Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — They are the defending Super Bowl champions and feature Patrick Mahomes, one of the NFL's marquee players, as their quarterback. The Kansas City Chiefs, in a decade under head coach Andy Reid, have become a model franchise others seek to emulate.

Former Gators All-American linebacker Brandon Siler spent two seasons with the Chiefs, the final one in 2012, the year before Reid took over and rejuvenated a franchise in pain.

Siler was hurting, too.

His aching stretched beyond the typical physical ailments associated with the demanding sport — Siler missed the 2011 season due to an Achilles' injury — or the team's 2-14 record the following season. Siler had to confront his future in a way he never imagined when he woke up on Dec. 1, 2012. It was a Saturday, and Siler headed to Kansas City's team facility to prepare for Sunday's home game against the Carolina Panthers.

When he arrived, Siler encountered a chaotic scene.

"I was pulling in when he did it,'' Siler said recently.
 

Siler's teammate and fellow linebacker Jovan Belcher fired a bullet into his right temple as then-head coach Romeo Crennel tried to convince the 25-year-old Belcher to put down the gun. Belcher's murder-suicide stunned the NFL and generated headlines around the globe. He had shot and killed his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins earlier in the morning, leaving their infant daughter Zoey without either of her biological parents.

Siler had become close with Belcher, a four-year veteran and the team's starting middle linebacker, and had seen Kasandra at a Trey Songz concert the previous night. When the Chiefs elected to play Sunday's game, Siler turned down offers to visit with grief counselors and spent Saturday night processing the events alone.

"Really close with him,'' Siler said recently. "Probably as close as anybody on the team."

Meanwhile, Siler had to replace Belcher on the field.

"Everywhere his name was, they scratched out his name and put my name," Siler said.

In their most inspired performance of the season, the Chiefs defeated Cam Newton and the Panthers on a somber day at Arrowhead Stadium. Siler started in place of Belcher the rest of the season, the final month of his NFL career.

The events of that Saturday morning shaped what Siler is doing today.

"When I first got done, I went back to Florida and finished my degree,'' Siler said. "After that [tragedy], I fell into my own mental-health funk. I knew I was going to retire. I've transitioned into business but still help athletes with their mental health and getting them well."

Siler and former UF tennis player Ryan Sherry — the two spent time as roommates at UF — are founders of Legacy Pro Sports, which states on its website that it's "a firm that offers assistance to retired NFL and MLB players, ensuring that their personal, financial and medical affairs are in order. Our team recognizes the challenges that former players face as they transition out of professional sports. Our ultimate purpose is to focus on the individual needs of each athlete, helping them maintain an outstanding quality of life after the game."

Siler earned an MBA following his playing career and is president of Legacy Pro Sports, with Sherry listed as vice president. They started the company in 2017 and, according to Siler, now represent more than 5,000 former players, many seeking post-playing disability benefits from the NFL for neurocognitive, orthopedic and total-permanent disability related to mental health issues.

Siler mentions his struggles with mental health in the two years following Belcher's death on his company's website: "This devastating event left Brandon disillusioned with the game, leading him to retire from football. Soon after, he found himself battling his own mental health issues, enduring two years of anxiety and depression, during which he attempted suicide twice."

Legacy Pro Sports, coupled with Pure Recovery California, a rehab center headquartered in Oxnard, Calif., form the operation Siler and Sherry use to help those players who need mental health assistance.
Siler said players visit the residential rehab facility located on the Pacific Ocean for anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and recovery from traumatic brain injuries, among other ailments.

"I started researching and researching,'' Siler said of the path that led him to his post-playing career. "I saw that five percent of all eligible NFL players were receiving any kind of disability. That just broke my heart. Somebody's got to do something about it. We started getting more and more efficient. We just grew it."

A member of Florida's 2006 national championship team, Siler was born in Daytona Beach and now makes his home in Orlando. He played at Evans High before signing with Florida, where in 2004, he became only the second true freshman in school history to lead the team in tackles (linebacker Scot Brantley was the first in 1976). Siler played four seasons for the Chargers and spent his final two seasons in Kansas City.

Legacy Pro Sports Foundation is holding its inaugural Pickle Ball and Golf Classic on Sunday and Monday at the Bella Collina Golf Club in Montverde as a fundraiser and charity event. For more information, you can visit the Instagram pages of Siler and Sherry.

Siler's second act was born out of tragedy and personal struggles, but he said he is in a much better place than a decade ago.

His playing days are behind him, and his goal is to help others perhaps avoid some of the dangers he experienced in trying to figure out what's next.

"I'm raising money for guys that don't have insurance,'' he said. "After five years out of the NFL, basically, guys run out of insurance. It would be really expensive to get them out to the facility. We had a guy going to the facility on a Friday, and he passed away on a Monday from an overdose-suicide. We want to be preventative about mental health.

"Everybody has their issues and problems. We basically spread the word and educate them that our facility is there to help, and that there is something that you could do about it. And that there's nothing wrong with you because you have these issues. It gives a lot of players hope."