Engagement Insider
NEW YORK, NY January 31, 2014 – The Player Engagement department brought the NFL family together during Super Bowl Week by hosting two locations that served as gathering spots for players of all eras to reconnect.
Reunions and reconnecting were routine on both the “PE TV” set in the MediaCenter’s Radio Row and the new Legends Lounge at a nearby midtown hotel.
Former player Aeneas Williams, who along with David Tyree did yeoman’s duty conducting interviews for PE TV the past three days, termed the Legends Lounge “fantastic in creating an atmosphere where guys could reconnect.”
It was equally enjoyable on the PE TV set, where approximately 80 former and current players, as well as others from the NFL family and PE staff, were milling about the spacious area and interacting before and after being interviewed.
But when it was time to truly unwind, the players flocked to the Legends Lounge, where at any given time approximately 100 players were treated to an elegant yet comfortable area with free food and attire to go with conversation and catching up.
“We captured a culture in the Lounge that almost felt like the locker room,” said Williams, adding that, “I heard one player say to another that he had been looking for him for 10 years, which was precisely the types of concept we were hoping to create.”
Williams also said that the feedback from the Legends was positive, who learned first-hand how much the League “really cares about connecting the generations of players through the years.”
Meanwhile, many of those same players did double-time finding old friends by being on the PE TV set, with Friday being the third straight busy day and starting off on the right foot with Adrian Peterson being the final day’s first interviewee.
From there it flowed smoothly as AP was followed by, among others, Bobby Sewall, Josh Gordy, Derrick Faulkner, Jacob Green, Ryan Mundy, Johnny Mitchell, Hank Baskett, Chris Ward, Cato June, Daryl Richardson, Fred Jackson, Eric Dickerson, Jeff Charleston, Jermichael Finley, Stevie Brown, Takeo Spikes, and Tiki Barber.
Additional interviews included WNBA Legend Lisa Leslie and Dorothy Okung, the mother of Seattle Seahawk offensive lineman Russell Okung as well as the author of her recent first book.
Also, as she did Thursday, Cynthia Zordich, an Engagement Contributor for the NFLPE’s Women’s Resource Initiative (WRI), interviewed players’ wives, including Regan Charleston (Jeff) and Dawn Neufeld (Ryan).
The one-on-one conversations covered a wide variety of topics, ranging from the backgrounds and careers of the players to how they transitioned out of the NFL and into the lives they lead today.
Many have found significant success since leaving the game, and shared their secrets with advice like identifying other passions beyond football, fatherhood, education, staying humble and having faith, wellness, networking, maximizing NFLPE resources and attending programs, giving back, and enjoying family time.
All acknowledged that their time in the NFL was the perfect launching pad for the NEXT part of their lives, and put them in position for their present productive lives.
Troy Vincent, Senior Vice President of Player Engagement, said, “We had a wonderful week where every NFL veteran who ever played our great game was welcomed with open arms at both the PE TV set and the Legends Lounge.”
Today’s activity followed Wednesday’s announcement that NFLPE and AARP’s Life Reimagined were teaming up to support players in their post-game transition.
To kick off this significant news, CBS Broadcaster James Brown and NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Marino, who is also Life Reimagined Men’s Life Ambassador, teamed up with guests on the PE TV set to discuss the impact of this partnership.