From Athlete to Super Agent all while Prioritizing Faith, Family & Fatherhood: Damarius Bilbo

Damarius Bilbo shares his inspiring journey from professional athlete to successful sports agent, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the industry and the challenges that come with it. He opens up about the importance of faith, family, and fatherhood, and how he strives to maintain balance between his demanding career and personal life. Reflecting on his upbringing, Bilbo discusses the values he instills in his children and the lessons he's learned along the way. He also speaks about his role at Klutch Sports Group, the power of mentorship, and the importance of being truly present in his children's lives. Throughout the conversation, Bilbo emphasizes the value of learning from failure and the need for authentic connections, both professionally and personally. Thank you Damarius, for your friendship and for coming on the podcast.

Takeaways

• How Faith, family, and fatherhood are the core values that guide Bilbo's life.
• Growing up without a father motivated him in sports as well as being present for his children.
• Mistakes are opportunities for growth and learning.
• How you learn more from failure than success in both sports and life.
• Every child should be encouraged to pursue their own happiness, not just follow in their parent's footsteps.

How to find Damarius Bilbo on IG https://www.instagram.com/bilbo8/

Transcript

Robert (00:00)
Damarius Bilbo, welcome to the podcast.

Damarius Bilbo (00:03)
Thank you, Robert. Thank you for having me.

Robert (00:04)
Man,

I tell you what, I really appreciate you coming on. I know we've tried a few times and I know you're extremely busy. You're about to get even busier with the draft coming up next week, but I appreciate the sacrifice and that means a lot to me.

Damarius Bilbo (00:18)
Thank you. Thank you, man.

Robert (00:20)
You know, when I think about you, tell me if I'm wrong, when I think about you, the three things that really stand out probably in this order is faith, family, fatherhood. Is that

Far off.

Damarius Bilbo (00:34)
This is pretty accurate.

Robert (00:36)
Yeah. Yeah. You

could see that you could see that. And so it's one of the, you know, that's really the reason why I wanted to, to get you on here. Um, look, and the other thing with faith is just the fact, I think it's today's world. Sometimes we're a little bit hesitant to show it and you're not, I mean, when you watch your Instagram, um, you know, your stories, you're, you know, putting devotionals on there. I mean, you're not preaching.

Damarius Bilbo (00:52)
Yeah.

Robert (01:02)
But you're putting devotionals on there and you can see that it's a part of the way you start your day. It's things throughout your day. And I just think that's so important.

Damarius Bilbo (01:14)
Yeah, very, very. I I was raised by a grandma and a mother in Mississippi. So that spiritual component was always kind of incorporated. And as a child, you don't really know what it means. know, it's telling...

It sounds like a fairy tale almost when you talk about creation and, and, know, the seven days and on the seventh day he rested and all, it sounds like an amazing story, but as you grow and you're seeking something to believe in and how did all this come about, you know, it becomes more and more clear, you know, you know, who your father is and, know, what you should be believing in and following. So it just gives me purpose, you know, outside of what the world.

tries to make you think your purpose is here, and it's always a servant first.

Robert (02:04)
Yeah, no, I tell the great. So you, were brought in a spirit. You were brought up in a spiritual home.

Damarius Bilbo (02:09)
I can't say brought up because we weren't at church, you we weren't, you know, doing that. you know, I remember going to my grandma's house every Sunday. She was playing Bobby Jones, Gospels. And, you know, my mom used to always say, I grew up without a father. So my mom would always make a comment like, you know.

that's not your real father. That's your earth. She even for herself as a mother who was present, she used to say, you know, I'm your temporary mother. You know what I'm saying? Like you have a father in heaven. He's just, we're on borrowed time. And I was like, what the hell is she talking about? Borrowed time. And you know, as you age and you you start to lose people and you start to gain people, you know, you know, it becomes very clear in terms of what this world and what this earth means. So I wouldn't say I was brought up in, but I was, it was very, I was very aware.

of what the messages my grandparents and my mom were sending at a young age.

Robert (03:01)
And you have, we'll talk about it more, but you have definitely brought that into your current family as well.

Damarius Bilbo (03:08)
Absolutely, that's tough, but yeah, it's something that we all.

Robert (03:10)
Yeah, it is. is. Look,

how is the family?

Damarius Bilbo (03:14)
Family's great, man. Obviously, Aiden, him and your boys are on the same age So, that junior year, it's tough for him and the sports and what he wants to do. And I think it's getting more real for him too in terms of what this next year means. And I don't think we're the household that try to remove the child just because he's 18, but it's like, you gotta figure it out. We're here to help you and support you, but it's your life and especially me as an athlete, former athlete,

I want him to do what makes him happy, but you know, also know that he's still a child and he doesn't know everything. So.

Robert (03:53)
And does he accept

that? Because mine doesn't. He knows everything. He's 16 years old. He knows everything.

Damarius Bilbo (03:58)
Yeah, yeah, same, same boat, you know, and it's depending on what month it is or what he wants in return. Like he acts like he gets it when he wants something. You know, I know he usually wants something because it'd be question after question, long conversation. I'm like, no, he likes me. And then next time it's like, Hey, dad, can I go here? Can I'm like, yeah, that's why you were talking for an hour you know, was exactly twice. Yeah.

Robert (04:13)
Yeah, then dad has wisdom, right?

Yeah. Yeah. Man,

Hey, what about your daughter? You talking about precious? Oh my goodness.

Damarius Bilbo (04:27)
She's this boss lady right there. She's five going on six. The great thing about her and Aiden like their same birthday month. So I guess she's 14th. He's the 31st. So it's like back to back birthdays. But I mean, you talk about somebody that knows what she wants like she's a little dictator. Like she reminds me. I always laugh. She reminds me of Stewie on Family Guy.

She tells you what she's going to do, how she's going to do it, when she's going to do it. I'm like, chill out. But she's just a doll. She's a, she's literally a baby doll. So thank you. Thank you.

Robert (05:00)
She is beautiful. I mean, she really is. She

really is. look, I'll give you a quick story. Like you and Kat, you know, really have a special place in my heart. You don't know this, our, well, our sons were on the same soccer team for everybody listening. Our sons were on the same soccer team. It's how we met. And there was a soccer match

in the morning. I get there. I'm in the midst of a pretty contentious divorce battle at that time. And so I've got on that team, of course, there's your son, there's my son. And then there's my then wife's divorce attorney and, and, and, son was on that team.

I go up to the field. I've got my soon to be ex. I've got her divorce attorney there as well, right next to her. And I'm like, and there's like 15 parents right there. I'm like, I can't sit here or stand here for an hour plus next to them. You know, I just, that's so uncomfortable. And so, and that was all on me. I'm not saying they were making me feel uncomfortable. So I looked down at the edge of the field.

And there were some bleachers down there and there was a couple down there. And so I'm like, you know what? I hope they don't mind. There's a small little bleach. I'm like, I'm going go down there and talk to them. And so I went down there and it was you and Kat and you guys were so just warm and welcoming. And look, man, I've always been so appreciative of that. So I just want to say thank you. And, know, it's one of those things you never know what somebody's going through. Right. And, and, know, in, and again, I'm not saying by any means that they were purposely making me feel uncomfortable.

Damarius Bilbo (06:32)
Yeah.

Right.

Robert (06:38)
But it's

just, I was in the midst of that and everything going on and you guys were just welcoming. We've figured out we were both from Mississippi and all that. And it's kind of where friendship struck up from there. And I just appreciate that so much of you guys.

Damarius Bilbo (06:47)
Yep.

Thank

No problem. You would have never known. I mean, you were always just a nice guy and, you know, had a lot in common, obviously with the boys being around the same age, upbringing and stuff like that. So, you know, it was easy. We always kind of live by, you know, words, lie, action, reveal truth, you know, we always just try to be people who are good nature, good spirited, regardless of color, gender. You know, we just try to be nice people.

Robert (07:16)
Yeah. Yeah.

That's what you are. Of course. And we'll go into it later, but, you were representing a time Alvin Kamara who my boys, you know, being rabid saints fans, so much, you know, worshiped. And, when they found out that you were his agent at the time, they were just like, what is he really? And, they just were looking up to you there's, know, there were other things that happened to where, where you really had.

Damarius Bilbo (07:27)
Yeah.

Alright.

Robert (07:46)
a deep impact on both boys with kind of their worldly view and introducing them to things. So again, I just want to thank you for that. Look, let's talk about you. All right. Originally from Mississippi, man, you were quite the athlete. It pretty good. Okay. I'm going to, I'm going to go through this and you tell me, you tell me what I miss all American in both football and baseball USA today and Gatorade player of the year in football.

Damarius Bilbo (08:00)
Yep. Pretty good.

Okay.

Yeah.

Robert (08:15)
You won

a state title in football. were drafted by the Brewers as a pitcher, as a pitcher while in high school throwing 95. Is that correct?

Damarius Bilbo (08:21)
Yeah.

Little faster, but yeah. No faster. I think I topped out at like 98.

Robert (08:27)
Look a little faster.

Gosh,

man, that's, that's, that's pretty darn impressive. And, and, then you, from there, you went on to Georgia tech, Georgia, Georgia tech, where you played a quarterback and then eventually went over to wide receiver where you teamed up with future or not future, but hall of Famer Calvin Johnson. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And you guys are quite a threat.

Damarius Bilbo (08:41)
Yeah.

That's a Megatron, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, we were more him than me, but it's a good story.

Robert (09:01)
Nah, and now

look at you, man. You're not built like a quarterback or a wide receiver by any means. You're more like a linebacker, but like a linebacker or like Aaron Donald. Hey, so after, after that you then went, pro and you were with Cardinals, Cowboys, Titans, not Titans. Okay. Okay. Okay. All right. So you've, you, I mean, you've had quite the, quite the athletic career. It's no, it's no surprise where Aiden gets his talent from.

Damarius Bilbo (09:08)
But like a linebacker, mean, if I. Right.

not Titans. All music out boys, yes.

Yeah, yeah, that's I mean you when you're young, you just plan to play. I didn't grow up in one of those households. It was always books. It was always that. It makes and there's mainly why I chose Georgia Tech. No slight or offense to any other university or our school. But when I went to Georgia Tech on my visit, you know the people that were there, they were walking me through the University of the institution like they had a strong focus on academics and being in the city of Atlanta.

back in early 2000 and seeing the buildings, the billboards, you don't really get that in South Mississippi. So I think I fell in love more with the city of Atlanta and what was being built around me more than I did the game of football or playing college football. It was more business for me. I felt like we set out to make a 30 year decision versus a three, four year decision.

Robert (10:27)
Georgia Tech is starting to come back around too, aren't they?

Damarius Bilbo (10:31)
Ramblin' Wreck, they got old Brent Key, who's one of my former teammates. I think Brent was a senior when I was a freshman starting left tackle with George Gassi when I came in. And he always had those great leadership qualities. So it's no mistake why he's leading the charge over that Georgia Tech right now.

Robert (10:46)
Yeah,

I love it. I love it. love having two very competitive teams and, um, in Georgia, it's, it's fun. Yeah, it is. It is, you know, and not being from here. Um, you know, you kind of had, as you know, you kind of to pick someone, right. And, um, it's really like every weekend it's, I Georgia wins, you know, I hope. And when I say Georgia, mean, of course UGA and of course Georgia tech and, uh, kind of a little bit conflicted, uh, in November when they play.

Damarius Bilbo (10:54)
Yeah, it's good for the state. Great for the

Right.

Right.

Robert (11:17)
But

it really just kind of depends. All right, so now you are head of football, tell me if I'm correct, head of football operations for Klutch Sports Group. Is that correct?

Damarius Bilbo (11:28)
Yeah,

well, yeah, I started the division here. I was acquired back in 2019 as head of football at the time. And we were acquired by a company called UTA, United Talent Agency, myself and Rich Paul. And we just built the football division out, built it out to something, I would say one of the best in the business, if not the best.

Robert (11:49)
Yeah, yeah it is. I mean y'all got a roster a stable of superstars on there, don't you?

Damarius Bilbo (11:54)
Yeah, we got great. And again, I can't take all the credit for my biggest thing was to come here to put the foundation of the division together. But in the meantime, we've hired some amazing agents, some amazing individuals and client services marketing to basically build up what we call a company now. But at the time, it was it was really led by Rich Paul's vision and what he had already done for Klutch basketball and try to kind of push some of that

imprint of what the leadership in basketball, the individual brands and all that stuff to kind of pull that over in football, which really hadn't been done before because of the size of the rosters, know, the culture of the NFL and, know, guys not playing as long, not having, you know, the visibility because they wear helmets, you know, so Rich had a strong vision and we made the hires to support that vision and who we're now.

Robert (12:53)
He must be an amazing guy, Rich Paul.

Damarius Bilbo (12:55)
Yeah, nothing short of it. I mean, he's, he's probably one of the top and this is not athletes, entertainers, just people. He's probably one of the top five people I've ever met in terms of just the guy knows everybody's name. He knows everybody's, you know, title. He knows what everybody's role. He knows pretty much everything about every person and the type of respect he shows just you would think because he has so much knowledge. He talks a lot, but he listens a lot more than he talks, which

Robert (13:26)
There you go. He just seems, you know, he seems like such an amazing, amazing visionary, which is what you kind of alluded to and businessman, just such a forward thinker of, of a guy. And it's amazing what he's built.

Damarius Bilbo (13:42)
Yeah, I mean, well, he gets to he gets what we all sometimes forget is that everything you do involves people. And I think that when you're talking about whatever vision you have for people, mean, for businesses, it has to involve people.

You you can get into this whole AI and all this stuff. And what Rich is probably 10 years down the road for what people are thinking now, because he sees the changes in people. He sees the changes in culture. He's young enough, but he's mature enough and aged enough and experienced enough to, know, well, there's Gen Z, he gets it all.

Robert (14:19)
Yeah, that's about to say he

gets it. He understands it.

Damarius Bilbo (14:20)
He gets

very few people that can walk into the room and have a conversation with somebody that looks like them, a conversation with somebody that's 40 years older than them, a conversation with somebody like every single person he comes across, he has something in common with it. And it's just by the grace of God that, I mean, if anybody had the opportunity to have an ego and is probably be deserved, it would be rich. He doesn't consider himself a super agent, a super CEO.

or anything, he just works. And that's the thing I appreciate about it. He's never not working.

Robert (14:56)
That's awesome. That's awesome.

All right. We talked about some of the superstar superstars you guys have on the basketball side. I'm not going to go through the it's too lengthy. I'm not going to go through it, but you know, one that stands out, LeBron James is on the NBA side. He's being a client on the NFL side. Um, you know, you guys have Jalen hurts and you know, I mean, there's, there's several, mean, you've got chase young on there. I mean, go on and on. Can I ask you a question about Jalen hurts? Is he, well, I'm going to ask you anyway, whether you say yes or no.

is he, is he just, he just seems like such a great guy. Is he that way off the field? Like, is that legit? Like, is he just really just like from his smile, just everything about him? Is he really.

Damarius Bilbo (15:32)
Yeah.

Yeah, I'm not around Jayden a lot. lead on him is Nicole Lynn. She's the lead agent on the but obviously as an agency we encounter him, but I've seen the guys on the Eagles and I mean, he's just, he's a, he's a human being. You know, I think he is one of the few guys that don't get caught up in the hype. was just, he was just on the Time 100 list of most influential people, you know, but I think he's one and you could tell how he was raised by his mother and father that he's one that doesn't get too high, doesn't get too low about things.

Robert (15:56)
Yeah!

Damarius Bilbo (16:10)
you know, is a real faith-based person. So he knows what's for him is what's for him and, you know, he's living in every moment. So, you know, from...

Robert (16:12)
Yep, yep.

Yeah, I've just been so

impressed with him, with all the hype around him. And you think about it, it be easy for it to go to somebody's head. It just doesn't seem that way.

Damarius Bilbo (16:28)
Yeah.

this team here at Klutch, Jenna and Client Services, Joe D'Amelio, Marketing, Nicole, I mean, they speak volumes about them. Like whether it's on a set with brand Jordan, you know, or doing a Hulu commercial, whatever, he's just always pleasant to people. So I don't think it's one moment where 10 years down the road, you'll have these stories come out that he treated this person this way. No, he's not that type of person. He respects everybody.

Robert (16:55)
Hey, so I want to ask you this. NIL, do you guys represent college players?

Damarius Bilbo (17:00)
Yeah,

we have more on the basketball, football. We're still trying to figure out the football, which is a wild, west. I basketball has always been a little clearer because of the one and done. Guys are not, I mean, it's changing now because it seemed like guys are staying in school longer to make more money. But.

Robert (17:07)
Yeah it is.

Damarius Bilbo (17:20)
I think football is just more of a wild, west. So we're very, very particular in terms of who we represent. And it has to be a family and an individual that wants to be educated and empowered first and not just what deals would I have because everybody wants marketing, but they don't understand branding. You know, everybody wants a paycheck, but they don't understand, what value am I giving that company that's giving me that paycheck? So we leave with education first.

Robert (17:51)
No, and you know what we've had, you and I've had talks about that before and it's amazing what clutch does. And it's, it's no wonder you guys are really the premier sports agency out there. my, my original view of sports agency was, Hey, let's get them the highest paid contract we can. Yes. That's part of

Damarius Bilbo (18:11)
Alright.

Robert (18:11)
But there's

so much more that you guys do, right?

Damarius Bilbo (18:14)
Yeah.

And I think that's, I'm fair to say that there are a lot of good agencies. This is me. Like, I don't think there's any one good, it's kind of like vehicles. It's like, you know, you can get a Mercedes, you can get a Dodge, you can get, you know, a Nissan, a They're all good cars, but what are you looking for? Do you want a rough, rugged, off-terrain vehicle or do you just want something to cruise in? They're all good agencies in terms of, they all do marketing.

all have negotiated big contracts, but we often forget, and I think this is me as a former player, we often forget that it's the player that's doing the work. Like the player, the town, there's no such thing as the best agent or the biggest agent or, you know, the agent is only as good as his player. So we all have had the same year I had chase young at number two, I had Jeff Okuda at number three. You know, I had Makai Bechtin who's a top 15 pick also, you know, and chase came

in the league as defensive rookie of the year, know, next year he blows out his Achilles and Patella. So I can't say I'm the best agent because I had the number two pick who just won the defensive rookie of the year. And then next year the kid blows out his ACL and then I'm like, I'm not.

I didn't do anything. I was the same person when Chase were drafted number two, when Chase won the rookie of the year, when Chase blew out his Achilles and when Chase just got a huge contract by the Saints. You don't change as the agent. The player is the one who sacrificed and he's putting everything on the line. So this whole notion that they are super agents, no, we have to be very good at our job. We have to perfect the craft. We have to know the relationships internally, not just with the player and the families, but also with the organization that we deal with.

And we got to protect the player and I think all agents seek to do that.

Robert (20:06)
Yeah. And you guys do a great job of, once the career is over, making, making sure they're set up and make, you hear the horror stories, you know, five years after they're bankrupt, you're like, how in the, how in the heck is he bankrupt? You know, you made millions of dollars, but you guys do all that you can to prevent that from happening and make sure they're invested wisely and they're set up and hopefully future generations are, are set up as well.

Damarius Bilbo (20:11)
Yes.

Well, that's another notion I think that people don't understand is that the agent has nothing to do with the guy's financials. Like our job is to make them money, not keep their money. That's why they hire financial advisors and institutions like Merrill Lynch and Wells Fargo and Bank of America Truist and all of these wealth managers to protect their wealth. Our job is to make it. Where agent...

really comes in and protect the players to have those conversations. Hey, are you meeting with your financial advisors? Are you sticking to your budget? Tell them what they need to hear versus what they want to hear. And really having conversations and my ability to relate to the athlete because I was a former athlete, I've been fired for telling guys exactly what they need to hear.

because everybody else was saying it differently. And then he goes out and figured out like, hey, this is, you were telling the exact truth. Like that guy didn't tell the truth, you know, but it sounded good.

You know, so our job is to really connect with these players on a deeper level outside of football. Understand that these are people, yet they're professional athletes, but us as agents and them as athletes, that's their God given ability. We have to really dive into who they are trying to become as a professional, as a person on and off the field so that when that time comes.

that transition happens, they're not lost. You they don't know what's next. We all have that what next moment in our life. Well, this probably when you and me became fathers, we was like, shoot, like what next?

Robert (21:55)
Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, no, yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (22:05)
There's no plan for it. know, so same with them as athletes. They've been in this bubble since middle school, high school, college, in NFL. And there's no more football out there in NFL. I mean, you can go play flag football and play on these little, but it's no more football to that level. Right? So what conversations are you having with the client to help them understand that today may not be what it is. Life today may not be what it is three years from now, five years from now. In NFL with the, being a collision sport.

it may not be the same next year. So you have to have the plan, you have to stick to it. So those are the type of conversations we do at Klutch. We have check in with our guys, we make sure that we're holding them accountable for why they signed with us. It's so easy when these guys get locked into contracts, just to forget about them because, hey, we're in a 2025 draft, there's gonna be a draft every single year.

Robert (23:00)
Yep. Yep.

Damarius Bilbo (23:00)
Every

day after this is going to be a draft. Football is not slowing down, so.

Robert (23:05)
So Damarius, you were constantly on the road, whether it's going to, you know, pro day workouts, you know, one time when we were, you were, you were going, I think from the pro bowl, then you had to stop somewhere else. And then I think it was off to the super bowl. mean, it's, you're constantly planes here and there. mean, all over the country. How do you balance work and family? But that's gotta be so difficult, especially with your kids being so active.

Damarius Bilbo (23:31)
Yeah, I think that time it was a, actually changed it around a little bit. It was a, was leaving Mobile for the senior bowl and then I went, I was in Orlando for the pro bowl. And I went to whatever Superbowl city it was in, but they've done a good job of like,

Robert (23:38)
That was episode.

Damarius Bilbo (23:50)
Those things used to be the same week, like the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl would be back to back, but the Senior Bowl and the Pro Bowl would be the same week. They've kind of spread them out over the week, but to answer your question, it's just making my family inclusive, like including them. Like these are all things where, I mean, they have...

they can jump on a flight with me. know, there's been time like I remember representing Jarvis Landry, you know, early in his career when he was a Miami dolphin. And, Miami used to play those one o'clock games and, know, I'll fly in on Saturday with Aiden and, know, we'll get a nice hotel on the beach. We'll go to the beach. We'll hang out. go to Jarvis's house and play with his dogs and I'll do my work with Jarvis. And at the time Jarvis wasn't a father and even to be in there playing, watching TV and stuff like that.

players were very, they were understanding, you know, you have to have a client that sees himself as a father one day and is kind of inspired by, you know, the, the way in which I worked, but also my son. then, you know, Sunday comes, we'll go to the game, one o'clock game after the game is over, go to dinner and then we're jumping on a flight, you know, to get him back from school on Monday. And he loved it. I show him pictures now at 16. I mean, it's so crazy. He's probably

Robert (24:40)
Yeah. Yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (25:07)
five, six years old and he still remembers it.

He's literally still seven, eight years. He still remember things where, I remember meeting Antonio Brown at the Pro Bowl. I remember meeting Melvin Gordon here at this game. So just making them feel inclusive in terms of what is going on, but also prioritizing them because I hate to sound like this, but clients come and go. The clients, yeah, they be.

Robert (25:37)
Yeah, good

point.

Damarius Bilbo (25:38)
They do become your family. I think sometimes we prioritize ourselves like we're the most important things in our clients life. No, they have families, they have girlfriends, wives, mothers, fathers, they're their own individual. So you have to prioritize your family because I tell all my clients, I remember one time I'm not gonna say the player's name, that same thing, he was on the West Coast. So if you go to West Coast, it's a time difference.

Robert (25:40)
Yeah.

yeah, yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (26:03)
I out there, I fly out there early, and this is the time where Aiden had a baseball game. And I flew out there Saturday, didn't make the baseball game. The way it usually worked, I'll take the home team.

to dinner after the game because they're home, but I'll take the way team to dinner that Saturday night before the game will hang out. And so I missed the game. It is my son's baseball game. Went out there Saturday. This one player had a horrible game, end up like losing the game. We were supposed to go to dinner that night. I didn't see him after the game. He stayed in the locker room, so I ended up leaving. I went back to my hotel, hit his mom up, waiting for him to dinner. I go to the restaurant where the reservation was made. He didn't come. I'm on the West Coast, right? So I'm

I'm blowing his phone up, I go by his house, he's not home yet. I'm like, man, I'm just trying to see if you're okay. So I had an early morning flight, I jumped back on the flight. He hits me up Monday afternoon, hey man, I'm sorry, obviously you saw the game. I was like, yeah, man, but I get the football part of it, but you gotta understand, I just flew across country. Not to sound selfish, but Aiden hit a home run and I didn't get that moment back with my son. I came out here to be with you to

support you, you know, but you left me on read because you were feeling a certain type of way about the game. Like I'm your agent. Let's talk about it. You know, I got to at least see you on this trip. I didn't even get to see him. So I wasted two days basically just to fly across country, sit into a hotel. And that was one of those learning moments to where I said, like, never again, I'm going to prioritize my family because, you know, I don't get to see my son hit a home run again, you know, possibly, you know.

Robert (27:41)
Yeah,

yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (27:42)
And we know the state of today with plane crashes, leaving home and coming back is not guaranteed.

Robert (27:48)
No, it's true.

Damarius Bilbo (27:49)
And

so I had a real conversation with him and I told him, said, look, one day you're going to be a father, hopefully, and you're going to do things. You're going to sacrifice for your child and you're going to have to leave certain moments behind and you're going to be put in the same moment you put me in. And I hope that you don't feel the way I feel right now, because I don't get to tell my son sorry, because when I got back, my son was asking me, hey, how was everything with the client? How was everything with the client? like, I can't say.

I

didn't see the client like, well, you just missed my game and you didn't see the client. So you're always in that situation where you have to be smarter with your travel. Now what I do a lot, I do still go to the games to support the players, but I like to go on off days on Tuesdays when, know,

Robert (28:20)
Right, right.

Damarius Bilbo (28:37)
They're just hanging out their crib. They're off during football season. They get an off day, so I get to go hang out and really spend time with them. So can drop my kid off at school on Tuesday, jump on a flight, go see them, have lunch, hang out with them for a day, and then be back by dinner. But I get real time with them versus going to a football game. I always tell these guys, I'm not your fan. I'm your partner. I'm your business partner.

Robert (28:50)
flight.

Damarius Bilbo (29:04)
I'm a fan of yours, but I'm not your fan. I'm not in the stands cheering. And you said earlier, sometimes you have to pick a side. I have the luxury of not picking a side. I can go to the game and not root for anybody as long as the players come out healthy, right? So it's one of those things that you always have to manage expectation of your families, but also of the clients.

Robert (29:27)
You have to be such a great role model to these guys you represent. I mean, you have to be, when you were telling that story, I was thinking about, gosh, I mean, that's hopefully with that player that's really sunk in and that they will, they'll bring that into their life when they're a father and they'll start valuing that time and really prioritizing and understanding, you know, the sacrifices.

Damarius Bilbo (29:31)
I will hope so. I will hope so.

Robert (29:54)
that it may that that it takes to be a, you know, a good father with that. Hey, so, you know, we talked about faith, your faith and how strong it is. how does that play into fatherhood for you?

Damarius Bilbo (29:58)
Absolutely.

I think it gives you that foundation that you know, you're not doing it alone, but also letting an I'll call him by his name, my son Aiden, like, and he goes to, it's pretty cool that he goes to a Christian Academy, So, you know, they have small groups, man groups, have chapel, things like that. So what it does is,

You know, I understand that the world doesn't love your child the way you love your child. That's just the truth of the matter. I understand that, you know, your child is going to learn things outside of the household that you instill in them inside the household. That's just the world we live in through social media, through the access that these kids have nowadays. So my faith in just helping him understand that, you know, we're not doing this alone and just having an understanding of who your real father is, God's grace.

you know, his glory, just it gives that foundation that look, things are gonna go wrong, but this is how you get them back on track, you know, and to help him really find himself in the Lord and not in anybody else. You know, I would like to think that I've been a good role model, you know, in terms of, you things haven't always been great with me and his mom, you know, but just showing him that I'm not going anywhere on time, you know, if it's God's time for me to go, go, but you know, I'm not leaving you.

I'm not stranding you and you're going to always have that voice of those my ears to listen to whatever you have. you know, I think just having that relationship with the Lord again allows me to have that strength sometime. You know, as a father, sometimes you just don't feel like doing it. You don't feel like, know, you know, that drive up to Lake Point for baseball six, seven o'clock in the morning. But the story of Christ is sacrifice. You know, he sacrificed for us. And, you know, the smallest gift we can do sacrifice.

Robert (31:46)
Yeah, no, it's true.

Damarius Bilbo (31:59)
I feel like I've given him lessons that are all Bible verse, Bible based and things that you can go and find in the Bible when you read the word. My advice as a father, as a person, as a human being would be nothing if it wasn't based on biblical readings that you can find and go back and see. It's kind of like going to a church and the pastor says something and you're like, where can I

that in the Bible. You can't.

It was like, well, I don't know if I want to take that advice. So that's what I try to lead with. And I'm not perfect by no stretch of the imagination. I've made my mistakes as a father, but I always say mistakes are only mistakes if you can correct them. If it didn't take him to his grave and put him in danger, I was supposed to make that mistake because we both learned from it. So we talked the other day about, I was telling him it's OK to be angry, sad, depressed, because

He was going back and forth about baseball and I said, it's okay to be that, but it's not okay to stay that way. You know what I'm saying? Like you have to manage those emotions and, know, and able to feel it and experience it. You got to be able to manage it. You know what I'm saying? You know, and I want to be that person that you come and manage it with. Come talk to me about it. Like what's going on? Like.

Robert (33:09)
Great point. Yep, love it.

Damarius Bilbo (33:25)
Because I heard a door slam and I'm like, hey, what's going on? And so I went up there and I didn't go up there and raise my, why are you slamming doors in my house? I was like, yo, what's going on, man? And we went downstairs and we just talked and it's a lot easier to talk to a 16 year old boy when he's eating, because he's over some food. Hey, let's get something to eat, talk and.

Robert (33:38)
Hahaha

Damarius Bilbo (33:43)
You know, he kind of let it out and kind of told me how he was feeling. you know, everything I do and this is a lesson learned and it's tried to have some kind of, you know, Bible verse or base that he can always go back and reference as he ages and say, hey, I remember, because that book is not changing. You know, my tone changes, my attitude changing. That book is the most consistent thing we have.

Robert (34:08)
Yep.

Yep. That's that. I love that. I love that. Hey, you alluded to earlier about you didn't have a you didn't have a father present when you were growing up.

you value being a father so much. Do you think that's one of the reasons why? Yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (34:24)
Yes, a thousand percent.

mean, I never was able to wrap my head around, you know, again, going back to the Bible creation, you know, the sacrifice of, you know, the Lord died for our sins. If you believe that, you know, which I do, that's a sacrifice. Right. I never understood how an earthly father can help create something right with your mother and then just disappear.

Robert (34:52)
Yeah,

I know.

Damarius Bilbo (34:53)
be responsible, not reach out. I don't have it in me to create something and leave it stranded, you know, or to, to, to buy or build something and not take care of it.

Robert (35:07)
Right.

Damarius Bilbo (35:08)
I just feel like that's something that should be in every human's nature is to protect what you help build or create. That's going back to Rich Paul, like Rich built Klutch, know, so it's going to protect it. He's going to build. He's going to do the things necessary to support it and make sure it grows. Right. And that's the same way I approach fatherhood is like me growing up and not seeing it. My mom did a phenomenal job of not letting us feel that we were missing something, but we knew it.

go to baseball games and I'm like the biggest, the best, and I'm hearing all these other fathers cheer for their son. And I'm like, he's not even that good, but his dad's And that kind of put a spark onto me is like, I knew my dad wasn't present, but shit, I'm gonna give everybody else, excuse my French, I'm gonna give everybody else something to cheer about.

Robert (35:48)
Yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (36:01)
They're not going focus on their son. They're going to focus on how far I this ball or how far I throw. I can't say I was angry, but it was.

Robert (36:09)
Did that drive

you more? Yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (36:10)
Yeah, it was a driving factor just that

I didn't have a father in the stands. It kind of motivated me. And then when I became a father, you know, Aidan was born, I was with the Cowboys, you know, going back and forth on the practice squad. You know, I was talking to Wade Phillips at the time about like, hey, man, I don't want to play safety, like all this stuff. And I knew I was going back and forth. My agent at the time was Todd France. He represents Dak Prescott now he's an athlete first left

a great guy, I was talking to Todd about it. And I was just like, man, I don't want to play safe. I don't feel like I want to play football anymore. I went through this in college, going from quarterback to receiver. Now I'm going from receiver to safety. I don't want to do this anymore. And Kat had just found out that she was pregnant with Aiden. And I think that made the decision. Obviously, I was scared as hell moving away from football, but it made the decision easier because I'm like, now I have something that I can focus on and protect.

I am the deciding factor in this child's life and I don't have to go and does this coach like me at this position? I have more control over being a father than I have over my football career. So I'm going to focus on being a father, right? That was kind of end of my football career. And I went to my agent and say, I'm done, bro. Like, I don't want to do this anymore. And I started working with his firm and the rest is kind of history. So yeah, me growing up and not seeing a father present really motivated me to, if I can do one thing right as a father, be,

it can be to be present.

Robert (37:40)
Yeah, that makes so much sense. You know, I did have a dad until I was 10, then he died unexpectedly. Um, and I think about, you know, the, games now I wasn't out there being a star like you and hitting home runs and everything else. But, uh, you know, maybe I threw somebody out at first. Maybe I got a double or a single, you know, I still missed that, you know, everybody running to their dads after the game and their dads talking to them about.

what they did well and hey, we need to work on this more. Now my mom was there and that was nice, but there just wasn't that, you you miss, you miss that. And I think that's part of the reason why I value it as well. And, you know, just so strongly. And, I was wondering, I didn't know that about you and that, that makes, that makes complete sense. Hey, so complete my sentence. The most challenging thing about fatherhood is what?

Damarius Bilbo (38:39)
challenging thing about fatherhood is...

Robert (38:43)
for you personally.

Damarius Bilbo (38:44)
I think giving what you don't have.

Robert (38:46)
Explain.

Damarius Bilbo (38:47)
Like you ever heard the saying like you can't give what you don't have if you don't have love if you don't have empathy if you don't have happiness if you don't have loyalty you can't give it right and I think Becoming a father never seeing it right like I never saw love from a father a man My biggest fear becoming a father is how do I give this kid love? I know I have it in me, but I don't feel it because I've never felt it from a man, you know

you what's happiness to my son? Like I didn't have those, like you just said, running off the baseball field, you know, hugging that father or, you know, dapping them up or getting in the car, riding home, say, Hey, you can do this better. You can do this better. Or even down to like being punished by a man. Like how do you punish your son? And you've never met by a man. I've been punished by a coach, but household, I've never seen that. So, you know, mine was, you know, just how do I give what I don't have? So everything, all those emotions, all those

Robert (39:34)
Yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (39:47)
lessons I had to develop.

Robert (39:50)
That makes, yeah, I love that. That makes a lot of sense. And, you know, I was talking to a guy, gosh, a couple of months ago.

and about to be a new father. And we were talking about everything and he said, you know, I am scared to death. And I'm like, why? Like what? Like I was too, but tell me why. And he said, I never heard. And this guy played baseball was drafted, bounced around the minor leagues a little bit. And he said, I never heard my dad tell me he was proud of me.

And I never heard my dad say he loved me. And he said, I longed for that. He said, I still do. And he said, I don't want to be my dad. said, you know what? You being aware of that right now.

Damarius Bilbo (40:25)
wow.

Thank

Mm-hmm, of course. Yeah.

Robert (40:39)
Is the first thing and, know, I don't think you have to worry about that. And you just have to make sure you do it. And it's, he said, it's going to feel so uncomfortable. said, yeah, but once you do it

You're going to get more comfortable with it and they're going to, know, and you're going to see how much they appreciate that. And, yeah, so that's, that's something, Hey, so let's, let's move forward. I want to be cognizant of your time. You're retired years from now You're sitting on a beach or you're sitting somewhere. Your kids are grown. What, what will you need to see or what would you like to see to be able to think to yourself?

Man, I did one hell of a job as a dad. I, you know what? might've been hard on myself. I didn't have a, I didn't have a role model, you know, but I did, I did pretty darn good.

Damarius Bilbo (41:22)
Okay.

I think it's a Bible verse. I think it's in 3 John. It talks about the greatest joy of my life is to hear that the children are consistently living in their lives in the ways of truth or something like that. think because I always tell Aiden like you can be anything, but you can't be everything.

You know what saying? can be anything you want to be, but you can't be everything. We gotta find something to stick to it. I think again, going back to that Bible verse, it's just knowing that, you know, my kids are living their lives in their truth and they're being what they want to be. And they're not doing it for anybody else other than themselves, you know? like the one thing I never, everybody sees Aiden now he's six, three, you know, like you've seen him phenomenal. Yeah. Like just like he runs and it's like,

Robert (41:46)
Yeah. Yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (42:14)
Jesus dude, like this dude's so fast and athletic, but you know everybody always asks, why is he not playing football? Like, you know, he could be a top wide receiver or you know, cornerback or something. I'm just like, he didn't want to do it. I'm not gonna make him do it. you know, I think when we as parents, we just want to make the greatest joys is making sure they're happy and whatever their happiness is. And, you know, I actually had a friend a while back. He found out that his daughter, like girls, you know,

He's 19 years old, 20 years old, and he was, he's a man's man. He's former defensive lineman and all this. And we were talking about it and I said, take away what she likes, what she dislikes. Do you still love her? He said, yeah. I said, well, that's what you leave with love. That's the easiest thing you can do, leave with love. And there's no figuring out why she don't like boys or she like girls, just love her.

And that's all you can do. So, you know, I think when I'm sitting retired, first off, don't think I ever retire.

Robert (43:21)
Ha ha.

Damarius Bilbo (43:22)
I just, I love what I do and you know, it brings me so much joy to be a small part of these young men's lives. And, you know, I mean, every draft I felt literally it's like watching a rerun of a movie. I know exactly where I was on my draft day. I know exactly what me and my agent spoke about. And I know exactly how I felt when I didn't get drafted. So every moment that I'm able to experience a guy getting that call, like, man, when I tell you I'm like balling, literally, I don't care what round it is.

if you're the second pick overall in Chase Young or if you're a Brock Purdy type last or you know if you get an opportunity you get that phone call I you know I feel that for you and we felt because I know how I didn't feel so you know just want my kids to be happy you know to be dependent on you know the Lord and know that that's where their strength comes from and you know again be people of action and not of words

Robert (44:03)
Yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (44:20)
That will make me happy and knowing that, that's what I tell Aiden all the time about playing sport is just learning from failure. That's what you learn in sports, you learn from failure. There are very few athletes that have learned in success, they learn in failure.

Robert (44:35)
That's the truth. mean, we're always talking about when we have dinner, it's like, okay, where did you fail this week?

Damarius Bilbo (44:42)
Yeah. Yeah, that's that's literally that's literally my conversation with a like

Robert (44:47)
Yeah,

Damarius Bilbo (44:47)
And I have

Robert (44:47)
yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (44:48)
with my my with my clients that are super talented, like, you know, I represent initiative, Donovan Edwards out of Michigan, who we remember watching him run run all over Washington, the Huskies. then he didn't have a so great year this year. I you're talking about a Madden not Madden but college football cover athlete, him, Travis Hunter. And I think it was Quinn Ayers from Texas, a quarterback. They were the three on there. So such high expectations. But I told him, I said, your strengths

always become strengths only if you understand what your weaknesses are. Your weaknesses, you have to know your weaknesses better than you know your strengths. You know, and they always look at me and I say, guarantee you get behind closed doors with those teams that are going to be invested in you and give you millions of dollars. They don't care that you know what your strengths are.

care more that you know what you have to work on to be great weaknesses. Hey, you're not so good in this area. How have you been, you know, don't mask it, address it, you know, so that's literally my conversations with Aiden every week. Now, if I talk to baby girl, she's fine. She don't think she has any weakness. She's perfect. She's perfect right now. My eyes. So talks a little too much, but like that girl can't, she can't hold water, man. She tells

Robert (45:54)
She might not.

Yeah.

Man,

she deserves to be so spoiled. tell you what, I would never, she probably still wouldn't be walking. I wouldn't put her down, man. just.

Damarius Bilbo (46:10)
Yeah, it's

hard to man. She's literally when I pick her up from school. and she'll say, Hey, can you pick me up? And like literally we're walking up a steep hill from her school. Like she's on my neck and I hear all the other kids like telling their dad, dad, can you do that? And they're like, no, I'm not. But you see me again. So yeah, you just try to enjoy those moments, man, because like, and I know you know this with your boys, like Aiden's my height now.

Robert (46:21)
Yeah.

Nah, I ain't built like him.

Yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (46:37)
He still accepts hugs from me. And there's not a time where Aiden's friends have come over or he's left and literally in front of his friends like, all right, man, I love you, Aiden. I love you too, dad. Give me a hug. And like, I haven't experienced that moment where he's not an affectionate boy.

Robert (46:55)
Yeah, you know, and

I remember that with Max, my oldest was when he, when he expressed that in front of his friends, after a game. And, I said, Hey, I'm proud of you and I love you. And you know, he was going to the locker room and he was like, you know, he's got all, all his buddies around him. He's like, thanks dad. I appreciate it. I love you too.

Damarius Bilbo (47:18)
Ready.

Robert (47:19)
And leaned in and gave me a hug and it's like, wow, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, so about to let you go, but will you make me a promise? Friend to friend. All right. If you find yourself in the coming months across the table and in negotiations with the saints, will you, will you please go a little easy on them? Look, it has been so tough over the last few years.

Damarius Bilbo (47:21)
Right. You know something right at that moment.

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Robert (47:49)
and just throw him a bone something please help us.

Damarius Bilbo (47:53)
Well, I mean, it goes

both ways because, you know, I tried to get them to sign a couple of my other players and they didn't. Yeah, I mean, I respect the organization so much. I mean, it's so much behind the scenes, the way, you know, Kai and Mickey and those guys, like, just maneuver their cap, their salary cap, just to be honest. Yeah, I think the one thing you can't in this league,

Robert (48:00)
We shoot ourselves in the foot. We do.

Kick it down the road

Damarius Bilbo (48:20)
The one thing you can predict is injuries. And you look at teams that win, you look at last year with the Eagles, were, Jaylen Hertz was healthy. Saquon Barkley was healthy. That line was healthy. And look where they ended up. You know, the saints, you know,

Robert (48:23)
No.

Yeah.

You can't

even a healthy saints from last year. can't compare the two. Yeah. Let's be honest. That's nice of you, but you can't.

Damarius Bilbo (48:42)
You can't, but you give yourself a chance. I mean, what you think about it, like they had, know, Olave was out most of the season, come on this one issue. I'm not saying I'm not by no means, that's why I love the movie. Any given Sunday, just not the content of the movie, but just the title of the movie, because that's a true statement.

Robert (48:45)
Jaylen Hart's Derek Carr? No!

Yeah, we did. And we had lying issue. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

totally.

Damarius Bilbo (49:07)
any like you look at what people thought the Washington commanders were so far from being a playoff caliber team and it took ownership change a head coach change and a new quarterback and in one year there are 10 plus win team. It's crazy. So all I'm saying is that a healthy Saints team, especially in the NFC South, which is not a super strong division. It gives them gives them a better opportunity. It gives them better opportunity.

Robert (49:22)
Yeah, yeah, it is, it is.

We still have some holes and I hope we do our best to to plug them in the draft and afterwards free agency. we'll see. But anyway, help us if you can. Certainly would be appreciated. Demarius, how do people find you?

Damarius Bilbo (49:50)
Uh, you mean social media? Uh, that will be, what is my social bill? Bill eight B I L B O eight. Uh, I try to not be as active, uh, on social media. It's just, I actually got a timer on my thing with 30 minutes a day and probably 25 of those meeting, um, 25 of those minutes I'm looking at my players pages and make sure they didn't post anything crazy. So, um, I'm probably, and I don't know if this is my sports background. I'm not the agent that.

Robert (49:52)
Yeah.

Damarius Bilbo (50:20)
Tells people I'm the best or, you know, but I probably work harder behind the scenes than most people. And I've always been that person. I don't care about, you know, my players lifestyle is not my lifestyle. You know, I just want to see them flourish and thrive. And I think I'm best suited doing that from behind the scenes. Because like everywhere I go, people still think I play football. So I don't ever want to.

make people think I'm doing this for any reason other than to watch the player and their families be successful. So I'm really behind the scenes a lot. I don't do a lot of talking and speaking out publicly. I think since I've been with Klutch, I did one interview when we first started the agency with GQ. That was it. And that's by design. I've done things to do a lot of stuff. I did this for you, Rob, because you're a great friend and you're doing something great. Anytime you incorporate just fatherhood and faith, like you said before.

those are two things I'm very passionate about.

Robert (51:17)
No, you

are. look, I appreciate it. You are a very humble, very grounded person. I mean, you're a man's man. I mean, you're one that for others to look up to. And I appreciate you taking time out. I really do. It means a lot to me.

Damarius Bilbo (51:22)
Thank you.

Thank you.

Robert (51:32)
Your friendship means a lot to me as well, and I appreciate it. I definitely do.

Damarius Bilbo (51:34)
Likewise,

we definitely catch a Saints game this year. I talked to Chase the other day. You he had that the neck surgery last year. I just I couldn't come to any games. I said, Chase, I can't I can't be present until I know this thing is, you know, so I owe Chase about two, three games this year. I just left his birthday party Saturday in D.C. and he had us all dressed like cowboys. So it's pretty cool. Pretty cool theme party. So. Yeah.

Robert (51:42)
Yeah, yeah.

I was happy that we got him back.

was very happy that we got him back.

Damarius Bilbo (52:06)
Yeah, he did. Like I said, he did what he did last year. People hadn't seen the best of Chase Young. He literally found out in free agency like last year that, you know, we we went to a couple of teams and they wanted to sign him. We're talking big money.

And they found out that, you he had the little neck thing and most people want to see him have a surgery and the Saints were very, like, look, we want to sign them and we'll have the surgery. Even we'll sign it even if he has a surgery. So they kept their word, but he spent all last off season. He didn't work out last off season. He was literally rehabbing a whole off season. So to go into a full football season, play 17 games, not really work out in the off season. And still I think he came away with like six sacks, five and a half sacks or something like that.

Like I mean you look at him now, whole different animal, whole different. He's dropped about 15 pounds. Just, mean, he is shredded. He looks good. So God willing, he'll have a great season this year and give you guys something to root about. You need it. You guys need it.

Robert (53:03)
Let's hope so. Let's hope so. We need it. We need it. We need every bit of help we can get. We certainly do. Certainly.

Hey, Demarce, thank you again for coming on for really appreciate it. Look, and thank you all for listening to dad to dad's podcast. You can find us on Spotify or Apple podcast is, well as on most podcasts, platforms. can also find us on YouTube and Instagram. Don't forget to hit the like and subscribe button and feel free to leave a comment. read every one of those and.

Certainly appreciate the feedback we receive, and I look forward to talking to you all next time.