WEBVTT - Player Storytelling: Jed Collins 0:00:03.720 --> 0:00:08.160 Welcome to the NFL Legends Podcast, an NFL podcast for 0:00:08.320 --> 0:00:13.319 the players, by the players. Here is your host, four 0:00:13.360 --> 0:00:24.360 teen year NFL veteran and Hall of Famer Enius Williams. Hello, 0:00:24.400 --> 0:00:27.960 and welcome to NFL Legends Podcast. I am a Nius Williams. 0:00:28.640 --> 0:00:34.200 Today we're joined by legend Jedediah Collins, also known as 0:00:34.440 --> 0:00:39.239 Just Jed, an undrafted free agent fullback can't wait to 0:00:39.280 --> 0:00:44.839 talk about that prehistoric position, who was once cut seven 0:00:44.880 --> 0:00:49.559 times before he ever took his first NFL snap. He 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:54.080 is now a certified financial planner and author of the 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:59.960 book Your Money Vehicle, How to Begin Driving to Finance 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:05.600 Your Freedom. Welcome Jet, And it is an honor and 0:01:05.640 --> 0:01:09.760 a privilege to be on and truly humble to be 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:12.839 in the consideration of legend and very excited to share 0:01:12.959 --> 0:01:15.840 kind of the message that I am out promoting and 0:01:15.880 --> 0:01:19.520 delivering um to not only our brothers, but to just 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:23.960 the masses around financial empowerment. Thank you, Jed. I'm so 0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:27.360 excited for the work that you're doing and it's obviously needed, 0:01:27.840 --> 0:01:30.959 not just in the athletic room, but just in society 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:35.200 in general. And I know you have a great financial 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:41.039 advice for players and legends, and even people who want 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:44.320 players and legends. But I want to talk to you 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:48.320 for a minute about your playing career. Jet take us 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:52.280 through the number of teams and the number of times 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:59.000 you got cut when you finally took your first NFL snap. Yeah. 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:02.360 So I h I have been called a master of 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:06.720 being cut um, and it is something that truly I'm 0:02:06.760 --> 0:02:09.880 fortunate because I'm I'm unique in that I loved the right. 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:12.080 So I'm a journal er and so each time I 0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:14.600 had that conversation, I have it written down on pen 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:18.080 and paper, just pouring out my emotions. And some people say, 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:20.320 you know, this is the first time her worse or 0:02:20.400 --> 0:02:22.959 more than the last time. They all hurt the same, 0:02:23.040 --> 0:02:26.400 they're shots of the heart. But I went undrafted, which 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:29.760 was kind of the first humbling point because I definitely 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:32.600 expected to to get a phone call that day. But 0:02:32.639 --> 0:02:36.079 I went undrafted to the Philadelphia Eagles. UM, didn't make 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:38.120 the team, got cut by them, got picked up on 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:40.920 their practice squad a couple of weeks later, got cut 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:44.040 by them again. Uh. They went over to Chicago, got 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:47.200 caught by Chicago, went over to Cleveland, got on the 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:50.760 active roster very briefly, got cut on the active roster, 0:02:51.160 --> 0:02:54.040 moved down to the practice squad. Then I chose to 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:57.880 go to Kansas City that second year off season wasn't 0:02:57.880 --> 0:03:00.400 a wise decision. They told me to lose thirty pounds 0:03:00.440 --> 0:03:03.600 and and try to be a fullback. I wasn't. Obviously, 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:06.040 did not make that roster, was on the streets for 0:03:06.080 --> 0:03:08.560 a little while, got picked up in an opportunity to 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:12.200 go to Arizona's practice squad, got cut by them, went 0:03:12.240 --> 0:03:16.120 back to Cleveland under a second regime. First was Romeo Cornell, 0:03:16.200 --> 0:03:21.000 then Mangini didn't go any better. I got cut by them. Uh. 0:03:21.040 --> 0:03:24.559 And then I got my third training camp down in Tennessee, 0:03:24.720 --> 0:03:29.000 and that's really where everything started to change for me mentally, 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:32.919 which as a as a fullback is is the primary 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:36.520 aspect of that position is having your mindset right. Um. 0:03:36.560 --> 0:03:39.440 And our fourth preseason game was against the New Orleans Saints, 0:03:39.880 --> 0:03:42.200 and I went out and said, this is a make 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:44.240 it or break it kind of game for me. I'm 0:03:44.280 --> 0:03:47.360 either gonna get on I R or I'm never gonna 0:03:47.360 --> 0:03:51.000 get an opportunity again. Um. And so I played my 0:03:51.080 --> 0:03:53.800 heart out and the Saints called put me on their 0:03:53.840 --> 0:03:57.240 practice squad, and that's where I ultimately broke in and 0:03:57.280 --> 0:04:00.960 got into becoming an active member of the team. Very 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:03.920 proud to say I climbed the ranks. I ended one year. 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:08.240 It's the number one ranked player at the fullback position. UM. 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:10.800 And I was in New Orleans for four seasons and 0:04:10.960 --> 0:04:14.040 finished uh in and they didn't sign me back. So 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:16.640 I went up to Detroit they had I was there 0:04:16.640 --> 0:04:19.240 for a year, got cut by them, and then had 0:04:19.279 --> 0:04:22.520 the most interesting moment of my probably my journey. After 0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:25.160 all that said and done, I went to Dallas. They 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:27.080 gave me a signing bonus. I was there for about 0:04:27.120 --> 0:04:29.480 three weeks, barely put on a helmet, and then they 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:32.840 unexpectedly cut me. And that was That was about the 0:04:32.839 --> 0:04:35.680 time when I called my agent. I said, hey, listen, 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:38.640 I've been doing this finance stuff. I you know, I 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:41.240 had my first daughter. I think I gotta go start 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:44.800 my life beyond UM but truly New Orleans. You know, 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:48.280 I named my my daughter's middle names Nola. Changed my 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:51.760 life and forever grateful for the opportunity that the game 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:54.680 of football has given me and my family. You know, 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:56.560 one of things you said, Jed, and a lot of 0:04:56.560 --> 0:05:00.640 times when players get released, we here here cut and 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:03.080 you end up on the street, but you just shared 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:07.320 you were doing something. It sounds like we're doing finances 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:10.599 doing that time. Would you why don't you speak to 0:05:10.720 --> 0:05:15.480 some legends and some current players who maybe still are 0:05:15.560 --> 0:05:19.479 not on the team what you did when you did 0:05:19.520 --> 0:05:22.560 get released. Literally you were not on the streets, so 0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:26.000 kind to share that with us. Absolutely, And so that's, 0:05:26.160 --> 0:05:29.400 you know something I challenged myself again, going back to 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:32.800 that kind of journaling mindset every time I got cut. 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:36.520 It is that pain, it is that anger. But then 0:05:36.520 --> 0:05:39.320 I started asking myself, well, what could I have done? 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:42.240 How are those guys making it? Why wasn't it me? 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:46.120 And that was a list I started to create. Actually 0:05:46.160 --> 0:05:50.480 call it rookie to veteran, but it was behaviors and principles. 0:05:50.960 --> 0:05:54.799 I watched great players perform that I simply just took. 0:05:55.360 --> 0:05:57.760 And that was part of what I was doing each 0:05:57.760 --> 0:05:59.919 time I got cut and go, you know, in transit, 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:03.280 shon or on the streets, was finding what that next 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:05.880 behavior I was going to put into my regiment and 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:09.240 add to my tool belt. Um and then beyond the 0:06:09.279 --> 0:06:14.680 game off the field, the reality was I was financially illiterate. 0:06:14.800 --> 0:06:18.320 My rookie year, I got some good paychecks, some active checks, 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:21.039 and they came and went the day that you know, 0:06:21.080 --> 0:06:24.080 I cash them. And you know, I will say my 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:27.120 first big purchase was an engagement ring. And my wife 0:06:27.160 --> 0:06:29.760 and I are still happily married, but I will tell 0:06:29.800 --> 0:06:32.920 her to this day that was a very poor financial decision. 0:06:33.520 --> 0:06:35.920 And it woke me up to the reality that even 0:06:35.920 --> 0:06:39.400 though you know, I come from an academic family, I 0:06:39.480 --> 0:06:42.800 had very little understanding around the concept of money. And 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:45.599 I dove in. I went to a bookstore and started 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:48.800 just buying, you know, the financial gurus. And finally I 0:06:48.839 --> 0:06:53.880 had a former NFL veteran, a brother, challenged me and say, hey, man, 0:06:54.360 --> 0:06:56.680 I've been giving you fish and feeding you fish, but 0:06:56.720 --> 0:06:58.760 if you really want to know, you gotta learn to 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:01.679 fish yourself. And he challenge me and said, start studying 0:07:01.680 --> 0:07:05.240 for your certification and financial planning. And that is a 0:07:05.240 --> 0:07:07.719 a long process. You know, it took me two or 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:10.680 three years to to complete, but it gives you a 0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:16.120 fundamental understanding in a holistic view of money, not just investing, 0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:20.760 but how insurance and taxes and estate planning and cash management, 0:07:20.760 --> 0:07:23.840 all those things tied into it. And so it was 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:28.360 truly building this kind of off the field knowledge and 0:07:28.440 --> 0:07:32.040 having guys in the locker room asked me questions about 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:35.000 not just the NFL benefits, but about how money and 0:07:35.040 --> 0:07:37.960 the game and the world works. That really led me 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:40.520 down the road I was on. But I couldn't be 0:07:40.600 --> 0:07:44.520 more proud to say I was earning that CFP through 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:47.640 getting cut, through being on the streets, and even once 0:07:47.720 --> 0:07:49.560 I was starting to make it in New Orleans, it 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:52.240 was like, Hey, I gets sneak in a book or 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:55.040 something on our flight or on our bus and and 0:07:55.080 --> 0:07:59.160 get a little bit of time invested there. Now, let's 0:07:59.160 --> 0:08:01.200 go back to the plane career. What was it like 0:08:01.280 --> 0:08:06.280 when you finally had an opportunity to play in in 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:10.720 a game with the Saints? What was so? It was? So? 0:08:11.240 --> 0:08:14.280 I'll give you two plays, um. The first one was 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:17.360 my first first play with the first team my rookie 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:21.040 year in Philadelphia, and you will know this, man. I 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:23.520 I got to go line up at fullback against the 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:26.440 first team Eagles defense and saw Brian Dawkins coming through 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:29.360 the hole. And he was one of those guys I 0:08:29.400 --> 0:08:32.320 grew up, I grew up watching I knew I know 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:36.560 who weapon X is and I remember him coming through 0:08:36.600 --> 0:08:39.560 the hole, and I didn't see Dawkins. I saw Weapon X, 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:42.960 and I was intimidated. I was humbled, and he knocked 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:46.439 me in the next Tuesday and I got up off 0:08:46.480 --> 0:08:49.880 the ground, and in that time, you realize confidence is 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:51.920 king man. I had to believe I was going to 0:08:52.040 --> 0:08:54.720 be out there. And so why I said my third 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:57.800 year was such a pivotal year for me was it 0:08:57.920 --> 0:09:00.000 was the first training camp, it was the first office 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:02.280 season that I walked out onto the field, and I 0:09:02.360 --> 0:09:05.800 believed I was the baddest dude on that field. I 0:09:05.840 --> 0:09:09.360 hadn't really really embodied that yet, and as a fullback, 0:09:09.480 --> 0:09:13.160 I had to have that mindset um. And so really 0:09:13.200 --> 0:09:16.040 my my journey in New Orleans was even unique because 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:19.680 the only reason I got reps with the starters was 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:22.680 because we were going through the lockout and the collective 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:25.560 bargaining dream and said any free agents had to wait 0:09:25.600 --> 0:09:28.320 a couple more days, and they had just you know, 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:31.839 bought or traded for a free agent fullback who was 0:09:31.880 --> 0:09:35.680 supposed to be the starter. Um. And so in those 0:09:35.720 --> 0:09:38.120 two or three days kind of transition period, that's when 0:09:38.160 --> 0:09:41.000 I got the opportunity to be amongst the best and 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:44.880 be amongst the starting circle and I I felt that 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:47.880 taste and I got that feeling, that confidence was there, 0:09:47.880 --> 0:09:49.360 and I said, I never want to let this go. 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:52.400 And truly that player never really even took my reps 0:09:52.480 --> 0:09:55.439 or took my position away from me. So from that 0:09:55.480 --> 0:09:58.040 first hit with Dotkins to the hits in the training 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:00.920 camp when I would go in and guys would flip 0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:04.640 the script and start to fear me, that was that 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:08.160 was really the change in mindset of me becoming a 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:12.280 lead block and fullback. And Jed, I'm looking at you. 0:10:12.360 --> 0:10:15.640 May you have this nice looking hair in this name. 0:10:17.080 --> 0:10:19.960 How did you decide what made you want to be 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:25.000 a fullback? Oh? The line is not long for fullback. 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:27.640 So I was a linebacker in high school. I was 0:10:27.679 --> 0:10:30.480 a tight end, kind of a receiving tight end in college. 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:34.120 But once you you transition from college to the NFL. 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:36.760 I stood next to some of the tight ends up 0:10:36.760 --> 0:10:39.440 there at six six six five, I'm about six one. 0:10:39.960 --> 0:10:42.800 They run four fives. I run a five flat. So 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:45.640 it wasn't so much a choice position change. It was 0:10:45.720 --> 0:10:48.480 more if you want to keep going, you're gonna have 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:52.480 to learn a new skill set. And really what the 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:57.120 transition for me into the NFL, was was realizing fullback 0:10:57.200 --> 0:10:59.599 is a selfless position. No longer was I going to 0:10:59.640 --> 0:11:01.280 be the guy with my name in the paper. I 0:11:01.320 --> 0:11:03.600 was going to be setting up the guy to get 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:06.480 his name in the paper. And I really had to 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:10.959 embody the idea that the position is much more one 0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:14.160 of will than of skill. Are you willing to go 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:16.960 into the whole and do the work that very few 0:11:17.000 --> 0:11:20.800 want to? Um So it wasn't It wasn't my first choice. 0:11:21.280 --> 0:11:26.000 But that's selfless, that that mindset and really the discipline 0:11:26.040 --> 0:11:29.880 to go play that part. It's it's transcended into kind 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:32.439 of what I do now in helping people lead their 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:38.240 way financially, but also just the the ability to uh 0:11:38.280 --> 0:11:41.880 to control my mind, to control control my message to 0:11:42.000 --> 0:11:45.800 myself to wake up and manifest my future, because that's 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:47.520 what I would have to do on the field. You know, 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:50.040 I didn't believe I was the baddest dude on there. 0:11:50.400 --> 0:11:53.560 I repeatedly looked in a mirror and told myself I was. 0:11:54.040 --> 0:11:57.240 And that's when things started to change. You Know, you 0:11:57.280 --> 0:12:00.000 mentioned someone he came down to the full back position. 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:04.960 You said it was the will many times over the skill. 0:12:05.840 --> 0:12:09.839 Now as we transition into finance man. One of the 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:12.079 things in these questions I'll ask you, I'm thinking about, 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:14.800 how do you get guys It's one thing to have 0:12:14.920 --> 0:12:19.880 the skill that they need, but how in finances? And 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:21.719 I'll ask you this a little later on in this 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:24.520 and maybe you'll talk about it in the questions, how 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:28.520 do you get legends and players to have the will 0:12:29.360 --> 0:12:31.719 to want to manage their finances? So let me take 0:12:31.760 --> 0:12:34.920 you here. Among of the players, one of the biggest 0:12:35.000 --> 0:12:40.680 misconceptions about an NFL career and their own financial well being. 0:12:43.679 --> 0:12:47.760 That's a one you know coming in. I think one 0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:50.319 of the biggest misconceptions is we get paid all all 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:52.920 year and not just during the season, and so the 0:12:52.960 --> 0:12:57.400 mismanagement begins with that first paycheck. Um. But I think 0:12:57.440 --> 0:13:00.120 guys have a have a tough time at twenty to 0:13:00.320 --> 0:13:05.079 imagining themselves at sixty two, let alone even just thirty two, 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:09.160 and to truly see this this financial dream and this 0:13:09.240 --> 0:13:12.600 opportunity is to not be rich. And one of the 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:15.800 things I really love to share with legends and guys 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:19.559 playing is there is a big difference between rich and wealth. 0:13:20.280 --> 0:13:23.240 Rich means I have money today, and being rich is 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:25.240 not a bad thing. Being rich is a great thing 0:13:26.240 --> 0:13:29.520 as long as it transitions to wealth, and wealth means 0:13:29.720 --> 0:13:31.400 it's not that I have money today, it's I have 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:34.640 many tomorrows that I don't have to worry about money. 0:13:34.720 --> 0:13:37.320 And I didn't know the difference between the two, and 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:41.600 it's it's really kind of a foreign language for for 0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:44.400 many of us to think, what is wealth? What does 0:13:44.440 --> 0:13:46.720 it mean? How do you build it, how do you 0:13:46.840 --> 0:13:48.800 manage it? And then how do you transfer it to 0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:52.559 your family? So one of the biggest misconceptions is I 0:13:52.960 --> 0:13:55.160 made it, I'm a rich rookie, or I made it 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:58.640 I just got my second contract. And the reality is 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.360 you are not wealthy yet until that money is going 0:14:01.440 --> 0:14:05.200 to work for you. And you have made this this game. 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:08.360 You've taken the dream and the opportunity and made it 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:14.840 your your employee. Once your legends and players begin to 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:19.120 assess in effects the facts of where they really are. 0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:23.720 So that's a great question. And you know how precious 0:14:23.760 --> 0:14:26.960 the time in the game is. Uh. You know, most 0:14:27.000 --> 0:14:29.440 guys are fortunate to make it to that three. Get 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:33.480 the investing into the pension. I would begin with, you know, 0:14:33.720 --> 0:14:37.680 your your second year, rookie year is just save as 0:14:37.760 --> 0:14:40.960 much as you can just just get survived, focus on 0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:44.000 the game, be get job number one. That's the other 0:14:44.040 --> 0:14:46.520 piece of this is is so many guys wonder well 0:14:46.720 --> 0:14:49.160 off the field, how can I go get investments or 0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:51.520 how can I go start this or start that. The 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:55.200 greatest influencer and impact or on your wealth is going 0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:58.320 to be your career. Making it one more season, focusing 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:02.480 on job number one there, that's always a priority. But 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:05.360 as we look at it, we gotta begin, you know, 0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:08.800 with our cash management. I think that happens year one, 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:12.000 year two, and then as you get into three and four, 0:15:12.240 --> 0:15:15.720 you start to look at the amount of benefits the 0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:19.240 game can deliver to you. Why our union is so 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:23.120 vital and strong is because it does provide for us 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:30.240 a financial you know, jump start to our lives um 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:33.720 and so starting to understand how those programs work and 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:37.000 how to maximize them and then come five years and 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:39.240 beyond is when you can really start to look at 0:15:39.320 --> 0:15:42.520 and say, okay, I have my foundation. I not only 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:45.480 have that, but I have a transition account that I 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:49.080 always try to tell players protect two years of cash 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:52.640 because that those transition years are going to be extremely challenging. 0:15:53.280 --> 0:15:55.480 But over that five years and once you're starting to 0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:58.160 look at it and see how the game can impact you. 0:15:58.280 --> 0:16:01.040 Beyond that is when you can start to look down 0:16:01.080 --> 0:16:03.400 and say, what am I passionate about? What do I 0:16:03.440 --> 0:16:05.920 want to continue to learn about, and how do I 0:16:06.000 --> 0:16:10.000 then transition that into something as an income stream off 0:16:10.000 --> 0:16:16.000 the field? So jed, most careers are like yours, not 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:20.560 like Drew Drew brees right now. So with that in mind, 0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:26.120 what what does that mean for the financial help the 0:16:26.200 --> 0:16:29.080 players and legends? In other words, what do they need 0:16:29.120 --> 0:16:33.800 to understand? Uh? And what are the oldest unique peculiaritives 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:38.480 when you don't have a loan sustained career. Yes, And 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:43.640 for the vast minority who get to have a career 0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:47.160 and say, hey, I don't have to work again, um, 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:50.520 this is the game has given me enough more and 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:53.120 more power to you. For the other ninety nine nine 0:16:53.160 --> 0:16:56.280 percent of us, UM, I would look at my time 0:16:56.440 --> 0:17:00.200 in the game and my time playing and in the 0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:03.920 off seasons, I would begin to develop interests, skills that 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:07.080 are going to translate. I would begin to build my network. 0:17:07.560 --> 0:17:09.560 I think that is one of the biggest failures of 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:12.919 guys in the league is we want to remain exclusive, 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:16.920 we want to remain private when at that time every 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:20.720 door in America would open to you. Everybody opens the 0:17:20.760 --> 0:17:24.120 door for a current NFL player, not everyone is open 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:27.360 for a former NFL player. And so I would challenge 0:17:27.400 --> 0:17:31.000 guys to continually get out and network um and then 0:17:31.080 --> 0:17:34.719 really just looking at how can I leverage what I 0:17:34.800 --> 0:17:38.240 am and what I have been around. I I am 0:17:38.280 --> 0:17:40.960 not Drew Brees, but I've been six ft from greatness. 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:43.480 I've seen the best in the world operate on a 0:17:43.560 --> 0:17:48.679 daily basis, the skills and the disciplines in me translating 0:17:48.720 --> 0:17:51.480 to anything and everything that I'm going to do. And 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:55.480 I really want more players to to stand on that 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:58.000 fact that I got to go to work, but I 0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:00.560 am miles ahead of everyone that I'm going to compete 0:18:00.640 --> 0:18:04.520 with because they don't understand the level of intensity or 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:08.240 the level of uh of discipline that I've had to 0:18:08.560 --> 0:18:11.760 develop to become who I am UH. And so I 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:14.160 would look at it as most guys are like me. 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:18.040 Most guys are going to need a second career. What 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:21.760 in your your journey can you take away? What in 0:18:21.840 --> 0:18:25.720 your game of football can you transition into life after? 0:18:26.400 --> 0:18:29.440 And that doesn't have to be coaching and broadcasting. Those 0:18:29.480 --> 0:18:34.080 are great careers, but just your time management, your team playing, 0:18:34.320 --> 0:18:38.959 your your functionality will be desired by so many different 0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:44.920 corporations and leaders. Hey Jed, now, what you've been cut 0:18:44.960 --> 0:18:49.439 as often as you were? Was that? Was that the 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:52.760 thing that triggered you to want to learn about finances 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:57.080 and become a financial partner? It definitely played into it, 0:18:57.160 --> 0:19:00.560 you know. And I get to say I was fortunate 0:19:00.680 --> 0:19:03.679 to be cut so many times because my career was 0:19:03.760 --> 0:19:07.320 over before it even began, multiple times, and so it 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:10.240 did show me the longevity of the game is going 0:19:10.320 --> 0:19:13.920 to pass me by very quickly. Um. And so from 0:19:13.920 --> 0:19:16.560 a financial perspective, it showed me, well, I have to 0:19:16.600 --> 0:19:21.000 be preparing today for ten thirty years into the future. 0:19:21.840 --> 0:19:25.040 But what what else it also did was it gave 0:19:25.080 --> 0:19:30.320 me the blessing of failure. And people have a very 0:19:30.359 --> 0:19:33.920 interesting reaction to that. But I think in business, in life, 0:19:33.960 --> 0:19:36.000 as an athlete, one of the best things you can 0:19:36.040 --> 0:19:39.200 hear is no, because it closes the door and it 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:42.800 challenges you to find a better way. Again, when I 0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:45.360 would get cut, I would go and look at what 0:19:45.480 --> 0:19:48.440 was Dawkins doing, What was the twenty year kicker doing? 0:19:48.480 --> 0:19:51.480 What was it fifteen year offensive alignment doing what were 0:19:51.520 --> 0:19:55.600 all these guys doing that I didn't do? And so 0:19:56.359 --> 0:19:59.600 being told no forced me into that realization that I 0:19:59.640 --> 0:20:01.920 needed get better. And I don't know if I would 0:20:01.920 --> 0:20:04.359 have achieved what I did had I not been told 0:20:04.359 --> 0:20:08.000 no and cut so many times. So the reality that, 0:20:08.119 --> 0:20:11.639 you know, having having your contract be taken away and 0:20:11.640 --> 0:20:15.160 no more income wakes you up to the financial lessons 0:20:15.640 --> 0:20:18.400 and then it's you know, challenges you to say, all right, 0:20:19.040 --> 0:20:21.120 this isn't good enough. What are you gonna do? And 0:20:21.119 --> 0:20:24.240 and that's when I wouldn't started getting educated. I love 0:20:24.280 --> 0:20:28.120 how you share with us your definition of rich and wealth, 0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:32.360 because I'm quite sure being in the league, players were 0:20:32.480 --> 0:20:36.479 more cars and all the houses and all those things 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:40.360 that kind of in your conversations in the locker room, 0:20:41.240 --> 0:20:45.000 did you see Are I think that players thought they 0:20:45.040 --> 0:20:47.760 had wealth when they had cars and things like that 0:20:48.560 --> 0:20:53.439 versus no, no Jit, the school of jit. Uh, you 0:20:53.480 --> 0:20:56.639 guys are just rich? Tell me about that. And you 0:20:56.680 --> 0:20:59.639 know one question I would always ask guys whether it 0:20:59.680 --> 0:21:03.960 was a first rounder, uh, fifty million dollar guy? Was man, 0:21:04.240 --> 0:21:07.360 you think you have so much? Imagine the guy writing 0:21:07.400 --> 0:21:11.040 your paycheck? You know that is a different and when 0:21:11.040 --> 0:21:13.120 you start to look at it through a different lens, 0:21:13.160 --> 0:21:16.199 you start to see the change and you start to 0:21:16.280 --> 0:21:19.680 look at well, how long will this last? How long 0:21:19.800 --> 0:21:22.600 is this lifestyle going to be afforded by what I have? 0:21:23.000 --> 0:21:25.720 And I don't care if you do have the million 0:21:25.720 --> 0:21:29.080 dollar contract. If you're spending spending a half a million 0:21:29.080 --> 0:21:31.560 dollars a quarter a million dollars a year, you're running 0:21:31.560 --> 0:21:34.240 out of money in your forties. And that's a great, 0:21:34.400 --> 0:21:37.439 you know, twenty year time life, but that's not the dream. 0:21:37.560 --> 0:21:40.040 The dream is to have football set you up for life. 0:21:40.640 --> 0:21:44.360 And so yes, one of the realizations for me, with 0:21:44.359 --> 0:21:48.480 with young guys and even myself was that differentiator between 0:21:48.560 --> 0:21:52.000 an asset and a liability. And it sounds so simple, 0:21:52.560 --> 0:21:56.080 but the reality is we need to understand what an 0:21:56.119 --> 0:21:59.120 asset is. None of us have ever bought an asset 0:21:59.280 --> 0:22:02.640 before our days. We've never been introduced to what they 0:22:02.640 --> 0:22:05.919 are or how to buy them. But looking at things 0:22:06.000 --> 0:22:08.879 to purchase that are going to put money back into 0:22:08.920 --> 0:22:12.560 my pocket as opposed to cost me more, that was 0:22:12.600 --> 0:22:15.320 a real awakening moment for me, and I started to 0:22:15.440 --> 0:22:18.240 challenge everything I was buying. You know, I still buy 0:22:18.280 --> 0:22:20.280 and I still spend and you know, I got a wife, 0:22:20.280 --> 0:22:23.880 so we definitely spend money. But I started to look 0:22:23.880 --> 0:22:28.160 at it like, hey this, you know, sure, I could 0:22:28.160 --> 0:22:29.919 go and have a pretty good, you know night or 0:22:29.920 --> 0:22:32.600 two in Vegas, or we can go throw it in 0:22:32.640 --> 0:22:35.400 this thing. Or I could go and you know, get 0:22:35.400 --> 0:22:37.520 my CFP with that, or I can go and do 0:22:37.600 --> 0:22:40.760 other things. What over the long term is going to 0:22:41.040 --> 0:22:43.960 bring money back to me? And I think if young 0:22:44.040 --> 0:22:46.560 players can look at that and say, I can still 0:22:46.600 --> 0:22:49.320 go buy my wants, but I also got to go 0:22:49.400 --> 0:22:52.840 buy some assets, that is one of the most powerful 0:22:52.880 --> 0:22:55.840 tools they can have is saying I know this thing 0:22:55.960 --> 0:22:58.840 is going to return me more down the road. That's 0:22:58.880 --> 0:23:02.320 my priority. Did you take advantage of any of the 0:23:02.359 --> 0:23:07.359 programs available to players and legends? Absolutely not. Not just 0:23:07.440 --> 0:23:10.359