MCCORDSVILLE— On Friday afternoon, Zaire Franklin held an official grand opening for the Rita’s Italian Ice he now owns in McCordsville.
It’s a place the Colts linebacker has fond memories of as a kid.
“For me, growing up in Philly, Rita’s was always a sweet treat, whether I was finishing practice, whether it was a warm day or something to enjoy with my family,” said Franklin.
“When he got to Indy, I came here and said ‘I need a water ice, where can we get Rita’s from?’ and he said there’s not many of them around, that’s what sparked the whole venture,” said Eric Taylor, Franklin’s business partner.
Taylor has known Franklin since he was a kid.
“I’ve known Zaire since he was 9 years old. I was a youth football coach, moved on to his high school coach, we became very close over those years,” said Taylor.
The two are sharing a piece of Franklin’s childhood with the community that cheers him on, but also making sure he’s set up for life after football.
“You’re only in the league for a certain amount of time and in all actuality, for the amount of time he’s been in the league, some people don’t spend half that amount of time,” said Taylor.
Franklin is entering his eighth year with the Colts. During his time in Indy, he’s started a nonprofit and been an ambassador for women’s flag football. Now he’s adding franchise owner.
“When I graduated from school in finance, my goal was always to have a business outside of what I was going to do. I think it’s great, it’s inspirational to not only my teammates but other guys I know coming in the league just to know that you can play at a high level on the football field but still pursue your career goals off the field,” said Franklin.
“We always talk like Zaire can roll out of bed and play football, but what happens when that’s over. So right now we’re trying to set up things so that once football is over, he can continue to grow as a businessman, he can continue to grow his community because he’s very big in his community,” said Taylor.
Along the way, Franklin has learned what it takes to start a business.
“I’ve learned a lot of lessons in leadership throughout my time in the NFL, this is no different. You’re trying to create a culture, you’re trying to create a team and that comes with set principles, set values,” said Franklin.
