ESPN: New England Patriots' Ty Warren skips bonus to work on degree - ESPN Boston

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nfl/news/story?id=4999283

New England Patriots defensive end Ty Warren is forgoing his $250,000 offseason workout bonus, he says, because no amount of money is worth having his kids see their father without a college degree.

A possible NFL lockout in 2011, which has him thinking more about life after his playing career, also is on his mind.

That's why as the Patriots opened their voluntary offseason program Monday, the 29-year-old Warren was home in Bryan, Texas, with his wife, Kesha, and their three kids, Brionna, Brielle and Bailey...

..."I try to put the kids in the best educational system possible and I think there is something to be said for their father, who has been blessed to play in the NFL and do something he's loved to do, going back and finishing what he started," Warren said from the campus of Texas A&M. "In the big picture, I think it's important for me to do what I'm doing. I can sacrifice that bonus for that.

As it stands, Warren is on pace to walk in graduation next spring. He's majoring in agriculture leadership and development and already has his post-playing career in mind; he hopes to help those at A&M get more involved in the local community."

If we end up having a lockout in 2011, that's where you can find me, working with students," Warren said.

Damn.

Good work, Warren! Not many role models in that sense anymore.

That's fantastic. If I was Robert Kraft, I'd have to seriously think about paying him the bonus anyway.

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nfl/news/story?id=4999283

Good for him.

Kraft should donate the bonus amount to Warren's school.

That is very admirable.

Am I the only one who thinks that's totally stupid? He's only 29 and just gave up $250,000. What's wrong with finishing school after you get tons of money? He'll still have a lot of years ahead of him after he's done with football.

Am I the only one who thinks that's totally stupid? He's only 29 and just gave up $250,000. What's wrong with finishing school after you get tons of money? He'll still have a lot of years ahead of him after he's done with football.

Yeah, as noble as it sounds, I thought it was funny that he was worried about the potential lockout when he had a quarter of a mil with his name on it.

Am I the only one who thinks that's totally stupid? He's only 29 and just gave up $250,000. What's wrong with finishing school after you get tons of money? He'll still have a lot of years ahead of him after he's done with football.

Am I the only one who thinks that's totally stupid? He's only 29 and just gave up $250,000. What's wrong with finishing school after you get tons of money? He'll still have a lot of years ahead of him after he's done with football.

I'm inclined to agree. I could see if he was moving up the start time on a medical or law degree. THAT might be something but the major seems like it's not even really teaching him ideas that enrich your life like philosophy, physics, chemistry, mathematics, history, etc. It's great to finish and all but it's a bit silly to turn down 250K.

As someone who didn't finish and will graduate this May, I can say that developing my intelligence and education has been mainly an autodidactic experience. Teach your kids the value of education by having discussions with them everyday by putting up with their initial resistance to taking music lessons or sitting down to read a challenging book and discussingit with them, not by simply pursuing the credential. I absolutely think he should finish but to turn down 250K is a bit odd. I know that I would have felt a lot better about the delay in completing my degree had I been making hundreds of thousands/millions per year with million dollar bonuses. Then again, maybe he has spent wisely and invested and the 250K might actually hurt him this year in taxes or something and it's just as easy for him to finish.

WIthout knowing his EXACT considerations (beyond what he tells us) I won't condemn him for his choice. I'll just say that 250K is both of your kid's college educations or if they work hard enough to get high GPAs and choose the right fields, they can get scholarships for undergrad and you can bankroll their graduate education with that money. Or use it to set up a trust fund so they can draw on a monthly allowance so they can live and not worry about work while they pursue that education.

But that's me....maybe something was time-sensitive about this and he thought it was the only time in the next few years he would have. If so, I can't really fault him.

Now that I've thoroughly confused myself ;P

I guess he's made enough that 250k isn't that much for him...and he values the degree more than 250k

Just looked back at his profile, I forgot he was the thirteenth pick in the draft. He probably got a nice fat signing bonus, even at 13. That and some years in the league and a second contract and 250K would be nothing to him, especially if he really IS trying to put things in place in the event of a lockout (or retirement, at some point if you've made enough, some guys have other ideas for themselves--why kill yourself when you're secure, I guess...)

i don't like the pats, but i respect guys who want more than the few years in the NFL to hang their hat on.

too many guys go broke a year after they're out of the league and those ridiculous checks aren't coming in anymore.

rookies should pay more attention, but then again if we put a scale on them then they'll start working harder and paying more attention.

Sometimes principles are more important than money. Especially if the money isn't critical to you.

If more people valued what was right over what made you more money the world would be a much better place.

This is so stupid. I'm sorry but he couldn't work on getting his degree in the offseason? Or after he retired from the NFL? I'm pretty sure the 250K would cover that just fine then. Someone on 980 (Czaban?) who theorized that this is just a play to get speaking contracts and to be famous. That makes sense to me.

Sometimes principles are more important than money. Especially if the money isn't critical to you.

If more people valued what was right over what made you more money the world would be a much better place.

Principles are great but I am sure he can make both NFL and college work at the same time. Online classes, night classes, flex schedule are only some of the tools available to get your degree.

I don't get why he has to choose one over the other. Heck NFL even has arrangements with Harvard, stanfard and UPenn for players who want to study or transition to life after work.

Principles are great but I am sure he can make both NFL and college work at the same time. Online classes, night classes, flex schedule are only some of the tools available to get your degree.

I don't get why he has to choose one over the other. Heck NFL even has arrangements with Harvard, stanfard and UPenn for players who want to study or transition to life after work.

He's not quitting the NFL. He's forgoing a roster bonus to finish school. He isn't choosing one over the other.

It's hard to tell your kids, with a straight face, that education is the most important thing while you show them that it's not. He takes his responsibility as role model for his kids seriously, something sorely lacking in our time, and gets called stupid by people here.

It's not like he is going to let his kids starve because he has made this choice. They aren't going to live on the streets without the 250k.

But I bet you when his kids graduate from college they'l thank their father for being the role model they needed to help them achieve their goals. I would rather have that, than whatever fleeting thing I would have bought with the 250k.

Props to him. The NFL, NBA, MLB, etc. all need more role models like that. NFL isn't going to be there forever, and education will be.

This is so stupid. I'm sorry but he couldn't work on getting his degree in the offseason? Or after he retired from the NFL? I'm pretty sure the 250K would cover that just fine then. Someone on 980 (Czaban?) who theorized that this is just a play to get speaking contracts and to be famous. That makes sense to me.

Maybe I missed something, or maybe you did, but this IS the off season, right?

The story says he's going to pass on the bonus because he is missing VOLUNTARY off season workouts. It didn't say he was missing training camp, pre-season or regular season games.

He's not quitting the NFL. He's forgoing a roster bonus to finish school. He isn't choosing one over the other.

It's hard to tell your kids, with a straight face, that education is the most important thing while you show them that it's not. He takes his responsibility as role model for his kids seriously, something sorely lacking in our time, and gets called stupid by people here.

It's not like he is going to let his kids starve because he has made this choice. They aren't going to live on the streets without the 250k.

But I bet you when his kids graduate from college they'l thank their father for being the role model they needed to help them achieve their goals. I would rather have that, than whatever fleeting thing I would have bought with the 250k.

Do you actually believe that? How old could his kids possibly be when he's 29? It sounds like he only has a semester or two to go, and he's giving up a ton of money to speed up the process by only a few years. At worst, he would be going to school when his kids are old enough to be thinking about college.

Props to him. The NFL, NBA, MLB, etc. all need more role models like that. NFL isn't going to be there forever, and education will be.

250k can pay for way more than 2 semesters of school.

Principles are great but I am sure he can make both NFL and college work at the same time. Online classes, night classes, flex schedule are only some of the tools available to get your degree.

I don't get why he has to choose one over the other. Heck NFL even has arrangements with Harvard, stanfard and UPenn for players who want to study or transition to life after work.

He isn't choosing one or the other. He's forgoing a voluntary offseason workout, and with it a $250,000 bonus. He'll be playing in the 2010 pre-season and regular season.

And this theory might be shocking, but maybe part of his desire to get a degree is to actually complete his education as its own goal.

Some of the arguments against this are kind of odd. And would seem to be in full support of someone like Paris Hilton, who never finished high school (though she did get a GED). It shouldn't matter how wealthy or not a person is, getting an education should be something we at least pretend is a good goal for everyone. And now that Ty Warren is actually finishing his education rather than counting his cash it's a reason to knock him for such a poor decision? I'm missing something, or maybe my priorites are off.

Am I the only one who thinks that's totally stupid? He's only 29 and just gave up $250,000. What's wrong with finishing school after you get tons of money? He'll still have a lot of years ahead of him after he's done with football.

No. you're not alone at all. He doesn't have to continue his education right now. It can wait. He's turning his back on his job. They are voluntary workouts but we see how voluntary Shanahan thinks that they are. It does seem as though he is trying to turn this into some kind of feel good story.

Even Ivy Leaguers don't spend $250,000 for a college degree.

UPenn = 53,000 a year

Not 250,000 but close enough

He isn't choosing one or the other. He's forgoing a voluntary offseason workout, and with it a $250,000 bonus. He'll be playing in the 2010 pre-season and regular season.

And this theory might be shocking, but maybe part of his desire to get a degree is to actually complete his education as its own goal.

Some of the arguments against this are kind of odd. And would seem to be in full support of someone like Paris Hilton, who never finished high school (though she did get a GED). It shouldn't matter how wealthy or not a person is, getting an education should be something we at least pretend is a good goal for everyone. And now that Ty Warren is actually finishing his education rather than counting his cash it's a reason to knock him for such a poor decision? I'm missing something, or maybe my priorites are off.

Firstly we all know the 'so called voluntary' workout are not really voluntary. Coachese expect you to be there. I am sure he has attended these voluntary workouts up until now in his career.

Yes you are missing the point of the conversation. I am not doubting the importance of education or his desire to get a degree but the the timing of his decision. There are other avenues available so that he can get his education and get the bonus for attending this workout. I know he is still plenty rich without this bonus. Maybe he could have donated the bonus to the school he is attending.

One of the reasons to get an education is so that you can make sound and informed decisions in life. This is not a sound decision.

Principles are great but I am sure he can make both NFL and college work at the same time. Online classes, night classes, flex schedule are only some of the tools available to get your degree.

I agree.

I think it's ridiculous to leave that kind of money on the table. Unless he had those kids when he was 10 years old, there's no way that they know, or care, if he ever went to college. By the time that they're old enough to appreciate that, he'll have been retired from the NFL.

Our oldest son, (who is 26 yrs old), earned his Batchelor's while serving as a full-time soldier while helping raise his son.

He'll have earned his Master's, by late Spring, and he's still working full-time.

I may be going out on a limb here, but I'm pretty sure that he's making a hell of a lot less money than Warren and there is no "off-season" for him, or for most of us out here in the real world.....

Our oldest son, (who is 26 yrs old), earned his Batchelor's while serving as a full-time soldier while helping raise his son.

He could've instead gotten a part-time job and made more money short-term, or engaged in voluntary fitness or special forces training to perform his main job better. Why couldn't he wait until he was out of the service? Why did he choose instead to "leave money on the table"? Why did he "turn his back on his job" by not using his off-time to train for it?