No Backing Down

We had the absolute pleasure of spending some time with the great M. L. Carr. Boston's sports fans need no introduction to this legend, so we just want you to jump right in and listen to the man himself speak! Join us for a great interview with M. L.!

We have the honor of welcoming the great Check Pagano! Charles David Pagano is a former American football coach and former player. Pagano spent five seasons in the National Football League as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2012–2017. He also served as the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens in 2011, and as defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears from 2019–2020. Pagano has also served as an assistant coach for the Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns. He is the older brother of John Pagano. After the Colts fired him following the 2017 season, Pagano took a year off from coaching, working as a consultant for the NFL. Join us!

We got to spend some time with our Italian brother Joe Vellano! Joe is an American football defensive tackle. He played college football at the University of Maryland, and signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, and Dallas Cowboys. He is now a member of the Parma Panthers, playing in the Italian league. Hang out with us as we get to know Joe.

This episode, recorded live in Florida during Super Bowl week, we bring you the great Andre Reed! Andre Darnell Reed (born January 29, 1964) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Kutztown and was selected by the Bills in the fourth round of the 1985 NFL Draft. Following 15 seasons with the Bills, where he earned Pro Bowl honors seven times, Reed spent his final season as a member of the Washington Redskins in 2000. Reed currently ranks eighteenth in NFL history in total career receptions with 951. At the time of his retirement, Reed was second in all-time in career receptions. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

Join us as we chat with Andre!

We chat with the great Obi Melifonwu! Obi was originally drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round (56th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. Throughout his three-year career with the Raiders (2017-18) and New England Patriots (2018-19), he has appeared in seven games (one start) and registered seven tackles. He was waived by New England on April 27, 2020.

A 26-year-old native of South Grafton, MA, Melifonwu attended the University of Connecticut where he appeared in 48 games (47 starts) and registered 351 tackles, 16 passes defensed, eight interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Join us to learn more about Obi!

We spent some time with the great Andrew DePaola. Andrew DePaola Jr. is an American football long snapper for the Minnesota Vikings. He made his professional debut with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 7, 2014. He played football and baseball in high school before playing college football for Rutgers University. Hang out with us as we hang with Andrew!

We got to hang out with Bryan Braman. Bryan is a football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football for West Texas A&M University after transferring from Long Beach City College. Braman played one season at the University of Idaho out of high school before LBCC. Join us in getting to know the one and only Bryan Braman.

We had the pleasure of chatting with the one and only Jeff Juden. For those who don't know, Jeff is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Montreal Expos, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Anaheim Angels, and New York Yankees.  We caught up with Jeff and discussed his career and life. Join us in getting to know Jeff Juden!

The absolutely awesome former New England Patriot and 2 time Super Bowl champion Rob Ninkovich joins us on the No Backing Down podcast to talk a little football, a little family life, and a whole lot of awesomeness! Join us in getting to know more about the super cool Rob Ninkovich!

We had a great time talking to Bruins great Bob Sweeney! For those who don't know, Sweeney was born in Concord, MA, and as a youth, he played in the 1976 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Assabet Valley. He was drafted out of high school by the Boston Bruins in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, and went on to play four years at Boston College. He made his NHL debut in the 1986–87 season, but spent most of the year with the Bruins AHL affiliate the Moncton Golden Flames. The 1987–88 season was Sweeney's first full year, a season where Boston traveled to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Following six seasons with Boston, Sweeney was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Sabres in 1992 and then by the New York Islanders in 1995. After being traded to the Calgary Flames during the 1995–96 season Sweeney retired from the NHL. He spent the next season in the IHL before traveling across the Atlantic to play in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga from 1997 until 2001. He is currently the Executive Director of the Boston Bruins Foundation.

We got to hang out with the legend Dana Barros and it was an incredible time! For those who don't know, Dana Bruce Barros is an American former professional basketball player from the National Basketball Association. In college, he played at Boston College, finishing as one of the school's all-time leading scorers. He was the head men's basketball coach at Newbury College in Massachusetts. He is now the owner of AAU Basketball organization, the "Dana Barros Gladiators", based in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Join us as we chat with Dana Barros!

We had the incredible fortune of talking with the great David Baker. For those who don't know, Carl David Baker is the President and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Criticism from the University of California at Irvine and his Juris Doctor from the Pepperdine School of Law during which time he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Pepperdine Law Review. 

In his first three years of leadership at the Hall, the organization's net assets grew 161%. He was also instrumental in the inception of Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village, a nearly $800 million mixed-use development surrounding the Hall of Fame.

We got to spend some time with great Tre'Vaughn Sullivan. Tre is known for getting other players carried off the field in an ambulance in both College and NFL. Learn more about this terror on the field with us!

We got to spend some time with the amazing Shaun Draughn. If you don't know, Kenneth Shaun Draughn is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of North Carolina. He signed with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2011. In his seven year career, Draughn played for seven different teams and spent a preseason with two others, including the Washington Redskins (2011), Kansas City Chiefs (2011–2012), Baltimore Ravens (2013), Indianapolis Colts (2013), Chicago Bears (2014), San Diego Chargers (2014), Cleveland Browns (2014–2015), San Francisco 49ers (2015–2016), & the New York Giants (2017).

Listen in with us as we get to know the great Shaun Draughn!

We catch up with the incomparable Andrea Kremer! Andrea is a multi-Emmy Award-winning American television sports journalist. She currently calls Thursday Night Football games for Amazon Prime Video making sports history by becoming the first all-women booth to call any major men's team sport, not just football. Kremer is also Chief Correspondent for the NFL Network and previously led the network's coverage and in-depth reporting on health and safety. Her other current roles include correspondent for HBO's Real Sports as well as co-host of We Need To Talk, the first ever all-female nationally televised weekly sports show on CBS. Until the 2011 season, she worked as a sideline reporter for NBC on the network's coverage of Sunday Night Football. Join us for this inspirational chat with Andrea!

Hang out with us while we talk up the awesome Jaeden Graham! Jaeden is an American football tight end for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He played college football at Yale. As a senior at Yale, Graham was a first team All-Ivy League honoree after starting 10 games and finishing the season with four touchdowns and 26 receptions. Get to know this talented young man with us now!

We had the honor and the pleasure of hanging out with the great Cam Lewis! Cameron "Cam" Lewis is a cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He played college football at the University at Buffalo. Listen with us as we get to know Cam Lewis.

Samir Suleiman is the current salary cap manager of the Carolina Panthers and he sits down with us to enjoy a chat about his life and the current state of football. Join us as we welcome Samir Suleiman to the show!

We had a great conversation with the one and only Chris Manhertz of the Carolina Panthers. Chris has had an amazing journey that he shared with us as well as some great stories to boot! Join us in getting to know the awesome Chris Manhertz!

We chat with the one and only Victor Ortiz. Victor is an American professional boxer and film actor. He held the WBC welterweight title in 2011, and was formerly rated as one of the world's top three active welterweights by most sporting news and boxing websites, including The Ring magazine, BoxRec, and ESPN. His crowd-pleasing and aggressive fighting style also made him the 2008 ESPN Prospect of the Year.

New England’s Jimmy Decotis is a champion dirt bike racer who recently stepped away to deal with his own health issues. Listen to this amazing podcast with Jimmy telling us his story and how he inspires so many!

We had a great time chatting with former NFL great Jonas Gray. Jonas Gray is a former American football running back who played college football at Notre Dame. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and also played for the Baltimore Ravens and won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots. Take a break and get to know Jonas Gray!

On this episode of the No Backing Down podcast, host Sean Stellato (along with co-hosts Ari Kalos and Frank Stamos) have a great chat with defensive end Ryan Delaire. Ryan gave us an amazing story of how he came up and succeeded in achieving his goals and what the future holds for him. Join us as we get to know Ryan Delaire!

On this episode of the No Backing Down podcast, host Sean Stellato (along with co-hosts Ari Kalos and Frank Stamos) get virtual with Jake Burt of the New England Patriots. Jake is a local boy done good and he shares his incredible story of sweat, tears, hard work, and perseverance to get to where he is today - a true Patriot! Join us as we get to know Jake Burt!

On this episode of the No Backing Down podcast, host Sean Stellato (along with co-hosts Ari Kalos and Frank Stamos) get on a call with Devin Phelps of the Arizona Cardinals. Devin gives us some insights into his life and motivations, as well as his struggles to get to where he is today. Join us as we get to know Devin Phelps!

On the premiere episode of the No Backing Down podcast, your host Sean Stellato (along with co-hosts Ari Kalos and Frank Stamos) get a chance to hang out and talk to Rashard Davis of the Tennessee Titans. Rashard talks about his life, goals, and inspirations with the guys and we learned it's safe to say you'll be hearing a lot from this rising young star!

No Backing Down is a term we enjoy repeating. Host Sean Stellato explains what this term means and where it came from over the course of this inspirational lifestyle podcast. Stay tuned for our premiere episode coming soon!