Over the last 48 hours we’ve seen both the Rams’ Jared Goff and the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott get paid through the nose. On Tuesday we saw Goff sign a 4-year extension through the 2024 season worth $134 million with $101 million GUARANTEED! Then on Wednesday Zeke pulled up on a 6-year extension worth $90 million and $50 million of it GUARANTEED. Say it with me, “NUTS!!!”
They’re throwing so much money around in professional sports that when you hear of a boy getting $30 million that’s not big money to you. We’ve become immune to the zeros.
Now the duns in the NBA are getting so much bread it makes your head spin. When you think of cats like Steph Curry making $40 million, $43 million and $45 million over the next three seasons it’s mind blowing. He’s still young enough to get another big contract before his career is over too. That’s NUTS!!!
Whether a cat is making $30 million or $150 million it’s a whole lot of bread and it’s crazy to me that some or most of these cats will still end up broke. I’m not telling you what I heard playa. I’m telling you what I know. Back in March of 2009 Sport Illustrated did an article entitled “How (and Why) Pro Athletes Go Broke” breaking down all of the foolishness players spend money on, bad investments, child supports payments, divorce etc. that cause most of these cats to end up broke.
The article went on to say that “By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce.” It goes on to say that “Within five years of retirement, an estimated 60% of former NBA players are broke.”
Say it again with me, “NUTS!!!”
We’re watching these cats get truck loads of bread dropped off on their front lawns and there is the very real possibility that some or most of them will end up broke.
We saw with our own eyes Vince Young sign one of the highest paid rookie deals in the league in 2006 worth $26 million and by 2011 the dun was out of the league and broke. Mike Tyson made over $300 million during his career and he’s as broke as a joke right now.
Travis Henry went broke because he had nine children by nine different women. That’ll do it every time. Warren Sapp made over $82 million during the course of his career but by the time he filed for bankruptcy he had $826.04 in his bank account.
So while you’re admiring all of this bread cats like Goff and Zeke got this week. Sit in the cut and wait and see if they’ll still have it when it’s all said and done. Zeke couldn’t stay out of trouble with the little millions he had before Wednesday. He’s liable to lose his freakin’ mind on Thursday. I’ve said for years that money is like alcohol. It doesn’t change you. It just brings out what’s already in you. If you were a broke fool you’re just going to be rich fool.
I’d much rather work a job, cash these good checks and keep most of it than to cash million dollar checks, end up losing my mind and spending it all only to end back up in the poor house. It’s got to be a total nightmare to get extremely rich, see what it tastes and smells like only to have to go back to being poor. That’s got to be the worse feeling ever. Stop me when I start lyin’!
