Once college football players and amateur athletes in general make it to the professional ranks, one of their first decisions is what they will do with their initial checks. For some, it’s all about giving back to those who helped most in their careers. We’ve seen the stories. Rookies buying their mothers that first house or a brand-new car.
For rookie mid-round pick Chase Edmonds of the Arizona Cardinals, his initial paychecks will be used to pay off his sister’s college loan debt.
Having earned a full scholarship to Fordham, Edmonds had no idea how much the bills can pile up for others going to school without a full ride. That included his sister, Morgan.
“When you’re on full scholarship you don’t realize these bills. These things add up,” Edmunds told ESPN. “When my mom told me Morgan’s debt at the time, I said, ‘Wow. If I ever can make it to the NFL that’s something that I would love to do, just to surprise her and pay that off for her so she can really live free and do whatever she wants with her money.'”
Morgan’s debt stands at a cool $80,000, something that her brother wanted to take care of if he made it to the NFL. Once Edmunds was selected in the fourth round of April’s draft by the Cardinals, he knew this was a promise he could make good on.
In answering questions about what he would do with his first paycheck following the draft, Edmonds said “my sister has some student debt so I really want to pay that off for her.”
Weeks later, the former Fordham star signed a four-year, $3.36 million contract with north of $452,000 to sign. That made his promise more of a reality.
“I didn’t realize my student loans were on his radar,” Morgan said. “It’s not something I talk about. It’s not something I complain about. It’s just a reality of going to grad school, unfortunately. I wasn’t surprised, but I was just like … I guess I was surprised.”
These are the stories we don’t hear too much about. In order to make it professionally, these young adults have to have a strong supporting cast and foundation. For Edmonds, it was his mother and sister. He’s now returning the favor. That’s all sorts of awesome.