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The Playbook With David Meltzer

Building a Brand That Lasts

The Playbook With David Meltzer

David Meltzer, Entrepreneur.com

Careers, Entrepreneurship, Business

4.91.9K Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2026

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In today’s episode, I sit down with former NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman to talk about life after football and what it really takes to carry success beyond the field. We get into how passion drives performance, why so many athletes struggle after retirement, and how to find something that gives you the same fire that once came from the game. Shawne shares lessons on building and protecting a brand, the value of licensing, and why humility keeps everything in balance. We also talk about fatherhood, legacy, and the importance of staying grounded while continuing to grow.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to Entrepreneurs the Playbook, and I am with, I consider him family.

0:04.9

We can consider him a friend, but he is also one of my idols because I am, as everybody

0:10.1

knows, a traditional San Diego Charger fan.

0:13.2

I've moved to the L.A. Chargers where I get to see Sean celebrated every season,

0:17.9

several different games.

0:19.0

I'm up in my suite texting you texting you. Congratulations. But, man,

0:23.4

first of all, I just want to congratulate you for a great career. But more importantly, as you know,

0:27.7

what's important to me is what guys do when they're done playing. I work really hard as an agent

0:32.6

to make sure the guys that I knew, whether I represented them or not, understood character, daily

0:39.3

practices off the field that got them the success that they had on the field. And you are one of

0:44.8

the top guys who live by their standard and their character. And the name lights out means so

0:50.2

much more to me than when you used to knock people out since high school. No, I appreciate it, man. And thank you, too, man, because I tell you that your consistency for this long and the work you put in and giving information because all you can do is give people information. Right. And they take it for what is worth. And you've done that for so long, man. So I appreciate you as well. Awesome. Well, we're here with the EA Sports Madden.

1:11.7

Now, they don't have the EA sports parties like they used to. Right, right? Those are definitely something that we're glad or over probably. But more importantly, you were in the game for eight years. Yeah. And the game changed in those eight years dramatically, and now it's changed even more. It's so real. I think I am you when I'm playing that game with my son.

1:29.6

But there's an aspect you talked about education. was eight years dramatically and I was changed even more. It's so real. I think I am you when I'm

1:27.8

playing that game with my son. But there's an aspect you talked about education. You know Warren

1:33.3

Moon, my business partner and I, when my son turned poor, he was in love, it was born into him,

1:39.0

like it was born into you and me, although I was a below average college football player,

1:42.8

unlike you, but it was born into me

1:44.8

to love football, but I was having trouble at such a young age teaching football to my son. And Warren

1:51.3

said to me, and I think they just came out with the Hall of Fame version when he was four,

1:55.8

he said, Dave, here, take this, let him play Madden's, and he'll learn football better than anybody could ever teach

2:02.8

them. He'll learn the rules, the positions, and all of those things. And it gave me a new

...

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