Based in Roanoke, Virginia, Bryant Livingston has 25 years of federal service and serves as a VA Hospital account technician while concurrently developing a clothing business. Passionate about sports, Bryant Livingston has coached basketball and competed in semi-professional football while residing in Germany.
While not as high-profile as US leagues such as the NFL, semi-pro football in Germany has a long tradition of fostering top-tier talent that translates well in any venue. An example is Griffin Neal, a quarterback who started at Concordia College in Minnesota for 3 years. Unsigned and undrafted in 2015, despite a stellar career at the small Division III school, Neal was determined to make it as a professional.
His chance came with an invite by an American coach to play in Hildesheim, Germany, for the Invaders in the German Football League. The GFL has taken the place of NFL Europe, which ended in 2007, but it lacks US college talent that had previously been obtained through NFL training camps. GFL teams are limited to four American players each and play before crowds of a few thousand fans.
Playing in the GFL, Neal impressed a US-based quarterback coach and received an invitation to a “pro day” event held at a practice facility of the New Orleans Saints. That and subsequent workouts impressed the Saints to the point where he was given a 3-year rookie contract. This allowed him to participate in training camp and potentially make the team. Griffin Neal was on the Saints as fourth quarterback for an extended time and had a successful non-NFL career.
