Is There Life After Football? (46 page)

58
. Ibid.

59
. Ibid.

60
. Research interview #41.

61
. Billick, 2007, p. 77. Rogers was the second player selected in the draft.

62
.
Broke
.

63
. Research interview #41.

64
.
Broke
.

65
. Le Batard, Dan. July 13, 2009. “As Bernie Kosar's Life around Him Crumbles, the Former QB's Game Plan Is Familiar: Emerge Unscathed.”
Post-gazette.com
.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/as-bernie-kosars-life-around-him-crumbles-the-former-qbs-game-plan-is-familiar-emerge-unscathed-349253/
, retrieved 7/26/13; Schoenberger, Robert. June 19, 2009. “Former Cleveland Browns Quarterback Bernie Kosar Files for Bankruptcy.”
Cleveland.com
.
http://blog.cleveland.com/browns_impact/print.html?entry=/2009/06/former_cleve-land_browns_quarte_1.html
, retrieved 7/25/13. Ironically, or tragically, depending on one's perspective, bankruptcy filings show that Kosar now owes millions to his father, brother, and ex-wife.

66
. O'Toole, 2006, p. 146.

67
. Research interview #41.

68
. O'Toole 2006.

69
. Ibid., p. 145–46.

70
.
Broke
.

71
. Ibid.

72
. Eisen 2007, p. 185. Emphasis in original.

73
. Player Care study.

74
. Torre, March 23, 2009.

75
. Research interview #41.

76
. Research interview #304.

77
. Eisen 2007. At the same time, NFL wives warn prospective pro football spouses of the vagaries of NFL marriages and the dangers of getting “dumped” after putting up with the hardships of the early years at the periphery of the league. See Feinstein 2005, O'Toole 2006.

78
. Le Batard, July 13, 2009.

79
. “Troy Aikman Antes Up $1.75 Million in Divorce Settlement.” June 11, 2012.
TMZ.com
.
http://www.tmz.com/2012/06/01/troy-aikman-wife-divorce-settlement/
, retrieved 4/18/14.

80
. Wahl, Grant, and L. Jon Wertheim. May 4, 1998. “Paternity Ward.”
SIVault.com
.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1012762/
; Breitman. David. March 3, 2010. “The Top 10 Athletes with the Most Children.”
Spike.com
.
http://www.spike.com/articles/q1nho0/the-top-10-athletes-with-the-most-illegitimate-children
; “Jets' Cromartie, Wife Expecting Twins.” April 17, 2012.
Foxsports.com
.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/new-york-jets-antonio-cromartie-wife-expecting-twins-total-of-12-kids-8-different-women-041712
; all retrieved 8/5/13.

81
. Wahl and Wertheim, May 4, 1998; “Monthly Child Support Payments Average $430 per Month in 2010, Census Bureau Reports.” June 19, 2012.
Census.gov
.
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/children/cb12-109.html
, retrieved 8/5/13.

82
. Brooks, April 9, 2012.

83
. Soshnick, Scott. May 9, 2011. “NBA, NFL Players' Ex-Wives Likely to Feel Pinch.”
SFGate.com
.
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/NBA-NFL-players-ex-wives-likely-to-feel-pinch-2372426.php
; Tinouye, Kunbi. April 20, 2012. “Does ‘Baby Mama Drama' Make Pro Athletes Go Broke?”
Thegrio.com
.
http://thegrio.com/2012/04/20/does-baby-mama-drama-make-pro-athletes-go-broke
; both retrieved 8/5/13.

84
. Tinouye, April 20, 2012.

85
. Koebler, July 21, 2011.

86
. Research interview #30.

87
. Koebler, July 21, 2011.

88
. Ibid.

89
. Ibid.

90
. Ibid.

1
.
SportsCenter
. September 6, 2013. ESPN-TV.

2
. Player Care study.

3
. Korn, Melissa. March 14, 2013. “The NFL Tackles Job Training for Retired Players.”
WSJ.com
.
http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2013/03/14/the-nfl-tackles-job-training-for-retired-players/
, retrieved 8/15/13. This statistic was drawn from the Player Care study.

4
. “From Professional Sports to Franchising.” August 3, 2013.
Chicagolawbulletin.com
.
http://www.chicagolawbulletin.com/Articles/2013/08/13/sporting-column-8-13-13.aspx
, retrieved 8/13/13.

5
. Research interview #24.

6
. Research interview #20.

7
. Ibid.

8
. Research interview #30.

9
. This amount was in the ballpark of the salary of a new tenure-track faculty member in, say, the English Department at ECU.

10
. Research interview #42.

11
. “Summary of NFL Player Benefits.” N.d.
Delducasports.com
.
http://www.delducasports.com/assets/files/Summary-of-NFL-Player-Benefits.pdf
, retrieved 7/7/13.

12
. Research interview #42.

13
. Research interview #26.

14
. “College Graduates Unemployment.” N.d.
Huffingtonpost.com
.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/college-graduates-unemployment
, retrieved 11/16/13.

15
. Research interview #28.

16
. Research interview #30.

17
. See the web site of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund for a list of well over 100 instances where old-timers met hard times. “Player Stories.” N.d.
Gridirongreats.org
.
http://www.gridirongreats.org/stories
, retrieved 8/15/13. See Oriard 1982 for additional examples. In general, pensions have been modest, if not inadequate, for players retiring before the free agency era.

18
. Hack, Damon. June 16, 2011. “Playing for Profit: Ex-NFL Corner Succeeds in Business after Football.”
SI.com
.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/damon_hack/06/16/eugene.profit/index.html?xid=cnnbin&hpt=hp_bn10
, retrieved 4/4/13.

19
. Materials relating to Dampeer's story come from research interview #22.

20
. Research interview #17.

21
. See Billick 2009, Dawidoff 2013, Feinstein 2005, Freeman 2003.

22
. Research interview #42.

23
. Of course this mythology leads to its own sort of debunking. Brian Billick, himself a Super Bowl–winning coach, once responded to a query about what time he arrived at his office in the morning. “About a half hour before whatever time Gruden lies about coming in,” replied Billick (Freeman 2003, p. 6).

24
. Average salaries among NFL assistant coaches are around $400,000; college coaches make considerably less, but still more than $200,000 on average. Assistants in major conferences average close to $300,000 per year. See Berkowitz, Steve, and Jodi Upton. June 24, 2013. “College Football Assistants Seeing Salaries Surge.”
USAToday.com
.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2012/12/18/assistant-coaches-salaries-bowl-subdivision/1777719/
; Saraceno, Jon. March 17, 2011. “Coaches Salaries Slashed in NFL Lockout Cost-cutting.”
USAToday.com
.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2011-03-16-coaches-salaries_N.htm
; both retrieved 8/20/13.

25
. “What's the Average Salary of a High School Football Coach?” N.d.
Degreedirectory.org
.
http://degreedirectory.org/articles/Whats_the_Average_Salary_of_a_High_School_Football_Coach.html
; Zuvanich, Adam. January 11, 2013. “Football: Feldt Hired as Permian Coach.”
Oaoa.com
.
http://www.oaoa.com/oavarsity/boys/article_e035c388-5c35-11e2-8aee-0019bb30f31a.html
; Nelson, Akilah, and Kelly Davis. October 26, 2012. “Five of Highest-Paid High School Coaches in Midlands.”
Thestate.com
.
http://www.thestate.com/2012/10/26/2495498/5-of-highest-paid-high-school.html
; Shirley, Brent. August 18, 2011. “As High School Football Popularity Soars, So Do Coaches' Salaries.”
Star-telegram.com
.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/08/18/3300034/as-high-school-football-popularity.html
; “How Much Do High School Coaches in Southeast Texas Make?” September 27, 2011.
Beaumontenterprise.com
.
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/hs/article/How-much-do-high-school-football-coaches-in-2191111.php
; “Search Arkansas High School Football Coaches Salaries.” N.d.
ArkansasOnline.com
.
http://www.arkansasonline.com/extra/databases/coachsalaries/
; Porter, Matt. May 1, 2013. “County High School Coaches Say the Pay They Receive for the Long Hours of Work Is Forcing Them to Consider Leaving the Area—or the Profession.”
PalmBeachBost.com
.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/sports/high-school/county-high-school-football-coaches-say-the-pay-th/nXdYC/
; “‘What's
the Story?' with Coaches Salaries.” April 27, 2013.
Fdlreporter.com
.
http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20130428/FON0101/304280121/-What-s-story-coaches-salaries
; all retrieved 8/20/13.

26
. Thelen, Paul. June 20, 2013. “Active NFL Players Destined to Become Coaches after Retirement.”
Bleacherreport.com
.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1679155-active-nfl-players-destined-to-become-coaches-after-retirement
, retrieved 8/15/13.

27
. Joyner, K.C. 2008.
Blindsided
. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

28
. “Bill Walsh NFL Minority Fellowships.” N.d.
NFLplayerengagement.com
.
https://www.nflplayerengagement.com/next/bill-walsh-nfl-minority-coaching-fellowship/
; “Internship Opportunities.” April 10, 2014.
NFLplayers.com
.
https://www.nflplayers.com/About-us/Join-Our-Workforce/Internship-Opportunities/
; both retrieved 4/18/14.

29
.
ESPN News
. July 5, 2013. ESPN2-TV.

30
. Chadiha, May 31, 2012.

31
. Dozier, Leonard. N.d. “The Average Salary of Sports Radio Hosts.”
Ehow.com
.
http://www.ehow.com/info_12028765_average-salary-sports-radio-hosts.html
; “Jobs in Sports: Insight Sports Radio Professional.” N.d.
Jobsinsprots.com
.
http://www.jobsinsports.com/blog/post.cfm/jobs-in-sports-insight-sports-radio-professional
; both retrieved 8/21/13.

32
. “Discover How to Become a Sports Broadcaster.” N.d.
Sportscastingcareeers.com
.
http://www.sportscastingcareers.com/becoming-a-sportscaster.php?gclid=CN_24fv967oCFbF34godWQgA4g
, retrieved 11/17/13.

33
. Player Engagement, December 8, 2012.

34
.
Dennis Krause Show
. September 13, 2012. Time Warner Sports–Milwaukee.

35
. Eisen 2007.

36
. Freedman, Jonah. N.d. “The 50 Highest-Earning American Athletes.”
SI.com
.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/specials/fortunate50-2011/index.html
, retrieved 8/22/13.

37
. See “Booking Athletes for Autograph Signing Appearances.” N.d.
Athletepromotions.com
.
http://www.athletepromotions.com/athlete-autograph-signing-appearance.php
, retrieved 8/22/13.

38
. Research interview #30.

39
. Ibid.

40
. Research interview #05.

41
. “LeRoy Butler on His Pay for Charity Events.” N.d.
Greenbaypressgazette.com
.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/videonetwork/2838532505001
, retrieved 11/23/13.

42
. For example, see “Brees Dream Foundation.” N.d.
Drewbrees.com
.
http://www.drewbrees.com/
, retrieved 8/22/13.

43
. Borchers, Callum. February 24, 2013. “In Nonprofit Game, Athletes Post Losing Records.”
Bostonglobe.com
.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/02/24/nonprofit-game-many-athletes-post-losingrecords/a0eqoz6ruyorfht0t0j0eo/story.html
;
Lavigne, Paula. March 31, 2013. “Athlete Charities Often Lack Standards.”
ESPN.com
.
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9109024/top-athletes-charities-often-measure-charity-experts-say-efficient-effective-use-money
; Vincent, Isabel. “NYC Star Athletes Like Sabathia, Ferguson Run Lousy Charities.”
NYPost.com
.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/it_jock_crock_rb6wV1sD4xhjejETfpRP3I
; all retrieved 4/1/13.