NFL Rookie. Done. Now What? Life Skills 101 from an NFL First-Round ?Could?ve-Been?
This blog post is dedicated to and written for every NFL rookie ? drafted or undrafted.
Now that all the hype is over, it?s time for reality to set in. All the initial guesswork is over because the NFL Draft is over. But the real questions are just beginning. In this post, I will address a few of the many things you rookies can expect to be thrown at you?all at once. I will also advise you on what does ? and doesn?t work. Why am I qualified to speak on it? Because I was once where you are now. I was once an NFL rookie with the world in the palm of my hands. I?m also a former first-round draft pick who let it all slip through my fingers.And where, and where...is The Batman?
Red Carpet Life
The first thing you?re going to notice is all the attention you?re getting. People are coming out of the woodwork. As crazy as it was in college, it?s officially about to kick up several notches.
There?s two ways you can process it all. You can be humble and surround yourself with trusted people who have already experienced what you?re about to experience. Or, you can decide it?s time to party. That?s what I decided twenty-five years ago. I had no idea what that decision would mean to me, to my new employer, to my teammates and to the people in my life who care about me. I didn?t understand the position of favor and influence I had. I was immature and insecure.
One thing every NFL rookie has in common is what I call ?The Vulture Culture.? You already have and, at several times in your career, you will continue to experience people who want to be attached to you simply because football is affiliated with your name. I know you think you already know this, but you really don?t know how intense ?The Vulture Culture? can get.
For me, it started in high school. On that level, people would do favors for me because they saw my athletic talent and they thought they could ?get in early? on possibly cashing in later. During college, ?The Vulture Culture? went to another level. It looked like this: hundreds of thousands of fans ? not just at my university, but throughout the country. My popular name became a breeding ground for people making me offers I found it difficult to refuse. It also meant that the people who recognized my name had access to things they wouldn?t normally have access to. Angles are common in a successful athletes? world.
Once I was drafted by the Steelers as the seventh pick in the first round, all of a sudden, I had an entire city of people (a city I had never set foot in) who ?love? me. Everyone wanted a piece. You know the old saying, ?Men want to be you; women want to be with you.? It was that times a million.
The people within ?The Vulture Culture? in my life were very aware of what being a first-round pick meant. Before I started picking up the tab everywhere (a potential pitfall for NFL rookies), the tab was picked up for me everywhere. In the beginning, I couldn?t pay for anything. Everyone was more than happy to comp me whatever I wanted ? including my agent who definitely had an ulterior motive. I?m not saying all agents do; I?m saying mine did. People were making their own predictions about my future, and they wanted in on it.
But there was a catch.
After a short time of being the recipient of favors from ?friends,? those same people waited for their opportunity to hit me up to fund their dreams, goals and professional aspirations. They called it ?investing.? My agent at the time even talked me into ?investing? $100,000 to recruit more athletes to sign with him, with the promise that I?d get a triple return on my ?investment.? I never saw a penny back of my original ?investment,? and I definitely never saw a return on it.
Profits and Losses
Speaking of investments, I happened to be the first player in Pittsburgh Steelers history to sign a one million dollar signing bonus. I know that?s a mere pittance today, but when you?re the first one to receive that amount of money, it?s a big deal. When I received that bonus check in the mail, my first thought was, ?This is serious. They?re not kidding. I?m an investment.? The media publicized the fact that I was the first player in Steelers history to get that signing bonus. Everyone knew. My thinking immediately began to shift from being an asset at the University of Georgia football program to being an employee with a job to perform on a very high level at Pittsburgh Steelers Football Club, Inc.
steelers1pg-vertical copy
This was a very different way of thinking for me, and it brought on an inner fear that I was never able to express. I was supposed to be ?the man,? so I wasn?t allowed to be afraid of the responsibilities that came with being the Steelers running back. I also didn?t know how to handle the disappointments I began to see from people I thought I could count on. I have blogged before that I was a very passive person back then. So, the combination of passivity, fears and the pressure to turn an entire NFL franchise around for the better was a perfect storm of self-destruction for me.
Two things heavily contributed to that self-destruction:
My reaction (which is different than a response) was to take my foot off the gas and take on an ?I made it? attitude, rather than an ?I have something new to prove? attitude. The immaturity and insecurity took over. Despite all the support the Steelers were giving me (and they were very supportive), I settled into a mediocre mindset. I started wishing I had been picked in the fourth or fifth round, so the pressure would be less intense. I settled into that mindset because my character level wasn?t anywhere near my talent level.
Once I was getting paid handsomely to perform (with the ultimate goal being to help my employer win Superbowl championships), I couldn?t stop wondering what they were thinking. I became preoccupied with the organization?s acceptance of me. I knew they were counting on me to deliver a big return on their investment in me and, rather than humbling myself and making myself teachable, I tried to win their favor by showing them I?d ?arrived.? I bought stuff. Lots of stuff. I was more concerned with what I drove to practice than I was about how I performed in practice. I turned to my newly acquired money (which was their investment in my future) to comfort me, rather than turning to my coaches and the front office to mentor me. Big mistake.2007_porsche_911_turbo_west_long_branch_nj_521276727597444
Little Fish; Big Pond
As a new NFL rookie, you?re no longer a big fish in a little pond. You?re a minnow in an ocean. Drafted or not, it?s easy to think everyone loves you right now. But, to some people, you are money out of their pocket, a job lost and a threat to their lifestyle and security. When Coach Jerry Glanville said the NFL stands for ?Not For Long,? there was some truth to it.
The reality is, you have to prove yourself all over again ? whether you?re the first pick in the first round or an undrafted free agent. Your mind needs to quickly shift.
You?re an employee.
You work for a company.
Like any other employer, that company is not responsible for making sure you live responsibly. In college, you were in a cozy, safe bubble. In the NFL, you?re going to have to navigate your own way. The most important part of this is establishing your own boundaries. Unless you mess up, there won?t be any room checks and babysitting by coaches, front office execs or staff (except at training camp and the night before games).
Pressure and Change
You?re going to see some drastic changes from the college to the professional level. The speed of the game is one of them, but your mental game is the biggest change. You?re no longer a man among boys. Everyone on an NFL team roster is really, really good ? even the guys on the bench.
Dominating on this level is a far greater task than it was for you in college. You don?t just have to study one or two prevalent teams ? you have to study every team equally. In college, I could rely on myself to get it done whenever I decided to ?turn it on.? In the NFL, my success went far beyond relying on basic fundamentals, instinct and adrenaline.
For example, I had to know what my lineman were doing. The days of lining up eight yards deep, getting the ball pitched to me and hitting the hole were long gone. I had to learn to read my blocks differently. I had to learn a playbook that made ?War and Peace? look like a children?s bedtime story. I had to learn over three hundred plays. I had to grow up in the game quickly, and if I couldn?t keep up, I was going to lose my job. Every game counted because every game was money earned or lost for the owners, the coaches and the personnel. This can be mentally overwhelming, but it has to be managed.
The best way to manage all this change is to stay engaged with veteran teammates who walk in integrity, and who live clean and perform clean. Another way is to ask a million questions. Don?t let your ego and pride keep you from asking questions about a new system you have no clue about. Now that you?re in the league, remember that asking questions will help you stay in the league.
Just Say ?No??A Lot
Being an NFL rookie, your first responsibility is to acknowledge what you?re in that new city for: you?re there to compete at the highest level for your employer. Your first responsibility is to your new employer. Distractions from family, friends, new people pulling at you, charities, your representation and women will all tempt you to lose focus. The word ?No? needs to become your new best friend. For me, that word is one of the most freeing words I say. I didn?t know about the word ?No? when I was an NFL rookie. Not knowing about that word cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars, my integrity, my freedom, my job and ultimately almost cost me my life.
It is my deepest hope that these words of wisdom will go viral to every 2014 NFL rookie. For obvious reasons, this small, elite group of people holds a special place in my heart. Being an NFL rookie was one of the two transition times that set the tone for the rest of my life. The other transition time was my departure from the NFL.
This transition time for you NFL rookies is an opportunity to make a difference in your life and in the lives of others ? people you do and don?t know. The late, great Coach Tom Landry once said that the NFL was the greatest platform in the world for him to express his faith, and to encourage other people to be their best.
How will you use this platform?
..........................................................................................
interesting read
This blog post is dedicated to and written for every NFL rookie ? drafted or undrafted.
Now that all the hype is over, it?s time for reality to set in. All the initial guesswork is over because the NFL Draft is over. But the real questions are just beginning. In this post, I will address a few of the many things you rookies can expect to be thrown at you?all at once. I will also advise you on what does ? and doesn?t work. Why am I qualified to speak on it? Because I was once where you are now. I was once an NFL rookie with the world in the palm of my hands. I?m also a former first-round draft pick who let it all slip through my fingers.And where, and where...is The Batman?
Red Carpet Life
The first thing you?re going to notice is all the attention you?re getting. People are coming out of the woodwork. As crazy as it was in college, it?s officially about to kick up several notches.
There?s two ways you can process it all. You can be humble and surround yourself with trusted people who have already experienced what you?re about to experience. Or, you can decide it?s time to party. That?s what I decided twenty-five years ago. I had no idea what that decision would mean to me, to my new employer, to my teammates and to the people in my life who care about me. I didn?t understand the position of favor and influence I had. I was immature and insecure.
One thing every NFL rookie has in common is what I call ?The Vulture Culture.? You already have and, at several times in your career, you will continue to experience people who want to be attached to you simply because football is affiliated with your name. I know you think you already know this, but you really don?t know how intense ?The Vulture Culture? can get.
For me, it started in high school. On that level, people would do favors for me because they saw my athletic talent and they thought they could ?get in early? on possibly cashing in later. During college, ?The Vulture Culture? went to another level. It looked like this: hundreds of thousands of fans ? not just at my university, but throughout the country. My popular name became a breeding ground for people making me offers I found it difficult to refuse. It also meant that the people who recognized my name had access to things they wouldn?t normally have access to. Angles are common in a successful athletes? world.
Once I was drafted by the Steelers as the seventh pick in the first round, all of a sudden, I had an entire city of people (a city I had never set foot in) who ?love? me. Everyone wanted a piece. You know the old saying, ?Men want to be you; women want to be with you.? It was that times a million.
The people within ?The Vulture Culture? in my life were very aware of what being a first-round pick meant. Before I started picking up the tab everywhere (a potential pitfall for NFL rookies), the tab was picked up for me everywhere. In the beginning, I couldn?t pay for anything. Everyone was more than happy to comp me whatever I wanted ? including my agent who definitely had an ulterior motive. I?m not saying all agents do; I?m saying mine did. People were making their own predictions about my future, and they wanted in on it.
But there was a catch.
After a short time of being the recipient of favors from ?friends,? those same people waited for their opportunity to hit me up to fund their dreams, goals and professional aspirations. They called it ?investing.? My agent at the time even talked me into ?investing? $100,000 to recruit more athletes to sign with him, with the promise that I?d get a triple return on my ?investment.? I never saw a penny back of my original ?investment,? and I definitely never saw a return on it.
Profits and Losses
Speaking of investments, I happened to be the first player in Pittsburgh Steelers history to sign a one million dollar signing bonus. I know that?s a mere pittance today, but when you?re the first one to receive that amount of money, it?s a big deal. When I received that bonus check in the mail, my first thought was, ?This is serious. They?re not kidding. I?m an investment.? The media publicized the fact that I was the first player in Steelers history to get that signing bonus. Everyone knew. My thinking immediately began to shift from being an asset at the University of Georgia football program to being an employee with a job to perform on a very high level at Pittsburgh Steelers Football Club, Inc.
steelers1pg-vertical copy
This was a very different way of thinking for me, and it brought on an inner fear that I was never able to express. I was supposed to be ?the man,? so I wasn?t allowed to be afraid of the responsibilities that came with being the Steelers running back. I also didn?t know how to handle the disappointments I began to see from people I thought I could count on. I have blogged before that I was a very passive person back then. So, the combination of passivity, fears and the pressure to turn an entire NFL franchise around for the better was a perfect storm of self-destruction for me.
Two things heavily contributed to that self-destruction:
My reaction (which is different than a response) was to take my foot off the gas and take on an ?I made it? attitude, rather than an ?I have something new to prove? attitude. The immaturity and insecurity took over. Despite all the support the Steelers were giving me (and they were very supportive), I settled into a mediocre mindset. I started wishing I had been picked in the fourth or fifth round, so the pressure would be less intense. I settled into that mindset because my character level wasn?t anywhere near my talent level.
Once I was getting paid handsomely to perform (with the ultimate goal being to help my employer win Superbowl championships), I couldn?t stop wondering what they were thinking. I became preoccupied with the organization?s acceptance of me. I knew they were counting on me to deliver a big return on their investment in me and, rather than humbling myself and making myself teachable, I tried to win their favor by showing them I?d ?arrived.? I bought stuff. Lots of stuff. I was more concerned with what I drove to practice than I was about how I performed in practice. I turned to my newly acquired money (which was their investment in my future) to comfort me, rather than turning to my coaches and the front office to mentor me. Big mistake.2007_porsche_911_turbo_west_long_branch_nj_521276727597444
Little Fish; Big Pond
As a new NFL rookie, you?re no longer a big fish in a little pond. You?re a minnow in an ocean. Drafted or not, it?s easy to think everyone loves you right now. But, to some people, you are money out of their pocket, a job lost and a threat to their lifestyle and security. When Coach Jerry Glanville said the NFL stands for ?Not For Long,? there was some truth to it.
The reality is, you have to prove yourself all over again ? whether you?re the first pick in the first round or an undrafted free agent. Your mind needs to quickly shift.
You?re an employee.
You work for a company.
Like any other employer, that company is not responsible for making sure you live responsibly. In college, you were in a cozy, safe bubble. In the NFL, you?re going to have to navigate your own way. The most important part of this is establishing your own boundaries. Unless you mess up, there won?t be any room checks and babysitting by coaches, front office execs or staff (except at training camp and the night before games).
Pressure and Change
You?re going to see some drastic changes from the college to the professional level. The speed of the game is one of them, but your mental game is the biggest change. You?re no longer a man among boys. Everyone on an NFL team roster is really, really good ? even the guys on the bench.
Dominating on this level is a far greater task than it was for you in college. You don?t just have to study one or two prevalent teams ? you have to study every team equally. In college, I could rely on myself to get it done whenever I decided to ?turn it on.? In the NFL, my success went far beyond relying on basic fundamentals, instinct and adrenaline.
For example, I had to know what my lineman were doing. The days of lining up eight yards deep, getting the ball pitched to me and hitting the hole were long gone. I had to learn to read my blocks differently. I had to learn a playbook that made ?War and Peace? look like a children?s bedtime story. I had to learn over three hundred plays. I had to grow up in the game quickly, and if I couldn?t keep up, I was going to lose my job. Every game counted because every game was money earned or lost for the owners, the coaches and the personnel. This can be mentally overwhelming, but it has to be managed.
The best way to manage all this change is to stay engaged with veteran teammates who walk in integrity, and who live clean and perform clean. Another way is to ask a million questions. Don?t let your ego and pride keep you from asking questions about a new system you have no clue about. Now that you?re in the league, remember that asking questions will help you stay in the league.
Just Say ?No??A Lot
Being an NFL rookie, your first responsibility is to acknowledge what you?re in that new city for: you?re there to compete at the highest level for your employer. Your first responsibility is to your new employer. Distractions from family, friends, new people pulling at you, charities, your representation and women will all tempt you to lose focus. The word ?No? needs to become your new best friend. For me, that word is one of the most freeing words I say. I didn?t know about the word ?No? when I was an NFL rookie. Not knowing about that word cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars, my integrity, my freedom, my job and ultimately almost cost me my life.
It is my deepest hope that these words of wisdom will go viral to every 2014 NFL rookie. For obvious reasons, this small, elite group of people holds a special place in my heart. Being an NFL rookie was one of the two transition times that set the tone for the rest of my life. The other transition time was my departure from the NFL.
This transition time for you NFL rookies is an opportunity to make a difference in your life and in the lives of others ? people you do and don?t know. The late, great Coach Tom Landry once said that the NFL was the greatest platform in the world for him to express his faith, and to encourage other people to be their best.
How will you use this platform?
..........................................................................................
interesting read
