Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon is in the middle of a productive career, but he's already working on his contingency plan.
Garcon and business partner Fouad A. Qreitem created SpinFire, a company that serves custom pizzas that are baked in 90 seconds.
The burgeoning pizzeria recently opened its second location in Virginia, with plans to expand across the District of Columbia and all the way to the United Arab Emirates.
Entering his ninth season as a professional football player, Garcon spoke about why he's actively pursuing a new venture off the field.
"It's not about myself or the team; it’s about something different, an actual business," Garcon said to Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post. "It's not piggybacking off the Redskins; it's not piggybacking off my name. This is going to be bigger than me. When I'm done, I want it to still keep going. One day we'll probably sell this company, and then move on to the next thing. … If I'm not playing football, if I'm not running around, I'll be looking to find something else to do, because I get bored easily. That's why I guess I do this."
Garcon is coming off a campaign in which he recorded 68 catches for 752 yards and three touchdowns, and he figures to be an integral part of the Redskins' offense again in 2015.
While numerous athletes sign off on new business ventures and become marginally involved with the product, Garcon's partner Qreitem said the Redskins receiver is actively trying to accelerate the business.
"I know it’s hard to believe, but he's involved; he's deeply, deeply involved," Qreitem said. "It's not a front. He's not a face that we're using to build a brand. If he left the Redskins today, he's still my partner and this is still his business. … God bless his football career, but this is going to outlast his career. When football's over, this is going to be his career."
Garcon didn't miss a game over the past two seasons. If his commitment to SpinFire is the same as it is for the Redskins, Pizza Hut may start to worry.
