Thursday, June 5, 2008
The NFL: Where 'I don't have that kind of money' happens
Posted by Joe Tone on Thu, Jun 5, 2008 at 8:45 AM
Ginn's bus tour helped payers like Ryan Driggins showcase their talents for schools that otherwise would never had heard of them.
It costs $50,000 each year to operate the bus tour, Ginn said. Ginn estimated 175 athletes have taken part, with about 125 receiving scholarships. "Each player pays $400 to participate, which brings in $18,000," said Ginn. "I put in $10,000, with the remaining $22,000 coming from donations. "It bothers me because after all these years, I'd thought somebody would embrace the idea and step up because we're only trying to help the kids in Ohio."As a reader on cleveland.com points out, the story's a little disingenuous: It implies somehow that players like Troy Smith (Ravens) and Donte Whitner (Bills) haven't stepped up, but it seems pretty clear Ginn never asked them: "I usually go out and talk to our regular donators, but I didn't even do that this year because I didn't have the time." It's hard to imagine that Smith -- who starred at Glenville under Ginn after getting kicked out of St. Edwards -- wouldn't drop a few thousand to help some neighborhood kids. Same with Whitner. He made $9 million last year. If he can't pony up $10,000, somebody should run him over with his own Denali. And Pierre Woods -- a Patriots linebacker, and the first Tarblooder player to play at a major college (Michigan) after being mentored by Ginn -- has already said he'll help out. Although not too much. He's on a tight budget, after all:
"If I was a top-round draft pick, I would have been the first one to send money. I would have funded the whole [tour] but I don't have that kind of money. I was undrafted and worked my tail off to make [the Patriots]. Heck, I still drive a 1999 Ford S-150 pickup truck with a kicked-in grill and cracked windshield."If you're wondering: In two years in the league, Woods has made $650,000. Who knew the cost of windshields had risen so far? -- Joe P. Tone
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