Episode 11: Raja Bell

You can't make this stuff up. Todd Marinovich was born and bred to play quarterback from the womb. His father, Marv Marinovich, was innovative if not abusive. He carefully designed a strict diet and training regimen for Todd that was way ahead of its time. Todd had even achieved Marv's dreams and beyond, for a few years. Todd was named national high school football player of the year and was featured in Sports Illustrated when he was 17. That is when I became aware of him. I was playing QB for my Pop Warner football at the time. I wanted to be like Todd, so I stopped eating fast food. Todd went on to start at Marv's alma mater, USC, as a freshman. After just 2 years he was taken in the first round by the LA Raiders (also the same team Marv had played for) and started as a rookie. But Marv's dream wasn't exactly Todd's dream. After just 2 years, he was out of the NFL. He had always used drugs to cope with the pressure. Now he was a full blown drug addict. It got so bad that Todd was smoking crack and shooting heroin in the locker room at halftime of his CFL games. Not long after that, Todd Marinovich was a meth addicted skateboarder living in the streets of Newport Beach, CA. Now Todd is a father and an artist. He loves to create. He paints, he plays music, and he's clean and sober. He is one of the most interesting and complex people I've ever met. My conversation with Todd was nothing less than therapeutic.

Jermon Bushrod has been a model of consistency and perseverance throughout his life and into his NFL career. From a small town in Virginia to Towson University to a Super Bowl title with the New Orleans Saints, he established himself as one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL. In 2011, he led the entire league in snaps played. That means he doesn't take plays off. It earned him his first Pro Bowl appearance and followed it up in 2012 with another Pro Bowl. He spent most of his 12 year career with the Saints, but also spent time with the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears. Last season, in his second stint with the Saints Jermon and his wife Jessica lost a child during the season. Being the dependable teammate that he is, Jermon returned to the team with a heavy heart and helped the Saints reach the playoffs. His teammates appreciated it so much they voted him as the recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award. Jermon Bushrod is a real one.

My good friend EJ Manuel stopped by to talk about his transition from NFL QB to college football analyst. We get into his decision to retire and start a new career as well as some food, travel and NBA talk. Now I've eaten at a lot of interesting places, but I've never eaten at a restaurant that is pitch black with blind waiters. EJ has.

Boo put himself on the hip hop map when he was featured on Fiesta and the Fiesta Remix, with R. Kelly and Jay-Z. The song was #1 on the Billboard hip hop chart for 5 weeks and #6 on the Billboard top 100. It was also one of the anthems to my college experience and I always took pride in knowing he grew up with one of my closest friends, Courtney "Blacknoyz" Chew. Boo was also featured in several other R. Kelly songs, who Boo credits for putting him in the game. We had to have a tough discussion about his mentor and the man I once considered my favorite singer. I'm glad he's finally locked up. Let's hope he stays there. He was also signed to Cash Money and was featured on the Big Tymers platinum album "Hood Rich" with Lil Wayne and Birdman. The Chicago native eventually came back to The Chi and opened the best sneaker boutique in town. It's called Flee Club.

When I was 15 I went to the Boston Shootout and saw a kid my age, that resembled a man, dominating against guys that were 2-3 years older than him. And they were already headed to play at big time colleges. The Manchild's name was Schea Cotton. That was the day I realized I had no future playing basketball. From that point on, I followed his career. I even had some of his pictures from Slam Magazine on my wall next to posters of Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Reggie Lewis. Schea Cotton was the best high school player in the country in 1995 and was destined for NBA greatness. But things didn't exactly go as planned and he never played a game in the NBA. Ron Artest called him, "Lebron James before there ever was a Lebron James..." He once dunked on Kevin Garnett 3 times in an AAU game and finished the game with 38 points. KG was a senior. Schea was only a sophomore. If they only had YouTube or social media back then. Needless to say, a series of unfortunate events and outside influences derailed his NBA dreams. He did go on to play 10+ years overseas and he is currently doing a lot of work in the community in his hometown of Long Beach, CA. Mentoring, motivational speaking and player development consume him these days. He also has a documentary coming out called Manchild: The Schea Cotton Story.

Bill Bayno is an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers, but I first heard his name when he was a young assistant coach on John Calipari's UMass staff in the early 90's. Led by Marcus Camby, they were as good as any team in the country. His success there landed him the job as the new head coach at UNLV. He also coached under the legendary PJ Carlesimo at Seton Hall and Larry Brown at Kansas, where they won a national championship. Despite all of that coaching success, Bayno was struggling with drugs and alcohol. Some of the most impressive things Bayno has done hasn't been as a coach, although his impact as a coach is undeniable. He has been sober since 2002. He's adopted children. He was a D2 All American at Sacred Heart. He once dropped 53 in a Rucker League game. He had dinner with Larry Bird and gambled with Charles Barkley. And in 1976, when he rapped under the name MC Snow, he may have been the first white rapper ever.

Brandon Okpalobi is a disruptor. My good friend is hellbent on putting his stamp on the community. His foundation Dibia Dream is really making a difference in the city of Miami. Whether it's educating kids in inner city schools with his "STEM Saturdays" program or donating cars to single moms, his presence is being felt in Miami. His basketball roots that began in New Orleans at St. Augustine High School and continued at University of Miami, are also serving the community well. B Dot's career started as a walk-on for the University of Miami basketball team and ended with B Dot as a scholarship athlete getting minutes for The U. Jefe Dibia is coaching and runs Dibia Athletic Development in Miami, New Orleans and Bermuda. I swear Nigerian's are taking over the world. Please enjoy my conversation with the man who never met a nickname he didn't like.

You may know him as Calogero, but his name is Lillo Brancato. He became an overnight celebrity as a teenager when he starred in "A Bronx Tale" with Robert DeNiro. Not only could I feel a connection to the character he was portraying, but there was also a physical resemblance between the two of us and there there still is. He had a role on The Sopranos as well. Much has changed since his days as a movie star. He spent 10 years in prison and overdosed on heroin in Riker's Island, while awaiting trial for murder. He talks about how he overcame his drug addiction, his new addiction working out, and his mutual respect for black women.

This week I'm talking travel. My guest is Hawaii. I discuss my perception of Hawaii when I was growing up and how Greg Brady and Magnun P.I. helped shape that perception. I also delve into how I met my new best friend surfing. Grab a shave ice or a Kona Longboard and enjoy the show.

You may know Rachel Lindsay from The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. In 2017 Rachel became the first black bachelor or bachelorette on the ABC reality juggernaut. The Jackie Robinson of reality TV ended up finding true love on the show and is now engaged to be married in August. Rachel also hosts an ESPN radio show called Football Frenzy and has made appearances on ESPN's First Take, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Steve Harvey Show and several others. This episode EJ Manuel joins me to co-host the show as we discuss with Rachel her thoughts on Colton's virginity, Matlock and why they call her "Fireball Rach".