NFL Offseason Thread: March 3, 2011. A date which will live in infamy.

[Mizango]

To be fair Deejay, I too and many others like you and I are from those sorts of backgrounds, its just that some of us refuse to settle for being a statistic. I get that life is harder in a broken, single parent household, but thats where their parents should have parented. I know that is easier said that done, but its the damn truth. My mom told me from the time I was like 11 that she wasnt "raising niggas" and if we wanted to be niggas then we needed to gtfo. She kept it real and I appreciated that, I went to jail twice, not once did I call her because again, she told me from the fucking jump that If I ever get locked up then I needed to call the niggas that got me in that position to get me out, which I did and I saw nothing came from it. I saw at that moment what she was trying to teach me; you cant rely on friends, because more times than not your friends are looking out for themselves, first and foremost.

We've all been there done that. My brothers and did the dope thing, used one of my friends house as a trap house, lost dozens and dozens of friends to guns and drugs, been shot at etc. Some choose to use that as a spring board to get the fuck out and not use the "whoa is me" excuse. I too was an NCAA athlete at one point, but I worked twice as hard in the classroom as I did at sports and made my way out. Hypothetically, whats stopping Jim Jackson; a blue chip RB from Jacksonville, from doing the same? None, hes being taught at home and from around his peers that the NFL and fame is the ONLY way to make a difference. No one is putting a gun to his head and making him play football and making him think that coasting by with a 1.8 gpa is good.

Shit starts at home, tell big mama to get her fat ass up and teach some accountability. And I know, "teachers bro, teachers" but keep in mind that growing up in Hidden Valley, I not once went to school with anyone white, Asian, Hispanic or any other nationality until my 8th grade year lol. It was the epitome of nigga central, and if you watch TV then you see and know first hand how bad Hidden Valley is, so it was not exactly a desirable place for ANY teachers. As a matter of fact our entire staff from K-6th then my 7th grade year were 100% black. Myself and several of my friends (including your NFL teams best WR, Hakeem Nicks) put excuses to the side and got out. Hakeem plays football, I know, but he is a really really smart dude.

Didnt mean to write a book, but this is my number one pet peeve with life. Niggas always feel like they have been slighted, or that the world and history "owes" us something, which is many respects they do, but at the end of the day we control our own destiny. Many of these NFL players had the same opportunities that we all had, who's to say what they could go on to do if they had applied themselves in school the same as they did in the dope game, making mix tapes, starting record labels or playing Madden? The problem is niggas see Manny Fresh and want to be Big Tymer, when they should be looking at Clifford Johnson, Warren Washington and Ronald Mallett, 3 or many of the worlds renowned black physicists (wonder how many of even your friends know them). I need to find that thread where Woozie and I, talk about our pasts and what lead us to where we are today. Woozies story is far doper than mine, he was almost killed and wound up spending time bedridden in the hospital, with nothing to read but a Math book. Sorry, I dont buy the "I was born into niggerdom" excuse, because I was too and I made it out and more than exceeded my expectations. People choose to be ignorant, there is nothing else to it.

At the end of the day they play a game for millions and millions of dollars. Some make more in one year on special teams than we'd make is 10-20 years of working with outr degrees. My apologies for not feeling bad for any of these busted ass niggas. Guess you should have majored in Money management or Information technology instead of Physical Education or Communication/Business with pipe dreams of getting HAWD NIGGA RECORDZ off the ground floor. Slaves didnt have a choice, no one in modern times are forced into indentured servitude by being fleeced into returning punts because you can blaze a 4.2 40 on turf.

[Mizango]

This nigga better respond

http://twitter.com/#!/YoungLappy/sta...78525309812736

bahahahahaha

[Demosthenes11]

Excerpt from an article I found on the subject:

"The NFL Players Association has never conducted such a study," Miki Ayaras confirms. "But I have observed the situation for 10 years and I do believe pro football veterans die young. The problem is that we have only been getting true statistics from the inception of the pension plan in 1959. We are just starting to get a statistical curve."

"Because of my personal and professional interest I made inquiries of Bob Williams of Williams and Rand, which handles the pension," McCormack reports. "Williams said that the figure I had heard - a life expectancy of 52 - was completely unsubstantiated."

McCormack was told that by definition anybody who dies while covered by the NFL plan has to be relatively young. The oldest veterans covered are in the 60s and most are much younger. Williams and Rand reported the causes of deaths which occurred during the life of the plan. On the surface, they do not indict the profession of pro football.

TEN NFL VETERANS or players died in auto accidents, five from gunshot wounds, five from "unknown causes," two each from "natural causes," airplane accidents, from respiratory arrest, Lou Gehrig disease, drowning and one each by stabbing, electrocution, suicide, cocaine overdose, traumatic chest injury, kidney failure, head injury and AIDS.

Of the remaining, heart attacks were responsible for 28 deaths and cancer for 14.

Williams and Rand concluded that no data exists to support the conclusion of unusually high mortality as a consequence of service in the NFL.

But of course more study on the subject can and should be done as additional data is compiled and digested by the computers.

A lot of speculation saying the average life span isn't 55ish, but the average age of those that have died is 55 (yes, there is a big difference).

[Mizango]

But they spend a majority of those those 55 years fucking thousands of bitches, making it rain on skrippaz and popping bottles in any country of their choosing. Dont want to die young? Then hop on this 9-5 train, live check to check and work until youre 65, then enjoy 10 years retired until you die.

Pick your fucking poison, cause we all got choices.

[Mizango]

I dont feel bad for any athlete, I can say that cause ive been there done that. My dad played in the USFL with the Gamblers as well as in Canada and with the lilvikings and he had major health problems as well. He knew what he was getting into and used to tell me all the time when I was younger "Always be there for your family, because the demand and time you miss is something you can never get back. I wish I knew what I knew now, because I certainly wouldnt have done it".

He accepted responsibility, why dont "our" generation? Niggas always want something for nothing.

[Melena]

Miz, your last post here makes me wish there was a like button on BG. School I went to had a lot of Oakland transfers, and was the same thing. I was one of maybe a dozen white kids in 3 5th grade classes when I moved. Last I heard from any of them, 2 of them didn't even make it to 21 cause they wanted the easy way. It's sad and depressing that people out there feel that the hood or professional sports/entertainment is the only way out for them.

[Deejay]

Avg. life expectancy of 52 years? You'd better sauce that, because I sure as fuck don't believe it.

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http://www.nowpublic.com/sports/aver...ball-player-52

And that was a great post Miz. I agree with your side as well, I just don't think it's as black and white as most people do. I can't argue with anything you had to say though.

[Mizango]

Miz, your last post here makes me wish there was a like button on BG. School I went to had a lot of Oakland transfers, and was the same thing. I was one of maybe a dozen white kids in 3 5th grade classes when I moved. Last I heard from any of them, 2 of them didn't even make it to 21 cause they wanted the easy way. It's sad and depressing that people out there feel that the hood or professional sports/entertainment is the only way out for them.

Exactly, its an epidemic that starts at home. People think short term and what the instant gratification that money "right now" can afford you. Its sad when I ride around Charlotte and see dudes I played ball and ran track with broke and/or homeless. Unfortunately its the result of years and years of bad choices and looking for that quick fix.

[Devolver]

When I was playing Rugby for ECU, we got treated like kings. Be it being white/black/whatever. Not to mention viewing first hand and the special treatment the major sports received, like football/baseball/basketball. And I'm to think this changes when you get to the pros?

Just because people CHOOSE to live a specific lifestyle (Read: ghetto), and refuse to break away from it...doesn't garner any sympathy from me.

[Mizango]

When I was playing Rugby for ECU, we got treated like kings. Be it being white/black/whatever. Not to mention viewing first hand and the special treatment the major sports received, like football/baseball/basketball. And I'm to think this changes when you get to the pros?

Just because people CHOOSE to live a specific lifestyle (Read: ghetto), and refuse to break away from it...doesn't garner any sympathy from me.

Right on. I remember having a meet at your campus and smoking dem pirates.

[bigrougabagel]

Fully agree with the sentiment here that you are your own maker, but the amount of work needed to achieve a higher station in life is a lot harder for some than it is for many. Not saying it's an excuse, but it sure as hell contributes to why not everyone can escape poverty.

[Mizango]

This is back when ECU had Ramondo North from West Charlotte. Back before he peed on that white girl at that party and got kicked out of school of course lol. How he was ever draft by da Bears with his character issues is beyond me. He was fast as fuck though and still the only person I lost states too QQ

FACK THAT GUY

[Devolver]

This is back when ECU had Ramondo North from West Charlotte.

That guy was a fucking monster.

[Demosthenes11]

http://www.nowpublic.com/sports/aver...ball-player-52

And that was a great post Miz. I agree with your side as well, I just don't think it's as black and white as most people do. I can't argue with anything you had to say though.

they never released their methodology or data

[Devolver]

I'm shocked more kids from Independence don't make more of a splash than they do at higher levels.

[Mizango]

That guy was a fucking monster.

Don't remind me QQ

[Mizango]

I'm shocked more kids from Independence don't make more of a splash than they do at higher levels.

Yeah for real. Then again everywhere Tommy Knotts goes the NFL seems to follow. Independence didnt start getting good until they started really enforcing integration and busing all of us niggas from Hidden Valley and Hampshire Hills from Garinger (lol) to Independence. But I agree with you.

[Dimmauk]

Miz! My Mom was a cheerleader for the Gamblers! LOL

[archibaldcrane]

http://www.nowpublic.com/sports/aver...ball-player-52

Um, that says "linemen", not general nfl player.

What's the life expectancy of a morbidly obese black man in America who didn't play football?

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[archibaldcrane]

I'll answer my own question:

Obesity can diminish a person's life expectancy by more than 10 years, and among black men it can shorten life span by as much as 20 years, according to new research. Obesity is particularly dangerous for adults in their 20s and 30s.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1169083/

Avg. Life span of an average black man is 69 years. Shouldnt be a surprise that a subset of that population that is 100% obese has a much shorter lifespan.

And yes, even a tall, lean, 6'7 270 pound tackle is medically obese. When you get down to 6'2 330 lb. nose tackles, it gets much worse.

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