Wisconsin Badger Superstar Running Back Montee Ball and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and nationally board-certified counselor Derek Bylsma are the featured guests of this SportsEpreneur podcast — hosted by Eric Kasimov, founder of SportsEpreneur.

They talk about the complexities surrounding Antonio Brown, the college football transfer portal, and NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness).

Montee and Derek bring insight, experience, compassion, and much-needed dialogue to these important sports topics related to athletes’ mental health.

Montee Ball played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers and was then drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL Draft. His NFL career came to an end after two seasons due to issues stemming from his alcoholism, anxiety, and depression.

Montee now sits on the boards of several committee organizations for recovery in the state of Wisconsin and nationally. He aims to tear down the stigma that surrounds substance use disorder with a strong focus on peer support. His goal is to continue enhancing engagement within the recovery community and also to teach the importance of strengthening the foundation. He is now a certified recovery coach, recovery coach trainer, public speaker, author, and co-host of his sobriety podcast, Untapped Keg, providing peer support for those who struggle with what he faced.

Connect with Montee Ball on Twitter

Derek is the Executive Director of Millennium Counseling Center and heads the 3A and Sports divisions at Millennium. He is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and a nationally board-certified counselor. He is also fully trained in EMDR Therapy.

In addition to two bachelor’s degrees, one from Kalamazoo College and the other from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Derek also holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Roosevelt University. After a successful career in business and with strong family ties in the helping professions, it became apparent that Derek’s true calling was to help those struggling with life’s many challenges.

Derek specializes in recovery-related work, mood disorders, co-occurring disorders, and issues unique to athletic performance. He is particularly enthusiastic about leading the sports division at Millennium Counseling Center, as it combines two of his lifelong passions: helping others and athletics. As a soccer player, Derek was a two-time college All-American and All-Big Ten player, and after graduating, went on to play professional soccer in the U.S. More recently, Derek’s ties to athletics shifted from player to coach, and he has been recognized as one of the top High School soccer coaches in Illinois. His experience as a high-performing athlete and coach, combined with his extensive background in the mental health field, provides clients in Millennium’s Sports and Performance Wellness Division with unique benefits.

Derek draws from his own life experiences and insights to help others see the power of having choices in life. He believes “It all works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, it’s not the end.”

Connect with Derek on LinkedIn

Useful web pages from this episode:

More content related to NIL and College Sports

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That’s a wrap:

Eric Kasimov is the founder of SportsEpreneur, part of the KazSource media network. Since launching the platform in 2015, he has hosted over 500 podcast episodes, written and published more than 1,500 articles, and advised business leaders, founders, and creators on building authority through media strategy.

Through his brands — KazSource, KazCM, SportsEpreneur, and QuietLoud Studios — Eric leads teams that produce podcasts, develop brand platforms, and help companies grow through modern content ecosystems. He also scaled KazSource Insurance into a seven-figure boutique agency, providing the foundation for the broader media network he operates today.

His work has been featured in Forbes, Axios, and Front Office Sports, and his podcasts have included conversations with top founders, investors, and athletes turned entrepreneurs.

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