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[00:00:00] Last season, New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr said Taysom Hill is the best football player I've ever played with. He also called Taysom the nicest person in the world. NFL broadcaster Ross Tucker said of Hill, he's like the perfect football player. And yet, year after year, it's seems injuries have kept Hill from reaching his full potential.

In college at Brigham Young University, Hill suffered season ending injury after season ending injury. And just this year, he suffered a season ending ACL injury in a game where he'd taken snaps at quarterback, running back, tight end, wide receiver, and fullback. And yet, Hill says he knows he's been in the exact position the Lord wanted him to be in all along.

Hill was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho, where he played football, basketball and ran track in high school following an impressive collegiate career, albeit plagued by injury at Brigham Young University, where he played quarterback. Taysom Hill went undrafted in the 2000 17 NFL draft, but was eventually signed as an undrafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers before ultimately landing a spot on the New Orleans Saints active roster in eight seasons playing in the NFL.

Hill has made a name for himself in the league with many saying there's never been another player quite like him. This is All In an LDS.

Living podcast, where we ask the question, what does it really mean to be all in the gospel of Jesus Christ? I'm Morgan Pearson, and I am so honored to have Taysom Hill on the line with me today. Taysom, welcome. Thanks for having me. Yeah, this is great. Well, anyone who listens to this show at all, uh, knows that I am a sports junkie.

I I I Watch way too many sports and care too much about sports. But you have been a bucket list interview for me. So now that I've marked that one off, I can just sail off into the sunset and be happy. Well, I don't know about that, but, uh, the pressure is on, I guess, but I do appreciate, you know, appreciate all that you're doing and appreciate you having me on.

Well, I enjoyed, I enjoyed the prep for this interview and you are, you're well spoken and have a lot to share. So to start off, I wondered if we could start with, I didn't know that even going into high school, there were very high expectations for you, not just because you were athletically talented and gifted, but also because you had older siblings who had been talented as well and who had gone on to play college sports.

And I wondered if we could start there. I'm always curious about like the home that people were raised in and, and wondered, would you say that, that with you and your siblings, it was nature or nurture or a combination of both that, that allowed you to be so successful athletically? Yeah, it's a, it's a great question.

And I don't know that I, I have the exact answer, um, for that, but you know, I think that I was the benefactor of being the youngest of four in my family. And I always tell people, I was like that little kid at halftime at basketball games that was running out onto the court, shooting the ball and, you know, always, you know, causing trouble and stuff.

But, you know, I, I tagged along to all the sporting events. So ever since I was really, really little, I always had a basketball in my hand or football as I went to all my older siblings games. So I felt like, um, I was just raised around it. Um, I didn't feel any expectation, uh, for myself, but you know, I really, really looked up to all my older siblings.

So I wanted to be like them and, and they all played sports. And so it was just like, And then I think just like anything else, if you start to see success in certain areas, then, you know, it's something that you really enjoy and, and that just like took off for me at an early age. Um, As far as like how my parents, I think it's a, I think it's a great question.

I know that, you know, my dad actually just mentioned something to me a few days ago where he grew up, he grew up on a farm and he didn't have a ton of opportunities when it came to athletics. And so when he was raising us, he wanted to. Create as many opportunities for us as possible. Um, and I would say that my parents supported but never pressured.

Like I never felt [00:05:00] any pressure, I never felt any expectation. My parents showed up to every sporting event, but they were never in the stands yelling or anything like that. So I felt like they. Um, and that's, that's the environment that my, my parents created for all of us. And I would say, as I got to high school, you, you mentioned like filling expectations.

Like I, I did fill a lot of expectations on, on a couple of different levels. I felt like going to Highland high school where I went, um, My freshman year, like I started walking through the halls and I would have coaches like say stuff to me about like, Oh, you're, you're, you're the, you're the last hill.

And, um, as you mentioned, I had three other siblings that all went and played college sports at some level. And so there was expectations that way, but there was also expectations about being, you know, good, a good kid and being a good student and treating, treating people the right way. My wife and I have conversations like this a lot of how, how are we going to raise our kids?

You know, what sort of pressure and expectations are going to be on them. And I do think that there's such a thing as like a healthy balance of expectations. You know, I was really grateful that when I got to high school, that people expected me to be a good person because my siblings were. You know, I'm really grateful for the example that they set for me.

And then I also think that because I saw my older siblings go on to be successful, not only in high school, but in college, it just raised the bar for me. Like I knew that I'd be capable of doing those things because I saw them do it because I saw them go play college sports as I was growing up. I always wanted to play college sports.

That was like, you know, my, my number one goal as an athlete. I love that you brought up that idea of, you know, because of your siblings, because your siblings were good people, you felt a responsibility and an expectation to be a good person. I think throughout this interview, as I prepped, I found myself having questions.

My plan was not this, but as I prepped, it was like all these questions, many of them have to do with who you represent, um, whether it's your family or. your church or a team. And so I think there, there'll be kind of a, an interesting theme as we go along, but I think you're right that that is threading that needle of healthy expectation versus unhealthy, I think is a really hard thing.

And I admire the fact that your parents were able to do that in a way where it was like, We show up and we do everything that we can to help our kids reach our goals, but we don't push or, or take that to an unhealthy level. So I think that's, that's admirable. Yeah, we, we were, we were far from perfect, you know, we all whatever in terms of expectations.

But I also think something that my parents did that was really helpful was my identity of like my self worth was never connected to.

And so I don't know how they were, they were able to accomplish that, but they would acknowledge me doing well in school. They would acknowledge how hard I was playing. They would acknowledge all of these other attributes instead of saying like, you guys won this game. They, they acknowledged all the things that led to that.

So I've just never felt that my identity was, was tied to me and my success as an athlete. It's a really good insight into how to do that. Taysom, you have said that your experience in sports caused you to believe really strongly that that kids need great coaches at all levels, and that that's something that you've thought about as a father of young boys.

I wondered, what do you think are the most important characteristics of a coach at any level? And maybe, I don't know if you want to share examples of, of a coach or two who you feel like has, has epitomized what it means to be a great coach. Yeah. Yeah. It's a great question. I have talked about this a lot as I've gotten older and there have been.

Really influential teachers of mine as well that, you know, I haven't necessarily spoken of, but as, as a, as a young energetic boy, you know, the things that you always talk about that you enjoy most is, is playing sports and it's [00:10:00] obviously it's not everybody. And so when you think about what you enjoy most, and if you have a coach that's helping you achieve these things, well, you realize the platform that they're going to have to help.

Young kids, you know, whether it's high school, junior high, and you realize that these are ages where you can really help them learn and understand different principles, it's going to help them be successful and just be a good person. So I think the first thing that comes to mind is, is, um, you know, we all play sports to win.

There's, there's obviously no doubt about that. And. But I think that some, some times and, and people sometimes take that too far, you know, that they're, they're willing to jeopardize different standards, right? Or how do you, how do you cheat in certain ways to gain a competitive advantage? And I think kids are really observant.

Kids are really aware. And um, I think doing things the right way, um, is a really important lesson that, you know, at the end of the day, um, we're all trying to win everything that, that, that we're doing, right. But it's, it's doing it in the right way. And if you have a coach that can instill that principle, I think that that is, is really, really important.

The other thing is I think about the power and influence that a coach can have and what I would say has helped me the most is I think it's important as a coach that your players understand that you believe in them. You know, if, if you have a coach that you don't feel is supporting you or believes in you, uh, that's a really, really tough environment to play in.

You know, and I've had, I've had, um, coaches and, and I'll highlight just a couple. I think about my first special teams coordinator that I had and my first. Head coach in the NFL was, was Sean Payton and Mike Westoff. Those guys started doing things with me that I had never done in my entire life, you know, and we're not talking about like doing this in the league.

Like these guys were doing this in the NFL and I remember having conversations with them. And the night before the game, I was having a conversation with Sean and we were, we always had like this little routine that QBs would meet and then we'd go eat together and we were sitting there at the table.

Night before the first game that I was going to play it. And, um, Sean just made a quick comment, like, you know, asked about how it was feeling, getting ready. Like you're getting ready to play your first NFL game tomorrow. And, um, he just said, man, you're going to do great. And, uh, I can't, I can't wait. And I had very similar conversations with our special teams coordinator where he had downplayed what I was doing so much because he told me over and over again that like, he knew I could do it and he believed in me.

And so I think that that for me, as I look at where my NFL career has gone, who was a really important part of it that led to my success. And. It wasn't just words. You know, I think that the kids in the locker room is really intuitive that they can see through a coach or situations where you're not authentic and genuine.

And these guys would say all of these things, but then every week there was a new opportunity for me. So I knew that it wasn't just them talking because I saw what was happening on the field. I think that that's been the thing, Taysom, that's been so fun to watch you as a fan, people have often referred to you since seeing what Sean Payton did with you as a coach, they've referred to you as a Swiss army knife because you can, it just seems like you can play any position or do anything that they put you out on the field to do, but in order to be able to do that, you had to have a coach who could see that ability in you and was willing to, to take a chance.

And we all need people who take chances on us. People who believe in us and see, see our, our potential. You mentioned the first point that you made was, you know, doing things the right way and wanting to win, but not letting that be done in the wrong way. In high school, Taysom, you were playing in a football game and there is a video on YouTube.

And I had never heard about this play until I was prepping for this. But there was a play where a team on the kickoff sent a player. Instead of the normal, like coming back to receive [00:15:00] and blocking for the kicker, they just came right at you and the play is on YouTube. People can watch it. Taysom gets rocked and I, I watched that and I just was like, this is wild to see.

I wondered, you said that that that play like really kind of rocked your world, not just physically, but because you had never dealt with. You had always had a very positive experience with sports. So I wondered if you could talk a little bit about how from that point forward you learned to deal with negativity in sports from kind of the mental toll that that play took on you.

Yeah, it's, it's a great question. You know, I, that was a really, that was a really hard moment for me truthfully. And the weekend was, was really hard for me. And I think as I've gotten older and we talk about this, you know, you obviously have different experiences that help, you know, make you who you are or form your opinions.

And you were asking about, man, what what's the importance of a coach. And I think about that instance so many times when I think about this, right? Because that coach was willing to jeopardize It's a 17 year olds athletic career, you know, to win a football game. Right. And like, that is, that is really, it's shocking to me, you know?

And, um, so I think as a coach, you, you just, you have this unique and you have this responsibility, you know, to use that platform to help mold. Um, and so what made that so hard for me, I think up until that point, as we talked about, sports had been such a bright spot in my life. I had so much fun at all. My friends played sports.

Like we played little league. We got junior high and then up to high school and I had so much fun doing all of that. And, um, In that moment, I, I couldn't, as a 17 year old kid or 18 year old kid, I could not make sense of what just happened. I couldn't understand why grown men would try to hurt me. You know why grown man would like tell a player to go and try to take me out of the game.

Like I, I could not make sense of that. And so I, I did finish the game. I ended up getting a quad contusion because of the hit and just, you know, Suffered through the rest of the game and we finished it and I remember just like being so grateful when the game was over. Truthfully, it was the first time in my life that I didn't enjoy playing football.

And I received a phone call after from one of my teachers and um, She, she was really, really frustrated. And I remember she just, she called me and she starts crying. I started crying. Um, and we talked about that and then, you know, I went home and I was just trying to make sense of that. Like why would it had brought in so much joy and I had committed to Stanford at the time, you know?

So I, I just, it was a really hard, it was a really hard time for me. And I think since I am grateful because it has taught me the importance of You know, coach and, and what they can do for, for young men and young women at that age. But yeah, I, I, I think that that, uh, I think that because of that experience, it taught me how, especially at that age, how important the high school coaches.

At that time, you were committed to go play football at Stanford under Jim Harbaugh, who at the time was the coach at Stanford. We all, well, sports fans know Jim Harbaugh's name because what he's done since. But you were dead set on serving a full-time mission for, for the church. How did you, this is something that I've always wondered and have never asked, but I feel like a 17-year-old boy who is having probably even younger than that, when you began being recruited, you're having conversations with these.

big name coaches at programs that are not affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and saying, like, I plan to serve a mission for two years. So this is what this would mean for my recruitment. I wondered, how did those conversations go? How did you prepare for those? And what did you learn from the responses of those coaches?

Because I would imagine that they're [00:20:00] varied. Yeah. Um, I don't, I don't have like a specific age that I could tell you that I said I was going to go and serve a mission, but it was always, it was always something that I knew that I needed to do. I, I recognize that I had been born into a wonderful family.

We talked about my parents and my upbringing and how they loved and they supported me through everything. And they still to this day support me and, you know, now they're grandparents to my little boys. And I recognize that I recognize that I had been given a lot athletically. And I'm not, I'm not trying to diminish, like I did work hard and I have worked hard, but I recognize that I had.

I've been significantly blessed. And so, you know, it's funny as a 18 year old, I always had this expectation that I was going to go and serve, but it was because I had recognized that God had been so good to me and I wanted to give back and. I kind of laugh about that because, you know, for, for everyone that has served a mission, you realize that you go out and serve and you realize that the life that was changed was yours.

And that was no different for me. The experiences and what I learned as a missionary has, has formed me into the man that I am today. And, you know, there's not a day that that goes by that I don't benefit from the experiences that I had there. I felt this way from an early age. And so when I started to get recruited, that was always one of my first things that I said to coaches.

And as you mentioned, I think that there was varying responses. Jim specifically in Stanford, I was I was really grateful because it also let me know that he really just wanted me. And he told me, he was like, man, if I, if I have to wait two years to get you, like I'll wait two years to get you. I just, I want you here and I need you here.

And then obviously there are conversations with schools like BYU and Utah, you know, specifically BYU. They, they. Courage did, you know, we'd love for you to go serve because of the value that they, they see in a mission, but yeah, it's certainly closed doors on other opportunities to go play at the next level, which I was totally okay with.

And, you know, there was definitely opposition. I would say I had people that I was close to that were not members. There was one, one person in particular that I swear I'm exaggerating a little bit by saying every day, but it was pretty frequently that he would kind of pull me into his office and say, Hey, uh, you know, I was thinking about this, like, what if you went and played first and then if you got hurt or something, you could always go and serve your mission then, or you could go and play and then go serve your mission at that point.

And there was like always something, you know, that was kind of. Work in me. And, um, I remember having conversations like that, but, uh, it was truthfully, it was kind of a non negotiable for me.

I, I think that, you know, a mission for anyone is, is a sacrifice. Um, like you said, I think you come out on the other end and you recognize. It's, it pays dividends, but, but it is in the beginning, I think it's a sacrifice, but I think especially for someone who had all this opportunity and, and to, to take two years away from that, I think, especially for athletes can be a tricky, can be a tricky thing.

So I admire you for, for being committed to that decision. You ended up ssom at BYU, uh, instead of Stanford because Jim Harbaugh left Stanford while you were on your mission. You have said that ending up there is a sacred experience and obviously I don't want you to share more than you feel comfortable sharing, but.

You've said that one of the reasons is that you feel like you were supposed to be at BYU to meet your wife, Emily. I wondered, what can you share with us about that? Yeah. Oh, you're asking me, you're asking me the tough questions here. Yeah, that was, that was an interesting experience. You know, I'll just, I'll, I'll say this.

I remember as a missionary, just because it was kind of funny. My parents would start to receive a few emails from coaches because when you sign a letter of intent, it's only binding for 18 months. And so once that had [00:25:00] passed, it was like, I can start to be recruited again. And so I remember getting a call from my mission president and he was like, Hey, everything's okay, but.

You need to call your parents. And this was a time where like, you, you talked to him twice a year, you know? And so I was like, what's, what's going on? So I called, called my dad and, you know, and then he just said, Hey, there's a few coaches that want to talk to you and Bronco being one of them. And so my mission president was awesome.

Who he was also a BYU fan. So I think he, he also had a vested interest in some of these things. So I don't know, I was maybe 13, 14 months into the mission field and, and I'm taking calls with, with Stanford and, and BYU and, you know, Bronco and having conversations, what that would look like. And ultimately it was the right decision for me, as you mentioned, to, to go to BYU for, for a lot of reasons, honestly, I could talk about this for a really, really long time about.

Why BYU is the right place for me, but I, I do think that you, you hit the nail on the head. Um, I, I feel really strongly that I was supposed to have met Emily and, and that we were supposed to be married and sealed and I'm not going to get into all the details, but I had, it was, it was the most spiritual experience that, that I've had in my life that, that led me to believe that, or led me to.

To Emily and, you know, now we're here, we've been married for, see, it'll be 11 years in a couple of months and we've got two little boys, but, but my time at BYU has been such a highlight for me. I loved, I loved my, my time there and I think is what I realized because a lot of people said to like. Hey, you could go to Stanford and be a member of the church and, and stick out and be a great ambassador.

And what I've realized is that there's, there's nothing like going to BYU and having the opportunity to play for and, and represent. the church, you know, and, um, there's just no other platform that, that you can have as powerful as that. You obviously took that, that responsibility to represent the church very seriously.

I think you've, it's clear in watching you play in the NFL that you continue to take, to take that seriously, knowing that people know that you're a member of the church, but what did you learn as you As at BYU, some people may not know this, that you, in addition to, to playing football, you sometimes on road games will do firesides and speak and, and you said that that actually carried with it a lot of pressure and, and sometimes that was hard.

What did you learn from that? Even after having served a mission about being a witness and representative of Jesus Christ. Yeah. I mean, I, there is, I still remember to this day, you know, I, I came in and I played a few games as a freshman before I got hurt. But I remember my sophomore year, they named me the starter after spring ball.

And I remember feeling the weight. Of like being the starting quarterback at BYU. And so when an opportunity to go speak at a fireside or go up on campus and represent the football team and stuff, there was a lot of opportunities like that. And just being around town. People, people had certain expectations of you as, you know, the starting quarterback there and as a return missionary and so forth.

So I still remember all of those feelings and trying to manage, making sure that I'm on top of my schoolwork, doing everything I needed to, to be a good football player, you know, but then be a good ambassador for the team and the university. And that was something that I think, I, I grew into that. You kind of learn with time of how to manage your time and do what you can when you can.

And I am forever grateful for those experiences. And it's not just, it's not just as a, as a football player in the community, I've become so close with so many professors, like there's. I've been surrounded and, and we mentioned and talked about this, you know, that I've been the benefactor of, of so much goodness.

I've been around so many good people that have helped me and influenced me in such positive ways [00:30:00] that I will forever be grateful for. Taysom, during your time at BYU, you went through some, some really difficult things. You mentioned already one season ending injury and we'll get into that, but another thing that you went through was you, you lost your older brother and prior to his passing, some fans may remember you wore the number four, but.

After that, you have worn the number seven ever since you said that it was a public way to pay tribute to, to your older brother, who you called your first quarterback coach. What has it meant to you to be able to continue to honor your brother? I, I, I. Thought about it as I was prepping. I remember when you changed your number.

I was interning at Deseret news, I think, and wrote a story about like Taysom Hill changes number. And I had the thought, I was like, wow, it's cool that you continued to wear that number. So talk to me a little bit about what that's meant to you. Yeah. I apologize in advance. It's a little challenging for me to talk about.

I've talked about the importance of my family and I really do feel like I'm where I'm at today because of my family and my older siblings influence on me as I think about my brother Dex. There's, there's like such a vivid memory that I had growing up and he was six years older than me. Right. So for those of you guys who are, you know, if you have a sibling that's six years younger than you, I'm a little bit easier to relate to because I was like the little annoying one that was six years younger than him.

But we would go out in our front yard and there was like a big street light that Was created enough light for us to go play basketball and throw the football. And I have so many vivid memories of, of he and I out in the front yard, uh, having throwing competitions and we would like run little routes for each other and we would grade the throw and the timing and everything else.

And I think about that. You know, I'm, I'm like 11, 12 years old or 10 years old and he's 16, 17 year old. And he's like the starting quarterback at the high school. And I'm like, what, what older sibling does that? That's six years older. You know, and, uh, he, he really, he was, he was, uh, he was the guy that first taught me, you know, how to throw, honestly, he's the most competitive guy I've ever been around.

So when he passed away, I think the hardest thing for me. You know, we went and did the funeral and everything. And the hardest thing that I wrestled with was, you know, what can I do that, that Dex is just not a memory. And I felt a little bit, I felt guilty about just moving on and not having him part of my life.

And so The thought occurred, he wore number seven when he was in college and one of my good friends was gracious enough to let me wear the number my last year in college. And so that was, that was one thing that stuck out to me. That's, that's something that I could do that where his spirit will live on and that I will will not forget.

The influence that he had on me. And as I think about it, you know, my parents, my parents have a Jersey at their house, but you know, when they think about the Jersey with the number seven and our last name on it, it just hits everybody. It's everybody differently. And that's something that will always be around.

So that's what I wrestled with. And I still wrestle with it. You know, how do I find ways to, to make sure that. You know, that, that he lives on and, and so that was, that was really the motivation. Well, I had the thought as I was thinking about that and, and again, listening to you just now had a thought, like, it's cool to think we all, all represent different things and you represent the last name that's on the back of your Jersey.

But throughout your career, that number has allowed you to also represent your brother and, and what an. He, he has to be so, so proud of you. You Taysom have dealt [00:35:00] with season ending injury after season ending injury, uh, most recently in this last season. And you, you dealt with that in college, you've dealt with it in the NFL.

And I wondered, there, there are likely people that look at your career and they think, how can this guy continue to trust God when it feels like he's always dealing with injury? Why can't God keep you healthy? And I wonder what would you say to those people? Yeah, that's such a good, such a great question, man.

I, I honestly, I, there's no part of me that ever questions God's goodness. You know, I remember I had a conversation when I was in college and this was, uh, Oh, I'm trying to think it may have been 2014. So I just, or 15, I may have just had two back to back season ending injuries. And I had a conversation with president Uchtdorf and, He, he just told me that, you know, if the Lord, the Lord needed you on the football field, playing football, making plays right now, then you would be there, but he doesn't.

And so now it's your responsibility to figure out where he needs you. You know, and, and I'll be honest, I, I have had way too many experiences with the goodness of God that I do not ever think about these injuries as God's doing and that I'm suffering as a result of, of, uh, you know, God not preventing this.

So I think. If I was to have a conversation with people struggling with that, I think that my challenge would be is, can you take a step back and look at your life because, and I know people deal with so many challenges and. And really hard things, but my experience and what I have come to know is that, is that God is aware of all of us.

And if you take a step back and you look for God's hand in your life, I promise. You'll find it. And I can look at every injury. I can look at the path of how I ended up at BYU and, you know, how I'm, I'm here sitting in front of you having this conversation and God's hand has been involved in every detail.

So I think that's, I think that would be the challenge that, that I would give to somebody who might struggle with that.

That is so well said and, and I appreciate you, you answering that question so candidly. I think about how even you ended up in New Orleans and It's clear that you've, you were meant to have the coaches that you've had, you, you mentioned earlier what that has meant, but you also had a teammate, I think, that believed in you and saw potential in you, who is also a Christian and a man of faith.

And so as I was listening. Uh, other interviews that you've done, you've talked a lot about Drew Brees and his willingness to let you in and kind of allow you to job shadow him as an NFL quarterback. But I wondered with him also being someone who's been. Open about his faith. How did his example, on and off the football field, as a man of faith and a Christian impact you?

I think as a young player in the NFL, every gm, every vet, every everybody, I think would say the same thing to a rookie. Find a vet that's figured it out and figure out why he's been able to stick around for so long. You know, I think that the unique thing about Drew is. I would say it's, it's pretty unique that drew let me in the way that he did.

I don't think that that is super common around the NFL and drew, uh, I mean, I was like, we talk about big brother, little brother. I was like the annoying little brother that just followed drew around everywhere, you know? And I had this, I had this conversation with our quarterback coach at the time. We were kind of talking and, you know, about maybe some footwork or, you know, learning the position or playing the position at, uh, in New Orleans.

And, and he finally just looked at me. He was like, dude, just just do what he does as he's pointing to Drew. [00:40:00] And, and that's really what I did. And, and Drew was gracious enough to let me tag along and. He would, he would wake up early, he would stay late and I would wake up early and I would go in with him and I would stay late with him.

I just followed his routine. I did what he did and I don't think that he would care that I shared this, but you know, Drew would start his morning, we would get in there early and he would always start his morning by reading the scriptures. And I think, I think there's a perception about the NFL. And, uh, and some of that's probably true, it is true, but there are so many wonderful people that I have gotten to know through my time in the NFL.

And I am so grateful forever. Be grateful for Drew's example, because he. I still remember there'd be people that maybe would try to pick on me or have me do like rookie hazing stuff. And, and Drew would always be like, dude, leave him alone. Like he's, he's a 26 year old rookie, like went to serve the mission, like, you know, leave him alone.

So Drew, uh, his example of how to balance. Being a really good football player, being a leader on the team, but then being a good husband and a good father, I was able to, to witness all of that and see invited us in his home. And we shared meals with them and got to know his kids and his family. And I saw how.

He did all of that. And it's, he really taught me how to be a professional. So I still remember before my first NFL started quarterback, I just did what he did. You know, I prepared exactly how he prepared. And I still remember entering that game. Um, of course there's, there's pregame jitters and there's nerves and everything else, but I was so prepared for that game that the feeling that I was feeling was just excitement.

I was so ready for that game. And it went really well and, uh, we, we won, we won a big game, but all of that was, you know, because of Drew's example. You mentioned the kind of reputation that the NFL has. I think on the surface, being a professional athlete of any kind is not, does not seem super conducive to being able to maintain faith.

You're not able to participate in church as much as I'm sure you would like to. You are in environments that maybe don't invite the spirit always, but I, I wondered how have you continued.

It's something that I still think about a lot. It's something that I'm, I'm still trying to find the best routine. You know, I just finished my eighth year in the NFL and my wife and I have this conversation a lot. And, and really what I've realized is I think There are times and seasons and all things, and the reality is like, as we start this off season is my life becomes out of balance, probably in terms of how much I'm home, my ability to be involved in church activities and fulfill a calling and, you know, do all of those things.

And then I realized, you know, for the month of August, and then as we start the season, I work every weekend and I realized that my life becomes out of balance in the other way. And there's times and seasons in all things. And I think when it comes to the season, my wife and I have. You know, sat down and we said, okay, maybe it's not Sunday, you know, maybe Sundays, you know, we, we can't get to church and most of the time Emily can, she, she's able to at least catch sacrament meeting before she, she goes and supports me in our game, but maybe it's not Sunday.

Maybe it's, maybe it's Monday. Let's make sure that, that we find time where we sit down and allocate some time where we can feel the spirit and that we can have, you know, gospel conversations and, and then there are, there are situations where, you know, I remember having. Uh, a really tender moment is we were on the road in Chicago and we, we played a little bit later in the afternoon and I was able to catch a new bird because we didn't have meetings that morning.

And I was able to go catch sacrament meeting. And I remember walking out of sacrament meeting because I had to get back for pregame bill. And I saw someone that has served in the same mission as me that was sitting in the four [00:45:00] year at the church in Chicago, you know, and so we've, I try to, When it's conducive to our schedule to try to prioritize those things.

But that's really, that's really how we've tried to handle the season where it becomes really challenging along those same lines. Jason, I imagine that it is really tricky when you are a dad of small kids and you. You can't be home as much as you'd like to be home. You can't do everything at all times.

So how have you, how have you managed to, to determine, cause you mentioned that idea of balance and I am a big believer that there is no such thing as balance. So how do you determine what is most essential during those different times and seasons? Yeah, that's a great question. I, I've always had a schedule that I was referring to is where we'd stay late.

We kind of memorize and study the game plan that went in that night. And as Emily and I started to have kids, I changed what that schedule was where I'd still go in early and I was still prepared the same way. Uh, in the mornings, but when we finished meetings, I would go home and I would make sure that I was, I wasn't there.

I was present when I first got home, made sure that we could have dinner together and then be there for bedtime and, and all that. And so my, my kids, I was able to have dinner with them. We were able to play after dinner and I could help give them baths and get them to bed. Um, and then once they. Got in bed, I would finalize my prep.

So, I just kind of moved things around so I could still have some, some time with my kids. And the thing that I realized is I think that I want my kids to know that like we, we do hard things. You know, I think that that's an important principle. I think it's really important for my kids to see dad wake up and go to work and, and But I also think that it's important that they have designated time with their parents where my phone's not around and it's just, Hey, you've got, you've got dad one on one right now.

And so I've, I've changed, I've made some changes to what my schedule would have been the first four years of my career. So I could, I could be there for the kids and, and then in the off season. You know, like I said, it really becomes out of balance the other way, you know, where I, I get to spend a lot of time with my kids.

And in fact, it was funny just the other day, my wife, my two year old is like a big time. Mama's boy just always wants mom to put her to bed. She was just took a, took a little trip and she was gone and she just got back. And now my two year old. Was like wanting dad, you know, to, to put him to bed, which during the season, like he just doesn't get that time with me, but Emily and I were kind of laughing that, you know, this was like the best feeling ever for dad.

And she was like, what is going on right now? And, you know, was not pumped about that. Well, we can, we can 100 percent relate to that in our house. My oldest is a 150 percent mama's girl. And Austin, when my husband goes in to get her out of her play pen in the morning, she'll just say, no. And he just started like walking out and he waits for her to be like data.

But when she, like, sometimes she decides that she wants to be a daddy's girl and when she does, it is his favorite thing in the world. So, uh, you, you and Emily worked really hard to get your boys here. You have gone through a lot together, obviously with football. And I, I loved hearing as I prepped about how you said in the first few years of your marriage.

She was like a nurse and a therapist because you were dealing with these football injuries and and so she's obviously gone through So much of that with you, but you all also have dealt with Infertility which is something that I think a lot of people that listen to this podcast I know of multiple friends right now who are struggling with that and you've been open about those struggles So I wondered In a career that is obviously demanding when dealing with something that outside of being a professional athlete puts a strain on relationships, what what has helped you to be able to handle that?

[00:50:00] I, I read an article years ago, Taysen, that said that the most underrated quality in a marriage is someone who suffers well. And as I was reading and listening to you talk about Emily, I thought, man, she seems like somebody who suffers well, and you seem like somebody that suffers well. So what has helped the two of you do that?

And maybe what advice would you give to other couples who might be dealing with infertility? Uh, yeah, I don't really, that's tough question for me. Truthfully, I can't, I cannot say enough good about, about Emily. You mentioned, you know, she, She's been a nurse and a psychologist, and she, you know, has, has been with me through, through our marriage.

And most recently she, she just was a single mom for the last six weeks as I went through, truthfully, probably the hardest injury that I've been through. And she's the most compassionate person I've, I've ever been around. And she's so wise, honestly, there's not one thing that, that I do, you know, that, that seems to have a consequence that I don't run by her.

And I'm so grateful just how wise she is and her ability to listen. To a problem and then provide sound feedback, you know, so, and I think that, I think that that's really an important part of, of a marriage and suffering. Well, to answer your question, I, people will, will talk to us about this all the time, the injuries, the IVF stuff.

And I always tell people that. Like, I've got Emily, so as long as Emily and I can go through this together, like that, this seems just, they seem so insignificant to me because we can, we can do it together. And she really, she really has been a rock through all the IVF stuff. And there were some, there were some dark days through the IVF stuff, if I'm being honest.

The first couple of years when the hardest thing for me was caring for someone as much as I cared for Emily and for as long as I can remember wanting to be a dad, it was really, really hard for me to think about not being able to have somebody that came from me and Emily because I cared about her so much.

And that was, that was a really scary thought for me. I'm so grateful for modern medicine that's created this unique opportunity for us to get babies here. And I would say that, you know, Emily and I both together have really relied on, really relied on the Lord to get us through those, those times. And, you know, to get our oldest here, it took four transfers for embryo transfers to get, to get him here.

I'll go through all the details, but, you know, we had some really challenging moments through those first, uh, through those first three, uh, transfers and, you know, between praying and priesthood blessings, I felt like the Lord had comfort us. And again, I think the common denominator in all of this was that we could go through it together.

And that I knew that if we stayed together and, you know, always communicated through these, that we would get through it. And the Lord has, has answered, you know, all of these prayers. And as you mentioned, we've got two beautiful little boys that are healthy and strong that are now running around and causing chaos.

So I couldn't be more grateful. I appreciate you sharing that. And, and I think that, I think that there are so many things in life. Like as I was listening to you talk about your injuries, there are so many things in life that unless you have gone through them personally, it's hard to know. what that feels like.

And so I know that you being willing to, to talk and be open about that fertility journey definitely has to help other people that, that feel like they are currently in that boat and navigating something that they never imagined. Dealing with Taysom, you have been, it's been so, so fun to learn from [00:55:00] you.

My last question for you is what does it mean to you to be all in the gospel of Jesus Christ? Yeah. Well, I feel like I need to acknowledge them. I'm sorry. I didn't intend to sit and cry on. On the podcast. So I apologize about that, but you were asking me all the hard questions. Look, I, I've thought a lot about this question.

Obviously I understand the context of the podcast. And as I thought about it, I, I kept just thinking about my favorite scripture from the book of Mormon. I have a lot of favorites, but this is one that I always go back to. And I think sums up how I feel about. What it means to be all in, in, in Messiah, chapter five, verse 13.

It says, for how knows a man, the master of whom he is not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart. And as I think about that scripture, I think about what, what does it mean to always have a prayer in your heart? What does it mean to be disciple of Jesus Christ?

And I think it. It is so important to serve and understand the Savior. If you know, if you know the Master, and if your thoughts are in line with His thoughts, if your intents are in line with His intents, then you're always going to To do right, you know, doesn't mean we're going to be perfect, but I think, um, doing the little things to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

And I think lifting where you are, I think an important principle about being all in. I do think that we are in certain areas for a certain reason, and there are ways that we can. You know, help the Savior lift. I'm in Utah right now. And I think that there are ways for me to do that. But I think to me that scripture sums it up.

It's, it's all about the Savior and keeping Him at the forefront of all that you do. Thank you so much, Taysom. Thank you.

We are so grateful to Taysom Hill for joining us on this week's episode. We are also grateful, as always, to Derek Campbell of Mix at 6 Studios for his help with this episode, and we are so grateful to you for listening and spending time with us. We'll look forward to being with you again next week.