I have known briefly by association two former NFL players. Both defensive linemen.
The first one was the star of his college team. He had a 4.0 GPA while being the captain of the team at a large university.
He was drafted into the NFL and played as a starter for eight years. He retired, wrote several novels after regarding sports. He also owns several rental properties.
The other one was also a star on his college team. He was drafted and played as a backup lineman for six years. He retired from the NFL and was hired as a rookie lumber trader by a sister company of mine. He worked for them for about ten years then transferred to another sister company. He is still in the the industry today and has been a lumber broker like me for over 35 years.
5 Reasons Why 80% Of Retired NFL Players Go Broke
1)Lack of competent financial planning advice--Athletes are no different than any other college grads in that they were not trained as undergrads in budgeting, the tax system, and long term financial planning. This is an area of specialized expertise and an athlete receiving large compensation needs a safety net of advisors.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/leighsteinberg/2015/02/09/5-reasons-why-80-of-retired-nfl-players-go-broke/?sh=1f4aae7978cc