Will Healy Interview (6-8-20)

I was thinking about or what our next guest over the weekend. Not just because I was hanging out with a mutual friend of ours gravitating shelf drive is listening right now, but also because I was in the city of Charlotte and I soul that will Hughley was the latest coach to join his players in a peaceful protest in the Queen city. The head coach of the Charlotte football programs kind of the join us now and another reason I was thinking about you coach was because you're somebody who doesn't mind speaking his mind and talking about things he's convicted about speaking about things he believes in and also you strike me as somebody who doesn't mind acting as well.

Your actions show that over the weekend. However, with the protest.

All across the city, coupled with the coronavirus pandemic were still learning a lot about it.

How difficult was it to act beyond a statement which we seen a lot of teams just producing at will. All across the board.

Great question to start off the show, a coupling of my biggest prayer over the last three weeks is being that it doesn't ever become about me that you are doing something that you feel like your players understand. Look, we may have the same dorky white head coach that we always had got her back in willing to listen and he may not come from the same experiences are the same background but that he's interested in interchanging not just know I went marched on Saturday, March 4, or mild. My wife and my five-year-old and Dr. Mark talked with regard to the next thing that if not it and and I guess that that is always a positive person about things but I guess that the one thing that been the most skeptical of acting like there's one thing that can be done right now that can alleviate this problem and you know I am passionate about our passion about guys that we have in our locker room. I inherited a great group of people and I think we've added to that, and then obviously guys that I get a chance to work with on a regular basis to become my best friends. It you know don't look like me talk like me are from the same area of the United States. You know, haven't had the same background the same experiences in I just I am more convinced now that I have ever been that number one. I think we have a group of people in our building who are capable of creating change number two. Why I got the greatest professional in the face of yours because you get a chance to have relationships with a lot of different type of people I have an opportunity where my five-year-old growth in a different world but I didn't know.

Again, you just keep praying that it's not about me it's about our players and it's about injustice and I thought what happened on Saturday was very dynamic for a lot of reasons. My wife and Eli and I were very glad to be a part as the kids grow up will I you always your parents say they learned so much about themselves through the prism of their children. Did they learn a lot about their kids and football coaches there in a unique position where they deal so much with younger people were you almost serve as a pseudo-parent and in keeping an eye on the kids. You promise parents that you're going to take care of them. You also heard a lot of people a lot of players of color, people of color, saying that they just want people to be to listen to them. They just want to feel like they've been heard. Coupling those two things together will what have you learned in the last 10 days. In conversations you have with your players. I do think a lot of it is about being heard. The other thing is appreciating differences look, I mean I have told these guys since the beginning it was the gift George Boyd was murdered really is what was on Wednesday and Friday we had a bar are our team meeting. The first time after that event happened in an it with all my heart to bring it up. It wasn't close to home. It was it was but still I knew our players were feeling it and I knew that our guys. It may be bothering some of them so I brought it up in my first conversation was with God, I don't understand I don't claim to understand when I walk into a place that you know I'm the minority of people look at me different. I get pulled over for this. I don't know that I was always blessed beyond belief with and I grew up in a private school with a private university, you know very few opportunities in my life before I got into coaching without the minority, but it doesn't mean that I don't care enough to love you enough to walk to help you and want to but let's educate each other you know I can't tweet the other night. It was perfect like we need all go back and watch and there's some truth to that. Now getting to know somebody from a different background appreciating the differences judging people based on character, not based on till the skin but yet appreciating the experience. It did. We've all had no that got us to this point in the team meeting today and in Inc., Johnson spoke to us and unbelievable but some of our guys were talking about experience in black history before and I didn't know what they were no you got to question the question is do you sit there and you act like you know what the heck you're talking about or do you say I am ignorant, please tell me what is what what this event was and educate yourself and and read more books and do more research. It shouldn't have taken me this long, but it did and I screwed it up before and passionate about not screwed it up again and I think that you know that the real conversation with you guys the opportunity to create an open forum the opportunity to educate your guys into no I in tangent. And you know me well enough by now to know I have ADD like no other really believe it's so like racism is based on extremes and experiences right so the that the problem that people have in the end, the thing that this brings back her experience is that people may have had with a feel like there was injustice involved and unfortunately a lot of our black athlete or Hispanic athletes and our other one to see if the most info. There is an experience with a cop that may not of been a positive thing vision experience with a white person that may not have been apposite think there's an experience with a white coach within the profession of making money. In some cases large amounts of money based on the athletic ability of a black athlete right in and especially in the college game. What a black athlete Craig right right and so I understand those perceptions. I'm not ignorant to those. But what I am passionate about is look, I know what the stereotypes and astigmatism may have been, to show you through time and through consistency and through relationships and through love that this place is going to be different and do not fail at it every single day. Got Filipina dad every single day.Filomena Hazen every single day, but I'm not going to just take me and this is too big of a topic you tackle. I'm just going to be quiet and just install head football coach will Healy with us here and this next Wednesday to require some fault, a lot of thought, what brink, what gives you optimism as you move forward and as you think about it something you were saying they are resonated with me in terms of what gives me optimism goes back to the youth and that racism is not something that's taught that this generation seems like a big part of their agenda to use that word is that that self identifying people based on race and prejudice is not going to fly with them. Billy I wish a popular musician. She was baggy close because her argument is hey I want to be judged by my music, not what's underneath my close here and you hear players. Time and time again they're talking about not not using race is something that either qualifies or disqualifies you for something, but then spending time in Charlotte this week and I realize how adaptive America is as well and I think it's going to get us through this difficult time at the rigid date they tend to fall behind.

When I look at restaurants finding ways to use, take out options in order to get a flow of revenue coming in and getting creative. It makes me optimistic that America is going to push through because of adaptiveness and also when it comes to this problem were dealing with when it comes to race relations the youth it matters to them that prejudice self identifying prejudice not be something that is it is a disqualifier.

So I only say that to give you time to think what what makes you optimistic about where were headed another great question. I'm optimistic because of the people that I interact with on a daily right because of the experiences I get that because of my relationship with Marcus with Alex Atkins Brandon Cooper Charles Bacon material Hardisty Sean Dawkins, who were some of my best friends that I get a chance to coach with and because of the relationships I have with Alex Highsmith, Kim Clark, Benny LeMay, Terry ^, and so on and so on with the guys in our locker and their special people and you know again I go back to the experience piece of this. One of the reasons why it's so important for me to have a successful program.

The United States of America is so that people have a different experience that they may not be used. You know I mean when I step outside of our football office. I live in a very predominantly white world. When I grew up I lived in a very predominantly white world and my experience with those type of people with the Marcus West with the Charles Bacon's with the with Neil Perry Wilson in college. I remember the first all-black church I went to your talk about some good for you is a white guy go to an all black church. I mean it's it, you're the minority right so you understand now for a split second. Not for a lifetime. But for a split second. Some of the thoughts that may be going through some of those guys had them in different situations where the model there.

The minority obviously you have a different church experience with one of those dynamic experiences my entire life. But those are really good for me to be put in an you know I've got hope because I know the type of people that we have in our organization. I know the type of people that I've run into while playing football while being involved in athletics and I think that again.

I tell Martin this all the time. One of the guys on Charlotte football team gets arrested. The headline of the Charlotte Observer Charlotte football player gets arrested for what it ought everybody automatically says Charlotte football got a bunch of fugitives right that's one guide of 120 that owner off. Why in the heck would you judge our entire football team based on the actions of one person. So why in the world. We do it from a race perspective as well. And that's what I have so much hope about is good.

I get to live the fantasy world of the best of the best coaches people trainers administration. Whatever it is, and I see how great they are and I feel the hurt and kissed off the fact that they're going through this, but I'm so confident in what the future looks like, because I know the experiences that hard left turn, will Healy with this year.

Charlotte head football coach I saw all the video of you on the streets of Charlotte over the weekend and I was impressed. It seems you've remained in shape. You saw a terrible picture that I've gained at least 20 pounds during the flat remark is natural yeah what was the lack of choice there.

There's a bad bargain that I had in the season at about 180 something pounds and that things are about to touch 200 so I'm flattered that you would say that but as our guys on our team said in his ear. Five-year-old said that there has not been a lot of working going on during this gilded process so it's less about more about lactose and are just a bunch of inactivity is a combination of a lot of different things. Some of them can be talked about on-air and alcoholic beverage involved, but it truly lack of exercise and maybe one beer. How's that going to affect your willingness to participate in club lit. I am who I am. You know, I may not. I've always have always been the underdog and out. I continue to feel very confident in that room you the best coach Healy. I was inspired by what you did over the weekend the same way I was inspired to what Sean Clark did not state and many other great is across the country appreciate you spending time in being open is always and I hope the next time we catch up with you to be talking about packing some fans in the stands at Nealon Stadium and your team facing the volunteers.

Thanks for doing this man thanks Radley have a great day. You got that is will Healy is on Twitter@coach_heels, head coach of the Charlotte football program, and Robert Hyman.

You see why that guy such a delightful person. He doesn't mind going anywhere we want to go and honest all of that