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Start getting used to the name Chris Conley. Make him part of your response to the constantly cited claim that National Football League players are incapable of retaining wealth outside of football. You know the general saying emanating from a Sports Illustrated article in 2009 -- it sounds something like 78% of former NFL players have lost their fortunes by the time they are 2 years removed from the league. Sure, Conley has yet to step foot on an NFL field and the former University of Georgia wide receiver remains waiting to hear his name announced as a selection by a professional football franchise, but the Journalism major who was born on October 25, 1992 has already shown his proclivity for success and there is no doubting that this is the type of man that NFL executives will want to use as a retort to the sharp criticism that players are not prepared for success off the field.
Conley is aware of that depressing statistic concerning player finances and has no fear in responding to the deplorable conditions many of his colleagues find themselves in after football.
"Education. Education. Education," says Conley. "If you know how your money works and you're disciplined enough not to spend like you're still playing in the league, you shouldn't be a part of that statistic. There is an attitude of living check-to-check, because those checks are sizable. It's really one of the biggest pitfalls of this profession. It sometimes becomes a competition. It is sometimes a lack of education as to what is happening with your money."
Before focusing on Conley's off-field endeavors, it is worthwhile to first focus on what he has accomplished with his physical abilities. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Conley ran a 4.35 second 40-yard dash (3rd best among wide receivers and 4th overall), logged 45 inches on his vertical jump (best out of all players at all positions) and tallied 139 inches on the broad jump (good for 2nd overall at the NFL Combine).
"Chris approached every day of training as though he was coming to work," said Stefan Underwood, who helped Conley prepare for the NFL Combine at EXOS. "He treated everyday like it was game day and brought his full focus and effort. As the Combine arrived, Chris had a quiet confidence understanding he had done the work. He didn't need hope; he had preparation on his side. Looking at him, there was no doubt that he would perform well."
Few people knew about Conley prior to the NFL Combine. Despite participating in a distinguished University of Georgia football program within the powerful Southeastern Conference, Conley hardly made a sound on the national level. NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock, who studies NFL prospects throughout the year even stated during the NFL Combine that he did not know much about Conley on tape "because he's off the radar a little bit." He added, "a lot of these teams should do their homework on this kid."
Homework is something Conley knows quite a bit about. While his performance at the NFL Combine surpassed almost all of his competitors, Conley has been used to exceeding expectations in the classroom and beyond . Conley graduated from North Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia with a 4.0 grade point average. He never had below a 3.0 in any academic term at UGA and was named to the Dean's List on multiple occasions. He was always a guarantee to be placed on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
"It has a lot to do with how you spend your time," explained Conley. "In our sport you spend so much time playing football that by the time you're off, a lot of players call it a day. I had a different approach to that while I was in college. I wanted to get all and everything out of my 24 hours a day as possible, whether I was doing things with the student body in morning or making connections with businesses during the day. A big part of preparing yourself for the world outside is not just getting your degree, but the contacts you make. Never take a relationship for granted."
Beyond the classroom, Conley has a passion for TV and film. He wrote, directed and acted in a Star Wars-themed movie titled, "Retribution," which was filmed on UGA's campus. The short film has roughly 500,000 views through February 2015. Conley calls himself a nerd. How many nerds run a 4.35 second 40-yard dash?
"I was always the person who said that I love the game of football, but when I think about my life I have an idea of how I want to live, and even if football doesn't work out for me I will find a way to get there," said Conley. "Late in my college career I fell in love with film and manipulating the audience's emotions. It is something that really intrigues me."
What will intrigue NFL scouts is the 45 inch vertical jump that Conley logged at the NFL Combine. However, just as important should be the amount of valuable free time Conley spends serving the community. During Thanksgiving, Conley enjoys going back to his hometown and providing meals to troubled youth at a detention center. When Conley was not performing on the field, he was performing off of it. He represented the SEC on the NCAA's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and proved his value, asking authorities how student-athletes fit into the NCAA's governance structure. The answer was, "that's not something that we've wrestled with." As if he did not already have enough on his plate, Conley also taught himself how to play the piano.
Yet, even after Conley astonished spectators at the NFL Combine, he remains overshadowed by those players deemed to be at the top of the wide receiver class in the 2015 NFL Draft. Admittedly, Conley is up against a scintillating group of wide receivers that includes Alabama's Amari Cooper, West Virginia's Kevin White, Louisville's DeVante Parker and Oklahoma's Dorian Green-Beckham. Still, Conley deserves his time in the spotlight. His NFL Combine numbers necessitate it; his off-field brilliance provides insurmountable support for the proposition.
"I was always the person who said if I'm going to do something, I want to do it well," said Conley. "I don't want to do it in such a way that I'm mediocre. That is the same way I approach football."
Perhaps the penning of an open letter to the Bulldog Nation will serve as the starting point for Conley's national recognition. The beautifully written note highlights that Conley is busy transitioning into "the real world," but that he will always be indebted to UGA and is thankful for all of the support through his 4 years on campus. The following piece of the letter is what makes Conley the person to highlight when responding to all of the negative associations attached to professional football players.
I would like to set an example that we as people should have a goal to unite families, neighborhoods, and cities for the well-being of our state and then our country. Call me an idealist but I believe that all it takes for change to take root is a willing participant and the faith that it will happen. That same willingness and faith is what allowed a 2-3 star recruit to defy the odds and contribute at the greatest school in the country. Let us be the change we want to see in our homes, cities, and state. I am standing with you all.
"He's a special individual on and off the field," said Conley's agent Jonathan E. Perzley of Sportstars, Inc. Perzley, a graduate of the University of Florida, understands that he is representing a player from a rival of his alma mater, but could not care less. Even Conley says that Perzley's tie to the Florida Gators does not matter. According to Conley, it was purely a business decision.
Now Conley has his sights set on showing that world that he can not only succeed on the field, but also in the world of business. He plans on using the NFL as a means to an end, not the end itself.
"Although it is a high risk career, the NFL affords you unique opportunities in meeting people," added Conley. "Even now I think there's a huge part of this process that's about education. We haven't dealt with a lot of money. We haven't been in a business setting. We've been students."
Conley is the type of player that makes Perzley's life easy. He is the type of player that NFL teams should desire and that you should be rooting for in the game of life.
Darren Heitner is a lawyer and the Founder of South Florida-based HEITNER LEGAL, P.L.L.C., which has a focus on Sports Law and Entertainment Law.
