Man choses railroad job over another NFL chance (steady paycheck-healthcare)

Healthcare was mentioned on the Mike & Mike ESPN Radio show this morning but I can't find it in an article

"I've got something now where I know every two weeks I'm getting a paycheck," Fitzhugh told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Tuesday night. "That's what helps out the most right now. I don't knock the Jets at all. I highly appreciate them."

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/news/story?id=5898499


Running the option, Fitzhugh chooses railroad over NFL
http://www.ajc.com/sports/running-the-option-fitzhugh-770317.html
On Tuesday, the New York Jets, after losing two safeties to injury in four days, called the former Lovejoy High School and Mississippi State standout and told him they needed him.

Contemplating the offer, Fitzhugh, 24, thought about the steady job he had landed three months ago, as a Norfolk Southern railroad conductor, a position he loves.


He thought about his family, about leaving behind his disabled father and hard-working mother.

Each of his NFL paychecks would have been for $18,000, dwarfing his railroad salary, but Fitzhugh still wasn't willing to leave, or push aside, his new position.

"I have buddies with two degrees who can't find a job," he said.

While Fitzhugh thanked the Jets for providing another opportunity, he said his current job fulfilled another childhood dream.

"Just hearing the horns getting blown, how fast they were rolling, it always looked cool," Fitzhugh said of trains that rumbled along Tara Boulevard. "I was like, ‘Man, I want to get up there. I want to ride.'"

Fitzhugh is a trainee whose job involves switching cars, building trains in the yard and taking trips to Chattanooga and back. Norfolk Southern said he could be promoted to full conductor in nine to 12 months. He views the job as long-term.

"You can't play when you're 40 or 50 or 60 years old," Fitzhugh said. "But you can get on a train and you can ride."

what a wonderful story around the holidays ... or any time

this was part of the discussion about the Univ. of Florida (one of THE most prized coaching jobs in college football) coach stepping down to "spend more time with his family" Personally I think the coach was burned out AND didn't like not winning national championships.

Who knows? :shrug: I did like this story about Fitzhugh.

Last year I honestly believe he was torn between doing what is best for his health and doing something that he loves, which is coaching.

NICE benefits

mostly due to the union

My mother-in-law (section B) gets a retirement from the railroad too

To them, it is a handout. To everyone who gets one, it is deferred compensation that one worked for...

Thank you to George Lakoff for that differentiation.

:applause:

RL

one year and he makes more than he can make in 7 years (assuming about $45K/annum). not sure it was the wisest of economic decisions... but the man wants to push trains around. gotta respect the childhood dream...

sP

Safety makes a recovery in 3 weeks he is done in 3 weeks.

I saw this on CNN Headline News, He's already been cut three times from two different NFL teams. While there was a chance that he might end up playing in a game, he was only offered a position on the practice squad for as long as the Jets season lasts. The report said that if the Jets made the Super Bowl, he could make maybe $30,000, and less if they don't make the playoffs or the Super Bowl. A nice chunk of money, but not enough to give up a steady job.

This was quite a few years ago, but the Cowboys tried to sign him. He said thanks but no thanks. He told them that he went to college to get an education so that he would have a secure future.

He let them know that he was getting married soon and that he already had a sales rep. position lined up after graduation. I don't know how he would have done in the NFL, but he did an outstanding job as a husband and father.

You ain't going anywhere else.

I spent 31 years as an Engineer. My dad, over 30.

Good pay. Good benefits. Good pension.

Grandfather, father, two brothers, cousin, brother-in-law. Like you said, good pay, good benefits, good pension. My widowed mother has been well taken care of by NS. Once railroading gets in your blood you can't imagine doing anything else.

I think the kid made a good decision for himself and his family.

I'm only sorry that thousands of well-paying, UNION jobs were lost to places like Ohio because they turned their backs on high-speed rail.

Especially to the railroad workers. Keep our trains running! :toast:

He has perspective.

with body parts hurting, and some with even memory and brain problems. Despite making huge sums of money, health really is more important. This young man made a great choice. While the NFL is fame and fortune, it will always have pain and suffering.

A 1994 study of 7,000 former players by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found linemen had a 52 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than the general population. While U.S. life expectancy is 77.6 years, recent studies suggest the average for NFL players is 55, 52 for linemen.

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/01/29/Sports/A_huge_problem.shtml

This article deals with their weight but the "50 car wrecks a game" (as they say about an NFL game) can't help