How one former Buckeye's ordeal helped him shape a football gamechanging business

LeCharles Bentley’s road towards becoming a football icon in Ohio didn’t quite get its full-circle moment. After starring at St. Ignatius and shining bright at Ohio State, he went on to become a Pro Bowl player for the New Orleans Saints before signing a then-record contract with the Cleveland Browns as the NFL’s premier center in 2006.

Except, the Cleveland native didn’t get a chance to play a down for the Browns. A torn patellar tendon during his first training camp led to surgery which in turn led to a staph infection that almost cost him his leg and his life.

That ordeal, however, set him on a course that places him amongst the most successful entrepreneurs in the sports equipment industry, where his businesses serve over 100 D-1 schools and 25 of the 32 NFL franchises.

“From a surgical standpoint, I had to learn how my body operated because as an athlete, especially when you are what you would call a high level athlete, we oftentimes don't understand why we're able to do the things that we do. Whereas when we take them things away, suddenly it's, 'Oh, those are the things that made me unique as a player.' So understanding that, it allowed me to reverse-engineer who I once was as an athlete. I then started marrying some of those principles and ideas into how I work and develop players.” said Bentley during a phone interview with the OnSi Network, regarding how his personal experience as a player still informs his role in the sports equipment industry.

“The next aspect of it would be the emotional resilience side of it. I think that many players, especially today's game, and not just players, in society, people are going to go through things and there's going to be challenges and things that are not going to always go your way. But how do we respond to the realities that we have to face on a day to day basis? For me, that was a significant learning experience, because it was such a trying experience,” stated the 2001 consensus All-American and Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.

“Lastly, from a spiritual standpoint, you know, there's nothing like appreciating life when you're facing death and being told that there's a chance that you may not live through the night, and if you were to live through the night, that you probably will lose your leg. So each and every day I'm very thankful and appreciative not just for the capacity to live a life, but the ability to just have one and thrive in it at the same time.

“So there's a clear understanding of where my blessings come from, there's a clear understanding of who and what I'm grounded in, and I think those two areas, that's what's led me to where I'm at in my life. And those -- I guess you can say experiences and understandings -- it's allowed me to move and be effective in a multitude of spaces and businesses and life.”

Bentley, who was appointed on 2021 as Senior Advisor of Player Performance and Development by the NFL, and took on the role of Personnel and Player Performance consultant with the Saints in this 2025, is also very invested in seeing the game he loves grow outside the United States, leading to significant involvement in the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program.

“One of the key areas that I focus on is international growth. The International Pathway Program is a key driver in international growth in the National Football League, and so I'm able to evaluate talent, if need be, and help ... players to understand football at a much higher level than they may currently understand it.”

For Bentley, recipient of the 2001 Rimington Trophy as the Nation’s best center, it’s all about opening doors.

“I think it's a unique initiative to give players around the world an opportunity to chase a dream,” said Bentley to OnSI. “... And, to go around the globe, there's a different perspective of maybe how far off that dream of reality may be, but the International Pathway Program makes an entry point. Is it the answer to the kids' dream? No, but it certainly gives you some hope that there's a door that can be opened, that may have never been opened in the past.”