By Player Engagement Insider, John Ingoldsby
A unique trait of National Football League players is their willingness to discuss mistakes they made with their brethren so the cycle is hopefully not repeated.
From stories told by Hall-of-Famer wide receiver Cris Carter to running back Maurice Clarett who served prison time, incoming rookies and others have heard the cautionary tales, and now another former player is sharing his story.
Former Indianapolis Colts linebacker (2006 – 2009) Freddy Keiaho said he was part of a group of players who lost $30 million due to financial representation mismanagement, and he is dedicating himself to helping others avoid the same pitfall.
“What happened to me is completely preventable, and I am creating a platform to educate and engage players to make good decisions when choosing representation,” said the San Diego State alumnus who was drafted by Indy in 2006 and was on the Super Bowl XLI winning team before finishing up with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2010.
“After the money was lost, I began working in the insurance and financial services industry and learned how complex the issues can be,” he said. “So I started drawing analogies from my playing days to make my story relatable to football, and left my position to focus on this.”
Part of this process, Keiaho explained, is creating a database to help players understand the agent vetting process.
“I am motivated to use my story to serve this population of players by giving them the tools to pick the right people,” Keiaho said. “Football players are successful just by making the League, and they are also good at taking advice after a lifetime of listening to coaches, so I want to advocate fiscal responsibility so they won’t have to deal with what I went through.”
To further accomplish this, the Fiji native, who grew up in California, is in the process of earning his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation.
“I want to share my experience with people so they are not naïve and learn how and who to trust when they earn potentially large sums of money at a young age,” Keiaho said.