The litany of professional athletes, NFL players among them, whohave blown their earnings has prompted much reflection on whatcauses millionaires to end up back where they started.

The reasons often cited are a desire to invest in startups (mostfail), a line of family and friends needing financial help, andgeneral overspending on luxury items without planning for thefuture.

While stories of fortunes lost generate the buzz, many NFL starswalk away from the game set for life and even increase theirwealth. Visa has even joined with the NFL and current players tohelp spread the financial literacy message in a programcalled Financial Football.