Life After the NFL: Pressure and Facing Your Demons with Brent Novoselsky, Gemara Williams, and Wendell Davis

Brent Novoselsky is a Vice President at the wealth management company, GCG Financial. GCG has been serving clients since 1989 with a particular focus on the accumulation and preservation of assets and risk management. Brent played seven seasons in the NFL, and he played with the Chicago Bears in ‘88 and Minnesota Vikings from ‘89 to ‘94. He retired after a severe neck injury. Brent is also a member of the Chicago Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and is active in many charities; he serves as the Vice President of the Retired Professional Football Players of Chicago (RPFPC). 

Wendell Davis is the Co-founder of Trywen Medical, a Chicago-based healthcare products and services company. In college, Wendell was two times All American of Louisiana State. He is a former NFL wide receiver who played six seasons for the Chicago Bears and was selected in the first round in ‘88. After his career in the NFL, Wendell became the Assistant Coach for the 49ers. Wendell is currently also the President of the Retired Professional Football Players of Chicago (RPFPC) and the Manager of Minority Development at National Material L.P. 

Gemara Williams is the Client Engagement Manager for RL Canning, a global provider of information technology consulting and managed services headquartered in Chicago. He is a former football player who saw action in the NFL and the CFL. The New England Patriots signed him in 2006, and he was part of the team that executed the only undefeated 16-game regular season in 2007. After his time with the New England Patriots, Gemara signed on with Canadian teams, the Montreal Alouettes and what is now known as the Edmonton Elks. 

In this episode…

The top-level NFL career lasts an average of three years, and many athletes suddenly realize they still have their whole life ahead of them. Unfortunately, there’s not much on the field that prepares you for the entire new world outside of the NFL. You go could from signing autographs to begging for business appointments, not to mention the unquenchable thirst for NFL-esque thrill — and nothing can seem to fill that void. 

How do you cope with that pressure of transitioning from NFL into business, knowing that you might not understand the first thing about business and could leave the NFL unceremoniously? And if you’re already a business owner, what does the life story of an NFL player teach you about business? 

Listen to this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz, featuring former NFL players Brent Novoselsky, Wendell Davis, and Gemara Williams. They discuss the high and low points of their NFL careers, the tough job of transitioning to the business world, facing the demons of still playing in your sleep, and what they wished they knew when they were younger. Stay tuned.