Roy Keane has made clear his views on active athletes doing their own podcasts – and unsurprisingly it wouldn’t be his cup of tea.
Premier League stars Callum Wilson of Newcastle and Michail Antonio of West Ham hosts their own podcast on the BBC.
The subject was discussed on the latest episode of Stick to Football following the extraordinary success of the ‘New Heights’ podcast fronted by NFL stars Jason and Travis Kelce.
The show’s guest was former American Football star JJ Watt, who last year invested in Burnley, and Gary Neville asked if he’d considered following the Kelces’ lead by teaming up with siblings TJ and Derek to produce their own pod.
Former fullback Derek Watt played for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers then the Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring last month. Younger brother TJ Watt is a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Callum Wilson and Michael Antonio are among current Premier League stars to have their own podcast – but Roy Keane isn’t too impressed
But former Manchester United captain Roy Keane made clear his views on players doing pods
‘TJ is a little different from me in that standpoint and Derek is right in the middle but he doesn’t love the media,’ Watt said.
‘He’s very football [focused]. So, we’ve talked about it, I think it would be great because he’s hilarious, but he’s also a little more [focused].
‘I think he’s extremely focused right now and so during the season it’s really hard. I give credit to people who can do it.
‘But imagine you’re coming off a really big loss against a rival, then you got to go in on Tuesday and do a podcast about it, you know?’
Former Manchester United captain Keane agreed with Watt, saying players shouldn’t be distracted from the day job.
After Neville asked Keane whether he could imagine United’s players doing a podcast during their playing days like Wilson and Antonio, he replied: ‘It wouldn’t just be me Gary, it’d be everybody [reluctant to do it].
‘I think you would be the same, I think a lot of the senior players. If players were off, we’d get frustrated with players who were going off and doing other stuff anyway.
‘If you had a busy schedule, you wouldn’t be happy with it. I’d agree [with JJ], I don’t think it’s right for a player [to have a podcast] – your focus should be 100 per cent on the game.’
Former NFL star JJ Watt told the Stick to Football show he’d spoken to his brothers Derek and TJ about potentially following the Kelce siblings by launching a podcast
The ‘New Heights’ show presented by Travis and Jason Kelce has proved very popular
JJ Watt, who is an investor in Premier League club Burnley, was the guest on Stick to Football
Watt said the social media landscape had changed dramatically during his playing career
Watt, a former defensive end who played for the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals, spoke about how the influence of social media grew during his playing career.
‘People at the very beginning, there were a lot of people that said ‘why are you posting on social media? Why are you doing this? You need to be 100 per cent focused on football’, he told Stick to Football, presented by Sky Bet.
‘But then over time people are starting to understand there’s 24 hours in a day. I can train, I can study, I can do everything for eight to ten hours a day – there’s still 14 more hours left.
‘But I also think there is a very fine line between doing a podcast and giving away secrets about things that are sensitive inside the locker room.’
New Heights podcast shared a pic’ of Jason & Travis Kelce in rural USA on national siblings day
The show’s X account also shared a photo of both brothers at last year’s Super Bowl in Arizona
Last but not least, the podcast shared a snap of the two NFL stars during their college bro days
Keane added: ‘I think you have to be open-minded, of course. I’m certainly not a dinosaur, but I think there’s a time and a place.
‘But if you have a regular podcast and you are a player at the top level, I would disagree, I think it can be a distraction for a player.
‘Particularly if you are on the back of a defeat and you’re in the next day and everyone’s having a bit of a laugh because I don’t think you should laugh for a week or two if you’ve been beaten!
‘I wouldn’t be into that.’
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