NFL Star Plaxico Burress Sold His Superbowl Ring To Pay His Bills

[00:00:00]Breaking news. Plaxico Burress, a NFL legend, New York Giants game-winning ball, caught the end. Tom Brady, the most best quarterback to ever play in the NFL, he going broke. This economy broke a $30 million NFL star. And it's so bad that he is now being forced to sell his Super Bowl ring. Now, before we get to laughing at Plaxico [music] and throwing shots and throwing shade his way, cuz you know he shot himself in the leg. He a legendary player for shooting himself in the leg, but he also a legendary player for catching that game-winning touchdown.

[00:00:42]Let's keep in mind before we get to picking at him. Is somebody on here right now that just sold a PS5 so they could pay their goddamn phone bill? So, he ain't the only one that's going broke in this economy. But, what I'm sitting here trying to figure out here is how could anybody that made $30 million in the US be forced to do a garage sale just to keep a roof over their head? The sad truth about the NFL is this, [music] everybody see the touchdowns. Everybody see the change, the cars, the big houses, the TV camera pointing at you during the off-the-field interview after the game where you done scored and won the game. I'm talking about WHEN THE SAME PEOPLE WHO used to cheer for you start acting like they ain't never knew you when [music] you went broke. One minute, you catching the biggest touchdown of your life, and years later that same ring that proved that you made history is sitting on the auction block with a price tag on it. And that right there is the part that should scare every athlete that's watching this right now. Because we not talking about some random player who barely made a NFL roster. We're talking about Plaxico Burress. Plaxico was a first-round NFL draft pick. He was drafted eight overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was 6'5", a big-time wide receiver. He played 12 seasons in the NFL. This wasn't a guy that just rode the bench [music] in the league and just disappeared at the end of his career. This was a man who had real NFL success. Real NFL money. Real fame. Real moment in real football history attached to his name. And see, the craziest part of it all is Plaxico didn't just play in the Super Bowl, he caught the game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl against Tom Brady and the undefeated at the time New England Patriots. The Patriots were 18 and 0.

[00:02:48]They was one win away from being immortal, [music] passing the Miami Dolphins that went 17 and 0 and went on to win the Super Bowl.

[00:02:56]They was finna do that. Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Bill Belichick, they had the whole machine. And they were pulled to walk in that goddamn game and finish with the perfect season. But then Eli Manning dropped back. He found Plaxico Burress when he got free and he caught the game-winning touchdown and the Giants won. The Patriots failed and history changed forever. Forever ever.

[00:03:24]Forever ever.

[00:03:26]That brings >> [music] >> with no jewelry. That Super Bowl ring was a war medal. The greatest quarterback that ever played in the game of football, you just defeated him. That ring was proof that you stood on the biggest stage >> [music] >> in football and did something that most players are never doing their career.

[00:03:47]Most players don't even make it to the Super Bowl. Some of them ain't never made it to the playoffs. Some of these players never get a second contract.

[00:03:54]Some never get drafted. Some players get hurt, get cut, and by 27 years old, they back home trying to figure out what life is like after football, without football. Some of them got to go get a job. Some of them drive a UPS truck. So, when you win a Super Bowl ring, that's supposed to be sacred. That's supposed to be something you show your kids, kids, kids for generations. That's supposed to be sitting in your house, not sitting in front of strangers who ain't catch that game winning ball to defeat the most legendary quarterback ever played, Tom Brady. They over there beating over your goddamn ring like it's a watch or a chain or something. This ain't no average Joe. That ring would go sell regardless. The NFL probably would have bought that back. But, see, that's what life does when the money slows down. It'll make you look at things that you said you would never sell and ask yourself, do I need to keep the memory or do I need to keep a roof over my head? Do I need to keep my kids fed? Do I need to keep that car side that I like to drive? Think about what I'm saying.

[00:05:00]And then why I always say the NFL stand for not for long. Plaxico Burress made real money. He had a million-dollar, multi-million-dollar rookie deal [music] with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then he went to New York and signed a six-year deal worth 25 mil. And after that, that Super Bowl run came with the Giants and they gave him a five-year extension worth 35 mil. And even later in his career, he still got more money from the Jets and the Steelers. So, on paper, people look at that and be like, how somebody made all this goddamn money and still need to sell their Super Bowl ring just to keep their water in the well?

[00:05:42]Think about what I'm saying. Well, that's because regular working people don't count taxes. They don't count regular daily lifestyle expenses cuz they don't got that. They living paycheck to paycheck. And some of these multi-millionaires is too. They don't [music] count that agent fees. They don't count the lawyer fees. They don't count the mansions, the family help.

[00:06:05]Man, Plaxico Burress probably had to help his family, cousins, people who lied to him and told him he was cousin.

[00:06:10][music] He had to help them out. He had made bad investments. Man, he probably had child support, divorces, lawsuits, foreclosures, business failures. And everybody around him probably thinking his bank account was their emergency fund. And see, that's the thing.

[00:06:25][clears throat] These people that work regular jobs, they don't understand what happened when the team stopped calling you. Yeah, you made $30 million.

[00:06:33]But when you active and getting to it, it's cool. The money feel like it's endless. Everybody smiling around you.

[00:06:41]Everybody calling you big dog and big homie. Everybody telling you you got it.

[00:06:46]It's all on you. So, you picking up the dinner bill. You picking up paying for where your mama live. You paying for the trips. You putting the people in the car. You helping the cousins, the friends, the coaches, the old family members, the old coaches, the old teammates that you used to play with that ain't even make it to the league with you. You looking out for them. You taking care of people that you barely even know. And you do it because your mind think like, man, I'm in the NFL, man. More money coming. I ain't worried about that little bit of money I'm spending cuz them NFL checks come like $700,000 a week. So, you think [music] sweet. But then it come a time where no more direct deposits from them NFL checks. No more locker room. No more signing bonus. No more game checks. No more team flights. No more free gifts from them people that was around and near cuz they was fans. Ain't nobody giving it to Ain't nobody cheering in the crowd. No more ESPN highlight. All that out the door. And that same lifestyle that was fun when you were getting paid become the bill collector when you [music] ain't getting paid no more. Think about what I'm saying.

[00:07:52]That's why this Plaxico Burress story hit so hard to me cuz WE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT a ring. We talking about a warning. A Super Bowl ring that should never be for sale. That ring is not just diamonds. That ring is blood, sweat, tears, pain. I'm talking about anger pain. I'm talking about training camp, ice bath, surgery. Man, he got hit going across the middle. I'm talking about film study when he was in the film room where he rather just be at the club with his partners. I'm talking about locker room speeches from coaches that you didn't want to hear after you just lost a game trying to fight to get in. Think about what I'm saying. I'm talking about the biggest moment of your life. You just sold that. That ring symbolize real success >> [music] >> in the NFL.

[00:08:40]I made it. That ring say I wanted a feud. [music] That ring say out of all the men who ever played this game, I got to stand at the top of this game. But in this economy, sometimes memories don't keep the lights on. Sometimes history doesn't stop the bank from calling your ass talking about you in the negative and they finna foreclose on your wage.

[00:09:02]And sometimes the same thing you said you would never sell become the only thing that you got left to keep a roof over your head. People will say, "Man, I'll never sell my Super Bowl ring." But you don't know what you would do when the bills stacked up against you. All them credit card bills, all them god damn car notes stacking up against you, man. You don't know what you would do when your phone ringing all day and you got payments behind they stacked up on I'm talking about eviction notices on your door. You don't know what you would do when the repossession man outside with the tow truck finna take your brand new beam and you just paid it off with your last NFL check. Think about what I'm saying. You don't know what you will do when all your endorsement money done dried [music] up. You got to remember Plaxico Burress ain't playing in the days of Ja'Marr Chase when they were giving out two, three hundred million dollars. He was playing when they were giving out pennies and he was making it.

[00:09:57]Man, in this economy with inflation, man, let me tell you something. It's hard out here, man. And that's why these athletes need real OG riding them, man.

[00:10:05]Not them yes men that be riding them.

[00:10:07]Not them club friends. Not the people who only show up when them checks clears and you paying [music] for their air to get in. Think about what I'm saying. You need somebody around you who going to tell you, bro, man, you need to stop.

[00:10:20]You need to stop spending your money.

[00:10:21]Instead of spending your money on these women, you need to go buy apartment building. Not another watch. Yeah. Not another car. You need that. You need people around you that going to tell you keep the smaller house. You don't need no big old mansion, man. You need somebody around you that tell you, man, stop trying to pay for everybody. Stop buying new friends. That's what you need. You need somebody around you that going to tell you ten million dollars is not really ten million dollars after taxes, after [music] fees, and after life get done with it. Think about what I'm saying. Because one day that jersey got to come off. One day that crowd going to stop screaming your goddamn name. One day that team going to move on without you. A Super Bowl ring should be passed down to your kids, not auctioned off to pay your bills. But when life gets real, even history gets [music] a price tag. Drop a comment if you think a player should sell his Super Bowl ring to [music] keep a roof over his head or that's the one thing a man should take to his grave so his kids could have something to say. Y'all comment below.

[00:11:25]Y'all let me know in the comments. Y'all hit that like button. Make sure you share this video. This is a life lesson.

[00:11:31]This is a evergreen story. [music] This is something that you could forever learn from cuz he ain't the only one that done sold his Super Bowl ring. He just one that's getting exposed in this economy cuz Trump ain't playing. Y'all comment below. Y'all like this video.

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[00:11:57]>> [music]