Because his father pursued a professional football career but was ultimately unable to make a living from doing it, having alternative paths to financial stability was always an important consideration for CB Peter Patterson of the Sarasota Sailfish. One angle from which he pursued this was by majoring in Mechanical Engineering while playing college ball at the University of Iowa. While he never ended up using his degree professionally, having that option helped him feel much more secure about setting his sights on professional football without risking financial ruin. Recently, however, as Patterson starts to consider his post-retirement plans, Patterson has been figuratively investing through networking for some alternative football careers besides competing on the field. In particular, he has been working with some sports networks like SET, providing analysis of game film and player stats in a few short segments here and there to gain familiarity with a potential post-playing career in sports broadcasting, and generating some film that he can use when looking for a full-time job as a TV personality after retirement. He has also spoken to some of the Sailfish management and coaching staff about the potential to help out as a coaching assistant for defensive backs. While his post-career plans at one point involved things totally unrelated to football, Patterson recently believes he will be able to find financial security even after playing just while sticking to sports.
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