Some retired athletes become directionless in retirement.
They have millions of dollars in the bank but no clear vision on what comes next.
Vernon Davis is the opposite. The Pro Bowl tight end’s 14-year NFL career wrapped in 2019, and since then he’s been a blur of productivity.
Davis co-owns multiple restaurants, has a stake in professional basketball and soccer franchises, and has become one of the more recognizable ex-athletes in Hollywood, transitioning from star football player to actor, director and producer.
“When I was playing the game, I didn’t quite know exactly what the blueprint would be,” Davis told Heavy in an exclusive interview. “I didn’t know how everything was going to manifest. Once I stopped playing, I just went with the flow and found joy in a lot of the things I was doing.”
Davis Finds Entertainment Niche
Davis has been in movies with Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis and John Malkovich, and has produced nine film and television projects in the past few years.
Davis recently lived in Las Vegas for two months as he shot ‘Rock the Block,’ the home renovation show that airs on HGTV.
He also played an imprisoned father in the short film Diamond, a coming-of-age story about a star basketball player with a broken home life.
“As far as writing, and film, and being in the world of entertainment, it’s kind of like a snowball effect,” Davis said. “Once you do something, it just keeps on going. Things are starting to come together.”
Davis was drawn to Diamond because it had parallels to his own childhood, which he described as ‘a lot of brokenness’ where his grandparents, not his parents, raised him.
“I know what that feels like, because I watched my mom struggle — not having her come to school projects, games,” Davis said. “So it was a lot of synergy I could pull from, and it was a project I really wanted to take on.”
Diamond won Best Indie Short at the Oniros Film Awards and the People’s Choice Award for Narrative Short at the inaugural SPILL Short Film Festival.
Davis said the feedback has been positive as many people can relate to the storyline.
“Whenever you’re creating content, especially film, I feel like someone should be able to see their life in it,” Davis said. “The message beneath it is showing someone that they’re not alone. This is something that someone else is going through, and you can see it in this film. When you see that, you kind of become inspired and know that everything is going to be OK. That’s what I want this project to mean to someone else.”
No Expiration Date on Film Career
Davis was an exception to the rule when it came to his NFL career, playing for 14 seasons. But he was still retired by 35, an age when most people are still in the middle of their professional lives.
Davis could have taken things slow after football, but it’s been full steam ahead, and he’s excited for what’s to come.
He continues to invest in different entrepreneurial opportunities, and said he wants to continue acting and producing for the rest of his life.
“I feel like the longer you do it, the more you do it, the better you get,” Davis said. “This is a space where you can continue to grow and grow.”
Vernon Davis Staying Busy In Retirement: Exclusive