Jonathan Hefney Arrested For Trafficking

[BomberfanMKS]

2 minutes ago, BomberfanMKS said:

He wasn't paying Rockhill SC tax rates on his 100k/year income... For all the years he played in the CFL he was paying Canadian tax rates meaning that his take home was significantly less than someone making 100k/year in Rockhill (assuming, almost certainly correctly, that Rockhill has a MUCH MUCH lower tax rate than anywhere in Canada)

Not to mention - Healthcare insurance premiums for football players would be like 2400$/month... That's probably 33% of his takehome pay and signing up post injury would mean any costs associated with the injury would be prior medical condition and not covered.

 

[MOBomberFan]

1 hour ago, gcn11 said:

I have a cousin who got caught with 5oz of cocaine and 20k cash. He got 2 years house arrest.

I knew a guy that was caught at the greyhound depot in 2001 with what he described as 'a duffle bag of e and blow' - he also only served 2 years house arrest.

[MOBomberFan]

Deleted

Edited September 26, 2019 by MOBomberFan
double post

[wbbfan]

1 hour ago, BomberfanMKS said:

He wasn't paying Rockhill SC tax rates on his 100k/year income... For all the years he played in the CFL he was paying Canadian tax rates meaning that his take home was significantly less than someone making 100k/year in Rockhill (assuming, almost certainly correctly, that Rockhill has a MUCH MUCH lower tax rate than anywhere in Canada)

Even at that point if you are still talking about 15 years worth of average annual income, and far more then some players come from. Hardrick for example, the tax return each year would be income for people in that area. 

The cash number is what people fixate on, but its all the same. Just like how soo many NFL and NBA players end up broke, and lotto winners etc. What you make isnt nearly as important as how you spend. Not spending money to protect your own investment in health insurance is mad for an NI. 

 

[wbbfan]

1 hour ago, BomberfanMKS said:

Not to mention - Healthcare insurance premiums for football players would be like 2400$/month... That's probably 33% of his takehome pay and signing up post injury would mean any costs associated with the injury would be prior medical condition and not covered.

 

Except he gets paid per year, and only needs full coverage part of the year. Athletes have tons and tons of ability to get back taxed income as well. 

22 minutes ago, MOBomberFan said:

I knew a guy that was caught at the greyhound depot in 2001 with what he described as 'a duffle bag of e and blow' - he also only served 2 years house arrest.

The biggest trafficker on the west coast of canada never served a day and wrote a book. The "war on drugs" and its political implications in the states is horrific. Out side of places like singapore, the us is one of the last places you want to get charged with trafficking. Easily the last of any first world country imo. 

[johnzo]

when you're wondering about the severity of Hefney's sentence, the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution may be instructive:

Quote

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States

Follow the money.  Prison labour in the USA is a ******* disgrace. 

All those people mad about competing for work with immigrants, when they also have to compete for work with millions of incarcerated people...

Edited September 26, 2019 by johnzo

[Noeller]

 

[Mark H.]

3 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Whats the average income where most of the players come from since most of them dont live in canada?  Rockhill SC in 2018 had an average house value of 140,000$ and an average income of 24k. So for where he comes from, the 700k number is 26+ years worth of average income. 

You dont have to be set for life, but you can be set for the next year. You also have to remember he had 4 NFL contracts and 2 PR stints. 

He probably made pretty low money his first 2 years here. He may have made 500,000$ in his career, or he may have gotten some decent NFL bonus money when he went back down south and could be over 700k. The point is, if you cant budget and spend responsibly, including health insurance when your body is your meal ticket it doesnt matter how much you earn. Cant write people excuses for failing to budget. 

But yes, the health care for NI players is broken and needs to be fixed. Didnt the bombers kick in to a go fund me for him? In a hole like that he could have also gotten an expedited citizen ship up here and gotten it for free if he desired. 

No one is writing excuses because no one knows how he budgeted.

If he made 100K as DB in the CFL, that's $75 000 - $80 000 American, give or take, depending on the exchange. Right now it would be $75 000. After that, you have income tax and living expenses while playing up here.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if he only took $60 000 - $65 000 American back home with him.

I have no idea how much of that he would have had to budget, in order to get decent medical insurance.  I think it averages over $20 000 per family, unless it's subsidized.

He did not take 500K or 700K back to Rock Hill, North Carolina.  And there are some things in life that you just can't plan for.  

[SpeedFlex27]

8 hours ago, Noeller said:

Well....generally, no.......but depends on what your expenses are during that time, and how well you invested....

Then take off taxes & exchange & it's not as much $$$ as one might think. 

[J5V]

The lesson is, you don't compete with the biggest drug dealer in America and not face their wrath, especially if you're a non-white.

[wbbfan]

3 hours ago, Mark H. said:

No one is writing excuses because no one knows how he budgeted.

If he made 100K as DB in the CFL, that's $75 000 - $80 000 American, give or take, depending on the exchange. Right now it would be $75 000. After that, you have income tax and living expenses while playing up here.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if he only took $60 000 - $65 000 American back home with him.

I have no idea how much of that he would have had to budget, in order to get decent medical insurance.  I think it averages over $20 000 per family, unless it's subsidized.

He did not take 500K or 700K back to Rock Hill, North Carolina.  And there are some things in life that you just can't plan for.  

One nfl signing bonus when he went back down and he clears north of 750k.  Only 2.5-3x the local average. 

And as a pro athlete in an extremely violent sport you gotta plan for injuries. 

47 minutes ago, J5V said:

The lesson is, you don't compete with the biggest drug dealer in America and not face their wrath, especially if you're a non-white.

QFT

[Mark H.]

17 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

One nfl signing bonus when he went back down and he clears north of 750k.  Only 2.5-3x the local average. 

And as a pro athlete in an extremely violent sport you gotta plan for injuries. 

Do you know for a fact that he received a signing bonus?

I just read the article. He did have insurance but it ran out and was not enough to cover everything, plus there were rehab costs. 

[wbbfan]

28 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

Do you know for a fact that he received a signing bonus?

I just read the article. He did have insurance but it ran out and was not enough to cover everything, plus there were rehab costs. 

Signing bonus no but he made the cut down so he atleast got the roster bonus for post TC. That isnt foolin around money. 

[JCon]

17 hours ago, MOBomberFan said:

I knew a guy that was caught at the greyhound depot in 2001 with what he described as 'a duffle bag of e and blow' - he also only served 2 years house arrest.

Coming from BC? I remember a similar story kicking around at about that time. 

[the watcher]

I feel bad for him. Any life that gets sucked into the life of addiction and/ or  the world around it , is a shame. Lives so effected need help, not a decade in jail. It's just a waste.

[TBURGESS]

Why does it matter how much money he made or didn't make? Dude chose to sell drugs. Got caught. Will do his time. Similar story daily in the US. The only reason we're hearing about it is because he played football in the CFL.

[Mark F]

17 hours ago, johnzo said:

All those people mad about competing for work with immigrants, when they also have to compete for work with millions of incarcerated people..

 

Quote

 

As flames consume parts of California, an unexpected group of firefighters has put their lives at risk to protect communities: prison inmates.

For $2 per day — and another $1 an hour when battling fires — qualified inmates can volunteer to help authorities combat fires.

More than 1,500 of the roughly 9,000 firefighters dealing with the current fires are through the state's Conservation Camp Program, which began working with fire officials to add firefighters in the 1940s.

 

Maybe the worst part is, when they get released from jail, they don't get hired to fight fires at regular pay, cause they have a criminal record.

Edited September 27, 2019 by Mark F

[MOBomberFan]

1 hour ago, JCon said:

Coming from BC? I remember a similar story kicking around at about that time. 

He was leaving Winnipeg for Toronto. It was a really stupid risk but hey some guys gotta learn the hard way. 2 years house arrest living with grandma is a walk in the park compared to 9 years though. Poor Hef.

[JCon]

Just now, MOBomberFan said:

He was leaving Winnipeg for Toronto. It was a really stupid risk but hey some guys gotta learn the hard way. 2 years house arrest living with grandma is a walk in the park compared to 9 years though. Poor Hef.

Yup. 

[Jpan85]

He is no Yonus Davis though. He is still locked up pretty sure. #40boats

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/lions-boot-yonus-davis-after-drug-charge-1.1016190

[Jpan85]

Just googled apparently got out in 2014

[J5V]

4 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

Why does it matter how much money he made or didn't make? Dude chose to sell drugs. Got caught. Will do his time. Similar story daily in the US. The only reason we're hearing about it is because he played football in the CFL.

It matters because he entertained us for many years playing a brutally rugged sport that ravaged his body, especially his right shoulder, and caused him to suffer long after his career was over and the medical benefits stopped. Unfortunately, the medical benefit money only flowed during the brief period he was eligible to collect it. It was not enough. 

I'm not making excuses for him but I'm willing to bet Mr. Hefney was using cocaine as a pain killer to sooth the many aches and pains that arose as a result of playing professional football and enduring the painful surgeries that he suffered. He may have been selling it as a means to supplement the cost as well as the expense of physiotherapy and other medical bills for which he was not being compensated.

He wasn't just some "dude". He was a great football player with a strong work ethic, strong character, and was once a very talented CFL AllStar and a one-time Winnipeg Blue Bomber.

Yes he got caught and will do his time. No one argues with this. What is outrageous though is that he was sentenced to nine years in the American prison system for selling a few grams of cocaine. That's insane! In the U.S.  the same crime is a slap on the wrist for a white person.

The punishment doesn't fit the crime. Cocaine is one of the most popular recreational drugs out there and yes, some people can develop an addiction to it, just like they can with alcohol, nicotene, caffeine and a host of other perfectly legal and far more dangerous drugs in the U.S.A. Can you say hypocrisy?

No matter what lead Mr. Hefney to make the decision to sell a few grams of cocaine, locking him up for 9 years will not do him, or anyone else not profiting from the American penal system, any good. Taking his few grams of cocaine away will not make even the smallest of dents in the cocaine supply as there are literally TONS of the stuff available for consumption across the USA and there is evidence that most of it was likely brought into that country by the American Government itself. 

[Booch]

34 minutes ago, J5V said:

It matters because he entertained us for many years playing a brutally rugged sport that ravaged his body, especially his right shoulder, and caused him to suffer long after his career was over and the medical benefits stopped. Unfortunately, the medical benefit money only flowed during the brief period he was eligible to collect it. It was not enough. 

I'm not making excuses for him but I'm willing to bet Mr. Hefney was using cocaine as a pain killer to sooth the many aches and pains that arose as a result of playing professional football and enduring the painful surgeries that he suffered. He may have been selling it as a means to supplement the cost as well as the expense of physiotherapy and other medical bills for which he was not being compensated.

He wasn't just some "dude". He was a great football player with a strong work ethic, strong character, and was once a very talented CFL AllStar and a one-time Winnipeg Blue Bomber.

Yes he got caught and will do his time. No one argues with this. What is outrageous though is that he was sentenced to nine years in the American prison system for selling a few grams of cocaine. That's insane! In the U.S.  the same crime is a slap on the wrist for a white person.

The punishment doesn't fit the crime. Cocaine is one of the most popular recreational drugs out there and yes, some people can develop an addiction to it, just like they can with alcohol, nicotene, caffeine and a host of other perfectly legal and far more dangerous drugs in the U.S.A. Can you say hypocrisy?

No matter what lead Mr. Hefney to make the decision to sell a few grams of cocaine, locking him up for 9 years will not do him, or anyone else not profiting from the American penal system, any good. Taking his few grams of cocaine away will not make even the smallest of dents in the cocaine supply as there are literally TONS of the stuff available for consumption across the USA and there is evidence that most of it was likely brought into that country by the American Government itself. 

not sure why but that makes me chuckle

[MOBomberFan]

The US locks up one former Bomber as China releases another former Bomber

https://atlantablackstar.com/2019/09/26/former-cfl-football-player-freed-after-spending-three-years-in-chinese-prison-for-reportedly-defending-himself-during-bar-fight/

Quote

It’s been three long years, but former Ball State University linebacker Wendell Brown arrived home to Detroit early Wednesday morning after being spending time behind bars in a Chinese prison following a bar fight he’s asserted he was defending himself in.

A host of news cameras captured the moment Brown, a football coach and English language teacher, reunited with his family at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport on Sept. 24.

“Thank you all so much; I love you all so much,” he said according to Fox 2 Detroit between hugging his mother and grandmother. “We can smile, we can laugh, we don’t have to cry no more!”

Speaking to the news station, Brown remained thankful to be home in the U.S.

“After all these years of pain and suffering I finally get to celebrate with my family,” he said. “I’m home. I’m back on American soil, glory be to God! It’s a celebration.”

Brown told Yahoo Sports it was his faith that kept him going during the long process that kept him away from his family for two Thanksgivings after he was locked away in a Chongqing, China, prison in September 2016.

“The lesson from this is to always have faith in God,” the former athlete said. “Always believe in his power that he can do all things. If you believe fully and give yourself to the will of God then greatness awaits you on the other side. My family feels it every day. I feel it every day. We are stronger because of this. Our faith was tested and we never lost hope. We always believed. And because of our belief, I am standing here today.

Brown was involved in a bar fight as he was out celebrating a pal’s birthday at a party. The ex-Canadian Football League player maintained he was defending himself from a bottle attack by a man by pushing away the alleged culprit. Still, the Detroit Free Press reported Brown was charged with intentional assault. After that, it was a long journey toward Brown’s road to freedom, during which time he missed out on his now-12-year-old son’s birthdays.

The former CFL player spent almost two years imprisoned in Chongqing. By June 2018, he was sentenced to four years behind bars. But thanks to restitution that was backed by Ball State alums in a GoFundMe as well as with Fox Sports host Jason Whitlock’s $50,000 donation, Brown got his sentence reduced to three years in November 2018. His release on Sept. 24 comes three years to the day that the incident that changed his life forever occurred.

As for what Brown plans to do now that he’s back home, WXYZ reported he’s uncertain but he simply desires to spend time with his family.

“It was just so good seeing him, being able to hug him,” said his mother Antoinette Brown, to the outlet. “I just couldn’t let go, I said, ‘I hope I don’t break him.'”

 

[JuranBoldenRules]

I doubt most of the American players in the CFL end their careers and return south with more than $100,000 USD in the bank.  The league and PA really have to do a ton to make them understand how fleeting their earning potential as pro athletes is and how important the transition to real-life is.