In 1987, a long-time friend asked then Dallas Cowboy star wide receiver Rod Barksdale if he could borrow $20,000. Barksdale’s friend was going to use the money for a down payment on a home, telling Barksdale he would pay him back “when I can.â€
“In my mind ‘when I can’ meant something like six months and I would not hesitate to help. I never forgot what it was like to grow up and have wants and needs you could not afford.â€
Back in the Day
When Barksdale was first drafted by the NFL in 1985, he said his life changed because all of a sudden he had “options.†“All of a sudden I was making $125,000 a year. A lot of money in the mid 80’s.â€
Well aware of the fact that most NFL careers are short-lived, he quickly started planning how he could save and grow his money. He identified what he calls a sound investment property.
“I’ll take this money and create something with it. I will put it to work and catch up to it in 10 years.†Barksdale, however, stepped away from his 10-year plan, let his friend borrow the money, and walked away from the investment property.
“Somebody you haven’t heard from in a long time calls you. The first thing they do is congratulate you on your contract, and the next thing you know, they have an issue,†said Barksdale.
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