almost like checking on someone post-breakup—a hangover from his playoff collapse going viral.

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7. Spurs Announcer Fired for Cheating Scandal (Off-Field Drama)

• [40:14] The Juicy Backstory:

  • Spurs TV broadcaster Jacob Tobey is out after his long-time girlfriend hijacked his Instagram, exposing his infidelity—with the sister of a Spurs player.

• [47:24] The Details:

  • The girlfriend posts receipts of the cheating while staying at his family home.
  • The “other woman” turns out to be Lindy Waters’ sister (a Spurs player).

• “The parents seem more ticked off that she aired the dirty laundry than that he cheated,” says Luke.

• [49:04] Is Firing Justified?

  • Both weigh in—this type of scandal is fireable for public-facing jobs, especially when it drags in the organization.
  • Seth: “If you’re bringing extra scrutiny to the organization… I’m cool with it.”

• They analogize to the NFL’s “conduct detrimental” clause.

Notable Moments:

• [53:14]
  • Seth jokes Tobey will end up hosting a Barstool Sports podcast.
• [53:35]
  • Listener texts that the move is welcomed: “He annoys me to the point I want to mute the game.”

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Seth Payne [10:25]:

  “It’s like you put an offer on your dream house and find a dead body in the pantry at inspection—you gotta hit the brakes.”

• Luke Morrow [17:51]:

  “Mentally... that’s too hard to come back from if you bench your franchise QB mid-game.”

• Foster Moreau [32:24]:

  “His arm talent is exceptional. Some of the best I’ve been able to play with… he’s always chasing greatness.”

• Seth Payne [42:04]:

  “None of those people are actually in good relationships to begin with, right? You’re going on to a reality show to see if you can tempt your partner…”

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Important Timestamps

| Time (MM:SS) | Segment | Key Topic | |--------------|--------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:10 | Main discussion begins | Should Stroud be worried about his job after playoffs? | | 03:48 | Mike Florio audio | National view: is Stroud on a short leash? | | 05:00 | Seth debunks “bench Stroud” | Why backup QB flashes can’t be overvalued | | 11:37 | Luke on Sam Darnold’s bounce back | Will Texans handle Stroud like Vikes handled Darnold? | | 16:03 | Would Stroud really get benched? | How bad it would have to be, importance of mental readiness | | 22:08 | QB benchings—historic perspective | Donovan McNabb/ Matt Schaub as rare comeback-after-benching QBs | | 27:54 | What does Stroud have to show in 2026? | Contract extension criteria | | 32:12 | Foster Moreau interview | Peer perspective on Stroud’s leadership and skills | | 40:11 | Spurs scandal segment | The very public Spurs broadcaster cheating drama | | 47:04 | Spurs fire their TV broadcaster | Organizational response to off-court drama |

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Tone and Style

• Casual, sharp, self-deprecating, and honest—the hosts banter and needle each other while giving hard truths about team and player futures.
• Plenty of humor, including Seth’s analogies (dead body inspection, reality show relationships) and pop-culture tangents on reality TV.
• Occasional jabs at national media for lazy narratives about the Texans.

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Summary Takeaways

• CJ Stroud’s leash is far longer than national media claims; only a total implosion, not moderate struggles, would see him benched.
• The Texans are in evaluation mode, not panic mode: They want to see if Stroud’s postseason meltdown was a fluke before committing monster money.
• Backup QBs fool the world for a few games, but rarely last. The national Davis Mills hype is overblown.
• Leadership matters: Stroud’s vibe, resilience, and team dynamics are key, not just raw numbers.
• Off-field drama spills into sports life: The Spurs TV scandal is a cautionary tale of public-facing jobs and personal conduct.
• This is classic Houston sports talk—unfiltered, passionate, with enough off-topic banter to keep even the non-sports fan tuned in.

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For listeners who missed the episode, this summary provides all the context, the key football insights, and the most entertaining moments—with timestamps for easy reference.

Transcript

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[Luke Morrow]

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[Luke Morrow]

Will CJ Stroud actually make it through the full season? Payne and Pendergast. I'm Luke Morrow. In for Seth. Or I should say in for Sean. Sorry, alongside Seth Payne.

[Seth Payne]

I'll take the rest of the day off. You can do both of it.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, yeah, that's me and Ben. Me and Ben. Got you the rest of the way.

[Seth Payne]

Finally, Ben. That's what Ben's been angling for all these years. Don't give him the satisfaction. What'd you say?

[Luke Morrow]

More talk time. Time for hot takes.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. Hey, hey, hey. Yeah. I don't like the way you said hot takes there. That's a. That's Ben throwing shade at Sean and I. That's no more talking for you, Ben.

[Luke Morrow]

He's been in my ear all week. Like, hey, when you gonna let me open up the mic for those.

[Seth Payne]

You know, every now and then we get people who complain that we don't have Ben on the show. More like weigh in. I cannot tell you enough how little that. How little that Ben wants that Ben. Ben does not like it when we ask him to talk. So. And I always. I'm always grateful when he will say a few words.

[Luke Morrow]

And he's, by the way, and it's not brown nosing, but Ben is. It's fine if he doesn't turn the microphone on. He's really good at what he does. And I. He makes it a lot easier for me whenever I'm filling in, especially in a week like this. We're lucky here. I've worked at a lot of radio stations. Some producers just don't care or whatever. We have really good producers at this station and Ben's fantastic. So it's always great to be in with you guys.

[Seth Payne]

Because we give them the best drugs.

[Luke Morrow]

That's right.

[Seth Payne]

So most producers, it's a matter of, like, all right, how do we keep them happy? And. And we know how to keep Ben happy.

[Luke Morrow]

I don't even know where I am now, man.

[Seth Payne]

He's in another dimension. He's operating completely unconsciously.

[Luke Morrow]

713-572-4610 on the text line or YouTube and Twitch chats as well. Will CJ Shroud actually make it through the year? Not from like a health perspective. I mean, that. That could be a conversation or a concern. Some Texans might have that with this offensive line and, you know, it's like a Joe Burrow scenario. Can he actually get through the whole season healthy, but more so based off of performance? Because our dear friend Mike Florio on his Pro Football Talk live show, he was pondering this yesterday of is CJ Stroud actually going to be capable of holding on to this job throughout the season? Here was Florio, I think the key,

[Mike Florio (quoted)]

the willingness or lack thereof of the coaching staff to do something about the obvious. When the obvious happens. If CJ Stroud continues to struggle, you can't just continue to blindly let him play. Davis Mills was three and oh, as a starter last year when CJ Stroud was out with a concussion. And I remember we were at Soldier Field for the Rams Bears game watching Texans Patriots that afternoon. And we just all assumed after halftime it was going to be Davis Mills. And they still didn't move to Davis Mills. There's a chance they still could have won that game. As Sim said all last year, the Texans defense is good enough to win a championship. All by itself when the offense is actively working against it. Not that they're doing it on purpose, but the offense was pulling down the team and the defense was still good enough to get as far as they did. So hey, clean slate for C.J. stroud. He's still their guy. He hasn't gotten his long term contract yet, but for now he's their guy. The flaw would be to blindly cling to CJ Stroud if what we saw in the postseason, both against the Steelers and against the patriots, continues into 2026.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I mean there's a, there's a few ifs there and obviously the big one was yeah, if CJ Stroud were to play that bad on through the regular season, you call it Davis Mills, Graham, what's his Graham Mertz. Anybody else? Like, yeah, there's going to be, there's going to be some kind of a change. I think that's a, that's a pretty big if. I think no matter how down anybody is on CJ Stroud, I would imagine it's hard to imagine that all of a sudden like something just dramatically changed in him between the regular season and the playoffs to where this is who he is from now and forever. I'm not saying it's impossible. I would just be really, really surprised. The other part of it though too is the I, I'll go back to my old David Cully rule on this. All right? If you're saying C.J. stroud at some point needs to be replaced by Davis Mills and that's what you're saying right now, then why are you not also clamoring for some other team to trade for Davis Mills that somebody's looking for a starting quarterback. And it's because my old thing with David Culley was alright, Stephen A. Smith and all these other guys are all like, they can't believe that the Texans are firing David Cully. But meanwhile they're not recommending David Cully to get any other head. Not a single one of them. For all the people that were incredulous that the Texans would move on from David Cully, I searched not a single one of them. Also said, you know who the Raiders should hire? David Cully. Like they didn't do it. It's non existent. And likewise there's nobody out there clamoring for Davis Mills. There are a lot of other teams that if they had a chance to get CJ Stroud at some kind of a discount or whatever, they would do it in a second. And that doesn't mean that that doesn't mean that he's going to be an all pro quarterback or anything. It's a. Yeah, Davis Mills was three. And oh, I thought Nick Haley did an awesome job of serving up a game plan that works really well for those three games. But, like, let's not pretend that Davis Mills looked like he was the reinvented Sam Darnold or something when he was out there. He had some really good fourth quarters in the Titans game and in the Jacksonville game and did some really good things. But it was the. He got rid of the ball fast. The fastest. He had the fastest time to throw of anybody in the league last year, which is what happens when a good backup quarterback is coming in and executing a game plan that's going to work for a little while. So. Especially when you've got a really good defense. But it wasn't anything that all of a sudden put him in that conversation of, oh, wow, maybe he should actually be the starting quarterback for 17 games. So I think I agree with Florio in that if, yes, CJ Continued to play exactly the same way he did against the Steelers and the Patriots, you would have to move on from him. That would be an abject disaster. I just, I have a hard time thinking that that's going to be the reality now. If he's, if he's struggling, et cetera, et cetera, then that's a whole nother conversation.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, that. So that, that audio bite was 78 seconds. So a minute 18. And as I'm listening to him, like, okay, and then. Yeah, then he kind of buries the lead where that was the last thing he said. Like, if he plays like he did in the playoffs. So it's like, yeah, of course. No kidding. If any quarterback plays like that, that's. You can't have that guy out there. I thought he was making the case of just like, regular season Stroud. If he plays like he did last year or the year before, like, at a certain point, you're going to have to bench him. But of course, if he's, if he is playing historically bad, no one played as poorly historically as Stroud did in those two playoff games. So if he's playing like the worst quarterback ever, then, yeah, of course you're going to have to pull him.

[Seth Payne]

And I'll say, look, yeah, Davis Mills went three and oh, C.J. stroud went seven and oh, Stretch during the season. I don't, I don't. For the. This, this thing. It bothers me when people who cover the NFL full time choose to forget everything they've ever learned about backup quarterbacks coming in for a brief period of time and that, yeah, you can do some really good things with a quarterback for a brief period of time, but that's not the same thing as getting game planned for all season long and having to go out and, you know, having all that film on you that you don't get to just ambush the opposition with a tailor made game plan for your backup quarterback. So, yeah, I'm not like, there's zero part of me right now that wants Davis Mills over C.J. stroud. The question, I think, and I think this is what Ross Tucker brought up when he was on Garrett Williams podcast on his YouTube channel, which I really, I really liked, because I think he just said something that I've, that I've been thinking, but he said it more eloquently than I would. Is that just flat out before The Texans pay C.J. stroud, they got to be sure that that was just a blip on the radar in the playoffs. My concern is that the decision making in the two playoff games this year was just so poor that it can't help but make you give you some pause and some hesitation in terms of a monster contract. Do I still think they'll give it to him?

[Luke Morrow]

At some point?

[Foster Moreau]

Yes.

[Seth Payne]

But if I'm the Texans and I have them for two more years, I think I need to make sure that what we saw in those last two postseason games was not the start of more to come or was not something that's going to continue. Yeah, that.

[Luke Morrow]

I

[Seth Payne]

have a feeling that if you listen to that, it might sound like it's alarmist or something. But I think in the very real world, if you put yourself in this situation of the Texans, that. All right, we're pretty sure we feel like CJ's, you know, headed in the right direction and we like a lot about the way he's operating and everything. But then all of a sudden, in the last couple of opportunities before you might end up giving him an extension, you see just an almost incalculably bad performance and something that's completely out of the blue. It's like if you see something, you find your dream house and you put in a contract. And on the final express, in the final inspection, you're walking around and you find a dead body in the pantry or something like, oh, wait a, wait a second, we gotta hit the brakes on this a little bit. And you find out there was a neighbor who put the dead body there. Like, yeah, all right, I gotta rethink This a little bit. And it's like, I gotta be sure all the T's are crossed and the eyes are dotted before I. Before I give out a generally generationally large contract.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, yeah, certainly. And I. I look so like Sam Darnold. It's not exactly apples to apples, I guess, but Sam Darnold had that lousy. When he was in Minnesota, had a terrible. The final game of the season was essentially a playoff game. He was horrendous. Then they went to the playoffs. He was horrendous. And the Vikings felt like, yeah, you know what? We can't commit to this guy. He. He just played terrible in the two biggest games. And then he obviously came back this year in Seattle and was like, hey, I'll show you. And played excellent throughout the playoffs. In fact, even better in the playoffs than he did in the regular season. He elevated his play, limited his turnovers, took care of the football better, and obviously they won the Super Bowl. So that's kind of the. I know a lot of people draw that comparison too, of Stroud to Darnold. Obviously Stroud had that meltdown last year in two games, kind of like Darnold, in fact, even worse than Darnold. And now the hope is seeing if he can bounce back. So it's nice to have the luxury. And to Ross's point of like, him still being under contract, where the Vikings had to make a decision right there and then, and they were like, yeah, Darnold's not a big game quarterback. If the Texans had to make a decision today, if his contract was up, maybe they would feel the same way of we can't pay him based off of what we just saw in the playoffs. But like Ross laid out, the good thing is you still have time to try to figure out if that was the outlier or if that becomes the norm or he. He almost is. Is. Is shook in those scenarios and can't shake that.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. And I think that's where. When it comes to. I. I guess it's. It's mostly driven by the media and shows like ours. I suppose that this feeling that, oh, boy, you got teams just, boy, if you don't make that decision after the third year, it makes it really tough to operate. Which, I mean, there's just. There's not any truth to that. Like the, The Ravens and the Cowboys kicked the can way on down the road. And I'm not saying that they handled it the right way. And yet the. That waiting to pay Lamar Jackson and waiting to pay Dak Prescott didn't mean financial devastation for those teams, didn't mean that. Those quarterbacks just held a grudge against the organization and they're never going to want to play there again or anything like that. I mean, they obviously haven't won a Super bowl or done what they want to do, but it's, it's not the end of the world to make a quarterback wait a year or two. It's not like the biggest slap in the face that when you're not one of the best players at your position in the league that you don't get a contract. It's just, it should be on the surface of it all. It feels, it's always felt to me like it should be a non factor and a non issue except because it's the quarterback position and people attach so much importance to it, rightfully so, that it, that somehow it's like the biggest slap in the face to not pay a guy after his third year. No, he just simply hasn't earned it yet. And you can make excuses or explanations for it and I do myself, I make explanations for some of the reasons that CJ hasn't fulfilled his potential. But it's, but it doesn't mean that because he's got some excuses that you just go ahead and give him a record setting contract.

[Luke Morrow]

To Ross's point or question though, do you think like say he played the same way he played in the regular season, say you get those performances in the playoffs for Stroud, do you think the Texans would have made that decision? Like how much of a factor do you think that is? Or do you think this is simply the Texans saying like, hey, we don't need to rush, let's continue to take our time and gather more information regardless of what happened in the playoffs?

[Seth Payne]

That's the really good question. And I lean more on the side of I don't. I think there still wouldn't be a contract right now, but there might have been some negotiations and that C.J. you know, theoretically that the Texans wanted to get him at some kind of a, you know, whatever the current rate is, where it's been stuck at 55 million a year, give or take for quarterbacks for the last few years, that they might have been open to something like that, knowing that next year, when you've got potentially six or more quarterbacks who are going to get new contracts next year, that it's going to get blown out of the water. I think they might have been comfortable with something like that. And then it's just, I don't know If. I don't know if C.J. and David Mulligetta would have been cool with. With that dollar amount. And I think that ultimately they might have just. They would have kicked the can down the road again, but there would have been more discussion about it. But I don't think. I don't. I think there's a chance Texans right now just flat out don't feel comfortable with that 55 million a year until they see that he's gotten over whatever issues he was having in the playoffs.

[Luke Morrow]

Right. Yeah. I think that's a big question that needs to be answered first at this point. Getting back to the Florio take and on the text and someone said, oh, good. Another national media person who only watched the playoffs and not the regular season, but getting back to what Florio said, how thin or thick do you think the ice is now? Obviously his. He set the bar at that playoff performance if he continues to play like he did in the playoffs. But do you. Could you see any scenario or how, like, what are the chances, I guess is the question I'm asking that Stroud would actually get yanked out during the season, that he would get benched at some. How bad would he have to be to actually get benched this year?

[Seth Payne]

It would have to be, especially in the regular season.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. Yep. You know, like, okay, Davis Mills is going to start this Sunday for us instead.

[Seth Payne]

I think, I think if he, if he went out and had a first half like he did versus the Patriots, he's not getting benched in the regular season. If he came out in the second half of that game and was making the same bad decisions and hadn't. Because he did. I mean, he reeled it in and controlled the situation better in the second half of that game. But especially if there was no weather to blame. Like, I wonder, do you ever wonder this? What if CJ had gone out that bad and the weather was pristine and he was making those same decisions? Is it easier in that moment at halftime? Do you think, do you think that d' Amico doesn't have the weather or anything else to just kind of cushion the. Cushion the severity of it, that, that he makes the decision to pull him then, like, like Fox, the Patriots game, if you have that exact same performance, but they're, but the weather, the, the elements aren't a factor. Does he get pulled at halftime?

[Luke Morrow]

I'm of the school of thought of, like, in a vacuum. I would pull Stroud in that scenario. And even watching that game, I was thinking, like, they probably would at this point. They probably would be better with Davis Mills. But I'm of the school of thought that if you were to make that move, I feel like, and you've been in locker room so you know better than me. But I feel like it's, it's hard to go back to Stroud if you pull him, especially if it's just for the second half because like, hey, you're playing really bad. We're going to put Davis in for the rest of the game and then should try to go back to him to be your starter. I just feel like mentally or confidence wise, I feel like that's too hard to go back to when you're talking about a guy who's supposed to be your franchise quarterback.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I know it's a, it's a much bigger deal. And especially with, I mean with CJ I don't know if I think there's a. I don't know if I would put him in that top tier of mental toughness of like some of the all time stud quarterbacks who might get like just with quarterback in general, it's just there's such a different dynamic about the way the team looks at him, the way the quarterback has to operate as a leader and everything that if you bench them, that's pretty much it. And sometimes that comes down to, okay, how do you feel about the guy behind him? So benching CJ Where I'm not, look, I'm not, I'm not like Florio. I don't think that Davis Mills is going to be the next Sam Darnold. Maybe he does end up being, but I'm not going to forecast it. Not that that's what Florio said. I'm joking. But that it's a lot easier to say bench Elvis Gerbach when you got a Rich Gannon waiting in the wings. And I don't think that anybody's looking at Davis Mills like he's, like he's Rich Gannon.

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No.

[Luke Morrow]

Right. But here is my concern and people always misconstrued this and they're going to start going right now. The text and the message, the comments in YouTube. I'm not saying that Davis Mills gives you a better option than CJ Stroud. I'm not telling you that the Texans think Davis Mills is a better option than CJ Stroud. But could some people in that organization believe that you don't need a high level of quarterback play in order to win because of how good that defense is and therefore can convince themselves that they are just fine with a Davis, Mills, like, let's just say in the short term, I'm not saying you're going to move on from CJ Stroud and make Mills your starter, but this idea of like, hey, our defense is so good, we don't need a top five or top 10 quarterback at the quarterback position. We can get by with an average quarterback who just will make sure he takes care of the football.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I think that's the tough thing is, and that's where the whole people have a hard time detaching new Sam Darnold from old Sam Darnold. I think that it wasn't like Sam Darnold was only running the offense and doing nothing else. He's always had an incredible. He's always had the ability to make some incredible throws. You know, like, he's all like the things that made him the draft pick that he was. Those traits have always been there. And with the combination of his experience and being with the right coaches in the right scheme and everything, you got that kind of a performance out of Sam Darnold. But he wasn't like, he wasn't an average quarterback last year, you know, that wasn't it does I keep seeing all these people say, yeah, things have just changed and you can win with a Sam Darnold? All right, can we concede that they, they were still a top five passing offense? Like, they weren't whatever. They ended up top five offensively. I can't remember where their passing offense was, but that it was more than just, hey, they're getting by with some mediocre quarterback play. No, he was playing like an MVP candidate for a large chunk of the season. That it was. It wasn't just. It wasn't the Texans offense last year for the Seahawks.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. And he played even better in the playoffs. It's kind of like if you look at the quote unquote, like average quarterbacks recently that have won Super Bowls, the first ones that come to Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, who weren't necessarily MVP quarterbacks, but once you got to the playoffs, they played like MVP quarterbacks, which is why they were able to win Super Bowls. So even when you point to some of these, even like Nick Foles, people's like, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl. He was. He out dueled Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. So it's more about like the actual performance. You're getting such a MVP performance from these quarterbacks, even if historically they haven't been on that level. But yeah, Sam Darnold played really well last year. Obviously, and that's why they were able to get it done. It wasn't like he was throwing for 150 yards each game.

[Seth Payne]

He played a good job looking for some quarterbacks who had been pulled in the middle of a game while they. When they were already established. And the most. The cleanest example, I think, is Match Dob is one of them. That kind of worked out. Remember Shaub came back as Bearded Shaub in the Jacksonville game and looked like the best version of himself. In 2013, Donovan McNabb had already reached five Pro Bowls. And then in 2008 against Baltimore, Andy Reid benched him at halftime after he went 8 of 18 for 59 yards and two interceptions. And then was restored the next week. Philadelphia won four of its final five regular season games and reached the NFC Championship Game. That was a. That was like the. That was the cleanest example I could find of a bona fide starting quarterback getting the. Getting benched in the middle of a football game and then, you know, coming back that season and making the NFC Championship Game.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, I think it's something that you should be able to do. I just worry about how well everyone would handle that. Obviously, I guess McNabb handled it well enough that. That the team sort of took off afterwards. Maybe that was the kick in the pants he needed. But that might not always be the case. Here is Texans.

[Seth Payne]

You know what? There's also. Back then, though, there was always a good chance that a guy had a concussion that nobody realized.

[Luke Morrow]

That's also true.

[Seth Payne]

I'd have to go back. I might go back and watch that entire game and see if there was a. Oh, yeah, dude. Yeah, he was totally at a concussion. But there were no independent medical advisors or anybody to spread and tell Andy Reid.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

And also in the. Or the team didn't disclose that it was a concussion because they wanted to get him back out there next week asap. Yeah, it's true.

[Luke Morrow]

They were. He was throwing up in the trash can like in the. In the Super Bowl. By the way, the Seahawks last year were eighth in passing yards. To circle back to what you said, Right?

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. So it wasn't like it was a. I think there's a. Because people love, you know, falling in love with narratives this time of year that they. They act like that the Texans and the Seahawks are the same team and they're not. No. Seahawks had a much better offense than the Texans did. They certainly in the play, especially in the playoffs, they had the ability to run the ball, too. You know, like all of these things. That they were definitively better than the Texans offensively in a lot of ways last year.

[Luke Morrow]

And what's amazing about Darnold, I'm looking at the numbers now. They were 29th in pass attempts, so that's bottom four.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

8th and passing passing yards. Talk about efficiency. Where they didn't. They weren't throwing it a whole lot, but they were top 10 in the league in passing. Y.

[Seth Payne]

Nonetheless, it was, it was like Clint Kubiak, new Gary Kubiak or something. And it learned from him because it was. It was the quintessential Kubiak Shanahan offense of just. And they're a really good example too, of using the run to set up the pass, but not being an awesome rushing attack because you don't have to. You just have to in that offense, you have to make everything look the same and that even if you're not an awesome rushing offense, that the defenders are trying to make their reads and the run looks exactly like the pass. So you don't have to have an awesome rushing attack. You just have to be able to run the ball effectively and not be getting stuffed on first down, you know, and like that's what they did. Like Clint Kubiak ran his father's offense, you know, tweaked to the modern era to a T. And so much of that is just on simple execution. That. That's like, that's where the Texans and other teams are lacking. They just, whatever scheme you're running, you're just not running it to a tee the way that Clint Kubiak got that offense running last year.

[Luke Morrow]

And we'll see how he does with the Raiders.

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[Luke Morrow]

hey, this is Richard Deitch, the host of the sports media podcast. If you're interested in what's happening with all the places where you consume sports, the sports media podcast has you covered.

[Seth Payne]

I've been turning down interviews all week. Hoda Kapi reached out. Oprah, George Stephanopoulos. So I said no. I was booked on the Deitch podcast

[Luke Morrow]

before the Taylor Swift phenomenon.

[Seth Payne]

I must live up to my responsibility.

[Luke Morrow]

Listen wherever you get your podcasts

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[Luke Morrow]

On the text line, somebody asked what does CJ have to do this year to get that contract? Obviously, if he wins a Super bowl, you know, that will get it done. But Seth, for you, is it, I imagine it's more about his performance than the team performance or is there a certain like, level? Like, hey, if you get to an AFC title game, then of course, you know, we're giving you the contract. Like, is it more about what the team achieves or something in particular you have to see from C.J.

[Seth Payne]

yeah, that's all right. Because there's a question of what does he need to do versus what would I like him to see him do. I think that, I think that they were, I think they were genuinely encouraged by his growth in terms of understanding the job of a quarterback within a game. And I don't, I hesitate to call it game management, but just understanding situational football and game flow and all those kinds of things. I mean, you go back to two years ago and in that Green Bay game, at the very end of the game when all the, when the Texans, they had a, or in the last few minutes when the Texans had a lead and they really just needed to eat clock as much as possible. On third down, CJ Threw an incompletion that stopped the clock that wouldn't have even yielded a first down. Tank Dell would have gone out of bounds anyway. Like there was no reason for him to throw that. And when they asked him about it afterwards, like he hadn't had it like at the two minute break, they hadn't discussed it or anything. I felt that was on the coaches and CJ Being a young quarterback and it was a game management flub on multiple levels. I think those are the type of things that both D' Ameco Ryans and C.J. stroud got better at this year. And it just kind of all went out the window like. So I think if you were to have the same performance next year but with like 10% extra, you know, just the, the. They don't have to be a top scoring offense, but he needs to take care of the football. He needs to have some great moments in the fourth quarter. And if it was, if it was not a dramatic improvement over last year, but he was still operating and handling all of these situations the same way, I'd be cool with paying him then as long as the team was still good. Because you got to like, kind of like with Kyle Shanahan, I think, like, I don't know. I don't think Kyle Shanahan is necessarily in love with Brock Purdy, but he also just knows that they've got, they've got a good thing going and it's a lot. He's been through it before. He's seen that it's not as simple as going out and like, oh, we can go out and trade for a Garoppolo or oh no, we can go, we can go. We can trade up in the draft and get a Trey Lance that. It's just, it's never as simple as just going out and finding another quarterback. I think that's what it ends up being with C.J. stroud. If he's, if he has a better year, but not a dramatically better year, that. All right, we've got a winning formula here. Let's not overthink this. Let's. Let's pay. Pay the quarterback, whatever the going rate is.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, it's sort of like that was really good. It's a tough question to, to like directly try to answer. Try to put a, put a thing on it, which I think you gave a great answer because it's almost part of it too is kind of like the definition of pornography of you just Know it when you see it and see that, that. That improvement from him.

[Seth Payne]

See, I. Well, but then I think part of the. It feels like one of the potential explanations for why CJ fell apart in the playoffs was that, you know, what I said afterwards was, no kid. No kid goes to bed at night dreaming of being Trent Dilfer. You know, like, oh, I can be the guy that was just kind of along for the ride on a Super Bowl. That, and I've got a Super bowl ring. But it's because the defense was so awesome and that just psychologically, unconsciously, maybe there's a tendency to push and that you want to be above and beyond that. And I think that, like, whatever, whatever, you know, however much that's true or not, who knows? But there was definitely something psychological going on in terms of pressing or trying to make things happen, including that pick six. You know, I mean, they've got a lead, you're in your own territory. All those things that I thought CJ had made a lot of improvement on and understanding the. The situation and the game flow, it kind of just flew out the window with that pick six against the Patriots, because that's. That's exactly the kind of situation where, no, you don't put the ball in harm's way in that situation.

[Luke Morrow]

Here is Foster Moreau, tight end of new tight end of the Texans. He was on NFL radio on Sirius XM, and he was talking about his new quarterback, C.J. stroud. Here's what Foster had to say.

[Foster Moreau]

Very early on, I wanted to go hang out with. With CJ Just, you know, get a vibe, just see how he's feeling, catch a few balls. And I mean, his arm talent is exceptional. Some of the best I. I've been able to play with. He missed three games last year. I mean, his. His statistical numbers for, you know, where he wants to be in terms of as. As a successful quarterback. He's. He's always chasing greatness, always chasing excellence. He's an underrated. He's underrated with his legs. I mean. Yeah, that cat can move, right? You know, I'm excited. I'm excited especially for what I've seen throughout OTAs, throughout the. The phase one, phase two. He's got the guys, he's getting. He's getting everyone together out in. Out in sunny California for a nice throwing session, as most quarterbacks, as most quarterbacks do nowadays. Yeah. And I thought he was a quiet leader for us when I first showed up. And then we got into the workouts and we got into the actual. The Bulk majority of what we actually do as a football team. And he's vocal, he's loud. Like he, he has an expectation and he has a vision for what he wants our offense to be, what he wants our team to be. And he doesn't have a choice. He's a leader for us regardless of circumstance.

[Seth Payne]

He's the most impressive 47 year old tight end I've ever heard. He just sounds like a broadcast profess, like a much more professional broadcast professional than myself. Like everything he said there. I have a hard time listening to what he's saying because I'm picturing him wearing like a suit in a gm at a GM press conference. That. And that's where like when you hear these quotes from David Montgomery or Foster Moreau and all of these other guys that I think are the things you'd expect to hear from somebody that's new to the team and that I guess it's most notable that I don't want to say they sound surprised that CJ is like confident and in command and everything, but the fact that they're even weighing in on that. I wish it was more of a given that, yeah, of course, like it's a, it's quarterback in the off season. What. It's no big deal. Like 28 of the starting quarterbacks in the league are probably having the same thing said about them when people talk about them. But I think it's just that we as a fan base are so attuned to just like, yeah, what. What's going on with him in his headspace. And that is what. Ben, can you play the first 10 seconds?

[Foster Moreau]

Very early on I wanted to go hang out with, with CJ just, you know, get a vibe, just see how he's feeling, catch a few balls and yeah, okay.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, yeah, see how he's feeling. I don't know if people say that about other court. Like, yeah, true. Yeah. You know, early I want to go on and see if. See Tom Brady how he's feeling. And so many of these guys are being asked questions about like, so how's. How is CJ doing? I think that one of the things, this is one of my encouraging things that happened throughout OTAs. I did feel like we moved from hearing a bunch of interviews of guys where the first question was, so like, how's C.J. doing? You know, and you're almost waiting to hear somebody say like how he had a. To take his shoelaces away from him and he's been under constant supervision the whole time. The questions have transitioned More away from that, more into the nuts and bolts of the defense. But I like Foster Moreau just brings up, yeah, how's he feeling? That's what, that's what I wanted to see is how's he feeling? It was a pretty damn big deal when you become that much of a meme in this day and age. I just. It's. It's a big deal. People are aware of it.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, I think it was. Even the USA lost to Belgium the other night. And again, people brought shroud into it with the memes of, like, usa, you know, they turned into CJ Shroud in

[Seth Payne]

a USA jersey and all that.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Which is why, you know, I thought we were going to get a break from it because Drake May was very, very much memed in the week after the Super Bowl. But people, I think people, they sat down and they did the hardcore analysis and they're like, nope, nope. CJ was much worse.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, yeah, it's true. That's the worst. Like when you were growing up, especially if you grew up in a small town and if you, like, had a breakup or you lost a. Or something, and wherever you'd go through town, you'd run into somebody like a friend of the family or your mom's friend, and whenever they check on you, like, oh, how are you doing? I heard, you know, I heard things are tough or I heard you're going through a break. Like, that's the most embarrassing thing whenever people have to come check on you

[Seth Payne]

after a breakup, too.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Because then they probably heard that you were doing badly.

[Luke Morrow]

Right, Exactly. That's what I mean. You know, your mom's gossiping to them of like, oh, he's having a hard time.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. I just want to hear. I don't want to hear patronizing quotes about CJ Shout. I don't want to hear people be like, yeah, you know what I mean? He, you know, he threw an interception last week and it was cool. It was alright. He worked through it and, and now he's. He's on the right track. No, no, I just want to just assume that everything is just fine until I hear that it is.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, exactly. And by the way, we got opposite ends of the spectrum. On the text line, somebody says, Foster reminds me of Greg Olson. That's good. Somebody else said, he sounds like Andrew Tate. Not so good.

[Seth Payne]

So I thought there's almost a little bit of a Sean McVeigh in there. A little bit.

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[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, I could get that a little bit. I like Foster Moreau a lot and I hope he's a good addition for the team this year.

[Seth Payne]

I like him because he's, he, I guess he's kind of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You see him in interviews and he sounds like a general manager, but then you see him out on the football field and he's talking all kinds of smack the potty mouth to boot. That's a, that's the kind of duality we need in our young football players.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, those are my kind of guys. I like that. I appreciate that. Coming up, we gotta get to this story. I've been tracking it all week, but now it actually cost him a job. The spurs broadcaster got fired and it's, it's juicy. And we'll talk about it next here on Pain and Pendergast. Summer routines live or die by how easy they are.

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[Seth Payne]

okay, people, line starts here.

[Luke Morrow]

Well, the spurs lost somebody from their team. Just happened to be the broadcaster. It's quite the story. To Payne and Pendergast. I'm Luke Morrow, in for Sean alongside Seth Payne. It's juicy. I don't like drama in my life, but I do love to rubberneck drama. I have to be honest with you. And we.

[Seth Payne]

That's the best way to participate without any of the personal risk.

[Luke Morrow]

Exactly. That's why I've really gotten into it. Started because of, you know, my significant other. But I gotta admit, I love it myself. Now all these, like, reality dating TV shows, that's. It's the best.

[Seth Payne]

And so I can't do it because I know I get sucked into. Yeah, I like to act like I'm above all that. Trash.

[Luke Morrow]

Right.

[Seth Payne]

I know. I'm a. I'm an addict, just like everybody.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, that's how I felt. My ass. Those shows are stupid. I'd never watch them. And then once I got pulled in, I was like, actually, these shows are great. Let's watch more.

[Seth Payne]

I love it. Well, real quick. I think that's what. On Hannah McNair's podcast, D' Amico's wife disclosed that Miko is into. Is it Love Island?

[Luke Morrow]

Love is Blind.

[Seth Payne]

I thought Love is Blind. Okay.

[Luke Morrow]

I think maybe it was Love Island.

[Seth Payne]

No, I think it was Love is Blind.

[Luke Morrow]

Okay.

[Seth Payne]

Love island is trash here, isn't it?

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. So I'm guessing. Yeah, like, yeah. I don't think d' amigo's wife would have said it if he was into Love Island. I think. Yeah. So Love is Blind makes more sense.

[Luke Morrow]

B. Scott's into Love Island. We. I. I've never watched it. That one's too much for me. That's where I draw the line. But B. Scott, I know likes it. We've talked about it a few times off air.

[Seth Payne]

Is Love island the one where people are, like, being tempted away from their current boyfriends and girlfriends or I think

[Luke Morrow]

they might be singles? There's Temptation island, and that's one where they are being tempted from their current partners.

[Seth Payne]

Okay.

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[Seth Payne]

And we do watch that one.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, we watch that one.

[Seth Payne]

That sounds like the trashiest one.

[Luke Morrow]

It's pretty trashy.

[Seth Payne]

Well, it's got to be. Okay.

[Luke Morrow]

Very trashy, actually. Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Eighth tangent, Let me. So for Temptation island, like none of those people are actually in good relationships to begin with, right? Yeah. Like you're going on to a reality show to see if we can tempt our.

[Luke Morrow]

Okay, yeah.

[Seth Payne]

So that, that, that kind of loses its luster for me. I want to see somehow like they didn't know this is what they signed up for and they're, they're being tempted without knowing that. That's the deal.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, right.

[Seth Payne]

That's when you find out really who's got the strong relationship.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. That's why the newest season was kind of a bore. It just came out a few months ago because they were all, it's only, they use four couples and all four couples were such a mess that like you, you couldn't get into like these people, they're already, they shouldn't be together.

[Seth Payne]

There was just no hope for salvation or anything. Care. Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

You know, like he liked the drama, but it wasn't like he had a rooting interest or anything or you felt bad when they were, you know, messing around. Cuz it's like, yeah, you know, this relationship, they already should be broken up. What are they even doing here? So that's the problem with that one. Love is Blind was the one that first brought me in. And love I do enjoy. Love is Blind. They did a season in Houston. People can check that out, see all the local sites.

[Priceline Advertiser]

Is it.

[Seth Payne]

So is it, isn't it pretty much just like a normal like blind date type show or whatever? Like is it different from the old traditional ones?

[Luke Morrow]

You're in the pods, it's like for two weeks and you date through a wall without seeing somebody. So you get really close to them because you're having converse all day conversations, but you don't get to see them. And so these people fall in love and you propose without ever seeing them. You get engaged and then at the end of like the two weeks, they reveal one another. You know, they reveal the two to each other and then they move in. Well, first they go on a honeymoon and then they move in together and they have to live together for, well, I guess like, well, the wedding day. I think it's like two months that they live together up until the wedding day and then on the wedding day at the altar is when they make the decision of if they're, if they're actually going to say yes. To the marriage or not. And they can't talk about it beforehand.

[Seth Payne]

Okay. But they see each other while they're living with each other.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Oh, okay.

[Luke Morrow]

They see each other at that point. And so often you see some people

[Seth Payne]

bail as soon as they see the person.

[Luke Morrow]

That hasn't happened. But you've had some bad reactions. There's a classic one where this woman is a. Who's a flight attendant. If people see the season, they already know what I'm talking about. She told him that she looked like Megan Fox. And so she really set the bar high. And when they saw each other, you could see the guy's name was Jimmy. You could see the look in his face. And then when they did the interview right after of just him, he was like, she told me she looked like Megan Fox.

[Seth Payne]

That's such a dumb move by.

[Luke Morrow]

Right.

[Seth Payne]

What the hell? Well, did she look anything like Megan Fox?

[Luke Morrow]

I don't think so.

[Seth Payne]

Like. Like dark hair or something. Or like, yeah, she had dark hair, dude.

[Luke Morrow]

You know the connection I got?

[Seth Payne]

I would tell a woman I look like a. Like a handsome version of Steve Buscemi that way. Like, there's no way she's gonna be like, her expectations are gonna be so low. I would. Yeah, I wouldn't even say handsome. I'd be like, I'm like, a little less broke down Steve Buscemi.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. But I got a great personality, as you'll find out through this wall for the next two weeks.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

So, yeah. Anyways, love those shows. But it's come to real life where I was tracking this story. So it was actually when we were on the air earlier this week and some spurs fan account was tweeting about it based off of Instagram post. His name is Jacob Tobey. He's the. He was the TV broadcaster for the Spurs. I think he's pretty new on the job. He's a young.

[Seth Payne]

Just a couple years.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. Because I remember when that job opened up, that man, maybe two years ago. He's a young guy.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, I believe it was 20, 24 was his first year.

[Luke Morrow]

Okay. So I saw this during a commercial break earlier this week where they posted his post from Instagram. And there was two images, two stories added to his Instagram overnight. And one was him with a photo of, I believe, his girlfriend. And it said, like, here's my girlfriend of six years who. Something along the lines of who I've been cheating on. Keep following me if you think I'm a good guy. And then the next post was like a photo of the girl. He was, you know, the mistress.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

And like providing the proof of that. And it was a snarky. They were snarky posts on his Instagram exposing him. That obviously came from the girlfriend he'd

[Seth Payne]

been hacked by his ex girlfriend. Yeah, like by his girlfriend that he'd

[Luke Morrow]

been cheating on while he was sleeping. She got into the phone, she obviously this was her plan. Cuz he couldn't, he was sleeping, he couldn't delete it. So it was out there. And he didn't realize till he logged onto Instagram some point the next day that these posts are up there and they were already making the rounds on social media. The other part of this, that's sort of Machiavellian, although it's kind of, kind of awkward. They were on a two week vacation to his family and this was only day three. So they were staying. The girlfriend at the time and Jacob were staying with his parents. And his parents I guess told him to like take the stuff down and delete everything from his Instagram of like any sort of reference or anything.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

While I guess, while she's still like in the house. I can only imagine how awkward that is where the parents seem to be pretty ticked off. Not that he did this to his girlfriend, but that she aired the dirty laundry.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

Social media.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. So then. And then the other big, the other big detail is exactly who the woman was that he was cheating with.

[Mike Florio (quoted)]

Mm.

[Luke Morrow]

So at first she just put out like the, I think a photo of the woman and like the name. And then the Internet sleuths were looking into it and trying to figure out of course as one does, like, oh, who is this woman? And as it turns out it's the sister of one of the players on the Spurs. So he, Jacob, Toby, the broadcaster, was in a six year relationship before he even got the job with the spurs and then had been stepping out on the relationship with another woman who happens to be a sister of one of the spurs players, the team that he covers.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah. And do we know who the. Do we know who the player was?

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, I got to find it. It's not, it's not, it's not like it's Wemby. It's not a big time player.

[Seth Payne]

Wasn't like a Tony Parker type. No apps.

[Luke Morrow]

I should know off the top my head, but it's the names escaping me for, for the moment.

[Seth Payne]

Well that's so the. So immediately it's funny because I feel like that's a relevant detail, but a lot of people are kind of Only presenting half the story. And they're saying, wait a second, the spurs are firing this guy because he cheated on his girlfriend? What the hell is that all about? And I'm inclined to think, okay, there's way more of the story, obviously. Like, you at least have to mention that he was with the sister of one of the players. But even that, though, I do feel like that I. I have to wonder there whether there's even more to the story than that, because it's not like that's unheard of that somebody has a relationship with a player's family member or something like that in and of itself. Wouldn't be a fireable offense. Should it be? I think there's. I think there's more sloppiness to come and that will come out of this, probably.

[Luke Morrow]

And the players. Lindy Waters. I was. I was torn on this because I think in most places, people aren't losing their jobs for what they're doing in their relationships.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah.

[Luke Morrow]

And if it's the cousin of a coworker, I should say, I guess just the sister sibling of a coworker, I don't know if that's enough to lose.

[Seth Payne]

It's not the same as dating a co worker.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah.

[Seth Payne]

Not disclosing it. Like, is that in an employee handbook anywhere that you've got to disclose it? I guess it would be a potentially conflict of interest relationship.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah. So that's where I come in on. I'm on the fence because in general, I feel like I don't know if that's enough. And by the way, the spurs made the decision right away as this went viral and publications started writing about it. Like actual publications, front office sports, maybe like the New York Times, whoever. The spurs has made the decision right away. They didn't do any sort of investigation. Apparently they just fired him. That's where I come in. On the other side of the conversation of. It does feel different when, if you're a broadcaster of the team or if you work with the team that feels like almost too close to home, where obviously it's not like it's actually somebody in the organization or on the team, but it seems too close where. If you had an affair with your girlfriend, but it's some random person, I don't think the spurs care. But the fact that it's tied to the organization, it seems like for a broadcaster, that's unprofessional, makes the organization look bad. And so I do kind of get it.

[Seth Payne]

And that is. I mean, ultimately you, when you're in the Public eye, and you're bringing extra scrutiny to the organization. Whatever you can get. Like you can get fired for being sloppy. I don't know if that's legal or not, but I would totally fire somebody just for being sloppy. That. All right. I don't know. You're in a front facing job, a public facing job, and you're bringing extra scrutiny to the organization and you should have handled yourself better. I do the same thing with athletes with like say, Stefan Diggs in his. Mostly his most recent issue, or at least the second most recent issue where this woman is suing him and. Or charging him with felony strangulation. All of that, it goes to court. And man, does it look like he was innocent. At least based on all the stuff I saw and everything, it looks like he got hosed in that situation. But Stefon Diggs is guilty of man conducting his affairs in a really sloppy manner. And that's, that's just as much, for me an issue. It's not as much of an issue as if he had actually assaulted somebody, obviously, but like, that's a big issue when somebody routinely just is sloppy as hell. Deshaun Watson, regardless of how you feel about whether he did or did not or whether he was falsely accused or anything, at the very least you have to concede, if you're being honest, that, my God, desean, you are guilty of sloppiness to an extreme degree in the way you're conducting your personal affairs. So, like, likewise. Yeah, a broadcaster for the team. You're getting all sloppy. Yeah. You're letting. This stuff's becoming public and everything. And it's with a sister of one of the players and we don't know what maybe else was disclosed about his relationship with that, that woman or anything that. Yeah, I'm cool with it. I'm not gonna be. I'm not gonna be like one of the Colin cowards of the world as saying that he should sue the Spurs.

[Luke Morrow]

So, yeah, it's sort of like the NFL's conduct detrimental policy where, you know, if, like, if you make the organization look bad or you make the NFL look bad, you can be punished even if you didn't do anything illegal. They have that right. And I guess the spurs too, of like, hey, you made us look bad. This is not very professional. You're gone. So that's the case there.

[Seth Payne]

I wish I had grown up with the pressure of being exposed on social media.

[Luke Morrow]

It's true.

[Seth Payne]

I would have been such a better kid. You know, I just, I feel like I would have made some better decisions early in life.

[Luke Morrow]

Yeah, yeah, it's true.

[Seth Payne]

And treated my high school girlfriend a lot better, I'll tell you that much. If I knew that she could, if she could expose all embarrassing things about me.

[Luke Morrow]

And it's gonna. And then it carries, you know, then it stays with you. Like, I wonder what this means for this guy's career moving forward. He really screwed up. He was the TV broadcaster for the spurs with Wemby and with their future, he had it set and blew it.

[Seth Payne]

It's gonna be him and Rossini co hosting a podcast on Barstool, I think is the next logical move.

[Luke Morrow]

That's right.

[Seth Payne]

So what are the odds on favorite for you senior right now? Barstool. Yeah, it's got to be Barstool.

[Luke Morrow]

I think that's the only option. Or maybe Stu Gotts keeps tarry Levitard. Whatever. One of those keeps talking about it because they're friends with friends with her on the text line. Someone said spurs fan here who watched many local broadcasts. He annoys me to the point I want to mute the game. So this is a good move for spurs fans who watch regularly.

[Seth Payne]

Yeah, that's the other part too, is I have zero clue. I've not, I've not watched their local broadcast or anything. Is also like, man, sometimes you're in a position where the organization is like, well, all right, we already didn't like you. And then, no, this just, it's, it's as simple as that.

[Luke Morrow]

That's true. Yeah. So he's gone. Coming up, have the Texans truly set up stroud for success in 2026? We'll talk about it next. Pain and pender gas.

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[Seth Payne]

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