YAHOO! FINANCE

YAHOO! FINANCE

NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis looks to score a touchdown with his new water launch

by Alexis Christoforous

Two-time Super Bowl champion and NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis has been making waves off the gridiron as an entrepreneur with the CBD-sports drink company he co-founded, DEFY.

Now, the former Denver Broncos running back and MVP hopes to score a touchdown with DEFY’s first non-CBD product: high performance alkaline water.  Davis said the ionized water with a pH above 9.5 is “essential for better focus, improved hydration, faster muscle recovery, and reduced cramping.”

DEFY’s co-founder and CEO, Megan Bushell, said the water, “a natural extension” of the brand, is the company’s first non-CBD-based product. Bushell said the water will be available nationwide at all Sprouts retailers in April, and she said more stores will be added in the coming months.

A portion of the water’s proceeds will be donated to nonprofits serving the Black, veteran, and women’s communities including Disabled American Veterans and the National Association of Women Business Owners

Davis told Yahoo Finance Live that it was important that DEFY pay it forward. “Our company is uniquely formed in terms of we have Black ownership, it's women-owned and it's veteran-owned. And so, the idea was to give back to those communities,” he said. 

During the pandemic, DEFY also donated $400,000 worth of products to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. 

Davis said he started the beverage company in 2019 when he realized the healing power of CBD (cannabidiol), which is derived from a cannabis plant.

As an ex-NFL player, I realized that there was a need for post-NFL care in terms of the way we feel in our bodies. So when I tried CBD, I realized the effects it had on my body and how it allowed me to work out. Repeatedly, it decreased the inflammation in my body,” Davis said, adding that if CBD had been legal when he was in the NFL, it would have reduced the toll that playing football took on his body.

“So the idea was born that if it can help me improve my quality of life, then there's thousands of people out there who can benefit from it,” he said.

The NFL and COVID-19

Davis said the NFL “has done a really good job” of keeping its players healthy throughout the pandemic.

“Big ups to the NFL,” he said. “They've gone through the protocol of the players and the coaches. And, you know, the members of the team, they've all done what they were supposed to do in order to make this happen. So everybody made sacrifices to make sure that this game is finally played.”

Davis, who holds the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns in a single postseason, knows what it takes to climb to the top from the back of the pack. Davis wasn’t a top pick in the 1995 NFL draft, not getting selected until the sixth round.

a crowd of people: Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis breaks into the endzone on a 20-yard touchdown run against the Miams Dolphins during the first quarter of action at Mile High Stadium on Saturday, Jan 9, 1999. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith)© Provided by Yahoo! Finance Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis breaks into the endzone on a 20-yard touchdown run against the Miams Dolphins during the first quarter of action at Mile High Stadium on Saturday, Jan 9, 1999. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith)

“Don't worry about where you come from or where you start,” Davis said when asked about what advice he would give to entrepreneurs. 

“It's all about where you're going. And sometimes, you know, we might start off differently. You might have a 10-yard head start. You might be behind somebody 10 yards,” he said. “But to me, it doesn't really matter. If you're in the game and you're competing, it's all about that focus on that goal and doing everything you can to get to that point.”

Another sixth round draft pick is Tom Brady, who’s gone on to win six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. He’ll be going for win his seventh on Feb. 7 at Super Bowl LV as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. 

“Tom has been phenomenal,” said Davis. “He's playing in his 10th Super Bowl. And so, if you need motivation, man, look at that dude for a guy who just is defying the odds on everything.”

While Davis predicts a tight Super Bowl LV, he thinks the Kansas City Chiefs will come out on top. “I'm going Chiefs 38, Bucks 36. I think it will be one of those high scoring games. And I think the Chiefs make one more play than the Bucks to win it.”