Learning how to say “no” can be one of the most challenging tasks an NFL rookie faces in his entire life. Everyone knows how much money NFL stars are making. For example, we know rookie Tavon Austin signed a $12.751 million deal with the St. Louis Rams last month that included a $7.653 million signing bonus. Like many other players, Austin has had to deal with people asking for money.
Before he even signed his contract, Austin said the phone would not stop ringing with friends and family looking for handouts. That’s why he has decided to direct those calls to his mother.
“One thing I learned was just make somebody else the bad man and that is what definitely I’m going to do as far as the money situation,” he told NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano on Friday. “So that definitely will be my mother, she is definitely up for the challenge and she is ready to pretty much tell people ‘no.'”
Having a third party control your finances always makes it easier to turn people down. The fact that Austin is letting someone like his mom handle requests for money can only help, considering she has a personal connection to him.
“I definitely will help a lot of people too, you know, I’m not one of those type of people who forgets where I came from and just acts like I’m better than anybody else,” he said. “But definitely there is a certain amount of times where it comes to a point where you have to say ‘no’ and she’ll be that person that’ll be dealing with it.”
There’s a big difference between giving back to the community and helping a friend who wants to buy a Lamborghini. Countless NFL players have gone broke within a few years after retiring, so the time to start managing money is right when you ink the first contract. Now that Austin seems to have his money and his Twitter escapades in line, he’s ready to begin training camp.
