Michael Robinson and Brian Billick welcome former Colts wide receiver and current Rep. Anthony Gonzalez to the show to talk about his life in the NFL, his career in Congress and where the two overlap. Before things get serious, Gonzalez breaks the ice with a tale of the night he and his Colts teammates “may have” parked an unnamed coach’s car on the 50-yard line … loaded with packing peanuts (2:40). The podcast matures when MRob asks Gonzalez to outline his journey from football to the U.S. House of Representatives (4:22), and Gonzalez explains “the call to serve” that led him to the halls of Congress. How do the lessons learned in a diverse NFL locker room inform his role as a U.S. Representative? Coach Billick wants to know and asks just that (6:51), and finds out what it takes for Republicans, Democrats and Independents to work together without the assistance of game tape. Got a problem? Gonzalez explains how the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus gets things done (11:28). MRob asks Gonzalez about his decision to vote to impeach President Trump, a decision unpopular with his “team” (12:36), and Gonzalez explains that “you have to be willing to lose your job in this job” when you take an oath to uphold the Constitution. In a first for this podcast, Coach Billick tackles pork barrel spending (14:53). Then Rep. Gonzalez gives an honest account of his experience being in the Capitol Building under siege on Jan. 6 (17:09), and how there just might be a silver lining to the event. Things lighten up when Billick reveals that Gonzalez once dated his daughter (19:25), and Gonzalez reveals he was just hoping it wouldn’t affect his draft position. Things wrap up with talk about Gonzalez's old QB, Peyton Manning, and his entrance into the Hall of Fame … and what he hated to hear on third downs (20:28).
NFL Total Access: The Locker Room is part of the NFL Podcasts Network.