The Athletic has a good, but super fucking long, article about Jaylon Smith that I'm not gonna post.
Some interesting tidbits in there, but also like a puff piece for Smith himself. It'll make you like and dislike him.
It tries to talk about his promotions, the Swipe, the Clear Eye View, the eye-wear line, the other four businesses he owns, as part of his "grand plan," for his life both during and after football and paint it like it's a good thing that he has aspirations to be more than a football player.
In some ways it is, but in some ways, it definitely is not. It's like.... do those things after football, man.
But I think he feels like he wants to capitalize on the fame that being a football star offers, that he needs that fame to get his businesses going. If he waits till 3 years after retirement, no one will care about being in business with or buying products from an ex NFL linebacker who isn't named, like, Ray Lewis. Which is probably true, but that's where I disagree with his approach.
It even makes you feel like the early extension he signed wasn't as much about the "security," after his gruesome injury (which is what he claims it was about), and more about the fact that he was itching to get the seed capital to start his other businesses.
The article implies that he believes he can be the best Jaylon Smith on the field that he can be, while also being the best Jaylon Smith entrepreneur that he can be off the field, at the same time, that it's all part of his indivisible personality, but I don't think I agree. NFL Football is too high level for multitasking.
Do one, then use what fame (and assuredly, wealth) remains to do the others.
