As an athletic trainer, AJ talking about the overkill just made my absolute day.

More I hear AJ talk. More I realize why he was so beloved on those Packers teams. Great guy, great player

I can tell AJ was raised right and is raising his kids right. Be considerate of the people that work to make your life easier

wow I HAVE SO MUCH RESPECT FOR AJ after hearing that about how people treat the trainers and just being a decent human being...such an all around good dude.

As an Athletic Trainer, I want to thank Pat and AJ for giving us a shoutaht!

If your wondering who the “rookie corner” Pat was talking about at the beginning it’s most likely 2015 draft 3rd round pick D’joun Smith. He struggled with injuries in training camp/preseason his first two years that carried into the seasons and never really played. He was cut early in the 2016 season due to “lack of professionalism” rather than injuries or lack of ability.

Dak is also the guy who threw a paper cup to the trash can, missed, and went to pick it up. I respected him upon seeing that.

AJ Hawk is a god damned treasure.

Lot of respect for AJ for saying this. 👍 Good man.

4:45 pats reaction to what Aj is saying lmao

As an Athletic Trainer I appreciate the love here from AJ and Pat. Those hours are hell, especially when you’re about to go home after a long day and one of the late stragglers decides get treatment at the end of the day after sitting in the hot tub for the last 2 hours

Aj looks lit from the cigars

AJ and Pat are both solid guys. Treat folks the way you'd want to be treated. So simple, yet there are folks who make that hard.

THIS IS WHY UNDRAFTED, UNDERRATED PLAYERS DOMINATE! They're always used to being unknown, discounted, overlooked, and NEVER the best player on any team. But, because of that they become the hardest workers! And that translates into the NFL very well!

Thank you AJ. and Pat. I was an assistant AC for an MLB team (30 years ago). You showed up when you were supposed to, or else.

It’s so refreshing to hear these guys call out the pampered athletes who act like entitled scumbags!! You can tell a lot about the character of a human being by the way he/she treats the people who are for lack of a better word “beneath” them in the structure of the organization.

Amen to AJ on what he said about making medical staff, trainers, physios, massage guys etc having to stay late unnecessarily.

AJ is clearly a really good guy. I usually like him on the show but doesn’t really stick out as too special but man he won me over with this segment.

AJ is absolutely right about players being babied. As a high school football coach I see it all the time where the kids who are athletically gifted think they can do anything and get away with it and get special treatment. That stops real quick once you rip their ass in front of the team a couple times and humble them. But as AJ said it starts young, and as coaches we don’t just teach the game, we teach life skills. The stuff they don’t teach in the classroom’s, about how to be a stand up young man/woman (yes we have a girl on the team). About how once you graduate their boss isn’t going to give two shits about them and they’ll be replaced if they can’t do the job. About knowing who your true friends are, and not the “friends” who would throw you under the bus in an instant if something went down to save their own skin. I’m happy to say a lot of them start to get it about those type of “friends” and separate themselves once their eyes are opened up. But with all that said Coaches aren’t the same. Some want what’s best for the program for their own success, and some want what’s best for the kid AFTER high school when real life tries to bite them in the ass.

Perfect example: Cardale Jones. Dude couldn't even handle a loss in the XFL before imploding.

AJ YOU A REAL ONE

Like a few other commenter I'm also an Athletic Trainer and it always makes me happy when people recognize the time commitment and difficulties of our job. We love working with athletes and keeping them healthy but when athletes go out of their way to be considerate of us we always notice and it makes a big impact. The best advice I ever give aspiring athletes is to know your athletic training staff and be their best friend as they will bend over backwards to help you and keep you healthy!

Buckeye fan who has always loved AJ but god damn if this doesn’t make me love him 100x more. What a good dude man

I love how passionate AJ was on this topic-- clearly a good guy who was raised right

Can’t wait to hear about him talk about AB tomorrow lmao

Pats eye lids facing 3x gravity

All respect for AJ, showing love and awareness towards the working men/women

It is hard, so much of your personality is developed when you are 15-18 years old, and most of these guys have everyone around them already knowing they will be millionaires soon.

100%. Ego is a fragile thing, and if your testicular fortitude isn't strong, finding out you're not even on Specials after being the STAR - not just starting, but the best player on any team you've ever been on every day since Pee Wee - will just crush some guys. Physical talent simply gets you in the door. The inverse is true, too - guys whose physical/combine scores are meh, but the talent between the ears/heart is off the charts. But THAT is hard to quantify.

Always liked AJ. I like him even more now. He's the type of guy that always takes his shopping cart back to the collection area.

While I’m not currently a physical therapist I am in school working on getting to that point, and have worked with a lot of PTs. In my experience most of them have 10-12 hour work days, but it’s worth it because we (at least myself) love getting to work with people and help them reach your goals. It’s this crazy good feeling knowing that someone is physically better again because of you, and you played a part in whatever they accomplish. I’m sure any trainers out there too would agree with me. Except the bengals trainers, they still need an indoor practice facility.

A little late to the comment party, but THIS is why I watch Mcafee. He’s not a talking head that just gives his opinion not knowing anything like ESPN, he LIVED it and gives us interior knowledge of staff and how things run.

Thank you AJ I love that you think of other people's time in that way and are so considerate. Impressive- like him more and more as I continue to watch the show

Man I was so stoked when AJ came to Atlanta. It's such a shame it didn't work out and it was at the end. This dude is the dude.

Kudos to AJ's parents. Somehow even with all that money and fame he's incredibly down to earth. almost makes no sense.

I’m not in the NFL. Maybe it’s my lack of athleticism, my lack of skill, or my lack of trying.

Hell yeah Pat I love hearing the love for the training staff!

Hearing how these guys didn’t get other players, I think it speaks volumes about the success Hawk And McAcfee attained. These guys know how to work hard, and it shows.

AJ is a legend. Just do your job and be considerate to others.

This was informative....wow I never knew trainers worked long hours and had to put up with players BS.....Pat's show is the best sports talk show out there!

This is why your show wins awards and so beloved by all who listen. Who else is going to give a breakdown of a behind the scenes look at the athletic trainers and staff! And not just give a breakdown, but also give shout-outs!! Pat AJ and the Boys, that's Who!

The biggest adjustment must be for really talented guys (who could probably play how they wanted in college) is to learn how to play a certain assignment for a game plan. When your’e used to balling out game in game out to just playing it “safe” for the gameplan must be frustrating.

I wacth this show so much you forget how amazing on the field these 2 were

This is why I've always loved AJ. I was at Ohio State for his only two collegiate touchdowns

Pat is fried lmao

The thing about aj here is, he really does mean what he says and practices what he preaches. To make a long story short he sat next to my mom on an airplane once years and years ago, and she came home all she could talk about was how much of a gentleman he was, and how polite he was. She went on and on about all the things they talked about, and all i can say is... when im stuck next to a talker (my mom) on a plane... the last thing gettin said about me is how nice and polite i was. He must have genuinely nice and conversational cuz she dont just say that about people, and she had no idea who she was sittin next to until after the flight.

How do you not love AJ Hawk though...? Dudes such a good guy.

Thanks for the recognition for us athletic trainers Pat!

As an athletic trainer I appreciate the comments you made. Some places take us for granted

7:55 the little giggle "hnn okay" had me dying

I remember visiting MIT as a prospective high school student, visiting a frat, & talking with a freshman who had gotten a bit tipsy; and he was basically in this same situation. He was the smartest kid from his hometown & had been the smartest his whole life & never had to work hard, and suddenly at MIT not only was he not the smartest, he was below average and struggling really hard to keep up & not fail out. It's quite common there, and is part of the reason they have the highest suicide rate in the country... Kids have to learn/adapt really quickly, or they're out / possibly broken. Edit: also the same with being hot and moving to Hollywood. It's bizarro world out there if you've never visited, every waitress is a wannabe actress who was the hottest person from their hometown & is just avg there. So weird to go to like McDonald's & all the employees are 10s.

I gain more & more respect for AJ with every episode. You can tell he was raised correctly & maintained that throughout his career, till this today

Love AJ for his comments on the training staff.

This sort of thing happens in a lot of professions, where some people just can't cope with the realization that they're not as special as they thought. Virtually everyone who gets into law school was in the top 10% of his undergraduate class, but after the first semester in law school, only 10% of those people are still in the top 10%; the rest of them either learn to deal with that and work harder, or they can't deal with it and drop out.

I remember playing with a broken rib. Doctor told me they dodn't rap the torso like they used to, since it made something more likely (something in the lungs thats not related to what I'm about to say) to happen. I was told my broken rib would heal in 6-8 weeks, if I let it heal. But I, being me, stayed on the couch (including not working out in the gym) for about 7-to-10 days, before I had completely lost my mind from boredom, and and absolutely HAD to be back in the mix. I forced myself back into the gym & onto the field, despite the fact it hurt to breathe and laugh, let alone dive or collide with people. And because I decided to "play through" my broken rib, it took 12 weeks to heal, instead of the 6-8. And then, a month after it was finally healed, I broke my back.

God i love AJ even more now than when he was our super bowl winning linebacker God

Cool insight, I’m studying to be an Athletic Trainer at the moment.

The whole water bottle thing has drove me nuts for years! Like WTH you can’t get your own drink?

I’ll be an athletic trainer in about two months, so I love what AJ and Pat have to say. Hard but rewarding

Really enjoyed this segment

Love this!!!

Two points #1 I was always the best player on my team my whole life until I got to college. It is definitely a wake up call when you face someone that is as good as you but they are 6’9. #2 Guys, don’t never ever never let a trainer or team manager squirt anything in your mouth. It’s a bad look imo.

I can’t imagine getting to an NFL camp and not giving every minute of every day 200%

Great convo. 🙏

"Treatments stupid though man" lmao

I’m not a professional athlete, but after attending many seminars and retired player speeches, they all preach the same thing. “If you believe talent will keep you in the league, you are sadly mistaken”. Once you’re in the pro’s, you need to buy into being a consummate professional. If you approach it like an afterthought, your career will be an afterthought. A ton of talented guys get chewed out of the league because they don’t buy in.

Makes me think of Trent Richardson. That dude could’ve been a beast had he improved his vision. Great guy, too

My dad is a professor in athletic training and sports medicine and has worked with several USA teams and college athletics. I’ve never heard him complain about working with anybody besides Nick Saban at Michigan st.

Trainers do so much in college too, under appreciated!

I'm a die hard packer fan, so it goes without saying, but I love AJ hawk. Just a good dude

jesus ajs going off

Lol AJ looks like one of those meathead jocks that would bully people in high school. But he definitely isn’t. I like that he made it a point to be considerate to the staff. I guarantee there’s a LOT of players that aren’t. Being considerate is an often overlooked and an underrated quality to have. Respect to hawk

I think it is pretty common where these all stars are amazing til the NFL and realize being drafted is not the same as being recruited. DK Metcalf seems to have an issue with being the 2nd best receiver on his team. He has a ton of hype for a guy who is only showing average stats.

I actually next to centerville Ohio. Aj is still well loved here.

Let's face it, A.J. said what we've ALL been saying n thinkin.

Trainers, medical staff, and equipment people are never spoke about. But work the hardest.

AJ 🐐

Went to school with guys that became trainers for professional sports teams. AJ is totally right about how bad and spoiled some of these players are. Also how cool and gracious others were. Pat should bring some trainers on the show to talk about their experiences.

I obviously can’t speak for American football. But I know in nrl when superstars are absolutely exhausted, what we do is rest em from training. They do video and prep session’s but they sit at home for pretty much all the physical stuff. Because players love playing they hate training and what they found was the guy freshened up a lot quicker skipping leg day than skipping game day.

"Hand the bottle back" THIS. So much THIS.

I’m only a casual Buckeyes fan however AJ Hawk will forever be one of my favorite players to come out of Columbus

Tip of the cap to AJ’s parents. Solid, solid dude!

Love this show. A J Hawk always looks like he's speaking another language and his voice is being dubbed.

D'Joun Smith for sure LOL

Underrated advice 🔥

Complacency is a career killer.

AJ gets it

I wish Pat would talk about Reid Bauer from Arkansas being a punter, making a game saving run against LSU and then throwing a TD pass against BAMA

I love AJ for this

I have a belief that there are more people cut, with more ability, multiple times over, than there are in the HOF. Players that make it are a complete package and it isn't just what you can do on the field but off of it as well and what you contribute to the culture and process.

As an Athletic Trainer, the statement work with you not for you is great. Love the job and the team. Didn't like the attitude of "well you're there anyway" as if I lived in a closet in the training room and came out anytime someone walked through the door.

AJ is the kind of guy I'd want on my team.

Lucky to have known an NFL OL coach a little. He told a story of realizing on a flight to a game that they'd have to cut a guy. Just had zero grasp of the playbook, gameplan after being somewhat competent in practice. If you have never seen an NFL gameplan, think phonebook.

Respect to AJ Hawk. Never before, but ground up. Where are players with water?

I love AJ! Lmao

Be considerate. Consideration goes a long way folks

Wasn't this a past conversation or video I feel like I've already seen this

That jaw line is something

THANK YEW AJ!

I’m not that impressed with NFL medical teams after the Bills vs. Jets game. The Bills choked the whole game and nobody came to help.