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Are NFL stars overpaid? Pampered? There are reasons neither thought is true.

When NFL players are criticized, they’re often referred to as pampered and overpaid. It’s as if the terms are entwined. True, the NFL stays in hotels in which you don’t drive your car to the door of your room. But I watched new Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Dontari Poe walk to minicamp. He’s 6-3 and 346 pounds. If your job is to block Poe, you aren’t pampered.

Employees in some professions are underpaid. Among them are the obvious – police officers and teachers. You’d love to find a way to get them more money. But because they are underpaid, does that mean NFL players are overpaid?