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View Full Version : Homeless Man Wins FFB....Mom Screws Him Over


sooner59
1/21/2011, 01:16 AM
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Homeless-man-is-the-king-of-fantasy-football?urn=nfl-310374


Three million people competed at fantasy football on ESPN.com this year. One man managed to rise above all of them, and he did it despite not having a computer. Or a place to live.

For the sake of comparison, I finished under .500 in a league of 12 people, and I spend all day with my face buried in NFL news, stats and highlights.

Obviously, Nathan Harrington, 33, of Salem, Mass., knows something I don't. Harrington ended up homeless after needing back surgery, going on medical leave from his job, and being forced to leave his home because it was condemned.

And still, he was better than over 3 million people at fantasy football.

He used computers at his father's nursing home, his mother's house, and the library. He knocked on neighbors' doors and asked if he could use their computers.

If you're wondering about specifics, Harrington drafted Arian Foster(notes) and picked up Brandon Lloyd(notes) as a free agent. He made trades for Adrian Peterson and Dwayne Bowe(notes).

Oddly, Tony Romo(notes) was his quarterback, but when Romo went down with a season-ending injury, Harrington had to make due with a string of borderline fantasy quarterbacks. He clinched the top spot behind Tim Tebow's surprising Week 17 performance against the Chargers. From The Salem News:

"My fantasy football was the one thing that kind of seemed to be going right at the time," Harrington said. "There was a lot to be upset about, but the one thing that was steady and heading in a positive direction was the fantasy football. So I thought I might as well stick with it and ride it out. Thank God I did."

For his unbelievable performance, Harrington won a $3,500 Best Buy gift card, which he's selling to his mother for $2,500 cash.
sooner59
1/21/2011, 01:19 AM
Given his mom probably knows he will probably just use it for booze or drugs or hookers, but either way...surely someone would have paid him $3,000 for it. Gotta be some nerds that would jump on that.
yermom
1/21/2011, 01:55 AM
i'd say anything over 50% is charity on a Best Buy card

that might even be too high
sooner59
1/21/2011, 02:00 AM
Yeah, if that was his last chance to get rid of it. Hell I know at least 3 or 4 people that would have paid more in the Norman/OKC area alone. Awesome that he won, though. That will get ya the high end hookers. :D
yermom
1/21/2011, 02:06 AM
you'd have to be ready to buy junk at Best Buy for too much of a markup

most gift cards you have to use soon before they start taking money off of them

now if it was from Wal-Mart or Amazon or something, it would be different :D
sooner59
1/21/2011, 02:34 AM
Unless I knew my mom needed the money, I would probably put it on ebay. Somebody might be wanting to get a TV or bigtime computer setup and maybe jump on it if you set the reserve at a $500 discount. Just sayin. I don't know these people's circumstance.
batonrougesooner
1/21/2011, 02:47 AM
Homeless guy doesn't have much use for a Best Buy gift card.
Leroy Lizard
1/21/2011, 03:11 AM
His mother has a home, and he's homeless? wtf?
rekamrettuB
1/21/2011, 09:29 AM
I fail to see where the mom screwed him over. Best Buy screwed the whole deal over. You can't get $3,500 worth of goods on a $3,500 card at Best Buy. They are so overpriced it's amazing. I wouldn't have paid more than $2,500 for that thing.

Now I assume the homeless guy has no income and the $3,500 income won't be taxable...but mom on the other hand should have to pay taxes on the extra $1,000 she acquired in the transaction.
Leroy Lizard
1/21/2011, 12:12 PM
I fail to see where the mom screwed him over. Best Buy screwed the whole deal over. You can't get $3,500 worth of goods on a $3,500 card at Best Buy. They are so overpriced it's amazing. I wouldn't have paid more than $2,500 for that thing.

Now I assume the homeless guy has no income and the $3,500 income won't be taxable...but mom on the other hand should have to pay taxes on the extra $1,000 she acquired in the transaction.

Question: Is the $1,000 considered just a good deal, or profit?
yermom
1/21/2011, 12:15 PM
if she needs to pay taxes on it, it's a HORRIBLE deal :D

she's family though, so it could just be a gift both ways, right?
NormanPride
1/21/2011, 12:36 PM
Up to $10k in "gifts" right?
yermom
1/21/2011, 12:37 PM
i think a few years ago that figure increased a bit, but i don't remember how much
sooner59
1/21/2011, 12:49 PM
His mother has a home, and he's homeless? wtf?

Probably hence why she didn't just pay her own son $3,500 for it. The dude is probably a lost cause. But yeah, I don't get it. If she felt like that, why even give him anything? Why not say....enjoy your shopping spree!
rekamrettuB
1/21/2011, 02:08 PM
Question: Is the $1,000 considered just a good deal, or profit?

Both. She purchased something (stock, house, car, boat, gift card) for $2,500 and has now turned it into $3,500. $1,000 gain.

Gift tax wouldn't apply because items changed hands both ways.