Trusting 'The Trust'
NEW YORK — Approaching the end of his dozen seasons as an NFL quarterback, Charlie Batch felt comfortable about moving on to another career.
He’s a rarity.
Batch, other players, their union and the league itself recognized the need for help in not only adjusting to the world outside of football, but surviving in it.
So one of the most positive aspects of the labor agreement that ended the 2011 lockout was the creation of The Trust.
Officially launched in November 2013, The Trust began with a $22 million budget that will increase annually by 5 percent through the end of the current CBA in 2021.
The funding for The Trust is money taken off the salary cap each year and allocated for former player benefits and services.
It’s overseen by its executive director, Bahati Van Pelt, and provides resources for former players to take care of brain and body health; career transition; entrepreneurship; education; financial literacy; and personal interaction.
“From the players’ standpoint, they wanted to help the transition for anyone leaving the league,” Batch said. “The average NFL career is only three years, so at some point we will be a former a lot more than an active player.
“This is something the players have earned and it is there for them. There are between 15,000 and 16,000 former players, and more each year. We’re making sure we can reach these guys and making sure they know we can help you.”
That help pretty much covers the gamut of post-NFL concerns.
Through partnerships with the Cleveland Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Tulane and North Carolina universities, medical care is offered — at no charge to the ex-player.
A working relationship with Babson College focuses on entrepreneurship. Athlife helps with career guidance, SCORE with growing a business and mentorship. EXOS provides consultations on health and habits, nutrition, physical therapy and performance.
Financial Finesse offers guidance on handling money, while Hillard Heintze helps Trust members identify and evaluate risks in business. The scholarship program offers exactly that — tuition payments for former players returning to school.
More than 1,200 former players took advantage of programs and counseling in the first year of The Trust. One of them, Greg Camarillo, was mostly a backup receiver for four teams in seven pro seasons before leaving the NFL in 2012.
Did he know what was next?
“I had no idea,” he says. “Every offseason I would try to pursue some sort of career interest. I was an undrafted guy, every year could have been my last year, and I felt the pressure every time cuts came around. I spent months trying to figure out what my next move was.”
He found out about The Trust and signed up for the full body health assessment, which he says was the first unbiased doctor’s opinion he felt he got since his NFL debut in 2006.
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