By Lisa Zimmerman, Player Engagement Insider
It wasn’t long after he retired from the NFL that former safety Leonard Wheeler found himself in what he described as a “black hole.” The eight-year veteran who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1992 and subsequently played for the Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers, suffered a career-ending knee injury in 1999 and, like many others, in the blink of an eye, his football career was over and he found himself faced with a new reality; The same reality that thousands of NFL players have also faced.
“I remember being at home, in my office, one day crying, thinking “Where am I?” Wheeler recalled. “I found myself in this black hole. You don’t know where it ends or where it begins. You don’t know how deep or how wide it is. You can’t see how to get out of it. It creates this paralysis that you can’t explain. It is depression, but you don’t know that at the moment. You just know you’re in it.”
What made it even more difficult was that Wheeler had thought he would be prepared when retirement came. Over the years he had had numerous conversations with fellow players about it and had made a concerted effort to lay the foundation for his post-football years while he was still playing.
And yet, although he had started his first business as a rookie and had continuing business interests outside of football, the end of his playing days still proved to be a struggle. Football had been such an embedded part of his life for so many years that he found himself adrift in trying to figure out how to navigate life without it both in his professional life and in his family life.
Then fate intervened. Wheeler was teaching an exercise boot camp class at a local YMCA in Charlotte, North Carolina (something he continues to do to this day) when he noticed a man in the back, energetically and vocally taking part. He approached the man, who, it turned out was involved in executive coaching. That initial conversation was the catalyst for what is now Wheeler’s career in executive coaching – something he does for numerous Fortune 500 companies through his company, Wheeler Enterprises.
In 2001, Wheeler had second a life-changing interaction. After giving a speech at a high school baccalaureate, a sports marketing executive approached him. The two became instant friends and the man remains what Wheeler calls his mentor in both life and business.
So, when Troy Vincent, one of the founders of NFL Player Engagement and currently the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, and Tracy Perlman, the NFL’s vice president for marketing and entertainment, contacted Wheeler about becoming involved with the Legends Community, he didn’t hesitate in saying yes. Having been on the other side, he knew he wanted to step in and bring other players into the program in order to help those who were dealing with the same emotions and challenges that he had with family challenges and in figuring out what their next career steps should be. He immediately signed on as a Legends Community director and transition coach.
“We’re stubborn as men,” Wheeler said. “A lot of us are scared, and a lot of us are in a place of fear and grief and bitterness. We don’t know how to reach out, but when you see a hand reach out and embrace you, that’s worthy of joining right there. The Legends Community is capturing the legacy that the guys have left for current and future players. It creates an umbrella, so it creates an environment that all the other alumni groups can plug into. Guys can plug back into their teams and into their communities.”
Wheeler has also written a book called, “Beyond the Locker Room,” which was published in early 2015. It recounts his personal transition story, the lessons he’s learned and his hopes for passing those lessons on to his others, especially athletes, who are confronted with similar situations. In addition, while there are many players whose transitions have been smooth, the Legends Community offers a wide variety of resources that further enhance their current endeavors.
Wheeler has seen the positive impact the Legends Community has already made just in its early stages and hopes more and more former players join in. “When we call guys and they say, ‘Man, thanks for calling, I didn’t know who to call, I didn’t know what decision to make,’ you know that it’s worthy.”
Take advantage of the new Legends Community Resource Guide which lists all the programs that our Player Engagement Department, Player Care Foundation, Legends Community, etc. are offering. You may be pleased to see all that is available to assist you and your family.