Vince Young didn’t exactly feast on NFL defenses. But he can order one heck of a dinner.
The former Texas Longhorns star quarterback and NFL flameout recently caught up with Sports Illustrated in a revealing interview, taking shots at current quarterbacks and wondering why he doesn’t have a job in the league.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the SI piece, though, pertained to Young’s finances. Despite making roughly $35 million during his NFL career, Young already had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2014. According to court documents accessed by SI, Young was “between $1,001,000 and $10 million” in debt at the time.
So, how did he get that far in the hole? Author Greg Bishop cites Young’s misplaced trust in a financial adviser and an uncle to handle his money, as well as an “unchecked generosity” that included “the two cars he bought one relative, the house he built for his mom in Houston, the reported $15,000 tab he covered for one meal at The Cheesecake Factory.”
So, yeah, about that last part.
Young confirmed he spent $15,000 during a single trip to The Cheesecake Factory, admitting it was the “most I ever spent on a meal in my life.” We know they have a really big menu, but that’s still an astronomical number. Per Bishop, the primary culprits were teammates who “downed expensive shots of Louis XIII cognac” or “left with top-shelf wine bottles in hand.”
Let that be a lesson for all the young athletes out there: If you want to make your money last, stay away from The Cheesecake Factory.
Thumbnail photo via Jeff Hanisch/USA TODAY Sports Images
