02/02/22 – Radically Rational

02/02/22

Welcome to Groundhog Day. Welcome to Signing Day,

Welcome to Black History Month, which is off to a volatile start in the NFL.

However it plays out, Brian Flores’ class-action lawsuit is going to rock the league’s foundation. We are about to see and smell some very dirty laundry, particularly as it pertains to the feckless Rooney Rule.

Of course there is institutional racism inherent in NFL head coaching hiring practices. Of course there is. But it’s complicated. And it’s often subtle. And it has more to do with the personal comfort of white owners and general managers than it does with overt discrimination.

One sidebar. If Flores can in any way prove or document that Dolphin ownership offered him $100,000 per loss during the “Tank for Tua” season, and/or that the team illegally tried to “recruit” a prominent quarterback in violation of the league’s tampering rules, the results will be seismic.

I heard somebody say yesterday that ESPN’s Adam Schefter must be “the most relieved man on Earth” following Brady’s formal retirement announcement. What? Why? I’ll promise you that Schefter did not spend one nervous minute after he broke the story over the weekend. That news was locked down, confirmed, re-confirmed and re-re-confirmed by multiple impeccable sources. Some of you who go around snorting about “fake news” just don’t understand how this stuff works. Schefter was not about to risk his career and reputation. He’s Adam F. Schefter.

Where’s Jimmy G. gonna land? Jimmy bashing is very much en vogue, but the truth is he’s a good player. He’ll end up with an AFC team that can run the ball. Horseshoes, anyone?

The Broncos are up for sale. Wonder if I can find four billion dollars underneath the sofa cushions.

I refuse to be Signing Day Boy. I just won’t play that game.

May your hog see its shadow. I just wish we had six more weeks of football.

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Paul's Bio

I clearly have the attention span of your median fruit fly.Look! Airplane!

Sorry. I’m back.

It’s both a curse and a blessing. I’ve never bought this stuff about, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But I do think that a wide range of life experiences helps us grow as people, and helps us better relate to other people. I’ve been fortunate. And I am beyond grateful.

I show up on time. I go like hell. I’m a good listener. I hold myself accountable. I own my mistakes. And I have a natural and an insatiable curiosity. I’m never afraid to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t. But then I try to find out.

The flip side is I’m a lousy ballroom dancer and my clothes sometimes fit me funny.

Stuff matters to me. I care. But while I take that stuff seriously, I try hard to never take myself seriously. As a result, I have sometimes been told, “Paul, it’s hard to tell when you’re serious and when you’re just having some fun. Which is it? Serious or fun?”

My answer is “yes.” But I think that is a legitimate criticism. I promise I’m going to work on that.

This has been the quickest and strangest half-century I’ve ever experienced. During that period, I’ve been afforded amazing opportunities in news and sports journalism across all platforms. I have taught wonderful students at the high school and collegiate level. Always, I learned more from them than they did from me. I’ve been a high school administrator. I spent ten seasons as a high school varsity football coach. I’ve been an advertising executive. I’ve hosted nationally syndicated television entertainment shows. In maybe the biggest honor I ever received, I was selected by NASA to be “Chet The Astronaut” for the “Land The Shuttle” simulator at Space Center Houston. (All I can say there, is “Do as I say, not as I do.” I put that thing in the Everglades more often than not.) Most recently, I just wrapped up a decade as a television news director, during which time our teams distinguished themselves in holding the powerful accountable, achieving both critical and ratings success.

What does all that mean? It means I am profoundly grateful. It also means I’m ready for “next.” So here we are. Radically Rational. It’s an idea I woke up with in 2017. I scribbled “Radically Rational” on a piece of notebook paper and used a magnet to stick it on our refrigerator. I saw it every day, and it just would not leave me alone.

I am second in charge at Radically Rational, LLC. My wife, Jo (also known as BB), is the president. Clearly, I have failed in my attempt to sleep my way to the top of this organization.

I hope you will learn that I’m loyal as a Labrador. But I will admit that this doggie can bite every now and then. My promise to you? I will show up on time. I will go like hell. I will listen to you earnestly and attentively. I will hold myself accountable. I will never be the least bit hesitant to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t.

But then I’ll try to find out. Let’s do it.