Former Celtic Ray Williams living in a car

[Global Celtic]

Antoine Walker, Scottie Pippen and Rick Mahorn's bankruptcy cases are nothing compared to this. But can we blame anyone else but Williams?

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/07/02/desperate_times/

[BringToughnessBack]

Wow, my heart goes out to him. I hope he finds a way back onto the road of recovery. That is a very sad story.

[the_Bird]

Wow, my heart goes out to him. I hope he finds a way back onto the road of recovery. That is a very sad story.

Well... why hasn't the dude been able to hold a job all of these years?  I hate to sound judgmental, but there's an element of personal responsibility at work.  Sounds like he's hit a lot of friends and organizations up for money, now he's just run out of sympathetic friends. 

[dooyork]

I liked this from the Globe article:

Times have changed since Williams joined the NBA. As the 10th overall pick in 1977 out of the University of Minnesota — he played there with Kevin McHale — Williams signed a four-year, $500,000 contract with the Knicks. He received no significant endorsements.

By contrast, 19-year-old Brandon Jennings, the 10th pick last year, received a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Bucks after landing a $2 million deal with Under Armour and playing a season in Italy for $1.65 million.

Hey Boston Globe, how about, instead of using a current NBA rookie contract as a basis for comparison, you compare that 500k contract in 1977 with what a plumber, nurse, truck driver, etc. would have made in a four-year period in 1977.  Oh yeah, and he got a 1.5 million deal in 1981.  Obviously top players back then were still getting less than today's players even adjusting for inflation, but come on, that's serious money.  He should have been set for life. 

If he has mental illness or addiction problems, or had some crisis I could understand, but from the article it sounds like he was ridiculously blessed and then stupidly squandered his money, and now is complaining that nobody is bailing him out.  It says he has diabetes, but so do plenty of people who manage to support themselves by working and who don't have the benefit of starting out as millionaires.  Plus the article mentions that he has had "jobs as a cleaner, handyman, high school girls’ basketball coach, bakery worker, and golf course groundskeeper," but doesn't say why none of those worked out.  I'm not too sympathetic.  He needs to learn how to keep a job and take some responsibility, that's all there is to it.  And I'm speaking as a relatively irresponsible person, and even to me I'm not buying his sob story.

[the_Bird]

...  and not to sound cynical, but I'm not buying that neither drugs, nor alcohol, nor gambling played a role in his downfall. 

[Greenbean]

I cant believe he doesnt have any problems with drugs, alcohol, or gambling. What the heck is his excuse for not holding a job?

It is certainly sad, but I think he just doesnt want to settle for being a working class man.

[Global Celtic]

Don't you think this is both sad and ironic when we're in the middle of an extravagant free agency period where everyone's gunning for 60-100 million dollar contracts?

[2short]

I have no sympathy for any entertainer or prof. athlete who is out of money. Taking into account some major issue. 
Let's look at Manute Bol and the money he gave away compared to the money Antoine gambled away.

[Cman]

This is a sad story, and should be pointed out to those that don't read the story that Williams has not had problems with drugs or gambling.

[the_Bird]

This is a sad story, and should be pointed out to those that don't read the story that Williams has not had problems with drugs or gambling.

He *says* that he hasn't had problems. 

Again, I'm a cynic.

[dooyork]

If he has alcohol, drug, or mental problems, that would make me somewhat sympathetic to him, but it sounds like he was just very irresponsible and, frankly, too lazy to work at a real job, and now he's blaming everyone else for not giving him handouts.  Jeez, even Gary Coleman was enough of a man to get a job as a parking lot attendant when he squandered all of his money!

[Neurotic Guy]

Human misery is rarely anything I can see and not feel badly about.  That doesn't mean the solution is a handout, but I find it difficult to not sympathize with someone who is destitute, unable to hold a job, has lost his family and is becoming friendless. I am certain his own behavior has caused his own destruction -- but feeling badly about human fault and frailty is something we are allowed to do.  And -- is it really news to people that money doesn't buy happiness?  I understand that we all seek the comfort of money, and when we see someone fortunate enough to have it, we tend to be less than compassionate toward them if they lose it or are unsatisfied by it.  But, if I learned tomorrow that Warren Buffet was desperately unhappy I'd still feel badly for him even though he is a multi-billionaire. 

Suffice it to say, we'll never know the whole story of anyone's life including Ray Williams', but we are sure quick to make judgements based on the bits and pieces of information we have.  I am not saying that Ray Williams is worthy of praise or high regard, but its OK to feel badly for someone who can't seem to make his life work.  For what its worth, I do feel badly for him and hope he gets the kind of support that allows him to strengthen himself as a human being.

[Tereve-CB]

While I am always lurking I rarely post but had to log in to give Neurotic Guy a Tommy Point. Great post.

[amenhotep04]

You guys ever look at the numbers of professional athletes that inevitably claim bankruptcy? Take a look at where a lot of these guys come from. Then look at how they're treated from junior high on through whatever college they attend. In short they don't have a clue as to how to take care of money. They spend most of their adolescence and young adulthood as being a product. If they don't get good representation immediately, they'll blow through whatever money they make pretty quick. And once their playing days are over, what skills do they have?

Do these guys bare some of the responsibility? Sure, but don't forget the corrupt system in place that completely takes advantage of these guys. I'm a sociologist and I deal with "student" athletes all the time. More precisely, I deal with the athletic department. It's absolutely stupid.

Sorry for the lecture. I actually feel sorry for these guys. Just had a student turn pro (he was a junior). I just looked at him, and said he was making a mistake. Said it in front of his coach.

[Andy Jick]

Hard to feel sorry for the guy...  I guess the solution is to find a job and work for a living.  But to expect today's NBA player to give him a handout is ludicrous.

More "athlete entitlement" stuff.  Sounds like he's too [dang] lazy to make a phone call or fill out some paperwork...