"Following his graduation from Illinois, Whitman pursued a professional playing career in the NFL. Over a four-year period, he spent time with the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins, as well as with the Frankfurt Galaxy of the now-defunct NFL Europe. He retired from the NFL following the 2004 season.
Whitman began his career in athletics administration with his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he served as the assistant to the athletic director from 2007-08 and as coordinator of special projects from 2005-07.
While at Illinois, Whitman was involved in numerous aspects of the athletic department’s operations, including development, marketing, sports information and communications, internal operations and student-athlete programs.
He also attended the University of Illinois College of Law, earning a juris doctoris, summa cum laude, in May 2008.
After graduating from law school, Whitman served as a law clerk for Judge M.S. Kanne of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He then joined the Washington, D.C., law firm of Covington & Burling, which has a nationally recognized sports practice and serves as the primary outside counsel to the National Football League.
Whitman is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and remains licensed to practice law in Illinois and the District of Columbia."
https://source.wustl.edu/2014/06/josh-whitman-named-washington-university-new-athletics-director/