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12-14-2010, 11:08 PM
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#1 | | I *heart* Revscene.net very Muchie
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| football player turns down NFL contract with the NY Jets to take care of family
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Georgia man turns down NFL offer to work on the railroad
By the CNN Wire Staff
December 9, 2010 9:55 p.m. EST
Keith Fitzhugh had three stints over the past two seasons in the NFL with the Jets and the Baltimore Ravens.
Atlanta (CNN) -- Keith Fitzhugh could have spent this weekend at New Meadowlands Stadium, being regaled by some 83,000 fans as a member of the New York Jets.
Instead, he chose to keep his day job, working on the railroad. No spotlights, no television cameras, no adoring throngs. The only waves that he could get -- seconds of attention, in between long stretches of quiet -- will be from kids standing alongside the tracks, asking the unnamed engineer to pull the horn.
And he's not complaining.
"That was always my childhood dream," said Fitzhugh of playing pro football. "Driving transit was always my second childhood dream."
For months, the Hampton, Georgia, resident -- like millions of Americans -- was living more of a nightmare, unemployed and struggling to get by. A star safety at Mississippi State, he had three stints over the past two seasons in the National Football League with the Baltimore Ravens and twice the Jets.
But each time, Fitzhugh had been released. For someone who, for years, had lived and breathed football, rejection was not easy. What was even harder, he said, was living without the paycheck and without any clear prospect that NFL stardom and dollars were in his future.
What he was certain about, though, was family. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Fitzhugh was in the prime of his life healthwise, but not bringing home any income. His father disabled and unable to work, his mother was the only family member with a regular paycheck.
Fitzhugh said he was used to getting such support, emotionally as much as economically. His parents had cheered him while he played football, encouraged him to think of life after football, took care of him. When his sister died after contracting West Nile virus while he was in college at Starkville, his mother held off on telling him until he played a key spring football game.
She, his father, his grandmother and other family members were always like that: thinking and taking care of everyone else, all while keeping their heads up, said Fitzhugh. His sister's loss especially, he said, made him realize that while football was a game, family was everything.
"They were there for me, when I went through some of the lowest times of my life," Fitzhugh said. "And I needed to be there for them, also."
So he was thrilled when he recently got a full-time job with Norfolk Southern, a position that allowed him to run trains around the country and also bring home regular income and benefits to help support his family.
But his suddenly stable life got turned upside down Tuesday, when his agent called to tell him about the Jets offer. Fitzhugh was off and at home, his father resting in bed. His agent told him the 9-3 team wanted him, right away. Could he make a 2 o'clock flight? Not, said Fitzhugh, without checking with his new employer first.
"My heart started racing, I started sweating immediately," he recalled. "This is not happening to me. I'd just got this new job, and I don't want to let them down (so they think) every time I get a phone call, I'm going to run away."
He'd learned that professional football jobs were fleeting. He knew his railroad job was not as glamorous, it might not pay as much, but it was stable and allowed him to help his family long-term. So, before he'd even found out from Norfolk Southern if he could take a leave of absence (he later learned that he could have), Fitzhugh made up his mind.
"I just felt that the best decision at that time, for me, was to keep my job," Fitzhugh said. "Because the economy is so bad right now, jobs are very scarce. Once you have a good job like this, I (thought) that I should just keep it."
Money, fame, and the thrill of competition on the gridiron are great. And Fitzhugh says that he hasn't closed the door on pro football totally, not if the time is right. But he said that he's comfortable with his decision to stay off the sidelines and stay on the tracks. Doing so will be different than battling the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, but Fitzhugh believes he will still get a rush and he'll still have the support of family and "fans."
"You have families that go outside in their yards or go by the tracks, and just wave at the conductors and engineers as they are riding by -- that feeling is really good," said Fitzhugh. "Like the experience in the NFL, you still have fans out there."
| http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/12/09/...ball.railroad/
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12-14-2010, 11:36 PM
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#2 | | I STILL don't get it
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now I understand he is thinking of long term work security and his family but .. unless I read it wrong, he was told he could take leave of absence from his job. With only 4 regular season games remaining he would have been gone for a month and given that the league minimum wage is $325,000 he have made 81,250 for the 4 games or the full 325,000(I'm not sure how nfl contracts work). I dunno that just seems like a lot of money to leave on the table for a month of work and who knows with a strong showing he could be given another contract but of course I understand the life span of a NFL career is fairly short. The way I saw it though, was this was at a worst case scenario of making roughly at least 80,000$ in a month and then going back to his regular job.
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12-15-2010, 12:04 AM
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#3 | | I answer every Emotion with an emoticon
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Does not compute.
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Originally Posted by MajinHurricane who would ban me? lol. Look at my post count. | | |
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12-15-2010, 12:06 AM
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#4 | | My homepage has been set to RS
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what a fool
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12-15-2010, 01:27 AM
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#5 | | To me, there is the Internet and there is RS
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| Quote:
Originally Posted by GrapeDrink now I understand he is thinking of long term work security and his family but .. unless I read it wrong, he was told he could take leave of absence from his job. With only 4 regular season games remaining he would have been gone for a month and given that the league minimum wage is $325,000 he have made 81,250 for the 4 games or the full 325,000(I'm not sure how nfl contracts work). I dunno that just seems like a lot of money to leave on the table for a month of work and who knows with a strong showing he could be given another contract but of course I understand the life span of a NFL career is fairly short. The way I saw it though, was this was at a worst case scenario of making roughly at least 80,000$ in a month and then going back to his regular job. | Or he could get injured the first game. Working on the railroad he's got guaranteed income and benefits.
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12-15-2010, 01:55 AM
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#6 | | My homepage has been set to RS
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If I can recall he was only supposed to be signed to the practice squad where he would make much less. And its the NY Jets, this guy is too honest to play for them. Posted via RS Mobile | |
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12-15-2010, 02:13 AM
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#7 | | I STILL don't get it
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Originally Posted by Manic! Or he could get injured the first game. Working on the railroad he's got guaranteed income and benefits. | I definitely agree with you, he doesn't really have any job security with the NFL beyond the end of this season but from what I read, he was going to be able to come back to his old job if things didn't work out in the NFL. So I don't really understand his decision to pass on this opportunity, I know there is the risk of injury but the risk comes with compensation now. You have to remember he had already played four years of college ball for no pay. So he was willing to risk it then for no money, yet now its a risk when he could make a six digit payday?
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12-15-2010, 02:24 AM
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#8 | | I STILL don't get it
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Originally Posted by ajax If I can recall he was only supposed to be signed to the practice squad where he would make much less. And its the NY Jets, this guy is too honest to play for them. Posted via RS Mobile | you are right I just read another article on this
" The Jets clarified that they offered free agent safety Keith Fitzhugh a spot on the practice squad, not the active roster, earlier in the week. Fitzhugh decided to keep his job as a railroad conductor rather than sign with the Jets. As a member of the practice squad, Fitzhugh would have earned $5,200 per week, far less than the $18,235 per he would make as a member of the active roster. "
I think that definitely changes everything up
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12-15-2010, 02:58 AM
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#9 | | To me, there is the Internet and there is RS
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Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. | |
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12-15-2010, 07:13 AM
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#10 | | Rs has made me the woman i am today!
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wow.
i'm pretty sure this guy made a huge mistake. he could have easily gotten his other job back..
he'll be kicking himself in a few years...
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12-15-2010, 07:51 AM
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#11 | | SFICC-05*
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Those who are saying that this guy is a fool, are truly fools.
It's pretty damn easy to look back on it and pretend as if you can calculate it all out and make sure which adds up to the most pennies in your account. I'd like to see you in his shoes and make a different decision than he did. Remember, he's had THREE stints in the NFL, all which reinforced the fact that the job is not stable whatsoever. Not to mention all the stuff he's gone through with his family.
What we need more of in this world are people who are willing to keep their word and not seem flaky at the first chance of some extra money. Not to mention family oriented too. Props to this guy.
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Originally Posted by Hyde nammer don't listen to me, they listen to money. do you know how cheap it is to have someone killed in vancouver? let alone a beat down | | |
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12-15-2010, 08:15 AM
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#12 | | Head of HR....have a seat on that couch
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I agree - this guy has his priorities in check.
He just started his job. Sure they would've allowed him to leave and come back but it doesn't look very good and he'd probably have to work his way back up to where he already is. The safe choice would be to firm up his postion as a conductor , stay in shape and take his vacation time to try out for NFL teams.
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12-15-2010, 10:54 AM
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#13 | | The RS Freebie guru
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There would be no article if they bothered to mention he was only offered a spot on the practice squad. It was only because they conveniently neglected to mention that does this even become a story.
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12-15-2010, 10:57 AM
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#14 | | Willing to sell body for a few minutes on RS
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Originally Posted by InvisibleSoul There would be no article if they bothered to mention he was only offered a spot on the practice squad. It was only because they conveniently neglected to mention that does this even become a story. | Good point... selective reporting, I tell ya... 
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12-15-2010, 01:17 PM
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#15 | | I don't get it
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Originally Posted by Gumby Good point... selective reporting, I tell ya... | Yep. That's been news since the beginning of time.
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12-15-2010, 01:45 PM
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#16 | | OMGWTFBBQ is a common word I say everyday
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The man's got good values and an eye for the future, i applaud him.
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12-15-2010, 03:21 PM
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#17 | | In RS I Trust
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I'm sure his plan now is to sign in the off season get a signing bonus and he will be laughing. Since he did that he will get more talk in the NFL and it will look better for him in the future. It's all about the good stories in the NFL since so many players are getting bad reps for doing stupid shit. He will get his and I think it was a smart move.
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12-15-2010, 04:01 PM
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#18 | | I STILL don't get it
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Originally Posted by murd0c I'm sure his plan now is to sign in the off season get a signing bonus and he will be laughing. Since he did that he will get more talk in the NFL and it will look better for him in the future. It's all about the good stories in the NFL since so many players are getting bad reps for doing stupid shit. He will get his and I think it was a smart move. | I don't think so man, the fact he was undrafted and has been cut three times, I doubt hes some high caliber player. He just happened to have been put in a good situation because he had been on their squad before and there were multiple injuries at that position for the Jets, which is the only reason they went to him to fill the void as there really isn't enough time for a completely new player to step in and learn all the plays.
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