'I jumped at it' - USMNT legend Jozy Altidore on his motivation to invest in the Buffalo Bills, and reflections on his soccer legacy

When it was first reported that Jozy Altidore would be joining an investment group - including NBA Hall of Famers Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady - for a stake in the Buffalo Bills, the reaction was: Jozy Altidore?

After all, the Bills are currently valued at $5.09 billion. McGrady and Carter, cousins with a well-documented bond, earned a combined $335 million in NBA contracts. By contrast, Altidore, who made $42 million on the pitch according to Sportrac, didn’t seem to have an obvious connection to the two basketball legends. But the person who brought these men together was Derrick Heggans.

With the NFL aiming to diversify its ownership ranks, Heggans - the Founder and CEO of Shepard Park Sports Properties - was brought in by the league to identify a racially diverse group of investors. When Bills majority owners Terry and Kim Pegula decided to open up their franchise, Heggans became a key facilitator. The partnership made sense, especially given the Bills' ongoing effort to strengthen ties with nearby Toronto. Carter and McGrady became icons while starring for the Raptors, while Altidore helped Toronto FC secure its first MLS Cup title in 2017.

"These three men are superstars in the Southern Ontario region," Terry Pegula said in an interview with Good Morning Football. "It's nice to bring people like that into our organization and help us gain more respect with our friends to the north."

For Altidore, Heggans' vision and ability to build connections left a strong impression. The introductions between the three former Toronto stars were made during a visit to Buffalo.

"That's where I got to meet everyone in person," Altidore said. "We had talked a bit offline, but to go there and experience it together was important. From there, we all looked at each other and were like, 'Man, this is really cool. Let's continue to look into this and try to complete it.' And that's where it all solidified, and we started really working on it."

If there was another surprise in Altidore's involvement, it was soccer's traditionally insular investment culture. Players and high-profile figures typically invest within their own sport. The playbook is clear - build a career in soccer, then funnel resources back into the game. So while former NFL stars such as Tom Brady and J.J. Watt invested in English clubs abroad, and the NBA's James Harden holds a stake in the Houston Dynamo, the reverse rarely happens.

Then consider another layer: Altidore is the son of two Haitian immigrants. His presence in NFL ownership circles breaks new ground.

"I just did a media scrum this morning, and somebody asked the question, 'What other Black Haitian-American soccer players are in NFL ownership?' And I thought it was a trick question," Altidore said with a laugh. "It put me on the spot. And I was like, 'I don't know.' She was like, 'Yeah, I think you're one of the only ones, if not the first one.'"

"That's really cool to me. Having played this game and been a part of so many firsts as a soccer player, as an American player, to now take that past the field and kind of do a little bit of that in business - that's special."

It's something he hopes to impart to more U.S. national team players.

Altidore admitted his interest in investing took some time. As a young player, he shied away from fully diving in - letting others he hired invest for him. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the legendary U.S. striker decided to take a different approach: he wanted to be more hands-on.

"I've taken on way more responsibility because, in a weird way, I've found a passion for it because I really enjoy it," Altidore said. "I really enjoy working with companies and founders and incubating with companies... It's like being on a team in a different way."

Altidore believes some of his success has come from the discipline and regimented experience that soccer players go through. Having now seen several investments succeed and being a part owner of an NFL team, Altidore is hoping to get two of the USMNT's biggest stars, Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic, to follow in his footsteps.

"I've been in Weston's ear, Christian's [ear]. The moment I met them, I've been in their ear about investing," Altidore said before jokingly adding, "It's probably in one ear and out the next because I remember being that age."

Still, it's something Altidore continues to reinforce.

"I try to kick Weston's butt every time I see him about making sure he's taking advantage of investing and meeting people, building relationships," Altidore said. "I look at those guys as next up to do whatever they want, and I'd love to assist them... Because it's a wonderful thing if you nourish that and do it early on."

"When you play soccer, most people, I don't think, understand this: you're able to build relationships with people all around the world because they all have watched you play at some point, in different competitions, clubs, or representing your country. So there's a uniqueness that you can have as a footballer in the investment world, in the relationships world, and you have to curate that."

When Altidore was announced as one of the new part-owners of the Bills, he emphasized his fandom as motivation to join.

"It's a dream come true because I genuinely got to watch that team grow through good and bad, and watch their popularity grow in the Northeast," Altidore said.

But how? Altidore was born in New Jersey, raised in Boca Raton, Florida, and started his professional career as a teen as a member of the New York Red Bulls - who then played at Giants Stadium. None of that screams Orchard Park, NY. Yet, it was Altidore's time in The Six that would start his love of the Northern New York franchise.

The striker kept seeing Bills signs everywhere - moreso than the local CFL Argonauts. Although it was difficult for him to attend games, Altidore's friends would randomly take buses to Buffalo. On WhatsApp, he'd get videos of sub-freezing games, legendary tailgates, and fans jumping on tables.

"I was like, 'I can't go jump on tables because I'm here to play soccer, so that's not a good look,'" Altidore said with a laugh.

It would take Altidore years to finally see a Bills game in Buffalo. When he finally did, this September in their win against Jacksonville, he was hooked.

"I am an asset to them in any way they need," he said.

As for going to games in January and jumping on tables?

"Maybe," Altidore said. "I'm inactive and not playing, so maybe one day absolutely."

Altidore alluded to it, but his career unceremoniously came to an end when his contract concluded with the New England Revolution.

Some of that was by choice. He is married to tennis star Sloane Stephens and resides largely in Boca Raton. Yet, despite previously stating he wouldn't want to move his family, he admits the door is still open to a return to playing.

"My wife is a world-class athlete, and still at the very prime years of her career. So you know, I wanted to be conscious of that and everything else in my life, and so it just didn't feel right at that time," he said. "But you never know. You never say never in life, you know, and I love the game. I'm still in great shape, so who knows what the future can hold."

Whether or not Altidore stays "inactive" as he terms it, at times it almost appears as if his accomplishments aren't as celebrated as say Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard or Brian McBride, but they probably should. He is third all-time in USMNT goals at 42 - top at his position of striker - and ninth at all-time appearances at 115. Despite all of that, he's never had a proper sendoff by either US Soccer or its fans.

Stu Holden, a former national teammate of Altidore, believes the striker is paired with Michael Bradley as part of the fans' ire when it comes to the U.S. missing the 2018 World Cup.

"Jozy is one of the top three or four all-time leading goal scorers for the U.S.? I think what happened for those guys, in terms of a legacy perspective, is that the fans, most recent memory of them playing for the national team was not qualifying for the World Cup, and that was such a monumental and catastrophic event that they were leaders and big players on that team and experienced players," Holden told GOAL. "And I think because they were playing in MLS as well, they drew a big part of the brunt of that. I remember for that whole year after they played every game in MLS, they were getting booed by the away fans, and every time Jozy or Michael touched the ball."

While both were a part of that downturn, both also experienced incredible success. Altidore chooses to focus on that instead.

"On every team or generation and we had our generation, you had the heroes and you have the villains. So, you know, that's just how the cookie crumbles sometimes," Altidore said. "I know Michael doesn't mind it either. I think if you ask him to the biggest thing is, when people watched you, when you played against some of the biggest players in the world, what were you able to do? What did they think of you after the game? And when you're able to do that in the national team shirt and have big wins against some of the best players [in the world]....That's what sticks out.

He playfully added, "For me, I could shoot the sh*t with some of the biggest players in the world, and talk about nights where I bested them. So for me as a soccer player, and that's the biggest joy you can have."