NFL roundup: Jets' Cromartie mentors young players
New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie confesses he wasn't suited to advise anyone how to spend their money when he blew through $5 million in two seasons with the San Diego Chargers.
Nowadays, he's willing and able to share just that message.
"Right now, I try to put away as much money as I possibly can and live on a budget," Cromartie said in a Newsday interview. "I learned the hard way."
Cromartie said he has gone from a collection of nine cars, including a pair of Cadillac Escalades and a 1965 Caprice, to a tiny fleet of which his primary ride is a Toyota Prius.
Cromartie became the Jets' top cornerback when the team traded Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to the draft. He held that role most of last season with Revis (knee) on injured reserve.
He's also doing his best to provide leadership in any way possible to help young players, including 2013 first-round pick Dee Milliner, avoid financial pratfalls. Cromartie, a first-round pick of the Chargers out of Florida State, has 10 children with eight different women.
"I want to help others learn from what I did wrong," he said. "I tell young guys, 'Don't spend any money the first year and a half of your career. You don't know what will happen after that.'"
Cromartie has worked with a financial adviser to be secure through age 100 and his children all have accounts to cover them through college.
---Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Mike Adams is expected to be sidelined until late July recovering from stomach injuries incurred when he was stabbed by three assailants attempting to rob Adams in front of his home.
Adams was hospitalized Saturday morning after being stabbed and, according to reports, robbed at gunpoint, on Pittsburgh's South Side.
Adams' agent, Eric Metz, told NFL Network that Adams attempted to give chase as the men fled. Pittsburgh police believe they recovered a cell phone belong to one of the attackers near the scene of the stabbing.
---Two days after Chicago Bears tight end Evan Rodriguez was ticketed for driving under the influence, speeding and improper lane usage, he issued an apology through the team.
"I am deeply sorry for the incident that occurred the other night," the statement read. ... "I know that more is expected of me and that I let a lot of people down that are counting on me. I will make positive changes in my life so that this doesn't happen again."
The 2012 fourth-round draft pick has four career catches for 21 yards.
---Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis reportedly fired public relations director Zak Gilbert, blaming him for an April 18 Sports Illustrated article that cast the Davis family, including late owner Al Davis, in a negative light but portrayed new general manager Reggie McKenzie as the potential savior of the franchise.
Gilbert hadn't been allowed at the facility since the article, written by Jim Trotter, was published, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Gilbert was hired by McKenzie; they previously worked together with the Green Bay Packers. He issued a statement thanking Mark Davis and the Raiders.
