Former Player Advisory Board

Bell, Jerry

Jerry Bell, former Third-round pick, enjoyed a five-year career in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prior to his NFL Career, Jerry attended Arizona State University receiving his B.A in Computer Information Systems. While playing tight end for the Buccaneers, Jerry also served as the teams United Way Spokesman, Team Captain, Player Rep to the NFLPA for two seasons while also achieving multiple Buccaneer Player of the Week awards, NFC Player of the Week Awards, etc.

During his playing career, Jerry devoted a lot of his time to giving back to his community by organizing food drives for the United Way, providing tickets to Buccaneer games for Boys and Girls Clubs, tutoring youths by helping them prepare for the College Entrance Exams (SAT and ACT), and hosting football camps for at-risk children. Jerry also earned his MBA from the University of Tampa during his playing years stating, “I always played football with the understanding that I would eventually have to do something following my playing days and I wanted to prepare for it.

Jerry post football professional career started within the technology sales environment by working at IBM, GE, and Oracle. Jerry and his wife Ruth established the Ruth and Jerry Bell Endowed Minority Scholarship and it has been going strong ever since for the last 25 years. They also recently established the Jerry and Ruth Bell W. P. Carey Black Student Success Endowment Scholarship at Arizona State University

Jerry is currently on the Board of Directors for the Reliaquest Bowl game and AdventHeath Hospital System and has served multiple terms as President of the Former Players NFLPA Tampa Chapter where he enjoys assisting Former players in utilizing their benefits and rights and assisting in their efforts to transition from professional football to post football life.

Collins, Marc

Marc was born and raised in Erlanger, KY where he attended Lloyd Memorial High School. He was a 3-sport athlete lettering in Football, Basketball and Tennis. Marc was All-State in all 3 sports. He went on to play collegiately at Eastern Kentucky University where he was a 4-year starter and helped lead The Colonels to 2 OVC Conference Championships. Marc was a placekicker and punter, and he went on to earn All Conference in both kicking and punting.  He was a consensus First Team All American in 1995 while leading Division 1-AA in Punting Average and Net Punting. His senior year he set a single season record for punting average which stood for 18 years. Marc was the Ohio Valley Conference Special Teams Player of the Year in 1995

Marc went on to sign a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks in 1996 and with the Buffalo Bills in 1997.

Marc has been inducted to the Lloyd Memorial High School Hall of Fame, Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and is a member of the Eastern Kentucky University All Century Team.

After football, Marc has had a successful business in the mortgage industry for over 23 years.

Marc is the current NFLPA Cincinnati Chapter President and was Chapter of the Year in 2021.

Davis, Wendell

Wendell Davis, former first-round pick, enjoyed a seven year career in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts. Played at LSU where he earned All-American Honors. Wendell is a graduate of North Park University with a degree in Organizational Management. He has broad experience in business which includes, Owner/Operator of Big League Barbers (Sports Themed Barbershop Franchise) and owner of Big Shoulders Inc. (FedEx Contractor).

Later in life decided to be a football coach and mentor which resulted in coaching football at all levels…Youth, High School, College and Professional. High premium on community development projects and non-profit organizations.

Currently, the Director of Minority Development for National Material L.P. (NMLP) in Elk Grove Village, IL., and recently served as the President of the NFLPA Chicago Chapter. Married to Tricia with three adult children and resides on Chicago’s South Side.

DesRochers, Dave

Dave DesRochers played collegiately for San Diego State University and was a dual letterman playing a season of basketball for the Aztecs in '85. Dave was selected to play in the '88 Hula Bowl collegiate all-star game. He was a 12th round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in '88. After one season with the team, he went into acting appearing in commercials, tv series & movies. In '91 he decided to give football another shot and then spent 2 seasons in the World League of Amercian Football before retiring to a successful 20-year career in the financial services industry.

He now is the founder and CEO of The 1st & Goal Project a 501 (c) 3 that helps former players, veterans, those formerly incarcerated and others to successfully transition or improve their social economic situation. Dave has been honored with recognitions from Congress and the Senate for his work in the veteran community. He has served as the VP for the Orange County Chapter for 5 years before being elected as the President in '23.

He is honored to have been selected by his peers to serve on the Former Players Advisory Board.

Faulkner, Dereck

Dereck Faulkner was a 4-year starter and 3x MEAC Conference all-academic team student-athlete. Dereck continued his education at George Washington University School of Business. He obtained an MBA degree, concentrating in Strategic Marketing and Nonprofit Management. Dereck is currently enrolled in a PhD in Management at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, concentrating on Executive Leadership and Designable Sustainable Systems. He is also a recipient of a Nonprofit research fellowship.

Dereck signed as a priority rookie free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2007 NFL draft as a professional athlete. Following his rookie season with the Eagles, he spent time with NFL, CFL, and UFL organizations over the next four football seasons.

Dereck founded The Athletes for Vets Foundation a 501c(3) recognized nonprofit organization. Dereck Faulkner founded E8 Management a strategic business development company with expertise in Sports, Entertainment, Tech, and Medical Devices. Having a passion for fashion, Dereck also founded a Custom Bespoke Suit company, Lewis Dean Bespoke specializes in custom courtier wear for professionals, fashion enthusiasts, and professional athletes. Lewis Dean Bespoke is a current rewards partner for the NFLPA discount program. Dereck’s commitment to philanthropy, enterprising, and humanitarianism has led to the success of his many business endeavors and passion projects.

Dereck Faulkner is the current President of the Former Players' New York/New Jersey Chapter and the youngest elected member of the NFLPA Former Player Advisory Board.

Harris, Walt

Walt Harris spent an impressive 13 years in the NFL. Walt was selected by the Chicago Bears as the 13th overall draft pick in the 1st Round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Harris played for four different franchises including the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders, and San Francisco 49ers. He finished his professional career as the 2007 NFC Defensive player of the week and month and earned a 2007 Pro Bowl Player nominee. Harris is a 2012 SEC Legends Inductee, 2017 Mississippi State Hall of Fame Inductee, 2018 Ring of Honor Inductee at Mississippi State, and the interception record-holder. Harris transferred his football prowess on the field into the overarching themes of spirituality, family life, friendships, and community service.

Harris has served on the Former Players Atlanta Chapter board for 6 years and is now in his second term as the President. He is the founder of Official Pro Players Inc a 501C3 nonprofit organization. A network of pro athletes from all sports, come together to remain socially active, socially responsible, and involved in its local community. He also conducts an annual virtual mentorship Huddle for boys whereby young boys connect with other pro athletes for mentorship. He developed a camp called Huddle27 which includes an on and off-the-field leadership program that empowers boys to Lead Score and Win. As an advocate for Domestic violence victims each year in October he brings awareness by hosting panel discussions and raising dollars to support organizations in need. Inspired in 2019 to connect and build men in faith, accountability, and support. He conducts an accountability and Prayer call with Men twice a week with his Men Matter message that encourages men to take back the lead in their families and community. In addition to being an accomplished athlete, visionary, and philanthropist, Harris's most fulfilling responsibility is being a proud father of six and a husband.

Langham, Antonio

Antonio Langham was born and raised in Town Creek, Al and was a former first round pick to the Cleveland Browns. He graduated from the University of Alabama and was part of the 1992 National Championship team. He also played 7 years in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots. 

After football, he has been coaching high school football since 2005 and was the NFLPA Birmingham Chapter President until 2023.

Robertson, Rob (Chairman)

Rob was born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA. He attended Istrouma High School where he earned All District, All-State, and Academic All-State. He graduated 3rd in his Senior Class with a 3.998 GPA. Rob was a member of the Louisiana High School All Star Game. After High School Rob played collegiately at Northwestern State University where he helped lead the NSU to a Southland Conference Championship in 1996. Rob left Northwestern as one of thirteen All-Time Team Captain and Top 100 Players in Northwestern State History! Rob was recently inducted into the Northwestern State Hall of Distinction in the College of Business in 2018. He was also nominated for the NSU Hall of Fame in 2020. Rob went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens earning (2) accredited seasons. He was part of the Raven's inaugural season opening up M&T Bank Stadium. A fun fact about Rob is he played pop-warner football with Warrick Dunn. He was roommates for 2 years in Baltimore with Priest Holmes.

Rob has 20+ years of financial services experience. Rob currently serves as the Southeast Divisional Territory Manager for PNC Bank. Rob overseas the retail home lending vertical in the states of Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida. Rob has served in numerous Senior Executive Leadership Roles with GMFS, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase. Rob has extensive leadership experience as a culture-centric builder, change agent, and P & L Leader. As a Senior Leader, Rob has been a dynamic innovator and influencer. Rob is best known for restructuring organizations and expanding foundations for scale. Recognized for establishing an identity of culture by hiring and sourcing diverse and competitive successful talent. Rob possesses a unique ability to integrate cross-functionally to drive value and keen focus on accountability and KPM’s. He has established creditability in transforming difficult opportunities into dynamic and successful outcomes. Increasing compliance gaps by 50%, rebuilding P&L’s from a loss to a substantial gain year over year and taking an expansion market from ground zero to an established well-built ecosystem are a few highlights Rob is very proud of.

Rob is passionate about building and coaching a successful team building the foundation and "culture of caring." His leadership skills and ability to develop a winning culture has played a key role to his success serving in many different geographies during his leadership journey, moving from Georgia to Florida and from Florida to Virginia. Rob has served as a Servant Leader across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic and has developed a tremendous followership as a result of his leadership. Rob thrives on the acronym CPR. Culture, People and Relationships are the 3 core ingredients that Rob likes to develop his business model behind. Rob is a big component of collaborating with internal partners and driving strategy that will encourage a great customer experience internally so that the team can drive a great customer experience externally and helping customers succeed financially!

Walton, Tim

As a Linebacker at Ball State University, where Tim Walton excelled, he was recently inducted into their Sports Hall of Fame. He started his professional career in 1989, as an undrafted free agent signing with the Detroit Lions. Tim played for a total of 4 teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cincinnati Bengals and completed his playing days in 1994 in the CFL. In 2015, Tim Walton was elected president of the NFLPA Detroit Chapter and continues to hold that position as its leader. Today, he is passionate about the topic of money management and has created a Nonprofit Organization called Former Players Inc., where he delivers lectures to high school & college students, and is frequently asked to speak at fundraisers & special events. Tim enjoys presenting on topics related to life as a professional athlete, transitioning from professional football, as well as his progression into a post-sports business career in housing development.