November 30, 2022 • 36 mins
In this episode of “Inside the Oval” presented by Dignity Health, Austin Moss discussed his journey to the 49ers, working with players to achieve their off-field goals, the importance of mental health awareness, how to make a good playlist and more.
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Speaker 1 (00:12):
Welcome to Inside the Oval, presented by Dignity Health. I'm
Patti Kwan and I'm Haley Jones and this week we
were joined by forty Niners Director of Player Engagement, Austin Moss. Austin,
thanks for joining the podcast. Thank you for having me
to start. What are your responsibilities as the director of
player Engagement? So, as director of player Engagement, for it's
(00:34):
a lot that I oversee and I try to, you know,
capture it in a small and it's by saying, you know,
I help our young men become professionals faster than what
they would on their own, and you know, outline goals
and strategy to help them accomplish circles on and off
the field. So that kind of captured everything. When did
you know a job like this was what you wanted
(00:55):
to do? Umven, I got to grad school. Uh so
I played football at college and the University Kentucky, and
you know, everybody you know wants to aspire to be
you know, that NFL player, etcetera. And you know, when
I realized I wasn't gonna be in my future, I
wanted to work as an executive in the front office.
So um through my graduate program. Well, through my football program,
(01:16):
I found out that there's a graduate program at the
University of Central Florida. We can get your NBA and
a master's and sport management. So I pursued that, I
got accepted. And then when I got to grad schools,
you know, studying and doing my NBA courses, I learned about,
you know, the player engagement department that exists in these
roles that are at every club. So you mentioned, you know,
getting your bachelor's in business marketing and then your masters
(01:39):
and business administration, you know, with the goal in mind
of becoming UM an executive in like an NFL front office.
And and this was kind of while you were also
like a student athlete, So like how how was it
just kind of balancing like professional goals with also being
involved in student athletics. UM, it was challenging for sure, Like,
(02:01):
you know, just the demands of the schedule as an athlete. UM,
you know, making sure you're you're getting your lift in
your practice and uh, you know it's either all in
the morning or all in the afternoon, dependent on her
program you're at. And then you know, you do your
coursework and then there's tutoring and study all after that,
so it's a full day. Um, and you know, I
just kind of fell in love with the thought of
working in sports. Like when you're on a team and
(02:22):
you're a part of something that's greater than yourself. UM,
it's a really really cool process to see, you know,
how your contributions can impact the whole. And when I
felt that as a as an athlete, I was like, man,
I want to continue this, you know, beyond just playing
on the field, So like, how can I you know,
marry that with my interests. And that's when I started
to you know, pursue the opportunities, um, and then ask
people to ask questions. That's really what I did. I
(02:44):
was like, hey, you know, how can I work in this?
Or people will come to our practice like scouts and say,
you know, how did you get this job? What did
you do? So you know a lot of times I
tell the youth like I can only aspire to be
what I see. But if you don't open your eyes out,
open your eyes and try to meet people and learn
and uh, you know, ask questions, then you will never know.
So luckily I was able to get exposed to people
that work in the space, and then I started to
(03:05):
pursue from there. What are your tips or how did
you go about networking with people? I think there are
a lot of people who do work in the sports industry,
but they're not always accessible. How was that process for you?
It's super hard, Like these jobs like they're you know,
very sought after, the high demand and a very limited supply.
(03:27):
So um, you know, you gotta be intentional and trying
to figure out, Okay, what are the areas and that
I can work and who's working in those areas and
how can I build a relationship. So it comes down
to like the effort and communication reaching out via email
or you know, text or writing a letter. Um. I
know people that have written handled a handwritten letters to
all thirty two teams on a consistent basis about you know,
(03:49):
their passions, their interest and sharing that resume. UM. One
thing a lot of people don't know about my journey,
Like even after grad school, um, get in the NBA,
Like it still took a year and a half to
get the internship at the end, feel headquartered in New York,
and you know, I thought I did everything to be qualified,
and I was like, yeah, of course they want to
him me. But you know, I still got knows for
you know, the attempts that I got or that I made, so,
(04:13):
you know, just believing in yourself, not giving up hope,
but being against strategic and trying to build a relationship
and figure out, you know how not always asking people
for things, but just wanting to learn and be intellectually curious,
you know, doing research, trying to find different articles that
would help, you know, strengthen my skill set and find
a way to add value to an organization, our team.
Those are things that kind of helped propel me. Something
(04:36):
that we actually talked about a lot is Petty and
I both started part time when we got to the
forty niners. We had both graduated from college and had
other internships, and it still wasn't that like full time
role that I think people expect you to have after
you finished school. Do you recommend like any foot in
the door is a good foot in the door when
(04:57):
you're trying to get into sports or because I know
you took that in ternship as well. Yeah, I do
agree that you have to cast a wide net and
it's not always like you know, if you do a B,
you're not always going to get C in this space,
you know. So, uh, the sports industry is very relationship based,
and you gotta be able to you know, find somebody
that will take a chance on you. But then you know,
(05:18):
be willing to work extremely hard for not very much
money and just start to get experience. You know, like
when I was in grad school, we did raffle sales
and we were walking up and down the stands of
the Orlando Magic Arena and you're engaging people and you know,
you're getting a lot of nose. It's you know, not fun,
but it forces you to grow, Like you gotta be
comfortable being uncomfortable. And the more times you can put
(05:41):
yourself out there and do that, you know, the higher
opportunities you you'll have, the higher odds that you'll have
getting an opportunity to be successful. I think you mentioned
earlier like I can't be what I can't see, and
I think there is and you know, with you wanting
to be like an executive at the NFL level, um,
you know, I think there are like there's areas for
(06:02):
improvement when it comes to diversity and so like what
do you think like it needs to happen in order
for that representation to kind of be there, Yeah, I
think for sure, but you gotta have more qualified like
candidates within the pipeline, and you know there has to
be intention behind that. But the first thing is getting qualified.
And you know, for me, that's why I wanted to
(06:22):
go get the NBA and I wanted to go to
a sports specific INBA program so I could get exposed
to the different aspects of business within sport. And then
you know, after you get yourself qualified and you get
the degree and the credentials so you can at least
get a look, then it's like a lot of heavy
lifting of you know, being the pavement trying to find
a job opportunity. Like most of the jobs that get
(06:44):
posted online, like there's already like five people that have
been recommended and there's a very short, you know line
to get in that door. So as a long line
to get in the door, but it's it's a very
short process in terms of you getting an opportunity. So
I say, I'll have it to say, like you just
got to be consistent, persist that um and you know,
again don't give up on yourself, but also be strategic
(07:05):
and how you can add value, Like it's cool to say,
oh I work for the seventies six years whatever, Like
what sets you apart from just having a degree, Like
tell me about you know, your background, something that you
went through that was a really really tough experience, but
it made you who you are and how you're gonna
succeed and what value you'll add to this company and
if you know, again, if it's a space where something
isn't being done or you have an idea or you
(07:25):
can be creative. That's what employers and and hiring managers
want to see, Like okay, like I can add this person,
but like how will they help me like meet my
goals and my key performance indicators? So being intentional about
that and knowing the space and the landscape so you
can say yes, like not only do I know what
this company or organization has been through, but this is
what I'm planning to do and what I can do
to help us, you know, or help you get where
(07:47):
you want to go. I'm really curious. I think this
is our episode and I don't know if we've had
anyone who has worked for the league and a team.
What are the differences or is there a difference in
like mentality or just like workflow? Um, yeah, there's definitely
some differences. Um, I love working on the team side,
but I am really thankful that I started at the
(08:09):
league because I got to see it from a macro level,
and you know, they're all trying to support all thirty
two clubs, and you know, you see all the business
deals from you know, the TV contracts and how luquidive
those are. But you know, you understand why now I'm
on the sideline on Sundays and I get why there's
a two minute and thirty second TV time out because
that's you know, helping add to advertising and opportunities to
(08:31):
get money. So the CBA instructed the way it is
that guys can learn more, um and knowing what that
process is like and then you know the schedule that's
made and I used to run some of our league
events with like Draft, Pro Bowl, Super Bowl, and knowing
all the logistics and things that go with that, and
also being able to work on all three of those
projects at the same time because they happen back to
back to back, so you learn how to multitask, you
(08:52):
learn how to handle a lot of different responsibilities and timelines,
and then being able to recapture that the six as
is the key learnings and debrief and then you know,
put together in a very high level format to show,
you know, whether it's Roger Goodell or your executive you know,
vice president of Hey, these are the things that we
sought out to accomplish and this is how we did,
(09:13):
This is what we're going to do to improve it,
and this is you know, where we're gonna go. So
I'm sort sorry. That was great from a league office perspective,
and now from a team like, you know, I'm in
the locker room and helping support our guys, helped develop culture,
you know, create an accountability and then you know, helping
you know, just life skills, decision making, a lot of
different things that are hands on that I didn't necessarily
(09:33):
have at the league office. So it was a cool dynamic.
Definitely very different both of them. But I love where
we are and trying to you know, contribute to help
our team win a championship. What was we talked about
a little bit, but like what was your path to
and was there anything along that way that really, you know,
made you want to kind of join the team's side
(09:54):
or realize that this is what I really wanted to do.
If Unfortunately I got recommended. When the opportunity opened here,
they made a change in player engagement. They were looking
for a new hire. And my boss at the time
at the league office, um Troy Vincent. He played against
John lynch Um when they were you know, coming up
in the league and you know, John had reached out
(10:15):
to him, ran into him a senior Bowl, and thankfully
Troy recommended. So I know a lot of people here.
You know, it's not about who you know, but who
knows you. Um, that's certainly a big part of it.
But even more so, like to be able to have
my boss that could speak highly of me because whatever
was given to me at the league, like I just
wanted to be the best at it, Like it didn't matter,
Like you could tell me to like take out these
(10:35):
fifty drash cans like every day, Like I'm gonna make
sure those trash cans are so clean that the bags
are putting there perfectly. Everything. So it's like, you know,
we we talked about it in our locker room with
the team's like how you do anything is how you
do everything, So you know, not cutting it short, not um,
you know, taking pride in your work. Those were things
that Luckily, my family taught me and people that are
(10:55):
close to me. So when I carry that into the
league office as an intern, and which grinding, but I
I wanted to be the first one in and the
last one to leave. And I'm like, dang, like why
is this young man staying here? Like his work is done?
But I was always asking for more and when I
and whatever they gave me, like, I wanted to be
the best at it. So as I grew within that organization,
you know, Troy could speak to John and say, hey, man,
like this guy's got all the intangibles and qualities because
(11:18):
he's gonna, you know, take pride in what he does
and he's gonna do it at a high level. So
that was something that uh I learned and that you know,
helped propel me to get that opportunity. And then again
like just maintaining relationships. It's a it's a very relationship
based business. And when you can have people that you know,
trust you, that you know like working around you and
you know you're a team player, that helps and goes
a long way. Do you have a favorite project you've
(11:42):
worked on since you've been here? Um? Yeah, I would
say really like building out our our mental health space
you know in player engagement where responsible for that as well,
and just providing support and resources, and you know, it's
become more and more um you know, prevalent in the
community of of athletes to be able to be comfortable
(12:03):
sharing you know, what you're dealing with, whether it's depression, anxiety,
of substances of abuse, but knowing like there's a growing
need for that, and then building out you know, a
space and a platform to where our players, coaches, families
can get the support they need whenever things grow up
come up. You know, it's been really really cool to
see the transformation over the last five years. And I
(12:24):
think we have a really good support system and structure,
but again it doesn't go that doesn't exist without the
support of ownership, you know, to be able to provide
you know, resources and funding to do that. And then
also you know, our head coach and general manager, you
know John and Kyle, they really believe in that and
they you know, let the players know, like if you
have something that comes up, like please, you know, utilize
(12:45):
the resources we have and know that like what happens
with that, you know, we remain confidential. You know, you
don't feel I have to feel like you're gonna lose
your job if you have something that comes up and
you can go to a safe space and get your needs. Matt, So,
I know, you know you said there was like a
big emphasis on mental health. Then I think part of
the relationships that you build with these guys and involve
a lot of trust and just you know, kind of
(13:05):
carrying some of the way of things that they might
be going through, Like what do you do to make
sure that you are also okay? Yeah, that's the hardest
part of the job, honestly, is like trying to reset
yourself because you're constantly pouring out and giving so much
to so many people. And I wasn't very good at
it at first, and I think I've found like a
much better rhythm now. Um. But for me, it's um,
(13:28):
you know working out on What I mean is like
you know, I have to you have to invest in
your body just like you invest in your mind, your
family relationships. Like for me, like you know, my health
and nutrition and wellness is key and you know it
allows me to relieve stress when I can work out,
do some cardio liftwids, but also just you know, being
able to get a massage or being able to you know,
do stretching and go out and you know, enjoy nature
(13:49):
outside doing something athletics. So that's been really helpful for me.
UM stage is awesome. I love Vernon's stage, Placento, UM,
some of those natural m d s and then UM
for me, it's like I have to start my day
before everybody else. So like I love getting up at
like five am and getting in here early and get
(14:10):
my workout going and then that way I've already got
the process and have my morning before you know, the
guys get here and I can start to support and
serve them. We couldn't have you here without talking about
Zoe and Rookie. How did that all come about? Because
I feel like that's a really nice, uh, we like
way to talk about them after talking about mental health. Yeah,
(14:32):
for sure that that's a big part of the mental
health platform that we've built. And it's something that you know,
take pride and it's a very you know, out of
the box type of idea that came UM. But honestly,
it was you know, when Solomon Thomas was here and
he unfortunately, you know, had the tragic suicide of his sister.
You know, he was in a really dark place, and
you know, we had a dog in the office for
(14:52):
a short term, a temporary time, and that was the
one time that I could see him smile and be
himself and just be authentic. And you know, we all
know the research behind you know what emotional support and
the therapy from you know, whether it's an animal or
or anything else that provide you like what it does.
So you know, I talked to Solomon and he asked
me if we could get one, and I was like, well,
who's gonna keep it? And He's like, I don't know,
(15:14):
and I was like, well, let me think about it.
And then like you know, I just really stayed on
my heart and I said, you know what, like I'll
get the dog out. You know, I've always liked dogs,
So I can get an approval from Jed and John
to to get it and call and you know, we'll
get one and pick one out together. So that's how
it came about and became a really big thing. Like again,
this is a very stressful environment. You know, guys are
(15:35):
constantly under pressure to perform, and then you know there's
injuries and there's a lot of things that can really
impact your mental health and you're you know, morale and
to have you know, a cool little frenchie and now
we have too that come in there and you know,
can lift your mood, you know, no matter what's going on.
That's a really really powerful thing and we've seen some
great benefits from it. Do you think your office is
(15:55):
the most visited? Uh, it's pretty high. I'm not gonna lie, like,
I mean like pryme position, you know, right before the
cafeteria and then like to go outside. So uh, we
get a lot of visitors, but I definitely don't think
I would get near the traffic if those dogs weren't
in there. So people love they're very cute. Go follow
(16:17):
them at the forty Frencheese on Instagram. Um so I
didn't know this, but you were a walk on at
Kentucky and eventually earned your scholarship. Can you take us
through that and like any advice you might have for
you know, college athletes who are kind of going through
the same thing. Yeah, I mean that was a it
was a hard process, but it was a rewarding process.
(16:37):
I'll say that. I mean, obviously, you know, everybody wants
to get a scholarship and be able to you know,
compete at a high level. Um. And I had opportunities
to go play a smaller colleges under the scholarship, but
you know it just it wasn't my dream and I
really wanted to chase you know what was important to me,
so um the first and biggest thing, Like it taught
me how to set a goal and to go out
and get it. And then like you know, when you
(16:59):
are walk on and you don't get priority and you
have to fight and scratch and claw for everything, Like
you gotta be a tough person. You gotta be resilient,
you gotta persevere, you gotta be willing to you know again,
believe in yourself, for nobody else believes in you. And
those were things that I took from it. And you know,
I learned how to apply process and a strategy of
you know, creating those goals and achieving them. And I
(17:20):
was really, really you know excited when I got that scholarship.
That was like one of the most you know, rewarding
moments in my life. And then again it just kind
of propelled me to you know, apply that same passion
and drive to everything else. I did so going to
grad school and then again like pursuing the job you
know and to good with the NFL team or league,
and then hearing no, but and again continue to believe
(17:42):
in yourself when you hear no. Like that was like
a huge part of my journey. So I'm thankful for it,
and it was awesome. We got to turn the program around,
went to three straight Bowl games, and have a lot
of strong relationships with the teammates that I had from
that time, and it helps shape me to be who
I am today. Correct me if I'm wrong, but being
an athlete probably helps connecting with the people that you
(18:03):
need to connect with, players, coaches. But as we all
get further and further out of college, how is connecting
with rookies who are coming in and people who there
is an age gap now between all of us and
then the people who we are now trying to make
connections with. Yeah, it's getting water and water, and I'm
feeling older and older each year, honestly, Like I used
(18:25):
to be like big brother, but now I'm starting to
feel like uncle now. It's it's crazy. I don't understand
the lyrics and the music they listen to, but I
still try to connect in some way. UM, But yeah,
it's really just trying to find those commonalities. Again, we're
a lot more alike than we are different. But in
order to get to that point, you have to be
able to communicate. So I think just you know, understanding
(18:47):
who you are, what your values are, UM, and then
talking to other people about their values, their experiences, and
you know, what their goals and dreams are. I think
you can find like a lot of similarities and commonalities
and those type of things. Whether you came from you know, uh,
Green Bay, Wisconsin, or you came from, um, you know,
Louisiana and New Orleans. Like, there's guys from all walks
(19:09):
of life. But we find those commonalities and we're all
again working towards the same goal, trying to help our
team a championship. So when you keep that, you know
in mind, and he's all right, like, let's figure out
how we can meet in the middle and push each
other to be our best every day. Like that's super
exciting and I love coming to work here to be
able to do it. It's funny that you mentioned music,
because I don't know if a lot of people know this.
(19:30):
You also go by d J A two um, so
if you're ever out of for a Nish practice, you
will see him, um under the tent getting those playlists off.
What goes into making a good playlist, because whenever I'm
out there, it can go from like hard rock to
like you know hard wrap, you know, so like where
(19:54):
what makes a good playlist? Like what goes into your
playlists and the order and everything like that. Yeah, I
think the big things like music is art. It's a
form of expression and it's really like the most unique
thing because it's however you see it and you feel it,
and it's energy that you give out and put into
the world. So like the musicians that are talented enough
to give it to us, like we receive it and
(20:14):
then like we apply it to our daily lives. So
for me, it's like, all right, I'm thinking about how
can I set this practice off and make it like
the best environment, you know, an energy that I possibly
can so they can you know, feel good and go
out there and compete. So with the start of the playlist,
obviously I get like Debo is always sending me stuff.
Um let's see uh, Trent Williams, Charles and many like
(20:36):
those guys love it. So the players will send their
request in and you know, the stretch period is something
that you know, you don't want to come out too
early because your body is not warm yet, but you
still want to get the juice going, so you play
you know, the popular songs they like. And then we
transition to Special Teams period, and our Special Teams coordinator,
Coachna he loves rock and roll, like hardcore rock. So
(20:56):
the whole Special Team's period, we're definitely gonna play something
you know, a c D see some um who else
we got, We got Rolling Stones, we got Blink, just
a lot of different stuff. So and then when we
get into the competitive periods, that's when we want to
make sure like we go hard um. So that's you know,
your d m X, your little Baby, your jeezy um.
(21:17):
So it helps that I played because I kind of
know when it's an up tempo period versus a low
tempo period. But again, it's all about controlling the energy
throughout practice. So like when we do get you know,
in those amplified moments that you know they can go
out and compete even when it's loud. Obviously, when we
go on the road, we always like crank the music
up extra loud, um, so they can adapt to the noise.
(21:38):
And then you know, most importantly, we've got to turn
up for the bay. So the two short e forty um,
you know, p low all those things, like we try
to keep it going. How does your job change when
you're in season versus out of season? Yeah, so in season,
we're on side every day supporting the guys, you know,
everything from you know, understanding what our game plan is
each week and going into that preparation and helping guys
(22:01):
you know, get prepared for you know, Sunday, Monday, Thursday,
whichever game we're playing. Um. So you go through that
process weekend, week out, and you know you feel that
feel it every day like the loss of the losses
you know are tough. And then you know the winds
are great, but you can't get too high, you can't
get too low. Like you just gotta remember, you know,
it's a long season and you gotta just stay consistent
and being who you are, showing up and giving your
(22:22):
best every day. Because I mean it's the most parallel
thing to life that I've ever seen. Like it's not
always gonna go well. You're gonna have some hard times.
You're gonna have some really good times too, but like,
can you continue to be the same person to show
up every single day and be the best version of yourself.
So that's what it's like in season, and then the
off season, you know, when all the guys are off site,
you know, we're really focusing on, like again our roster,
(22:43):
Like we do the development development plans for our players,
So understanding, okay, like where everybody is and then where um,
you know a player can get better and what he
needs to do to get better. So really outlining that
goal to be able to communicate it to him and
with his position coach, and hey, these are things we
need to see from you, and this is our expectation
of planning for you. So we really hone in on
(23:05):
that process. And you know, I'm always challenging guys to
think outside of football. To go do a job, shadow,
go do an internship, Um, have some information on interviews,
go to this program that you know the league office
or the p A is offering, because again, like they're
gonna do something a lot longer in life than play football.
So I challenged them constantly, you know, to get your education,
to learn and figure out how you can start to
(23:26):
create you know, you know, your your transition plan before
that actually starts. And then thirdly, it's really uh intentional
on like, uh, the prospects that are coming out, so
analyzing the draft candidates and then um, the free agents
that are in the in the class from March where
we sign, you know, really being a part of that
process to say, hey, this guy, you know he would
have has this these strengths and weaknesses, and then you know,
(23:49):
putting up plan in place and say, hey, if we
get this person, this is how I would impact him
from a player development standpoint of life skills or culture. Uh,
and being intentional about who we select to come into
this building. Does every team have someone who's doing that
making sure guys have a development plan and looking at
players who are incoming to see if they would be
(24:11):
culture fits or how you could help them transition after
they're out of here. Yeah, I mean that's a good question, honestly,
Like there's one of me at every team for sure.
The director of player engagement. UH, staffs are starting to grow.
We're starting to get you know, a coordinator or manager
of player engagement. But you know there's thirty two ways
to slice supply and not. You know, everybody has the
(24:32):
same role, function and responsibility. But I'm thankful here again
for our leadership that they are very inclusive and they
respect my opinion and they allow me to you know,
take part in this. But I do think it's a
very important piece to the puzzle, um to be able
to have a say and impact and help you know,
create um, just opportunities for success. And I think it's
(24:53):
helped our team, you know, be successful over the last
five years since I've been here. You know, it's been awesome,
you know, seeing my young guys, you know, now I'll
be my vets in the locker room and knowing the
things that you know, I put in place to help
them grow. Can you take us through your game day role? Yeah,
on game day, pre game um, you know, not even
(25:13):
free game, Like there's just a lot I'm gonna put
a touch point for like player families, for the players,
for etcetera. So you know, things will come up the
morning of like hey, Austin, Like, no, I got this
person coming in. I forgot to give up my tickets,
I forgot to get post gamers band. So I'm often
mitigating or problem solving and trying to just you know,
make sure that these guys can focus on the main
thing and going out and doing their jobs. So supporting
(25:36):
the players from that standpoint, and then you know, during
the game, UM, I communicate to you know, our player
of families if there's an injury. Hope that that'sn't that
doesn't happen. But you know, oftentimes I always go back
there with the player whenever there's an injury, and if
it's severe, I'll communicate with the family to get them
you know, down to you know, see the player if
they're on site, and if they're not, just kind of
(25:57):
keep them appressed of what's going on so they you know,
have them most up to date information. UM. You know,
sometimes it's running back in the locker room to help
a guy, you know, he got his cleats or and
he's to switch gloves or something like that. So it's
all hands on deck. You do a little bit of
everything on game day. Uh. And then again like encouraging
guys um, you know, trying to pick up anything that
you may see, any tips that you can share, UM,
(26:19):
and then just being that support system. So um, the
game days are are fun and they're busy. It's a
lot uh and It's funny like after the game days
like Mondays and Tuesdays are really game days for me
because that's when guys are recovering and we're freaking out injury.
We're going through our mental health stuff, getting guys with counselors,
and um, I do my rookie development programs on Mondays
(26:39):
the day after the game, so it's either me facilitating
a session or a speaker that I'm hosting. So um
it stays pretty busy when you have speakers or do
rookie development or really any kind of outing. What kind
of feedback do you get in terms of like we
should have them back, or like that wasn't so helpful?
Like do you get that kind of dialogue? Yeah? I do.
(27:02):
I challenge our guys like, listen, I can't this is
for you. It's only gonna be as good as you
know you want it to be. And I can bring
people to you, but you gotta tell me, you know
how you want to be fed. So um, I survey
our guys at the end of like each phase, you know,
when they're here in the summer, and say hey, like
who was the best speaker? How is that the path force?
Anybody else that you want. And then you know, we'll
get into end season and we'll say okay, like you know,
(27:23):
what do you want to hear? Like I have my
structured stuff that we have to do, but there'll be
times where it's just to check in. It's like, all right, guys,
what's going on? Like, you know, is it relationships? Is
it family? Asking for things? Is you just stressing about
your status on the team? And they say, hey, like, okay,
do you want me to bring somebody in to help
us you know, work through that. So um, there's a
lot of flexibility and customization that comes with it. But again,
(27:47):
I'm a big believer in that peer to peer process,
Like I can only tell them so much, but if
I can get you know, Fred Warner or George Kittle
or Nick Bosa, you know, um, Jimmy g one of
those guys are coming here and share their experiences like
it's extremely power full. And then those conversations like lead
into the locker room and then when they're on the
bus ride together like to a stadium or to practice
or like, oh man, you remember you were talking about this,
(28:08):
and it carries on there. So it creates a lot
of culture and brotherhood when we can do those type
of things too. Has there been a speaker that was
just like the overwhelmingly favorite, most popular. Yeah, there's definitely
something I don't I'm probably get in trouble if I started,
But um, yeah, we do have some some people that
(28:30):
are consistent and come back. Man, it's just great energy
and they really know how to relate connect to the players. Um,
you know, that's year I asked, you know, we were
at the end of the season. I was like, man,
who do you want to hear? Is there like a
motivational speak or anybody out there that you want to see?
And like they're like, oh, bring can you bring Eric
Thomas in here? And like, fortunately, like I know et
and we met when I was in New York at
the League office and doing some things there, so I
(28:51):
was able to hit him up, and you know, he
made it a point to come out here and then
put us in its schedule to come, you know, get
the guys some motivation and inspiration at the end of
the season and help us, you know again revitalize and
understand our goals. So that's always a fun part to
figuring out, like, hey, like what else can I do?
We just finished doing a venture capital and an investor
luncheon where you know, we brought in local vcs and
(29:12):
Steve Young came and he talked about his transition from
athlete to investor and like just being able to be
creative and help these guys. Um, this has been really
cool to do. You're also part of the forty Niners
Wisdom Sessions with a hundred black men in the Bay Area.
Can you tell us a little bit about those. Yeah,
that's an idea that really came after the George Floyd
(29:33):
uh incident unfortunately, but you know, our front office staff,
Martin May, Hugh, John Lynch, Ran Carthon, Adam Peters, like
they're like, man, like, what can we do like to
start to support you know, the black community even more
here where we are on a consistent basis, And we
were able to partner with a hundred black men and
the Mentoring Opportunity League and now uh those kids, high
school students, Uh, you know, people of color, men, women, etcetera.
(29:58):
They come once a month and we have with some
Wednesdays and we usually have a you know, some type
of like program topic, whether it's like how to network
or it's like how to you know, outline my college
you know path or you know, preparing for the s A.
T's just the simple things. But I think it all
goes back, you know, to what we said originally, like
(30:18):
how can we enhance the tipeline of quality qualified candidates,
especially people of color and women, so exposing them to
the opportunities and careers that exist here, but even more
so like just pouring into them and saying, hey, like
these are the things you need to you know, create
your opportunities for yourself. And we're going to do everything
we can to help promote you and push you and
groom you so you're prepared whenever those opportunities come. And
(30:41):
then we gotta hold teams and organizations accountable, like when
it comes to hiring, and like again like it can't
always be that person, um, that that's coming from the
Ivy League school, you know, that gets the job that's
just because of their credentials. Like sometimes you gotta take
a chance on a kid from an HBCU that has
a great g p A, that's done a lot of
like extracurricular work. And again it may not be the
(31:01):
prestige from you know, you pen, but you know you
could have go to North Carolina Central and you could
be a great addition and resource to our program. So
that's what you know, you have to challenge again yourselves
to help populate you know, the pipeline with people impoor
into them, but you also have to make it a
priority at your organization hire those people. And again I
think you know, we're one of the best in the
league when it comes to that, and thankful to our
(31:23):
leadership for allowing that. Where do you hope to see
both the league and player engagement in the next five
to ten years? How do you see that evolving? I mean,
I'd love to see more representation and ownership from you know,
a black and minority standpoint, you know, the more uh
diverse people we can get in that room of you know,
(31:43):
the thirty two owners, I think the better UM and
then I would like to see that same you know
again in the leadership or team presidents to UM vice
presidents and executives across the board. And then from a
coaching standpoint, like again, like for the representation on the
field to be you know what it is like, we
need more representation from coaches on the offensive side of
(32:04):
the ball, and you know, the quarterback position obviously we
see the trend in hiring when it comes to that.
So you know, if that's where candidates are getting pulled from,
then we need to put more minority candidates in those
positions and create opportunities for him. So that's my hope
and my vision. And you know, I think we have
some people that are definitely doing everything they can to
do it, but we can always do more. Um And again,
(32:25):
it has to come from the top down, like we
have to make it a priority for owners to hire
black you know, offensive coordinators, black defensive coordinators from you
know the Eric b Enemies to um Byron Leftwich too.
You know, there's there's so many talented people out there,
but you can't always just go with like what's comfortable
to you because that's you know, what you're familiar with. Again,
like be comfortable, you know, giving somebody an opportunity even
(32:46):
when it doesn't feel comfortable. What advice do you have
to people who want to get into this industry? Ah man,
that's a good question. Advice um when again, I would
say get qualify five, you know, whatever it is, you know,
you figure it out, get your degree, your education as
much as you can, and start to get experiences again,
(33:07):
volunteer in turn, um and build those relationships because again
it's a very relationship based business and you've gotta be
willing to get your informational interviews in and just build
with somebody. So look on LinkedIn, find like what their
role is, go to team websites and try to figure out, Okay,
what are the responsibilities of this person, and then you
(33:28):
see if you can get an email address, call them,
find them on Twitter, slide and you know, give them
a direct message whatever that is. Um. You know, you
just gotta be aggressive in this industry. Nothing's gonna come
to you. Nobody's just gonna give it. So um, those
are things that I learned. And then the most important
was like being able to communicate, you know, in a
concise way. Hey, this is who I am, this is
what I'm interested in. These are my strengths is and
(33:49):
my skills. This is the value that I can add
to you, and then see where it goes from there.
But you gotta just keep kicking the door down. You know,
it's not gonna happen overnight, and just persevere and stay
stay persistent. I think we've asked this on every single podcast.
It's my favorite question. It's the last question we always
do every job hosting. I think they hope you don't
(34:10):
see it says like other duties as assigned as the
last bullet point, have you done something with the fortins
that would be in other duties as assigned? Wasn't there,
but somehow it came across your your desk. I definitely have,
especially in player engagement, like we're like a service role,
you know, so there's a lot of different things that
I never thought i'd be doing. Like Eliza Mitchell had
(34:32):
his son here three weeks ago and we baby set
him for two hours, you know, like unfortunately his wife
had to go to a doctor's appointment for their next
child and he needed some help with his kids. So
I was like, all right, that wasn't in the job description,
but bring bring him over here, like we'll take care
of him for a little bit. So that was one,
and then, uh, the most random and fun one was
probably with Jordan Matthews, who is recovering from a c
(34:55):
L injury right now. But when he first got here,
you know, he shipped his car out and he got
the car off the truck and he's like, oh, I'm
gonna go to the gas station. Well, he ends up
running out of gas, like within thirty ft of our
team hotel. So he's literally stuck in the middle of
traffic and I'm probably like one of the few points
of contact he's met since he's been with the team.
So he's like, hey, Moss, like, I need you man Like.
(35:15):
I was like, I was like what. He was like, Well,
I'm sitting in the traffic and I don't have any gas.
So I was just like, all right, man Like, I
left my home, went and got a gas can, filled
it up, and then brought it to him. And he's
just sitting there, you know, laughing and smiling. But he's like, Bro,
I bet you in a million years you never thought
you'd be filling up somebody's gas tank. Is like a
director of player engagement. I was just like, yeah, now
you're right. I didn't think so. So um that was
(35:36):
pretty cool. But again, you just never know what's gonna
come up, and you always try to be available and
to do what you can to support these guys. Wow,
that's funny. I'll have to give j Matt, you know,
some shade. Yeah, please do Bro, you owe me for life.
That's amazing. Well, do you have a call now if
(35:57):
you ever were to run out of gas really anything, seriously,
he better come to all the way to Kentucky if
I'm right there, it doesn't matter, like you better show up. Wow,
So you're you're very reliable. Like if we had one
phone call, we should call you. We're going to call you.
That would be a good call. I get you. I
got your back for sure. I I I Austin. Thank
(36:18):
you so much for joining the podcast. It's a lot
of fun and again our first you know, football kind
of episode. So thank you so much for joining. Thank
you for having me. I appreciate you all continued support
and go Niners, Go Niners. Yeah, thank you
Welcome to Inside the Oval, presented by Dignity Health. I'm
Patti Kwan and I'm Haley Jones and this week we
were joined by forty Niners Director of Player Engagement, Austin Moss. Austin,
thanks for joining the podcast. Thank you for having me
to start. What are your responsibilities as the director of
player Engagement? So, as director of player Engagement, for it's
(00:34):
a lot that I oversee and I try to, you know,
capture it in a small and it's by saying, you know,
I help our young men become professionals faster than what
they would on their own, and you know, outline goals
and strategy to help them accomplish circles on and off
the field. So that kind of captured everything. When did
you know a job like this was what you wanted
(00:55):
to do? Umven, I got to grad school. Uh so
I played football at college and the University Kentucky, and
you know, everybody you know wants to aspire to be
you know, that NFL player, etcetera. And you know, when
I realized I wasn't gonna be in my future, I
wanted to work as an executive in the front office.
So um through my graduate program. Well, through my football program,
(01:16):
I found out that there's a graduate program at the
University of Central Florida. We can get your NBA and
a master's and sport management. So I pursued that, I
got accepted. And then when I got to grad schools,
you know, studying and doing my NBA courses, I learned about,
you know, the player engagement department that exists in these
roles that are at every club. So you mentioned, you know,
getting your bachelor's in business marketing and then your masters
(01:39):
and business administration, you know, with the goal in mind
of becoming UM an executive in like an NFL front office.
And and this was kind of while you were also
like a student athlete, So like how how was it
just kind of balancing like professional goals with also being
involved in student athletics. UM, it was challenging for sure, Like,
(02:01):
you know, just the demands of the schedule as an athlete. UM,
you know, making sure you're you're getting your lift in
your practice and uh, you know it's either all in
the morning or all in the afternoon, dependent on her
program you're at. And then you know, you do your
coursework and then there's tutoring and study all after that,
so it's a full day. Um, and you know, I
just kind of fell in love with the thought of
working in sports. Like when you're on a team and
(02:22):
you're a part of something that's greater than yourself. UM,
it's a really really cool process to see, you know,
how your contributions can impact the whole. And when I
felt that as a as an athlete, I was like, man,
I want to continue this, you know, beyond just playing
on the field, So like, how can I you know,
marry that with my interests. And that's when I started
to you know, pursue the opportunities, um, and then ask
people to ask questions. That's really what I did. I
(02:44):
was like, hey, you know, how can I work in this?
Or people will come to our practice like scouts and say,
you know, how did you get this job? What did
you do? So you know a lot of times I
tell the youth like I can only aspire to be
what I see. But if you don't open your eyes out,
open your eyes and try to meet people and learn
and uh, you know, ask questions, then you will never know.
So luckily I was able to get exposed to people
that work in the space, and then I started to
(03:05):
pursue from there. What are your tips or how did
you go about networking with people? I think there are
a lot of people who do work in the sports industry,
but they're not always accessible. How was that process for you?
It's super hard, Like these jobs like they're you know,
very sought after, the high demand and a very limited supply.
(03:27):
So um, you know, you gotta be intentional and trying
to figure out, Okay, what are the areas and that
I can work and who's working in those areas and
how can I build a relationship. So it comes down
to like the effort and communication reaching out via email
or you know, text or writing a letter. Um. I
know people that have written handled a handwritten letters to
all thirty two teams on a consistent basis about you know,
(03:49):
their passions, their interest and sharing that resume. UM. One
thing a lot of people don't know about my journey,
Like even after grad school, um, get in the NBA,
Like it still took a year and a half to
get the internship at the end, feel headquartered in New York,
and you know, I thought I did everything to be qualified,
and I was like, yeah, of course they want to
him me. But you know, I still got knows for
you know, the attempts that I got or that I made, so,
(04:13):
you know, just believing in yourself, not giving up hope,
but being against strategic and trying to build a relationship
and figure out, you know how not always asking people
for things, but just wanting to learn and be intellectually curious,
you know, doing research, trying to find different articles that
would help, you know, strengthen my skill set and find
a way to add value to an organization, our team.
Those are things that kind of helped propel me. Something
(04:36):
that we actually talked about a lot is Petty and
I both started part time when we got to the
forty niners. We had both graduated from college and had
other internships, and it still wasn't that like full time
role that I think people expect you to have after
you finished school. Do you recommend like any foot in
the door is a good foot in the door when
(04:57):
you're trying to get into sports or because I know
you took that in ternship as well. Yeah, I do
agree that you have to cast a wide net and
it's not always like you know, if you do a B,
you're not always going to get C in this space,
you know. So, uh, the sports industry is very relationship based,
and you gotta be able to you know, find somebody
that will take a chance on you. But then you know,
(05:18):
be willing to work extremely hard for not very much
money and just start to get experience. You know, like
when I was in grad school, we did raffle sales
and we were walking up and down the stands of
the Orlando Magic Arena and you're engaging people and you know,
you're getting a lot of nose. It's you know, not fun,
but it forces you to grow, Like you gotta be
comfortable being uncomfortable. And the more times you can put
(05:41):
yourself out there and do that, you know, the higher
opportunities you you'll have, the higher odds that you'll have
getting an opportunity to be successful. I think you mentioned
earlier like I can't be what I can't see, and
I think there is and you know, with you wanting
to be like an executive at the NFL level, um,
you know, I think there are like there's areas for
(06:02):
improvement when it comes to diversity and so like what
do you think like it needs to happen in order
for that representation to kind of be there, Yeah, I
think for sure, but you gotta have more qualified like
candidates within the pipeline, and you know there has to
be intention behind that. But the first thing is getting qualified.
And you know, for me, that's why I wanted to
(06:22):
go get the NBA and I wanted to go to
a sports specific INBA program so I could get exposed
to the different aspects of business within sport. And then
you know, after you get yourself qualified and you get
the degree and the credentials so you can at least
get a look, then it's like a lot of heavy
lifting of you know, being the pavement trying to find
a job opportunity. Like most of the jobs that get
(06:44):
posted online, like there's already like five people that have
been recommended and there's a very short, you know line
to get in that door. So as a long line
to get in the door, but it's it's a very
short process in terms of you getting an opportunity. So
I say, I'll have it to say, like you just
got to be consistent, persist that um and you know,
again don't give up on yourself, but also be strategic
(07:05):
and how you can add value, Like it's cool to say,
oh I work for the seventies six years whatever, Like
what sets you apart from just having a degree, Like
tell me about you know, your background, something that you
went through that was a really really tough experience, but
it made you who you are and how you're gonna
succeed and what value you'll add to this company and
if you know, again, if it's a space where something
isn't being done or you have an idea or you
(07:25):
can be creative. That's what employers and and hiring managers
want to see, Like okay, like I can add this person,
but like how will they help me like meet my
goals and my key performance indicators? So being intentional about
that and knowing the space and the landscape so you
can say yes, like not only do I know what
this company or organization has been through, but this is
what I'm planning to do and what I can do
to help us, you know, or help you get where
(07:47):
you want to go. I'm really curious. I think this
is our episode and I don't know if we've had
anyone who has worked for the league and a team.
What are the differences or is there a difference in
like mentality or just like workflow? Um, yeah, there's definitely
some differences. Um, I love working on the team side,
but I am really thankful that I started at the
(08:09):
league because I got to see it from a macro level,
and you know, they're all trying to support all thirty
two clubs, and you know, you see all the business
deals from you know, the TV contracts and how luquidive
those are. But you know, you understand why now I'm
on the sideline on Sundays and I get why there's
a two minute and thirty second TV time out because
that's you know, helping add to advertising and opportunities to
(08:31):
get money. So the CBA instructed the way it is
that guys can learn more, um and knowing what that
process is like and then you know the schedule that's
made and I used to run some of our league
events with like Draft, Pro Bowl, Super Bowl, and knowing
all the logistics and things that go with that, and
also being able to work on all three of those
projects at the same time because they happen back to
back to back, so you learn how to multitask, you
(08:52):
learn how to handle a lot of different responsibilities and timelines,
and then being able to recapture that the six as
is the key learnings and debrief and then you know,
put together in a very high level format to show,
you know, whether it's Roger Goodell or your executive you know,
vice president of Hey, these are the things that we
sought out to accomplish and this is how we did,
(09:13):
This is what we're going to do to improve it,
and this is you know, where we're gonna go. So
I'm sort sorry. That was great from a league office perspective,
and now from a team like, you know, I'm in
the locker room and helping support our guys, helped develop culture,
you know, create an accountability and then you know, helping
you know, just life skills, decision making, a lot of
different things that are hands on that I didn't necessarily
(09:33):
have at the league office. So it was a cool dynamic.
Definitely very different both of them. But I love where
we are and trying to you know, contribute to help
our team win a championship. What was we talked about
a little bit, but like what was your path to
and was there anything along that way that really, you know,
made you want to kind of join the team's side
(09:54):
or realize that this is what I really wanted to do.
If Unfortunately I got recommended. When the opportunity opened here,
they made a change in player engagement. They were looking
for a new hire. And my boss at the time
at the league office, um Troy Vincent. He played against
John lynch Um when they were you know, coming up
in the league and you know, John had reached out
(10:15):
to him, ran into him a senior Bowl, and thankfully
Troy recommended. So I know a lot of people here.
You know, it's not about who you know, but who
knows you. Um, that's certainly a big part of it.
But even more so, like to be able to have
my boss that could speak highly of me because whatever
was given to me at the league, like I just
wanted to be the best at it, Like it didn't matter,
Like you could tell me to like take out these
(10:35):
fifty drash cans like every day, Like I'm gonna make
sure those trash cans are so clean that the bags
are putting there perfectly. Everything. So it's like, you know,
we we talked about it in our locker room with
the team's like how you do anything is how you
do everything, So you know, not cutting it short, not um,
you know, taking pride in your work. Those were things
that Luckily, my family taught me and people that are
(10:55):
close to me. So when I carry that into the
league office as an intern, and which grinding, but I
I wanted to be the first one in and the
last one to leave. And I'm like, dang, like why
is this young man staying here? Like his work is done?
But I was always asking for more and when I
and whatever they gave me, like, I wanted to be
the best at it. So as I grew within that organization,
you know, Troy could speak to John and say, hey, man,
like this guy's got all the intangibles and qualities because
(11:18):
he's gonna, you know, take pride in what he does
and he's gonna do it at a high level. So
that was something that uh I learned and that you know,
helped propel me to get that opportunity. And then again
like just maintaining relationships. It's a it's a very relationship
based business. And when you can have people that you know,
trust you, that you know like working around you and
you know you're a team player, that helps and goes
a long way. Do you have a favorite project you've
(11:42):
worked on since you've been here? Um? Yeah, I would
say really like building out our our mental health space
you know in player engagement where responsible for that as well,
and just providing support and resources, and you know, it's
become more and more um you know, prevalent in the
community of of athletes to be able to be comfortable
(12:03):
sharing you know, what you're dealing with, whether it's depression, anxiety,
of substances of abuse, but knowing like there's a growing
need for that, and then building out you know, a
space and a platform to where our players, coaches, families
can get the support they need whenever things grow up
come up. You know, it's been really really cool to
see the transformation over the last five years. And I
(12:24):
think we have a really good support system and structure,
but again it doesn't go that doesn't exist without the
support of ownership, you know, to be able to provide
you know, resources and funding to do that. And then
also you know, our head coach and general manager, you
know John and Kyle, they really believe in that and
they you know, let the players know, like if you
have something that comes up, like please, you know, utilize
(12:45):
the resources we have and know that like what happens
with that, you know, we remain confidential. You know, you
don't feel I have to feel like you're gonna lose
your job if you have something that comes up and
you can go to a safe space and get your needs. Matt, So,
I know, you know you said there was like a
big emphasis on mental health. Then I think part of
the relationships that you build with these guys and involve
a lot of trust and just you know, kind of
(13:05):
carrying some of the way of things that they might
be going through, Like what do you do to make
sure that you are also okay? Yeah, that's the hardest
part of the job, honestly, is like trying to reset
yourself because you're constantly pouring out and giving so much
to so many people. And I wasn't very good at
it at first, and I think I've found like a
much better rhythm now. Um. But for me, it's um,
(13:28):
you know working out on What I mean is like
you know, I have to you have to invest in
your body just like you invest in your mind, your
family relationships. Like for me, like you know, my health
and nutrition and wellness is key and you know it
allows me to relieve stress when I can work out,
do some cardio liftwids, but also just you know, being
able to get a massage or being able to you know,
do stretching and go out and you know, enjoy nature
(13:49):
outside doing something athletics. So that's been really helpful for me.
UM stage is awesome. I love Vernon's stage, Placento, UM,
some of those natural m d s and then UM
for me, it's like I have to start my day
before everybody else. So like I love getting up at
like five am and getting in here early and get
(14:10):
my workout going and then that way I've already got
the process and have my morning before you know, the
guys get here and I can start to support and
serve them. We couldn't have you here without talking about
Zoe and Rookie. How did that all come about? Because
I feel like that's a really nice, uh, we like
way to talk about them after talking about mental health. Yeah,
(14:32):
for sure that that's a big part of the mental
health platform that we've built. And it's something that you know,
take pride and it's a very you know, out of
the box type of idea that came UM. But honestly,
it was you know, when Solomon Thomas was here and
he unfortunately, you know, had the tragic suicide of his sister.
You know, he was in a really dark place, and
you know, we had a dog in the office for
(14:52):
a short term, a temporary time, and that was the
one time that I could see him smile and be
himself and just be authentic. And you know, we all
know the research behind you know what emotional support and
the therapy from you know, whether it's an animal or
or anything else that provide you like what it does.
So you know, I talked to Solomon and he asked
me if we could get one, and I was like, well,
who's gonna keep it? And He's like, I don't know,
(15:14):
and I was like, well, let me think about it.
And then like you know, I just really stayed on
my heart and I said, you know what, like I'll
get the dog out. You know, I've always liked dogs,
So I can get an approval from Jed and John
to to get it and call and you know, we'll
get one and pick one out together. So that's how
it came about and became a really big thing. Like again,
this is a very stressful environment. You know, guys are
(15:35):
constantly under pressure to perform, and then you know there's
injuries and there's a lot of things that can really
impact your mental health and you're you know, morale and
to have you know, a cool little frenchie and now
we have too that come in there and you know,
can lift your mood, you know, no matter what's going on.
That's a really really powerful thing and we've seen some
great benefits from it. Do you think your office is
(15:55):
the most visited? Uh, it's pretty high. I'm not gonna lie, like,
I mean like pryme position, you know, right before the
cafeteria and then like to go outside. So uh, we
get a lot of visitors, but I definitely don't think
I would get near the traffic if those dogs weren't
in there. So people love they're very cute. Go follow
(16:17):
them at the forty Frencheese on Instagram. Um so I
didn't know this, but you were a walk on at
Kentucky and eventually earned your scholarship. Can you take us
through that and like any advice you might have for
you know, college athletes who are kind of going through
the same thing. Yeah, I mean that was a it
was a hard process, but it was a rewarding process.
(16:37):
I'll say that. I mean, obviously, you know, everybody wants
to get a scholarship and be able to you know,
compete at a high level. Um. And I had opportunities
to go play a smaller colleges under the scholarship, but
you know it just it wasn't my dream and I
really wanted to chase you know what was important to me,
so um the first and biggest thing, Like it taught
me how to set a goal and to go out
and get it. And then like you know, when you
(16:59):
are walk on and you don't get priority and you
have to fight and scratch and claw for everything, Like
you gotta be a tough person. You gotta be resilient,
you gotta persevere, you gotta be willing to you know again,
believe in yourself, for nobody else believes in you. And
those were things that I took from it. And you know,
I learned how to apply process and a strategy of
you know, creating those goals and achieving them. And I
(17:20):
was really, really you know excited when I got that scholarship.
That was like one of the most you know, rewarding
moments in my life. And then again it just kind
of propelled me to you know, apply that same passion
and drive to everything else. I did so going to
grad school and then again like pursuing the job you
know and to good with the NFL team or league,
and then hearing no, but and again continue to believe
(17:42):
in yourself when you hear no. Like that was like
a huge part of my journey. So I'm thankful for it,
and it was awesome. We got to turn the program around,
went to three straight Bowl games, and have a lot
of strong relationships with the teammates that I had from
that time, and it helps shape me to be who
I am today. Correct me if I'm wrong, but being
an athlete probably helps connecting with the people that you
(18:03):
need to connect with, players, coaches. But as we all
get further and further out of college, how is connecting
with rookies who are coming in and people who there
is an age gap now between all of us and
then the people who we are now trying to make
connections with. Yeah, it's getting water and water, and I'm
feeling older and older each year, honestly, Like I used
(18:25):
to be like big brother, but now I'm starting to
feel like uncle now. It's it's crazy. I don't understand
the lyrics and the music they listen to, but I
still try to connect in some way. UM, But yeah,
it's really just trying to find those commonalities. Again, we're
a lot more alike than we are different. But in
order to get to that point, you have to be
able to communicate. So I think just you know, understanding
(18:47):
who you are, what your values are, UM, and then
talking to other people about their values, their experiences, and
you know, what their goals and dreams are. I think
you can find like a lot of similarities and commonalities
and those type of things. Whether you came from you know, uh,
Green Bay, Wisconsin, or you came from, um, you know,
Louisiana and New Orleans. Like, there's guys from all walks
(19:09):
of life. But we find those commonalities and we're all
again working towards the same goal, trying to help our
team a championship. So when you keep that, you know
in mind, and he's all right, like, let's figure out
how we can meet in the middle and push each
other to be our best every day. Like that's super
exciting and I love coming to work here to be
able to do it. It's funny that you mentioned music,
because I don't know if a lot of people know this.
(19:30):
You also go by d J A two um, so
if you're ever out of for a Nish practice, you
will see him, um under the tent getting those playlists off.
What goes into making a good playlist, because whenever I'm
out there, it can go from like hard rock to
like you know hard wrap, you know, so like where
(19:54):
what makes a good playlist? Like what goes into your
playlists and the order and everything like that. Yeah, I
think the big things like music is art. It's a
form of expression and it's really like the most unique
thing because it's however you see it and you feel it,
and it's energy that you give out and put into
the world. So like the musicians that are talented enough
to give it to us, like we receive it and
(20:14):
then like we apply it to our daily lives. So
for me, it's like, all right, I'm thinking about how
can I set this practice off and make it like
the best environment, you know, an energy that I possibly
can so they can you know, feel good and go
out there and compete. So with the start of the playlist,
obviously I get like Debo is always sending me stuff.
Um let's see uh, Trent Williams, Charles and many like
(20:36):
those guys love it. So the players will send their
request in and you know, the stretch period is something
that you know, you don't want to come out too
early because your body is not warm yet, but you
still want to get the juice going, so you play
you know, the popular songs they like. And then we
transition to Special Teams period, and our Special Teams coordinator,
Coachna he loves rock and roll, like hardcore rock. So
(20:56):
the whole Special Team's period, we're definitely gonna play something
you know, a c D see some um who else
we got, We got Rolling Stones, we got Blink, just
a lot of different stuff. So and then when we
get into the competitive periods, that's when we want to
make sure like we go hard um. So that's you know,
your d m X, your little Baby, your jeezy um.
(21:17):
So it helps that I played because I kind of
know when it's an up tempo period versus a low
tempo period. But again, it's all about controlling the energy
throughout practice. So like when we do get you know,
in those amplified moments that you know they can go
out and compete even when it's loud. Obviously, when we
go on the road, we always like crank the music
up extra loud, um, so they can adapt to the noise.
(21:38):
And then you know, most importantly, we've got to turn
up for the bay. So the two short e forty um,
you know, p low all those things, like we try
to keep it going. How does your job change when
you're in season versus out of season? Yeah, so in season,
we're on side every day supporting the guys, you know,
everything from you know, understanding what our game plan is
each week and going into that preparation and helping guys
(22:01):
you know, get prepared for you know, Sunday, Monday, Thursday,
whichever game we're playing. Um. So you go through that
process weekend, week out, and you know you feel that
feel it every day like the loss of the losses
you know are tough. And then you know the winds
are great, but you can't get too high, you can't
get too low. Like you just gotta remember, you know,
it's a long season and you gotta just stay consistent
and being who you are, showing up and giving your
(22:22):
best every day. Because I mean it's the most parallel
thing to life that I've ever seen. Like it's not
always gonna go well. You're gonna have some hard times.
You're gonna have some really good times too, but like,
can you continue to be the same person to show
up every single day and be the best version of yourself.
So that's what it's like in season, and then the
off season, you know, when all the guys are off site,
you know, we're really focusing on, like again our roster,
(22:43):
Like we do the development development plans for our players,
So understanding, okay, like where everybody is and then where um,
you know a player can get better and what he
needs to do to get better. So really outlining that
goal to be able to communicate it to him and
with his position coach, and hey, these are things we
need to see from you, and this is our expectation
of planning for you. So we really hone in on
(23:05):
that process. And you know, I'm always challenging guys to
think outside of football. To go do a job, shadow,
go do an internship, Um, have some information on interviews,
go to this program that you know the league office
or the p A is offering, because again, like they're
gonna do something a lot longer in life than play football.
So I challenged them constantly, you know, to get your education,
to learn and figure out how you can start to
(23:26):
create you know, you know, your your transition plan before
that actually starts. And then thirdly, it's really uh intentional
on like, uh, the prospects that are coming out, so
analyzing the draft candidates and then um, the free agents
that are in the in the class from March where
we sign, you know, really being a part of that
process to say, hey, this guy, you know he would
have has this these strengths and weaknesses, and then you know,
(23:49):
putting up plan in place and say, hey, if we
get this person, this is how I would impact him
from a player development standpoint of life skills or culture. Uh,
and being intentional about who we select to come into
this building. Does every team have someone who's doing that
making sure guys have a development plan and looking at
players who are incoming to see if they would be
(24:11):
culture fits or how you could help them transition after
they're out of here. Yeah, I mean that's a good question, honestly,
Like there's one of me at every team for sure.
The director of player engagement. UH, staffs are starting to grow.
We're starting to get you know, a coordinator or manager
of player engagement. But you know there's thirty two ways
to slice supply and not. You know, everybody has the
(24:32):
same role, function and responsibility. But I'm thankful here again
for our leadership that they are very inclusive and they
respect my opinion and they allow me to you know,
take part in this. But I do think it's a
very important piece to the puzzle, um to be able
to have a say and impact and help you know,
create um, just opportunities for success. And I think it's
(24:53):
helped our team, you know, be successful over the last
five years since I've been here. You know, it's been awesome,
you know, seeing my young guys, you know, now I'll
be my vets in the locker room and knowing the
things that you know, I put in place to help
them grow. Can you take us through your game day role? Yeah,
on game day, pre game um, you know, not even
(25:13):
free game, Like there's just a lot I'm gonna put
a touch point for like player families, for the players,
for etcetera. So you know, things will come up the
morning of like hey, Austin, Like, no, I got this
person coming in. I forgot to give up my tickets,
I forgot to get post gamers band. So I'm often
mitigating or problem solving and trying to just you know,
make sure that these guys can focus on the main
thing and going out and doing their jobs. So supporting
(25:36):
the players from that standpoint, and then you know, during
the game, UM, I communicate to you know, our player
of families if there's an injury. Hope that that'sn't that
doesn't happen. But you know, oftentimes I always go back
there with the player whenever there's an injury, and if
it's severe, I'll communicate with the family to get them
you know, down to you know, see the player if
they're on site, and if they're not, just kind of
(25:57):
keep them appressed of what's going on so they you know,
have them most up to date information. UM. You know,
sometimes it's running back in the locker room to help
a guy, you know, he got his cleats or and
he's to switch gloves or something like that. So it's
all hands on deck. You do a little bit of
everything on game day. Uh. And then again like encouraging
guys um, you know, trying to pick up anything that
you may see, any tips that you can share, UM,
(26:19):
and then just being that support system. So um, the
game days are are fun and they're busy. It's a
lot uh and It's funny like after the game days
like Mondays and Tuesdays are really game days for me
because that's when guys are recovering and we're freaking out injury.
We're going through our mental health stuff, getting guys with counselors,
and um, I do my rookie development programs on Mondays
(26:39):
the day after the game, so it's either me facilitating
a session or a speaker that I'm hosting. So um
it stays pretty busy when you have speakers or do
rookie development or really any kind of outing. What kind
of feedback do you get in terms of like we
should have them back, or like that wasn't so helpful?
Like do you get that kind of dialogue? Yeah? I do.
(27:02):
I challenge our guys like, listen, I can't this is
for you. It's only gonna be as good as you
know you want it to be. And I can bring
people to you, but you gotta tell me, you know
how you want to be fed. So um, I survey
our guys at the end of like each phase, you know,
when they're here in the summer, and say hey, like
who was the best speaker? How is that the path force?
Anybody else that you want. And then you know, we'll
get into end season and we'll say okay, like you know,
(27:23):
what do you want to hear? Like I have my
structured stuff that we have to do, but there'll be
times where it's just to check in. It's like, all right, guys,
what's going on? Like, you know, is it relationships? Is
it family? Asking for things? Is you just stressing about
your status on the team? And they say, hey, like, okay,
do you want me to bring somebody in to help
us you know, work through that. So um, there's a
lot of flexibility and customization that comes with it. But again,
(27:47):
I'm a big believer in that peer to peer process,
Like I can only tell them so much, but if
I can get you know, Fred Warner or George Kittle
or Nick Bosa, you know, um, Jimmy g one of
those guys are coming here and share their experiences like
it's extremely power full. And then those conversations like lead
into the locker room and then when they're on the
bus ride together like to a stadium or to practice
or like, oh man, you remember you were talking about this,
(28:08):
and it carries on there. So it creates a lot
of culture and brotherhood when we can do those type
of things too. Has there been a speaker that was
just like the overwhelmingly favorite, most popular. Yeah, there's definitely
something I don't I'm probably get in trouble if I started,
But um, yeah, we do have some some people that
(28:30):
are consistent and come back. Man, it's just great energy
and they really know how to relate connect to the players. Um,
you know, that's year I asked, you know, we were
at the end of the season. I was like, man,
who do you want to hear? Is there like a
motivational speak or anybody out there that you want to see?
And like they're like, oh, bring can you bring Eric
Thomas in here? And like, fortunately, like I know et
and we met when I was in New York at
the League office and doing some things there, so I
(28:51):
was able to hit him up, and you know, he
made it a point to come out here and then
put us in its schedule to come, you know, get
the guys some motivation and inspiration at the end of
the season and help us, you know again revitalize and
understand our goals. So that's always a fun part to
figuring out, like, hey, like what else can I do?
We just finished doing a venture capital and an investor
luncheon where you know, we brought in local vcs and
(29:12):
Steve Young came and he talked about his transition from
athlete to investor and like just being able to be
creative and help these guys. Um, this has been really
cool to do. You're also part of the forty Niners
Wisdom Sessions with a hundred black men in the Bay Area.
Can you tell us a little bit about those. Yeah,
that's an idea that really came after the George Floyd
(29:33):
uh incident unfortunately, but you know, our front office staff,
Martin May, Hugh, John Lynch, Ran Carthon, Adam Peters, like
they're like, man, like, what can we do like to
start to support you know, the black community even more
here where we are on a consistent basis, And we
were able to partner with a hundred black men and
the Mentoring Opportunity League and now uh those kids, high
school students, Uh, you know, people of color, men, women, etcetera.
(29:58):
They come once a month and we have with some
Wednesdays and we usually have a you know, some type
of like program topic, whether it's like how to network
or it's like how to you know, outline my college
you know path or you know, preparing for the s A.
T's just the simple things. But I think it all
goes back, you know, to what we said originally, like
(30:18):
how can we enhance the tipeline of quality qualified candidates,
especially people of color and women, so exposing them to
the opportunities and careers that exist here, but even more
so like just pouring into them and saying, hey, like
these are the things you need to you know, create
your opportunities for yourself. And we're going to do everything
we can to help promote you and push you and
groom you so you're prepared whenever those opportunities come. And
(30:41):
then we gotta hold teams and organizations accountable, like when
it comes to hiring, and like again like it can't
always be that person, um, that that's coming from the
Ivy League school, you know, that gets the job that's
just because of their credentials. Like sometimes you gotta take
a chance on a kid from an HBCU that has
a great g p A, that's done a lot of
like extracurricular work. And again it may not be the
(31:01):
prestige from you know, you pen, but you know you
could have go to North Carolina Central and you could
be a great addition and resource to our program. So
that's what you know, you have to challenge again yourselves
to help populate you know, the pipeline with people impoor
into them, but you also have to make it a
priority at your organization hire those people. And again I
think you know, we're one of the best in the
league when it comes to that, and thankful to our
(31:23):
leadership for allowing that. Where do you hope to see
both the league and player engagement in the next five
to ten years? How do you see that evolving? I mean,
I'd love to see more representation and ownership from you know,
a black and minority standpoint, you know, the more uh
diverse people we can get in that room of you know,
(31:43):
the thirty two owners, I think the better UM and
then I would like to see that same you know
again in the leadership or team presidents to UM vice
presidents and executives across the board. And then from a
coaching standpoint, like again, like for the representation on the
field to be you know what it is like, we
need more representation from coaches on the offensive side of
(32:04):
the ball, and you know, the quarterback position obviously we
see the trend in hiring when it comes to that.
So you know, if that's where candidates are getting pulled from,
then we need to put more minority candidates in those
positions and create opportunities for him. So that's my hope
and my vision. And you know, I think we have
some people that are definitely doing everything they can to
do it, but we can always do more. Um And again,
(32:25):
it has to come from the top down, like we
have to make it a priority for owners to hire
black you know, offensive coordinators, black defensive coordinators from you
know the Eric b Enemies to um Byron Leftwich too.
You know, there's there's so many talented people out there,
but you can't always just go with like what's comfortable
to you because that's you know, what you're familiar with. Again,
like be comfortable, you know, giving somebody an opportunity even
(32:46):
when it doesn't feel comfortable. What advice do you have
to people who want to get into this industry? Ah man,
that's a good question. Advice um when again, I would
say get qualify five, you know, whatever it is, you know,
you figure it out, get your degree, your education as
much as you can, and start to get experiences again,
(33:07):
volunteer in turn, um and build those relationships because again
it's a very relationship based business and you've gotta be
willing to get your informational interviews in and just build
with somebody. So look on LinkedIn, find like what their
role is, go to team websites and try to figure out, Okay,
what are the responsibilities of this person, and then you
(33:28):
see if you can get an email address, call them,
find them on Twitter, slide and you know, give them
a direct message whatever that is. Um. You know, you
just gotta be aggressive in this industry. Nothing's gonna come
to you. Nobody's just gonna give it. So um, those
are things that I learned. And then the most important
was like being able to communicate, you know, in a
concise way. Hey, this is who I am, this is
what I'm interested in. These are my strengths is and
(33:49):
my skills. This is the value that I can add
to you, and then see where it goes from there.
But you gotta just keep kicking the door down. You know,
it's not gonna happen overnight, and just persevere and stay
stay persistent. I think we've asked this on every single podcast.
It's my favorite question. It's the last question we always
do every job hosting. I think they hope you don't
(34:10):
see it says like other duties as assigned as the
last bullet point, have you done something with the fortins
that would be in other duties as assigned? Wasn't there,
but somehow it came across your your desk. I definitely have,
especially in player engagement, like we're like a service role,
you know, so there's a lot of different things that
I never thought i'd be doing. Like Eliza Mitchell had
(34:32):
his son here three weeks ago and we baby set
him for two hours, you know, like unfortunately his wife
had to go to a doctor's appointment for their next
child and he needed some help with his kids. So
I was like, all right, that wasn't in the job description,
but bring bring him over here, like we'll take care
of him for a little bit. So that was one,
and then, uh, the most random and fun one was
probably with Jordan Matthews, who is recovering from a c
(34:55):
L injury right now. But when he first got here,
you know, he shipped his car out and he got
the car off the truck and he's like, oh, I'm
gonna go to the gas station. Well, he ends up
running out of gas, like within thirty ft of our
team hotel. So he's literally stuck in the middle of
traffic and I'm probably like one of the few points
of contact he's met since he's been with the team.
So he's like, hey, Moss, like, I need you man Like.
(35:15):
I was like, I was like what. He was like, Well,
I'm sitting in the traffic and I don't have any gas.
So I was just like, all right, man Like, I
left my home, went and got a gas can, filled
it up, and then brought it to him. And he's
just sitting there, you know, laughing and smiling. But he's like, Bro,
I bet you in a million years you never thought
you'd be filling up somebody's gas tank. Is like a
director of player engagement. I was just like, yeah, now
you're right. I didn't think so. So um that was
(35:36):
pretty cool. But again, you just never know what's gonna
come up, and you always try to be available and
to do what you can to support these guys. Wow,
that's funny. I'll have to give j Matt, you know,
some shade. Yeah, please do Bro, you owe me for life.
That's amazing. Well, do you have a call now if
(35:57):
you ever were to run out of gas really anything, seriously,
he better come to all the way to Kentucky if
I'm right there, it doesn't matter, like you better show up. Wow,
So you're you're very reliable. Like if we had one
phone call, we should call you. We're going to call you.
That would be a good call. I get you. I
got your back for sure. I I I Austin. Thank
(36:18):
you so much for joining the podcast. It's a lot
of fun and again our first you know, football kind
of episode. So thank you so much for joining. Thank
you for having me. I appreciate you all continued support
and go Niners, Go Niners. Yeah, thank you
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