Footwedge;1169031 wrote:Sorry...all hearsay evidence. No way that those numbers are accurate.
Well, if you use logic, it's at least possible they're true.
1. Many careers are short. Guys like Jerry Rice and Bruce Matthews, who last for decades, are rarities. A lot of guys only last a couple seasons.
2. Many guys don't make superstar money. And a lot of those guys are in the short-career zone. Low-round draft picks who spend a couple years on special teams until getting cut and winding up out of the league. Or that undrafted free agent who made the practice squad, but never found a home on an actual sideline roster except for that one game when they needed a back-up long snapper because the regular one had stomach flu and they weren't sure if he could go.
3. When you consider that a lot of young athletes (ie: nearly all) probably take their first huge check and turn it into a car, a house, new wardrobe, hangers-on, baby mommas, etc., you'd have to think they'd have to make A LOT of bank just to overcome their own immediate wants. They don't have long careers (or don't "outgrow" their "SPEND SPEND SPEND" tendencies), they're in trouble.
4. Salary inflation. Money in all sports has dramatically jumped over the past couple decades. I'm in my 30s and can remember when a guy making $1 million was big news. Now, that's commonplace. There are tons of stories about older athletes who are physically broken down and struggle to afford healthcare or anything.
Add it all up. Short careers, poor financial planning, injuries forcing a need for legit medical care, not having a great deal of employable skills because their life has been about football up until they were out of the league. I can easily see those numbers being, if not accurate, within 5 or so % of accuracy.