(Note: Athletes’ earnings are estimated. Some numbers may be low.)

25. Raghib “Rocket” Ismael

Notre Dame/Dallas Cowboys star; received the largest 3-year deal in football history
Estimated lifetime earnings: $20 Million

No jail time, drug charges or bankruptcy here, just bad business moves. Financial vultures bled Ismael’s riches by selling him their “fool-proof” investments. After bypassing the NFL as the presumptive #1 pick, Ismael went to the Canadian Football League and signed the largest deal in their history.

He played two years in Canada and 10 in the NFL, earning an estimated $18 million to $20 million in salary alone. He then started to invest in a series of ventures that went bust, including a Rock n’ Roll Café, COZ Records, a movie, cosmetics, nationwide phone-card dispensers, and caligraphy proverbs kiosks.

Today, Ismael does a sports talk show for the Dallas Cowboys—and looks very closely at any money he makes.

For the list of the remaining 24 athletes, click HERE.

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• Experiential, for-credit curriculum utilizing the famed Harvard Business School case study method of learning, customized to action-oriented decision making in sports marketing and management
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• Expert and inside knowledge from industry thought leaders and top business professors with expertise in sports marketing and management
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Students will learn to think and act like seasoned leaders in the sports business, understanding the complexities of on the field and off the field, contemporary sports issues and maintaining the aptitude to navigate industry challenge.

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-30FootWave