Golden Tate Featured on Episode of “Here’s the Rub” and Discusses Detroit, Celebrations, Ice Cream, and Farts

Golden Tate is one of the most successful and charismatic recent Notre Dame football alumni in the professional ranks (439 receptions, 5,339 yards, and 28 TD in 7 NFL seasons), and his Detroit Lions currently sit at 9-6 and as the final Wild Card team in the NFC.

So, to discuss his secrets to achieving such great success while also having a good time on the field, Tate sat down with comedian Andrew Santino on his show Here’s the Rub on go90, with Santino interviewing him as his Russian character Nikolai Popov.

Here’s a sneak preview for you all:

Password for above video: GoldenHTR

The result of the full interview is as entertaining as the episode featuring Skylar Diggins in early December, with Tate and Popov beginning the interview inside Tate’s Detroit home and discussing Golden’s pregame rituals, which formerly included eating vanilla ice cream before games.

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Popov stated that Tate used to eat 5 bowls of ice cream before games, but Tate corrected him that it was really one big bowl. They both agreed it could be considered 5 scoops of ice cream each week before games, and that that immense amount of ice cream has been a major key to Tate’s success over the years.

Tate then dropped the devastating news (in the sneak preview above) that he found out he’s actually allergic to cow milk and now does not eat ice cream before games (except one instance this season, when he broke the rules of allergies and consumed ice cream before racking up 8 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints on December 4th).

Popov’s theory for why the ice cream gives Tate such an advantage on the field?

Farting.

Specifically, farting that propels him past defenders and into the end zone.

As someone who was pre-med in college for a semester and a half, I can confirm that this checks out, scientifically. I anxiously await ESPN’s “Sports Science” segment on this, complete with John Brenkus telling us how a Golden Tate fart is equivalent to the propulsion provided by the motor in a speedboat (while they show a neat graphic of a speedboat and Golden Tate moving at the same rate).

The rest of the interview is just as enjoyable and off-the-wall, with Popov receiving a massage during the interview and denying Tate one because Tate is rich and athletic and has a fiancee, while this masseuse is all Popov has going for him.

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Then, Popov compliments Tate on his celebratory antics on the field, leading into the activity he has planned for the rest of the episode.

Tate and Popov go to a high school field nearby and the two take turns catching passes from a high school QB named “Gray” (future pro for sure) before the main event.

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After Tate has taught Nikolai how to play receiver, Popov brings out the high school’s cheerleading squad to judge both his and Tate’s touchdown dances.

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I won’t spoil what moves each competitor pulls out or who ends up winning the dramatic end zone dance-off, but you’ll definitely want to check it out for yourself.

Both dudes can bring it, and one of them garnered a perfect score from the judges.

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With that, the episode ends, and another former ND athlete has now shown their fun and funny side on Santino’s fantastically goofy and entertaining show.

Santino especially enjoyed having Golden on the show, for reasons that will be obvious once you watch the 12-minute episode.

“Golden is the kind of guy that invites you in his home then teaches you to run routes at a local high school immediately after team practice, because that's EXACTLY what he did,” Santino said.

“He's a dominant force on the field that doesn't take himself serious off the field. He knows how to take a joke and throw it back, but his expertise lies in catching everything you throw at him."

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Indeed, Tate handled all of Santino’s Nikolai Popov’s ridiculous questions and antics with grace, and was able to crack a few jokes himself while still providing fans with a great look inside the man who brought us some of the best Notre Dame moments in the past decade.

Be sure to go to go90.com starting today to see this episode and to check out all of the other episodes of Here’s the Rub!