The Decision

If you missed ESPN’s televised special on Danny Byers’ decision, here is the transcript of Jim Gray’s conversation with Danny :

Thank you very much. Everybody is on pins and needles across the country, particularly those schools who are in the running for Danny Byers.

Are you ready to go Danny? Where is the powder?

Left it at home.

What’s new? What’s been going on with you this summer?

Man, this whole going back to school process, looking forward to it.

What have you thought about this process?

This process has been everything I’ve thought and more. And that’s what I did a few years ago; I put myself in a position to have this process where I can research law schools and figure out what was the best possible chance for me to ultimately get in, graduate and to ultimately be happy.

You weren’t able to be go to law school because you went straight to work from undergrad.  Have you enjoyed this application process now?

I can’t say that I have enjoyed it. And I want to thank all eight schools that I had an opportunity to visit and see what they had to offer.

It’s been an unbelievably nerve wracking experience, a real humbling experience to be even to be in this position.

What did you expect?  Because we’ve seen the faces of past applicants that haven’t been as fortunate. We’ve seen schools send you all kind of postcards and brochures.  We’ve seen the articles that say law school isn’t a wise investment during a bad economy. President Obama, for crying out loud, he and Attorney General Eric Holder, make going to law school look very chic and sexy.  What did you expect from this process?

Well, certain things like that is one thing you can’t control. But I expected to be able to go through this process and be able to sit down with my fam and sit across from each school and hear how they feel with me being a part of their student body, could help them and could ultimately help each other.

And the process was everything I expected and more. And like I said before, I just thank all those schools that have come to me have that application process. It was everything that I’ve ever expected and more.

How many people know your decision right now?

Not many. It’s a very, very small number. And I probably could count them on my fingers.

One hand or two hands?

Let’s say one.

When did you decide?

I think I decided in March.  I mean, I decided on my birthday.  I woke up one morning,  it’s this school.  I woke up another morning, it’s this area.  And it’s a process that I felt… it was… I may feel like this is the best opportunity for me or not the best opportunity for me.

But this March I woke up, had a great conversation with my mom. Once I had that conversation with her, I think I was set.

So the last time you changed your mind was March?

The last time I changed my mind was probably in my dreams. And when I wake up every morning I know it was the right decision.

So does the school that you’re going to, that you’ll announce in a few minutes, do they know your decision?

They just found out.

They just found out?

Yeah.

So the other seven, on pins and needles, they don’t know; they’ll be reading this?

Right.

Who in this process, Danny, have you taken advice from and who has had the biggest influence?

I’ve taken a lot of advice from my friends and family.  My agent, Jerry Maguire, has been great. A lot of people that I look towards in a time of need or for advice, and ultimately they looked at me and said you ultimately have to live with your decision that you’re going to make, and you have to do what’s best for you, for your family and for you to ultimately be happy.

What was the major factor, the major reason in your decision?

I think the major factor and the major reason in my decision was the best opportunity for me to learn and to fit in comfortably and to become a Judge in the future also.

And learning is a huge thing for me.  Jim, you know ever since I was a rookie or even in high school, we always talked, that was the number one thing for me:  Help my family and friends get better and just wanting to WIN like Charlie Sheen. And I’ve done some great things in my thirty seven years, and I want to continue to do that.

How deep of an evaluation do you have to do to go through that to figure out tomorrow, next year and beyond, that equation, that winning?

One thing that you can’t control is… you never know. You never know. You want to put yourself in the position where you feel that it’s the best opportunity. But saying I can win now or saying I can win in three years after graduation, those are things that you don’t know until you go out there and actually learn at school.

But you have to put yourself in the right position to be able to compete and also accomplish the goals that you set out for.

Do you have any doubts about your decision?

No. I don’t have any doubts at all.

Would you like to sleep on it a little longer, or are you ready to make this decision?

I’ve slept enough. Or the lack of sleep.

Are you still a nail biter?

I have a little bit. Not of late.

You’ve had everybody else biting their nails. So I guess it’s time for them to stop chewing. The answer to the question everybody wants to know: Danny, what’s your decision?

In this fall… this is very tough.  In this fall, I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the St. Thomas University Law School.