David Pollack | Sage Steele Show | EP 102

David Pollack | Sage Steele Show | EP 102

From The Sage Steele Show by Sage Steele Productions

April 22, 2026 · 2h 11m

About this episode

Sage Steele interviews David Pollack about his life, career, and personal challenges, including his injury and his wife's battle with cancer.

I have known David Pollack for years. We worked together at ESPN, we have been friends through some of the hardest seasons of each other's lives, and I have always respected him deeply. But I did not know the full story until he sat down with me for this conversation. David was a three-time All-American at Georgia, second only to Herschel Walker in program history. He was a first-round NFL Draft pick. And in year two of his professional career, he broke his neck. A burst fracture at C6 and C7 that nicked his spinal cord. His wife Lindsay nursed him back to health for three months while he wore a halo screwed into his skull. He went from benching 455 pounds to struggling with 135. He says there was no mourning. Just gratitude for what had already happened and a quiet belief that something better was coming next. That belief carried him through 15 years at ESPN, a departure from the network he gave everything to, and then the phone call no husband wants to get. Lindsay had brain cancer. She had a seven-hour craniotomy. And thirty minutes after coming out of surgery, with her head still bandaged and her left arm barely working, she raised both arms and praised God. We talk about all…

People in this episode

Host: Sage Steele

Guest: David Pollack

Topics covered

  • sports
  • personal struggle
  • resilience
  • identity
  • health
  • cancer
  • podcasting

Keywords

  • David Pollack
  • Sage Steele
  • ESPN
  • sports injury
  • cancer
  • resilience
  • identity
  • podcast

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ESPN, Georgia

More episodes of The Sage Steele Show

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Sage Steele Show podcast page.