AllBuffs | Unofficial fan site for the University of Colorado at Boulder Athletics programs
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
-
Prime Time. Prime Time. Its a new era for Colorado football. Consider signing up for a club membership! For $20/year, you can get access to all the special features at Allbuffs, including club member only forums, dark mode, avatars and best of all no ads ! But seriously, please sign up so that we can pay the bills. No one earns money here, and we can use your $20 to keep this hellhole running. You can sign up for a club membership by navigating to your account in the upper right and clicking on "Account Upgrades". Make it happen!
Sad Story
- Thread starter MtnBuff
- Start date
DiggerBuffs
Well-Known Member
I am sure you will get slack for it but I agree. I started with your half-way through assessment at the beginning since I knew he made over $5 million between the NBA and China and he had talent but never seemed to give it his all. I was hoping he would go Round 2 so he would have to show himself and push himself. Instead he just collected a paycheck for 4 years and went through the motions.
He was frustrating to watch. Could have been one of best Buffs all-time but is a footnote in my opinion. Guys like Chris Copeland show you hard work pays off. Wish him the best but not surprising to read.
Good assessment.
He is living proof that being big and talented isn't always enough. You have to do something with it.
Deleted member 807
Guest
One example of why it's not always the best choice to leave college early without a degree to chase NBA money.
wyobuff
Well-Known Member
This is unfortunate, but I do find it difficult to feel bad for someone who has earned 5m and has nothign to show for it. I'm sure he had a lot of hands in the cookie jar, but it doesnt seem like he made any stable investments (like a papa johns franchise or something).
It mentioned in there a grad assistant job at CU. THink he could help josh & wes?
It mentioned in there a grad assistant job at CU. THink he could help josh & wes?
TDbuff
Club Member
There was a night at the Walrus where he bought jager shots for everybody that happened to be standing at the bar with him. Always seemed like a good dude, just not ready to be a professional I guess. Also saw on his bio that he's got 11 siblings, so that might have played a role.
what?
TDbuff
Club Member
Which part?
ALWAYS
And, yes, be smart about it. Buy a house that you can pay cash for. Put half of what's left from that first contract away as if it didn't exist. Pursue your dream.
the sibling thing.
BlackNGold
Club Member
David Harrison was always a baby or a head case - little things could send him off in a funk. I do not agree with chasing the money in Harrison's case, you could always see he was a guy who needed to mature. I think Ricardo was actually a good coach for him - a lot of tough love was handed out which I think Harrison needed. I remember a game against Kansas (I think) and he was being ridden hard by their fans and you could see it get into his head - he got rough with one of their players, got a T and was ineffective after that.
He reminded me a lot of Brian Williams the former Nugget. All the talent in the world but his brain was somewhere else.
He reminded me a lot of Brian Williams the former Nugget. All the talent in the world but his brain was somewhere else.
TDbuff
Club Member
Last edited:
it made no sense, when this was the preceding sentence:
Always seemed like a good dude, just not ready to be a professional I guess.
Wait, what?!?
The same Patton who never made Harrison practice? The same Patton who let him ride an exercise bike while eating during practice? That Patton? Just checking here...
TDbuff
Club Member
Yeah, not my best paragraph.
aghcsm
Well-Known Member
Get a "money manager" who can prevent the newly-rich college dropout from wasting all of his money.
If you don't use it wisely it doesn't matter what year you go after the money, had he waited what would have changed to change the eventual outcome.
Had he (or his agent) found a trustworthy financial professional he could have helped his family for a long time on the after tax proceeds from the money he made if it was invested reasonably well.
Unfortunately a lot of the kids who end up playing college ball don't have the family background that lends itself to being highly financially literate so it's easy for the money to slip away.
Throw in some immaturity, bad decisions, the wrong "friends", and to many former athletes end up broke.
Had he (or his agent) found a trustworthy financial professional he could have helped his family for a long time on the after tax proceeds from the money he made if it was invested reasonably well.
Unfortunately a lot of the kids who end up playing college ball don't have the family background that lends itself to being highly financially literate so it's easy for the money to slip away.
Throw in some immaturity, bad decisions, the wrong "friends", and to many former athletes end up broke.
aghcsm
Well-Known Member
Yes. I heard some 1 out of 5 lottery winners end up broke within five years as well, it's not that hard to do. Wonder if the NBA offers any help, or if some agents include longterm financial guidance in their services.
I know that the NFL requires rookies to attend seminars and have heard that the NBA Players Association does both education and individual counseling. That said you can give all the advice in the world but you can't force someone to follow it.
There is a lot of pressure from other players to act like a big leaguer, too. Part of the culture is to go on shopping sprees, hit expensive restaurants and all the rest with the windfall money. Plus, lots of these guys live in mansions they don't even know what do do with. Furnishings are often just a bed in the master and a leather couch, big screen & xbox in the family room.
You are right.
Also for many of them any number with million behind it sounds like an impossible figure. They can't conceive of it running out. Why worry about spending "just" $50,000 or $70,000 when you have millions. It's almost like monopoly money. They also can't see the end of the money until it's to late. They are certain that they will have another year in the league, then another and another.
Deleted member 807
Guest
Broke with a degree > broke without a degree.
drugs are bad, mmmkay
Nah. Put 30% down, get a nice, low interest rate, then invest in a solid plan earning at a nice rate. Then you can write off your interest on the house. :thumbsup:
Last edited:
We're talking about people earn windfall money for 3 years and then go straight to whatever job they can get with "some college". This isn't advice to become the millionaire next door based on steady income and career growth into middle management over a 40 year career arc. They need to be foreclosure proof.
He was trying to support a large family and a needy entourage. It just wasn't enough to be sustainable.