Latest / The Standard / From Professional Football to NIL Smart Hub — Helping Families Make Smarter Decisions | Ep. 65 Dr. John DeWitt

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From Professional Football to NIL Smart Hub — Helping Families Make Smarter Decisions | Ep. 65 Dr. John DeWitt · The Standard

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: You're going to see it in the there it is recorded and we are live.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: This is awesome.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Standard Podcast scene where we raise the bar, rebuild the culture, and call it the lies or misconceptions that nobody else will.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: This isn't motivation, this is a movement.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Thomas Rowe, joined by my host, Aaron Charles, and today we're super excited.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: We're sitting down with Dr.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_01: John DeWitt, a former professional football player and Vanderbilt Brad, who helps high school athletes and families make smarter NIL and recruiting decisions before they get locked into the wrong opportunities.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: John's story is one of athletic achievement, educational excellence, and dedicated service to protecting the next generation from the same pitfalls he witnessed during his own career.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: As the founder of NIL Smart Hub, John focuses on the decision-making side of the NIL process, helping families understand what actually matters at each stage, from freshman through senior year, so they can navigate opportunities with clarity instead of pressure.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: What makes John's perspective so valuable is his combination of professional athletic experience and advanced education.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: After seeing firsthand how quickly athletes get pulled in the wrong direction, both during his playing career and now working with families, John recognized the urgent need for structured educational first guidance in a space filled with noise, hype, and misinformation.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: His approach to NIL Smart Hub isn't about chasing the biggest deals or the latest trends.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's about bringing context and clarity to complex decisions that will impact athletes' futures far beyond their playing career.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_01: John understands what the NIL area era has created, unexpected opportunities, but also unprecedented risk in families who lack the framework to evaluate what truly serves the long-term interest.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: Dr.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: DeWitt works with schools, athletes, parents, and organizations across country to simplify NIL complexity and help them confidently long-term make confident long-term decisions.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: His mission is to ensure that families have the education and the tools they need to navigate the NIL landscape without getting overwhelmed by pressure, manipulation, or short-term thinking.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: As someone who has experienced both the benefits and challenges of high-level athletics, John brings authentic understanding to families facing decisions that can help their children's academic, athletic, and financial futures.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: We're diving into the truth, what it really takes to build identity, discipline, and legacy in sports and in life.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: Let's get into it.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: Dr.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: John, thank you so much for joining us.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: We really appreciate it.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, Tom, I appreciate it.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: And that was a really long bio.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: It makes me feel old.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I really do appreciate it.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: And it's something that I think that a lot of parents and athletes kind of need to get an understanding when they're younger, so that when they get into these opportunities, they have some sort of idea how they should approach it.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: And what I love about it is the fact that you're a former professional football player and Vanderbilt grad who knew who now helps high school athletes and families make smarter NIL and recruiting decisions through NIL on Smart Hub.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: The thing is about when you played, there was no transfer portal.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: And as far as NIL goes, I mean, maybe there were some alumni and booster$100 handshakes, but the landscape has totally changed.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: So what does raising the standard mean to you and the work you're doing to protect these young athletes?
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it when I was growing up in high school, it was just all about development.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: And it was working really hard to be the very best you could be, and seeing what the starters were doing.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: And like I like to always focus on the objective tools like your 40 time, your vertical things like that, because you realize later when you get into the pros that that's pretty much all you are your stats.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like, okay, how big is your hand?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: How uh do you have any professional athletes in your family history?
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Things like that.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: And nowadays it seems like parents who love their kids, obviously.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: I know Aaron has children that are athletes, and Tom, you probably do too, I don't recall.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: But it's something that they want their kids to play, but sometimes the kids feel pressured to play because they want to make mom and dad happy.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: And then they kind of start feeling like their whole identity is being an athlete.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: And and you and I both know, or we all know, that if that is where you get your entire identity when you don't play sports anymore, whether you retire or you get injured or you don't get signed with a college team, then that's really hard for you to mentally process because you always felt like, okay, this is what I am, and helping them to understand it's not who you are, it's just something that you do, which helps build helps but build character and helps helps you deal with life as long as you don't focus on it as that is your life.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so I try to put that in perspective, and I think it helps a lot with parents.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: I like to call myself the de-escalescalator.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: So ADs and coaches have a parent that's really having a hard time and yelling at them for not getting their kid enough playing time, things like that.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: And they just consistently keep pushing them and pushing them.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: And and so they come to me and I kind of because I'm in a third party that doesn't necessarily have any kind of emotional involvement, it's easier for them to kind of dump all their emotional stuff on me.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I actually just finished my youth mental health uh first aid training so that when I talk to the kids, I try to do an individual talk with them first and then talk to the parents and helps me just kind of listen and let them get it all out of their system and then kind of sit back and be like, okay, so where do you think realistically you stand?
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Where does your athlete where does your child stand?
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think their development level is?
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: And when do you think these particular deals?
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, most of the time it's like a deal with a pizza place or a gym or something in the area.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: You know, what do you think those opportunities are gonna be?
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: And how are you gonna deal with that?
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you don't understand something, then you're automatically gonna be scared, especially when you have social media telling you all these people are making millions of dollars.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Totally.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then you're like, well, why didn't my kid making millions of dollars?
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, well, unless their last name's Manning, they're not gonna be making millions of dollars in high school.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: So you just need to have uh realistic expectations, and so it's all about keeping kids and parents grounded and educating them on okay, this is what you can expect, especially freshman sophomore year, you just need to focus on development.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, there are those rare cases when there's younger kids that get these NIL deals, and I don't even know how that happens, but you need to start on development, focus on development, because if you're not in the limelight, so to speak, on the team, then you're not gonna have to worry about all these NIL deals unless you have an uncle or something that owns a pizza place and he wants to give you free pizza.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: And and then as they get older, they it gets a little more serious, and they have to pay really close attention nowadays on what they have on social media because it's not just the post, but it's the comments.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, say there was a, you know, you played a game and you won, and somebody on the other team got on that stream and made a comment about you that wasn't the most positive.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it's especially when you're all hormonal as a teenager, you want to jump in there and you know put them in their place, and you can't do that because recruiters nowadays with the transfer portal and all that I mean, it is what it is, with that.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: If they have to see anything that looks a little questionable about your character, then they're just gonna move on because they have all these other RD developed players in the transfer portal, and and the spots for high school athletes are much smaller.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: So it used to be 7% of high school athletes played any sort of college football, and division one, it was like 2%, but now it's gone down even less because of the transfer portal.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it just there's a lot of confusing parts.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, when I played football, like I was saying, it's it was all about development, and I can't even imagine the pressure that the kids feel nowadays, which is part of the reason that I wanted to offer this educational platform for them to have a better idea and not be in a reactionary, emotional panic mode whenever anything came up.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Totally agree, totally agree.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: And that actually is a great takeaway into the next question because you actually kind of touched on that.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: What do you think is the biggest lie that the NIL industry has sold athletes and families about opportunities, decision making, and what actually matters in these critical choices?
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the NIL, they they are putting out there that you know, we can make you a brand, we'll make you millions of dollars, just sign a contract with us.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, not that they do this purposefully, but I mean, don't pay attention to the details of the contract, just look at the number and sign it and we'll be good.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: And there's a lot of things that I have in the platform talking about red flags you need to look out for, exclusivity clauses where if it's like a gym and it says that you can only promote this gym, you can't promote any other gym.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: And if you didn't notice that, then that can be an issue.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't focus on any legal stuff.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not an attorney, I'm not an accountant, I'm definitely not an agent.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: Once again, nothing against agents, but it's just all about educating educating them on what general things to look out for.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: And because the NIL, the people come into it and the different brands, and they just act like you're gonna be a millionaire, stick with us, we're gonna take you places.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: And the kids don't fully understand that the parents get excited because they're like, Oh, my kid's great, he's got an NIL deal.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then the other parents get upset because their kid might not have a deal, and so then they start pressuring the coach, saying, Hey, Johnny's got a deal.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: Why doesn't my son have a deal?
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: And then that can get into an area where the coach starts to say, Oh, well, let me see if I can hook you up with something, and they can't do that.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: That's not something that the majority of NIL rules will allow, and the coach is unwittingly giving them advice that they shouldn't give them, which is why I talk to ADs and coaches too, because these NIL rules change so fast, and it's a constantly growing issue, and it's impossible for them to handle everything they already have to handle and be up to date on all the NIL stuff, which is why I have each individual state in the platform.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: You can click on it and it'll tell you what the updated rules are, and I have to update that constantly.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: So that's that's fun.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: So you saw it firsthand during your playing career, and now working with families, how quickly athletes can get pulled in the wrong direction.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: What did you witness that convinced you that your family that families needed better education and decision-making framework?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: One of the biggest things is parents, and I had some of this myself, parents living vicariously through their kids, ignoring kids that that didn't want to play anymore.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, a lot of kids when I was in high school, they just wanted to be on the team.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: They didn't care if they played or not, they just wanted to be able to say, I'm on the football team.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: And it's something that a lot of times the parents push them.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: And if they do try to quit and they say, Oh no, just fight through it, you'll be all right.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: And it is something that I feel like they don't fully understand the long-term effects of that.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: And it is it's something that I'm constantly having to discuss with people and make sure that, like I said, that they have a realistic expectation of their children.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: And and it's hard sometimes because they don't want to hear it.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, no, no, my kid's gonna be an all-star.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: And because that in those cases, usually one of the parents was supposedly gonna be an all-star, but then they blew out their knee when they were in the sixth grade, and that's why they couldn't make it.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just like, well, that is probably not the case, but I know you feel that way, and you want your your genetics to go on because you thought you were gonna be an amazing player, but it it's an unfair amount of pressure on the kids.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: That being said, let's turn it over to segment two, with and we'll move it over to Aaron, which is identity and mission.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: Aaron, take it away.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_02: Perfect.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_02: So I want to know, I want you to actually tell our audience.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_02: I know Thomas gave us all the accolades, who you are, but who is Dr.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_02: John DeWitt?
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_02: Like, who are you outside of all the things that Thomas has already described?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: I have no idea.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: That actually goes along kind of with with what what you talk about a lot is I growing up, I was in Arkansas.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't start till I was a senior in high school, and my dad didn't think I was gonna get a scholarship.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so I was like, okay.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so I my senior, this is the long version, sorry.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: So my senior year, we played in a state championship game, and I thought it was gonna be the last game I ever played.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: We ended up winning.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: I led the team in tackles and just was playing like a crazy man because I thought I was never gonna play again.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: I applied to a bunch of schools, got into Vanderbilt based on the academics, and walked on to the football team.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: And my parents gave me an ultimatum basically and said, if you don't get a scholarship, you we can't afford for you to go to school here.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: So I said, okay.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: And we went in back when we had VHS tapes, and I took my uh high school state championship tape to the recruiter and went in with my dad into his office, and he looked me straight in the face and said, You're too small and too slow to play in the SEC.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: And and it was funny because I was so focused and I had prayed so much.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: I would go down to the altar in church every Sunday and pray that I could bench press 300 pounds or run what I mean.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: It was it was just kind of funny.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: But my dad didn't realize how dedicated I was.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: So when that recruiter told me that, I just got chills and was walking out of his office, and my dad put his hand on my shoulder and said, Oh, you know, sorry, you know, and I was like, Oh no, you don't understand.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm definitely gonna get a scholarship now.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: And so after the end of that first semester, head coach sat me down.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: It was November after the season, and he said, As far as we're concerned, you're on full scholarship.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I, and basically I had the attitude, I was waiting for you guys to catch up, okay, and had him write a letter to my parents telling them that I got a scholarship.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and it was one of the best secrets I ever kept from my parents.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: I put it in an envelope and put it under the Christmas tree.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: And my sister got mad at me because when they opened it, my dad started crying, mom started crying, my sister was looking at me like what happened, and Christmas was basically over.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: He just called all his friends and said what happened.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: So, anyway, so then all the other stuff happened: the tryouts, the the professional career, and it's very easy to get caught up in the I'm an athlete.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I I mean I fell victim to it too.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I didn't really think about to get to your question, I didn't think about who John DeWitt is.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: I just said, I'm a football player.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: And when I when I was playing, I said, okay, when I get my first surgery, I I'll retire.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I blew up my bicep tendon and I was like, well, that's not that big of a surgery, I'll just keep playing.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so as I kept playing, what I looking back, I realized that everybody else that I had graduated with, they'd been working in a job and working their way up to a higher executive position in that job while I was out playing a game.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so that when I was done with football after a very bad ankle injury, and I was 30 something years old, so it was time to hang it up anyway.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, the only job offers were going to be at the starting position, not anywhere near where they were.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: And that that realization takes a long time to kind of get over because you can't just put that you bench press a lot and run really fast on a on a resume because nobody cares.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I it just it's kind of I like to kind of relate it to the military because if you're in the military, you always have somebody telling you what to do, telling you, you know, where to be and all that kind of stuff.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: And when you're out of that, out of that structure, having somebody else telling tell you what to do, you kind of don't know what to do.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: And it gets it gets pretty scary emotionally, which is why I got into the youth mental health uh first aid certification, because there's a lot of kids that that need that and need to have an adult tell them that it's okay and they need to plan ahead, they need to have a plan B.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, they can focus on you know being a starter, being the best they can be.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: And the harder they work, the the better they're gonna be.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: It still might not be enough to start, but they'll know in their heart that they did the very best they could, but they need to have another option.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: They need to know, okay, well, I really like art, so I can look into being an artist or doing illustrations for a book.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: Or I mean, I wanted to be a forest ranger when I was in high school.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: And basically my dad was like, You can't make any money doing that, so don't do that.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Oh, okay.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it's really, it's really a tough, it's a tough, tough road a hoe, as they say.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think that's so true, is like the identity, especially for these athletes, gets so wrapped up in the in their sport and who they are that thinking beyond that is something that I know that we're trying to do a blueprint to blue chip is you're so much more than just a sport, and a sport is one avenue of your life that's going to make you who you are.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_02: So, with that, and all the work that you do, what separates families who make smart long-term decisions from those that get caught up in the height pressure and short-term thinking?
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's the basis in reality and having it be okay if their athlete doesn't want to play or if they're not as committed as the parent wants them to be, they have to be okay with that and have, and I know it's hard because you have to kind of step back a little bit and be like, okay, long term, what's best for my child?
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: And they if they're not like that because they're so caught up in the play, play, play, be the best you can be, athlete-wise, then that's where it gets a little clouded for them because those are the parents that end up getting in the coach's face when they're not playing their kid enough and that kind of stuff.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just like, okay, if if you're doing that, but your kid is not doing that, then you're obviously more upset about it than they are.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want, I I heard this somewhere, it was really, really good.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_00: So if you if you if you want your child to play more, upset about his playing time and stuff like that, you don't jump in and talk to the coach about it.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: You tell your son or daughter they need to go talk to the coach about it, because that's gonna help them feel empowered and know that they can handle the issues that come up in their lives because they're not always gonna have a parent to jump in and be like, hey, give my kid a raise.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's like that's not how it works.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: So it really helps empower the kids, even though it's scary, but you have to learn how to get over that fear if you're gonna get anywhere in life because mom and dad are not gonna be there all the time to stand up for you.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_02: That's so invaluable.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, parents listen up.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_02: You can't take everything, care of everything for your kids.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_02: Like some point they're gonna have to deal with this stuff in their life, and we're not helping them by coddling them.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_02: And do they want to have more playing time?
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_02: Do they want to be the one that's out there more, or do you want them playing more?
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_02: You know, again, not living vicariously, who do who wants what?
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it's so funny, just on that, a total side note.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: When I was, I think I was 13.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: So we lived, I was in Arkansas, we lived about 30 minutes.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: My dad owned a car dealership, and 13, or no, I couldn't have been 13, I must have been 16.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: He would call me and I'd be in the middle of doing something.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: He would call me and say, I need you to come to the office, I want to introduce you to somebody.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd be like, Okay.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: And this happened multiple times.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: And basically, all it was, I would drive all the way across town, get there, and there would be a stranger sitting there, and he would be like, Hey, this is my son, he plays football.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd be like, Hey, and then that was it.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then I mean it was the strangest thing, but I mean, parents they they mean well, but sometimes it gets a little strange.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_02: It does, it does.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_02: I've been there, I've been the parent.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_02: Hopefully, I'm not doing strange things, Sophie and Jay.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_02: I apologize if I've done weird things and you're like, please don't do that again, mom.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_02: So, and I think that's so hard as a parent, but I think the other thing, you know, that I think all three of us on this podcast are really trying to work on is what's the one truth that you wish every high school athlete, parent, or coach understood about NIL in recruiting that they're just not hearing.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: Is that getting any sort of NIL deal does not guarantee that you're going to get signed to some Division I school for whatever your sport is.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: And understanding that the transfer portal has changed things a lot as far as competition for those high school spots.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I saw something recently that was frightening.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_00: So Florida and California have some of the most flexible NIL rules, and it just came out that Florida last year had 7,000 high school transfers.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't 7,000 kids, it was a group of kids that some of them had transferred three or four times, some of them had transferred eight times.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, that's I mean, it was nuts.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's like you can play a fall sport, then you can go to a different School to play a spring sport.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: Or I mean it was it was insane.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: And the the biggest thing that they don't understand is I get that you're wanting to transfer because you want to get the best opportunities, whatever sport you're playing, and maybe there's less competition or it's a better school sports-wise.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: But where does the education fall into all that?
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: Because I mean, you can't have a teacher here, and then like a few months later, oh, I'm gonna go have a different teacher, and there's no continuity.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: And because of that, in California, too, it was 6,300 transfers.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: And because of that, there's no team camaraderie or culture because the guys don't know each other and girls don't know each other.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: And that's actually affected uh ticket sales too.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you're like growing up in Arkansas, everybody knew where the schools were, everybody knew everybody at the games, all the families, and those are my that's my kid, that's your kid.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: They grew up together, but now all these kids transferring in, their families live somewhere else.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so the locals they go to the games and they don't know anybody on the teams that they're playing, and they're I mean, the ticket sales have really been affected by that.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_02: Wow, I didn't even realize that.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I didn't either.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I thought that was a college thing, and that's the scary that's the scary thing, just like NIL, it's start it trickled down into high school, and now I didn't even realize the transfer portal was that prominent in high school until a while ago.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: But now it's gonna start being all the states, and all the high schools are gonna start doing that unless somebody kind of reins it in or like, okay, let's make it where maybe you can transfer once, but then that that's it.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: You can't go jumping around school to school, it's it's just not good for the game or the kids.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's insane.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_02: It's interesting because just my kids go to school in Utah and I've spent time with their principal, but yeah, I mean, in order to move in Utah, you have to have some type of hardship or say, you know, my kid's been bullied or something's gone on.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_02: And my son's team went through their coach moving to another predominant high school because that uh coach got promoted to go to a D1 school, the coach.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_02: Because I love the championship, all that stuff.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_02: So it's like, okay, this is high school football, guys.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like, let's just have some fun and let the kids play, and it doesn't come or transferring around the state in order to get a better opportunity or get into a school because that coach has connections or something, and it's scary because I just feel like money just tends to mess everything up and brings out a lot of not the best character types of people to come in and try to take advantage because they're just like, I mean, they ignored high school now, all of a sudden you have agents trying to sign high school kids.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's just like okay, that uh all right.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's just odd, and that's another thing.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's like your your best friend has some sort has an agent, and so then your parents are gonna be like, Well, if they have an agent, you should have an agent.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, what that's the cart before the horse here.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_00: Let's let's just focus on getting good at the sport.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: You're wanting agents and all this stuff, it's crazy.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: I know it sounds good, but I mean that's not how you do things.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's wild.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_02: So, with that, I'm gonna toss it back over to Thomas.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_01: Right on.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Aaron.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: Dr.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: John, this is this segment is about if you knew then what you know now.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_01: And if you could sit down with yourself as a high school athlete before you understood the complexities of athletic decision making, what would you tell that version of John about evaluating opportunities and making smart choices?
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I mean, it's kind of different because I'm like a million years old, because there was no there was no NIL or anything like that.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: So it was just, I mean, my best friend.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: Well, this is this is a more serious story.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: My best friend was a linebacker, was completely crazy, but he and I got along fine.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I was his parent kind of made me his keeper to make sure he didn't get in too much trouble.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: But he signed early with the University of Arkansas.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: He was like the bad boy in school, but he was a just a crazy man on the field.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I remember in the state championship game, he he like came up to me during the game and he had like blood coming down his face, and I was like, Hey Shannon, you're bleeding.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_00: And he was like, Does it look mean?
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I was just like, I was like, Oh my gosh, okay.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_00: But he 100% had all his identity as an athlete.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: And when he got injured, he was all he was first team all southwest conference, I think, his freshman year at Arkansas.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, he had a lot of other, you know, substance abuse problems and things like that.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: But he this was so he had a bit of a drinking problem.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: I don't mean to minimize that, and being sarcastic, and he would the one girl that didn't fall for him because he was the bad guy was who he obsessed over in high school, and for years he he could never let it go, and so he would have a few too many.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: He would call me up, ask to call her and tell her that he loved her.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I did that for a while, and then eventually he called and told me that he loved her and he had blown out his ankle, he couldn't play, and so I told him finally, I was like, Shannon, I'm not gonna do that.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: And he said, If you don't do that, we're not friends anymore.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, Well, I mean, if that's how you feel, okay.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: And he ended up killing himself the day next day.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_00: Holy shit, yeah, it was yeah, it was a lot.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_00: But what was your question?
• 27:37
  unknown: Sorry.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, what I what I would tell the young me, I would I would say the game's important, but you gotta have fun.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: If you're not having fun, don't play.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: Don't feel don't play just because you feel pressured to do something.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, okay, yeah, it's good, it learns care, it builds character, it shows you that hard work has has benefits, which is something useful later in life.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: But I would say don't take things so seriously.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's just like do things that you like.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, if at one point you don't like your sport anymore anymore, it's okay.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: And you don't have to keep playing just because you know your friend tells you you have to, or your parents tell you you have to.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: And if you have a good relationship with your parents, that should be easy to do.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: And um unfortunately, I tried to tell my dad that multiple times, and he was like, No.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so I was like, okay.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, I I'm just a unique case just because I ended up going on and and playing pro and stuff, but it I just I would just say just relax, have fun, study, and focus more on school because that's going to be the one thing that that you carry on well past sports.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: No question.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: You know that first of all, I'm sorry for your loss, and nobody should have to deal with a death or a suicide, which is, I mean, we don't we can't get into the psychology of a permanent solution to a temporary problem, right?
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, one of the things that Aaron and I are starting to see a lot of lately is these athletes, the the pressures getting to them to where suicide is a viable option.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: And it's gonna happen more because Dr.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_01: John, you you you and I have discussed this off camera, I believe, on a previous conversation where 78 to 80 percent of athletes go broke.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, bankrupt, you know, three years removed from the league, whatever league that is.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: So now you compound that with a young mind of a high school athlete or a high college athlete that they hit their earning potential at 19 or 20, right?
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: And when their eligibility is, I mean, it's such an it it you know what?
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_01: Let's let's really address this right now because this is one of the things that I have a major concern for.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_01: We have athletes that literally, Dr.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_01: John, look me in the eye and say, Yo, T, you said I'm not gonna go pro so I'm I I need to get paid, I need a bag.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, I'm like, okay, so you're not motivated by the sport anymore, and they're transferring.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you can go to Vanderbilt, I could go to Arizona, the alumni and the boosters, those phone calls are gonna get picked up or returned.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: But if you, you know, if you've transferred three or four times, the the boosters are gonna be like, dude, this guy left us for a bigger paycheck.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: I mean and some might not even remember you.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_01: And then when you transfer, not all of your units or credits go with you.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_01: So when your eligibility is up, you're done.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_01: The university doesn't want you, you're useless to them.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: As a matter of fact, you're a liability.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: So you you know, you spent five years running around trying to get money, you're out of money, you didn't set up an S Corp or an LLC, so you're paying out the ass and taxes, and then these kids are either they're they're broke or they're committing suicide, or they're that guy at the end of the bar talking about how they you know scored the winning touchdown in 1978.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: Uh at the end of the bar.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: The glory days, guys.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: So that's the scary thing.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_01: There's so much to unpack here.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_01: So that being said, let's get into what about the high school athletes and their families who are navigating NIL opportunities and recruiting?
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: What do they need to understand about making decisions with clarity instead of pressure?
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_00: Education is the biggest part, knowing that this is potentially a temporary thing, and that the NIL deals in high school are usually just a couple hundred bucks, or it's free gear or things like that.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: And just understanding what they need to look out for.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, in the smart hub, there's a parent decision framework, there's athletic director tips and do's and don'ts, there's coaches direction, the guardrails on where you need to stay, don't go this direction because then that's gonna be an issue later potentially with recruiting.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: You don't want to, you know, say a private school down the street wants to offer you money to play because they have a little more flexibility with NIL stuff.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that can be considered inducement, which you can't do that either.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then if the association, this the athletic association, that word in the state finds out about it from the school you're leaving or some other school, then that can put your school's funding at risk for the public school because of the Title IX issue.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: And it just given people, it's kind of like giving them a handbook.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_00: I like I have the high school NIL reality guide.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, okay, here's what's real.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_00: Don't go on social media and think that's all how it is.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's like nine times out of ten, that's not how it is.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: And half the time nowadays, whatever whoever you're seeing on there is CGI anyway.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's just get get actual facts, don't just assume, don't hear from somebody else that they said this or they said that.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: You have to educate yourself.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, it takes time, but you have to take that extra effort so that you do know how to direct your your child so that they don't get into a situation where it's gonna affect their college recruiting in a negative way or even their playing time in high school.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: No doubt.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: No doubt.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_01: On that one, let's kick it over to Aaron, which is the rapid fire round.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: Aaron, take it away.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, this is fun.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_02: This is I start the sentence, you finish it for me.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_00: Oh boy.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_02: This is this is fun.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: Discipline equals discipline equals consistency and success.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_02: Leadership equals guidance and example.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_02: Smart decisions equal study and preparation.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_02: Legacy equals that's a big one.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_00: Legacy equals always making decisions based on oh, hold on.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: That was good to start, but not legacy equals.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: This is not the fastest.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_00: That's a big one.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_02: It is a big one.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_00: Legacy equals always being proud of the choices you make.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_02: What is one thing that you would never compromise on?
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, jeez.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_00: My health.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_02: And my last one is if you could have a billboard for the next generation of athletes, what would your message be on that billboard?
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_00: It would have a big stop sign on it that said stop, research, and then decide.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_02: That's so good.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, with that, I'm gonna toss it back over to Thomas.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_01: Dr.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_01: John, before we wrap up, what we like to do is open up the floor to our guest.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_01: And is there something that we didn't touch on today that you feel athletes, families, or coaches need to hear about NIL decision making and avoiding the wrong opportunities?
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_00: The only thing is making sure they stay consistent with who they are.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_00: And if, and they have this in college, but if you if you don't, if you're a person that doesn't believe in hunting or fishing, and then Cabela's comes your way and wants to offer you a deal, don't don't do that.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's gonna, it's it's gonna come across in your you know promos and stuff that you don't really believe in it.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_00: So that's don't do that.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_01: For sure, for sure, for sure.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_01: This is uh you're on the uh the rapid fire now, you're on the hot seat.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I uh if art could imitate life, what are John's Dr.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_01: John's top three sports movies of all time?
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, the program right on because Latimer in the program was based on one of the guys I played with in Scotland, the guy that painted his face, and he was he was literally that guy.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: The program.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, the one with Dennis Quaid and Al Pacino.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: Was it the oh uh any given sundae?
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, any given sundae.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: That was it that one, yeah.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: That one there's another one that Denzel Washington is the coach.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_00: Remember the Titans.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, that would be the third.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, you did the trifecta for football.
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_01: You must have played football.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's awesome.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: I don't well.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you know, the one basketball movie was shacking it back in the day.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's and I don't even know what that one was called, and it wasn't a very good movie.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_00: Blue blue chips, yeah.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, not anything against the word blue chip.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just saying.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_01: No, this is awesome because you just showed your age, and that's a compliment.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_01: Because when I tell young athletes about the program, they're like, dude, is that on VCR or VHS?
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, all right, punk.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now you're you're like, just watch it, you'll get chills.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_01: Dr.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_01: John, this is awesome.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_01: Where can people get a hold of you?
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_01: Whether it's a website, your social media handles, or an email.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: They can get a hold of me at media media at jdfootballtraining.com if they want to, you know, talk, have me come in and talk to the school, set up a one-on-one, things like that.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then there's also the reality check.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_00: So jdfootball dot jdfootballtraining.com slash reality check with no spaces or anything, just reality check.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a downloadable PDF that gives freshman sophomore guidelines, junior and senior guidelines, just to help them have a better idea reality-wise.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_01: Dr.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_01: John DeWitt, thank you for showing us what it looks like to combine athletic experience with educational expertise to protect the next generation from costly mistakes.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_01: And team, if this conversation hit you, do two things for us.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_01: One, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, a family navigating NIL opportunities and recruiting pressure, a coach trying to help athletes make smarter, long-term decisions, or anyone who wants clarity instead of hype in athletic decision making, and two, connect with Dr.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_01: John and learn more about NIL Smart Hub.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're a high school athlete or a family facing complex NIL and recruiting decisions, Dr.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_01: John's educational first approach would save you time and costly mistakes and will definitely make help you make confident choices.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're an athlete parent or coach ready to raise a standard, check out me and Aaron at blueprintbluechip.com.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_01: We help athletes build identity, discipline, and legacy that goes well beyond the game.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_01: And if this episode resonated with you, team, leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_01: It helps us reach more athletes, parents, and leaders who need to hear the message that Dr.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_01: John just dropped on you.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_01: This is a standard podcast, and this movement only grows when we raise the standard together.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_01: Talent of Fades, the Truth Endures.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_01: Let's raise the bar, rebuild the culture, become the standard.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: Dr.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: John, Aaron, you guys have a fantastic rest of your week and an awesome weekend.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much, Tim.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_01: We'll see you next time.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Tom.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Aaron.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_01: Dr.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_01: John, you rock.