Welcome to another hour of The Jalen Ramsey Show where we’re here to talk about your life and your money. Open lines at 818-338-0011. Give us a call and, some say, the advice is worth exactly what you pay for it. Starting off today we have Steve in Owings Mills, Maryland. Welcome to The Jalen Ramsey Show, Steven-O.

Hello and thank you taking my call, Jalen. How are you doing today?

Better than the Jaguars under Tom Coughlin. How can I help?

Calling today because I have a question about sharing responsibility for some work fines with my staff. As you are aware, NFL teams are responsible for meeting certain standards of care with regard to the SARS-CoV-2 — also known as the “Coronavirus” or “COVID-19” — and our facility recently was shut down and the league now has fined my franchise a quarter-million dollars for not meeting these standards.

Damn. $250K huh? That’s less than a hundred thousand per infected franchise employee. From a class-action settlement standpoint, it sounds like you got off with just a slap on the wrist.

Well, Jalen, most important to me is winning and, with eleven wins and a playoff birth, you know, I think I’ve done a great job there andm considering the spread of infections, I think we came out relatively unscathed. But I’m still not happy about this punishment from the league.

Vegas and New Orleans both ate five-hundred thousand. Plus each lost a draft pick. You didn’t get hit that bad.

But those are party cities. Baltimore is a more a homicide city.

Well, Tennessee and New England dodged the lost pick but still ate $350K each. Tell me, did you lose a draft pick in addition to the fine?

No lost picks, fortunately, but I think it really reflects poorly on our culture. To reiterate team president, Dick Cass, “We strive not only to ‘play like a Raven’ but also to ‘comply like a Raven.'”

That’s terrible. The league should dock you a Friday pick for just saying that. So, I dunno, still looks like you got off easy.

Look, I’m not disputing the fine or the amount even. But I need to be able to hold people accountable for this. Our head strength and conditioning coach seems to have been the main culprit here, not wearing a mask or his tracker and, when he exhibited signed of infection, did not report them. I mean, I gotta pay $250K because one of my guys wouldn’t follow the rules?

Has Janay Rice apologized for her role in this outbreak.

Oh ha ha. Very funny. Seriously, how do I teach these guys a lesson on the important of complying like Raven if there is no recourse? I mean, legally, can I just take the fine money out of his paycheck?

Well, your contracts read as they will but, generally, the answer is no. You, as the employer, cannot just go taking money from people. I know it happens and, you want to kick around the poor custodian who can’t get another job because your office is the only one on his bus route that needs service; go ahead and charge him for the trash bag he accidently ripped trying to pull it off the discount roll. But you want to fuck with anyone who will fight back? I wouldn’t do it. Law ain’t on your side and, frankly, I doubt you made many sincere efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus beyond a memo.

But these people need to be held accountable.

Do they? Because they, apparently, didn’t feel that need. You were negligent. You looked the other way while your staff broke the rules. YOU knew the consequences that were already levied on other teams. So, no, eat it and focus on the playoffs. If winning is so important, one wonders why you’re on the floor hunting for loose change when the big score is just four wins away.

Because this is a workplace and people must be held —

Then sue. I don’t care. I’m telling you that you ain’t getting that money. If you’re that pissed, jerk the guy around and then fire him by tweet.

In the mean time, I’m gonna shoot over here to line four where we have Jarvis in Berea, Ohio. Wow — some really attractive locales on today’s show. Jarvis! What say you, friend?

Hi Jalen, thanks for taking my call. I’ll get right to it because I got playoff prep to get back to. A little similar to the previous caller, my question is about cheapskate owners. Our coach just came down with, as Don Jr called it, “the rona.”

Donald Trump Jr? The seditious traitor who should be drug before a joint chamber of Congress and executed? Probably better bring in his entire family to get clean margins on that too, actually… Anyways! That Don Jr?

The very same.

Just making sure we are on the same page. Please continue.

Well, with the year ending, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 — the FFCRA — paid leave benefits for employees missing work because of the virus, either for personal testing or quarantine, or taking care of a family member affected by the virus, has expired. So I’m concerned that, you know, he’s gonna be more prone to coming in to work sick because those benefits that were there for me when I tested positive last month aren’t here for him.

Well, he shouldn’t be coming in to work if your team has good control procedures in place.

We do but I still just feel like this is wrong. I mean, nothing about the virus or the economic reality change from December 31st to January 1st. So why did I get a paycheck and he won’t?

Look, I’m not going to get into why Congress does what they do. Frankly, the real crime yesterday was that the mob didn’t suicide bomb those people and their staffers. But, for you, there is possibly good news. Many employers aren’t aware that the last relief bill gave qualifying employers the option to extend those benefits through the first quarter of this year.

Oh really? So if I have some lingering effects, I can get another two weeks off?

Oh no. No no. You’re nuts. You see, they didn’t extend or reset the benefits pool so, if you’ve burnt your two weeks, you’re done. The program works by simply reimbursing employers for the benefit payments made each quarter as a tax credit. So businesses who can afford to float government aid to workers for three months may do so. Struggling businesses, or those who do not believe in the program, are not obligated to offer the benefit to employees after January 1st.

So how do I know if my employer is continuing to offer this?

Just ask. I’m sure guys like Jimmy Haslem would rather see that money sit in a Wells Fargo CD for three months but, for normal employers with souls and the necessary cash flow, it’s pretty much a no-brainer. I mean, how bad would it look to not support sick employees because, I don’t know, they’re traitors who have donated over three hundred thousand to Mitch McConnel, Susan Collins, Steve Scalise and related Senate PACs, which would be Jimmy and Dee Haslam? Actually — tell your head coach to just drink some bleach and get that shit out of his system because there ain’t no way Jimmy Haslam going to do a thing for you people, even though getting money from the government to sick Americans is a profoundly patriotic activity in its own right.

Alright, I’ll pass the information along. Next man up, right.

Hey, how hard can it be to call a handoff to Nick Chubb?

Thanks Jalen. See ya in Tampa Bay next month.

Alright everyone, I have my own playoff preparation to get to so we’ll wrap this up. Just a reminder to our listeners out there that personal finances are just that: personal. Your money is your power. If you missed our discussion expanding on ethics, I suggest you look at it now. In the mean time, as we always say, sit tight, mask up, and we’ll see you next time, right here, on The Jalen Ramsey Show.