Local Hour: Dan Gets Racist Again

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Local Hour: Dan Gets Racist Again
Date: January 28, 2026
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Mike Ryan, Greg Cote, Jonathan Zaslow
Guests/Contributors: Joe Rose, Jeremy, Adrian Wojnarowski (briefly), others

---

Overview

This episode is a classic “Local Hour” installment from The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, featuring the crew’s signature blend of irreverent, hyper-local sports talk, media self-critique, and spirited banter. Major topics include a messy debate about the Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and the Rooney Rule, Bill Belichick’s controversial Hall of Fame snub, the transfer chaos in Miami Hurricanes football, and Miami’s newest approach to player recruiting. As always, the show is filled with self-referential media jokes, playful accusations, and moments that both skirt and tackle social boundaries.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dolphins Coaching and the Rooney Rule Controversy

• Greg Cote's Report: Greg shared (with caveats) that a Dolphins source questioned if Mike McDaniel's status as a minority (for Rooney Rule purposes) gave him extra job interview opportunities. The crew dug into what qualifies as "reporting" vs. "conjecture," and what makes a news story.
• On McDaniel's Identity: The group humorously, then awkwardly, debated how McDaniel qualifies for diversity hiring and how race is categorized in the NFL. Zaslow insisted, “Use your common sense. He qualifies under the Rooney Rule. He's an available coach who’s pretty good” ([04:22]).
• Meta-Debate on Journalism: Dan, Mike, and others challenged Cote/Zaslow on whether repeating locker-room speculation on-air is the same as formally reporting, leading to a self-conscious breakdown of sports media ethics.
• Notable Quote:
  • Dan (about reporting): “What you're reporting is news. It's surprising to me that you don’t understand that it’s news when you report it from a source.” ([09:13])

2. Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame Snub

• Immediate Reactions: The story that Bill Belichick didn’t make the Hall’s first ballot fires up the hosts. Jimmy Johnson’s angry tweet is quoted, and everyone rants about how ridiculous the decision seems.
• Cheating, Morality, and the Hall: The group debates whether “cheating” (Spygate, Deflategate) justifies the snub. Dan draws a parallel to Barry Bonds’s exclusion from baseball’s Hall: “Barry Bonds isn’t in the hall of Fame because everyone thinks he cheated... Bill Belichick is not a first ballot hall of Famer because blank.” ([14:41])
• Biases and Pettiness: The panel riffs on pettiness and possible biases among voting sportswriters and NFL figures. They openly joke about the small electorate (50 voters), potential collusion, and the role of moral posturing (“These are moral palaces,” Dan says about the Halls [24:46]).
• Notable Quote:
  • Jonathan Zaslow: “If you have 11 people who did not vote for a six time Super bowl winner, that suggests collusion to me.” ([29:57])

3. Miami Hurricanes’ New Era: NIL and the Transfer Portal

• Miami’s New Power Moves: The crew enthusiastically breaks down Miami’s unprecedented transfer haul: bringing in ACC passing leader Darian Mensah, ACC rushing leader Mark Fletcher, and top receivers — poached directly from rival programs like Duke.
• Edgerrin James as Elder Statesman: Le Batard and Stugotz glow over Edgerrin James’ involvement in recruiting dinners, underscoring Miami’s unique former-player culture and NIL era swagger.
• Portal Talk Imaging: A new segment jingle is introduced, leading to typical show self-amusement (“It is portal. Mystical.” [38:34]).
• Notable Quote:
  • Dan Le Batard: “It’s a much easier way—if you can just go to the teams in your conference and be like, well, they're pretty good. I’d like that guy. And I’d like that guy.” ([35:30])

4. Media Self-Parody and Tone

• Reporters Reporting on Reporting: The discussion repeatedly satirizes how sports media self-aggregates and mangles stories, as when they mock “double sourcing” through gossip and deride Pro Football Network’s credibility (“If you have initials, you're legit.” [07:28]).
• “Dan Gets Racist Again” Theme: The title and running jokes about accidental racism frame the show’s constant line-walking with both irony and real discomfort—commenting on the perils of live, improvisational sports radio.
• Notable Quote:
  • Stugotz (to Dan): “He did something more racist than you, and that's tough.” ([12:33])

5. Lighter Moments & Inside Jokes

• Haircut Chat: Early banter about barbershops, tipping, and Sweeney Todd sets the light, conversational tone ([00:30]).
• Greg Cody’s Journalistic Style: The group ribs Greg for the boundary between columnist and reporter: “He does columns. He’s not in the information business.” ([10:19])
• Jimmy Johnson on Belichick: Greg reads Johnson’s bombastic tweet defending Belichick, lampooning the idea of angry old coaches on social media ([10:57]).
• Prime 112 Recruiting Dinners: Exuberant recounting of Miami’s NIL world—police-escorted dinners, expensive hoodies, and recruits posting on social media ([35:48]).

---

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Diversity Hiring Speculation:
  • Dan Le Batard: “What you’re reporting is news. It’s surprising to me that you don’t understand that it’s news when you report it from a source.” ([09:13])
• On NFL Hall of Fame Morality:
  • Dan Le Batard: “These aren’t museums. These are moral palaces.” ([24:46])
• On Collusion Among Voters:
  • Jonathan Zaslow: “If you have 11 people who did not vote for a six time Super Bowl winner, that suggests collusion to me.” ([29:57])
• On Transfer Portal Business:
  • Dan Le Batard: “If you can just go to the teams in your conference and be like, well, they’re pretty good. I’d like that guy. And I’d like that guy.” ([35:30])
• On Reporting Ethics:
  • Mike Ryan: “I don’t know if you understand the way journalism reporting goes, but when you have the information coming from two different places, that makes it a legit report.” ([06:40])
• On accidental racism:
  • Stugotz (teasing): “He did something more racist than you, and that’s tough.” ([12:33])

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00–04:00]: Banter on haircuts, segueing into the Dolphins/McDaniel discussion
• [04:00–10:40]: Extended debate: Is Le Batard “reporting,” is conjecture news, and the nuances of the Rooney Rule, race, and media ethics
• [10:40–15:00]: Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub; Jimmy Johnson’s furious tweet; the “cheater, cheater” defense
• [15:00–20:00]: More Hall of Fame debate; Pollian’s alleged vote; memory loss and voter ages
• [21:00–25:30]: Collusion and the voting process; “moral palaces” vs. museums
• [33:00–37:00]: Miami Hurricanes NIL “portal talk”; the new era of player movement and big-time recruiting
• [37:30–39:00]: Portal talk imaging; closing thoughts on the state of Miami football and transfer chaos

---

Summary Flow & Takeaways

For listeners (or non-listeners), this episode offers a raucous dive into the intersection of sports, business, and race—filtered through the prism of local Miami fandom and national sports media gamesmanship. The crew openly lampoons their own profession, interrogates the mechanisms of “news,” and peels back the performative layers of the NFL’s coaching carousel and Hall of Fame process. Miami’s wildfire transformation in the transfer portal is celebrated, foreshadowing a wild season for college football in South Florida. Throughout, the show delivers its trademark: candid, awkward, and sharp-tongued group therapy, perfect for anyone who likes their sports talk both deeply silly and sneakily insightful.

---

End of Summary

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

No, Greg, Cody is hovering over the penalty minute thing. This would be the most delayed penalty in the history of delayed penalties. What are you threatening to press there? What are you doing? What are you threatening to press?

[Greg Cote]

No, don't do that.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Wow.

[Dan Le Batard]

Minor penalty. Two minutes.

[Stugotz]

Accidental racism.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Oh, yeah.

[Stugotz]

Wow.

[Adrian Wojnarowski]

Oh yeah.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Tie rod hump me accidentally had to be done.

[Dan Le Batard]

Wow.

[Mike Ryan]

All right, there you go. That's how we're starting today, huh?

[Joe Rose]

How about me and my dad getting haircuts yesterday without knowing we were getting haircuts. Couple of Cody's just randomly getting haircuts.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah, well, you knew I was because I asked you about the number thing.

[Joe Rose]

That's true. I forgot about that.

[Mike Ryan]

Wait, hold on a second. Like you showed up separately to the.

[Joe Rose]

Barber, but we don't go to the same place.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Oh yeah, What'd you get?

[Mike Ryan]

A three?

[Joe Rose]

My dad goes to super cuts.

[Jeremy]

Why not? Why don't you guys go to the same place?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Why are you making fun of that? The 20 buck haircut.

[Adrian Wojnarowski]

Hold on.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

That's true.

[Mike Ryan]

That's where you go.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah.

[Stugotz]

It's $20.

[Joe Rose]

A couple of Cody's literally cutting it up.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

There you go. It's actually 23 bucks, which is an outrage. They're 20 minutes. It costs more than a dollar a minute to get a haircut.

[Joe Rose]

You still tip in like it's the 90s.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah. What's the tip situation?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Generously.

[Mike Ryan]

What's that mean?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

You know, five bucks.

[Stugotz]

Surprised you're a Supercuts man. I always had you as like a guy that went to an old fashioned place with a barber pole outside.

[Joe Rose]

Get a beer, maybe.

[Stugotz]

Maybe some people singing. A barbershop quartet.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah, I don't want to be around the guy who slaps the leather strap with a.

[Stugotz]

That was my next thought. Dude, that sharpens is a straight edge razor with a leather strap and takes it straight to your face.

[Joe Rose]

That's where I go.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Oddly enough, I don't know that guy. He could be a serial killer.

[Joe Rose]

I thought about that yesterday, getting my beard done where he's doing the razor thing and then I'm like, he could kill me.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, I think that occasionally. And then I google it. How many times does this happen?

[Dan Le Batard]

Barbers.

[Stugotz]

You can trust them. Little Sweeney Todd. Mm.

[Mike Ryan]

When's the last time, Greg, you got a hot shave at the.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

At the barber? Well, you know what Supercuts does now? They put the hot towel on you afterward.

[Stugotz]

Wow. They spared no expense.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah, I mean, it's nice those towels.

[Jeremy]

Come cleaned or do you know?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Hey, you don't know.

[Stugotz]

You can Tell. I one time got a dirty towel on my face. I'm like, this is the last time you could smell.

[Jeremy]

Oh, this smells disgusting.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No, I think it was a clean tone.

[Guest Caller]

Check the box. Don't be cool. Check the box. The Rooney Roo. Check the box. Don't be cool. Check the box. The Rooney Roo. We're the Dolphins and Mike McDaniel had Let us down. Had let us down. Now everyone's fawning over him like the.

[Dan Le Batard]

New kid in town.

[Guest Caller]

There's only one reason so many teams would want to interview you. Say what? Out. It couldn't be your number one offensive binder that your quarterback is nothing too wild. Check the box. There's no way we got this wrong, so why is everyone talking? There's no way we got this wrong, so why does everyone want. I have a guess. There's no way we got this right.

[Dan Le Batard]

I honestly couldn't believe Greg Cody's report yesterday from a source that he was so defensive about the sourcing that he told us exactly where the source told him the information that the Dolphins were wondering whether McDaniel got so many interviews because he's black.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Well, don't put words in my mouth.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, that's what you reported.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No, it is not.

[Dan Le Batard]

What? Mike was shocked. What do you mean it's not?

[Stugotz]

He didn't say black. He said because he qualifies for the Rooney.

[Greg Cote]

Right, but that's the same thing.

[Stugotz]

I mean, that matters. Framing matters.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, it doesn't.

[Greg Cote]

That's the same thing. Those things are the same thing.

[Stugotz]

No, Ron Rivera got an interview Hispanic.

[Greg Cote]

No, but Mac McDaniel didn't get the interviews because he's Hispanic or because Cody reported that yesterday with his mind.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Would you quit that?

[Greg Cote]

You did that yesterday. You said that a Dolphin source wondered.

[Dan Le Batard]

To you whether McDaniel.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Wondered to me. Wondered to me. There's no way to know, okay? There's no way to know, okay? Use your common sense. He qualifies under the Rooney Rule. He's an available coach who's pretty good, particularly as an offensive line.

[Greg Cote]

Use my common sense. He's white.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Not according to the Rooney Rule.

[Stugotz]

That's not true.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Now who's being essentially.

[Stugotz]

Honestly, Be careful. That's more racist than what you. Yeah, that's. That's really bad. Honestly, genuinely apologize. Seriously, you need genuinely apologize.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Quickly. Father is black.

[Stugotz]

Jack, he's not.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Finally.

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm sorry.

[Stugotz]

There you go.

[Dan Le Batard]

For both the comment and the confusion, the reporting that should have been national news is that you said that somebody wondered that, and that can't be possible. Not that somebody wondered it. It can't be possible that Mike McDaniel was. Would qualify under the Rooney Rule for accurately being able to be something that helps with diversity for minorities. Because McDaniel's getting the interviews that used to go to the coaches who would complain. Why am I having to fill out a form about whether or not I'll work on Sundays? This is not a serious interview we're doing right.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

And bulletin the Rooney Rule doesn't really work well. It's great in concept, but teams misuse it all the time. I'll give you a quick example. The Miami Dolphins interviewed their two black candidates immediately before hiring Jeff Hafley. Okay. Immediately before. Now, I'm not. I'm not saying they were. They were token interviews, but the implication is there and teams do that all the time. So if you're Mike McDaniel, you have twice as much chance of gaining interest to be interviewed if you also qualify under the Rooney Rule. It makes common sense. The common sense factor is all that my source said. And by the way, I heard that from another reporter who covers the Dolphins.

[Dan Le Batard]

Full time, not with my double source that double sourced. Is that now double source? Because I think hearing it from another reporter doesn't make it double source unless that reporter has a source.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I'm just telling you that I had heard it before I approached the Dolphin executive.

[Mike Ryan]

I don't know if you understand the way journalism reporting goes, but when you have the information coming from two different places, that makes it a legit report.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

But it's not a report because I'm passing along a sub.

[Mike Ryan]

You heard from league sources?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I heard from a Dolphin source that the suspicion is one of the reasons Mike McDaniel was so popular in interviews is that he also qualified under the Rooney Rule in addition to being a qualified candidate. As a great offensive mind.

[Dan Le Batard]

I am surprised that that has not yet become national news.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

It was actually Pro football reported it.

[Mike Ryan]

Pro Football Network.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah. Pfn.

[Dan Le Batard]

Where is that?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

It's some website.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, it is. I can confirm it is some website.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Thank you.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, some website that doesn't seem like.

[Stugotz]

Great sourcing, but it is some website.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah. If you have initials, you're legit. If you call yourself pfn, it means you're legit.

[Dan Le Batard]

The big story of the day in sports is Bill Belichick not making the hall of Fame. And a whole lot of people are angry about this. Do you know how hard it is to get Jimmy Johnson to be this kind of angry on social media?

[Mike Ryan]

By the Way. Pro football network has 1.4 thousand followers on Twitter.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

There you go.

[Dan Le Batard]

So it hasn't become national news yet. It's just a random website.

[Stugotz]

I'm with. It is some website. There's nothing that I love.

[Joe Rose]

My dad took that as a victory.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah, no, I'd rather it not be reported.

[Joe Rose]

No, the 1.4 thousand. You're like, yes. See?

[Dan Le Batard]

What do you mean you'd rather it not be reported?

[Greg Cote]

You reported it.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I don't consider speaking in a conversation as reporting.

[Greg Cote]

You said a source told me, like, what? That's reporting.

[Joe Rose]

A source show.

[Greg Cote]

A source talk on a bigger show than Pro Football Network.

[Stugotz]

I get what it says, though. Don't you ever, like, accidentally say something here that may be too transparent and then, like, someone seizes on it, aggregates it, and you're like, that's not what I meant. Really? I wish you just kind of skimmed past this one.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I'm surprised I have to explain this to LeBatard, who used to be a journalist. When a source tells me the suspicion within the Dolphins or within this source.

[Mike Ryan]

Go on.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Is that this may have been a factor. Not that it was, because there's no way to prove it was a factor. If you ask the Miami Dolphins or any team, hey, did you really seriously consider these two black candidates or was it a Rooney rule thing? You're not going to get a truthful answer in all cases. So when the Dolphins suspect that Mike McDaniel got more interviews probably than was imagined, maybe it was the fact that he also qualified under the ruling rule.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, but what you're reporting is news. It's surprising to me that you don't understand that it's news when you report it from a source.

[Mike Ryan]

If someone in the Dolphins organization thinks. Obviously it's not provable.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Right.

[Mike Ryan]

If someone in the Dolphins organization thinks that that's what happened there. That's news.

[Dan Le Batard]

Members of the Heat organization thought that LeBron quit in the last finals before he left for Cleveland. That's news.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

News. If they think he did. Yeah.

[Stugotz]

And they got very mad at Dan for saying that. Hugely pissed.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

As they should have. I wouldn't want that out.

[Dan Le Batard]

But that's news. When. When people inside an organization that you're lending your credibility to their credibility. I'm surprised that we have to explain any of this to you as the reporter on this.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Right.

[Dan Le Batard]

Anyway, moving on to the Belichick story.

[Joe Rose]

You guys are playing tennis. I'm surprised I have to explain this to you.

[Stugotz]

No, I'm surprised.

[Joe Rose]

No, I'm surprised.

[Stugotz]

I explain.

[Jeremy]

He's a surprise.

[Joe Rose]

Backhand surprised.

[Dan Le Batard]

He's just that he's that bad at reporting news over the years because he's been giving it.

[Greg Cote]

No, he doesn't do news.

[Stugotz]

That was conjecture.

[Dan Le Batard]

He doesn't do news.

[Greg Cote]

He does columns.

[Dan Le Batard]

He's not in the information business.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

That's exactly. Mike is exactly right. What I reported was conjecture, not news. Okay? If it's news, I'm going to. I'm going to either write it in the Herald or I'm going to tell one of our dolphin guys. Or put it on your pod or say it on. No, I wouldn't even. I didn't think. I didn't. And don't think it's a big deal. Okay.

[Mike Ryan]

Conjecture is the news, though.

[Joe Rose]

Yeah, now you're being racist.

[Jeremy]

Well, he does.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I don't think it's a big deal.

[Stugotz]

Here's how you hedge your bets. Say they believe it might have been a contributing factor.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

That's exactly right.

[Dan Le Batard]

But that's not what you said.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

That is what I said.

[Stugotz]

That's what he's saying now.

[Dan Le Batard]

All right, moving on, please. Jimmy Johnson says angrily of the Bill Belichick thing on Twitter. This is just wrong. Number two, winning all time, more Super Bowls than anyone. Unimaginable number of divisions, championships, Lots of small, jealous voters. I would like to know the names of the assholes who did not vote for him. They are too cowardly to identify themselves. Please. If you did not vote for Bill Belichick, identify yourself. Many explanation points. Probably too much of a coward. Hide behind your secret ballot. And then secret ballot is capitalized. Is there anyone arguing the other side of this? Have you guys. Have you guys heard someone take the position? I understand why it is Bill Belichick is not in the hall of Fame on the first ballot.

[Stugotz]

Look to your left.

[Jeremy]

Calls coming from inside the House.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, but Bill Pollian is. It's being reported that Bill Polian is the one with the bias here and also the integrity of saying cheater, cheater. That's the reason. And it's the reason that I don't have my Baseball hall of Fame vote. It's the reason that Greg Cody is so comfortable moralizing about this person's a first ballot hall of Famer, but this person's not a first ballot hall of Famer because it's not a museum. It's a home of more morals.

[Mike Ryan]

Why didn't you finish the riddle? Cheater, cheater.

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't know.

[Mike Ryan]

The pumpkin eater, Dan.

[Jeremy]

Bill Poland used the cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater defense, please. What does he know, by the way.

[Mike Ryan]

What does Bill Polvian know?

[Dan Le Batard]

Six time executive of the year.

[Jeremy]

I got lucky with Peyton Manning, but.

[Dan Le Batard]

Six time executive of the year.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, but he did something more racist.

[Joe Rose]

Than you, and that's tough.

[Stugotz]

That's tough. Wow. Mike McDaniel has been here for three years as a mixed race man.

[Dan Le Batard]

How is Bill Belichick doing something how is Bill Polian doing something more racist than what I did With a little marshalling.

[Stugotz]

Be a wide receiver. I'll let Zaz cook. I. The people that are keeping up for him not being a first ballot hall of Famer universally are fans of other teams in the division. And I've seen the list of first ballot head coaches. They all appear worthy.

[Mike Ryan]

You know all the people better than Belichick.

[Stugotz]

Bill Belichick isn't what a first ballot head coach looks like. I don't know what the hell.

[Mike Ryan]

Brady the loser before, Brady, loser after. Brady's a loser at unc. You want to talk. You want to talk about coaching your way out of the hall of Fame? See what happened unc. See what happened at the end of his time in New England.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, let's go to some more credible sources on this subject that are slightly less biased than Dolphin fan Jonathan Zaslow. Okay, we got. We gathered that you're enjoying Bill Bellard's got it right. Did they? Okay, I don't think that many people believe that the committee got it right, but the parts that I want to parse with you guys is we obviously don't know football a fraction of the way that Bill Polian does. We cannot assess how the guards played in the game that we just watched over the weekend that decided everything. Nobody here understands, even after Ted Wells did that $5 million report, what it is that the Deflategate advantage would or wouldn't be. But clearly Bill Polian thinks that it's what toppled Peyton Manning. Bill Polian thinks that whatever cheating that Bill Belichick did is enough to. I don't think this is just pettiness with rivalry, do you? I'm assuming. I'm assuming that he's not guilty of simply saying, I'm a small human being. I recognize that he's a Hall of Famer. I assume, first ballot, that he is applying a moral standard to this. No cheaters in my hall of Fame. Am I wrong to assume that he feels like he knows how much of an advantage the cheating gave Bill Belichick to therefore make him a Hall of Famer? Barry Bonds isn't in the hall of Fame because everyone thinks he cheated. It's obvious that Barry Bonds is the best player to ever live top five. If you want to argue about it statistically, even without the steroids, we've given the stat before, it's one of the most amazing in sports. If you take away all of the numbers from all of his MVP seasons, he still has 400 home runs and 400 stolen bases and no other player has done that. He's not in the hall of Fame because everyone thinks he cheated. And now Bill Belichick is not a first ballot hall of Famer because blank. The point is Bill. Bill Pollian wants to make this moment. Bill Belichick in the hall of Fame about the cheating. Correct.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, hold on a second. Pollian is flat out denying.

[Stugotz]

Correct.

[Mike Ryan]

His involvement.

[Stugotz]

Yes.

[Mike Ryan]

Like this story came out, that Pollian is the one who's kind of leading the charge that he should be punished because of Spygate. And then you had several reporters who got a hold of polling last night and Pollian is saying it's flat out false. But then also you're getting this. Where Pollian added he could not remember with 100% certainty if he voted for Belichick. How do you not remember?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

How do you not sure?

[Joe Rose]

How do you know he couldn't remember what he voted?

[Dan Le Batard]

Andrew Jones. I mean, what are we doing here?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah. Six years ago.

[Mike Ryan]

But he's denying it. He's denying that he was part of it.

[Commercial Announcer]

Love the night. Reach for Zyn After Dark, a limited cocktail inspired series for those who get up when the sun goes down. Try Zinn's Mojito Spiced cider and Espresso Martini Nicotine Pouches. Find them at select retailers. Available while supplies last. Zynn After Dark. Bring on the night. Warning. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[Jeremy]

Super Bowl 60 deserves a sportsbook built for the moment. DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of Super Bowl 60. When anything can happen in the biggest game of the year, DraftKings has your back with early exit. If a player goes down in the first half, you can still get paid out in cash immediately once your bet settles. No bonus bets, no waiting. New DraftKings customers can bet just 5 bucks and get 300 bucks in bonus bets. If your bet wins. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app now and use code DAN. That's code DAN to turn five bucks into 300 bucks in bonus bets. If your bet wins in partnership with DraftKings, the Crown is yours.

[Adrian Wojnarowski]

Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler. New York. Call 877-8-HOPE and-Y or text hope and why Connecticut, call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org on behalf of Boothill Casino in Kansas. Wager tax pass through. May apply in Illinois, 21 and over in most states. Void in Ontario. Restrictions apply. Bet must win to receive bonus bets which expire in seven days, minimum odds required and responsible gaming resources. See dkng co audio limited time offer.

[Stugotz]

Don LeBatard Greg, how's your birthday going so far?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I invented it. It's going fantastic. My wife and I are staying home tonight. We're watching the debate on tv. We're gonna do something special for baby. It's a. It's a nice day for me so far.

[Stugotz]

Stugats.

[Mike Ryan]

That sounds like a. Not a super nice night.

[Stugotz]

The debate. Old people love that shit.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Yeah, That's exactly right. Yeah, that's exactly right. Old people do love that shit. And I'm old now. I can't deny it anymore.

[Dan Le Batard]

Now, this is the Dan Levatar show with the stugats.

[Stugotz]

This is petty. P.S. people with an axe to grind. Like, okay, I understand the. The super bowl tape that was burned in a fireplace of the alleged recorded practice and Deflategate. Deflategate. Remember when Bill Belichick had that press conference? He put the onus on Tom Brady. I don't think anybody's gonna hold that against Tom Brady. This is largely media, largely with an axe to grind against Bill Belichick. And it's unfortunate that he has to be punished by gatekeepers here. Yeah, I do think it's unfortunate because I believe him to be the most successful coach in the history of the sport. And you want to say, like, what has he done without Tom Brady? He won two Super Bowls without Tom Brady. As a defensive coordinator, as a pro coach under Bill Parcells, one of those with Jeff Hostetler. He has quite the frigging resume. And it's BS that he's not first ballot.

[Dan Le Batard]

These people are all capable of high school pettinesses, okay? No matter how old they are. Bill polling is 83 years old. It's an age where you could forget if you voted for Bill Belichick.

[Stugotz]

Oh, for sure.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No, no. You couldn't.

[Dan Le Batard]

You're not 83 yet. 83. I found with my parents, who are both in that realm. You can Absolutely, at 83, forget some very simple things with age.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Let me get this straight. The vote just happened, okay? We're not asking Bill Pollian to recall something from five, seven, eight years ago. The vote happened.

[Joe Rose]

I'm with my dad on the good point.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

And you're telling me Bill Pollian can't recall?

[Mike Ryan]

He's pretty sure he shouldn't be voting then.

[Joe Rose]

Have you watched a Trump press conference? Also agree with that he shouldn't be.

[Jeremy]

Voting if he can't remember, if he can't go through a cognitive test on. Did you vote for Bill Belichick?

[Stugotz]

Oh, let's not do cognitive tests.

[Jeremy]

Jeremy, please. If you can't recall, if you did something 16 minutes ago, you should not be here.

[Dan Le Batard]

I agree.

[Mike Ryan]

He's 95% sure he voted for Belichick.

[Stugotz]

I'm 95% sure. I had a hamburger for dinner last night.

[Dan Le Batard]

So the place though that I land on this as we talk it out because I do believe that no matter your age, especially among men, men specifically men with ego in sports, even more so, you can be high school kind of petty into your 80s. And Jerry Jones, it's been reported, is keeping Bob Kraft out of the hall of Fame. And I wouldn't be surprised if Bob Kraft, who made a 10 part documentary about how Bill Belichick wasn't responsible for all of those.

[Stugotz]

You're really boiling that 10 part docu series down. I don't, you know, there are some people out there that would push back.

[Dan Le Batard]

On that being the takeaway on the 10 part series. Oh, you, you think Bill Belichick enjoyed how he was, how he was chronicled in the 10 part series made by Kraft with Apple.

[Stugotz]

I did not see any of the 10 parts. I just know that there is a people that buck up against that notion.

[Dan Le Batard]

I have heard a very few of them. Maybe they are at the Pro Football Network. It seems pretty obvious that that was a hit job by Kraft because he had the means to do that to Belichick at a time weren't soiling Belichick's legacy like it was fairly shocking to watch the truth told that way and it was clear that Kraft was responsible. But it's been reported Jerry Jones is keeping Bob Kraft out of the hall of Fame. When the sleuths, the Pablo Torres of the world go sniffing around, if it's not Polian, if it's not Kraft, then who?

[Stugotz]

There's no reason it could still be Pollian. Polian could still vote for Bill Belichick and also be a respected voice in the room saying, hey, just for your consideration, I don't want to be the only guy in the room that says this, but he did have the two cheating scandals. So do with that what you will.

[Mike Ryan]

By the way, we don't know the number, but there were at least 11 people who didn't vote Belichick. It wasn't like it needs to be unanimous and polling is the only one. We don't know the actual number, but we know at least 11 people did not.

[Dan Le Batard]

And so is there any sane, reasonable human being without biases saying that that makes sense? Is there any. Can you give me a person publicly putting voice without biases who has their sanity still saying that it makes sense in any world for Bill Belichick to not be a Hall of Famer? Can someone give me a name?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

No.

[Dan Le Batard]

Like, so everyone who's saying hahaha is somebody who is biased and they're just mad because they're from the afc and.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Jimmy Johnson is right. The voters who voted against Belichick owe it to the league, to fans to name themselves, to raise their hand and say, yes, yep, I'm one of them. And here's why. That's why. All ballots in every sport, all hall of Fame ballots should be made public. It shouldn't be. Baseball leaves it up to the voter whether or not to make your ballot public. And by the way, the. The halls of fame should not be moral halls. As. And, and I hope you didn't suggest that. I think that if I thought that I wouldn't vote, I wouldn't have voted for Barry Bonds and Roger originally.

[Dan Le Batard]

You didn't though, right? I don't think you have since the beginning.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I didn't the first year I voted.

[Dan Le Batard]

But you took a moral stand. You did that.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Okay. It's because, as I've said many times, I put a distinction on whether you're a first ballot.

[Dan Le Batard]

You took a moral stand. It wasn't because they weren't first ballot hall of Famers. It's because you penalized them for your morally thinking they were less deserving of first ballot. Not because of their merit or numbers, because of the morals.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

And then voted for it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, but you just. Okay, you changed your mind. But you said you've never done it and you did do it the first time you got a vote.

[Stugotz]

Vote semantics.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

It is semantic. I've explained this many times. The first ballot hall of Famer is sacrosanct. Okay? I don't think Spygate is enough of a smudge to not vote for a guy who.

[Greg Cote]

Greg, that's what they just did here. They just did the same thing you did with your first vote of a Hall of Fame.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I object to the. Let's look at them separately, not lump them together. I think there's no excuse, no reason plausible to not vote for Belichick on the first ballot. Okay? I don't have a Hall of Fame vote for Canton. If I did, I would have stood up. This would have been my entire speech on behalf of Bill Belichick's candidacy.

[Mike Ryan]

You just got it locked and loaded, ready to go.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

He won six Super Bowls. Thank you. Good night. And then the vote takes place. Everybody raises their hands. It's 50 to nothing.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, no, no, but on the other side. Somebody on the other side of these aren't museums. These are moral palaces. Somebod on the other side would say, I've got only one thing to say. He cheated many times.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Okay, you know what's going to happen, because a lot of voters do agree with me. You know, he's going to make the hall of Fame next year. I don't know that in his second year of Andrew Jones effect, he will make the hall of Fame. I don't think anybody would would doubt that.

[Dan Le Batard]

I doubt it. Look, I think everybody was shocked by this. So you say, if any. If I had asked yesterday on the show, do you guys believe there's a 1% chance that Bill Belichick is not inducted into the hall of Fame or nominated tomorrow? None of you would have said there was a 1% chance of that happening. And look, it just happened.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I might have raised my hand behind 1% because spygate's a real thing. Okay? It's not enough for me to have not voted for him, but Spygate, it cost the team a first round draft pick. The team was fined $500,000. Belichick personally was fined $250,000. Deflategate was not a big deal. In my opinion, Spygate was. So the question is, how big a deal was it?

[Mike Ryan]

Well, it had to have been a big deal. Deflate Brady got suspended multiple games. Like it had to have been a big deal.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Okay, I'm speaking about my opinion.

[Stugotz]

But if you take those seasons away, he still has a first ballot hall of Fame resume. And it seems as though people just want to check Bill Belichick's ego. And I feel like he hasn't had his ego checked enough over these last two years.

[Joe Rose]

I know what we do here. We print out the ballot. That ballot that was voted on a few weeks ago with Belichick on it. We give it to my dad, he votes for who he would vote for, and at the end of the show, we see if he remembers.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Fine, I accept that challenge.

[Dan Le Batard]

All right, let's do that. Put it on the poll, Ken, was it. What was it two weeks ago that the vote was. Kenneth put it on the poll at Lebatard show. Can every 83 year old be expected to remember how he or she voted two weeks ago at Lebatard show?

[Stugotz]

New year, same extra value meals at McDonald's.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

So now get two snack wraps plus fries and a medium soft drink for just $8 for a limited time only.

[Dan Le Batard]

Prices and participation may vary. Prices may be higher in Hawaii, Alaska and California. And for delivery, Don Lebatard.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

This guy comes in as the next Wayne Gretzky. His nicknames include the chosen1 and McJesus. Okay? He's a great player. He scores a lot of goals. He scores a ton of assists. But it hasn't translated to making Edmonton a powerhouse in the league.

[Adrian Wojnarowski]

They're in the final Stugats.

[Joe Rose]

What's your nickname for him?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Look overrated. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats.

[Mike Ryan]

How did it get out? Because the guys who voted, like, the results are not supposed to come out yet.

[Greg Cote]

Yet.

[Mike Ryan]

And the guys who voted were just finding out last night from whoever. I think it was Don Van Naata. Right. Whoever came out. Or Seth Wickersham who came out with the report. They didn't get in. Like, you could probably narrow it down to who had that information and leaked it. Right?

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, but it's got to be shocking information. Like, whoever's been holding onto that has probably known that they have this enormous bit of news since they've had it, because I don't even know, like, Cody, of course, after, you know, you're staring at a. At a. At the sea, and what emerges from the ocean is a spaceship that spits aliens at you. Cody's there to say, yeah, I knew that was going to happen. That I would have told you there was a 1% chance of that happening. So he's here to tell you that Belichick, that he's not shocked by this. But I really don't. I really don't feel like anybody was thinking that there was the possibility that Bill Belichick, under any circumstances, would not immediately be a Hall of Famer as soon as he qualified. Like, I don't.

[Greg Cote]

I didn't think that today or this.

[Dan Le Batard]

Conversation was a reasonable possibility.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Okay, once again, you're putting words in my mouth. If I say I. I would have said yes to a 1% chance. What that means is I am 99% shocked, okay? I am 99% shocked when I'm saying there's a 1% chance. It's that it doesn't surprise me in the least that a Bill Polian, a Robert Kraft may have called in a few chips, a few favors with reporters.

[Dan Le Batard]

Right, because it's mostly reporters. It's not all reporters. It's 50 people.

[Mike Ryan]

Clearly you got polling in there.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's not. It's 50 people. I don't know. Just so that let me frame this correctly, it's mostly former NFL media reporters. It includes Tony Dungy and Bill Polian, but not every owner. So just so you know, it's 50 people. Largely it's former reporters.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

And that's a small electorate. The baseball electorate is like 450 people. When you only have 50 people, in my opinion, you're more subject to collusion among the voters.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, but Greg, though, the thing that Zsas is saying about 11, that's insane to me.

[Mike Ryan]

It's a lot of people.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

You need 80%.

[Greg Cote]

It's 20%. It's 20% of the people are sitting here telling you Bill Belichick's not a Hall of Famer.

[Mike Ryan]

At least that.

[Dan Le Batard]

In what world? First ballot. Not a first ballot. Hall of Famer in what world?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

And that to me says collusion. If, listen, if you have 11 people who did not vote for a six time Super bowl winner, that suggests collusion to me. That suggests that voters got together before the vote and said, you know what, let's keep them out. Here's what else is interesting to me in this. The vote is to be announced Feb. 5. The news leaks and there is outrage and the Pro Football hall of Fame looks embarrassed and should be. Will they take another vote on this? Will they announce Belichick February 5th as a Hall of Famer and then claim that and then claim that the report was false? I think that's a possibility.

[Stugotz]

Well, a revo completely.

[Dan Le Batard]

You think that's hanging chads?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I think that's a possibility.

[Dan Le Batard]

You think this is outrageous enough that they will do a cover up in order to.

[Stugotz]

That's a recall.

[Dan Le Batard]

Journalists, I think fellow journalists.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I think there's a possibility. I'm not, I wouldn't predict it's going to happen. I wouldn't bet that it's going to happen.

[Dan Le Batard]

1% possibility. You'd be 99. Shock.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I think there's a 5% possibility.

[Mike Ryan]

This is being revealed on February 5th. That's when it comes out. What embarrassing day for the NFL. No one's going to be talking about that when everyone's talking about Giannis to the Heat February 5th. That's the NBA trade.

[Stugotz]

Thank you for finally bringing basketball up. Jesus.

[Mike Ryan]

My God.

[Dan Le Batard]

Do me the favor, Jeremy. Get the hell out of here and go. Go to.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

I agree.

[Jeremy]

I agree.

[Dan Le Batard]

Go to work on an NBA trade board here so you can finally do something that you want to do and I can get you on NBA trade conversation because I know Mike wants to get to the University of Miami stuff, too, because they're going to be loaded again because they're wining and dining the best players that Duke has after just stealing them at Prime112 with edger and James. But the. The things that are happening here with Belichick over the last six years are stupefying. And I'd like our guest bookers to go after a Hall of Fame voter that can give me some insight into. Into what was happening in the room. Because people, in the absence of information, people are going to go right to the conspiracies and it's going to be Bob Kraft and Bill Polian and who did this. But if it's 11 reporters, one of these hall of Fame voters, one of these 50 people would be able to tell us what happened here. Let's go after one of those people and see if we can get slightly more information about this within the next couple of days. Before I get to the Dolphins and Jeff Hafley saying the Dolphins will not be soft as long as he's in charge. I'll get to that sound in a second. Mike Ryan yesterday, obviously to me got carried away when he compares what's happening with Mensah to Curt Flood. Just because Curt Flood to me represents as a name. I don't even know actually if Curt Flood was that good of a baseball player or many of his stats he was okay. But Curt Flood represents to me a symbol of commerce and business that rings and echoes for 50 years because people know that name of a 70s baseball player because he changed the economics of the game.

[Stugotz]

May I walk it Back then I thought that maybe the nation's second leading passer, an ACC champion, going to another ACC school, might be a tipping point on collective bargaining in which you can invoke Curt Flood because he was an agent of change. I just think the NCAA is still making so much money that they are willing to keep this thing going, which is shoddy and bad. Quite honestly, I want the sport to be collectively bargained. I think things like Mensah happening help force that hand. When Dabo is out there calling for collective bargaining, people should listen. That is a national champion head coach who is pretty old school. But I don't think the NCAA is going to budge because the gravy train is too good.

[Dan Le Batard]

I appreciate actually what you did with that because in we had a seismic move in the business of college football that the local team. Look, no matter how you want to frame this, the ACC champion, a team that has won an ACC championship game before, Mario Cristobal has played in one, just had what I regard as its two best players stolen by a bigger, badder program that has always been bigger and batter at football and is now bigger and batter at business. And that's due. Duke's got graduates with money.

[Greg Cote]

Duke just lost its two players.

[Dan Le Batard]

I like to talk to Manny Diaz about how he feels about this. And Miami's gonna be loaded next year.

[Greg Cote]

Because they just took the two best players from the team that won the.

[Dan Le Batard]

Conference that Miami couldn't play in the championship of.

[Stugotz]

Here's what Miami has on offense. Yes, they're losing Markel Bell and Cece Mawanoa on the edges. Jackson Cantwell, who is being mentored by Joe Thomas, is a five star recruit. I assume he's going to play right away. And you have to trust that Mirabal and company will coach up that offensive line. But at the start positions, Darian Mensah is the ACC's leading passer, second in the nation behind Drew Mestemaker. Right.

[Dan Le Batard]

And doesn't turn the ball over very much either.

[Stugotz]

And a reigning ACC champion. You have the ACC's leading rusher in Mark Fletcher, who can also mitigate what's going on along that offensive line, which we assume might take a slight step back because he's the best pass blocking back in the nation and an absolute dog, as Tony has pointed out off Mike. And not one but 2,000 yard receivers, one in Cooper Parkate, who's coming over from Duke and Malachi Tony.

[Dan Le Batard]

So they were at dinner last night. Malachi Toney was at prime 112 with Edger and James and the rest of you know this, this recruiting class that just fell out of the sky because it's a much easier way to. If you can just go to the teams in your conference and be like, well, they're pretty good. I'd like that guy. And I'd like that guy.

[Stugotz]

You're making that seem a lot easier than it actually is. Like credit to the staff. That's like, these are the guys that we want. We're going to collaborate. We're going to make ourselves super appealing to these guys and we're going to get it done and it's going to be messy. Not everybody has A stomach for it. Miami does.

[Mike Ryan]

We saw this when he was here a couple weeks ago too, and I certainly had not seen him in a very long time. I love that Edger and James is like this elder statesman for the Hurricanes now. It's so cool.

[Stugotz]

Yeah. I'm not even sure he went with the caravan that they got a police escort from the campus to prime 112. He might have just been at prime 112, which is a possibility. I saw all the videos. Yeah, the U signs, hand signals. Probably need a little work. We'll work on that. My main takeaway is how does Malachi Tony already look? 10 pounds heavy. Like he looks beefier. Look at those biceps. This is a player that was. Looks small.

[Mike Ryan]

He's a growing boy. He's young. He's gonna get bigger.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

How do you swing a police escort to a restaurant? I'm just curious.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's a big professional franchise.

[Jeremy]

You make one call.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's the University of Miami. Look, man, the. The connection that this school and what it did to raise generations of football loving canes is super unusual. The. Not many teams have hall of famers like Ed James wining and dining the recruits or being mascots like Michael Irvin on the sideline. Like, the connection here is strong. Let's hear Ed and James here at dinner with these people. Just saying, look, we got a new squad. We got our quarterback. We got our receivers.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

We got the legend.

[Dan Le Batard]

We gonna be back.

[Guest Caller]

We got Miles gonna take good care of us.

[Dan Le Batard]

Hey, you know, you be free when you win.

[Greg Cote]

When you win, you be free.

[Guest Caller]

You know that, right?

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Wait, we know.

[Joe Rose]

Miles is like, whoa.

[Mike Ryan]

Good job by Miles getting in there.

[Stugotz]

That hoodie that Mensah is wearing is over $1,000. Peter Rees looked it up on Kane's insight.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let's go ahead. And if you would please just get the Halfley sound for me here. Because he was asked by Peter Schrager about the Miami Dolphins reputation of being soft.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Oh.

[Dan Le Batard]

I aired. You know what that was? Portal talk. And we have new imaging for the portal talk. And we didn't play the new imaging for the portal.

[Stugotz]

There it is.

[Joe Rose]

Whenever we're talking portal, we start talking. I feel like I'm in a portal right now.

[Stugotz]

Wait until the very end of it.

[Joe Rose]

I thought it might be distracting the first time. I thought it needed a little introduction as opposed to just this falling out of the sky.

[Dan Le Batard]

So that is just portal? Yeah.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Oh, it is portal.

[Greg Cote]

Y.

[Stugotz]

It is portal.

[Dan Le Batard]

It is portal. Yeah.

[Mike Ryan]

It's good.

[Jonathan Zaslow]

Mystical.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yes.

[Joe Rose]

If you're not sure, I'LL just tell you in a second.

[Stugotz]

I think Miami's gonna be good. I think they're gonna be pretty good. Pretty fun to watch, too. I've been watching so much Mensa tape. He's. He's pretty good. Me too.

[Joe Rose]

I actually have two, like four minute. You can just go on YouTube now. Highlights, Mensa.

[Mike Ryan]

Boom.

[Joe Rose]

Six minute clip.

[Dan Le Batard]

Eh.

[Mike Ryan]

I wanna be surprised if you're, if.

[Dan Le Batard]

You'Re a Duke football fan, you're wondering what the hell's going on in college.

[Stugotz]

Football and you turn around to six of your friends. They did us, D.

[Greg Cote]

We still have basketball. That's where we get. We took the boozers from them.

[Stugotz]

That's right.

[Jeremy]

That is true.

[Stugotz]

That's where the settlement money's going, to their basketball team. You got us there. That's all right. Stop. Kids decided they didn't want to go to that school anymore. Have every right because they're not employees.

[Dan Le Batard]

Before we get to the Halfley sound, though, can you guys put up our new imaging on all of the heads, the foreheads, the four of the four heads who are running the dolphins now so that we can have new imaging for dolphin talk that is video instead of audio because we've got some substantive foreheads running the dolphins. And one of them is saying, zaslo, the head of the dolphins is now saying, you know why? We're not going to be soft because of me. I'm going to make sure that we're not soft. I'll play that sound for you next.