Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles on retiring from the NFL and the joy of fatherhood

it's great to have Nick FES back here on Sports Spectrum hey Nick what's going on what's up Jason thanks for having me on absolutely it's good to see you and good to talk to you I can now finally call you retired quarterback Nick Foles because back in August uh there was this announcement and some cool things with the Eagles and on September 16th Monday Night Football you're doing some fun stuff with the Eagles like this is really cool uh but how's it feel like how's it feel to actually be called retired NFL football player you know what it's uh it's definitely a mix of emotions i' I've had an opportunity to deal with the emotions over the last year and a half um knowing that after I left the col like it was it but then you know the thoughts of how do you want to retire what should it be and really just dealing with the emotions of playing football my whole life and you know the what you go through um but I I'm super grateful I think the biggest word that comes to my my mind and my heart is um just a bunch of gratitude I have a lot of gratitude for the opportunity to play in the n um the opportunity to have you know great coaches great mentors great players great chaplain um you know I I just think back from when I was a rookie um till when I left and even till now and there was just so much growth in life in my faith and everything in between and I'm just really grateful but I'm also excited about this next chapter because the next chapter is the unknown chapter uh football was understood like I knew what I was getting into I knew how to deal with it I knew what the structure was like this next chapter I'm trying to find that structure if I had talked to you coming into the 2013 2012 season when you were drafted right if I had talked to you around this time early in the football season and said Nick this is how it's going to play out over the next 10 11 years would you have signed up for that I don't know I think uh I don't know I mean it when you really look at it it's so much and I think that's why God sort of works in those ways where like he doesn't really show you what you're going to go through because you wouldn't go through it right so the answer is probably like oh I'd be afraid I would say I think there'd be fear um but also excitement because there was also a lot of excitement and I think conquering fear is the biggest thing and that that's what football provides there's a lot of fear that you have to overcome um throughout your journey of football and for me that was through faith and with that was growth so um I think if someone sat there and put in a sermon sort of like hey this is what it'll be I'll probably be freaking out but then they sort of wrapped it around in a way of like the growth aspect I'd probably be like all right I'm ready to go through it but if you just told me like flat out what it's going to be I don't know it was a lot yeah no it's a lot especially the unknown years and those those poignant times that you've shared so many times on on sportspectrum in other places when you were with the Chiefs and when you were traded to the Rams like there was a lot of unknown and uncertain C and then there's obviously the Mountaintop of the Super Bowl um but that's I mean it's just it's it's awesome to think about the tapestry that God kind of puts together because you would have said oh give me 10 years and you know eight Pro bowls and yes I want the Super Bowl too but it wasn't like that and yet you still had the opportunity to experience the highest of highs it's kind of cool to see how God was working in the midst of all this for you oh absolutely um he was working throughout it all and uh my agent um Justin Schulman we've talked about it throughout you know the last couple years he's just he's obviously representing a lot of great players and he's just like but my career path is just very unique as is everyone else's but he's like it's just super unique and he's been along for the ride we've gone through so many tough conversations as it pertains to you know contracts and teams and where I'm going to play where I'm going to stay um but I mean I just remember in 2012 when I was a rookie uh going through that season and even playing a good amount that season just thinking man if this is the NFL I don't know how long I'm going to be able to play this game this is this is not easy this is very difficult um but to have played 11 years and to leave the game where I felt like it was the right time for me um in my heart to stop playing not hey I don't have it anymore because physically I still have it um that's apparent each and every day with things I can do physically right now but in my heart I just believe that football and Sports so much of it like if you're really going to give it everything is your heart and if your heart is not where it needs to be you have to really think through that you know I knew growing up like whenever my heart is not where it needs to be the game deserves all my heart um to go on that field with my teammates with the love of the game because my my power in the game was loving the game and loving my teammates and if that's that strength is not where it needs to be I need to assess that and you know what I think having kids and moving around and see different things uh I was so grateful for the game and grateful for the experiences but I see these kids and where I'm at now retired and I get to be around them and I get to coach them and I get to do all these really special things where a lot of times it's hard though there's a lot of Tantrums I got six four in one so you in it I'm in it but I've talked to a lot of people that are very wise and have raised kids that are out of the house or in college and the one thing that is constant is they say you will never regret spending all that time with your kids I promise you that and I think that I know that as well in the tough times my wife Tori and I talk about all the time when you know we're like any other parent we're dealing with some kids and it's been a tough day and we finally get them to bed and you know hours after we've tried to get him to bed because it seems when you try to get them to bed they have this checklist of things that's insane it's like just go to bed yes and we just sit there and we have to remind each other like you know what though like these kids are special we're so grateful to have them them um we'll remember these times and miss these times at some point but you're still going to deal with the emotions of those frustrations and like ah in the moment no totally I mean I'm in the season of life now where I have a daughter who's 20 years old I've just finished the teenage years and she's getting ready for her third year of college and and in her third year of college and I'm like what just happened like it went by in the blink of an eye and there's so much there and I think the one thing I would Echo is simply just spending time like being present and um obviously there's going to be moments when you are pulled away or have to do something and you're going to miss but like when you can be present as often as you can just be there for them and love them and uh and you make it through because there's difficult you know those Middle School years are are not easy especially for those for those young girls but uh you make it through and I think if they just know that you love them and care for them uh that's the most important part and being with them that you want to spend time with them that you're not so unfortunately when I was at ESPN so a lot of of of dads just miss time and they would excuse it as well I'm working and I'm and I'm you know I'm the one that's helping provide these opportunities so when I am with my kid I'm present but I'm like you can do both like you can still be present in the midst of your job and not have that take priority um what was that like the last few years with you especially during the times when you're playing football you have your your kids being born I would imagine there was some kind of wrestle or push pull with that and wanting to be present as a dad but also knowing like you had to be present as a quarterback as well yeah I think it's uh you have to figure out your routine and your schedule um for me it was getting to the facility early getting that my extra film in before the day started so when the day ended I could leave um because a lot of guys you know early in my career would be like all right let's stay and watch film after let's get the extra work but then you're at the facility like 8839 and I just I wanted to see my kids for dinner I wanted to be able to would be there at bedtime and you know not every time I'd get home it would I would be in the best mood I mean I know a lot of times you know uh when I played in Chicago there were some really difficult times and I would get home just totally beat up emotionally and uh as much as I wanted to be that great father and great husband my wife would recognize that and be like hey sweetheart like why don't you just go rest and just because I needed like I needed moment just to take a breath and breathe and she's like okay just go rest I got you but it was like that's why like I'm so grateful for Tori throughout this journey like we did it we did it all together and we recognized when one was in that situation like hey I got you I'll lift you up if she's having a tough day hey why don't you go I got the kids rest and I think that's really important in the marriage aspect because most of the time we're there together tag team but there are those moments where one of us just needs a Time moment and uh throughout my career that was the big thing but I always wanted to be home for for dinner and um and then even like taking our off day uh most of the career there was no off day but I decided that when we had an off day and once I had kids like I'm going to be home I will watch my film on the iPad I will do my body work at home and then I want to do some activities with my kid whether it's like we go outside and play and take them to a park go on a walk bike ride Zoo like let's do something fun because I want them to know Dad's here and then when we when we join the Colts I think the final thing for me I knew when we joined the Colts that that was going to be our last team um just because like when we when I decided to go there I was like Tori no matter what happens if I play amazing and another team wants to sign me whatever like this is it like this is it for us this is our last move let's just know that so going into it let's give it everything we have um but I'll never forget the day that we had bo bod was born in Indianapolis that day Frank Reich was fired and you know we hired Jeff Saturday who both are great men but in that instance I was just like this is a lot like this is like a couple games like we're not even a third of the way through the season and we're already firing our head coach who I came to play for um amongst other things so that part of the game started getting to me in the sense of like man I got three kids at home we just had a newborn and all this is happening the day we're like literally an hour before T before tor's pushing Sam ellinger's texting me hey Frank was just fired and then we have bod and then he's texting me we just hired Jeff and I just and it's just a lot and it's you know it great locker room all those different things they're doing well now but it made it very clear to me that my um heart was changing in the sense of like all right you know what this is a lot of my family and my wife was more than willing to keep going and do it but we had those talks and I made the decision like hey you know what last time I took off my pads that was it I I was injured against the Giants messed up my ribs and called my wife and just told her like hey sweetheart like this is it this will be the last time I take off the pad she's like no you're being rash I'm like no like Frank's not here we came we want we love frank like we love the coaching staff but there was a lot of changes that were happening and I saw them and love who they hired with you know Shane stien and everything but it was just the right time for me and my heart so no no opportunities all in 23 like that so you knew without officially being retired like this was it or were you getting some calls and some some texts maybe from some people to say Hey you know maybe maybe Nick one more one more year was that happening at all or not really you know there was it was one of those things where we were going to be really specific um because we we knew when we went to Indie like this was they we made it clear like this is where we want to be this is where we want to end um so uh I I knew I needed to give myself a year and the calls there wasn't many calls because I think that when I went to India had made it sort of clear that that was where it was going to be and I mean teams that call they want to know like you want to be there right they sure and of course I think when I did media like I I this you know I'm coming here I want to be a part of the Colts tried to be here for many years with Frank and um you know the Colts were great with you know they they let they needed the roster spot and they wanted to start over fresh they they made it very clear they didn't want old quarterbacks in the room and stuff like that and they've done a nice job and I really like what the team's doing um but it just was the right time in my heart but you also have to take the time away there's part of the business there's part of the game that you have to deal with so gave myself the year and understood that um it was time so announcing the retirement and being retired and doing it as an eagle is the right thing to do yeah I was just going to bring that up because it's Monday night when you know you get to go to kind of be honored and and be a captain and and and watch the Eagles battle the Falcons on Monday Night Football on ESPN and um there's just something about obviously you win a Super Bowl and you know they're building statues out in front of of the stadium which is understandable it's the first title they ever had and it's such a cool thing to see and they celebrate that but those Eagles fans are so passionate rabid sometimes they go across the line but for the most part they just love their Birds they love their team what's it mean for you to kind of be able to have an opportunity to go back on Monday night go back to be to that Stadium uh knowing what you were able to be a part of you know six years ago seven years ago yeah I mean it's uh out of my whole career it's weird like I've been very blessed to play for great organizations um but for some reason when I think about my career I only think of midnight green yeah um like I it's weird to think I played for other teams because it doesn't seem real like it feels like I was always an eagle and should have always been an eagle though I'm grateful for the other teams I played for because of you know giving me that opportunity I got to meet so many different teammates which is so cool so many different coaches so I don't say that in a slight I say that in how special Philly is to me um so to end it this way uh I mean someone asked me like you know are you excited it's like I'm really excited I think I could simply just throw in my a fax and put a paper in and be retired and I'd be content with that but I do feel like being retired as an eagle and doing it this way is the right way and it it needs to be done because of how I feel about Philadelphia yeah um it's just special I mean I just think running out in the link it just always felt like we had superpowers um it always felt special wearing those colors it always felt special going in that City that fan base I mean you get asked all the time from you know friends and all this like where's the best Stadium you've ever because I mean there's all these amazing stadiums now and I'm like if you've never been to the link on a Prime Time game you ain't you've never been to a game I'm like there is nothing like it it is it is so special um I think even when I was playing for like the Bears I woke up in sweats like sweating because I was playing for the bears but I had this dream that I ran out of the tunnel as an eagle again and I like was like drenched in sweat and I like couldn't I didn't know what was going on but I'd even have dreams of that so to do this with my family loved ones kids to nieces I think it's going to be really cool to to end it this way and I think I'll feel really good about ending my career that way how often are you asked about Super Bowl 52 I would imagine anytime you're recognized when you go out that's one of the first questions people ask yeah I mean uh I mean honestly like where I live in California it's uh that's true you can hide a little bit I mean I'll go play Pickleball and like I I'll get like comments like man you're a really good athlete like did you play like sports like I asked if I was like a former tennis player which in a on is a compliment when you're playing pickle ball it means you're doing something but then I'm also like dude I'm like two I'm a big guy like um and then one guy I remember think thought I was like a tight end oh you play like small like tight end in college no I was a quarterback where'd you play and eventually they find out yeah but I think you know when people do recognize me and you know because I never go like hey I'm Nick FES I played for the Eagles I just go about my life and then occasionally just the other day someone was like asking me like oh you okay you play ball like where'd you play ball oh University Arizona okay like anything else yeah I played in the NFL you know primarily with the Eagles oh cool cool what's your name and I say it and they're like oh and they freak out and I'm like oh yeah I'm like I I they're like you should have started with that I'm like well I didn't want to like assume you knew who I was like we're just having a conversation sure but yeah and then the Phil you know they'll be like oh you caught the past Philly special and that'll come up and I always enjoy it because like if they want to hear about it like that's their first time asking me so instead of being like Oh yeah it's like no this is cool like they recognize that they recognize the the team the special team we had in the Super Bowl and then they recognize that play that's iconic for the city of Philadelphia so it's always cool but fortunately I live in a place where I really just get to blend in and go to the grocery store and life is um pretty simple I just people think like you could have been a good athlete I'm like yeah I guess I could have except for this weekend coming up because this weekend it'll be everywhere and that'll be fun because those Philly fans are the best um I'll never forget the story that you told me I think you might have told it on that podcast that you you launched a few years ago um about the night after you beat um who did you be Minnesota to win the Minnesota title and you like snuck in to that restaurant in Philly and you got to see all the fans celebrating without them knowing that you were even there right that story no that's right we uh yeah it was after we went the NFC championship game and we had family in town and my agent had called a restaurant to to see if they'd stay open because Broad Street was crazy and uh you're hungry after those games that's a lot you know and you want to eat and uh so we make it downtown the the police officers who were kind they're like you're not going to be able to make it down there it's it's it's a mad house but we were able to make it we found a a parking lot off of Broad Street and we're walking like and there's fans everywhere and uh looking back my one regret in that moment and I was not smart it was cold so I was wearing like a beanie and stuff my brother-in-law who's like 65 was standing next to me so like he was blocking I should have just put on a dog mask like that was the biggest thing at the game was the dog mask for The Underdogs and like I've actually thought about that several times like if I just wear a dog mask and just walked around it would have been a lot easier than worrying if someone was gonna you know spot me yes but I did not do that I was not thinking I've just thought that many years later but yeah it's uh I so I got to witness the celebrations firsthand and then I got to spend some really good quality time with family that was there because that's always the my favorite part after games is you go through that game which is a lot of emotions a lot of stress a lot of highs a lot of lows and then you finally get that breath of like all right I get this family time I get to be with family and just enjoy their company and they get to talk about the game and I just get to sit there and I just remember just sitting there and just watching like my family just talk and just be and those moments are so special because they're far in feud between you don't really get that as you get older so to have that was really special for me no that's good Nick FES is with us here on Sports Spectrum so everybody's going to say well what's next and you're wearing a hat that says Dad season so Dad season is next literally as you're in it like I said with three little ones but that's also something that you've kind of launched here and got behind with this Dad season product so share with us a little bit about the Hat you're wearing and the product and the mindset on being a part of this yeah my uh one of my best friends Pat o' Donnell we we teammates in Chicago um this idea started in 2023 and um he had printed it on a shirt real simple um I was not because I was figuring out what I was doing with my career am I truly done am I not but I knew I needed time and I he wanted me to do it with him originally and I was like hey uh I need some time but I'll be your soundboard so we're talking all the time about Dad season what's it going to be what are we gonna do um is it a podcast is it YouTube is it this is it that and we just kept talking he had a shirt he had some sweatshirts um no hats and then early this year in 2024 I was we were just talking about it so much because I was so I could tell there was a passion because I love being a dad and I know how important fatherhood is in a child's life because I had a great example of his my dad has been a great example in my life um so with dad's season I'm like dude like let's just focus on apparel let's just focus on hats um guys love hats I love hats let's you know so we went through this whole Rabbit Hole of like printing on random hats like trying random hats and nothing was quite right because I love a good hat I believe in a hat that looks good but is also also comfortable there's a lot of hats that look good but they they are not comfortable and I've I've got them before I've been given them before I wear them once and I throw them in my closet and then I eventually give them away because I'm like that's just not a comfortable hat so we are fortunate to find someone that we could design our own hats with and so we came out with the hat line and we're expanding our hat line as we grow I think people are still figuring out what it is so Dad season life is full of Seasons we all know that childhood teenagers high school college like there's different seasons that change then you become a father and there's different seasons within fatherhood so like you're in a different season than I'm in but in a couple years I will be in a different season than I am now so Dad season is a dad apparel brand that we love we want to build strong physically mentally spiritually dads we want to have great gear we want to eventually grow it into telling stories like a podcast where we like say you and I are talking we're talking about our profession like you asked me how were you a dad while you play we talked ball and stuff but then like how are we being a father how is that important where do we think we did things well where could we have done better because I feel like that's really important like let's talk ball let's talk at the high level but let's talk about the most important thing being a husband and father so that's the heart behind it um and the most exciting thing leading up to this Philly game is uh the release of the Philly Philly dad line which was a few weeks ago um you know we were very Pat um Pat's wife wife is from Harrisburg PA her family grew up Philly fans still are passionate Philly fans but also passionate Pat fans Pat o'donell fans Not Patriots fans let make that clear they are not Patriots fans yes um so we have a Phil we have the Philly Philly dad hats and we're working on shirts um and I'm really awesome the reason behind it is obviously Philly Philly is you know the Philly special Philly Philly means a lot to me it means a lot to the city but when I think about Philadelphia and I think about the fans and I when people when I describe it it is a generational thing Family Affair it is not just like this is a cool team no this is a family thing oh yeah and it's fathers down to their children so when we made the Philly Philly Dad it was like a mixture of all these emotions of like I love the city of Philadelphia Philly Philly is awesome but the fatherhood and like dads at the games in the link is the coolest thing ever and then even like I mean Mo the best stories are I've heard like men cry of like watching the Super Bowl with their dad and they have children as well like how much that meant to them so it just makes sense to have the Philly Philly dad line and it's something I'm really excited about with our Dad season line and seeing where we go but it's just Pat and I and obviously our wives and we've been blessed to have different people we work with vendors wise um but the heart behind it is we want it's a fatherhood brand that we want to make cool um I feel like it's a there's a couple other brands out there that I I admire like I don't look at it as like oh they're competitors like no like if you're trying to empower dads of being proud dads and your dad brand and it's like a newer Niche that's awesome like I don't like yeah we might be te technically competitors but I don't they might look at it that way but I look it as like I'm happy that dads are wearing your stuff and are proud of being dads like we want the same thing with our brand we'll have a different Niche than you will but like let's do this together and create strong dads and then as we grow the company let's find ways to get back to the community I know there's different things that we want to do as we grow because we're so young It's Pat I like we don't have like big company coming in and like f like doing this like we want to create the best ad season brand we can and do it well and enjoy the process and Pat and I talk every day we get to talk through stuff our wives are always talking oh yeah that color this um but it's it's a lot of fun and grateful to get to do it with one of my best friends who I love and admire and you know we're both Believers in Jesus and you know I know that even with like men's Ministries out there I know that that'd be great and all these different things we can do military-wise but right now we're just so young we're just focusing on creating the best brand we can then we'll just see where those opportunities lie yeah see where the Lord where the Lord moves I just so you I think you know this my brother Chris Chris Romano is PhD Dr Chris Romano Bible scholar he knows the Bible better than anybody I know he's also the biggest Eagles fan in the world and him and my two nephews Caleb and Sam Romano are huge Eagles fans and the experience of them it's on YouTube Somewhere of them watching you guys win the Super Bowl with my brother and they're like on the ground hugging and it was like this religious experience like you describe so they're gonna have to know about this Philly Philly shirt and uh and just but the idea behind um like you say just being in in experience with family and especially for those dads like I think about my brother who's the only Eagles fan in our family I'll just be honest just he's he might he might be my favorite Romano well he probably is I think he surpassed me by a mile after I just said that publicly but he's also got his whole family his five kids it's two two sons my two nephews like all die hard Eagles fans and so they live and die every Sunday watching and in this case Monday night and be able to get to watch you so oh that's so cool by the way Dad season is SZ n as people are listening they haven't seen you know we we have to make it hippie it's got to be it's got be cool it's got to have a z and while we're on this I have it right here I got to grab this okay um I got the I don't know where my black is because we just did a fun shoot the other day not too long ago but I have the white Philly Philly dad hat and you'll be able to find it on our website but so we got the white Philly Philly dad I love that Y and we got that and then like our slogan because we when you become a dad no days off no days off that's true very clean and we the big thing too is like I said fit I have a big head so we when we designed it like a lot of hats are like hey we just make him in the regular 58s I was like okay we can do that we're gonna add a little Flex fit because we want some comfortability we want to be comfortable but we're also doing an XL like we're doing a big boy head so the guys out there that want like a they're like oh that Hat's cool it's not going to fit me I have a big head we had some Flex fit we had a little more depth if it's most I mean there's some big big heads out there so we might have to go double XL at some point but like it'll fit your big head um and it'll be comfortable you and I you know Men's Warehouse you'll like the way you look so I love that Dad szn Dad sn.com is the website people can go and get their Philly Philly hats or their dad season hats I can't wait to get my hats and get one for my brother too that Philly Philly hat um Before We Say Goodbye a lot of the conversations that you and I have had both on this show but even just talking um in general have been surrounded around Ministry Seminary just wondering where you're at with that and sort of how your desire and your hope as far as still wanting to you know pursue the Lord more grow obviously in your relationship with him but potentially be into a world of ministry at some point yeah absolutely um you know I took several courses through Liberty online which has been wonderful and then uh currently at Redemption Seminary online and it's uh right now in this season with our kids being 64 and one um finding the time I pretty shortly like when our youngest starts a preschool program and he's not running around uh I'll probably have a little more time so it's always on my back of my mind to keep going and keep growing sure um in faith and there's some people out there listening to this be like oh you don't really grow in faith in seminary it's school and I you know I can see that through different courses but I will say like when I'm at Redemption Seminary and how they have it set up it's like a portfolio Journal go through curriculum what you're retaining as it pertains to your spiritual walk so I really enjoy that because I'm looking for spiritual growth and knowledge through Biblical history church history who came before me and how to grow as someone in faith because once again we're all flawed we're all Sinners I'm a sinner yeah in need of a savior um but yeah it's something that I do want to pursue and the the ultimate reason would be obviously the growth but like I feel like I'm called and I haven't acted on this when I'm at church there's always like these volunteer things and what you can do like high school Ministry Middle School Ministry I just feel like I at some point when I feel like you know my kids are old enough and I have the time like the high school Ministry aspect one because like I'm a child I'm a kid at heart my wife would definitely reiterate that at sometimes she like feels like we have you know we have three kids but she's sometimes says I'm the fourth and then my dog and then my dog gets in on the action Henry and he's have five kids kids none of you are you're not an adult which is good I'm a child at heart so I feel like high school Ministry would be really cool um in our community but uh that has to be at the right time right now we're just focusing we got you know we got three little kids that we're really just trying to to pour in on and um we're probably growing more in our faith and as a human being raising them right now with the everyday's Journey than they are but we're really doing our best like you said being there being intentional being around quantity of time and quality of time has been really good for everyone um and I sleep at night when I sleep pretty good at night until one of them comes and wakes us up of course yes you're in that season of life that hey we're in this we're in Dad season like 1.2 or something we'll have to we'll make a scale of Dad season throughout the the break yeah it's still the first quarter you got plenty of time here yeah we just had our first drive and we probably went three and out so we got to figure out like how to I got to figure out how to March down and execute these plays right that's right well let me ask you one final question which actually kind of connects to Dad season I um in the season of life you're in as a dad and as a husband what's the Lord been showing you and working in you of late because I think a lot of people when they become parents when I became a dad I saw I didn't really have a relationship a great relationship with my dad as you know and I also didn't um really grow up in church or in faith at all so when I started to have this this relationship with Jesus I really didn't still understand God as father and then I became a dad and that just opens your eyes a little bit to understanding just on a tiny level the love of God as father towards us so as you've lived this season now that you're in right this retired newly retired season as a Dad what's the Lord been kind of showing you and in in teaching you I mean he's been teaching me so much so much so at times I feel like I'm just like failing like at everything um but I also have the faith to you know step back and realize like I have three kids that I love more in the world do they get what they want all the time no um do I have to discipline them yes I do it out of love um our daughter not so much she's actually pretty good kid I I I actually don't really get a chance to discipline her so when she ever does I I do because she's not used to it but our our boys give me plenty of opportunities to discipline every single day um but then I realized you know in life I feel like one of the hardest things we go through is why do things happen why did this happen why did this happen to me why am I not getting this promotion why am I not succeeding um and then I'm like all right I'm a dad this is what I'm doing our heavenly father loves us more than I could ever love our children so I can't give my children everything they want they'd be they wouldn't they wouldn't grow up the right it wouldn't be right like they'd grow up intitled like all these different things and I'm like ah so when our heavenly father does that he's trying to teach us something he's allowing us to grow and realize like that's not what it's about it's about our faith like I'm trying to lovingly discipline our children so when they grow up they understand the important characteristics of life and how to live life and my hope is someday they give their life to Christ obviously on their own because I can't do it for them um so I would say just being a father is teaching me how it's growing my relationship with my heavenly father because I know what it means to be like an Earthly father if that makes any sense sure um but I also think too in this season I as a player I always felt like I was calm cool and like really in control and as a father sometimes I feel like I am out of not out of control that sounds bad but I feel like I get flustered and rattled more like if I like let's just say like I love my my son Duke like he's just such a special Soul he's gonna do amazing things in the world greater than I could ever do but right now it's my job as his father to shape him and let's just says he is shaping me as well um but he four right four years old he's four and he's smart he's spunky but like he's like there's some things he does I'm like dude you're four and you're already doing this like my goodness and I know hopefully someday he'll like watch this and just know how much I love him um but the reason I lovingly disciplin and I say lovingly dis I got that from a Tim Keller sermon um I forget the specific topic so I don't want to miss speak on that but the topic was like how God lovingly disciplines his children because if he just shows love they'll become entitled and if he just disciplines them they'll lose heart but if he disciplines out of love he shapes people that change the world um in his name and that just stuck with me it was like a four-part sermon if people ask about it I'm sure I know I can find it I've saved it um and it just really helped me as I was a younger father a few years ago realized like I have to lovingly discipline my children I cannot just let them get their way um I but I have to I'm figuring out how to do that like how do I reach our kids where do I how do I get down to their level and speak to them um and a lot of it's our actions you don't realize how much these kids are watching until they do something you did and you're like wow they got that from me yes or they say something you're like what' you say like I heard daddy or Mommy say that and or I said Daddy first right so I didn't say mommy you did Mommy doesn't do mommy doesn't do anything wrong um and I'm very fortunate to have a wonderful wife so Tor if you ever listen to this just know how much I love you um but it's just it's just so important so all that to say all that ramble to say I am growing so much in this season of fatherhood more than I ever did probably playing in the NFL and God is using our children to help us grow more than we probably are allowing them to grow so I'm super grateful for it um and just uh it's fun talking about and it's fun listening to people with wisdom because it is a very important season season of Our Lives yeah and there's no more important job I think that God will give us than being a dad obviously husband too but being a dad and being able to have be entrusted um temporarily I always say you know you only get them for 18 years or so and then it's like okay go go spread your wings which is the season I'm in there's nothing better than that I I really believe that so I love what you're about Nick obviously but I love the Dad season brand too because I just feel like you never stop being a dad no matter what age you're at and uh it's a good reminder that the Lord as heavenly father doesn't stop being a dad to us either in some ways so um appreciate you man congrats on retirement and uh grateful that you came back on the show and got to get some of that that uh Dad season apparel now and and rock it out on the show so I appreciate you man absolutely thanks for having me on Jason that was a wonderful talk and um excited for your your next talks yeah let's do it soon see you see you hey thanks for watching sports Spectrum here on YouTube you can click our next video or you can check out our 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