Been There, Understands That; Barrett Talks Golden Eagles
Been There, Understands That; Barrett Talks Golden Eagles
Perhaps one of the most recognized and popular American rugby players, Danny Barrett is a true believer.
The game is paramount, and his new role as Executive Director of the Golden Eagles will allow him to further that ideal.
Danny Barrett Named New Executive Director of Golden Eagles
His appointment might come as a surprise to some, but there’s significant logic to it—Barrett is a recent player. He has had experience within the pathway at just about every level. He is smart, energetic, and understands the issues facing today’s international player.
And he’s a true believer.
Golden Is Precious
“The Golden Eagles have been fantastic,” Barrett told GRR in the wake of his appointment as Golden Eagles ED. “It’s been all behind the scenes for the majority of the time, but everybody within the National Team programs, the players, USA Rugby staff, and the players’ families … they know.”
The Golden Eagles work hard behind the scenes to ensure not only that a national team might be able to afford things such as increased player pay, extended assemblies, and even additional or improved travel (like airline class upgrades for long slights), but also more personal things.
“For me personally I started to notice the Golden Eagles around 2011 and they were even more behind the scenes back them. They really opened up to the players in 2013 to 15 and what they’ve done for the players is nothing short of incredible.”
Golden Eagles members set up internships and other opportunities for players to further their non-rugby careers. This is done so, for example, a national sevens team player doesn’t gave a five-year gap on his or her resumé, and instead can continue to learn and grow as a professional.
“That way when you’re done playing you have a legitimate fighting chance for a job and not have such a huge transition period,” Barrett explained.
The CARE program—Career Advancement Rugby Enhancement—came about circa 2015.
“I was on a panel at a dinner and someone asked ‘what do you guys need from us?’” related Barrett. “I was 25. My parents were saying ‘you need to find a real job.’ That wasn’t going to happen. All I ever wanted to do was be a professional athlete. But we knew we needed some way to help players be prepared for life after the game.”
In the summer of 2016 that program started to get going. Brett Thompson went to China for three months and learned footwear manufacturing. He now works for a footwear company. Nicole Heavirland has been training to become a firefighter. Barrett himself interned with a company in Amsterdam. That internship wasn’t even with a Golden Eagle company, but a friend of a former Eagle.
“I graduated Cal December 22, 2013,” said Barrett. “And I moved to Chula Vista and have been playing rugby for the last 10 years. You don’t get paid much as a player and you can’t work another job unless you are a bouncer or something at night and then your training suffers because you’re tired all the time. So these internships and other opportunities have been hugely important.”
A longtime player can suddenly lose his spot, and it’s a scary proposition to wonder how you feed your family. The Golden Eagles’ CARE program alleviates that fear.
A Debt He Can Never Repay
You can hear Barrett’s gratitude in his comments and he extended that in his actions as a player. He spent time talking to the Golden Eagles, learning more about what they do and how they facilitate assisting the current national teams—or, Barrett jokes, maybe it’s just that he spends enough time with his teammates already.
“I lived with Perry, Carlin, Madison, Stephen, Testy day-in, day-out. The last thing I want to do is spend more time with them wandering around a hotel,” said Barrett, a little tongue-in-cheek. “So I spent my time talking with the Golden Eagles guys. It was a way to get away from the slog of training but also to take full advantage of what I could learn from them.”
Those conversations, over time, set Barrett up for a career he didn’t expect—being the voice and the face of the Golden Eagles.
“John Bobbett (Golden Eagles co-founder) and I have been really close over the last 10 years and stayed in contact after I left the sevens team. We have had a number of conversations over the last year about wanting to move the Golden Eagles to a new place not only with the National Teams but in rugby more generally in the United States. We met in Cape Town in September and he said ‘when you’re ready, let’s talk about you being Executive Director.’”
Barrett was pretty ready. The Golden Eagles had helped his wife (former 7s and 15s Eagle Megan Bonny and their daughter. They had paid for family to attend World Series games.
“My first thought was, ‘how can I help?’” said Barrett. “I’m looking at it as addressing a debt I can never really repay.”
What's the Answer?
“I’m not sure,” Barrett told GRR. “At the end of the day I’m not going to fix all the problems. The people who are in it know what the issues are so I will be getting out and talking to people and talking about the hardships that are happening in the community and the club game. We have a goal to get into the 5-to-18-year-olds. How can we help widen the funnel of how many players are in selection now?”
Barrett points to the community programs such as ICEF, Play Rugby USA, MICR in Memphis, Montana Youth Rugby’s efforts, and how they have found untapped markets and untapped pools of athletes.
“We just need them to try it because we know they’ll fall in love with it,” he said.
At the top end, it remains largely a financial issue.
“A big part of it all is make it so these kids aren’t worrying about how they’re going to find money for rent; make it so they can take husband or wife or boyfriend or girlfriend out to dinner on a Friday night. Make life outside of the game a tiny bit easier. Being in Chula Vista is kind of like being a college student, so if we can make that a tiny bit easier for them we can be a force to be reckoned with internationally.”
But there’s also the holistic treatment of the whole athlete: performance, home life, mental health, physical health, family. It’s all important.
If you have the most talented team in the world but the Eagles aren’t willing or able to care about a players’ kids, how can you keep that team together?
Barrett spoke also of bringing former Eagles back to not only acknowledge what they have done for the USA Sevens program, but learn from them also.
“A lot of people have given a lot of time, blood, sweat, and tears. We’d like to bring them back in and have them be a part of it.”
The Same On and Off the Field
So this is essentially Danny Barrett retiring from competitive rugby. Executive Director is a full-time job. And why Danny Barrett? The man himself tiptoes into that minefield so GRR had to prompt him.
He is a hugely recognizable and respected Eagle. He’s forthright, speaks well, and connects with the fan base. His style of play—direct, brave, unflinching—also coincided with the USA Men’s Sevens team’s best years so far.
In short, fans love him.
“I’ve been able to have a pretty good career,” Barrett understated. “I think there’s some respect that comes with that. For the Golden Eagles to go a bit more public having someone like myself makes sense I guess. I am someone who has gone through the USA Rugby program most of the way.”
(He notes wryly that he was not selected for the age-grade national teams, but his career at Cal and SFGG was rife with accolades.)
“The more eyes we have on the program the more people we can reach,” explained Barrett. “So you could just get someone who hasn’t been around the program, or you could get someone who people know who has benefited from the program significantly, which I have. I think that draws more attention to what we do. I understand and wholeheartedly believe in what the Golden Eagles is doing and they are getting the game to a better place.
“I understand the challenges for players, and certainly the the challenges today are different than what they were 20, 30 years ago. And the fact that I still have a very good relationship with guys on the team and I can call them any time and have a frank conversation with them and how we can help; that’s a game-changer.”
Honesty and directness goes both ways. The Golden Eagles need players to be open about the challenges they face.
“When you talk to one of your own, there’s a comfort level to have a more open conversation,” Barrett explained. “That helps the Sevens programs but it also helps the Golden Eagles. I am very black and white in the way that I speak. If it needs to be said it, needs to be said, and the way I am on the field is the way I am as a person. The one thing, though, is that I am always willing to have those conversations and find out that I may be wrong—I’ve grown up in terms of that.”
