Supporting Roles

Security for NFL Team

A job title need not limit the type of responsibilities you can take over through learning what is needed and offering to take on extra duties, then performing beyond expectations. All this may lead to job security and career satisfaction even if your job title remains the same.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

Dominic DiSandro (DD) was born in ‘South Philly.’ His family eventually moved to the Northeast section of the city.

(Editor – The newspaper article upon which this story is based did not provide any details regarding DD’s parents: their occupations and whether they were either a direct or indirect influence upon DD’s eventual career paths.)

EDUCATION

While attending a city public high school, DD played football, where his coach recalled him as a “pretty good player.” But it was his strength in the weight room, as a power lifter, which earned a scholarship to the main campus of Penn State University.

While DD was a member of the college football team, participating in all their activities from daily field practices to classroom and game film study of position assignments, plus dressing in full uniform to charge onto the field among the throng of players, to the roar of the Nittany Lion fans just before the kickoff, DD never played in an official game.

(Editor – If you are a member of a sports team at any level of play – high school, college, or pro – but the coach never puts you onto the field (or court), there are still many benefits from being a team member, ranging from the camaraderie at the time, character building, improving physical fitness and often making a few life-long friendships.)

EARLY THOUGHTS OF AN ADULT CAREER PATH

With his sports management degree from Penn State, DD had hoped to become an agent for pro sports players or a scout to assess potential athletic recruits.

(Editor – The news article provided no reasons for DD to have chosen the career paths of either a sports agent or a scout. But it is reasonable to assume from DD’s participation in football in both high school and college, that he liked being an athlete and realized that after his days of playing sports would end, he was interested in continuing involvement with sports, either as a ‘scout’ looking for the next generation of athletes or as an ‘agent’ representing athletes during their financial negotiations while also providing life advice.

COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE AND CONTACTS MAY HELP LAND A JOB

(Editor – The news article provided no specifics about DD’s activities – either for pay or just ‘hanging out’ – immediately following his college graduation. But from the rest of DD’s story, it is reasonable to assume that he was the type to easily create a wide circle of friends and know his way around the city, including restaurants, neighborhoods and who was important in each of those realms, including business owners, landlords and local police.)

RANDOM MEETING MAY LEAD TO AN ENTRY LEVEL JOB AND LATER TO A CAREER

(Editor – This collection of career stories defines “Luck” as “experience meets opportunity.”)

The Philadelphia Eagles needed someone from the community who knew a lot of local people and could use those connections to quietly interact on behalf of the team to assist players unfamiliar with the city, to find good housing and restaurants and also, to resolve situations which may arise among any group of well-paid young men who, to this point in their lives, had been able to succeed at a high level with their talent, often leading to public admiration and occasionally, excuses for minor misconduct.

DD was among the community names mentioned to the then Eagles General Manager (GM), who arranged a brief meeting, was impressed by what he saw (DD is physically the size of a pro football lineman) and more importantly, what DD had to say about his community ties, his apparent ‘can do’ personality and willingness to work without publicity.

DD was hired initially as an assistant to the Eagles’ Director of Security, which involved helping with small jobs, becoming the players’ liaison to team coaches and others in management while the Head Coach and the GM handled high-level projects involving player personnel issues.

When the Director of Security retired, the Eagles hired a former state police officer, who brought a rigid approach to the job, had less community connections than DD and ‘departed’ in less than a year, opening an opportunity for the Eagles to promote DD to Head of Security since he had the opportunity over the past several years to demonstrate his daily availability, his knowledge of the community, his positive attitude and his tact in dealing privately to resolve a wide variety of player personnel problems, ranging from minor police interactions to working with airport officials to delay a charter plane’s take-off so a player could be present for his wife to deliver their baby.

CHALLENGE – USING MISCONDUCT AS A LIFE LESSON

In addition to DD gaining worldly experience within the local city neighborhoods, another factor would be significant to DD’s personal development and how he dealt with others: DD had been involved in some ‘misconduct’ while a student and a player at Penn State, which led to his dismissal from the team but not expulsion from the university.

The exact circumstances of unspecified ‘misconduct’ by DD which led to his dismissal from the Penn State football team are unknown. There is no record of any criminal charges. The most that DD has confessed about his situation at Penn State, is to confide to others that “Aw, I was getting in trouble up at Penn State. That was dumb.”

Regardless of the cause for his dismissal from the team, the experience influenced DD’s career path and has allowed him to have empathy for players, especially those who get involved in minor misconduct situations. DD has also used his experience to show sincere humility and demonstrate to others that a (relatively minor) mistake in (early) life need not derail a career.

Said a former player and still a friend of DD: “He sees so many guys out there who could go down a path that’s wrong, because he could have done the same thing himself, and now he’s out there helping them.”

KEYS TO SUCCESS WORKING WITH PEOPLE

(Editor – A “Trusted Confidant” is not an official job title or career but to achieve such recognition by others will guarantee both job security and career satisfaction. The formal definition of a ‘trusted confidant’ is someone you feel comfortable telling secret or private things. The term is gender neutral.)

DD is often the first member of the organization to greet the new Eagles when they arrive in Philadelphia. By then, he may have already traveled to their home area to introduce himself, get to know the player’s background and quietly locate the players’ community contacts to learn more about the player than could be understood from a brief, formal, team interview.

One of DD’s first discussions with the new player is about DD’s role in their relationship, i.e., that he’s there to protect them but also there to warn them that one of the fastest ways out of the NFL is “to do dumb stuff off the field.”

For gun owners, DD informs them of different laws for carrying weapons in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey. One player hadn’t known that his driver’s license had been suspended in his distant home state – for unpaid parking tickets. This is an example of the detailed, quiet background checks which DD undertakes to help each player and therefore help the team to run – and play – smoothly without having to worry about off-the field problems which can be managed for the players by others within the organization.

Most players, by and large, avoid transgressions and stay out of DD’s “doghouse.” But there are some who need to be ‘reprogrammed.’ He gets most to buy in to achieving the required level of self-discipline to perform well on the field and resist using their celebrity to avoid being irresponsible off the field.

A former Eagles Head Coach once lectured the players to respect DD; don’t abuse him by asking him to get you out of frequent or serious trouble.

The keys to DD’s success as Head of Security and player confidant seem to be:

Get to know each player personally – their backgrounds including family.
Show each person that you sincerely care about their well-being, not just as a performer.
Distinguish between people who need motivation and those who need discipline.
Use humor to keep situations light; this may include sharing funny, stupid things you have done.
Brief sharing of your similar problems helps others relate to you as a person who has succeeded despite those problems which you have overcome.
Be very careful if and how you would ever disclose information shared with you on a private, confidential basis. For example, an Eagles player eventually disclosed his problem with depression – how it took a long time to deal with it privately. The player had earlier disclosed his problem to DD, who maintained the confidentiality of the disclosure. The most DD might say to others about a private conversation with a player involving the player’s serious ‘problem’ is to approach a coach and say: “You might want to check in on X, based on what you may have recently observed, not anything heard from me.” DD did not necessarily use that approach to help the player but rather, counseled him to get professional help and disclose his situation to the team when he felt comfortable doing so.

(Editor – These keys are applicable to dealing with co-workers in any business.)

CAREER SATISFACTION

By quietly offering to take on additional responsibilities beyond the formal, written job description of ‘Head of Security’ DD gained the trust of his supervisors and the players who came to rely on his judgment, serving as a father figure, older brother or as a psychologist and sometimes as ‘law enforcer’ – whatever the player and situation requires.

Thus, DD’s job title doesn’t do justice to describe his expanded responsibilities and how he is trusted by all levels of the team, ranging from entry level employees to players, coaches, and the front office, including the team’s owner.

A former Head Coach observed about DD: “He should be Head of (Team) Psychology. He’s a confidant to players, adviser to coaches. He’s the front office’s off-field eyes and ears. He has the pulse of not just the team but the entire franchise and understands the dynamics. He doesn’t lean one way or the other. He listens to you and understands what you’re going through and kind of helps you get through it all the time. He’s got a unique gift. His loyalty to individuals, to everybody – sometimes it’s hard because there’s different sides and there’s different factions. DD is sort of like Switzerland because he’s neutral in everything.”

This career story is based on an article written by Jeff McLane, published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on January 15, 2023.