So Agents Really Are NOT Overrated..

But that does not mean that players should not take every opportunity that they have to learn more about the business that they are in, the payroll intricacies (are you being paid through CloudPay for example?) and life after their football careers are over.

The NFL has teamed up with Harvard Business School, Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, Stanford Business School, and Wharton School at UPenn to create an NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program, which aims to help players manage their lives after their playing days are over. It was launched in 2005 and attendance has grown every year. So far, 116 players have enrolled in the program [NFL Players Take Advantage of Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program]. For a comprehensive list of players attending the various conferences, click here.It does not matter whether your client is currently playing football or retired, as long as he did once participate in the NFL.

The icing on the cake is that the current NFL CBA grants each player up to $15,000 for educational expenses each year for continued learning. The NFLPA provides more information in a .pdf file, which includes dates for the workshops at each school and the different types of study that will be involved at the 4 schools. The application is included, and while it is past due, you may be able to still enroll your clients in one of the workshops if space is permitting. If not, this is definitely something to keep your eye open for when next year rolls around.

Giving your clients as much information as possible is a very noteworthy goal. After all, once their on-the-field careers are over, you will still have to put up with them. You might as well start giving them the tools they need to succeed later on in life right now.

-Darren Heitner