Episode 18: Julius Thomas - Former NFL Tight-End, Current PHD Psychology Student

12/03/19 • 67 min

Quarter Four Podcast with Michael Elkins

I’m Michael Elkins, your host, labor and employment attorney, founder of the law firm MLE Law, investor and this is the final episode in 2019 of Game 7: The Sports Business & Lifestyle Podcast.
On today’s show I sit down with former NFL Tight-End Julius Thomas. Ordinarily, I wrote my own guest introduction. For this episode, however, I'm using an introduction from Julius himself, taken from his August 2018 retirement article in The Players' Tribune:
"I’m ready to admit that I’m okay with giving up the identity of 'Julius the football player.' I’m O.K. with not being recognized as an NFL athlete — because I’m more than that. I have stepped out of my identity before, and I will continue to do it again and again throughout life. I believe helping others is what I’m supposed to be doing at this point in my life. Hopefully I can help by encouraging more of my peers to connect with who they are outside of the game. If ultimately that’s what I’m remembered for, I’d be very thankful.

Because this is the thing I want to do most in the world, and now, I’m going to give all of myself to it."
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/football-julius-thomas-journey-into-self
Joined by Miami Dolphins Chaplain, Terry Boynton (a previous guest on the show) we discuss Julius' journey from professional athlete to PHD student, his desire to help others with their emotions and feelings and the power of talk therapy. We also collectively discuss the impact of stress and breaking down emotional cultural norms.
This is a really powerful episode for anyone interested in learning about the importance of mental health. Julius and Terry provide incredible insight and it was a pleasure to sit down with them both.
Enjoy the show!

Previous Episode

Episode 17: Pat Williams - NBA Front-Office Legend, Author, Speaker

I’m Michael Elkins, your host, labor and employment attorney, founder of the law firm MLE Law, investor and this is an all new episode of Game 7: The Sports Business & Lifestyle Podcast.
On today’s show I sit down with NBA front office legend Pat Williams. Williams' career in the NBA began in 1968 as the business manager of the Philadelphia 76ers. After stints with Chicago Bullas and Atlanta Hawks, Williams returned to the Sixers in 1974, remaining in Philadelphia for 12 years as their general manager, building the team that won the 1983 NBA Championship, by trading for Julius Erving and Moses Malone, and drafting Maurice Cheeks and Andrew Toney.

Williams left the Sixers and became a co-founder of the Orlando Magic. Williams was an integral part of the team that helped convince the NBA to place a team in Orlando. Serving as the franchise's inaugural manager, Williams helped the Magic reach the NBA Finals in 1995 by drafting Shaquille O'Neal and trading a draft pick for Penny Hardaway.

In his NBA career, Williams led his teams to 23 NBA Playoffs and five NBA Finals. He won four NBA draft lotteries, including back-to-back winners in 1992 and 1993 and most recently in 2004. Williams signed Billy Cunningham, Chuck Daly, and Matt Guokas to their first professional coaching contracts. Nineteen of his former players have become NBA head coaches.

In April 2019, after a career that has spanned more than 56 years, including 30-plus years with the Magic and 51 years in the NBA Pat Williams announced his retirement from the Magic.
Williams is also a motivational speaker. He has addressed thousands of executives in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies and national associations to universities and nonprofits. Clients include AllState, American Express, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Disney, Honeywell, IBM, ING, Lockheed Martin, Nike, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Tyson Foods.

Williams is the author of over 100 books and has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Reader's Digest, The Wall Street Journal, The Maury Povich Show and Dr. Robert Schuller's Hour of Power.
In this episode Williams take us inside the secrets for success in sports, business and beyond. This is an opportunity to get life lessons from a giant in Amercian Sports.
Enjoy the show!

Next Episode

Episode 19: AJ Vaynerchuk - Co-Founder of VaynerSports and VaynerMedia, Serial Entrepreneur

We're back! Welcome to the 2020 Season!
In this episode I talk to AJ Vaynerchuk. AJ is a co-founder of the athlete representation firm VaynerSports, with an ever-expanding NFL player client roster. He’s also the co-founder and former COO of VaynerMedia, a social-media-first digital agency. In addition to his responsibilities at VaynerMedia, AJ is a founding partner of the venture capital fund VaynerRSE.

AJ and I discuss disruption in the sports representation industry, the shifting landscape for the modern athlete and the revolution of the athlete in business.

AJ truly embodies the intersection between business and sports, and I couldn’t think of a better guest to kick off 2020. So sit back, and enjoy my conversation with AJ Vaynerchuck.
You can follow AJ on Instagram @ajv and on Twitter @ajv and you can check out VaynerSports at www.vaynersports.com.
You can follow the show on:
Instagram @melkins1, @mle_law
Twitter: @melkins31175
www.mlelawfirm.com
Thank you for listening!