The NFL today announced that NFL Legend and Pro Bowl offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley has been named Senior Advisor of Player Performance and Development.
In this capacity, Bentley will advise NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent, Sr. on player performance and the development of resources, enhancements, metrics and best practices designed to enhance the game. Additionally, he will work closely with NFL youth and high school football and other key stakeholders to promote the growth of football across all levels.
"The game of football continues to evolve by applying science, technology, and rules in its ongoing effort to advance player protection and remove unnecessary risk from the game," Vincent said. "LeCharles Bentley is a world-class thought leader in analyzing the metrics and developing improved playing techniques."
Bentley will additionally assist in expanding the NFL Way to Play initiative. Created in 2018, NFL Way to Play aims to protect players from unnecessary risk and foster culture change across all levels of football. Since its inception, Bentley has helped enhance the curriculum, hosting educational clinics throughout the football community and creating more than 100 videos to assist coaches and players on position-based drills that exemplify proper playing technique. In this role, Bentley will work the UK Academy to strengthen the NFL's international development, performance drills, equipment and coaching.
"I'm honored to be able to use cutting-edge research and data to assist leadership at the NFL in player protection and risk reduction throughout all levels of football." Bentley said. "Under the leadership of Roger Goodell and Troy Vincent, along with head coaches around the NFL, we are committed to growing and enhancing the game of football all over the world."
Bentley was selected in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. During his four seasons with the team (2002-2005), he was named to the Pro Bowl twice and established himself as one of the league's best lineman.
"Educating players and coaches on the techniques that have been proven to reduce risk on the field is a critical part of the NFL's overall efforts keep players protected," said NFL Engineering Committee Chair Dr. Jeff Crandall.
Crandall and his colleagues analyze data and video to determine which styles of play are least likely to result in injury on the field, working directly with experts, including LeCharles Bentley, to review videos of on-field play, discuss techniques, and use computer vision to characterize high-risk scenarios.
"I'm excited to see how LeCharles continues to contribute to these efforts by using his perspective as a former player to help current players understand the importance of using proven playing techniques to mitigate risk," Crandall said.
A native of Cleveland, Bentley founded the world's first brick and mortar training center for offensive line development in 2009. He holds certifications in strength & conditioning, sports nutrition, Functional Movement Screening, Olympic weightlifting, and Fascial Stretch Therapy. Bentley is also the founder of LB Design Equipment and holds multiple patents on tools created specifically for developing offensive line athletes.
