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- [00:02]
Dan Le Batard
You're listening to giraffkings Network.
- [00:12]
Stugotz
You know that sound? It's the sound of money hitting your Venmo account. A friend paying you back. Or maybe it's getting cash back from your favorite business when you pay with the Venmo debit card. Or it's realizing you can pay with Venmo at checkout at thousands of brands. Now there are so many more ways to answer the question, what's your Venmo? Download Venmo today. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank N.A. pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated. DOSH cashback terms apply. You know that sound? It's the sound of money hitting your Venmo account. A friend paying you back. Or maybe it's getting cash back from your favorite business when you pay with the Venmo debit card. Or it's realizing you can pay with Venmo at checkout at thousands of brands. Now there are so many more ways to answer the question, what's your Venmo? Download Venmo today.
- [01:02]
Justin Fenton
Thanks.
- [01:02]
Stugotz
The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank N.A. pursuant to license by MasterCard International, Inc. DOSH cashback terms apply. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.
- [01:19]
Julie Sharper
The Ravens have finally said something here. General manager Eric DaCosta is calling the allegations against Justin Tucker concerning. It has taken a minute to see what would happen here, and I've been a little confused that Justin Tucker at the moment is somebody who is working freely with some of the reporting that Julie Sharper, Justin Fenton and Brenna Smith have done for the Baltimore Banner here. Justin Tucker is the Ravens kicker that was, until recently, the most accurate kicker in league history. He is currently facing allegations from 16 massage therapists across eight spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore area, two of which said that they banned him. The reporters now are on with us. They've been doing this reporting at the Baltimore Banner for a while here. So let's start here with Julie. Can you. Julian, thank you for joining us and thank you for the work that you've been doing. Can you take us on the journey of where it is and how it is this story started?
- [02:16]
Brenna Smith
Sure. So, you know, people say a lot that the first six massage therapists came forward, but it was really a matter of us finding them. It all started with Justin Fenton, our colleague, getting a tip from a friend who had happened to overhear at two different environments, people talking about these rumors about Justin Tucker. Um, we did a quick search of X And found that there were several posts about this going back a few years, which was intriguing. I messaged one of the people who had put up one of those posts and was surprised when that person messaged me right back and said, yeah, someone I went to high school with had posted about this on Facebook a few years ago. I asked him to send me screenshots, and he did. I contacted that woman, and she wound up being the first massage therapist that we spoke to. We later put up a post in a group for Maryland massage therapists, and through that post, we learned of many others who knew about these allegations secondhand. They were able to give us the locations of spas. They were able to give us names of people that they had heard about. And we were able to do additional reporting that led us to the first six massage therapists who said that they had had these experiences with Justin Tucker. Also in that first, we were able to confirm that two spas in the area had banned him. And once that first story came out, our reporting led us to other massage therapists who had similar encounters that they reported. And also at that point, others started coming forward and saying that they, too, had had these experiences with Tucker.
- [04:04]
Julie Sharper
So, Brenna, this is not just. This is not folks seeking you out necessarily. There is reporting that needs to be done here in order to make a difficult this happen. Right. Like, this is. It's journalism, but it's also activism to protect environments and strengthen numbers. Correct.
- [04:22]
Dan Le Batard
You know, I think how we look at this is that when we are able to. When you have such serious allegations, right. It's something that's going to take a lot of vetting and a lot of reporting to verify. So what we did as a team is each time we would have a woman who felt comfortable discussing her allegations with us, we would then go and corroborate her story with the spa owners, with co workers she worked with at the time, with family members or partners from the time to be able to make sure that all the details were aligning. And so I think that where our role is as journalists, from being able to have such, you know, confirmation of that is it's not necessarily about activism for us. You know, it's kind of a line that is not exactly where journalists walk. What it is is about being able to help vulnerable people tell their stories and be able to tell that in the most accurate and fair way possible. And I think that's really what our focus on in the story. We're not here to editorialize. We're not here to put our own narrative on it. It's really about making sure we're telling the people who are br to talk to us what they're saying in the most accurate and truthful way possible.
- [05:44]
Julie Sharper
Julie? To that extent. So Justin Tucker, because of the nature of the amount of vetting that has to be done on all of this, Justin Tucker is categorically denying all of this. But it seems where there are this many women with this many similar details, it almost seems impossible to believe that this can be categorically denied.
- [06:05]
Brenna Smith
Well, we've had two spa owners confirm to us that they had banned Justin Tucker from their establishment. We had other spa owners corroborate accounts of their employees. And as Brennan was saying, we spoke to these six, 16 women, and we corroborated all of their accounts with other people who they had worked with at the time, with colleagues, with friends. People had text messages going back years, social media posts. One of the individuals had actually contacted the Baltimore sun about this many years ago, and an editor here who used to be at the Baltimore sun remembered that person contacting a Sun reporter and sharing a similar account. So there is a lot of documentation going back years, and there's a lot of corroboration of these accounts going back.
- [07:08]
Eric DaCosta
To the documentation going back years. I think, you know, that kind of includes some of these Twitter allegations that have been out there, especially ones from the time of the allegations. Is that. Does that lead you to believe that? It's sort of. It's difficult to imagine the Ravens really had no idea about any of this before the report came out.
- [07:26]
Brenna Smith
That would be purely speculative for us to say. I do feel comfortable saying that this was this pattern of behavior. Alleged pattern of behavior was an open secret among massage therapists and those who are friends with or close to people in the spa industry in Baltimore.
- [07:48]
Julie Sharper
Justin, what's been the fallout? How much intimidation is, if any, around these women?
- [07:55]
Justin Fenton
Intimidation? I don't know. We've heard of intimidation. I mean, certainly we got an unfriendly letter ahead of our reporting from a defamation law firm that Tucker had employed. He said that this was categorically false, that this was tabloid reporting that he had never been banned from any spas. So, you know, I think now the NFL investigation is underway. They actually came to town last week, and we're speaking with people, and, you know, the Ravens, Eric DaCosta, the Ravens GM, just said moments ago at the combine that he had met with Tucker and that he was going to keep that conversation between them. But, you know, they're waiting to see the outcome of this investigation.
- [08:36]
Julie Sharper
So, Brenna, can you walk us through some of the details here? Because we're talk more broadly about allegations, but the details on this is a famous person. He is a kicker. This is a part of the body that you would be working on, that you would be in an intimate setting with women who could not do very much of anything about the power and celebrity you have, because they're supposed to be working on this region of the body. And then there's ejaculate allegedly on the table. And some of the details here that would explain what it is that these women are dealing with, because you've got the accounts of 16 of them.
- [09:13]
Dan Le Batard
Yeah, I mean, I think that the most broad overarching pattern across the allegations that we would see is oftentimes these women were pretty young, pretty new massage therapists, you know, sometimes in their first couple massages or their first couple months of working and, you know, a common pattern that they would allege is that over a couple massages, there would be alleged behavior from Tucker that he, you know. And how explicit can I get on this radio show?
- [09:43]
Julie Sharper
You can go ahead and explain what it is that's being alleged here. Well, I also want people to understand sort of the difficulty that these women are having in terms of being able to say all of this to people because of the power structure of this is famous kicker in intimate setting.
- [10:00]
Dan Le Batard
Yeah, I think this might be a question that truly would be best to answer. Just because she. While we tagged teen talking to the victims, she talked to the most of them. And not only that, but she also really took the lead and being so careful about how we wrote about this and was explicit with it. Is that okay if.
- [10:19]
Julie Sharper
Yes, of course. Yes, of course.
- [10:21]
Brenna Smith
So Dan, the massage therapist, shared a variety of allegations with us, but there were some common themes. And there were many things that various massage therapists said. And we should say that most of the massage therapists did not know the others or perhaps knew one other colleague who had had an experience that they reported with Tucker. But these were not individuals who had known each other as a group before this happened. So the massage therapist said that Tucker would come in, he would generally ask for a massage in his inner thigh area, his groin, his lower abdomen. None of that they found particularly surprising because he's a kicker, he's an athlete. And I should say that most of them were very excited to work on him. They routinely have provided massages for other pro athletes. We're talking about some of the nicest spas in the Baltimore area. They had worked on Orioles and Ravens before, so they were very excited to work on Tucker. Most of them reported that Tucker had an erection for all or most of the massage, which they found highly unusual. They are taught in massage school that men do occasionally have an erection during a massage, particularly if one is working on an erogenous area. But they found it highly unusual that he had a massage for the duration of. Or, excuse me, that he had an erection for the duration of the massage. The massage therapist also reported that Tucker would move in certain ways to attempt to remove the sheet so that he would fully expose himself. Two of the women that we spoke to said that he, in fact, touched them with his naked penis as he was moving. Several women also reported that he had his hands off of the massage table in an unusual way and touched his. Their thighs with his fingers, brushed them. And several of the women also reported that when they returned to the massage room after Tucker had gotten dressed and left, they discovered a puddle of what they believed to be ejaculate on the massage table. Now, of course, as we've said, Tucker has denied all of these allegations in a very strongly worded statement and letter from his attorneys. But this is the general pattern of behavior that we've heard. There's also some details that we did not report until the third story. And as I was listening to massage therapists recount their experiences, I was listening to see if they would include these details because we hadn't printed them in the first two stories. So, for example, people said that Tucker kept his eyes open throughout the massage and made eye contact with them, especially when he was attempting to expose himself. That was one thing they said most of the massage therapists, and they found that unusual. They also described him attempting to move the sheet with his erect penis, which they also said they found highly unusual.
- [13:43]
Julie Sharper
The women say that the incidents took place from 2012, Tucker's rookie season with the Ravens, to 2016. I guess I'll ask you, Julie, this question since you talked to the alleged victims, most of them, what was the damage done here psychologically? What were the difficulties involved with coming forward? What kind of reluctances did you have when you're trying to talk to people about things that perhaps they might not want to talk about?
- [14:12]
Brenna Smith
The massage therapists that I spoke to described a sort of mounting sense of panic during these massages. They were very aware that he was famous, powerful, wealthy, and beloved by the Baltimore community. If you had told me in December that we would be working on this story, I would be shocked because like most Baltimoreans, my only impression of Tucker had been that he was a very earnest, creative, talented, sort of a beloved figure. So the massage therapist talked about this. This sense of shock that someone that they thought was so wholesome was engaging in this behavior. They felt very uncomfortable. They were. They said they were very aware of the power differential. Many of them said that they reported the allegations to their bosses or supervisors or colleagues. Others of them were scared and didn't say anything because they were worried they wouldn't be believed. For a lot of women, this was a difficult and painful. I wouldn't say secret because most of them had mentioned it to several people. Some of them had told over a dozen people over the years about these allegations, but it was something that was a really painful memory for them. And when these stories came out and they saw that others had had these experiences or others were reporting to have these same experiences, they felt a lot of emotion. People described breaking down in tears as they read these stories. One woman told me that when the first story came out, she was flooded with text messages from friends who had known her own story. And they said, hey, look, you're not the only one. She told me that she was out to lunch with her son when these text messages came in when that first story published, and she just broke down in tears in the restaurant. And she eventually shared her own account with us, which was included in the third story. So there's a lot of pain, a lot of discomfort. Some folks left massage after this, and it's something that they've really carried with them over the years.
- [16:37]
Justin Fenton
If I could chime in for a second, Tucker's team did put forward a list of about. I think it was 16 people who had worked on him in more recent years who he said would attest to the fact that they hadn't had any issues with. With him. We were able to speak with some of them. They. They said that they had never had any issues, that he was nothing but professional. The Ravens, interestingly, some of the people they wanted us to contact were on the Ravens staff, and the Ravens would not let us speak to them. But he also provided a statement from one of the spa owners saying that she had never had any issues. So, you know, I want to make sure that we mentioned that as well.
- [17:08]
Julie Sharper
What are your thoughts of the team's reaction? Justin?
- [17:11]
Justin Fenton
My thoughts. I mean, I think that, you know, it is an evolving situation. I think that they, you know, they're saying they want to see where the investigation. At the same time, there's a sentiment from the fans that they want to hear more from the team. The team, I think, has spoken out about having a zero tolerance policy. They said that in relation to the deshaun Watson allegations. So some people are saying, well, you have a situation here. How are you going to handle it? The response to that today at the combine was that every situation is different and it's fluid and that they want to find out more. But there are some people in town who want them to act. And, you know, I think that if the team were to cut him, they have until mid March to make that decision. They could, of course, say something earlier, as the jets did with Aaron Rodgers, but I think it's from their perspective, it's a situation that's still playing out.
- [17:57]
Mike Ryan
For any of you. What are the possible eventualities here as you see them? In addition to the NFL League investigation, might there be civil lawsuits? And I'm also wondering, given the amount of time that's lapsed, are criminal charges.
- [18:12]
Julie Sharper
A possibility directed to somebody? Because there are three of them there. Direct it.
- [18:16]
Mike Ryan
I said for any.
- [18:17]
Dan Le Batard
I can take that.
- [18:18]
Greg Cody
Go ahead, jump on a podcast. Really good, dad.
- [18:20]
Stugotz
Thank you.
- [18:22]
Dan Le Batard
Yeah, I mean, so we can start with the legal stuff first and then go into the NFL investigation. But for the first story, we spoke with a number of legal experts just about what the realm of possibilities were. And they all pretty soundly said that because of the state statute of limitations, both civilly and criminally, there was very little legal recourse for these women. And, and even if there, if these allegations had come forward within the statute of limitations, there's also unfortunately, a lot of the gray areas around, you know, like what exactly would be the charge for some of these alleged actions and stuff like that. Like, it, it's not an easy thing to prosecute criminally or civilly, is what several people told us. But regarding the NFL investigation, I mean, the biggest precedent that we have with this is the deshaun Watson case, which ultimately kind of resulted in initially a six game ban and then was eventually led into an 11 game suspension and a $5 million fine of some sort that Deshaun Watson's lawyers worked out with the NFL. So, you know, that is kind of the main precedent that we see right now. There does seem to be an overarching policy now of like, when the allegations are serious enough, it would result in a six game ban. But obviously Watson's case shows that that's fluid. So it really does remain to be seen about what the NFL investigators find. And then from there with, I Guess likely with Tucker's team and his lawyers, what negotiations they can go into to decide what's best.
- [20:08]
Julie Sharper
That's interesting, though, Julie. What you're saying there then, is that the NFL would be in a. To be more legally rigorous and punitive than our legal system? By leaps and bounds, you know.
- [20:22]
Dan Le Batard
Yes. And it's also really interesting about how they go about this investigation process because Most of the NFL's security team and the investigators that they have on this are former prosecutors in some way. They might be former legal experts, former FBI. So they really do hire people with strong backgrounds for this type of work. And then also when they go into the investigation in the Watson case, they also literally hired a former federal judge that was jointly agreed upon between the players union and the NFL to be deciding what to do about this case. So they do genuinely go about it in this model. That's similar to our court system, it seems.
- [21:11]
Julie Sharper
Have, have you, Justin, found yourself, or have any of you found yourself, but Justin, first blowback from Raven fans.
- [21:20]
Justin Fenton
Yeah, I mean, I think that there's been mixed reactions on, say, social media. You know, I think, you know, I've seen comments of the nature of sort of like, oh, this is what happens during massages, which I think, you know, we've tried to address in our reporting that the people that Julie and Brenna spoke to said, I've been doing this for years. I've done hundreds of these. This has never happened before. But nonetheless, you know, there's a certain, certain st around these types of things, sort of expectations of what. What. What probably goes on. I, I never received a massage myself. I didn't really understand the mechanics of, like, the, the sheet that's put over somebody. I, I kind of assumed it was a, you know, something small that just to make the body available to be touched and massaged, but it's actually quite large. And so the understanding sort of how someone could maneuver themselves to expose themselves, you know, something that I don't know, that everybody understands, but, yeah, certainly. I mean, this is a. These are older allegations. These date back many years. I think there's a sentiment from some is sort of like, why is this coming up now? These people must want money. And like we spoke to earlier, he's. He's really well liked. It's kind of interesting as a, As a kicker, you know, not, not every city, not every team's kicker is sort of one of the most popular, visible, beloved players. But that, that is his. His. His place here. You know, he's known for singing opera at the basilica, he's in these funny commercials for a gas station that sells really good chicken tenders. And, you know, it's. It's sort of a crazy thing that all of a sudden we're now discussing this. It's coming off of a down season, too, and we sort of have wondered from time to time, did this stuff surface now because he had a bad year. But nonetheless, it's. It's out there now. It's kind of been out there in social media as we spoke about. And, you know, I think people are processing it in different ways. But I think that as the allegations have grown, I think we've seen sort of stronger condemnation of the notion of, you know, that this is too many at this point. You know, this is hard to deny.
- [23:16]
Dan Le Batard
Can I jump in for a second?
- [23:19]
Chris Cody
Yes.
- [23:19]
Dan Le Batard
You know, another thing that we. So Julie and I have heard back from many of the massage therapists who we spoke to about their reactions to, you know, as this news coming to light and as more and more alleged accounts are coming. Coming forward. And something that they. Most of the women I spoke with said, and I think also most of the women Julie spoke with said is that they're really bothered by this notion that people are saying, oh, well, they just want money. Why are they coming forward now? Everyone I spoke with made it really clear, like, this isn't about money for them. They don't have legal recourse right now. They're coming forward because there is now a critical mass for them to do it and to not just be the one person doing it, if that makes sense. And that we took the time as reporters to come and find them, and the safety in numbers and the fact that we were willing to sit down and listen to them and take their accounts as credible and as something that should be looked into is really what gave them the comfortability to come forward now. And I think that a lot of. There has been backlash online. A lot of people are distressful of these claims. A lot of people are making a lot of accusations about, well, what would you expect as a massage therapists and different things like that. And I think that's honestly been really painful for the women. And it's something that has made them, I think, even more. Both confirms that they were really happy that they came forward as a group versus coming forward as like, one individual at a time.
- [24:43]
Brenna Smith
I'd like to add, too, that these are massage therapists who are highly trained. They are licensed by the state. They've gone through an extensive training process. They know all about anatomy and that if you have tension in this muscle, you need to work on this tendon. They really see themselves as bodyworkers and healers. We're not talking about some sort of shady massage parlor on the edge of town. We're talking about professional bodyworkers working at high end spas and wellness centers. And they find it really disturbing that there is a notion that because they work with people, people's bodies, that it's in some way okay for people to act in this way. They all stressed that the alleged behavior by Tucker is highly unusual and they found it highly disrespectful to their practice. And you know, and I'll say, unlike Justin, I really like massages. And, you know, I like to get massages periodically when I have tension in my neck or my shoulders. And I'm a huge believer in the power of massage therapy to help you work through that. So I really understand where they're coming from when they say that they find this behavior or attitudes around it really disrespectful to their work.
- [26:10]
Julie Sharper
Thank you for the work and for the time. Julie, Justin and Brenna, you could check out more of their three stories. Baltimore Banner reporters. Thank you.
- [26:19]
Brenna Smith
Thank you, thank you.
- [26:22]
Chris Cody
Howdy, folks, it's Mike. And look, it's been an exhausting couple of weeks. Even on the show, there's all sorts of debate which sport takes it serious. Where's the effort? Let me tell you something. As long as I'm sitting down on the couch and I have a beautiful white can of Miller Lite in my hand, I'm good. I make any sports time of Miller time and it's the perfect supplement because Miller Lite makes all the moments better with great tasting light beer. For people like you and me who love beer, it's always the perfect time for friends, family, and a great tasting light beer tastes like Miller Time. Miller Lite is brewed for taste. It hits different than other light beers. The taste that you know you can depend on. No games, no gimmicks, just great beer. For people who like beer, it has simple ingredients like malted barley for rich balanced toffee note flavors and the iconic golden color that we all know and love. The original light beer since 1975 and still the very best one. Miller Lite great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell. Beer tastes like Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.
- [27:29]
Stugotz
You know that sound? It's the sound of money hitting your Venmo account. A friend paying you back. Or maybe it's getting cash back from your favorite business when you pay with the Venmo debit card. Or it's realizing you can pay with Venmo at checkout at thousands of brands. Now there are so many more ways to answer the question. What's your Venmo? Venmo? Download Venmo Today the Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank N.A. pursuant to license by MasterCard International incorporate DOSH cash back terms apply.
- [27:58]
Producer
All right, I know I gotta do this ad read, but hold on, let me reapply. Did you hear that?
- [28:04]
Chris Cody
Yep.
- [28:05]
Producer
That's my new favorite lip gloss from Nyx Cosmetics. Now I'm ready to talk to you. I've been a huge fan of Nyx Cosmetics for many years now. In fact, I use Thick It Stick it brow gel every single day. So you can imagine my excitement when we recently received a special delivery to the Lebatard Studios from our friends over at NYX Cosmetics. And there it was when I opened the box. Glowing. I heard the angels sing. It's their latest lip gloss, Fat Oil Lip Drip. It's Nyx Cosmetics first lip oil of its kind. This creamy lip oil will have your lips dripping with fat perks. You get all the shine of a lip gloss and none of the stickiness while experiencing 12 hour hydration. I'm usually a matte lip gloss kind of gal. My normal go to is Nyx Cosmetics Lip Gloss the lingerie xxl. But after applying the status update shade, I have found my new go to lip gloss. Fat Oil Lip Drip has high shine finish with comfortable wear and none of the sticky texture. A lip product that's hydrating, non sticky and only $9. Now that's a win. Try Fat Oil Lip Drip from NYX Professional makeup. Available in 14 universally flattering shades. Find your perfect fat oil lip drip. Shop now@nyxcosmetics.com or a retailer near you.
- [29:16]
Stugotz
Don Lebatard it's all about me. Stugats this is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats.
- [29:26]
Greg Cody
This episode of the Dan Levittard show with Stugats is presented by Venmo.
- [29:31]
Julie Sharper
Greg, you owe a fine from before because your phone went off and I don't want you to get out of here without paying the fine even though you've been complaining about things. So just pay the fine.
- [29:40]
Mike Ryan
My phone is Off?
- [29:41]
Julie Sharper
Well, no, but from before. I know it's off now. You need to turn it back on. Greg's got to leave as well. He's having some sort of belly button surgery. He has something here on his belly button.
- [29:52]
Greg Cody
You're going down under for it that we've seen before. Are they going to put him under?
- [29:56]
Julie Sharper
What's going to happen here with this belly button surgery?
- [29:59]
Mike Ryan
I have an umbilical hernia just above my, my navel, and it's pretty common and it's a fairly routine surgery, but I'm finally having it done.
- [30:09]
Eric DaCosta
Is this the little belly button nub that we saw once on, on camera.
- [30:13]
Julie Sharper
On Freedom for years?
- [30:14]
Eric DaCosta
Yeah.
- [30:15]
Chris Cody
How long have you had this?
- [30:16]
Mike Ryan
You know, most of my life.
- [30:19]
Greg Cody
It's known to be benign. He got it checked out. It's benign. But now I guess just because it's there, they're getting.
- [30:24]
Julie Sharper
You guys want to see it?
- [30:25]
Chris Cody
Bathing suit season.
- [30:26]
Julie Sharper
Do you want to say goodbye to it?
- [30:27]
Chris Cody
I would love to say goodbye to it.
- [30:29]
Eric DaCosta
Can we. Is it too late to write a eulogy? Eulogy for it?
- [30:31]
Julie Sharper
We can do that.
- [30:32]
Mike Ryan
It's, it's, it's not worth a eulogy. Let's see.
- [30:35]
Chris Cody
So is this considered cosmetic?
- [30:37]
Stugotz
Yeah.
- [30:37]
Chris Cody
Or is this a quality of life thing?
- [30:39]
Mike Ryan
It's, it's not. It's more than cosmic. It is cosmetic, but it's more than that because worst case scenario could be something. Yeah. My intestine could, like, start coming out and then it's like emergency surgery.
- [30:51]
Chris Cody
Well, that's a bad situation. Yeah. Yeah. I'm GLAD we're waiting 40 years to get around to it.
- [30:55]
Mike Ryan
Yeah.
- [30:55]
Eric DaCosta
Your intestine could come out of your belly button.
- [30:57]
Chris Cody
I'd actually like to see that.
- [30:59]
Mike Ryan
Yeah.
- [30:59]
Chris Cody
Stand up.
- [30:59]
Mike Ryan
Let.
- [31:00]
Greg Cody
Let's take this thing for a walk.
- [31:01]
Julie Sharper
I don't think that Greg has any expertise about what he's presently headed in. Oh, yeah, it's a big lump.
- [31:06]
Greg Cody
It looks like a nose. It looks like a nose.
- [31:08]
Julie Sharper
Does look like a human nose.
- [31:09]
Eric DaCosta
I kind of want to put some googly eyes.
- [31:12]
Julie Sharper
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
- [31:13]
Greg Cody
Turn to the side.
- [31:14]
Julie Sharper
Can we, can we draw some of you?
- [31:16]
Mike Ryan
But I'm not going to have eyes over my navel. I'm going to see.
- [31:20]
Chris Cody
That'd be a nice little joke to play on the surgeons.
- [31:24]
Justin Fenton
They'd be like, whoa, they'd appreciate that.
- [31:25]
Eric DaCosta
What if we put like a little lipstick mouth underneath it?
- [31:28]
Greg Cody
Yeah.
- [31:28]
Mike Ryan
A little smile. Yeah, I like that.
- [31:30]
Julie Sharper
All right, Greg's gotta go. Before you go, can I just get some rapid fire takes from you? So that I could get the best of your final embers of material for the work week so that we can go out with the fireworks show. Crescendo.
- [31:41]
Chris Cody
It's crazy, though, that his organs can pop out of that. Like, if he sneezes too hard one day, out comes.
- [31:47]
Greg Cody
It's a lot of coughing.
- [31:48]
Julie Sharper
It's a lump.
- [31:49]
Mike Ryan
When I cough or sneeze, I literally press down on it so that.
- [31:53]
Chris Cody
To make sure it is.
- [31:56]
Mike Ryan
Yeah, the doctor says that's a smart thing.
- [31:58]
Stugotz
McGillicuddy.
- [31:59]
Mike Ryan
Yeah.
- [32:00]
Julie Sharper
Huh.
- [32:01]
Stugotz
What's the recovery time on this? Like, you gonna be back next week, or is this, like.
- [32:04]
Mike Ryan
Supposedly it's outpatient surgery. Really? Yeah.
- [32:09]
Eric DaCosta
I feel like we should play, like, a memorial song just in case.
- [32:12]
Julie Sharper
Are you gonna eulogize for the belly?
- [32:14]
Greg Cody
Billy?
- [32:15]
Julie Sharper
Is anyone going to the.
- [32:17]
Producer
He's gonna be fine.
- [32:18]
Julie Sharper
He's gonna be fine.
- [32:19]
Chris Cody
I mean, I guess at your age, it is always dicey when it's. Whenever someone goes under.
- [32:22]
Julie Sharper
No, at any age, it's always dicey when anyone goes.
- [32:26]
Chris Cody
Yeah, but extra dicey when it's.
- [32:28]
Mike Ryan
No.
- [32:28]
Julie Sharper
Anesthesia is always dangerous.
- [32:30]
Stugotz
Especially cosmetic surgery, too.
- [32:32]
Mike Ryan
Yeah, well, it's not referred to as cosmetic.
- [32:35]
Stugotz
Are you getting a tuck or a lift or what?
- [32:37]
Chris Cody
Like, you ever say, like. Well, while I'm under. While you're down there.
- [32:43]
Julie Sharper
Put it on the poll, please. Juju. Are chicken tenders something that can be delicious at a gas station?
- [32:54]
Chris Cody
Fare thee well. Benign belly button lump.
- [32:58]
Greg Cody
It's a sad day.
- [32:59]
Chris Cody
We hardly knew ye.
- [33:00]
Eric DaCosta
It's a funeral dirge.
- [33:02]
Chris Cody
You popped out to say hello during Freedom. A lot of things happened during that.
- [33:06]
Julie Sharper
Look.
- [33:07]
Greg Cody
Odd doctor joined us.
- [33:08]
Julie Sharper
Look. That was one of the best things Metal ARC has ever made. That 4am segment of Greg Cody going to a wood panel house. Somewhere in odds for a doctor to give him a diagnosis over zoom.
- [33:20]
Mike Ryan
No, In Tupelo, Mississippi.
- [33:21]
Eric DaCosta
Was it really that long ago? Man, it's been part of our lives for so long. We're gonna miss it.
- [33:27]
Chris Cody
Not ready to say goodbye. But if I were to say goodbye, I'd like to paint a funny little face on it.
- [33:33]
Julie Sharper
I strongly recommend to everyone listening on Netflix Kings of Tupelo, the documentary. It is really great for that region of the country. Greg's got to go. He is leaving. We will say goodbye to him and. And the belly button and the flat.
- [33:49]
Eric DaCosta
Howdy. Patient surgery.
- [33:50]
Julie Sharper
One more take on your way out.
- [33:51]
Chris Cody
I like to think at a real eulogy. Dan will also give a Netflix recommendation.
- [33:56]
Mike Ryan
Yeah, I know.
- [33:57]
Stugotz
And chicken nuggets and put it on the pole.
- [34:00]
Chris Cody
Chicken Tendies on a gas station.
- [34:02]
Julie Sharper
That's what I will be doing at his. At his funeral.
- [34:06]
Greg Cody
That kind of thing.
- [34:07]
Eric DaCosta
I would like. Me, too. Were you just thinking about chicken tendies at a gas station? I don't blame you if.
- [34:15]
Julie Sharper
You know, because coming out of the interview we just did, in the middle of it or toward the end of it, one of. I think it was. Yeah. The reporter, the man, Justin came out and said that he got wonderful chicken tenders in a gas station. It wasn't just because I was thinking it.
- [34:32]
Greg Cody
Just the commercial he was in.
- [34:33]
Chris Cody
Just.
- [34:34]
Stugotz
That's where you got out of the.
- [34:35]
Greg Cody
Commercial for delicious tender Wendy's.
- [34:38]
Julie Sharper
That is a tremendous video of Greg Cody's nose on his belly button. Around his belly button it is.
- [34:46]
Chris Cody
RIP2 googly eyes above that, some lipstick beneath it, a unibrow. Nice little surprise for the surgeon.
- [34:56]
Greg Cody
Can't hear you anymore.
- [34:57]
Julie Sharper
We can't hear you because you're away from the microphone. We know that you have to leave. Do you have any other thoughts on your way out? Out. You were complaining about Venus Williams still playing tennis at 44.
- [35:05]
Mike Ryan
Well, I'm.
- [35:06]
Julie Sharper
I'm tor.
- [35:07]
Mike Ryan
I'm torn on that. When. Look, she's 44. She's losing in the first round. I don't know whether that's a sad story or an inspiring story. I really am conflicted. Like, part of me gives her credit for still playing because Serena just recently said how much she misses tennis. So Venus is still hanging on, But. But, you know, she is 44. I don't know how to. Is that sad or is it inspiring? I'm honestly torn.
- [35:34]
Julie Sharper
I don't like to tell people how they should age. If they love doing something, what difference does it make whether or not they finish in first place or seventh place if it's something that they love to do?
- [35:46]
Mike Ryan
That's partly right. I think that's partly true.
- [35:49]
Julie Sharper
But what's not true about it? Why are you laughing back there?
- [35:51]
Greg Cody
Because I believe in the last break, you were telling my dad he should retire from writing.
- [35:57]
Mike Ryan
That's true. You caught him on that one. You did.
- [36:01]
Julie Sharper
Gotcha. Yeah, but.
- [36:05]
Producer
Right.
- [36:05]
Eric DaCosta
But, Dan, is Greg writing for the Herald sad or inspiring? We have to determine that first.
- [36:10]
Mike Ryan
There you go.
- [36:11]
Julie Sharper
What I was saying of. It's funny that you guys should mention that because I was just saying that to him, but Greg was.
- [36:19]
Mike Ryan
Go ahead. I thought I was out of here. Sorry. Sorry.
- [36:24]
Julie Sharper
The thing that. The thing that we were talking about was him going trudging out to a Marlins game during the regular season. Something he decidedly does not love to do.
- [36:34]
Greg Cody
I was on your team, but it was just the next segment. You're like, I don't believe in telling people what they should do later.
- [36:43]
Julie Sharper
The last thing you had legitimately seen me do with your father was to tell him exactly what to do. Late night. Did Greg just physically slap his knee?
- [36:55]
Mike Ryan
I did. I caught myself. I was thinking as I did it, what a ridiculous.
- [37:00]
Greg Cody
It looks like Riley's tickling my dad's nose.
- [37:04]
Eric DaCosta
It really does. He's picking his nose.
- [37:07]
Mike Ryan
And Charlie jumped on me the other day, and I thought for a minute he had torn that open, which was a real.
- [37:12]
Greg Cody
That would have been a way to go.
- [37:14]
Chris Cody
You had to push your spleen back inside.
- [37:15]
Mike Ryan
Yeah, pretty much.
- [37:18]
Stugotz
Classic jc.
- [37:19]
Julie Sharper
Greg, you can leave. It's nice seeing you again.
- [37:22]
Eric DaCosta
Nice bag.
- [37:23]
Julie Sharper
Thank you for helping us during operation. Operation Bloomin Onion. Boomerang, whatever it is.
- [37:30]
Chris Cody
Hey, you should see the stuff that Furman saying on his message board right now. It's sent to me. It's sending me.
- [37:36]
Julie Sharper
Okay, so he's going to be.
- [37:38]
Chris Cody
He's accusing that the scoop came from a booster. That is me. No, Peter Ruiz did some great reporting on this for weeks, and he's saying it's that it was amateur to leak this out as opposed to what actually happened, which was following every journalistic protocol in the book. What's amateur is you not apologizing for saying a report is inaccurate when it was 100% accurate.
- [38:00]
Eric DaCosta
Can you follow every journalistic protocol in the book when you donate money to the school?
- [38:05]
Chris Cody
Well, I also wasn't the person that was reporting this. I did help with the confirmation, but. No, in terms of what. What Gary is referring to. The university and Jay Lucas all got a heads up that this was coming out. We were aware of the sensitivities, and we were also aware that a slap dick was going to report it.
- [38:22]
Stugotz
Confirming.
- [38:24]
Greg Cody
I can't believe we actually got another nominee. The back room was like, hey, we can do better than this. And, you know, Fuentes had to get involved.
- [38:33]
Chris Cody
He was right.
- [38:36]
Greg Cody
I'm not going to lie. I heard it. I was like, that's what I meant.
- [38:38]
Chris Cody
That's exactly what we needed. That's a good job.
- [38:43]
Stugotz
This guy gets it.
- [38:45]
Greg Cody
That's why he's head of scouting for the Cyclones.
- [38:49]
Julie Sharper
And that's Codfelden.
- [38:53]
Eric DaCosta
Chris, the last time your dad was here and you were out, he was saying that the briefcase you got him could not possibly be a nice gift and could not possibly be as expensive as it is.
- [39:03]
Julie Sharper
Michael. Michael. Got it. For him, though, it wasn't Chris.
- [39:05]
Greg Cody
Me and my wife, my brother would not spend that kind of money on.
- [39:07]
Mike Ryan
A bag you get.
- [39:08]
Stugotz
Well, where'd you get it? Like, just us. We're just.
- [39:10]
Greg Cody
I got it at Sawgrass Mall. Like, the expensive stores at Sawgrass Mall. The Tumi store wasn't like a.
- [39:15]
Stugotz
Like TJ Maxx or one of those. You were like, in the.
- [39:18]
Justin Fenton
No, no.
- [39:19]
Greg Cody
Like full price.
- [39:20]
Stugotz
Yeah, yeah. Or was it like, it's fine if it's sale. I buy things on sale.
- [39:24]
Greg Cody
I believe. I believe it was like three and change.
- [39:26]
Stugotz
Black Friday, three and change.
- [39:27]
Julie Sharper
Oh, so you got it for half off.
- [39:28]
Chris Cody
Wow.
- [39:29]
Greg Cody
There was some sort of sale on.
- [39:30]
Stugotz
It, but that's still a lot. 3 and change.
- [39:31]
Julie Sharper
He was surprised that it was a $600 bag. I want to go back. Back for a second, though, because I don't think we should just sort of casually ignore that. Perhaps yesterday during the beginning of the show, people didn't know that we were talking about Gary Fuhrman.
- [39:45]
Chris Cody
A lot of people didn't know that.
- [39:48]
Julie Sharper
The former Miami still don't know who that was. Well, yes. And so the fact that Mike, at the end of the show just went directly at Gary Fuhrman without any context, without any story, without any pivot whatsoever to what we were talking about, I.
- [40:03]
Chris Cody
Get sent with that coward, sending him message boards like he's a teenager and he's still with, like, taking potshots.
- [40:09]
Eric DaCosta
What kind of message board are we talking here?
- [40:10]
Chris Cody
It's like a different one. I own one. In Kain's insight, but, like, just say you were wrong in taking out someone else's credibility.
- [40:21]
Eric DaCosta
Like a fan chat site. Also, I believe Greg Cody's words were when we told him it was an expensive bag. It can't be.
- [40:31]
Julie Sharper
That's right. I thought it was.
- [40:34]
Greg Cody
Well, if he thought it was from Michael, I believe him saying that.
- [40:36]
Julie Sharper
I thought it was. He did say Michael. I thought it was from your brother. The idea, Mike, that you continue to attack Gary Furman.
- [40:45]
Chris Cody
I'm not attacking Gary Furman. I'm just responding to a bunch of attacks that I think are unfounded. He's the one that went at my company's credibility when this was well reported by one of our employees in Peter Ruiz sound reporting. He was on Jay Lucas's name for weeks. If he upset that he came out there and put his reputation on the line by saying he was inaccurate and then immediately got embarrassed. I can understand that, but capitulate. Not out there embarrassing you. Greg Cody did that.
- [41:15]
Julie Sharper
Greg Cody did do that. This is why Gary furman as a 60 year old man is lurking around in message boards arguing with people about who broke that story because of what Greg Cody said.
- [41:26]
Chris Cody
Confirmant Howdy folks, it's Mike and look, it's been an exhausting couple of weeks. Even on the show. There's all sorts of debate which sport takes it seriously enough. Where's the effort? Let me tell you something. As long as I'm sitting down on the couch and I have a beautiful white can of Miller Lite in my hand, I'm good. I make any sports time a Miller Time and it's the perfect supplement because Miller Lite makes all the moments better with great tasting light beer. For people like you and me who love beer, it's always the perfect time for friends, family and a great tasting light beer tastes like Miller Time. Miller Light is brewed for taste. It hits different than other light beers. The taste that you know you can depend on. No games, no gimmicks, just great beer. For people who like beer. It has simple ingredients like malted barley for rich balanced toffee note flavors and the iconic golden color that we all know and love. The original light beer since 1975 and still the very best one. Miller Light great taste 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer tastes like Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.
- [42:35]
Stugotz
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