Ep. 46: The Athletic’s Vic Tafur Talks Raiders & Other Mayhem

Pass It Down

After explaining why he was drawn to Michigan defensive end Kwity Paye as the subject of a pre-draft profile, Tafur breaks down the logic (or lack thereof) behind the Raiders’ offseason moves and assesses the state of the relationship between head coach Jon Gruden and quarterback Derek Carr. Vic then recalls the fateful Daily Cal sports recruitment meeting where he got his first journalism assignment--and the first of many acerbic comments from his exceptionally loud sports editor. We learn about Mike’s introduction to rap music (and the over-the-top article it provoked), how neither he nor Vic have it in them to enjoy the Pac-12’s recent run of hoops success and why Natalie’s youth soccer experiences make her a kindred spirit. Vic shares the backstory behind his exclusive story on then-Raiders receiver Nelson Agholor’s “You suck” speech to his teammates last December, and the charged phone conversation with Agholor that followed. And if you’re still with us toward the end of the episode, you’ll be treated to Vic’s recounting of his infamous Twitter feud with a veteran NFL writer, complete with the obligatory reference to a popular adult-video internet site.