Saw this pity piece on ESPN.com for the players.
I'm sorry, but where is the vomit smilie when you need it? Seriously? This guy has the nerve to whine about only making $400,000 for one years worth of work? Because he had bills to pay?
This piece, coming out at a time when many regular Americans can't even find a days work, is just the final slap in the face to me. I can't believe they thought I'd feel sorry for a guy because he only nets 200k after taxes.
Yes, the article goes on to talk about potential draft picks that may or may not get a chance to play. I still dont feel sorry for them.
I now dislike the owners and the players equally. They are both trying their best to get the fans sympathy and doing a wonderful job of spitting in our faces in the process.
You're thinking: I'm on the owners' side in this lockout mess because NFL players are all spoiled, hat-backward millionaires who will no more miss a year's salary than they'll miss their eighth Lexus.
OK, but maybe you should meet
Brian Schaefering, Cleveland Browns defensive lineman.
He has a wife, three kids -- all 8 and under -- and a rented house. He doesn't have a shoe deal or a Lloyd's of London policy or a super agent willing to float him till this is over.
Yeah, he's got a safety net -- himself.
"I'll do anything," says Schaefering, 27. "If I have to work for UPS, I will. I got a family to feed. I've paved roads, fixed roofs, done landscaping. I'm not better'n anybody else. I don't want any handouts. I'd be happy with $12 an hour if I could get it."
You hear anything about Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wanting to run a road paver lately?
"The problem is," Schaefering says, "who wants to hire a guy who may have to pack up and leave [for the NFL] a month or two into it?"
So Schaefering and his wife are cutting back. They slashed their cable and cell phone bills and chopped their weekly date nights considerably. They used to get a babysitter, then catch dinner and a movie. "Now, it's put the kids to bed and slap in a DVD."
You're thinking: What the hell has he done with his money he has made so far in the NFL?
Well, he went undrafted in 2008, barely made the practice squad in '09 and finally started nine games for the Browns last season, making $395,000. He says he netted just over $200,000 after taxes. And he had plenty of bills to pay going into last year.
"I hear people joking around about this thing, but it's no joke," he says. "If this goes into the season, my wife might start panicking a little."
I'm sorry, but where is the vomit smilie when you need it? Seriously? This guy has the nerve to whine about only making $400,000 for one years worth of work? Because he had bills to pay?
This piece, coming out at a time when many regular Americans can't even find a days work, is just the final slap in the face to me. I can't believe they thought I'd feel sorry for a guy because he only nets 200k after taxes.
Yes, the article goes on to talk about potential draft picks that may or may not get a chance to play. I still dont feel sorry for them.
I now dislike the owners and the players equally. They are both trying their best to get the fans sympathy and doing a wonderful job of spitting in our faces in the process.