“I don’t understand…what happened to all that money?” – Michael DeLano, as Casino Manager Walsh, from Ocean’s Eleven.
Every time I hear about a player, a coach…or Bill Belichick, getting fined in the NFL, that scene from Ocean’s Eleven plays through my mind. I have been fortunate to meet Michael DeLano at Casa di Amore, aka the greatest Italian joint in Las Vegas, on a couple of occasions. That helps keep that scene fresh in my mind. And so does Ocean’s Eleven playing on loop on TBS every Saturday. But the important thing here is that DeLano has a good point…what does happen to all that money?
January 18, 2015 was a special day at the Jacobs household. The Patriots were one win away from their 6th Super Bowl in the “Brady Era.” The wife and I hosted an AFC Championship game viewing party, and a friend of ours, let’s call him “Brett”, was running a little late as usual. You don’t miss kickoff. Not when your team is in the AFC Championship game. You don’t even miss the coin toss. But nobody was more surprised than Brett when he saw the blues in his rearview mirror on his drive to drink our beer. I’m surprised that City of Cambridge cops were even on the road during kickoff, but they’re an honest crew. $155 later, Brett showed up after kickoff. The Pats won, so Brett’s empty seat during kickoff wasn’t bad luck for the game. Or was it?
Is there really a need to rehash the details of Deflate-gate? At the time of writing this, the NFL was still investigating the situation, so I’m not here to defend my Patriots. And I’m definitely not going to fuel the fire.
Somebody is getting fined. Somebody is taking the blame for Deflate-gate. There is always a Fall Guy. That Fall Guy is definitely going to take a serious hit to their bank account. Goodell is not going to replay the Ray Rice penalty incident where he clearly didn’t lay down severe enough punishment at his first opportunity. Someone is going to pay dearly for this embarrassment to the integrity of the NFL.
$2,495,630*
Unfortunately, I don’t make close to that. In fact, it would take the average American over 61 years of hard work to earn that much (at $40,563, per the 2013 US Census survey). But the NFL “earned” $2,495,630 just from the fines levied so far in the 2014-2015 season. This total is sure to skyrocket after the fines are handed out for Deflate-gate. Heck, Marshawn Lynch got fined $20 Grand that same day! For a gesture?!?
Why did our friend Brett get a ticket on Sunday? I mean, aside for speeding? Maybe because the city of Cambridge, per Page III-21 of the 2014-2015 Cambridge, Massachusetts Annual Budget, actually budgets for $475,000 of “Moving Violations” revenue. Let me repeat, the city budgets the amount of revenue they plan to collect! Think about that for a second. At least we have a good idea what happens to all that money. With our speeding tickets on the other end of their checkbook, they need all the money they can get. Thanks for taking that hit, Brett, but I’ll be taking The T.
Will someone on the Patriots going to get fined by the NFL for Deflate-gate? Probably. But how much? This question gave me a Mike DeLano moment. What does happen to all that money? Don’t tell me there is a “fine” budget that the NFL tries to meet? The NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry, so hopefully they don’t pocket the cash like my city of Cambridge. Well, the NFL gets a pat on the back this time:
Fine money from on-field and some off-field player fines is donated through NFL Charities to programs for retired players via the NFL Player Care Foundation and the NFLPA’s Players Assistance Trust. (Source: NFL.com)
Way to go NFL. We’re all glad to see that the money is used for good. Keep the fines coming! Just stay away from Patriots’ draft picks.
*Source: http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/fines-suspensions/fines/
“New England Patriots New & Updated Edition: The Complete Illustrated History” by Christopher Price offers the history of the historic Patriots franchise through stories and images. Click the image below to get your copy.
In the “Ocean’s Trilogy”, you will not only get to see Mike DeLano steal the movie when he asks what happened to all that money, but clicking the image below will also get all three spellbinding Ocean’s movies.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.