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When H.G. Bassinger began work on his book that later became a movie and TV show, Friday Night Lights, he faced a controversy that several years later has become a major problem for high school and college football players. Friday Night Lights began as a non-fiction book by H.G. Bassinger about a real-life high school football team in Texas and later developed into a short-lived Ben Affleck show in 1993, a 2004 film and a 2006 television series, both by the same name. Each iteration of the story follows high school football and its importance to players, coaches, and families.

Although Friday Night Lights aired nearly a decade ago, its origins still have a strong connection to the current state of school-level football players. In order to write his book, Bassinger interviewed various high school football players and in exchange reportedly paid for their meals and offered them small gifts. This act,...

Exclusive: PodcastOne is partnering with original Friday Night Lights cast members Zach Gilford, Scott Porter and self-proclaimed superfan Mae Whitman for an exclusive podcast and vodcast called It’s Not Only Football: Friday Night Lights and Beyond.

Debuting November 10, the weekly show will be available via PodcastOne, LiveOne’s network, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube and wherever podcasts are heard.

Porter, who played Jason Street, and well as Gilford (Matt Saracen) will join Whitman every Thursday to discuss their favorite moments and memories from the show and share never before told stories. The plan is to break down an episode of Fnl each week; episodes will feature guests that range from fellow cast members to close friends and colleagues.

“For Zach and Scott, going back to Dillon has been a long time coming and just made sense,” said Porter, Gilford and Whitman in a joint statement. “We’re pretty...