You imagine NFL players in the off-season relaxing by the pool or laying up on a beach somewhere, but Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline has himself a summer job. 

 

We always hear of athletes who lose millions and wind up working in some minimum-wage nightmare, but that's not the case here. Hartline signed a five-year, $31 million contract extension with the Dolphins last week, but that didn't mean he had to quit his day job. 

 

In his downtime, despite having a huge cushion of financial security, Hartline chooses to work at a drive-thru convenience store that he co-owns with an childhood friend. 

 

While speaking with Dan LeBatard on a radio show, Hartline said something about being too busy working a drive-thru to keep up with NFL news. LeBatard thought it was a joke but quickly realized he was serious.

 

Hartline isn’t a hands-off owner who pops into the store every blue moon. At times, he says feels more like a regular employee than an owner.

 

In the past, it was a necessity for professional athletes to find employment during the offseason, especially in the NFL. Maybe this is a trend that will return but not out of necessity.  The Miami Dolphins player isn't the only one to take a side job. It's reported that St. Louis Rams running back Terrance Ganaway doubles as a sandwich maker in Waco Texas.

 

Becoming a professional athlete has always been thought to be the American Dream. Maybe we were wrong. Because professional athletes say its owning a small business.

 

And this is in spite of their contracts virtually making them a small business! It's a moral to be learned.