NFL alumni coping with health and careers through 'The Trust'

PHOENIX – The pain in Oliver Ross' lower back was probably the worst.

He felt it in his knee, ankles and hips, too – the lingering effects of more than a decade as an NFL journeyman before he called it quits after the Arizona Cardinals cut him in 2009.

Over the next five years, Ross' workouts became less frequent, his weight ballooned to more than 330 pounds and the pain predictably got worse.

"As the years went along, I was kind of like, 'Oh, I don't need to do that,'" Ross told USA TODAY Sports recently. "Too, with having kids, all kinds of snacks at the house, Paradise Bakery, '31 Flavors', frozen yogurt. Couple years of that, I was like, 'I need to do something.'"

It's a common story among the former players who contact The Trust, which launched last November as the NFL Players Association's portal to provide its alumni with new opportunities to address their health, as well as further their educations and careers.

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Roughly 1,100 ex-players enrolled in the first year – more than double the goal of 500, according to Trust executive director Bahati VanPelt – which suggests there's an appetite to take advantage at a time there are more 'transition' and post-career resources available than ever.

"It's just providing that roadmap that's so badly needed for our players, because for so long in their life, they've been told exactly what they need to do," NFLPA president Eric Winston said. "Once you leave football, there's just no direction."

The idea isn't new. The NFL's player engagement department has provided an ever-expanding array of programs to current and former players for more than 20 years, ranging from "boot camps" in various professions to a transition assistance program focused on total wellness.

Charles Way, the league's head of player engagement, said more than 1,900 former players are enrolled in the NFL Legends Community, which reengages them with their old teams, the league and the resources and benefits they earned over their careers.

"Really, you can ask any NFL player," said Way, who played five seasons as a fullback with the New York Giants in the 1990s. "No matter how successful he was before or after his career, they all said the same thing – it's not easy making the transition."

According to a league-distributed "Retiree Scorecard," more than $210 million was disbursed to retirees and their families from October 2013 to September 2014 through the league's Bell/Rozelle Retirement Plan, Pre-'93 Legacy Benefit and disability benefits. Millions more were distributed through programs for various medical and financial needs. Thousands of players have taken advantage of funding for cardiovascular and prostate screening, too.

Where The Trust is unique is its partnership with EXOS, which runs nine elite training facilities around the country and starts players' transition by getting them healthy.

Any former player with two or more credited seasons is eligible within 15 years of retirement. Ross is one of more than 125 who have spent up to six weeks at one of EXOS' facilities, with flight, hotel (for the first week), rental car and meals all paid for under a $22 million annual benefit (increased by 5% each year) included in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement.

"A lot of them are in chronic pain that they're dealing with in multiple ways, that they don't know how to take care of themselves because of all their past injuries with football," said Graeme Lauriston, director of physical therapy in EXOS' pro/elite sports division.

"A lot of them are overweight and they don't have a consistent workout routine. They're eating poorly. So, they come to our facility and we pretty much take a global look at them and say, 'This is where we can help you.'"

There's also a program for released players, who are allowed to work out for free at any EXOS facility for up to 18 months while trying to get back into the league and receive education about the eventual transition at the same time.

Everyone goes through an evaluation to establish physical health, therapy needs, nutrition and goals. A customized plan is set. There's education on things like portion sizes and how to reduce pain without medicine. A variety of physical therapy is available, from dry needling to massage, exercises and movements to improve stability.

In his six weeks, Ross said he lost 12 pounds and cut his body fat by 12%. His goal is to get down to 265 pounds – 50 below his playing weight as an offensive lineman. He can continue to track his progress via a smartphone app and EXOS representatives follow up by phone.

"It was good for me because it gives you some kind of accountability," Ross said. "To get in, to work out with the group, for physical therapy, whatever aches and pains you have you can kind of get looked at. The cold tub, the hot tub, massage – it's almost like you were playing again."

It's just one aspect of The Trust, which employs program managers to assess a former player's needs and design a game plan. There are brain and body assessments available through several clinics and research groups, entrepreneurial workshops through Babson College and continuing education, financial and transition help through Athlife.

Many of those programs mirror services available for years through NFL player engagement. But at a time the league and union are sparring publicly on personal conduct, Way said his department encourages players to take advantage all resources available to them.

"We realize that The Trust has a very unique platform that we want to work with," Way said, "and we want to look to streamline services so that they know where to go and they know what services are out there. We've started conversations to see, how can we work together?"

One way or another, Winston hopes more and more former players get the help they need.

"So many of the guys are lost. Even the smart ones. Even the good ones," said Winston, a free agent since the Seattle Seahawks cut him in August. "I'm kind of going through it right now, where it's like, 'Hey, what do I want to do next? What would I be good at?'

"Guys want to do things. They want to be active. They want to continue on with your lives, but for so long, we've never learned those skills on how to do that."