Category Archives: NFL Network

Rich Eisen, former Chicago Tribune stringer: ‘Couldn’t have done it without watching Wheeling High School football’

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My latest Chicago Tribune column is on Rich Eisen. He explains why Chicago always will have a special place in his heart. He also discusses the impact of NFL Network on its 10th anniversary.

You also can access the column via my Twitter feed.

From the column.

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Everyone starts somewhere. If you played high school football and basketball in Chicago in 1993-1994, there’s a chance Rich Eisen, long before he became the Rich Eisen, reported on one of your games.

As a graduate student in journalism at Northwestern, Eisen covered high schools Fridays and Saturdays for the Tribune.

“It helped put a few bucks in my pocket,” Eisen said. “I’d go to Palatine, Schaumburg, wherever they sent me. Collect the stats, get a quote and then phone it in to the desk.”

Eisen has fond memories of his short Tribune stint; there’s even a line about it in his NFL Network biography.

“I’m proud of it,” Eisen said. “I couldn’t have done it without watching Wheeling High School football.”

Thursday, Eisen returns to Chicago to cover another football game. He will anchor NFL Network’s pre- and postgame coverage of Bears-Giants from Soldier Field. Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock will be on the call for the game.

NFL Network is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. It was Eisen who brought the network on the air in November 2003.

The notion of a 24/7 channel dedicated to the NFL seemed ludicrous back then, especially since it didn’t have any live games. People also thought Eisen was crazy to leave a terrific gig at ESPN to hook up with the fledgling network, which opened with only 11 million subscribers.

Now in 70 million homes, Eisen believes NFL Network changed the sports landscape.

“Ten years ago, the NFL was not considered a year-round venture,” Eisen said. “Right before I left ESPN, someone suggested doing a NFL story in the spring. The person was laughed out of the room. Now you have live football shows daily on multiple networks. There’s no question in my mind, without this network, there would not be the sense that football is talked about every single day. There was no idea to do it. People didn’t think it would work. We showed that it can.”

One more time: Why isn’t Steve Sabol in NFL Hall of Fame?

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Just caught up with NFL Network’s excellent documentary on Steve Sabol, which aired Tuesday night. If you missed it, be sure to check the listings for the re-airs and make a point of watching and/or set your DVR.

It is that good. Here is a link to a clip.

The film ended with Sabol celebrating his father, Ed, going into the Hall of Fame. It was a deserving honor for Ed, the founder of NFL Films.

Yet as the documentary shows, it was Steve, the artist, who elevated NFL Films to an entirely new level. In the process, Steve’s vision and work elevated the entire NFL.

While watching the film, I found myself asking again and again: Why isn’t Steve in the Hall along with his father? Heck, forget about a bust; Steve should have his own wing. His impact on the game was that profound.

When he died in Sept., 2012, I noted that he should be in the Hall. Now another year has gone by, and he still isn’t in Canton. Time to correct this huge oversight in 2014. It really is beyond ridiculous.

What I wrote last year still stands:

He deserved to have his day at Canton, and we all deserved to hear his induction speech. You just know it would have been truly memorable.

 

Programming alert: NFL Network documentary on Steve Sabol tonight

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This one is personal for NFL Network. Without Steve Sabol, there might not be a NFL Network.

The official rundown:

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“I’ve Always Believed in Making Films That You Make the Little Decisions with Your Head, But You Make the Big Decisions with Your Heart.” – Steve Sabol

Rich Eisen Hosts ‘A Football Life: Backstory’ at 10:00 PM ET

As a filmmaker and as president at NFL Films, Steve Sabol was able to combine his two greatest passions: film and football. The result forever changed the way fans watched and connected with the game, and his life left an indelible mark on those who knew him personally and even those whom he had never met.

The two-time Emmy-nominated series which Sabol himself gave a name to – A Football Life – continues Tuesday, October 1 at 9:00 PM ET on NFL Network with a remembrance of the late president of NFL Films and one of the most influential people in the history of the National Football League.

The one-hour documentary features footage from classic NFL Films movies and interviews, family photos and old films of Steve, and time spent at home and with his family. Additionally, throughout the show, NFL Films employees read thousands of emails which were sent to Steve following his seizure in 2011, and individuals who Steve reached out to and inspired share their memories. It is a film about Steve told by those who knew him best – family, friends, co-workers – and those who didn’t know him at all.

Emmy-nominated actor from CBS’ The Good Wife, Josh Charles, narrates.

Steve Sabol: A Football Life includes interviews with the following people:

Ed Sabol – Steve’s father

Audrey Sabol – Steve’s mother

Blair Sabol – Steve’s sister

Penny Ashman – Steve’s wife

Carl Peterson – Former Kansas City Chiefs president/general manager/chief executive officer

Al Hunt – Haverford classmate

Ed Loosli – Colorado College classmate

Al Loosli – Colorado College classmate

Bruce Boyd – Colorado College classmate

Bob Ryan – NFL Films producer

Peter Berg – Film director

Pete Pranica – Television play-by-play announcer for the Memphis Grizzlies

Provided below are some select quotes from Steve Sabol: A Football Life:

– “I’ve always believed in making films that you make the little decisions with your head, but you make the big decisions with your heart.” – Steve Sabol

– “Life is great; football is better. Steve Sabol.” – Ed Sabol

– “I don’t think as I look back that Steve and I had a typical father-son relationship. I think we loved each other in a very quiet way. I think we got through life pretty good.” – Ed Sabol

– “My brother thought in frames and story, drama.” – Blair Sabol

– “I’ve never seen anyone so passionate to come to work every single day. His films were passionate. That was the element that was never used in sports films: passion.” – Bob Ryan

– “He truly was the face of the National Football League.” – Carl Peterson

– “Steve’s life was about vibrancy.” – Al Hunt

Following the episode, Rich Eisen hosts A Football Life: Backstory at 10:00 PM ET, a 30-minute show that provides a deeper look into the life and story of Steve Sabol. Joining the show will be Super Bowl winning head coach Dick Vermeil in-studio and former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski will be live from NFL Films.  Viewers will also have the opportunity to interact and offer their thoughts on Twitter by following @NFLNetwork and using the hashtag #AFootballLife.

Viewers can also interact with and follow the series on their phones and tablets with A Football Life Xtra. Located within the new NFL Mobile app, A Football Life Xtra features producer commentary, photos and artifacts from the NFL Films archives, and career stats and unique facts, as well as trivia games and polls on NFL legends. Visit NFL.com/xtra on your mobile device to download NFL Mobile. Additionally, every episode of A Football Life – as well as all NFL Network programming – is streamed live on NFL Mobile from Verizon, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Below is the broadcast schedule for the remaining October episodes of A Football Life:

  • October 8 – Matt Millen
  • October 15 – Michael Strahan
  • October 22 – Pat Summerall
  • October 29 – Warren Sapp

New NFL Network documentary on Revis: Total access during his rehab, off-season move to Tampa

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While Andrea Kremer didn’t necessarily wish for a player to tear an ACL, she threw out an idea last fall.

“I said, ‘What if an Adrian Peterson-type player gets injured like that? Why not follow him around during (his rehabilitation),” Kremer said. “Everyone looked at me like I had four heads. ‘Yeah, right.'”

Shortly thereafter, Kremer had her AP-type player when Darrelle Revis blew out his knee during week 3. Kremer, who covers health issues for the NFL Network, jumped into action, chronicling Revis’ difficult rehab and off-season saga, which saw him leaving the Jets and signing with Tampa Bay.

The end result is Darrelle Revis: A Football Life (9 p.m. ET, tonight, NFL Network). It is a deep inside look at what happens when a superstar’s career gets turned upside down and how he copes with adversity.

Kremer said it was an extraordinary journey for her and the production team. And it almost didn’t happen.

“Darrelle is a very private person,” Kremer said. “This is not his thing at all. We reached out to (his representatives) and said, ‘We have to do this all out. We have to be there before the surgery, during the surgery, and then right after that.’ They agreed to do it.”

Kremer said the day of the surgery stood out in particular for her.

“Here was this multi-million dollar athlete, an All-Pro,” Kremer said. “Yet in the hospital, he’s just like any other patient. The vulnerability factor stood out to me. You’re seeing him at his most vulnerable.”

Kremer said the production team had around 15 shoots with Revis during nearly a year of following him. She said the toughest was Revis’ first game back, which just happened to be at the Jets. Naturally, he was extremely nervous before the game.

However, Revis’ mother, Diana Askew, might have provided the most memorable clip from that day.

“She has a big personality,” Kremer said. “We were sitting with the family in a box, and she yells, ‘Go Jets.’ When we showed the video to Darrelle, he said, ‘What did she say?'”

Kremer said her biggest takeaway from the documentary was the vulnerability and uncertainty these athletes face when they are suddenly thrust into these situations.

“When it all is said and done, they are human,” Kremer said. “They have to deal with all the different things we do. It’s just under a bigger microscope.”

 

 

 

 

 

Nearly as many people watched Hall of Fame Game as MLB All-Star Game

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This is staggering when you consider that the vast majority of players in the Hall of Fame Game never will see a down of action during the regular season.

From Sports Media Watch:

Sunday’s Cowboys/Dolphins NFL Hall of Fame Game earned a 6.2 final rating and 10.1 million viewers on NBC, up 417% in ratings and 413% in viewership from Saints/Cardinals on NFL Network last year (1.2, 2.0M), but down 9% and 11%, respectively, from Cowboys/Bengals on NBC in 2010 (6.8, 11.3M).

Meanwhile, the All-Star Game, baseball’s marquee event, did a 6.9 rating with an estimated 11 million viewers tuning in.

There was this from SMW:

Among adults 18-49, Sunday’s game drew a 3.8 rating — up 322% from last year’s game on NFL Network (0.9), but down 10% from the 2010 game on NBC (4.2). The 3.8 rating is the highest in the demo for any television program since the NBA Finals in June, topping the MLB All-Star Game on FOX (3.2).

What does it mean? The ratings show the massive popularity for the NFL knows no bounds. Not so much for baseball.

 

 

 

New additions: Battista, Brown join NFL Network

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The New York Times’ loss is NFL Network’s gain.

The release on Judy Battista’s move:

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Veteran NFL reporter Judy Battista has joined NFL Media, it was announced today. Battista will start on August 5 and will file multiple stories per week on NFL.com to be used across all NFL Media platforms. Additionally, Battista will appear on NFL Network on a variety of shows.

Battista (@judybattista) joins NFL Media after almost 15 years with the New York Times, at which she has covered the NFL nationally since 2004. During her career with the New York Times, Battista also covered the New York Jets, as well as baseball, tennis and college basketball.

Prior to joining the New York Times, Battista – an APSE award-winning journalist – served as a reporter for Newsday and the Miami Herald. While with the Miami Herald, Battista covered Hall of Fame defensive tackle and current NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp at the University of Miami.

A graduate of the University of Miami, Battista lives in New York with her husband Anthony McCarron, a baseball reporter for the New York Daily News, and their daughter Grace.

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Jenn Brown also has found a spot after leaving ESPN.

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Two-time Emmy Award-winning sports reporter Jenn Brown has joined NFL Network, it was announced today. Brown will host NFL Total Access throughout the year starting tonight, as well as serve a variety of other roles for the network.

Brown (@JennBrown) joins NFL Network after eight years at ESPN as a reporter and host. For the past three years, Brown served as the sideline reporter for ESPN’s Thursday Night Primetime college football game, as well as for ESPN and ABC’s college football coverage on Saturdays. Additionally, Brown served as a reporter for ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Draft, College World Series, National Signing Day, Summer and Winter X Games, and the Little League World Series. As a host at ESPN, Brown co-hosted ESPNU’s college football show RoadTrip.

Prior to joining ESPN, Brown served as the first female correspondent for Inside the NFL on Showtime in which she contributed special interest features on NFL players, as well reports from the Super Bowl and the International Game in London.

Brown graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Florida where she was a four-year member of the Gator softball team. After walking on the team as a freshman, Brown was a team captain her senior year and finished her career third on the all-time Florida career stolen bases list.

Brown currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

NFL needs to lift restrictions: Twitter is essential part of following draft

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Just minutes before the beginning of the NFL draft, Adam Schefter sent out the following tweet:

As one GM texted Tuesday, “Going dark.” As requested, we’ll resume tweeting after 1st round is complete. Enjoy draft on ESPN or @ESPNNFL.

That was it. The NFL reporter with the largest Twitter following at 2.24 million people shut it down during perhaps the biggest Twitter night of the year.

I can almost guarantee that won’t happen in 2014. If you’re ESPN, you can’t allow the NFL to place restrictions on your reporters and muffle your No. 1 Twitter guy.

Last night reaffirmed for me that being on Twitter is an essential part of following the NFL draft. If you’re not on Twitter when those picks start flying, you’re missing out. The tweets don’t detract from the coverage; they enhance it.

I followed CBS’ Jason La Canfora, Yahoo!’s Michael Silver, SI’s Peter King and many others. Their tweets definitely enhanced my draft experience.

As promised in an interview with me, La Canfora vowed to tweet out the upcoming pick (if he got it) before the official announcement on TV. Sure enough, beginning with Detroit’s pick of Ziggy Ansah at No. 5, La Canfora started tipping picks throughout the rest of the first round.

Did it ruin the drama for me? Hardly. In fact, there is something empowering knowing the upcoming pick before the analysts chirping on ESPN and NFL Network.

There was a point in ESPN’s telecast where they debated a Twitter question from a viewer asking if the New York Giants should take Manti Te’o at 19?

“I like this linebacker Manti Te’o for the Giants,” said Jon Gruden as only he can.

Meanwhile, those of us on Twitter learned several minutes earlier that the Giants already had taken Syracuse offensive tackle Justin Pugh. For once, the viewer knew more than Gruden.

Besides, what’s so special about hearing Roger Goodell announce the picks? He’s not that exciting. So you know a few minutes ahead of time? Big deal.

Where Twitter really shines with the NFL draft is in capturing the rapid-fire intensity of the event. There’s a real-time tick-tock of activity that has an even quicker pulse than what you see on TV. The ESPN and the NFL Network telecasts can’t keep up with all the possible trade scenarios that happen in an instant. Twitter is much better at giving you the behind-the-scenes.

For instance, if you were on Twitter, you learned Minnesota GM Rick Spielman was hastily called out of a press conference, presumably to complete a trade with New England.

Also, if you weren’t on Twitter, you missed out on the Onion Sports Network spoofing the draft. For example:

Manti Te’o Only Draft Attendee Sitting In Metropolitan Opera House

And perhaps Onion’s best of the night:

Bills Fans Actually Excited About Former Backup For Christian Ponder

While all this was happening, I almost could feel Schefter’s twitchy Twitter finger. It had to be killing him to be relegated to the Twitter sidelines last night as evidenced by this tweet shortly after the first round:

And as i was saying before I was so rudely interrupted at 8 pm….Bet Geno Smith, Manti Te’o and no RBs wind up going in round one.

Don’t worry, Adam, it won’t happen again. I’m betting you’ll be in full Twitter mode for next year’s NFL draft.

 

 

 

 

Q/A with producer of Immaculate Reception documentary: Intense feelings 40 years later; Madden declines interview

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When Neil Zender tells people he is producing a documentary on the “Immaculate Reception,” the reaction usually is the same.

“It’s like Kennedy,” Zender said. “Everyone remembers where they were for the ‘Immaculate Reception.'”

Naturally, I tell Zender my story. I was 13-years-old on Dec. 23, 1972 and watched the game with my friend, Dale. He was a big Raiders fan, while I was beginning my infatuation with the Steelers. I recall going crazy when the ball miraculously fell in Franco Harris’ hands and he dashed in for the winning touchdown. It was one of my most profound memories as a young sports fan.

I’m sure you have yours, which is why tonight’s documentary A Football Life: The Immaculate Reception (NFL Network, 8 p.m. ET) figures to do a strong rating. Forty years later, the mystery over the most famous play in NFL history remains intense. Should it have been allowed to be touchdown, giving the Steelers a 13-7 victory?

Here’s the link to a preview.

Zender, the producer for NFL Films, and his crew cover all the angles. They dissect the footage, including some only recently discovered, and even try to incorporate physics into the equation.

The interviews with the old Steelers and Raiders show they still are fired up about the game 40 years later. However, one crucial person declined to be part of the film: Raiders coach John Madden.

Does the film produce a definitive answer about The Immaculate Reception? You’ll have to turn in.

Here’s my Q/A with Zender:

How did you approach this film?

I had insomnia one night. I was channel surfing and there was one of those shows about the Kennedy assassination. They were looking at the Zapruder film and still photos from all the different angles. I thought, ‘Why can’t we do that for the Immaculate Reception?’ Let’s try to figure out what happened.

How did the players react 40 years later?

The neat thing is to see how much this one play meant to so many people. Not just the players, but also the regular people.

Even the old Raiders got into it. Many of them have almost made a living talking about the play. It’s interesting. Even though the Raiders thought they were a victim of a great crime, it’s the Steelers players who are the first ones to point to all the suspicious things about the play. The fun for them is the mystery. They’d rather play up the mystery.

You have old footage of Madden talking about the play, but nothing new. Why did he decline to participate?

We talked to the coach several times. He felt he had talked about it plenty. I understood. How many people want to relive the worst day of their pro career? It still hurts too much for him.

What makes that play so special?

It couldn’t happen today. The great plays are dissected like autopsies. There are 50 gazillion cameras, and there would be all sorts of replays. The magic gets drowned out of it.

That didn’t exist back then. As a result, people project what they want to project on that play. It’s a pretty magical play. There are very few things left like that in life.

 

Marcus Allen: New NFL Network documentary features ups (great runs) and downs (feud with Al Davis)

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Next up on A Football Life: Marcus Allen (Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET, NFL Network).

Here’s a link to the preview.

The essential information:

“If God put one person on this earth to be a professional football player, it would have been Marcus Allen.” – Marty Schottenheimer

As a Heisman Trophy winner, a first-round pick, a Super Bowl and league MVP, and a Pro Football Hall of Famer, running back Marcus Allen is one of the most talented and decorated players in football history.

NFL Network’s Emmy nominated series A Football Life continues Wednesday, December 12 at 8:00 PM ET with a chronicle of Allen’s football career, from his time as a two-way star at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Diego, California, to becoming the first running back in college history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season at USC, and to his career with the Los Angeles Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.

The one-hour documentary includes a sitdown interview with Allen, who describes his football life extensively, including the tumultuous relationship he had with the late Raiders owner, Al Davis. Additional interviews include former teammates Ronnie Lott, Howie Long, Jim Plunkett and Matt Millen, broadcaster Al Michaels, former Raiders Director of Player Personnel Ron Wolf, and Allen’s parents, Harold and Gwendolyn Allen.

Marcus Allen: A Football Life also includes footage from Allen’s interview with Michaels on December 14, 1992 for Monday Night Football in which he spoke publically regarding his relationship with Davis at the time, as well as Allen lighting the flame in honor of Al Davis in Oakland in September, 2012.

Marcus Allen: A Football Life includes interviews with the following people:

Marcus Allen

Harold “Red” Allen – Marcus’ father

Gwendolyn Allen – Marcus’ mother

Marty Schottenheimer – Kansas City Chiefs head coach, 1989-98

Ronnie Lott – Teammate of Marcus at USC and with the Raiders

John Robinson – USC head coach, 1976-82, & 1993-97

Howie Long – Raiders defensive end, 1981-93

Al Michaels – Broadcaster

Ron Wolf – Former Raiders Personnel Director

Jim Plunkett – Raiders quarterback, 1979-87

Matt Millen – Raiders linebacker, 1980-88

Terry Robiskie – Raiders assistant coach, 1982-93

Carl Peterson – Chiefs general manager, 1989-2008

Tim Grunhard – Chiefs center, 1990-2000

Emmy-nominated actor from CBS’ The Good Wife, Josh Charles, narrates.

Following are select quotes from Marcus Allen: A Football Life:

– “If God put one person on this earth to be a professional football player, it would have been Marcus Allen.” – Marty Schottenheimer

– “There are two types of players: those who know and those who don’t. The smartest ones usually play the longest and [are] usually the most successful.” – Marcus Allen

 – “I never quite understood what made things go bad. To me, the whole thing was a waste of great talent and energy. If you don’t like me, let me go.” – Allen on his relationship with Raiders owner Al Davis

 – “He never complained. He knew that there was a sacrifice to be made for this team.” – Ronnie Lott on Marcus Allen playing fullback at USC

 – “There wasn’t one aspect of playing the position that Marcus didn’t excel at. You could name 20 running backs who were bigger, stronger, faster. You couldn’t name two or three running backs who were as versatile.” – Howie Long

 – “I can recall talking with Al about Marcus and he felt at some point that Marcus was getting bigger than the Raiders. He had a hard time with that because it was always about the Raiders. Whatever the split was, that caused that.” – Ron Wolf

 – “Al took him from a Hall of Fame running back and turned him into a fullback for Bo [Jackson]. Marcus did it, but we would go, ‘Why are we not using this guy?’ We knew something was up.” – Matt Millen

Tale of two legends: new documentaries examine careers and lives of Barry Sanders, Earl Campbell

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They had two different styles carrying the ball. Barry Sanders ran around people; Earl Campbell ran through them.

They also had two different lives after football. Sanders retired early long before his body burned out; Campbell wasn’t as fortunate. It is stunning to see the one-time beast in a football uniform struggle to walk.

The careers and lives of both legends are examined in two new documentaries. Still Standing: The Earl Campbell Story, produced by Ross Greenburg, airs tonight at 11 p.m. (ET) on NBC Network. Wednesday, Sanders is the latest subject of A Football Life on NFL Network at 8 p.m. ET.

Here’s the rundown on both films. Highly recommended.

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NBC Sports Network presents Still Standing: The Earl Campbell Story, a riveting documentary about one of the greatest running backs in the history of the NFL, and the touching life story that followed his retirement. Still Standing: The Earl Campbell Story, debuts Tuesday, December 4 at 11 p.m. ET/10 p.m. CT/9 p.m. MT/8 p.m. PT on NBC Sports Network.

Born in Tyler, Texas, to a family with 12 children, Earl Campbell began his life working the rose fields and living in a shack, where his brothers joked, ‘you could see the big dipper from your bed at night.’ His father, B.C. Campbell, died of a heart attack at the age of 50, when Earl was 11, leaving his mother, Ann, to raise all 12 Campbell kids.

After winning the Texas State Football Championship in his senior year at John Tyler High School, Campbell went on to the University of Texas, where in his senior year he won the coveted Heisman Trophy (1977). He became the No. 1 pick in the 1978 NFL Draft when the Houston Oilers traded with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the top pick in the draft, and the Oilers immediately chose Campbell.

Campbell’s Hall-of-Fame career was a highlight reel of running over those who would attempt to tackle him. Campbell’s 199-yard, four touchdown performance in a 35-30 win over the Miami Dolphins before a national audience on Monday Night Football in Week 12 of his rookie season is the signature individual performance of his career.

Halfway through the 1984 season, Campbell was traded by the Oilers to the Saints where he rejoined his mentor and coach Bum Phillips. He finished his career in New Orleans, retiring during the 1986 preseason, but he will always be remembered as the best of Bum’s Bunch in Houston.

After his retirement, Campbell battled five spinal surgeries, two knee replacements and an addiction to pain pills and alcohol. He was confined to a wheelchair for six years, but due to a successful spinal surgery performed by Dr. Stan Jones in Houston, and his sons Christian and Tyler convincing him to check into a rehabilitation center for his addictions, Campbell is still standing today. He is walking again, and tossed the coin at a University of Texas game in Austin earlier this season.

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For 10 seasons, Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders electrified the NFL with unbelievable runs while putting up prolific rushing numbers. Yet just before the start of the 1999 NFL season, as one of the league’s biggest stars, he quietly walked away from the game.

 NFL Network’s Emmy-nominated series A Football Life continues Wednesday, December 5 at 8:00 PM ET with a profile of one of the NFL’s greatest players who retired during the prime of his career. Barry Sanders: A Football Life examines Sanders’ incredible Hall of Fame career, his unexpected retirement and the reaction it garnered throughout both the NFL and the city of Detroit, and his relationship with his late father, William.

The one-hour documentary features a sitdown interview with Sanders in which he discusses his fascinating football life. The NFL’s third all-time leading rusher talks about how he was overlooked in high school, his decision to attend Oklahoma State, the unwanted media attention that came as a result of winning the Heisman Trophy award in 1988 and being an NFL superstar, and the lessons he imparts to his children, including his son BJ Sanders, a redshirt freshman running back at Stanford University.

Additional interviews include fellow Hall of Fame running backs Emmitt Smith and Curtis Martin, former teammates Thurman Thomas, Herman Moore, Kevin Glover and Lomas Brown, former Lions head coaches Wayne Fontes and Bobby Ross, and Hall of Fame guard for the Detroit Pistons, Joe Dumars, among others.

Barry Sanders: A Football Life also includes past interviews with his father and Barry reading the statement he released to the Wichita Eagle announcing his retirement for the first time publically.