How did you start your career in the NFL?
I started my career in sports nutrition about 20 years ago. I graduated with a degree in nutrition and soon got a job in the hospital. Within six months, I realized that it wasn’t for me and I wanted to work with healthy people. The University of Florida has an internship at the Faculty of Sport and Nutrition. It took a long time and I didn’t have enough money, but I applied because it was at the front door. I got a job and within 6 months they hired me full time. The first five years of my career were at college level.
I came from a long line of entrepreneurs and wanted to do my own personal practice. I opened it up and worked with everyone, from high school athletes to Olympic athletes to the guys on the PGA Tour. Then Tom Myslinski, then Head Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Jaguars, contacted me and said they were looking for a nutritionist and my names came up one after another. He asked, “Will you come to chat with me?”
I went to the facility thinking it would be a 30-minute chat, and five hours later I talked to the general manager, the head coach, and almost everyone in the building to work. I came to consult once a week. Within two years I was hired full time. Therefore, since April 2014, we have been assigning assistants from consultants to the entire department, and we are growing little by little every year. It was great.
What was your role when you first signed with Jaguar full-time?
Let’s say you have 100 players. About 30 people are very interested in nutrition and 30 are in the middle of the road and need a little guidance, but they understand it. The remaining one-third are genetic freaks who ate hamburgers. The chicken wings flap their wings for the rest of their lives, and I don’t understand the meaning of change. You choose your fight. When I first started, I was working with 500 athletes at the University of Florida at a time, so I knew how to get the job done. So, instead of planning a diet for all players, work with strength and exercise training staff to identify and identify red-flag players who are constantly cramped or pulling or injuring hamstrings. Look for people, gain their trust and help them understand the plan in terms of their nutrition.
At other times, I will actually help the kitchen with a meal that is in favor of our players. Instead of keeping a chili cheese dog before practice, try to find a healthier option. Then on match day, there are many players working on gastrointestinal problems. Many of them don’t want to admit that it’s nervous, but many of them will have a GI, they get angry that they think it’s from what they ate the night before. .. Therefore, if they know that this is happening every week, there is a lot of education and support to find something that alleviates the problem.
You mentioned the expansion of the department. Now that you have more help, what is your daily schedule?
One-third of my day is a meeting with coaching staff, strength coaches and trainers. Along with this, a lot of management work is currently being carried out. Another one-third is to be around at meal time and see where everyone is. If you go to breakfast and see a player eating only two bacon, check in with him to see what’s going on. Then the last part pops out to practice and study new hydration and other nutritional products and tests.
