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Brees Heads Back to School

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DREW BREES of the New Orleans Saints, TRENT EDWARDS of the Buffalo Bills, BRADY QUINN of the Cleveland Browns,JEFF FEAGLESof the New York Giants, PATRICK KERNEY of the Seattle Seahawks and recently retired nine-time Pro Bowl safety JOHN LYNCHare among the 95 players who have enrolled in the* *NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Programat the Harvard Business School, Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University), Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The program is part of an ongoing NFL-NFLPA initiative to assist players in preparing for their post-playing careers. Since the program's 2005 inception, 407 players have participated in sessions at the four business schools.

"These programs are invaluable for players, and a great opportunity for all of us to develop our skills outside the game of football," said Brees, who became the second player in NFL history to pass for 5,000 yards in a season in 2008. "Just participating and being exposed to all the knowledge and resources available at these universities is a rewarding experience, and it's why I'm attending Stanford this year after having gone to Wharton in the past. You take away information from these programs that you immediately put to use."

The four schools will offer executive education activities in their respective areas of expertise (see complete descriptions below). Harvard Business School will hold programs for players from February 22-25 and continue the coursework with an additional in session from April 5-8. The Wharton School, the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Kellogg School of Management will run sessions from March 1-4. Wharton will hold an additional follow-up session from March 30-April 1.

Players complete an application process in order to attend the NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program. Enrollment criteria includes level of education; professional business experience; interest in starting, owning, or managing a business; and leadership and community involvement. Under the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, players may be reimbursed for up to $15,000 per year for education expenses at an accredited institution of higher learning.


Following are the NFL players enrolled in the workshop at the Harvard Business School:

Player

Team

Player

Team

Alex Bernstein

Atlanta (Retired)

Reno Mahe

Philadelphia

Sean Berton

MIN, NYG (Retired)

Ed McCaffrey

Denver (Retired)

Derrick Blaylock

BAL, NYJ, CLE, ATL, WAS (Retired)

Jon McGraw

Kansas City

Calais Campbell

Arizona

Sammy Morris

New England

Tony Fisher

Green Bay, St. Louis (Retired)

Martin Nance

Pittsburgh

Melvin Fowler, Jr.

Buffalo

Jordan Palmer

Cincinnati

Lennie Freidman

Cleveland

Darrell Reid

Indianapolis

Steve Hauschka

Baltimore

Jeff Rowe

Seattle

Scott Jackson

Houston

Takeo Spikes

San Francisco

John Kuhn

Green Bay

Reggie Torbor

Miami

Ashley Lelie

Oakland

Leigh Torrence

New Orleans

Mark Levoir

New England

Kris Wilson

San Diego

Corey Lynch

Cincinnati

Tony Wragge

San Francisco

Following are the NFL players enrolled in the workshop at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University:

Player

Team

Player

Team

Ethan Albright

Washington

Brady Quinn

Cleveland

Oshiomoghe Atogwe

St. Louis

Casey Rabach

Washington

Don Davis

NYJ, KC, NO, TB, STL, NE (Retired)

Allen Rossum

San Francisco

Ryan Diem

Indianapolis

Kolby Smith

Kansas City

Michael Husted

TB, OAK, WAS, KC (Retired)

Michael Smith

HOU, NE, ARI (Retired)

Herana Jones

Denver

Donald Strickland

San Francisco

Nate Lawrie

Cincinnati

Benjamin Watson

New England

Rick Mirer

SEA, CHI, GB, NYJ, SF, OAK, DET (Retired)

Madieu Williams

Minnesota

Rob Ninkovich

New Orleans

Stanley Wilson

Detroit

Alvin Pearman

Jacksonville

Following are the NFL players enrolled in the workshop at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (most recent team listed in parentheses if player is a free agent):

Player

Team

Player

Team

Michael Adams

Cleveland

Evan Moore

Green Bay

Dave Barr

PHI, STL, KC, CIN, SF, NYJ (Retired)

John Owens

Detroit

Drew Brees

New Orleans

Tyler Polumbus

Denver

Ricky Brown

Oakland

Ronald Rice

Detroit (Retired)

Bradley Butler

Buffalo

Barry Sims

San Francisco

Harvey Dahl

Atlanta

Alex Smith

Tampa Bay

Trent Edwards

Buffalo

Joshua Stamer

Tennessee

Grant Irons

Oakland (Retired)

Michael Stone

ARI, STL, NE, HOU, NYG (Retired)

Adam Jennings

Detroit

Brandon Torrey

(Oakland)

Adam Koets

NY Giants

Andrew Walter

Oakland

Marcus Maxwell

Baltimore

Levar Woods

ARI, CHI, DET, TEN (Retired)

Following are the NFL players enrolled in the workshop at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (most recent team listed in parentheses if player is a free agent):

Player

Team

Player

Team

Victor Abiamiri

Philadelphia

Will Herring

Seattle

Jeff Backus

Detroit

Winston Justice

Philadelphia

Charlie Batch

Pittsburgh

Patrick Kerney

Seattle

Ladell Betts

Washington

John Lynch

TB, DEN, NE (Retired)

Courtney Bryan

Miami

Corey Mays

Cincinnati

Philip Buchanon

Tampa Bay

Rocky McIntosh

Washington

Chris Chester

Baltimore

Chinedum Ndukwe

Cincinnati

Ryan Denney

Buffalo

Jamar Nesbit

New Orleans

John Denney

Miami

Robert Royal, Jr.

Buffalo

Jeff Feagles

NY Giants

Will Svitek

(Kansas City)

Brandon Fields

Miami

Larry Tripplett

Atlanta

Tarik Glenn

Indianapolis

Darwin Walker

Carolina

John Hall

Washington

Jason Whittle

Buffalo

Nicholas Hardwick

San Diego

Maurice Williams

Jacksonville

Following are brief descriptions of the executive education programs offered at each business school:

The Harvard Business School (Feb. 22-25; April 5-8)

The HBS program emphasizes entrepreneurial opportunities and business management. Content includes financial analysis, marketing strategies, selected general business skills, and legal, contractual and tax considerations. Using the case method, participants learn how to work together to resolve problems similar to the ones they will face in business. During the break between the two sessions, players develop a business plan that they discuss with HBS faculty members when they return to campus.

The Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University (March 1-4)

The Kellogg program focuses on developing and selling a brand and evaluating franchise opportunities. This program provides a foundation for recognizing sound marketing plans and preparing players to ask key questions when analyzing opportunities.

The Stanford Graduate School of Business (March 1-4)

The Stanford program seeks to broaden a player's understanding of how to evaluate business opportunities in general and in the sports industry specifically. The program consists of lectures, case studies, and discussion groups to illustrate the broad opportunities in the sporting industry and other industries (including real estate, entertainment and investment).

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (March 1-4; March 30-April 1)

The Wharton program focuses on a broad range of business topics, including financial analysis, entrepreneurship, real estate development, stock market investing, negotiation skills, risk management, and community reinvestment. Attendees work on directed as well as individual real estate, entrepreneurial and personal finance projects during the month between the program's two sessions.

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