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You guys, I want to welcome you to empower you podcast.

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We've got Charlie Warner of the San Francisco 49ers with us today and we're really excited

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to have Charlie.

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Charlie, thanks for making time for this podcast, bro.

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Yeah, no problem at all.

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It's always a pleasure to come speak and definitely excited to talk about some stuff.

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So Charlie, what we do with the podcast, and I've done it with Jake, I've done it with

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Coach Rick, is we're looking for, you know, podcasts where believers are making an impact

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in an area of life that is touching others.

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You know, I think most of the time when you see podcasts and things like that, it's kind

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of like people who are professional speakers or professional pastors or something like

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that.

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And what I'm looking for more in the podcast we do with empower you is people who are taking

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their faith into an arena.

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And yours is a very unique arena because you're in the NFL.

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And I know there's a lot of believers in the NFL, but you're a young guy.

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And what makes you unique to me is that David knew you, my brother, and then you started

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a relationship with him.

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So I've watched, at least from a distance, you know, me being in Colorado and you and

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David being in Athens.

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But tell me a little bit about how, you know, you got discipled in your faith during college

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at University of Georgia.

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Yeah, what a great question, because, you know, I was, I guess a quick testimony real

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quick, because I'm the typical Southern, you know, kid raised in church, you know,

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my family, you know, we always went to church and everything, but I was saved as like a

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nine-year-old.

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But then come to high school, I really, really came to find out I wasn't a believer.

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So I gave my life to the Lord senior year of high school, about two months before I

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got to Georgia.

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And I can remember going to my first service at Living Hope, and I was meeting David after

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the service.

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And I was like, Hey, man, I just got saved three months ago.

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Like I'm, you know, I need to, I was just excited, you know what I mean?

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So it was huge when I got to Georgia, it's just so evident how God had me there for a

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reason.

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Like just in my tight end room alone, I had three just solid believers that were older

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than me.

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So my whole freshman year was awesome being with those guys.

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Even my, even my tight end coach at the time, Shane Beamer, who's now the head coach in

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South Carolina, he was a big time believer.

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So I just had such a good tight end room and we had such a good accountability group.

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And then going to just to go into Living Hope with David was just huge because he made,

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he always kept you on the edge of your seat and kind of uncomfortable compared to how

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I was raised, you know, sitting in the same pew, you know, every Sunday, kind of doing

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your, you know, same thing all the time.

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But man, it was just, it was cool to look back and see how just, you know, God is just

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sovereign.

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And he had me at University of Georgia for such a specific reason, I just, that freshman

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year was huge.

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And then, you know, you mentioned Jake earlier, he got there after the season because he early

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enrolled.

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And so me and him hit it off and we became roommates and we started our journey together

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too growing.

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So, so did you, did you know, did you know Jake before Georgia?

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We didn't really know, know each other.

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We had met at a spring game and then a couple of other maybe recruiting things, I can't

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quite remember.

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But he was early enrolling, you know, out of high school and I was already there.

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And it was like him and three other dudes or four other dudes.

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And they, you know, you have to live on campus for two or a year and a half.

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And so he just, he asked to room with me and I was rooming with some, some specialist guys.

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So I was, I was, I was open to switching and rooming with him.

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So we didn't really know, know each other, but we had talked a few times.

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Was it, was it kind of your faith or was it the fact that tied in quarterback?

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What, what was it that kind of drew you guys to being good friends?

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It was definitely God.

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It was definitely God's creation.

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It was, because the first thing we ever talked about was hunting.

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I think we were talking about turkey hunting actually at a spring game.

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Oh, hunting.

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Okay.

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That makes sense.

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But yeah, we were talking about hunting and fishing and stuff.

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And yeah, I guess he, you know, he, he wanted to agree with someone like minded and he knew

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I'm pretty sure knew as a believer, I guess.

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And so yeah, it was, it was good.

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It was good for both of us.

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And then, you know, we're, we're still best friends to this day and, you know, talking

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and he lives pretty close to me.

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So, well, I was just in Texas, Charlie, I'm on a pig hunt and they, they came up to me.

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It was a bunch of pastors and, and the guy who's kind of the, the organizer of the event

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said,

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man, you want to get a turkey? And I said, Sure, man. And he

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said, Well, I'm a pretty good caller. I said, All right. So he

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took me out to this ranch. And we saw three big toms under this

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tree, about 100 yards away. So then we sat up on this dirt

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road. And I got up under a dead tree. And man, we called in this

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massive night nine and a half inch beard, bro. Oh, nice. Nine

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and a half inch beard and then probably about an inch and three

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quarters. What do you call it? Spurs? Spur? Yeah. Yeah. I've

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killed. I know. I know. It's like crazy. And I don't. I've

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shot one other, like maybe about a six and a half inch beard.

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Turkey. Were you in South Texas? Yes. It was a Rio. It was a Rio.

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Right. So I didn't know. I didn't even know what I was

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doing, bro. I mean, I'm a big hunter. But oh, really? Yeah, I

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shot it out. They back in like the 60s. They transplanted some

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Rios out to out here in California. And so they're

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everywhere now. Yeah, I got to shoot my first Rio. Yeah. So I

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shot a Rio down in Fountain Creek outside Colorado Springs

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about 12 years ago. And that was a pretty good size one for here.

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But you don't have, you don't have nearly the spur, because

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the ground in Colorado is so hard. So you don't get long

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spurs. So you kind of judge it by the beard. But in Texas,

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which is soft ground territory. Everybody just looks at the

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spur. So I was looking at the beard, I brought it in all these

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guys that are all guides. There's a bunch of guides there

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that hadn't gotten anything. And I just lucked out and got this

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thing. But anyway, he called it in that things like, bro, that's

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like five yards from me. Five yards away. Was your heart

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beating out of your eyeballs? Well, I didn't have time to even

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get nervous. Because it happened so fast. I mean, he goes, he

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makes that call. And then the things like right on top of me.

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And then it's so I don't think it saw me as much as it saw the

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decoy. And it knew it was fake. So boom, it just takes off down

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the road. And then I just popped it right there. It was nice. It

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was fun. No, but I'm so it was kind of that common interest and

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stuff that got you guys together. How significant was in

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those years at Georgia? How significant was that? Both the

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church and Jake and probably other believers in your growth?

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And how did that keep you focused? Because I mean, I was I

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was at Georgia, I was a full scholarship athlete at Georgia

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to and I'm sure the temptations haven't changed any. But I needed

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Campus Crusade for Christ, which is called crew now. That was sort

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of mine wasn't FCA or anything like that. It was Campus Crusade

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that really helped me. But how did that foster you in your time

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there?

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Oh, I mean, it was it was everything. It's it's kind of

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back to what I said again earlier. I mean, it's just crazy

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how God just is sovereign and ordained all that. I mean, just

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with the great friends with Jake with the church, and even he he

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put he put my wife into my life very early. I mean, right after

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my right after my freshman season, we me and Sydney at the

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time, we had just started talking. And I mean, we, we

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started dating right after my freshman season, and she was a

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strong believer. And so just the fact that she she got into my

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life to edit that, you know, pretty quick to was huge. As

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just so important, you know, for to, to be with other believers

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to grow with them to be held accountable. And I think that's

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one thing I definitely took for granted was just having that

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true accountability almost almost daily, because you're

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with these guys in a tight end meeting room, or when you go

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home, you know, me and Jake in the dorm room or whatever. It

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was every day, you know, I mean, we're talking about something.

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And so it's huge. And I definitely it's harder to get

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that, you know, in the NFL, and just in your day to day life

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compared to how easy it is always being around guys like

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that every day. Yeah, I mean, that was that was everything all

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the people that were around me. And it's a big testament to them

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and, and being in church every Sunday.

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So Charlie, let's just before we move into the NFL, let's just

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stay where we're at on the college scene. If someone's a

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young person, they're in high school, they're in college,

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they're watching this interview, what would you say are the

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three most important things to stay strong in your faith during

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high school and college?

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For number one, to be honest with you is stay in church

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because I feel like so many believers, even that I still

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knew it at Georgia, used being away from their parents being

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away from their grandparents.

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or whoever was their kind of leader of going to church,

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they see going away and having some freedom.

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And some of these kids,

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they wouldn't darken the door of a church

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until they went home for Easter or Christmas.

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You know what I mean?

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They became a Christmas Easter Christian.

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You know what I mean?

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And so, I mean, I feel like that's huge,

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just staying connected in the body of Christ.

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You know what I mean?

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Being around older people who are wiser than you,

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being around, even being around younger kids.

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You know what I mean?

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Like the youth, the high school, the middle school.

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I think that's huge.

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So staying in church, I think surrounding yourself,

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finding good people, because like you said earlier,

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there's plenty of bad temptations in high school

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and in college, they're everywhere.

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It's easy to go find all the worldly sin,

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but surrounding yourself with good friends,

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dating people who are like-minded as you in their faith,

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that definitely is number two.

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And number three, I would probably just say,

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I feel like you have so much,

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even though you play sports in college,

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like as you did and I did, you're very busy.

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You're a lot busier than a person who's just taking classes.

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But once you get out of college and hit the real world,

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you have a lot less time on your hands.

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So I feel like getting consistent and being in the word

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in college and your time in college is huge.

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And I feel like I took advantage of that at times,

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and also I'd lose my way.

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And then I look back on that month,

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I'm like, what was I doing?

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And I mean, even now I look back on college,

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I have a nine month baby boy now too.

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And I'm like, I have no time now

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compared to how much time I had in college.

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Like I wish I'd have gotten in the word

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even more back then.

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So it's like just being in the world at times.

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You just end up wasting so much time in college too.

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So Charlie, how long have you and Sydney been married?

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So we got married right after,

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she was a year older than me.

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She graduated and did a year in grad school.

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But we got married 2020 during COVID.

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So this June, it'll be three years.

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Nice, and you got a nine month old.

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Yeah, Henry's nine, he's almost 10 months.

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That's great.

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Okay, so now were you expecting to get drafted?

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I mean, was that a shock to you?

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Or are you sort of expecting?

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I mean, I think everybody coming out of college

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has different expectations about the draft.

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And how many times we know guys

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that were big stars in college

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and they draft really late

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or they don't get drafted at all.

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And then guys that maybe weren't like superstars in college

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do get drafted.

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So where were you at on the spectrum of expectation?

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Well, to tell you,

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I had one touchdown in my time at Georgia.

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And it was the last regular season game

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against Georgia Tech.

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To be honest with you,

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I didn't think I was gonna get drafted.

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One touchdown, all I did was block as a tight end,

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which there's a lot of value to that,

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but not as much as going to catch balls

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because that's all the NFL does,

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man, we just throw all the time.

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But I knew from talking to my agent,

238
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just talking to folks,

239
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I knew I always had a chance to get drafted

240
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in the sixth or seventh round.

241
00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:31.480
And I can remember sitting there on draft day,

242
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still not expecting it,

243
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but kind of hopefully sitting there on the couch

244
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thinking it might happen.

245
00:13:38.080 --> 00:13:43.080
And sure enough, I think it was pick 190 in the sixth round.

246
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I got a phone call and,

247
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well, the whole phone call thing was a fiasco,

248
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but it's my phone wasn't working

249
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and we don't have service where we live,

250
00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:51.280
so it was a fiasco.

251
00:13:51.280 --> 00:13:52.840
But yeah, I got drafted.

252
00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:54.600
It was like a shock,

253
00:13:54.600 --> 00:13:56.280
but it was also like there was a small chance.

254
00:13:56.280 --> 00:13:59.200
So I didn't have very high expectations

255
00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:01.560
because I didn't have very many stats or anything,

256
00:14:01.560 --> 00:14:03.600
but it was a blessing to get drafted.

257
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So it was awesome.

258
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It was an awesome day.

259
00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:10.920
So you go to camp

260
00:14:10.920 --> 00:14:15.200
and you start practicing with the team.

261
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Tell me about your faith during that time

262
00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:21.520
because you had to have had a lot of,

263
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maybe the word's not nervousness,

264
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but maybe some questioning

265
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as to whether this is gonna all work out or not.

266
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How did you trust God during that time?

267
00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:35.520
Yeah, that was a lot going on.

268
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I'm sure that was a lot going on for you

269
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and trusting in God too,

270
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because that was COVID, that was,

271
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I mean, gosh, the whole world was flipped upside down.

272
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It's already hard enough going in as a rookie

273
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and figuring it out,

274
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but I'm going in there as a rookie with no spring ball

275
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because spring ball was canceled.

276
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We had no preseason games either.

277
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Usually there's three.

278
00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:07.840
three or four preseason games each year. And so usually there's like 20 to 30 practices until cut

279
00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:16.160
day. I go in there, we have 14 practices until cuts. So it was a complete 180. And I mean, and

280
00:15:16.160 --> 00:15:20.640
out here in California with COVID, it was nuts, man, waking up every day getting tested every

281
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single day. It was wild. So that alone was like, you had to put so much trust in the Lord of like,

282
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all right, you got me, because me and Sydney just got married. I was like, you got us 2500

283
00:15:32.400 --> 00:15:39.120
miles away from everybody we know, trying to make this team in 14 days. I mean, so it was a lot. And

284
00:15:39.680 --> 00:15:44.800
just, I think, having my faith in the Lord, and to be honest with you, the fact that I was married

285
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and had my, you know, I had my best friend by my side to, to handle all that was huge. Because

286
00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:55.280
without, without the Lord, without Sydney, I could handle all that going on right now.

287
00:15:55.280 --> 00:15:59.360
Were you like, were you like on the phone with Sydney every night? Like when you come,

288
00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:05.200
come back? Man, I'd come back. And I'd come back and I'd be like, honey,

289
00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:13.840
don't even look for an apartment out here. I'm gonna get cut. I was so torn up, man,

290
00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:17.920
I had one bad practice and I'm like, I'm done. They're gonna cut me on my career is over.

291
00:16:18.160 --> 00:16:24.400
I was nervous, man. What are your chances when you've been drafted that late?

292
00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:30.880
Like when you get drafted first round through fifth round, you got a pretty good chance. But

293
00:16:30.880 --> 00:16:34.800
when you're drafted like sixth and seventh, you're, you're almost like an undrafted guy.

294
00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:39.200
So your chances get a lot more high of getting cut. So,

295
00:16:39.760 --> 00:16:44.080
so how many tight end, how many tight ends were you competing with to make the team?

296
00:16:45.040 --> 00:16:51.040
We had, uh, yeah, we, I mean, you go into training camp with six or seven tight ends

297
00:16:51.680 --> 00:16:58.080
and usually only three or four make the active 53 man roster. So I was competing against,

298
00:16:58.800 --> 00:17:05.839
you know, five to six other dudes, but, but two or three of those usually are like a guaranteed

299
00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:09.200
lock. You know what I mean? You're, you're high paid dude, you know, which was George,

300
00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:14.160
George Kittle. And then you two other guys that have been there forever. So it's,

301
00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:21.200
it's tough man to make a team. Golly. Well, so, so then you made the team and you were obviously so

302
00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:29.920
excited. I'm sure about that. What, what was the atmosphere spiritually, um, for you? Um,

303
00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:35.520
you're a rookie, so you have no equity, zero equity on the team. Nobody hardly knows you,

304
00:17:36.080 --> 00:17:40.640
but you do have a faith in Christ. Uh, were there other guys on the team that were helpful to you

305
00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:47.760
spiritually? Uh, man, I'm not gonna lie. There was, I would say in the last, my last three,

306
00:17:47.760 --> 00:17:53.280
I'm going into my fourth year, my last three years, there's been a few, there's been a few guys

307
00:17:53.280 --> 00:17:58.880
off and on who are believers. Um, but as far as I can say, and when I mean off and on, I literally

308
00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:02.960
mean like a guy comes in who I've known and he gets cut after five weeks, you know what I mean?

309
00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:09.040
Then he might come back again. Um, it's been pretty off and on as far as, as believers. And

310
00:18:09.040 --> 00:18:14.240
it's been, it's been tough, you know, and I've been having to put a lot of, a lot more trust in

311
00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:17.920
the Lord. It's like, all right, why, why am I out here? You know, it's, it's, it definitely gets

312
00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:24.320
really hard at times cause there's not as much, um, you know, there's just not as much conversation

313
00:18:24.320 --> 00:18:28.720
about the Lord happening every day. So let me just ask you this, Charlie, what do you think about

314
00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:34.080
that as far as making the team every year? How do you process that in your heart so that you don't

315
00:18:34.080 --> 00:18:39.760
just become a, I don't know, a basket case is probably a little extreme, but just worry, worry

316
00:18:39.760 --> 00:18:43.760
yourself to death, man. How do you trust God with that? Um, it just took time. It just took trust

317
00:18:43.760 --> 00:18:49.120
in the Lord because it's not like any other job, you know, where you kind of have at least some

318
00:18:49.120 --> 00:18:54.000
job security for a year or two. I don't know how the regular business world works down there,

319
00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:58.960
but I know you have job security for at least a little while, but here it's every day is judged

320
00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:05.600
instantly on film. So, I mean, I've seen guys get cut after a bad Friday or even like a bad game.

321
00:19:05.600 --> 00:19:11.840
So it's a, it's a lot, man. And just, you just, I don't know how guys don't, if they're the guys

322
00:19:11.840 --> 00:19:16.480
who aren't believers, I don't know how they'd handle it because for me as a believer in Christ,

323
00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:21.360
I'm like, I just put all my trust in him at this point. So how does that, you got a baby now,

324
00:19:22.320 --> 00:19:29.680
right? So, so you've got a family. Um, so this is really good that you're processing that in a way

325
00:19:30.320 --> 00:19:36.640
where you're not bringing that home all the time to your wife and family. Yeah, man, you got to

326
00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:41.360
leave it outside the door, you know, before, before I go home, I try to leave it, leave it

327
00:19:41.360 --> 00:19:45.920
here at the, at work. Or, I mean, there is something to obviously still processing and

328
00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:50.160
talking to your wife, but for the most part, I try to leave, leave the most of it here,

329
00:19:50.320 --> 00:19:55.600
you know, at work and go home and be present for my wife and son and get her energy because,

330
00:19:56.320 --> 00:20:00.560
you know, we live 2,500 miles away from anyone we know. And so she's been.

331
00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:05.480
Basically a single mom all week, you know, I'm at work and so I come home try to give it my all for them

332
00:20:05.480 --> 00:20:11.260
And then and then it's still important for me and didn't talk about things what I'm dealing with at work or what she's been doing

333
00:20:11.260 --> 00:20:17.120
So but yeah, you got to process it and separate the two so and people don't see that

334
00:20:17.120 --> 00:20:20.080
I mean they see the guy on TV

335
00:20:20.080 --> 00:20:27.440
They see being a pro football player in the NFL and I'm sure that hardly anybody thinks about the kind of pressure

336
00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:33.960
That the family is under with you being gone all the time. Oh, yeah. I mean for a quick example

337
00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:40.440
I'm over last May. I had two surgeries within ten days May 1st and then May 10th and

338
00:20:41.800 --> 00:20:44.520
We had just bought a house two months earlier in March

339
00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:48.040
Two three months earlier and you know, I had those two surgeries

340
00:20:48.040 --> 00:20:53.200
Most guys don't have surgeries three months before a month of August. Most guys have their surgeries in February

341
00:20:53.840 --> 00:20:59.040
So I was sitting there, you know middle May rehab and I'm just like what am I doing man?

342
00:20:59.040 --> 00:21:01.480
Like I had said two surgeries bought a house

343
00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:06.960
So now I have a mortgage and I'm like, I'm about to not make this team because I'm about to be, you know

344
00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:08.960
Hardly be able to do anything

345
00:21:09.120 --> 00:21:15.400
But fortunately enough, I was you know, thank thank the Lord. I still made the team and didn't miss a game all season

346
00:21:16.280 --> 00:21:23.440
So, but I remember being so stressed out about that Charlie you must be pretty fast because you're on special teams, aren't you?

347
00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:26.200
Also, I'm on all four special teams now

348
00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:28.280
I mean if you're not the you're not the start

349
00:21:28.680 --> 00:21:33.080
You're not the starter. You got to be on social teams and at least two and I'm on all four

350
00:21:34.040 --> 00:21:39.120
So yeah, I'm decently fast not crazy. It's just social teams is all want to to be honest with you

351
00:21:39.120 --> 00:21:45.120
It's all kind of just grit and want to one last question that I have for you has been around

352
00:21:45.600 --> 00:21:48.120
Your witness as a Christian on the team

353
00:21:48.600 --> 00:21:54.920
Obviously, you don't have nearly the equity that the veterans have your you've been around for three years

354
00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:58.680
But what have you tried to do to be a witness for Christ?

355
00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:02.340
They're on the team biggest thing any Christian can do

356
00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:05.320
You probably agree. It's just it just be

357
00:22:06.080 --> 00:22:11.320
Just be walking for more daily, you know live like let them see your marriage let them see your life

358
00:22:11.320 --> 00:22:13.000
Let them see how you live your life

359
00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:19.480
And so that's definitely the biggest thing and that comes out in my conversation with teammates what I think about, you know

360
00:22:20.600 --> 00:22:22.480
what I think about

361
00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:28.400
pornography when that's talked about what I think about marriage when that's talked about, you know, what I think about I

362
00:22:29.160 --> 00:22:31.240
Don't know money and how I treat my money

363
00:22:31.240 --> 00:22:37.600
You know like that that got like my relationship with Christ comes out and a lot of those just simple kind of conversations day-to-day

364
00:22:38.760 --> 00:22:40.280
as far as like

365
00:22:40.280 --> 00:22:41.920
other things I guess

366
00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:48.160
We never like the first two years here again kovat. The whole first year was kind of a wash and you couldn't do anything

367
00:22:49.080 --> 00:22:52.440
Like get the getting together and it was even tough the second year

368
00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:58.160
But last year we tried to get a little Bible study going and then we have a really good team chaplain here

369
00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:01.040
So we kind of got something going and then I remember I gave

370
00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:08.800
The more than a carpenter book and everyone's everyone's locker and so still haven't seen any fruit from that

371
00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:13.760
But you know, you never know one day that maybe that seed will do something

372
00:23:14.760 --> 00:23:16.760
But it definitely has been tough

373
00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:23.160
Yeah, actually it but and I definitely I definitely question God to be honest with you a lot

374
00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:28.800
Sometimes like why am I out here, you know, and I know I know he wouldn't put me in a

375
00:23:30.320 --> 00:23:34.400
Kind of a devoid area. He didn't trust me and I could handle myself and

376
00:23:35.120 --> 00:23:40.880
Try to be a light for him. So I just I continue to put my trust in him and hopefully some of the seeds will start

377
00:23:41.400 --> 00:23:43.400
you know producing

378
00:23:43.520 --> 00:23:45.520
so you bought like

379
00:23:45.960 --> 00:23:50.560
50 60 copies and more than a carpenter and you put those in everybody's locker

380
00:23:50.560 --> 00:23:54.840
Did you sign them or something like that? Or what did you do? No, I mean the chaplain was our idea

381
00:23:54.840 --> 00:23:58.480
So we got him put him in there. I didn't put my name. I didn't sign him or nothing

382
00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:01.480
and put it over a blocker and

383
00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:06.720
The couple guys were like what the heck all these come from like at, Georgia like, you know

384
00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:09.880
Most guys are coming there, you know, most of them are from the South

385
00:24:09.880 --> 00:24:13.960
Most of them are being told from their grandma or mom or whatever. Hey

386
00:24:14.520 --> 00:24:17.560
Son you better stay in the word be in church, you know

387
00:24:17.560 --> 00:24:23.480
So but most guys are one step away at college and they get through a cell and they're two to three steps away from family

388
00:24:23.480 --> 00:24:25.720
So it gets they get in the way, you know

389
00:24:26.520 --> 00:24:29.240
But I have had some good teammates here and there. I think I him that

390
00:24:29.880 --> 00:24:31.480
earlier

391
00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:35.040
They've been some good teammates in and out that have been really solid

392
00:24:35.040 --> 00:24:37.800
I've learned a lot from that have been good mentors to me

393
00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:43.600
But again, it's such a transient job that some of the guys come and go seems like your chaplains key

394
00:24:44.120 --> 00:24:49.640
And given some kind of spiritual input to the guys. Yeah, a lot of the guys that he's been around

395
00:24:49.640 --> 00:24:51.640
He's been the chaplain here since

396
00:24:51.840 --> 00:24:55.400
Man, I think the glory days back in the 80s. He's been around for a while

397
00:24:55.760 --> 00:24:59.840
And so even like when old players come back, they're always say hey, what's up?

398
00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:08.000
He was the head chaplain at San Quentin for like 30 years, too.

399
00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:09.000
What?

400
00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:10.000
San Quentin?

401
00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:11.000
Oh, yeah.

402
00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:12.000
He's got a wild ministry up there, too.

403
00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:16.440
I actually went up to San Quentin, a group of us did, last season.

404
00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:21.240
It was pretty powerful, you know, to go up there and see a bunch of dudes that have been

405
00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:22.240
in there for 30 years.

406
00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:24.240
Some guys were lifers, you know.

407
00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:26.280
It was pretty wild.

408
00:25:26.280 --> 00:25:27.280
That's crazy.

409
00:25:27.560 --> 00:25:36.000
Isaac has a ministry in prisons and stuff, and it's called God Behind Bars, and he's

410
00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:37.000
done stuff.

411
00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:43.120
He just had a couple, he had a pro football player recently.

412
00:25:43.120 --> 00:25:50.240
It was in Florida, I believe, and that went really, really well.

413
00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:56.560
That's an area where I could see you guys having quite a ministry, is in the prisons

414
00:25:56.560 --> 00:26:01.720
and stuff, because these guys, they really look up to you guys, and they really appreciate

415
00:26:01.720 --> 00:26:09.000
who you are, and for you to take the time to come and see them means a lot to them.

416
00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:12.560
I remember walking in there, you're dead on.

417
00:26:12.560 --> 00:26:18.240
They love, that's what those guys look forward to, is watching the Niners, or the Warriors

418
00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:19.240
out here, you know.

419
00:26:19.240 --> 00:26:23.960
They're like, oh, Charlie Mann, like no one, to be honest with you, most Niners fans don't

420
00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:24.960
know who I am.

421
00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:28.400
But these guys are like, oh, man, you're out there laying folks out on kickoff, you

422
00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:29.400
know.

423
00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:30.400
I'm like, what?

424
00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:33.240
Like, you watch me on special teams?

425
00:26:33.240 --> 00:26:34.240
Thanks, man.

426
00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:36.640
Well, Charlie, thanks for your time, man.

427
00:26:36.640 --> 00:26:46.000
I just really appreciate it, and it just really seems like that you're walking that line between

428
00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:52.960
a world that can be pretty narcissistic, and trying to be a witness for Christ in a powerful

429
00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:53.960
way.

430
00:26:53.960 --> 00:26:58.920
You know, I've just been, I don't want to say doing my best, I've just been trusting

431
00:26:58.920 --> 00:27:03.720
the Lord, and thankfully, he's put such good people around me, and I have awesome, you

432
00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:08.040
know, one of the best wives I could ever ask for, and she's my best friend in Sydney, and

433
00:27:08.040 --> 00:27:13.480
then she's having a lot of good people I always can lean back on, back home, and a big one

434
00:27:13.480 --> 00:27:14.480
of those is your brother.

435
00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:19.960
And so, yeah, I've been really blessed with everything, from what I talked about earlier,

436
00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:24.200
from freshman year in college, all the way to now, it's just great for him to come back

437
00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:25.200
here.

438
00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:26.200
Exciting.

439
00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:30.760
This has just been great, and I think there's going to be a lot of people that are in different

440
00:27:30.760 --> 00:27:35.200
kinds of arenas, maybe not exactly like yours, of course, but just some of the stuff you

441
00:27:35.200 --> 00:27:39.880
said I think was just so perfect for where a lot of us are, a lot of worries that we

442
00:27:39.880 --> 00:27:47.840
have, a lot of struggles that we have in our own ways, where we feel alone, maybe isolated.

443
00:27:47.840 --> 00:27:50.240
It seems like you've been able to navigate that really well.

444
00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:51.240
Yeah.

445
00:27:51.240 --> 00:27:55.680
It's been a navigation, to be honest with you, because I can remember times, you know,

446
00:27:55.680 --> 00:28:01.440
it was really hard, and I think it was just such a blessing, you know, that me and Sydney,

447
00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:05.360
we had just got married and then came out here to be all alone, and then even more alone

448
00:28:05.360 --> 00:28:08.320
through COVID out here, because this was a lot different than anywhere else out here.

449
00:28:08.320 --> 00:28:12.520
I mean, it was just me and her, so it was a blessing for us to just grow together in

450
00:28:12.520 --> 00:28:17.960
our marriage, you know, and that really hard six months out here, just completely alone.

451
00:28:17.960 --> 00:28:24.440
So definitely, it's a blessing to be alone too, you know, it was just a special time

452
00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:29.640
in our marriage, just me and her, you know, so it was fun, but it was also, it got old

453
00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:32.200
near the end of it, you want to start seeing people, you know.

454
00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:34.680
Man, you're bringing back all kinds of memories.

455
00:28:34.680 --> 00:28:39.320
I can't even imagine what it was like for you, because in Colorado Springs, it wasn't

456
00:28:39.320 --> 00:28:45.880
nearly as bad as other places, but the Bay Area, just because it was in California too,

457
00:28:45.880 --> 00:28:47.080
that was so bad.

458
00:28:47.080 --> 00:28:48.520
Oh, I mean, it's sad.

459
00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:51.080
It just got ridiculous though.

460
00:28:51.080 --> 00:28:53.960
I mean, you had more people commit suicide than die of COVID out here.

461
00:28:53.960 --> 00:28:55.480
That's exactly right.

462
00:28:55.480 --> 00:28:56.920
Come on, let's open the doors up.

463
00:28:56.920 --> 00:28:59.800
Let's just, you know, like what's actually killing people?

464
00:28:59.800 --> 00:29:01.480
It's drugs on the streets and suicide.

465
00:29:01.480 --> 00:29:02.280
It's not COVID.

466
00:29:02.280 --> 00:29:06.280
Well, it drew you guys together though, in a special way, I think.

467
00:29:06.280 --> 00:29:07.160
Yeah, no, it did.

468
00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:08.440
It was just me and her.

469
00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:13.880
You know, I think that's so good for a marriage, for people who get married and live in their

470
00:29:13.880 --> 00:29:16.680
hometowns together, nothing wrong with that too, but people who get married and kind of

471
00:29:16.680 --> 00:29:23.080
move away for a little bit, kind of, you know, be each other without their histories and

472
00:29:23.080 --> 00:29:23.640
their families.

473
00:29:23.640 --> 00:29:25.160
I think that's really good too, so.

474
00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:26.440
Well, can I pray for you?

475
00:29:26.440 --> 00:29:27.080
Well, let's pray.

476
00:29:27.080 --> 00:29:30.760
Father, I want to just thank you for Charlie and Sydney, and I want to just bless their

477
00:29:30.760 --> 00:29:34.200
little child too, and God, I thank you for this time with him.

478
00:29:34.200 --> 00:29:35.720
I thank you for his family.

479
00:29:36.200 --> 00:29:37.560
Lord, I pray an anointing.

480
00:29:37.560 --> 00:29:39.560
I pray the power of your Holy Spirit upon him.

481
00:29:39.560 --> 00:29:43.160
I pray that, God, you would open doors for him that no man can shut.

482
00:29:43.720 --> 00:29:45.560
He would shut doors that no man can open.

483
00:29:46.120 --> 00:29:53.000
That Lord, we just pray your kingdom come, your will be done over the whole 49ers team,

484
00:29:53.800 --> 00:29:58.760
that Charlie would know the right way to be a great teammate.

485
00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:05.940
courageous witness for you and also someone that people can come to if they

486
00:30:05.940 --> 00:30:10.280
need something and they're struggling so I just bless him Lord and I thank you

487
00:30:10.280 --> 00:30:16.160
that you sovereignly put him in this position you sovereignly placed him in a

488
00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:22.680
in a place where there's not and probably enough light and I just thank

489
00:30:22.680 --> 00:30:27.560
you that he's a light and he's a he's a shining light in some dark places so I

490
00:30:27.560 --> 00:30:30.400
just bless him Lord and thank you for him and I pray that Charlie would

491
00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:36.800
continue to just trust you with his future with tryouts coming up in the

492
00:30:36.800 --> 00:30:46.840
fall and be a very present very involved dad and husband so just strengthen Lord

493
00:30:46.840 --> 00:30:51.000
through and through the deepest places of his heart thank you for Charlie in

494
00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:56.320
your name we pray amen man thanks dude