Athlete turns down NFL to keep steady paycheck on railroad job - guess his race

[Tre]

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/07/keith-fitzhugh-former-nfl-safety-turns-down-jets-for-conductor/

With the league minimum at just over $320,000 (I think, and I also think he'd qualify for 2nd-year pay), he'd stand to earn $80,000 in the next month.  I don't know how much he's earning right now, but I don't think he's going to make $80,000 in the next year.  But, that less-than-$80K/year job is there for him as long as he's healthy. 

I would take the bigger payday right now, but gotta applaud this kid for honoring a commitment he made to the company that hired him.  I may not approve of the earrings, but he's a man, no question.

[marty31672]

i would of went to the pro football league

[Nails]

maybe he can't stand playing for his fat ass coach 

[Formerly_Owner76]

maybe he can't stand playing for his fat ass coach 

HA HA HA!!! Rex=FAT IDIOT!

[bradistani]

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/07/keith-fitzhugh-former-nfl-safety-turns-down-jets-for-conductor/

With the league minimum at just over $320,000 (I think, and I also think he'd qualify for 2nd-year pay), he'd stand to earn $80,000 in the next month.  I don't know how much he's earning right now, but I don't think he's going to make $80,000 in the next year.  But, that less-than-$80K/year job is there for him as long as he's healthy. 

I would take the bigger payday right now, but gotta applaud this kid for honoring a commitment he made to the company that hired him.  I may not approve of the earrings, but he's a man, no question.

what's his race got to do with anything? 

[Tre]

what's his race got to do with anything? 

Back in your lane, Canada.

[claymore]

what's his race got to do with anything? 

lol...good one

[StuartR]

he wouldn't make anywhere near that, he'd be hired to the practice squad which pays something like $5,000 per month
further, railroads are a union operation, meaning he'd lose all his accrued seniority by walking out
smart move

[JOHN MATRIX]

why doesnt he just play for like 5 years and retire?

[Hulkotron]

He's not gonna make anything playing football next year (lock out is coming) so maybe that has something to do with his decision.

[dr.chimps]

Back in Skate your lane, Canada.

Fixed.   

[Wiggs]

Indeed a honorable man...

Wiggs approved

 

[leadhead]

smart, thought out move on his part. He'll probably end up living a comfortable lifestyle while half of his would-be teammates are filing bankruptcy

[Moontrane]

The LIRR is a different railroad, but still...

On a spring evening in 2004, Mr. Koerber reported for his overnight shift as a train engineer at the Jamaica Storage Yard. By the end of his eight-hour shift, Mr. Koerber would earn four days’ pay for one day’s work, transportation authority records show.

Assigned to the railyard that night, Koerber was instead sent to passenger service. Under union rules, this change entitled him to an extra day’s pay. Over the next few hours, he ended up operating both an electric engine and a diesel engine. These dual duties earned him a second day’s pay.

Around 2 a.m., Mr. Koerber took an engine in for maintenance. With that came another day’s pay.

These three contract violations resulted in penalty payments that totaled $718. He also earned, among other things, $157 for a few hours of overtime and $15 for not getting to eat during his normal lunch break. The L.I.R.R. was supposed to pay him $247 for his work that day. Instead, he ended up with $1,177.
Shifts like this were not that unusual. Mr. Koerber pulled off seven others like it that year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/nyregion/21lirr.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

[Tre]

Fixed.   

 

[StuartR]

again,

he wouldn't make anywhere near that, he'd be hired to the practice squad which pays something like $5,000 per month
further, railroads are a union operation, meaning he'd lose all his accrued seniority by walking out
smart move

[2ND COMING]

Probably just wants to smoke pot and make an honest living at the same time. Something he cant do in the nfl.

[Tre]

He's not gonna make anything playing football next year (lock out is coming) so maybe that has something to do with his decision.

There will be no lockout.  If there was, then Childress, McDaniels, and Phillips would still have their jobs.

he wouldn't make anywhere near that, he'd be hired to the practice squad which pays something like $5,000 per month
further, railroads are a union operation, meaning he'd lose all his accrued seniority by walking out
smart move

He was offered a spot on the active roster, which would've meant $20,000/week for the next 4 weeks, plus a check for each playoff game he was on the roster for. 

He doesn't have any seniority per se at the railroad since he just began working there a few months ago, but until he gets a guaranteed long-term deal from an NFL team, I can't really fault him for hanging onto a job that might not be there waiting for him in January when football ends. 

[Howard]

why doesnt he just play for like 5 years and retire?

Contracts for the avg NFL player are yr to yr at best.
The avg NFL career is just over 2 seasons in length.
Those that get drafted high can bank a decent signing bonus and be set for life if they don't piss it away.
Guys like this Jet's safety are not a franchise player and considered disposable by the league.

While running into packed NFL stadium would be exciting, having a good quality of life is what matters in the long run.
Besides that, look at how hard these pros hit eachother. That kind of pounding would have to get old.

[SilverSpoon]

He should just go to Canada and play for one of the two teams named the Rough Riders.
Imaginitive brothers from the North, we have.

[Tre]

why doesnt he just play for like 5 years and retire?

He does want to play, he says, but he got cut by the team in September and no one has offered him a long-term deal since he left.  He's keeping himself in great shape should the call come, but for whatever reason, he wasn't good enough to make this year's team (until now) and no one else in the league wanted him.

[Chick]

He does want to play, he says, but he got cut by the team in September and no one has offered him a long-term deal since he left.  He's keeping himself in great shape should the call come, but for whatever reason, he wasn't good enough to make this year's team (until now) and no one else in the league wanted him.

Bottom line is, he isnt in any shape to play...cause he would hop on that chance in a minute if he was....He had no reason to believe after all this time, that his services would be called on, and got out of shape...plain and simple

[The Abdominal Snoman]

You can show up shit faced to work everyday on those railroad jobs and the union will protect you

[mass 04]

That's not John Henry.

[WillGrant]

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/07/keith-fitzhugh-former-nfl-safety-turns-down-jets-for-conductor/

With the league minimum at just over $320,000 (I think, and I also think he'd qualify for 2nd-year pay), he'd stand to earn $80,000 in the next month.  I don't know how much he's earning right now, but I don't think he's going to make $80,000 in the next year.  But, that less-than-$80K/year job is there for him as long as he's healthy. 

I would take the bigger payday right now, but gotta applaud this kid for honoring a commitment he made to the company that hired him.  I may not approve of the earrings, but he's a man, no question.

Thats one handsome white man