One thing people forget about the NFL is that it is a $12 to $16 billion entertainment industry. Critical negotiations take place every day in life and business. We all are in constant negotiations between teams, advertisers, family, workplace, media, players, and coaches. Because of this...
When I got to the NFL, my agent told me, "F**k your ‘brand'. Your brand will come from what you do ON the field, not off it." I despise the word ‘brand’. To me, it is an effort beyond your authentic self, and a projection turned...
I was recently very impressed by a group of veterans who have revolutionized the treatment of traumatic brain injury and depression. They had fantastic information, results, ideas and goals So I said, “This is great. How often are you guys posting on social media?” They said, “Well,...
Audiences laugh during a speech when I say I’m 33 and retired. I enjoy saying that because I worked hard in my previous career, and I enjoy reminding people of something big they often do not plan for: retirement. In my case, retirement does not mean...
During my NFL career, I received many requests to go to lunch or coffee—as if I didn’t have practice, or a job, or a life. In retirement I’ve noticed there are varying levels of meeting people, some more casual and some more serious. Meeting for...
As an NFL player, your career will be short. Guaranteed. And the one place that I constantly see my peers fail to transition is in creating their new identity as a former athlete. Establishing your identity online can be a long road with many turns....
“Knowledge is power.” I’ll never forget the movie Higher Learning (1995), where one of the first black professors I ever saw on television had two favorite phrases: “What’s your plan, Mr. Williams?” and “Knowledge is power.” After my first year in the NFL, when I was...
In the NFL, every road trip had one goal: to win the game. Even when the game was in your hometown, winning was the goal. We would get in the day before and leave a couple hours afterwards, or the next morning. A true one-day...