MARCO ISLAND, Florida: Managing money when no paychecks are coming in is the main topic among NFL players early in the lockout. Since the owners implemented a lockout last Saturday, players are responsible for signing up for and funding their own health benefits, or COBRA policies. The average monthly fee for a family policy is $2,400, the players' association says. According to the NFL, the average player salary rose about 35 percent – from $1.4 million in 2005, the last year of the old deal, to $1.9 million in 2009. The league didn't have comparable figures for 2010 because there was no salary cap in place. Players are paid in each of the 17 weeks of the regular season and get limited stipends during training camp and the preseason. So no paychecks would be arriving this time of year. But with no collective bargaining agreement, any roster or signing bonuses due players are not being paid. They also must pay for their own workouts and for insurance against injury during those sessions because team facilities are off-limits. “The biggest concern right now is that we have some young players who don't have insurance and who have to pay COBRA and who may not have the ability to pay COBRA over a long term,” NFLPA president Kevin Mawae said Thursday at the organization's annual meetings. “Is it a ton of players? No. But is it concern enough for us? Absolutely. Plenty of money questions from veterans and younger players alike are being fielded by members of the NFLPA's board of directors – called player reps before the union dissolved last week. If owners are counting on players to break rank because money is tight, the first sign of that likely would come in late summer. The minimum salary was $320,000 for rookies in 2010; $395,000 for one year of experience; up to $630,000 for four to six years; $755,000 for seven to nine seasons; and $855,000 for 10 and above. The average career is about 3.5 years. “We're going to keep united long term,” said New York Jets fullback Tony Richardson, a 16-year veteran and longtime member of the NFLPA executive committee. “Our leadership has been giving information and our guys have to know to prepare to get their bills paid. “If one of our guys needs help, I'll reach out and help him and make sure we hear his needs. The guys who bury themselves in a corner and say, `I've got to come out (and break ranks),' those are the guys we've got to reach.”
