Brandon Copeland, Former NFL Linebacker

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Shop in store or visit Ashley.com today. Brandy Copeland played his college football at Penn. Also spent a bunch of years in the NFL. Lions, Jets, Patriots, Falcons, just to name some of those teams.

Ravens as well. Brandon recently retired and is the co-founder of Athletes.org, which is a 501C nonprofit that will use its technology and other methods to help organize college athletes, amplify their voices, and advocate for them. And the former NFL linebacker Brandon Copeland joins us right now. Brandon, always great to have you on. Appreciate the time. How you been? Hey, I appreciate you. Appreciate the intro right now. How you doing, man? I'm doing fantastic. I do have to start you off, though, on a somber note.

I know you played a little bit in New York with the Jets. We all saw the Aaron Rodgers Achilles injury last night with all the hopes and expectations for them. Just what was your reaction when you unfortunately saw that unfold on Monday night? Man, sick to my stomach.

Honestly, sick to my stomach. You know, that city, that organization has been, you know, rooting for, I don't want to say his savior, but, you know, they were excited for this year, right? They were excited for this season and obviously all of that fell on the shoulders of Aaron Rodgers and this amazing defense coming together and they put a lot of pieces around them and to see him go down the way he did and unfortunately I've seen a few Achilles injuries in my time.

You know, just completely sick to my stomach to be honest with you and it was really great to see the way the defense rallied and the way the offense found a way to make it happen on Monday. You know, playing with guys like CJ Mosley, Quinnen Williams, JFM, John Franklin Myers, right? Like, they were all over the field.

Quincy Williams as well too. I mean, it was amazing to watch the way that they played and then also to see an undrafted free agent, you know, in the game in that type of fashion. A lot of excitement. It was amazing to see that and see that energy, but also obviously when they had to face the fact that, you know, they were out without their quarterback for the rest of the season, that's tough.

And that's not only tough for that organization, that's just tough for the city, a city that's been waiting for this excitement for a long time. So the good thing about football doesn't mean you're out, right? Who knows what will happen with Zach Wilson? Hey, who knows? Maybe I'll come back and, you know, I'll play a little quarterback. You never know.

That would be something. You're laughing a little too hard there, Zach. You're laughing a little too hard there. How do you know how to play quarterback, man? I'm messing with you. No, trust me.

I've seen you in person before. If you're a quarterback, I fear for defenders then, Brandon Copeland. Right, right. But you just laid it out so well where this is a talented team. Now, we know last year they lost belief in Zach Wilson. There was a reason he was benched. There was a reason they were going to Aaron Rodgers.

He's viewed as that savior. Like we're saying, with how much he was gelling with those teammates, even with the talent they have, I just wonder how long it takes them mentally to get over the shock of the injury and having something so great and then it getting yanked away from you. Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, I guess the good and the bad about football is the good thing is people are used to people going down and people are used to feeling like, hey, we got to move on and we understand that the injury rate is 100 percent. The bad piece of this is, hey, no one ever, ever, ever imagined that on the fourth play or third play of the game, so to speak, you know, your quarterback will be going down like that.

And I don't think that any scenario that they were running in the offseason planned for this. And so, again, you know, the team competed really, really well last year and Zach was their quarterback. I think that, you know, the leaders on that team are going around him and galvanizing and they're saying, hey, we got your back and you're going to have to take your shot.

And hopefully the Aaron is pouring into that mentally and, you know, having a coach like Aaron Rodgers, you know, behind them is only going to be helpful to him. And so Zach Wilson at this point, he has nothing to lose. You know, he's seen it all. He's heard it all. And at this point, he needs to go out there and shoot a shot. And hopefully the team will continue to rally behind him in that and maybe shock some people this year.

Brandon Copeland here with us. Whenever you have an injury like this, the turf grass debate always comes up and you have players saying all stadiums should have grass fields. Where do you kind of lie on this one just from your experience and maybe understanding the difference of it, if you could explain that? Yeah, I mean, honestly, as a young whipper snapper, when I came out of college, I used to love turf and I was all for turf. I practiced on turf in college and, you know, I played on turf and I loved it and I hated grass games because it was too much of a variable of how that surface would be. And then as I got older and had a few knee surgeries, I loved grass surfaces and I felt a lot better and I could tell the difference between my body and my recovery when I was on grass versus turf. So, you know, I understand, you know, I think that it's time, you know, obviously there's a lot of, you know, our bodies are our assets and if grass is going to help us take care of it, then that's what the league needs to consider. Especially with how much money the NFL prints, there should be no reason then, right?

I mean, hey, you know, listen, you're in their pockets, I'm not, but I'm going to say I think that they can afford it. No doubt about that. So you mentioned the energy in that stadium. You played in New York for a little bit. How did you like that experience, Brandon Copeland, of playing in New York?

Ah, man, amazing experience. I think, you know, for me, my wife is from there, my wife Taylor, shout out to my best friend. She's from New Jersey and for me, that was an amazing time in my career. I was starting out as a linebacker, you know, my family could come to the stadium anytime. We had a great time and so, you know, I think that the energy and the atmosphere around New York and New Jersey, especially when you're a winner, again, it's second to none.

Now, I'm not going to sit up here and act like I know what that feels like. We won, you know, we went 1-0 at one point in time when I was there and that was amazing, but we lost a lot after that. But again, this city, similar to Detroit, I played in Detroit as well too and those cities and those fan bases, they deserve a winner and I'm excited to see how these teams are in the hunt this year. And obviously, there's much to be determined with the Jets, but again, knowing guys like C.J.

Moseley, I never count them out, you know. And you talk about the Lions, I just think attitude is such a big thing in this sport where when you're in an organization that's been associated with so much losing, you need a special someone to come in there and really turn this thing upside down and be different. It seems like Dan Campbell's just, you know, being a former player, he's just one of these crazy football guys that just brings this energy that's really contagious throughout all the organization. Yeah, man, I think that, you know, half of the battle, not even half of the battle, 99.9% of the battle is just believing that you can win in anything in life, right?

Like not even talking football, let's not get too deep over here and go too much off on the tangent, but in anything in life, just believing that you can win and believing that you have a chance and believing that you can line up specifically in football across from your opponent and compete with them down in and down out, that is an amazing feeling. And I know that sounds really, really like, duh, but for a lot of people in life, but also a lot of teams, sometimes that isn't necessarily the case. And you've seen Dan Campbell come in there and really get this organization believing and the city believing and just embracing the blue-collar mentality that they have as an organization. And you know, and teams know when they go up against the Detroit Lions, they are in for a fist fight. They know that they are going to be in a phone booth all game and they know that it's going to be a physical game and you better get ready to be in the cold tub and all that type of stuff afterwards. But in order to beat that team, they are going to fight Scratch and Claw their way to a victory. And I think by them having that mindset, it matches the city, which I think is why the city has embraced them so much. But also, again, as I mentioned, this city deserves a winner and they're starving for one. So it was amazing to see them win on that first game of the season. So I just went to your website, Brandon Copeland, athletes.org, and I want you to explain everything I need to know about this as athletes.org is finally here for athletes by athletes.

Tell me what I need to know about it. Yeah, I think that, you know, for me, there's certain things that I was always looking for as an athlete. And I think that we have pressure when you come not even just into the NFL, but just also now with college and the NIL space, you're just going pro earlier. You got a pressure to not only perform as an athlete, but you also have to understand business and get it right. And if not, if you don't get it right, then people will say, hey, why don't you understand your money and finances and investing? And why don't you do these things?

It's like, hold on, I'm 18, 19, 20, 21 years old, and I'm learning and growing like everyone else. And so with athletes.org, we've created the one-stop shop, the resource center, and the directory for athletes to go and get help when it comes to their business. We have legal experts who are literally giving pro bono hours to all of our member athletes. Their membership is free and is paid for and sponsored by corporate partners who believe in investing in the development of athletes. So now, an athlete, whether you're going to be a future first round draft pick or whether you're the women's rower at the University of Pennsylvania, where I went to school, you can come here and get a contract reviewed.

You can get legal advice, et cetera, for free, which is unheard of. We also have doctors who are offering second medical opinions just to help protect athletes. And we have free background checks and things of that nature so that now we can protect athletes because, like I said, we get one chance to get this thing right.

And if you get it right, that can be sometimes the difference between generational wealth or the difference between looking back wondering, man, if I only would have known. And unfortunately, Zach, we've heard that story way too many times, and so I'm fortunate to have an amazing team at athletes.org, and we're going after creating a solution here for athletes. Do you like the direction of college football right now? I think it's great that players can benefit off their name, image, and likeness. I know we're still trying to figure out the transfer portal. Some guys, they're allowed to go and play right away. Some people, oh, multiple stops, and the rules are all crazy, like with the Tez Walker situation, which I don't really understand why he can't get on the field because he really only played at one school. But you keep on hearing about the challenges for the athlete with NIL and the transfer portal. How about the new direction of college football?

Yeah, I mean, I think that, unfortunately, whether I like it or not, this is where it's going, and I think it's only going to get more and more interesting, so to speak, as time progresses. I think that, as Deion said, you have coaches and other folks complaining about the transfer portal, and yet you have conferences being realigned, and all of it has to do with money. I understand that we have, especially college football right now, it's one of the most amazing products in the world, and again, I'm not sure exactly where it goes. I just want to make sure that athletes have a voice in where it goes, and I think that what we're doing, I know that what we're doing with athletes.org is giving them a voice in order to be able to speak up and give their opinion about conferences being realigned and about how they feel about their medical protections and about scholarship protections and things of that nature. And so, although I won't act like I'm in the rooms and an expert when it comes to where the sport should go yet, I think it'll take a lot of collaboration to figure out where to go.

I do think that there should be a lot more transparency, and I do think that there should be standards across the board, because like you said, unfortunately, some of these decisions feel like coin tosses. What would be your best advice to someone that's a freshman or a sophomore, Brandon Copeland, just to kind of navigate this, because it's all new, I think it's good that it's happening for the most part. But like you said earlier, I attended college, you learn in college, you make mistakes, but when you're an athlete, it's at a completely different level with the coverage around it.

Right, right. I think selfishly, first and foremost, I'd say go download athletes.org. It's a free membership, right?

But as you navigate the space, and I'm joking when I say that, but I'm seriously lucky. Athletes.org, as you navigate the space, when you come into this club, so to speak, you have pro athletes who are literally giving you advice on nutrition, on rehab techniques, on training techniques, on mental wellness, on brand building. Right? So as a freshman, with so much around me going on, who's probably some of the best people in the world to learn from, other athletes who've been in my shoes, and then now, when I do get approached with that contract, or hey, that agent who's coming to me and saying, hey, promising me the world, now within athletes.org, I can go either get that contract vetted by a legal professional for free, or I can run a background check on that agent, or I can see whether that agent is actually verified and certified themselves in the agency registry that we have.

Right? And so, ultimately, I guess that's my long-winded way of saying whether you choose athletes.org or not, ultimately, the thing that has helped me personally, and I haven't, I'm not perfect, I've made mistakes, and I've learned on the fly, which is why I've tried to create athletes.org to give young athletes a playbook or blueprints earlier, look for mentors, look for mentors, do not be too cool to ask for help, because the difference between you sitting down with a business advisor and a contract, and think of it like a business coach, right, and getting a contract vetted is the difference between you asking for, you know, 500 bucks and a post versus sweat equity, and that can be the difference between generational wealth and, again, man, if I only would have known, and so, again, there's so many different things out there, I just want to make sure that we, and there's so many different pitfalls out there, I just want to make sure that athletes understand that we have a community that we literally have built for them by them to help protect them, and I'm extremely excited to be leading the charge with it. Last thing I'll ask you, Brandon Copeland, like, what's the marketplace for this? Because I've never, right, you always think about how the athlete can get help, and it seems like there should be a lot of resources available, but is this kind of newer what you guys are doing right now with athletes.org? Yeah, yeah, I think that, you know, right now there are certain schools who have, are helping in the NIL space and helping their athletes, but, you know, one of the things that we've had in conversations with schools is, you know, there's only so much bandwidth that they have and so much capacity, and whether we can focus maybe on a few particular athletes, but we don't have the ability and the bandwidth to necessarily offer legal advice or expert advice, one, as a school, or just we don't have the ability to offer it to all of the athletes here, right? And so what we're doing is we're trying to combine technology and scale with great partners, great people who want to help, and they want to serve athletes, and we really feel that if we impact athletes, we can impact the world. So to answer your question cleanly, what we are doing has been done in other ways, but it's never been done like this before because it hasn't been built for athletes, by athletes, and what we've started with and what I've laid out here, that was what we launched with. What we're rolling out next and the features we plan on rolling out in the near future, again, they will be literal game changers, and I'm proud of our team for working so hard to build this.

Once again, go check it out, athletes.org. Always enjoy our conversations with Brandon Copeland. Brandon, good luck, and we appreciate the time.

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