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“Historic Heisman Speech” Among Veterans Day Pieces
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 10 a.m. ESPN2)

https://youtu.be/26G4z2k_8Qc

As the 70^th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor approaches, Outside the Lines will commemorate the only University of Minnesota football player to win the Heisman Trophy, Bruce Smith, as part of a special Veterans Day program. OTL will present the recently re-discovered audio recording of Smith’s acceptance speech which he was compelled to re-write for the ceremony which took place two days after the attack. Hosted by Bob Ley, the show will also feature a look at Penn State football player Patrick Byers; a Navy diver who collected remnants of the Pearl Harbor attack, and the lost playing time of several Major Leaguers whose careers were interrupted by World War II.

“America will owe a great debt to football when we finish this (war) off. It keeps millions of American youngsters like myself hard and able to take it, and come back for more. It teaches team play and cooperation, and eggs us on to go out and fight hard for the honor of our school, and likewise, that same spirit can be depended on when we have to fight like blazes to defend our country.” – Bruce Smith, during his Heisman acceptance

Brees’ Military Conviction Takes him on Global Road Trip
Sunday NFL Countdown (Sunday, 10 a.m., ESPN)

https://youtu.be/sC60xFTCOWQ

Drew Brees is a visible supporter of the U.S. military. He posted a photo of himself training with Navy SEALs in Arizona this summer doing hand-to-hand combat exercises, got his 2009 pre-game huddle speech from Marines, and has done five tours with the USO to visit countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Japan. Brees’ respect for the military started with his grandfathers who both served in World War II, and the Saints quarterback talks about how their service inspires him to honor the men and women serving today. Rachel Nichols reports.

“Okinawa was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had, mainly because I did actually get to stand on the beach where my grandfather stormed in 63 years previous… I’m in the spot where he stormed in as a 19 year old kid, and I’m looking at the hillside that you basically have to climb that is dense, tropical rainforest looking terrain, and I’m just sitting there thinking, ‘Grandpa, what were you thinking?’” — Drew Brees

Les Miles Real No. 1 Team?
ESPN.com

All parents struggle with work-life balance, and few parents have their work lives as scrutinized as football coaches. Already legend – “The Mad Hatter,” the gambler who eats grass — few coaches are as scrutinized as LSU’s Les Miles. As his top-ranked Tigers prepare to face No. 2 Alabama he’s become improbably more visible, and fights to find time to remain involved in the lives of his four children, ages 8 to 17. Wright Thompson reports this Outside the Lines piece.

Raiders CEO Trask Driven Like Mentor, Al Davis
ESPN.com

Amy Trask is arguably the most powerful woman in the NFL, and as CEO of the Oakland Raiders must help lead the franchise following the death of its storied leader, Al Davis. ESPN.com reporter Elizabeth Merrill writes:

“Oakland Raiders CEO Amy Trask is witty and polite and talks for more than an hour on the phone, but doesn’t reveal much. She stands 5-foot-3 and weighs just a shade over 100 pounds, this tiny woman in a big-boy world, but is nearly impossible to pin down. Maybe that’s the lawyer in her. Maybe that’s how Trask, a former Raiders intern, became one of the select few to gain Al Davis’ trust.”