NFL homecomings geared toward alumni
Not often is the NFL looked at as a family, what with concussion
lawsuits and lockouts.
Troy Vincent is trying to change that through the league’s
player engagement initiatives, including its new ”Legends
Program” and a series of homecomings for former players.
It’s something the former All-Pro cornerback is passionate
about. A one-time president of the NFL Players Association and now
the league’s senior vice president of player engagement, Vincent
oversees a myriad of programs open to anyone who spent even just a
training camp in an NFL uniform.
”It’s to celebrate the accomplishment of you being here,
whether you were a starter or a nonstarter, had a 15-year career or
just a short while in the league,” Vincent told The Associated
Press. ”It’s irrelevant how long it was, you represented the
sideline.”
Vincent and his NFL department are reaching out to former
players, establishing a database for where they are and what they
are doing. Already, more than 1,150 names have been added to the
database, including many men who had not had contact with the
league for years, maybe even decades.
By establishing a group of former players to develop, foster and
manage alumni relations under the Legends banner, Vincent believes
the league can establish a stronger relationship with a larger
segment of retired players.
He insists that’s necessary, allowing the NFL to educate
retirees on the programs they could take advantage of – everything
from commercial relationships to advocacy endeavors to alumni
functions.
”This is not just about establishing a database, it is about
being connected and staying connected to our game,” Vincent says.
”How can you become an active contributor to our game when you are
not playing and the fans are not cheering for you? We want to give
you a welcome feeling, have you share your experiences, tell us how
we can support what you are doing.”
A recent homecoming event in Manhattan drew approximately 30
ex-players. Former New York Giants center Bart Oates found the
gathering ”therapeutic” and believes the idea has legs.
”I like being able to connect with guys you played with or
contemporaries who have the same life experiences on and off the
field,” said Oates, now an attorney and realtor. ”There’s a lot
of commonality. You talk to other guys, find out what they are
doing.
”In a sense in some cases, making the transition from football
is somewhat lonely. You’re used to accolades and team support and
having a goal and a mission, and suddenly it is gone and you don’t
not have that same sense of urgency. So this is needful in some
cases, and helpful to have this kind of relationship.”
The homecomings are not designed to replace alumni functions run
by the 32 clubs, but to supplement them. In this time of labor
peace in the NFL, with the lockouts of the players (2011) and game
officials (2012) behind the league, Vincent notes that there is no
leveraging involved in these programs. The impetus is purely to
encourage support of former players whether it’s at the club or
league level.
Former Patriots linebacker Ed Reynolds is both an NFL ambassador
and NFL Legends coordinator. He sees these programs as
essential.
”It starts off simply as recognizing guys who played and here
are the things we have to let you know about, information and
opportunities that are there for the former players and how to get
engaged,” said Reynolds, who retired in 1992 and has been an
athletic director and assistant dean of students at Hickory Grove
Christian School in Charlotte, N.C. ”The networking is
outstanding.”
”You know, we see stories about what has happened to players
who lost their money, but there are a lot of guys who have been
very successful, whether in business or whatever avenues they
worked in,” he added. ”It lets other guys know we’ve been through
it, and if you are ready to go through a transition, talk to this
guy or that guy. We’re all brothers and we want to see all the
brothers do well.”
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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org