"Joe Gibbs had witnessed the jarring scene too many times.

"A player would be upset with his contract, (and) we'd be in serious discussions," says the Hall of Famer who guided the Washington Redskins to all three of their Super Bowl titles during his 16-year head coaching career while recalling moments that typically unfolded in his office. "And during the conversation, it dawns on you, 'Are you in financial trouble?' That happens over and over again.

"It played out a lot."

Even in retirement — Gibbs stepped down from his second stint with the Redskins after the 2007 season — he remained bothered that so many players were flirting with fiscal ruin. So he reached out to Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and head coach Mike Shanahan last year and married them up with his associates at Strayer University, people who were financially linked to his NASCAR teams.

Gibbs thought their money-managing acumen could help the Washington players.

"We did kind of a pilot study with the Redskins," he says. "I really felt like the guys that participated really, really benefited. They were really excited about it. Having seen that, I starting thinking, 'Wouldn't it be great if we could take this throughout the league.'"

After subsequent conversations with DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the decertified NFL Players Association, Gibbs will expand his crusade Tuesday and Wednesday in Bradenton, Fla., at the union's inaugural The Business of Football: Rookie Edition, a program designed to supplant the league's annual rookie symposium which was scrapped this year due to the lockout. Approximately 125 incoming players (254 were drafted in April) are expected to attend, and they will benefit from the tutelage of five Strayer financial planning experts."