By his own admission, Tyrod Taylor is a pretty quiet and low-key guy.
But the New York Giants quarterback’s passion for fashion has also made him one of the best-dressed players in the league. He has walked around various NFL stadiums on Sundays wearing everything from custom suits to ones he designed, catching the eyes of cameras and teammates.
“I’ve always seen fashion as an opportunity to express myself, especially since I’m not a very outgoing guy,” he said in an interview with. SPORTS. “So I want to do it as often as possible.”
At Fashion Week events in Paris, New York and Milan during the off-season, it’s common to find Taylor on the front row, sharing it with creative heavyweights like Paul Andrew and Samuel Ross. The Hampton, Va., native is not only fluent in X’s and O’s, but has also become a student of fashion, learning from the creative directors of various designer brands.
“I’m really just me, and I don’t do it for any recognition,” said Taylor, who was nominated in Sports Illustrated’s Fashionable 50 list in 2017. “People who grew up with me would tell you that it didn’t just happen when I got to the NFL. I’ve always been like that, but it’s definitely taken off.”
Taylor is more than a low-key shopaholic; he’s now an emerging designer himself, who plans to launch his own high-end line—Diallo, a nod to his middle name—within the next year. The line will be luxurious, but not as expensive as other luxury brands. Taylor says it’s in production now and is slated to appeal to a variety of consumers, including NFL players who often have different body types.
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The former Virginia Tech star plans to kick off the line this season on his way to the locker room every week. For years, some players have mocked him for looking thinner before matches, but he says others who also have a keen interest in fashion should use this opportunity to show off their fits.
“Sometimes athletes are brainwashed into thinking we have to come to work wearing T-shirts and sweatpants,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be you. Especially for football players. We only play once a week, so you only get one chance to get dressed for the cameras.”
Taylor’s fashion is just one aspect of his entrepreneurial mindset. While he earned more than $59 million in salary during his playing career, he has also become a leading athlete investor in private equity and venture capital, putting money into about two dozen high-profit companies. He was involved in Dapper Labs’ Series C funding round (valuing the NFT company at $305 million) and NoBull’s recent funding round (valuing the fitness brand at more than $500 million). He says he has invested more than $10 million in various companies over the past decade.
Like many professional athletes, Taylor uses a financial advisor and a CPA in making financial decisions, but he’s determined to educate himself and be hands-on with his growing portfolio.
“It’s about getting out of your comfort zone,” he said. “We, as athletes, know football and sports like the back of our hands, but to use something else, we have to spend the same time.”
His business activity increased during his fifth year in the league after he fulfilled his initial contract. As a starter in Buffalo, with a newly restructured deal worth $90 million, he began talking to teammates who had similar business interests. He entered the world of investing from there.
Taylor, who turns 33 next week, likes to invest in companies and brands relevant to him in some way – which explains the sports-related companies in his portfolio – as well as real estate opportunities. He was an investor in new off-campus housing near Winthrop University in South Carolina that has already been leased and will open this fall.
The pass-rushing quarterback believes he has plenty of football left in him, but that hasn’t stopped him from making moves now to prepare for life after the NFL.
“It’s very important for NFL players to invest as much as possible,” said wealth adviser Carlos Dias Jr., who works with a host of clients, including NFL players. “[They] by far have the most wear and tear on their bodies for the least number of warranties compared to other major sports.”
Taylor is a competitor who hates to lose, but understands the risk whenever he invests. He says it’s important to stick to the plan. “Similar to football, just don’t tank when you’re losing,” he said. “It is understood that there was an opportunity, which did not work out, but it continued with the same approach.”
Another Taylor principle: Never go into an investment “just being hungry for money. I don’t think anything works when you do this business.”
After spending his career with the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers and most recently the Houston Texans, Taylor is now in his first season with the Giants.
He looks forward to seeing how living in the financial capital of the world can leverage his business portfolio in the off-season. One of his personal goals is to eventually generate more money off the court than he has earned on it. But as of this week, he’s putting business calls on hold and letting his financial advisor and CPA lead those conversations for at least the next four months.
Entering his 12th NFL training camp, Taylor says that on the field, he’s looking forward to competing with the same chip on his shoulder that he’s had since being drafted in the sixth round in 2011.
His top priority right now is putting the Giants, who have been on a five-game losing streak, in the best position to win as he enters training camp behind Daniel Jones. When the season is over, he’ll get back to actively building his business empire.
“I’ve always been big on keeping the main thing the main thing, and that’s football,” Taylor said. “But at the same time, as you get older and get comfortable, you realize that the sport isn’t going to be around forever. So you have to find other interests.”
