After his first NFL season, when he'd carved out a spot on the Vikings' practice squad, Adam Thielen heard from Luke Inveiss, a defensive back he met a few years earlier when both were on a recruiting visit to Minnesota State Mankato.
Inveiss had finished his playing career at St. John's and recently landed a job with the Institute for Athletes, a modestly sized agency in Minneapolis. He let Thielen know the company could be a good fit for him; Thielen, unsure what his future would hold while playing for a new coaching staff, agreed.
"I needed somebody that could really help me if I get cut, or if I'm looking for a job, or looking for things off the field," Thielen said.