Down in the Doldrums is definitely where you don't want to be after achieving meteoric fame and fortune in the NFL. These NFL players have gone from riches to rags, and it's not pretty!
Vince Young is no stranger to the NFL. He was drafted to the Tennessee Titans back in 2006, and after earning $26 million throughout his career, everything came crashing down. By 2014, his lavish spending resulted in debt of $10 million, and just $500,000 worth of assets. Like so many before him, Vince Young blamed his financial advisers for his ill fortune, to the tune of $5.5 million. There are sketchy reports about how it all went pear-shaped for him, including a $1.9 million loan that he defaulted on. According to Celebrity Net Worth, this American football player is now worth $-1.5 million!
For former NFL star Travis Henry, things couldn't have gone more wrong. In 2009, he was sentenced by a federal court to prison for running drugs between the states of Montana and Colorado. Why was he trying to run drugs when he was a former NFL great? He had 9 children from 9 different women, and it was expensive to try and keep up on all the payments with all these beautiful NFL women. But it was his drug addiction that ruined his career and ultimately led to the loss of his fortune. With a $4 million fine and up to 10 years to life in prison, it was a no-brainer. Henry didn't have the cash, despite having a 4-year, $22.5 million contract before losing it all. When you get caught with 6 kg (13.2 lbs) of cocaine, there isn't a whole lot of wiggle room.
Didn't expect to see Dan Marino on this list did you? As a superstar QB for the legendary Miami Dolphins, Dan Marino lost a ton of money back in 2012. True, he is an anomaly on this list since he didn't go broke, but he lost big league. The name of his pain was an investment company known as Digital Domain. After pumping a ton of money into the company, acquiring 1.6 million shares, the company soon declared bankruptcy. Marino was SOL, taking a hit of at least $14 million. As a 9-time Pro Bowl selection, you wouldn't expect such ill fortune to befall the legendary Dan Marino, but it did. Before you start bawling your eyes out for Marino, remember this, he's still worth a cool $35 million
Remember Chris McAllister? He was a cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens back in ‘99. As a first-round pick in the draft, he achieved superstardom for Baltimore. Throughout his glittering career, he progressed to 3X Pro Bowls and even signed a $55 million NFL contract. Before he was released, he'd got $39 million out of the contract + an additional $6 million prior to signing. Unfortunately, everything went wrong for Chris McAllister and by 2011, he was back at home with his parents. He couldn't even pay for his basic upkeep – that's how bad things were financially. Among others, he was forced to make good on $11,000 in child support payments. Celebrity Net Worth estimates his personal fortune to be $-100,000.
Warren Sapp was pretty much as big as you can get in the NFL, at 300 pounds. He earned $75 million + playing professional football at the highest level, and he lost every cent. Over the space of 13 years, he had an impressive record totaling 96.5 sacks. He was destined for a good life in his retirement years, but that just didn't happen. He was a lavish spender and ultimately landed in hot water. His millions vanished into thin air, and before he knew it he was up to his eyeballs in debt, to the tune of $6.7 million. Considering that he signed a $35 million contract with TBB in 1998, and later with the Raiders with a $36 million deal, you would think that the 30-year-old player at the time would have looked after his fortune. He spent money on everything he didn't need, and ultimately the money ran out. By 2012, he filed chapter 7 bankruptcy, and he was still several hundred thousand dollars in debt after all was said and done. Controversy dogged him for the rest of his years, ultimately relegating him to the annals of history as just another player who lost it all.
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*Photo courtesy of: Don Wright and AP Dan Marino
Brett is an internationally published sports journalist, political analyst, and medical fiction author. His commentary is seen in The Star, The Citizen, Tampa Bay Times, The Street, The Sowetan, The Sunday Times, The Sunday Independent, and across hundreds of online and print media platforms. He is the author of ‘Cricket Chatz’ and the highly-acclaimed, ‘Serum’.
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