Rob Gronkowski Hasn't Spent a Dime of NFL Millions

Sean Avery could take a page from Rob Gronkowski's book—literally. Gronkowski of the New England Patriots has raked in more than $16.3 million in signing bonuses and contract money over five seasons in the NFL and, incredibly, hasn't spent a penny of it, according to an excerpt from his autobiography It's Good to be Gronk, per theMMQB.com. "I live off my marketing money and haven't blown it on any big-money expensive cars, expensive jewelry, or tattoos and still wear my favorite pair of jeans from high school," the tight end explains. Gronkowski, who started out making $320,000 and $450,000 in his first two seasons, respectively, has counted BodyArmor SuperDrink, and Dunkin' Donuts among his endorsers, reports Business Insider.

Gronkowski stuck to his financial plan after signing a six-year, $54 million contact with an $8 million signing bonus, but that isn't possible for everyone. In fact, one in six NFL players will file for bankruptcy within 12 years of leaving the league, according to a study published earlier this year, per the Washington Post. About 2% of players filed for bankruptcy two years after retirement, despite making an average of $3.2 million over their careers. "This is one group that you might think ought to be able to avoid bankruptcy. They're in a position to buy some good advice if they need it," a financial expert said. "But even for them, with all these millions, it's a challenge." The report found NFL players file for bankruptcy at about the same rate as non-athletes of the same age. (More professional athletes stories.)