VLK – Pro Rep was established in 2014 by Viral Keshwala, who spent 12 years on the gridiron. Growing up in Madison, Connecticut, he loved football and worked hard to prove his critics wrong.

“I had to break through barriers growing up. A lot of people didn’t think I could play football because I’m a first generation Indian in America. They didn’t think I could play the game because no one in my family had played or had knowledge of the game. They thought I should be focusing on technology or medicine. Ever since then, I’ve just wanted to show people that I could do it. Why? Because I LOVE football.”

In 2001, Viral was named a part of the Connecticut high school All-Century Team as an offensive lineman by the New Haven Register.

He was a four-year starter at Colgate University. After graduation, he participated in NFL
combines and played arena football for six years.

While playing football, Viral accomplished two other goals, becoming a lawyer and working on a movie set.

“After all the stereotypes I had to break, proving to people that an Indian-American could play football; now I had to prove to the same people that I wasn’t just a jock. I wanted to be a lawyer. It’s an honorable profession and I knew it was the next step to becoming a NFLPA approved agent. But people couldn’t believe that a football player could be a lawyer. So again, I had to fight to prove them wrong.”

Don’t be surprised if Viral looks familiar. He has rubbed shoulders with Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson in the Disney film, “The Game Plan.” He also appeared in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster “The Dark Knight Rises.” Recently, he appeared as an extra in a NFL Network commercial that starred Rob Gronkowski, the tight end for the New England Patriots. He was even a featured face in “The Purge 3.”

Viral has found success in his life through hard work, dedication, and commitment to fulfilling his dream. Now, he wants to help you fulfill your dream of playing professional football.

Our team’s strength and conditioning expert is Robert Mangino. Robert has worked in the strength and conditioning field for over 15 years, training hundreds of athletes in the shoreline area along the way. Many of these athletes have gone on to become varsity performers and captains of various sports, with hundreds going further to all-conference, all-state, and even All-American selections. 317 of his athletes have performed at the collegiate level, and 20 have also made it to the professional level. N.S.C.A-Cpt, N.S.C.A- C.S.C.S

VLK-Pro Rep’s digital and social media director is Nick Pizzolato. Nick is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and lives in Boston with his wife and cat. He has helped create content and develop social media strategies for news organizations and various marketing campaigns for over six years. On Sundays, he watches the Patriots and works on making the perfect pot of chili.

Our newest team member is Maria Backman. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Backman attended Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx where she still holds the record for most points scored in school history. Went on to be highly touted and was a top 3 recruiting prospect in NYC. She committed to the University of Michigan before her senior year and went on to play at the University of Michigan from 2014-2017. Playing in the Big Ten conference, her team was also a part of the national basketball coverage and in 2017, Michigan won WNIT championship. She graduated from Michigan in April of 2018 and is currently studying to be a lawyer at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Law School, with a focus on sports and entertainment law.