The Money Game (2024) s01e04 Episode Script
Not Just an Athlete
1
[grand, Christmas-like music]
- [announcer] This is SportsCenter.
- [electric guitar riff]
[Eaves]
Alright, Jayden. Michael Eaves again.
- Can you hear me in the studio?
- [Daniels] I can.
[Eaves]
Cool, we good then. We're good to go.
Yo, I used to live in LA for ten years,
so I gotta ask you Lakers or Clippers?
I'm a Laker fan.
- [Eaves] Dodgers or Angels?
- Dodgers.
[Eaves] You didn't go to either school,
but when they was playing, USC or UCLA?
- I'm a Trojan. SC fan. Reggie Bush.
- [Eaves laughs] Alright.
Cool, cool, man.
Congratulations on everything, man.
And we also appreciate you
giving us the time of day.
I appreciate you guys.
[Eaves]
Cool. Alright, we get started here.
[producer]
Four, three, two
Now we welcome in
the aforementioned quarterback
of the 15th ranked LSU Tigers.
Obviously, a lot of NFL eyes
are looking at you, Jayden.
[announcer] Daniels going deep
looking for touch! He's got Thomas!
[Eaves] 600 yards of offense,
350 through the air, 200 on the ground.
[announcer] Takes it himself,
he's got the sideline.
- Jayden Daniels off to the races.
- [crowd cheers]
No quarterback in the history
of college football at this level
has ever done that before.
[announcer] Got some space,
what a move! Jayden Daniels again!
- Jayden Daniels, touchdown, LSU!
- [crowd screams]
[Daniels]
I didn't know that 'til after,
but I just kind of went to,
like, a different type of mode, mentally.
Doing something that had never been done,
you know, it means a lot.
[Eaves] And it also vaulted you up
into the conversation for the Heisman,
and you gave a little Heisman pose there.
[Daniels] A couple of my teammates
be like, man, you gotta hit the pose.
You're going to be in New York
for the Heisman presentation.
Just a matter of if you come home
with the trophy or not on December 9th.
- Jayden, we appreciate it, brother.
- Man, thank you for having me.
[exhales]
[upbeat music]
- [woman] Name, image, and likeness.
- [man] Name, image, and likeness.
NIL.
This ruling could, quite literally,
change everything.
Let's go!
[tiger roar]
[Alicia] When did you started
feeling a little nauseous?
[Armstrong]
This morning, as soon as I woke up.
[Alicia]
Oh, yeah. Okay. Got you.
I really feel like that's what woke me up
because I didn't wake up from my alarm.
[Alicia]
Oh, you woke up from feeling nauseous?
Yeah.
[Alicia] Oh, you should call me.
You know I'm up early.
[Armstrong] I know.
I knew you were coming anyway.
I just wanted to go back
to sleep for a little.
- [Alicia] Oh, I gotcha. Okay.
- [Armstrong] It helped, though.
[Alicia] And I got you some good old
grits, egg, and chicken sausage.
Say that grace, before you get a spanking.
Gotta bless that food that nourishes
our body. Christ's sakes, amen.
Now that you're on your regimen,
I'll get you some more vegetables,
get your fruits
Girl, if you don't fix your face,
- stop playing with me.
- I don't want that stupid stuff.
[both laugh]
[Alicia]
You're going to eat those vegetables.
Was there anything that you saw?
Well, I mean, I know we didn't really
get to talk about a lot of anything
that you saw from the meet.
[Alicia]
Well, we talked about that last hurdle.
You come in approaching the hurdle tall,
you kind of, like, shrimped into it.
And that's what I gather
that's how you tweaked your back.
[Armstrong]
My reaction was actually pretty good,
- [Alicia] Mhm.
- [Armstrong] I just think, like
- [Alicia] A little bit more aggressive.
- [Armstrong] You're right.
I'm not really that aggressive.
I don't know what it is about that,
if it's like, nervousness or what, but
the aggression just needs to get better.
- Yes.
- Okay. So I guess today
So today, then, we could just worry
about stepping off the hurdle quicker.
- Snapping off?
- Mhm.
- Ready?
- [Alicia] Yes, ma'am. Everyone is ready.
[indistinct conversation]
- [Armstrong] I'm ready to start.
- [Alicia] Yeah.
Especially since
you're nice and warmed up.
[Armstrong]
I put some Atomic Balm on and stuff.
Oh, good. Alright, cool. Let's go, tiger.
- Hey, how are you feeling? You okay?
- I feel good.
[coach]
Ladies. You guys ready?
[Alicia] She woke up this morning.
She was feeling a little nauseous,
but she's better now.
Also, she was talking about
Her hamstrings were a little tight,
but you know, that comes with
That just comes
with the territory, you know?
- [Armstrong's sister] Right.
- [Alicia] So she knows what she has to do.
But with Alia,
we just try to take baby steps
and keep her focus on one thing at a time.
But other than that, she's looking good.
Last season,
Alia didn't have an indoor season.
When the injury first started,
the emotional rollercoaster
that my daughter had to face
was watching her peers out there
run for an entire indoor season,
and she had to stay behind
and not participate.
And it's more of the fear of the unknown
it's more of worrying that I won't have
a repeat of what happened last season.
Today is going to be a great practice.
- [Armstrong] Yes, it will.
- Mhm.
I'm trying to stay positive, too,
to be honest.
- Yeah. [laughs]
- Too much on my mind.
[Alicia] With Alia wanting
to go pro as a track athlete
there's no Plan B.
I tell my daughters a Plan B
means Plan A is not going to work.
We're going to have another Plan A.
[coach]
Up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up!
[Alicia] You look good. Be conscious
of that first step, hear? That first step.
[grunts]
That was perfect. Stay right there.
Remember how it feel. Embrace it.
[Armstrong] I'm gonna get a release
on my hamstring, but it's tight.
Okay.
[Armstrong] Super tight.
I feel it going over the hurdle.
Oh.
- It's like, right here.
- Oh, the back-top?
Yeah. I feel it when I go over the hurdle.
Step into my office.
- [Armstrong] Oh!
- [coach] Oh, too much?
[Armstrong] No, that was just the spot.
[Armstrong]
Yeah.
- [Alia] I've got to stop.
- [coach] You've got to stop?
- Yeah, I can't go.
- No making it through that?
[Armstrong]
No, I feel it over every hurdle.
- Over every hurdle?
- [Armstrong] Yeah.
It hurts more and more as I get
I know if I go full speed,
it's not even worth it.
Exactly.
Alia, you good?
- Yeah.
- Rest?
Yeah. I want to rest.
My hamstring's really tight.
- Just watch a tv show and stretch.
- Okay.
- Long stretches.
- Alright. Bet. Thank you,
- Coach?
- Yes?
- Yes, I'm headed over to treatment.
- Okay. You're going to have to let me
Should we take you out of the meet?
You understand what I'm saying?
- I just got to get needled.
- Alright. Okay.
- I mean, it's Monday. Or Tuesday.
- Just keep me posted.
I know, but the entries are due today.
You see what I'm getting at?
Oh, okay.
[unknown] Come on. Come on!
Get up! Get up! Get up!
Come on, sprint, sprint,
sprint, sprint, sprint!
[Armstrong]
Okay.
[Gates] Thank you guys for doing this,
should hopefully be super fast.
Probably the best plan will be
if you just kind of read through them all.
- How many?
- And a lot of this, again, is repetitive,
but I think that's okay.
We'll get it recorded and like,
maybe it'll feel more comfortable.
Of course. Yeah. Have different versions.
- Sounds good.
- Thank you, appreciate it.
- [Dunne] Bye, thank you.
- Bye guys.
[Dunne]
Okay.
- Alright, so you're doing You can do it.
- I can do this.
"I always come back to the simple things,
connecting with nature
and being around people I love."
[tech] Just like general good practices,
like your face, roughly about there.
- Fuck yeah.
- I'm a producer.
Ready? In three, two
[various, overlapping announcers]
Livvy Dunne.
[Livvy]
Growing up in the sport of gymnastics,
you are constantly being judged.
Being in the spotlight
and having these eyes on you.
You feel like you need to be perfect.
Perfection is an illusion, but finding
moments of bliss every day is a reality.
Especially when I'm looking
in the right places.
- That's not the one you're reading.
- Alt? Oh. I see, I see. Okay, my bad.
Perfection is an illusion. But finding
moments of bliss every day is a reality.
Should I do one with a little more energy?
[Julz]
Yeah, but I would read the top one.
Okay. Perfection isn't real,
but finding moments of bliss can be.
I just have to look in the right places.
[musical effect]
[Dunne]
I just have to look in the right places.
- Perfect.
- [Julz] Done?
- Is that it?
- [Julz] Yeah.
[Minaj meme audio]
Y'all mumbling and cackling?
Y'all sending group text messages
about the mother fucking queen
while the queen
is in the motherfucking stew?
- [laughs]
- Hold on.
[meme audio continues]
building her fucking empire bigger
Y'all mumbling and cackling?
Y'all sending group text messages
about the motherfucking queen
while the queen
is in the motherfucking stew?
- While the queen is building her
- [Julz] That's viral content right there.
Yeah, alright.
[laughs] Remember last time
we were in here,
there was a woman that came up to me,
and she was like, "My son is a huge fan."
Like, if we got a picture,
he would freak out.
- I'm like, "Oh, how old is your son?"
- She's like, "Oh, it doesn't matter."
- He's old.
- [Dunne] "He's old."
And I was like, "Oh, what, is he in
college?" And she's like, "No, he's 45."
- And I was like [laughs]
- [Julz laughs]
[Dunne] I still took the picture.
A woman of the people.
Hi!
I get recognized a lot in public now,
which is crazy.
- Oh my, hey, man, I'm your biggest fan.
- Hi! Aw, thank you.
- [man] Say something to the people.
- I love you all.
Hey, you need some damn security.
You out here by yourself and shit.
Oh, my Lord. That's Livvy Dunne.
It's funny because a lot of people think
I stopped going to in-person classes
because of people coming up to me.
And it's funny, because people here
on campus at LSU, they don't care.
It's like another day if they see me.
- Are you majoring in communication?
- [Dunne] Interdisciplinary studies.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
And then communications
is one of the minors, but,
it was like one of my favorite
in-person classes.
I would say my only one. Kinda fun.
- [laughs]
- [Dunne] I do like coming over here.
[student]
Your classes are online?
[Dunne] Yeah, they have been
since my sophomore year.
[student]
Mm, okay.
And I still get
a lot of hate comments to this day.
Like, "just go back to class,"
like, "you're not a big deal."
[Twitter notification]
And that's not the reason why.
I, one time, was at class,
and I never really checked my messages,
but this day on Instagram,
I checked my DMs.
and I remember seeing a DM that said,
"You're not going to make it
back to your dorm alive tonight."
and then saying
how they were going to do terrible things
to my teammates at the next meet,
and then come for me.
[Twitter notification]
And I was like, rather be safe than sorry.
Reported it to the LSU PD,
but they got it handled
and the guy's not a threat anymore.
[producer]
How do you deal with those comments?
I mean,
how has that relationship evolved to you?
[Twitter notifications]
[Dunne] Social media has gotten, like,
way more toxic and mean
than when I first started.
But I always say, like,
the more eyes you got on you,
and the more you're doing something right,
the more people are going
to try to tear you down.
If you're killing it in something,
there's always people trying to kill you.
That's just how it is.
[interviewer] Hey, Livvy, one more
question, one more question.
Are you doing anything but bars this year?
Or are you just doing bars this year?
Buddy, you gotta go.
Alright. You're going to jail.
- [interviewer] Huh?
- [security] You're out of here.
[interviewer]
You cracked my phone.
[Clark] And when NIL first hit, and I knew
her social media presence was what it was,
I was like, okay, this is going to be
the perfect storm, right?
This thing is going to go like
[imitates fire]
I guess it's because I'm a dad. You know,
my instincts, my antennas went up,
like every time we'd go on the road
and I felt like I was playing
coach and security guard.
[fans chant]
Livvy! Livvy! Livvy! [boo]
- Give us Livvy! Give us Livvy!
- [indistinct boos]
- We want her!
- We want Livvy!
[indistinguishable screams]
Now to the highest earning
woman in college sports,
LSU gymnast and TikTok star Olivia Dunne
is attracting huge crowds
at her team's meets.
But not all of the attention is positive
and it's raising security concerns.
[reporter]
It was the behavior of dozens of teen boys
trying to get the attention of LSU
gymnast and influencer Livvy Dunne.
But the thing that bothered me
was that there were some middle-aged
men that were in the crowd that, you know,
I didn't know what to make of it at first.
In some ways it felt orchestrated,
but in other ways it felt like it was just
sort of a converging of a kind of a mob.
[reporter] LSU now forced to add new
safety measures for its gymnastics team
to ensure all of its athletes
are protected.
We have security people that go out ahead
of us and kind of get everything in order,
whether we're going to a restaurant
or a hotel or whatever,
and make sure that things are
as controlled as possible.
And there's a lot of
things that you have to worry about,
like, when you're that public.
What happens to Olivia
is happening on a big scale,
but it happens to girls
on a small scale all the time.
I think we had like three cops,
standing at the top of our section.
Well, there was someone trying to run
onto the floor every single time I
- [Kat] I saw Sky in ours.
- Really?
Yeah, the guy with the black sweatshirt,
beard, fidgeting quite a lot.
I mean, whenever I would get water,
or go cut my tape off,
he would try to get on the floor.
They said that happened six times.
I had to, like, stop him
and they wanted to kick him out.
I'm fine though,
I'm still here to tell the tale.
[Kat] How'd they get you from the P-mat to
the gym? Did you walk the normal way?
[Dunne]
It was Paul. And then a cop took us.
Still, to this day, I get comments like,
you're like the boy who cries wolf.
It's like, you want one thing,
but you say you don't want it.
And that's not the case.
The beauty of social media is
that you can post what you want,
you don't post want you want.
And women are not responsible
for the actions of men.
[announcer] Senior Day festivities
is getting underway
in about half an hour
inside Tiger Stadium.
What do you think
Jayden's feeling this morning?
[announcer 2] Hoo,
that brings back a lot of emotion.
Your last one there. It goes by fast, man,
and it's just it's over at that point.
[Regina]
Jayden, his journey ends today.
There is no more collegiate eligibility.
And Jayden very, you know, routine.
And every morning on game days,
I'll, you know, text him.
I always, since he was little, you know,
send him like a little voice message.
I sing songs.
The one time I was late on it, he texted
me. He was like, you ain't locked in.
It's like, this morning, it was the
[sings to tune of Na Na Hey Hey
Kiss Him Goodbye] We ready ♪
We ready
We ready ♪
For war ♪
- [marching band version plays]
- [crowd roars]
Here, take a picture of me and Regina
before she starts crying.
[man] You know she gonna cry.
- She definitely going to cry.
- [laughs]
[announcer 1] There are so many wonderful,
unique traditions in college sports.
Senior Day hits a little different.
In his final game, Jayden Daniels.
[crowd roars]
[announcer 2] What a journey it's been.
Three seasons at Arizona State,
that final year there,
probably his worst in football.
Year five, it's all come together.
[crowd cheers]
We did it, baby, we did it.
I love you so much.
We did it, boy! Six years old, boy.
It was here, boy!
- Hey!
- No crying. No crying.
[somber music]
[Regina] I always tell him,
like, Jayden, we got here.
If you looked four years ago.
you weren't supposed to be here.
There was nothing promised.
He put in the work.
Jayden is very quiet to people.
They don't know about Jayden losing two
grandparents within three weeks apart.
It's a lot to deal with as a kid.
[Daniels] I lost both my grandparents
due to COVID when I was at Arizona State
That was my toughest time.
I wasn't able to really cope
with the pain of how I felt.
Because I was like, man, I've got to
come back and really handle business,
as far as, you know, going back in,
trying to help lead this football team.
I understand now at 22, going on 23,
like, how your emotions can affect you,
your play, if you don't really
deal with them correctly.
[Regina]
I needed to support him
and be able to push him
to what you guys see today.
[crowd chants indistinctly]
[announcer 1]
One more opportunity
for Jayden Daniels
to take the field here at Death Valley.
One more chance to make his case
for the Heisman Trophy.
[announcer 3] Number one thing
Texas A&M doesn't want to do
is allow Jayden Daniels and LSU
to win the Heisman on them.
[dramatic music]
[Dellenger] Can you measure
the value of a Heisman trophy?
The award goes to the most outstanding
player in college football.
The Heisman story continues to evolve,
much like NIL itself.
Just ten years ago,
Johnny Manziel was having to sign
autographs for cash in some hotel room
instead of getting directly paid
for what he did on the field
and how much money
he generated for Texas A&M.
[reporter]
The NCAA is investigating
whether Heisman Trophy winner
Johnny Manziel
was paid for signing
hundreds of autographs.
Why put yourself in that situation
where it could be allegedly?
Where my cut?
[Dellenger] Now, in the NIL era,
Heisman winners have even more value.
You can't really pay for
that kind of marketing and branding,
which means, if you're a school,
you're going to try to win
as much as you can
[Lamar Jackson] I like winning.
[Dellenger] because football makes
most of the revenue.
[announcer 3] Well, if you want to prevent
LSU from winning the Heisman today,
this is certainly the way to do it.
Keep him on the sideline.
[announcer 1] Spinning out is Henderson,
underneath, Jake Johnson!
- At the pylon, he's in, it looks like!
- [whistle]
And it's been a while for Texas A&M
since they had that missed kind of a lead.
[Worsham] With Jayden, we knew
there was going to be more competition.
He's a transfer kid. He's a kid
that came in here and only had two years.
We worked hard on our campaign, but we
need certain things to happen on the field
for Jayden to ultimately win the Heisman.
[announcer 3] Oh man, it's been
an amazing game for Texas A&M.
They have officially put
the Heisman on notice
when it comes to Jayden Daniels
and what they want to accomplish today.
Yeah, a couple of throws by Jayden.
He's got to dial that in.
[announcer 1]
Down by two scores.
It's fourth down
and four here in midfield.
Jayden Daniels hasn't come
to the sideline yet.
- People watch good stories.
- [announcer] Daniels for the win!
[Dellenger] NIL's brought a lot
of those good stories to the forefront.
- [announcer] Caught! It's caught!
- [crowd roars]
[announcer 2] What a move!
Jayden Daniels again!
[announcer 1] Mason Taylor was in motion.
Daniels, out of the pocket, and he's going
to run for it and get it and then some!
- Daniels down the sideline!
- [crowd roars]
[announcer 1] Finally wrestled
out of bounds inside the 10-yard line!
[announcer 3] And this is what
Jayden Daniels can do
that really no other top level
quarterback in the country is doing.
[announcer 1]
LSU with the answer.
[Dellenger]
The beauty of great athletes like Jayden,
they make the superhuman seem possible.
[announcer 1] Jayden Daniels,
looking for the end zone. Touchdown!
[Dellenger] Sports is where human beings
figure out what they're capable of doing.
This guy who's got his back against
the wall, if he's under pressure,
it makes me feel like I can do
more than I thought I was capable of.
That's inspiration. That's motivation.
[announcer 1] Daniels, one on one.
Kyren Lacy. Touchdown!
- He's got it!
- [announcer 3] Oh, my goodness.
[crowd roars]
- [announcer 3] Oh my goodness.
- [announcer 1] 42-30 is your final.
LSU wins it.
Jayden Daniels in his final game
here in Death Valley on Senior Day.
Will this one last
exclamation point be enough
when it comes time for the Heisman voters
to make their decision?
- [indistinct shouts]
- [band plays]
- [Nabers] Last one?
- [Daniels] Last one.
[Nabers]
Last ride.
[crowd chants indistinctly]
She is about to be here, so.
- Oh, nice.
- We're on time.
As long as she's not late for practice
on behalf of Reebok. [laughs]
- [Reese] Good morning.
- [woman] Hi! Good morning.
- [Reese] How are you?
- What's up?
- Hey, morning.
- What's up? How are you, good to see you.
[woman] Good morning.
The whole team at Reebok
just thinks that you embody everything
that we value and everything
that inspires us.
Obviously, your exceptionally
skilled at what you do.
So we're just so excited to have you.
Yeah. So we did a little bit
of research as to like,
how do we kind of capture your energy?
- [Angel] I like that.
- [Jeanine] That's so cool.
[man] So you can imagine that
on the toe and on the heel,
- so wherever he's dunking would be you.
- [woman] Exactly.
Like when you look at Shaq
and you look at Jordan, you identify them.
So we definitely wanted
to keep that spirit for Angel.
Cool.
- [Jeanine] You like the braid? Yeah?
- And the lashes.
- Yeah, the lashes.
- [all laugh]
[woman] And it definitely, we felt like,
really embodies your image
and just kind of that energy
that you bring to the court.
- [Jeanine] You can tell it's her.
- [woman] Yeah, exactly.
And that was important. We wanted to
make sure it felt like her and it was her.
I love that. I have to take a pic. Sorry,
you know it's not going anywhere.
[all laugh]
[Jeanine]
For Angel to be a part of history,
and for people to be tuning in to watch
the women's game more than the men's game,
that's incredible.
And then we just need to shoot that
social video and then she can get going.
But she is human
and the crown that she wears is heavy.
She puts on a pretty face to make people
think that everything's okay every day.
But like, that's hard. That's a hard life
to be able to sustain 24/7.
[woman] So basically
we want you just to unbox the shoes.
You know, make it very natural
what your reaction is.
"Can't wait to use it off season"
and stuff like that.
[man] Like we did in the first
collaboration.
Yeah.
[Twitter notification]
[Reese] I never thought
I would be in this situation,
but I'm realizing like,
so many people go through this stuff
as "celebrity status."
There's going to be
negative in everything.
I think that's what just comes in sports.
They hated on Michael Jordan,
hated on LeBron.
They hate on the best of the best.
It's hard for her to have a normal life.
And so she was kind of
had to be reclused to her apartment.
Think about if you were in college and you
had to do that. That's challenging.
I do get a lot of inappropriate comments,
racial comments towards me.
[Twitter notification]
[Twitter notification]
There's so many people that think
that the rumors that were
put out there are really true.
Like, I walk in Chick-Fil-A yesterday
and this lady was like,
"Are you studying for finals?
Because is that why you were out,
missing those games?"
I think also people don't realize, like,
I don't have to tell you guys
everything that's going on in my life.
Like, I don't have to tell you guys.
You guys, I don't owe you guys
an explanation for anything.
I respect you guys
and I love you guys as fans,
but also, I have privacy in my life
and you guys have to respect that.
[Mulkey]
Y'all better get ready,
because I don't normally
have opening comment, do I?
Katie is for you, baby.
Angel's back, Kateri's not,
and Sa'Myah's done for the year.
Sadly, she tore her knee up.
- [moderator] Questions?
- [reporter] Just the timeline.
Is Angel gonna be ready to play tomorrow?
Yes, she'll be available.
[reporter] Okay.
Can you give us a sense of, I guess,
if you're planning on starting her
off the bench, anything like that?
[laughs] You should have gone
into coaching. She will play tomorrow.
[announcer 1] And we welcome you
to Baton Rouge. It's a rematch.
Place should be jam packed and very loud
tonight because number ten is back.
Angel Reese starting the game
after missing the last four and a half.
- [announcer 2] Number ten! Angel Reese!
- [crowd cheers]
[announcer 1]
There's a lot of different ways
to take the story of why she was out.
Everyone's talking about that
as a locker room issue.
Her return,
they're not calling it a suspension,
but she has risen to such a stature,
it became a huge story.
And we'll see if there is
any rust at all left over.
[announcer 3] LSU down nine,
offense hasn't quite figured it out yet.
Reese into the front court,
if she can find herself a shot.
And it's slapped away, it's on the floor.
There's a Virginia Tech foul.
[crowd cheers]
[announcer 3] LSU has not made
a bucket in close to 4 minutes.
[announcer 4] This is the third time Reese
has missed the front end of her shot.
[dramatic music]
[announcer 3] Reese under the bucket,
leans in, lays it in! Angel Reese is back!
Reese has it down low.
Ducks under, layup is good!
On Kitley and we're tied at 20.
We're good, we're Gucci.
The same defense.
That defense. That same fucking defense.
BTL, one, two, three.
- [crowd boos]
- [viewer] Defense!
[announcer 2] Has it knocked away, stolen
by Johnson. Johnson into the front court.
[announcer 1] Johnson, scrapping for it.
Got it to go, and takes the hit.
LSU taking hold of this one.
[announcer 3] We've got to clear out,
Reese is going to crossover dribble.
She's down the lane,
leans in, the lay up is good!
Reese called it, the coach said run it.
Coach Mulkey,
asking for the crowd to rise. They do.
- [announcer 1] And that will do it.
- [buzzer]
[announcer 1]
LSU rolling here tonight.
- [crowd roars]
- [band plays]
[Mulkey]
God damn it, Angel fucking Reese.
You get up there and be a trooper
in that God damn press conference,
and they ain't gonna fuck with you
in my presence, you hear me?
[tense music]
What's up, guys? We've got Angel Reese,
Aneesah Morrow.
How happy are y'all to see me?
I know y'all are, here we go.
Let's have some fun here.
[indistinct chatter]
[moderator] Alright,
we'll open up the floor for questions.
[reporter] Angel, how did it feel
to be back on the floor?
It felt great.
I mean, I want people to realize that
I'm not just an athlete, I'm a human.
I go through things,
we all go through things.
And just being able to have so many people
that were super supportive to me
in this past week and a half
really showed me a lot.
I talk to Shaq every day.
He told me every day, like,
this too shall pass, this too shall pass,
this too shall pass.
He's been here before.
When you up, everybody love you.
When you're down
you see who really love you.
[reporter]
To what extent do you feel comfortable
sharing what you felt you needed
to reset, or did reset?
My mental health is the most
important thing before anything,
and I'm going to make sure
I'm okay before anything
because I don't want
to cause anything harm
or any cancer within the locker room.
So being able to take a reset to myself,
so whatever stories
that were wrote and written,
don't believe everything you read.
I mean, I'm back and I'm happy
and I'm here and I'm moving forward
and I'm going to take this team
and help take this team as far as I can.
[reporter]
Angel, last year at the Final Four,
I remember you saying
you needed Kim Mulkey in your life.
You still feel that way today,
and why or why not?
I'm going to say that today, tomorrow,
next year, till the day I die.
And that's just how I feel.
And I'm at LSU because of Kim Mulkey,
and that's how I feel.
[rap music]
[Johnson]
I just left my game.
Straight from the game, straight to
the show. You know what I mean?
- Whoa.
- [man] Oh, hell nah.
[Johnson] See? No problem.
Don't know what you're talking about, bro.
Baton Rouge is ridiculous, I'm sorry, bro.
[man] Oh, superstar.
[Johnson] Let's get this shit over with.
[man] A double-double tonight.
Slight work, easy.
17, ten, and four. Easy work.
[DJ] Come on, y'all can be louder
than that. Y'all ready for Big Flau?
- [crowd cheers]
- [DJ] Let's run it!
[Johnson]
Yeah. Hey which stage is it?
[man] This one right here.
Yeah. Miss NIL.
[Johnson] Hello? Watch out, watch out.
[repeats] Hold on, hold on, hold on.
I need y'all to make
some noise real quick.
[crowd roars]
I need y'all to say
"Jayden Daniels for the Heisman" on three.
Y'all know he need it! One, two, three!
[crowd yells indistinctly]
Ain't gonna lie, this whole season,
they've been talking about my team,
they've been talking my coaches,
all clickbait.
I wrote a song for it, I need
y'all to bump off for it, y'all ready?
- Let's go, yeah!
- [music starts]
[off mic] Oh, I'm cramping so bad!
[on mic] Let's go! Let's go!
Clickbait
Everything I do be going viral ♪
Louis on my leather
Got my laces throwing spirals ♪
Rappers, they been watchin'
I got 'em throwin' in the towel ♪
Did you think before you tweet?
Did you stretch before you reached? ♪
Did you check before you creaked?
Can't buy respect ♪
[crowd cheers]
- Let's go!
- [tv plays indistinctly]
I need to get up.
[exhales]
For me, it's hard to be present,
because it's a lot of work
on the court and off the court.
Come on, get up.
Since I was younger,
my mama always told me, like,
you can do whatever you wanna do.
There's no barriers. Don't let people
tell you what you can't do.
[chopping sound]
[Brooks] I think Flau'jae has lived
a life of two people right now.
The girl told me at five years old
that she was going
to take me around the world.
I have been everywhere for free
because of Flau.
[motor whirrs]
Some people don't get it, so they'll say
things like, "She's not even being a kid."
But for me,
I just feel like some demographics
just have more opportunities than others.
When you have an opportunity
as big as Flau'jae does,
you have to go right away.
You can't sit around and wait.
[shoes squeak]
[Johnson] S'up, bro?
- What's good?
- Come on, what's good?
The NIL side is
kind of like a job in a way.
- You in form for this?
- [Johnson] Yep.
Alright, let's go.
[Johnson] But, one day,
the ball is going to stop bouncing,
and you know, I'm not gonna be able to run
no more and my leg is going to give out.
I have to take advantage
of the short window that I have.
Oh, I'm so good at this game.
Oh yeah, bro.
[sounds of traffic]
[announcer] New York, New York.
Big city of dreams,
The 89th Heisman Trophy ceremony,
Saturday night, eight Eastern on ESPN.
Live from Lincoln Center.
[Regina]
We'll put your coat on.
We're just grateful that we're here.
A lot of people don't make it.
So we're just grateful
to being in New York
for the experience and the moment.
What happens from there,
that's all icing on the cake.
[trustee]
Gentlemen, on behalf of the Heisman Trust,
congratulations to each and every one of you.
To be named a Heisman finalist
is an outstanding achievement.
You represent the highest ideals
of excellence, perseverance, and teamwork.
But one of you is about to be immortalized
as the next member
of this elite and storied group
and be forever associated with the legacy
and ideals of the Heisman Trophy.
- I'm ready to go.
- Well, let's do it.
[trustee] This is the moment
you've been waiting for.
It is my great pleasure to announce
that the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner is
Jayden Daniels,
from Louisiana State University.
- [crowd cheers]
- [grand music]
[crowd cheers]
[Jayden] Being a college athlete
and winning this award
has always been a dream come true.
I'd like to turn to my family,
my rock, [laughs] my momma.
[Jayden laughs]
You were so nervous when I was
playing my first high school game.
But after that,
you never took your eyes off the field.
You always have my best interest at heart,
from day one.
You instilled in me the hardworking
mentality that got me here.
You encouraged me to always better myself
because you always
believed in me no matter.
[street crowd yells indistinctly]
[Daniels] I want to dedicate this award
to every boy and girl who has a dream.
How with faith and hard work,
you'd never know what was possible.
They said I was too skinny.
So I added weight.
And they said I was too quiet.
So, you know, I became more vocal.
I stepped out of my comfort zone.
And now I'm here today.
Learn how to block out the noise,
that you can overcome any obstacle.
And most importantly, you know,
be joyful about what you do,
- and never give up on your dreams.
- [crowd applauds]
[indistinct conversations]
- What's up, girl?
- Hey, coach. I'm a spectator today.
- That's alright. Cheer your teammates on.
- Ladies, good luck.
[announcer]
Set.
- [indistinct cheers]
- [somber music]
[indistinct conversation]
[man] You know, Alia talks about you
all the time. She's always like, you know,
[high-pitched] "I'm gonna make sure
my momma never has to work again."
- [both laugh]
- [Armstrong] I don't play, like,
I can't stand to see you work 13
I can't stand to see you work one hour.
I'm not working hard enough.
That's what that means. Mm-mm.
- Well. It's all going to pay off.
- [Armstrong] Yeah.
[Alicia]
So what's up with these NIL deals, ma'am?
- I mean, you know [laughs]
- Sheesh. I'm overwhelmed. I can't lie.
[Armstrong] I feel like people
weren't realizing my worth.
Mhm.
[Armstrong]
I've been always feeling like that.
I mean, being a track athlete, kinda.
A lot of people don't really, like,
prioritize track athletes.
- It's more like other sports, so
- [Alicia] Mhm.
I just felt like people
weren't realizing my worth.
I was getting frustrated
because like, I know who I am
and I know what I can do,
and nobody can do that.
The things that I do, nobody can really
do that. It's not easy to do what I do.
[man]
How is your injury now?
- [Armstrong] My injury?
- Yeah.
If it was up to me,
I wouldn't compete until NCAA.
- [Alicia] Okay. Just resting.
- If I'm being really honest.
- [Alicia] Do your treatment, your therapy.
- I'm not ready.
Like, I'm not ready.
That's really I'm being so for real.
- I'm a little nervous. I can't lie.
- [Alicia] Okay.
And the reason why I'm nervous
is because
- I just don't want a repeat of last year.
- [Alicia] Oh, yeah.
Like, ugh.
Last year, I had every opportunity
to do what I wanted to do,
and what I expected to do.
But I really just think that, like
- I just don't feel ready.
- [Alicia] Okay.
So I'm keeping faith.
- Okay.
- [Armstrong] I'm praying about it.
- I'm resting. I haven't gone nowhere.
- Good.
- Yeah, not as worried as you'd think.
- [Alicia] Okay.
- but I'm a human being.
- [Alicia] Right.
So that's all I have to say about that.
So Mom's going to
give you a little advice.
So if you're going to pray,
then don't worry.
But if you're going to worry,
then don't pray.
Yeah.
- [Alicia] Cause
- It's so hard.
[Alicia] The faith I know.
This is what you were born to do.
God is not going to take you to something
and not bring you through it.
Long as you get up
on all ten toes every day,
and go do your therapy
and do what you have to do,
you just have to trust the process.
- Alright?
- [Armstrong] Mhm.
[somber music]
[edgy music]
[grand, Christmas-like music]
- [announcer] This is SportsCenter.
- [electric guitar riff]
[Eaves]
Alright, Jayden. Michael Eaves again.
- Can you hear me in the studio?
- [Daniels] I can.
[Eaves]
Cool, we good then. We're good to go.
Yo, I used to live in LA for ten years,
so I gotta ask you Lakers or Clippers?
I'm a Laker fan.
- [Eaves] Dodgers or Angels?
- Dodgers.
[Eaves] You didn't go to either school,
but when they was playing, USC or UCLA?
- I'm a Trojan. SC fan. Reggie Bush.
- [Eaves laughs] Alright.
Cool, cool, man.
Congratulations on everything, man.
And we also appreciate you
giving us the time of day.
I appreciate you guys.
[Eaves]
Cool. Alright, we get started here.
[producer]
Four, three, two
Now we welcome in
the aforementioned quarterback
of the 15th ranked LSU Tigers.
Obviously, a lot of NFL eyes
are looking at you, Jayden.
[announcer] Daniels going deep
looking for touch! He's got Thomas!
[Eaves] 600 yards of offense,
350 through the air, 200 on the ground.
[announcer] Takes it himself,
he's got the sideline.
- Jayden Daniels off to the races.
- [crowd cheers]
No quarterback in the history
of college football at this level
has ever done that before.
[announcer] Got some space,
what a move! Jayden Daniels again!
- Jayden Daniels, touchdown, LSU!
- [crowd screams]
[Daniels]
I didn't know that 'til after,
but I just kind of went to,
like, a different type of mode, mentally.
Doing something that had never been done,
you know, it means a lot.
[Eaves] And it also vaulted you up
into the conversation for the Heisman,
and you gave a little Heisman pose there.
[Daniels] A couple of my teammates
be like, man, you gotta hit the pose.
You're going to be in New York
for the Heisman presentation.
Just a matter of if you come home
with the trophy or not on December 9th.
- Jayden, we appreciate it, brother.
- Man, thank you for having me.
[exhales]
[upbeat music]
- [woman] Name, image, and likeness.
- [man] Name, image, and likeness.
NIL.
This ruling could, quite literally,
change everything.
Let's go!
[tiger roar]
[Alicia] When did you started
feeling a little nauseous?
[Armstrong]
This morning, as soon as I woke up.
[Alicia]
Oh, yeah. Okay. Got you.
I really feel like that's what woke me up
because I didn't wake up from my alarm.
[Alicia]
Oh, you woke up from feeling nauseous?
Yeah.
[Alicia] Oh, you should call me.
You know I'm up early.
[Armstrong] I know.
I knew you were coming anyway.
I just wanted to go back
to sleep for a little.
- [Alicia] Oh, I gotcha. Okay.
- [Armstrong] It helped, though.
[Alicia] And I got you some good old
grits, egg, and chicken sausage.
Say that grace, before you get a spanking.
Gotta bless that food that nourishes
our body. Christ's sakes, amen.
Now that you're on your regimen,
I'll get you some more vegetables,
get your fruits
Girl, if you don't fix your face,
- stop playing with me.
- I don't want that stupid stuff.
[both laugh]
[Alicia]
You're going to eat those vegetables.
Was there anything that you saw?
Well, I mean, I know we didn't really
get to talk about a lot of anything
that you saw from the meet.
[Alicia]
Well, we talked about that last hurdle.
You come in approaching the hurdle tall,
you kind of, like, shrimped into it.
And that's what I gather
that's how you tweaked your back.
[Armstrong]
My reaction was actually pretty good,
- [Alicia] Mhm.
- [Armstrong] I just think, like
- [Alicia] A little bit more aggressive.
- [Armstrong] You're right.
I'm not really that aggressive.
I don't know what it is about that,
if it's like, nervousness or what, but
the aggression just needs to get better.
- Yes.
- Okay. So I guess today
So today, then, we could just worry
about stepping off the hurdle quicker.
- Snapping off?
- Mhm.
- Ready?
- [Alicia] Yes, ma'am. Everyone is ready.
[indistinct conversation]
- [Armstrong] I'm ready to start.
- [Alicia] Yeah.
Especially since
you're nice and warmed up.
[Armstrong]
I put some Atomic Balm on and stuff.
Oh, good. Alright, cool. Let's go, tiger.
- Hey, how are you feeling? You okay?
- I feel good.
[coach]
Ladies. You guys ready?
[Alicia] She woke up this morning.
She was feeling a little nauseous,
but she's better now.
Also, she was talking about
Her hamstrings were a little tight,
but you know, that comes with
That just comes
with the territory, you know?
- [Armstrong's sister] Right.
- [Alicia] So she knows what she has to do.
But with Alia,
we just try to take baby steps
and keep her focus on one thing at a time.
But other than that, she's looking good.
Last season,
Alia didn't have an indoor season.
When the injury first started,
the emotional rollercoaster
that my daughter had to face
was watching her peers out there
run for an entire indoor season,
and she had to stay behind
and not participate.
And it's more of the fear of the unknown
it's more of worrying that I won't have
a repeat of what happened last season.
Today is going to be a great practice.
- [Armstrong] Yes, it will.
- Mhm.
I'm trying to stay positive, too,
to be honest.
- Yeah. [laughs]
- Too much on my mind.
[Alicia] With Alia wanting
to go pro as a track athlete
there's no Plan B.
I tell my daughters a Plan B
means Plan A is not going to work.
We're going to have another Plan A.
[coach]
Up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up!
[Alicia] You look good. Be conscious
of that first step, hear? That first step.
[grunts]
That was perfect. Stay right there.
Remember how it feel. Embrace it.
[Armstrong] I'm gonna get a release
on my hamstring, but it's tight.
Okay.
[Armstrong] Super tight.
I feel it going over the hurdle.
Oh.
- It's like, right here.
- Oh, the back-top?
Yeah. I feel it when I go over the hurdle.
Step into my office.
- [Armstrong] Oh!
- [coach] Oh, too much?
[Armstrong] No, that was just the spot.
[Armstrong]
Yeah.
- [Alia] I've got to stop.
- [coach] You've got to stop?
- Yeah, I can't go.
- No making it through that?
[Armstrong]
No, I feel it over every hurdle.
- Over every hurdle?
- [Armstrong] Yeah.
It hurts more and more as I get
I know if I go full speed,
it's not even worth it.
Exactly.
Alia, you good?
- Yeah.
- Rest?
Yeah. I want to rest.
My hamstring's really tight.
- Just watch a tv show and stretch.
- Okay.
- Long stretches.
- Alright. Bet. Thank you,
- Coach?
- Yes?
- Yes, I'm headed over to treatment.
- Okay. You're going to have to let me
Should we take you out of the meet?
You understand what I'm saying?
- I just got to get needled.
- Alright. Okay.
- I mean, it's Monday. Or Tuesday.
- Just keep me posted.
I know, but the entries are due today.
You see what I'm getting at?
Oh, okay.
[unknown] Come on. Come on!
Get up! Get up! Get up!
Come on, sprint, sprint,
sprint, sprint, sprint!
[Armstrong]
Okay.
[Gates] Thank you guys for doing this,
should hopefully be super fast.
Probably the best plan will be
if you just kind of read through them all.
- How many?
- And a lot of this, again, is repetitive,
but I think that's okay.
We'll get it recorded and like,
maybe it'll feel more comfortable.
Of course. Yeah. Have different versions.
- Sounds good.
- Thank you, appreciate it.
- [Dunne] Bye, thank you.
- Bye guys.
[Dunne]
Okay.
- Alright, so you're doing You can do it.
- I can do this.
"I always come back to the simple things,
connecting with nature
and being around people I love."
[tech] Just like general good practices,
like your face, roughly about there.
- Fuck yeah.
- I'm a producer.
Ready? In three, two
[various, overlapping announcers]
Livvy Dunne.
[Livvy]
Growing up in the sport of gymnastics,
you are constantly being judged.
Being in the spotlight
and having these eyes on you.
You feel like you need to be perfect.
Perfection is an illusion, but finding
moments of bliss every day is a reality.
Especially when I'm looking
in the right places.
- That's not the one you're reading.
- Alt? Oh. I see, I see. Okay, my bad.
Perfection is an illusion. But finding
moments of bliss every day is a reality.
Should I do one with a little more energy?
[Julz]
Yeah, but I would read the top one.
Okay. Perfection isn't real,
but finding moments of bliss can be.
I just have to look in the right places.
[musical effect]
[Dunne]
I just have to look in the right places.
- Perfect.
- [Julz] Done?
- Is that it?
- [Julz] Yeah.
[Minaj meme audio]
Y'all mumbling and cackling?
Y'all sending group text messages
about the mother fucking queen
while the queen
is in the motherfucking stew?
- [laughs]
- Hold on.
[meme audio continues]
building her fucking empire bigger
Y'all mumbling and cackling?
Y'all sending group text messages
about the motherfucking queen
while the queen
is in the motherfucking stew?
- While the queen is building her
- [Julz] That's viral content right there.
Yeah, alright.
[laughs] Remember last time
we were in here,
there was a woman that came up to me,
and she was like, "My son is a huge fan."
Like, if we got a picture,
he would freak out.
- I'm like, "Oh, how old is your son?"
- She's like, "Oh, it doesn't matter."
- He's old.
- [Dunne] "He's old."
And I was like, "Oh, what, is he in
college?" And she's like, "No, he's 45."
- And I was like [laughs]
- [Julz laughs]
[Dunne] I still took the picture.
A woman of the people.
Hi!
I get recognized a lot in public now,
which is crazy.
- Oh my, hey, man, I'm your biggest fan.
- Hi! Aw, thank you.
- [man] Say something to the people.
- I love you all.
Hey, you need some damn security.
You out here by yourself and shit.
Oh, my Lord. That's Livvy Dunne.
It's funny because a lot of people think
I stopped going to in-person classes
because of people coming up to me.
And it's funny, because people here
on campus at LSU, they don't care.
It's like another day if they see me.
- Are you majoring in communication?
- [Dunne] Interdisciplinary studies.
- Okay.
- Yeah.
And then communications
is one of the minors, but,
it was like one of my favorite
in-person classes.
I would say my only one. Kinda fun.
- [laughs]
- [Dunne] I do like coming over here.
[student]
Your classes are online?
[Dunne] Yeah, they have been
since my sophomore year.
[student]
Mm, okay.
And I still get
a lot of hate comments to this day.
Like, "just go back to class,"
like, "you're not a big deal."
[Twitter notification]
And that's not the reason why.
I, one time, was at class,
and I never really checked my messages,
but this day on Instagram,
I checked my DMs.
and I remember seeing a DM that said,
"You're not going to make it
back to your dorm alive tonight."
and then saying
how they were going to do terrible things
to my teammates at the next meet,
and then come for me.
[Twitter notification]
And I was like, rather be safe than sorry.
Reported it to the LSU PD,
but they got it handled
and the guy's not a threat anymore.
[producer]
How do you deal with those comments?
I mean,
how has that relationship evolved to you?
[Twitter notifications]
[Dunne] Social media has gotten, like,
way more toxic and mean
than when I first started.
But I always say, like,
the more eyes you got on you,
and the more you're doing something right,
the more people are going
to try to tear you down.
If you're killing it in something,
there's always people trying to kill you.
That's just how it is.
[interviewer] Hey, Livvy, one more
question, one more question.
Are you doing anything but bars this year?
Or are you just doing bars this year?
Buddy, you gotta go.
Alright. You're going to jail.
- [interviewer] Huh?
- [security] You're out of here.
[interviewer]
You cracked my phone.
[Clark] And when NIL first hit, and I knew
her social media presence was what it was,
I was like, okay, this is going to be
the perfect storm, right?
This thing is going to go like
[imitates fire]
I guess it's because I'm a dad. You know,
my instincts, my antennas went up,
like every time we'd go on the road
and I felt like I was playing
coach and security guard.
[fans chant]
Livvy! Livvy! Livvy! [boo]
- Give us Livvy! Give us Livvy!
- [indistinct boos]
- We want her!
- We want Livvy!
[indistinguishable screams]
Now to the highest earning
woman in college sports,
LSU gymnast and TikTok star Olivia Dunne
is attracting huge crowds
at her team's meets.
But not all of the attention is positive
and it's raising security concerns.
[reporter]
It was the behavior of dozens of teen boys
trying to get the attention of LSU
gymnast and influencer Livvy Dunne.
But the thing that bothered me
was that there were some middle-aged
men that were in the crowd that, you know,
I didn't know what to make of it at first.
In some ways it felt orchestrated,
but in other ways it felt like it was just
sort of a converging of a kind of a mob.
[reporter] LSU now forced to add new
safety measures for its gymnastics team
to ensure all of its athletes
are protected.
We have security people that go out ahead
of us and kind of get everything in order,
whether we're going to a restaurant
or a hotel or whatever,
and make sure that things are
as controlled as possible.
And there's a lot of
things that you have to worry about,
like, when you're that public.
What happens to Olivia
is happening on a big scale,
but it happens to girls
on a small scale all the time.
I think we had like three cops,
standing at the top of our section.
Well, there was someone trying to run
onto the floor every single time I
- [Kat] I saw Sky in ours.
- Really?
Yeah, the guy with the black sweatshirt,
beard, fidgeting quite a lot.
I mean, whenever I would get water,
or go cut my tape off,
he would try to get on the floor.
They said that happened six times.
I had to, like, stop him
and they wanted to kick him out.
I'm fine though,
I'm still here to tell the tale.
[Kat] How'd they get you from the P-mat to
the gym? Did you walk the normal way?
[Dunne]
It was Paul. And then a cop took us.
Still, to this day, I get comments like,
you're like the boy who cries wolf.
It's like, you want one thing,
but you say you don't want it.
And that's not the case.
The beauty of social media is
that you can post what you want,
you don't post want you want.
And women are not responsible
for the actions of men.
[announcer] Senior Day festivities
is getting underway
in about half an hour
inside Tiger Stadium.
What do you think
Jayden's feeling this morning?
[announcer 2] Hoo,
that brings back a lot of emotion.
Your last one there. It goes by fast, man,
and it's just it's over at that point.
[Regina]
Jayden, his journey ends today.
There is no more collegiate eligibility.
And Jayden very, you know, routine.
And every morning on game days,
I'll, you know, text him.
I always, since he was little, you know,
send him like a little voice message.
I sing songs.
The one time I was late on it, he texted
me. He was like, you ain't locked in.
It's like, this morning, it was the
[sings to tune of Na Na Hey Hey
Kiss Him Goodbye] We ready ♪
We ready
We ready ♪
For war ♪
- [marching band version plays]
- [crowd roars]
Here, take a picture of me and Regina
before she starts crying.
[man] You know she gonna cry.
- She definitely going to cry.
- [laughs]
[announcer 1] There are so many wonderful,
unique traditions in college sports.
Senior Day hits a little different.
In his final game, Jayden Daniels.
[crowd roars]
[announcer 2] What a journey it's been.
Three seasons at Arizona State,
that final year there,
probably his worst in football.
Year five, it's all come together.
[crowd cheers]
We did it, baby, we did it.
I love you so much.
We did it, boy! Six years old, boy.
It was here, boy!
- Hey!
- No crying. No crying.
[somber music]
[Regina] I always tell him,
like, Jayden, we got here.
If you looked four years ago.
you weren't supposed to be here.
There was nothing promised.
He put in the work.
Jayden is very quiet to people.
They don't know about Jayden losing two
grandparents within three weeks apart.
It's a lot to deal with as a kid.
[Daniels] I lost both my grandparents
due to COVID when I was at Arizona State
That was my toughest time.
I wasn't able to really cope
with the pain of how I felt.
Because I was like, man, I've got to
come back and really handle business,
as far as, you know, going back in,
trying to help lead this football team.
I understand now at 22, going on 23,
like, how your emotions can affect you,
your play, if you don't really
deal with them correctly.
[Regina]
I needed to support him
and be able to push him
to what you guys see today.
[crowd chants indistinctly]
[announcer 1]
One more opportunity
for Jayden Daniels
to take the field here at Death Valley.
One more chance to make his case
for the Heisman Trophy.
[announcer 3] Number one thing
Texas A&M doesn't want to do
is allow Jayden Daniels and LSU
to win the Heisman on them.
[dramatic music]
[Dellenger] Can you measure
the value of a Heisman trophy?
The award goes to the most outstanding
player in college football.
The Heisman story continues to evolve,
much like NIL itself.
Just ten years ago,
Johnny Manziel was having to sign
autographs for cash in some hotel room
instead of getting directly paid
for what he did on the field
and how much money
he generated for Texas A&M.
[reporter]
The NCAA is investigating
whether Heisman Trophy winner
Johnny Manziel
was paid for signing
hundreds of autographs.
Why put yourself in that situation
where it could be allegedly?
Where my cut?
[Dellenger] Now, in the NIL era,
Heisman winners have even more value.
You can't really pay for
that kind of marketing and branding,
which means, if you're a school,
you're going to try to win
as much as you can
[Lamar Jackson] I like winning.
[Dellenger] because football makes
most of the revenue.
[announcer 3] Well, if you want to prevent
LSU from winning the Heisman today,
this is certainly the way to do it.
Keep him on the sideline.
[announcer 1] Spinning out is Henderson,
underneath, Jake Johnson!
- At the pylon, he's in, it looks like!
- [whistle]
And it's been a while for Texas A&M
since they had that missed kind of a lead.
[Worsham] With Jayden, we knew
there was going to be more competition.
He's a transfer kid. He's a kid
that came in here and only had two years.
We worked hard on our campaign, but we
need certain things to happen on the field
for Jayden to ultimately win the Heisman.
[announcer 3] Oh man, it's been
an amazing game for Texas A&M.
They have officially put
the Heisman on notice
when it comes to Jayden Daniels
and what they want to accomplish today.
Yeah, a couple of throws by Jayden.
He's got to dial that in.
[announcer 1]
Down by two scores.
It's fourth down
and four here in midfield.
Jayden Daniels hasn't come
to the sideline yet.
- People watch good stories.
- [announcer] Daniels for the win!
[Dellenger] NIL's brought a lot
of those good stories to the forefront.
- [announcer] Caught! It's caught!
- [crowd roars]
[announcer 2] What a move!
Jayden Daniels again!
[announcer 1] Mason Taylor was in motion.
Daniels, out of the pocket, and he's going
to run for it and get it and then some!
- Daniels down the sideline!
- [crowd roars]
[announcer 1] Finally wrestled
out of bounds inside the 10-yard line!
[announcer 3] And this is what
Jayden Daniels can do
that really no other top level
quarterback in the country is doing.
[announcer 1]
LSU with the answer.
[Dellenger]
The beauty of great athletes like Jayden,
they make the superhuman seem possible.
[announcer 1] Jayden Daniels,
looking for the end zone. Touchdown!
[Dellenger] Sports is where human beings
figure out what they're capable of doing.
This guy who's got his back against
the wall, if he's under pressure,
it makes me feel like I can do
more than I thought I was capable of.
That's inspiration. That's motivation.
[announcer 1] Daniels, one on one.
Kyren Lacy. Touchdown!
- He's got it!
- [announcer 3] Oh, my goodness.
[crowd roars]
- [announcer 3] Oh my goodness.
- [announcer 1] 42-30 is your final.
LSU wins it.
Jayden Daniels in his final game
here in Death Valley on Senior Day.
Will this one last
exclamation point be enough
when it comes time for the Heisman voters
to make their decision?
- [indistinct shouts]
- [band plays]
- [Nabers] Last one?
- [Daniels] Last one.
[Nabers]
Last ride.
[crowd chants indistinctly]
She is about to be here, so.
- Oh, nice.
- We're on time.
As long as she's not late for practice
on behalf of Reebok. [laughs]
- [Reese] Good morning.
- [woman] Hi! Good morning.
- [Reese] How are you?
- What's up?
- Hey, morning.
- What's up? How are you, good to see you.
[woman] Good morning.
The whole team at Reebok
just thinks that you embody everything
that we value and everything
that inspires us.
Obviously, your exceptionally
skilled at what you do.
So we're just so excited to have you.
Yeah. So we did a little bit
of research as to like,
how do we kind of capture your energy?
- [Angel] I like that.
- [Jeanine] That's so cool.
[man] So you can imagine that
on the toe and on the heel,
- so wherever he's dunking would be you.
- [woman] Exactly.
Like when you look at Shaq
and you look at Jordan, you identify them.
So we definitely wanted
to keep that spirit for Angel.
Cool.
- [Jeanine] You like the braid? Yeah?
- And the lashes.
- Yeah, the lashes.
- [all laugh]
[woman] And it definitely, we felt like,
really embodies your image
and just kind of that energy
that you bring to the court.
- [Jeanine] You can tell it's her.
- [woman] Yeah, exactly.
And that was important. We wanted to
make sure it felt like her and it was her.
I love that. I have to take a pic. Sorry,
you know it's not going anywhere.
[all laugh]
[Jeanine]
For Angel to be a part of history,
and for people to be tuning in to watch
the women's game more than the men's game,
that's incredible.
And then we just need to shoot that
social video and then she can get going.
But she is human
and the crown that she wears is heavy.
She puts on a pretty face to make people
think that everything's okay every day.
But like, that's hard. That's a hard life
to be able to sustain 24/7.
[woman] So basically
we want you just to unbox the shoes.
You know, make it very natural
what your reaction is.
"Can't wait to use it off season"
and stuff like that.
[man] Like we did in the first
collaboration.
Yeah.
[Twitter notification]
[Reese] I never thought
I would be in this situation,
but I'm realizing like,
so many people go through this stuff
as "celebrity status."
There's going to be
negative in everything.
I think that's what just comes in sports.
They hated on Michael Jordan,
hated on LeBron.
They hate on the best of the best.
It's hard for her to have a normal life.
And so she was kind of
had to be reclused to her apartment.
Think about if you were in college and you
had to do that. That's challenging.
I do get a lot of inappropriate comments,
racial comments towards me.
[Twitter notification]
[Twitter notification]
There's so many people that think
that the rumors that were
put out there are really true.
Like, I walk in Chick-Fil-A yesterday
and this lady was like,
"Are you studying for finals?
Because is that why you were out,
missing those games?"
I think also people don't realize, like,
I don't have to tell you guys
everything that's going on in my life.
Like, I don't have to tell you guys.
You guys, I don't owe you guys
an explanation for anything.
I respect you guys
and I love you guys as fans,
but also, I have privacy in my life
and you guys have to respect that.
[Mulkey]
Y'all better get ready,
because I don't normally
have opening comment, do I?
Katie is for you, baby.
Angel's back, Kateri's not,
and Sa'Myah's done for the year.
Sadly, she tore her knee up.
- [moderator] Questions?
- [reporter] Just the timeline.
Is Angel gonna be ready to play tomorrow?
Yes, she'll be available.
[reporter] Okay.
Can you give us a sense of, I guess,
if you're planning on starting her
off the bench, anything like that?
[laughs] You should have gone
into coaching. She will play tomorrow.
[announcer 1] And we welcome you
to Baton Rouge. It's a rematch.
Place should be jam packed and very loud
tonight because number ten is back.
Angel Reese starting the game
after missing the last four and a half.
- [announcer 2] Number ten! Angel Reese!
- [crowd cheers]
[announcer 1]
There's a lot of different ways
to take the story of why she was out.
Everyone's talking about that
as a locker room issue.
Her return,
they're not calling it a suspension,
but she has risen to such a stature,
it became a huge story.
And we'll see if there is
any rust at all left over.
[announcer 3] LSU down nine,
offense hasn't quite figured it out yet.
Reese into the front court,
if she can find herself a shot.
And it's slapped away, it's on the floor.
There's a Virginia Tech foul.
[crowd cheers]
[announcer 3] LSU has not made
a bucket in close to 4 minutes.
[announcer 4] This is the third time Reese
has missed the front end of her shot.
[dramatic music]
[announcer 3] Reese under the bucket,
leans in, lays it in! Angel Reese is back!
Reese has it down low.
Ducks under, layup is good!
On Kitley and we're tied at 20.
We're good, we're Gucci.
The same defense.
That defense. That same fucking defense.
BTL, one, two, three.
- [crowd boos]
- [viewer] Defense!
[announcer 2] Has it knocked away, stolen
by Johnson. Johnson into the front court.
[announcer 1] Johnson, scrapping for it.
Got it to go, and takes the hit.
LSU taking hold of this one.
[announcer 3] We've got to clear out,
Reese is going to crossover dribble.
She's down the lane,
leans in, the lay up is good!
Reese called it, the coach said run it.
Coach Mulkey,
asking for the crowd to rise. They do.
- [announcer 1] And that will do it.
- [buzzer]
[announcer 1]
LSU rolling here tonight.
- [crowd roars]
- [band plays]
[Mulkey]
God damn it, Angel fucking Reese.
You get up there and be a trooper
in that God damn press conference,
and they ain't gonna fuck with you
in my presence, you hear me?
[tense music]
What's up, guys? We've got Angel Reese,
Aneesah Morrow.
How happy are y'all to see me?
I know y'all are, here we go.
Let's have some fun here.
[indistinct chatter]
[moderator] Alright,
we'll open up the floor for questions.
[reporter] Angel, how did it feel
to be back on the floor?
It felt great.
I mean, I want people to realize that
I'm not just an athlete, I'm a human.
I go through things,
we all go through things.
And just being able to have so many people
that were super supportive to me
in this past week and a half
really showed me a lot.
I talk to Shaq every day.
He told me every day, like,
this too shall pass, this too shall pass,
this too shall pass.
He's been here before.
When you up, everybody love you.
When you're down
you see who really love you.
[reporter]
To what extent do you feel comfortable
sharing what you felt you needed
to reset, or did reset?
My mental health is the most
important thing before anything,
and I'm going to make sure
I'm okay before anything
because I don't want
to cause anything harm
or any cancer within the locker room.
So being able to take a reset to myself,
so whatever stories
that were wrote and written,
don't believe everything you read.
I mean, I'm back and I'm happy
and I'm here and I'm moving forward
and I'm going to take this team
and help take this team as far as I can.
[reporter]
Angel, last year at the Final Four,
I remember you saying
you needed Kim Mulkey in your life.
You still feel that way today,
and why or why not?
I'm going to say that today, tomorrow,
next year, till the day I die.
And that's just how I feel.
And I'm at LSU because of Kim Mulkey,
and that's how I feel.
[rap music]
[Johnson]
I just left my game.
Straight from the game, straight to
the show. You know what I mean?
- Whoa.
- [man] Oh, hell nah.
[Johnson] See? No problem.
Don't know what you're talking about, bro.
Baton Rouge is ridiculous, I'm sorry, bro.
[man] Oh, superstar.
[Johnson] Let's get this shit over with.
[man] A double-double tonight.
Slight work, easy.
17, ten, and four. Easy work.
[DJ] Come on, y'all can be louder
than that. Y'all ready for Big Flau?
- [crowd cheers]
- [DJ] Let's run it!
[Johnson]
Yeah. Hey which stage is it?
[man] This one right here.
Yeah. Miss NIL.
[Johnson] Hello? Watch out, watch out.
[repeats] Hold on, hold on, hold on.
I need y'all to make
some noise real quick.
[crowd roars]
I need y'all to say
"Jayden Daniels for the Heisman" on three.
Y'all know he need it! One, two, three!
[crowd yells indistinctly]
Ain't gonna lie, this whole season,
they've been talking about my team,
they've been talking my coaches,
all clickbait.
I wrote a song for it, I need
y'all to bump off for it, y'all ready?
- Let's go, yeah!
- [music starts]
[off mic] Oh, I'm cramping so bad!
[on mic] Let's go! Let's go!
Clickbait
Everything I do be going viral ♪
Louis on my leather
Got my laces throwing spirals ♪
Rappers, they been watchin'
I got 'em throwin' in the towel ♪
Did you think before you tweet?
Did you stretch before you reached? ♪
Did you check before you creaked?
Can't buy respect ♪
[crowd cheers]
- Let's go!
- [tv plays indistinctly]
I need to get up.
[exhales]
For me, it's hard to be present,
because it's a lot of work
on the court and off the court.
Come on, get up.
Since I was younger,
my mama always told me, like,
you can do whatever you wanna do.
There's no barriers. Don't let people
tell you what you can't do.
[chopping sound]
[Brooks] I think Flau'jae has lived
a life of two people right now.
The girl told me at five years old
that she was going
to take me around the world.
I have been everywhere for free
because of Flau.
[motor whirrs]
Some people don't get it, so they'll say
things like, "She's not even being a kid."
But for me,
I just feel like some demographics
just have more opportunities than others.
When you have an opportunity
as big as Flau'jae does,
you have to go right away.
You can't sit around and wait.
[shoes squeak]
[Johnson] S'up, bro?
- What's good?
- Come on, what's good?
The NIL side is
kind of like a job in a way.
- You in form for this?
- [Johnson] Yep.
Alright, let's go.
[Johnson] But, one day,
the ball is going to stop bouncing,
and you know, I'm not gonna be able to run
no more and my leg is going to give out.
I have to take advantage
of the short window that I have.
Oh, I'm so good at this game.
Oh yeah, bro.
[sounds of traffic]
[announcer] New York, New York.
Big city of dreams,
The 89th Heisman Trophy ceremony,
Saturday night, eight Eastern on ESPN.
Live from Lincoln Center.
[Regina]
We'll put your coat on.
We're just grateful that we're here.
A lot of people don't make it.
So we're just grateful
to being in New York
for the experience and the moment.
What happens from there,
that's all icing on the cake.
[trustee]
Gentlemen, on behalf of the Heisman Trust,
congratulations to each and every one of you.
To be named a Heisman finalist
is an outstanding achievement.
You represent the highest ideals
of excellence, perseverance, and teamwork.
But one of you is about to be immortalized
as the next member
of this elite and storied group
and be forever associated with the legacy
and ideals of the Heisman Trophy.
- I'm ready to go.
- Well, let's do it.
[trustee] This is the moment
you've been waiting for.
It is my great pleasure to announce
that the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner is
Jayden Daniels,
from Louisiana State University.
- [crowd cheers]
- [grand music]
[crowd cheers]
[Jayden] Being a college athlete
and winning this award
has always been a dream come true.
I'd like to turn to my family,
my rock, [laughs] my momma.
[Jayden laughs]
You were so nervous when I was
playing my first high school game.
But after that,
you never took your eyes off the field.
You always have my best interest at heart,
from day one.
You instilled in me the hardworking
mentality that got me here.
You encouraged me to always better myself
because you always
believed in me no matter.
[street crowd yells indistinctly]
[Daniels] I want to dedicate this award
to every boy and girl who has a dream.
How with faith and hard work,
you'd never know what was possible.
They said I was too skinny.
So I added weight.
And they said I was too quiet.
So, you know, I became more vocal.
I stepped out of my comfort zone.
And now I'm here today.
Learn how to block out the noise,
that you can overcome any obstacle.
And most importantly, you know,
be joyful about what you do,
- and never give up on your dreams.
- [crowd applauds]
[indistinct conversations]
- What's up, girl?
- Hey, coach. I'm a spectator today.
- That's alright. Cheer your teammates on.
- Ladies, good luck.
[announcer]
Set.
- [indistinct cheers]
- [somber music]
[indistinct conversation]
[man] You know, Alia talks about you
all the time. She's always like, you know,
[high-pitched] "I'm gonna make sure
my momma never has to work again."
- [both laugh]
- [Armstrong] I don't play, like,
I can't stand to see you work 13
I can't stand to see you work one hour.
I'm not working hard enough.
That's what that means. Mm-mm.
- Well. It's all going to pay off.
- [Armstrong] Yeah.
[Alicia]
So what's up with these NIL deals, ma'am?
- I mean, you know [laughs]
- Sheesh. I'm overwhelmed. I can't lie.
[Armstrong] I feel like people
weren't realizing my worth.
Mhm.
[Armstrong]
I've been always feeling like that.
I mean, being a track athlete, kinda.
A lot of people don't really, like,
prioritize track athletes.
- It's more like other sports, so
- [Alicia] Mhm.
I just felt like people
weren't realizing my worth.
I was getting frustrated
because like, I know who I am
and I know what I can do,
and nobody can do that.
The things that I do, nobody can really
do that. It's not easy to do what I do.
[man]
How is your injury now?
- [Armstrong] My injury?
- Yeah.
If it was up to me,
I wouldn't compete until NCAA.
- [Alicia] Okay. Just resting.
- If I'm being really honest.
- [Alicia] Do your treatment, your therapy.
- I'm not ready.
Like, I'm not ready.
That's really I'm being so for real.
- I'm a little nervous. I can't lie.
- [Alicia] Okay.
And the reason why I'm nervous
is because
- I just don't want a repeat of last year.
- [Alicia] Oh, yeah.
Like, ugh.
Last year, I had every opportunity
to do what I wanted to do,
and what I expected to do.
But I really just think that, like
- I just don't feel ready.
- [Alicia] Okay.
So I'm keeping faith.
- Okay.
- [Armstrong] I'm praying about it.
- I'm resting. I haven't gone nowhere.
- Good.
- Yeah, not as worried as you'd think.
- [Alicia] Okay.
- but I'm a human being.
- [Alicia] Right.
So that's all I have to say about that.
So Mom's going to
give you a little advice.
So if you're going to pray,
then don't worry.
But if you're going to worry,
then don't pray.
Yeah.
- [Alicia] Cause
- It's so hard.
[Alicia] The faith I know.
This is what you were born to do.
God is not going to take you to something
and not bring you through it.
Long as you get up
on all ten toes every day,
and go do your therapy
and do what you have to do,
you just have to trust the process.
- Alright?
- [Armstrong] Mhm.
[somber music]
[edgy music]