Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, has become the latest professional athlete to take a side gig as a front-office executive with a college athletic program.
The current NFL standout will also be the assistant general manager for the football team at Eastern Michigan University, his alma mater.
The Eagles announced this week that Crosby, who signed a record-breaking three-year extension worth $106.5 million with the Raiders last month, would help evaluate prospects from the high school ranks and the NCAA transfer portal, manage the team’s NIL and revenue-sharing budget, and assist the athletic director with fundraising, alumni relations and student-athlete support.
“There is no place more important to my personal and athletic development than Eastern Michigan,” said Crosby, who along with his wife, Rachel, donated $1 million to the university’s football program two years ago.
More pro athletes are making time for administrative roles in college athletics.
From the NBA ranks, Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young is working with the basketball program at Oklahoma, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has accepted an assistant GM role at Davidson, and Hawks guard Terance Mann has been hired by new Florida State men’s basketball coach Luke Louck in a similar capacity. And like Crosby, in each case they are working for their alma mater.
Crosby starred for Eastern Michigan from 2015-18 before becoming a fourth-round pick of the Raiders in the 2019 draft. He has 59 1/2 sacks over his first six NFL seasons, and each of the past four have ended with a trip to the Pro Bowl.
His recent contract extension with the Raiders briefly made him the NFL’s highest-paid player who is not a quarterback.
Crosby already has announced a fundraising challenge in which he will match all donations to the Eastern Michigan program up to $100,000 by the end of May. The school plans to rename the weakside defensive end position on its depth chart from “LEO” to “MAXX,” and its top edge rusher will wear his No. 92 jersey as a tribute to his impact on the program.
“It’s always special when former players return to be part of our staff, and this is truly a full-circle moment,” Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton said in a release. “There’s something powerful about staying in one place and building something meaningful over time. Maxx is a shining example. He has already positively impacted our program, and now we’re taking it to another level.”