Linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, Shaun Phillips is changing the game on and off the field. A self-proclaimed “CEO all day, clubber at night,” this 28-year-old NFL star who has been connected to the likes of Khloe Kardashian, pre-Lamar Odom, is utilizing his time during off-season to build his brand beyond the field.
When I sat down with Shaun for this interview, he instantly gave off that calm, cool and collected vibe. No ego to be found, just someone you’d want to chill with whether he was a professional athlete or not. He was dressed to impress after having spent the morning down at the New York Stock Exchange, then had plans to hit up a movie premiere and Juelz Santana concert later that night. Sounds busy, but he seemed to handle the heavy schedule with no problem at all.
Besides building his brand in the off-season, Shaun spends time at his condo in Miami, travels “a lot,” particularly to Brazil where I hear the women are the sexiest on earth. Coincidence? Not too sure, but who could blame him? He definitely deserves it after figuring out a way to dedicate his time, effort and money to helping children DURING his games.
Shaun created a program 3 years ago called “Touchdown Shutdown,” which has grown to include 14 NFL players. Every time a player makes a certain play, depending on their position, the player will donate $1,000 to the program which goes to fund enriching after school activities for at-risk youth. For example, since Shaun is a linebacker, every time he gets a sack, he’ll donate $1,000. Every time Darrelle Revis, cornerback for the NY Jets gets an interception he’ll donate $1,000 as well. There’s nothing better than people who are willing to donate their money to a good cause-and this is exactly what these men are doing.
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As my favorite girl next door and avid Chargers fan, Kendra Wilkinson has said, NFL stands for “Not For Long,” but Shaun has found a way to work past that. Dedicating his time off the field to building the Shaun Phillips brand so that when it comes time for NFL retirement, it’ll just mean the beginning of a new era.
As a girl who lives, breathes and sleeps music, Shaun had be biting my tongue when he told me he had 17,000 songs on his iPod. He’s a “hip hop dude” listening to artists such as Drake, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z because as a professional athlete he can relate to Jay-Z rhyming about his Hermes belt buckle.
Educated entrepreneur, businessman, philanthropist and professional athlete. What more could you ask for?
Follow Shaun @ShaunPhillips95
-RachelSamara | follow me @rachelsamara
