By Lisa Zimmerman | Engagement Insider
“Take advantage of your opportunities.” It’s a refrain heard repeatedly in every locker room across the NFL. But in the case of former Kansas City Chiefs tight end Brad Cottam, that’s exactly what he did.
When Cottam arrived in the NFL in 2008, as the Chiefs’ third round pick out of the University of Tennessee, he had the same hopes as every other player – to have a long and successful career. However, in his second season, Cottam broke his neck. While he recovered fully, he was never cleared to play again.
“I certainly wasn’t planning on the NFL being the only thing I did,” he said. “But, I didn’t think [my career] was going to be that short.”
In fact, even once he was injured, it took some time for the reality to sink in. “It was a delayed shock,” he recalled. “I was on injured reserve the year after I was injured and then it was the lockout. Then I went to the doctor and didn’t get cleared and the Chiefs released me.”
Cottam remained in Kansas City, continuing to work out and also doing some non-profit work, hoping that he might ultimately be able to get cleared to play again. For a year-and-a-half, he remained in limbo, not knowing if his NFL career would be re-started or if it was time to head into the business world.
Eventually the realization settled in that his NFL career was over.
Fortunately for Cottam, he had started thinking beyond the NFL early on. He had opened a gym in Kansas City but, more importantly, he had immediately begun to take part in several programs offered by NFL Player Engagement to assist players in their post-playing career planning.
All players receive emails from the league; Cottam paid attention, especially to the ones he received regarding the National Football League Career Development Program. He described the entire application process, which required a resume and short essay responses, as simple and straightforward.
Cottam ended up attending the NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program at both Stanford University and Harvard Business School. It was a connection he made at Stanford that set him on his current path in commercial real estate. After speaking extensively with an employee of the CBRE commercial real estate company during the week-long program, Cottam was offered an internship with them in Kansas City. He knew almost immediately that this was something he wanted to pursue and after completing the internship, he was offered a position. The clients he now works with are investors looking to buy and sell commercial properties. They buy a building and then as the market or demand for the property goes up, they sell for a profit.
“Within [CBRE] I work with a private capital group which deals with buildings that cost under $30 million,” he explained. “I have a partner. We do single-tenant retail stores. It’s almost an alternative to the stock market.”
Although a career in business was always in his plans, Cottam credits the NFL Player Engagement programs with where he is now and the opportunities and networking connections they bring.
“I don’t know that I would have this job if I hadn’t been in the NFL,” he said “If you pay attention to everything that’s offered, it’s easy. I got to go to Harvard Business School and Stanford. People are excited that you played in the NFL. I get to talk to people who might not want to talk to me otherwise.”
Cottam hopes to show others in the league not only how important it is to take advantage of all of the opportunities afforded to NFL players, but how easy it is to do it. He knows the risks that former players face in managing the money they make during their playing careers.
“They knock that into your head constantly,” he said. “You’re never going to make more money than you’re making [in the NFL].”
So Cottam is considering reaching out to active players to help give them some direction and guidance based on his own experience.
“I’ve thought about trying to start talking to people in an organized way, give a presentation and explain what we do. I think players would be interested. I had no idea about this business and how it worked.”
And Cottam’s main words of advice? “Take advantage of your opportunities.”