Syndric Steptoe

At first, it was trying to find something that could fill the void of football. I’ve been playing football since I was 5-years-old at a very high level. So, my initial contemplation was to start a business, and that’s what I did. I went and bought a franchise ... ill-advised, but I still did it. I learned a lot of lessons from it. While I was working at my business I was still trying to fill that void, but I realized owning that business was not what I wanted to do – slaving away in a restaurant that I bought to fill the expectation I had in the league just wasn’t cutting it.

I used AthLife also to help me with my resume. Once I was at a point where I was just sitting back and waiting, they told me I needed to update my resume. Being an athlete at a Division-1 school, you never think about doing a resume. You never think about having to do a resume until you have to do one! So, my AthLife advisor, Beth, directed me to do this and do that. She sent me templates of resumes, and from there I just put down my work experience, and she formulated it in a way that made me look like an amazing person on paper!

I feel like I’m at a tremendous point in my life, being in a situation where I was afforded the opportunity to go back and get my Master's degree. I was at a point where I was talking with my mentor and he told me to slow down, and I decided I wanted to go back and educate myself. Coming from where I came from, I never thought I’d be hearing those words, or even thinking that I’m going to get my Master's degree – like you got a BA and now you want to go and get an MA? But speaking with my Program Manager, he really helped me with that and {The Trust} paid for it. It just started as an opportunity that I could not pass up, and my mentor was like, "You would be dumb not to do it!"

{The Scholarship} is tremendous because it has given me the education to go along with my athletic experience that I’ve experienced in life. To be able to reach out to and touch younger athletes, or even older athletes that are going through the same situation that I’ve been through as far as dealing with injuries.

It was great, and it was an easy process honestly. You just give them the info they need, and the background check is done and they give you back a 4-page paper ... it's probably even longer than that. {My background check} was actually for a guy that I did business with previously, and he had wronged me so we just wanted to check him out to see what his background was. I wish this process had been available to me before because I was really amazed by it. But you know, everything is an experience in life, so you have to learn to move forward. But going forward, I’ll definitely keep it in mind if I have any business ideas.

Cleveland Clinic was great. I was familiar with Cleveland Clinic because I played in Cleveland, so the doctors still remembered me from my playing days there. That made it very friendly. I was very interactive with the doctors, they were giving me a heads-up on what to expect.

And then giving me information about later in life with the injuries I sustained from playing, including the brain injuries I sustained. I got a reading from a neurological doctor, it was an experience that I would say if you have the opportunity to go and get yourself checked out ... From cholesterol, to brain, to just physical therapy type of stuff, go do it. Get it done!

Honestly, I was skeptical. I’m not going to lie, because it was something new. As a former player, we get a lot of programs thrown at us – "We can help you with this" or "Invest in that". So, I was in a situation where I was kind of skeptical. It wasn’t until Hannibal Navies reached out to me, and was like, "Hey man, this is a legit thing. We’re actually doing an event, up at EXOS.” This was back when they were doing the EXOS tour showing all of us what it was. So, I went up there to meet with them, and I actually said, "Wait, these are real people that actually represent the Players Association and the Former Players."

It’s great people. It’s really real. It’s not something that is just made up on the internet, it’s actual live people, who care about your life after sport, who care about what you do next in your transition from the NFL to the regular working world. Just listen to what they have to say, and if you have an opportunity in any of the venues, go check it out with an unbiased opinion, and just enjoy yourself because they really take care of us as former players.

Currently, I'm the Associate Director of C.A.T.S. Life Skills, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Arizona. I work with all the current student-athletes on personal development, career development and community engagement opportunities. The part I enjoy most about my job is helping the student-athletes find success in life outside of their sports arena, getting them to understand that they have more to offer than just what they can do between the lines on the field, court, or pool.

I actually have two moments that are my proudest. First was the day I received my first college scholarship offer. I knew then that I would be able to change the course of my family by being able to attend college for free and be a role model to my younger family members, and I graduated in four years!

Second was when I got drafted by the Cleveland Browns. Although I was a seventh round pick, I tell people all the time that it doesn't matter when or where you are drafted, you still feel the same excitement and joy when you receive the phone call from the GM and Head Coach and see your name appear on the TV screen on ESPN. It's a feeling that only 256 individuals experience a year. No words can truly express that feeling.

My proudest moment since leaving the football has been starting a non-profit with a good friend of mine (Toby Bourguet) called Life Athletix, and running a youth flag football program under the umbrella of our non-profit called Tucson Turf. Our kids range in age from 5-18, and the success we've had nationally is unprecedented.

We've won over 30 national championships and compete on both the National flag football (NFL Flag) level with our younger kids and the National 7 on 7 circuit with our older boys. We are recognized as one of the top programs in the country. We teach both boys and girls the game of football through life lessons, and our two pillar words are ATTITUDE and EFFORT!