Tyrre Burks’ background in sports gave him an upper hand as a business founder.
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Burks is the founder of Player’s Health, a platform offering solutions including insurance, an athlete safety suite with education and training, injury management forms, incident reporting, compliance forms, and tools to support name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, geared toward sports organizations, teams, leagues, and clubs.
The inception of Player’s Health dates back to Burks’ time as a former college athlete who turned pro. Becoming an athlete was a means of escaping the realities of living on the Southside of Chicago, IL.
“I had a choice and sports was one of ’em or the streets. And luckily, I chose football; I chose wrestling. I chose every sport that I could choose to keep me out of the streets. And that kept me safe. It kept me out of the streets, and it kept me out of trouble. And that led to college and professional football,” he said during a podcast interview with the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast hosted by AFROTECH™ Brand Manager Will Lucas.
Burks attended Winona State College, and while on its football team during his freshmen year, he suffered from a hit that led him to become temporarily paralyzed. He feared he would never be able to walk again and faced a similar injury while in high school. It was not until he visited a neurologist, as requested by his college trainer, that he would return to the league.
In the pros, his career would reach a standstill after he faced more injuries, such as a torn disk in his neck and broken fingers. These injuries paved the way for a higher purpose, carried out through Player’s Health.
“I had this idea to create safe spaces for kids to play sports. It was really simple, and because I had so many injuries, I’m like, ‘You know what? We need to create a documentation system and a policy and protocol around how we manage injuries for youth athletes,'” he said on the podcast.
Navigating Life As An Athlete-Turned-Founder
In the early stages of Player’s Health, Burks acknowledges being driven by passion, despite having limited business knowledge. However, due to his connections in sports, he had the advantage of leaning into a network that included the chief medical officer of the NFL, sports executives, and athletic directors at universities, high schools, and major sports organizations.
“I was able to get into rooms that you wouldn’t normally be able to get into…So it gave me a huge opportunity to get in the door, but it also gave me the resilience on the thousands of nos that I would get to keep fighting and keep making this thing happen when it got tough,” Burks admitted.
Securing Over $100M In Funding
Even in the face of rejection, Burks continued to follow-up and shared personal commitments he upheld for Player’s Health. This accountability, he believes, worked in his favor. Ultimately, he would attract investors, his first being his sports agent.
“He knew that I wasn’t a big-name athlete. I used to pay to go to tryouts where there’s 300, 400 guys and I’m the last guy there making the team. And so he believed in me, and he was my first investor,” Burks recalled.
Player’s Health has raised $100 million in funding since launching in May 2012. In November 2024, Player’s Health closed a $60 million Series C round led by private equity firm Bluestone Equity Partners. Mosaic General Partners, RPM Ventures, SiriusPoint, and TriplePoint Capital also participated in the round. In total, over $100 million in funding has been raised.
“With more than 440,000 amateur sports organizations and over 60 million people playing organized sports in the United States, the need to prioritize and enhance the safety and wellbeing of athletes has never been greater,” Burks said in a press release shared with AFROTECH™. “This investment and partnership will enable us to continue expanding Players Health’s nationwide reach, fostering a safer, more supportive ecosystem for athletes at every level.”
