Mark Brunell blew FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS

[MrScorpio]

How the fuck does someone blow fifty million and still have to go bankrupt at 24 million in the hole?

Crazy.

[LynneSin]

1. Who?

:shrug:

BTW you missed my DMV thread.

And I have people sending me private IMs worried that the freepers are gonna call the Virginia DMV and have me fired.

[Swede]

2. It's not uncommon.

Former NFL offensive lineman Ken Ruettgers, who has established a non-profit to educate players on how to live after their careers are over, said Brunell's situation is not rare.

"It's something like 78 percent of former NFL players, two years after their last game are either bankrupt, divorced or unemployed," Ruettgers said.

http://www.nesn.com/2011/11/veteran-quarterback-mark-brunell-is-broke-faces-six-lawsuits.html

[Blue_Tires]

6. Too many pro athletes make shitty investments, commonly on stuff like

real estate, clubs, bars, restaurants(!) CAR DEALERSHIPS(!!) RECORD LABELS(??!?) These are all things that even smart, committed businessmen have trouble turning a profit in...Extra credit if the business pitch is from a cousin or boy back in the hometown who can't even handle his own finances...

Too many players also trust shady accountants/attorneys/agents to handle all their finances, and ignore the warnings/advice of smart players who know how to do things right (Magic Johnson)

[Tom_Foolery]

3. I think he's a graduate of the Mike Tyson School of Money Management. n/t

[Blue_Tires]

4. Antoine Walker blew $110 million in a shorter amount of time

gambling, bad investments, living it up in the clubs, etc...

Mike Tyson burnt up even more, but much of that was simply stolen from him

[Doc_Technical]

5. A familiar story

I'll bet for a while there he certainly had
quite a few "friends" to help him have
a good time.

[gratuitous]

7. It's disturbingly easy to do that

And there is a list as long as your arm and mine of professional athletes who ran through their earnings before they were 40, and wound up hawking autographs and appearing at mall openings for a quick buck. Hint to anyone who comes into sudden, fabulous wealth: Keep an eye on everyone handling your money, and don't think for an instant that any friends you make post-fortune care for you in the least. They're there as long as the money is, and when the money's gone, they're gone.

It's fun to make fun of the profligate, but it can lead to some truly bad results, every bit as bad as someone who never has anything and struggles daily just to survive.