By Troy Vincent
NFL Player Engagement
The “pay it forward” concept has been a worldwide phenomenon for years and is one that many former NFL players practice past the time when their on-field career closes.
Here at NFL Player Engagement (NFLPE), we follow that philosophy of passing along what we learned as players to benefit those coming into the League. To facilitate that process as early as possible, we stage our annual Rookie Symposium in June where our NFLPE cadre of former players find fulfillment by helping the newcomers.
“Being a professional football player was so incredibly positive in my life,” stated former player Patrick Kerney. “I have a lot of blessings in my life, and they stem from the sport of football, so it’s a pay-it-back thing.”
And what better way to teach the rookies than having them learn the lifelong bond created by playing together in the NFL.
“The peer-to-peer model is the most efficient because there is a natural solidarity and synergy with each other when you have gone through the same experiences, in whatever field that may be,” commented former player and NFLPE Transition Coach Keith Elias. “I wish that we had this program when I was playing because I think it is going to be great for the rookies to come in and for us to be able to tell them a little bit about the expectations, and also give them some advice on how to navigate the pitfalls and the snares that come with being a professional athlete.”
Advice that we value by turning former players like Keith Elias into Transition Coaches, in addition to Trainers and Ambassadors, so they stay connected to football by passing along their unique experiences to benefit incoming as well as outgoing players, as Kerney outlines below.
“I am one of five NFL alumni developing and implementing a curriculum for a Transition Assistance Program at Tufts University in Boston,” he enthusiastically said. “I am going to be teaching the finance piece, which we have rebranded from the Career Transition Program to the Transition Assistance Program, so it’s a lot more holistic, not just about getting the second career going but tackles the psychological, physical, financial, and social changes. We understand that the retiring players have made a very large percentage of their life earnings, and are left with a feeling of ‘Ok I’m done, did I make enough?’ Without clear-cut goals or what lifestyle they want to live and what that will cost them, they don’t know. It’s a daunting feeling. They ask, ‘All these things I want in life, how much are they going to cost me?’ I hope with the finance piece to ease guys’ minds regarding those topics.”
Programs like this on the back end and the Rookie Symposium on the front end, and many more in between, are what drive Player Engagement, thanks to the recognition of those grateful for the gift of playing in the NFL, so eloquently described below by Kerney.
“Did I leave with surgical stars? Of course. Did I leave with pain in my joints? Of course. But what I also left with from a positive side far outweighs anything negative I left the game with. I have a very happy life now, and a big part of that is what the NFL did for me the way they grow the brand, and also because of the way the fans support the game. As more and more guys retire and are in my shoes, if they benefitted because of some words I gave them or some work I did with them, I will be a happier man.”