Martellus Bennett:"Most of your favorite players aren't good people"

[CalPolyTechnique]

What fan base are you referring to?

Ours.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Ours.

Speak for yourself...

 

[LACowboysFan1]

I don't think you read the same article I did.

Yes I did....

 

[ryanbabs]

this is a family forum.

 

[IceStar-D7]

I thought he hit it in Spades. Just like the society we live in. Some people are great and nice people. Others are idiot's. And some are just plain crazy and probably need to be locked up and put in a padded cell. Why should the NFL or any sport in general not reflect the society we all live in?????

 

[JW82]

I wish him well, but I know a ton of guys like him from NJ that are marching to their own beats. I like them, but I don't take their opinions on others seriously.

 

[ItzKelz]

I know he's not every fan cup of tea but god he nailed some real pointers/eye-openers here.
BTW: Decoding dark places in the article =_____________


https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl...od-people/1qymhptsqkxz914ptju23egqil?fbclid=I

Martellus Bennett reveals ugly side of NFL: 'Most of your favorite players aren’t good people'

Former NFL tight end Martellus Bennett was never afraid to speak his mind, so it's no surprise he's being open and honest in retirement as well.

Bennett sent a number of tweets Tuesday night, posting his thoughts on what it takes to be an NFL athlete, or even just a football player. His thoughts originated with a quote-tweet of a story saying Brandon Marshall (Bennett's former teammate) wanted to fight boxer Deontay Wilder.

Note to self.....do not let Zeke baby sit my kid

 

[InTheZone]

Yes he's right, but we all know the media wont cover it. Just like other sports and celebrities that are protected. And his brother is as guilty as whoever he wants to speak about.

 

[Fredbeard]

I don't think it's any surprise that football can be cutthroat, and there is a lot of anxiety and mixed feelings that go with being a player. And that's probably especially true because it is a profession that doesn't carry any promise of longevity - it can end at any moment.

But at the end of the day it's like most things in life in that some people are more mentally capable of handling those things than others. I get what Bennett is saying, but I also think he wasn't as capable of handling things as some/ He was always pointing fingers and had a chip on his shoulder. I think that's why, despite great physical skills, he was shuffled from team to team, and was out of the game at age 30.

I was going to say wasn't bennet known for being a lazy player and somewhat of a locker room cancer?

 

[aria]

I agree with everything you said, I also want to add that a major point that he made is how hard it is to make money without football. It is hard to earn a living without football. I've been doing it for decades. I can't imagine going from making millions for part of the year to making thousands for all of the year. That would be a mind screw.

If they’ve lived within their means and invested properly many of them will be just fine not working another day in their life. For the ones who didn’t make as much, hopefully they advantage of their full ride or time they spent at college and got a degree so they can work like the rest of us. Those that were dumb enough not to get a degree should at least have enough money to go back to school and get a degree in teaching to possibly be a coach or whatever else they want. Most of these guys are still young enough that when they retire they can still get well paying jobs with minimal education.

A mind screw is for me is working for the next 10-15 years until I can retire, I’ll take their millions to thousands any day.

 

[SixFiveCowboy]

You've heard the saying, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions". Failure to plan is planning to fail.

There in lies the problem for most because a young spry fellow will spend with the mind set that they'll be young forever never taking into consideration this can be taken from me at anytime. There are many who were never trained this way and put their trust in people to manage their earnings while they just spend and make more. One my good friends did an interview with Clinton Portis on his radio show in D.C. man some of that stuff Marty was saying was reading exactly how Portis interview went. He said that he literally got wiped out before he even knew it by a guy managing his money making investments. I think that's why you see so many guys leaving in the height of their prime while they are still able to leave on their own terms. I don't blame them.

 

[RonnieT24]

Meh.. no breaking news that some of the most aggressive, gifted and driven people in the world would not make good houseguests. I've known a number of NFL players both while they were playing and after through the course of my life. The ones who were jerks before going into the league came out worse jerks. The ones who were good guys going in might have strayed off course for a minute (like Nate Newton) but eventually found their way back to being good guys. I don't bang on them too hard for blowing through their money because most of them have no concept of what to do with 20 million dollars just like most of us wouldn't. It's unfortunate that so many of them struggle to find a single trustworthy person to handle their money for them. But that kinda money attracts crooks.. and if they try to manage it themselves they're almost guaranteed to screw it up. I have a neighbor who lives across the street from me who played 5 years for the Saints. He has every toy imaginable.. a Harley, two four wheelers, a bass boat and about 6 cars.. Well 3 cars, a minivan and two tricked out pickups. He admits having blown through most of the money he made in the league but apparently he will be hitting the age soon where the NFL pension kicks in. I've never asked him what age that is but he doesn't look like he's hit 40 yet!! I do think the nature of the NFL business forces guys to not get too attached to teammates. But Everson Walls gave Robn Springs a kidney.. nothing fake about that friendship! Nate Newton talks all the time about spending time with Deion and Michael Irvin.. Seems like the bond those guys formed has stood the test of time.

 

[Hawkeye19]

That is a very interesting read. Bennett is a very insightful former athlete. Being a professional athlete has its perks but also its deep burdens. Most fans probably have a very skewed view of what it really means to be a professional athlete.

I appreciated his perspective as well. Good to see some transparency and brutal honesty about some of the human cost to the "entertainment culture" in the US. Lots of parallels I am sure to Hollywood, the music biz, fashion etc... When people are only valued for what they "do" or "produce"-- and are worshipped for it and then later discarded-- the dissonance and pain has to be profound.

 

[OmerV]

I was going to say wasn't bennet known for being a lazy player and somewhat of a locker room cancer?

He definitely had the reputation of a malcontent, and he had some negative things to say when he left Dallas, particularly about Witten as I recall.

 

[erod]

Truth is, most of these players can't do anything else anyway.

And I tire of these guys who think what they go through is so hard. They can't understand that most people lead humble lives in anonymity and go to jobs they hate every day. It isn't anyone's fault but their own (and their parents) that they can't handle money, fame, or relationships. It's not the NFL's fault they're poorly adjusted people.

It's like the celebrity that just loves to go on TV and tell everyone how amazing it is to be a new parent, and all the things their child does. As if every day people don't have kids.

Martellus has lived life in a bubble his whole life. He isn't useful.

 

[Whirlwin]

I know he's not every fan cup of tea but god he nailed some real pointers/eye-openers here.
BTW: Decoding dark places in the article =_____________


https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl...od-people/1qymhptsqkxz914ptju23egqil?fbclid=I

Martellus Bennett reveals ugly side of NFL: 'Most of your favorite players aren’t good people'

Former NFL tight end Martellus Bennett was never afraid to speak his mind, so it's no surprise he's being open and honest in retirement as well.

Bennett sent a number of tweets Tuesday night, posting his thoughts on what it takes to be an NFL athlete, or even just a football player. His thoughts originated with a quote-tweet of a story saying Brandon Marshall (Bennett's former teammate) wanted to fight boxer Deontay Wilder.

For me I totally disagree. Culture of the locker room Mr. cowboy Roger Staubach Bob Lily. There’s a reason why these are my favorite players. It’s more than football and it should be

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Speak for yourself...

I’ve spoken in regard to your comments.

 

[Turk]

There in lies the problem for most because a young spry fellow will spend with the mind set that they'll be young forever never taking into consideration this can be taken from me at anytime. There are many who were never trained this way and put their trust in people to manage their earnings while they just spend and make more. One my good friends did an interview with Clinton Portis on his radio show in D.C. man some of that stuff Marty was saying was reading exactly how Portis interview went. He said that he literally got wiped out before he even knew it by a guy managing his money making investments. I think that's why you see so many guys leaving in the height of their prime while they are still able to leave on their own terms. I don't blame them.

The financial angle is the worst for many of them; despite the Teams, the NFL, and the Unions offering help on managing their money so that they will have at least a cushion when they retire all too many blow it or let their 'friends' have too much of it.
And you cannot leave out their families; I remember the crap Tyron went through.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Meh.. no breaking news that some of the most aggressive, gifted and driven people in the world would not make good houseguests. I've known a number of NFL players both while they were playing and after through the course of my life. The ones who were jerks before going into the league came out worse jerks. The ones who were good guys going in might have strayed off course for a minute (like Nate Newton) but eventually found their way back to being good guys. I don't bang on them too hard for blowing through their money because most of them have no concept of what to do with 20 million dollars just like most of us wouldn't. It's unfortunate that so many of them struggle to find a single trustworthy person to handle their money for them. But that kinda money attracts crooks.. and if they try to manage it themselves they're almost guaranteed to screw it up. I have a neighbor who lives across the street from me who played 5 years for the Saints. He has every toy imaginable.. a Harley, two four wheelers, a bass boat and about 6 cars.. Well 3 cars, a minivan and two tricked out pickups. He admits having blown through most of the money he made in the league but apparently he will be hitting the age soon where the NFL pension kicks in. I've never asked him what age that is but he doesn't look like he's hit 40 yet!! I do think the nature of the NFL business forces guys to not get too attached to teammates. But Everson Walls gave Robn Springs a kidney.. nothing fake about that friendship! Nate Newton talks all the time about spending time with Deion and Michael Irvin.. Seems like the bond those guys formed has stood the test of time.

God this is true.......I think Oprah once said the money doesn't make character, it reveals it. In other words, if you were a jerk before you had money, it's going to make you a bigger jerk. Check this out.......kids like this will be fine WITH OR WITHOUT the NFL.

 

[CowboyRoy]

That is a very interesting read. Bennett is a very insightful former athlete. Being a professional athlete has its perks but also its deep burdens. Most fans probably have a very skewed view of what it really means to be a professional athlete.

Bennet is a loud mouth punk that never reached his full potential. Jealous of guys like Witten because they were simply better than him.