Dr. Thom Mayer

Met my wife Maureen there. She was a newborn ICU flight nurse. I was a pediatric trauma fellow. Just a magical series of serendipitous circumstances.

Met my wife Maureen there. She was a newborn ICU flight nurse. I was a pediatric trauma fellow. Just a magical series of serendipitous circumstances.

People ask me all the time, how do I build my resume to get a job like yours as the medical director of the NFL Players Association? And my answer is, I became the medical director on August 1st, 2001. Corey Stringer, a tackle for the Vikings, died inexplicably of heat stroke. And I got a phone call. The phone call was from Gene Upshaw, then the executive director of the NFLPA.

People ask me all the time, how do I build my resume to get a job like yours as the medical director of the NFL Players Association? And my answer is, I became the medical director on August 1st, 2001. Corey Stringer, a tackle for the Vikings, died inexplicably of heat stroke. And I got a phone call. The phone call was from Gene Upshaw, then the executive director of the NFLPA.

And he called me not because he had done a resume search, but he called me because we were best friends. And we were best friends because his youngest and my youngest were best friends. Our families had had countless dinners. We coached tee ball together. We coached football together. And so he called me because he knew me and he trusted me.

And he called me not because he had done a resume search, but he called me because we were best friends. And we were best friends because his youngest and my youngest were best friends. Our families had had countless dinners. We coached tee ball together. We coached football together. And so he called me because he knew me and he trusted me.

So I always tell people, don't build resumes, build relationships. And I think that's the key, particularly as we move forward. And so I've been doing that for the last 23 plus years. And it's been an honor and a privilege to be a part of guiding the health and safety of our 2,500 players per year.

So I always tell people, don't build resumes, build relationships. And I think that's the key, particularly as we move forward. And so I've been doing that for the last 23 plus years. And it's been an honor and a privilege to be a part of guiding the health and safety of our 2,500 players per year.

You know, when our boys were younger, I used to take them to school every day I was in town. When I dropped them off, I always said precisely the same thing. One more step in the journey of discovering where your deep joy intersects the world's deep needs. I swear I said this to them. You have to start with your deep joy, not the world's deep needs. The world's There's no bottom to that well.

You know, when our boys were younger, I used to take them to school every day I was in town. When I dropped them off, I always said precisely the same thing. One more step in the journey of discovering where your deep joy intersects the world's deep needs. I swear I said this to them. You have to start with your deep joy, not the world's deep needs. The world's There's no bottom to that well.

But if you start with your deep joy, with passion that drives you, why you do what you do. And that has been a constant in the job because, you know, Lord Acton said, as you know, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. NFL is now, was then in 2001. the most powerful sports organization in their business in the world.

But if you start with your deep joy, with passion that drives you, why you do what you do. And that has been a constant in the job because, you know, Lord Acton said, as you know, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. NFL is now, was then in 2001. the most powerful sports organization in their business in the world.

And keeping in mind that the deep joy of representing the health and safety needs of our 2,500 player patients, that's not the same interest as the NFL, which represents the interest of 32 billionaires who are the owners of the clubs. And so, you know, you just have to be willing to stay constant to that.

And keeping in mind that the deep joy of representing the health and safety needs of our 2,500 player patients, that's not the same interest as the NFL, which represents the interest of 32 billionaires who are the owners of the clubs. And so, you know, you just have to be willing to stay constant to that.

It was true in the concussion crisis when we recognized there was a problem that had to be fixed. We, the NFLPA, Sean Sansevieria, our attorney at the time, and I wrote the original concussion protocols. And there was significant pushback from the NFL, different commissioner and different medical director and chair of what was then called the MTBI committee. We stayed constant to that.

It was true in the concussion crisis when we recognized there was a problem that had to be fixed. We, the NFLPA, Sean Sansevieria, our attorney at the time, and I wrote the original concussion protocols. And there was significant pushback from the NFL, different commissioner and different medical director and chair of what was then called the MTBI committee. We stayed constant to that.

And now, you know, we're at a place where the league takes great pride in calling them the NFL concussion protocols. That's great, as long as it's for the good of my player patients. But having the courage, the integrity to stand up and say, no, we are going to have guidelines. And these are the scientific protocols that are our best knowledge at this time.

And now, you know, we're at a place where the league takes great pride in calling them the NFL concussion protocols. That's great, as long as it's for the good of my player patients. But having the courage, the integrity to stand up and say, no, we are going to have guidelines. And these are the scientific protocols that are our best knowledge at this time.

The book, as you know, is kind of a litany, very brief, 176 pages of contrarian types of statements, starting with the title, Leadership is Worthless, but Leading is Priceless. What I learned at 9-11, the NFL, and Ukraine. You know, when I was called to the Pentagon on 9-11, I was a command physician at the And I got there.

The book, as you know, is kind of a litany, very brief, 176 pages of contrarian types of statements, starting with the title, Leadership is Worthless, but Leading is Priceless. What I learned at 9-11, the NFL, and Ukraine. You know, when I was called to the Pentagon on 9-11, I was a command physician at the And I got there.