This is a moderated phorum for the CIVILIZED discussion of the Miami Dolphins. In this phorum, there are rules and moderators to make sure you abide by the rules. The moderators for this phorum are JC and Colonel.
Hey, just listening to the TV about Langford losing a ring valued at $50,000 on the practice field and practice was stopped while all were searching the field for it.
Let me hear the question asked that I know a bunch of you will ask.
One, these people make way to much money.
Two, there should be a rule that all jewlery be left in the locker room.
Three, tough s..t. Keep the practice going.
dolphaholic Wrote:
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> Our football fore-fathers are flipping in their
> graves, "Practice was stopped to search for a
> D-linemans EARRING!"
I would rather see Langford lose an earing during practice if the alternative is like what the Jets did and eat cheesburgers during drills during practice. That was a friggin joke. Then Rex yells at them about it and ends his meeting with..."now lets go eat"
Ha, ha, JC. Tsstamper, that was my point. The thing of it is that you hear stories about these athletes being broke and having to exist on the charity of other athletes and the fans. It makes us all feel so bad.
There should be counseling to these athletes (you'd think their agents would do it but they're just concerned with their percentage) telling them that their salaries, though huge, must last a lifetime after the point that they no longer can play. They all cannot be broadcasters and certainly not all can do product endorsements. And even that pay does not equal their athlete salaries.
Yet, they blindly operate as if their high salaries will go on forever. I think that the teams that make far more money off these athletes than even they do should be required to provide a counseling session each year of the athlete's contract paid for by the team to, if the athlete allows them, survey their spending habits and provide them with a projection of when the money will run out. Of course, I recognize the unintended consequences might be that the athlete will demand just that more in salary which in turn will allow him to spend more which in turn would work against the very reason for the counseling.
I think that spending habits rank right up there with family, Spirituality, core beliefs, etc. that give insight into a person's makeup and philosophy of life. Again, I want to stress that I probably don't have the first clue about NFL player culture, but this episode strengthens the perception that playing a game at an elite level does not equate to making good decisions - financial or otherwise. I think I read somewhere that he didn't insure the earring. Who among us has a piece of property worth $50k that isn't insured? This is simple financial blocking & tackling!
According to Phinzmania's salary cap page, his salary + prorated bonus for 2009 was $585k, with $200k being bonus already paid. My guess is that it's similar for 2010 & 2011. He freakin' paid nearly 10% of his annual earnings for a shiny rock for his ear! Then (technically prior to the loss) he tells a reporter how his kid's birth has totally refocused him! (paraphrasing) Really!?!? I don't know what he drives or what kind of house he lives in, but if his taste in jewelry is any indication, he better be praying that (a) he stays healthy and (b) there continues to be demand for 3-4 DEs in 2012 or whenever the new CBA lets him be a FA. Otherwise, I could see how he could easily spend his way through $2M in his four years.
Chyren, I'm with you that something should be done...someone should tell these guys. My guess, things are being done and told...but they're largely falling on deaf ears. One of my passions is personal financial management - and I welcome the board to rail on me mercilessly for occasionally balancing the budget for fun on a Saturday night :-). I would love to show him how even just his rookie contract can make the difference between a great start to being set for life or a fast, fun four years on the way to welfare.
MikeO Wrote:
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> Mark Brunell who made $52 mill over his career
> filed for Chap 11 bankruptcy.
Maybe he wanted to liquidate his employee's retirement fund? There are a lot of reason rich people declare bankruptcy. Some times it makes them a lot of money, particularly if they are good at stashing cash.
Cool Im glad he had fun, but who care's about Brunell? He never played for this team, and has really very little to do with this thread anyways, so why can't we just feel amazed at the stupidity of Langford for not insuring the ear-rings.
MikeO Wrote:
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> Read the story on Brunell, its because he lived
> the high life and blew every dime he made and then
> some.
I'm just thinking of reasons why I'd declare bankruptcy with that kind of dough.
I agree, it is ridiculous. What would I do with that kind of money? I'd probably buy a few nice pieces of property in select places, and maybe join one of those private plane clubs to get around. That ought to burn a whole 6M over my lifetime, max. Then what? A few cars, perhaps a yacht. Some decent threads, a bit of bling, race horses, sponsor an auto racing team, and purchase decent food on a daily bases. That ought to waste another 7M max over my life time. At that point I'm at a loss. Maybe one of those flights to the ISS on the Russian rocket. So, I'm up to $14M burned. The rest? Investments, tax shelters, maybe even a profitable business or two.
Yea, I don't get it either. Maybe its drugs and hoes? Crazy stupid.