Comments on: Safety turns down Jets to remain a train conductor

By: stetai

stetai — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:55:06 +0000

Great story. I guess he could see the Jets implosion before the rest of us!

By: muchmaligned

muchmaligned — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:26:49 +0000

Some of you people are just plain jackasses. It’s not a good look.

Well done, young man.

By: cometkazie

cometkazie — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 22:07:51 +0000

“Mom and Dad, you’ve done so much for me. You’ve supported me and taken care of me. You got me to practice and stayed on top of me with my grades.”

And I bet he doesn’t call in sick with a hangover. Of course the railroad would be much more interested in getting him help for that than the NFL.

By: godofwine330

godofwine330 — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:42:01 +0000

Great move for the kid. To sign now, quit his job and have no security doesn’t sound like a thing that he was willing to subject himself or his family to. The kid’s got a great head on his shoulders. I’m sure if this was the beginning of the season and he had made the opening day roster he would be playing football now, but signing after the first game means a team can cut you at any time. They can sign you on Tuesday and cut you on Saturday before playing a game. Zero security. Now this is a role model, because it must have been extremely difficult to turn down an opportunity like this.

By: shallowfan

shallowfan — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:46:13 +0000

“What has NYC ever done for the world other than take from it?”

I really enjoy Broadway!

By: uberfaux

uberfaux — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:14:51 +0000

Great decision. Who would want to live in NYC anyway. The boorish, shallow, ignorant people who nearly destroyed the world financial system are enough to make me vomit. They should dome Manhattan and call in the NYC Mall because that’s all it really is. What has NYC ever done for the world other than take from it?

By: mswravens

mswravens — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:36:44 +0000

G-d bless him & his family! It is so inspiring to know that there are still people in this world with a proper work ethic & sense of responsibility!!!

By: vahawker

vahawker — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:43:42 +0000

You see the core of the problem with this country in so many of these posts……Trade short term cash for long term stability. Yeah he gets(maybe) 4-6 games…then what? Season over, job gone, and not many jobs out there right now in case you hadn’t noticed. Already didn’t make the team once, think there may be a reason?

Short term, immediate gratification over long term vision and planning(like taking that 1% teaser mortgage on the 350K house when you make 30K/yr) has driven thins country nearly into the ground. Great call kid. Wise beyond his years.

By: nsevh76

nsevh76 — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 04:57:19 +0000

I actually am a conductor for NS. In 7 years I have been laid off one time. There are no conductors making less than 60K in our area. We have a few over $100 K. The Engineers are all over 80K. Yes he would make 80k over the next 4 weeks with the Jets, but I guantee NS will not give a leave of absence. We are incredibly short handed. They train you for 6 months before you are qualified to work by yourself. It really takes a couple of years to get good at the job. They aren’t gonna let you come and go as you please. He’s at a job that will take him into the future with better benefits than you can get anywhere else. Not the glamourous choice, but certainly a stable choice.

By: sam521

sam521 — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 03:24:13 +0000

Great kid. Better to have a steady job that 4 weeks of being beaten up and possibly injured or paralyzed. Anyone think of that? What if something like that happened to him? Then where would he and his folks be. He made the right decision.

By: raiderapologist

raiderapologist — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 03:21:19 +0000

Give the guy some credit. He didn’t say he wouldn’t take a shot. He just said he didn’t want to play for the Jets.

By: spyboots

spyboots — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 03:00:41 +0000

They aren’t going to hold the train job open for him, and it may have been hard to get that job in the first place. It’s not worth it for temporary $$$. We’re not talking $5 million here.

By: klingonj

klingonj — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 02:32:28 +0000

people blasting the kid don’t relaize that the insurance will be tough to pay for after the season and supporting his parents could be really expensive. he made the right call. every so often some kid does the right thing for the right reason and we have some chuckleheads blasting him.

By: jameswestphal

jameswestphal — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 02:00:08 +0000

I bet he makes $70K and he’ll be set for a long time with the money getting thrown at railroads by Uncle Sam. Good for you kid, do right by your family.

By: philtration

philtration — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:21:33 +0000

Wow.
Just a day after the Patriots ran a train on the Jets too.

By: touchdownroddywhite

touchdownroddywhite — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:57:00 +0000

I bet you if this receives enough publicity they just might do it…

And as a million others have said, “Bravo”. He understands that he can’t trade a potential lifetime worth of income for a few fat checks. He’s smarter than I was at his age.

By: cowboys4life

cowboys4life — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:51:34 +0000

For those of you calling this guy dumb, check out what a train engineer makes in a year. It’s funny people think that free agent safety that’s being picked up in week 14 is gonna make Peyton Manning or Adrian Peterson money. Get real and think about it. This guy made a good move.

By: 8dollarbeer

8dollarbeer — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:51:28 +0000

This kid is a stand up guy.

By: bucks12965

bucks12965 — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:45:53 +0000

Kudos Mr. Fitzhugh,

Your parents must be very proud. They apparently reared one heck of a young man!

By: profootballwalk

profootballwalk — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:41:28 +0000

A lot of commenters here obviously have never worked a day in their lives. Do any of you here even shave?

By: db105

db105 — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:23:55 +0000

Poor financial decisions are a trademark of most Americans.

By: vahawker

vahawker — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:01:29 +0000

NS RR should give the kid a few weeks off to play a month in the NFL. Probably going to be cut at the end of the season, but maybe he plays lights out and finds himself with a decent career. OR…he knows he doesn’t have the chops to make it and understands he is better off where he is.

By: freedomispopular

freedomispopular — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:51:54 +0000

Whatever extra money he’d make in the NFL he’d probably lose after ridiculous fines, so, pretty smart decision.

By: 8man

8man — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:49:09 +0000

Smart guy. Best of luck to him and his family.

I’ve turned them down as well. I’d rather do mature porn.

By: ravensrule

ravensrule — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:47:14 +0000

Thats cool,,,but wouldnt he make a boatload in those few short weeks ??

By: Jack Burton

Jack Burton — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:44:41 +0000

Smart move on his part, there are more important things than games, hopes and dreams. Sometimes reality doesn’t afford you those luxuries.

By: rangenius

rangenius — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:38:41 +0000

big mistake, he could of latched on to a Superbowl Winner. GO JETS!

By: nascentia

nascentia — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:37:01 +0000

I work in the railroad industry, so here are some facts for people.

Average conductor salary for NS – $50,000/year., so the pay is less than he’d make in the NFL for 4 weeks. BUT. The railroad industry is VERY tough to get into right now. Railroads are still reeling from the economy, so jobs are scarce, and there are a lot of applicants. Especially at a Class I like NS.

Very important to the railroad industry is seniority. The more senior the employee, the better jobs they get – they can pick their routes, freight, power (locmotives), etc. And the longer you’re there, the more you work your way up. Railroads are 100% an industry where you start at the bottom (conductor) and work up. The next step up from conductor would be to get engineer certified. An NS engineer makes $75,000/year. BIG step up.

And more than that, railroad employees don’t get social security or regular retirement – they get railroad retirement benefits, which are the BEST retirement benefits in the entire US. Plus health, and union support.

Working for a Class I railroad like NS is a premier gig, and thanks to the current congress and the stimulus, rail freight and traffic is rapidly increasing, so it really is one of the most secure jobs this guy could have.

He made the smart call.

By: jhorton83

jhorton83 — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:30:22 +0000

aasukisuki says:
Dec 7, 2010 4:48 PM
James Harrison is bitching about having to pay $125,000 in fines (while making nearly a million dollars this year) while this kid can’t pursue his dream because he’s too busy supporting his parents.

Maybe those fans who were offering to offset Harrison’s fines should take up a collection instead for Fitzhugh’s family, and let this kid play football.
————————————————–

Indeed. Well said.

By: rayguyreturns

rayguyreturns — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:28:27 +0000

Finally an (ex) football player gives an intelligent interview. Thank you.

It sounds like he even got his diploma. Good for him.