Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins remembers a time, shortly before the 2012 NFL draft, when he needed $10 from his parents to see a movie. Then his $300,000 signing bonus check arrived.
"I called my dad and was like, 'What do I do with it? Just put it in the bank and let it sit there?' " Cousins wondered. "He said, 'I don't know. I've never gotten a check like that.' "
Cousins now has the biggest guaranteed contract in NFL history _ three years for $84 million _ and said he works with between seven and nine finance professionals.
But even though Cousins has grown accustomed to the big money in pro sports, he was still taken aback this month when he learned former Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett had sued his accounting firm for allegedly helping his longtime friend and financial adviser steal $77 million of his money.
Most people can't fathom what it's like having that much money, let alone losing it. But sports millionaires, including several of Minnesota's other highest-paid sports stars, could feel Garnett's pain. Especially because the man at the heart of Garnett's lawsuit, Charles Banks, was a member of the 15-time NBA All-Star's inner circle for two decades.
"You can talk about doing background checks, you can talk about trying to get someone who's credible," Cousins said. "But at the end of the day, I've seen people who in a million years you never would have thought they would swindle someone, and they did."
"It has to be alarming for everyone," Wild forward Zach Parise said. "You think you know people, you think you trust people, and they pull a fast one on you like that. ... It can happen to anyone."
