Players will be trading in their pads for pencils during the offseason.
Launched in 2005 as a cooperative effort between the National Football League and the NFL Players Association, the NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program provides players with an opportunity to prepare themselves for their post-playing careers. The program is slated to be offered during three-day spans throughout the next two months at four different business schools.
Ovie Mughelli, a second-team All-Pro fullback on the Ravens and graduate of Wake Forest University, will participate in the program for a second consecutive year this offseason.
“I thought it was a lot of fun and I got a whole lot out of it,” said Mughelli, who attended the program at the Harvard Business School last year. “It was surprising how they didn?t hold back at all. They gave us a full workload and the same professors that the Harvard students use. They really treated us like grad students and expected us to pick up the curriculum.”
Programs offered around the country include: Stanford Graduate School of Business, with an emphasis on evaluating business opportunities; the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on real-estate development and entrepreneurship; the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, featuring developing and selling a brand and the Harvard School of Business, educating players about entrepreneurial opportunities and business management.
“This is part of the NFL and NFLPA to prepare [athletes] for their post-playing careers,” said Dan Masonson, a spokesman for the NFL. “If you look at what each school offers they all have a business focus, but the disciplines are unique.”
Players who sign up must pass a certain number of entrance requirements and are eligible to be reimbursed for up to $15,000 for education costs. Growth in the program has expanded from 66 participants in 2005 to 112 last year. About 116 players are expected this year.
Mughelli is enrolled in the program at the Wharton School of Business.
“People need to know the NFL isn?t forever,” Mughelli said. “This is a jump-start on life and people should look at it that way, not like they are going to keep on getting [an NFL] salary every year for the rest of their lives.”
Participating Ravens
» Matt Stover: Kellogg School of Management
» Ikechuku Ndukewe: Kellogg School of Management
» Kyle Boller: Stanford Graduate School of Busines
» Dwan Edwards: Stanford Graduate School of Business
» Jason Brown: Wharton School of Business
» Ovie Mughelli: Wharton School of Business
