Some Marlins content in this, but mainly about how professional atheletes spend money as if it had an expiration date on it.

 

UP FRONT | PRO SPORTS

Extravagant spending makes athletes losers

 

BY BARRY JACKSON

bjackson@herald.com

 

Former Dolphins running back Ricky Williams pockets more than $14 million in his NFL career, yet squanders much of it. Boxer Mike Tyson fritters away more than $300 million, then amasses $38 million in debt.

 

Sports is littered with examples of athletes who spend their paychecks almost as quickly as they cash them. In a time of skyrocketing salaries, spending extravagantly, sometimes recklessly, has become more prevalent in professional sports than hamstring pulls and contract disputes.

 

It's a phenomenon that once again was highlighted during Williams' latest round of troubles. And it is one not yet seen among women athletes -- yet -- probably because very few pull in the kind of big bucks that many men do.

 

''I've seen guys buy full-length fur coats,'' Dolphins defensive end David Bowens said. 'I ask them, `How many times would you actually wear that?' I see players buying unnecessary things they probably don't ever use.''

 

Williams, who wants to return to the National Football League after retiring in July, has become South Florida's poster child for money mismanagement. Over the past few years, he has spent freely on travel (to California, Australia, India, China and points beyond), paintings, several cars (including a Ferrari), and four residences.

 

A Williams family source said the running back is partly motivated to make a comeback by his desire to overcome an $8.6 million judgment the Dolphins won when an arbitrator ruled that Williams breached his contract. The source said Williams does not have the liquid assets to repay the money and still provide for his family. Because he has failed three drug tests, it is unclear when the NFL would let him return.

 

FREE SPENDING

 

Williams is hardly the only athlete who has tossed cash around like Monopoly money. Tyson spent millions on mansions, Bentleys, jewelry, even Bengal tigers. Others, like former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Art Schlichter, gambled their money away.

 

''It's easy come, easy go,'' Dolphins tight end Ed Perry said of some athletes' approach to money. ``You make it fast, you spend it fast.''

 

Some players can afford the lavish lifestyle. The problem, Marlins pitcher Carl Pavano said, is that ``a lot of guys start spending too early, before they've made it. A lot of guys are under the impression they're invincible, never thinking they might get hurt.''

 

Said Heat guard Eddie Jones, who is entering the fifth year of a seven-year, $86 million contract: ``Everybody can't live like Shaquille O'Neal. I've seen guys try to live totally out of their means. I've saved plenty.''

 

Dolphins fullback Rob Konrad has seen teammates spend recklessly and has opened a financial planning firm (AllenKonrad Asset Management). Among his clients are 15 NFL players, including a few Dolphins. ''You're young, you have a lot of money, and sometimes you don't see the end of the road,'' he said. ``You think you're going to play forever.''

 

There are expectations for athletes to be driving a fancy car and have a big house and wear expensive clothes.

 

``You should think down the road, especially in this game where the average career is three years and it can be taken away at any time. I've played with a lot of guys that have made millions and left the league and after a couple of years are broke.''

 

Said Dolphins tackle Damion McIntosh: ``When you see you have cash, no one is there to advise you not to go crazy and manage your money properly. The newest thing that's out, they get.''

 

Wide receivers Tony Martin and Mark Duper are among the prominent ex-Dolphins who have encountered financial problems. Martin -- who declared bankruptcy and then withdrew it -- earned $9.1 million between 1993 and 1998 and spent $11 million in that period.

 

Among his expenses: leases on 10 cars (including one with three television sets and a Sega video-game system), the purchase of a mountainside home in San Diego and an investment in a recording studio.

 

Duper battled a drug problem and lost a lot of money on bad investments, including $90,000 on horses.

 

Some players say athletes have more temptations to spend than people in other industries. Konrad ranks homes and fancy cars as the biggest drains on players' paychecks. ''I've gotten into arguments with guys about what's a better asset -- a house or a car,'' he said. 'I'm trying to explain real estate to them, and the answer I got from one player was, `A car must be a better asset because you can move it.' ''

 

Hardly.

 

`TWO AT A TIME'

 

''I've seen guys in here buy custom-made Bentleys, two at a time,'' Konrad said. ``That's pretty extravagant. . . . Players get caught up with keeping up with the Joneses.''

 

During his rookie season, the Dolphins' Bowens spent $3,000 a month on car payments. ''I spent my last paycheck as a rookie and then realized I'm not going to get one in the offseason,'' he said. ``It took that to happen to learn to discipline myself. I'm older now and trying to be more mature.''

 

Marlins catcher Mike Redmond said he often sees players buy $150,000 Porsches. ''You can buy one car at a time,'' he said. ``The more you save, the better chance you have of not [needing] to work when you get done.''

 

Perry said another problem is ''trying to help your family members out too much instead of taking care of yourself.'' Requests for money come not only from the immediate family but from distant relatives and acquaintances whom players sometimes haven't seen in years.

 

Some athletes can't resist helping. Marlins infielder Damion Easley marvels at how athletes ``run up hotel incidental charges of $1,000 or more, especially considering teams pay for the rooms when they're on the road. What are they spending it on in that hotel?

 

'I'm talking about players who don't have it. I can relate to people scratching out a living. I remember what it feels like to be living from check to check [as a minor leaguer]. I always ask myself, `Do I need it?' More times than not, the answer is no.''

 

There is another self-inflicted drain on players' earnings that, at times, is a taboo topic in locker rooms.

 

Women.

 

Whether it's buying them dinners, gifts or jewelry, scores of professional athletes have depleted their resources on romance and the pursuit of it. One veteran Dolphin said he knows of players who bought girlfriends an apartment or house. Others spend part of their earnings on child support or alimony.

 

''Women want to be with you because you're a player,'' Perry said.

 

According to one Dolphins veteran who requested anonymity, a major problem is that athletes often seek women at strip clubs and escort services. That proves to be far more costly than pursuing women the traditional way. Even players who don't go the strip-club route say it's easy to spend thousands a week on women and the club scene.

 

''I don't do it because I'm settled, but a guy can spend two or three grand a night going out,'' said Dolphins tackle Damion McIntosh.

 

Dolphins rookie linebacker Tony Bua said: ``If you're a single guy, you could have four or five dates a week, especially if you're looking for someone special to spend quality time with. Dinner alone could be $150.''

 

DAILY TEMPTATION

 

Bua, a fifth-round draft pick, is earning $321,000 this season -- including a $91,000 signing bonus -- and says he has no intention of squandering it. Bua said that ''every day'' there is a temptation to buy something he could never previously afford. But other than furnishing an apartment, he gave in to temptation only once: to buy a 61-inch television set.

 

''One day, I thought I was going to get a 745 BMW,'' Bua said. ``I went to the dealership. I was so gung-ho about it. I just sat on it for a while and let that die down. I'm so happy I didn't do it. It was $84,000. You get paid only during the season, so that plays tricks on you. You have to know if your money is gone. There isn't going to be anyone there to help you.''

 

Others see their assets dwindle because of factors beyond their control. ''Some players don't know who to go to for advice and they get caught up in scams,'' said Dolphins safety Antuan Edwards, who hires someone to manage his money. ``There are vultures everywhere, people trying to take advantage of guys of our caliber. You need to get good people around you.''

 

So while Williams waits for the NFL to tell him when he can start to earn some of the money he squandered, active players here and elsewhere fight the daily battle against temptation.

 

''It's a world beyond any other world I've seen,'' Bua said. ``You can do whatever you want when you want to do it. It's the only place where you have 22-to-33-year-olds earning millions of dollars.''

 

And, in many cases, not able to spend it fast enough.

 

Herald sports writer Clark Spencer contributed to this report.

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