Pro Athlete Community (PAC) is Creating a Movement

If you are lucky enough to make it to the NFL, it’s a tough job. Injuries, cuts, or even team politics can cut your career short at any time.

Depending on the position you play, the average career length for NFL players is 3 years. Positions such as QB, kickers/punters, and offensive lineman are slightly higher on average.

But what about the career of these young men after football? Most are lost. Some don’t have transferable skills that will help them in the workplace. Others might be more prepared and leave college with a master’s degree, but that’s not always the case.

Through LinkedIn, I became familiar with PAC, or Pro Athlete Community. Founded by Kaleb Thornhill and Chip Paucek (also both Co-CEOs), their mission is to foster business education, mentorship, and community for professional athletes. Travis Key is also part of the team, who acts as the COO and played in the NFL for a few years.

PAC has 5 guiding principles:

• Purpose over profit

• Strive for excellence

• Real relationships matter

• Elevate those around you

• Make life your playground

The unique aspect of PAC is they help both current and former pro athletes through strategic events and 1-on-1 support. For current athletes, they have a “Pro Athlete Business Combine” section. This will allow players on active rosters to discover new skills and gain more relationships. For former athletes, their events are labeled “Next Chapter U” as they receive help in finding their purpose and grow their community.

This year, the minimum base salary for an NFL rookie is $795,000. That’s nearly a $50,000 jump from the previous year. Whether you’re a rookie or a 7-year NFL veteran, these players need to take advantage of their opportunity and invest their money. But these business opportunities require education and some athlete get involved without doing any due diligence.

In partnership with the University of Miami Herbert Business School, they’ve created PAC Pathways to help their members:

1. Real Estate - specialized education to master real estate investing, financial analysis, financing hacks, tax benefits, and asset protection

2. Entrepreneurship - understanding how to craft value, know your customers, and how to drive revenue

3. Business Essentials - entity structuring, learn operations, tax strategies, and bootstrapping your business

4. Performance Coaching - coaching employers players, leadership, and cultivating fulfillment

Through the rise of name, image, and likeness, more athletes are getting involved in business. As we see with Olivia Dunne, she’s set up a fund through the LSU collective. The #1 NFL Draft pick, Caleb Williams, netted roughly $10 million in NIL earnings. The time is now for athletes to learn and get involved in the world of business. Pro Athlete Community (PAC) is leading a strong movement and doesn’t have plans of slowing down.