Now, as much as I'd love to keep this job forever, great storytelling depends on the next generation of journalists rising up and asking great questions, I got a chance to meet some of them, and they put me to the hot seat for some mock interviews.
>> Are you a pineapple and pizza type of guy or just keep it plain?
>> This interview's over.
>> A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with students as part of CNN Academy, a program to help nurture the next generation of journalists.
A total of 80 students.
This group of college age and new graduates come from across the country from Penn State to where this panel was held, Georgia Tech.
>> So what as a reporter helped you develop skills from playing in the NFL?
>> Teamwork.
>> And as as that teamwork aspect, you have to be able to go and work with a team with producers, work with directors and shoots.
So what have you able to take away from the teamwork aspect?
>> See how she did a follow right there?
But sometimes your good people like teamwork and like they didn't really want to talk about it.
What a better way to learn about reporting than to get right into the hot seat and let them interview me.
>> What advantages does being a good team player, being able to operate as a member of a team have when it comes to being a a journalist?
Like where does that give you an edge as a journalist as compared to people who maybe aren't so good at working on a team?
>> I played nine years in the NFL and the average career is three.
Were there more talented players than me physically?
Yep.
But no one's going to outwork me.
No one's going to be more coachable and no one's going to be a better teammate.
And so, same thing in TV, very cutthroat industry, radio, whatever it is.
I mean, there are people who would love to take your job.
So, how can I make myself indispensable?
>> What would you say is like a challenge that you think um this new like upcoming generation of of sports journalists will face and what would be your advice to like overcome that?
I would say one of the biggest challenges is to not get replaced by AI.
And I say that part jokingly, but like quite serious.
Um, so what do we have that computers don't?
It's those interpersonal connections and relationships to just be human, interact with people, have conversations with people because now you have an experience with an athlete or a coach that you put on air or that you put in an article or that helps get you another uh interview with that person that that AI or no one else can do.
Only you can do it because there's one of you in the world, right?
I saw that you did wrestling and football when you were younger and that you set these records that were super high and I hear you talking about like you want to outwork everyone.
It seems like that's been a principle that's been in your life from the beginning.
Can you talk more about kind of like what's instilled that?
>> I was always chasing a dream, right?
I always knew from the time I grew up that I wanted to play in the NFL.
I had a support team around me, my parents.
Uh my mom cut seat belts out in the back of the car, made a harness for me so I could drag tires.
Moved to a bigger school district so I would get noticed by colleges.
And so what I'm getting to here is just having a yes coach mentality all along the way.
Like having my dream, having my goal, but sometimes that's not what God has made us built to do or is not our ultimate path.
And you may not know that yet, but if you have that yes coach mentality, so I go to defense, lead the team in tackles.
All of a sudden, I'm the only player in Stanford football history leading one year, tackles in another.
But if I had said, "No, no, I'm a running back.
I'm going to be a running back AFL." I wouldn't have had that.
and then I get drafted to the NFL.
All these things in my life like happened because uh I had that mentality of like I know what I want to do, what I think I'm going to do.
This is what I'm aiming for every day.
I'm going to pursue it with a relentless passion.
But like if I sense a roadblock or my team needs me here, then yes, coach, let's do it.
I'm here for the team.
>> Are you a pineapple and pizza type of guy or just keep it plain?
>> This interview's over.
>> A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with students as part of CNN Academy, a program to help nurture the next generation of journalists.
A total of 80 students.
This group of college age and new graduates come from across the country from Penn State to where this panel was held, Georgia Tech.
>> So what as a reporter helped you develop skills from playing in the NFL?
>> Teamwork.
>> And as as that teamwork aspect, you have to be able to go and work with a team with producers, work with directors and shoots.
So what have you able to take away from the teamwork aspect?
>> See how she did a follow right there?
But sometimes your good people like teamwork and like they didn't really want to talk about it.
What a better way to learn about reporting than to get right into the hot seat and let them interview me.
>> What advantages does being a good team player, being able to operate as a member of a team have when it comes to being a a journalist?
Like where does that give you an edge as a journalist as compared to people who maybe aren't so good at working on a team?
>> I played nine years in the NFL and the average career is three.
Were there more talented players than me physically?
Yep.
But no one's going to outwork me.
No one's going to be more coachable and no one's going to be a better teammate.
And so, same thing in TV, very cutthroat industry, radio, whatever it is.
I mean, there are people who would love to take your job.
So, how can I make myself indispensable?
>> What would you say is like a challenge that you think um this new like upcoming generation of of sports journalists will face and what would be your advice to like overcome that?
I would say one of the biggest challenges is to not get replaced by AI.
And I say that part jokingly, but like quite serious.
Um, so what do we have that computers don't?
It's those interpersonal connections and relationships to just be human, interact with people, have conversations with people because now you have an experience with an athlete or a coach that you put on air or that you put in an article or that helps get you another uh interview with that person that that AI or no one else can do.
Only you can do it because there's one of you in the world, right?
I saw that you did wrestling and football when you were younger and that you set these records that were super high and I hear you talking about like you want to outwork everyone.
It seems like that's been a principle that's been in your life from the beginning.
Can you talk more about kind of like what's instilled that?
>> I was always chasing a dream, right?
I always knew from the time I grew up that I wanted to play in the NFL.
I had a support team around me, my parents.
Uh my mom cut seat belts out in the back of the car, made a harness for me so I could drag tires.
Moved to a bigger school district so I would get noticed by colleges.
And so what I'm getting to here is just having a yes coach mentality all along the way.
Like having my dream, having my goal, but sometimes that's not what God has made us built to do or is not our ultimate path.
And you may not know that yet, but if you have that yes coach mentality, so I go to defense, lead the team in tackles.
All of a sudden, I'm the only player in Stanford football history leading one year, tackles in another.
But if I had said, "No, no, I'm a running back.
I'm going to be a running back AFL." I wouldn't have had that.
and then I get drafted to the NFL.
All these things in my life like happened because uh I had that mentality of like I know what I want to do, what I think I'm going to do.
This is what I'm aiming for every day.
I'm going to pursue it with a relentless passion.
But like if I sense a roadblock or my team needs me here, then yes, coach, let's do it.
I'm here for the team.