The Big Suey: The Pilloried Pioneer (feat. Undersized Nickel, Domonique Foxworth)

Why are you here listening to the show that sounds a lot like our other show? I won’t apologize. I might even snag a fry off your plate if you leave it unattended. And now, please welcome the parade leader to nowhere, that familiar face and the chronic fibber.

Things are turning on Pablo Torrey, and Dominique Foxworth walked in texting, I stand with Nick Wright. Also, say it with me because it’s fun to say: Bavakwa.

Hello Valerie. Real talk, what you’re pulling off across multiple locations is tough and impressive, and we clown the tech folks too much for how hard this is.

We’re in New York for the holiday party, and Pablo’s catching heat. Wosny Lambre tweeted praise for Pablo’s show, but said investigative work isn’t impossible, it’s getting companies to fund it, and that someone like Nick could do it if he committed to it.

Wos is my guy. We go way back. That said, let me draw a line here without making it personal.

Investigative reporting lives mostly in the shadows, and it’s not the same as lawyering. Lawyers argue a side; journalists get boxed in by facts, editors, and the threat of lawsuits. I’m not saying Nick or Wos or Dominique couldn’t learn it, just that doing it right under real risk is different from saying you could.

Honest advice, friend: your work is good, but making the process the story makes you hard to root for. If you want to be journalist and celebrity, maybe that’s the model now, but pioneers get rocks thrown at them. Let others bang the drum; when you do it yourself, people tune out.

Dominique, you’re two years younger than Philip Rivers. How’s this going to go?

Probably poorly. You can scheme him some throws, and he’s always been sharp, but getting off the couch after years away into today’s speed and disguises is brutal. The locker room might feel a jolt of hope, but I’d be nervous.

I can’t believe there are headlines he might play this Sunday. Also, the first warmth I’ve felt in this cold studio is Pablo simmering because Mike Ryan bailed on the journalism talk.

Dan, if you want the world to appreciate what Pablo’s doing, you have to be the one to say it. Nobody wins by announcing their own greatness. Even if he says it in a cooler voice.

Dominique’s right about the optics. But to get people to notice the work, I’ve got to push it out in my own voice. That’s the only way to cut through.

Ruling time: I’m a low‑level journalist and I can’t do what Pablo does. And Nick Wright can’t either. Sorry, Nick.

It’s been my best professional year and I’ve never felt dumber. That’s the tradeoff right now.

Let’s be careful on Michigan. Officially, Sherrone Moore was fired for an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, then hours later he was in custody on an alleged assault. What’s fair to say?

Not much beyond the official record. The rumor mill is wild and hurts everyone around it. This is why vetted reporting matters, and why sports still needs people willing to risk access and relationships to tell us what’s real, whether it’s the CFP room or a scandal.

Michigan’s had recruiting violations, illegal scouting, a coordinator indicted for awful stuff, and now this. How many does it take before we say the leadership’s rotten?

It looks sloppy, but I doubt they’re uniquely dirty. In college sports, incentives reward winning and bury everything else until the success fades. A coach‑staffer relationship isn’t shocking; the protection around it is.

Seven staffers arrested since Harbaugh was hired, four more banned. People have hinted at this for months. This might be the beginning, not the end.

Context matters too. Michigan’s money is extreme. One of the biggest boosters is Larry Ellison. I’m not saying he knows anything, but that’s the depth of power in play.

Think of morality scandals: Mike Price, Mel Tucker, Hugh Freeze, Rick Pitino, Bobby Petrino. Which one sticks most?

Petrino and Pitino, because you all never let those bits die.

I reported on the Pitino case years ago. The web around it was wilder than people remember, from interviews at her home to courtroom days.

Ime Udoka’s the one who still got a ring later, but I’d argue that scandal cost him a title in Boston.

He kept a career. Moore may not. I doubt anyone hands him a program again. Petrino took a pause and came back; this feels different.

Timeline check: did Michigan fire first because they knew the arrest was coming?

Careful. Rival fans had been gossiping for months, and some local voices hinted at it. Now the key question is what the school knew and whether there was any cover‑up, which would be especially damning given the recent history.

Are you fine with America calling Michigan a dirty program?

Sure, but understand many places operate similarly. Winning buys you time and grace until it doesn’t.

Sad reality: if they beat Ohio State and go fifteen and zero, maybe this stays buried longer.

At minimum, the response would’ve been slower. Success changes the timeline.

Quick hits. Jalen Hurts the Eagles’ quarterback next year?

Yes. Cam Newton offended the Colts called Rivers before him? Yes. Did Derrick Henry knock out Malik Harrison with an elbow even with a helmet on? Yes, and it happens.

Pain stories? Trying a one‑arm tackle on Steven Jackson felt like a lawnmower chewed my arm. Eddie Royal blindsided me in the chest; I popped up, coughed blood, missed a play, went back in. As a teen I had a stinger where my arm froze, shook it out, and scored.

I was an undersized nickel who would still hit. Teams ran at me all day; I made the stops, but when I reached with one arm on Jackson, he didn’t even notice it. That hurt like hell. Be careful out there. Take care, fellas.