Podcast Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: The Big Suey: This Is War

Date: November 26, 2025

Main Theme

From the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and the crew unpack the intersection of sports, pop culture, and current controversies. This Big Suey episode especially drills down into the chaos of the NFL season (with a special focus on the Cleveland Browns saga), the immense cultural influence of the Sanders family, the media landscape shift with Elle Duncan's departure from ESPN, the tempest around FSU football, and an on-air reckoning with Stephen A. Smith’s influence and conduct in sports media.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Ultimate “Mail It In” Work Day

Timestamps: 02:55–03:34

• The crew jokingly concurs that pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday is the day with the “least effort” in the American workplace.
• “It's so not trying that it deserves to be publicly punished.” — Dan (03:29)

2. Brandon Cooks’ NFL Odyssey

Timestamps: 04:11–04:56

• Discussion on how some NFL players (like Brandon Cooks) hang around various teams due to “elite speed,” leading to underrated but surprising careers.
• “He’s had a remarkable career … was a first-round pick, lived up to expectations everywhere he goes. He produces when he’s healthy, and yet he’s played for like a dozen teams.” — Mike Ryan (04:41)
• Debate over whether Cooks’ career is “remarkable” or just peripatetic.

3. The Haunted Saints: Scandals Old and New

Timestamps: 05:09–05:33

• The Saints’ history with off-field scandal (alleged cover-up with the Catholic Church) comes up when the topic shifts to NFL franchises giving controversial figures (like Justin Tucker) a tryout.
• “This … is a bad, underreported scandal on what happened with the Saints, the church … cover in ways that is super distasteful for the kinds of crimes that Justin Tucker is involved in.” — Dan (05:33)

4. The Cleveland Browns: A Franchise Cursed

Timestamps: 05:34–16:14

• Emphasis on Browns' unprecedented QB instability: “17 first-time starters at quarterback hadn't won a game for that defense to be championship good.” — Dan (07:46)
• The only thing making the Browns interesting: the arrival of Shador Sanders as starting QB.
• Debate on Deshaun Watson’s decline: Did Cleveland ruin Watson or did he self-destruct?
  • “I believe his life, whatever it's been away from the huddle for the last five years, has enough public shame in it that I believe it wrecked this man as a quarterback, that's fair to say.” — Dan (13:35)
  • “He also made a decision. He's like, I'm not going to run … He was the problem.” — Mike Ryan (14:14–14:40)
• The weight of public scandal and failed expectations: empathy vs accountability.
  • “Man. Can you imagine having that just everywhere you go publicly, everyone's looking at you and they're like, you're a deviant. You used to be this thing. You're a rock star.” — Dan (15:42)
  • “Are you trying to get me to feel bad for him?” — Mike Ryan (16:08)

5. The Most Powerful Black Man in Sports? The Shador Sanders Debate

Timestamps: 16:42–21:36

• Discussion on Elle Duncan’s move to Netflix away from ESPN — and segue to a viral Kendrick Perkins hot take.
• Kendrick Perkins (audio clip) ranks Shador Sanders as “the most powerful Black man since 2009” (Barack Obama). (18:34)
  • “When Shadua Sanders is on the field... He's the most powerful black man in sports. No other. Matter of fact, black man, he the most powerful player in sports.” — Kendrick Perkins (18:34–19:45)
• Mixed reactions — both humorous and skeptical — about Perk’s “power” ranking.
• “There's multiple other people in that room with Kendrick Perkins. And it's just nothing but agreeing…” — Zaslav (20:34)
• The show notes the symbolic resonance of the Sanders family and the rallying of the Black community around their narrative.

6. Shador Sanders: Symbol or Sensation?

Timestamps: 23:39–25:16

• Dan extends the conversation to Shador as an avatar for racial progress, comparing his spotlight to Tim Tebow’s media magnetism:
  • “He just like you like to say FSU is the equivalent of what's happening with religious evangelicals, Christian evangelicals. You realize that Shador Sanders is modern day Tebow.” — Dan (24:59)
• The crew expresses cautiousness about weighing in deeply, deferring to a future segment with Jemele Hill.

7. FSU Fans and Cultural Trauma

Timestamps: 25:26–29:55

• Assessment of Florida State University (FSU) football fans post-College Football Playoff (CFP) snub.
• Mike Ryan likens FSU’s online behaviors and lingering resentment to political polarization:
  • “Privately, I liken it to like, when evangelical Christians saw a black president and then the country just kind of went in the direction that it did. That was something that forever changed FSU fans.” — Mike Ryan (25:26)
• The discussion highlights the delusion of fan bases in decline, self-importance, and the struggle to maintain relevance.

8. The Stephen A. Smith “Tool” Debate

Timestamps: 30:29–32:37

• Dan references a behind-the-scenes dispute with Stephen A. Smith, reflecting on the broader problem of public fights among minority voices spurred by media narratives.
  • “And I want to talk to Stephen A. a little more before I discuss some of the things publicly. ... It becomes us fighting with each other in public. The minorities fighting with each other in public.” — Dan (31:19)
• Emphasizes the impact of infighting and media manipulation; Dan is mindful of moving cautiously when these disputes risk “trampling” the wrong people or damaging genuine relationships.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Shador Sanders’ cultural impact:
  “He's the most powerful black man in sports. No other. Matter of fact, black man, he the most powerful player in sports.” — Kendrick Perkins (18:34)
• Cleveland Browns as trainwreck:
  “It's like a train wreck they can't take your eyes off.” — Mike Ryan (08:52)
• On public shame and fallen athletes:
  “Can you imagine having that just everywhere you go publicly, everyone's looking at you and they're like, you're a deviant. You used to be this thing. You're a rock star.” — Dan (15:42)
• FSU’s warped self-image:
  “No one cares about Florida State University. You have to make people care. You made them care two years ago. The whole world has left you in the dust.” — Mike Ryan (28:41)
• Media infighting and identity:
  “I don't actually wanna ruin a relationship or a friendship over something that gets said here that I haven't said to him [Stephen A. Smith]... when these fights become instead of Trump's on McAfee, it's oh look, Beadle and Kerry Champion and Stephen A. are fighting over here. … The minorities fighting with each other in public.” — Dan (31:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Mailing It In at Work: 02:55–03:34
• Brandon Cooks/Player Journeys: 04:11–04:56
• Saints’ Scandals: 05:09–05:33
• Browns QB Dysfunction & Deshaun Watson: 05:34–16:14
• Kendrick Perkins on Shador Sanders: 18:34–19:45
• Symbolism and Black Excellence (“modern-day Tebow”): 24:59
• FSU’s Traumatic Fan Base: 25:26–29:55
• Stephen A. Smith Dispute / Media Dynamics: 30:29–32:37

Overall Tone & Feel

The episode alternates between high-pitched sports banter, incisive cultural commentary, and signature irreverence. Serious social dynamics (race, reputation, media infighting) are addressed with the show’s trademark blend of humor and candor, with an undercurrent of caution on topics (like Shador Sanders and Stephen A. Smith) that have cultural or personal sensitivities.

For the Listener

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in how sports media intersects with broader racial and cultural narratives, as well as for fans of uniquely chaotic NFL franchises, media industry drama, and college football pageantry. The crew’s frankness, skepticism, and willingness to question prevailing narratives make it both entertaining and thought-provoking.