NFL legends can't make ends meet

[red]

great article, and a sad one, from yahoo sports

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A steep price to pay

By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
January 30, 2007


MIAMI – Mike Ditka is spitting fury and frustration, words hitting harder than a South Beach hangover.

He surveys the scene here for Super Bowl XLI, takes one look at the giant billboards, the corporate sponsors, the overflowing hotels and restaurants, the four-figure ticket prices and he doesn't see smiling faces – just old ones.

Like the one of Mike Webster, the Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steeler who died broke and sick and had spent time homeless, living in his pickup truck.

Or Willie Wood, a Green Bay Packer Hall of Famer, who played in the first two Super Bowls no less, currently struggling with a mountain of medical bills from myriad surgeries to repair back, neck, spine and hip problems almost all assuredly related to the violence of football.

Or Herb Adderley, another of those old Packers, who is so disgusted at his $126.85 per month pension in the face of all the NFL's profits that he refuses to wear his Super Bowl or Hall of Fame rings anymore.

When you spend your days hearing sad stories from all your old friends who helped make the Super Bowl the extravaganza it is, helped lay the foundation for a league now filled with millionaire players and billionaire owners, you don't have to have Mike Ditka's legendary fire to want to blow up at the owners, at the NFL Players Association, at the current players, at someone or something.

"It's a disgrace," Ditka said, starting to tick off his culprits. "The owners ought to be ashamed of themselves. The owners are financiers, and they are all about making money. They don't care about the history of the game.

"[NFLPA executive director] Gene Upshaw?" Ditka continued. "Come on. You can get somebody off the street to do what he is doing, and you will pay him a whole lot less. You've got [players] today making millions of dollars.

"All we are saying is we got a lot of guys that started this game that have a lot of problems health wise and mental wise. I say help them out. Help them out. Let them die with a little dignity and a little respect."

With that Mike Ditka is about out of breath. But not out of will.



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Here is where the issue gets as complicated as it is emotional.

Two things are undeniable. First, many older players (especially pre-early 1980s) are suffering financially, physically and, often, mentally and emotionally. A great deal of that comes from playing the game. Second, the NFL is now awash in cash, a $6 billion industry.

The problem is that the retirement deals cut back in the day were reflective of the fiscal realities of those times. Older players look at today's Super Bowl as a cash cow and argue it wouldn't have been possible without Super Bowl I.

"You see we've got a $4 billion contract, we've got a 59-percent increase in income, franchises are now worth a billion and a half dollars and you're going, 'hey, hey, excuse me, you forgot something back here,'" said Hall of Famer Packer Jerry Kramer, who played in the first two Super Bowls.

"This era is what founded the foundation of the league."

Indeed it is. But, then again, that first Super Bowl in 1967 didn't sell out the Los Angeles Coliseum.

"The pension for the current players is quite good," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Tuesday. "And those benefits are a factor of the economics at the time. [For] guys who played years ago, the economics of the league weren't as great. Therefore their benefit package isn't what the benefit package is for the players today."

The NFL currently pays out $61 million in pension, but most of that goes to post-1977 players. The NFLPA recently upped its contributions to older players, but people such as Ditka claim it is woefully insufficient.

And while you'd love to see the NFL just step up and cover every player in need, it deserves at least some nod of respect for bucking every known trend in corporate America – rather than trying to abandon its legacy costs to retirees, it actually is upping its contributions and commitments.

"Every collective bargaining agreement we've negotiated with the players has included improvements in the pension plan for retired players," Aiello said. "Which is unusual in industry for the bargaining unit to go back and improve the benefits."

Of course, it isn't enough. Nor is the NFLPA's weak claim that it can only do so much because it legally represents only current players, not retired ones. Both the NFL and NFLPA could and should do more. Both could and should act as examples of what is right here.

That they defend their current actions says there is a lot of semantics here, a lot of buck passing, just not enough to the old players.

But the real problem here isn't exploding revenue or left-behind senior citizens – we've had that in most major sports. It is the inherent nature of the NFL, too violent, too painful, too destructive for any traditional definition of right and wrong to apply.



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"Willie Wood had an operation on his high spinal column, on his high shoulders, on the narrowing of the spinal canal, on his lower back and on his hips," Kramer said of his old teammate.

"You know any one of those [surgeries] could wipe out a modest savings."

You don't have injuries like that playing basketball or baseball. You probably don't have them as a coal miner, or a lumberjack or a jackhammer operator even.

If the NFL were just any old industry – and not our national sporting obsession – it is quite possible the federal government would all but outlaw it for the safety of the workers. The NFL can provide all the helmets, trainers and team doctors it wants, but this still is a game that essentially can ruin anyone who plays it at the highest level.

"Football is a great game until you turn 45," former San Francisco wide receiver Mike Shumann told the San Francisco Chronicle in a story that detailed how at least 20 members of the 1981-82 49ers already cope with serious physical issues.

Which is why this is such an issue for the NFL. Common sense tells you that many players retire from football due to disabling injuries that will affect them for the rest of their lives, be it a blown knee or the double-digit concussions. But unlike most industries, players have been unable to prove it in court, and as few as two percent of retired players receive disability from the NFL.

With near-crippling injuries suffered from this massively violent pursuit, they struggle to make ends meet on meager pensions, hit-or-miss health care and limited employment prospects.

But the NFL, as rich as it is, can't afford to have 1,000 players suddenly on disability, sometimes for forty and fifty years. The league, as a business, can't operate if it admits that so many employees who do only what their job requires – tackling, blocking, being tackled, being blocked – wind up disabled.

It is not an understatement that the entire league's existence would be at stake. The federal government would have to pass some kind of legislation protecting it from such claims so it could continue to operate. That's why the NFL vigorously fights disability claims.

Moreover, the post-retirement life of a NFL player is full of non-physical challenges. According to the Kansas City Star, two-thirds of players have "emotional problems" within six months of retirement. And eighty percent of their marriages end within four years – another huge financial drain.

The NFL now works with current players about preparing for life after football, understanding that many players arrive from coddling college programs where there was little actual education and few thoughts spent on anything but playing ball.

"We have programs in place that never existed years and years ago to help prepare players for their transition," Aiello said. "They first hear about it at the rookie symposium and then they go to their teams, and they know about all of the resources that exist to assist them in their life off the field including continuing education, internships, life skill programs."

But that is too late for the older players who often mismanaged parts of their lives. Ones such as Adderley, who was one of 324 former players including 40 Hall of Famers who (foolishly, he admits) took early retirement, which explains his pathetically low pension. Not that it would have been much better. Kramer gets just $358 per month.

But the question remains, should it really be the NFL's job to care for all these players for all these reasons?



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That debate is sure to get more contentious and litigious. The former players aren't backing down. There are lawsuits and press conferences and fights to be had. Ditka is just one of the combatants. The battle promises to be long and nasty, high stakes, high emotion.

In the meantime, Ditka and Kramer can't wait. And they won't. Both are fortunate to be in good health and enjoy prosperity from post-playing careers. But they won't forget their old teammates.

"I don't know if it is anyone’s fault particularly," Kramer said. "Some guys took retirement. Some had bad information. A lot of us got [information] indicating we would die at an average of 54. A lot of guys didn't, but a lot of guys got caught in bad decisions financially or medical decisions. The medical thing has gone so through the roof."

Whatever. Nothing can change that now.

"I've got guys in the hospital, guys in homeless shelters, I've got guys who need help in days," Kramer said. "I can't believe the owners and the union won't correct this problem. [But] that's not my concern this week.

This week he is acting. Kramer, Ditka and a host of former players and franchises are holding an online auction to raise emergency money for players in need.

It's called the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund and the memorabilia and experiences are one of a kind. Ditka is auctioning his 1975 NFC championship ring. There are celebrity experiences with Harry Carson, Howie Long and Merlin Olsen. Hand-drawn plays from Vince Lombardi. All kinds of stuff.

The information for the auction and the fund can be found on jerrykramer.com.

And whether you think the NFL and NFLPA should do more, whether Ditka is right or wrong, you can't argue with the need.

The Super Bowl is upon us – a celebration of the game. But not for those whom football chewed up and forgot.


Dan Wetzel is Yahoo! Sports' national columnist. Send Dan a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Updated on Wednesday, Jan 31, 2007 1:33 am EST

[gbpackfan]

Cry me a fucking river.

[Joemailman]

You're all class, gbpackfan. All class. Sorry we've never had the pleasure of meeting. :roll:

[Bretsky]

If anybody has HBO they should really watch Bryant Gumbel's special on the NFL retirement system for older players.

I'm not a Gumble fan, but he did a great job.

The NFL retirement system for older players is nothing short of pathetic.

Gene Upshaw is a talking puppet of the current players and an absolute enemy of those that are away from the game.

A VERY sad commentary on the greatest sport.


B

[GBRulz]

Times are certainly different now then back then. Many professional athletes had 2nd jobs in addition, just to make ends meet.

IMO, what alot of this boils down to is the older players simply apalled by the salaries that todays athelete gets. Times have changed, what can you do though?

[Bretsky]

Times are certainly different now then back then. Many professional athletes had 2nd jobs in addition, just to make ends meet.

IMO, what alot of this boils down to is the older players simply apalled by the salaries that todays athelete gets. Times have changed, what can you do though?


You can appreciate that the past was needed to get here and give them their due; in other words belly up to the medical necessities cause by their time in the NFL.

The special focused on multiple multiple cases where the NFL was not fiscally helping out in medical procedures/injuries caused by their time in football. That's what the NFL plan is suppose to cover.

The past players detest Upshaw and it's a sad commentary. The stories and lawsuits were quite depressing.

[prsnfoto]

The NFL says they are trying to help I call bullshit, you know for a fact everyone of these injured players can find a doctor to testify they were injured as a result of their job, someone's lawyers are fighting it guess who that would be. This is similar to the television industry where they didn't get royalties but actors didn't get their bell rung 20 times a game either, the money part doesn't piss me off as much as the medical part.

[KYPack]

GBPF, that comment was low and uncalled for.

I've known a lot of professional athletes. Some stars make big money. The guys that fill out the roster just make a living.

The guys that made the NFL what it is today don't make shit. The NFL has 10 billion in TV money coming in over the next 4 years. They are paying people a pittance that put the league on the map.

They need to correct this situation ASAP, cause it's a goddamned disgrace.

[TravisWilliams23]

It is a disgrace how todays owners and players have turned their backs on the retired players who made the game great. And it would be so easy to help. Let's say the Green Bay Packers board of governors held a vote on paying Willie Wood's or any former Packer's medical bills. Suppose they vote to add just $1.00 to each ticket sold from here on to go to that fund. That, over time, would generate millions just for the retired Packer's alone. Then let's get the current players to "donate" a measly 1% of their salaries for such a fund. An additional million or two for the fund. Medical bills get paid and perhaps todays players will look at the situation in Green Bay and say to themselves" I just might want to play for the Green Bay Packrs becuse I know they will take care of me in my old age." It's a win-win situation.

[KYPack]

Well GBPF, you're off the hook.

Your previous statement is not the worst thing I've ever heard in connection with this issue.

This is:

Gene Upshaw...

"I don't care what they (the retired players that are getting royally screwed by the NFL pension plan) say. The current players pay my salary. They (the retired players) can't fire me".

I'd love to see that SOB canned.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Not to sound harsh, but there are two sides to every story. How much are they looking to get and how many players will get this money? If every old-timer is looking to get paid $1000/month (maybe on the high side) and there are 5000 old-timers (probably on the low side since there have been 700+ Packers alone that played before 1970) looking to get paid, that comes out to $60M/year. That money comes from somewhere, and that somewhere would be the current player's salaries. That comes out to almost $40,000/year for each player playing now. That might not sound much for the Brett Favres of the world, but that's a ton of dough for the Tracy Whites of the league. That's on top of what they are already paying for pensions for players that came in the league more recently.

A lot of these guys should have better prepared for life after football and retirement. Now, I'm sure there's a happy medium, but villifying Gene Upshaw is not the way I'd go about handling this situation.

[MadtownPacker]

Its too bad that things are like that but that is the world for you. Something need to be set up though and it is gonna have to come from the players cuz the NFL aint never gonna fess up to owing these guys anything.

[KYPack]

Not to sound harsh, but there are two sides to every story. How much are they looking to get and how many players will get this money? If every old-timer is looking to get paid $1000/month (maybe on the high side) and there are 5000 old-timers (probably on the low side since there have been 700+ Packers alone that played before 1970) looking to get paid, that comes out to $60M/year. That money comes from somewhere, and that somewhere would be the current player's salaries. That comes out to almost $40,000/year for each player playing now. That might not sound much for the Brett Favres of the world, but that's a ton of dough for the Tracy Whites of the league. That's on top of what they are already paying for pensions for players that came in the league more recently.

A lot of these guys should have better prepared for life after football and retirement. Now, I'm sure there's a happy medium, but villifying Gene Upshaw is not the way I'd go about handling this situation.



Vilifying Gene Upshaw is OK with me. He is an arrogant SOB who has turned his back on some people who made the league what it is.

No, the money does NOT have to come from the current players.

You could use the league's most powerful weapon and do some real good. Create a separate entity for the problem, Call it NFL Legends. Throw some PR and marketing at the problem. Create some NFL Legend Pre-Season games.


You have a game in which the proceeds go to NFL Legends. Say the Pack & Cowboys at Lambeau. You do a feature on all the Olde boys that need help. Part of the video shows say, Wille Wood. Before the game Willie comes out for the coin toss. The video pimps the legends site.

During the year, games are designated legends games. All the rev still goes to the team, but the Legends site gets featured in all pre-game hype. Many teams, espec the Pack have alumni type games. Do it for one of the rivalries. When the Rams play the 9ers, make it a Legends game, etc, etc.

The league piggy-backs off the good stories and nostalgia with their own PR and Marketing. You have all kinds of vehicles that allow for contributions from fans, sponsors, teams and current players. There is a massive senior market that would love to have the old guys rep their products. (Starr is doing one right now)

The Legend funds build to 15 - 30 million. That fund augments the current minimal funding and also takes care of some medical costs.

The retired players and the NFL monitor the fund. Eligibility and participation could be awarded on a staircase basis. It would be privately administered and allocated.

You'd have revolving spokesman each season. Ditka or Kramer would be great for starters. it would be a win win for everybody.

& keep it out of Upshaw's greedy little paws. That SOB would fuck up a soup sandwich.

[MJZiggy]

Wow, KY, that's really good. That would generate an amazing amount of revenue. I also still think that any fines levied against the players should also go directly into that fund.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Wow, KY, that's really good. That would generate an amazing amount of revenue. I also still think that any fines levied against the players should also go directly into that fund.

I believe the fines currently go to charity (at least they do in other professional sports), so that's not exactly a great solution.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I like your idea, KY. I don't understand why they can't do something similar without the help of the NFLPA or the league. Times were different back then. They should continue to fight for what they can get, and I hope they can get more. However, instead of constantly complaining about it, they should do stuff like you propose.

Old-time programmers should do this. FORTRAN, COBOL, and LISP programmers should come out and complain about the salaries of today's Java, C++, and VB programmers, and push for them to fully fund their pension and retirement programmers.
:D

I can see it now. Those poor souls had no idea how to run their lives after FORTRAN went by the wayside, and they lived a hopeless life of desolation.

[gbpackfan]

You can call me low class all you want but these guys PLAYED FOOTBALL FOR A LIVING! I don't care how much or little they made. Some of you act like these guys are World Trade Center heroes. Guess what? They're not! If they didn't like the retirement plan they could have worked for a different company doing a different job. "Real" people face these decisions every-day, so excuse me if I don't shed a tear for men who played a child's game for a living. No one put a gun to their head. No one forced them into football slavery!

[KYPack]

I like your idea, KY. I don't understand why they can't do something similar without the help of the NFLPA or the league. Times were different back then. They should continue to fight for what they can get, and I hope they can get more. However, instead of constantly complaining about it, they should do stuff like you propose.

Old-time programmers should do this. FORTRAN, COBOL, and LISP programmers should come out and complain about the salaries of today's Java, C++, and VB programmers, and push for them to fully fund their pension and retirement programmers.
:D

I can see it now. Those poor souls had no idea how to run their lives after FORTRAN went by the wayside, and they lived a hopeless life of desolation.

Why should the league help?

Because these guys laid their hearts, souls, and bodies on the line to make the NFL into the financial colossus that it is today.

The NFL really wouldn't have to contribute a dime.

Just aim that PR monster they control into endorsing the events and programs the NFL Legends would offer. Enable the Legends organization to be successful. Set up a number of channels that would allow the people to help the old guys out.

Have the old boys do it solely on their own?

It would be a fart in a hurricane (to quote an old GM).

I think your "inventor of FORTRAN" argument is full of it.

The NFL wouldn't have to do much, but they should do something.

[KYPack]

You can call me low class all you want but these guys PLAYED FOOTBALL FOR A LIVING! I don't care how much or little they made. Some of you act like these guys are World Trade Center heroes. Guess what? They're not! If they didn't like the retirement plan they could have worked for a different company doing a different job. "Real" people face these decisions every-day, so excuse me if I don't shed a tear for men who played a child's game for a living. No one put a gun to their head. No one forced them into football slavery!

Well, low class is a bit strong.

You are a good poster & all.

I just think you are 100% fulla shit on this issue and I disagree with you.

[Bretsky]

Like I said, everybody should watch that HBO special with Bryant Gumbel.

The biggest gripes are not the annual dollar or retirement benefits, which are piss poor.

The biggest gripes are regarding the NFL refusing to pay medical necessities players have due to injuries suffered in the NFL.

Tons of justifiable lawsuits are flooding against the NFL; it sickens me.


B

[gbpackfan]

KY,

Nicely put. And I may be full of shit on the issue. What the hell do I know?!

[digitaldean]

Packer legend Jerry Kramer is setting up an online auction to raise money for retirees. He came up with the idea when he found his SB ring that was lost on an airplane being auctioned off.

This is an excerpt from an AP story: "An idea hit Kramer when he saw the Super Bowl ring he lost in an airplane 25 years ago being auctioned online. He tracked down the seller, yelled at him a while, and when things calmed down, they agreed to this:

There would be an auction, but the proceeds would go to retirees in need."

http://www.jerrykramer.com

Tried getting on the site before but it was down.

Ditka's auctioning off an NFC championship ring, former Bills lineman Joe DeLamielleure is auctioning a solid gold bracelet he and the other Electric Company linemen got from O.J. Simpson as well as others.

Given the lucrative TV deals, Goodell should take 1 or 2% of that and put in an fund for all living NFL retirees.

Yes, many previous NFLers weren't forced to play the game, it was a job. There does have to be some level of support for those who have medical problems due to their NFL careers.

[Partial]

I agree. You've gotta take care of your roots.

[KYPack]

Packer legend Jerry Kramer is setting up an online auction to raise money for retirees. He came up with the idea when he found his SB ring that was lost on an airplane being auctioned off.

This is an excerpt from an AP story: "An idea hit Kramer when he saw the Super Bowl ring he lost in an airplane 25 years ago being auctioned online. He tracked down the seller, yelled at him a while, and when things calmed down, they agreed to this:

There would be an auction, but the proceeds would go to retirees in need."

http://www.jerrykramer.com

Tried getting on the site before but it was down.

Ditka's auctioning off an NFC championship ring, former Bills lineman Joe DeLamielleure is auctioning a solid gold bracelet he and the other Electric Company linemen got from O.J. Simpson as well as others.

Given the lucrative TV deals, Goodell should take 1 or 2% of that and put in an fund for all living NFL retirees.

Yes, many previous NFLers weren't forced to play the game, it was a job. There does have to be some level of support for those who have medical problems due to their NFL careers.You got it DD.

One thing, though.

You can't tap the TV revenue. That $ is all spoken for in the CBA. Baby Upshaw and the NFLPA would howl bloody murder.

NFL Legends ( or whatever it is called) would have to exist on incremental revenue.

Coporate sponsorship ( Insurance, viagra, Who ever makes Depends etc; etc)
Corp contributions
Fan contributions
Charity events (Legend games, golf outings, etc)
$ from current and retired players
$

[Partial]

All Pro-Bowl proceeds should go to ex-players. Each player should donate 25k also who makes the pro-bowl.

[MJZiggy]

So who's gonna set it up?

[HarveyWallbangers]

Edit. Don't really care. I'm sure the league will work it out. At least, these old-timers can hope to get increased funding--like they've gotten in every new CBA that's been signed. There are folks in other industries that require hard labor who could only dream about that prospect.

[Patler]

Not to sound harsh, but there are two sides to every story. How much are they looking to get and how many players will get this money? If every old-timer is looking to get paid $1000/month (maybe on the high side) and there are 5000 old-timers (probably on the low side since there have been 700+ Packers alone that played before 1970) looking to get paid, that comes out to $60M/year. That money comes from somewhere, and that somewhere would be the current player's salaries. That comes out to almost $40,000/year for each player playing now. That might not sound much for the Brett Favres of the world, but that's a ton of dough for the Tracy Whites of the league.

Assess each team $2 million on their salary cap, but leave minimum salaries where they are. The $2 million will come from the highest paid players and not from the Tracy Whites.

Or, charge each player 2% of their salary cap value. Again the highest paid will bear the brunt of the assessment.

[HarveyWallbangers]

This article seems a little more balanced.

Better deal urged for NFL retirees
By EDDIE PELLS, AP National Writer

MIAMI (AP) -- They limp through life, often too proud to ask for handouts but desperately in need of help. They are the aging NFL retirees and, as a rule, the older they are, the less they receive from the league's pension and disability funds.

"An embarrassment," is what famed former player and coach Mike Ditka called it.

"Twenty percent of nothing is nothing," former Bills offensive lineman Joe DeLamielleure said.

Ditka, DeLamielleure and another Hall of Famer, Lem Barney, joined one-time Packers star Jerry Kramer on Thursday to promote Kramer's endeavor to auction championship rings and other valuable memorabilia to raise money for their fellow retirees.

Ditka described the situation as "shameful," saying he received a $100,000 donation from an owner of a sport other than football. When he sent letters to the 32 NFL owners asking for the same donation some time ago, he said he received one check for $5,000 and another for $10,000. He said he sent those checks back.

"It's a problem that should have been remedied and it's going to get remedied," Ditka said. "If they don't, a lot of people are going to be embarrassed."

Ditka brought up a number of players -- John Mackey, the late Ernie Stautner, Doug Atkins and others less famous -- who are aging and hurting. Perhaps the worst case was the late Mike Webster, the Hall of Fame Steelers center who suffered from mental illness that was widely attributed to head injuries. He died homeless in 2002.

"I can't tell you today if Mike Webster would've been alive today," Ditka said. "I don't know. But I do know he wouldn't have been a damn street person. I know his family wouldn't have had to sue to get his benefits. It's not right. It's just not."

While Ditka wouldn't say precisely who's to blame, DeLamielleure wasn't shy about it. He blamed former commissioner Paul Tagliabue and players' union head Gene Upshaw for the growing discrepancy in the amount of money recent retirees and old-timers get in pension and health care.

"They have been in power for 20 years and have done nothing about it," said DeLamielleure, the former Bills lineman who is auctioning off a gold bracelet he received from O.J. Simpson.

But Upshaw, speaking later at a separate news conference, said: "For anyone to say that the NFLPA does not care about retired players is not responsible. They don't know the record, they don't know the body of work."

The league says $126 million a year goes into pension and post-career disability benefits for retired players and their families. The accounts pay out $60 million a year to those players, $20 million of it for disability payments.

In the most recent collective bargaining agreement, payments from the pension fund were raised by 25 percent for players who retired before 1982 and 10 percent for those who retired after 1982. But retired football players often have difficulty getting health insurance because of injuries suffered on the field, and the old-timers have long endured a health-care gap.

More work will be done, Upshaw promised, though he conceded many retirees will probably never be completely happy.

"It's impossible, economics-wise," he said.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello declined comment, saying commissioner Roger Goodell would address the subject Friday at his news conference.

Upshaw pointed out, however, that it's a reality of corporate America that those who work in later eras and make more money do better on their post-retirement plans than those who came before them.

Some see the NFL as a special exception. Those who played in the '50s, '60s and '70s laid the groundwork for the popularity of the league. They did it without the same level of medical care. Yet today they hurt every bit as much -- often more -- as the players who retired much later.

Upshaw acknowledged Ditka's complaint, and said that too much red tape exists. Union president Troy Vincent said he wished retired players would talk about other issues, too.

"Every conversation with retired players is strictly about economics," he said. "You get tired of talking about it. Let's develop a relationship first. You're a Hall of Famer. What can I do to improve my game? It's not just all about economics."

To many, it is.

An idea hit Kramer when he saw the Super Bowl ring he lost in an airplane 25 years ago being auctioned online. He tracked down the seller, yelled at him a while, and when things calmed down, they agreed to this:

There would be an auction, but the proceeds would go to retirees in need.

[HarveyWallbangers]

It is funny that Ditka mentioned Mackey--because it sounds like the NFL has already addressed his issue:

This from the NFL Retired Players website.


Back in May, while fretting over her husband's health-care costs and his advancing dementia, Sylvia Mackey wrote an impassioned letter to NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue seeking help.

Yesterday, the letter and her prayers were answered.

In conjunction with an announcement on pension improvements, the NFL Players Association said it will pay the cost of providing up to $88,000 per year for institutional care or up to $50,000 per year for in-home nursing care for retired players who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer's disease, regardless of age.

"I'm thrilled. This has changed my life," said Mackey, whose husband John was a Hall of Fame tight end for the Baltimore Colts from 1963 to 1971.

"When you think of down-the-road, having to put up $70,000 to $100,000 a year for a nursing home, or have a lawyer show you how to spend down to qualify for government programs ... not having to face that anymore is like putting dignity back in my life."

[Bretsky]

It would be interesting to find the number of lawsuits and the details of why so many players are legally taking actions against the NFLPA. There is a load of them. Upshaw goes to bat for nobody except the players of today

[Patler]

Upshaw goes to bat for nobody except the players of today

That may be true, but the NFLPA is not the only union that has abandoned its retirees. It's a common scenario, negotiate for the current members and give lip-service to the older ones.

[Guiness]

Ya, this has gone around a few times. The problem exists in the NHL as well. You can argue that the old guys did it because they loved it, and most would've done it anyways knowing the consequences, but the truth is that the money's out there to help them.

You can blame Upshaw if you want, but you have to admit that he's just doing as he's being directed to by his boss', the current players. I think it behooves them, or their reps at least, to raise the issue at a damn meeting. If something is tabled, and gets a positive vote, Upshaw will implement it!

[HarveyWallbangers]

Ya, this has gone around a few times. The problem exists in the NHL as well. You can argue that the old guys did it because they loved it, and most would've done it anyways knowing the consequences, but the truth is that the money's out there to help them.

You can blame Upshaw if you want, but you have to admit that he's just doing as he's being directed to by his boss', the current players. I think it behooves them, or their reps at least, to raise the issue at a damn meeting. If something is tabled, and gets a positive vote, Upshaw will implement it!

Let's also give today's players a little credit. They've increased the pension for the old-timers more than players of 10-20 years ago. It may not be enough, but it's more than it was.

[Bretsky]

Ya, this has gone around a few times. The problem exists in the NHL as well. You can argue that the old guys did it because they loved it, and most would've done it anyways knowing the consequences, but the truth is that the money's out there to help them.

You can blame Upshaw if you want, but you have to admit that he's just doing as he's being directed to by his boss', the current players. I think it behooves them, or their reps at least, to raise the issue at a damn meeting. If something is tabled, and gets a positive vote, Upshaw will implement it!


In the special they compared the treatment of the NFLPA with other professions and noted it was by far the worst; I'm not familiar with hockey so I can't give a view there.

Much of it was interviewing Ditka and some players who are being wronged when the NFLPA refused to pay for sugeries and the mutlitude of lawsuits they are being waged. That along with ridicule of Upshaw from the hosts.
Sad.

But you are right; Upshaw is working for those that currently employ him

[Bretsky]

FROM PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Brian Burwell finished the session by asking union president Gene Upshaw, sternly, “I am a little confused. You talked about the oldest players, and how, back when you were playing, you were told what doctors to go to and (that) a lot of times you didn’t know what your own diagnosis was. … In light of those kinds of those kind of working conditions that you and all of the older players that I have talked to dealt with, isn’t there any way, as this huge, enormous pie continues to grow, that you can find some extra money for them?”

Upshaw retorted by saying there is $60 million paid each year — money that comes directly from current players’ salaries — that benefits former players drawing pensions. “They’re the ones who put that money in. That’s where that money comes from,” Upshaw, a retired player, said. “We just spent $51 million this (past) year to improve the benefits for guys like me. And it’s not just this year. It goes all the way back (to 1993).”

There are nearly 9,000 former players who are eligible for benefits, but fewer than 200 get long-term benefits. Many NFL alumni have suffered serious medical problems after their careers have ended, a lot of whom have distanced themselves from the league they feel has left them behind. The NFLPA says a new $50-a-month increase in the new CBA should help matters.

[KYPack]

This is a good thread.

Obviously something needs to be done.

Harve's earlier post was a highly exaggerated, but a valid point. An across the board pension increase is probably impossible. HW's earlier figure of 60 mill a year for pensioner's isn't gonna happen. (20 mill a year would catch the old guys up quite nicely. Most of 'em get something, you'd just enhance that amount) Even at a lesser amount, that would choke the fund immediately.

NFL Legends (with FULL NFL support) should be able to build a war chest of 20 million or so and have annual revenue of 5 - 10 million. It would be a charitable organization (w/ all contributions tax deductible) that would provide help on a case by case basis. One of the first jobs would be to take care of the pre- '60 players.

Legends would be a helluva a PR resource to the league and would generate incremental revenue from new markets. It would have to ramp up and be pretty active for about 15 - 20 years. Then the newer pension rates would take care of a lot of the problems.

MLB already has a "Legends type" organization, called the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT). It's under the MLB umbrella and generates it's own money from private sources. A recent BAT dinner in NY (with the requisite Superstars) generated $5 million . MLB does this quietly & doles out the money in the same fashion.

If the NFL has a similar org, everybody in the Western Hemisphere would know of it.

The NFL has an old boys team. It's called the NFLPA Alumni. It falls under Gene Upshaw and doesn't do squat.

It needs to be a separate organization with it's own leadership.

[MJZiggy]

Who's leading it?

[HarveyWallbangers]

There are nearly 9,000 former players who are eligible for benefits, but fewer than 200 get long-term benefits.

1) I'd like to know how many former players need long-term benefits. The more recent retirees made larger salaries. The older retirees often used their name to get into the door of companies and did well or made money from selling memoribilia. I would assume many better prepared for retirement than others.
2) I wonder what long-term benefits mean. The pension fund covers a whole lot more than just 200. Any player that played 3 or 4 years (depending on when they played) gets pension.
3) I wonder if this includes the emergency PTA fund that the NFLPA created in the early 90s. This has said to have helped over 700 players in "emergency situations" since then.

Bottom line: the old-timers probably could get more, but I think the numbers are probably skewed also. The truth is probably somewhere in between. Is it even reasonable to think the league or NFLPA could fully support the retirement of every player that's been in the league the way some of these guys want to be supported? The league goes back to the early 20s. That's a lot of players to cover for a league whose average player only plays 4 years (which is not typical of large corporations). Did these guys not prepare for retirement outside of what the NFLPA provides? Some of these guys only played in the league for a few years. Didn't their other jobs provide a pension/retirement fund? The league provides at least $200/month for every year of service in the league. That means a player playing 8 years would now get $1600/month in pension. Darrell Green makes over $5,000/month on his pension play for his 20 years of NFL service. However, that's not the entirety of their working careers. Their other jobs and their own investments should have supplemented this plan. Most of us wouldn't be able to live off our retirement fund if we only worked 8 years.

$40,000/current player to cover the pension funds of ex-players sounds reasonable.

[GBRulz]

Kind of getting OT here, but I'm curious if this same argument is going to be going on 25-30 years from now? I would like to see a portion of current players salaries being held in some kind of an interest bearing fund set aside for medical emergencies and health care, etc. The player is entitled to every penny in that fund, if they don't use it, then it goes to their estate, so I'm not talking like a social security type reform here.

The older retirees made squat and many had to have 2nd jobs just to support themselves. Obviously, this is not the case with today's salaries. Yet, we hear stories like Cletius Hunt not being able to pay his $250,000 bill at a Milwaukee jewelry store. Then getting his furniture repossed, etc. My point is, that to effectively find a solution to benefit the retirees of the NFL, the current players need to start being educated on their spending habits. Otherwise, this trend is just going to continue on and on....

The league should take care of the older retirees, I agree. But the players of today need to start taking responsibility with their money as well. The NFL should not have to take care of a player 50 years from now, because he has nothing left to show of his $20 million dollar contract.

[MJZiggy]

I thought the current players had help with money management stuff as a resource. I thought I also saw something about a generous retirement fund in the CBA.

[KYPack]

Jerry Kramer was on CNN discussing this issue today. There may be less than 100 old time players that would require pension assistance.

Git er Done, NFL

[Scott Campbell]

You can blame Upshaw if you want, but you have to admit that he's just doing as he's being directed to by his boss', the current players.


If the price of your concsience is a paycheck, I can see how some might give Upshaw a pass. I won't. He played with many of the guys that he is now hurting.

[Scott Campbell]

I have no in depth understanding of all the legal issues, but with all these lawsuits, is it possible that OSHA might one day have us all watching flag football?

[HarveyWallbangers]

The NFL old-timers have it made compared to the NASCAR old-timers.

With no pension plan, NASCAR's first stars are easily forgotten
By JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing Writer

PAMPLICO, S.C. (AP) -- The living room of Sam Ard's brown doublewide trailer speaks to his short but successful NASCAR career. Trophies surround the fireplace and crowd its mantel. Plaques and pictures dot the living room walls.

What's not there speaks to Ard's life after NASCAR, the two championship rings and a handful of grandfather clocks from Martinsville Speedway that he sold because ``we was running short on cash.''

Unlike veterans of other sports, Ard has no pension to fall back on.

As the booming stock-car series built by men such as Sam Ard heads to Daytona International Speedway this week to kick off its 59th season, NASCAR remains the only major-league sport without a pension plan.

``You can drive for NASCAR, but when it's over, it's over. You get nothing,'' Ard said. ``When you fall out of racing or something happens to you, it seems like NASCAR just forgets about you. It's your friends and the people around the race track who have to remember you and keep you going.''

Other leagues have pensions. Today's 10-year veterans in baseball will receive a six-figure annual payout beginning at age 62. Even middle-of-the-road professional golfers can pile up millions under the PGA Tour's deferred-compensation plan, which puts money away for players based on performance.

An NFL player with six seasons between 1998 and 2003 will get about $2,500 a month beginning at age 55, and the NBA has a similar plan. The NHL contributes about $45,000 per year to retirement accounts for veterans. The ATP and WTA tours make annual contributions averaging between $7,500 and $9,500 to retirement accounts for each tennis player.

NASCAR's policy always has been that its drivers are ``independent contractors'' who bear full responsibility for their finances, health care, retirement and life insurance.

Few in NASCAR are arguing for a fund to help today's drivers, who make millions from team contracts and even more from race purses and merchandise sales. Jeff Gordon, the sport's all-time money leader, has won a record $82,366,716 through 14 full seasons and isn't sure what the responsibility should be.

``We don't want to make NASCAR go broke like some other companies out there with pension plans have done,'' said the four-time Nextel Cup champion. ``We all need to be responsible for our actions.''

But if NASCAR wants to compete with other major sports, Gordon said drivers are going to ask for similar benefits.

``We are now competing with the NFL, basketball, the NHL,'' Gordon said. ``And so, should we be compared to them on every level? And when it comes to this subject, there is no comparison. I mean, I don't even think we are on the board.''

Old-timers have lobbied for years for some sort of fund to help repay the men, like Ard, who contributed to the sport and now are struggling to make ends meet.

``It would almost cost nothing,'' said Jack Ingram, the 1985 Busch champion. ``It wouldn't be many people that's not wealthy that contributed a lot to this sport, but they're ... destitute. (Ard's) a NASCAR champion; he's living in a trailer house. It shouldn't be that way.''

Jo Ard wife of Busch Series Champion Sam Ard, listens to her husband as he talks about racing during an interview at their home, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007, in Pamplico, S.C. Unlike veterans of other sports, Sam Ard has no pension to fall back on.

Ard, two-time Busch Series champion, has Alzheimer's. Jo, his wife of 46 years, has a degenerative eye disease that's slowly stealing her sight.

Between Social Security, Sam's veterans benefits and what Jo picks up cleaning houses, the Ards bring in roughly $1,600 a month. After the mortgage payment of $426.96, car insurance on Ard's 1993 Ford Ranger, utilities, phone and cable, there's only about $123 left.

They don't advertise their problems or complain. Even so, individual members of the NASCAR community have stepped up to help.

From the desk near the fireplace Jo Ard pulls out a letter from Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick that circulated through the NASCAR community late last year and recently was forwarded to her. She's a proud woman, so showing it to a stranger isn't easy.

``To All:

``Many of you may not be aware that one of NASCAR's pioneers and champion, Sam Ard, is in very poor health and dire straits. ... If it wasn't for men like Sam, none of us would be able to enjoy the lifestyle we live today. We all do charity work and give back to the community, this time it's one of our own.''

If Jo Ard had her way, the letter wouldn't exist, and she and her beloved ``Sammy'' wouldn't need handouts.

Although some inside NASCAR -- specifically president Mike Helton and spokesman Jim Hunter -- have given financial assistance on a case-by-case basis, they aren't prepared to fund a pension.

``I think the biggest detriment to a pension plan, aside from the fact that they are not NASCAR employees, is trying to decide who would pay for it and what the eligibility factors would be,'' Hunter said. ``How many years would you go back? To 1948? Or would you start in the 50s? Or the 60s? Or the 70s? There's a lot of issues that would need to be figured out.''

Tony Stewart, a two-time Cup champion who routinely dips into his own pocket to quietly support the old-timers, believes NASCAR could do more to help.

``I'm not going to say they have the responsibility, but it'd sure be nice,'' Stewart said.

Part of the problem is there's no way to gauge how many drivers are in need, or who would be eligible if a plan existed.

Sam Ard gestures as he talks about his time as the record setting Busch Series championships at home Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007, in Pamplico, S.C. Unlike veterans of other sports, Sam Ard has no pension to fall back on.
AP - Feb 6, 1:55 pm EST
More Photos
The independent-contractor model isn't unique to NASCAR and is followed in almost every form of motorsports. Unlike crew members who work for teams that provide full benefits and 401(k)s, drivers are on their own.

``Those are the rules going in, and we all know it,'' said two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip. ``I don't think you can find any driver that, if you put a NASCAR ride in front of him, would say, 'Wait, this doesn't come with a pension plan? No retirement fund? No insurance? No thanks. I'm not interested.'

``No driver in their right mind would walk away.''

That includes Ard.

Like so many drivers from NASCAR's early days, Ard didn't get rich racing. His three seasons netted $378,765, and Ard got only 25 percent of it. He also was responsible for paying his crew and their food and lodging expenses on the road.

``Them boys don't know what it's all about,'' Ard said. ``Shoot, I used to build my cars, haul 'em to the race track, race 'em, then haul 'em back home. Now all they do is show up and sit in a hauler until it's time to get in the car, then they go out on the race track and make a boatload of money along the way.

``I'd like to go racing again like that.''

Ard hasn't raced since suffering severe head trauma in a 1984 accident at North Carolina Speedway. He had to learn how to walk and talk and feed himself, and did much of his therapy on an old sawdust pile near the woods behind his house.

``That's where I learned how to walk again, I'd run up and down that sawdust pile because if I fell, it didn't hurt,'' he said. ``I about wore that sawdust pile out.''

Before the accident, Ard seemingly had the perfect life. A job as a Ford mechanic and a four-year Air Force stint gave him the financial security to quit the 9-to-5 grind and focus strictly on racing.

Sam Ard and his wife Jo pose for a family photo with their dog "Putt Putt" at home, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007, in Pamplico, S.C. Unlike veterans of other sports, Sam Ard has no pension to fall back on.
AP - Feb 6, 1:54 pm EST
More Photos
In his early 40s, he had enough money put away for all four children to attend college and had the talent for a successful NASCAR career.

It ended the moment he hit the wall at Rockingham.

Race car drivers had a hard time getting insurance back then, and car owner Howard Thomas wasn't on the hook for anything. NASCAR covered all of Ard's medical bills, but he never again had a consistent income.

First, the Ards used the college funds to pay everyday living expenses. Then they went into debt.

Ard tried to run his own race team, but with so-so results.

``I hear people all the time say Sammy wasn't right, he didn't know what he was doing,'' Jo Ard said. ``Of course he wasn't right. He had major head trauma; his brain was broken. He was never going to be right again.''

Now Ard spends most of his days sitting in the recliner next to the front window of his trailer. He watches NASCAR -- Dale Jr. is his favorite -- and spends a lot of time with his beloved dog, Putt-Putt, a fiercely protective mix of boxer and pit bull.

Although Ard can remember details from his career -- like beating the late Dale Earnhardt to the finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway while Earnhardt Jr. was at the track celebrating his 9th birthday -- Jo can't send him to the grocery store without an explicit list. Even then, she has to cross her fingers and hope he hasn't forgotten where he put the list.

With a short Busch career and only one Cup start, Sam Ard never was considered one of NASCAR's superstars.

But his three seasons as a full-time racer were stellar. He finished second in the 1982 Busch standings and then won consecutive championships in 1983 and 1984. He earned his first title by winning 10 races -- a record that stands today.

Harvick furiously chased Ard's record last season. He fell one win short, but brought attention to Ard's plight in the process.

After the Ards wrote NASCAR asking for $24,000 to help pay off their trailer, NASCAR and Richmond International Raceway held an auction that raised $36,000 before taxes ate up a chunk of the money.

But Harvick, who has never met Ard but knows about his legacy because his wife, DeLana, grew up rooting for him, couldn't shake the need to do more. So he got together with Earnhardt Jr. to raise money from other drivers. Neither told Ard they were responsible -- even after anonymously dropping ``a good amount'' of money into the Sam Ard Care Fund.

``You look at a lot of these guys who have raced and made our sport what it is today, and they don't have anything,'' Harvick said. ``We are reaping the benefits from their aches and pains, the things that they did several years ago, and it's really not fair to leave them hanging. It just kind of rubs me the wrong way.''

A lot of drivers feel a responsibility to the men who came before them and would welcome a system to honor and aid them.

``Jack Ingram, Sam Ard, Bobby Allison -- those guys created an excitement about our sport that has made it wonderful, and I think we have to be careful as a generation to make sure we don't forget that,'' said Jeff Burton. ``One of the things that I think should fall on the shoulders of all the current drivers is that we need to leave the sport better than it was when we got here. Because they damn sure did.''

[Scott Campbell]

The living room of Sam Ard's brown doublewide trailer speaks to his short but successful NASCAR career.


It's going to be tough to get Nascar's fanbase upset about their old time heroes ending up in trailer parks - seeing they all live in them too.

:shock:

No offense to my redneck roomies here at PackerRats.

[red]

The living room of Sam Ard's brown doublewide trailer speaks to his short but successful NASCAR career.


It's going to be tough to get Nascar's fanbase upset about their old time heroes ending up in trailer parks - seeing they all live in them too.

:shock:

No offense to my redneck roomies here at PackerRats.

lol

a double wide? hot damn that guys all high class and a fancy boy and whatnot ain't he? i bet he's even got one of them fancy ice box machines you poke into those holes in the wall

[SkinBasket]

The solution to this problem lies directly with the Union and its membership. Upshaw is a nothing short of a disaster for the future of the union. Of course, the only people worse than him are the people he represents - THE PLAYERS. If they don't fucking understand that one day, and for most of them, one day soon, they will be ex-NFL players, and will need money for retirement, medical expenses, etc. then fuck 'em. It's sad that today's players are so greedy that they managed such a significant increase in the salary cap in the last CBA, but they contributed nothing toward their OWN RETIREMENT or the retirement of past players who paved the way for their sad pampered asses.

Upshaw and the players need to get a fucking clue, but that isn't likely to happen anytime soon given his bass-ackward statements.