The Sam Acho Podcast

Sam Acho Intro: Yeah.

Sam Acho: Welcome back to the
Sam Acho podcast featuring

Cliff Marshall, AKA Cliff Notes.

And today we have a special
guest, uh, Devin MCC accordion.

I'm not gonna do the intro 'cause
Cliff actually has a better, and

maybe let's say a different kind
of relationship with Devin and I,

uh, than a lot of y'all know about.

And so, cliff, I'm gonna let
you introduce our special guest.

Clif Marshall: Well, Devin
McCordy is with us today.

And Devin, it's a special day
because you're actually our first

guest ever on the Sam Macho podcast.

And, uh, we can't thank
you enough for your time.

As Sam mentioned, uh,
you and I go way back.

We have a great relationship and
we'll get into that in just a moment.

But really, uh, I want to introduce Devin.

Devin was a first round
draft pick out of Rutgers.

He was a 13 year NFL player, team
captain with the same team all

13 years in New England Patriots.

And, uh, he won three
Super Bowls with them.

You see the Lombardi trophies behind him.

So, uh, man, uh, three Super
Bowls was an NFL Pro Bowler.

But more importantly, we talk on
this show a lot about our identity.

A lot of times our identity
gets caught up in football or

whatever sport you're playing.

Most important thing to know
about Devin is that first and

foremost, he's a follower of Christ.

Secondly, he's a great husband and
thirties, even a better father.

So Devin, thank you so much
for your time, brother.

It's a joy to have you on today.

Devin McCourty: Man, I, I appreciate
that intro and, uh, I, I think it's

awesome to be here because, uh, like
you just mentioned, when you talk about

identity and, and coming outta Rutgers
and then going into the draft and all

of the in between of the training, uh,
the thing that always stuck out to me as

I was pursuing like my lifelong dream.

Was every Wednesday we had Bible study
and that was huge for me in grounding

the next, you know, part of my life of
what I would end up becoming a father

and a husband and all of those things.

But it was, and this most important
time of my life professionally, of

chasing something, you still was like,
Hey fellas, like it's not mandatory,

but if you want Wednesday mornings,
what's our kind of recovery day?

We're gonna do a Bible study.

And I just remember being
in that moment of like.

Only thinking about my L my L drill and
only thinking about my five, ten five

and being like, man, like it was so
good to be able to reset and like, all

right, let's remember what's important.

Let's remember that it's a blessing to
just be here training and doing all of

these things that we get to do in Naples.

So, uh, I'm just, I'm very grateful
and thankful and that's why

we've always stayed connected.

'cause you played a huge part
in the man that I became,

in that stage in life where.

Sam, you know just like me, that's
the kind of stage where you can go

either direction as you're about to
walk into a whole new life that you

thought it would be one way, but
it's a lot of other things involved

and, very grateful for what you did.

Clif

Clif Marshall: Wow.

Devin means the, world to
me for you to say that.

And there's a Bible verse from First
Timothy 4:8 It says, for physical training

is of some value, but godliness has
value for all things holding promise for

the present life and the life to come.

And I think in Naples, while we
were training there together.

At Ignition.

it was more about just training
the mind, the body, and the spirit.

So Dev like 2010, man, we met
through your agent, Andy Sims.

Um, and obviously, you know,
I recruited you a little bit.

There were a ton of facilities you
could have chosen just like Sam, right?

And, uh, I'm so grateful that you came
to train with me at Ignition and I was

reminded this morning in my office.

I've got a brochure.

Right here with Devin
McCordy on it, right?

He was the face of ignition after
becoming a first round draft pick

and dominating the NFL combine.

And what makes that story so
cool is the very next year.

Sam Acho became the face of Ignition.

And so, Devin, your success, right?

Training at Ignition helped me to
recruit Sam Acho the following year.

And both you guys obviously did great
at the combine, but just wanted to ask

you kind of what do you remember other
than the Bible studies and whatnot, uh,

kind of about your training process and,
and, you know, signing with an agent

and, and then going into the NFL combine.

Uh, what do you remember
most about that experience?

Devin McCourty: Yeah, man.

Starting with the, the kind of agent
part of it and you know, Sam, just like

me brothers and, and having a brother in
the NFL and all that, us, I was a twin,

but Jay came out the year before me, so.

When Jay comes out, I think the
assumption was okay, like Devin

already has an agent, he's gonna
probably sign with his brother's agent.

But then my brother has, he has some
success, uh, as a six round draft pick

starts three games, uh, was active
for all but one game on special teams

and, and different things like that.

So my draft grade starts climbing.

I'm playing well in college and.

Uh, as I go through the process, you
know, I think I might have met with

one agent or two agents that summer,
and then as the season kind of went on,

more and more agents started reaching
out, and then other guys, agents,

bigger agents, started reaching out.

So at the end, my mind was like,
kind of in a loophole and I,

I, I threw my financial, uh,
advisor right under the bus.

'cause I mentioned him to every agent.

Like, I'm about to sit back and
spend some time and talk to him.

And he called me like maybe
two hours later, like.

What did you, what did you say to people?

I just got, I just got like eight
text messages about what I have to

do with the process, what I'm, and
it was just a lot and I'm, I'm very

fortunate that my brother had went
through the process, so he had got to

know some agents from other players.

So as we kind of went through it, he was
just like, wait, you like that person?

nah, nah.

nah.

I was with that person when
he was with this client.

He's totally different than
what you're describing.

So once we went through that and got to
figure that out, and like you said, going

at that time it was, it was players rep.

Now it's one of one agency, Andy
Sims and, and Wesley Spencer.

Um, once I got those guys, it kind
of started my circle and then, uh,

they were like, Hey, I want you to
meet Cliff And again, my brother had

trained in Chicago and I'm drawing a
blank on the name, but he kind of was.

Trained a little bit like
how we trained in college.

They were squatting heavy, like
they were doing, they weren't

doing the kind of pretty stuff
that we usually see on the films.

And like he was, he was getting after it.

And when he came back he was like 1 95.

He ran like low four threes.

Like when he walked in the door after
training, I was like, damn, you got

big, like was joked up, no neck.

And he was just like, and I remember
talking to him the first like few weeks.

He hated it.

He was like.

Bro, I didn't think this is
what we were gonna be doing.

And then started seeing the results.

So obviously being a twin,
I'm like, I need to kind of,

I need to kind of do that too.

And that was a part of choosing to go.

I didn't want to go to Chicago though.

He was freezing.

I wanted to go somewhere warm.

And when Cliff was like, Hey, we're
based in Cincinnati, but we're

taking a group of guys to Naples,
Florida to to train for the combine.

I was like, I'm in.

And I think the coolest thing about
being down there was we had our kind

of Big East reunion down there with
so many different guys, sensei Pitt.

We were all down there getting after it.

And then the group that we formed,
um, kind of were like all underdogs.

And I know it sounds weird, me saying
that 'cause I went in the first round.

But going down there, like I
just, I always felt like I had a

lot of people that didn't think
that I was that type of player.

Like the only, you know, one,
a offer I had was Rutgers.

So like being there at Rutgers and,
and doing that and even getting

drafted in the first round, the first
time I, I did the press conference,

they said, Hey, are you aware?

People are pretty angry that Bill drafted
a special teams player in the first round.

So it was like this, you know,
whether it was me, it was, whether

it was Brett Hamlin, prince.

Quasi, like we just had so many different
guys that felt like underdogs, D two guys.

Like, uh, it was cool for me to
be in that environment 'cause

we all just, we grinded and

we loved every bit of, every bit
of it, giving each other pointers

when we were doing drills and stuff.

So, uh, it was a, it was
a unbelievable experience.

I think I went back either two years
later to talk to guys, um, that were

still doing the combine training.

So, uh, loved, loved it so much that
I want to always stay connected to it.

Clif Marshall: Hmm, man.

One thing that I can remember, Devin
specifically about you is you beat

me to breakfast every morning, and
that says something because I'm

getting to breakfast 30 minutes early.

Right?

And you're already there and you're
eating the same things, right.

Um, and you're, it's all about consistency
and for our, you know, our audience.

I think a lesson, maybe a cliff note
today is that I tell the athletes

that I work with, you have to treat
every day as it's a job interview.

I.

Right.

And I also say treat every day.

Like it's the first day
of your freshman year.

You remember first day
freshman year at Rutgers.

And Sam, you remember first day
freshman year at at Texas, right?

You were on time, your
shirt was tucked in.

You were Yes sir.

No sir.

You looked everybody in the eye.

And what I've seen over 25 years as
a strength and conditioning coach is

that goes away over the course of time
because we get comfortable, right?

And the one thing Devin, I can
remember about you is like, I.

You were the same guy every day, right?

You showed up with a great attitude.

You had great energy.

Humble, hardworking, and that consistency.

Man, it paid off.

And I believe that's why you
ended up playing 13 years in the

NFL, became a team captain and
won multiple Super Bowls, so yes.

Sam Acho: Speaking of those Super
Bowls, he got three of them, but

he got some of them behind him.

Cliff, we, we started to call him like,
Hey, what are those things behind?

Those are in fact Lombardi trophies.

But I'm gonna ask Cliff, you made the
point about the consistency and the,

and Devin, you talked about essentially
this idea of being an underdog.

The question I have, Devin, is how do
you keep that humble or that consistent

mentality after achieving so much success?

Devin McCourty: I think it is, it's
the realization that I've always

tried not to put success as a, a
thing, a material thing of like.

Winning a Super Bowl or becoming a pro
Bowler because the truth of the matter

is, like you, I won my first Super Bowl.

I had lost one the year before.

Lost in the ASC Championship.

Two years in, two years in a
row after going my second year.

So it was just like this
buildup was, I mean, huge.

We had coaches on staff players,
they would talk about it.

And I had this conversation with
Nate Solder and you win it and

you're like, oh, like that's it.

I mean like

that was great.

The parade was awesome, man.

But like as soon as we were at the
parade and everybody's like, we want

five, we want like everyone wants
you to win the next Super Bowl, they

want to talk about the next season.

And you were here thinking like,
wait, we not gonna enjoy this

for like months on, months.

Like we're not it.

It goes fast.

So I've always tried to, and
I even tell my kids like.

Success or, or whatever
you want to call it.

It's about you being your
absolute best in anything you do.

And I think about that of,
you know, In the Bible.

Paul talks about being content, whether
he's been high, whether he's been

low, of just always being content.

And I feel like I find contentment
when I know I've given it my all.

I wanted to play 15 years in the NFL.

Retired after 13.

I was content at what I, what I was able
to accomplish, what I was able to do.

'cause I knew at the end of
the day, I didn't cheat myself.

I went all in.

I, when I was coming outta Rutgers or
whatever time my second year, I struggled.

People were like, he should get cut.

They should, they moved my position.

All these things happened and I just
kind of put my head down and was just

like, all right, I'll figure it out.

I'll do this.

I, whatever I have to
do, I'll figure it out.

And it was the same thing once I retired.

Like that mentality doesn't leave.

I'm not somebody that sets like
these hard goals of like, I

have to be here in this point.

I want, and I learned that because
through life when those things happen

or different things that even for me,
like when I want, I wanted to play in

the NFL I wanted to just get in the
NFL I was a first round draft pick.

I didn't let that impact what I did next
because honestly, that surprised me.

I didn't think I was gonna
be a first round draft pick.

I had University of New Hampshire
and Rutgers only offered me

because they wanted my brother.

So like I wasn't this guy walking
around super confident and I

had a feeling Rutgers did that.

And then a year ago, the guy that
recruited me, Darren Izzy was

with the Saints and him and my
brother went to dinner and he was

like, you know when Dev called the
Monday after your recruiting visit?

He was like, cheo called me and he ripped
me because we got him and you didn't

commit.

And so I didn't have that.

Like I never thought of myself that way.

So because I've just been trying to
focus on what was next, I didn't let the

big accomplishments, that shocked me.

I never let it get to my head
and be like, Hey man, I'm good.

And if I ever did get a little
over myself having a twin brother,

he would bring me right back down
to Earth and we would go at it.

So very fortunate to have him,
uh, a part of my success or

whatever you want to call it.

Clif Marshall: Uh, Devin,
you mentioned your brother.

I wanna backtrack just a moment.

Can you explain and
kind of talk about like.

Why your brother answered the
phone on draft night, not you.

When Bill Belichick called your brother,
picked the phone up and not you.

Devin McCourty: Man, it is
crazy too because my brother

gets drafted a year before.

We're in the same house,
living in the same place.

Nobody comes to the house.

We had like a few friends that
had already planned to come.

Draft is on, he gets drafted
the last day, nobody shows up.

The next year I get drafted,
I get projected, possible

chance, end of the first round.

Next thing you know, we got people
just ringing the doorbell like,

hey, and next thing I know, we got
like 15, 20 people in the house.

Did not want that.

Didn't, but it was like hard
to be like, nah, I gotta go.

So, you know, getting drafted in the
first round is awesome, but it is long.

So I got to the point where I was
like, man, I gotta just step outta

here for a second, go to the bathroom,
but spending some extra time.

And the phone rings.

So as the phone rings, Jay's like.

I'm gonna answer it.

I'm gonna take it to him, but I'm
gonna answer it and answers it.

And is Mr.

Kraft at first on the phone,
Hey, we're drafting you.

This is Robert Kraft from
the New England Patriots.

He's like, oh man, awesome.

Oh, hey, I'm gonna put Coach Belichick on.

Soon as they say him
put Coach Belichick on.

He's like, yo, coach
Belichick's on the phone.

Hands me the phone.

And it was hilarious because it was
a, it was our, it is our relationship,

always having each other's back of.

I'm away.

No fear.

No.

Don't worry about it.

He'll answer, he'll be me.

Pass me the phone and I'll take over.

And our lives have been like that.

Like I played in high school football.

I played right away as a
sophomore starting some games.

He didn't play much junior year.

He kind of has a, a run at running
back where he's playing more.

Uh, he played more first in basketball.

Then we get to college.

I red shirt, he plays right away he
goes, he becomes a six round draft pick.

I become a first round draft pick.

I win Super Bowl two Super Bowls.

Then he comes, he wins a Super
Bowl With me, it was just.

There's always back and forth.

Even retirement.

He goes on tv, he does well on tv.

I come out the next year, I go on tv.

So, um, we've always helped each other
out and just had each other's back.

Um, and we always tell people, I think,
I don't think we have the success.

We don't make it to the NFL
if we don't have each other.

We've always pushed each other.

We've always made each other
believe in ourselves more by like

just saying like, nah, keep going.

Even when I retired,
when our season ended.

He calls me, he goes, nah,
nah, nah, don't retire.

You have four interceptions.

You should have had six.

Don't retire.

There's different, like there's
different records you could get.

And I was like, man, I'm done.

I'm done.

But like, we always push each other, man.

It's, it is

really special relationship.

Clif Marshall: Well, I, oh, go ahead, Sam.

Sam Acho: just to hop in last week,
'cause last week, cliff and I, on episode

one, we talked about the relationship
that we have as far as accountability,

keeping each other accountable.

I also have a brother, right?

That it's like we push each other, but
not everybody has a physical brother.

What do you tell the people
who may not have a physical

brother or a sister if they wanna
achieve this version of success?

Devin McCourty: I think it's a alignment
with different people in your life.

I think.

Even, you know, outside of, of having
my brother, I have friends who are like

brothers to me that, uh, I can call on
when they've gone through great loss.

Two of my, two of my close friends,
they lost their fathers, uh, like

six months to, to a year apart.

And I remember one of my guys, he,
he works for, he is a federal agent.

And I FaceTimed him that night and I was
just like, man, I had to put eyes on you.

I was like, I know, I know like
how close you and your father are.

Um, I was like, I just wanted to put
eyes on you, not a phone call or a text

message, but to FaceTime you and see you.

Um, and I think it, it's finding
those people, but it's, it's

investment and it is investing time.

It's letting people know exactly
how you feel, whether it's good

or bad, um, of being there.

And I think when you find that, like I
always tell my wife, my close friends.

I never understand when people are, Hey,
we're not, we're just not friends anymore.

I'm like, my close friends that I've
had since college, like it would take

something that I can't even think
of, of why we wouldn't be friends

because we've invested so much
time in each other, whether it's.

Even now, if they come over and
we hang around the house, like

we don't have to go anywhere.

We might just sit at the house
and be talking or have a drink

and be talking at three o'clock
in the morning just catching up.

And that's what I would tell people.

If you have different people in your
life that you see like, man, this

person's like a brother or like a sister.

Go all in and invest time.

Like there's no gift.

There's nothing you can give
'em other than like your time.

They have kids or they
be around their family.

Be like, have that type of relationship
where you are around them, where when

something's not right, they can feel it.

They talk to you so much that if you
don't check in with 'em or y'all not

in a group chat and y'all not texting,
they're like, Hey man, what's, hey?

What's going on?

We good over there or they're coming out
to see you so it doesn't have to be blood.

I mean, I truly believe that I, you know,
me and my brother are close, but I don't

believe in like, just because somebody's
not family that you don't have that close

relationship or just because somebody
is family that you just keep diving in.

I think it's about the
relationship, what you said, Sam of.

How is that relationship?

How do we equally invest in each other?

How is this mutual, mutual where we're
like, we feel the same about each other?

I think that's huge and I, I've
always tried to find that in my life.

Clif Marshall: Devin, I think over
the course of the last 25 years, I

have found this truth in coaching.

Results are temporary, but
relationships are eternal.

And what I mean by that is the
result of a 40 yard dash of vertical

jump winning a Super Bowl even.

That's all temporary, but the
relationship is eternal, and that's

what makes this show today so special
to have both of you guys on here

as, as I was your former coach.

But I think, uh, the locker room, right,
and Sam can can talk to this as well.

You guys grew up in a locker room
right from high school, college,

throughout your professional career,
and obviously transitioning from that.

Into the next stage of your life.

A lot of guys struggle with that, right?

Because you don't have that
comradery, so to speak, each and

every day when you show up to work.

So how are you combating that now
as you're, you're transitioning

from the NFL into normal life?

Devin McCourty: Yeah, it is not easy.

And Sam, you know, too of.

As men, a lot of times, because
we're in the locker room, we

don't really call each other.

We don't text all the time.

We don't FaceTime because we
like, we see each other every day.

Like me and Matthew
Slater are super close.

Like our wives used to be
like, man, they're work

husbands, they got a bro mess.

Like we always, if something
was going on, we would always be

talking to each other about it.

And we got so used to seeing each
other every single day that like

when I would look through my phone,
we barely have any text messages

because we always saw each other.

And then you kind of step away from that.

It's hard.

It's hard to tap back in.

It's hard to, especially, I retired,
certain guys were still playing, so you're

like, oh, I know they're practicing.

Then I went into media, so I'm like,
man, I don't want them to feel like

I'm reaching out to get information
and all of those different things.

And then you realize like, man, you gotta
like, you gotta check in on my guys.

You gotta text them.

But like when I first left.

Uh, two, I went like two months
where I didn't kind of know

what I want I was gonna do next.

I knew I wanted to do media, but Sam,
you know, like wanting to do media

and there being an open media job for
you are two totally different things.

So you do all of these things.

So I'm gearing up, uh, my
last year during a bye week.

I go and I do CBS, I do NFL today.

Then when the season first ends,
NFL today, ask me to come back.

So I do that again.

NFL Network asks me to
do some playoff coverage.

Fly to LA and then maybe three weeks later
I fly to LA again, an interview for Fox.

So I'm like, man, I done checked
every box, like somebody, anybody.

And those two months go and just
nothing like you get all this

positive feedback when you go.

And then finally I got an
offer from CBS Sports Network.

Um, and then I got a call from Fred
Gelli at NBC and he was like, hold on.

Don't do anything yet.

Let me see.

I think we might have an opportunity.

And then football Night in America,
NBC comes and that was a blessing all

in itself because they didn't have an
open spot and they opened up a spot

for me and thought I would go along
really well, um, with their crew.

So, and one sense.

I hit like, I'm like,
man, I got a great job.

Uh, Chris Sims, who I had a
relationship with, he was on the show.

I'm about to meet all these new people.

I'm about to get my new locker room.

This is gonna be great.

But the truth was like at home was
the biggest struggle because you said

at Cliff 13 years, 12 time captain.

So like, I'm a captain, I,
I, I run things, I do things.

I'm a captain.

Guys, listen to me.

It's awesome.

Married, going on nine years.

Been together for like
15, 16 years at home.

She's the captain.

Everybody

listens to her, and now you put
both of us in a house where I'm not

working yet and I'm home all the time.

She's doing her daily schedule.

I got ideas and I'm like,
eh, why you doing that?

That doesn't make sense.

We should be doing this.

This is more efficient.

She's like, we don't run off
efficiency in this house.

Where you were at.

Everything's about being efficient.

So like truth of the matter is we were
just starting to talk to different

people and you know, different teammates
and friends were like, Hey, we are

going through different things too.

And we connected with Rod Harriston,
the former chaplain for the Ravens.

He does like a marriage coaching.

And we signed up and we did that for
a six month kind of marriage coaching

where we were going and meeting on Zoom.

And we were able to talk about a lot of
different things from our childhoods.

That we had never talked about, and it
was a lot of times it was almost like

doing individual therapy in front of
each other where we didn't solve every

problem, but we got to understand why we
reacted and acted in certain situations

because of how we processed things all
the way back from when we were kids,

and it was eye opening for us and.

Uh, and I gotta be honest, my wife
was like, we need to talk to somebody.

I was like, ah.

And I'm like the guy that, you
know, I'm in my, I'm in my word.

I, I was again, the leader the guys looked
to and I still was like, ah, I don't know.

But it was the best thing for our
marriage that allowed me to kind of ride

off and be good off the field and in
retirement, in both kind of landscapes,

not just doing TV and finding a postcard.

'cause a lot of people were
coming up to me like, man.

You're killing post-career.

But at home I was like,
I'm not killing that.

And that allowed me to kind of get
back on par not to feel, you know,

sometimes you could feel a little bit
like a fraud knowing you're out and, you

know, doing different things for work.

And my wife's at home, she's pissed
at me, but I'm over here, you know,

smiling and everything's great.

So that was a huge, I think, spot
for us of being able to do that and,

and live that and, and go through
it and, and it, it made us better.

And you know, what I've
learned in life is.

Everything's a season.

Just because you're in one
season, that might not be great.

Doesn't mean that's gonna
dictate the rest of your life.

It's just a season you gotta get through.

And I think it really taught us to
lean on each other even more, uh, when

we're going through things like that.

So it was, it was huge for us.

I.

Sam Acho: Well, we talk a lot
on this podcast about how to

win without losing at all.

We talk about faith,
family, football, finances.

I want to just pinpoint
on that family piece.

You've won a lot.

You've won, you know, 13 year
NFL Vet, 12 time captain,

three time Super Bowl champion.

You've won a lot and you've
talked about the football piece.

We've, we've dipped in on the faith piece.

I wanna go to that family piece.

How do you win at home as
a husband and as a father?

Devin McCourty: I think the first
thing is knowing that you want to win,

not always be right and you know, I,
I think anybody that's ever talked

to someone that's been married a
long time, like I remember me and Mr.

Kraft.

One time we were walking the tunnel
back to the locker room and he was like,

you know, I was married since I was 21.

I was with my sweetheart forever.

He is like, I got married.

I never lived a life of like out partying.

I'm married at 21.

He's like, I'm gonna
tell you this one thing.

Don't always worry about being right.

Just be happy and keep your
marriage going the right way.

And that's what I've tried to do.

I've tried to win the day or win
win the people in my household.

Uh, I used to tell my
wife all the time, like.

One of the things I wanted to do most
in life was be a husband and father is

because my father passed when I was three.

So like my whole life growing up, 'cause
I was so young, I never experienced

knowing like what it meant to have
a father, like to have somebody show

up at a, at a basketball game or a
football game or come home and struggle

with something, uh, at school or
a test or a personal relationship.

I never had somebody to give me
like that male perspective of.

Hey, like I heard what your mom said,
but sometimes, and give me another angle,

like I had my mom, and my mom was awesome.

She did it all, but to
not have that was hard.

It, it sucked from the standpoint of
I never knew what it meant to have it.

And I sometimes tell people that are
going through a tough time, like if they

lose their father or different things
like that of cherish the moments you

had because you're going to be able
to tell stories about your father and

your kids are gonna get to know the
legacy that your father left behind

through them generation to generation.

And I sometimes feel like, man, I
missed that a little bit because I

have just very vague memories, but I
have stories that other people tell me.

So I always try to remember that
as I'm doing different things.

I'm on boards and I'm working and
I'm like, alright, how can I be back?

Because my kids and like we
just went on vacation and.

When I'm with my brother, a
lot of people, especially like

now, it's because you do tv.

They're like, you, you
guys are those twins.

And my kids are like, why are you famous?

Why do people know you?

Because like they don't know that.

Like they don't know that side.

I'm just dad and I want
them to know me as just dad.

And I think that only
comes by being present.

You know, I take 'em to
school most of the days.

Because, you know, TV stuff,
you have that flexibility.

And people ask me right now, like
in the off season, like, how do you

take up your time in the off season?

I'm like, I don't do much.

I want, like, I want this
time in the off season.

I want to be the kickball coach.

I want to be at the baseball and
softball practices and all of that.

So, um, I, I think being
present is how I try to win.

Because I'm gonna make mistakes, but
as long as they know I'm there with

them, they'll always remember that.

And I think that's the key part of,
of being a dad, is just showing up.

And I've tried to do
that as much as I can.

Sam Acho: Mm.

Clif Marshall: Devin, I think, uh,
you know, they say that the choices

we make make us, and I think what you
shared just a moment ago about choosing.

To do six months of marriage counseling
helped you guys in your marriage.

Right?

And I think that as athletes, right?

You and Sam both, you work your entire
life, right, to become the best version

of yourself on the football field, right?

But I think as we grow as men,
we also have to understand that.

The same amount of work that we
put into developing our bodies, we

also have to put into our marriage.

We have to put that into being a father.

And especially we have to put
that into being, uh, present

in our faith and growing.

And obviously that looks different
for everybody, but I can respect you

for choosing right, that marriage
counseling, uh, to help strengthen your

marriage and so much respect to you.

For that, uh, I did want to ask you a
couple more questions about football.

Uh, first was just talk to me about
Tom Brady, uh, playing with him for

13 years, what you learned from him
and, and, and if you still stay in

touch with him, uh, to this day.

Devin McCourty: Yeah, I, I shoot him
some texts every once in a while and

then on Instagram and, you know, I
think especially because what we're

all doing in media now, uh, not just
him, but like Edelman and Gronkowski,

uh, so many different guys are, are
in this space and ran into a bunch

of them in New Orleans and like,
we're catching up and we're talking.

But I always tell people of
like, the coolest thing about

Tom is like, Tom's a rockstar.

And like when you're around
him, you wouldn't have any idea.

Like, that's him.

You, you travel.

Like we would travel to games and
there were people lined up when our

buses pulled up, people lined up in
the lobby to, to like welcome us.

And I know it was him because then he
left the last three years of my career.

It won't just same.

We, we, we ain't had the line though.

Like we didn't have that.

Um, but I say that because when
I first got in, it was like

the kind of old off season.

Where a lot of the veterans weren't
there when you first got there.

'cause they had their
little break in between.

So when he got there, I remember being on
the O on the field, we're doing like the

OTAs and you know, pass each other in the
locker room, but didn't get time to talk.

And he comes up to me in
between the smash team spirit.

Hey man, what's up?

I'm Tom.

I'm looking at him like,
yeah man, I know who you are.

I know you Tom.

And he's like, man, we're
so happy to have you here.

And I'm a rookie.

First round or whatever you want
to call it, but from Rutgers, a

kid that Tom Brady gonna tell me,
I happy to have you here, man.

I called my mom that night and was
like, Brady knew who I was and.

And like that was how he would treat you.

And he would do that to different rookies,
different offensive linemen that came in.

But then you had this other side of this
guy that I got to sit in captives meetings

with for 10 years who could break down
the game from offense, defense, special

teams, and tell us how we needed to play.

And our captives meetings, it would
go one by one, everybody giving

their input and you would give
your input kind of relative to.

For me, secondary defense, Vince
Wilford, defensive line, front

seven Slater, special teams.

Tom would give the
overall of the whole team.

It would be like having, you know, bill
Belichick, your head coach, but like his

second in command would be like Brady.

And for me it was so unique
sitting there, learning from him.

Different times we would
talk about safeties like Ed

Reed and then Troy Palama.

He would tell me why I like Ed
Reed would give him trouble with

some things and how to play things.

Um, he was just incredible, I think, as
a teammate and you wouldn't expect it.

I think coming in and hearing the story
sometimes about like the bigger name

guys, like he didn't have two lockers.

He had one locker.

If you wanted something signed, he
said, Hey babe, put in my locker.

I'll sign it for you.

Come get it by the end of the day.

And he was sign it if he, one time
he was throwing cleats away and one

of the guys Marquis Cole, he's like,
Hey, what you doing with those cleats?

He was like, man, I gotta get rid of 'em.

He's like, no, no, no.

I signed those.

I'll take 'em.

He assign 'em, give them to you like
whatever deal or deal he didn't like,

he didn't care about any of that.

If you were in that locker
room with him, you were family.

Like we were in a group text before
one of our younger players was

like, is this really Tom Brady?

He's like, Tom, you mind
if I save your number?

He is like, yeah, man, and hit me
up whenever you need something.

Like he was

that kind of guy that I think
he made a lot of guys better.

Because for one, he was coachable.

Bill would dog him out just as much
as he would dog anybody else out,

which put the rest of us in line.

'cause if you hear Tom Brady
getting dogged out, you know, you

know, that means you'll get cut.

And he didn't have to be coachable when
he hit a certain level in his career.

He didn't have to do that.

So I, I have a, a tremendous
amount of respect for him.

Great dude, a friend, a great
teammate, always was there.

Um, people made fun of him.

He was just one of the guys, and I think
that's the coolest thing about him.

Clif Marshall: My last question
regarding football, I have to ask

you about Coach Belichick, being
at North Carolina, being in this

landscape of NIL and Transfer portal.

I've lived at the last couple years
myself, um, as a college strength

and conditioning coach, but I just
want your thoughts on kind of, you

know, his job now and how you think
he'll do at the college level.

Devin McCourty: Yeah, I think, I think
he's gonna get the guys that love ball.

I think he's gonna get more mature
guys that understand that being

honest is the best thing that
you can hear in this process.

I think a part of some of
the reasons we see so much of

the portal and everything is.

Guys like, like you, you come and
you have this dream, and you have

this thought of what it's gonna be
like, and then sometimes it's not.

And then you have some of the guys
that are a little more immature

who want everything their way.

They want it now, then they leave.

So I think with Belichick, you're
gonna get a guy that's gonna

tell you exactly what it is.

Anytime.

Like I think whenever you talk to former
guys who have played with him and now

they're removed a couple years, they look
back and they say, the one thing that I

loved about Bill and respect is that he
was upfront and he was honest at the time.

I might have been pissed at him
and didn't want to talk to him

'cause I didn't like what he said.

'cause I didn't want to hear that
as a player, as a competitor.

But now I look back and I'm
like, man, he was honest with me.

Because I think we go through different
things and we're like, people aren't

honest with us and we think one thing,
and then you get in a situation and you're

like, man, I really would've loved for
you to just tell me the truth and then

I could have made a better decision.

And I think what Bill, you're gonna get
that, and I think what I've seen so far

is he's a, he's adaptable everybody.

Like his last year in the
NFL, they thought he wasn't.

But I can attest to the guy that I had.

Early part of my career was not the guy
at the end, like a lot of, and it was

the same way the generation before me,
like those guys would come back and I'm

like, man, bill's kind of soft on y'all.

Then when I was still playing,
we were getting that morning

meeting and it would be calm.

It wouldn't be low light saying,
I was like, damn, Bill's changed.

And I think he's gonna
be like that in college.

I can't wait.

I want to go down there
and actually see it.

But I talked to his son, Steve, uh, a
good amount and he even, he even was

telling me about their first ever meeting.

He was like.

Dude, he hit the same meeting from the
NFL, like treating these guys like pros.

And I think that's what guys will love.

They'll love the opportunity to
go and be treated like a pro, a

pro practice here in meeting rooms
and all those different things.

I think that's what he's
gonna give those guys.

And I get it.

Everybody won't go into the NFL,
but the thing that I learned is.

The way we did things in New England
was like that whole Patriot Way stuff.

It was about doing the right thing.

That was the best thing for the team.

And I think no matter what you do
in life, that's going to come up,

that's gonna come up in your family.

Whether it's doing the right
thing for your wife or your

kids, that's gonna come up.

Usually in business, whether you're an
employee, whether you own something,

it's gonna be the same thing.

So I think those kids that go to UNC.

They're gonna see, like they're
gonna learn life lessons

through football with Belichick.

And you know, I think that's gonna
be a reward for those guys and.

Uh, credit to him to even want to
still coach and do things because,

like we were talking about me, like
you talking about accomplishments

like this, like he won't have enough.

Like this thing is going up with
Lombardi's and all those different things.

He could easily just say, you know
what, I'm gonna hang out with my

grandkids, visit my, my, my two boys
and my daughter who are coaching.

I'll just visit and get
that little coaching.

You know, feeling that I
want to get when I go visit.

He doesn't have to be fully immersed
in this, but he loves the game.

He loves coaching young people.

Uh, and you know, in fact last year I
saw him, you know, me and my brother

went into the Rutgers Hall of Fame.

They were playing Washington.

His son Steve, was a defensive
coordinator in Washington.

We're talking during the game.

I'm like, coach, you're everywhere.

Like, how's the media?

You're doing as much media that
I've ever seen you do in one

year that I saw all 13 years.

And he was like, man.

It's okay.

I'm like, what do you
mean you're everywhere?

He is like, and right then and there
I was like, the guy loves coaching.

Like this isn't for him.

He could be given all these nuggets
of what it's like to be a coach, what

it's like to be a gm, all that on tv.

He wants to just coach the guys and
that's what he's doing in North Carolina.

He just loves coaching.

Clif Marshall: Hmm.

Sam Acho: We've talked about
Coach Belichick and what he

loves to do in his post career.

Now getting back into coaching, what are
some of the things, Devin, that you love

now that the football career has ended?

Devin McCourty: Yeah, I think first
and foremost, like we talked about,

hanging with the fam, coaching
my kids in different things.

Um, but I'm also, I, I think in
the off season, a lot of my work

is on the boards that I'm on.

So I'm on a board, the New Commonwealth
Fund, which was founded during COVID

and that was really to help different
leaders, uh, in Massachusetts.

A lot of 'em were black and brown.

Who don't get the
resources that they need.

They lead an organization, but
people are, they're a little bit

like, ah, I don't know if they can
know how to handle these funds.

So they bring them in, they
workshop 'em, they give funds out.

So I'm on the board there.

I'm on the board of of Unordered,
which works is started in Boston,

works with kids who are in gangs.

And it really tells 'em like,
Hey, we want you to get out of the

gang and go back to school, but we
also want to give you a stipend.

We want to give you money because
we understand a lot of the

reasons why you're in a gang or
you're doing different things.

You don't have the resources,
you don't have the money.

So we want to give you a stipend because
we know you're leaders and we want you

to lead people in a different direction.

So that's in Boston.

They've expanded to Kansas City.

So I've been in there,
I've gone to Kansas City.

Uh, I'm on the board of,
um, Boston Medical Center.

Which has been big because my family
has sickle cell, so they've done a lot

of work with us in, in sickle cell and
we have a 5K walk coming up on May 4th

in Jersey City, uh, around sickle cell.

And then the last board I just joined
is this, so you can see a little

bit is PAC Pro athlete community.

And their focus is exactly
what we've talked about.

How do I transition?

But instead of transitioning and
thinking about it post-care, how do

I start to plan my exit strategy?

You know, in every business,
all these people who are highly

successful, they have exit strategy.

So yeah, they might start a great
company, uh, but they're, as soon as they

start that company, they're thinking,
okay, in five years, this is the plan.

We want to exit.

We want to sell it here,
we want to do this.

I.

So the plan is like, how do we get guys
in as soon as they get in the NFL to

start planning their exit strategy?

And within that they have these business
combines where you have people from

private equity, you have people from
real estate, just all these different

networks come in and they pour into
these guys, uh, for three or four days.

But most importantly.

They leave with these guys emails all
on a app together so you can reach out,

Hey, I want to get involved in this.

I want to be, get involved
in venture capital.

You can reach out to these people.

So, um, that was started with
a guy that used to do player

development, Caleb Thornhill in Miami.

I.

He teamed up with this guy, chip.

They started this and now
it just continuing to grow.

They just had one in in Miami.

They're gonna have one in Nashville
where we invite former and current

players to come out and just learn
about what you might want to do next.

So this is really cool to be
involved in because I'm living proof.

Sam, you're living proof of,
we try to have guys get around

different guys and just learn.

We feel like that doesn't happen
enough when you get outside of the

locker room or even in the locker room.

We don't talk to each other about
what we do off the field, enough of

saying, Hey, let me help you out.

Let me tell you about this investment.

Let me tell you about this
person who's not a good person.

'cause you know how many times we hear
people get involved with someone and they

had no idea that somebody else was already
working with 'em and they could have

stopped and told 'em not to get involved.

So, um, I try to do that in my off time,
be involved in those different things,

and that gives me great balance of.

Especially nowadays, a lot of 'em are
virtual, being able to help out and

also like we talked about, first and
foremost, is being around my family

as much as I can, but also finding
some work purpose and, and some other

purposeful things that I can do to
be impactful in other people's lives.

Okay.

Sam Acho: Well, I've heard
some about the honesty.

You talked from Coach Belichick,
also the pro athlete community.

You talked about the honesty
there, that vulnerability.

A lot of people who listen to
this podcast are pro athletes.

Who have had a lot of success.

We've talked about faith, we've
talked about family, we've

talked a lot about football.

My last question I want to
ask is around the finances.

What financial wisdom do you have for
people who are listening to this podcast?

Devin McCourty: I think
especially as players, don't be

the smartest guy in the room.

Be in the room with the smartest
people, and I've learned that because.

I don't feel like if, if you've done
well in the NFL and you've had a good

career, you don't have to sit here and be
thinking like, I can't miss out on a deal.

I can't, no.

Like you just have to be strategic
and you have to be smart.

And the way to do that is
aligning with other people who

have done great in their fields.

And I think that's sometimes the
hardest thing for us to do as players.

We've been so successful in playing
football that when we walk away or any

sport, we walk away and we're like.

I wanna be a pro in that too.

Meanwhile, we meet somebody and, and
we figure out, like even our, the

NFL owners, we get to be around him.

I got to be in one place,
so I got to be around Mr.

Crab.

So I'm seeing how successful he is.

It's crazy for me to think that I'm
gonna be him like this to be him.

It would take years, just like
it took him years to accomplish

those different things.

So don't try to do
everything in one second.

Surround yourself with smart people.

Ask questions.

We don't know different things.

We didn't get to go to school, we didn't
get to do go to school for certain things.

We didn't get to do
internships in the summer.

Most of us learning about real
estate or banking or all these

different things, that's okay.

What you were able to accomplish.

Open some doors for you that you gotta
walk through, but you gotta walk through

and say, Hey, how can I ask somebody
a lot of questions and them guide me?

How can I seek mentorship
from different people?

So that's what I've always tried to do.

I tell people all the time, like.

I'm not gonna sit here and tell you I'm a
genius in investing in different things.

I've gotten advice from different people.

I've listened to it, I've, I've
invested in certain things and

done different things like that.

But a lot of my financial successes
come from leaning on other people

that I've built real relationships
with that don't need me.

They're successful all on their own,
but we have a genuine friendship that if

somebody sends me something, I'm like,
man, this, this guy's, you know, I, I've

met some people who are billionaires.

I'm like.

This guy's a billionaire.

He know he sees this all the time.

Hey, I just got this deal.

I'll type up the email.

Hey, we would love for you to look at
it and jump on a call to talk about it.

Hey, man, no problem, dev, because
we have a real relationship.

We've hung out, we've gone to dinner.

So I always tell guys,
man, as soon as you can.

Lean back in.

If you play college somewhere, lean
back into the, the different alumni.

When you go to games where, and you're
playing city, the city you're from,

like lean into different people who do
some things that you might want to do.

Just pick their brain,
uh, and go to lunch.

Go to dinner.

Have real relationships with people
because we got to do that in football

and we never really thought about it.

But everything we did was, I
had a relationship with some

receivers and I learned about
what made them great at Receiver.

I had a relationship with Tom Brady.

Learned about what made him great
at a court at quarterback, which

helped make me better at safety.

Me and Dante Hightower were
captains for a long time.

I understood how he ran the front
seven and what he wanted to do.

I taught him about what I
wanted to do at this secondary.

Like all of those things, we're
learning what other people are

great at, and we're putting it
together to make ourselves better.

Once we leave, we gotta do the same thing.

We gotta learn about these
different fields and put it

together to make ourselves better.

It's just we're not used to it.

And that's okay.

You gotta go in there.

Like I always say, uh, coach Oceano
says something that, you know, when

you're in college, you hate every kind
of thing that your coach throws out.

Every kind of acronym or different
cliche, but he used to tell us

like, being a leader means being
comfortable, being uncomfortable.

And I understood what that meant in
every situation as I advanced that

you have to be a little uncomfortable
when everybody's doing one thing.

Cliff.

You know, when we were training,
I would tell God, Hey Cliff,

I need some Saturday work.

Like I need, I need to
get it in on Saturday.

I don't feel good about my three cone.

Let's put in work Friday night
guys like, Hey, we're going out.

Nah fellas.

Let's stay here.

Like, we don't need, we
don't need to go over there.

We don't need to do any of that.

We'll need to go to Fort Myers.

Let's stay here.

And you gotta be comfortable saying, even
if they all go, I'm gonna stay by myself.

And all those different things come up.

And, and that was a great piece of
advice I got from him that I, I beat

into my kids and sometimes my wife
like, Hey, you're not coaching me.

Stop telling me those different things.

But I just think they're so true for life.

Clif Marshall: Well, Devin,
you gave me a cliff note today,

and I thank you for that.

And that cliff note is this.

If you're the smartest one in the
room, you're in the wrong room.

And we talk very often about Proverbs
27 17, it says, as iron sharpens

iron, so one man sharpens another.

And that is certainly what you've
done today on this podcast.

So I am so grateful, brother, for
your time and just being able to

reminisce and really learn from you.

So thank you for your time today.

Devin McCourty: No, I
appreciate y'all, man.

Love the space that you guys
are in and what you're doing.

Uh, cliff, obviously I've gotten to
know you well, Sam, through PA meetings

and different things like that.

Uh, it it is fun to watch you and
you know, obviously we ran into each

other in New Orleans, but to see
everything that you and your brother

are doing, it is awesome to see, man.

And I love this space that
you guys are creating, man.

Keep it going.

Sam Acho: Definitely Devin,
we appreciate you, man.

Seeing you not only in New Orleans in
person, but seeing you on tv, playing

against you in different scenarios,
but also more than anything, just

hearing you as a man, as a husband, as
a father, as a leader, leaving a legacy.

All the things that we talk about, right?

Like you've won, we've seen
in the background you've

won on the football field.

Now you're showing us
what it looks like to win.

As a father.

You're showing us

what it looks like to win as an investor,
all the different boards that you're on.

You're showing us what it looks like
to win in your family, to win in your

faith, to win financially, to win
physically, spiritually, emotionally.

And that's kind of the space
that we wanted to provide.

And so, Devin, we appreciate
you, man, uh, so much.

And Cliff, honestly, I thank you.

And Clem didn't share this fully,
shared it at the beginning, but.

The reason that Cliff and I
have this relationship that we

have is really because of you.

You took a risk on Cliff.

Cliff.

You took a risk on Devon,
if you want to call it that.

And all of a sudden there was so much
success and that success led me to that.

Proverbs 27 17.

On the back, I got the
brochure right behind me.

It says It's iron sharpens iron.

Show this one.

Share one man sharp in another.

And I saw y'all at the back of
this brochure for NFL Combine.

Try to make it to the NFL and
y'all are holding hands with these

shirts, all black shirts with
the white Proverbs 1717 praying.

I'm like, dude, I want

That.

Like those Wednesday Bible settings.

I forgot about that until
you brought it back up.

Like that's what I was after.

Yeah.

I'm trying to go run as fast as I

can.

I'm trying to go and jump as high
as I can and be a first round pick.

I'm trying to play a long career, but I
know there's something more, even even

the point you made about the Super Bowl,
we hear, we hear that all the time.

It's like, dude, we won.

Then what?

AJ Brown

made the point, man, okay, 72
hours later I just won a Super Bowl

for the Eagles and, and now what?

And so it's like that's the
space that we want to provide.

It's the now

what?

Alright, boom.

You've won at this football basketball.

We'll be talking to guys who are in
the NBA played successful career.

Now what?

And so you've provided us with that
now, what you've talked about, what

it looks like to be a leader in your
community, what it means to be a leader

in your family, what it looks like to
build relationships, to be present.

To not be the smartest
person in, in the room.

That's Cliff, cliff, the cliff note.

And so

we appreciate your time.

And so anybody else who wants to
continue to tap in, go to sam macho.com

to listen to more of
the Sam Macho podcast.

Uh, for me, for Cliff Marshall, for
Devin McCordy, we say thank you.

Dev, we appreciate you, brother.

Devin McCourty: Alright fellas.

Good to see y'all, man.

Sam Acho: Yes, sir.

Clif Marshall: Buddy.

Devin McCourty: All right, man.

Have a good one.

Sam Acho: All right, you too.

All right.