Bradie James

It was interesting. I didn't know what the next steps would be if I wanted to continue playing. I was fortunate enough to play in the NFL for ten years. I had very minor injuries playing a position known for heavy contact. I was blessed with the gift to play inside linebacker and in my career, only missed three games. At one point, I was in the top five of having the longest consecutive start streaks in the NFL behind guys like Brett Favre and London Fletcher.

A lot of things! I never stop, I stay busy, and I stay structured. I founded the Bradie James Foundation which is in honor of my mom who had breast cancer.

I lost both of my parents right after high school, three months apart from each other. I made a vow I would do something and make an impact in breast cancer awareness. After my second year in the league, I felt like I had enough to start giving back, so I started the foundation.

For me, it was doing something and creating a different challenge for myself. I wanted to be more than just a football player, so I thought about football as an experience and not a career. When I turned 30, they told me I was an old man [in terms of playing.] I thought, ‘I am a young man, I'm younger than half of the people telling me I'm old. Personally, I needed to create a challenge, and part of that challenge was doing something I had never done before. Franchising was a model system, and it had structure. I was willing to jump into that. I also wanted to be a family man. I wanted to be at home and help raise my kids. I find both of those things rewarding.

Stay in community and reach out. I think the hardest part for most guys before transitioning is they don't know when they are done. It's not really celebrated to walk away from the game.

One of the things you have to do is stay in community with other guys like yourself. You don't realize you are part of that 1% for a reason. When you get done, not a lot of people relate to you, and you don't relate to a lot of people. It's difficult because you are thrust into the real world and the real world is something you haven’t been a part of. It’s all new.

The Trust Captain's Events were designed to get guys out and about. There’s such a disconnect when guys finish, so Captain's Events are a way to keep guys engaged. When you are done with football, you are beat up, your confidence is low, etc.

The thing to do is connect with people. At a Captain's Event, that's what we are trying to help you do. During most transitions, your house is a dark place. You almost become an actor there. You’re not being active and not getting out. That could create depression.

These events were created to get guys out and connected with the brotherhood. When you get around other people you played against or played with, it's a fraternity. It becomes a safe place. While we’re playing, we don't really get to know each other. On this side I ended up getting to know a lot of my colleagues and guys I played against. We end up helping each other.

I don’t know if I have one proud moment, but I am proud of my overall body of work. I am proud I played for ten years and did not come out too badly injured, damaged, etc.

There are several things but becoming an entrepreneur sticks out. I can say I am definitely more than a football player. I wanted that and it’s what my parents instilled in me. Football is just an extracurricular activity. It was a part of me, but I never wanted to get caught up in the identity of football. I think that's worked well for me.