According to a 2009 Sports Illustrated article, 35% of National Football League (NFL) players are either bankrupt or are under financial stress within two years of retirement and an estimated 60% of National Basketball Association (NBA) players, 78% of NFL players,[2] and a large percentage of Major League Baseball (MLB) players (4x that of the average U.S. citizen)[3] go bankrupt within five years after leaving their sport.[4] Originally the statement “60% of NBA players go bankrupt within five years after leaving their sport” was released by a representative of the NBA Players’ Association in 2008.[5] A Fortune magazine article states, however, that a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that the percentage of NFL players who go bankrupt after two years is a much smaller 1.9%, climbing to 15.7% after 12 years.[6]
78% of NFL players are in financial trouble couple of years after retirement. I imagine there’s something similar going on.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_finances_of_professional_American_athletes