It's not always 'a sexy thing' to be a millionaire, former NFL linebacker Brandon Copeland says. Here's why

cnbc.com:

Brandon Copeland is a former NFL linebacker turned coach. But the type of coaching he gravitates to isn't in the realm of sports — it's in personal finance.

The 33-year-old — who played for six teams across 10 seasons in the National Football League before retiring last year — started co-teaching a financial literacy course to undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, his alma mater, in 2019 while playing for the New York Jets.

The course, nicknamed «Life 101,» was inspired by his own experiences with money, according to «Professor Cope,» who is also a member of the CNBC Global Financial Wellness Advisory Board and co-founder of Athletes.org, the players' association for college athletes.

Here's a look at more stories on how to manage, grow and protect your money for the years ahead.

Now, the Orlando resident has written a new book, "Your Money Playbook," that reads as a football coach's blueprint to winning the financial «game.» It touches on topics like budgeting, paying down debt, saving, estate planning and starting a side hustle. (Just don't call it a «side hustle,» as he explains in the book.)

CNBC reached Copeland by phone to discuss his journey into financial education, why becoming a millionaire «is not a sexy thing» and how it helps to think in terms of Chipotle burritos.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Greg Iacurci: What got you interested in teaching personal finance and financial literacy?

Brandon Copeland: Feeling unprepared for some of the major financial decisions in life. We go to school for all these years and we [learn] about the tangent of a 45-degree angle, but we don't talk about appliances and how to buy them, or how to make sure you protect