Former NFL running back Ty Montgomery, who spent nine seasons bouncing between six teams, has been busier than ever since retiring in 2024. He recently sat down with PFN's Unguarded Access at Pro Athlete Community's Accelerate Event in Phoenix, a conference designed to ease players into life after football. The conversation covered family, faith, venture capital, and a children's book he wrote seven years ago.
Growing Up with Over 20 Foster Siblings
Montgomery revealed that the often-cited figure of 20 foster siblings never fully captured what his mother, Lisa Montgomery, built at home. According to him, the actual number was more than 20. "My mom told me it’s really over 20," Montgomery said. "But that just seemed like a number that was easy for everyone to wrap their brains around."
The story began when Montgomery was in third grade and asked his mother for brothers. What started with one foster child named Lee eventually became a constantly growing household that changed his life. Montgomery rejects the traditional language of foster care, describing those relationships as permanent family ties. "Even though we don’t have a bloodline, we have a love line," he said. "Their kids are my nieces and nephews, my kids are their nieces and nephews, their family is my family."
This experience shapes his off-field work. Montgomery serves on the board of Connections Homes, a nonprofit that helps foster youth transition into adulthood with long-term mentoring families. He highlighted a key aspect: "For the first time in their life, they get a choice on who they want to live with and who they want to be their family."
One moment that stays with him: Montgomery funded a trip to Israel for former foster youth, many of whom had never flown before. A letter from a participant changed his understanding of the impact. "She literally said in the letter that she was so grateful that this was happening because she didn’t think that she was worthy of something like this," Montgomery said, visibly emotional. "I had no idea that’s the level of impact that I was making."
Life After the NFL: Investing, Faith, and Writing
Football no longer defines Montgomery’s schedule, but his post-playing life is even busier. His work now revolves around investing, faith, and writing. His venture firm, Next Legacy Partners, recently became a strategic investor tied to the NFL’s developing professional flag football league alongside TMRW Sports. Montgomery described the company’s interests as wide-ranging: "One day it might be a voice AI company. The next day it might be a flag football deal. The next day it might be a health tech company. The next day it might be defense tech company."
Faith remains central. Montgomery spoke openly about how it grounded him through nine NFL seasons and continues to shape his decisions. "Without my faith, I know I’d be a different man," he said. He also confirmed he is in discussions with publishers about releasing a children’s book he wrote years ago. Looking back, he believes the message was aimed at himself as much as future readers.
