A few weeks ago, Tavon Austin was a wanted man, a hot commodity, and one of the more intriguing prospects leading up to the NFL Draft. His speed and explosiveness led the St. Louis Rams to trade up from pick #16 to grab the West Virginia prospect at the #8 slot.
Now, everyone just wants Austin’s money.
Although he has yet to receive a paycheck, Austin is realizing that there is a downside to his newfound great expectations.
“Everybody expects a lot of things from you as far as money,” the electric receiver told the Rams’ website. “It feels like they are counting my bank account now.”
Austin then added, “I’ve got a lot of cousins now. The whole [city of]Baltimore is my cousin now. We’re going to just try to keep focused andlet my mother and all of them handle it.”
Financial decisions made early on by young NFL players can have damaging long term ramifications. For Austin’s sake, we must hope that he makes wiser decisions than the countless of other athletes who have squandered millions and faced bankruptcy.