After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 2

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Rocket mortgage can help you get there for home loan solutions that fit your life rocket can. It was an emotional weekend. It was an unexpected final preseason weekend for the Buffalo Bills after their last preseason game. The head coach Sean McDermott barely spoke about football. He was obviously upset, uncomfortable, as most of us are talking about the types of allegations that have been leveled at his now former punter Matt Araiza, a rookie who was making all kinds of waves with his leg with his foot with his personality in training camp we heard Sean McDermott rave about him even before they got to this weekend even before they heard about the allegations but what did the team know what did the team know when they drafted him.

And what did the team know at any point before this lawsuit was released, and shall McDermott in the uncomfortable situation of being asked if he believes what his punter is indicated former punter when he says that he's innocent and he did not do what is accused of looking into the mug down that road right now again when we got some work to do here in the furthest thing you can hear it in his voice. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS sports radio.

We are pleased to welcome bills insider Matt Perino of Syracuse.com and the shout to podcast. Matt, this is obviously a situation that no team relishes and it's uncomfortable to matter how long you've been a coach or general manager or even someone who, like us, covers football so going back to Thursday.

What had these few days been like emotionally there being around the team marks to someone who covers the team a real glimpse that we got at it was in Carolina on Friday and I was barren in the press conference room when John McDermott baited walk in the locker room after the game to the room and it just felt a little bit different. Like he could just feel the stress that the debt he was going through Brandon being mentioned it yesterday when they announced the release that generally would know how shall McDermott coach the game and I did know that they knew the severity of the situation, but the problem with that is to do with the same time, you appreciate the fact that they were there doing their due diligence and trying to make sure that you know they heard every side, they had known about this since the end of July when Jane Doe's attorney approached the team talk to their General Counsel and gave them what Brandon being called the boulders of the story you know that and that the only way to take that is new enough that there should've been some real concern and then over the course of the next few weeks during training camp and preseason no matter Araiza remained on the team he played. He was in it and competition at partner with veteran Matt Hawke, Sean McDermott went on all part of my take. After the first preseason game when Matt Araiza had that big on and he was joking about him and you don't seem count how great of a kid. He was of those fans were just big fans and it's like you sit there on the outside and you wonder how you say these things knowing what you're learning from him now. Matt Araiza gave them his side of the story and Brenda Beavan, trumpeter was a defect in change throughout the entire process is trying to gather as many facts as they could Brenda be said that yesterday was were not detectives were GM and head football coach and we just couldn't get enough answers to make a decision what they thought was best to move forward and have always Araiza go away from football. This whole situation out on the coalition. The bus made a decision released. You mentioned the, the attorney for Jane Joe calling lead counsel for the team and then having boulders that point it had become public. Nobody had heard about it, really outside of the few people who were involved with the lawsuit and then the couple people in the front office but they released him after it blows up what they disabled the timing yeah and there's dealt with some questions about the timing like Brenda be could say if they learned about this.

First, he couldn't remember the timing of it, whether it was from Araiza or was from that call to the Council from Jane Doe's attorney so the timeline of it is still a little bit hazy, and it felt like that. The fact that he came to the stadium on Friday night. He still hadn't wanted to make it a definitive decision on that, even as they were kind of learning some of the more graphic detail. John McDermott said she learned more things about this case. After they saw the 11 Page Ct. civil suit document so I can understand that to a degree, but it does feel like they were really willing to move on and show everybody really scope of it. And that's the part that I think doesn't sit well with people because know whether it's just the graphic details of what was in that civil suit talk and of course it's that's with one side of the story but I'm not going to sit here and assume innocence for Matt Araiza. I know everybody knows somebody in their life. It's been affected by this kind of behavior. This kind of incident and it turned your stomach and it's sickening and not any type of involvement in it and you see the direct quotes of Araiza in the filing and it just with all that being the case, maybe just even having him be away from the team would've probably been a better approach, but they give the day with all that said, and the fact that this could've been done better. No doubt about it on the bills and I think at the very least they made the right decision in the end, which was moving on from just to clarify that there is no indication that the team knew anything about this when they drafted him in April. They did not know Brandon being said, if they had known it would've taken Matt Araiza often abort the drug court is reached out to since they learned they got the court document on Thursday. He is reached out to over 10 other NFL teams. No other executives that he knows to ask if they knew you said all of the teams you talk to set they didn't know either an NFL didn't know when a drop was happening so that it brings up the question after the bills. Do you feel like to buy Matt Araiza.

He say you claim that he didn't apparently or his attorneys are claiming that you didn't learn about the fact that he was going to face charges in the civil suit until July – early June that that date is kind of a mess of that right now but note that part of this. It also doesn't sit well is like that that timeline and understanding no matter Araiza came out during the game when the bills one and allow him to go on the field put out a statement through his agent and said I'm looking forward to clearing this up what's been paint the picture. The complainant is false.

Basically no benefit but I prove it. And then there hasn't been anything since so obvious and awful situation all around and you get to this part of the banter are gearing up for the regular season for something like this to happen, especially for bills fan base. This been waiting for this season for 25 to 30 years Super Bowl era to have a team that was the favorite to win it is kind of put a damper on all that they moved on from him and are open to put behind Matt Perino is with us after hours on CBS sports radio covers the bills for Syracuse.com this tapping Thursday when the lawsuit to put more of this information out there in the public got a hold event. He honestly wasn't with the team have players answer any questions about matter, have you had access to players and asked them about this tomorrow. The first time that will have open locker room after practice before the date of the covert pandemic we had three games now open locker room, but this would be the first practice environment. We can really spend 20-ish minutes move around. We talked to HUMAN Matt Barkley after the game on Friday. They were both very short with their answers. UK's genome study. You didn't really know a lot about it. He had talked to her either of them talk to Araiza of Micah Hardy was out in the locker room about this whole situation and how he felt about it. He said listen give been here since 2017 was one of the first reagents that John McDermott signed to come here and Brandon being deceptive culture. He said when we build a culture like this is been so successful you you rely on the guys that built it and so is that he was putting his trust in him being in McDermott to do the right thing, which I think in the end.

Like I said, I think that they did, despite the fact that they probably could develop a better and to their credit they have come out and said are we perfect. No. Could this have been better probably and noted that they wanted to err on the side of letting everybody get due process and whether that was right or wrong enough or not know that they said they were to try to go back and learn from this situation, but I think this will also be a relief for players and one talk for any of them, but to go into this. We cannot have that be something that they had continued at to answer for which I'm still on the roster I think will be Catholic relief, considering that the bills General Counsel assistant General Counsel did have some indication that this was swirling around Matt Hadley heard anything from the pergola family who owns the team know about that. Like I don't think we've heard from Terry will on the bill side of things.

2019 owners meetings.

They don't do a lot of media can usually get a lot of that and she's been kind of out of the picture. Since going through some health issues here earlier this year the status of all that.

Outside of a few statements from the builders is pretty unclear.

Actually, she wasn't consulted in this Terry was Brandon being said, I probably haven't heard from you think about everything that happened with Sean Watson and and I know these are completely different allegations, but everything that happened with DeShawn Watson in a civil lawsuit or subgroup of civil lawsuits wasn't criminal charges.

And yet it blew up first for the Texans and then obviously for the Cleveland Browns. I know that they didn't move.

Maybe the way they should have. In July, but knowing what you know of this general manager and head coach. It seems like they want to do the right thing. Do you think the fan base will support them in that, as opposed to what it's been like with the with the brown situation and no I think today you see, you know, a lot of members of the media locally know a bit of been rightfully hard on how to build this.

You know, I wrote a story last night just pointing out all of you know the things that we know about the timeline and it just does not look pretty but I think the majority the fan base that they were they were hoping for. The bottom line decision from the team. Once that happened, so like in their minds they were a lot of them were able to move on and so it's good. I think the majority has been positive today.

Often the family so much so that some of the column became out of yesterday. I've been you know it's been very testy on Twitter mean people you know defending being Sean McDermott and I think I've covered his team knows my fifth year to be dropped almost the entirety of their regime and I think generally speaking, Brandon being specifically is pretty genuine guy like II had really good interactions with him another piece of this kind of really stands out in all this is that the podcasts hit with Sean McDermott again didn't want to go into how much he really knew about this, but to call him a great kid. Just knowing the boulders, which think that the head coach would know that the part that's a part of it is done.

Sit super well and I'm wondering if some point.

Maybe this weekend. Maybe he'll wood with with Araiza now off the roster filled may be going to that a little bit extra help you ask but I think from the fan base. Just the decision like juxtaposed juxtaposed to what's happening in Cleveland with Sean Watson in the steadfast nature of that regime to stick with what's been an absolute PR nightmare. I think those fans are like you like this guys out here. We want about a year and did it. And even if it took this long. We did it was interesting to hear Brandon being say something along the lines of I can lay my head down at night believing that we've tried to do the right thing here I thought, hey, this is not easy, but we arrived at the right conclusion did not strike you in any way yeah it's a funny thing too, because there's so many little nuance elements of this like the way that you guys really dive into the lives of their players rightly got a Sean McDermott use his players love him people that I left the team that were part of this early on Lorenz example of him of that. I have a good relationship with Lorenzo. I talked to Sean nothing but you know great things look equally cool play for Carolina comes back every training camp, it seems, or sometime in the year to come back just work with the linebackers and so there are player their players love them and so I think that there's a part of that that when you have that culture.

In that atmosphere you try to maybe give the benefit of the doubt of trying to just think of why. Maybe this is transpired the way that it did. And you know they matter. Araiza was telling them a version of this story that didn't match up with the version they saw in the civil documents that they examine for 48 hours and in from their perspective. It seems they had to make hard decisions without with a player and that it is been there building to tune out three months and that could be talk I get is a very ill family oriented approach in the locker room, but they did make a decision and I think with the right map. I was with us from Syracuse.com covering what was a tumultuous weekend for the Buffalo Bills.

Their front office. As Matt arises career abruptly comes to an end at least in Western New York is after hours here on CBS sports radio. I know these last couple of days have taken a different turn. But how would you describe the atmosphere around the team as we get close to the season kicking off before what I'm sure will return by the time the bill take off for LA here in a little over a week.

You know it is just bought an unmatchable I mean this team is Bill season every day of the year is there is hyped about the bills and you know may, when many camps about the kickoff as they are in. You know the playoffs and this is just the identity of the community and, more so than any other city in the NFL. And so now with these expectations and even aside from the expectations, knowing that you have your franchise quarterback in place for the next maybe 10 years while thinking on the NFL.

Just put out their top 100 voted by the players get a few turkey. I probably argue that he started out but is one the best players in the league and got it came in with a lot of questions.

A lot of experts saying that was not gonna work into. Now you have that guy coming off the quarters in the playoffs where you just went absolutely scorched earth you finish with 14.

What was it eight touchdowns in two games in the NFL record is not yet nine passing touchdowns in the NFL record 13 in a playoff run for away from tying NFL record and a playoff run by quarterback and so gets them jacked up and just knowing that they're going to be in as long as she's healthy and Bob Miller is been an absolutely exciting addition that, yeah, probably for those last years is lush and the pastor or not it out for the best ever do it. Can't believe it's almost here were talking about not even two weeks now essentially a week and 1/2 until the season kicks off and cool that they get to be part of the first game to you can find Matt on Twitter at Matt Perino PAR RIN O covers the bills for Syracuse.com and also have the shout podcast devoted to. I would call them crazy, but in a good way crazy bills fan crazy bills nation. I remember them well for my time in Syracuse and Rochester met it's good to catch up with you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness on the subject matter and we hope to catch up with you again soon really it's a tough situation. It's a tough call. I do not envy right and being or Sean McDermott for having to make this decision. I believe they did the right thing, considering all the promise of the season considering everything they have riding on the start of the season considering as he just talked about the unmatched bodies around the bills. This is the last thing they need over a punter.

I get. He's apparently got a pretty strong leg and according Sean McDermott.

He was a punk guide and a pretty good kid but knowing what they know now and recognizing the firestorm and that's why part of the Cleveland Browns situation. What do Sean Watson is accused is not rape so not saying it's the same thing, but the magnitude of the allegations. The number of women. The lawsuits, the settlements, the discipline in all of those things have kept it in the news and really have been a dark cloud over the course of the Browns entire off-season, and now preseason and something that they brought on themselves, and I'm not saying it's too bad so sad they actually signed into that huge deal and knew this would be part of the territory. But the browser I have the aspirations that the bills have and whether or not Matt Araiza is guilty of what is accused of the bills don't have time for this, nor do they have room for this and I do actually believe beyond football that Sean McDermott has compassion for this young woman who filed this lawsuit after reading the details. I do believe that Brandon being while he didn't apologize recognizes that the bills have not handled this perfectly, and that they can only now picked up from this point and try to do things the right way. Moving forward, so I actually really appreciate their thoughtfulness and the way they responded to this I don't agree with the way they handle it. However, I appreciate that. They seem to have compassion and care for the alleged victim, whereas it doesn't seem that way with the Browns and had not seen that way the entire time again to Sean's not accused of rape, but the fact that the bills are being somewhat transparent now. The fact that there is clearly struggling in the situation I can identify with that.

I can relate to that.

Now there is the cynic in me that says well you have a wait until it went public. They knew about it over a month ago and they waited till it went public before they did anything together is that element to it, and some of you suggest that more than one of you is suggesting all my social media that if it was Josh Allen. There's no way they cut them there's always going to be a bit of cynicism when it comes to the the money and the power of professional sports, especially NFL which has bought so many of the situations in the past and it's hard to believe anyone might be sincere or really be struggling in a situation like this.

The bills cut them and they're going to move forward in 48 hours time, they did what they believed is the right thing and I will see whether or not there were actual criminal charges filed and what happens with Matt Araiza. It sounds like according to breaded beans phone calls he made to other teams that there are no other teams, at least right now that will pick him up. You can find me on Twitter a lot radio also on our Facebook page after hours with Amy Lawrence.

There is QB needs it will get to the top of next hour a lot of actually try to wade through what happened on the baseball diamond over the weekend and also Rory McElroy storming back from out of nowhere but storming back for a pretty steep deficit to win the tour championship on Sunday, a red-hot powder fire it's after hours with Amy Lawrence CBSSports radio you are listening to the after-hours podcast title back after-hours. Lori means an awful lot. I believe in the game of golf.

I believe in this tour in the secular. I believe on the players, and even the players on this tour. It's the greatest place in the world are not played all over the world from Atlanta and East Lake Golf club Rory McElroy puts on a putting clinic, especially down the stretch as he not only reeled in Scotty Shepler but then passes him. Shepler birdied 16 I believe 15 or 17, but Rory was six strokes behind when this tour championship started he was 10 shots back after tools. And he ends up rallying in this final round against the top layer in the world got a Shepler and becomes the first three-time winner of the FedEx cup as you hear on was that NBC PGA Tour's Twitter's right to seek after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBSSports radio. Rory did mention that it's been a tumultuous time for the world of men's golf. He admits he's been right there in the thick of everything and he's trying to defend and I've said this before he's the only self-described self-appointed defender of the PGA tour in its battle with the live but he said it's because he feels it's the best place to play elite professional golf in the world. I like this quote from Rory. It's in some ways fitting that I was able to get this done today to sort of round off the year that is been very very challenging and different. So when he says it means a lot.

It's not just about winning. It's not just about the money.

It's not just about the competence that you build when you come back from a deficit like he had to begin the day.

Shepler did not have a strong performance, the kind that were used to seeing from him is the top player in the world. He started missing fairways.

He started missing greens that he started missing pots and is closing round only had a single birdie and this is a dubious mark with there's good news. There's bad news. The bad news is he ties the PGA Tour record for losing a six shot lead in the final round. It's hard to do at this level and generally guys who do it are done it are paired with Tiger Woods on a Sunday member how many times leaders would collapse when Tiger was around a Sunday he's put himself in position to compete.

He's put himself a position where he had a six stroke lead to begin the final day and that's huge. So now he doesn't hang on for the win and Rory McElroy reeled him in, and is the one fist pumping at the end.

Still, Shepler is a force to be reckoned with professional golfer living is such a gift for me to offer money when term is best see where the game to take me today when the season-long title had a really great year. I want to finish it off for so I was able to do that such get your point. Also money in something you there's one thing I want to say I feel like Scotty deserves at least half of us today. He is out of season. I still sort of that I took them to the post by is a hell of a competitor he's an even better guy. It was an honor and a privilege to do battle with them today, and I'm sure will have many more. This is an incredibly broad moment for me but it should also be a an incredibly bright moments of the PGA Tour that is units that had some hard times this year but were getting through, and you know that was a spectacle out there today. You note to the best players in the world going head-to-head for the biggest prize on the PGA Tour and hope everyone home.

Enjoy the gallant people at home did enjoy it now. The lives tour will take over a golf course in Boston coming up later this week. It will for the first time include new members who defected from the PGA Tour, including the number two player in the world, Cameron Smith, who won the open championship but can't. I've never been one of those people who thinks that golf can only support one of these tours and now both, but I enjoy seeing some of the golfers who bolted to live and I enjoy certainly watching the PGA so they can all come together. Still, for the majors but that remains to be seen. Were going to pull out the gloves. I got my glove right here actually softball and baseball can hear them.

And J always want to play catch with the baseball I prefer the softball he squints when anything is what 2 feet in front of his nose what he were the SOI get worried about throwing a baseball Jake as he can't see very well, for some reason he prefers that way. Like why why would you want to CJ I don't I don't know visions on important so would have shadows in the hallway to get what it's whenever I get anything that's far away you're squinting like 6 feet of range in my eyes.

It's about as far as the go.

Why not do something about that. Yeah that's yeah that's not an answer okay anyway so Jane has trouble seeing long-range so I worry about playing with the baseball does only replaying a shadowy hallway with the baseball smaller I feel like if the softball coming at his face. He should see it.

I see them both as just a muscle memory that makes no sense whatsoever. The balls coming from and I just sent sonar kind of thing all over your like a Jedi where the balls coming from right great sounds tremendous, awful okay anyway so my whole point was we've got the glove. I don't have cleats on what abs we can get out there and swing it with the best and we can chat by balls and so all that December and talk baseball. Next, it's after hours with Amy Lawrence. You are listening to the after-hours podcast and first pitch is high side for a fall. Astros have Seth Martinez loosening in the bolt it's been a laborious game for Berlin for 60 pictures through three silver letter could be done working on four days rest. The 10 swing in a file that like it got picks up her second yes" hope it's just a result.

This count is nothing else.

This is after hours with Amy Lawrence, the voice of Robert Ford on Houston Astros radio and this is the exact opposite of what the Astros wanted to say enough course. They ended up winning this game against Baltimore on Sunday when Werner Lander laughed. He had allowed just three hits and a walk. He had six strikeouts.

He had thrown only 60 pictures and presumably there was a long way to go for the Cy Young candidate is going in for some managing tomorrow and I think so. Ruben reported good news filter when it covered for space since Catherine that's know the best of a bad news know you're glad it wouldn't anything to do with his elbow or arm or anything like that so will just have to wait. I like how Dusty Baker says that it's the best of bad news true it's nothing to do with his arm and that would be far worse considering what he is just come back from this season. Alex Brightman has his 20th homerun in support Werner Lander and the rest of the Astros staff and so even after they lose him and he apparently stumbled and his knee buckled little bit in the top of the third when he was running to first base but the offense is able to pick him up and they Astros win yet again though right now.

You obviously want to wait and see to know for sure obviously extremely concerned on all year long and all were very fortunate to have him and I don't know the details.

That's Alex Brightman. The Astros interestingly enough I saw this on Sunday evening as I was doing some prep for the show.

The Astros and the Mets had the exact same record now at 82 and 47, and yet because of how divisions in baseball go in competition that rises and falls credit to the Mariners.

They are now in 12 games, about 500 but they are almost 12 games back of the Astros and the AL West in the NL East the mats again same exact record as the Astros 82 and 47, and yet their lead over the World Series champions is just three games. The Braves alludes to the Cardinals after a rain delay on Sunday evening. The mats were try to close out the Rockies 10 a bouncing ball. The second Rogers was the first time all is over the railroad where the Colorado Rockies of loss service or settle for taking three out of four this week.

You know anything Beecher situations, and for me I was trying to be vulnerable part is to set the stage for stretching across the method that we just three total hits on this day game that followed a late night game and actually we know it was late night because Jay and I were at Citi Field on Saturday evening. The game is scheduled to start at 710 Eastern it didn't start till after 730 and am not kidding about this. We were watching the time I get checking on my phone to see the time the first two innings so it was David Peterson for the mats. It was Kyle Freeling for the Rockies.

The first two innings, took an hour from that point forward because nobody was getting any hits and there really wasn't much traffic on the basepaths.

The pictures started to dominate the first two innings, take an hour the next six and happening. Take not even two hours. It was very strange.

The game ends up being under three hours, even though the first two innings, took a full 60 minute ever invading crazy.

We thought we were to be there until Sunday morning at 4 AM like that is all we are there for the long haul was along the ceremony is no better than the first hour after it already started later start second train times. I don't want to know nervous about getting stuck with no late trains back home anyway. Thankfully it was a victory for the home team so they could go home happy from city fields. But yeah, weird and long day and wondering if maybe that created a bit of a block of malaise when they had to get back to the field early on Sunday so it was.

It's now an item for record from actors. It was a loss for mad Max, the only run the entire game is the Rockies on a sacrifice fly in the seventh after he talked about giving up those couple infield hits, but the big battle is coming up starting on Tuesday. Mets hosting the Dodgers had a good season so far been able to do best. More investing in all baseball.

So for them to come and sound so is a great opportunity for us of a challenge for us to brother in prison and after hours with Amy Lawrence. The battle of playoff teams with Cleveland in Seattle this weekend to to try to take say they get to 70 when they're 12 games, about 500 but there still significantly back in the AL West. I would say probably out of reach at this point, not officially but just logistically. Meanwhile, it's the Tampa Bay rays with the top AL wild-card spot the Mariners are game back of them and they are game up on the Blue Jays for the three AL wildcards was also a big weekend for the Seattle Mariners giving Julio Rodriguez their 21-year-old All-Star a huge extension with some Gazans will cause the auto home problems arm murders, friends, seals, rise I mean a long time. There are multiple layers to this contract, it's it's interesting that created them to be sure 26 contract in baseball valued at $200 million or more. Most of them coming in the last few years, so he is the the star upon which they are hitching their wagon.

Let's get it baby. He's from the Dominican Republic. He's already become a huge hit there in Seattle. He's got a megawatt smile memory was part of first round worries black thing games out of the park in the home run Derby 12 year guarantee deal worth $209 million plus that kicks in next season following his rookie year with the deal could be worth upwards of 400 million over the years, the five year player option will have the opportunity to pick up in 2030 40 after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS sports radio