Trib: Athletes should have a plan for life after sports

[USFishin]

Athletes should have a plan for life after sports

By NICK WILLIAMS | The Tampa Tribune

Two years ago, former University of South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe was one of the biggest stars in college football. Entering his senior season, he was an early candidate for several prestigious awards after having led the Bulls to a No.â2 national ranking as a junior, the program's highest honor.

Unfortunately, Grothe tore his ACL just a few games into his final year and missed the remainder of the season.

Following his college career, Grothe played with the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League before landing on the practice squad of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

Two months ago, Grothe started a short stint as a substitute teacher at Lake Gibson High in Polk County, his former high school. He taught algebra and analysis functions.

If football doesn't work out, Grothe said he's considered teaching, coaching or working with wildlife as a profession. Like many former college stars in his situation, Grothe has learned having a backup plan is just as important as planning for a professional sports career, one only few get to enjoy.

"If I could go back and change everything, I'd say think about your academic career more than anything. You want to go where you'll have a chance to play, but don't go and take an easy way out," he said. "Don't major in what everybody else is. Do what you want to do because when it's all said and done, that's what you went to school for. If you want a job away from football, education is the key."

In 2007, former University of Florida men's basketball player Dan Cross, who helped the Gators reach their first Final Four in 1994, created Athlete Connections, a non-profit organization that helps current and former student-athletes make the transition from athletics to the workforce. Motivated by his past experiences, Cross said Athlete Connections creates opportunities for athletes to meet with representatives of various companies that lead to possible internships or employment.

On Monday at USF, Athlete Connections held a networking event for student-athletes. Cross said his organization has helped nearly 1,000 athletes since its inception and works with a number of universities in the Southeast and Midwest.

"Each of these young athletes has made it to a certain level based on their desire and God given talent," Cross said. "That will only take you so far. They need to educate themselves on the probability of a football player going pro. A couple of hundred are drafted to the NFL and we're talking about hundreds of thousands attending colleges around the country. That shows you the statistics of who won't be chosen. The career span of athletes in pros is three years, so they're finished by 25. You still have another 35-40 years to figure out what to do with your life."

Clearwater-based psychologist Harold Shinitzky, co-author of "Your Mind: An Owner's Manual," is the consulting sports psychologist for Athlete Connections. He helped several athletes like Cross deal with the bitter aftermath of life after college, some of who go on to suffer from depression.

"The biggest one is a sense of a loss of identify," Shinitzky said. "Every fiber of their being, every ounce of their soul has been associated with athletics, especially when you're at an elite level. No one plans to fail."

Former Gaither High and Ohio State running back Lydell Ross was content with walking away from sports. Ross, one of the most highly recruited and successful prep stars in Hillsborough County history, won a national championship with the Buckeyes in 2002. He was undrafted in 2005 and signed a free-agent contract with the San Diego Chargers but was cut during training camp. He soon found interest in becoming a Tampa Fire and Rescue officer. This July will make three years with the department.

"It wasn't difficult at all," Ross said. "Upon graduating, I had no regrets. I set goals for myself before I went off to college and after I walked away from the game, I felt accomplished. I looked at myself in the mirror and I looked at everything on the table and I was completely satisfied."

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[outrunner]

Really is amazing to think the most recognizable player in USF history is a substitute teacher now.  As much as I dislike the NCAA, those commercials where they say "going pro in something other than sports" really do hit the nail on the head.

[smazza]

all students should have a plan

[South_Florida_Flip]

Wasn't Grothe a sophomore when we were #2?

[gobulls83]

Two years ago, former University of South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe was one of the biggest stars in college football. Entering his senior season, he was an early candidate for several prestigious awards after having led the Bulls to a No. 2 national ranking as a junior, the program's highest honor.

Look, I love Grothe. He's the best player in USF history, in my opinion. But this article is obviously overstating his stature in the overall college football landscape. After his freshman and sophomore years, he showed a lot of promise, but three straight years of 14 interceptions tapered that off significantly. And while he might have been on the watch list for some awards, those awards list like a billion people on those preseason watch lists. To actually be a force in those discussions, he would have had to have a senior season that was better than he had ever shown himself to be capable of playing consistently. Was it possible, in some theoretical sense? Sure. But it was unlikely.

Matt Grothe was never a lock or even a likely candidate to be an NFL quarterback, and his ACL injury did not cost him his pro career. He never had a very significant chance at one in the first place. Grothe should have had a backup plan all along because all but his most optimistic and blinded of supporters should have been telling him that he was a longshot. That doesn't mean he shouldn't have tried and blah blah blah, but he was a longshot plain and simple.

Also, Grothe was a sophomore when USF got up to No. 2 in the BCS.

In 2007, former University of Florida men's basketball player Dan Cross, who helped the Gators reach their first Final Four in 1994, created Athlete Connections, a non-profit organization that helps current and former student-athletes make the transition from athletics to the workforce.

Call me crazy, but I'd hope a free college education does a thing or two to prepare students to "make the transition" into the work force. Maybe the problem is the different standards athletes are held to, and this organization is another example of that? No, no, it can't be that, there certainly can't be anything wrong with coddling them even more, even after their collegiate athletic careers are over.

The problem, as I see it, is that by the time students are winding down their collegiate careers and are in a position to be part of Cross' organization, they've already spent more than a decade surrounded by parents, coaches, and other hangers-on who are so invested in their prospective professional athlete that they tell them endlessly what hot **** they are, regardless of how true it is. And this guy Cross is just going to convince them to take a more realistic approach overnight? It doesn't seem to be addressing the real problem.

[The Sheriff]

Blah, blah, blah... I can sum up this article in two words.

MARRY RICH!

[WoolyBully]

Blah, blah, blah... I can sum up this article in two words.  MARRY RICH!

Sound advice. Remember sports fans, you can marry more money in ten minutes than you'll ever earn in a lifetime!

That being said, how many junior high school kids honest-to-God believe they're destined for the NFL? And it continues

on up the hierarchy of football. If they believe they're going to play at the next level, they're going to structure their

academic career accordingly.  It probably wouldn't hurt to just address the issue of - "let's just put together Plan-B, in

the event something should prohibit you from going pro" early on. If the answer is "but all I ever wanted to do was play

ball, I don't want to do anything else"...well then Plan-B is roll the dice.