The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: The Big Suey: The David Samson Bridge (feat. David Samson)

Date: February 24, 2026
Location: The Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

Overview

This lively episode of The Big Suey brings together Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Greg Cody, Jeremy, Mike Ryan, and special guest David Samson to riff on sports honors and legacies, the business of team loyalty, the cultural weight of statues, the complexities of international play, creative rule changes in pro sports, and the deeper meanings of recognition in life—and death. The tone swings from irreverent and silly to poignant and reflective, offering both laughs and thought-provocation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pat Riley’s Laker Statue & The Politics of Sporting Honors

(Starts ~02:15)

• Pat Riley honored with a Lakers statue: Stugotz asks if it's odd for the Miami Heat's active president to be celebrated in LA.
  • David Samson: Finds it unprecedented and "ill-timed," but understands not wanting to wait too long ("when you’re older, you don’t want to wait too long because you’d hate to not be alive for it." [02:15])
  • Debate over Riley’s primary legacy: Lakers (Showtime, multiple titles), Knicks (deep playoff runs), or Heat (decades of dominance)?
• Ownership demands and legacy: Riley’s legendary NY-to-Miami move and the wild list of perks he demanded: “Team president? Hell yeah. Limo? Sure. Clothing allowance? Definitely. Springsteen tickets? Thumbs up.” (Samson, [05:01])
• Statue vs. Court Naming:
  • Greg Cody: “Statues are higher ranked than courts. Nobody calls it the Pat Riley court.” [07:03]
  • Stugotz: Counters, “The name on the court… There’s only one. Your name is literally on the television all the time, every single game.” [07:13]
  • Dan: Dismisses court-naming as a consolation prize: “We already named the arena. We have no other soil left to name after you.” [07:46]

Notable Quote

“When you’re older, you don’t want to wait too long because you’d hate to not be alive for it. So I was… mixed.”
— David Samson [02:15]

2. What’s the Best Thing to Have Named After You?

(08:22)

• Samson’s fantasy: “A bridge would be first. You got to get over the bridge to get into Manhattan.”—David Samson [08:38]
• The table riffs about trophies, arenas, toll revenue, and even stadiums—with amusing asides on why some honors feel more permanent or prestigious than others.

3. Honor’s Timing: When Should We Celebrate Legends?

(09:39)

• Greg Cody advocates for honoring active legends: “If their level is so distinguished… why not honor them during their career, toward the end of it?” [09:39]
• Samson: Notes the only baseball exception is Roberto Clemente—enshrined posthumously, waiving the normal 5-year wait [10:15].

Notable Quote

“Those who forget the past are condemned to relive it.”
— David Samson [36:12]

4. International Play vs. Club Responsibility

(11:36)

• Crossover circumstances: LeBron traveling for Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ Cavs jersey retirement while still with Miami [10:55].
• Hockey's Country vs. Club dilemma: NHL pros missing club games for international tournaments. Samson’s take is hard-nosed: “If you had to give me a choice between the Panthers winning the Stanley Cup and the USA winning the gold medal… I want the Stanley Cup.” [12:49]
  • Mike Ryan counters: For many hockey players, “They care more about country than club. We just haven’t been confronted with that because NHL players haven’t been allowed to play for so long.” [14:29]
• Soccer parallels with Messi & club-country conflicts: Messi missing MLS games for World Cup prep is “baked in” to his contract; expectations differ by sport and star power [19:48, 19:58].

Notable Moment

“Would you give a tooth for a gold medal?”
— Dan Le Batard [22:15]

5. Rule Innovations & Football Absurdity

(22:46)

• The UFL’s 4-point field goal for 60+ yards: Stugotz objects—teams will deliberately lose yards: “Why wouldn’t they just go and lose yards so they can kick a 60-yard field goal?” [23:46]
• Escalating the silliness:
  • Customizing goal post width, enforcing barefoot/head-on kickers, and only allowing kickers who play five line-of-scrimmage snaps [25:38-26:31].
  • Humorous debate over the exploits/ethics of kickers with physical differences: “Is there a rule in the NFL against a kicker intentionally cutting off his toes and having the same implant?”—Greg Cody [28:06]
• Nostalgia: Tom Dempsey’s famous “half-foot” field goal, and a bizarro discussion about super-dedicated athletes sacrificing body parts for the game.

6. Recognition, Loss, and Empathy: A Documentary Reflection

(34:55)

• Samson reviews “All the Empty Rooms”: A documentary about parents’ preserved rooms after children are lost to school shootings. Strong reactions:
  • Stugotz: “You voluntarily watch this?”
  • Samson: “Just because you can’t put your head in the sand and pretend things don’t exist.” [35:51]
  • Dan: On the limits of imagination and empathy—“You can only imagine is… as bad a situation as I hope I’m… lucky enough to never… be in.” [39:06]
  • Mike Ryan and Samson challenge the notion that people can truly imagine another’s loss.

Memorable Quotes

“Those who forget the past are condemned to relive it.”
— David Samson [36:12]

“We move on, like, we’re on to the next thing… These families, there’s no on to the next thing.”
— David Samson [36:15]

7. Miami Sports Legacy Debates—Who’s “U”?

(40:18)

• Is Miami U “QBU,” “RBU,” or something else?
• Legendary Miami right fielders (Stanton, Sheffield, Cabrera) vs. Canes QB/TE/RB traditions—whether the city's true "position group" calling card is at all reflected nationally.
• Greg Cody: Leans QB U for the Canes; others suggest their legacy is now more mixed (42:53).
• Mike Ryan: Brings up Lincoln Riley’s transient QBU status and compares historical Oklahoma QBs.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• David Samson on legacy:

  "The cold-hearted... I have no loyalty... Him leaving [Riley from Knicks] hurt that much." [04:01]

• Greg Cody on honors:

  "Statues are higher ranked than courts. Like you said, nobody calls it the Pat Riley court." [07:03]

• Dan Le Batard being Dan:

  "What’s next? The next coach gets the chair named after him?" [07:49]

• Stugotz, always practical:

  "We romanticize these stat[ues]. Everybody’s got a statue now." [07:28]

• David Samson, on country vs. club:

  “I’m patriotic. I like the gold medal. I think it was amazing. But… I want the Stanley Cup.” [12:49]

• Dan, pushing empathy:

  “If you spend four seconds thinking about it, you will go into a real dark place of how grim that reality would be.” [37:52]

• Mike Ryan on risk and club contract:

  “It’s implied and it’s the risk that you take when you sign these all world, all elite athletes to these major contracts.” [20:12]

Memorable & Entertaining Moments

• Samson’s dream honor is a New York bridge named after him [08:38]
• Tongue-in-cheek arguments on statuary etiquette [07:03–07:49]
• Delightfully absurd football rules—custom field goal widths and amputee kickers [25:38–28:31]
• Serious turn: wrestling with the reality of loss & the limits of empathy [34:55–39:10]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Pat Riley/Lakers statue debate: 02:15–08:22
• Dream honors & naming rights: 08:22–09:05
• When to honor legends/Hall of Fame: 09:39–11:36
• International play vs. club loyalty: 11:36–21:22
• Rule change hijinks (UFL/field goals): 22:46–28:31
• All the Empty Rooms/documentary grief: 34:55–39:14
• Miami’s best sports position group: 40:18–44:09

Summary

The Big Suey transforms what could have been just another sports talk pod into a rollicking meditation on legacy, loss, and loyalty—with David Samson’s unapologetic business perspective and the crew’s signature blend of satire, sentiment, and heated sports debate. From deep dives on sports icons’ honors to playful thought experiments and tragic realities, listeners are treated to the full Le Batard experience: smart, weird, unfiltered, and, somehow, ultimately heartfelt.