'I Owe It To The Game': Chiefs’ Marquise Brown Tackles Real Estate To Help Secure NFL Players' Futures

This series goes deep with some of the most compelling figures in commercial real estate: the dealmakers, the game-changers, the city-shapers and the larger-than-life personalities who keep CRE interesting.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is well-known for catching bombs and scoring touchdowns on the football field.

Now, the 2019 first-round draft pick, who went on the injured reserve list Friday as he awaits shoulder surgery, is angling for his new real estate investment firm to catch fire, too. Brown hopes to pave a pathway for NFL players to achieve generational wealth. 

“I owe it to the game,” Brown told Bisnow in late August. “I want to be a guy to do this now. Not just for my family, but to try to change a stigma in the NFL. I don't want to see the storylines of guys going broke or bankrupt.”

Brown, who signed a one-year deal worth up to $11M with the Chiefs this offseason, co-founded a ​​private equity real estate firm called Platinum Pro Capital, which specializes in luxury real estate investments in coastal communities.

Platinum Pro Capital is a product of a merger between Island Sky Investments and Brown's private equity firm, MZ Investments, and its first fund has invested in the 10-unit The Island Sky St. John Residence Club in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Island Sky Beach Club Grand Bahama luxury condo development in the Bahamas.

The star wideout spoke to Bisnow about his attraction to luxury commercial real estate, his investment pitch and how he offers a road map to younger players looking to build generational wealth.   

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Bisnow: What led you to co-found Platinum Pro Capital? Is real estate something you have a history with?

Brown: My wife was into real estate before she met me. When she met me, she saw the ongoing problems athletes had, and I went through several financial advisers. I wanted to take the reins of my future, and she helped me out so much.

When I saw the benefits of real estate, I came to her and said, “Man, I have so many of my friends that are coming to me with their problems, and I want to help them.” My wife Zoei’s mom, Jennifer, she's a partner, and she and Jason Caraway grew up together. Jason’s company, Island Sky Investments, has a long history of acquiring resort real estate properties. We merged together with our vision of helping athletes build generational wealth. We created this partnership, and since then we’ve just been trying to get it out there and get it in front of as many players as possible. Real estate is starting to become really fun for me, and it's exciting just sharing it with other guys.

Bisnow: What led you to zero in on real estate, because there are many different kinds of investments that you could pursue?

Brown: For one, it's pretty easy. For how easy it is, I'm so surprised that it's not brought to players, and I quickly found out the reason it wasn't is because financial advisers didn't get paid off of nontraditional investments. The NFL is not guaranteed, and a lot of these guys don't make it to second contracts. I looked at the system, as they're telling guys, “Wait to invest until your second contract.” But a lot of guys don't make it to their second contract. Older players always come back and say, “Man, I wish I would have been doing this and that.” So I was like, “Man, I'm going to do this.” 

My main focus is football. That's something I love to do. But this is something that is also very beneficial, that at any time in the offseason, I can go look at it, I can go see what's going on, and you can still be hands-on. That was just something that attracted me and attracted a lot of other people as well.

Bisnow: What about real estate is so attractive to you? What do you see in real estate that is potentially easier than other investments? 

Brown: It's very attractive because of the money that me and my wife made just off of residential real estate. Seeing the potential of man, if we're doing this for ourselves, imagine combining a group of me and my teammates or colleagues around the league, or my coach, or whoever, that wants to take the reins of their future. Imagine all of us doing something together on a larger scale. That's something that really attracted me.

Bisnow: When you are asking your teammates or other athletes to invest, what's your pitch to them?

Brown: I lay out basically everything we have to offer. A lot of them get excited because we have our casino license, and we're working on a casino deal. When I picture this whole thing, I envision it to be a brotherhood. That's something that I'm trying to create here. I'm letting them know that I'm invested as well. I'm a player that hopefully will continue to play for many more years, so it's not like a guy coming to them saying, “Yo, I got this idea.” It's, “I'm here. I'm showing you this is what I'm doing, the opportunity that's in front of us to save money, to flip your money and to set up your family just in case anything were to happen.” 

Bisnow: Do you think the fact that you're still an active player helps give other athletes some buy-in?  

Brown: I think that helps a lot, especially because guys know me. They know that I wouldn't put anybody in any bad situations. That's been the feedback. Everybody's like, “Oh, this what you're doing. Let me know more.” Because if they know me, they know that I don't cut any corners. I'm all about securing my future and the future for my family, and I just want that for more people. 

Bisnow: How did you settle on luxury real estate investments, largely in coastal communities?

Brown: Jason came to me and told me about resort real estate. We're NFL players. A lot of us like to travel in the offseason, and for us to be able to have a variety of locations — we got this over here in the Bahamas, we got our piece in St. John's — it's attractive. For us high-profile guys, you can make money and it's also fun. I went out before training camp and went to St. John’s and boated around seeing the property we’re building up there. It was really exciting. I was FaceTiming different guys around the league, and they were all excited because, in our downtime, that's what we love to do.

Bisnow: Do you have a major role in talking to other investors, whether those be players or investors who are not athletes and selling them on the idea behind the company?

Brown: I don't really look at it as selling because I feel like when somebody hears about it, it sells itself. If I could invest all the money into it, I would. That's how amazing of an opportunity it is. I credit our team, really, for acquiring these properties. We're really selective on locations. We're not just trying to get anything. Whenever I'm talking to guys, it's just natural, talking about an opportunity for us. We're all here together trying to do our thing on the field and make sure our family is good if we were to get hurt today or tomorrow. 

Bisnow: Why is the pathway to build generational wealth outside of the field so important to you?

Brown: I owe it to the game. I got pulled aside by so many retired NFL legends talking to me about what they should have done differently, what they wish they did. With me being in the league, I don't want to be a guy to do this when I'm done. I want to be a guy to do this now. Not just for my family, but to try to change a stigma in the NFL.

I don't want to see the storylines of guys going broke or bankrupt. I don't care if you're a starter or a bench player or coach, if you make it at the highest level you should be able to get something out of it. On the field, in the locker room, we're brothers, no matter if I make more than you. If we all come together, we can create something bigger. If that means I have to put a little bit more money in upfront than you can at this time, I’m OK with that. It takes a special kind of group to do what we're doing, and I feel like we have the people in place that are not just doing it financially but are also making a positive difference. 

Bisnow: Have some of the younger players or players that are on their first contracts been receptive to hearing what you have to say? 

Brown: Definitely. A lot of younger guys, especially those that don't come from good financial backgrounds, it's not in their hands. It's the financial advisers, it's the managers, the agents, whoever that is. What makes our company different is that financial advisers can't get paid from guys investing with us. I plan on, after this season, going out and talking with colleges and getting down to different schools and just trying to educate them to take the reins of their financial future, because this game is not guaranteed.

Bisnow: Outside of football players, what types of individuals can invest in the fund?

Brown: Athletes, their colleagues, high-net-worth individuals. We’ve been approached by companies. We're selective and we're looking to help people. 

Bisnow: When you consider different kinds of properties, are you looking at certain kinds of resorts or is it an evaluation on a case-by-case basis?

Brown: It’s case by case. We look at location, the attraction of that location, how much money is actually needed if we’re renovating, or how much money is actually needed if we’re building from the ground up. 

Bisnow: What is your favorite weekend routine or favorite weekend activity?

Brown: My favorite weekend routine is probably scoring a touchdown because it's pretty routine for me. My favorite activity is definitely just playing ball. And if I'm not playing ball, watching my friends around the league play ball and live out their dreams. If we don't have a game on Sunday, church.

Bisnow: Give us a bold prediction for the future. 

Brown: The Chiefs are going to get that three-peat. We're going to win the Super Bowl.