In the ever-changing world of college athletics, new roles are being created, and Las Vegas Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby is the latest to get in on the action.
His alma mater, Eastern Michigan, announced that they have hired Crosby as their new Assistant General Manager.
Crosby is the first active NFL player to take on a role like this, but not the first professional athlete. Earlier this year, NBA star Steph Curry was hired by his alma mater Davidson in a similar role.
“There is no place more important to my personal and athletic development than Eastern Michigan University,” Crosby said in a statement. “It truly is an honor for me to not only be named the Assistant GM of the EMU, but together with my wife Rachel, make another donation aimed at creating opportunities for other athletes to be impacted by the EMU program, community, students, and alumni.”
Raiders Maxx Crosby Named Assistant GM At Eastern Michigan
According to ESPN, Crosby will help with the evaluation of high school and transfer portal prospects, manage its NIL budget, and also serve as a special assistant to fundraising, alumni relations, and student-athlete support.
Athletic Director Scott Wetherbee said of the hire in a release, “Maxx Crosby’s return to EMU in this leadership role is a transformative moment for our football program. His passion, vision, and generosity are inspiring, and the Maxx Match is a powerful example of that…With him on board, we’re building a better football program and a stronger future for EMU athletics.”
The Maxx Match that Wetherbee is referring to is a program that Crosby launched where he will personally match all donations to the football program up to $100,000 by the end of May. In 2023, he and his wife donated $1 million to the program.
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What will be interesting will be seeing how he allocates his time to do a lot of these tasks. There is plenty of downtime to be heavily involved in spring recruiting, but the signing period in December will come during the peak of the NFL season.
Maxx Crosby can be an innovator and an example of how to be successful in this space, which will certainly lead to more pro athletes returning to college programs in similar roles.