The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

The Big Suey: The Pilloried Pioneer (feat. Undersized Nickel, Domonique Foxworth)

Date: December 11, 2025

Episode Overview

Broadcast live from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, this episode of "The Big Suey" dives into heated conversations about modern sports journalism, the tension between self-promotion and integrity, football nostalgia, and the latest scandals at Michigan football. Featuring guest Domonique Foxworth (the “undersized nickel”), the show delivers its usual blend of irreverence, debate, and introspection on celebrity, credibility, and the changes sweeping both sports and media.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Journalism, Self-Promotion, and the Pilloried Pioneer

• Backdrop: Pablo Torre is the subject of "an avalanche of criticism" about his perceived self-congratulatory stance as a journalist, with much of the flak coming from fellow commentators and social media.

• Self-Celebration vs. Integrity:

  • Dominique Foxworth offers a candid critique, arguing that the heart of journalism should be about "the truth" rather than the journalist as celebrity:

    "The story is about the truth. The story is not about the person who has found the truth." (08:33)

  • He warns Pablo:

    "No one ever is made to look good by being the one celebrating themselves... you’ll never win if you're out there telling everyone they’re not as good as me." (16:00)

• Pablo’s Defense:

  • Pablo acknowledges the criticism, explaining that self-promotion is often necessary in today’s media landscape to cut through the noise:

    "I need to draw attention to the work by being out there talking about it with my own voice." (23:34)

  • Meta-moment: The team mock Pablo’s voice and his tendency to trumpet his own reporting.

• Humor & Memorable Exchanges:

  • Foxworth suggests the only way Pablo could make it work is to have "a cooler voice" (16:15), to which Pablo responds with a bad impression.
  • When pressed for judgment, Foxworth admits:

    "I cannot do what Pablo does... Nick Wright absolutely cannot do what Pablo does either." (24:51)

• Takeaway: The show gives a nuanced look at how modern journalism is evolving, balancing credibility, transparency, and the burdens of digital self-marketing.

2. Philip Rivers’ NFL Comeback Rumors

• Why It's Back in the News: Speculation that Rivers, several years retired, might return to start an NFL game.
• Foxworth’s Take:
  • Skeptical about anyone returning after years off, noting Rivers’ already-limited athletic upside:

    “Getting off the couch, man, ya’ll know how hard it is?” (10:01) “I don't think it's gonna go all that well. His career [ended] not because he was tired of playing. Because people were tired of paying him to play.” (10:56 & 11:00)

  • He highlights how defensive evolutions make an old QB’s adjustment much harder.
• Pablo & Mike Ryan Echo Concerns:
  • Mike:

    “I think he's about to find out how much athleticism he had.” (12:16)

  • The panel reflects on the themes of age, hope, and the athletic gap created by retirement.

3. Michigan Football Scandals & Journalism’s Crucial Role

• Summary of Events:
  • Michigan’s program is engulfed in a series of scandals: recruiting violations, illegal scouting, multiple staff arrests (seven since Harbaugh’s hiring), and the recent firing (and subsequent custody) of a staff member.
• Le Batard’s Framing:

  "Michigan has an assortment of junk around its program and it’s all administrator based. What are you comfortable deducing... given the details we have?" (26:55)

• Foxworth’s Nuanced Analysis:
  • Stresses that speculation is rampant and only credible journalism can cut through chaos and damage.
  • Connects this to why investigative journalism is so vital, especially as AI and misinformation blur facts.
  • He tempers condemnation of Michigan, suggesting these issues are endemic to many big programs:

    "I tend to believe that people in general aren’t very different from place to place... the incentives don't lie with following these rules." (30:47, 33:05)

  • The team highlights how winning programs often enjoy protection from scrutiny—until they don’t.
  • Mike Ryan:

    "It is a sad reality, Dominique, that if he beats Ohio State, maybe this never sees the light of day." (45:52)

• Wider Discussion: The hosts rattle off comparable coaching scandals (Patino, Petrino, Ime Udoka, etc.), debating which is the “most memorable crime of morality.”

4. Personal Anecdotes and Comic Relief

• Foxworth’s “Undersized Nickel” story:
  • Dominique recalls being the focus of an opponent’s run game:

    “I had a game... where I was hyperventilating after the game... they had a blocker on, you try to shed the blocker and all you have is one arm... for most people, they can't run through an arm... (Steven Jackson) didn’t even notice that thing was there. My arm... felt like hell.” (48:10)

• Rich banter about “old guys rooting for old guys” and enduring pain in football.
• Judges’ table: Zaslow called upon to rule if he could do Pablo’s job.
  • Verdict: "No, with prejudice. I cannot. And... Nick Wright absolutely cannot do what Pablo does either." (24:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Dominique Foxworth:

  "The story is about the truth. The story is not about the person who has found the truth." (08:33)

• Pablo Torre:

  "I need to draw attention to the work by being out there talking about it with my own voice." (23:34)

• Dominique Foxworth’s Honest Critique:

  "No one ever is made to look good by being the one celebrating themselves." (16:00)

• Mike Ryan:

  "I think he's about to find out how much athleticism he had." (on Rivers’ comeback) (12:16)

• Dominique Foxworth, on Michigan culture:

  "What it's always come down to in my experience is... winning and success trumps just about everything else." (33:05)

• Dan Le Batard, on moral scandals:

  "Sports Illustrated reported the women were saying ‘Roll Tide’ and Mike Price was shouting ‘oh it’s rollin.’” (39:22)

• Pablo Torre, on self-doubt:

  "I don't think I've had a better year professionally in my life — or felt dumber at the same time." (25:31)

• Domonique Foxworth, on pain in football:

  "Trying to tackle Steven Jackson... felt like a lawnmower ran over my arm." (47:54)

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• Debate over Journalism & Self-Promotion: 04:35 – 23:44
• Philip Rivers Comeback Conversation: 09:56 – 14:12
• Michigan Football/Journalism Nexus: 26:55 – 34:38
• Comparing Infamous Program Scandals: 38:29 – 42:45
• Foxworth’s Painful Memory as Undersized Nickel: 47:54

Tone and Style

The episode is classic Le Batard: free-wheeling, sharp, and self-aware, balancing earnest commentary on sports journalism’s evolution with trademark humor and candid personal stories. Foxworth, ever insightful, toggles between genuine reflection and quick-witted jabs, while Pablo oscillates between defensive self-awareness and the ambition to reshape how journalism is valued.

Conclusion

This episode delivers a lively, meta-narrative on what it means to “do journalism” in the age of personality, while taking listeners through NFL nostalgia and the latest college football messes. Listeners get a front-row seat to both the shifting landscape of sports media and the timeless absurdities of fame, ego, and athletic pain. Whether it's debates about Michigan's rot, Rivers’ comeback illusions, or the semantics of self-congratulation, "The Big Suey" continues to prove that sports talk can mean much more than the game.