The Big Suey: Nick Wright's Weather Theory (feat. Nick Wright)

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: The Big Suey: Nick Wright’s Weather Theory (feat. Nick Wright)

Date: January 28, 2026

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Episode Overview

Broadcast live from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, this episode of “The Big Suey” features Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and company joined by FS1’s Nick Wright. The group dives into Nick’s provocative “weather theory” about sports toughness, debates team identity in relation to city and climate, tackles headlines like Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame wait, and pivots to powerful social commentary, notably surrounding Victor Wembanyama’s statements on athletes speaking out. There’s also spirited NBA trade deadline chatter and meta-commentary about how conversations on sports and society are changing in America.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nick Wright’s Weather Theory: Does Climate Breed Toughness?

(02:17–09:01)

• Dan Le Batard’s Argument: Miami teams—no matter the coach or roster—are rarely, if ever, characterized as “tough” compared to teams from colder northern cities.

  • “There is a level of you are the city that you represent... I don’t know that you can play professional football in Miami and over the course of the season, you are going to be as tough as teams that play in Buffalo or Green Bay or Boston…” (02:26)

• Stugotz Pushes Back: Reminds Dan of tough Miami Dolphins players—Ricky Williams, Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas—and the Wildcat era.

• Nick Wright’s Nuance: Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl run and tough Bucs defenses show Florida teams can be “hard-nosed,” but Dan attributes Tampa’s success to coaching legends and generational talent.

• The Tangible vs. Theoretical:

  • Dan: Argues that toughness also emanates from a team's city identity—“the best teams take on the identity of where they're from.” (04:29)
  • Greg Cody probes: Was Kansas City less “tough” when the Chiefs were bad? (08:18)
  • Dan: Attributes their old and new success to defensive identity and most crucially, Mahomes’ adaptability—weather is just a variable, not the only factor.

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2. Cold vs. Heat: What’s “Real” Toughness?

(06:12–08:00)

• Nick & Dan Debate: Is enduring Miami’s punishing heat “tougher” than “toughening up” in brutal cold?
  • Dan: “If you want to ask people when are you tougher—in negative, real feel of negative 20 with a wind chill or real feel of 102 because of humidity—I will go with the former rather than the latter.” (07:22)

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3. Bill Belichick, the Hall of Fame, and “Captain Easy Stance”

(10:21–12:53)

• Nick Rants on Belichick’s Exclusion:

  • “Am I the only one that's not just morally wounded by the fact that a coach who has multiple documented—to where the league had to step in—cheating scandals, them saying, ‘wait a year, you're gonna get in’? Wait a year. Am I the only person that's not, like, utterly and totally gobsmacked?” (11:22)
  • He proposes an epic “all Patriots” Hall of Fame class to honor the dynasty and move on from the awkwardness.

• Stugotz and Dan Discuss Whether Kraft’s Influence Is Keeping Belichick Out:

  • Nick: “Maybe this has more to do with Robert Kraft than the cheating allegations and confirmed cases of cheating…” (12:53)
  • Dan is skeptical of using David Sampson’s sports takes as gospel. (13:11)

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4. Athlete Activism and Chilling Effects: Wembanyama’s Vulnerability

(16:57–24:23, Recapped 29:29–36:49)

• Wembanyama’s Honest Apprehension:

  • Victor Wembanyama: “I'm not going to sit here and give some politically correct...I read the news and sometimes I'm asking very deep questions about my own life. But...saying everything...on my mind would have a cost that's too great for me right now.” (17:20, 30:42)
  • Acknowledges being a foreigner in the U.S. increases his hesitance—“For sure, for sure...I am concerned.” (18:35, 31:56)

• Nick Wright’s Civic Analysis:

  • Lays out how various constitutional rights (1st–7th Amendments) are being eroded or challenged—freedom of speech, protest, due process, etc.
  • “It is utterly galling that the mission creep...has gotten to this point already that we're parsing which of the amendments are still fully strong...” (23:13)

• Le Batard on the Chilling Effect:

  • “At no point did they say that those of us that don't like it would then have to do...the math Victor Wembanyama is doing...how much of my own personal constitutional rights or safety am I putting in jeopardy by expressing my objection?” (24:39)

• Panel Reaction:

  • Stugotz: “Hearing an athlete at the height of his powers, scared to say the words ‘the murder of civilians not acceptable’...is the most obvious opinion that he could give. And he's scared to give an obvious opinion in America...” (32:00)

• Nick Wright on Shift in Sports Discourse:

  • “Progressives, their voices dwindled. They were told to shut up. Anthem protests—that all stopped...As terrifying as it is, to see Wembanyama basically talk about our country as if it’s China, you know, I'm encouraged by these voices starting to come out...” (33:13)

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5. NBA Trade Deadline: Asset Maneuvering and Giannis Rumors

(37:36–41:41)

• Jeremy’s Whiteboard Segment: The Heat’s limited picks (2030, 2032) throttle their power to chase superstars like Giannis; there are convoluted options via acquiring additional firsts or involving the Warriors/other teams in multi-team trades. Stugotz and Dan wryly poke fun at the complexity—“Come back to me when he’s interesting!”

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6. Noteworthy Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dan Le Batard [on weather theory, 03:31]:
  “I do think there is an element of the best teams take on the identity of where they’re from...the greatest USC teams of my lifetime were flashy and fancy, and the greatest Michigan teams...wanted to beat you 10 to 7.”

• Nick Wright [on Belichick, 11:22]:
  “Am I the only one that’s not...morally wounded by the fact that a coach who has multiple documented...cheating scandals...has to wait a year?...He cheated a bunch, so he has to wait a year. I’m not as horrified by it as others.”

• Victor Wembanyama [on fear of speaking out, 17:20]:
  “Every day I wake up and see the news and I’m horrified...saying everything...would have a cost that's too great for me right now. So...I'd rather not get into too many details.”

• Nick Wright [on civil rights erosion, 23:13]:
  “The mission creep...has gotten to this point already that we’re parsing which of the amendments are still fully strong...The first seven—on shakier ground. And that should be concerning to everybody...”

• Stugotz [on shifting sports activism, 35:25]:
  “So we’ve gone from...all of the social messages on the jerseys to...the most powerful player in the sport...afraid to say...the murder of civilians is not acceptable...Is anyone good with that?”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Weather Theory, Miami Toughness: 02:17–09:01
• Cold vs. Heat—Real Toughness? 06:12–08:00
• Belichick & Hall of Fame/Captain Easy Stance: 10:21–12:53
• Wembanyama on Speaking Out: 16:57–24:23; 29:29–36:49
• Nick Wright’s Constitutional Breakdown: 18:47–24:21
• Stugotz on Chilling Effect in Sports: 29:29–32:28
• NBA Trade Deadline/Whiteboard: 37:36–41:41

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Tone & Style

The episode features Dan’s philosophical and sometimes sardonic tone, Stugotz’s quips and interruptions, and Nick Wright’s mixture of sports wonkery and impassioned civic commentary. Humor, candor, and occasional exasperation define exchanges, especially on sensitive social topics.

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Summary Takeaways

• Sports as a Mirror: The group explores how local geography, weather, and civic identity shape sports teams culturally and competitively—though not always in the ways fans believe.
• Society in Flux: Athlete activism is both more fraught and more vital than ever, with stars like Wembanyama openly fearful of the repercussions of even the most basic moral statements.
• Civic Responsibility: Nick Wright delivers an impromptu civics lesson, warning that the erosion of constitutional rights isn't theoretical but visible in real time—especially as it intersects with sports.
• Changing Conversations: The landscape for sports discourse has shifted dramatically in recent years, with activism often stifled unless it aligns with those in power.
• NBA Trade Speculation: Even amid national and global turbulence, the microdynamics of the NBA—who’s got the right picks, who needs to tank—keep rolling along.

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For listeners and non-listeners alike, this episode delivers impassioned commentary, sharp wit, and a snapshot of how sports and society are deeply intertwined in 2026.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

All right, listen up. Nacho chips. Quiet down.

[Stugotz]

Crispy potatoes.

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the moment Velveeta's been preparing you for, and you're not about to crack under pressure. Today's the day to go all in on the drip. Velveeta's heat and eat Queso is the MVP of any game day spread. So stick by them and you'll be golden.

[Stugotz]

Now get out there and make delicious history.

[Dan Le Batard]

No tailgate party is complete without Velveeta.

[Alex Prewitt]

Foreign.

[Stugotz]

Welcome to the Big Sui presented by DraftKings. Why are you listening to this show, the podcast that seems very similar to.

[Alex Prewitt]

The other Dan LeBatard podcast?

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm sorry.

[Stugotz]

I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging. I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries that if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys.

[Victor Wembanyama]

I've done it.

[Stugotz]

And now here's the marching man to Nowhere Fat Face and the habitual liar.

[DraftKings Announcer]

This episode of the Dan Levittard show is presented by DraftKings.

[Dan Le Batard]

DraftKings. The Crown is yours.

[Stugotz]

Nick Wright is the host of FS1's First Things First. It's very popular. He's very popular. And what's right with Nick Wright, that is the podcast he does with his son. That, too, is very popular. He's got a lot of opinions on a lot of things, and I want to do inside and outside of sports with him, but the first thing I want to do is play this Jeff Hay sound. The Dolphin coach says that the Dolphins will no longer be reputed to be soft as long as he's in charge. Let's listen to this sound together.

[DraftKings Announcer]

It's so damaging when you hear the word soft.

[Dan Le Batard]

How can you kind of take that and really lean into it and say one thing? We won't be.

[Stugotz]

We will not be defined as soft.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, I think you asked me what I want this team to look like, and that's exactly the opposite of when I close my eyes and I picture what it's going to look like. I mean, I think to me it's, you know, after we play a team, I want them to know that they just were in a battle and it hurt. Right. But I think there's one thing talking about it and the other thing is doing it. So that's why it starts April 6th when these players get here. And I will do everything in my power to make sure that nobody ever says that again.

[Greg Cody]

Nice.

[Stugotz]

Hey, he doesn't have that power. Uh, Nick Wright, go ahead and tell us what your thoughts are.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, that's not gonna work. Yeah, that's not gonna happen. Sorry.

[Victor Wembanyama]

I. The.

[Dan Le Batard]

I just, I don't. There is a level of you are the city that you represent. And it's why I thought Mike McDaniel maybe would succeed. But I don't know that you can play professional football in Miami and over the course of the season, you are going to be as tough as teams that play in Buffalo or Green Bay or Boston or Baltimore or Kansas City or Detroit. I just don't. And so I almost think McDaniel tried to lean into. We're not tough. We are just fancy and fast and fun and God forbid we have to play a cold weather playoff game and Andy Reid has icicles falling from his mustache and I look like I just want to leave. That's a bad spot. But if we could one day get home field and then bring you guys down into Miami and you guys down into the distraction and the good weather will be better equipped. So I just, I don't know. I've been watching football my entire life. There's a lot of different ways I would describe the Miami Dolphins. Tough, hard nosed is not one of them. And that has been independent on who the coach is.

[Stugotz]

This is an interesting theory he's floating here. He's saying you have to be in cold weather in order to be tough. Partly. Don't you.

[Nick Wright]

Serrano's team was tough.

[Dan Le Batard]

How so, Mike? Tell me. I mean, I'm gonna trust your, your.

[Stugotz]

Memory of Ricky Williams and Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas.

[Nick Wright]

These were, these were tough players.

[DraftKings Announcer]

Wildcat was like a smash mouth style.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, yeah. Listen, I'm not, it's pro football. I'm not going to argue that you can't have tough elements to it. But if you, the argument I am making is you are never going to have the toughest team in the league in Miami. Just not.

[Nick Wright]

All right.

[Dan Le Batard]

I just, I.

[Nick Wright]

Because Tampa has won a Super bowl with a tough, hard nose defense. Like their identity. If you, if you were to look at the Bucks franchise, say, like, oh yeah, we're a tough team over the, you know, our history since the late 90s.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yes, but they got, they, they got over the hump, right. Once they brought in the offensive genius and then they got over the hump again when they brought in the greatest quarterback of all time. They certainly did have Warren Sapp and John lynch and Derrick Brooks and some of the greatest defensive players of all time. Again, this is, I know this is going to seem like Somewhat fuzzy math. And I won't feel as silly about it being silly given that I have a, you know what is. I'm gonna guess 22 bouncing heads of Stephen Ross and Jeff Halfley forehead. And I'm not sure anybody else. But what I. I just, I do think there is an element of the best teams take on the identity of where they're from. I. I don't think it's unique that the greatest USC teams of my lifetime were flashy and fancy and the greatest Michigan teams of my lifetime wanted to beat you 10 to 7.

[Stugotz]

Does this apply to college? Because the University of Miami was plenty tough this last year.

[Dan Le Batard]

You. It does. Absolutely. So you know what? I haven't baked into the math of the transfer portal and its impact on that. And Mike knows I was a big University of Miami fan and I hope the Kansas City Chiefs draft Ruben Bane. So I'm not quite certain this is what I would call a loose working theory that my gut reaction says is true that you are going to. That's a good outdoor professional be tougher, given if you have to play in bad weather repeatedly. And I think the Dolphins path is not going to be in a. In a division where Mike Vrabel is the head coach of one of the teams, you ain't going to be the toughest. Oh, okay.

[DraftKings Announcer]

So to clarify because you mentioned there for. It's a working theory for an outdoor sport like it. Like we're only talking football then, right?

[Dan Le Batard]

Because football like, like the Miami Heat make their bones on being physical. No, it has to be outdoors. And it's why. It's one of the reasons why if the NFL goes like I hate that the Chiefs are leaning towards going to a Dom Stadium in six years. I. The. The elements in the weather and being able to win in very different conditions in different ways is one of the great things about pro football. And so, yes, it only applies to outdoor sports. Nick, I hear you, but have you ever been to Miami in September when it's 130,000 degrees? Josh Allen almost died on the field a couple of years ago. That's my point. But that's tough, too. That's my point. Ah, different type of tough.

[Nick Wright]

Really?

[Stugotz]

Really?

[DraftKings Announcer]

The sun is a mile away from you.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's burning you to a crisp.

[Stugotz]

All right, so people. All right. At LeBatard show, when are you tougher? When are you a tougher human being if you're in crazy amounts of heat or crazy amounts of cold? Because I like this theory that he's espousing.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, hold On Wait a moment here because this is. You're being disingenuous with it. I am not arguing that it is definitively tougher to, to live the Inuit life in the Outer Banks of Alaska than it would be to live in the Sahara Desert, but Miami in September, ain't that so? If you, if you want to ask people when are you tougher in negative, real feel of negative 20 with a wind chill or real feel of 102 because of humidity, I will go with the former rather than the latter.

[Nick Wright]

I.

[Dan Le Batard]

And this heads thing is really dumb. I understand you want to distract the audience.

[Stugotz]

No, no, no.

[Alex Prewitt]

It's just.

[Stugotz]

No, it's just the Dolphins have hired. No, the Dolphins have hired a lot of people with substantive foreheads. And so it began as foreheads foreheads and now it's just become something else. But Greg Cody has been wanting to talk to you for 10 minutes.

[Greg Cody]

So Nick, how are you doing? I understand that your theory is under construction. The theory that, that the city and its climate and all that relates. And did you say. I can't recall. Did you include Kansas City as a city that exudes toughness? I can't.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, yeah, I think that I did because of the weather and because I think it is a blue collar ish place compared to, certainly compared to the more cosmopolitan cities in the NFL.

[Greg Cody]

Okay, so let me ask you this then. Was Kansas City a different city with appreciably different weather for the five decades that the Chiefs weren't that good and weren't that winning anything of note?

[Dan Le Batard]

No, but they. The only good Chiefs teams were teams that were excellent defense, hard nosed Marty Schottenheimer Chiefs teams. And the reason that this Chiefs team has won multiple championships while Josh and Lamar have had multiple coaches is because our quarterback can play in all conditions. He. The snow doesn't come and all of a sudden they're playing 10, seven football games. The snow comes and he's breaking his helmet running through one of your soft ass Miami Dolphins while they're blowing them out in the playoffs like so. No, that I understand, Greg. That, you know, it feels like Greg. Greg came to me with a smile and tried to knife me in the back but I was too quick. And so. And Greg remembers those Schottenheimer Dolphins teams of the 90s. Yeah, because they were in the same boat as your Marino Shula. The Schottenheimer Chiefs teams of the 90s because they were in the same boat as your Marino Shula Dolphins teams consistently good. Never quite good enough.

[Stugotz]

We have a lot of subject matter that we want to carry with you here, and we don't have very much time left. So amid the three stories of Bill Belichick, LeBron James, and Minnesota, which would you like to tackle?

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, let's do. Let's start with Belichick. Um, I understand. Did Dan. Did you coin the term? Are you the person that coined the term Captain Easy Stance? Is that your intellectual property?

[Stugotz]

I. I don't know, but I did accuse Dugatz of it, yes. Very often.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, so I have. I have. That is one thing. Unlike club Superstar, which was my invention. And then Amin was like, but I rank stars, too. This is something I unabashedly stole from you. Uh, and so I, you know, you. You were first to market with it. I do get today that everybody is saluting the flag of Captain Easy Stance. Bill Belichick is a Hall of Famer. No, we all know it. I get it. Do you know we won six Super Bowls? Yeah, eight if you count the Giants. We know. We were there. Am I the only one that's not just morally wounded by the fact that a coach who has multiple documented to where the league had to step in cheating scandals, them saying, wait a year, you're gonna get in. Wait a year. Am I the only person that's not, like, utterly and totally gobsmacked? How could they do this to this guy?

[Greg Cody]

I don't know.

[Dan Le Batard]

The guy cheated a bunch. And. And some guys, like Barry Bonds don't get into the hall ever. Everybody, they're like, you're gonna. You're gonna wait a year. And maybe, you know, I. They could turn this into something really awesome, because next year, Gronk is eligible. The year after that, Brady is eligible. And sitting, waiting is Rodney Harrison, Vince Wilfork, and Adam Vinatieri. So, you know, I want to turn a negative into a positive. The NFL should this offseason be like, hey, by the way, new rule. If you have more than five super bowl rings, you don't have to wait the five years to be eligible. Brady, you're eligible next year. And next year, the hall of Fame class can be a celebration of the greatest dynasty ever. Belichick gets in on the contributor list. Brady Gronk, Vinitary Harrison will fork. Just an all Patriots class A big Patriots party. This is actually something that I ran by Gronk a couple months ago. When I first thought of it. He. He co signs on it, so that's fine. And that's a way to kind of right the wrong here. But the guy cheated a bunch, so he has to wait a year. I'm not as horrified by it as others.

[Nick Wright]

I heard David Sampson posit that maybe this has more to do with Robert Kraft than the the cheating allegations and confirmed cases of cheating that Robert Kraft didn't exactly want to go in. Potentially in the same class as Bill Belichick because that makes it uncomfortable for him. What do you make anything.

[Dan Le Batard]

I think I. I think there might be something to that. I would say absent the cheating, Belichick is ahead of the queue of then is for Belichick should be prioritized ahead of Kraft. I also ever since I saw the clip of Samson's what's the word for it? God awful and factually incorrect LeBron take. I don't really want to use his sports opinions as, you know, the standard bearer for what may or may not have happened.

[Alex Prewitt]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Dan Le Batard]

Don LeBatard this is the quickest it goes. Hey, this is the quickest it goes. Stugats, everybody. This is the quickest it goes. Yeah. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats.

[Victor Wembanyama]

Foreign.

[Stugotz]

Let'S play the sound of Victor Wembanyama, who I thought has better on this subject than any athletes that I've heard in America. Wembanyama. I I. You know what? Brianna Stewart was also very good on this subject. But in the NBA, I hadn't heard the subject of Minnesota tackled this well by anybody until Wembanyama tackled it. Let's play that sound for Nick.

[Victor Wembanyama]

PR has tried, but I'm not gonna sit here and give some politically correct, you know, I know. I mean, every day I wake up and see the news and I'm horrified. I think that it's crazy that some people might make it seem like or make it sound like it's acceptable, like the murder of civilians is acceptable. You Every day, I mean, I read the news and sometimes I'm asking very deep questions about my own life. But, you know, I'm conscious also that Saying everything, you know, that's on my mind would have a cost that's too great for me right now. So it's. I'd rather not get into too many details. Is that kind of a big factor in this, that people have that fear that if they speak openly about an injustice, they see there can be repercussions? Oh, for sure. I mean, it's terrible. It's. You know, I know I'm a foreigner. You know, I live in this country. I am concerned, for sure.

[Dan Le Batard]

Is that part of your hesitance, being a foreigner? Does that play into your.

[Victor Wembanyama]

Oh, for sure, for sure. I mean, it's. Yeah.

[Stugotz]

So a lot of things interesting there about his hesitance there, Nick, including him starting with pr, doesn't want me to do any of this.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, that was. That was interesting. And the, The. There's a lot of pieces to his response about, you know, whether or not, you know, he was. What. I'm. I'm curious with the spurs, who. I understand Pop is no longer front and center with the team, and he's dealing with what I think is fair to say, you know, some health issues. But it. It feels like they were one of the, if not the most alongside the warriors, progressive, outspoken organizations. Certainly when he was at the helm, I. There are. There's a million ways to go about this. And I know, Dan, that I've said. I, you know, I have a heart out. I can. The. Let, let's. Let's. Let's stay 10 minutes here on this, and then I'll. I'll push my heart out. If, if you guys are interested. I. Here is the way I would like to tackle this because everybody, just like everybody saw the video a few weeks ago with Renee Good. Everybody saw the video over the weekend. And that video is as close to an 8020 topic as we can get in America these days. There are no 90 tens, there are no 99 to ones. There are none. 80, 20 is as good as we can do. And that video, I think, is. Is pretty close to an 80, 20. So I think everybody, not everybody, but the majority agree that what happened in that video is horrifying. What is happening alongside it. And some of this is almost humorous. It's so galling. And some of it is just outright horrifying, is the ticking off of what are our constitutional protections one by one on the amendments. So if I may just do a bit of a civics lesson, I guess the First Amendment, which is about, among other things, freedom of the freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom to protest and peaceably assemble. That is in certain quarters of the country right now, not in effect, the press are getting smoke bombed and gassed just like the protesters on the sidewalk. And we have federal agents saying to people, raise your voice and I will erase your voice. So First Amendment, it really not actually in effect in certain quadrants of the country right now. The Second Amendment, which I have had to my entire adult life sit and swallow that the Second Amendment is so sacrosanct that the. We must accept the cost of school shootings because while tragic, there may one day be a day where the federal government comes for us and we must be prepared to resist that. Now, forget what I believe to be some logical fallacies in that, but that has been the gist of the argument. And now we see the federal government saying, well, your. Your Second Amendment rights don't apply if you are annoying us, even if they apply in every other way. So that's the first two. The Third Amendment, kind of the forgotten amendment. That's the no quartering of soldiers. I. I'm not sure if this one's hanging by a thread, but I do know there was a hotel in Minneapolis that was like, we don't want your agents here. And the federal government's like, you can't do that. We're gonna get your license ripped. So that at least is borderline, obviously, Fourth Amendment. No illegal search and seizure. That don't apply at all anymore. Show me your papers. Fifth Amendment. And, and by the way, we don't really need a signed judicial warrant to come into your house. Fifth Amendment. Again, the show me your paper stuff, which is. I don't have to talk to you. Yeah, you do, actually. And then the 6th and 7th are about right to a fair trial. And what we're seeing is, man, you may not get to trial. The trial might be you off the wrong guy in the street. That's one through seven pretty important ones. And it is utterly galling that the mission creep, and maybe it's not creep, has gotten to this point already that we're. That we are 373 days in and we're already to the point to where we're parsing which of the amendments are still like fully strong. The repeal of Prohibition, as strong as it was a year ago. Women's right to vote, as strong as it was a year ago. But those first seven on shakier ground. And that that should be concerning to everybody that claims to love this country.

[Stugotz]

I can't believe you chose to talk about Belichick first when that's the one you wanted to talk about. Like, what kind of judgment is that from you? I trust your judgment on these things. I'm sitting here, I'm following you. I'm fine. It becomes, oh, we'll blow my heart out. Never mind about my heart out. I was real worried about my heart out, but never mind. This is the one I want to talk about.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, well, a couple things. If we're going to talk about judgment. What, what you, you being. You saying, like, hey, spin the wheel. What would you like to talk about? Something that actually greatly affects our democracy or whether or not this guy got into the hall of fame? You could have just steered us one direction. But I, on the other hand, decided, you know what I wanted to see Cody's reaction to the captain. Easy stance take. I wanted to smile. It's been a bad 72 hours, so, you know, I do that. But yeah, I mean, listen, we are the, the we're in a. And I said this to you privately. I think I'll say it publicly before I go. I do believe that, as people say, elections have consequences. And I do believe right or wrong, not even right or wrong, even if I hate it. We as a country did vote for mass deportations. They didn't slide that in under the wire. They held signs up at rallies saying that's what they were going to do. And they. And they got elected and they did it. And you know what? Fair's fair. I can hate it. I can say that's not what I. But, but my. I lost. So so be it. And anybody that can just put pencil to paper on what that meant, the scale of it had to know it was going to be horrifying. And that I actually think, as much as I dislike it, is fair play. They said they were going to do it. They ran on that platform. They won. So be it. Like, I, I, I've got a stomach it. At no point did they say that those of us that don't like it would then have to do. Whether it is the math I think Victor win Benyama is doing or the math Alex Preddy was doing, which is how much of my own personal constitutional rights or safety am I putting in jeopardy by expressing my objection? At no point was that put to a vote. And it is, it is beyond galling to me that there is a real effective chilling effect of if you have a voice and you want to be on the record opposing this stuff and you want to do it in this platform, that they might find ways to make your life more difficult. And if you want to do it in person, you need to be prepared that whatever you thought, where the rules of engagement are off. And I give Alex Preddy credit because he knew that. Cuz reportedly, a week before they broke one of his ribs, and he still stood there and said, you're not gonna shove this woman down. And the Wall Street Journal can say he foolishly assisted a woman who got shoved down and assaulted for exercising her constitutionally protected rights. I did not look at that as a foolish act. I looked at that as a human act. And he got shot nearly a dozen times for it.

[Nick Wright]

He's.

[Dan Le Batard]

And so we. I know. I gotta go. Sorry.

[Stugotz]

No, I was just gonna say I thought you nailed the dismount. So he's the host of FS1's First Things First. He's very good on this subject matter and most subject matter, except whether cold weather makes you tough. He's also the host of what's Right with Nick Wright, the Pod podcast. It's also with his son. Thank you, Nick. We will talk to you.

[Dan Le Batard]

Talk to you soon. And by the way, cold weather makes you tough. Look at how tough those people are up in Minneapolis right now. Bam. Argue with that. Now you can't, because I kind of.

[Stugotz]

That's right, you did.

[Dan Le Batard]

Bye, Dano.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, see you later.

[Dan Le Batard]

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[DraftKings Announcer]

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[Stugotz]

The Wemby video and audio to me, is heartbreaking for a number of different reasons. Okay. But if this guy doesn't feel safe to have power to just say what he wants when he's mature enough and evolved enough to have his own thoughts and the pressure from outside. And when I say outside, the pressure from inside, too, the pressure everywhere makes it for. Nobody wants me to do this. There are consequences to this. I want to play this sound again because you understand. I hope that while we were talking about Anthony Edwards and John Morant as face of the league, if this guy stays healthy, this is going to be what replaces LeBron. And we start with him scared in America, as a foreigner, to just speak freely about what he thinks with the cut, this country's pressures on him and his own PR staff being like, do you really. Do you really want to talk about this? So let's just play this sound again. Because he's among the most powerful among us. He's been rewarded in every way to have strength with that power. And he's being discouraged in a way that's obvious. To show you what that power is supposed to sound like, PR has tried.

[Victor Wembanyama]

But I'm not going to sit here and give some politically correct. You know, I know. I mean, I'm This. Every day I wake up and see the news, and I'm horrified. I think that it's crazy that some people might make it seem like. Or make it sound like it's acceptable. The murder, like the murder of civilians is acceptable. You know, every day, I mean, I read the news and I'm. Sometimes I'm asking very deep questions about my own life. But, you know, I'm conscious also that saying everything, you know, that's on my mind would have a cost that's too great for me right now. So it's. I'd rather not get into too many details. Is that kind of a big factor.

[Stugotz]

In this, that people have that fear.

[Victor Wembanyama]

That if they speak openly about an injustice, they see there can be repercussions? Oh, for sure. I mean, it's terrible. It's. And, you know, I know I'm a foreigner. You know, I live in this country. I am concerned, for sure.

[Nick Wright]

Is that part of your hesitance, being a foreigner? Does that play into your.

[Victor Wembanyama]

Oh, for sure, for sure. I mean, it's. Yeah.

[Stugotz]

There are a number of things about the last 10 years that make me feel left behind. But hearing an athlete at the height of his powers, scared to say the words, the murder of civilians not acceptable. Like, that's the most obvious opinion that he could give. And he's scared to give an obvious opinion in America and being dissuaded from it by both fear and the organization that he works for. Right.

[Greg Cody]

It's flabbergasting. Is he afraid of ice? Is he afraid of sponsors leaving him consequences, unknown consequences? And no matter what they are, this guy, he's in a position to really be a role model and a leader at his young age if he's willing to take on that responsibility.

[Stugotz]

But there's nothing controversial about what he's saying.

[Greg Cody]

Shouldn't be.

[Nick Wright]

You're right, it shouldn't be. But it is controversial.

[Stugotz]

It's.

[Nick Wright]

But it's not because of how the.

[Stugotz]

Discourse has been framed, but it's not because of what Nick's saying. If your starting point is understanding there's not going to be 100% anymore, that day's dead. It's always going to be 80, 20. If you're with the 80, it's not controversial. Like saying that is just. And I'm not, I'm not saying there's not bravery in it.

[Nick Wright]

No. Because even if you Occupy, occupy the 80, there are a lot of people that say there needs to be a division between politics and sport. There are numbers people that say, no, this stuff really affects our business. And I think that's what he's alluding to. And I think the 20%, they've lived a charmed existence with sports over the last few years because they won that, they won that. Progressives, their voices dwindled. They were told to shut up. Anthem protests, that all stopped. Meanwhile, the 20% that you occupy, you just got to eat it when Donald Trump shows up to the Daytona 500. You just got to eat it. When Donald Trump parades around with athletes inside the White House as he further propagandizes and normalizes this kind of behavior and gets co signs from it, or when he shows up to golf competitions, or when he shows up to national championship games or regionally specific college football games, it changed. It changed on our watch too. We were impacted by the progressive talk around here. They won. And I'm encouraged, as terrifying as it is, to see Wembanyama basically talk about our country as if it's China. You know, I'm encouraged by these voices starting to come out and say, we're not gonna be silenced anymore.

[Stugotz]

But when you say, though, something has changed here is what cannot change. The murder of civilians is not acceptable. It's not a contra. That's not a controversial state. That's not a controversial statement. When it starts with the murder.

[Nick Wright]

Right. Well, think of where we were six years ago when the George Floyd stuff was happening. Sports shut down, all of them. There were a couple of hockey games being played until they realized, hey, everybody else is stopping, we should stop too. That didn't really happen. There was one basketball game. That's how much things have changed. Before social causes would actually stop sport and the business keeps moving on because of the callus it's developed over the last few years with numbers and business people and people that complain about keep politics out of sports. But it's okay when it's my politics actually making a difference.

[Stugotz]

So we've gone from, just to be clear, the Last five years, we've gone from during the pandemic, wearing all of the social messages on the jerseys to most powerful player in the sport or one of the most powerful players in the sport, afraid to say, with every governance around him telling him, don't say it. Afraid to say the murder of civilians is not acceptable. Okay, you good with that? Everybody good with that? Is anyone good with that? Because that doesn't seem to be a reasonable place where any reasonable people who believe in freedom or safety would live, go.

[Nick Wright]

Woke go broke. That was a whole thing. People didn't want to see group economics and education reform scoring 25 points in an NBA bubble. And we moved the line so much that they don't even pay attention to their bogus opinions on it because as long as it's their politics and their sport, they're okay with it.

[Greg Cody]

I mean, sports has the ability and the power to be pretty influential here. Think about it. All of the major leagues, NFL, NBA, NHL, mls, all of them, WNBA could come out with a joint statement abhorring what's going on.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, but there's no way to be influential if your primary need is always to protect business.

[Nick Wright]

Like the NHL did the math. The NHL did the math. Right across town in Minneapolis, the Timberwolves canceled their game and the Panthers played that night 16 miles away in St. Paul. They decided, let's push through. Did they even put out a statement?

[Greg Cody]

I don't believe so.

[Stugotz]

So let's lighten this up just slightly here because I sent Jeremy away about an hour ago to work on a whiteboard where he has just a little bit of trade talk that he wants to talk about because the trade deadline is approaching and this is obviously the sorbet, the palate cleanser that human beings who want just sports, just sports. Don't tell me what Wemby thinks about murder or civilians. Just give me the latest transaction. Jeremy is here for you. And that board, of course, seems terribly inefficient. Where. Where do we start? With your NBA trade deadline board. As. As the NBA trade deadline is. Yeah, Is next week on Thursday.

[DraftKings Announcer]

Board.

[Stugotz]

B O R E D. Go ahead.

[DraftKings Announcer]

You don't want my comments on Wemby and what he said in the state of democracy. All right. Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is the big fulcrum of this entire trade deadline. Right. He's the guy that everybody wants. We're not sure if he's going to be moved. And all of these salaries in teams could pot potentially play into what happens here. Obviously, the heat Want Giannis and what will that offer look like for Giannis? They can only offer a 2030 pick and a 2032 pick given the circumstances of that 2027 pick heading over to the Charlotte Hornets. But it's Top 14 protected, which means that it could be in 2028. You're not allowed to go back to back years where you don't have your pick. And so in turn the only tradable assets there are 2030 and 2032. Could the heat potentially acquire another pick to be able move from there? So Jonathan Kaminga. There's rumors that Jonathan Kaminga and Andrew Wiggins, an expiring contract with a player option could be a swap with the warriors in which the Heat would acquire a first round pick. The warriors have all of their picks. Another potential asset for the warriors is the injured Jimmy Butler because he could be a tank commander. You could trade him for other salary that's potentially expiring or useful players to pair along with Steph Curry. Maybe to a team like the Pelicans or the Haw Hawks. Obviously with the Pelicans and the Hawks you have no trade that's going.

[Dan Le Batard]

That was an important part, Dan. The Pelicans and the Hawks, the first round picks in the.

[Stugotz]

In the midst.

[Nick Wright]

I mean, I'm into this.

[Stugotz]

Okay, you want more of this? You want. He's getting to the good part. I can't read any of the names on the board. They're too small on the board.

[DraftKings Announcer]

So the Blazers. The interesting part about the Blazers stand is that they have swaps in 2028 and 2030 and the first round pick with Milwauke. No, this is interesting because it goes.

[Stugotz]

Come back to me when he's interesting. In the interim, let's have Greg Cody fill out a ballot and see if that ballot is something that he remembers all the names to at the end of the show because he's an older gentleman.

[DraftKings Announcer]

Okay, so what's the best way to do this?

[Dan Le Batard]

Because I feel like.

[DraftKings Announcer]

I feel like Greg should fill out the ballot here, but he doesn't actually.

[Dan Le Batard]

Say on the air right now who he's selecting.

[DraftKings Announcer]

Okay. Like the reveal comes in the end.

[Dan Le Batard]

When we test him and ask him, did you vote for so and so?

[DraftKings Announcer]

I think the reveal in the end is probably okay. Yeah.

[Greg Cody]

I've glanced at the ballot. There's a lot of names on there. And the one thing I'll tell you as a caveat is I'm going to vote for very few people on that ballot because I don't have the time to do my due diligence.

[DraftKings Announcer]

And the Hawks in 2026, New Orleans or Milwaukee's pick is going to go to Atlanta. And that's the part that's really interesting because that's the big part. Daniel, if you see this pick, where that Milwaukee pick. Milwaukee is probably.

[Stugotz]

No, no. Greg, give us more information on your ballot.

[Greg Cody]

And, and so just like in baseball, I'm famous for doing my due diligence on my, on my Cooperstown ballot. That's why they haven't taken my ballot away, despite pro protestations from LeBatard. But in the case of this ballot, I don't have time to correctly reflect exactly who deserves and who doesn't deserve.

[DraftKings Announcer]

On a long ballot 2026 pick. And if they have their own 2026 pick, that's because New Orleans is worse than Milwaukee. That one goes to Atlanta. And when you have the 2026 pick for Milwaukee, staying with themselves, they're incentivized to take.

[Greg Cody]

So the, so the people I have voted for are the ones that jumped out at me as obvious first ballot guys. Okay, so those are the ones that I'm voting for on this ballot.

[DraftKings Announcer]

So you have the 2026 pick of Milwaukee staying with them, which incentivizes them to tank. So if they give up Giannis, they could potentially take, they could take off the if, if Giannis moves to the Heat. I don't know when you're talking to me, when you're talking to Greg, it's all the same. Carl Anthony Towns, he's a potential oh, cat.

[Dan Le Batard]

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