DANNY DE HEK

What started as a promise to help retired athletes build income through professional introductions has evolved into a web of questionable marketing, vague affiliations, and legal gray zones.

At the center of it all: the Pro Players Business Network (PPB), a platform co-founded by former NFL players Vincent Gravina and Gary Wellman.

On the surface, PPB offers a noble cause—enabling former athletes to leverage their post-career networks, particularly in the healthcare space. But beneath its professional veneer lies a structure that looks increasingly like a commercial referral funnel wrapped in motivational language, rather than a legitimate business development platform.

The Setup: Referrals Disguised as Admin Work

PPB’s model claims to pay participants for “administrative coordination services,” yet its own language undercuts that narrative. According to the platform, users earn a flat fee for each introduction that leads to a scheduled consultation. The emphasis is not on conversion or outcome, but simply on arranging the meeting. That raises a critical question: is this coordination—or just paid referrals under another name?

Complicating matters further is the admission, buried within their promotional materials, that some former players are earning “commissions for doctor referrals.” That’s not just a deviation from their stated mission—it’s a legal landmine in the world of healthcare compliance.

The Black Box of Partner Programs

Transparency is scarce when it comes to the companies participants are expected to promote. Before gaining access to partner programs, users must first attend a Zoom introduction call, complete a consultant form, and sign an agreement—only then do they begin receiving daily promotional emails featuring the various business opportunities.

PPB lists five core programs:

  • Guardian Brace, a medical device with unclear regulatory status
  • Enter AI, a billing automation system promising a 30% revenue increase
  • A lab testing program offering everything from genetics to toxicology screens
  • A wound care treatment referral system
  • Pro Peptides, a line of supplements and unregulated therapies

None of these services include links to FDA registrations, third-party audits, or verifiable compliance certifications.

MLM-Lite: The Denial Doesn’t Match the Design

While the FAQ section explicitly states, “We are not an MLM,” the mechanics tell a different story. PPB requires new signups to name a referrer. Additional payments are available for secondary introductions. Participants are nudged to refer their friends, families, and contacts in exchange for recurring income. By structure, if not in name, PPB operates with clear multi-level logic.

Illusions of Authority

The site goes to great lengths to imply affiliation with the NFL community. What it doesn’t say upfront—but clarifies in fine print—is that PPB is entirely independent from the NFL, the NFLPA, and all official player associations. This bait-and-switch branding tactic lends PPB the credibility of professional sports without bearing any of its oversight.

In an attempt to bolster legitimacy, PPB also claims that all partner businesses undergo background checks from the NFLPA security team. However, no public confirmation of this process exists. The NFLPA has not issued any statements endorsing or supporting PPB.

Your Relationships, Their Revenue

PPB encourages participants to monetize their professional networks—specifically, doctors, clinics, and medical professionals they met during their playing days. It’s a deeply personal appeal, one that turns trust into currency.

The pitch is simple: no sales skills required. No product knowledge needed. Just introduce your contacts, and the company takes care of the rest. In return, you’re paid a fixed fee, regardless of the downstream outcomes. That level of detachment is troubling—particularly in a sector as sensitive as healthcare.

Data, Disclosure, and Digital Exploitation

A dive into PPB’s privacy policy reveals another layer of concern. The company reserves the right to share personal data with unnamed third-party marketers, analytics services, and advertising partners. Despite presenting itself as a trusted network of athletes, PPB operates with the data-handling practices of a digital ad firm.

There are no assurances of HIPAA compliance or secure handling of sensitive information—remarkable, given their central involvement with medical providers and services.

The Zoom Room Snapshot

A recent Zoom onboarding call revealed the key figures involved: founders Vincent Gravina and Gary Wellman, along with executive Chelsa Bruno. Also in attendance were names such as Megan Trufant, Michael Foust, Stuart Bridges, Derrick Wright, Ibn Collick, Hank Mondaca, and Grant Magdovitz. While not all are confirmed promoters, the diversity of attendees speaks to the broad reach of the network’s recruitment strategy.

The Verdict: A Trojan Horse of Trust

Pro Players Business Network is not a scam in the traditional sense—it doesn’t ask for upfront investments or push a physical product line. But what it offers instead may be just as risky: a platform that uses the appearance of credibility to transform social capital into sales channels, all while hiding behind ambiguous legal language.

It targets former athletes. It exploits professional trust. And it masks its intentions with enough feel-good phrasing to make questioning it feel ungrateful.

But transparency matters. And the red flags are no longer possible to ignore.

Why I Investigate

I operate under the name The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger, and my mission is simple: to shine a light on those defrauding everyday investors—often retirees and vulnerable individuals—through multi-level marketing scams disguised as financial freedom.

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