Steve Young would love to run as far away from ESPN as possible.
But the private equity firm he co-founded in 2007, Huntsman Gay Global Capital (HGGC), is making it difficult for him to leave his post as an analyst on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast.
The Hall of Fame quarterback, who won three Super Bowls with the 49ers in the late ’80s and early ’90s, told Bloomberg, in a profile published Thursday, he would have quit his TV job many years ago if his partners at HGGC didn’t use his celebrity to invite potential clients to their various stadium suites.
“My wife hates football, and my kids don’t really care,” Young told the magazine. “I see myself as a deal guy first. I’ve put football behind me. Roger Staubach once told me — and I’ll never forget it: ‘When you retire, run. Never look back.’ ”
Young admitted he puts the minimum effort into his analyst job, spending barely two hours on game preparation and bolting to the suite after he appears on air to try to lock up deals. He said he rarely even pays attention to the game — a negligence you’d think would be a deal-breaker for the Worldwide Leader, which prides itself on its NFL coverage, particularly in Monday’s prime-time slot.
Since retiring from the NFL in 1999, Young received his law degree from BYU and has made a name for himself in corporate finance, which has become his passion. He even tries to persuade other former NFL players to get involved with the firm.
“The door’s open,” Young said. “It’s an educational forum. Come and learn. We’re not talking about becoming a deals partner, we’re talking about seeing how sophisticated investors act and talk.”
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