The Other Side Of Success

Michael Stone and Reggie Howard know all about brotherhoods. As former collegiate and National Football League (NFL) players, they understand the unique bond that exists among today's athletes - on and off the field.

But in a professional sports landscape defined by multi-year, mega contracts and, at times, unfathomable guaranteed bonuses and incentives, the journey is not as smooth and harmonious as one might think. For Howard and Stone, the stories of athletes rendered financially destitute were too unbelievable to fathom, let alone accept.

While today's headlines are filled with stories like Michael Vick, whose fortune was bankrupted on the mistakes he brought unto himself, it's the untold stories that move Stone and Howard. For example, the National Basketball Association (NBA) Players' Association reports that 66 percent of its players will be bankrupt, divorced or unemployed within five years of retirement. And according to GamesOver.org, a non-profit website dedicated to helping transitioning pro athletes, this figure increases to an unbelievable 78 percent of NFL players within just two years of retirement.

Together, the former University of Memphis players founded the Allied Athlete Group (AAG), a growing membership network of high-profile athletes dedicated to helping one another succeed. The group, founded in 2007, provides each member - nearly 100 former and current athletes and growing - access to educational seminars on entrepreneurship and investment, second career and philanthropic coaching, and a loyalty program that provides a pool of vetted professionals and retailers they can trust. Board members include athletes such as NBA Hall-of-Famer Julius "Dr. J" Erving and the Baltimore Ravens' Ray Lewis.

"I learned very early on during my career in the NFL that, as a professional athlete, we are all alone," says Stone, the CEO and founder of AAG, and a former NFL player for the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals. "When all this money and fame comes your way, you feel like you are isolated on an island. AAG seeks to change that by offering a network of peers that have been there and provides practical opportunities to help players throughout their career. We are our brother's keeper. We have a responsibility to look out for our peers to guarantee success for the long-term."

Stone says the AAG program offers true leverage by helping develop and support a player's personal brand on and off the field - while they are playing and after they retire. "As athletes, there are several opportunities placed in front of you that you aren't always prepared to handle or take advantage of," he says. "Our goal is to help our fellow athletes navigate through their careers and beyond. If we can affect change in their young career, they will have leveraged their success and can support themselves and their communities for a lifetime."

While helping pro athletes isn't terribly unique, the business model sure is. AAG plans on charging fees to its members, and by partnering with high-end sponsors such as Louis Vuitton, these athletes will receive discounts on products and clothing that they would otherwise purchase anyway. And many of these sponsors make it a mission for pro athletes to wear their wares, so it's a win-win.

Another of the group's aim is to help athletes make an impact in their respective communities. Enter the AAG Foundation, a non-profit arm that is developing partnerships with local and national organizations. Some of the entities they have partnered with include One-Economy Corp., the Grady Health System Foundation, the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA, Atlanta Public Schools and the Salvation Army.

"In developing these relationships, it's important for us to ensure our mission and vision is not lost and that we are able to impact as many lives as possible," says Howard, the foundation's president and executive director, and a former cornerback for the Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and the 2003 Super Bowl runner-up Carolina Panthers. "Our mission is to not only leverage our celebrity as professional athletes to impact our communities, but to help our peers secure their long-term financial and social well-being, so that they can continue to impact their communities."

Thanks to existing partnerships, the foundation has launched a "Digital Connectors" and "READS," designed to bring technology to underserved youth, improve literacy among elementary school children and help develop young leaders who actively engage in community outreach/service.

"The stories are legendary about the money that goes out the window [when it comes to professional athletes]," says Erving, who spent 16 years in the old American Basketball Association and NBA. "AAG creates a wonderful environment for any young person who is confused and provides a menu of individuals who have already gone through this process and are available to talk to him. It gives you people who you can trust to help you. Shame on you if you don't use it."