PBFN Partners with The Westport Group to Form a New Type of Professional Athlete Brand Management Agency- Phokus Studios June 2007 Phokus (www.phokusstudios.com) is aimed at being a branding, marketing and design studio primarily for professional athletes. Using the name and identity an athlete has built throughout their professional careers, Phokus helps them succeed in business ventures off the court or field. Services range from locating sponsorship/endorsement opportunities, business development counseling to general public/media relations.

PBFN/OT Magazine Sponsor Aces 4 Bases Spring 2007 Some of Major League Baseball’s professional and retired greats, including Barry Bonds, Kenny Lofton, Gary Matthews Jr., and Chili Davis, participated in the Bobby Bonds Sr.’s Aces 4 Bases Spring Training 2007 Charity Poker Event. Sponsored by PBFN and OT, this was a rare opportunity to play poker next to notable athletes in honor of Bobby Bonds, Sr. and raise funds for The Metropolitan Junior Baseball League. Find out about the 2008 event.

PBFN and OT cited in recent WSJ.com article as a resource for young athletes to turn to for advice on everything from real estate to retirement. March 2007

OT Magazine Partners with Ninth Annual Player's Gala January 2007 Corporate sponsors, celebrities, professional athletes, and entertainers will join NFL Players for a weekend of live entertainment and South Beach fashion at the original Player's Gala Weekend.

Ryan McNeil, PBFN CEO, featured in Millionaire Magazine January 2007

The Post-Game Show Summer 2006 Patrick Sauer interviews five professional athletes on their post-game initiatives for this feature article in Success Magazine. Profiled athletes include Ryan McNeil, Franco Harris, Brian Jordan, Frank Masley, and Jennifer Azzi. Request full article.

Q&A with PBFN's CEO, Ryan D. McNeil June 2006 Former NFL player Ryan McNeil started planning his entrepreneurial life while his football career was just getting started. Read his recent interview with Sole Proprietor Magazine about PBFN, OT Magazine, and his advice for other entrepreneurs. More

OverTime Magazine Provides Athlete VIP Swag Bags to The Billies April 20, 2006 OverTime (OT) Magazine and PBFN supported the Women's Sports Foundation by providing the athlete VIP gift bags for The Billies. OT, which caters to a high end and luxury audience, created customized and unique swag bags for 25 VIP female athlete with items ranging from accessories and cosmetics, to fitness and outdoor adventure products. More

OT Magazine Goes Digital with OT-online.com April 19, 2006 OverTime (OT) Magazine, the leading business and lifestyle magazine for professional athletes and sports industry insiders, announces the launch of its website, www.ot-online.com. The new website, which was designed by americaneagle.com, will house all of the content found within the pages of OT, as well as original content, readers’ polls, and special advertising sections. More

OverTime (OT) Magazine Announces the Finalists for the 2006 OTX Awards February 3, 2006 The 2006 OTX list of finalists, which was unveiled at the Player Networking Event at Super Bowl XL, consists of 50 candidates across 10 categories. This year’s class includes: Tiger Woods (OT MVP); Michael Jordan (OT MVP); Lance Armstrong (Lifelong Service); Kyle Petty (Outstanding Foundation); Tim Brown (Best New Company); and Mia Hamm (Outstanding Foundation). More

Player Networking Event to Bring Active and Former NFL Players and Corporations Together During Super Bowl XL in Detroit January 11, 2006 OT Magazine and PBFN participating in exclusive, sanctioned event focuses on career transition and exposure to business opportunities. More

Taking on a Life of Its Own: OverTime Magazine January 2006 Folio:’s second annual edition of startup stories explores the challenges faced and lessons learned by the principals of a vibrant group of five recent magazine launches. More

Going OverTime August 2005 OT Awards honor athletes for business and philanthropy. More

OT Magazine and the PBFN Foundation Sponsor Women's Sports Foundation's Athlete Education Programs September 29, 2005 OverTime (OT) Magazine, the business and lifestyle magazine for professional athletes and sports industry insiders, in conjunction with the PBFN Foundation, announces its participation as a supporting sponsor for the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Athlete Education Programs. More

OT Magazine Opens Call for Nominations for 2006 OTX Awards September 15, 2005 The 2nd Annual Awards celebrate the achievements of current and retired professional athletes in their business and philanthropic endeavors; focusing on the positive contributions athletes make to the community, as well as their entrepreneurial successes. Nominations are being accepted through December 16, 2005 at www.pbfn.org/otX_Nominations.asp. More

Ryan McNeil on ESPN Cold Pizza July 29, 2005 Ryan sits down with Jay Crawford on Cold Pizza to discuss the anniversary issue of OT Magazine, PBFN and a little football.

OverTime (OT) Magazine's Anniversary Issue Now Available July 27, 2005 OverTime (OT) Magazine, the business and lifestyle magazine for professional athletes and sports industry insiders, announces its Anniversary issue is now available. The issue, which features Muhammad Ali as the first person pictured on its cover, offers exclusive feature stories about the winners of this year's OT 10 Awards, including Gale Sayers, George Foreman, Franco Harris, Muhammad Ali, and Billie Jean King; business-related stories such as the potential risks and rewards of endorsements, planning for life after sports, and protecting your identity; and lifestyle features, including exclusive Cabo San Lucas residential hot spots. More

Ryan McNeil interview on ProSports Radio June 10, 2005 Listen to the interview now.

Attend the Troupe 21 Player Networking Event at Super Bowl XXXIX January 2005

Sponsored by OT Magazine, the event brings athletes and businesses together to network and help athletes with career transition. Find out more.

Life Beyond the Game November/December 2003

Each issue, Turning Point Magazine chronicles a positive change, or "turning point" in the lives of individuals and organizations. Read Full Article

San Diego Magazine Profile - Ryan McNeil September 2003

In a surprise preseason move, the San Diego Chargers released cornerback Ryan McNeil...illustrating the need for NFL players to secure their futures by learning good business strategies. And McNeil happens to run a company that does just that. Read Full Article

Igniting the Pilot - Chargers DB McNeil helps athletes find new passion June 2003

For most NFL players, football is a passion - an ardent affection and lifelong devotion that has consumed an extraordinary amount of time in players' lives. They pursue their dreams, and whether or not they achieve everything they hope to accomplish on the field, a time inevitably comes when their bodies can no longer hold up or when younger talent arrives and they are forced out of the game. If players don't have another passion to pursue, their lives almost always go in a tailspin. Read Full Article

McNeil is prepared for life after football May 2003

A self-proclaimed "retired-athlete-in-training," McNeil, 32, seems to comprehend better than most of his peers the transient nature of a business in which the average shelf-life remains less than four seasons. More important, he has embraced the critical notion of making his peak earning years work for him, and of investing in his football afterlife. Read Full Article

Taking the Offensive May 2003

The world of the urban, professional athlete is one of multi-million dollar contracts with lavish lifestyles and accompanying fame. Although seemingly a financial match made in heaven, without the proper resources and educations, his or her future could end before even thinking about retiring from the game. Read Full Article

PBFN: The Vision Of Ryan McNeil March 2003

We constantly see the stories on TV and in sports sections every day. Team X just signed Joe Somebody to a x-year contract for x million dollars, including a x million signing bonus. Some look with distain, others look and say "Boy, he's set for life". However, San Diego Charger cornerback Ryan McNeil, a 10-year veteran of the NFL, has seen the need to help his fellow athletes prepare for life after the cheering stops. Read Full article

San Diego Charger and PBFN founder Ryan McNeil to receive NV Award February 2, 2003

NV Magazine, a leading business magazine targeted to young black professionals, will present Ryan McNeil, San Diego Charger and founder/CEO of the Professional Business and Financial Network (PBFN). Full Story

Ryan McNeil prepares for life after the NFL (South Florida Sun Sentinel) November 23, 2002

He left as a precocious kid, a scholastic and athletic standout in Fort Pierce who had become a Jim Thorpe candidate at Miami and itched to enter the pro football world. Ryan McNeil returns a decade later, as a Chargers cornerback with 31 career interceptions and as a self-proclaimed "retired-player-in-training". Ready to enter the real world. Ready to help colleagues enter with him. Full Story

Around the Corner At age 32, Fort Pierce Native and NFL Pro Bowler Ryan McNeil contemplates life after football November 20, 2002

At 32, an age when many NFL defensive backs are past their prime, McNeil is playing his best football. But that hasn't stopped the Fort Pierce Westwood graduate from thinking about his future. Now he wants his peers to do the same. Full Story

Their Time Has Come For Building Business (Minority Business Journal) June, 2002

Like the difficult transition from college football to the NFL, it's nearly impossible to anticipate or prepare for everything you're about to face when you start a business. Most people who decide to take that step do not understand the intricacies and often underestimate the effort required.
Full Story

McNeil Helps Players Manage Their Money June 17, 2002

Lost a million there. Got hoodwinked over here. Bad deals, bad business and scary prospects about their futures, for some, can be overwhelming. Profiled in the June 17, 2002 edition of The New York Times, PBFN founder and CEO, Ryan McNeil, discusses how he hopes to help professional athletes avoid financial and professional pitfalls through the formation of PBFN. Full Story

George Gendron, editor in chief of Inc. magazine, resigns June 2, 2002

PBFN Board Member George Gendron is leaving the publication he joined more than 20 years ago to take part in the entrepreneurial culture that he chronicled in Inc's pages. Gendron plans to work with start-up companies, one being PBFN, helping to develop business plans and raise capital.
Full Story

Some NFL Players Trying to Help Others Manage Their Millions May 23, 2002

A few weeks after Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Troy Vincent was born, an insurance salesman knocked on his grandmother's door and said he wanted to discuss the family's financial security... Full Story

Group hopes to outfit athletes for life when pro careers end May 6, 2002

They're showered with fame, glory and multimillion-dollar salaries. Young athletes may look like they have it made, but careers are often short, and financial success can evaporate quickly, says Ryan McNeil, a defensive back for the San Diego Chargers. Full Story

Freeing athletes from future shock May 5, 2002

Making a cushy, six-figure salary in his prime NBA playing days in the mid-1980s, Otis Birdsong had seemingly everyone under the sun offering him some type of business venture. Full Story

Dallas confab will lure, aid pro athletes April 5, 2002

In 1970, Roger Staubach was 27 years old, the father of three and a rookie in the National Football League. Staubach practiced football for the Dallas Cowboys almost every day, both in-season and out. But he was also beginning to think about life once his playing career was over. Full Story

McNeil Forms Athlete Network April 5, 2002

San Diego Chargers veteran Pro Bowl defensive back Ryan McNeil has formed the Professional Business and Financial Network, an association to help professional athletes establish businesses and careers after their playing days are over. Full Story