A handful of notable player cuts took place over the weekend, and the Buffalo Bills might be forced to deploy emergency plans for their Week 1 QB starter. John Juhasz reviews. Donte' Stallworth was cut Monday by the Washington Redskins, possibly a sign that the team feels strong at the wide receiver position and didn't think it needed injury insurance.
The New England Patriots look again to Deion Branch to fulfill their needs at wide receiver after placing Donte' Stallworth on injured reserve because of a high ankle sprain. Donte' Stallworth was sitting at home five days ago. The member of the Patriots squad won't be a part of this year's group. This was especially true in New Orleans throughout his first four seasons.
He was also a key player on the New England Patriots team that went before losing in the Super Bowl. All in all, Stallworth played for six different teams in his career.
He last played for the Patriots in but only suited up in one game that season. While he did have a good amount of success, people might remember him more for his big mistake. On March 14, , Stallworth struck and killed year-old construction worker Mario Reyes while driving drunk.
However, Stallworth was sentenced to 30 days in jail but just served 24 days, according to CNN. He was also sentenced to two years of house arrest, per NFL. However, the provisions allowed him to resume his NFL career. They throw names out there. When you're a rookie or a young guy, you're thinking: "If Tom Brady's doing this, of course I should be doing it too. That is how a lot of guys get taken advantage of. It's the people that you trust, the people that you meet.
You're automatically a target. There are people whose lives are solely based around clinging to athletes. They try to find ways that they can get money out of people. I've seen it, I've lived it. It's just horrible. A lot of my friends were caught up in this casino scam. This guy scammed guys out of millions. This was years ago, and they're still trying to work out the logistics of getting their money back. HP: You were also a public rich person, a celebrity.
What is it like to not only have money but to have everybody around you knowing that you have money, to have your money be a topic of public conversation?
DS: It's tough, Harold. Not only are your family members and cousins, even distant relatives, expecting you to be the money guy, it's also friends and other people. When you are put in that situation at such a young age, it's hard to say no to some of your family, or to some of your best friends.
A lot of times, guys don't say no. I had one relative who I hadn't spoken to — not one time — the entire time I was in college. This was before I even got any checks or anything. As a young athlete, before you made it to the NFL, you would always hear those stories. But you never would believe it was true. It's very difficult to learn how and when to say no and not feel bad about it. DS: Some guys don't ever manage it. These are the ones who go broke the fastest. It took me a while to learn, until I had people I was able to talk to, people who were in the same position.
Let's face it, every professional athlete that I had come in contact with — especially guys who are making millions of dollars a year or close to that — has been in that position. You want to be in a position where you can take care of your immediate family, the people that you feel responsible for. In my case it was my mother, and I was the one to take care of my immediate family.
I also had close friends I would like to be in position to help if they needed it. I won't say that I felt obligated to do it. It doesn't seem that bad. You automatically become that safety net. HP: It seems to me that financially successful African Americans face a particular challenge. There is also a culture of loyalty and mutual support that makes it easier for people to put the hand on your shoulder, or that makes you feel obligated when people need help. I don't know if that's real to you.
DS: That's very real. When you do come into this type of money, there are so many people to whom you become that safety net. We could spend another hour talking about those situations. They happen often. HP: Did you take any courses in college on budgeting or the stock market or anything like that? DS: I didn't. I really wish I had. There are not many jobs where you're 19, 20, 21 years old that make you a millionaire, or at least wealthy, literally overnight. That just doesn't happen often in this world.
I would definitely advise the young guys to take some type of business course to help them understand their finances better once they make it to the professional level, or even if they don't make it to that.
They have preseason symposiums where they'll bring in all the drafted rookies. They give you advice on the wide range of things that you need to be aware of as a young adult coming to the world of the NFL: on-the-field issues, off-the-field issues, financial issues, legal stuff. Each team also has a player development director whose sole job is to make sure that everyone is on board, especially the rookies.
The NFL Players Association also does a great job and has a great benefits package for players post-career. DS: Some agents will recommend people that they know or have worked with. Others will totally stay away from it. They don't want anything to do with your finances. HP: I can imagine how the agents might not want to get involved. The NFL has a great program, too, if you're looking to get into some type of investment or want to start working with a certain financial group.
They run background checks. I think the NFL is doing pretty much everything it can, outside of actually making these programs mandatory. HP: Should college football programs be doing more to help their players financially?
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