Twenty-eight current and former NFL players will take part in the NFL Business Management & Entrepreneurial Program (BM&E) April 3-6 at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. This is one of several training programs for post-NFL careers that NFL Player Engagement offers to current and former players.

Participants will hear from University of Notre Dame faculty and successful business leaders. The program will kick off with presentations from four NFL Legends who applied learnings from past BM&E programs to launch their own business ventures and foundations including Notre Dame alumni Deke Cooper and Jeff Faine, as well as Charlie Batch and J.R. Tolver. Faine and Brady Quinn, a fellow Notre Dame alumnus and past participant in the BM&E Program, were instrumental in bringing the program to Notre Dame for the first time in 2013.

The program—developed jointly with NFL Player Engagement, Mendoza's Stayer Center for Executive Education and the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship—will cover topics such as financial literacy and analysis, investing for impact, and business plan development. Attendees will receive mentoring from Batch, Cooper, Faine and Tolver as well as the Irish Angels, a select group of investors within the Notre Dame community who advise and invest in start-ups. Throughout the four days, participants will work in groups to develop and deliver a business plan for the Business Pitch Competition that closes out the program.

"We believe in a shared responsibility to prepare our players for career opportunities after their NFL playing experience," said Kimberly Fields, Vice President of NFL Player Engagement. "This program provides education, mentoring, and hands-on experience for those looking to succeed in the business world."

"It is a pleasure again to have the opportunity to work with the NFL in presenting the Business Management & Entrepreneurial Program," said Paul Slaggert, Director of Non-Degree Programs for the Stayer Center for Executive Education at Notre Dame. "The ability to work with current and former NFL players who want to give back by starting or investing in new ventures that benefit their communities is extremely gratifying."

Players will be live blogging throughout the program, documenting their experience on www.NFLPE.sportsblog.com. Following is a list of participating players:

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About NFL Player Engagement

NFL Player Engagement assists players in reaching their highest potential on and off-the-field with guidance, support, and resources provided before, during, and after their NFL experiences. NFL Player Engagement works with three core audiences: Prep, Life, and Next. NFL Life (current players) and NFL Next (former players) reach more than 2,000 NFL players and spouses each year through a variety of programs and services focused on career development, financial and continuing education, as well as personal, psychological, and physical wellness. NFL Prep provides high-school and college student-athletes of all sports with tools to help them succeed in life, focused on awareness, prevention, and education. More information can be found at www.nflplayerengagement.com.

About Stayer Center for Executive Education

Founded in 1980, the University of Notre Dame's Stayer Center for Executive Education, located in the No. 1 ranked Mendoza College of Business, provides leaders in the executive and management ranks with the opportunity to develop and strengthen their leadership abilities and business acumen skills. The Stayer Center for Executive Education is dedicated to devel­oping leaders who succeed in today's global business world and are prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow. In keeping with the Notre Dame mission, the Stayer Center emphasizes values-centered leadership plus strategic thinking.  The Stayer Center offers non-degree programs in 10 countries (including open-enrollment, custom and online) and the Executive MBA degree program (No. 15 ranked) in South Bend and Chicago awarding about 120 degrees annually. All these programs are designed to meet a range of career and lifetime goals, for individuals as well as organizations.

About the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship

Located in the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship was founded in 1998 for the purpose of fostering innovation and infusing aspiring Notre Dame entrepreneurs with a sense of the possible.  Through rigorous coursework, its annual business plan competition, conferences, extensive networking and mentoring, and experiential learning opportunities, the Center provides students, alumni and faculty members with the knowledge and skills vital to entrepreneurship.  Gigot develops individuals who have a vision for a startup, as well as "intrapreneurs" who seek to bring innovation to an existing business. In keeping with the Mendoza College mission to Ask More of Business™, the Gigot Center actively supports the social entrepreneur who uses business skills and knowledge to serve the greater good.

Zane Beadles and Sam Young two @jaguars participating in NFL business management & entrepreneurial program April 3-6 at Notre Dame #Jaguars — J.P. Shadrick (@jpshadrick) March 31, 2014