By Justin DeFreece
NFL Player Engagement
This October, NFL Player Engagement and the Stanford Graduate School of Business will be hosting the first west coast edition of the NFL Career Transition Program – fusing NFL executives, Stanford faculty, and renowned professional development speakers to teach best practices for successfully transitioning from the NFL. The sixth CTP will take place from October 26th – 29th in Palo Alto, CA with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice giving her own unique perspective on transition, finding your personal brand, and continuing your success off-the-field.
The program will be led by hand-selected faculty and NFL executives who will guide players through a weekend filled with reconnections to former teammates, information on Benefits and NFLPE resources available to former players, personal realizations, and renewed optimism for the future! During the “Former Player Panel” session, attendees will hear from NFLPE Ambassadors Antonio Freeman, Omare Lowe, Lennie Friedman, and Ralph Brown who will speak about their own experiences in transitioning from football into “civilian life.” And specifically, how to reintegrate back into home-life after football, change expectations from friends and family, and find support from your peers to have the smoothest transition possible.
“Clark Kent is still Superman, he just doesn’t have on the cape. CTP taught me not only to be proud of my experiences in the National Football League, but to be able to use those skills to adapt to the world in which we must survive when those playing days are over.”
– Alge Crumpler, 10-year NFL veteran and past CTP participant
In the “Positioning for a Positive Financial Outlook” session, former NFL player Ebenezer Ekuban will speak to both his past successes and failures and give advice on how to budget effectively and change your lifestyle to match your new income. Ebenezer and a Stanford financial speaker will run through easy-to-understand spreadsheet models and projections of how long your financial resources will remain strong given your current spending habits – and how to make adjustments to strengthen your bottom line through effective budgeting and planning.
Stanford faculty members Jennifer Aakers and JD Schramm will also host interactive sessions covering techniques for communicating effectively and developing your personal brand. The last day will culminate in an “Experiential Career Fair.” During the Career Fair, attendees will receive career coaching and even take part in mock interviews from Fortune 500 companies including Apple and Starbucks, applying all of the elements of the program in real-time.
This October promises to be our most robust CTP yet!