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Despite a stellar, 12-year career as a wide receiver with the San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it wasn’t difficult for Vincent Jackson to walk away from the NFL, even when he could have easily played for another three or four seasons, at least.
“Being able to retire on my own accord was a blast,” he says. “A lot of guys don’t get that luxury. You’re either getting released or cut, or you have an injury and the decision goes right out of your hands.”
And unlike many recently retired athletes, Jackson says he wasn’t tempted to stay in the game as a coach, scout, broadcaster or other off-field role.
“I really wanted to be in the ‘civilian’ world,” he says. “Coaching probably is never going to be my thing, at least not on that level. I could see myself coaching Pop Warner football or something like that.”
The only child of parents who both served in the U.S. Army, Jackson describes himself as camera-shy, someone who prefers to keep his head down and do his job out of the spotlight.
“I did the interviews I had to do when I played,” he says, “because it's required, and that was about it.”
Business and philanthropy were what interested Jackson, and he began to lay the foundation for his second act while still active in the NFL, making strategic investments in restaurants and real estate. The real estate development firm he founded, CTV Capital, is active in Florida, California and Nevada, and he also has an interest in Cask Social, a South Tampa restaurant, as well as the Manhattan Casino in St. Petersburg, a historic property being redeveloped into a coworking space, business incubator and community kitchen.
But the project that animates Jackson the most is the Jackson in Action 83 Foundation, a nonprofit he established to support military families, particularly their children. Jackson’s father was deployed to Germany and Panama for long stretches during his 21-year military career, which sometimes made life difficult for him and his mother.
“There are a lot of foundations and nonprofits that focus on active-duty servicemen and women,” Jackson says. “But we thought, ‘What's going on at home, right?’ There's still a lot of underlying issues with deployment and moving from city to city every two to three years — the impact that has on kids and the [nonmilitary] parents who aren’t able to have any tenure in their jobs, or struggle to hold down a job. The family structure needs to be supported a little bit better.”
Name: Vincent T. Jackson
Age: 37
City of residence: Tampa
Employer: CTV Capital
Title: CEO
Birthplace: Fort Polk, La.
Years on the Gulf Coast: Eight
Marital status/children: Married with four children
Alma mater/degree: University of Northern Colorado and USF Tampa
What community group or organization are you most involved with? Jackson in Action 83 Foundation
What's the weirdest job you've ever had? Selling Kirby vacuum cleaners
What's your top tip for being productive? Scheduling, being efficient with your time
If you could have a side hustle, what would it be? I have one: restaurants.
What's your favorite off-hours activity? Being a dad
What’s your go-to delivery service (DoorDash, Uber Eats, GrubHub, Bite Squad, etc.)? Door Dash
What do you use most — Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams or Google Meetings? Zoom
What’s the best binge-worthy show you have enjoyed during the pandemic? "Last Chance U"
What’s the longest virtual meeting you’ve been on since mid-March? Two hours
How many times had you used video for a work meeting prior to the pandemic? At least 40
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned during the pandemic? Remote work and schooling can be efficient.
What do you miss most about the world pre-pandemic? Dining out
What have you been spending more time doing during the pandemic? Spending time with family
Do you prefer working from home or working from an office? Office
How have you kept up camaraderie with colleagues during the pandemic? Weekly calls and Zoom meetings
What’s the first thing you’ll do after the pandemic? Take off my mask
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