Will Witherspoon - Working Like A Dog
Mike Donnelly
NFLPLAYERS.COM
07/17/2007
Will Witherspoon - Working Like A Dog
St. Louis Rams middle linebacker
Will Witherspoon knows how to keep himself busy during the offseason.
This past spring, Witherspoon went back to school to work towards completing a degree in housing and economics at his alma mater, the University of Georgia, while also balancing his time to run two doggie day-care centers and a real estate company located in Charlotte, N.C..
"Football is a major commitment and part of your life, but you have to take the time that you have to work on something else and something new that is going to keep you going," said Witherspoon, who began his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers in 2002 and played for the club for four seasons before joining the Rams in 2006.
Witherspoon's first business undertaking involved an area of expertise that he is very familiar with—dogs. The owner of five dogs—two Weimaraners, a Mastiff, a Great Dane and a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog—he has always envisioned turning his passion for dogs into a successful business venture.
In 2003, Witherspoon partnered with former Panthers teammate Dan Morgan and a third partner, J.P. Brewer, a Charlotte native, to form Club K-9. Located in downtown Charlotte, Club K-9 offers a bed & breakfast style of boarding for dogs, in addition to veterinarian services, obedience training and grooming.
"I think it's very unique in the way we approach it because it's like a day-care center in every aspect," Witherspoon said. "It's a one-stop shop for a lot of people that offers a lot of services."
As a result of Club K-9's early success, the trio opened a second doggie day-care center in March 2006 which is called Club K-9 South. "It's a good business and fulfilling," Witherspoon said. "It was five dogs initially and then it suddenly became 'we need to expand.'"
Making sure not to put all his eggs in one basket, Witherspoon has also become involved in the booming real estate market in the Charlotte area. Just before he left the Panthers to join the Rams as a free agent in 2006, he again teamed up with Morgan to form MJW, a small real estate company headquartered in Charlotte.
Consequently, Witherspoon recently changed his major from landscape and architecture, which requires five years of study and would have taken him longer to finish due to the limited offseason course availability, to housing and economics, a major that will allow him to finish his college requirements much sooner.
"It's a little more effective as far as what I'm doing now because I can gear it towards real estate and property management," Witherspoon said of the housing and economics major. "I think the background in landscape and architecture has already helped me there because I've learned to look at things differently than people normally would."
With schoolwork and businesses to run, it's a wonder how Witherspoon juggles it all. Not to mention, he now lives hundreds of miles away from his business ventures. According to Witherspoon he says it's not difficult staying on top of everything, especially with a friend and colleague like Morgan, who he can rely on when necessary.
Everyone says NFL stands for not for long and it's the truth.
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Will Witherspoon
"Dan [Morgan] and I do a great job," Witherspoon said of their successful business relationship. "We communicate everything. Nothing goes across the table that both of us don't know about as far as the business stuff goes."
Although Witherspoon says the overall transition to St. Louis has gone well, he admits that certain aspects have been a bit more difficult than he expected. "To go to a new system and go where you don't really know a lot of guys personally [is hard]—you may know them on the field, but you don't know them behind the scenes," Witherspoon said. "There's a lot that goes into that and that's just really a hard scenario."
However, on the field last season, Witherspoon showed how easily he can adjust to new surroundings, switching from outside linebacker where he played for much of his pro career to middle linebacker. In fact, he tallied a career-high 113 tackles to go with three sacks and three forced fumbles. But as is the case for every NFL player, he realizes there's always room for improvement.
"I think I can be a better player than I was last year and be a leader out there on the field," he said. "That comes with confidence, of knowing those guys, knowing how to react to guys, knowing how to talk to guys and knowing the defense in what you can and cannot do."
Only 26 years old, Witherspoon still has plenty to offer the game of football, but when it's all said and done, he'll be ready to take the business world head-on because he's already so far ahead in that game.
"This game does not last long," Witherspoon said of the typical NFL career. "We all know it. Everyone says NFL stands for not for long and it's the truth. Most people change their careers two or three times within their lifetime and we're all in our first career at this point. So, what are we going to do for those other two?"
GO RAMS 
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