Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
NFL teams are back in action for offseason workouts, but for Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Bernard Reedy, he’s maintaining some hours at his side job.
According to ESPN’s Jenna Laine, Reedy, a 25-year-old receiver who’s yet to play in a regular season NFL game, spends his offseasons with Care Ride, a company similar to Uber or Lyft but for wheelchair and ambulatory support.
The job pays $11 an hour, and Reedy had to earn a special license to operate the lifts in the vans.
According to Laine, Reedy began working for Care Ride in 2015 after being waived by the Atlanta Falcons, working five days a week, eight hours a day.
In 2016, Reedy signed a deal with the Bucs, but tore his meniscus in the preseason and was waived. He re-signed with the Bucs practice squad after he healed in December and made $85,879 for two games, according to Laine.
According to Spotrac, Reedy has made $173,840 over two years, which he realizes puts him in a much different tax bracket than many of his peers. He explained to Laine that he needs to work so he’s not dipping into his savings, but that it’s also fulfilling to do his work Care Ride.
“All my other teammates that I know that I personally talk to, they all caked up — they all got money, a whole lot of money. When I get to that tax bracket with them, I’m going to continue to work here during the offseason. … You always want to be grateful.”
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“The money in your savings is only going to last so long. I had to go out and get a job so I could continue to live. You want to always have something you fall back on.”
This past offseason, Reedy spent three days a week driving the vans, and during OTAs, he works one day a week. He told Laine that Care Ride is understanding of his schedule.
Reedy has a base salary of $465,000 this season. Reedy told Laine that he’ll be financially stable going forward, but he wants to continue helping people whenever he’s done with football.
“Why sit home when you can come out and make you some more money and help people on top of that?”
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