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0:00 spk_0
All right, y’all, we got the Super Bowl coming up next week, so it’s only right we talk to an NFL player. Guys, this episode, we’re talking to my guy, Justin Haron, NFL lineman, and he’s actually gonna break down a lot of things that you probably didn’t understand. Cause I know you’re sitting at home, you’re like, man, if I was in the NFL I would do this and do that with my money, I’ll never go broke. Well, here’s the reality. Literally, 80% of players are gonna experience some type of financial hardship within the5 years that they leave the NFL and guess what? We’re gonna uncover why that is. Now, if you’re like most people in America, you’re getting paid every 2 weeks, you know, those W-2 employees? Well, guess what? In the NFL they get paid only over the course of 36 weeks. Meaning that in 52 weeks, guess what? There’s 4 months that you’re not getting a paycheck. What would you do over the course of those 4 months? Find out more on this episode.All right, so Justin, let’s set the stage, man, because I think the average person don’t really know about the business of football, the NFL business, and so let’s break this down, right? Your very first ever NFL paycheck, how much was it? What did you do with it? And then looking back, right, was it a good thing or a bad thing, what youdid with it?
1:09 spk_1
So the first thing, the first thing I ever got was aWas my signing bonus, so I was drafted in the 6th round. So usually what ends up happening, you get drafted.Using no touch of money for, it kind of depends. For me, when I got drafted, I got drafted during COVID, so for me, you using no touch of money until you pass the physical after you get drafted and whatnot. So, for me it was about a couple weeks before I was able to even get my paycheck, but for me, uh my first paycheck was my signing bonus, which is for like, I think it was like 1700 and then after taxes it was like maybe 90 something.And then I would say the first thing I did with that money was pay my parents back, you know what I mean? Like all the, uh, you know, my mom and my dad, they always taught me to be, be very good with money and save my money, but they’re always big on, you know, we’ll give you, we’ll give you money if you need things, but it’s a loan, so you need to pay us back. So that was the first, that was the first thing I did was pay my, uh, pay my debts back to my parents and stuff like that. And then,The rest of it, the rest of it though, honestly, I just saved it. I just kind of sat on it. Um, my first, my first year in the pros, what ends up happening was I, was really interesting, what I’ve noticed is like I think a lot of guys when they get into the pros and stuff like that, they tend to rush into making big investments or rushing into making big purchases when you don’t really need to do that when you’re first, cause I mean for a lot of us this is the first time we’re gonna be around this amount of money and um.So I’ve always felt like it’s always good just to kind of sit on your money for the first year. So for me what I did was when I got the first paycheck, obviously I paid my debts off and honestly I just saved it as much as I can and spoke to my financial advisor and they kind of just told me, hey, just sit on it for a year.Accumulate, accumulate money and just, you know, just sit on it, save it, put in this, you know, put in a little portfolio and let’s go from there, you know what I mean? So that was, that was, that’s the first thing that I did. I didn’t make any crazy big purchases or anything like that. OK, I did celebrate though. I did go to a bar and celebrate, so, yeah, that was probably like the biggest purchase I did.
3:14 spk_0
What was at the bar? Was it bottle service or how are you coming?
3:17 spk_1
Yeah, well, yeah, I had to go with bottle service, I did. I did have to go with bottle service my first time. I mean, it’s my first time, so, uh, and it’s an exciting time, you know, so I was like, why not?
3:28 spk_0
So you know what I love is you said, you know, I talked to my financial advisor, at what point do you get a financial advisor, kind of have that conversation, how does that happen? Are you talking to family and friends to find one, or is it likeSome of your network coming from, you know, the Wake Forest, or like how, how do you even come with that?
3:47 spk_1
Honestly, honestly for me, I think, honestly it’s just trusting your network. I think what ends up happening is like you get a lot of guys, uh, whoWe tend to reach out of their network and sometimes you have to. I think it’s super important to have people outside of your network, you know, because that’s how you establish new, you know, new pathways and new connections and all that good stuff. But I think when it comes to decisions like this, I think it is super important to go within your network and then once you’re kind of been established and you kind of know the type of per, you know, you kind of tackle know the type of person you are financially, I think that’s when, I think that’s the best time for you to decide, OK.Is there another financial advisor that I wanna go with, you know what I mean? I think initially I think it’s super important to have a financial advi a financial advisor within your net within your network initially who knows you, who knows you pretty well, kind of has a general idea of how to get you started and where you know and tell them where you wanna go.If that makes sense, I think it’s super important to get it as soon as possible, especially when you’re kind of working with agents and all that stuff and working on giving them 3% of your, you know, of your salary and all that good stuff. So I think it’s super important to have it from the very beginning, you know what I mean? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with honestly having a financial advisor before speaking to a financial advisor before you even get out of college, especially with NIL and stuff like that now. I think it’s even more crucial toI mean, I don’t wanna say tell a 17 year old high school senior or eighteen-year-old high school senior to uh to start talking to a financial advisor but with NIL and stuff like that. I think that you have to start even earlier now. I think it’s just super important just to have a good base foundation and base understanding of what your finances are going to look like and have someone help you throughit.
5:32 spk_0
So you know from the from the outside looking in, bro, like everybody just seems extremely wealthy, right?You play professional. I think the cheapest contract would be like 8000 or something, right? But what the average person don’t know is that only about 45% of these contracts are like fully guaranteed, right? And I could be off on that number. So literally, that means, sure, I could have signed for, you know, 800K, but by game two, I get cut, and so I might have only gotten 400, 50,000 of that, right? And so like,Explain that, right? Like what’s the mindset to a person that’s not on a fully guaranteed contract and like, you know, from that standpoint, like how are you thinking about managing your money so you could actually go to sleep at night, you know.Yeah, like, you know, like how you sleeping at night knowing this, right? Oh yeah,
6:23 spk_1
you know, I think theGoing back to the support system, I think it’s super important to make sure that you’re talking to someone about that kind of stuff because uh most of my career has kind of been like that, you know, kind of been on not, not the top, but not the bottom, but right in that sweet spot where, you know, anything could happen. You can get traded, you can get cut, you know, and it’s just like the name of the game, it’s just a business of, it’s just a business of professional sports andBefore getting into finances, I think the most important thing is always making sure that you put the best version of yourself out there every single day. I think that’s super, super important. I think that’s something that I struggle with in the very beginning, the very early workings of my career. The very beginning of my career was kind of like, um, you know, it would be up and down. I’ll be inconsistent with my, um, who I was. And so with that, that makes it extremely difficult too to be able to kind of get up and understand and put your best foot forward. And then like I said too.With that, what I’ve and for now when you get, and now when you’re dealing with like, OK, I can get traded, I can get cut or whatever, I think the most important thing, the most important thing when you get these paychecks and when you’re going week to week is try to save as much as you possibly can. You don’t live without, you don’t live likeYou know, outside of your means. You know what I mean? Like, a lot of times what ends up happening with a lot of these guys too is, um, you’ll see other individuals in your, in the locker room who’ve been playing for X amount of years. So for me, I’m in the locker room, you know, I’ve had, I’ve had been in the locker room with Trent Brown, who’s a, you know, a multi multi-million dollar tackle, great tackle, Check Mason, great guard, um,You know, I played with Colt Miller and, and you just play with a multitude of different people who, you know, whose finances are extremely, you know, who are more than yours, which is OK, but it’s just like you see that and sometimes you try to wanna live the type of lifestyle that they’re living, you know what I mean? So I think at the end of the day, I think it’s super important to know it’s like, hey, let me live within my means. When I was, when I was coming out of college, I was living on $10,000 a year and I was perfectly fine.So now when I get in the pat when I got into the pros and I have a little bit more money, it’s not that I spend more and live and live, it’s like, oh I need this. It’s like, well, no, you don’t need it cause you didn’t need it in college and you’re perfectly fine. There’s not really that big of a difference. I mean, you got some things obviously there’s a big differences in terms of family and all that stuff, butDon’t live without. Don’t live with outside your means and save as much as you can. The very first time you get your check. You gotta save it. You gotta save it. It’s super important because you don’t know if you’re in that middle. You don’t know if that check is gonna be there next week. You don’t know if tomorrow you get cut and you’re never gonna play again, you know. So yeah, so I mean at the super is super, super, super important just to save it and just sit on it and just save it your first, your first year, I think.
9:15 spk_0
So say I’m like a computer scientist, right? I make 40,000 to $500,000 a year,
9:21 spk_1
right?
9:21 spk_0
Then at the end of the year, I might get a bonus.But the crazy thing is, I’m getting paid throughout the entire year 365 every two weeks, right? What’s crazy to me, and I know the average person don’t even understand it sometimes, is y’all are getting paid over like what, 20 weeks? You got the season in training camp, like, help us understand that, and most importantly, what are y’all doing in the offseason when you’re not getting that steady check everyweek.
9:45 spk_1
So before the new CBA, uh, before players will get paid for 18 weeks, so before, uh, 2020.Players only got paid for it during this during the NFL season. So, and so you only get paid for like you said, 20 something weeks. So back then, imagine you get all of your money in a span of 6 months, but then you got another 6 months that you gotta budget out for, you know what I mean.And um and now after the new CBA what they what they did is they extended it to 36 weeks. And what’s really interesting, the reason why they extended it to 36 weeks was because a lot of players were having issues not being able to, uh, a lot of people were struggling.To maintain that lifestyle, yeah, maintain that lifestyle. People basically going broke. They’re like in the span of like 3 months after, after getting their last paycheck, which is like kind of unbelievable. So the reason, so a big reason was for the 336 weeks to kind of expand the pay period and so people can have a better job of budgeting their money and stuff like that, um, you know, and it’s really, yeah, and it’s crazy like it’s kind of crazy to think about because basically,You’re getting paid steadily, you’re getting paid every 2 weeks, right? And then, and it’s so funny, I feel like every year is different when the pay period is gonna stop. There’s no, there’s no exact date every single year when it’s just like your pay is gonna stop cause every team is different. So every some teams can pay you week to week, some teams pay you biweekly, every team is different. So, it’s like every year you really don’t know, OK, when, when is that last paycheck gonna come? Is he gonna come betweenLike March April May 1 of those times. Usually it’s kind of in between those three months, so it’s very inconsistent. But, um, but I think a lot of times too, like especially in the offseason, I mean, we’re just spend, we’re just not spending, we’re saving as much money as we can cause we know that we don’t have that income coming in, coming in anymore. You know, I’ve, uh, for me I’ve kind of I’ve realized I’m just kind of watching other people that like people tend to spend a little bit outside their means during the season because they know it’s consistent I’m getting that paycheck every 2 weeks.But then outside and outside of the season, usually those spending habits tend to diminish a little bit because you’re just like, OK, well, these checks are gonna start, are gonna, are going to stop coming in here pretty soon, and granted too that make the team do whatever you gotta do again, butYeah, you just, you gotta be a little bit more, um, you have to be thinking a little bit more, thinking more ahead about what’s going to happen in the, you know, after the season is over because you’re gonna stop getting those paychecks. And I think that’s the most interesting thing cause a lot of people think that you’re getting constantly paid, like you get your whole contract and you’re constantly getting paid throughout the whole year, and it’s like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You’re getting paid for 36 weeks and then after that,Yeah, make the team again and get your, and get the other part of your contract. Does that make sense?
12:40 spk_0
No, that makes perfect sense, bro, and I think, you know, the average person don’t understand that. But look, we’re gonna take a quick break and when we come back, we’re gonna have more with my dog, Justin.Alright guys, welcome back, man. We’re talking to my guy, man, talking about life in the NFL with my guy Justin Haron, and you played on that team with Cam, right?
13:08 spk_1
I did. Cam was my first year.
13:10 spk_0
I was waiting for you to say like the big names. Oh yeah, in my mind, he was probably, he had the biggest contract, right? Well, in terms of having the most bread for the most part. So I can only imagine what that hit for like you a rookie coming in.But like, bro, the difference is, because you, you were 5th round or 6th?
13:31 spk_1
6th. That was 6th round.
13:32 spk_0
So bro, the difference of sixth round versus an undrafted free agent is you say you made 190 signing. I think my boy Cope might have got like 5, 10K signing bonus, bro, as an undrafted that
13:43 spk_1
crazy? Ain’t that crazy? I mean, it’s, it’s drastic from round to round of how
13:49 spk_0
different the first round is even more egregious.
13:51 spk_1
Oh my goodness, dude, like I think 11 of our teammates, former teammates, uh, Wake, I don’t know, but I think like.I think your signing bonus was like 14 million or something crazy like that.
14:04 spk_0
Andyou just like when they, when they did the Hard knocks with um obviously the Bears and Caleb, I think they was like, what’s your signing bonus, bro said 20 million, we damn.That’s what everybody did in the audience,
14:18 spk_1
yeah, bro,that’s
14:19 spk_0
crazy. That video went hella viral. I’ll say no,
14:22 spk_1
that’s crazy.
14:24 spk_0
I mean, you, I get it though.
14:25 spk_1
It’s crazy and it’s like Ross, like it’s crazy how you’ll sign a piece of paper, send it back, you’ll fax it back that next day you’ll just have that much drop. You’re just like, whoa, for me, like when I got my signing bonus, that’s literally how it was. So this was even crazier. So during COVID.A lot of players couldn’t get their signing bonus because they couldn’t go to the team to get a physical.
14:47 spk_0
Oh.And that’s when you got in the league 2020. Yeah, so what ended uphappening,
14:54 spk_1
I’m not gonna lie, I’m very thankful for the Patriots that they did this, and I thought it was really, really smart, but basically I was like, they called me, they say, hey, we’re drafting and all this good stuff andUm, so, but they’re like, hey, we got a guy, we got a doctor in Arizona who will get you to, you know, we can get you in, he’ll see you, get the physical, and all that good stuff. So I got drafted after that thing like two days later, they said, Justin, here’s a, here’s a time for the physical, go get your physical done. Got my physical done and they send it back. The doctor sent it back.A day and a half later, I wake up at like 6 in the morning and I was just like, let me just see how much money I have in my bank account, and then all of a sudden that all that money was there and I was just like,I hopped out of bed so freaking fast, it was unbelievable. I, yeah, I jumped out of bed, but so,
15:39 spk_0
and they gave it to you after taxthough,after tax after tax. That’s a question, bro, honestly, so let’s talk about the other fees though that come with it, like paying your agent and then due to the, what’s it, the players association. Like if say you’re paying your agent 2%.You’re paying 2% on the 190, not the 180. I’m not,
16:05 spk_1
I
16:05 spk_0
believe.
16:07 spk_1
When I got signed.My agent didn’t.Take, I don’t think he took any money from the signing bonus. No, he didn’t take any money. You didn’t take any money from the signing bonus. He only took it from my actual contract when I made the team.So he took it. He took it from there. I think the signing bonus was like that’s your money. So it’s, yeah, so my agency, they’re like that’s your money. And then, um, and another thing is too, which is super important too, player performance. We’ll get into this later, but player performance, your agent shouldn’t touch that either.OK. I have some guys that I was training with where the team was just like, no, you gotta come to New York, you gotta come wherever to get your physical done, and they couldn’t make it because it was COVID. So a lot of places were like, no, you can’t come to the facility and all this stuff. So I knew some guys who were drafted higher than me and still hadn’t got, still hadn’t gotten paid for like 2 to 3 months. That’s crazy. Yeah, so COVID was really, really interesting, so I, I mean,Yeah, so there’s some guys who were just like, bro, I haven’t been paid yet, so I’m out here kind of like struggling still, and I’ve been drafted, and it’s like I’ve been, it’s like I’ve been struggling for like a month and a half still. It’s like I don’t, I haven’t been paid. I haven’t been able to get out there, so yeah, yeah, that was really, really crazy to hear that’s like there’s some people like.I’ll never forgetOne of the guys I was training with, he said, I have to get a job at, I have to get a job at the gym, just so I can support myself until I get paid. Wow.
17:32 spk_0
Yeah, and it’s crazy because that person is sitting there waiting to get like 20-300,000 and they’re like, I gotta go get a minimum wagejob.
17:41 spk_1
I gotta go get minimum wage so I can make so I can pay my, pay my bills on time, so I can pay my bills on time.
17:47 spk_0
And look, man, we got the Super Bowl coming up, bro, so you’re gonna have to break this down, man. We got the Seahawks and we got the Pats.I’m gonna say it’s probably gonna be boring, but what do you think, man? Who you got winning?
18:00 spk_1
Man, I have to go, I have to go with New England, man. I’m a New England guy, you know, they gave me a lot, they gave me a lot of opportunities, so not, not gonna be, I, I’m, I’m supporting, I’m ready for it. I want New England to win. I know Joshua Dan’s gonna dial something up. I already know. He’s a mastermind when it comes to offense, so he’s gonna dial something
18:15 spk_0
up. Tell me you’re biased without telling me you’re biased.He was drafted, he was drafted by the Pats, but it makes sense. So look, let me tell you, so one of my best friends, literally, in my wedding, college roommate, he, um, he actually used to work for the Celtics, right? Um, he now is, uh, like the AD at the University of Arkansas, shout out Remy. But, um, the crazy thing is that when I would go and fly to Boston.The most obnoxious city in America is the Boston airport, purely because you’re waiting in line for TSA and they got every banner right above your head that they’ve won a title in. So literally, the Boston Bruins, the Celtics, the Patriots, the Red Sox, so youSitting there and I’m like, bro, this is so obnoxious, and I’m in the midst of being a Chicago fan, we haven’t won nothing since, it felt like forever at the time. I’m like, bro, that’s so nasty. But what I will say is I’m, maybe just because I’m a hater, and shout out to all the other haters in the world, I don’t want to see the Pats win, so I’m going to go for the
19:19 spk_1
Seahawks. OK, OK, OK. I mean, it’s going to be a little rematch. Was it 2015 was the last time they played each other?I think that’s the year when they,
19:28 spk_0
when they should have just uh handed it off to beast mode,
19:31 spk_1
right? Yeah, now they don’t have Beast mode, so I’m kind of interested to see what they do. They do got my boy Kenneth Walker though, they do got my boy Kenneth Walker, so it’s gonna be, it’s gonna be, I think it’s gonna be a good game. I think it’s gonna be a good game. I do want the past to pull it off though.
19:43 spk_0
Yeah, no, without a doubt, man, I think this has been.Electrifying. One of the, one of the best seasons as a, you know, as a Bears fan. Shout out to the Bears. I actually do a decent amount of work with those guys. I came in and talked to the 2nd and 3rd years last year awesome,and I thought
19:59 spk_1
that
19:59 spk_0
was
19:59 spk_1
awesome. So, uh, awesome
20:01 spk_0
sitting there.And obviously you on the line, y’all are big, bro. Paul’s like, I’m sitting next to uh I’m sitting next to Darnell Wright and I’m like, this kid is massive.
20:12 spk_1
It’s crazy how big, how big some people are. I, I kid you not, when I first met Cam Newton, I couldn’t realize, I was like, he’s a quarterback.It’s like it’s ridiculous how big he was. And I was just like, I was like, hold on, I’m a tackle and this dude is towering over me. Wow, towering over me. And I’m like, I’m not small. I was like I’m not small, you know what I mean? And he’s towering over me. It was unbelievable. He was huge, huge.
20:40 spk_0
So, all right, let’s talk about that. What was your biggest like fan out moment in the NFL then? Oh,
20:46 spk_1
biggest, biggest fan out moment, uh.I, I’m not gonna lie, I think, I think I was in my car, I’ll never forget it was COVID, I was in my car and we had to go get tested before we can kind of go into the facility. So they did this thing where you get tested and you have to wait like 15 minutes before you can get going to the facility. It’s like early stages of like the COVID protocol and stuff like that. So I get there and I’m waiting.And I’m in my car waiting and then I just see, I see, uh, I forgot what type of car it was, just blacked out, you know, it, it, it was someone, it was, you know, it was someone important. And all of a sudden I see Cam Newton get out the car. I was just like holy, I was like holy, that’s Cam Newton. I was like, oh. I was like Superman. All I remember is just like, man, MVP NFL MVP is just, I was, I think that was the moment where I was just like, whoa, that’s Cam Newton, you know, and then um.And then the crazy thing is too, is when you get in the locker room and they start talking to you and you’re just like, wait, what are you talking to me for, you know what I mean? and it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s a great, it’s the craziest and coolest thing cause then at the end of the day you’ll remember like these guys are just normal human beings. They just, they’re just the one of the best at what they do and they’re just normal human beings and you kind of, you forget that, you know, you forget that,
22:03 spk_0
so.You know what I love, right, is like you said prior to the NFL you were able to live off $10,000 a month, right? Um, and so when you talk about that locker room, how would you say, because here are the facts, right, like within 5 years of, you know, retiring from the NFL, I wanna say about 80% of NFL players are gonna experience some type of financial hardship.How are you able to stay disciplined in the locker room where, you know, still making millions of dollars, but you got guys making 40 $30.20 dollars, 10. Like, what is it that doesn’t make you have or avoid that lifestyle creep? What keeps you kind of grounded in your own lane?
22:44 spk_1
I think this is super important, is having a great support system. I think that is super important.I think having a support system to kind of keep you grounded and kind of remember, hey, this is where you came from, you don’t need to live, you don’t, you know, that for me that was a super was super important for me. I had my family, I had my friends who were just like, hey, you know, Justin, remember, you know, you don’t, you don’t need that, you know what I mean? Like sometimes I’ll, I will talk to my friends or talk to my parents about something. I was like, oh maybe I think I need to get this, and they’re like.Why do you need that? And I was like, yeah, you’re right, I don’t need that. So it could be simple as umOK, we go to going to dinner, for example, you go to dinner and you’re hanging around, you know, a lot of guys, you know, guys who have money and they get a back room. So you can have like, you know, kind of like, you know, sit down, you have a dinner and you have nothing but your friends and family at a dinner table.That’s uh, but that in itself is a reservation in itself, and that and that itself was like requires a down payment for to have like to reserve a back room for certain restaurants. So for me it would be like, oh let’s go to this restaurant and I’ll get a back room, and I’ll be like.No, go make a reservation for 6 people, and we’re gonna sit in the main dining room area for free, and we’re gonna have our conversation there. And if anyone has a problem with it.They could just move along and keep it moving. I was like, OK. And so I think it’s super important to have the, uh, you know, your, your support system lets you know like, hey, you didn’t, you didn’t need that before. You don’t need it now. Granted to you now if you want something and you worked hard and they always say like, hey, you worked hard and if you want a new TV, you worked hard, get you a new TV, you know what I’m saying? You worked hard for it, that’s fine, but just when it comes to like stupid purchases, it’s just like.Your your support system keeps you grounded. They keep you to remember like, hey, like this, don’t let the money change you. You know what I mean? It’s just, yeah, still talk to you, yeah, that’s I think that’s the most important thing I could tell is likeYour support system is gonna keep you grounded, you know what I mean? I, but I think what’s also super important too is umYou know,It’s, it’s, it’s a double-edged sword because sometimes your support system can kind of like not have the best interest in you, can have the best interest for you, and as I’ve, I’ve, I’m not, I’ve not had to deal with that, but I’ve had some some.People I’ve trained with or people I’ve had or former, you know, teammates who’ve had to deal with, you know, the hardships of that and stuff like that, butTalk
25:22 spk_0
about that, right, because my understanding is like, you’ve got survivor’s remorse, right? You’re the person that made it out, you look to your left, some of your best friends in college are your mom, dad, like.Luckily, to your point, you didn’t have to experience that, but I would imagine the vast majority of people in your locker room, some of your teammates are the breadwinners and literally are forced almost to take care of certain family members. How do you, you know, when you think about when most people do experience financial hardships. Mhm.During the season, right, or during their time of playing, a lot of those friends are there, you know, leaching and going out with them and they’re fronting the bill, but the moment that they have that financial hardship, they’re no longer there. And so like, how important is it, you know, early on learning how to
26:06 spk_1
say no. It’s super, it’s super, super, super important. Um, and I’m not, I’m not gonna lie, Ross, it’s easier said than done. It’s really a lot easier said than done, um.Because, because we’ll also be people that you never thought who never asked you for anything, who never asked you for anything in your whole life, and they’ll ask you for something and you’re just like, and you remember everything that they’ve done for you, you know what I mean? You can have a, you can have an auntie, you can have a cousin who’s like, I’ve been there from the beginning, I’ve taken care of you. I’ve been there, you know what I mean? They were never asked for anything and then they ask for something and you’re just like, you don’t think anything of it, and then all of a sudden it just keeps happening, it keeps happening, keeps happening. I think, um.I, I think there’s nothing wrong with helping your family. I, I’m, I’m a firm believer in helping your family. There’s nothing wrong with that, um, but you do, you do have to learn to say no, it’s crucial. It really is crucial because once you say that first no, it does make it easier and sometimes, and then explaining the reason, explaining it to people helps them understand as well. I think sometimes what what ends up happening, a lot of people don’t explain why they’re saying no. For me, I like to explain, hey, this is why I’m saying no, um.SoIt can be like, hey, I, hey, can you spot me $5000 for, for this investment, and you’ll be like, OK, OK, well, then you start asking questions of like, OK, well why do you need the $5000? Why do you need it for me? What type of investment is it? What, what, what what’s, what’s going on? Give I need, I need to have a better idea of what’s going on. And then for me, I hear it, I listen to everything, and then I say, OK, here’s why I’m not going to give it to you.OK, and I can help you in a different way.
27:51 spk_0
Here’s
27:51 spk_1
my
27:51 spk_0
retort. Oh boy Justin, I’ll raise you, boy, it’s only 5000, bro. You’re a millionaire. Stop playing, bro. Let me go and get that.
27:57 spk_1
Exactly, and then they’ll be like, it’s like, it’s like I understand that, but then I’ll tell them like this.It sounds, if you think every player make millions of dollars, it’s not like that. And it’s like, and then at the end of the day what’s super important is like you guys are family and it’s like I’m always gonna make sure you’re good. I’m I’m never gonna leave you stranded and you’re struggling. I’m never gonna do that.But at the end of the day, it’s just like it is not my responsibility to give you the $5000 for that investment. At the end of the day, that is your decision, that is your choice, that is a you thing, that it doesn’t involve me, that’s a you thing.So it’s different if it’s like if it involves both of us and that’s something that like, hey, you know, we both decided to go in on this, that’s different, but it’s a you thing and that’s something that like my parents have always told me. It’s like if it’s on you, that’s on you. I’m, I’m, and my mom always said this, I’m not gonna pay for habits. It’s kind of like, it’s not a habit, but it’s basically that’s what you purchase, that’s not a me, that’s not a me purchase.
28:55 spk_0
Moms is wives, that’s a bar. How, how old were you when you got in the league?
29:00 spk_1
I was 24. I was 24, so I was a little bit older.
29:05 spk_0
I was a little bit older. I’m gonna even take it a step further because I think you just got out of college before they really implemented NIL, right?
29:12 spk_1
Yeah,
29:14 spk_0
I did. Rewind that and you’re making 10,000,000 to $300,000 as an 1819 year old. It’s ridiculous. How much more difficult. So like I, I’m going down, I talked to uhSome kids that play for the University of Arizona, I got a partnership, I talked to the, to the program there, and it’s amazing that some of these kids are making hundreds of thousands of dollars and it’s so difficult to say no. Like I also got a partnership where I talk with um the All Americans, McDonald’s All-Americans. So these kids legit are, some of them are getting ready to be millionaires their very next year as they’re getting ready to go. And so like, when you think about the the idea andLearning to master to saying no, but at 1819, it is very
29:57 spk_1
difficult. Difficult, extremely difficult. I mean,Now, I think.Oh, just with NIL and just, I mean, I can’t even imagine me trying to say no to my friends and family at 18. I mean, I mean, Ross, you just, you literally were just with them almost every day.Because in high school, middle school, you’re with them all the time.
30:20 spk_0
We
30:20 spk_1
was playingand together right, growing up, they come in, you know, cookouts and all that stuff, so it’s hard. And then you, and then you go to college like literally a couple months after that, and then it’s just, it’s hard to say no cause you’re like, I was, I’m really with these people like damn near raised me, you know what I mean, and I can’t even imagine trying to sing at 18 and 19, but even then I think what’s super important too, and I’m very grateful for my parents.And the support system, the support system should help you say no, say no. And the greatest thing is too when my parents and my friends and family were just like,If you have a hard time saying no, let us say no for you.
30:59 spk_0
Yeah, I was just about to say, putting a person that’s a barrier, let them be the bad. Where it’s like, honestly, I don’t even manage my money, my mom gives me, my business manager gives me an allowance, right, or my, you know, so now it’s like you got to go talk to them and that’s an easier way. So anybody watching that’s in the league or, you know, or a young kid getting the NIL, it’s probably easier to put somebody in place that could actually say no, because you, bro, at 18, and I’m a millionaire.Yeah. It’s extremely difficult.
31:31 spk_1
Yeah, I would say like you’re Asian.It can be parents, let them be, I think you should always let someone, I think that’s, if you can’t, if you have a hard time saying no and understand like hey this is not something I’m good at, there’s nothing wrong with saying hey, refer to my agent. And sometimes I do that like if I, if I’m sometimes I’ll have people refer to my agent and he can say like we’re not doing that, no. And sometimes I’ll even have people like if it’s family, sometimes I’ll have my mom talk to him.Yeah, and my, my mom say no or my dad say no, we’re not doing that, you know what I mean? I think it’s super, there’s nothing wrong with having someone in place who can do that for you. I think that’s, I think, I think a lot of people tend to forget about that. They always think they have to do it and if you’re comfortable with doing it, please do it by yourself. That’s, that’s great, you know what I mean, but if you can’t, there’s nothing wrong with asking for help and saying, hey, I’m gonna have someone else say it for me, say no for me.
32:21 spk_0
That’s, I mean, it, it is, so I mean, I’m not a, I didn’t make, you know, multiple eons of millions, but when I came out of college, I was working on Wall Street. So it’s like athletes, unless you were in Silicon Valley being a, you know, a computer scientist or a tech founder, like Wall Street was the next thing, right? And I remember a decent amount of relatives asking for money, and at that point, I’m 22, I’m like, oh, for sure, I got you.But I can only imagine, there’s a thin line of helping versus enabling, and now it’s like, I’m your crutch. I’m your crutch. And so like I, I, I can only imagine how the younger you are, the more difficult it is. And then they start effectively like, well, shoot, we, we earned this money together. You used to stay with me when you, you know, so I could only, let me rewind it real quick. Rookie year.And we were talking about the ability to kind of avoid lifestyle creep, but then there’s some stuff that I believe, or maybe you could correct me if I’m wrong, but some of that stuff is customary, where it’s like, alright, all the rookies got to get the first bill. What was that bill like? what what’s the, what was that and telling people exactly what I’m talking about.
33:28 spk_1
OK, so, usually every, usually when you’re a rookie, you know, especially in your position group, you made the team and all that good stuff.Uh, usually go to a dinner, and the rookies usually pay for the dinner, you know what I mean? They pay a rookie dinner. It’s it’s a duty, you know, and, and it’s not hazing. Uh, people always say it’s hazing, it’s not hazing. It’s, it’s your due, it’s you’re paying your dues, you know what I mean? Um, so, uh, it’s so funny though, because, you know, what, what they started doing now, when I, when I was a rookie, you know,We would have the, you know, the vets started messing with us with the rookies. They would be like, OK, here’s the bill, and it should be like $15,000. And he’ll just be like, Oh, I can’t, you know what I mean. But, but they are, but what ended up happening is just like they were like, look,The vests would be like, we’re not gonna have you pay that, that’s just a joke. We’re not gonna do that, but you’re gonna pay your way though. And then what ends up happening, so for me what ended up happening was just like uhIt was just like, you’re not gonna pay the whole bill, but you know, you gotta pay your way and then you gotta pay for like a vet, pay for a vet, you know what I mean? But, but every, every team is different though. I was in New England and Bill Belichick was the head coach, so he was just like, we’re not doing none of the hates and stuff, so he didn’t reallyBut, um, while other teams, yeah, you don’t, you don’t play, you don’t play, you don’t pay a pretty penny sometimes. You know, you, you’re not gonna pay $10,000. No, it’s never gonna be something like that. But you won’t pay, you pay like a, a band, two bands, nothing.Now, that’s a lot of money, don’t get me wrong, that is a lot of money for a dinner, and I could be wrong, but it’s not gonna make or break you like some like like uh how sometimes it kind of comes off that way, you know what I mean? But linemen though, it depends on which position you though because linemen we can eat a lot, so, yeah, yeah, so sometimes, sometimes you, it depends on the position group too. All right,
35:23 spk_0
I’m gonna put you on the spot. One other thing that’s customary.My understanding is that as alignment, your quarterback supposed to look out for y’all when it come hollering. Who gave you the best gift and who gave you the worst gift.
35:38 spk_1
SoQuarterbacks have always been good. I would say one of the coolest, one of the coolest ones that I got was I got um,You say Mac Jones did it. He was a rookie. So Mac Jones, shout out to Mac Jones. He, uh, he got all the, he got the lineman, uh, like a third of a Bitcoin.That’s tough. So he, yeah, he gave you a third of a Bitcoin. He gave us, uh, he gave us like our own, uh, cutting board. He gave us up with our name and number on it in the shape of a football. He gave us a Yeti cooler.Nice. And then what else did he give us? And then he and then he had a uh then he had a uh a contract with Noble, so he gave us all Noble shoes.
36:22 spk_0
That’s dope. I’m literally googling right now, I said, OK, I googled Bitcoin price in December 2020, and it was about 20,000. So for each lineman he’s spend between 6, 70.Mhm. That’s and fast forward today, if you still own that, you still own that, that 3 of a Bitcoin, that’s elite. That’s elite, bro. That’s a real gift.Yeah, that’s shout out
36:47 spk_1
Matt. Yeah, he knew what he was doing. He knew what he was doing. I said one of the worst gifts, but it, it wasn’t from a quarterback though. But we did, we did a, uh, we did a a lineman white elephant, white elephant exchange one year.And it’s really, and you, we always do like, hey,
37:04 spk_0
there’s a minimum you have to
37:05 spk_1
spend. So for us it was like $1000 that you had to spend, it was a minimum you had to spend.So, one Chris, and, and it’s really funny, really get to see how people are terrible at giving gifts, but one year for my white elephant, I got a keyboard.Like an electric keyboard and it was huge, right? And the crazy thing is the guy who was giving it to me, I was like, I was like, dude, you know I drive two door cars. I haven’t, there’s no way I’m gonna fit this in my car. You’ve seen my cars, you’ve seen I have nothing but two doors and small sedans. I’m gonna fit a keyboard that’s longer with and lengthwise on my car, how am I gonna fit it in there? He was like, oh, I didn’t really even think about that. I was just like.
37:48 spk_0
It sounds like a re-gift. It sounds like he got it and he re-gifted.
37:54 spk_1
Yeah, it was just like a keyboard, a keyboard. Hey man, more power to you, more power to you.
38:00 spk_0
All right, if you get one piece of advice you would give to somebody that’s going to get drafted this coming year.In the 6th round, what would it be?
38:10 spk_1
Understand like when you’re a 6th round draft pick, you’re not significant, you’re not like you’re not seen that much higher than like an undrafted free agent. Does that make sense? Yeah, so basically what I’ll tell you is just like even if you get drafted in the 6th round, understand where you are.In terms of everyone in the building, understand where you are in that building. You know, you know, you’re a 6th round draft pick and you got a little bit of time, but there’s no difference between you and an undrafted, an undrafted guy. So we’re having that understanding, I’m not trying to stress people out, but I think it’s super important to understand that going into, going into the business, knowing, hey, this is where, this is where I was drafted and this is where I stand, and these are what the and understand the expectations that are going to be set for you.You’re gonna have certain expectations set for if you’re a 1st round draft pick, you’re gonna have high expectations. Granted too, if you’re a 6th round draft pick, you’re gonna have lower expectations. But what’s super important is you always wanna make sure that you exceed those expectations if you can, you know, sometimes there’s just some players who can’t do it and that’s OK. You might have reached your ceiling, which is fine, but if you can, I’d say make sure you exceed those expectations.Um, without changing who you are, I think that’s super important. Like I said earlier, it was like I was always very inconsistent with my, with my emotions and my play and all that stuff in the very beginning of my career. So I would say it’s always a very, very important it’s easier said than done, but always make sure that you have a very clear, you, you keep a level head. I think that’s super important to keep a level head throughout it all.So, understand your expectations, understand where you come in, where you are when you come into the building. Keep a, keep a clear head.And super important that and all of it will come as it all comes together, it’s like make sure you have a great support and set in stone and with that support system and everything else, everything else is kind of going to fall in line and gonna fall, gonna fall in order if that makes sense. You have a great support system, they’re gonna lead you to a person who who’s gonna be a great financial advisor for you and then from there you can continue to expand your network and find someone else who can’t fit, who’s gonna fit, what you wanna do.And and or you know, a financial advisor, it could be a trainer, it could be whatever your your support system is going to help you and don’t forget your support system and use them, use them.
40:34 spk_0
That’s lit. Last question. What would you say your best investment is since you’ve been in the league?
40:42 spk_1
I mean for me I say like for me I’m just happy with like my general investments. I think just general investments like in the S&P and just and in the stock market, I think it’s been like really great for me. I think because I cause Ross, I think it’s so interesting. I think, and I’m sure you can, you, I’m sure you can attest to this too, it’s just like a lot of people our age aren’t even are like struggling even to make investments. The normal, the normal person is not making investments.Now, at early, like in the early 30s or whatever, not, not that many people are making those type of uh those type of moves or anything like that. So for me, I’ve just been very proud with the fact that I’ve been able to do something that my parents weren’t able to do, you know. Now within the next, within the next year, I do wanna get, I do wanna get a house, so I do believe that’s gonna be my best, my next best investment, but just right now I think just being for me.Small wins are always for me I’m always bigger on small wins that after you accumulate a bunch of small wins it’s going and you know it ends up, it accumulates to something big. Does that make sense? So for me just the daily small wins of like constantly every day just being able to put more money into my investments and stuff like that. So for me I’m just proud of that and being able to see my money grow over the last few years is kind of it’s insane and it’s awesome. So just being able to do that and and it’s, and I wish I had more to say, but for me.I think a lot of people tend to forget that the small ones sometimes are just as good, the small ones, the small daily deposits, the small ones that you get every day.are gonna make, can or sometimes will feel just as good as that one major win that you get every few or sixmonths.
42:15 spk_0
No, you had, see, the thing is, I don’t wish you had more to say. You said exactly what needed to be said, right? I think the average person, when we get out here, we go on social media and they all think they’re gonna get a home run. And the reality is investing is all about discipline, staying consistent. And so your best investment is that itself by investing, right?The small wins, like you say, are obviously starting to have a snowball effect and you’re starting to see, man, 2026 versus when I first got in the league in 2020, my money is compounded. It may have doubled, tripled, 4xed, and obviously I was doing the math. Your Bitcoin already been 4xed, right? And people don’t realize is you can’t save your way to wealth. And I think that sure, you might be an NFL player and you’re seeing all these people, you know, makingEons of multiples of millions of dollars, but like, at the end of the day, whether you were a blue collar worker, white-collar worker or a professional athlete, the best investment is just that itself, is let’s start investing, let’s be disciplined, and from there, right, you’ll literally start seeing the wins.
43:19 spk_1
Yeah, I agree. I definitely agree.
43:22 spk_0
That’s it for this episode, ladies and gentlemen. I want to thank my dog Justin for coming on, letting us know the ins and outs of being in the NFL. I think I stopped, I stopped growing, kind of like in, you know, sophomore year, so that’s the only reason I wasn’t in the NFL. Uh, but that’s it, man. Make sure you like, subscribe, tell your aunties and your cousins, and that’s it, man. I’m your host Ross Mack, and thanks for tuning in to Financial Freestyle.
43:46 spk_2
This content was not intended to be financial advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional financial services.