Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Parcells was tough to get along with during his NFL coaching days. His players, whom he rode incessantly, always stood by him, and media members who found him ornery always respected him.
No one ever thought of Parcells as a charitable guy, like Tom Coughlin. But looks can be deceiving. As it turns out, Parcells has been very generous over the years, especially with his former players.
In a recent post on X, Josh Chambers outlined a story veteran NFL reporter Gary Myers told about Parcells and his generosity over the years.
Gary Myers reveals that Bill Parcells has secretly paid over $4,000,000 to 20 of his former players who were struggling financially because he believed they sacrificed to make him financially secure
and there is no better way to spend the money
“Over the years, Parcells had loaned out a total of four million dollars to 20 of his former players who have come to him, I won't say destitute, but certainly having financial hardship.”
“And Bill sat down and wrote checks for about four million dollars, which to me is completely unprecedented in sports. I've never heard of anything like that. And I said, 'Bill, why would you do something like that? Why do you feel obligated?' And he explained to me that he set aside all the money he needs for, hopefully, another 30 years of his life.”
“He just turned 82. And he's given money to his three daughters and to his grandchildren, and then he has a certain amount of money left. And he says, 'What better way is there to do it than if some of my players who gave so much to me and helped make me a Hall of Fame coach and make me financially secure?”
“It was because of their hard work and me driving them to be the best they can be. They gave so much to me. Now that I'm in a position to help, and unfortunately they're in a position where they need help, why shouldn't I be the one to help?'”
“And, you know, people who remember Parcells, there's this hard-driving coach who had a love-hate relationship with his players. And now to see the transformation where he has become the patriarch of that team.”
Parcells did not make the trip to last week's 40th anniversary of the 1986 Super Bowl championship at MetLife Stadium, but he was there in spirit. Every player either thanked him or mentioned him.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Bill Parcells secretly gave $4 million to struggling former players
