Now while I totally agree with you, I just want to point out that an inordinate amount of athletes go broke after their playing days are over. I read somewhere that the number is north of 80%. That said your main premise is completely correct.
Many pro athletes do not go broke, many of them are very successful long after their athletic careers are over. I would love to see the study proclaiming that over 80% of former pro football players go broke/file for bankruptcy protection.
You are right it is only 78% that go broke within 2 years of retiring. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102302881
None of us know but just from what has been leaked out it seems the sticking point is actually guaranteed money not Brick guaranteed money. Why should they leave money on the table? He's a reason the team and the league make so much money so why shouldn't he get as much as he can and never have to have a real job in his life? and many athletes make millions then are broke soon after their playing days are over. Revis seems smarter than most of those guys but you never know. The point is we cannot compare ourselves to what he is going through. He has a profession where he can command insane amounts of money, most of us do not. He needs to get every dime he can. I never said he was in a dire situation but why can't he make as much as possible? he's earned the right to be in this situation where he can take care of the next few generations of his family if he chooses to do so. How come people don't complain when an actor works a few months and gets $30 million but when a guy who is likely shortening his life doing the same thing, entertaining people like us, people go crazy? The Jets and revis share blame for this current holdout but w/ what the jets have promised in the past, w/ seeing other players go down w/ injuries how can anyone blame him for trying to get as much guarnteed money as possible?
Thats not what the article says, it talks about "financial stress". BFD. most people have some financial stress during their lives. "financial stress" doesn't equal being broke or bankrupt. Even the guy cited in the article - rocket ismail isn't broke - he just made stupid investments and lost money. Thats too bad, but its not as if fmr pro footballers are alone in making bad business decisions. Many of them make great business decisions too and are successful.
it's not the team's responsibility to make sure these players don't blow their money after they retire or have so much money that they can blow millions of it. It's the player's responsibility to take the money he has earned and make sure he has that money for the rest of his life. How can you say he "needs" every dime he makes. He'll make more money on this contract (whether it's $12mil or $15mil per year) than most people will ever make in their entire lives.
No, it doesn't have any bearing on what the Jets should be willing to pay Revis. Nor did I say it did. However, the criticism that people are lobbying that he can't possibly need that much money to take care of his family in the way he sees fit? It makes little sense. I'm not 'guessing' based on some hunch. It's a rather common theme. My brother in law supported 4 households for a period of time during his 12 year NFL career. His first wife was suffering from leukemia, which would eventually take her life. He wanted his wife and children to have a full support staff at all times. He made that choice, and it was most certainly his decision to make. Even prior to that, one of his first choices when entering was to buy houses for both sets of parents, his and his wife's. It was simply viewed as what you do when you're able to make good. Again, it's a common theme, not just for athletes, but for people from certain backgrounds. Who are you to decide what constitutes Revis's family, and who he feels a need to provide for? I didn't see him say that he needs millions to put caviar on the table and matching Maybachs for a wife and children. I didn't see him define family at all. He grew up in a house with 4 generations of extended family. If he feels a need to provide for those people now that he's capable of doing so, that's his choice. I'm certainly not going to say that he can't argue he needs more money in order to do so. It's hardly an isolated story in the sporting world. None of us can say what his definition of family is, so none of us can judge that aspect. As I already stated, that's on him. That's not on the Jets, nor should it be. The Jets will pay what both sides agree is deserved and within reason. We can absolutely comment on what he deserves based on his play on the field and the needs of the team. To say what he should be satisfied with for his family? Awfully presumptuous.
It's not a matter of need in a basic, textbook sense. Few of us need every dime we get. Nobody needs to own a house, a car, etc. However, if he's decided that he should assume certain obligations of his own volition, he's certainly going to need money to perform those obligations. He's certainly making a choice, but I don't see the point of criticizing his right to make that choice in the position he's in.
One reason that he can't just make as much money as possible is that the Jets don't have to agree to pay him as much money as possible. The Jets have a contract with him that he signed and the Jets control his rights in the future as well. So Revis has to work within that reality. He is not a free agent. He has chosen to holdout/breach his contract as a tactic to try to get whatever it is that he wants from the Jets. The Jets can decide how to deal with that tactic. Its not all about what Revis wants because he doesn't have the leverage to negotiate that way.
Agreed, and the amount we hope both sides will agree to is a great point to debate. Personally, I'd hope that Revis would accept a deal around $12 million to reflect the realities of the situation he's in.
of course they go broke if they spend their money foolishly, but spending their money foolishly doesn't mean they didn't make enough money to live far more comfortably for the remainder of their lives even over a short career than the average person does working for far longer periods of time. who said he should leave money on the table? he should make what he deserves, and from all accounts the amount of money he is seeking isn't justified by his position or comparable salaries. by your logic, he should seek $30 million a year, because if he only signs for $13 million he is leaving money on the table. simply not making as much as you would prefer isn't leaving money on the table. if Revis wants $15 million and doesn't get it because the market for his services doesn't warrant it, that isn't leaving money on the table. nobody is saying he should take less than his market value, but from all accounts he has an inflated sense of his market value, much like Leon Washington. and that would be a deficiency in how they manage their money, not a deficiency in the amount of money they make. of course he should, but that amount is still determined by factors and ultimately has a reasonable boundary. he seems to want to extend that boundary, and that is where the criticism comes from. because the two simply aren't comparable. anyone criticizing the amount of money as an absolute, thus making an actors salary relevant to the scenario, is making an illogical argument and shouldn't be used as the basis for a defense of your position, or you in turn will make an equally illogical argument as you just did.
He can make whatever choice he wants to make, but he shouldn't assume the Jets will finance his decision. he is acting like he is a free agent and he isn't.
It;s not the teams responsiblity but again why shouldn't a player get as much as they possibly can? They have a very short window to make that amount of money, they NEED to take advnatge of it. Why leave money on the table? You think Woody is going broke? These players put their futures on the line w/ every snap. How do you think Dennis Byrd is doing today? You think he could have used any extra money? It's easy to these guys are greedy and they have so much money that they couldn't even spend it but they have earned the right to command that amout of money and the smart ones will not leave much on the table. This will get worked out one way or the other and he's going to get paid a ton.
That's because they have no ability to manage their own money and they think that they can live a lavish lifestyle all their lives. As I said, put 10M in the bank at 2% interest (which isn't all that high) and you could live comfortably off interest for the rest of your life... However, most sports players would not do that because they want to continue to live in the huge houses, with the expensive cars, and blah blah blah... and also doing that would require them to not use some of their money now. We all know that most of these guys tend to live for right here and now instead of thinking about their future.
Everyone on here wants these players to take whatever the team is offering, how is that fair to the player? The teams make out like bandits overcharging the fans, fleecing us w/ PSLs, concessions, merchandise. Why shouldn't the guys who we pay to see get as much as they can get? I don;t think any of us really know what he is asking for or what the Jets are offering. Revis could be wrong, the Jets could be wrong or they both could be? We don't know. I just support his right to get as much as he can get knowing he only has a small window to do so. That is not an illogical argument. People are whinging about revis being greedy, why don't people complain when it is an actor? Actors can also work until they are old still making huge amounts of money, pro football players cannot.
If the only hold up were guaranteed money, I can't imagine why the deal wouldn't be done already. Like I said, their is a way to give him true guaranteed money, see the Willis deal.
lets make this more simple. Revis is trying to make as much as he can at the peak of his career. totally fair. The Jets refuse to hand the keys to a CB pointing to a fucking retarded deal as the benchmark. totally fair. common sense says they will have to meet in between to the tune of 11 to 12 million a year with a decent amount guaranteed. now what Revis camp feels is "decent" or "fair" in the guaranteed dept is what the hold up probably is. thing is alot of these blurbs still leave us under the impression they are looking for way more than what was previously mentioned. and reports of Revis agents rejecting a long term deal, a band aid deal, and a personal meeting does nothing but fan the flames of anyone monitoring this fiasco final result knee jerk reactions of pay the man to the complete detriment of developing the team knee jerk reactions of fucking trade him as if we wont miss a beat when hes gone. the longer we have time to gossip the quicker we have a 150 page thread /rant
I'm not disputing the first point, and if he's assuming the Jets have to cave to whatever demand he makes, he's in for a rude awakening. As far as the second, I think we've beaten that debate to death. :smile:
Darelle can dig in his heels and refuse to play unless he gets 16M a yr and X guaranteed. The Jets can make the business decision not to agree to pay Darelle what he wants. At that point the two sides can reach a compromise or not reach a compromise. The Jets have the leverage and can afford to wait Darelle out. It may be that Darelle doesn't currently accept this dynamic and it may take some time for this reality to sink in. Hopefully it won't take that long. I am guessing that he wants to play and that he will eventually agree to a new contract and everybody will smile, say nice things and have a big group hug.
