The veteran NFL linebacker spoke to Boardroom about his wide range of business ventures and how he’s preparing a rising generation of students for financial success.
Brandon Copeland knows his way around the NFL. Currently a free agent, the nine-year veteran linebacker has played for six teams, with his last stint coming with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. One year earlier, he was recognized for his service and activism with the NFLPA’s Alan Page Community Award while a member of the New York Jets.
Meanwhile, Copeland has remained busy away from football with an increasingly diversified résumé. He is a real estate investor within the Mid-Atlantic Alliance real estate group, co-hosts Money Music Culture on Sirius XM Radio, and he teaches a business course he created at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. Most recently, he’s joining three other rising real estate moguls as the co-hosts of the new Netflix show Buy My House.
Copeland manages this all while getting up early on most mornings to maintain a fitness regimen that enables him to stay in shape should another NFL call arrive.
In a recent jaunt in New Jersey, Copeland took Boardroom behind the scenes of each of his side hustles, providing a window into how he’s preparing for the next chapter of his professional life.
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Our first stop was at a demolition site in Newark at which the Mid-Atlantic Alliance real estate group is building a 41-unit boutique rental building. When they first discovered the location, it was in shambles, but Copeland saw the potential amid the apparent mess and identified an opportunity. He and his partners were subsequently able to tear down the remains of the old facility that occupied the land ad begin work on something new.
In the classroom, Copeland teaches a course called “Life 101,” providing students with insight about money management and finances that Copeland had to learn all on his own. Through the years, his curriculum has gained widespread attention — including features on Good Morning America, Bloomberg, and Forbes — and has been replicated as an accredited course in high schools across the country.
With his podcast, Money Music Culture, Copeland has created an outlet to combine all of his interests in one space. “Some of our favorite artists might be breaking down financial gems while we’re dancing in the club,” he said. “Like Lil Baby’s saying, ‘I make money on all types of shit. I got stocks for me and our children.’ It’s about, ‘how do you do that?’”
As for the Netflix show, Buy My House, with the show still in production at the time of our conversation, Copeland could share very few details with Boardroom. Fortunately, the Shark Tank-style real estate show is now available to stream on the platform.
Step into the world of Brandon Copeland.
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