Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen announced his retirement in appropriate fashion by literally riding off into the sunset on a horse. Now, Allen has taken another logical step in his career post-retirement – he’s an owner of Jared Allen’s Pro Bull Team, and has become a supplier of bulls to the Professional Bull Riders tour and the Championship Bull Riding series.
João Ricardo Vieira vs. Air Time. #PBRPHX
Right now: https://t.co/qSBSFKBmYi pic.twitter.com/OqcumZXglI
— PBR (@PBR) March 6, 2016
In a piece by Darren Rovell of ESPN.com, Allen’s bull owning history is detailed. He was introduced to the business in 2012 and now owns a ranch in Minnesota where 20 bulls roam free while not on tour. Allen has even started breeding his own, given the high cost of purchasing PBR-ready bulls.
Allen treats his bulls like athletes and doesn’t sound like he’s messing around when it comes to caring for them.
“These guys aren’t animals,” Allen said. “They’re treated at every level like athletes, including what goes into their bodies.”
Allen calls owning the bulls “a real business” and told Rovell it’s already profitable. He’s using proceeds from winnings at competitions to donate to Wounded Warriors, which builds handicapped-accessible homes for wounded veterans.
While there are certainly mixed reactions about animal cruelty during rodeos, it sounds like Allen genuinely cares about his animals and wants to have the best athletes available, which lines up perfectly with his own previous career goals. You can take Allen away from the game, but you can’t take the gamer away from him.
However, he won’t be actually hopping on one of the bulls any time soon.
“I would love to, but my wife wouldn’t let me get on there unless I had full football gear on me,” he said.
[Image via ESPN/Bull Stock Media]
