ESPN The Magazine is doing a great job of making us play the guessing the game.
Everyone is trying to figure out who “Player X” is and now we are trying to solve the mystery of which athlete had his jewels pawned.
In their latest issue, which the focus is “Money” some pawn shop owners have some pretty depressing stories about athletes who are broke and are force to sell off some of their most valuable possessions.
Here is a portion of the ESPN The Mag article.
Recently, several guys clad in hoodies walked into Philly’s venerable Carver W. Reed Co. (est. 1860), with enough jewelry to outfit the Oscars: flashy earrings, gold necklaces and a 50-carat diamond cross so big that owner Tod Gordon was thrown. “It was almost too gaudy to sell,” he says.
What caught Gordon’s eye, though, were the matching tattoos on the men’s necks. A lifelong Philly fan, he believed the design matched a tat sported by a local celebrity athlete whose money woes were making news. “I’m pretty sure they were there because it was the end of the line,” he says.
Curious what the “hoodies” (subtle prejudice) had to do with anything and just because Gordon assumed it was Iverson’s jewelry doesn’t mean it was, even though it is heavily implied.
It could have been Gucci Mane, since they are trying to get that bail money for him.
The point is, no matter how much money you have, you can lose it all. Remember there is a big difference between an owner and a player. A player is rich, an owner is wealthy.
All athletes should read stories like these before they buy their fifth Bentley or their 20 million dollar house on their 3 million salary.
Pay attention.