FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 18th, 2020

JAMES CONNER ON SOCIAL INJUSTICE; EDDIE OLCZYK ON BELMONT STAKES — QUOTES FROM TODAY’S EPISODE OF THE RICH EISEN SHOW ON NBCSN

“We’re all with the movement and we’re ready to make change and bring awareness. We don’t have a set plan, but we’re definitely talking about it.” – James Conner on Steelers players discussing plans to peacefully protest this season

“If the Kentucky Derby were run tomorrow, he would be the favorite and he’s probably the best three-year-old when he is on his best.” – Eddie Olczyk on Belmont Stakes Favorite Tiz the Law

“In terms of what the owners’ intent is, it’s the same on both sides. It’s money. It’s just extract the most out of the deal that they can.” – Evan Drellich on negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 18, 2020 – Host Rich Eisen was joined on today’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN by:

  • Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner
  • NBC Sports Horse Racing and NHL on NBC analyst Eddie Olczyk
  • The Athletic MLB insider Evan Drellich
  • Actor Jason Sudeikis

Following are highlights from The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN:

James Conner on the upcoming NFL season: “We’re still waiting to hear on decisions that the league is making about if there’s going to be fans or if (the) season’s going to start on time, what we’re going to do with preseason games…I haven’t heard much. I hope that we can start on time. I’m itching to get back and get back to just playing football and being around my teammates and getting back into the swing of things, but we have to take all precautions necessary. I’m staying ready…I hope we get back soon, but I haven’t heard much about it.”

Conner on if Steelers players have discussed plans to peacefully protest this season: “We’re all with the movement and we’re ready to make change and bring awareness. We don’t have a set plan, but we’re definitely talking about it and seeing what’s the best way to go about this so we can make a difference.”

Conner on if he’s in a high-risk group for COVID-19 because of his previous battle with cancer: “No, I was talking to my doctor and I’m going on four years now from being cancer free, so my immune system is back up strong and healthy. Chemotherapy has run its course and that’s all out and it’s all done. So, I’m still going to stay safe…but as far as me being more vulnerable, no, because I’m 100% healed.”

Conner on his new memoir entitled Fear is a Choice: “I just believe that it’s human nature to have fear…but we also have choices that…we have to make every day. And so, fear is kind of the same form as you could say adversity, and it’s really hard to escape adversity…Mine just happened to be cancer, but…if there’s a death in the family or a hardship…there’s reason to have fear. There’s also a reason to believe that you can be better because of this adversity and come out on the other side better. I know people get scared of things all the time, but you have the opportunity to either fear it or go after it.”

Conner on the video of his father’s reaction after buying him a new truck: “It’s definitely much more than me just gifting him a truck. A lot of things we overcame and now the emotions from us being in that moment, you can see how we were interacting and stuff. So, it was special.”

Eddie Olczyk on Saturday’s Belmont Stakes at 2:45 p.m. ET on NBC: “Tiz the Law, the eight horse — if the Kentucky Derby were run tomorrow, he would be the favorite and he’s probably the best three-year-old when he is on his best, and right now he is doing well in New York…Let’s put it all in perspective — we know what the real world is, this horse racing world is in another world and it’s entertainment…I’ll be working from home, which I’m looking forward to.”

Olczyk on his preferred tickets: “The two horses that I’m actually going to build all of my tickets around are the eight and nine horses. Tiz the Law is the eight horse, he’s going to be the favorite, and I’m also going to use the nine horse, Dr Post…I’m going to build the majority of my tickets around the eight and nine, but I think you certainly have to use the two horse, Sole Volante, maybe as a horse underneath.”

Olczyk on Tiz the Law: “Tiz the Law, 6-5 morning line, meaning if you bet five, you win six. I don’t think you’re going to get 6-5. I think you’re probably going to get more like 3-5…If you don’t like Tiz the Law, you’re going to get paid, but he certainly looks like the horse to beat.”

Olczyk on Dr Post: “This is a really talented horse who’s coming into his own…With the pandemic, in horse racing and all of our lives, we got put on hold for a period of time. No difference in horse racing, this horse would not have made the Triple Crown in a normal year just because he did not mature enough or quickly enough to get him to the races in his three-year-old year. So, I’m going to be playing all of my tickets around the eight-nine, nine-eight, and hopefully turning that 3-5 shot in Tiz the Law into 8- or 9-1. So, I would advise anybody that’s looking to play and get their feet wet to make sure that they use the nine, Dr Post.”

Evan Drellich on MLB’s most recent proposal to the MLBPA: “The players are sitting there now looking at it saying, “This isn’t that much different money-wise than what it would be if you just implemented that 50-game season you were threatening to implement. So, we want some more games here,’ and the league is saying, ‘Wait, I thought we had a deal.’ So, even when they have a nice face-to-face meeting and make progress, there’s something dragging everybody down.”

Drellich on why the continued negotiations took place: “If the Commissioner had gone forward and just implemented a season, it would have brought a grievance and the owners don’t want to deal with the grievance. They don’t want to deal with playing a season, putting out the money to do that, and then worrying that the players are going to come back over the top and they’re going to have to owe the players hundreds of millions, if not a billion dollars. I think there was a realization that everybody is better off with a deal.”

Drellich on MLB continuing negotiations: “I think they always knew that the grievance would be there, but the union position was pretty clear that it’s coming no matter what. It wasn’t this kind of thing that was looming as a, well, maybe they might do it, right? The league felt like the union was making clear it was going to happen, and so that scared the owners off. But in terms of what the owners’ intent is, it’s the same on both sides. It’s money. It’s just extract the most out of the deal that they can.”

Drellich on the negotiations: “There is a cynical read on what the owners are up to right now, but the fact that they did get to the same point of full prorated (salaries), the fact that the league has now made an offer — speaking the players’ language on that one point leads me to believe we’re going to get somewhere.”

Jason Sudeikis on the return of his Tottenham Coach Ted Lasso character: “He sure is (returning) in a big, bold way. For those commercials we made back in 2013, 2014, we topped out at about five minutes…We’ve got 10 episodes, 30 minutes a piece. Three hundred minutes of Ted Lasso.”

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