FOX Sports Radio (FSR), a division of Premiere Sports Network, announced today the launch of a new iHeartRadio original podcast, “Lights Out with Shawne Merriman,” distributed by the iHeart Podcast Network.
“Lights Out with Shawne Merriman” features the three-time All-Pro linebacker and Lights Out Xtreme Fighting Founder as he takes on the biggest stories in sports, with a focus on the NFL, MMA and NASCAR. The NFL legend will also welcome celebrity guests and friends from the worlds of sports and entertainment.
“Lights Out with Shawne Merriman” launches today, September 18, and will be available weekly on iHeartRadio and everywhere podcasts are heard. The first episode includes a powerful conversation with former NFL cornerback Quentin Jammer about athletes and depression, and how he nearly committed suicide.
Shawne Merriman:“What was the day of the breaking point? Like, for you that, you realized that you had to talk to somebody. And say, look I’m dealing with it?”
Quentin Jammer:“Basically 2014, to like mid 2015 I was good and the nall of the sudden in like…at one point in 2015,bruh I just hit a wall. And I didn’t think nothing of it. It’s like ok, it just a bad day, bad week, bad month. And it kept going on. It went on for five years. I, you know, I hate to talk about it, like, I literally got in the truck and left the house. And I thought that this was going to be it for me…You know what I’m saying? And I had drank so much…And I was taking sleeping pills because I couldn’t sleep. And I had drank and took probably too many trazodone, to where, like I parked. I thought I was going to end it all…and fell asleep. And woke up the next morning and was like shit that could of went sideways fast bro. And I was like that was it for me…I needed some help.”
“I’m excited to be able to use my platform to discuss various topics and my personal views on a multitude of sports,” said Merriman. “I’ve been blessed to have deep-rooted experience in several different avenues, including the NFL, MMA, NASCAR and more.”
“Shawne’s passion that was seen on the football field will be matched by his performance within this podcast,” said Scott Shapiro, FOX Sports Radio Vice President of Sports Programming. “We are excited to share his unique personality and strong opinions across his wide range of sports interests.”
After playing collegiate football in his home state at the University of Maryland, Merriman was the San Diego Chargers’ 12th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Nicknamed “Lights Out,” he immediately made an impact in the NFL, being named the 2005 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and the NFL sacks leader in 2006. Merriman was also a three-time All-Pro and made three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. Currently, he is the founder of Lights Out Xtreme Fighting (LXF), which produces premier MMA events focused on developing the next great stars of the sport.
iHeartRadio is America’s No. 1 commercial podcaster and is available on more than 2,000 different connected devices — including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, televisions and gaming consoles.Visit iHeart.com/apps to download iHeartRadio and listen to “Lights Out with Shawne Merriman” on your favorite device.
About FOX Sports Radio
The FOX Sports Radio Network, based in Los Angeles, Calif., is a division of Premiere Networks in partnership with FOX Sports. All entities have combined their considerable resources to develop a turnkey, personality driven sports programming network for radio stations nationwide. The FOX Sports Radio Network reaches nearly 15 million monthly listeners on more than 400 radio stations, and can also be heard on iHeartRadio and FOXSportsRadio.com. Fans can also follow the network on Twitter, Facebook, Instagramand YouTube.