By Troy Vincent
National Football League
Troy Vincent recently transitioned from his role as Senior Vice President of NFL Player Engagement to Executive Vice President of NFL Football Operations. Player Engagement congratulates Troy and wishes him the best of luck in his new role.
A few weeks ago we held a program that I believe is the true essence of our peer-to-peer approach at Player Engagement – former players helping other former players find new career opportunities.
In this case, the specific event was our Officiating Academy in Baltimore, where several former players who had already completed our Football Officiating Academy (FOA) came to co-host the dozen or so former players participating in this year’s Fast Track Clinic.
We believe that this NFL alumni form of paying it forward is what sets apart our sport and its future for our players.
Additionally, this outreach is particularly gratifying because it literally keeps our players on the field, where they had their greatest success and where they are likely to continue carrying over that blueprint of success.
Former players coming into this field of officiating exemplify the highest character possible, and they carry the torch for what is in many ways the conscience of our great game, its moral backbone so to speak.
Here at the NFL, we place the highest priority on officiating since it embodies the best values of our great game, those being honesty and respect. These two traits on the field are the engine that operates our game, starting at the youth level and working their way right up through the NFL.
Many of our former players who attended the Academy start their careers as referees in games from the pee-wee level through Division II in college. This is an excellent indication of just how much it means to them, and why they are willing to work their way up the ladder to again become the best of the best, an achievement they already accomplished previously by making it to the NFL.
We have no doubt that our newest group of Academy graduates will join our previous players in continuing to offer officiating expertise that makes our League proud.