When a student asked Arizona Cardinals center Scott Peters during Super Bowl week this year what he would do for a career if he couldn't play football , his answer was surprising.

“Mixed martial arts,” Peters said during the NFL Players Association’s Super Briefing with the Superintendent event, which featured a live webcast between a panel of NFL players and students from school districts across Arizona.

Peters discovered his passion for mixed martial arts while on Injured Reserve and later turned it into a business venture. He teamed up with Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame member Ken Shamrock to open the Lion’s Den Mixed Martial Arts Training Center in Scottsdale, Ariz. “Once I saw the opportunity from a business standpoint, I thought, ‘Wow,
this could happen,” Peters said. “Because it’s such a passion of mine, it’s the perfect fit.”

In 2006, Peters injured his ankle while playing for the Carolina Panthers and needed surgery that required him to be off his feet for about five months. “I was on I.R., and I lost touch with my teammates,” Peters said. “That I.R. feeling is never good.” But unbeknownst to him at the time, his recovery would lead him toward his second career.

In an effort to stay in shape and continue to push himself during rehabilitation, Peters tried his hand in a new sport--jujitsu. “I called a local place in Charlotte that offered jujitsu, and I went down there and started doing it three times a week,” Peters said. “I just wanted to learn how this thing works while staying off the ankle, and I instantly fell in love with it.”

Jujitsu also filled the void that was left when Peters wasn’t able to play football and wasn’t spending time with his teammates. “I didn’t know if I was going to play anymore because of the ankle injury, and I just started really taking jujitsu seriously because it was something that was a competitive outlet for me,” he said. "I got a chance to go out there every day and do something competitive and build camaraderie with the guys.”

Now that the Lion’s Den Scottsdale location is open, Peters said his exit strategy is in place. “[After football], I’m going to be more involved in the company that’s called Ken Shamrock Entertainment and Ken Shamrock Productions,” he said. “I’m an investor as well a manager of that company. So once I get done, this will be a full-time job. I’m already spending a lot of time at it, but I don’t consider it to be work. It’s just fun.” The 8,000-square-foot facility is modeled after the UFC training center in Las Vegas and includes 3,500 square feet of mat space for grappling; a 20-by-20-foot boxing ring; and a full-sized cage to simulate live events.

After recently re-signing with the Arizona Cardinals, Peter’s football career is still thriving, but he’s glad he has a plan in place for his post-NFL days. “I’ve always thought about what I’m going to do when I’m done [playing football],” he said. “Every guy in the NFL has to think about that. I mean, I hope they do, because obviously football isn’t forever. But I’m going to want to play football as long as I can, because that’s my number one passion.”


For more information on the Lion’s Den, visit www.lionsdenaz.com.