In February 2019, Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid reached a financial settlement with the NFL over their grievances following the 'Take A Knee' protests that garnered so much attention and controversy. What message does the settlement send? John and Marcia decided to bring that up with the man they first talked to about the 'Take A Knee' protests on the show, Washington Post columnist and ESPN contributor Kevin Blackistone. (Music featured Please Wake Up by Meydan and Princess Cheese Burger by Komiku)

In the second part of their conversation with Maurice Clarett, John and Marcia examine what happened to the star running back after he was kicked out of Ohio State University. Clarett was selected in the NFL Draft but cut a short time later after not making an impact on the field. He wound up in prison in 2006, but jail was far from the final chapter in his life. This episode finishes with Maurice offering a piece of advice to all young athletes - advice that caught our hosts off-guard in the best way possible. (Music featured includes The Upper Room and Memories by Audiobinger)

When attending the premiere of the HBO documentary 'Student Athlete' last year, John & Marcia met someone who's a familiar name to even the most casual college football fan - Maurice Clarett. While many know who he is, few know his real story. Maurice certainly does, and he shares it with our hosts. This episode examines his his recruitment to Ohio State University and leading the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship in his freshman year. Clarett was kicked out the school a year later because of NCAA violations, which he also details on the show. (Music featured includes Cabin Fever by Audiobinger)

In our second annual Super Bowl episode, the Shoops examine how the NFL handled race and the effects of the 'Take A Knee' protests in the year after they dominated headlines - and John and Marcia found they were not encouraged by what has transpired. (Music featured includes PC Plodder by Ketsa)

In our last episode "Losing" , John & Marcia agreed that the toughest kind of loss is one where the key play or key moment of a game is decided by a missed or blown call by an official. It only took a month for their point to be proved. This year's NFL Conference Championship games both went to overtime for the first time in league history. That didn't make headlines though - the officials did, mostly for a missed pass interference call in the NFC championship game. Our hosts talk about why these types of losses hurt and anger so much. (Music featured includes Lemon And Melon by Blue Dot Sessions)

What is it about losing that makes people, and sports fans in particular, act so irrationally? The Shoops delve into that personal - and at times painful - topic in this episode in the search for an answer. (Music featured includes Pounded Piano and Senseless by Podington Bear)

December is an exceptionally stressful time of year for football coaches. It isn't just a time for preparing for bowl games or recruiting. If you've had a bad season, you may be getting fired. A good one, and you may be getting a job at a bigger school. At the very least, you're likely a part of coaching rumor mill that goes into overdrive. It's commonly called the coaching carousel, but our hosts start this episode by telling us it's a different amusement park ride that the experience is most like. (Music featured includes Onwards Updwards by Ketsa)

This episode picks up where the prior one left off - with a continued look at the culmination of events starting from the death of University of Maryland football player Jordan McNair to the firing of the Terrapins head football coach on Halloween night. In this episode, we focus on power - the power of money, the power of trauma, and the power of collegiate athletes. (Music featured includes Trusting Each Other and Fog In The Street by Borrtex)

On Halloween night, our hosts were ready to record an episode looking at some current events in sports with BPR's Matt Bush. Five minutes before recording was set to start, the headline flashed - the University of Maryland had fired head football coach D.J. Durkin a day after he had been re-instated by the school's board of regents over the objection of the university president. Durkin had originally been put on administrative leave after the death of Terrapin player Jordan McNair following an off-season workout. Given their very vocal advocacy in support of players rights, John and Marcia had a lot to say about what was happening in College Park - so much so that it became two episodes. In this first show, a lot of focus is on the role of the strength coach on a football team - and whether players need to workout as much as they are forced to. (Music featured includes My Algo2 by Yan Terrien)

This episode picks up where the last one left off - with Patton Robinette running off the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill before the first day of classes starts. He leads on our hosts through his journey on what happened next, including a history making redshirt freshman year at Vanderbilt to his decision to end his career to focus on medical school. (Music featured includes Kid Kodi and Copley Beat by Blue Dot Sessions)