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Sam Acho: Welcome back to the Sam
Acho podcast featuring Cliff Marshall.

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This is a place and a
space where we go first.

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We give space and we grow hope.

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We talk about faith, family,
football, and finances.

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And today we have a very,
very special guest and as we

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usually do on most episodes.

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Clif, please introduce our special guest.

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Clif Marshall: Yes, Sam, we are
so fired up today because we

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have Casey Phillips with us.

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Casey is a Mizzou Tiger alumni.

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She's a current reporter
for the Tampa Bay Bucks.

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She has also spent time with the
La Rams and the Washington Wizards.

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She loves Jesus, and we are thrilled to
have her on the Sam Acho podcast today.

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So Casey, thank you for being here.

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Casey Phillips: Oh, thank you
guys so much for having me.

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I am so excited to be here.

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And, uh, yeah, just Sam was a, a light.

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In the building here in
Tampa when he was here.

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So just so pumped to watch him now
with the broadcast career and to get a

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chance to be, be a part of the podcast.

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I feel like the roles have reversed here.

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Sam Acho: Uh, no, I, before we
press record, I said, Casey,

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I need you to give me a grade.

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So like, hindsight, people don't know.

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And I, it didn't dawn on me or occur to
me until we were about to press record,

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but Tampa Bay was the last place that I
played in the NFL, so I played nine years

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in the NFL and my last year, the last
half of the season, I thought my career

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was, then I was ready to retire and move
on and, and just move on with my life.

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I got a call from.

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From Bruce Ens, who was my coach
in, in Arizona, but fast forward,

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he was the coach in Tampa Bay.

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And I mean, so much so where, you know,
my time in Chicago would come to an end.

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I had a, I tore my pec,
I was out for the year.

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I had a, you know, signed a
multi-year deal, but I got cut

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one year into my two year deal.

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First time it'd ever been
cut, we'd went to Buffalo.

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I was training with the bills.

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I was in training camp, right?

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Playing with Josh Allen
and all these guys.

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And I got cut from the bills.

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At this point, I'm like,
dude, what is going on?

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And I'm ready to be done.

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I remember telling my wife like, Hey
babe, let's just hang it up, right?

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Like let's just be done, move on.

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And she, she says, I don't think
that God's done with us yet.

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And I'm like, well, I pray too.

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So like, how are you supposed to?

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But fast, fast forward, we stayed
in Buffalo for about, and I haven't

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shared this story a ton, but we
stayed Buffalo for about two months

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and I kind of made this deal.

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I said, you know what?

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I told my wife, I said, babe.

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I will stay here until it gets cold.

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And when it gets cold, I'm, I'm
going back to, you know, we had a,

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there's like some venture capital
stuff I was gonna go do also, I'm

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gonna go do that and start a new life.

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And so essentially like it got cold
and so we packed up all our stuff.

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We had just purchased the home that
we were renting in Chicago before

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when I was playing with the Bears.

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We, we purchased it and so we were
gonna put it on the market, rent

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it out through some real estate
stuff, and we drove back to Chicago.

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It was my first time.

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If you wa wanna say it that
way, like away from football.

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We drove on a, I think I had the
conversation with her on a Friday, Hey,

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let's be done on Saturday, we drive
back to Chicago, right from Buffalo

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to Chicago, I don't know how many, 8,
10, 12 hours, whatever the drive was.

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And on Sunday morning I couldn't even
watch the NFLI, I mean, it was just like

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I was, that whole season, I've been angry
and frustrated and upset and confused.

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I mean, just all the different
emotions of, of losing something that

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you'd spent your whole life doing.

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And, and I remember it was on
that Sunday, and on the Monday I

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was going to move to Minnesota.

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My buddy had this opportunity for
me and some venture capital stuff,

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and I was like, boom, let's do it.

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And I had a flight on Monday at like
4:00 PM as most people know, Casey, you

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know this cliff, you know this, you spent
three decades in, in the sports world.

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Sunday is when the NFL games are played,
and if people get injured, you don't

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know about their injuries until Monday
when they go get their MRIs, et cetera.

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So.

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I called, I, I fired my agent.

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So I was the one calling teams.

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I spent two months calling teams.

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Nobody was picking up nothing.

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And all of a sudden, Monday
afternoon around one or 2:00 PM

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I get a call from, from someone
with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Uh, Q is actually, Q called me, uh,
and he said, Hey, Sam, as you know,

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we have four outside linebackers.

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Two of them got injured
in the game yesterday.

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Do you want to come and work out?

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Mind you, I had like made the
decision in my mind that I was

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gonna be done, but at that moment,
he, he said, do you wanna work out?

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And I remember my, my, I
mean, he's six now, but he was

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one at the time was crying.

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Crying.

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I was trying to register our washing
machine that we were gonna, you know,

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for the, you know, and all of a sudden
I said, Hey, can I call you back?

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I said, can I call you back?

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Mind you, and it wasn't because I didn't
wanna go to Tampa, but it was really

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just this idea of like, Hey, God, I,
I wanted to go out on my own terms.

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I wanted to say hi.

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I said no to the NFL.

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What if this is my opportunity
to say no to the NFL?

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Well, I remember, uh, I
said, lemme call you back.

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I said, oh, I get it.

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You know, I hear your baby
crying in the background, but

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yeah, sure, gimme a call back.

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I prayed and I felt, I think
our listeners would resonate.

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Casey, you resonate, cliff.

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It's like this.

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I felt, I felt this kind
of like voice, if you will.

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It felt something that
was just like, say yes.

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Say yes.

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And I remember going downstairs
and sharing with my wife and, and

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she kind of gave the thumbs up.

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I had a, you know, my, my 10 year old's
probably six at the time, I'm like,

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Hey, do you want daddy to go play?

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He's like, no, daddy, stay home sale.

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You know, but I, but I said yes, and
I'd go and I worked out with Tampa Bay.

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I signed with Tampa Band.

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I spent, I spent the last eight games
of the season with the Buccaneers

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playing on defense on special teams.

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And that was when I got a
chance to meet Casey and Casey.

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You started off this podcast
by saying that I was a light.

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In the locker room and in the city
you are a light in the locker room and

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in the city and in everything you do
within, at the stadium, at the facility.

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I mean, I didn't know a lot of people
who were following Jesus on the team.

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I just didn't know that team was
a very young team, and it was kind

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of, the culture was different.

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I felt, I thought my, my, my purpose
there was just to kind of help lead

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and guide some of the younger players.

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But you stuck out Casey and I, I don't
even, like I said, I don't even know

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how I knew that you were a follower
of Jesus, but something about you.

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To, and so I'm so honored.

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That's my longwinded way of saying
thank you for joining the podcast.

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Casey Phillips: Oh,
well, thank you so much.

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I mean, I can't think of a better
compliment than what you just

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said, and, and I appreciate it.

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I, I don't know for sure how you knew.

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My guess is.

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A lot of times, you know, new player
comes in and my job is to just, you know,

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professionally creep on Google to like
learn all the things about everybody.

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And uh, so I know that, you know,
when I researched you, when you joined

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that I knew that you were a believer.

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And so usually when that happens, if
like I've seen that a player is outspoken

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about it, I will usually then like
approach to just say like, Hey, me too.

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Like, let me know if you need a church.

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Let me know if you need this just to,
especially when you're new, like, I

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always like guys to know, hey, like.

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I'm here for you in that, in that
area, if you need a church, if,

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you know, if your wife needs a, a
place to take the kids on a Sunday

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morning when you're playing whatever.

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And so, um, I think I, I'm guessing I
most likely, you know, had one of those

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moments with you of like, Hey, me too.

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Um, but I wanted to show that
this is, you gave me this,

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Sam Acho: Oh yes.

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Casey Phillips: so this is,
you said five years ago, right?

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Six.

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Six.

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It was 2019.

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Does that sound right?

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Yep.

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Sam Acho: my last year.

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Yep.

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Five, six years ago.

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Casey Phillips: So you gave a
bunch of the guys on the team.

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One of these, you gave like the
whole locker room practically, like

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these just showed up on every guy's
chair, whether they wanted it or not.

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I think you were just like here and
then you were so kind and gave me one

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as well, which I thought was so cool.

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And it's been amazing because I
have literally been reading this.

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For five years.

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And what's really cool is there are
certain, I mean, I, I write and underline

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all over it, but um, it was cool.

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I got to tell my husband that
I was coming on with you.

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I'm like, this is who gave me this Jesus
calling because there are days and years

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I pull one up where I'll write the year.

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Then the thing.

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And so I get to track through the years
what I was like, what I got outta that

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day, what I was praying about, and
then I've gotten to watch as answers

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have come to the different things.

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And so this is like one of
my most prized possessions.

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And you were who gave it to
me, so thank you for that.

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Sam Acho: oh my gosh.

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That makes me so glad.

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I'm, I'm starting to tear up a little
bit because like that book that Jesus

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calling book, Casey, like that devotional
got me through like some seasons.

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That book got, that devotional got
me through some seasons of life.

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I mean, sure, some highs,
but those are some low lows.

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Those I could talk about all the,
whether they're being released or being

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injured and not knowing what was next.

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It was almost just like, it's like
two paragraphs and a couple verses

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and it's as if Jesus is speaking
to you and for whatever reason, and

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you, you resonate with this as well.

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It's like it's perfect timing.

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It's perfect timing and so I
gotta pick, my mind got torn and

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tattered and, and all these things.

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I gotta pick mine back up, but
man, thank you for, for, for

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sharing that and showing that.

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Casey Phillips: I was, I was so glad
I remembered to, to bring it in.

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But yeah, this thing is, it's so
true and like I think that is what's

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so cool about a thing that you.

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Go back to is how often we don't go
back to things to even always remember

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and recognize when we got answers.

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You know that we just get the answer
sometimes and move on and like remembering

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both to be grateful, but then also the
next time that there is a challenge,

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the next time there is a thing.

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We've got that evidence, we've got that.

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Well, I saw that this year.

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This happened, man, this is back
when I was praying this for me.

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Lemme tell you, there are some days
where I was praying for a husband in

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this devotional and now I have him and
he has all the things I prayed for, and

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I always love pointing that out to him.

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Then I'm like, look at this babe.

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I was really, I was really
praying about this one here.

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So, um, yeah.

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It's just so cool to have those moments
where you get those things answered

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and those prayers answered to be able
to, then now, the next time you're

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praying for something, it's like, well,
obviously like I look at all these,

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look at all this evidence already.

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Clif Marshall: Casey, it's abundantly
clear that the faith that you

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have is so important to you.

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I just wanted to know, you
know, is it something that.

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Happened in your childhood or have
you, was you brought up in the

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church or did you come to Christ a
little bit later on in your life?

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What was your journey like?

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Uh, you know, following Christ?

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Casey Phillips: Yeah,
a little bit of both.

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I was raised in the church.

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I mean, like Sam, I'm a Texan.

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You know how that is.

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There's one on every one on every

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Sam Acho: Every corner.

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Casey Phillips: yeah, it's,
it's not, do you go to church?

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It's where, right.

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That was the, that was the question.

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So, yeah, I mean, I
definitely grew up in church.

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Um, I don't, I always say that it became
my own, I, in high school, that I went

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to a youth group event and, uh, that
I got tricked into going to, 'cause

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I was told there was barbecue there.

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That's how they get you in Texas too.

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They promised barbecue and I didn't
even know what I was going to and

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it was the first time I ever heard
like contemporary Christian music.

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'cause our church was very
hymns, pews, robes, formal stuff.

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And um, I saw these people that
I knew from school raising their

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hands, eyes are closed and I'm like.

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What in the world is happening?

00:11:04.495 --> 00:11:06.775
Like I was kind of weirded out by it.

00:11:06.775 --> 00:11:09.775
I was like, I don't understand what's
going on, but these are all people that

00:11:09.775 --> 00:11:11.455
I know and I know they're not crazy.

00:11:11.455 --> 00:11:13.285
So like, what would be causing this?

00:11:13.285 --> 00:11:15.685
And I started listening to the words of
the song and just trying to figure out

00:11:15.685 --> 00:11:18.445
like what would make these people I.

00:11:18.445 --> 00:11:18.960
React that way.

00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:23.340
And just in that moment, I, I had the
first time ever this understanding

00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:28.770
of God's love for me individually
and care for me and like the depth

00:11:28.770 --> 00:11:30.000
of that and what that would mean.

00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:34.140
And it just, I, I can't explain it, but it
just, that moment, that was it that I had.

00:11:34.500 --> 00:11:37.350
It was the first really emotional
understanding and connection of

00:11:37.350 --> 00:11:40.410
what a faith like this would mean
for me as compared to just, yeah,

00:11:40.410 --> 00:11:42.270
we go to church, I check this box.

00:11:42.690 --> 00:11:44.490
Um, and that was it, that
there was no looking back.

00:11:44.490 --> 00:11:48.510
I think that was when I was about 14
or 15, and that's when it really became

00:11:48.570 --> 00:11:50.070
a priority in my life from there.

00:11:52.600 --> 00:11:52.930
Clif Marshall: Wow.

00:11:52.930 --> 00:11:53.230
What?

00:11:53.290 --> 00:11:57.970
Um, I think working in the NFL
Sam, you played in the NFL Casey.

00:11:57.970 --> 00:11:59.740
You're in the NFL right now.

00:12:00.250 --> 00:12:00.850
Um.

00:12:01.210 --> 00:12:06.070
You know, I guess on game day, I
coached in the NFL Casey for a few

00:12:06.070 --> 00:12:07.690
years with the Cincinnati Bengals.

00:12:08.170 --> 00:12:10.690
You could see the, the
Bengals stuff behind me.

00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:14.920
Uh, I've also spent time in college
basketball, so I've done both.

00:12:14.920 --> 00:12:18.670
But I just know in the, in the
NFL, certainly on game day, I

00:12:18.670 --> 00:12:23.410
used to see the players, you know,
pre pregame or postgame, and I

00:12:23.410 --> 00:12:25.300
just know faith is so important.

00:12:26.380 --> 00:12:29.890
Uh, the athletes and everybody
who works in the NFL, so to speak.

00:12:29.890 --> 00:12:33.850
So, Casey, I guess for, for you,
how do you use, you know, your

00:12:33.850 --> 00:12:37.870
faith in your career, uh, as a
reporter for the Tampa Bay Bucks?

00:12:38.885 --> 00:12:39.095
Casey Phillips: Yeah.

00:12:39.095 --> 00:12:42.665
For me it's always been really
important that, um, my faith is

00:12:42.665 --> 00:12:44.585
shown in how I do everything that.

00:12:45.320 --> 00:12:49.750
We're Christians 24/7 and I don't think
it has to mean beating people over the

00:12:49.750 --> 00:12:54.700
head with it, but I just wanna know
that everything I do, if people find

00:12:54.700 --> 00:12:57.850
out I'm a Christian, that that makes
sense in their mind for how I'm carrying

00:12:57.850 --> 00:13:01.390
myself, and especially for me, it's
the way that, I mean, I am telling

00:13:01.390 --> 00:13:03.160
people stories and there is nothing.

00:13:03.595 --> 00:13:04.885
More personal than that.

00:13:04.885 --> 00:13:08.815
More important than that is that I know
the trust that means of players and

00:13:08.815 --> 00:13:13.135
coaches and people putting their, their
reputations, their stories, their public

00:13:13.135 --> 00:13:17.785
image, sometimes in my hands when I do
these interviews and these podcasts.

00:13:17.785 --> 00:13:19.525
And so for me it's that I.

00:13:19.675 --> 00:13:23.815
I will always choose what I think is
the Godly way to handle and enter, you

00:13:23.815 --> 00:13:25.825
know, a relationship with everybody here.

00:13:26.125 --> 00:13:30.505
The types of questions I ask that
I'm never going to sacrifice, you

00:13:30.505 --> 00:13:33.295
know, the way that I think God is
calling me to love him and love these

00:13:33.295 --> 00:13:37.255
people, and it for the sake of views
or clicks or numbers like I want.

00:13:37.870 --> 00:13:42.310
The way we handle an interview to
make whoever it was feel like they

00:13:42.310 --> 00:13:43.930
were cared for and loved that.

00:13:44.230 --> 00:13:46.840
So often athletes are not
treated like people, right?

00:13:46.840 --> 00:13:50.680
That the way people talk about them
online, the way people treat them, I

00:13:50.680 --> 00:13:54.250
want them to walk away feeling like
now the fans are gonna see their

00:13:54.250 --> 00:13:57.370
humanity and what matters to them
and their family and their friends.

00:13:57.610 --> 00:14:02.440
Um, so just making sure that I take
extreme care with how I treat all

00:14:02.440 --> 00:14:05.590
my coworkers, how I treat everyone,
and how I tell their stories.

00:14:05.590 --> 00:14:06.340
'cause I know that's.

00:14:06.670 --> 00:14:09.400
That's a really big deal to be
putting that in my hands and, and I

00:14:09.400 --> 00:14:13.720
also knew that for me, I was gonna
wanna invite players to go to church.

00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:16.030
I was gonna wanna offer
to pray for players.

00:14:16.330 --> 00:14:20.320
And if I have now done a story saying
all this negative stuff about you

00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:23.230
or not being honorable and how I
did that, like, are you kidding?

00:14:23.230 --> 00:14:23.740
Can you imagine?

00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:26.740
I put out this story where I'm
like bashing some player and then

00:14:26.740 --> 00:14:28.870
I'm like, Hey, by the way, do you
wanna go to church with me tomorrow?

00:14:28.870 --> 00:14:29.500
They're gonna be like.

00:14:29.875 --> 00:14:34.345
What, and I just knew that I wanted
the way I did my job to line up with,

00:14:34.345 --> 00:14:38.485
if I was gonna invite them to church,
that there was no contradiction there.

00:14:39.955 --> 00:14:42.830
Sam Acho: Casey, how do you, I'm gonna,
I know Cliff's got a couple, but I

00:14:45.025 --> 00:14:46.915
media I from being a player now.

00:14:50.470 --> 00:14:54.625
As you know, there's so much that
goes into clicks and likes and,

00:14:54.630 --> 00:14:58.120
and and, and, and getting the, the,
being the first to tell a story.

00:14:59.290 --> 00:15:04.840
What is your priority when
it comes to being successful?

00:15:05.890 --> 00:15:09.190
And I wasn't gonna say in your job, but
like, I guess, how do you view success?

00:15:09.190 --> 00:15:10.480
What do you view as success?

00:15:11.845 --> 00:15:15.295
Casey Phillips: I think for
specifically my job, I view success as.

00:15:16.315 --> 00:15:17.365
A couple things.

00:15:17.695 --> 00:15:22.105
If I get the, the player, or especially
maybe their mom, to tell me that they

00:15:22.105 --> 00:15:24.775
love how I portrayed them in something.

00:15:24.775 --> 00:15:28.735
If I get a, if I get a player's family
member to say they love the interview

00:15:28.735 --> 00:15:33.265
I did with their son or their brother
or whatever, I'm like, what a win.

00:15:33.595 --> 00:15:34.885
And then it's also.

00:15:35.230 --> 00:15:40.060
For me when like I had a, a mom message
me about her daughter who was asked to

00:15:40.180 --> 00:15:44.620
a school assignment write a, a woman
that she wanted to be like someday.

00:15:44.650 --> 00:15:47.890
And she picked me and
she sent me this essay.

00:15:47.890 --> 00:15:50.920
Her daughter had written that
she was eight years old and that

00:15:50.980 --> 00:15:52.510
why she wanted to be like me.

00:15:52.930 --> 00:15:58.090
So then I think like, am I, do I
feel like I want her to be like me?

00:15:58.330 --> 00:16:01.930
Is is success to me is that I can
say that I want that 8-year-old

00:16:01.930 --> 00:16:04.300
girl to do everything that I do.

00:16:04.855 --> 00:16:07.735
I would be happy about that,
that I would feel good about

00:16:07.735 --> 00:16:09.205
that if she wants to be like me.

00:16:09.475 --> 00:16:14.665
And so it's that I do my job in a
way that I feel like I've done it

00:16:14.665 --> 00:16:18.115
in an honorable way where I can say
to the next generation of girls, do

00:16:18.115 --> 00:16:20.485
like I did and feel good about that.

00:16:20.965 --> 00:16:24.985
Um, and then that the players and
their families are happy with the

00:16:24.985 --> 00:16:26.155
way that I've told their story.

00:16:28.585 --> 00:16:29.155
Clif Marshall: Very good.

00:16:29.155 --> 00:16:32.665
Casey, I have to ask, I see you
worked with the Washington Wizards

00:16:33.085 --> 00:16:36.205
and now you're obviously in the
NFL with the Tampa Bay Bucks.

00:16:36.595 --> 00:16:39.985
Um, again, I've spent time in
both football and basketball as a

00:16:39.985 --> 00:16:41.395
strength and conditioning coach.

00:16:41.725 --> 00:16:46.405
So I just gotta ask you, what, um,
did you enjoy more working in the

00:16:46.405 --> 00:16:48.685
NBA or currently working in the NFL?

00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:50.490
Casey Phillips: Ooh, that's tough.

00:16:50.520 --> 00:16:53.550
Um, my schedule liked the NFL
better, let me tell you that.

00:16:53.550 --> 00:16:53.910
That's for

00:16:53.920 --> 00:16:54.280
Clif Marshall: Right.

00:16:54.960 --> 00:16:57.960
Casey Phillips: Um, especially 'cause
when I was there, I was also covering

00:16:57.960 --> 00:16:59.640
the Washington Mystics at the same time.

00:16:59.820 --> 00:17:03.270
So we had no off season that we
went straight from NBA to WNBA.

00:17:03.580 --> 00:17:06.940
And, um, that's part of why I
only lasted two years there is I

00:17:06.940 --> 00:17:10.150
was like, I think I'm gonna die
if I continue in this trajectory.

00:17:10.390 --> 00:17:13.480
So then I got an offer to go to the
NFL and I was like, oh, 17 at the

00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:18.160
time, even 16 games compared to 80
something with, you know, the NBA

00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:19.480
and then all those WNBA games later.

00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:23.200
So I, I, from a schedule standpoint,
obviously NFL is is better,

00:17:23.410 --> 00:17:25.630
but basketball was my love.

00:17:25.630 --> 00:17:26.500
It's what I played.

00:17:26.500 --> 00:17:28.330
It's, it's my favorite sport in the world.

00:17:28.330 --> 00:17:28.750
So like.

00:17:28.870 --> 00:17:34.480
And it was funny, I, I was more
starstruck covering the WNBA than

00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:38.410
like the NBA or NFL because those were
so many of the women I had grown up.

00:17:38.800 --> 00:17:42.610
Idolizing and watching and wanting
to be like, and, and so it's funny

00:17:42.610 --> 00:17:45.100
how that was actually the times I had
to be like, Casey, get it together.

00:17:45.130 --> 00:17:46.030
Like it's, it's all right.

00:17:46.030 --> 00:17:47.500
Like, those were the people.

00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:50.770
So I, I really loved getting to start
my career covering a sport that I

00:17:50.770 --> 00:17:53.980
was so familiar with, that I felt
so knowledgeable about football.

00:17:53.980 --> 00:17:56.650
I definitely had a lot I had
to learn once I got here.

00:17:56.650 --> 00:18:00.070
So it took a lot of work from just an Xs
and Os standpoint, not having played it.

00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:02.710
Um, but yeah, they both are
really cool in their own ways

00:18:02.710 --> 00:18:03.910
of, I loved basketball, but.

00:18:04.420 --> 00:18:10.180
Having 53 people to tell stories about
is really great as compared to only, you

00:18:10.180 --> 00:18:14.710
know, we had at the time, it's like 12
guys on the team and only like nine were

00:18:14.710 --> 00:18:18.190
actually dressing and playing even on any
given night or you know, more dressing.

00:18:18.190 --> 00:18:19.960
But nine guys get in the rotation.

00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:21.280
You got 80 something games.

00:18:21.280 --> 00:18:25.270
You are just having to interview the
same guy over and over and over and over.

00:18:25.270 --> 00:18:27.940
And whereas at least football,
you, you have more people to

00:18:27.940 --> 00:18:29.590
choose from and, and more stories.

00:18:30.215 --> 00:18:30.295
Sam Acho: Hmm.

00:18:30.550 --> 00:18:33.895
Casey, how did you get into the industry?

00:18:35.455 --> 00:18:38.785
Casey Phillips: Man, I, I am convinced
that God just wanted me to do this job.

00:18:38.815 --> 00:18:41.365
'cause there are so many things
about it that I'm like, I, this

00:18:41.365 --> 00:18:42.925
is wild how it all worked out.

00:18:42.925 --> 00:18:45.805
But I knew when I was very young, I
wanted to do some form of broadcasting.

00:18:46.105 --> 00:18:49.015
So I actually, I was just at my parents
this weekend and we found these old

00:18:49.015 --> 00:18:53.605
photos of me anchoring the news at my
middle school when I was 11 and 12.

00:18:54.235 --> 00:18:56.845
Um, but I, back then I
wanted to be Katie Couric.

00:18:56.965 --> 00:18:59.365
And I think it's, especially
because that's what was like.

00:19:00.070 --> 00:19:03.310
You just could see that more, that
there were more women doing that

00:19:03.310 --> 00:19:07.570
kind of a broadcasting job than
there were on the sports side.

00:19:07.570 --> 00:19:09.490
And people would even recommend
that, oh, you should be like Katie

00:19:09.490 --> 00:19:10.780
Couric, you know, which is great.

00:19:10.780 --> 00:19:12.760
But I think that's what
everyone kept kind of pushing.

00:19:13.180 --> 00:19:16.750
And then, um, my high
school also had, um, a.

00:19:16.945 --> 00:19:21.175
You know, kind of broadcast station at it
And my teacher for that class was like,

00:19:21.175 --> 00:19:25.105
Hey, I give one student the chance to
interview for some internships every year.

00:19:25.225 --> 00:19:26.815
I know this is what you actually wanna do.

00:19:26.815 --> 00:19:29.065
And she goes, I wanna be
clear, you won't get them.

00:19:29.065 --> 00:19:33.025
You're 17, you're gonna be
interviewing against college graduates.

00:19:33.355 --> 00:19:36.265
Like it's just so you get
some experience in the door.

00:19:36.295 --> 00:19:38.785
And she said, so I'm gonna let you
interview with the Dallas Mavericks

00:19:39.115 --> 00:19:40.765
and with Fox Sports Southwest.

00:19:41.425 --> 00:19:42.355
And I was like.

00:19:43.150 --> 00:19:45.250
Why have I not thought about doing sports?

00:19:45.250 --> 00:19:46.630
It was like this light bulb went off.

00:19:46.630 --> 00:19:47.980
Like I played every sport.

00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:54.040
I loved sports and I loved that it took
a woman also suggesting sports to me.

00:19:54.310 --> 00:19:56.890
You know that, that at that time,
that just wasn't as much of a thing.

00:19:57.100 --> 00:19:59.950
So I went and interviewed for
both internships and I got

00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:02.605
both of them at 17, which is.

00:20:03.175 --> 00:20:08.155
Again, I'm like, clearly God wanted
me to do this because I was not

00:20:08.215 --> 00:20:09.625
necessarily the most qualified.

00:20:09.625 --> 00:20:12.295
I'm sure I wasn't and I was 17,
but I went and did both them.

00:20:12.295 --> 00:20:14.965
So I worked both internships that summer.

00:20:15.295 --> 00:20:18.445
Um, and then from there it was
like I got in the door and I

00:20:18.445 --> 00:20:19.585
just knew all these people.

00:20:19.585 --> 00:20:21.445
So from 17 to 22.

00:20:21.790 --> 00:20:25.360
I did Fox Sports Southwest, three
different summers, the Mavericks.

00:20:25.360 --> 00:20:27.550
I did two different summers
with the Dallas Cowboys.

00:20:27.550 --> 00:20:30.580
I did CBS in Dallas, two different
summers, all just from kind

00:20:30.580 --> 00:20:33.850
of knowing everybody once you
get into that industry there.

00:20:34.030 --> 00:20:37.270
Um, and then right as I was about
to finish college, I'm like, man,

00:20:37.270 --> 00:20:38.380
I've done a thousand internships.

00:20:38.380 --> 00:20:42.250
I'm finally gonna get paid to
do this career when I finish.

00:20:42.460 --> 00:20:47.620
Uh, and I tore my ACL right
before graduating and I, oh God.

00:20:47.620 --> 00:20:48.820
And I had some chats.

00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:49.570
I was.

00:20:50.275 --> 00:20:51.865
I was unhappy about this.

00:20:51.865 --> 00:20:52.735
I was like, I don't understand.

00:20:52.735 --> 00:20:54.205
You've always made it so clear.

00:20:54.475 --> 00:20:55.645
This is what you want me to do.

00:20:55.645 --> 00:20:56.845
Like how can this happen?

00:20:57.355 --> 00:20:59.905
And, you know, 'cause to be a reporter,
especially right outta the gate, I

00:20:59.905 --> 00:21:03.265
needed to be carrying all my camera
gear and shooting myself and, you

00:21:03.265 --> 00:21:06.595
know, sitting down on the baseline,
I physically couldn't do the job.

00:21:06.985 --> 00:21:12.535
So I took an internship with, uh, Disney
Sports pr, and I remember at the time.

00:21:13.315 --> 00:21:16.765
Being terrified that that was
going to derail my whole career.

00:21:16.825 --> 00:21:20.005
That you feel like if you get out of
broadcasting for any amount of time,

00:21:20.005 --> 00:21:22.705
like it's just over before it started.

00:21:22.705 --> 00:21:26.515
And, and I was so afraid I was gonna get
pigeonholed into just more the PR side.

00:21:26.995 --> 00:21:31.405
And, um, but that internship, I, right
after I applied for the Wizards blindly,

00:21:31.705 --> 00:21:34.105
didn't know anybody applied online.

00:21:34.435 --> 00:21:39.115
I found out 300 other people applied
at least, and they gave it to me.

00:21:39.115 --> 00:21:40.705
And I remember asking them like.

00:21:41.620 --> 00:21:42.550
I'm thrilled you did.

00:21:42.550 --> 00:21:44.290
Can you tell me why me?

00:21:44.710 --> 00:21:46.810
And they said, well, you know,
everyone that applied had broadcast

00:21:46.810 --> 00:21:51.220
experience, but because of your
work at Disney, you also had done

00:21:51.220 --> 00:21:53.260
social media and PR and marketing.

00:21:53.290 --> 00:21:55.480
And those are all things that
when you work for a team, you're

00:21:55.480 --> 00:21:56.800
gonna have to do all of those.

00:21:57.340 --> 00:22:00.580
So everyone had broadcast experience,
but only you had this thing.

00:22:00.610 --> 00:22:04.720
And I just remember hearing,
God, I, I could pic I pictured

00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:06.250
this expression of him going.

00:22:07.195 --> 00:22:12.385
That's what I pictured where the thing
that I had been so mad and I, and I was

00:22:12.385 --> 00:22:17.935
so frustrated and didn't understand the
plan, and to finally all of a sudden see

00:22:17.935 --> 00:22:20.275
that like what I thought was gonna ruin.

00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:22.630
Derailed his whole plan and career.

00:22:22.630 --> 00:22:26.080
God knew that that was exactly
the thing that I needed to get it

00:22:26.080 --> 00:22:29.440
started and it got me into this team
reporter route, which was just being

00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:31.210
created at the time when I graduated.

00:22:31.210 --> 00:22:33.520
These team reporter roles
didn't even really exist yet.

00:22:33.880 --> 00:22:37.480
That one year I did at Disney was
when they started getting created,

00:22:37.480 --> 00:22:40.630
and so my job with the Wizards and
then at the time, basically the

00:22:40.630 --> 00:22:43.960
Wizards and Celtics were like the
only ones that had this team reporter.

00:22:44.650 --> 00:22:48.880
Role and it let me break in,
right as these were being formed.

00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:51.820
And so my job with the Wizards, my job
with the Rams, and then my job with

00:22:51.820 --> 00:22:55.420
the Bucks, I was the first person to
get to have all three of them that they

00:22:55.420 --> 00:22:56.770
were these brand new created roles.

00:22:56.770 --> 00:22:59.500
And it just always made me think about
how like, man, God can open doors you

00:22:59.500 --> 00:23:03.550
don't, like, I didn't even know to expect
these kind of jobs when I was in college.

00:23:03.550 --> 00:23:05.680
And it just all worked
out perfectly timing wise.

00:23:06.580 --> 00:23:09.850
Sam Acho: To me that sounds
Cliff, like a cliff note.

00:23:09.910 --> 00:23:13.780
You know, usually when we do Casey on
this, on this podcast is, uh, cliff

00:23:13.780 --> 00:23:17.380
shares his CliffNotes, and I know we're
not even close to being done yet, but

00:23:17.380 --> 00:23:19.990
Cliff, what Cliff note do you have?

00:23:19.990 --> 00:23:21.640
From what we just heard from Casey, I.

00:23:23.170 --> 00:23:25.540
Clif Marshall: Well, I think she
just pretty much summed it up.

00:23:25.540 --> 00:23:30.190
I think, uh, we work as if it's up to
us, but we pray as if it's up to God.

00:23:30.550 --> 00:23:35.170
You know, like in our C career,
Sam, you as an NFL player, KCU as

00:23:35.170 --> 00:23:37.600
a NFL, broadcaster and Reporter.

00:23:37.600 --> 00:23:41.320
I mean, it's, and even me as a coach,
you can reflect back on your journey.

00:23:41.380 --> 00:23:44.650
You reflect back on your
career and you could look at

00:23:44.650 --> 00:23:46.480
God's Hand has been with you.

00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:51.700
And so I think the cliff note
for me today, at least for this

00:23:51.790 --> 00:23:56.350
podcast, is work as if it's up to
you, but pray as if it's up to God.

00:23:57.205 --> 00:23:57.685
Casey Phillips: Mm.

00:23:58.795 --> 00:24:00.715
I love that Mark Batterson
says that all the time.

00:24:00.715 --> 00:24:02.755
He was, uh, my pastor when I lived in dc.

00:24:03.310 --> 00:24:03.910
Clif Marshall: Wow.

00:24:04.660 --> 00:24:05.560
I, I know he is.

00:24:05.560 --> 00:24:10.030
Put some great books out there and
have a ton of respect for him for sure.

00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:16.330
Um, I did want to ask you, um,
Casey, about your journey, um,

00:24:16.390 --> 00:24:19.750
and if you just go back again, you
mentioned you were 17 years old.

00:24:20.230 --> 00:24:24.910
What would you tell 17-year-old
Casey as you reflect back right now?

00:24:26.275 --> 00:24:28.645
Casey Phillips: Yeah, I think,
um, I would say it's gonna turn

00:24:28.645 --> 00:24:30.415
out even better than you imagine.

00:24:30.835 --> 00:24:31.285
That.

00:24:31.375 --> 00:24:35.365
You know, I, I think one of my favorite
verses is the Ephesians three 20.

00:24:35.365 --> 00:24:38.365
If he's able to do a measure, it'll
be more than all we ask or imagine.

00:24:38.845 --> 00:24:43.735
And I think that it's also the fact
that the back half of that verse

00:24:43.735 --> 00:24:47.515
is that according to his power at
work within us, where it's like.

00:24:48.115 --> 00:24:51.025
We love to think about, he's
just gonna do more for me.

00:24:51.325 --> 00:24:54.895
But it's like according to the idea
of if you're allowing like him to

00:24:54.895 --> 00:24:59.425
work through you as well, and that as
long, I think I would say back then of

00:24:59.425 --> 00:25:03.175
like, Hey, as long as you're walking
with him, it is gonna turn out even

00:25:03.175 --> 00:25:04.525
better than you can ever imagine.

00:25:04.525 --> 00:25:07.046
Whatever your plans are,
it's gonna be even better.

00:25:07.070 --> 00:25:10.105
And that includes the things
that are not fun at the time.

00:25:10.105 --> 00:25:11.935
Like, would I wanna tear my ACL.

00:25:12.150 --> 00:25:15.270
No, but would I now
change that for anything?

00:25:15.330 --> 00:25:16.170
Absolutely not.

00:25:16.170 --> 00:25:21.390
I would tear it all over again because
of the direction that it brought me and

00:25:21.390 --> 00:25:25.740
the way that it formed this stuff now
of where like, God can use even those,

00:25:25.800 --> 00:25:29.760
you know, hardest kind of darkest things
to take you where he wants you to go.

00:25:29.760 --> 00:25:30.930
So, um.

00:25:31.180 --> 00:25:35.140
Then I also I think would tell, you know,
17-year-old Casey, one of my favorite

00:25:35.140 --> 00:25:39.430
things to guide me when making decisions
is something I heard Andy Stanley say

00:25:39.460 --> 00:25:43.390
one time of just ask yourself, what
does love require of me that I think

00:25:43.390 --> 00:25:47.440
as Christians, like that's the question
that when we get ourselves in a binary,

00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:48.850
we don't know what God wants us to do.

00:25:48.850 --> 00:25:51.640
Maybe of just like God's made
it so clear our job is just to

00:25:51.640 --> 00:25:52.720
love him and love other people.

00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:55.570
And so if you're not sure what
to do at any point in your life,

00:25:56.050 --> 00:25:57.730
what does love require of me?

00:25:57.880 --> 00:25:59.620
And that's, I think,
some of the best advice.

00:26:00.740 --> 00:26:01.970
Sam Acho: Casey, we, we talk.

00:26:01.970 --> 00:26:03.140
Thank you so much for sharing that.

00:26:03.140 --> 00:26:06.860
We talk, uh, about adversity
a lot on this podcast.

00:26:08.140 --> 00:26:12.640
shared a little bit about tearing your
ACL right before your dream job and how

00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:17.650
it worked out, but on the outside we
see, I see man, Casey, she's always got

00:26:17.650 --> 00:26:21.220
a smile on and she's a reporter for the
Bucks, and now she's married and she

00:26:21.220 --> 00:26:25.000
got what, A Super Bowl with Tom Brady
and Rob Gronkowski and all the things.

00:26:25.600 --> 00:26:29.350
But there's some things behind the scenes
that a lot of people don't know about.

00:26:30.280 --> 00:26:33.460
Can you share with us a little bit about
your journey with some of the autoimmune

00:26:33.460 --> 00:26:36.340
disease diseases that you've dealt with?

00:26:37.375 --> 00:26:38.575
Casey Phillips: Yeah, so, um.

00:26:39.010 --> 00:26:43.360
Ironically, it was, uh, right when I met
you was when all of it was happening.

00:26:43.390 --> 00:26:46.150
So again, the things that you don't
know at the time about somebody.

00:26:46.450 --> 00:26:52.600
Um, so I, in the summer of
2019, um, just suddenly.

00:26:53.305 --> 00:26:57.595
Had massive health stuff going on
out of the blue where I went down

00:26:57.595 --> 00:27:02.155
to, I'm five foot eight, I went down
to 111 pounds, um, which is wild.

00:27:02.455 --> 00:27:07.015
And I, I will spare you
all the, the details.

00:27:07.315 --> 00:27:08.845
Um, but it was bad.

00:27:08.845 --> 00:27:10.695
And I got put in the ER a couple times.

00:27:10.915 --> 00:27:12.446
Um, it was, it was really rough.

00:27:12.460 --> 00:27:15.835
And And I ended up getting diagnosed
with what's called ulcerative colitis.

00:27:16.165 --> 00:27:19.255
So a lot of people have heard
Crohn's, ulcerative colitis.

00:27:19.255 --> 00:27:20.785
They're, they're very similar things.

00:27:21.175 --> 00:27:21.715
Um.

00:27:21.900 --> 00:27:25.740
It was, I, I was in pretty bad shape and
they had to put me on just wild amounts

00:27:25.740 --> 00:27:30.270
of steroids to try to bring it down,
which was, was super fun as a broadcaster.

00:27:30.300 --> 00:27:33.600
'cause it made my face get all puffy and
it caused me to have like acne everywhere.

00:27:33.600 --> 00:27:34.890
And I was like, this is great.

00:27:34.890 --> 00:27:35.880
Everything is fine.

00:27:36.330 --> 00:27:38.970
Um, but I remember just at the time, like.

00:27:39.745 --> 00:27:42.595
One of my first thoughts was like,
am I gonna get to still do this job?

00:27:42.775 --> 00:27:44.935
I mean, there's anyone that
has heard of or knows anything

00:27:44.935 --> 00:27:45.775
about ulcerative colitis.

00:27:45.775 --> 00:27:49.345
Like you have no idea what that's going
to do to your, it's different for every

00:27:49.345 --> 00:27:51.565
person and what that can look like.

00:27:51.595 --> 00:27:54.925
And I'm reading about it and just
even the way it got delivered to

00:27:54.925 --> 00:27:58.135
me, I, I woke up from getting, you
know, a colonoscopy to diagnose it.

00:27:58.135 --> 00:28:00.505
I'm coming out of the anesthesia
and they're like, okay, yeah,

00:28:00.505 --> 00:28:01.885
you have this autoimmune disease.

00:28:01.945 --> 00:28:02.935
You'll have it for life.

00:28:02.935 --> 00:28:03.685
There's no cure.

00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:06.910
And I'm like, first of all, we should
work on the bedside manner a little bit.

00:28:07.150 --> 00:28:11.260
But, um, I mean, that's a wild thing
to hear of just like, here's this

00:28:11.260 --> 00:28:14.890
thing, you're gonna have the rest
of your life and you have no idea

00:28:14.920 --> 00:28:18.010
how and when it's gonna affect you
and what that's gonna look like.

00:28:18.550 --> 00:28:21.100
And I just remember sitting there
having a very similar moment with

00:28:21.100 --> 00:28:23.140
God of like, I just don't understand.

00:28:23.470 --> 00:28:27.670
This does not feel like something
that is gonna help me live.

00:28:28.410 --> 00:28:31.675
the life for you that I would, I would
like to, and especially this job that

00:28:31.675 --> 00:28:35.155
I, I love so much, like, am I gonna
still be able to do these things?

00:28:35.785 --> 00:28:39.475
And I, it's one of the clearest times
I felt like I heard from God and

00:28:39.475 --> 00:28:43.045
I heard him say, if I have called
you to it, I will equip you for it.

00:28:44.545 --> 00:28:47.545
And I, I just remember at the
time being like, okay, I don't

00:28:47.545 --> 00:28:48.655
know what that's gonna look like.

00:28:48.835 --> 00:28:52.645
I, but it just tells me that if, if God
wants me to do it, I'll be able to do it.

00:28:52.645 --> 00:28:54.595
And if he doesn't, then I
don't wanna do it anyway.

00:28:55.105 --> 00:28:56.455
And, um.

00:28:57.265 --> 00:29:00.445
You know, it was just such a,
now looking back like that was.

00:29:00.790 --> 00:29:01.600
Such a dark time.

00:29:01.600 --> 00:29:03.010
It was very scary.

00:29:03.340 --> 00:29:07.660
Um, it was months before I was
kind of back into like normal.

00:29:07.660 --> 00:29:13.060
And here again, I'm having to fly to
London for a game and I'm having to

00:29:13.120 --> 00:29:16.180
cover the whole NFL and I'm like, I don't
even know what this is gonna look like.

00:29:16.180 --> 00:29:17.860
I'm not feeling great.

00:29:17.860 --> 00:29:18.910
I'm, you know, all these things.

00:29:19.450 --> 00:29:19.840
Um.

00:29:20.275 --> 00:29:23.245
And then of course, right as I kind
of get it under control, COVID happens

00:29:23.245 --> 00:29:27.145
and trying to deal with like the whole
COVID pandemic with an autoimmune

00:29:27.145 --> 00:29:28.945
disease was its own challenge.

00:29:29.155 --> 00:29:32.425
So then right as we get into like
2021 where I'm like, okay, like

00:29:32.545 --> 00:29:33.955
we've kind of got a handle on this.

00:29:33.955 --> 00:29:35.305
Like I know what's going on now.

00:29:35.635 --> 00:29:39.715
I actually got diagnosed with a second
autoimmune disease that affects my um,

00:29:39.715 --> 00:29:42.145
joints and my back and my spine, and.

00:29:42.685 --> 00:29:46.105
So then, um, I had to get on like a
new, you know, medication that could

00:29:46.135 --> 00:29:50.635
try to treat both where I was having to
give myself injections every two weeks.

00:29:51.445 --> 00:29:54.625
Then through those injections,
I started having really bad, um,

00:29:54.655 --> 00:29:57.835
allergic reactions to them where I was
developing hives all over the place.

00:29:57.835 --> 00:30:02.575
So I'd be like on air doing an interview
and suddenly start feeling like all

00:30:02.575 --> 00:30:06.055
these hives developing, feeling swelling,
feeling the stuff, and I'd have to finish

00:30:06.055 --> 00:30:08.995
the interview, and then I'd have to go
run out to my car with an ice bag and

00:30:08.995 --> 00:30:10.315
like Benadryl that I kept out there.

00:30:10.945 --> 00:30:13.825
And like sit in my backseat
for a bit to like ice those

00:30:13.825 --> 00:30:15.085
to try to make them go away.

00:30:15.295 --> 00:30:17.275
And it got to a point where
it was just not sustainable.

00:30:17.275 --> 00:30:19.885
And so then I had to switch to a whole
nother medication where now I have

00:30:19.885 --> 00:30:24.175
to go and get IV infusions that last
two or three hours every six weeks.

00:30:24.655 --> 00:30:28.495
Um, and it has just been a wild ride
of there being something therefore

00:30:28.495 --> 00:30:31.765
like every year since 2019 where
it was like getting diagnosed with

00:30:31.765 --> 00:30:34.825
a new thing or a new medicine or
switching medicines or that something.

00:30:34.825 --> 00:30:38.845
It's just every year there's
been something with all of this.

00:30:38.845 --> 00:30:39.955
And I just always thought like.

00:30:40.825 --> 00:30:41.845
What is this gonna look like?

00:30:41.845 --> 00:30:42.805
What is my life gonna look like?

00:30:42.805 --> 00:30:44.425
Am I gonna get to do these jobs?

00:30:44.665 --> 00:30:45.505
Am I gonna get married?

00:30:45.505 --> 00:30:47.305
Am I gonna, you know, all these questions?

00:30:47.755 --> 00:30:54.715
And now here I am, you know, five
and a half years later, and you know,

00:30:54.715 --> 00:30:56.665
I have been able to do this job.

00:30:56.905 --> 00:30:59.665
I've gotten married, I've bought a
house, I've won a Super Bowl, ring.

00:30:59.665 --> 00:31:01.735
Like all of these incredible things.

00:31:01.735 --> 00:31:02.455
And now.

00:31:03.070 --> 00:31:06.700
I look at verses like, you know,
James one, two and the considering

00:31:06.700 --> 00:31:10.930
it pure joy when you face trials of
many kinds 'cause of the perseverance

00:31:10.930 --> 00:31:12.400
and Romans five, three, same thing.

00:31:12.400 --> 00:31:14.680
We rejoice in our sufferings
knowing that it produces

00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:16.450
endurance and character and hope.

00:31:16.900 --> 00:31:19.750
And I get to understand a bit
about that now because look,

00:31:19.750 --> 00:31:21.190
have I enjoyed all of this?

00:31:21.850 --> 00:31:26.230
Absolutely not, but I do believe that
I've seen where now, like I'm a more

00:31:26.230 --> 00:31:29.170
empathetic person knowing that you have
no idea what people are going through.

00:31:29.170 --> 00:31:29.230
I.

00:31:29.515 --> 00:31:32.605
Like you said, Sam, like no one
would have any idea of all of this

00:31:32.665 --> 00:31:35.905
if they're just watching Buck's
content that any of this is happening.

00:31:36.205 --> 00:31:39.055
So I'm more empathetic not knowing
what someone's going through.

00:31:39.055 --> 00:31:41.485
I'm very empathetic to people
that have chronic pain or illness.

00:31:41.485 --> 00:31:44.755
I know how tough it is to go through
that, and I also know like I'm

00:31:44.755 --> 00:31:48.145
stronger and can handle more than I
would've thought if you had told me.

00:31:48.700 --> 00:31:50.200
All of this was going to happen.

00:31:50.200 --> 00:31:52.420
I'd have been like, Nope, I can't do that.

00:31:52.570 --> 00:31:53.530
I'm not strong enough.

00:31:53.530 --> 00:31:54.550
I can't handle that.

00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:58.720
And to just learn that no, like
you are stronger than as long as,

00:31:58.720 --> 00:32:00.040
again, you lean on God for it.

00:32:00.040 --> 00:32:03.730
I couldn't have handled it on my
own, but by leaning on God through

00:32:03.730 --> 00:32:06.280
it, you know, I can handle more
than I would've thought, and now I'm

00:32:06.280 --> 00:32:07.660
able to give back to other people.

00:32:08.335 --> 00:32:12.295
Go through this that I got to speak
to a group of kids who all have it.

00:32:12.535 --> 00:32:14.875
That were going to a summer camp
that are for kids who have one of

00:32:14.875 --> 00:32:18.355
my autoimmune diseases, and they got
to ask me all these questions of,

00:32:18.385 --> 00:32:20.125
you know, and it's, they're so cute.

00:32:20.125 --> 00:32:21.655
These kids are like, what do
you do if you have to go to

00:32:21.655 --> 00:32:23.365
the bathroom when you're on tv?

00:32:23.365 --> 00:32:24.565
Like, it was really adorable.

00:32:24.955 --> 00:32:28.135
Um, but I get to talk to these
kids going through it and give

00:32:28.135 --> 00:32:29.575
back, and so now it's really cool.

00:32:29.575 --> 00:32:32.605
I've gotten involved in the
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.

00:32:32.935 --> 00:32:37.435
And, um, I'm on their gala board, so we're
having a gala this fall here in Tampa, and

00:32:37.435 --> 00:32:41.515
they asked me to be their patient honoree,
which was really, really special for me.

00:32:41.515 --> 00:32:45.085
So I'm gonna get to give a speech at
the gala and, um, just talk about my

00:32:45.085 --> 00:32:47.215
experience and hope to try to encourage I.

00:32:47.560 --> 00:32:51.850
Other people going through it and you
know, I'm just now so much more grateful

00:32:51.850 --> 00:32:56.140
for the blessings in my life, knowing how
easily they could have gotten taken away.

00:32:56.290 --> 00:33:00.250
That the moment you see, like it is
so fragile that the moment I'm going

00:33:00.250 --> 00:33:04.240
to the er, it, I recognized that
like it could all be taken away.

00:33:04.750 --> 00:33:07.630
In that moment through, through
nothing I did or didn't do.

00:33:07.630 --> 00:33:11.440
There are just sometimes circumstances
where it happens and when you recognize

00:33:11.440 --> 00:33:16.240
that man, you are so grateful for the
days you are healthy, the days you can do

00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:17.770
the things you wanna do, the days that.

00:33:18.610 --> 00:33:20.890
You recognize everything that
could get taken away from you.

00:33:20.890 --> 00:33:25.000
So I can see all the ways that going
through this has made me a better person,

00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:29.050
a stronger person, a better Christian,
more reliant on God, closer to him.

00:33:29.350 --> 00:33:31.390
'cause man, when you have health
stuff that you can't do anything

00:33:31.390 --> 00:33:32.950
about, you talk to God a whole lot.

00:33:33.190 --> 00:33:38.200
And um, so as much as I have not,
it's not what I would wish on anybody.

00:33:38.500 --> 00:33:41.980
I can see the truth in those verses
that talk about the way it can produce

00:33:41.980 --> 00:33:43.810
that endurance and character and hope.

00:33:45.480 --> 00:33:46.270
Clif Marshall: Casey, you're.

00:33:46.555 --> 00:33:47.515
Oh, sorry, Sam

00:33:47.945 --> 00:33:48.425
Sam Acho: No, you got it.

00:33:48.430 --> 00:33:48.630
Cliff.

00:33:49.135 --> 00:33:49.585
Clif Marshall: Casey.

00:33:49.585 --> 00:33:52.765
You talk and your test
has become your testimony.

00:33:53.470 --> 00:33:53.980
Casey Phillips: Mm-hmm.

00:33:54.745 --> 00:33:59.335
Clif Marshall: life is, 10% of what
happens to us and 90% of how we respond.

00:33:59.755 --> 00:34:01.825
And your response is encouraging.

00:34:01.975 --> 00:34:04.435
Um, and it's impactful
just to hear your story.

00:34:05.065 --> 00:34:09.265
And I think, um, a good friend of mine
told me the event plus the response.

00:34:11.095 --> 00:34:13.285
And your response has been incredible.

00:34:13.285 --> 00:34:16.105
So thank you so much
for, for sharing that.

00:34:16.105 --> 00:34:17.365
I just wanted to throw that out there.

00:34:17.365 --> 00:34:18.655
Sam, I know you had a question.

00:34:19.490 --> 00:34:23.480
Sam Acho: Well, no, I, I just even
a, a, a comment, you know, 'cause

00:34:23.480 --> 00:34:26.960
we, we do, at this podcast, we
go first, gift space, girl hope.

00:34:27.410 --> 00:34:27.920
Uh,

00:34:31.850 --> 00:34:39.650
what can you tell somebody, Casey,
who is going through some hard stuff.

00:34:39.985 --> 00:34:43.345
Right now that needs some hope.

00:34:45.450 --> 00:34:52.650
Casey Phillips: Yeah, I think it's that,
um, the hard times are the thing that

00:34:52.650 --> 00:34:55.230
will define you one way or the other.

00:34:55.290 --> 00:34:59.550
And kinda like what Cliff was saying,
it's the hard times happen to everybody.

00:34:59.550 --> 00:35:02.160
I've heard someone say, you're either
going into a storm, you're in a storm,

00:35:02.160 --> 00:35:03.780
or you're coming out of a storm like.

00:35:04.540 --> 00:35:07.870
And so hard times are going to happen.

00:35:08.620 --> 00:35:13.750
And so the question is always about
how we're going to respond to it.

00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:19.750
And what I think is nice to remember
is that it's, it's okay to not respond

00:35:19.750 --> 00:35:21.550
great every moment of every day.

00:35:22.450 --> 00:35:25.480
It's more about the over the long haul.

00:35:26.110 --> 00:35:27.430
What direction are you heading?

00:35:27.430 --> 00:35:31.000
Are you overall like leaning into
God, leaning into family, leaning into

00:35:31.000 --> 00:35:33.730
friends, leaning into who you wanna be.

00:35:34.525 --> 00:35:37.555
I know there were times I beat myself up
where there were days where I was just

00:35:37.555 --> 00:35:42.175
really sad and I would sometimes feel
bad about that, thinking like, oh, a real

00:35:42.175 --> 00:35:47.815
Christian would be able to, you know, see
the good in all of this and be, not be so,

00:35:47.905 --> 00:35:50.875
and I, I, I don't think that that's fair.

00:35:50.905 --> 00:35:52.735
And so I think it's the idea of.

00:35:53.290 --> 00:35:54.610
Understand where you wanna go.

00:35:54.610 --> 00:35:57.490
Understand that you don't wanna be
defeated by whatever this hard time

00:35:57.490 --> 00:36:02.710
is and have your eyes set on that
point of who you wanna be in God.

00:36:02.710 --> 00:36:07.660
But give yourself the grace to
know that you will not be perfect

00:36:07.660 --> 00:36:08.920
in your response every day.

00:36:08.920 --> 00:36:12.670
And that does not mean any less
of you as a person or a character.

00:36:12.700 --> 00:36:16.330
'cause we do celebrate people that we
see go through hard things and say,

00:36:16.330 --> 00:36:19.840
man, they're always still smiling,
or they're always still in a great

00:36:19.840 --> 00:36:22.390
place and it makes you feel pressure.

00:36:23.365 --> 00:36:27.865
To be that happy, smiley,
perfect face all the time.

00:36:28.375 --> 00:36:32.665
And so I would tell people like understand
that the hardest thing is not the last

00:36:32.665 --> 00:36:38.185
thing that you, there will be better
days in some form, and frankly, even if

00:36:38.185 --> 00:36:41.605
it means after this life, like that's
the beauty of the hope that we have.

00:36:41.605 --> 00:36:46.795
At some point there will be
better days, and we hope they're

00:36:46.795 --> 00:36:47.935
sooner rather than later.

00:36:47.935 --> 00:36:49.465
But in the hard days, like.

00:36:50.035 --> 00:36:53.485
Make your choice of who you wanna be, and
then give yourself grace when you don't

00:36:53.485 --> 00:36:55.195
always live up to that every single day.

00:36:57.265 --> 00:36:59.395
Sam Acho: Casey, I wanna,
uh, well, thank you.

00:37:00.235 --> 00:37:01.165
Dropping gems.

00:37:01.285 --> 00:37:04.075
Uh, we need to call, we need to
have like a Casey's corner, right?

00:37:04.105 --> 00:37:05.155
You already, you probably
already have that.

00:37:05.155 --> 00:37:06.775
I'm not, this already exists.

00:37:07.045 --> 00:37:13.975
Uh, but, uh, Casey, I, I've, as I'm
listening to you, I, I'm hearing

00:37:13.975 --> 00:37:18.115
a lot of, man, I, I was the first
to do this and the first to do

00:37:18.115 --> 00:37:19.885
that, and this job wasn't created.

00:37:19.885 --> 00:37:21.265
And, and, and I'm also hearing.

00:37:22.480 --> 00:37:22.870
Sure.

00:37:22.870 --> 00:37:26.260
Like I was, you know, there with Tom
Brady and Robert Gronkowski and all

00:37:26.260 --> 00:37:29.560
these Mike Evans, where you're like,
man, the, the, the women on the mystics.

00:37:29.560 --> 00:37:30.790
Those were my heroes.

00:37:32.560 --> 00:37:41.200
What impact are you having on
women in your world that a lot

00:37:41.200 --> 00:37:42.700
of us don't even know about?

00:37:44.465 --> 00:37:45.875
Casey Phillips: Oh man, I'm not sure.

00:37:45.875 --> 00:37:47.345
I hope it, I hope I am.

00:37:47.345 --> 00:37:52.355
I, like I said, I sometimes do get
to hear from um, either young girls

00:37:52.355 --> 00:37:55.685
whose parents reach out to me and
talk about how much they love being

00:37:55.685 --> 00:37:58.325
able to show them my videos and how
much their daughters love, you know,

00:37:58.325 --> 00:38:00.035
watching my stuff, which is really cool.

00:38:00.035 --> 00:38:03.005
And, um, I do get reached out
to by, you know, high school

00:38:03.005 --> 00:38:04.265
and college students who.

00:38:04.750 --> 00:38:07.390
Wanna do this for a living
and, and reach out, which also

00:38:07.390 --> 00:38:08.530
every time makes me feel old.

00:38:08.650 --> 00:38:12.310
And it's always so funny to me 'cause
I'm like, man, I, I feel like I was

00:38:12.310 --> 00:38:16.180
just that person and I almost still
feel like I am that person of like,

00:38:16.210 --> 00:38:17.410
man, I should reach out to so-and-so.

00:38:17.410 --> 00:38:20.470
And I'm, it's always funny to me when
people reach out to me for career advice,

00:38:20.470 --> 00:38:22.240
I'm like, am I in a position to give that?

00:38:22.690 --> 00:38:23.530
It's so wild.

00:38:23.530 --> 00:38:30.160
But yeah, I think, um, I just hope that,
um, yeah, I just hope that I'm showing

00:38:30.790 --> 00:38:33.190
younger girls and, and other women that.

00:38:33.700 --> 00:38:41.140
This is a wonderful job in life and that
it's not always this, you know, really

00:38:41.140 --> 00:38:44.740
rough, horrible battle being a woman in
this sphere that we have made so much

00:38:44.740 --> 00:38:48.910
progress that I'm, I'm so thankful to
the women who went through what I view

00:38:48.910 --> 00:38:54.010
as the really hard stuff in the eighties
and the nineties and, and really breaking

00:38:54.010 --> 00:38:58.330
down those barriers and doors for us
that are now in it at this point where.

00:38:58.840 --> 00:39:02.110
Have I had some, some weird things, you
know, and some not great things happen

00:39:02.110 --> 00:39:04.030
because I'm a woman in this sphere.

00:39:04.090 --> 00:39:04.570
Sure.

00:39:04.900 --> 00:39:08.950
But honestly, I feel like overall, like
we have made so much progress and I think

00:39:08.950 --> 00:39:14.290
that I want women to see that like this
is our space, this is our time of whether

00:39:14.290 --> 00:39:15.670
it's women's sports or men's sports.

00:39:15.670 --> 00:39:19.000
Like you belong anywhere,
anywhere you wanna be, anywhere

00:39:19.000 --> 00:39:20.560
that God decides you need to be.

00:39:20.920 --> 00:39:22.120
You belong there.

00:39:22.390 --> 00:39:23.080
And.

00:39:23.605 --> 00:39:28.945
It can be an amazing ride that is just
so much fun and I want women to see also

00:39:28.945 --> 00:39:32.275
the, again, the way that I do it, of
trying to put God first and trying to make

00:39:32.275 --> 00:39:39.355
sure that I put my character and values
first, and that that can be done around a

00:39:39.355 --> 00:39:43.885
world where sports, entertainment, media,
they can try to tell you that you gotta

00:39:43.885 --> 00:39:45.895
do things a certain way to have success.

00:39:46.195 --> 00:39:49.495
And that to try to show that no,
like stay true to who you are and

00:39:49.495 --> 00:39:52.285
like don't Actually, Todd Bowles
just said this the other week.

00:39:52.735 --> 00:39:55.315
Um, we have something here called the
National Coaching Academy, where we

00:39:55.315 --> 00:39:57.835
help coaches try to break into the NFL.

00:39:57.925 --> 00:40:00.655
'cause you know how it's such a,
like, who, you know, kind of thing.

00:40:01.075 --> 00:40:05.485
Um, so they bring whether high school,
college or international, you know, pro

00:40:05.485 --> 00:40:09.865
outside of NFL coaches get a chance to
come in and learn from all of our staff.

00:40:09.865 --> 00:40:13.435
And Coach Bowles was talking
to all of them, and that was

00:40:13.435 --> 00:40:15.475
actually the advice he gave.

00:40:15.865 --> 00:40:19.615
Was, don't sacrifice who
you are for what you want.

00:40:20.875 --> 00:40:25.225
And that's what I think I would
want women to see watching me and

00:40:25.225 --> 00:40:29.245
to learn more than anything is just,
yeah, don't sacrifice who you are

00:40:29.245 --> 00:40:30.835
for what you want in this industry.

00:40:31.840 --> 00:40:33.400
Clif Marshall: That's great advice, Casey.

00:40:33.400 --> 00:40:38.140
I think the, uh, one thing that I, when
I hear your story and uh, know that

00:40:38.140 --> 00:40:42.280
your, uh, background is and working for
the Bucks right now, I just feel like

00:40:42.280 --> 00:40:43.780
that you're living out your passion.

00:40:43.955 --> 00:40:48.245
At the same time, you have a great
purpose, and again, it's super inspiring.

00:40:48.245 --> 00:40:53.285
I do want to know, on your day-to-day job
with the Tampa Bay Bucks, what is your

00:40:53.345 --> 00:40:58.865
most enjoyable part of the job and what
is the least enjoyable part of the job?

00:41:00.775 --> 00:41:01.135
Casey Phillips: Hmm.

00:41:01.165 --> 00:41:01.705
Interesting.

00:41:01.705 --> 00:41:01.945
Okay.

00:41:01.945 --> 00:41:02.665
So

00:41:03.860 --> 00:41:03.980
Clif Marshall: I.

00:41:04.495 --> 00:41:09.625
Casey Phillips: yeah, I mean most, the
part I enjoy the most is just getting to.

00:41:10.870 --> 00:41:13.420
Learn the stories of the
people that are here.

00:41:13.870 --> 00:41:16.990
I love when we get like, you know, a new
player and I get to dive in trying to

00:41:16.990 --> 00:41:20.290
learn everything about them and, and find
out all the interesting, cool things.

00:41:20.290 --> 00:41:24.880
And I love when I learn something
about somebody that others don't know.

00:41:24.910 --> 00:41:27.940
'cause in today's day and age of media,
it feels like every story's been told.

00:41:28.480 --> 00:41:30.430
And if I can find something.

00:41:31.000 --> 00:41:32.320
That other people don't.

00:41:32.320 --> 00:41:33.790
And I, I love that.

00:41:33.790 --> 00:41:36.610
And so I actually, it got to happen
with Coach Bowles last year, and

00:41:36.610 --> 00:41:37.690
it was one of my favorite moments.

00:41:37.930 --> 00:41:42.010
I learned that he had been a
radio DJ in his playing days.

00:41:43.255 --> 00:41:48.505
It was like incognito, like did not,
no one knew this was NFL player,

00:41:48.685 --> 00:41:50.905
Todd Bowles at the time doing this.

00:41:50.905 --> 00:41:52.645
He was just like a radio dj.

00:41:52.645 --> 00:41:54.715
And I was like, what was your name?

00:41:54.745 --> 00:41:55.615
Like your show name?

00:41:55.615 --> 00:41:57.565
And he was like, land of Love.

00:41:57.985 --> 00:41:59.215
And I about died.

00:41:59.275 --> 00:42:01.255
I was like, this is the
greatest thing I've ever heard.

00:42:01.255 --> 00:42:03.565
And I got his permission to let me.

00:42:03.785 --> 00:42:04.475
Share that.

00:42:04.475 --> 00:42:08.435
And I got to share it at this big event
where Baker and Mike Evans and these

00:42:08.435 --> 00:42:10.535
guys are there with Todd on stage.

00:42:10.775 --> 00:42:15.185
And I got to deploy this information
and watch all of them be like, what?

00:42:15.245 --> 00:42:15.665
Oh my.

00:42:15.665 --> 00:42:18.995
Like, and it, that was so fun
to watch like that I got to help

00:42:18.995 --> 00:42:23.555
cultivate this bonding moment between
players and coach and all of that.

00:42:23.555 --> 00:42:28.055
So like, I love when I get to find
the ways to bring humor, to bring

00:42:28.055 --> 00:42:32.435
bonding, to bring joy, like all
of that, um, least favorite is.

00:42:32.995 --> 00:42:36.235
My shows still all have
to happen even if we lose.

00:42:36.505 --> 00:42:40.105
That's an unfortunate, it's an
unfortunate part of the job.

00:42:40.105 --> 00:42:43.165
I'm like, can I not have a clause that
says I only have to do this if we win?

00:42:43.465 --> 00:42:48.655
Um, because let me tell you, going into a
locker room right after a really bad loss

00:42:48.655 --> 00:42:52.375
and walking up to a player and going, Hey,
so you know that game that just happened?

00:42:52.735 --> 00:42:55.435
Do you wanna talk about it
with me for an hour tomorrow?

00:42:56.275 --> 00:43:01.045
Like that is by far my least
favorite is having to make that ask.

00:43:01.405 --> 00:43:02.155
And even having to.

00:43:02.995 --> 00:43:03.205
Yeah.

00:43:03.205 --> 00:43:07.225
Having to ask a guy to do that
where I'm like, let's, yeah, let's

00:43:07.225 --> 00:43:09.265
relive that tomorrow, please.

00:43:09.265 --> 00:43:10.975
When you'd also probably
rather be sleeping.

00:43:11.245 --> 00:43:11.785
Thank you.

00:43:11.995 --> 00:43:14.965
Um, but thankfully that's where it's
nice that I've been here a long time.

00:43:14.965 --> 00:43:16.405
I've built good
relationships with the guys.

00:43:16.405 --> 00:43:19.315
They know I'm gonna make it
as painless as I possibly can.

00:43:19.615 --> 00:43:22.045
You know, we're not gonna just sit
here and dwell on whatever went wrong.

00:43:22.050 --> 00:43:24.625
We're gonna move on, we're gonna
find good things to talk about.

00:43:24.865 --> 00:43:27.775
Uh, but yeah, that's, that's definitely
the part that is my least favorite.

00:43:31.300 --> 00:43:34.540
Sam Acho: That's so good
Casey, I, I've got, so on this

00:43:34.540 --> 00:43:36.580
podcast we talk about faith.

00:43:37.405 --> 00:43:40.825
Talk about family, talk about
football, talk about finance.

00:43:40.825 --> 00:43:43.345
I want to go back to the football
piece, but not necessarily the

00:43:43.555 --> 00:43:43.975
Casey Phillips: Oh good.

00:43:43.975 --> 00:43:47.065
I was real worried you were gonna say
the finance part and I was like, oh no.

00:43:48.385 --> 00:43:48.865
Sam Acho: not yet.

00:43:48.865 --> 00:43:49.195
Not yet.

00:43:49.195 --> 00:43:50.545
We'll get to that a little bit later.

00:43:50.845 --> 00:43:57.415
Uh, but, but the Olympics flag football,
we, we were chatting before and you got

00:43:57.415 --> 00:44:00.715
really excited about saying, Hey, I want
to let, oh, let's, let's dig in on that.

00:44:00.715 --> 00:44:01.825
So let's dig in a little bit.

00:44:02.065 --> 00:44:06.205
What are you most excited about
for flag football in the Olympics?

00:44:07.135 --> 00:44:10.345
Casey Phillips: First of all, again, as
we established Texas girl at heart, right?

00:44:10.525 --> 00:44:16.585
So, and also like my high school was
when you picture peak Texas high school

00:44:16.585 --> 00:44:20.845
football, this was my school that my
two quarterbacks in high school were

00:44:20.845 --> 00:44:23.180
Chase Daniel and Greg M, not too Shoppy.

00:44:23.680 --> 00:44:24.790
Sam Acho: You went to Southlake Carroll.

00:44:25.120 --> 00:44:25.690
Casey Phillips: I did.

00:44:25.690 --> 00:44:26.020
See

00:44:26.050 --> 00:44:26.800
Sam Acho: I didn't know that?

00:44:26.890 --> 00:44:27.220
Casey Phillips: knows.

00:44:27.220 --> 00:44:27.940
I know.

00:44:28.270 --> 00:44:28.630
I know.

00:44:28.630 --> 00:44:29.170
Look at that.

00:44:29.170 --> 00:44:31.150
So, yeah, I went to South
Lake Carroll and I, yep.

00:44:31.210 --> 00:44:37.990
And I, man, I am telling you, if I could
have played flag football, I would've

00:44:37.990 --> 00:44:39.670
been the happiest person in the world.

00:44:40.240 --> 00:44:44.710
The fact that this is now an option
for so many girls in high school

00:44:44.920 --> 00:44:49.240
and to then let them see an Olympics
that they could have as a goal.

00:44:49.960 --> 00:44:51.160
I mean, it's unbelievable.

00:44:51.160 --> 00:44:54.940
'cause even when I was first starting
to play basketball, the WNBA was

00:44:54.940 --> 00:44:59.710
like just about to be formed and to
be playing a sport that you don't

00:44:59.710 --> 00:45:04.390
have this dream of, you know, that so
many people don't realize, like for

00:45:04.480 --> 00:45:07.360
little boys, they get to be like, oh
yeah, I wanna go to the NFL someday.

00:45:07.360 --> 00:45:08.530
I wanna go to the NBA someday.

00:45:09.040 --> 00:45:12.610
To now know that there are all
these kids, boys and girls that are

00:45:12.610 --> 00:45:17.110
playing flag football that will now
have this Olympics thing to look

00:45:17.110 --> 00:45:19.540
at on the global skate stage is so.

00:45:19.930 --> 00:45:20.590
Amazing.

00:45:20.590 --> 00:45:23.890
And I think it's gonna be a really great
opportunity, of course for the NFL to grow

00:45:23.890 --> 00:45:28.390
its brand internationally, like to grow
football internationally is incredible.

00:45:28.990 --> 00:45:33.010
But from a specifically like flag
standpoint, I have grown to love it

00:45:33.010 --> 00:45:35.890
here because first of all, so Florida
was the first state to sanction Girls

00:45:35.890 --> 00:45:37.600
Flag as a high school varsity sport.

00:45:38.110 --> 00:45:41.680
Um, they're very big into it
here, and man, the Buccaneers are.

00:45:42.085 --> 00:45:45.745
Part of just the groundbreaking efforts
on really supporting it and promoting

00:45:45.745 --> 00:45:48.355
Girls Flag that, especially Darcy Glazer.

00:45:48.355 --> 00:45:51.475
Kasowitz is our, one of our owners
is just so passionate about this.

00:45:51.475 --> 00:45:55.015
So the Bucks host, the largest
girls flag football competition

00:45:55.075 --> 00:45:57.325
in the country every year.

00:45:57.325 --> 00:45:59.215
Girls flag football preseason classic.

00:45:59.395 --> 00:46:02.665
The seventh annual one was
this year, hosted a record,

00:46:02.755 --> 00:46:06.085
115 teams across 20 counties.

00:46:06.535 --> 00:46:12.265
It was wild watching how many of these
teams that are here from Florida and

00:46:12.265 --> 00:46:15.205
other places, we also used a bunch of
other flag events throughout the year.

00:46:15.595 --> 00:46:18.865
I have watched these girls and the
passion they play and their skill

00:46:18.865 --> 00:46:22.405
level, and I'm like, man, I cannot wait
for this to be highlighted thinking

00:46:22.405 --> 00:46:24.655
that some of these girls I'm watching,
like these are gonna be some of the

00:46:24.655 --> 00:46:26.455
people that are on this Olympic team.

00:46:26.950 --> 00:46:31.750
And I am just so excited for women to
have this as a goal to be looking at.

00:46:32.020 --> 00:46:34.660
And also, I love this is
this, this was amazing to me.

00:46:34.750 --> 00:46:37.810
So the Bucks were the first to
create an academic scholarship

00:46:38.110 --> 00:46:42.070
back in 2020 for girls who play
organized football and are passionate

00:46:42.070 --> 00:46:43.690
about pursuing a career in sports.

00:46:43.930 --> 00:46:46.660
And we now it's called the
She is Football scholarship.

00:46:47.110 --> 00:46:49.540
And a, a big part of it is this idea that.

00:46:50.245 --> 00:46:53.935
There have been all these studies showing
that there's a huge correlation between

00:46:53.935 --> 00:46:58.135
female participation in sports at the
youth level and success later in life.

00:46:58.375 --> 00:47:04.465
94% of female executives have participated
in sports, but girls drop out of

00:47:04.465 --> 00:47:06.505
sports at twice the rate of boys.

00:47:06.985 --> 00:47:09.595
And so the Bucks really look
at it as, man, like our mission

00:47:09.600 --> 00:47:10.855
is to keep girls in the game.

00:47:10.855 --> 00:47:14.785
We have all this programming,
accessibility resources that we're

00:47:14.785 --> 00:47:16.615
trying to use our platform to create.

00:47:17.215 --> 00:47:20.575
These opportunities to develop
these future leaders of tomorrow.

00:47:20.845 --> 00:47:23.845
And I feel like now the fact
that the Olympics and the NFL and

00:47:23.845 --> 00:47:27.445
everyone is just getting on this
flag football train for, for both

00:47:27.445 --> 00:47:30.625
men and women is going to be so fun.

00:47:30.955 --> 00:47:34.915
And we have just loved being on
this ground floor of this new sport

00:47:34.915 --> 00:47:37.825
that is just sweeping now, not
just the nation, but the world.

00:47:38.185 --> 00:47:40.705
And then like, come on, we're
all dreaming of the NFL guys.

00:47:40.735 --> 00:47:42.445
We're excited to, to maybe play.

00:47:42.445 --> 00:47:42.745
Right?

00:47:42.925 --> 00:47:44.695
I mean, I, I, I'll be
interested to see like.

00:47:45.145 --> 00:47:47.875
There are people who have been
dedicated to playing flag football.

00:47:48.025 --> 00:47:51.955
It is not a guarantee that it's gonna be
a team full of NFL players, that there's

00:47:51.955 --> 00:47:55.495
a whole lot of these flag football players
that this is what they've been doing.

00:47:55.495 --> 00:48:01.285
So that to me is gonna be so fun to
watch is how many NFL guys are in a spot?

00:48:01.525 --> 00:48:04.015
How many are people that have
already just been playing flag

00:48:04.375 --> 00:48:06.205
and the strategy behind it.

00:48:06.235 --> 00:48:08.695
'cause I, I just, I think it's
gonna be a blast to watch.

00:48:10.940 --> 00:48:14.745
Clif Marshall: I gotta ask Casey,
as we finish up here, tell me about

00:48:14.745 --> 00:48:16.780
your Tampa Bay Bucks this year.

00:48:16.995 --> 00:48:21.345
Tell me about the team, the outlook,
and just, uh, even a little bit

00:48:21.345 --> 00:48:23.625
about their draft class that
they're bringing in this season.

00:48:23.625 --> 00:48:23.655
I.

00:48:25.120 --> 00:48:28.030
Casey Phillips: man, let me tell
you, I am fired up about this

00:48:28.030 --> 00:48:30.460
year, and I'm not just saying that

00:48:30.790 --> 00:48:32.740
Sam Acho: I was gonna say,
because if, if you weren't, if

00:48:32.740 --> 00:48:34.090
you weren't, could you tell us.

00:48:34.585 --> 00:48:35.125
Casey Phillips: I get it.

00:48:35.125 --> 00:48:35.695
I get that.

00:48:35.695 --> 00:48:36.685
I work for the team.

00:48:36.925 --> 00:48:40.945
I am not just saying that, first of all,
I mean our whole starting offense is back.

00:48:41.275 --> 00:48:45.205
That is almost unheard of in
the NFL to bring literally every

00:48:45.205 --> 00:48:47.455
single offensive starter back.

00:48:47.755 --> 00:48:51.925
And then now of course we keep, you
know, losing our offensive coordinators

00:48:51.925 --> 00:48:52.855
to these head coaching jobs.

00:48:52.855 --> 00:48:55.135
'cause you know, they've been doing
a great job here, which is awesome.

00:48:55.645 --> 00:48:59.545
But man, how nice that even though
we lose our offensive coordinator,

00:48:59.695 --> 00:49:01.315
we get to promote one from within.

00:49:01.315 --> 00:49:05.485
So you get to keep that consistency
and that continuity, which, you

00:49:05.485 --> 00:49:09.025
know, baker Mayfield was like,
thank goodness that poor man has

00:49:09.025 --> 00:49:10.855
had more coordinators than any.

00:49:10.855 --> 00:49:11.965
I mean, it's unreal.

00:49:12.175 --> 00:49:16.135
Um, and so to have Baker have that
confidence and continuity to have the

00:49:16.135 --> 00:49:19.555
whole offensive line now that have
all played together for a whole year.

00:49:19.975 --> 00:49:23.935
That run game that went from almost
worse to almost first last year.

00:49:23.935 --> 00:49:26.995
No reason to think it's not gonna
look just as good this year.

00:49:26.995 --> 00:49:30.355
So everything offensively we saw
that was clicking last year, and

00:49:30.355 --> 00:49:33.355
then now defensively you bring
in Hassan Reddick, which I think

00:49:33.355 --> 00:49:34.855
is gonna be really fun to watch.

00:49:34.915 --> 00:49:38.365
And um, I'd love to hear Sam's
thoughts on what that might bring as

00:49:38.365 --> 00:49:40.105
a, as an outside linebacker himself.

00:49:40.405 --> 00:49:42.925
But you know, I mean, Todd
Bowles, like he can dial it up

00:49:43.285 --> 00:49:44.545
no matter who is playing for him.

00:49:44.545 --> 00:49:46.045
That man loves to scheme.

00:49:46.045 --> 00:49:48.025
And I mean, Vito ve is
dropping in coverage randomly,

00:49:48.025 --> 00:49:48.985
like you just don't know.

00:49:49.780 --> 00:49:51.940
You never know what Todd
Bowles is going to do.

00:49:52.090 --> 00:49:54.670
So the defense, I think that's
gonna be interesting to watch.

00:49:54.700 --> 00:49:57.670
You know, maybe seeing guys like
you, you still have lavante there

00:49:57.670 --> 00:49:59.890
in the middle, holding it down after
all these years playing it just

00:49:59.890 --> 00:50:01.810
like, I mean, defying father time.

00:50:02.320 --> 00:50:04.000
And then to see, man, how's it gonna look?

00:50:04.000 --> 00:50:07.870
When we got a young, younger guy coming
in next to him, maybe in Sier Dennis.

00:50:07.870 --> 00:50:10.780
We got a couple people fighting
for some of those spots.

00:50:10.990 --> 00:50:13.810
Um, and then our draft class,
you, you brought them up.

00:50:14.020 --> 00:50:18.790
I cannot say enough amazing things
about our first round draft pick cca.

00:50:19.240 --> 00:50:22.120
He is, lemme tell you, someone
you should have on your podcast.

00:50:22.180 --> 00:50:24.940
The man is, uh, definitely very
passionate about his faith.

00:50:25.420 --> 00:50:32.350
And I, I don't know how many times
in my whole career I have heard

00:50:32.770 --> 00:50:37.420
scouting staffs talk about players,
like they talked about a mecca.

00:50:37.510 --> 00:50:42.595
Just that they were like
this kid, I mean, so mature.

00:50:43.585 --> 00:50:46.795
Head on the right way, like
plays the game the right way.

00:50:46.795 --> 00:50:49.825
That they were just like
this, we gotta have this guy.

00:50:50.245 --> 00:50:52.555
'cause even when you look at the
fact that it was not the position

00:50:52.555 --> 00:50:56.005
of biggest need, that's where, you
know, they were just like, no, this

00:50:56.005 --> 00:50:58.345
guy, like, we believe in this guy.

00:50:58.645 --> 00:51:01.375
And I think for him to get to come
in and learn under Mike Evans and

00:51:01.375 --> 00:51:02.605
Chris Godwin, I mean, good grief.

00:51:02.790 --> 00:51:05.335
Like you cannot ask for
a better masterclass.

00:51:05.680 --> 00:51:06.310
That.

00:51:06.790 --> 00:51:07.720
So that's gonna be a blast.

00:51:07.720 --> 00:51:10.540
And then man, I, I think that
they found some gems on defense.

00:51:10.540 --> 00:51:14.470
I think that the back to back corners
that we took, um, Paris and, and Morrison,

00:51:14.470 --> 00:51:16.510
I think I'm really excited about them.

00:51:16.510 --> 00:51:19.960
Especially Jacob Parish has already
like, already made a couple picks,

00:51:19.960 --> 00:51:23.200
already had a guy, a couple people
in practice being like, okay.

00:51:23.470 --> 00:51:26.470
And then Morrison I think is a steal, just
'cause he had health issues last year.

00:51:27.130 --> 00:51:28.840
He, I think he'd have
been a first rounder.

00:51:28.870 --> 00:51:31.210
I think he'd have been like,
I think we got a steal.

00:51:31.210 --> 00:51:35.290
Being willing to wait on this, you
know, health stuff that's going on.

00:51:35.560 --> 00:51:38.530
I mean, we got Walker who I think
is another, again, I'd love to

00:51:38.530 --> 00:51:40.420
hear the outside edge rush, your
thoughts you have over here.

00:51:40.420 --> 00:51:43.690
But I mean, the guy had
about a a billion sacks.

00:51:44.095 --> 00:51:46.255
In college, just so productive.

00:51:46.675 --> 00:51:49.705
And so I look at kinda these mid round
and I've watched that Jason line and

00:51:49.705 --> 00:51:53.275
his staff, they have been able to build
through a lot of these mid round picks

00:51:53.275 --> 00:51:55.165
over the years really effectively.

00:51:55.405 --> 00:51:59.305
So I think that they, they felt like
everybody expected 'em to go defense

00:51:59.305 --> 00:52:03.085
first round and I think they felt
like they got to still get this guy,

00:52:03.085 --> 00:52:07.195
they couldn't let pass while still
addressing the defensive areas that

00:52:07.525 --> 00:52:08.725
they felt like they needed to do.

00:52:08.725 --> 00:52:11.815
So I, I think that there is no reason
for us to not feel like, I mean,

00:52:11.815 --> 00:52:13.135
there's no reason we shouldn't be.

00:52:13.465 --> 00:52:14.905
At least as good as we were last year.

00:52:14.905 --> 00:52:17.545
And I feel like there's a lot of ways
where I'm like, man, we're, I think

00:52:17.545 --> 00:52:19.825
we, I think we feel really great
about it and it's gonna be a fun year.

00:52:19.825 --> 00:52:20.545
And just the comradery.

00:52:21.625 --> 00:52:23.935
The, the guys on this team, it's unreal.

00:52:23.935 --> 00:52:25.795
I mean, they all would die for Baker.

00:52:25.885 --> 00:52:28.345
Like they would run into
oncoming traffic for that man.

00:52:28.435 --> 00:52:32.545
And that is a cool thing
to have in a quarterback.

00:52:32.575 --> 00:52:34.885
And I think that just the
way, the offensive line,

00:52:34.885 --> 00:52:36.505
they are never not together.

00:52:36.655 --> 00:52:39.055
They are, they move as a blob, as a unit.

00:52:39.055 --> 00:52:42.175
And those are the two things you want
as a team when you're offensive line

00:52:42.175 --> 00:52:43.765
are best buds and always together.

00:52:43.975 --> 00:52:46.555
And that they would literally take
a bullet for their quarterback.

00:52:46.615 --> 00:52:47.635
You're gonna go a long way.

00:52:49.165 --> 00:52:50.425
Sam Acho: That is so good.

00:52:50.425 --> 00:52:50.545
Dang.

00:52:50.545 --> 00:52:52.555
Now we see why Casey does what she does.

00:52:52.555 --> 00:52:53.575
It ain't just it.

00:52:53.635 --> 00:52:54.145
Oh my good.

00:52:54.145 --> 00:52:55.435
I mean, and so much insight.

00:52:55.975 --> 00:52:59.605
I mean the, and I think that's one of the
things that people don't realize is like

00:52:59.605 --> 00:53:01.675
you're a part of the fabric of the team.

00:53:02.485 --> 00:53:05.185
As much as it's, yeah,
players and coaches.

00:53:05.545 --> 00:53:08.905
It's like you are, you are like, you
travel with the team, you're in the

00:53:08.905 --> 00:53:11.005
locker room, you're in the facility.

00:53:11.005 --> 00:53:13.885
And so this insight that you're
providing, I mean, I've listened to the

00:53:13.885 --> 00:53:17.005
stories about Ekka Buka and, and his
and, and, and kind of his background.

00:53:17.005 --> 00:53:18.715
You remind me of Benjamin Morrison, right?

00:53:18.715 --> 00:53:22.045
Who would've been a first round
pick without, if not for the injury.

00:53:22.465 --> 00:53:23.635
Uh, I'm getting excited now.

00:53:23.635 --> 00:53:26.065
And also, by the way, I think
y'all haven't lost the division

00:53:26.305 --> 00:53:28.135
since I got there, right?

00:53:28.135 --> 00:53:29.485
So like the last four or five years.

00:53:29.485 --> 00:53:30.805
And so, um.

00:53:31.150 --> 00:53:32.200
Man, I'm, I'm hyped now.

00:53:32.200 --> 00:53:35.890
Cliff, we need to go, uh, you know,
everybody to put, put the pads on again.

00:53:35.890 --> 00:53:36.910
Put the jersey on again.

00:53:37.240 --> 00:53:37.870
Uh,

00:53:38.185 --> 00:53:38.755
Casey Phillips: do it.

00:53:38.950 --> 00:53:39.460
Sam Acho: Yes.

00:53:39.700 --> 00:53:41.050
So before we go,

00:53:43.090 --> 00:53:43.480
Hmm.

00:53:43.660 --> 00:53:46.510
I think what I wanna do right now, I
know we had the Cliff notes earlier,

00:53:46.810 --> 00:53:51.370
but Casey, you've shared so much, you've
dropped so much gems, so many gems

00:53:51.370 --> 00:53:56.680
in Casey's corner, but as, as many of
gems of you've dropped, cliff, if you

00:53:56.680 --> 00:53:59.170
could just kind of recap again for us.

00:53:59.755 --> 00:54:03.565
Some high level lessons that
you've learned, some cliff notes

00:54:03.985 --> 00:54:08.005
for everyone that's listening
before we, before we say goodbye.

00:54:08.420 --> 00:54:08.740
Clif Marshall: Yes.

00:54:08.740 --> 00:54:12.790
I think my takeaway from hearing Casey's
story, obviously, and again, it's full

00:54:12.790 --> 00:54:17.680
of passion and purpose, but it's, it's
literally how she has fought the good

00:54:17.680 --> 00:54:20.350
fight and how she's gonna finish the race.

00:54:21.070 --> 00:54:26.320
But it's more importantly about
life being 10% of what happens to

00:54:26.320 --> 00:54:29.650
you and 90% of how you respond.

00:54:29.650 --> 00:54:33.100
As she's talking about her autoimmune
disease, as she's talking about

00:54:33.100 --> 00:54:37.660
her ACL, as she's talking about
many setbacks that she has faced,

00:54:37.930 --> 00:54:40.210
she still has a smile on her face.

00:54:40.210 --> 00:54:41.700
And joy in our heart.

00:54:41.820 --> 00:54:45.510
And what I love more than anything
is how this podcast started.

00:54:46.020 --> 00:54:48.960
You guys talking about being
the salt and the light.

00:54:49.440 --> 00:54:51.450
And Sam, that's exactly what you are.

00:54:51.480 --> 00:54:54.930
That's what you were in that locker
room in Tampa Bay with the Bucks

00:54:55.050 --> 00:54:58.590
and Casey, that's exactly what you
are each and every day as well.

00:54:58.920 --> 00:55:03.090
And that's why I believe the two of
you guys connected and hit it off there

00:55:03.090 --> 00:55:07.410
in Tampa Bay and Casey, that's why
you're on our podcast this afternoon.

00:55:09.165 --> 00:55:09.735
Casey Phillips: Awesome.

00:55:09.795 --> 00:55:10.245
I love it.

00:55:10.245 --> 00:55:10.395
Yeah.

00:55:10.395 --> 00:55:11.805
And thank you guys so much for having me.

00:55:11.805 --> 00:55:15.015
It's, it's been an, an honor and
a, and a blessing and, and just so

00:55:15.015 --> 00:55:18.855
cool to Cliff, get to meet you and
Sam to get to chat with you again.

00:55:18.855 --> 00:55:22.155
And it's just been so cool for me to
watch you and on your just incredible,

00:55:22.365 --> 00:55:26.115
uh, meteor rise over the years and
every time you, you pop on my tv,

00:55:26.115 --> 00:55:27.345
I'm just like, ah, look at Sam.

00:55:27.405 --> 00:55:28.245
He's crushing it.

00:55:28.245 --> 00:55:29.865
Just absolutely crushing the game.

00:55:29.865 --> 00:55:32.715
So, uh, just so excited for you
and, and what you've been able to

00:55:32.715 --> 00:55:34.005
accomplish since you left football.

00:55:34.750 --> 00:55:35.260
Sam Acho: Well, I appreciate it.

00:55:35.260 --> 00:55:36.340
Well, Casey, I'm learning from you.

00:55:36.400 --> 00:55:38.350
I'm learning from you,
watching you walk with.

00:55:40.240 --> 00:55:44.080
Watching you walk from before I even
knew I was gonna go and t do tv, I

00:55:44.080 --> 00:55:49.330
saw you and I'm seeing you walk in
integrity when no one is watching.

00:55:50.140 --> 00:55:56.110
And that to me stands out so
much more than all the likes and

00:55:56.110 --> 00:55:58.180
retweets and, oh, I got this scoop.

00:55:58.450 --> 00:56:01.450
You walk in and with
integrity, cliff said it.

00:56:01.450 --> 00:56:03.700
You are salt and you are light.

00:56:04.540 --> 00:56:04.780
Right?

00:56:04.780 --> 00:56:07.420
The salt of the earth,
the salt of the world.

00:56:08.830 --> 00:56:14.140
Like you preserve the taste of things you
keep like in an industry that's decaying.

00:56:14.950 --> 00:56:18.880
You are keeping it from decaying your
salt, your light in a dark place, not

00:56:18.880 --> 00:56:20.740
just in a locker room, but in media.

00:56:21.010 --> 00:56:22.780
Look at where, where media is going.

00:56:22.780 --> 00:56:24.550
Media is a really dark place.

00:56:25.375 --> 00:56:26.515
And yet you are a light.

00:56:26.515 --> 00:56:31.525
So it's no wonder where, why so many
young people are looking to you for

00:56:31.525 --> 00:56:34.465
advice and you're a young person in
your in, in your own, right, right.

00:56:34.465 --> 00:56:37.345
We're not saying you're old, but
so many young people are looking

00:56:37.345 --> 00:56:40.585
to you because they're like, man,
they know light when they see it.

00:56:40.585 --> 00:56:42.565
You can't deny light, right?

00:56:42.565 --> 00:56:43.465
You taste salt.

00:56:43.465 --> 00:56:45.505
You can't, you can't, you know that taste.

00:56:46.105 --> 00:56:49.675
And so really from me to you, thank
you for being salt and light, even

00:56:49.675 --> 00:56:52.525
when I didn't even know that this
was, this is what I was going to do.

00:56:53.065 --> 00:56:57.865
You're still leading the way and
being a guide for not just young

00:56:57.865 --> 00:57:01.885
women or young men, but people who
are currently in your industry trying

00:57:01.885 --> 00:57:03.445
to learn how to do it with grace.

00:57:03.715 --> 00:57:07.495
And so thank you Casey for
joining the Sam Macho Podcast.

00:57:07.945 --> 00:57:08.485
Uh.

00:57:09.625 --> 00:57:12.685
I mean, I, I do wanna give
you space for the last word.

00:57:12.685 --> 00:57:15.415
If, if, if, uh, if you'll, if you'll
allow me, I wanna give you space to,

00:57:15.475 --> 00:57:17.470
to kind of share the last word with us.

00:57:18.180 --> 00:57:18.690
Casey Phillips: Oh man.

00:57:18.690 --> 00:57:20.340
So much pressure on the last word.

00:57:20.580 --> 00:57:24.540
No, I just think, um, I think that
it's amazing to just realize that.

00:57:25.360 --> 00:57:27.940
As long as we really do, like
I said, work like it depends on

00:57:27.940 --> 00:57:29.590
you pray, like it depends on God.

00:57:29.590 --> 00:57:34.930
Like everything is going to work out
and be better than you ever imagined.

00:57:34.930 --> 00:57:37.930
And I say that as someone who
had things happen to me that

00:57:37.930 --> 00:57:39.310
are not what I would've planned.

00:57:39.310 --> 00:57:43.120
Like I would not have planned to
have autoimmune issues and, and

00:57:43.120 --> 00:57:45.370
all these different things in the
way that I sometimes hate that it

00:57:45.370 --> 00:57:48.520
might affect, you know, my husband
and my family are, are different

00:57:48.520 --> 00:57:50.500
things, but like I know for a fact.

00:57:51.250 --> 00:57:55.510
That everything really does, like God
can use everything for good, even if God

00:57:55.510 --> 00:57:57.490
does not cause the bad thing to happen.

00:57:57.490 --> 00:58:00.340
Like he can use all of it for good.

00:58:00.340 --> 00:58:03.880
And so whatever people are
going through know that.

00:58:03.880 --> 00:58:08.050
If you choose to conti, you know,
pray continually, give thanks in all

00:58:08.050 --> 00:58:12.670
circumstances, that God's gonna be able
to show you the ways that that thing can

00:58:12.670 --> 00:58:16.960
be used for good and that you can help
other people and make a difference in the

00:58:16.960 --> 00:58:19.150
world, maybe because of that hard thing.

00:58:20.220 --> 00:58:21.145
Sam Acho: That's so good.

00:58:21.145 --> 00:58:24.715
Well, on behalf of Casey Phillips,
cliff Marshall, I'm Sam Macho.

00:58:24.715 --> 00:58:27.385
Thank you so much for joining
the Sam Macho Podcast.

00:58:27.625 --> 00:58:29.245
Make sure to go to sam macho.com.

00:58:29.245 --> 00:58:34.585
To find all the resources for this podcast
and also hear more about Casey's story.

00:58:34.795 --> 00:58:35.460
We'll see you next time.