THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
WITH JASON ROMANO, FEATURING JAY SEAWELL
Jay Seawell is the men’s golf head coach at the University of Alabama. He took over the program in July 2002, and led the Crimson Tide to back-to-back national titles in 2013 and 2014. In 2016, he was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was a 1988 graduate from the University of South Carolina.
Today on the podcast, we talk to Jay Seawell about finding satisfaction in his players’ success, the impact Fellowship of Christian Athletes has had on his life, living in the present, and the importance of taming the ego.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE & JASON ROMANO, FEATURING DERWIN GRAY
Derwin Gray played five seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers. He is currently the pastor of Transformation Church in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. His latest book, “Lit Up With Love,” is out now.
Today on the podcast, we talk to Derwin Gray about the “naked preacher” who led him to Jesus, how his scars have helped him help others, and being an “everyday missionary” who is led by love as a follower of Christ.
Scott Linebrink in 2011 with the Braves. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE & JASON ROMANO, FEATURING SCOTT LINEBRINK
Scott Linebrink is a former MLB pitcher and now the host of Sports Spectrum’s “Get in the Game” podcast. He pitched for 12 years in the big leagues with the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals. He made his MLB debut on April 15, 2000.
Today on the podcast, we talk to Scott Linebrink about the 25th anniversary of his MLB debut, what it means to be humble and others-focused, what the Bible says about serving, and encouragement for athletes on what it means to serve.
Charles Tillman in 2012. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE & JASON ROMANO, FEATURING CHARLES TILLMAN
Charles Tillman is a former Pro Bowl cornerback with the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers. He was selected in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft, 35th overall to the Bears. He spent 12 seasons with Chicago (2003-2014) and helped the Bears to an NFC championship and trip to Super Bowl XLI in 2006-07. He was selected to the 2011 and 2012 Pro Bowls, and in 2013 was selected as the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year.
Thanks to his “Peanut Punch,” Tillman owns the NFL record for most forced fumbles in a game, with four against the Tennessee Titans in 2012. He also had three interceptions returned for touchdowns that season and was a first-team All-Pro.
Today on the podcast, Charles Tillman joins his former teammate, Matt Forte, to discuss his NFL Draft story, the challenges he faced around the game of football, developing the “Peanut Punch,” and the importance of faith and family during difficult times, such as his daughter’s heart surgery.
(L-R) Former ESPN analyst Sage Steele, Monty Williams and Athletes in Action President Mark Householder at the 2025 Keys To Life Breakfast, April 5, 2025. (Photo courtesy Guardian PR)
Amid all of the festivities at the 2025 Final Four in San Antonio last weekend, faith and basketball came together on Saturday morning with the presentation of the 28th annual Coach Wooden Keys to Life Award. It is “presented annually to a player or coach who best exemplifies character, leadership, and integrity in the home, on the court, and throughout the community,” according to the award’s website.
✨ A Morning to Remember in San Antonio! ✨ The Keys to Life Breakfast
On Saturday morning in San Antonio, leaders from the world of sports and beyond gathered for the Keys to Life Breakfast, a special Final Four weekend tradition focused on character, leadership, and integrity. pic.twitter.com/49LY6OZQ7j
The award is presented each year at a Keys to Life breakfast hosted by the sports ministry Athletes in Action, and honors legendary UCLA coach John Wooden.
Jared Miller, the director of basketball at AIA, said in a press release that “Athletes in Action is honored to name Monty Williams as the recipient of the 2025 Coach John Wooden ‘Keys to Life’ Award. Monty exemplifies the character and leadership that was so important to Coach Wooden, and he continues to lead by example, making a difference in the lives of athletes off the court, as well as on.”
Williams is one of the most respected voices in basketball circles. A star at Notre Dame from 1989-1994, Williams was drafted No. 24 overall by the New York Knicks in 1994. His NBA playing career came to a close with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2003, and he jumped into the coaching world. His first opportunity as a head coach came with the then-New Orleans Hornets in 2010. Yet he is perhaps best known for his four-year stint with the Phoenix Suns from 2019-2023, which included an appearance in the 2021 NBA Finals and being named the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year.
Since last October, Williams has served as head coach at college preparatory school TMI Episcopal in San Antonio, where he is able to coach his son, Elijah. Next year, his other son, Micah, plans to join the team.
Williams has been vocal about his faith in Christ during his time in the public eye. He was featured in the Winter 2021 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine, and he’s been a guest on the Sports Spectrum Podcast multiple times. His most recent appearance came last November, shortly after he accepted his new position at TMI Episcopal. He discussed his new job, finding contentment in Christ, and trusting in God’s timing in the midst of grief.
“My coaching model is servant leadership,” Williams said on the podcast. “I tell the players all the time, ‘I’m here to serve you and love you. … It’s my job to call you up to your potential, and I hope to do that with a level of service, love, humanity and dignity that allows for you to see Christ in me.'”
“If not for the Holy Spirit, man, we’re just a bunch of skin and bones,” Williams added. “… I can do nothing without the Holy Spirit. Like absolutely nothing.”
He said that, at the age of 10, Christ brought him to Himself through an invitation to church from a football coach. Despite a rough upbringing in Prince George’s County, Maryland, the temptations of NBA fame and money, and the tragic loss of his wife in a car accident in 2016, nothing could separate him from God’s love.
As Williams has been renewed by God’s sustaining grace throughout the years, he’s become a spiritual mentor to numerous NBA players. He often prays with his teams and shares the Gospel with others, offering to them the only true hope in this world, the hope found in Christ.
“The Bible says [God] chooses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; I am that foolish thing,” he said on the podcast. “I shouldn’t be here. On my own merit, I should be in jail or doing something else that’s really unproductive. And by His grace and mercy — it hasn’t been easy, there has been some really, really hard stuff in my life — but He’s been so gracious to bring me and my family through it all. Only God could do that.”
