Former wide receiver Rod Gardner hasn't played in the NFL since the 2006 season, but he still uses football lessons he learned on the gridiron. One of his latest adventures took him around the world with his favorite teammate, his wife Leticia, as the Gardners were one of the teams competing in the upcoming 36th season of "The Amazing Race."
The couple recently talked to CBS Sports about their experience, and they said they didn't need much convincing when they were offered a chance to be on the show. But they knew tackling the challenge would require a unique game plan.
"I was all in from the beginning, but I didn't know how we were going to do it as a couple," said Rod, who last played for the Kansas City Chiefs. "We really had to see and test out our relationship and our marriage, and see where we stand under pressure, how our communication skills are. ... I didn't know what to expect when we got on the show but we definitely had some eye-opening moments."
The show features 13 teams racing around the world on a limited budget. Competitors must decipher clues and complete challenges to advance. The last team remaining wins, and receives $1 million for their efforts. (The new season of "The Amazing Race" is set to debut on Wednesday, March 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS.)
Leticia moved to Atlanta in 2009 and six months later she met Rod. The two of them have been inseparable since, but "The Amazing Race" taught them more about how to manage their different styles of competition and communication -- particularly when it came to navigation and how to go "on to the next play" after setbacks.
"I think I had to learn how to really go in under pressure, right then and there, a split-second decision. That's what he is good at doing, he had to do that on the field."
Rod played for six seasons in the NFL so he is used to competing against others and he utilized some of those skills in this arena. His wife's approach, focusing on competing solely against herself, was a clash in styles that Rod said he had to adjust to, while Leticia learned just how strong she truly is.
"She wasn't a quitter, and I just had to teach her, you know, in football we are always told 'on to next play.' Whatever happened in the last play doesn't matter," he said. "We gotta keep pushing forward, we can't focus on that. That was a big game-changer for our relationship because if we did mess up, I was like, 'Baby, it's over. Let's just keep going, don't worry about it.'"
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