Derrick Morgan Retiring

augustabuzz

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I seem to remember Calvin wanting to stay close to his girlfriend and family as the deciding factor. Not saying academics didn’t play a part, but not sure it was the deciding factor. Calvin’s family pushed academics hard.

Chris Bosh, I remember, was one very high profile recruit interested in the academic. Funny because he wasn’t here very long
Calvin's Mom was not going to give her blessing to a factory.
 

dressedcheeseside

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The 40-year plan would be best marketed by highlighting athletes that were highly recruited but never saw the field. Then went on to successful business careers — not using the Calvin Johnsons and Derrick Morgans as use cases.
Plenty of guys blow there money and end up broke.
 

deeeznutz

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Boy, you guys are doing wonders for our “40 year plan” sale. Of course some will only be interested in football, but the vast majority recognize the degree, or at least say they do.
If you’re a sure-fire first round pick in any sport, the smart “40 year plan” move is to maximize your athletic earnings while you’re in your prime (you can always finish your degree later). That doesn’t mean you just ignore class work, but you prioritize your limited time and energy on what’s going to be best in the long run. If you’re one of the 99.9% of other players, you probably need to prioritize differently. Acknowledging that reality doesn’t take anything away from our standard pitch emphasizing the benefits of a GT education.
 

dressedcheeseside

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If you’re a sure-fire first round pick in any sport, the smart “40 year plan” move is to maximize your athletic earnings while you’re in your prime (you can always finish your degree later). That doesn’t mean you just ignore class work, but you prioritize your limited time and energy on what’s going to be best in the long run. If you’re one of the 99.9% of other players, you probably need to prioritize differently. Acknowledging that reality doesn’t take anything away from our standard pitch emphasizing the benefits of a GT education.
Like we're in it for the .1%
 

LibertyTurns

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COJacket

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Cool article on Derrick Morgan in what he is doing in retirement (https://impactalpha.com/agent-of-impact-derrick-morgan-of-kngdm-impact-fund/):

mpactAlpha, Aug. 30 – Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck wasn’t the first NFL veteran to step away from football on his own terms this summer. In July, Derrick Morgan, a linebacker with the Tennessee Titans, retired after nine years in the league to pursue a long-time passion: impact investing.

Over the last few years, Morgan built up a portfolio of investments in social justice startups, including community investment platform CNote, tech ecosystem Bitwise Industries, affordable housing financier Community Housing Capital and Macro, a production company representing perspective of persons of color. Now, Morgan has launched KNGDM Impact Fund to mobilize hundreds of millions of dollars for Opportunity Zones investments in Nashville (where he played pro ball), Atlanta (where he went to college), Austin (where his business partner lives) and Coatesville, Penn. (his hometown).

Morgan’s goal: promoting ownership, empowerment and upward mobility in underestimated communities.

Morgan is redefining what it means to be an athlete. In an essay, Morgan shares how an injury early in his career left him alone on the sidelines. He discovered himself outside of the game, became a father and reconsidered his future. While continuing on in the NFL, he invested in himself – getting an MBA – and companies that represented his values. He built a network that includes long-time impact investor Morgan Simon, whose Candide Group advises Morgan, to help fill gaps in his investing knowledge.

With the NFL behind him, he plans to leverage his new platform for good, he says, and write a new narrative for what athletes are supposed to be. “The types of projects we’re doing, they’re going to change the whole market,” Morgan told ImpactAlpha.
 

COJacket

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@COJacket Awesome article. Thanks for sharing. There’s all different ways to move the needle but this is the best way of all, create opportunities.
Yes, I am in the impact fund business through the foundation world. We are focusing on some of the very same things Derrick is focusing on using impact funds in a similar way. It was very cool to me to see Derrick show 1) how smart he is in using his excellent education and 2) and have an understanding how he could impact the world because of his knowledge and position. Should be a good recruiting story to use to inspire mothers and fathers to encourage their sons to become a Yellow Jacket! Their career can end in a New York minute so what Derrick thought about while he was on the sidelines was/is truly relevant. And, make sure you check out the link to "an essay". THWG!
 

LibertyTurns

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Man that’s awesome. My volunteer work is not exactly the same as I focus on getting people into the workforce and resolving life’s issues. Like you and Derrick I try to provide the opportunity and the results follow. I wish more high profile athletes like Derrick did what he does because our communities could be so much better with their leadership. The impact they could make could be tremendous.
 
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