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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4 68 Cardinal enrolled in a newly formed NBA leadership program the league has put together. It is devised to pro- vide practical training for high-level front office opportu- nities. Cardinal compares the workload to an MBA. "It's a program that helps former players find their pas- sion, but it also exposes them across the whole gamut of professional sports," Cardinal said. "I am able to go into the league office and really understand what they do on a day-to-day basis and how they reach around the world. I get to sit in on different meetings and be a fly on the wall, and I just get to learn the league's perspective." Part of the curriculum is allowing time to be spent with five teams, which includes the opportunity to drill down even further into the operations of a franchise. Cardinal has worked with the Mavericks, Nuggets, Bulls, Pacers and Bucks. "I have interacted with the team's business opera- tions and basketball operations, but I have also learned about things ranging from ticket and sponsorship sales to how to construct a roster and negotiating contracts," Cardinal said. "When I was a player, you kind of showed up and they turned the lights on, or so I thought. My work with the JPC and the NBA has shown me that isn't the way big-time athletics works." Timing is everything, and Cardinal has a young family, so that will be a factor in the choices he makes and where he lands in the athletic adminis- tration field. "The big picture for me is, 'What do I want to get done?'" Cardinal said. "The end scenario or goal is just to prepare me for whatever opportunities are out there. Whether that is at Purdue or somewhere else, it is just that constant development I am looking for to ultimately help make a difference wherever I am." Tongue firmly placed in cheek, there is something else that Cardinal, who will turn 40 in early May, is interested in getting done in his life: To become the newest menu item at the Triple XXX, joining several other Boilermaker legends with the honor. "My buddies were busting my chops that they were adding (David) Boudia and (Ashley) Burkhardt, and they were wondering what it took to get on the menu," Cardi- nal said. "David and Ashley are more deserving than me, I get that, but I love Triple XXX so I am thrilled they are considering me." So Triple XXX owners Greg and Car- rie Ehresman talked to Cardinal and determined it was a match made in hamburger heaven. "He's a perfect fit," Carrie Ehres- man. "I mean, who doesn't love Bri- an Cardinal? We would be honored to have him be part of us." But what would be the most appro- priate menu item for the restaurant that is known as much for its break- fast items as its awesome burgers? Citizen Paincakes. "Of course," said Cardinal. j