NFL players score a shot at Hollywood through hands-on training sessions with filmmaker Deon Taylor

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Isaac Ukwu's sights were solely set on just playing in the NFL — until two season-ending knee injuries in college served as a harsh reality of football's fragility.

The setbacks reshaped Ukwu's perspective, showing him that football was part of him, but not all of him. Even after signing with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent last year, the defensive end knew he needed more than just the game.

So, when the NFL introduced a program for players exploring careers in film and television, he seized the chance to build his off-the-field legacy.

“You can’t let your entire identity be football,” said Ukwu, an aspiring actor, who was one of 20-plus former and active NFL players selected to join film training sessions at the NFL Career Tour hosted by Hidden Empire and Skydance Sports. During the three-day sessions, athletes explored the nuances of filmmaking — learning behind-the-camera roles like directing, producing and other essential elements of bringing a project to life — while also sharpening their skills as actors.

The sessions recently concluded with the creation of short films at the Hidden Empire studios in Santa Monica, California. The power couple, Deon Taylor, director of “Black and Blue” and “The Intruder,” and Roxanne Avent Taylor, steer the company as co-CEOs.

“This experience is really invaluable,” said Ukwu, who hopes to break into acting before eventually exploring directing and producing.

Some of the players featured in the sessions included Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, Cincinnati Bengals lineman Orlando Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward, Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins and Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley.

It’s the third year of program — which has featured panelists including entertainers Tyrese Gibson and Master P and retired NFL player Vernon Davis.

“They let you know there’s a way to enter that door,” said Heyward, a seven-time Pro Bowler, who's interested in becoming a director or producer. “It’s not like you have to come from a film background. But if you appreciate films and you’re a fan of it, there’s a space for you.”

Taylor’s vision is to redefine storytelling and build a pipeline for authentic, culture-driven narratives straight from the world’s top athletes.

He sees the Hidden Empire Sports Collective — launched last month — as a key step in helping athletes prepare for life beyond the game. This new entertainment division focuses on amplifying athletes’ voices through content creation and intellectual property development.

“We should be educating athletes on how to actually create content, make IP themselves,” said Taylor, who played basketball in East Germany before he ultimately directed other notable titles such as “Meet the Blacks" and “Fatale.” He’s become a major player in the independent filmmaking space.

“But then more importantly, it’s being a sound information highway for them to understand how they could take something that was great in their life or something that was painful in their lives, tweak it and make it become something that could be content,” he said.

Roxanne Avent Taylor described the sports collective as a hub for creating “stories that shape and define our culture.”

The sports collective has partnered with several athletes, landing developmental deals with stars like boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., NBA champion Scottie Pippen and Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden. One upcoming project is a four-part docuseries on Mayweather's life.

With the training sessions, Taylor believes athletes can find inspiration through the sports collective and Ephraim Salaam, who successfully transitioned from the NFL to Hollywood. After playing 13 seasons in the league, he has built a career as a screenwriter.

Salaam stressed to pro athletes the importance of owning their stories. He noted that they can offer a deeper perspective on their lives that might captivate the masses.

“The No. 1 thing I always tell them is ‘You’re one of one,’” said Salaam, who is the sports collective's creative executive. “You’ve been able to look and see life through a lens very few people have. That information is valuable in a writers room.”

In just a few days, athletes dove into filmmaking with the same intensity they bring to studying playbooks.

Players broke into different groups to film scenes for their own movie using iPhones. They went through career and educational panels along with interactive workshops that included a tour of Paramount Studios.

Many assumed acting was their standout skill — until they realized every role on a project is just as crucial to the final score.

For Ukwu, he learned that a film producer wears many hats, much like an NFL general manager, overseeing everything from reading scripts to securing directors and funding projects. He credits Taylor for guiding him and his peers through their early filmmaking journey.

“It’s like if I was in high school and I had access to Dan Campbell just to talk and coach me up on some things that can lead my success in the future,” said Ukwu.

The project took shape after an NFL Career Tour stop, an initiative designed to provide insight into the entertainment industry. This tour is part of Skydance Sports, a joint NFL-Skydance venture offering athletes a behind-the-scenes look at sports programming and storytelling.

The collaboration aims to equip players with the tools to transition into media, content creation and production to share their own narratives with the world.

“Without the players, there is no game,” said Tracy Perlman, senior vice president of player operation for the NFL. “We don’t want to build athletes. We want to build people."

Dion Dawkins said opportunities are ripe for the taking.

“You have to create your lane without that helmet on,” said Dawkins, a four-time Pro Bowler who's an aspiring actor with a big personality. He gets inspired watching former NFL players who transitioned into the TV and film industry such as Salaam, Terry Crews, Laith Wallschleger and Vernon Davis.

“If you think you’re bigger than a football player, you have avenues that can show it,” he said. “Because we have OGs that have done it, and doing it currently, it gives you that bit of ... I’m not an outsider, I’m an insider. As long as I conduct and control myself in the right manner, I’ll have a chance.”

Terry Bradshaw, quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers

Jim Brown, running back, Cleveland Browns

Terry Crews, defensive end, Los Angeles Rams; Green Bay Packers; San Diego Chargers; Philadelphia Eagles; Washington

Vernon Davis, tight end, San Francisco 49ers; Denver Broncos and Washington

Tony Gonzalez, tight end, Kansas City Chiefs; Atlanta Falcons

Ed Marinaro, running back, Minnesota Vikings; New York Jets; Seattle Seahawks

Ephraim Salaam, offensive tackle, Atlanta Falcons; Denver Broncos; Jacksonville Jaguars; Houston Texans; Detroit Lions

O.J. Simpson, running back, Buffalo Bills; San Francisco 49ers

Bubba Smith, defensive end, Baltimore Colts; Oakland Raiders; Houston Oilers

John David Washington, running back, St. Louis Rams (practice squad)

Carl Weathers, linebacker, Oakland Raiders

Filmmaker and former professional basketball player Deon Taylor, center, discusses the movie industry with NFL players Trayvon Henderson, left, and K'Lavon Chaisson during a filmmaking workshop for NFL players on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Retired NFL linebacker Brennan Scarlett, right, hugs Detroit Lions defensive end Isaac Ukwu after they finished filming a scene from "The Matrix" during a filmmaking workshop for NFL players on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Retired NFL linebacker Brennan Scarlett, right, directs actor and retired NFL player Miles Burris, left, and Isaac Ukwu of the Detroit Lions in a scene from "The Matrix" during a filmmaking workshop for NFL players on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Retired NFL player T.J. Wright, second from left, watches footage on NFL player Charles Harris' phone as retired NFL player Copeland Bryan, right, acts out a scene from the film "Meet the Blacks" during a filmmaking workshop for NFL players on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Former and current NFL players, from left, Reginald Kahlil McKenzie, Dion Dawkins and Tevaughn Campbell listen to filmmaker and former professional basketball player Deon Taylor, foreground, discuss the movie industry during a filmmaking workshop for NFL players on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Retired NFL player T.J. Wright, left, and current NFL player Charles Harris, second from left, direct retired NFL player Copeland Bryan, second from right, and current NFL player Daiyan Henley as they film a scene from the film "Meet the Blacks" during a filmmaking workshop for NFL players on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Retired NFL player T.J. Wright, center, watches footage on NFL player Charles Harris' phone as they film a scene from the film "Meet the Blacks" during a filmmaking workshop for NFL players on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Filmmaker and former professional basketball player Deon Taylor, right, discusses the movie industry with NFL player Trayvon Henderson during a filmmaking workshop for NFL players on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Filmmaker and former professional basketball player Deon Taylor, left, discusses the movie industry with Las Vegas Raiders linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson during a filmmaking workshop for NFL players on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Isaac Ukwu, a defensive end for the Detroit Lions, acts out a scene from "The Matrix" during a filmmaking workshop for NFL players on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)