Pro goalie Scott Rodgers is the guest on Episode 8 of Overtime with Paul Carcaterra, which dropped Tuesday. Listen with the links below.

Scott Rodgers’ career as a goalie started in the steel cages of Levittown, N.Y. That’s where he got his grit, and where he became one of the top players in the nation as a high schooler.

The son of a former marine that worked on Rikers Island, Rodgers was pushed early on to succeed in lacrosse. He also developed a personality that he labeled “brash” — signifying a chip on his massive shoulders that he’s had since he left Long Island for Notre Dame in 2006.

Now a gym fanatic and Premier Lacrosse League goalie, Rodgers still embraces his roots and is hoping to prolong his career for as long as he can. He’s created an image for himself in the lacrosse community, with his continuous Instagram gym clips and live videos, and he doesn’t care what you think.

Or maybe he does.

“Obviously I’m a meathead,” he said. “I don’t shy away from that. But don’t treat me like a dancing gorilla. I am a meathead, but there are a lot more layers to this onion.”

Rodgers was the guest on Episode 8 of Overtime with Paul Carcaterra, sharing his perspective on his lacrosse career and why many portray him as something he is not.

Upon entering the Notre Dame program, Rodgers sat for the better part of three seasons before getting his shot in 2010. It wasn’t an easy task, but All-American Joey Kemp’s skills made it a hard choice to put Rodgers in the cage.

“There are two sides to this story. Joey is a friend. He’s a mentor and a great. Does that mean that when I went to Notre Dame I didn’t think I could start over him at times? That’s false. I definitely did, as a competitively human.”

When he got his chance, Rodgers became one of the top goalies in the nation, leading the Irish to the 2010 national championship game against Duke — a game he’d eventually lose on the famous C.J. Costabile goal in overtime.

Still, he held his head high as he entered a new phase in his career. As a professional, Rodgers has taken after some of his idol in the WWE when it comes to his public persona.

A frequent Wrestlemania attendee along with Paul Rabil and Kyle Hartzell, Rodgers adapts a certain persona when in the public forum.

“These guys, they have these images and these brands,” he said. “They stick to it and entertain and they shut it off. I’ve kind of molded my lacrosse persona as a defense mechanism for myself so I don’t go lose my brain cells. I get into this Big Rig mode. I'm trying to pay bills like the next guy. If I can entertain or motivate or inspire someone through a character I’ve created, I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

And as his career comes toward the end, Rodgers will continue to fight on and off the field. Maybe the lacrosse community has differing opinions on him, but he wants his fellow players to remember him as an ultimate teammate.

“When people talk about me and my legacy in this game, I want them to say that I was out of my mind, I was genuine, I was funny and I was always for the guys,” he said. “You could come to me for anything. But I also want them to know my competitive side and for them to know that it’s not about me.”