Marketing consultant Jeremy Darlow helps Pitt athletes prepare for day they 'take the jersey off'

Like many people, Jeremy Darlow has played sports, read about them and enjoyed virtual experiences through video games.

Beyond what most people have encountered, however, Darlow has talked to the participants about their futures.

A former director of marketing for Adidas who has worked with celebrities from Snoop Dogg to Aaron Rodgers, Darlow recently partnered with Pitt football to help its athletes prepare for their futures through his online course, The Darlow Rules.

Speaking to reporters on a Zoom conference call Friday, Darlow said he often has sat down with pro and college athletes for serious conversations.

“I asked, ‘What do you want to do outside of sports? If you could do anything else besides play this game, what would it be?’ ” he said.

“Three quarters of the time, kids don’t have answers.”

In light of the NCAA board of governors’ recent recommendation that would allow student-athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi recognized the inherent complexities and wanted to get ahead of this new reality in college athletics.

“Pat reached out,” Darlow said. “His whole focus is how to help these kids and set them up for success after sports. He was very much concerned with how do we keep these kids on the trajectory we want them on.

“It took me about five minutes to realize his mission was lined up with mine. It’s not about the next three or four years. It’s about the next 30 or 40.”

Darlow said the main thrust of his efforts is aimed at the majority of collegiate athletes unable to turn pro.

“It’s not about signing shoe deals. It’s not about endorsements. It’s not about cashing checks for me,” he said. “It’s about we need to teach these kids how to build a plan for life after sports. We need to teach them what they need to know to have success when they take the jersey off for the last time.

“The 1 percent, 2 percent that are going to make it to the NFL, I’m happy to help them,” he said. “But my job for them and the rest of the 98 percent who do not go on to play professional sports is to prepare them for life after the game. I’m just as excited to work for the last player on the bench on the volleyball team.”

Darlow said the recent downturn in the economy tied to the global pandemic may create a difficult job market for college graduates. It also could impact endorsement deals for star athletes.

“I don’t see the number of athletes earning life-changing endorsements going up,” he said. “If anything, because of the situation we’re in financially, across the board, all industries, I would imagine those endorsements are going to go down. These kids need to understand just because you can earn money based on your likeness doesn’t mean you will.

“We need to teach these kids to start thinking about those things, thinking about their future as soon as they step on campus, not two weeks before they graduate. The timing is right, absolutely, because the kids need to start thinking about their future, especially under the circumstances.”

He said each lesson in The Darlow Rules is “easy to consume, short and snackable.”

“Every lesson is less than four minutes long,” he said. “I don’t care how many practices coach asks you to go through, every single person can carve out four minutes a day, four minutes a week, to learn and grow.”

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