A large component of a football player’s life at the collegiate level is interaction with the media. Players undergo interviews daily, frequently read articles about themselves and are common discussion points for radio and television. Football players and the media have a complex relationship.

But the tension in that relationship can be soothed when a member of the media was once in the same position as the players.

Jayson Swain was a wide receiver for the Tennessee Volunteers from 2003-06, but now he is reaching a whole new audience as the host of a radio talk show. Since 2010, Swain has been the host of “The Swain Event,” his own sports talk show.

“Honestly, I never really meant to get into it,” Swain said of his foray into Knoxville media, “it just kinda happened that way. It wasn’t my intention, that’s for sure.”

Swain first appeared as a guest on the now defunct “Wes Rucker Show,” and he drew the attention of the station manager immediately. The owner offered him his own show on the new Tennessee Sports Radio network, and Swain accepted.

At that same time, one of Swain’s former teammates was beginning his career in sports media as well.

Erik Ainge, the Vols’ quarterback from 2004-2007, was offered a similar opportunity on the same network after a brief NFL career.

“When I moved back to Knoxville, I job shadowed a couple guys I knew from college, VP’s and CEO’s I met in college,” Ainge said. “I decided that if those opportunities were going to be open for me immediately, they would be open for me at any time.

“So if I wanted to do something I thought would be fun, like getting in the media and talking Tennessee sports, I could.”

Ainge first appeared on Swain’s talk show, sharing opinions on Tennessee football that “no one else would say.” After his appearance, Jason Bailey, one of TSR’s managers, presented Ainge with an opportunity to have his own show.

Only a few years after their UT playing careers ended, Swain and Ainge were on the same team again.

For the next few years, the two former players hosted their respective shows on TSR, Ainge with “The Erik Ainge Show” and Swain with “The Swain Event.” At the time, the two were the only former Tennessee football players involved in sports media, and fans craved their unique input.

“The normal media thinks it’s one way and says things about current and former players,” Swain said, “but they don’t understand the players’ side of it.

“Unless they’ve been in the huddle, no matter how long they’ve covered a team, they’ll truly never understand what it’s like to be in the position of a player.”

For Ainge, that responsibility was heightened as a former four-year starting quarterback for the Vols.

“I was able to learn more about the history of the program (through TSR) and interact with the fans on a daily basis,” Ainge said. “Being a former Tennessee player is one thing, but being a former UT quarterback is another. Ten years later, people will still reference a game I played when I was 18.

“You have no idea the magnitude of what you’re doing and how you’re affecting people at the time.”

But being a former player in the media wasn’t always positive for Ainge. His greater insight to the inner workings of the team caused him to question the actions of the more traditional media.

“I remember pitching a fit one week when the media released injury information about our starting quarterback the Wednesday before a game,” Ainge stated. “They let the opposing coach know they would be facing an unproven freshman quarterback that way, and I threw a fit.

“I was still viewing it as a member of the football team instead of a member of the media. But I think it’s truly impossible to take off your former player goggles if you’re really doing it right.”

In mid-2014, it was announced that Tennessee Sports Radio would be shutting down after four years on the air. The network aired its final broadcast the Friday before UT’s opening game of the 2014 season.

“It was frustrating for the reasons why it needed to be closed, but ultimately it was the best thing for me and my family,” Ainge said. “For us, it was like we were a garage band. When we first started, it was all about content and having fun. We didn’t care what we said and it was a blast.

“Then we started making money, getting sponsors and it started getting big. It became less about the content, and then the band broke up.”

The his network went off the air, Swain was able to keep his show, adding Seth Stokes of TSR as a co-host. Swain ran the show out of his own pocket by buying air time and moving his evening show on TSR to a morning show.

But as of February 2, 2015, Swain and Stokes moved “The Swain Event” to the newly created 24-hour sports network, The VLZ on 1180 AM. Swain’s show still runs in the morning, and he still covers UT athletics.

Ainge, however, has moved on from his time as a radio show host and currently works at Cellular Sales. But he still values his time on air, and he hasn’t completely given up his work with the media.

“I’ll always do something in the media, but not as a full-time job,” Ainge stated. “I’ll always go on to someone’s show to talk football because I’ve learned Vol fans enjoying hearing my opinions on it.

“So right, wrong or indifferent, I’ll always give my thoughts on UT football.”

Swain is now the only former UT football player to have a radio show, and he takes that to heart.

“I’ve done what (players) are trying to do, win the games they’re trying to win,” Swain said. “I’ve gone through the grind they’re going through.

“I feel I have a responsibility to represent them.”