NFL players still need to make money when their playing days are over. One way is to become an entrepreneur, and Gibran Hamdan is doing just that.
Once a quarterback for the Washington Redskins, Hamdan has launched his own line of clothing called Alial Fital. The name of the company comes from the backwards spelling of his parents' names — his mother, Laila, and his father, Latif.
Hamdan has always been artistic, and he told Edina Magazine, "The guys would joke that I was a renaissance man."
After floating around from practice squad to practice squad, making stops in NFL Europe and the CFL along the way, Hamdan lost his passion for the game and refound his artistic desires.
"I knew I wanted to put things into the world that weren't there before," he added. "I always relished that opportunity to make something from scratch and it being there."
The clothes are meant to be comfortable but nice enough to "go on a date in it." Started back in January, Alial Fital has already gained some support and has signed current NFL players Larry Fitzgerald and Matt Hasselbeck to its roster.
Hamdan was drafted by the Redskins in the seventh round with the 232nd overall pick back in 2003. He played in garbage time in one game his rookie season and went 1-of-2 for seven yards and was sacked once. It ended up being the only game of his NFL career.
Perhaps Alial Fital will experience a more lengthy and successful run.
