Once a star for the Jacksonville Jaguars, current Jets backup quarterback Mark Brunell is broke and in a financial crisis.
The 19-year veteran has made an estimated $50 million throughout his career but bad investments have left Brunell with nothing, according to Action News Jacksonville. Of the nine businesses in which Brunell invested money, five of them are no longer in business.
Brunell lost all the money he put into Champion LLC, a company that purchased high-end investment properties. When the housing market collapsed in 2007, so did the company and all of his money.
Another costly enterprise was the investment in a Whataburger franchise, which also cost Brunell all of his money. As a result, there are six claims totaling just under $25 million against him.
Former NFL offensive lineman Ken Ruettgers, who has established a non-profit to educate players on how to live after their careers are over, said Brunell's situation is not rare.
"It's something like 78 percent of former NFL players, two years after their last game are either bankrupt, divorced or unemployed," Ruettgers said.
