By John Ingoldsby | Engagement Insider
When football has been a big part of your life, then there’s no reason to rush away from it when you retire.
Especially when Commissioner Roger Goodell offers you the chance to help shape the future of the game.
Such was the situation for six-time Pro Bowler Matt Birk earlier this year when the Commissioner came calling to ask if he would like to join the League office full-time following a year of serving as an NFL-NFLPA Appeals Officer, for which Goodell had also brought him on board.
That familiarity made it an easy decision for the Harvard graduate to accept the offer to become Director of Football Development, which he discussed today on just his third day settling into his new office at League headquarters.
“Football is the greatest game in the world, and played a big part in forming who I am and the values I have,” stated the former Baltimore Raven and Minnesota Viking. “The game means a lot to a lot of people in our culture, and I look forward to contributing to the future of the sport.”
A sport where Birk made his mark over 14 years in the NFL, while achieving the elusive ending of winning the Super Bowl in his final game when the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers in New Orleans.
“After that game, I took a few weeks off to enjoy the moment and the emotions of that last game, and also to figure out what’s next and what’s best for my wife and family,” said the father of six children. “There was really no reason left for me to play the game, so I called Coach John Harbaugh and he told me to do what’s right for me.”
Soon thereafter, he called his former Coach to tell him he was retiring.
“It was a weird feeling to suddenly be without the regimented and disciplined life of an NFL player, and I underestimated how much I would miss the schedule and regimen,” recalled the native of St. Paul, MN. “When I played I asked myself every day’ how can I become a better football player,’ knowing that if I worked hard I would accomplish a lot since everything else was laid out for you.”
But he knew he wanted to be productive, so he decided to write a book.
“I titled it ‘All-Pro Wisdom: The 7 Choices That Lead to Greatness,’ which reflected my life’s work and helped bring closure to my career,” he noted, adding that the book was published during Super Bowl Week earlier this year.
It was the same time that his role as Appeals Judge had ended, which he had relished since he was working with the rules during the culture change of making the game safer.
Not long after that, the Commissioner called with his full-time inquiry, and suddenly here he is on Park Avenue, where he will assist in developing the game at all levels, from players to coaches to front office personnel, as well as assisting in the administration of NFL game day operations.
In this position, Birk will touch on a variety of areas ranging from Combines and Career Development to Coaches Programs and College All-Star Games.
“I played in the Blue-Gray game, and coming out of Harvard it was a huge deal for me and an opportunity to noticed, so I believe there will always be a place for these games so players from small schools can get noticed,” Birk stated.
He will even be involved pre-college by assisting with the NFL High School Player Development Program, while additionally taking his expertise worldwide by serving as a liaison to the Football Operations department on the international development of the game.
“We want to expose the game globally, and know the interest is there, as shown by the success and sellouts of our games in London,” said Birk, “But we are going to explore all opportunities from youth leagues on up to grow the game globally.”
A game that has been very good for Birk, for which he will now return the favor.