Jason Bell

When I retired, it was more of a forced retirement due to a back injury. It sped up the process that I was already preparing for. I knew what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t entirely certain when that retirement was going to take place.

Once it began, even though I had a path, it was still one of the most difficult things I’ve ever been through. It was very lonely, scary, and uncertain. Even though I had a sense of direction, I was still unsure of where my life was headed. I was very lucky I had a good friend [Carlos Edmonds] who helped me through the process. It was important because when you retire, you often retire by yourself. I had someone I could have discussions on a day in and day out basis about how we were feeling.

I knew because of my position on the team (salary-wise) that I was going to have a good start in life. But, I wasn’t going to make enough not to do anything moving forward. I knew I was going to have to begin to plan to do something else.

I always loved finance. Real estate was big when I was playing, and I was always helping guys execute deals. From those experiences, I felt that not enough of us were receiving the knowledge necessary to understand the business terminology littered in most of the contracts presented to us. I knew that after football, I wanted to continue helping players in their financial/business ventures. I started setting that up by consulting various people I trusted. I then began looking for different firms and people to partner with. This also gave me time to learn more about the industry while I was playing. Still, it was difficult, but I had a sense of direction. When I retired I turned to that full speed and never looked back.

I’m still in finance but through my finance and NFL connections, I found myself involved in a whole “other world.” In moving to London, I was able to transition into the entertainment world. I host an NFL show on the BBC with my good friend and former teammate, Osi Umenyiora. I do a lot of work with the NFL UK.

This came about because of my daughters’ mother. [Nadine Coil] She is a big singer in the UK. I’d been coming back and forth over the years. When Osi retired, he had come over as the NFL ambassador for the UK and was working in the London office. I found out he was here and doing a show. The producers asked me if I wanted to join Osi. Up until that point, I had never done media. But, I figured ‘Hey, my friend is out here. I get to host a show with him. Why not?’

I feel the success we’ve had and the progress I’ve made on the media side is a result of what I learned transitioning from football to finance. Meaning, I knew what it took to learn a new career on the fly and to be confident while putting in the work. I learned the most during my transition. Being so worried and unsure of the skills I had, yet still finding my way through. Once you figure out how to learn a new skill, once you learn how to apply that to other things, you become dangerous in a good way. That’s what happened in the media world. I’m picking up new things and growing in amazing ways daily.

Absolutely. The reason I believe I was able to encounter that and push forward is because we cut our teeth in a humbling sport. If you play long enough in this game, you will be humbled. You start to develop the ability to deal with that. I think when you go through the emotions of what humility does to you, you’re just ready for it. We all feel emotions during that experience, but it’s how we respond to it that matters.

This show is one of the biggest in the UK. It predates Dancing with the Stars. It’s an opportunity to show the UK what an NFL guy is like. How our personalities are and all the talent we can bring to the table. I believe I’m the first NFL player to ever be on this show, so I have to represent us.

You never know where you’re going to end up. If you let your fear block you in your next step, you are making sure you don’t give yourself a chance. You never know where your skills are going to take you. I never would have believed any of my experiences would happen, and it all happened because I got injured in the NFL.

I’m fortunate because as I was beginning to get in the grind of my transition, The Trust was created. I heard it from another player — there’s a tight family bond amongst the NFL. We get together, and we tell each other the good, the bad, the ugly. A former teammate told me to check it out. Once I did, I was able to go get my MBA because of The Trust. That was so beneficial to me during my transition. When you are at a crossroads in your transition, The Trust provides resources, direction and support. That’s all any man can ask for. I’m grateful The Trust is around as a resource for players to use. These resources were a major help. We go through similar challenges, but the good news is there are solutions and The Trust is a big one.