Dec 28, 2010; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Minnesota Vikings tackle Bryant McKinnie (74) along the sidelines prior to playing the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Vikings defeated the Eagles 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Did you watch the ESPN documentary Broke? I hope so because it was incredibly illuminating. Athletes and their finances. A lot of these guys are just totally clueless and irresponsible with their money. Some of the stories are really tragic and sad…and some of them are just comical. Bryant McKinnie wasn’t featured in that movie but he could’ve been. His story is a perfect cautionary tale. At first it just seemed comical, but now it’s actually getting sad and might turn tragic before it’s over.

The latest twist in McKinnie’s financial saga is something a satirist might have dreamed up. The former Viking offensive lineman is being sued over $375,000 in unpaid strip club bills. No offense to those currently struggling with Hurricane Sandy but, that’s a lot of rain. McKinnie reportedly ran up this huge tab across various South Florida establishments between Feb. 2009 and Sept. 2010. The suit has been brought by Charles “Pop” Young – the father of the rapper Trick Daddy, incidentally – who says McKinnie kept the good times rolling by borrowing money from him, but hasn’t paid back a dime.

Sadly, this isn’t McKinnie’s only massive money issue. Half of McKinnie’s 2012 salary from the Ravens is already being garnished as part of a deal to settle a $4.5 million debt from a loan he took out during the lockout. Of course McKinnie’s 2012 salary isn’t what he once thought it would be. After showing up for camp out of shape again, McKinnie had to take a pay cut and is currently sitting on the bench. McKinnie’s re-structured deal is laden with incentives but he has no chance to reach most of those if he can’t even get in the game.

It’s probably not nice to laugh at this guy, who obviously has huge problems controlling himself. Is there rehab for people who are stupid with money? I guess there is. They call it jail. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that for McKinnie. It just makes you shake your head to realize this guy had the chance to make many more millions in the NFL but lost it because he couldn’t keep himself in shape. And that’s the easy part of the job. The lesson? Don’t spend it if you can’t earn it.

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