Bristol, CT – July 1, 2015 – Studio W: Justin Tuck on the set of NFL Live
(Photo by Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images)
NEW YORK — Justin Tuck would like to see more technology go into football helmets.
The former defensive end’s interest in that space is natural after donning a helmet in 11 seasons in the NFL, as he chased after quarterbacks and twice became a Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowler.
Retirement has brought him to take on a MBA program at the Wharton School of Business, and life after playing football for the New York Giants and Oakland Raiders also includes tech investing.
Tuck was among the attendees Wednesday at Deloitte’s Israel Dealmakers Summit, which brought together influencers in sports tech and retail tech with stakeholders from Israel.
Tuck said he has invested in tech — declining to go into detail — and explained that of the businesses he is involved with, tech was an area that was lacking the most.
“Events like this keep me up to date,” Tuck said. “It definitely puts more things in front of me that are interesting that I can go back and research. I’m new to the tech space. I’m just trying to not be an old dinosaur when tech takes over the world as it already kinda has.”
Tuck has been described as “more of a risk-taker” in his family when it comes to investing. At the same time, when asked about other athletes who were diving head-first into investing, Tuck replied that he was doing his own thing.
“If I was investing in tech because somebody else did it, I’m in it for the wrong reasons. It’s interesting for me to know. I do my due diligence around it and if it’s for me in that capacity, then I’ll get involved.”
Tuck, 34, said he was following what the NFL Players Association was doing with OneTeam Collective, the athlete-driven business accelerator for companies looking to incorporate sports strategies that launched in December.
“I think it’s an interesting play,” Tuck said. “Hopefully it works out. Hopefully it’ll be the start of something bigger than what it is now, and maybe it’ll be an opportunity for more of these types of investments not only from the Collective, but from the individual as well.”
