courtside club is presented for the people by caesar's sportsbook you bet you get with caesar's
rewards must be 21 or older i had went to the one o'clock service the padre was like it's close to
game time let's wrap it up to the congregation and everybody was like amen out the door
what's up you guys i'm rachel demita and welcome to the courtside club today i am joined by a
former nfl player and also super bowl champ you can now find him on sirius xm willie cologne
welcome to the courtside club how's everything thank you thank you for having me thanks for
making the time by the way i i love it we can uh people watch while we chat too which is like a
thing to do in new york especially if you're in midtown or any any pick any borough people the
problem with uh people who come to new york they think manhattan is all of new york right there's
five boroughs with this own culture and personality so manhattan just happens to be one
honestly it's the best thing to do you will never be bored my friend and i were sitting at the
window at dinner last night like this is amazing yeah it's like a fishbowl so it's like you know
you're looking at a bunch of fish just go up and down the street yeah that's how it is i'm actually
really glad that you were able you specifically were able to make the time to chat with us today
because i asked my twitter followers last night like what topics do you want to hear us talk
about on courtside club and somebody mentioned life after sports yeah which i was a former
athlete myself i didn't play professionally but i played division one and you know leaving the game
of basketball was ut i i did not we played against ut but i went to old dominion actually okay really
i went to hofstra oh yeah so i was getting recruited by them i actually saw that you went
to hofstra and they were in the mix i loved hofstra by the way um you could be part of the
pride i know i won't hold it against you though i know you know looking back old dominion wasn't
the best choice for me um and i and i left early because i was a former athlete and i was a former
because i didn't make the best decision but you're somebody who probably most of your life
played football am i wrong like when did you start playing football so i started playing football when
i was 14 years old um so a little bit later yeah well i'm from the bronx new york so i'm a city kid
and most kids that grew up in the city play basketball or baseball um it's not enough there's
no football fields around for us to kind of you know throw the pigskin around uh other than on
on the street so i grew up a basketball kid
long time i even hooped in high school but um when i was 14 years old i just knew football was
my calling largely largely because i wanted to be like laurence taylor uh the ex great giant he was
like everything to me and laurence taylor in particular was it was i was attracted to and
wanted to be like because he played with like a lawlessness i'm the middle child so i was i'm
naturally rebellious uh and so i always i was always drawn to him and drawn to the game of
football in my freshman year uh i was actually late
uh because i was playing basketball i was actually late to training camp and my first day of school i
ran downstairs uh and our freshman football coach his name was wild bill jensen and wild
bill jensen had these coke bottle glasses he had this dusty old uh snapback hat and
he wore high tube socks he was like the typical football coach um he was ripping cigs uh yeah
is this like out of a movie he should have been in a movie um and i walked up to him i was like
coach my name is william cologne
And I want to be a part of the team.
He was like, well, our spots are pretty much filled.
I don't know if you're going to be able to participate this year.
And I was heartbroken because I obviously wanted to play.
And he was just like, what size shoe do you wear?
And I was just like, oh, I'm a 14.
He's like, how old are you?
I was like, I'm 14.
He was just like, won't you be here tomorrow?
Come with tomorrow.
Bring some sweat clothes.
You're just going to work out with the team.
And so I was thrilled.
I ran home and told my mother, I was like, I'm playing football.
There's nothing you can do about it.
She was like, I don't know about that.
I was like, ma, please obey them.
She was like, okay.
I was like, but I need a sweatsuit.
So she took me to Modell's.
I don't know if Modell's is a nationwide, but it was a sporting goods store.
And I brought a sweatsuit.
And I was literally on the field the next day.
And old school, how they used to, you know, old school high school football,
the freshman team, the JV team, and the senior team would all warm up together.
So it looked like one big army.
And I was like the last guy.
With the random sweatshirt.
And everybody's dressed in a uniform.
And everybody's looking at me like, who the hell is this guy?
And I was going through all the drills, up-downs, and push-ups.
And literally, I was in one of the tackling mines.
Because they were teaching guys how to tackle.
And I was in a line.
And I was about to go.
With no uniform or whatever.
And I remember one of the defensive line coaches, his name was Coach Coop,
literally grabbed me by my collar and was like, what are you doing?
You don't have a helmet.
You're going to get hurt.
You're going to get us killed.
And I was just like, oh, I was going to participate.
And he was just like, yeah.
When you get your helmet.
And so once they realized I was serious about it, I was really passionate about it,
I ended up getting my helmet and my shoulder pads.
And they put me at fullback because we ran a triple option.
And I ended up making captain of the team.
Your freshman year?
Yeah, my freshman year.
Of the freshman team?
Or did you play it up?
Yeah, well, I made captain of my freshman football team.
And then the next year, I went straight to varsity.
Yeah, that's good.
Were you your size?
I mean, obviously not your size.
I was only a big kid.
But you were at 14?
Yeah, I was at 14.
It looked like I had a paper route.
I was just like, I could throw some cinder blocks around.
I was a naturally big kid and always very aggressive.
Grew up a WWE fan, a WWF fan back then.
So I was just a boy.
I was rumble tumble.
That's always been my personality.
So I know we just dug right into it.
But it's so interesting to me to see somebody now who obviously has accomplished the highest goal.
I feel like most football players is to win.
And you got to that moment.
Can you talk about what that feeling was when you got drafted?
My story is unique in a lot of different ways.
I was my senior year of college.
I had achieved a lot of accolades.
But I necessarily wasn't focused on being a professional football player.
I was more focused on how am I going to survive once I graduate?
Meaning I was living with my quarterback at the time.
He had a little attic for a room.
I was paying him $500.
But in the mix of that, my office and line coach, Damon Wroblewski,
who's now with James Madison, actually, who's the office and line coach there,
he was just like, hey, bud, the NFL is knocking.
You need to start taking this seriously.
And I was more of the precedent of saying, hey, the NFL can be after me all they want.
Because that's what people don't realize.
Once you enter the draft, there's at least three or four months.
And if you don't get drafted, you got to figure out life.
And so I was bouncing, and my agent was like, listen,
He was like, listen, you got to do right.
Because if you're going to go to these teams,
they're going to give you physicals, and you can't go to the Eagles all bruised up.
You can't, at the time, Andy Reid was the coach for the Eagles.
You can't walk up to Andy Reid with a patch on your head, bruised up,
and you're pretty much trying to get a job from him.
And so I was like, all right.
So I started taking training seriously.
And, you know, when the draft came along, pretty much what happened was,
so how the draft works, you have to give a landline,
and you have to give a cell phone.
You have to give numbers to both.
The landline that I gave was to the house I was staying at.
And so day one of the NFL draft happens.
You know, I'm watching a lot of guys who I knew kind of get drafted,
and I'm saying to myself, all right, obviously I'm not one of them,
which is fine, but I just kind of just wanted to get out of the house.
I just didn't want to be there no more.
So I ended up going to my sister's home.
Go to my sister's house, sleep on the couch, plug my charger.
At the time, I had a T-Mobile.
I had a T-Mobile Razor.
I don't know how the kids remember the Razor.
Yeah, I do remember.
So I had a T-Mobile Razor, and I plugged it in, fell asleep on the couch,
wake up the next morning, and my phone is not working.
I'm freaking out.
I was like, why is my phone not working?
And I'm doing everything.
You know, they tell you all the tricks, put it in a bag of rice,
or I'm doing all that nonsense.
Literally anything, put it in rice.
And so I'm doing all this nonsense, and my sister comes in,
and she's like, why are you freaking out?
I was like, my phone's not working.
You know, the landline that I gave them,
isn't to this apartment, it's to where I was just at.
And she was just like, it's going to work out, you know, whatever.
The NFL, day two of the draft starts.
Literally, as the draft is going on, my phone turns on miraculously.
The first call that I get on that phone is my agent.
He's like, what are you doing?
Because at this time, three or four teams had already went off the board.
Two of the teams that I thought I was going to get drafted to
already got office alignment, by the way.
So I'm mortified.
He's like, what are you doing?
And I'm just like, Joe, my phone.
He's like, so let me understand this.
You're not home to where you gave the landline to
for the NFL people to call you.
And currently, you're at your sister's home
talking on a cell phone that barely works.
This is the NFL draft.
What are you doing?
And so I'm like, man, Joe, I don't, you know, I'm sorry.
I was like, I don't know what's going on.
He was like, you know, the Cowboys are potentially going to call you.
We don't know what's going to transpire out of that.
You know, so he's frustrated.
He's just like, hang up.
He's like, I'll call you.
Just be by your phone.
Sure enough, I'm destroyed because I feel like I'm loaning every opportunity.
He's trying to get a hold of me.
Obviously, I'm not home where I said I was going to be.
And so I put my phone down.
I walk to the terrace.
I'm just kind of overlooking the buildings.
And my sister's like, well, I'm going to make breakfast and everything's going to be fine.
And I'm like, OK, even though I'm like destroyed inside.
And my phone rings.
And she's like, it's 412.
I was just like, I don't know.
And so she picks up the phone.
She's like, hello.
And the first person on the phone was Bill Cowher.
Bill Cowher was like, hey, can I talk to Willie Colon?
And my sister's like, yeah.
She's like, well, do you know who Bill is?
I'm like, I don't know no Bill.
And she goes, hello, can I talk to Willie Colon?
And she's like, Willie, it's coming.
It's Coach Bill Cowher.
So she's like, Coach Bill Cowher?
I was like, yeah.
No, I'll grab the phone.
Give me the phone.
And he's like, hey, Willie, how you doing?
Do you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler?
And I'm just like, yeah.
He goes, turn around.
He goes, we're picking you right now, fourth round, 131.
So I turn around with my phone in my hand.
And I see Willie Colon out of the hospital, fourth round, 131.
Like, a huge, like, exploded.
My family's crying.
And that was just a very surreal moment of just – that meant a lot to me
because it was all about perseverance.
I had been through a lot in my college careers – my career, excuse me.
And it was just a lot.
So once I got to the NFL and playing for the Steelers, it was a world win
because the Steelers had won the Super Bowl prior to me getting drafted.
They had beat the Seattle Seahawks in Detroit.
That was Jerome Bettis' last game.
And so the team and the city was just buzzing.
Like, any team that has just won, like, the city is just like –
You know, they got the big cojones.
Like, you can't tell them.
So everybody from the grandmother to the babies had this –
Swagger about them.
And Pittsburgh is already rich in tradition, especially about the Steelers.
And I am a New Yorker, really, you know, really not knowing what to feel about it
because, one, I got to make the team.
I didn't win the Super Bowl.
I'm just a new guy.
And two, really kind of just a fish out of water from the standpoint that
I wasn't used to people noticing me or knowing my name.
And so when I was out eating, people would just stare at me.
And I'd be like, you know, in New York, when people mad dog you,
you're like, you got a problem?
You know what I mean?
And so it took a lot of me just being acclimated to that city.
It was a little intimidating because I just wasn't –
you know, I went to a small school in Hofstra.
I wasn't used to people noticing who I was or no one cared at that.
But playing there was just an amazing experience.
I feel like that can go one of two ways, right?
Because you walk in as the new guy to this established team
and you're going to learn quickly or else you'll sink.
Or you can go to a team that's trying to rebuild
have an easier chance maybe to make your mark and help out.
Well, I think every team has their own way of going about it.
I think the Steelers do a great job of letting guys mature.
Like one thing I think happens in sports
and I think it doesn't happen in other sports,
well, other teams rather, is that good teams invest
and they don't risk the maturation period of an individual player, right?
Largely because they have guys in front of them
that they can necessarily depend on right away.
Bad teams, I think, may not have that access or that level of depth
and they rush a guy to be right where he needs to be,
where they want him to be right away,
and that guy's necessarily not there.
And it's just because a guy's 22 years old,
coming from Opa-locka, Florida.
Now he's in Orchard Park, Buffalo.
And so there's a lot that goes into a guy being where he needs to be
from a professional standpoint.
You played sports.
I mean, you can look a part from the neck up if you're not right.
It doesn't – it's never going to happen.
It's never going to translate onto the field.
I want to go back to something you were talking about pre-draft
when you said that you still had to figure it out.
You're like, this is great.
The NFL's interested in me.
They haven't cut any checks for me yet, though.
So I have to look out for myself.
That was something for me when I was in college.
I knew when I was playing basketball that I did not want to play professionally.
So I wanted to get a good education and set myself up
for whatever was next beyond basketball.
I felt like where I was at, I wasn't getting that.
And I think things –
I think things have changed in the past.
That was, what, 13 years ago when I was at Old Dominion.
But what do you think that college coaches or programs
could do a little bit better?
Because there is a very small percentage of these college athletes
who play professionally.
What, in reference to getting the guys ready for the pros?
I just think getting them ready for life.
Even not – if they don't go professional.
I think a lot of programs, a lot of big programs,
do their best to get guys acclimated and ready.
However, there are the other schools who don't necessarily have the refunds
nor that kind of that powerhouse, you know,
that kind of alumni association that, you know –
listen, a guy from Ohio State, he just put a degree on the –
like, hey, I went to Ohio State.
I played football.
A guy's got a chance.
He can get a job.
He can figure it out.
Other schools don't have that access.
But I think what schools are trying to do,
which I think they haven't done,
they're allowing more guys who either played the sport
or played for the university.
They come back, tell their story, and kind of be that bridge,
which helps, right?
And so it's a mixed bag.
Sometimes I think these kids are so coddled, it handicaps them.
But at the same time, you know, a lot of these kids do need help.
And I think there's – it's about finding the access
and learning how to go about it.
I think that's the gap.
What do you see happening with NIL?
Because, again, I think that there's a lot of cool opportunity there as well.
But then I also see already brands.
And such taking advantage of college kids for some of these deals
because they will do it for whatever money
because they don't have any – you know, have anything.
So I just wonder down the line.
I think it will get more –
Tighten up, if you will.
I don't know what the word is.
It's pretty much pre-free agency.
And that's what it is.
And I think right now I'm happy our guys are getting paid
because I think for generations, you know,
it has been making money off athletes' backs for years.
However, I just –
the issue is because I have guys who –
friends, close friends of mine, guys who I consider brothers
who are now persistent coaches at a lot of these, you know,
big institutions and big programs.
And the issues that they're running into is
it's necessarily not the negotiation process with, you know,
if you had a son or if I had a son who's like,
all right, he's going to go play for Florida.
And Florida's like, all right, we understand we have to give you something.
It's not somebody qualified.
It's not somebody qualified making that deal.
It's like your Uncle Larry who owns the car dealership
now talking to Bill Napier about getting their nephew $500,000
where that kid is like really market value is probably $200,000.
And so I just hope that, one, it does get –
it does build some, you know, some framework of what's allowed
and what's not allowed.
That's a good word for it.
I think a lot of coaches are not worried about the NIL.
I think they're more worried about that, you know,
if you're going to hand this kid –
if you're going to hand this kid off a bank, you know,
like the kid, the quarterback, I forgot his name, is Nico.
He's going to Tennessee.
I think he's got like $8 billion in the NIL.
Like this kid has made all that money and hasn't played for Tennessee yet.
Who knows if he's going to be the guy they recruited to.
So now the kid is like not thinking about playing for the Niners or the Cowboys.
Now he's like, well, if I do what I need to do in high school,
I can make a good chunk playing for the University of Miami
or playing for Texas.
And so their perception and the amount –
sort of strength, strength a little bit, if you will.
Like the mountaintop is like, I'm going to get drafted, you know, first day.
I'm going to make bank.
Everybody going to eat.
Now the kid is like, well, I go to USC, get $2 million.
I can still change my family's life.
So it's definitely different.
And now coaches, their promotion, how they promote the game
and how they're getting kids to join their programs is different
because they're like, hey, you know, you don't have to worry about the league.
We can take care of you.
And guys are like, okay, especially when you're telling guys right now,
which is true, and it's actually fashionally,
the average career for NFL players, three years.
Yeah, I was going to say, because you had a long career.
And I had a lot of injuries too.
I went through two back-to-back IRs, and I finished with an IR.
But I was extremely blessed to overcome all of it, yeah.
I want to get more into your life after football,
all the cool things that you're doing now.
But on the courtside club,
we do like to take a halftime break.
Okay, let's do it.
I know you grew up here, but you spent so much time in Pittsburgh.
So I have a list of categories, and I want you to tell me.
Are you going to check my insert card?
I feel like this is about to happen.
I want you to tell me which one is better, New York or Pittsburgh.
We'll start off with an easy one, okay?
New York, because there's more gray days in Pittsburgh
than actual Seattle, Washington.
So that's a fact.
It's very gray in Pittsburgh.
So I'm going to say New York.
Okay, so New York.
What about the food?
Oh, New York is down.
This one I feel like is a no-brainer, too.
That's why I'm going to push back.
Because I, Willie Colon, frequent the streets of Pittsburgh a lot.
And when you're a Pittsburgh Steeler and you're winning,
it's a whole different vibe.
So what's it like?
You just get in anywhere at any time?
Anything that you want?
So this is what I tell people.
New York is awesome because, obviously, it's the vibe.
It's the culture.
It's the fast pace.
You could be rubbing elbows with a hot model or a superstar.
But the thing about Pittsburgh, which I love and I hold dear to my heart,
was that the city itself and the people itself protected the players.
So, meaning, if I, Willie Colon, was walking out of an establishment
and I was over-served and I was stumbling down Carson Street,
I would have fans come up to me like,
Hey, big fella, you okay?
Let me get you home.
Police officers would be like,
Hey, big fella, how are you getting home?
And this was pre-social media.
So you felt like it allowed you to be human.
You wasn't always coming out of this big, you know what I mean?
And it made you feel like you was a part of the community
because I would be at Penny's Diner or having a gyro at 2 o'clock in the morning,
having had him beat Cleveland Browns, slapping down some food,
and I was doing it amongst family.
People who was like, Hey, good game, big fella.
You want to finish this plate of fries?
And so it was fun, man.
And we were around people who always,
the city never felt like they were out to get you.
If anything, they were trying to protect you.
And our payback to them was just by winning.
Which you don't get in all cities.
I don't know if it's still like that in Pittsburgh.
I think the times have changed.
But I know for a fact, how we used to party, they protected us.
And our way of paying them back was by winning.
I will say, though, I'm from Akron, Ohio.
And so Ohio sports fans are very similar.
Yeah, you get it.
Like even me, I'm a Cleveland Browns fan first, but was at the Super Bowl.
And was going hard for the Bengals.
Just because that was Ohio.
I have never been so.
Uninvested in any sporting event.
And I was like, why am I?
I was like, no, this is Ohio.
They're doing it for us.
And that's how Pittsburgh is.
Like, when they call you theirs, you're theirs.
And they're for you.
Next up, the practice facility.
See, it's changed.
Pittsburgh was very bare bones.
But in a very classy and professional way.
The Jets is like, it's like top notch.
Woody Johnson threw money.
It's like every, like our cafeteria to our weight room to it's Jets probably have wanted.
And I've heard this from other guys who have come from other places.
They just probably have one of the best facilities in the league.
So which one would you pick, though?
Do you like that kind of rough around the edges?
Or do you like the new and improved?
I'm going to go Pittsburgh.
I do like the blue collar approach.
We didn't have like a milkshake station.
The Jets have like way too much going on.
It's really, really nice.
But the Pittsburgh.
It was like, what you see is what you got.
But it kept you humble.
Pittsburgh Steelers.
What about your teammates?
Pittsburgh Steelers.
You know, there's something that's like, listen, winning is the ultimate deodorant.
You cannot like, you cannot like half your team, but you're winning and you're okay with
When you're losing and you're still dealing with guys.
Like in the locker room or like how their approach to football or how they do their job.
It can become hard.
When I landed to, when I landed to the Jets in 13, we were the second youngest team in
And they had lost so many key figures in that locker room that the team was really, the
whole organization was a reset and valid.
There was ways they could have recovered, but they never did.
And it was a lot.
And I was, you know, I was new because I was this battle horse for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I played in multiple playoff games.
I played in two Super Bowls, went to AMC championships, had all this going for me from a professional
standpoint to step into a locker room where a lot of guys who you probably respected before
you got there just seemed disconnected or maybe bitter because of the guys they had
went through battle with for so long and no longer in the building.
It was really like a, it was like a two or three year grieving period that that organization
And I witnessed it and I try to be, you know, a significant figure and I think I did the
But I also was injured at times.
So, but it was, it was the Jets.
I went through a lot when I got there.
So you felt like the chemistry never got there during the time you were there?
It never, it never was what it could have been, but it also was a large part of it was
because of the guys who were role models or significant pieces of part of that organization
And so a lot of guys who, cause I think you could probably speak to this.
There are people who are vocal and rah-rah people and who could play and there's some
people who are introverts.
Just want to do their job.
But when you're dealing with a young team and those guys who are vocal leaders or people
who lead by example, aren't there anymore, you know, the guys who need that kind of guidance
are left to kind of fend for themselves.
And if you have, if you have bad habits and you create a bad culture, that kind of festers.
So that's, that's what it was.
Quarterbacks then and now.
Oh, I went from Big Ben to Geno Smith.
So I think that's, and it's not even Geno's fault.
I'm not, I'm not, yeah, I'm like not even trying to base anybody.
It's not even Geno's fault because, you know, it really should have been, I should have
went to Ben Roethlisberger to Mark Sanchez, but Mark ended up getting hurt my first year
with the Jets and ultimately he, he left.
And Geno just as good as he was in college, just wasn't ready for that type of situation.
Not that he's not capable because he does have another shot in Seattle and I know he's
in a quarterback battle competition with Drew Locke.
I felt bad for Geno because he was, he was drafted to be the savior, but he just wasn't
If he would have had two years of just kind of really figuring it out and things got a
little better, he'd probably still be a Jet.
So lastly, I feel like you already answered this one, but the fans.
Man, I be feeling bad for Jet Nation, man.
And I, in fact, I'm on SOI cover of the pre and post and Jet Nation, man, they just been
They've been, they've been dragged.
You know, they, you know, they haven't been to the playoffs.
They haven't been to the playoffs.
They haven't been to the playoffs.
They haven't been to the playoffs.
They haven't been to the playoffs in 11 years.
And every year, this time of year, they're forced to have high expectations about a team
that they, deep down inside, don't know about because they're so avid.
They're just like, they're going to feel like this their year, but like, you don't know
until they go through it.
Stiller Nation is different because it's a generational thing.
Like, go to Walmart or Target.
You know, you from, you know how it is.
You're going to see a bunch of people.
You're going to see a baby to an 85-year-old lady to some dude that looks like a substitute
teacher all wearing Steelers jerseys.
And throughout the city of Pittsburgh on a Friday, maybe Thursday, the city is dripped
in black and gold.
And it just is what it is.
So you're, it's, it's, I say, I say it all the time.
Being a Steeler is like being a part of a religion.
It's definitely like a cult.
It's like not even a question.
Like, I remember one time I was on IR and I think we had like an afternoon game.
It was like a 425 game.
I had, went to the 1 o'clock.
And literally the service is like going on.
And I can't, the Padre was like a, it's close to game time.
Let's wrap it up to the congregation.
And everybody was like, amen.
And I was just like looking around like.
And it was straight like that.
Like, it was just out of there.
And everybody was on board with it.
Like, this one lady was like, I got my greens on, girl.
I said, we got to go watch the Steelers.
And I remember watching this one dude was like, yeah.
I got to get to the grill.
Like, it's a day, man.
And on Thursday, you would see RVs and trailers.
People already out there for a Sunday game on Thursday.
And that parking lot would be slammed with people.
And I'd be like, oh, is a concert coming to town?
I remember one dude was like, you are the concert.
He's like, we drove from Kentucky.
We're going to spend our weekends here.
It was like the Beatles in Pittsburgh.
But at all times.
Even in La Trobe, like training camp, people only like on their time, their vacations.
Like, oh, we're going to La Trobe for vacation.
We're going to La Trobe for three days.
We're going to get back in the RV and we're going to go home.
That's people's vacation time.
So Pittsburgh, hands down.
No, it's not even close.
But I love Jet Nation, man.
They just, they just, they haven't had the taste of winning in their mouth for so long
that they just, they're dehydrated.
They need to be hydrated with some love, man.
Do you have any predictions for New York sports teams in general for these upcoming?
I don't follow along as much.
I don't follow along as much with hockey and baseball, but basketball and football.
Our Yankees are really hot right now.
We got a paid judge.
I mean, he's the best player in baseball right now.
Our Mets are doing well.
I think the Yankees got a shot to go the distance.
We got to figure out.
We got to get some more consistency with our pitching.
Football wise, the Giants are a little bit in a lull because, you know, their offensive
line is up and down.
You know, what type of year Saquon's going to have is serious.
But the number one question is, you know, who's Daniel Jones going to be for that offense?
And I like coach, you know, Brian DeBall.
They just acquired from Buffalo.
I think he's a fascinating coach.
So they got a lot of things they got to answer.
Jet wise, man, the Jets remind me a lot of the Yankees from the early, from the late
90s because they have drafted their core four.
We got Makai Beckton.
You got Zach Wilson.
Now you got Michael Carter, Elijah.
And in this draft, I think when I think they've had one of the best drafts they had in probably
organizational history because they got like usually when you draft, you draft talent, need
They answer to all of that.
And they got guys they can build on.
So it's just a matter of staying healthy.
And then a lot of guys they acquired last year who were hurt, like Carl Lawson.
They got a lot of those guys back.
So if you inject the guys that were supposed to be significant pieces for them last year
that weren't able to play.
Plus this young talent.
Plus they were able to acquire guys who could really go get it.
I thought Quala, Quala Alexander, the linebacker they picked up.
It was a huge move to compliment C.J.
So with all that said, I think the Jets are going to have a better year than what people
However, they still have to learn how to win.
You know, like you've played sports and it's about playing all four quarters.
You know, you can look good on paper, but you got to play.
I mean, we saw that the easiest example was in the NBA.
In the last couple of seasons, the teams that looked amazing on paper, almost like
they were cheating on paper and then didn't even make it to the playoffs.
Brooklyn Nets are a prime example.
But for our Knicks, man, I mean, I know a lot of people, who's Jalen Brunson?
And we gave up all this stuff.
You know, listen, we got an opportunity to have R.J. Barrett, Jalen Brunson, Mitchell
Obviously, we still need some more pieces, but they're, you know, we got a lot of draft
picks that we can build for the future.
And we were able to get it.
So, your life after football, the question that we started with, that we're just now
getting back to, did you always think that you wanted to go into the broadcast space?
You were with Barstool for a little while, on Sirius XM now, and been killing it in this
I appreciate that.
No, I was very bitter when I left the field, because I left the field injured and forced
to leave because my knees went bad on me.
So, I was really much...
I was in a gray space about what I wanted to do next.
I was doing a couple hits on SMY, and my wife was like...
My wife, Akisha, was like, hey, man, if you take this serious, you can be pretty good
And I was like...
This is a trend in your life.
Women are obviously smarter than men.
It was the same with football.
They're like, you know, if you take this serious, you can go pro.
And part of my pushback was because I still wanted to play.
You know, I just...
I didn't want to leave the field.
And I was always...
I wasn't anti-media, but I was just like, half of these guys don't know what the hell
they're talking about.
Like, I don't want to be that guy.
And the guys who were leaving the field and kind of like get into that space or that role,
some of those guys wanted to welcome back into the locker room because they were letting
They were talking too much, you know, letting go of house secrets, putting the team that
they formerly played for in weird positions.
And I was like, I necessarily don't want to be that guy.
So I just had a very skewed idea of what my role would be in media.
And when I was able to walk off the field, do a lot of things.
For S and Y, which is where I'm currently at, doing the Jets pre and post, it took me
a lot to just be comfortable, one, in front of a camera, two, just be comfortable in what
I wanted to say and how I wanted to deliver my message.
It's, you know, a lot of times when you, as athletes, especially when you're playing,
you feel like when the mic is in front of your face, you have to say something.
Like, you don't have any say, which is the opposite.
You can say, I don't have anything to say, right?
Or you can say what you want to say, but understand that, you know, say what you mean.
You mean what you say.
And then, so for me, when I got onto the other side of the fence, I realized that there are
professionals who do care about their tanks and how they go about their stuff.
And then there's guys who just want to cut onions so they can be in the headlines, right?
So everybody fits a different role, Elaine.
It's just a matter of you figuring out what you want to do, how you want to go about it,
and then whatever content space you choose.
When I landed with Barstool, I didn't know what Barstool was.
No, I landed to Barstool because of Julie Stewart Banks.
She was like, hey, Willie, I'm at Barstool now.
And I was like, what the hell?
She's like, no, but I really think it's good for you.
Won't you come try out?
So I kind of auditioned for their morning show, and it was Julie Stewart Banks, Francis
Ellis, and it was me being the third wheel.
And a couple other guys, I think they had interviewed for the position, but it just
She called me over.
It was a home run.
And Dave Portnoy was like, hey, man, we like you.
We think you can work here.
We think you can work at Barstool.
And I took the job that I had worked a couple months at Barstool.
I took the job not really knowing what Barstool was or what it was all about.
But I did love kind of this free space it lived in.
It was almost like it was very freeing from a standpoint.
You weren't being judged for trying to hot takes.
It was actually the opposite.
The wilder and more spontaneous you could be, the more you were accepted.
And I just loved Dave's approach, how he ran the company.
And at the time, I just loved his kind of like wild cowboy.
He was still going strong with that.
Yeah, he's still doing his thing.
But I loved my early years at Barstool.
It felt very different.
It felt very free, and I liked it.
I feel like that's why they would like you, though, because we haven't known each other
I appreciate the conversation that we're having.
But it seems like you're just authentically you.
I try to be, yeah.
You're just sharing what you do best.
You see the news reporters on TV.
They're more polished, and they speak a certain way and hit a certain note.
But you bring this kind of realness that I think is relatable and easy to listen to.
And I could see a Barstool being like, he's just a good fit, and he's unique, and he has
the playing experience.
They don't have too many athlete talent over there.
Barstool, it's weird, because when people ask me about my time at Barstool, obviously
I'm not there anymore.
I was fortunate enough to do the Mortar Show with Lars McCarthy.
I did it with Francis, Pat, Zod, and Wayne Jeske.
And those guys are like family to me, and I loved what we had.
And I don't know how to feel about Barstool.
It's weird, because I get asked that a lot, and I'm in a very gray space, because there's
people there who work there who I love and have a lot of respect for.
And then there's the other side where I'm just like, yeah, that's not it.
And so I'm still like, yeah, and I've been away from Barstool going on like a year or
two, because I worked there for three years.
I'm still very like in a weird space about it.
But now you're at Sirius on Mad Dog Radio?
Yeah, I'm on Mad Dog Sports Channel 82 with my two co-hosts, Evan Cohen and Mike Babchek.
Evan Cohen's the very polished, super professional, kind of the point guard of the show.
And Mike Babchek is...
He's kind of the sex, drugs, rock and roll guy.
He's the wild guy.
And I'm kind of the in-between.
And we have a very good dynamic.
I started working on the show last September, so I'm still learning who they are and what's
And we're getting it together, but we're having fun.
I think what we try to do is, if you're going to wake up six in the morning and turn us
on, we want to be entertaining, right?
And we're trying to figure it out.
I mean, I think we have fun of talking sports, talking life, talking football, and talking
everything that headlines require, if you will.
So I think we do a good job at it.
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Are there any stories right now that you've been following in the NFL or in the sports
world in general?
I think right now the live golf thing is hot, right?
And, you know, me, on the show, we compare it to when the NWO was going against the WCW.
You had the Wolfpack versus, you know, the Empire, so to speak.
And it's weird to see those, you know, Bubba Watson just went over.
You talk about Phil Mickelson.
You talk about, you know, Bryson DeChambeau and all those guys.
They've all jumped ship.
And you have Tiger and McElroy.
How much did he decline again?
I think they said $7,000 to $8,000.
$7,000 to $8,000.
But Tiger has that.
Like, Tiger is almost a billionaire with everything he's in.
I mean, to me, that sounds insane.
I would have been like, yeah, let's get out of here.
Signed yesterday.
So, that's interesting right now.
And I think, you know, I'm excited.
I'm excited about Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher.
I think it's October 12th.
What that looks like, you know, and how – I think that should be on pay-per-view.
I don't know if a college game has ever been on pay-per-view, but I feel like that's going
to be like a heavyweight fight.
I actually got that one marked off.
So, I'm excited about college football this year.
NFL-wise, there's so many spinning headlines.
Obviously, the Deshaun Watson thing is a hot-button issue, right?
I feel like everybody's had their two cents.
Everybody's had their two cents.
It is wild because, you know, it's one of those situations where no matter what you
say, it's just such a heavy conversation this time.
Like, you have to be so careful.
But, you know, you just kind of – you have to be careful.
You kind of got to just – you just got to sit and wait.
Obviously, the NFL has appealed what Judge Sue Robertson has issued, the six-game suspension.
And Goodell's like, uh-uh, uh-uh, you know?
So – but that whole thing is so layered that it just – the more it unravels, the
more you learn about the NFL, what they really care about, what they really don't.
And then us sitting on the outside, we will never know the intricate details –
That are going on.
So, it's – you know, for your Browns, you know, how do you – you know, how do you
feel as a Browns fan?
Like, what do you – what's your perception about it?
As a Browns fan in general, it's not surprising that something like this would happen with
one of our players because I feel like Cleveland sports are just cursed.
And, like, it's always like a season of ours where we're like, yeah, doing the thing.
Like, Johnny Manziel is another example.
It's like, there's – we get so much hope to be let down so often.
That – so, from a straight, like, whatever it is, for a Browns fan, not fun.
The other side, obviously, from what I'm hearing of, like, the allegations and then
the amount of games and then the other players who have gotten 10 times the amount of games
suspended or year-long suspension, whatever, it's a little crazy.
You know, my take on it is I blame the NFL for not staying in this lane, right?
Like, you talk about one thing the NBA does extremely well is what I thought was a smart
Whatever happens off the court, let the courts deal with that.
We can only control the NBA.
So, if a guy does something off the court that's not right or egregious, there's a
lawyer, there's a judge, and there's a grand jury that handles that.
That's not for the NBA to decide to be the judge during execution.
The NFL, it's not Roger Goodell's fault because the Players Association and the NFL
players have given Roger Goodell, when they were in CBA talks, the right to be the judge
during execution.
So, it pisses me off from the standpoint because Deshaun Watson went through two grand
They didn't get nothing on him.
Then, you went and hired a judge, Judge Sue Robinson.
She gave you her decision, and now you're saying that's not enough.
And she only came up with the six games because she felt like it was consistent to what Roger
Goodell did with Ben Roethlisberger and Ezekiel Elliott.
So, she was just like, well, this is the standard you set.
The NFL, I'm just going along with it.
And now you're telling me I'm wrong.
So, it clearly shows that the NFL isn't prepared or inept to handle these situations.
So, give it to the pros.
Hand it off to them and just worry about football because there's women who are pissed off.
Everybody's pissed off in some form or way.
Get out the way and let the pros, let the people who do this handle that and worry about
And that's why I congratulate the NBA in that regard because they're like, listen,
we're going to focus on basketball.
We don't have a chamber of commerce to kind of delegate this.
So, it's not going to be…
They're being, I guess, more reactive than just having something in place that, oh, if
something like this happens, this is our protocol.
Well, they have rules.
They have things, but they haven't judged every rule.
Every situation the same.
That's what I'm trying to say.
And that's why it's like they're so open.
Like, Josh Gordon…
I think he was suspended 25 games and I can't believe…
Wasn't he with us for a while, too?
Yeah, he was hellified with the Browns.
The guy has been suspended.
And we're talking about weed.
Like, talk about the weed culture now.
Everybody's smoking.
You walk down the street, it smells like a whole dispensary.
So, it's just been so up and down, so all over the place that it's hard for the fan
or anybody with any sense to try to rationalize where we're at right now.
Just take you down that dark rabbit hole.
I have one last question for you.
This is another thing that has been spiraling.
There's a lot of athletes coming out saying that there are certain commentators, reporters,
personalities on television who have not played the sport anymore who shouldn't be, basically.
What do you think about that, being a former athlete who is now in this media world?
Well, I think it's unfair because not everybody can be 6'8".
Not everybody can be 6'6".
What a jump shot.
Not everybody can be 6'3".
Not everybody can be 360 pounds and play offensive guard.
What's happening now because of social media, people are being held more accountable for
their comments and how they distribute it.
Because now, if I say X, Y, Z about KD, KD doesn't have to reach for my number.
He can just tweet back at me about what I said.
And so now it's a more instant reaction.
And it's a more level of accountability of what I'm about to say about a particular athlete.
the world can see it.
And so now everybody has an opinion about what I said or how KD came back at me or whatever.
So it's different.
But I think for the long, it's always going to be like that because there are guys who
played and still have bad takes or still have things they probably shouldn't say but say
it for whatever reason.
And everybody's trying to eat in this space, right?
And you're only going to eat if you have something to say that's going to grab people's attention.
Like everybody, you know, not everybody's going to feel one way or the other.
Not everybody's going to feel one way about a particular situation.
But if you're entertaining and it grabs me, people are going to draw to it.
So it's just a business.
That low-hanging fruit sometimes is that hot take that's just wild, but you know it's going
to get picked up.
And it's like, are you willing to be that person who's behind that take?
And some people are.
And some people have made a living being that bad guy.
And, you know, it's kind of like one of them.
You know, it's that common rule.
You remain the hero so long that you eventually turn the hero.
You know what I mean?
There's a lot of bad people out there who have had bad takes, said bad things, and probably
crossed the line multiple times.
But at the end of the day, you're watching them.
Because you want to hear it.
You want to see the people firing squad shoot at them.
And they have the cojones to sit there and take it.
So we are reaching the end of the game.
I have some buzzer beaters for you.
What is your ideal food and drink combo while sitting courtside?
You got to have a beer.
So I'm going to be honest.
This is my favorite at Pittsburgh.
I used to have a cold beer with sausages and peppers.
Like, do they serve that at the?
At the Berg, they did.
That's definitely like a Midwest type of thing.
Sausages and peppers and a cold beer was just like cash money for me.
And my wife and me have like a large plate of nachos.
We're like two of the happiest, fattest kids in America.
Who was one person dead or alive who you would love to sit courtside with?
I wouldn't want to sit with somebody funny.
I don't want to sit with somebody too serious.
So I wouldn't want to sit with Bernie Mac or Robin Williams.
That'd be really fun.
Because I feel like they'll make it.
Crazy this happens.
We had someone say Will Ferrell at one point, too.
So on the same lines.
But in his full semi-pro outfit.
You never want to go to a game with anybody.
No matter who's a bad hang.
Like he just complains about the way it's too cold.
Just watch the game.
Eat some sausage and peppers.
You know what I mean?
And last question.
What is one event in history, it could be a sporting event or other, that you would have
loved to have been courtside for?
Oh, that's an awesome question, man.
I would have loved to have been Thriller in Manila.
I would have loved to have been.
What year was that?
What year was that?
It was like 70s, I think.
It was in the 70s.
Somebody on the floor?
Like that looks, yeah.
I would have loved to be that.
That was a good era.
I wasn't even thought back then, but it was just a twinkle in my dad's eye.
Willie, thank you so much for coming on the courtside club.
Man, thanks for having me.
Let everybody know where they could find you, what shows you're working on now, anything
that we should keep our eye out for.
You can find me at WillCologne66 on Twitter or IG, WillieCologne66 on IG.
I'm on Mortarman, Channel 82, SiriusXM Radio, Mad Dog Sports, talking everything underneath
And I'm on, if you're a Jets fan, you can find me on SNY Regional from Jets Pre and
So we talk about everything Jets.
And that's it right now.
I'm working on a podcast.
I still, my wife is on a reality show.
On the OWN Network, right?
My wife is on the OWN Network.
It's called Bell Collectors, Friday at 9 p.m.
She plays the villain.
I shouldn't say that.
I'll let you judge if she's the villain.
Every heel becomes a hero at some point.
But she's awesome on the show.
I make a couple appearances.
And I have a beer garden in the Bronx, 65 Brooklyn Boulevard.
It's called Bricks and Hops.
So if you're up for some wings in a cold one at a festive time, stop on in.
And that's it, man.
Just doing what I do.
Thank you so much.
Appreciate the time.
Yeah, we're going to bump knuckles.
Thanks for watching, guys.
Make sure that you subscribe, rate, and like this video.
And we'll see you next time.