'Are you stupid??' Cowboys star got early-career wakeup call after going broke

It’s often joked how the NFL stands for “Not For Long”, but for many players it’s no laughing matter. In the blink of an eye, childhood dreams can go up in smoke, whether it be from injury, not working hard or simply not being good enough. The average NFL career is three years, meaning for every player who lasts 9 years in the league, there’s three more that never last beyond that first season.

Just think of all of the hopefuls that were released last week from their teams but weren’t added to any club’s practice squad. Their careers are over. Even still, the players that do make it in the league, whether role players or stars, can often find themselves overwhelmed by the financial side of things. Even for high-pedigree draft picks, managing the money they get during their careers in order to last them a lifetime is hardly as easy as it seems in the eyes of fans who only dream of that level of salary.

For the Dallas Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence, he recently admitted that he was one of those who squandered the majority of his rookie contract, but fortunately he wisened up with the help of his dad.

Speaking to the Level Up Lifestyle Podcast, Lawrence recounted the story of his accountant calling him after his third season, telling him his bank account was in the negative.

The end of my third year, I go completely broke. I get that phone call from my accountant, and he’s like ‘Hey man, you don’t have no more money in your account.’ I’m like ‘What do you mean no more, you mean like zero dollars? What are you saying?’ And he’s like ‘I mean like negative $100.’

Lawrence explained how shortly after his dad called looking for assistance and he had to tell him,

Dad, my accountant just told me I have zero dollars.’ He was like, ‘Huh? What’s going on?… Are you stupid?’

And Lawrence said he asked himself and that the comment really struck his soul, inspiring him to get his act together and better manage his finances.

Lawrence, who suffered a foot injury that derailed his rookie campaign, broke out in Year 2 with 8 sacks, but then suffered a four-game suspension to start the 2016 season and only received 13 of his 17 game checks. His season ended early when he succumbed to a back injury, playing in just nine games.

Lawrence’s rookie contract was for a total of $5.5 million and included a $2.3 million signing bonus and base salaries of $420,000, $670,000 and $703,000 across those first three seasons.

It was all gone. NFL players only get paid during the regular season. They don’t get paid between January and July when they get paid out-of-contract stipends for training camp. Lawrence made $1.17 million his fourth year, a breakout campaign where he notched 14.5 sacks, made the Pro Bowl and ended up fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

The Cowboys didn’t immediately reward him with a new contract though. They placed the franchise tag on him and while it was for a whopping $17 million, there’s no bonus attached to that.

Lawrence was fortunate he had the talent to overcome his early financial mistakes. Now entering his 11th season, he’s made over $117 million across his career. Having the physical ability to make it to the NFL is a tremendous blessing, but it takes a ton of work to maintain a place, even more to become a star. And hopefully those who get the opportunity hear stories like this to let them know they need to be as responsible with their money as they are with their bodies.

h/t Brandon Loree for the find.