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.