Latest / The Auburn Undercover Podcast / Podcast: Remembering Phillip Marshall

Transcript

Podcast: Remembering Phillip Marshall · The Auburn Undercover Podcast

0:00
[music]
0:07
Welcome back everybody.
0:08
[music and singing] Another edition here
0:09
of the Auburn Undercover podcast on the
0:11
247 Sports Network. My name is Nathan
0:14
King, joined here by Jason Caldwell,
0:16
Christian Clemente, and our publisher
0:19
Ronnie Sanders. [music] Um, this is not
0:21
a podcast or an episode or or anything
0:25
that we ever wanted to get on here and
0:27
do. Um, but as as many know, not only on
0:31
our website and in our community, but in
0:32
the Auburn community, period, um, the
0:35
Auburn sports community, um, Philip
0:37
Marshall passed away last Friday. He
0:40
was, um, he was the titan of of Auburn
0:43
sports journalism for the better part of
0:46
a half century. um obviously continuing
0:49
the the legacy that his dad left as
0:51
being uh just a tremendously decorated
0:55
sports writer but but more than that as
0:57
we'll as we'll talk about here um you
0:59
know Philip was our friend Philip was
1:01
our mentor and um you know there was I
1:05
think one thing that kind of shined
1:06
through in the wake of this news and and
1:09
getting the outpouring of love from
1:11
everybody is um there was only one
1:13
Philip like any way you define that or
1:17
slice it or whether you're talking about
1:18
work or life or personality, there will
1:21
never be another another person quite
1:22
like uh Philip Marshall. And um Ronnie,
1:25
you know, it's it's you know, it's it's
1:28
just been it's been a tough past few
1:30
days um for us. I know know for you
1:32
specifically, you you've had such a
1:33
long-standing relationship with Philip.
1:36
Um you and him built this built this
1:39
site together basically all all the way
1:41
back in in 2008. and um you know he he
1:44
left he left quite a legacy behind and
1:47
uh obviously leaves a massive just a
1:49
massive void in our you know in our
1:51
hearts and uh and obviously in this
1:52
community.
1:54
>> Yeah, I mean you know I uh it's been a
1:57
tough few days um for me and I know for
1:59
y'all as well. Um
2:02
but yeah, I mean the first phone call I
2:03
made um after after I got a yes from
2:06
investors was to uh was to Philip when I
2:08
started the uh the site and we recruited
2:11
him and recruited him and he uh he
2:13
finally came on board and and um you
2:16
know I I tell you about probably I don't
2:19
know it was three or four months in um I
2:21
was in Charleston uh was up there see
2:24
Ellis Johnson and he was the head coach
2:26
at the Citadel and I I never will forget
2:28
Philip called me and I don't even I
2:30
don't even remember what what it was
2:31
about now. But I was standing in the
2:33
hotel room and we were screaming at each
2:34
other on the phone and we didn't know we
2:36
didn't we didn't know each other well,
2:38
you know, and he threatened to go back
2:41
to he's like he threatened to go back to
2:42
the Huntsville Times and uh I was about
2:45
ready to let him go.
2:48
He wanted to go and uh but we we ended
2:51
up, you know, we we uh we worked through
2:53
it and and uh next thing you know, we
2:55
had a coaching search and things kind of
2:57
took off for us. And um neither one of
3:00
us knew much anything when we started
3:01
and but we we figured it out along the
3:03
way. But he he was one of a kind. I mean
3:06
he he uh he worked as hard as anybody
3:09
I've ever been around.
3:11
>> Yeah. He he um I believe it was Charles
3:14
Goldberg said in our uh in our story
3:17
that we had of just just you know
3:20
thoughts from everybody in the
3:21
community, his friends, you know,
3:22
coaches, players, just everybody that he
3:24
had gotten to know. Um Charles Goldberg
3:26
said, you know, my my friend did what he
3:27
loved till the very end. And uh you
3:30
know, Jason, I looking back now, it's um
3:34
you know, it was a lot of fun to be
3:35
around Philip the last few years as he
3:37
sort of uh made the decision, you know,
3:39
he he lived back home in Decar um to be
3:42
to be closer to his his [clears throat]
3:43
grandchildren, to his family. Um but he
3:45
really he he made the trip to Auburn a
3:47
lot the past two or three years. And
3:49
looking back now, um it's that really
3:52
was a blessing I think to have him
3:54
around so much cuz there were a couple
3:56
years there um particularly co just made
3:59
things difficult. Um, but but you and me
4:03
and Christian were were were around
4:04
Philip very very often the past few
4:06
years during football season and um
4:09
again there just I think Butch said it
4:11
in that story of like you knew when
4:13
Philip was in the room and I thought
4:15
that was pretty that was pretty apt to
4:16
describe how uh how he was in a in a
4:19
work setting.
4:20
>> Yeah. No, the the people that have known
4:21
him for a long time go you like that's
4:23
it. you like you knew when Philip was
4:24
around and and Butch was I was actually
4:26
at baseball practice when when I was
4:29
actually on the radio when Ronnie said,
4:31
"Hey, we need to get on a call and then
4:33
I was at baseball at the time." So, I
4:35
was able to walk down and tell Butch and
4:36
and Gabe Gross and and those guys and
4:39
Butch was like, "I sure am glad he came
4:41
to the regional last year." You know,
4:43
same thing, Nathan, you were talking
4:44
about basketball like he got to do some
4:45
of those things one more time. And so,
4:48
um, it was good, but he's like, yeah,
4:50
he, you know, he he said he's laughing
4:51
because he's like, Philip didn't like
4:53
you might not be anybody else in a room
4:55
or there might not be might as well not
4:58
need be anybody else in a room because
4:59
he was a guy that's going to do what he
5:00
wanted to do and he was going to ask his
5:01
question and that was what he did. Um
5:04
and so um you know just you know
5:07
interesting memories when you think um
5:09
you think about you know the times and
5:11
over the years and you know from you
5:14
know obviously I want to say we were
5:17
never competitors. Now as an old
5:20
newspaper guy Philip always wanted to
5:22
get the story and he always wanted to be
5:23
first but you never felt like he was
5:26
going to do that to run somebody else
5:29
down. It was always, hey, and he was
5:32
willing to help and and lift people up.
5:33
And so, I think that's a part I think I
5:36
remembered like, listen, you can you can
5:38
be the most dogged reporter you want to
5:40
be, but you can also still be friendly.
5:42
And and I think that was the thing. You
5:44
go, man, that everybody that he went up
5:46
and talked to, he's like u they left
5:48
probably laughing at a story as that was
5:50
kind of the way you did.
5:52
>> You know, Jason, you make a you make a
5:54
great point. Uh, you know, he he would
5:56
tell me all the time, he's like, "Hey,
5:57
look, you know," and he was 100% 100%
6:00
accurate. He said, "I I'll give you the
6:02
shirt off my back, I'll give you food.
6:04
I'll give you I'll give you whatever."
6:05
He's like, "But I'm not giving you my
6:06
story." [laughter]
6:09
And he would talk about it, you know,
6:10
all the guys on on the beat were good
6:11
friends and this and that and the other.
6:13
And he's like, "Hey, I love Charles
6:14
Goldberg. You know, I love this guy. I
6:16
love that guy." He said, "But if I've
6:18
got a story, it's mine. You're not
6:20
getting it."
6:22
>> Yeah. even uh goodness it was a month
6:25
ago all of us were various places. I
6:27
remember I was driving to the uh to the
6:30
Auburn basketball game in Atlanta there
6:31
playing Chattanooga and uh it was just
6:33
like a transfer portal story and um so I
6:37
called Philip to see if he could write
6:39
it up and um yeah I mean they talk about
6:42
dotting your eyes and and and wanting to
6:44
be as precise as possible and making
6:46
sure we had it, you know, making sure
6:48
that uh that it was confirmed and that
6:50
it was a good source. Um like Philip in
6:52
in the era of just sort of letting
6:55
things fly [clears throat] media like
6:57
Philip called me back and he was like
6:58
this is all you know this is just I'm
7:00
only seeing this on social media or X or
7:02
whatever like and uh I tried explaining
7:05
to him and it's like it's you know it's
7:07
the the social media era. um Philip
7:10
never lost his uh his pillars of being a
7:15
you know of being a responsible reporter
7:17
and um you know he kind of set that
7:19
example for all of us like me and
7:22
Christian you know obviously didn't
7:23
didn't know him as long but between the
7:25
two of us combined you know 10 11 years
7:27
and Christian [snorts] you know I always
7:30
sort of told people Philip was like my
7:32
Philip was like my moral compass when it
7:34
came to this job like because he was so
7:36
it was so basic and true but at at the
7:39
same time because it was so basic, it
7:41
was so poignant, if that makes any
7:42
sense. Like he really did have that old
7:44
school newspaper approach. Um, and and
7:48
uh and just his outlook on on this job
7:50
on a daily basis. I think for young guys
7:52
like us, it really sort of grounded you
7:54
and told you, hey, this is what's
7:55
important and all that other stuff
7:57
really doesn't matter.
7:58
>> And he really cared about us
8:00
[clears throat]
8:00
>> and he cared about the interns that we
8:02
brought in as well. And he took them
8:03
under his wing and he tried to show them
8:05
show them the ropes. And you know,
8:07
Philip is maybe more blunt than some
8:09
other people would be.
8:11
And you, but he was he did it in a
8:13
caring way because he wanted them to be
8:15
their best. Um, and Nathan, you brought
8:17
it up either in a story or in a in a
8:20
group chat or something like that. Um,
8:22
Philip was really really close friends
8:24
with JG Tate over at Rivals and on three
8:26
now. And Nathan, we both interned under
8:29
JG at the original Auburn Sports before
8:31
the the merger now. Um, and so we're
8:33
still obviously friendly with him.
8:36
great friends with him and you know
8:37
we'll talk with him before um different
8:40
media opportunities and whatnot and
8:42
Philip would come strolling in and you
8:44
know he was probably at a back table
8:45
talking to someone about some story and
8:48
he'd see Jay talking to one of us and he
8:51
would say and say to Jay that did I tell
8:54
you that you could talk to my reporters
8:57
and Jay was his Jay was his go-to those
9:00
two went at it like none other in the
9:03
most friendly banter way possible. I
9:05
mean, the stories of just those two
9:08
going at it is is unmatched. That was
9:10
one of the stories that I posted on our
9:12
board um before the Horson Intro
9:14
Presser. But Nathan, going back to kind
9:16
of what you were saying, just he he he
9:18
really cared about us. He wanted us to
9:20
be our best as people, as writers, and
9:23
as a site as a whole.
9:27
>> Yeah. And Christian, he was he was
9:29
always that way, you know? I mean the
9:30
the quality of the work mattered more
9:33
than you know in in this era of social
9:35
media and Twitter reactions and all
9:38
those things. I mean he he his his
9:41
philosophy was do a good job and
9:43
subscriptions and page views will come
9:45
and um his his number one goal was is
9:49
being the best that he could be and that
9:51
was from the day I met him till the day
9:54
that he passed away. I mean, um, he
9:57
wanted things done right and he wanted
9:58
them done. [clears throat] He believed
10:00
in there was a certain way to do things
10:03
and that's the way we needed to do it
10:05
and
10:05
>> yeah,
10:06
>> that's what we did for 18 years and the
10:08
way we'll keep doing them.
10:09
>> Yep. No, it's, you know, Nathan was
10:11
mentioning, you know, you get fortunate
10:14
to be able to work with people and I
10:15
obviously I worked with Mark Murphy a
10:17
long time and Mark retired and then and
10:20
then, you [clears throat] know, Philip
10:20
kind of bridged the gap and I'm like got
10:23
to work with two of those guys and I
10:25
consider it one of the biggest blessings
10:27
of my life to be able to have somebody
10:29
like you said that said, "Look, this is
10:31
the way it's done." and to always be
10:34
able to learn how to do things, how to
10:38
approach stories. And you're right, the
10:40
most important thing is to get it right.
10:43
The most important thing is not to be
10:44
first. The most important thing is to
10:46
get it right. And that's always the
10:48
goal. And that's always what Philip did.
10:51
Look, hey, you know, you might miss a
10:55
minute detail of it, but you want to be
10:57
right. And that was that's that's it.
10:59
When you're right, um, it doesn't
11:01
matter. And I think that was always the
11:04
thing um that you take from he's like
11:06
look get the story correct. You're going
11:08
to do it first but make sure you're
11:09
right. And and that was always one of
11:11
the things that that just stood out to
11:12
me. Yeah. He he had one in 18 years I
11:16
remember one story that [clears throat]
11:18
that he was wrong on and he was right
11:20
when he wrote it and the story went up
11:23
and it changed. Nathan, you I mean he
11:25
and he he lost it. I mean, he's like he
11:28
apologized profusely and I'm like,
11:30
Philip, you know, everybody makes
11:31
mistakes and it wasn't even a mistake
11:32
when you put it up. It was right, you
11:34
know, and um but he he always wanted to
11:37
be to be right. He always wanted to be
11:39
first. Um, you know, and but he wanted
11:42
to be right. And and uh you know,
11:45
another tip he gave me was, hey, look,
11:47
I've broken a bunch of small story. I've
11:48
broken a bunch of big stories over the
11:50
years by not breaking a bunch of small
11:51
ones. And um and I think I think he he
11:55
meant, you know, hey, I don't I don't go
11:57
looking for little things to piss people
11:58
off. Um I want to break I want to break
12:01
the big and um goodness knows he broke a
12:05
bunch of big ones.
12:07
>> Yeah. It's just, you know, I think I I
12:10
we all sort of utilized and and and
12:13
emulated and and tried to, you know, get
12:16
the the advice from Philip as often as
12:18
we could because he's this he was this,
12:20
you know, wealth of of knowledge, not
12:22
just on this business, but obviously
12:24
covering Auburn for so long. Um, I did
12:27
it a lot in my early time here. Uh, I
12:31
just, you know, Jason and I got a lot
12:33
closer, um, a couple years in to my time
12:36
at this site. But early on, um, you
12:39
know, if I, if I had a question just
12:40
about, like, hey, what was this thing
12:44
that happened at Auburn 20 years ago,
12:46
like it was just it was incredible to
12:48
just be able to call him. Um, but you
12:50
know, Philip had such a such a
12:52
Christian, you mentioned, you know, he
12:54
had that blunt bluntness about him that
12:55
is just, you know, incomparable. Um, but
12:58
I wrote this in in after he passed away
13:01
like never never felt demeaning. I
13:04
personally never I mean Philip would
13:06
love to crack jokes and we'd we'd sit
13:08
there and do that all day, but I I'm not
13:10
sure I ever once heard him like speak
13:14
ill of somebody if that makes sense.
13:16
Like speak down on somebody. You you can
13:18
you can say jokey things or whatever,
13:20
but like I never once got the impression
13:23
from from me and to anybody else. I mean
13:25
like that that Philip would ever think
13:28
or talk that way. I mean just a very
13:30
genuinely kind-hearted person. Um and
13:34
that that permeated into some great
13:37
stories throughout the beat. There's the
13:39
one of our friends where he definitely
13:41
did not remember their names at SEC
13:42
media days a few years ago. [laughter]
13:44
So he just there they are and keeps on
13:46
walking. Um but I mean Philip always
13:48
agreed you with a with a big smile on
13:50
his face. And Christian, looking back on
13:52
it, I think it was like it was November
13:55
definitely and he was sat in the
13:56
football facility with us and it was all
13:58
just a bunch of younger people with him.
14:01
I don't remember who all was at that
14:02
table, but it was you and me and a few
14:04
other people that he had not known
14:05
collectively very long. And I think he
14:08
relished having those like 20 minutes
14:10
where he was just hipfiring story after
14:13
story and we were eating it up. I I I
14:15
think he really relished getting those
14:17
opportunities to to talk with us about
14:19
that stuff. Even recently during portal
14:21
season, he was there a couple of days
14:23
getting some softball interviews because
14:26
>> that that had almost become his passion.
14:28
Some of those sports that are still true
14:30
college sports now
14:31
>> where it's not just money and you know
14:34
driven by agents and all that kind of
14:36
stuff, but he was getting those
14:37
interviews and so he was in town and so
14:39
he came over to the football facility.
14:41
Um, and you know, you and I were there
14:42
and Jason was there and Jeffrey Lee was
14:45
around and so they were reminiscing on
14:47
older stories, but then Peter Raticus of
14:49
Vale.com, Adam Cole of, you know, the
14:51
Montgomery Advertiser, some of these
14:53
younger guys, we were getting to ask him
14:56
questions, ask him, just prompt him,
14:59
give us a story, tell us about this
15:00
moment. You know, you mentioned this
15:02
beforehand, the the shoe story in
15:04
Nashville. Iconic. Um, I'm I'm sure he
15:09
definitely not during portal season, but
15:12
Nathan, you brought it up. Um, and I
15:14
think in your reflections that you did
15:17
today to honor Philip on Sunday. Um, the
15:20
horse the horse interview. We we had to
15:24
have heard that that statement at least
15:26
three times this past football season
15:28
alone.
15:28
>> For years.
15:29
>> Yes.
15:30
>> Yeah. Philip Philip really wanted to
15:32
interview a horse.
15:33
>> Yes.
15:33
>> Because he said the equestrian he said
15:35
they deserve the spotlight. They're
15:36
athletes, too. And
15:38
>> well, that was the biggest home the home
15:40
field advantage you have is that, you
15:42
know, the horses don't travel. So, like
15:45
Auburn's horses stay here. So, Auburn,
15:47
they get to and that's a home horse
15:49
advantage. And he always wanted to do
15:50
that story. He never got to do it.
15:51
You're right.
15:53
>> That would have been a tremendous I told
15:54
Patrick I said you we have to get this
15:56
on video. I I I would pay so much money
16:00
to see him with a recorder up to a up to
16:02
a horse. the the um the Yeah, it's it's
16:06
the Nashville shoe story is my favorite
16:08
one. Uh I can't remember at what point
16:10
he told us this past year, but it must
16:12
have been a couple decades ago. And
16:14
y'all too, correct me on any details if
16:17
you don't if I'm wrong, but he was in
16:18
Nashville for the SEC tournament and
16:20
Auburn had an early tip off and they
16:22
were out the previous night. And Philip
16:24
wakes up from being out the previous
16:26
night on the couch in the media center
16:28
with no shoes on. just just found
16:31
himself there. Everyone's gone.
16:33
Everyone's at the basketball game. It
16:35
tips off in an hour or so. Everyone's
16:38
looking around wondering where Philip
16:39
was. And uh as he tells the story, he
16:42
got up, realized, you know, game was at,
16:45
you know, whatever time, starts walking
16:46
down in downtown Nashville looking for
16:48
the nearest shoe store. And he said he
16:50
found one. He walked in. Again, key
16:52
detail here. He was barefoot. Walks in
16:54
and the sales woman says, "You know,
16:56
hey, can I help you find anything?" He
16:58
said, "Young lady, you were about to
16:59
make the easiest sale of your life."
17:02
And there's there's no replicating how
17:03
he delivered that line right there. But
17:05
that that that one is the one that gets
17:07
me for sure. Um I mean, we'll we'll be
17:10
able to I wrote it in the reflections
17:12
this morning like it really is a I wish
17:14
I had written down more like in the
17:17
moment you wish you just commit them to
17:18
memory. Um but even just the past few
17:20
days thinking back like stuff comes
17:23
back, you know, it slowly trickles back
17:25
into your brain. So, I'm looking forward
17:27
to with you guys sort of honoring
17:29
Philip's legacy in that way and just
17:31
like this is not going to be just a few
17:33
days of honoring Philip and um you'll
17:36
have his service this week. Like I think
17:38
both the funny side and the professional
17:40
side like he really is going to have his
17:42
his imprint on on this side and and on
17:45
Auburn for a long time.
17:47
>> Uh 100%. You know, and and you talk
17:49
about, you know, Phil Philip was
17:51
certainly one of a kind. I mean, I never
17:52
will forget [clears throat]
17:54
we he broke the the uh the Chisik story
17:57
being hired, but Chisik getting hired
17:59
and
18:01
at that point in time, we were part of
18:03
ESPN and they were supposed to take our
18:05
stories and run them and and ESPN was
18:08
building this fledgling network um which
18:11
eventually fell apart and um
18:14
but in any case, the guys at ESPN tell
18:16
him that he was going to have to prove
18:17
himself [snorts] and I thought that he
18:20
was going to lose his mind. I mean,
18:23
[laughter]
18:25
I'll leave out the experts, but he
18:27
basically said he's like, "Look, I've
18:28
been proving myself for 40 years. I
18:29
don't need I don't need, you know, and
18:31
um but we ended up, you know, I called
18:34
up there and they they finally added us
18:36
to the they credited al.com and the AP,
18:39
I think, but even though Philip had it
18:40
first. Um but they they ended up putting
18:43
Auburn undercover in the in the uh and
18:45
crediting us finally. But um but I knew
18:48
he he he just I mean he he was about
18:50
ready to to completely lose it. Um
18:54
because he if anybody had proven
18:55
themselves he had
18:58
>> Yeah. I I think you know like I don't
19:01
know if it's it's not individual stories
19:03
but you think about the amount of
19:05
coaches um you know where you walk up
19:08
and like I think about like obviously I
19:10
talked to Hal Baird the other night and
19:12
and him and Hal really close friends.
19:15
They talk still all the time. Obviously
19:16
kept still. I think about like a guy
19:18
like Joe Wit. Um every time he saw Joe
19:21
called him Josephine. Hey Joe Josephine.
19:24
You know he would them two would sit
19:25
down and talk and that's what they did.
19:27
Um that's the part of this business
19:32
that is getting lost because there's so
19:35
much separation now. You can still find
19:38
it in the smaller sports. And Christian,
19:39
I think that's why you go to softball
19:41
and you go to other sports more because
19:44
they're still as open as football used
19:46
to be when I started this in 1999 or
19:48
whatever year it was or you go sit on a
19:51
hallway and go talk to coaches. It's
19:52
hard to do that now. It's hard to build
19:54
that type of relationship. That's what
19:56
Philip was. He was a relationship
19:58
person. and and so I think you see that
20:01
those the people that you still come
20:03
back to is is those coaches that he was
20:05
around so much and spent so much time
20:07
with.
20:08
>> Yeah. I mean,
20:09
>> and Jason, you're I'm sorry, Nathan. Go
20:11
ahead. [clears throat]
20:11
>> I was sorry. I was just going to say
20:13
real quick. I mean, I Christian, you
20:15
mentioned I wrote about in the
20:16
reflections, but like
20:18
when when when we were at practice for
20:21
football or any sort of setting, it was
20:24
always so much more important for Philip
20:27
to talk about what made somebody who
20:30
they are and not the sports side of
20:34
things. Like that was obviously always
20:36
there, but like how many time you know
20:38
we got Jeremiah Cobb and Philip what
20:41
what did Philip want to focus on? Like
20:43
hey man, you're you're you know you're
20:45
about to be in your whatever season
20:46
here. You're so loyal you decided to
20:48
stick around. Like that's what Philip
20:50
wanted to focus on. you know, Payton
20:53
Thorne getting criticized, you know, up
20:56
and down during his couple seasons and
20:59
Philip writes an incredible story about
21:01
his family and and and the late Jeff
21:03
Thorne, his father who passed away and
21:05
Philip maintained a close relationship
21:07
with him. Uh, you know, Jackson Arnold
21:09
like comes over from Oklahoma. All
21:11
Philip sees is a kid who hasn't, you
21:13
know, wants to prove his doubters wrong
21:15
and has a bunch of talent. He didn't
21:16
care about his numbers. You know, I put
21:18
the photo in there of of Janai Broom. um
21:21
at the in Atlanta in the second weekend
21:23
of the tournament last year. But like
21:25
you know, John Broom is probably in my
21:27
opinion the best player ever to play at
21:28
Auburn. But Philip cared more about
21:30
where he came from. You know, he has his
21:32
family tattooed on him. He has his he
21:34
has his hometown quite literally
21:36
tattooed on him. Like that's what Philip
21:39
saw first and foremost. and Christian on
21:41
a on a daily basis like at football
21:43
practice in particular. I think of that
21:45
interaction between him and Xavier
21:47
Chaplain that photo that that hopefully
21:48
makes the rounds and like that is what
21:51
we saw every single day between him and
21:53
players and coaches.
21:55
>> You saw it with players, you saw it with
21:56
coaches, you saw it with sids, with
21:58
other media people. I mean that was that
22:01
was just kind of who he was. Uh Nathan,
22:03
our buddy Jake Whis um who used to cover
22:05
Auburn and is over in Texas now brought
22:07
up a story of back during co Um, when we
22:10
were on Zoom, I think it was Chad
22:13
Morris, um, we were talking, you know,
22:16
the whole beat the the pre the pre-media
22:20
things during COVID on Zoom, that little
22:24
bit of time we all got together, you
22:27
know, before it actually started to kind
22:28
of talk was was our really only time
22:30
around each other. And so people were
22:32
really soaking that up. Um, and you
22:35
know, Philip would usually as as kind of
22:37
always command that and everyone would
22:39
want to talk to him and have questions
22:41
for him. Um, and he he's telling a story
22:44
about what Sky Bar used to be beforehand
22:47
or something along those lines. I can't
22:48
remember exactly. Um, and Chad and it
22:52
cuts, you know, the the Auburn picture
22:54
on the Zoom cuts on and Chad Morris is
22:57
sitting there and Philip's not paying
22:59
attention because he's he's deep in the
23:01
middle of his story. probably 30 seconds
23:03
to a minute goes by of him continuing to
23:05
say this story and Chad Morris is just
23:07
sitting there grinning ear to ear having
23:09
a great time and then Kirk the SID
23:12
finally unmutes and goes all right we'll
23:14
go ahead and get started here and uh you
23:16
know Chad was like that was awesome he's
23:18
like I was I was loving hearing that he
23:20
was like I was having a blast he's like
23:21
let's keep that going after this and I
23:24
think Chad did stay on for a little bit
23:25
after um and that was just kind of that
23:28
was kind of who Philip was
23:30
>> yeah back to what you know Jason was
23:32
saying earlier, you know,
23:34
ships, you know, he he he loved to be
23:36
around the coaches and Nathan, you know,
23:38
he loved to tell their stories. Um, you
23:41
know, and two of the, you know, as as
23:43
the news kind of, uh, as I was making
23:45
phone calls and telling those who, uh,
23:48
you know, obviously sent you guys a text
23:50
and said, "Hey, let's let's jump on a
23:51
call real quick." And then, um, I
23:54
started making other phone calls, called
23:55
Joe Whit, called Pete Jenkins. Um and
23:59
you know those guys were were genuinely
24:01
uh upset. You know they had known him
24:03
for for decades and um were still in
24:06
touch with him still talked with him and
24:09
um you know those are the and look he he
24:12
he would say that look it's the business
24:13
has changed. I can't as I used to. I
24:15
would just go back and hang out in
24:16
Tubberville's office. And he did. And he
24:19
woke up and down the halls and u you
24:21
know we got Terry Bowen on now doing a
24:22
show and Terry was he talked about he
24:25
said, "Hey, you know, it wasn't just it
24:28
wasn't just a a professional
24:29
relationship. You know, we'd go out and
24:31
and uh I could I could close the door
24:33
and say and we could just talk about
24:34
talk about whatever, you know, we'd go
24:36
out and hang out together." And uh it
24:38
was a different time because coaches and
24:40
reporters don't really do that anymore.
24:43
>> Yeah. And but and Jason to Jason's
24:46
point, I think Philip did such a great
24:49
job of and that's why I feel, you know,
24:51
you know, like Jason said, like I feel
24:52
so lucky and so blessed to have been in
24:55
this position of him setting that
24:58
example for for all of us, you know, of
25:00
of how to go about this job on a daily
25:03
basis. Um, I I said it somewhere the
25:06
past couple days, but Philip one time
25:08
told me like I I can't remember what the
25:11
context was, but and I tell people this
25:13
this quote all the time, like
25:15
everybody's just a kid from somewhere
25:17
just trying to do their best. And that
25:20
always sticks with me every time I'm
25:22
writing a feature or trying to get get
25:25
to know a player or coach. Like, you
25:27
know, Philip really did see the good in
25:28
people. Um, which I think was, you know,
25:31
something that's lost nowadays. And I
25:33
know he, you know, I referenced a column
25:35
that he wrote in September about just
25:36
all the hate in the world. And um, you
25:39
know, he said in that column, he said,
25:40
you know, I wonder how much I can do
25:42
about that besides making sure I'm a
25:43
good person. My family are good people.
25:46
But um, you know, Jason, I hope he re I
25:48
hope Philip realized. And I think he
25:49
did, but I hope he realized that he did
25:52
do so much. Yeah.
25:53
>> In that regard just by being who he was,
25:55
you know, for the for the people around
25:56
him.
25:57
>> I think so. I think, you know, um you
25:59
probably never really appreciate it
26:01
until you don't get a chance to
26:03
appreciate it. Um but I do think it, um
26:07
again, I think you understand maybe the
26:10
impact even if you don't want to
26:11
acknowledge it. And I I found I'll have
26:14
to find it really quick, but a couple of
26:16
Sunday nights ago at church, there was a
26:19
quote and and I showed it to actually to
26:22
Butch Thompson because I thought it was
26:24
such a meaningful thing and it reminds
26:27
me a little bit of kind of what we're
26:29
talking about and it was uh
26:32
success is not dangerous. Pride and
26:35
pride in success is
26:39
that that's it. Look, you can be
26:41
successful and he was, but he wasn't
26:44
gonna tell you and that's it. I mean
26:46
that and you know that's what you strive
26:48
for um in this world. You should um you
26:52
know you don't need anybody to pat you
26:53
on the back and you don't need to pat
26:55
yourself on the back either. [snorts] Um
26:57
and I think that's the learning part of
26:58
this for us. I was, we were laughing
27:00
about it today going, "Look,
27:02
[clears throat] you can go and and uh
27:04
go, we're just going to, you know, we're
27:08
going to mourn." Uh the last person who
27:12
would ever want us to do that [snorts]
27:13
and and interfere with our job is
27:16
Philip. You got a job to do. Go do your
27:19
job.
27:20
>> If we don't have a story up at midnight,
27:21
that's a problem.
27:22
>> Yeah. Thanks for remind, you know,
27:23
thanks for remembering me and we
27:25
appreciate it, but go do your job.
27:26
>> That's right.
27:27
>> That's and that's what we're doing. And
27:28
so that's what we'll continue to do and
27:31
that's the only way um that's the only
27:33
way he would want it.
27:35
>> Yeah. At least one story up by midnight.
27:37
[laughter]
27:38
>> Yes.
27:39
>> If not all of them.
27:41
>> If not all of them. That's right.
27:43
[laughter]
27:43
That's exactly right.
27:46
[snorts]
27:46
>> Um [clears throat] well guys I think you
27:49
know like I said this is this you know
27:52
this is something that is going to have
27:54
you know an impact just not not just
27:56
from a logistics perspect. I mean that I
27:58
don't that's the last thing I'm have
28:00
thought about or any of that but like
28:02
you know it's it's different when
28:06
you you know we work for 247 we work for
28:09
CBS we work for these big companies
28:12
technically all of us work with a lot of
28:14
people but we really don't we really
28:18
work with uh us right here we really
28:20
just work with a handful of people on a
28:22
daily basis I don't think there's a lot
28:23
of jobs like that that are that are
28:25
basically this this little I mean just
28:27
little group chat that we just talk in
28:28
all the time.
28:30
>> And so to lose, you know, somebody that
28:33
you've just had that daily interaction
28:35
with. Um it's it's definitely been
28:39
jarring and it's going to take some time
28:41
for it to really I don't think it'll
28:43
ever feel normal again because again,
28:45
Philip just commanded such a such a
28:47
different type of presence than anybody
28:49
else. But my point in saying all that is
28:51
um you know, we're going to continue to
28:54
it's not just going to be a few days
28:55
worth of columns and tributes and
28:57
podcasts and stuff like that. You know,
28:58
we're going to honor Philip um you know,
29:01
for a long time and and and continue to
29:02
do what like Jason said, do every day
29:05
what what he would do. And that's not
29:09
difficult for us to know what he would
29:10
want to do because he told us and he
29:13
showed us every day on the website and
29:15
uh not just in our work but the kind of
29:16
people that we're supposed to be and
29:18
kind of relationships we're we're
29:19
supposed to have. And so um you know
29:22
this will be our this will be our
29:23
tribute episode but we Philip is going
29:26
to be his imprint will be on our on our
29:29
site and on our community for you know
29:30
for a long time.
29:32
>> Yeah. Yeah, I mean till the end. I mean
29:34
he had a column and then coffee with
29:35
Philillip and then he was emailing
29:37
Ronnie about the site.
29:39
>> He was
29:40
>> at midnight.
29:41
>> Yes. At midnight.
29:44
>> At [snorts] midnight. And we were going
29:45
to talk at like you know I actually I
29:47
burned my hand and and we were we were
29:51
we were I I had emailed him and uh we
29:54
were going to talk. I said, "I'll talk
29:55
to you tomorrow." Um because I was going
29:58
going to get this hand fixed or worked
29:59
on with the doctor. And um he emailed me
30:02
back at uh I had emailed him, I guess, I
30:05
don't know around 11:00. He emailed me
30:07
back at 12:26 uh complaining that
30:09
somebody had unpinned his story,
30:13
>> which was either me or Nathan.
30:15
>> Sorry, Phillip.
30:16
>> Yeah,
30:18
>> it was up for 24 hours. Phillip, I'm
30:20
sorry.
30:23
uh classic. Well guys, um you know, I
30:27
think we'll go and call it there for
30:28
this again this specific episode. Um but
30:32
you know, we've done we've done lots of
30:34
stuff at the site and uh we'll have some
30:35
information on the site about um about
30:40
the the charity that Philip's family
30:43
would like people in in lie of flowers
30:45
or anything like that. if you feel if
30:46
you feel called or compelled to to think
30:49
about something like that, we'll we'll
30:50
we'll have something on the website. Um
30:52
that will be that's kind of in
30:54
conjunction with his service this week
30:55
if you feel like you you want to do
30:57
that. Um but more than anything, I mean
30:59
the the outpouring of
31:01
>> I hesitate to say support. It's just
31:03
been like the reaction from everybody's
31:04
story.
31:04
>> Getting to hear people how much they
31:06
loved Philillip from however view it
31:08
was. I mean, there was someone posted
31:10
earlier today a picture of Philillip
31:13
driving to Syracuse after, you know, for
31:16
the football game shortly after 911.
31:18
Like, just seeing that, seeing something
31:19
that I had never seen before was
31:21
awesome. Seeing people just talk about
31:22
how much they enjoyed reading his stuff
31:24
is awesome.
31:25
>> Yeah. Yeah. Seeing seeing some stories
31:27
of, oh, I ran into Philip at this
31:29
football game and he helped me find my
31:31
way to my seat or something like that. I
31:33
mean, it's just, you know, generations
31:35
upon generations of of people that he
31:38
impacted, um, you know, Auburn fans and
31:41
and more. And so, um, we appreciate
31:43
everybody for listening, unless you guys
31:45
have anything else you you want to add.
31:46
Um, like I said, we'll we'll have lots
31:49
of stuff on the site for everybody to
31:51
kind of check back on, um, if you're
31:52
wondering, you know, about about that.
31:54
So, we'll go ahead and call it there. We
31:57
appreciate everybody for tuning in
31:58
[music] um, to this episode. This was
32:00
this was this was really great to kind
32:01
of be able to talk about our our
32:04
favorite our favorite just not memories
32:06
but thoughts of Philip um [music] kind
32:08
of what he meant to us. So um guys thank
32:10
you so much and appreciate everybody for
32:13
listening. We'll talk to everybody soon.
32:15
[music]