Former Dolphins’ Bryant McKinnie Has Money Problems

[Dolphin North]

I guess it's too bad for him, but he has apparently had more than his share of wealth in his lifetime already. So even if he lives poor for the rest of his life he has still had much more than almost everybody else on the planet. Hopefully he will see it that way and at least be able to remain happy.

 

[LANGER72]

I think that the Commissioner should be ashamed because it reflects poorly on the whole NFL. This sort of problem is too common. Easy to say that the player needs to take responsibility and how they spend it is their business. But the reality is that some of these guys simply need help in handling these matters. To flush over $20M down the toilet is an absolute disgrace. Maybe they should put 10% of all earnings into a retirement investment fund, that they cannot touch until x years after retiring.
Multi-millionaires going broke before they get out of the game is ridiculous. This needs to become a much bigger issue. These guys need professional help and if McKinnie received it - he wasn't listening.

The commissioner should not be ashamed. McKinnie should be ashamed.
The commissioner should use McKinnie and others like him as an example to the rookie players.
The message is, don't blow your money like McKinnie.

 

[TheJetsBlow]

If you ever get the opportunity to watch the ESPN 30 for 30 film Broke. It goes into a lot of detail about how so many of these players end up penniless just a few years after retirement.

Yeah I saw that a while back... Its really incredible. And sad.

 

[Mike13]

Its the same story with alot of other athletes as well.

 

[NCFINFAN13]

Incredible to me that anyone would think this is the responsibility of anyone other than McKinnie. Such is the entitlement state we live in.

 

[Dr. Phin]

Bryant McKinnie is 34 going on 35. After playing in the NFL for 13 seasons, generating income allegedly over $20M, he is reportedly broke. This is extremely sad to hear that he didn't listen to financial advice or was extremely poorly managed to enable this to occur.
Apart from the fact that he's pushing 360 - 380 lbs and probably is a candidate for poor health, it is an absolute disgrace to the NFL to hear a good player has squandered it before he even retires.
We read about Big Mac getting sued for $375K by a Miami strip club. That sounds like a whole lot of lap dances for the big guy - I hope he enjoyed it. Seriously, how could he spend that much in such a short time period (he was only here for like half the season)?
We also read how Incognito was also of the biggest regular patrons, and people wonder why our O-line underperformed? The players are earning big incomes, but we appear to have a problem with some players who are not properly preparing for life after football. McKinnie was at the end of his career by the time he got here, but even still, it was on Philbin/Sherman/Turner and Ireland's watch.
Bryant McKinnie will be lucky to make it to age 40. He faces the risk of likely poor health and having made and spent so much, he is also a possible suicide candidate.
The NFL Commissioner should be absolutely disgraced by this story. Maybe the NFL has some sort of responsibility to the players to be putting a certain amount of their income into a reirement fund that they cannot touch.

That is just pathetic. You are saying that the NFL should take care of these poor little fools that are too stupid to get a real financial adviser or maybe live with a budget. What a crock of ****. This is just another aspect of how today's society feels that it is "big brother's responsibility" to protect us from ourselves. The NFL shouldn't be embarrassed....you should. For thinking a grown man shouldn't take responsibility.

 

[GreenMts]

Why should the commissioner be ashamed over this? McKinnie is who should be ashamed....... of himself.

The NFL has responsibility for their players personal choices and behavior? What is this, a daycare? McKinnie is a grown man. He shouldve acted like one. He made the choices he made. What did you want the NFL to do? They already spend money on educational programs for players. Too bad many of them dont listen. McKinnie shouldve saved some of his money as opposed to blowing it all on nonsense.

Its the NFL's responsibility to keep the game safe for the players based on the science and information they have. How players spend their income is their own responsibility. The NFL has done a fine job creating a situation where a player has the good fortune of making so much money playing in its league. I think they have done their part. People need to take personal responsibility.

I agree and disagree with you. The Player's Union needs to take some responsibility not the comissioner.

Let's face facts - some footballs players aren't the brightest of guys. They have been ushered through college because they are good at football. They aren't much more than very large children.

The Union should do a better job protecting them.

 

[TheWalrus]

I look at McKinnie and I see a guy who's going to weigh 450 pounds a year after he's retired. And at that weight he'll be very lucky to live to be 50 no matter how well he manages his money. I think it was Erroll Flynn who said, "I intend to live the first half of my life. I don't care about the rest." That seems like McKinnie's philosophy, too. Spend a lot of money. Have sex with a lot of women.

If he's made his peace with the second act of that story then who am I to judge? Besides, he's a natural on TV. He'll find work there and stay one step of the creditors until he keels over in the bathroom after pinching off a three flush log.

 

[J. David Wannyheimer]

The NFL Commissioner should be absolutely disgraced by this story. Maybe the NFL has some sort of responsibility to the players to be putting a certain amount of their income into a reirement fund that they cannot touch.

The only person who should be ashamed of the hilarious fashion in which Bryant McKinnie has flushed away his fortune -- mostly on strippers and booze, apparently -- is Bryant McKinnie. Bryant McKinnie is a grown-ass man and Roger Goodell isn't his father.

Oh, and Bryant McKinnie does have a retirement fund that he can't touch. It's called social security, it's handled before he even sees his game checks, and the minimum NFL salary over the past decade or so has been well above the income level needed for maximum contribution. Now he just has to hope there are enough working age adults to prop up the pyramid for him in thirty years.

 

[dlockz]

And some people wanted him back. He has never had any character, is beyond stupid with his money and just isn't very good. No Thanks

 

[dlockz]

I agree and disagree with you. The Player's Union needs to take some responsibility not the comissioner.

Let's face facts - some footballs players aren't the brightest of guys. They have been ushered through college because they are good at football. They aren't much more than very large children.

The Union should do a better job protecting them.

Beyond asinine that any union should be protecting idiots from their own partying ways. Im pretty sure the teamster don't have a strip club fund

 

[spiketex]

That is just pathetic. You are saying that the NFL should take care of these poor little fools that are too stupid to get a real financial adviser or maybe live with a budget. What a crock of ****. This is just another aspect of how today's society feels that it is "big brother's responsibility" to protect us from ourselves. The NFL shouldn't be embarrassed....you should. For thinking a grown man shouldn't take responsibility.

I'm not saying the NFL should now take care of him. He's had lots of chances and blown them. However, just getting the players to attend a financial management session isn't enough. Some of these guys are dumb and have no idea what they are doing in managing their money.
I kind of like a compulsory minimum % of earnings going into a retirement fund that can't be touched until x years after retirement. So that even if the players screw up, they will still have something to fall back on, as a minimum.

 

[spiketex]

The only person who should be ashamed of the hilarious fashion in which Bryant McKinnie has flushed away his fortune -- mostly on strippers and booze, apparently -- is Bryant McKinnie. Bryant McKinnie is a grown-ass man and Roger Goodell isn't his father.

Oh, and Bryant McKinnie does have a retirement fund that he can't touch. It's called social security, it's handled before he even sees his game checks, and the minimum NFL salary over the past decade or so has been well above the income level needed for maximum contribution. Now he just has to hope there are enough working age adults to prop up the pyramid for him in thirty years.

Obviously McKinnie should be ashamed. But for a number of successful players who have earned big money to end up in this predicament means that it reflects poorly on the whole NFL. Maybe the Players Union can do more to try to help educate the players to make better decisions, so that they don't end up with nothing. I don't know what is the best solution, but I can see the problem.
You raise Social Security. Yes, they're putting big money into it, but they clearly need to be putting more into other savings.

 

[j-off-her-doll]

If this weren't so common, it'd be easy to say, 'What a dumb asshole!' But if I remember correctly, over 50% of NFL players are broke within 5 years of their retirement. When this is the case, you're talking about the average person being unable to keep his millions. I'd say that's a red flag. I'm not removing blame from McKinnie, and ultimately it doesn't matter. He's the one that's broke, and he has to live with it. But you have to think the ultra rich (owners and their friends) have to love the arrangement. We pay millions of dollars to these kids to make us (collectively) 9 billions dollars per year, and they'll put it right back in our pockets by spending beyond their means. Not a bad deal for the ORWG.

 

[Zounds]

Oh, and Bryant McKinnie does have a retirement fund that he can't touch. It's called social security, it's handled before he even sees his game checks, and the minimum NFL salary over the past decade or so has been well above the income level needed for maximum contribution. Now he just has to hope there are enough working age adults to prop up the pyramid for him in thirty years.

Being that he is a vested vet, he is also eligible to receive a pension from the NFL. At age 55, he will start receiving $470 a month for each NFL season he played.