Anthony Becht

I was finishing up my last season and really thought maybe I’d have another year. I think that's the biggest thing players go through, no one usually leaves the game when they want. I tried to see if another year would be there for me and waded through the process through the offseason. Finally, about halfway through the 2012 season, I called it a wrap. After that, I was ready for it.

From a timing standpoint, I knew transition was coming but no one ever really has their things together the way they would probably want to. My schedule day-to-day was the biggest adjustment for me.

I didn’t have to jump into any type of second career right away, I had some time to deliberate on my options. I decided to dig some trenches in a few different areas I thought maybe I would like to be in, be able to have fun doing, still make a living, and potentially be able to move up the ladder in. After a six-month process that led into 2013, I finally decided what I wanted to do. I had started the roadmap to my second career.

The number one thing you should do is take some time away and let yourself get your body back together. Spend time with your family and make sure you do things on your bucket list. Take the time to enjoy those things you didn’t necessarily plan to have time for before. I played for twelve seasons, so I had a long career. I was able to do a lot of great things on the field, but I missed out on a lot of things. I tried to catch up by crossing three things off my bucket list within my first year of my transition.

I do think it's important to take some time for yourself. Sit down, start putting pen to paper and brainstorm a little bit about the things you like, what your hobbies are, and who are people you’ve met over your career. I opened my Rolodex and started scanning through people's names and companies to see if anything drew some interest. That was the process of helping me understand what I wanted to get into – I took time off immediately after the game and did not necessarily jump into the first opportunity available.

First and foremost, it's an awesome social event for guys to come back and visit former teammates, former brothers of the NFL and guys of different decades in the past who played the game. To me, it’s a can’t miss opportunity with food, drinks, activities, etc. The events are always at a fun place where guys can mingle, be themselves, reminisce, tell stories, and catch up.

I think that’s a huge missing piece for a lot of former players - they miss having the relationships or camaraderie they had while they were active players. I always hope and wish for the numbers to continue to double and get bigger every year because there are so many former players who aren't engaging but they want to, or they feel it’s not their world anymore. But, this is a life-flowing brotherhood. What really sets The Trust and the Captain Events apart is they help those guys come back into those environments.

For me, Captain’s Events are a great opportunity to let these guys know about the benefits they've earned. The Trust is an earned benefit similar to your 401(k) and your pension, so you need to take advantage of it regardless of your ups and downs or your misconceptions about things in the past. This is a chance to take advantage, move forward and utilize these great opportunities we have to offer.

I was a tall, skinny kid who nobody recruited out of high school. I received one scholarship, from a Division I school who didn't really think I’d amount to much, but they saw potential in my size. I took it from there and went from not having many opportunities to get to college, to going to West Virginia and all of a sudden transforming myself into a first-round draft pick. That was a huge accomplishment for me. All of a sudden, I put myself in the likes of other first-round draft picks. When comparing it to the average career, I feel very privileged and honored I was able to play twelve years in the NFL.

After deliberating on my options, I decided to get into the media. From a status standpoint, it's a little bit of a different avenue than for a guy who, maybe, played quarterback in the league. When it comes to media opportunities, they might be jolted to the front of the line. For me, I totally had to start from the bottom up.

I received a few opportunities to appear on sports shows and from there just worked on my craft. I went to the NFL Broadcast Boot Camp where I tried to make connections, practice my craft and rewire my mind like I did when I first got into football.

I knew what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be in that world, so I had to put the time and work in to reach those goals. It was the same way in media as it was football. I started doing some small games and all of a sudden, fast forward six years, I now have a national TV package for ESPN College Football, I do anywhere from 60 to 70 shows hosting the NFL Football Fan Shop on the Home Shopping Network, I cover the Tampa Bay Buccaneers internally as a contributor and I cover the New York Jets which was my first team. I have been able to nurture and build those things within the sports media world the same way I did my football career.

You hear a lot of stories about guys giving up after the game, not because they don't have money or because of medical issues, they just forget what it took for them to play at the highest level. They don't put the work in at the same kind of intensity. No matter what kind of condition they're in after the game, they have to find something that makes them feel good and makes them feel like they have worth and value.

I dealt with that coming out, as I was trying to find those things. I stuck through it, though, which I am proud of. You have to get over those hurdles, go through your ups and downs and find your niche. That’s an accomplishment. I’m going on seven years out of the NFL, but I still have an upward angle in my career.

Everyone remembers me as a football player and former first-round pick, but what am I now? Where can I continue my relevance in this world? How will I make a difference? I feel like I've been able to create an alternative career which has given me all of those things and allowed me to embrace what I'm doing, while still keeping me around the game.