PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The NFL Players’ Association (NFLPA) and Athletes’ Performance today launched The Trust, a new initiative designed to serve former NFL players. The Trust will assist players in key areas such as: brain and body evaluations, career transition, health and nutrition, physical fitness and financial education. The program, funded by money negotiated in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement for former player benefits, will provide these services with no out-of-pocket costs to the player. Athletes’ Performance was selected as the lifestyle partner to help former players meet their health and wellness goals by creating a personalized game plan that meets their needs.
“The only thing more important than taking care of players while they’re on the field is ensuring their wellbeing once they’re off of it, and that’s exactly what The Trust was created to do,” said Mark Verstegen, president and founder of Athletes’ Performance, and the NFLPA director of performance, player safety and welfare. “After multiple discussions with players, doctors, psychologists and other professional experts, it was clear such programs for support were sorely needed.”
To support this initiative, Athletes’ Performance has hired a dedicated staff to provide: diet analysis and nutrition assessment, lifestyle strategies for healthy living, personalized workout plans, physical therapy assessment, injury history review and evaluation, performance training and much more. Athletes’ Performance has developed Journey, a proprietary program that combines Web, mobile and in-person experience to deliver smart, simple strategies to help players reach their health and wellness goals.
Athletes’ Performance is working side-by-side with former players to measurably enhance the health and wellness of former professional football players. These peer-to-peer ambassadors, called Captains, are available to answer questions about the services provided by Athletes’ Performance and The Trust. Two time Super Bowl Champion, Charlie Batch, will serve as the Senior Captain, along with four Regional Captains including the Northeast Captain, Sam Gash; Southeast Captain, Erik McMillan; Midwest Captain, Jeff Saturday; and West Captain; Donnie Edwards.
Since its inception in 1999, Athletes’ Performance has provided athletes with the skills needed to excel at the NFL Combine and succeed throughout their career in the NFL (training six number one picks for the NFL Draft, 94 first rounder selections and 459 total selections). The Trust delivers a continuum of the finest care available for players and fulfills the Athletes’ Performance promise to assist players in both their personal and professional lives, with the opportunity to impact the lives of future, current, and former players – providing an integrated presence throughout the lifecycle of the NFL player.
The Trust has partnered with some of the country’s top institutions to provide former players with the support, skills and tools needed to ensure success in life after football. Included in the partnership is the University of North Carolina, Tulane University and Cleveland Clinic to provide brain and body evaluations; Athlife to offer career services such as resume creation and job search assistance; and Financial Finesse, Babson College, Hillard Heintz and SCORE to provide education and entrepreneurial instruction.
The Trust, which is available to eligible former players, does not replace the NFLPA Former Players department, existing benefits or the Professional Athletes Foundation. It is intended to support and enhance the benefits already provided to former players by the NFLPA.
About Athletes’ Performance
Athletes' Performance, created by Mark Verstegen in 1999, is the leader in human performance, utilizing integrated performance training, nutrition, and physical therapy to support the world’s elite athletes with world-class facilities in Phoenix, Ariz.; The StubHub Center, near Los Angeles, Calif.; The Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze, Fla.; Fieldhouse USA in Frisco, Tex.; and SKLZ headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif.; and offers training and nutrition services in Raleigh and Cary, NC, through a partnership with Raleigh Orthopedic Clinic. Athletes’ Performance has trained many of the top champions in sport, including six number one National Football League draft picks, the German National Soccer Team, and countless champions in baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, basketball, and hockey. Athletes’ Performance is partnered with world-class performance companies such as adidas, EAS, Mayo Clinic, SKLZ, Keiser, and Axon Sports to continually evolve the world of integrated athlete training. Learn more about Athletes’ Performance and the success of the athletes they support at www.athletesperformance.com.
In addition to training elite athletes, Athletes’ Performance also delivers leading-edge corporate wellness solutions through Core Performance. Core Performance is the leader in proactive wellness and works with leading companies like Intel to deliver measurable results through personalized and integrated programs to help employees achieve their goals. The Core Performance brand also includes five books by Mark Verstegen, partnerships with world-class companies including Intel, LinkedIn, Sheraton, and Walgreens, and expert-driven content and customized online training programs at CorePerformance.com. To learn more about Core Performance’s leading corporate wellness solutions, visit www.CorePerformanceWellness.com.
