Protecting NFL Players from Digital Threats

Key Takeaways:

• Today’s NFL athletes face targeted digital threats—public records, breached app data, and data brokers all put personal safety at stake.

• Most financial teams ignore privacy, but elite athletes require a coordinated approach to protect family and legacy.

• Expert guidance and integrated systems turn vulnerability into a durable long-term shield for the whole family.

Home Alone Is Real When Your Name’s on the Jersey

Around the holidays, conversations in the locker room drift to memories of family and those classic Christmas movies. Home Alone—that image of a house getting cased by bad actors—hits differently when your own name draws headlines. In today’s NFL, athletes know it isn’t just about protecting the trophy case or the cars in the garage. The threat has gone digital. The danger now lives in public records, data broker sites, and news reports that broadcast your every move without your consent.

The days when a local paper publishes your new home’s address should be behind us—but they aren’t. Players such as Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes have become symbols for the kind of exposure that comes with the job. Break-ins involving high-profile players have shown everyone in the league what’s at stake. Bad actors don’t need to peek through windows anymore. They sweep online records, scoop up information, and can pay to find out where you live or what you own.

How Athletes Get Exposed in a Digital World

Digital exposure hides beneath the surface. Many athletes never get coached on it. Zach Miller shared he never received advice on privacy—no tips from his financial team, no warning about buying a home and seeing it posted for the world to see. Even everyday actions, like clicking “agree” on an app, open the floodgates. Those long user agreements almost always include language that sells or trades your data to other companies. Most people—even those trained to scrutinize contracts—don’t read them, and the risks go unnoticed.

Jeff Locke puts it bluntly: every transaction, every app, every digital trace can get bundled and resold. Data brokers, countless in number, market this information to whoever’s paying. For athletes, the value of that data is multiplied by wealth and fame. The threats range from hackers stealing credit data, to impersonators, to physical dangers for athletes and their families. Home buying and selling are especially vulnerable moments, given U.S. laws that require transactions to go on public record—filling up broker sites within hours.

The Playbook for Real Protection Starts With the Right Team

True defense is a team sport, built around trust and experience. At AWM, stewardship means aligning every part of your life—including digital privacy—under one coordinated front office. Forward-thinking athletes bring in privacy specialists who operate at the championship level, serving CEOs, artists, and pro families who know what it means to be targeted. Experts help lock down home purchases, restrict personal information, and firm up device and app settings from day one.

Clients share real wins: one athlete, after experiencing a break-in, turned to professionals who sweep and monitor their digital exposure. The result—a peace of mind that far outweighed the costs. It’s not just about monitoring; it’s about scrubbing broker sites, protecting public filings, and teaching every family member how to tighten up their own settings. With the right team, you’re not just reacting to threats—you’re running a play no one else saw coming.

Seeing Privacy as Stewardship for Every Generation

Silos and shortcuts can cost a team the game. Many traditional advisors miss the digital layer entirely, leaving gaps that persistent adversaries can exploit. When families think like 100-year organizations, privacy becomes a core strategy. Integrating privacy into your wealth management system gives every generation a shield—one built with intention, expertise, and the trust that comes from knowing your family can thrive, whatever the digital era throws their way.