The game of football is rooted in passion. Grown men battle for leverage in the arena, donning their armor with the rallying cries of passionate fan bases behind them. The sport demands dedication and a tough work ethic, but the taste of glory is as grand as any. When Richie Incognito retired from the NFL in 2022 following a 16-year career playing at the highest level, he wanted to fill the void that leaving the game created.
Now, four years later, Incognito has filled that void by co-founding his own media company and launching its flagship show, Initial Contact.
“I’m rooted in football. I grew up playing the game. I’m passionate about it. I want to share that passion with the fans,” said Incognito, who founded Point of Attack Media earlier this summer. “We’re forging our own lane with Initial Contact.”
Launching at the start of the NFL season, Initial Contact offers what Incognito describes as a clean, elevated look at football. In a week-to-week sport, storylines and narratives constantly change. For the project, Incognito enlisted former NFL tight end and WEEI host Christian Fauria as his teammate on the program.
With an emphasis on football insights and analysis rooted in film study, Incognito says it was important to find someone with experience playing in the league and the ability to convey that knowledge to an audience.
“We wanted someone who was on the same wavelength as me. Someone with football experience and can talk. Christian has a great pedigree,” noted Incognito. “When we were picking co-hosts over the summer, my teammate Tyler Korn [co-founder of Point of Attack Media] and I were working on this all the time. When we needed to make big decisions, those were made easier because we had great options. We believed in Christian and after a 45-minute talk, we identified him as the guy.”
Football As The Guide
Despite Korn’s experience with debate-style programming, from First Take to Undisputed and The Arena: Gridiron, Incognito preferred a different approach for Initial Contact. After consulting with Korn about identifying opportunities in the marketplace, the duo dove headfirst into building their own media company, one that would stand out among its contemporaries.
“The one thing we [Incognito, Korn] agreed on was while the modern debate shows have their place, they’re really closed-ended loop conversations. You must make a crazy claim and stick by it all season,” said Incognito. “With football, we wanted to ride the roller coaster and let football lead the way. Let the film lead the way. We’re not coming up with crazy hot takes. What we will give is informed opinion on where your team is and can get better.”
The four-time Pro Bowl selection’s approach to content centers on aggregating local headlines and developing analysis around the stories being produced in those markets. The strategy is intentional, with an emphasis on larger markets and teams that align with Korn’s background in television and programming.
The show focuses on teams from both coasts, with particular attention to both Texas teams and the Las Vegas Raiders. Incognito played his final two NFL seasons wearing silver and black and has remained connected to the organization through events and speaking engagements.
Gaining Reps With Gridiron
After retiring, Incognito began exploring real estate as his second act. He was building his business acumen while continuing to look for opportunities to share his passion and love for football. That opportunity came last year when he received an invitation to serve as a panelist on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, The Arena: Gridiron.
“To get that opportunity, I’m so thankful to the entire team for having me. It was a good experience for me being in the chair, forming opinions and talking ball. That’s where I came up with the idea for doing my own show,” said Incognito. “I liked what we were doing on [The Arena: Gridiron], but I wanted to talk more football. I wanted to have a great conversation on a deeper level and let football lead the way.”
A significant part of the opportunity with The Arena: Gridiron was the chance to work alongside Skip Bayless, someone Incognito had long respected before they worked together.
“Skip is one of my heroes. I grew up watching him on FOX with Shannon Sharpe. It was great to work with him and see how his brain operates,” explained Incognito. “I was trying to take in and learn as much as I could from him. It was really cool to work side by side with him, and we still keep in contact to this day.”
A Learning Experience
Following the conclusion of The Arena: Gridiron, Korn and Incognito went to work. Incognito described the six-month process of forming Point of Attack Media as a challenge he hadn’t anticipated. Drawing on his experience and business background in real estate, he compared the process to building a custom home. Now, Incognito and Korn own all their intellectual property, have aligned Point of Attack Media with Playmaker for distribution and secured their first sponsorship partner in Polymarket.
Getting into sports media had always been a goal for Incognito. Now, with experience in content creation and ownership of his own media company, he admits he’s still learning on the job.
“This is a really big learning experience for me. It’s one of the most tedious deals I’ve ever done with trademarks, lawyers, distribution, partner deals and so on,” said Incognito. “I’ve never done this before. But that’s why it’s great to have a partner like Tyler [Korn]. I’m locked in and hands-on with everything on the show. Tracking data while trying to figure things out and evolve. It’s all about growing the audience and the revenue.”
For many former athletes, creating content is the first step toward building a platform that can eventually be licensed to other distributors. Incognito found inspiration in the business model Pat McAfee developed over time. His program is now licensed to air on ESPN while maintaining its roots on YouTube and social media.
That’s a model Incognito hopes to replicate one day.
“Pat McAfee is the industry standard. The culture he created from his show, a lot of us can learn from that,” said Incognito. “That’s the dream. If we can get this built out, be able to reach a larger audience while expanding business, that’s the ultimate goal. This is a business deal at the end of the day.”
Goals For Expansion
The NFL season is nearing its halfway point, but Incognito is already developing plans for the offseason and further expansion. While the focus remains on the week-to-week content of Initial Contact, he also sees opportunities in other sports.
“Right now, we’re just working on our fastball this season. But we definitely want to expand to other sports. College football is likely the next transition, but we’re keeping an eye on everything,” said Incognito. “The ultimate goal is how can we evolve with placing former players with amazing content creators, and expand our ecosystem. That’s the long-term vision for Point of Attack Media.”
For 16 years, Incognito made his living competing on Sundays, preparing throughout the week and finding ways to gain an advantage over the opponent across from him. Retirement changed the playing field, but it never diminished his passion for the game.
Now, instead of preparing for the next opponent, he’s building a business, developing a brand and finding new ways to connect with an audience that shares his love of football.
“I’m approaching this like I did with my playing career,” explained Incognito. “When you play in the NFL, you have to focus on getting better each and every day. That’s what I’m focusing on with Point of Attack Media and Initial Contact.”
Point of Attack Media represents an opportunity to do more than simply transition from player to broadcaster. It’s a chance for Incognito to take ownership of his next chapter, surround himself with people who share his vision and create something that can grow beyond one show. The NFL gave him a platform for 16 years.
With Initial Contact, he’s working to build one of his own.
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