For many years now, several past Raiders had offered to become a sort of front office to player liaison-- Most notably former receiver Tim Brown. Well, now the team has brought in someone to perform duties much like that, but with a whole lot more to offer.
His name is Lamonte Winston. He will serve as the team's new Director of Player Engagement, the team announced Tuesday. And unlike just a former Raider player like Brown, Winston has over 25 years of experience in advising and consulting professional athletes in both life skills development and post-NFL career development.
Winston is an very well established in his arena. So much so that the NFL commissioned an award after him. The Winston/Shell Award which recognizes the Most Outstanding Player Development Director/Program in the NFL. It is named after Winston and Donnie Shell because the NFL considers these two the indisputable leaders and innovators of Player Development in the League.
Most notably, Winston spent 17 years with the Kansas City Chiefs, including 14 years as Executive Director of Player Development, and is a founding member of the NFL Player Development Steering Committee. While in Kansas City, Winston established the Chiefs Player Development Program and the NFL/ NCAA Champs Life Skills Program to educate athletes on the business of the NFL and their preparation for life after football.
For the past two years, Winston has run his own business, The Winston Group, which assists athletes at all levels in enhancing their life skills through "know-how, planning and disciplined hard work."
Winston is a Bay Area native where he attended Oakland's Skyline High School, Merritt Junior College and San Francisco State.
Prior to joining the Chiefs as a scout in 1993, Winston spent 8 years as an assistant coach at the college level.
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