As I opened the door to Altitude Sports Radio one morning, our mail lady stood up. She was in tears. I was worried that I had maybe missed a phone call or something else, until she started speaking. "Ryan," she said, "I want you to be...
One of my most memorable introductions to how the NFL holds its players accountable came during training camp in my fourth year in the NFL. A player began screaming at the head coach about how he was doing things right, and the coach was wrong....
Ten rows up from our new rookie, I bellowed “WHAT’S YOUR NAME?” The rookie skits had begun and our new teammates had a chance to introduce themselves to us with name, signing bonus, college and finally by song or skit. Inevitably, the rookie stammered and was...
In recent years, no event on the NFL calendar has exploded like the Combine. The whole thing is on TV. Every front office face is there. People agonize over the tests and analyze the numbers until they can’t see straight. And the truth is: The whole...
When you are successful, you want to give back to the people responsible for your success, but sometimes you have to say ‘no’ to family, even when it’s tough. I was recently talking to a friend — a phenomenal yogi, podcaster and public speaker. She turned...
Recently, a white supremacist was describing his methodology, “Hey, listen, I don’t care if you’re black, brown, male or female. Whichever one of you wants power is one less person from my culture in power.” Wow. I understand the perspective of someone wanting to preserve their...
I was at my first state-level competition in high school. All of us athletes there had won our regionals. Every single kid was a top wrestler in the state of Minnesota, then some won, and some lost. After losing both of my matches (and quickly I...
When I was in the NFL, people asked me for money almost every day. Old friends, strangers, even family would pop out of the woodwork with their hands out. At first I wanted to help everyone, but after a while I smartened up and learned...
It was my day off, in the season when we eventually won the Super Bowl, and I was playing with my kids. Enjoying my life. In the middle of family time, I got a phone call from a friend who said, “Man I just heard...
First, it was a veteran testing my tolerance for hazing. Fistfight. Then defensive players with an extra push in practice? Fistfight. A fellow offensive lineman trying to “initiate” me to the team in my 10th year? FistfIght. Every year when I was in the NFL, I got into...