Q&A
SPORTS STARS (Left) Football greats Lawrence
Taylor and Jim Brown acting in the 1999 film Any
Given Sunday; (above) Mark Lepselter with client
and CBS sports analyst Brandon Tierney
WHEN SPORTS FIGURES TRANSITION
TO CAREERS AS ANALYSTS, WHAT
ARE SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
SKILLS THEY NEED TO DEVELOP?
Likability, relatability, personality,
conviction and some gravitas.
DO THE TALENTS OF SUCCESSFUL
SPORTS FIGURES NATURALLY LEND
THEMSELVES TO BEING ANALYSTS?
Not always. There are plenty of
Hall of Famers from different sports
who thought they could mail it in as
broadcasters, and they got exposed
rather quickly. It’s work, and if you
don’t work at it, the viewer will know
in short order.
CAN YOU NAME ONE OR TWO
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS? Oh wow, so
many exhilarating moments over
25 years, so many great people I’ve
been blessed to be around, and
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BACK TO SCHOOL 2019 WAYNE MAGAZINE
work on behalf of. There is not
enough space to thank them all
for the opportunities, but they’ve
inspired me to reach heights I never
could have imagined when I was a
kid. I’ve been to the White House
as a guest of the Obamas; to the
State Department for lunch with
Condoleezza Rice; a guest of Shimon
Peres in Israel, and in the company
of President Clinton. I’ve celebrated
on the field after clients won Super
Bowls; been interviewed by the
late Mike Wallace for a 60 Minutes
feature on L.T.; interviewed for a
feature on Tiki Barber for HBO’s
Real Sports, and helped produce and
appeared in a Showtime documentary
on L.T.’s life story. I realize how
fortunate I truly am. WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU? I’m enjoying
myself more than ever. The business
has evolved, and I keep evolving with
it. As far as what’s next... Personally,
it’s time to downsize and head east
towards Manhattan, with an arrow
pointing south or west from time to
time.
WHO ARE SOME SPORTS FIGURES YOU
ADMIRE A LOT, AND WHY? I admire WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT LIVING
IN WAYNE? Wayne was good to us.
cops, I admire firemen, I admire each
and every member of our military,
I admire each and every level of
first responders, I admire teachers,
and I admire and am in awe of the
doctors and surgeons who save
people’s lives every day. They are
DO YOU OWN ANY SPORTS
MEMORABILIA YOU’RE ESPECIALLY
PROUD OF? My kids had boatloads
of memorabilia growing up. My Ali
stuff was always amongst my favorite
pieces; I had the good fortune of
meeting Muhammad sometime in
the early 2000s.
We’ve had the greatest house a family
ever could have asked for. Positano
was like my personal kitchen, always
our favorite spot for dinner. The
kids are moving on, so our time here
is coming to an end. But we had a
blast. ■
COURTESY
together through thick and thin ever
since, and David won three Super
Bowl rings with Bill Belichick in New
England. I am forever appreciative
of them for being instrumental to my
career in different ways.
all people who make an enormous
difference in this world. I respect
certain athletes for their talents, and
for those who achieve on levels that
others simply cannot, I tip my cap to
them. I do marvel at what the New
England Patriots have accomplished
over the past 19 years. It’s a level of
sustained greatness in the NFL that
we will probably never see again. It’s
the brilliance of Bill Belichick, the
superior skills of Tom Brady, and
the foresight of Robert Kraft.