Ohio State's Cardale Jones: 'No' to the NFL, 'yes' to financial planning

Cardale Jones shocked college football fans this week by leading Ohio State University to the College Football Playoff National Championship after the team's first- and second-string quarterbacks were injured. He confounded expectations again Thursday when he announced he would stay in school and pursue a career in financial planning rather than enter the NFL draft. Facing a phalanx of cameras in his former high school gymnasium and with a looming deadline for filing his intentions with the National Football League, Mr. Jones said he would stay in school. “After I'm done with football, I have my whole life to live,” he said. “After football, I want to be a financial planner.” The decision shocked a number of commentators, especially given that Mr. Jones had been criticized for a tweet in which he reportedly called classes pointless. Mr. Jones could not be reached for comment. Jerry Emig, a spokesman for the football team, did not respond to a telephone message. The Financial Planning Association leapt on the comments as a recruiting opportunity. The FPA “commends him on this decision,” the group said in a news release Friday. “The financial planning profession is blossoming.” “It's an incredible affirmation of this profession,” said Deena B. Katz, a financial planner and associate professor at Texas Tech University. “He's thinking of his total future, not just his immediate football future, and you've got to admire a guy like that. I think he'll make a great planner because he's thinking long-term and not short-term, which is what we teach our clients to do every single day.” Ms. Katz said Mr. Jones, a sophomore currently majoring in African-American studies, will need to develop experience in the profession. She recommends he earn a certified financial planner designation to demonstrate his expertise. Other wealth management firms said Mr. Jones' success in football would be enhance his career. “With somebody of that stature, who can walk around central Ohio and say, 'Hi, I'm Cardale Jones,' it opens a lot of doors for people to listen,” said Brian R. Jack, a former field manager for the Ohio State football team and an information technology director at Budros Ruhlin & Roe Inc., a wealth advisory firm in Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Jack, who attended all the games Mr. Jones helped the Buckeyes win this past season, said his firm likely would welcome Mr. Jones as an intern. It would be a coup “from a business-development standpoint,” he said.