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.
