In this profile, Steve highlights the inevitability of transitioning from the NFL and emphasizes the importance of having a transition program delivered by a former player.
The NFL Transition Coach program uses a peer-to-peer coaching model that empowers trained NFL Legends to serve as mentors, supporters and sounding boards for players transitioning out of the NFL. NFL Total Wellness provides at least 70 hours of training for Transition Coaches to give them the skills to build relationships with transitioning players and to identify when individuals are struggling or need additional support. This interview series briefly profiles the coaches who assist players navigating the challenges of life after the game.
Steve Fitzhugh was a defensive back for the Denver Broncos for 2 seasons. He is an author and motivational speaker who connects with teenagers about drugs, alcohol, and decision making. Steve has been a Transition coach since 2014. In this profile, we have drafted a narrative based on a small section of Steve’s responses to three important questions.
"Suppose you take a guy whose whole life identity has been athletics, he’s the biggest kid in the sixth grade, first kid picked for every team in middle school. He went to Moosejaw High School [was] state champs and got heavily recruited in college and got a D1, division one scholarship, played in front of hundreds of thousands of people and he finally made it to the NFL and it's his lifelong dream. And if he has a healthy, average career, he'll be done in about three and a half years. It's not like he can go to another NFL, he’s done. And he has to do something different with his life... Transition has variables that can make it challenging. And Transition Coaches are equipped and trained to [help] mitigate those challenges."
Steve highlights the inevitability of transitioning from the NFL and emphasizes the importance of having a transition program delivered by a former player. He notes that in his first meeting with Troy Vincent, Sr. (EVP of Football Operations) during the development of the program more than a decade ago, he likened the hopes for the Transition Coach program to similar programs offered for Army Veterans.
"You never know what you're going to get. It’s important to discover what's going on in their world, what their needs are. Discover, define, discuss, develop, debrief — connecting with them using this approach can you the big picture of what they’re dealing with and where they’re going."
While every player’s transition is unique, Steve utilizes his own personalized approach to complement the formal Transition Coach training. This allows him to gather a better understanding of where the player is and how they can be supported. Steve notes that it is not uncommon for players to feel as if they have “unfinished business”, and they are at times unaware of when their transition period has begun. Additionally, he recognizes that the challenge of being the financial provider for the family can become more difficult as the player transitions from the NFL.
"The hardest part for me was saying goodbye. You have to let go and that's the hardest part..."
After being waived following his second season, Steve found it easy to go right into graduate school. However, his greatest challenge was letting go of football after sustaining an injury to his shoulder. Despite being armed with the knowledge that continuing to play could mean significant long term physical consequences, accepting that he couldn’t play just “a little longer” was extremely difficult. Having experienced the exhilaration of achieving a dream and the loss as that dream ended, he has used the knowledge he’s gained throughout his journey to positively impact his life and the lives of those he touches.
