Reggie Smith II

Following a three-year playing career with the 49ers, Panthers and Raiders, Smith faced uncertainty heading into life after football.

“When I was first released, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next,” Smith said. “I thought I would try and stay in shape and hope there would be other opportunities. I started to get connected with The Trust to figure out how I could finish my degree, since I had come out of college early and hadn’t graduated.”

Smith utilized The Trust Scholarship Award Benefit to finish his last year of school remotely at the University of Oklahoma. While finishing his degree, Smith worked with AthLife, The Trust’s career partner, to assist with putting him in the best position to succeed in the business world.

“They helped me with a lot. I really had no idea, and I probably should’ve paid better attention while I was playing,” Smith said. “{AthLife’s} transition coach helped me with getting my resume and things in order to position me to get a job, or at least have my resume seen by people who could actually pull the trigger and give me an opportunity.”

Following the Externship Program, Smith finished his final semester at Oklahoma University before receiving a call to interview for a full-time role with Fanatics. He and another teammate from the Externship were hired at the Jacksonville, FL headquarters. Smith had officially transitioned in to the corporate world as an Operations Supervisor.

With a new job in hand, the first months at Fanatics were a stark contrast from his days on the football field.

“The first three months were tough, because I wasn’t used to doing the things I was asked to do,” Smith said. “Football is business, but this is at the opposite end of the field. I was drawing up stuff in Excel, looking at graphs, crunching numbers. Things I had done in school, but not necessarily when I was in the league. Trying to transition from working out and studying a playbook to studying a whole different aspect of business, it took me a while to adjust. But I went with the flow and learned as much as I could.”

While the tasks may have seemed unfamiliar, the experience and skills he needed in football translated well into his new role.

“Team building is one of the big things we push at Fanatics, so, that team aspect is there, just in a different capacity,” Smith said. “Also, being able to take the pressure – especially during the holiday season – is like being in the league and having to deal with that same pressure each and every play. Getting a plan and executing, looking over the daily freight that we have coming in, and drawing up a plan to get the forecasted freight pushed out the door.”

With Smith's diligence, willingness to learn and utilization of the resources available to him, his roadmap is a great example for other players looking for work after football.

“Reggie provides a great example of what happens when preparation meets opportunity,” Jon Harris, Founder and President of Athlife, said. “His story demonstrates the importance of working with an AthLife advisor to identify needs for securing employment opportunities and working to fill those gaps. Doing so allows the Lifelete to make themselves the most competitive candidate possible in the marketplace.”