Lets Have This Conversation

Athletes are human, there vulnerable and they fall. That was Ben Roethlisberger’s message on Father’s Day.  At the ManUp Pittsburgh conference. It's not always easy," said Roethlisberger, who has been accused of sexual assault twice during his NFL career, the second time leading to a four-game suspension to begin the 2010 season. "People don't realize all the time that us athletes, we're human. We sin like everybody else. I am no different. We make mistakes. We get addicted to things. We sin. We're human. I think sometimes we get put on this pedestal where we can't make mistakes. "I've fallen as short as anybody. I've been addicted to alcohol. I've been addicted to pornography, which makes me then not the best husband, not the best father, not the best Christian I can be.  The message was given for an extremely specific reason to help to inspire fathers in the greater Pittsburgh area to demand more of themselves. As people, as dads and as husbands.  I tackled this issue and a whole host of others with Noah Strackbein, an AllSteelers reporter, from Sports Illustrated. You can follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Windsor Life Centre provides: A haven, counselling, nutrition, education, treatment support and more for women recovering from addiction and trauma. If you or someone you know is looking for addiction support, we are here to help. Linda Armaly is the Executive Director at Windsor Life Centre. She joined me this week to discuss the important work of the centre.  To learn more about the centre you can visit there website https://windsorlifecentre.com/ or you can call them at (519) 972-8160.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Providing people the  ability  to   escape, a sense of passion and comprehensive   view of the world through one of the true bonding agents which brings all people  together the love of sports, is a commodity many sports enthusiasts are missing in their daily lives these days.  Which raises the question: how do we navigate the safe return of athletics to college campuses this fall?  Steve Watson is the Athletic Director, at Loyola University Chicago.  He joined me this week to explore the matter in greater detail, and outline how his university is safely implementing a return to athletic play.  You can follow the Ramblers on Twitter: @LoyolaRamblers

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vince Carter holds the record for most NBA seasons played at 22 and last Thursday, his long and storied career reached its conclusion. "I'm officially done playing basketball professionally," Carter said succinctly. On his Podcast "Winging It with Vince Carter", he made a formal retirement announcement.  Carter's final game came on the final night before the league postponed the season on March 11. The eight-time All-Star will unquestionably be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible, and while most will remember him for his gravity-defying dunks, Carter was more than just a supremely skilled dunker. Coming out of North Carolina as a heralded prospect, Carter carried the Toronto Raptors to their first franchise playoff appearance in his rookie season. He also stands third all-time on the games played list at 1,541 trailing only Robert Parish (1,611) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560) on the league's all-time list. He started his career with the Toronto Raptors, then played for New Jersey, Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas, Memphis, Sacramento and spent his final two seasons with Atlanta. Aaron Rose covers the Raptors for Sports Illustrated. He joined me this week to discuss Carter’s career, what he meant to both the league and the Raptors and whether this year’s team can repeat as champions.  You can follow Aaron on Twitter @AaronBenRose

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a contentious dispute primarily over wages and safety protocols, which threaten the entirety of the 2020 baseball season. The MLB Players Association and the league’s owners have agreed to meet in the middle and settle their dispute for now. Clearing the way for America’s pastime to return under the guides of a shorten 60-game regular season. Lynn Worthy is a Royals beat writer at The Kansas City Star. He joined me this week to discuss the return of baseball, what it means for the sports forecast this summer and the impact it will have on the pending labor negotiations which loom for the 2021 season.  You can follow Lynn at @LWorthySports

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has decided to wait to allow the 10th largest state in the nation to enter phase 5 of reopening. Due to recent spikes in coronavirus cases. Michigan also has approximately 1.5 million public school kids waiting to see if they’ll be back in the classroom or learning online this fall. Lauren Gibbons is a reporter for MLive's Public Interest Team covering politics and policy. She joined me this week to provide her political viewpoints on everything Michigan politics. You can follow Lauren on Twitter at: @LaurenMGibbons or visit https://connect.mlive.com/staff/LaurenGibbons/posts.html to see more of her articles for MLive.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The relationship between the public and the police is at a critical intersection and inflection point. With the current climate were living in what’s the key to having a constructive dialogue between the two parties? To ensure the integrity of public safety, the rights of citizens to express their opinions and respecting the role the police play to keep us all safe? Norm Hansen is the Chief of Police at Sarnia Police Service he joined me this week to have an open and honest discussion about police and public relations.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the current state of unrest in America surrounding police reform, racism, politics, and the perception of the media today. The journalism profession has never been more scrutinized than now. Which also makes it more challenging for minorities to receive opportunities for advancement in this field. Dr. Meredith D. Clark (@MeredithDClark) is an assistant professor in the Department of Media Studies at the University of Virginia. She is also, a former newspaper journalist whose research focuses on the intersections of race, media, and power. She joined me this week to discuss the current state of affairs as it relates to opportunities for advancement in the profession for minorities.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Racial tension has never been as high as they are now in America. And the need for criminal justice reform has increased under the current political climate in which we live. The question now is how we heal the wounds of a divided and fractured nation. Brandon Brice is an American radio and television host, conservative political commentator. Brandon is the host of The Brandon Brice Show, a locally syndicated talk radio show that airs on WDTk 101.5 The Patriot. Brandon also is a regular political commentator on Fox News and MSNBC. The Detroit native join me to provide some prospective on the subject. To see more o Brandon’s work you can follow him on Twitter at: @Iambrandonbrice  You can also catch Brandon’s talk show here https://brandonbrice.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Connecting all of us faster to the world-wide-web has never been more important then now. Increased connectivity means better proficiency and expanded access to possibilities for all of us. At GigaMonster, it’s simple, they’re shaping a new environment for Internet services available to multifamily residential communities. Luke Rodgers is the Director of Business Development at GigaMonster he joined me this week to discuss how our relationship with our streaming platforms and the internet is ever evolving.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices