Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith has struggled with money since he signed a four-year, $12.5 million contract when he was drafted in 2011. However, his troubles have not been the same as many of the young professional athletes who fail to manage their money properly. Instead, Smith has had to deal with being harassed by his family members who want money.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Smith called 911 on Tuesday after several of his five siblings showed up at his house to “harass and torment” him “in the pursuit of collecting financial gain.” It was not the first time his family has harassed him for money.
“Lesser means were tried and they weren’t successful,” Smith’s attorney John Schorsch said of the 911 call. “You can use your own imagination as to what it took for a guy that big and that imposing to be that worried.”
Smith also filed a protective order against his mother, Frankie Pinkney, and stepfather, Roy Pinkney, over the summer because of a similar issue. He reportedly gave his family members a significant amount of money after signing his rookie contract, but they keep coming back for more and are not satisfied.
Cowboys sources say one of Smith’s family members had to be removed from training camp over the summer for an unknown reason. The team is reportedly aware of their offensive tackle’s family situation and has put a plan in place to help him avoid any further incidents when he is with the team.
Unfortunately, situations like Smith’s are all too common with professional athletes. Family members see that he is now a multimillionaire but can’t see the fact that he may need that money to live for the rest of his life. As we have seen with people like Vince Young, sometimes you can lose control of your financial situation and wind up struggling mightily. Good for Smith for trying to prevent that at a young age, even if it means making difficult choices like getting police involved with his family matters.
