NFL/Players Union Do The Right Thing (1 Viewer)

POSTED 2:49 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2007NFL ADDS $10 MILLION TO FUND FOR DISABLED PLAYERS by Michael David Smith The big news out of the second day of the NFL's two-day owners meeting in Philadelphia is that the league has added $10 million to its medical fund for retired players. The money will go toward joint replacement surgery, cardiovascular screening and assisted living."We're continuing to work on the other needs of retired players," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, per the Associated Press.The $10 million is in addition to the $7 million for the fund previously agreed upon by the league and the NFL Players Association. It's the latest sign that Goodell understands that taking care of players who leave the league is both the right thing to do and, from a public relations perspective, the smart thing to do.The owners meeting also included a discussion about potential new stadiums for the Vikings, 49ers and Chargers. League officials plan to visit Minneapolis to continue discussions about a new Vikings stadium.

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Said Elway, who led the Denver Broncos to two Super Bowl titles: "There is plenty of money. All of it should not go to the players of today. We need to take care of the pioneers who came before us and made it possible for us to make all the money we do today."

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For former players like Joe Perry, 78, even a few extra dollars would help. Perry, who was the first running back in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, said his monthly pension payment is $ 1,640 and that he and wife Donna need much of it to pay for health insurance.

"We pay something like $ 300 to $ 350 a month just for pills," Donna Perry said.

Perry was one of the pre-1959 players whose pension benefits increased dramatically over the past 13 years. However, he's not impressed.

"They do absolutely zero as far as I'm concerned," he said.

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Former Cleveland Browns running back Leroy Kelly said he is suffering the consequences of taking his pension early at age 45 instead of waiting until 55.

Kelly, now 63, said he was receiving about $ 800 a month for his 10 seasons in the league, but that his benefit fell to $ 112 when he started drawing Social Security payments.

"There are about 40 of the (Hall of Fame) guys, maybe more, who signed up for the early pension," Kelly said. "It's really terrible."

Upshaw said former players used to have an option to get a higher initial sum in exchange for the Social Security offset, but that it has been closed for their protection.

Ex-Bills and Browns guard Joe DeLamielleure, 54, took his pension early because of a family financial crisis. He said he receives $ 992 per month as a 13-year veteran, but would have gotten $ 2,200 monthly if he had waited until next year.

"Some guys can't afford to wait until they're 55," said DeLamielleure, who lives in Charlotte. "I really want this point to be made: If this were a struggling league, we shouldn't be compensated, but it's not a struggling league.

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kupcho1 said:

OK, I dug up some additional info:

Said Elway, who led the Denver Broncos to two Super Bowl titles: "There is plenty of money. All of it should not go to the players of today. We need to take care of the pioneers who came before us and made it possible for us to make all the money we do today."

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I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Elway wasn't making this kind of statement when he was active in the league and making top dollar. I'm sure at that time it was A-OK for him to be making a ton of money, notwithstanding what Sonny Jurgenson made when he was playing.

For former players like Joe Perry, 78, even a few extra dollars would help. Perry, who was the first running back in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, said his monthly pension payment is $ 1,640 and that he and wife Donna need much of it to pay for health insurance.

"We pay something like $ 300 to $ 350 a month just for pills," Donna Perry said.

Perry was one of the pre-1959 players whose pension benefits increased dramatically over the past 13 years. However, he's not impressed.

"They do absolutely zero as far as I'm concerned," he said.

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The NFL has addressed this problem in the past. The retirees want more. I'll be shocked if this recent cash infusion is satisfactory.

Former Cleveland Browns running back Leroy Kelly said he is suffering the consequences of taking his pension early at age 45 instead of waiting until 55.

Kelly, now 63, said he was receiving about $ 800 a month for his 10 seasons in the league, but that his benefit fell to $ 112 when he started drawing Social Security payments.

"There are about 40 of the (Hall of Fame) guys, maybe more, who signed up for the early pension," Kelly said. "It's really terrible."

Upshaw said former players used to have an option to get a higher initial sum in exchange for the Social Security offset, but that it has been closed for their protection.

Ex-Bills and Browns guard Joe DeLamielleure, 54, took his pension early because of a family financial crisis. He said he receives $ 992 per month as a 13-year veteran, but would have gotten $ 2,200 monthly if he had waited until next year.

"Some guys can't afford to wait until they're 55," said DeLamielleure, who lives in Charlotte. "I really want this point to be made: If this were a struggling league, we shouldn't be compensated, but it's not a struggling league.

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These players made a bad choice and now want to be compensated for it. They took early retirement knowing they'd be getting a lesser sum, and now want the higher payment.I only hope I can pull the same stunt should I choose to take early retirement. Of course I'm sure if my company/industry is "not struggling" they'll happily pay me more cash.

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The Great Snook said:

Call me mean spirited if you must, but I say screw them all. Someone else posted that the players opted to start their benefits earlier and that is where they got screwed. The league and the current players are under no obligation to give these former players a dime. If they didn't save their money or if they didn't make any, then it is too bad for them. Just because they are former football players shoudn't make them any different or special then the rest of us working stiffs.

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The Great Snook said:

Call me mean spirited if you must, but I say screw them all. Someone else posted that the players opted to start their benefits earlier and that is where they got screwed. The league and the current players are under no obligation to give these former players a dime. If they didn't save their money or if they didn't make any, then it is too bad for them. Just because they are former football players shoudn't make them any different or special then the rest of us working stiffs. How about this for a situation? I manage to work another 20 years at my current job and then retire. 2 days after I retire the company invents a product that they sell for trillions of dollars and everyone is swimming in cash. Is there anyone here who thinks the company will retroactively increase my pension or throw me a couple million for fun? Sure, I will be pissed about missing out on the bonanza, but it is too bad for me. For some reason everyone believes they have a right to jump on the NFL and the union's case for the exact same thing. Sorry, old-timers, you played at the wrong time. Better luck in the next life.One more thing. The day I retire (and probably most of us here) I am going to have to get my own health insurance or qualify for Medicare. My former bosses aren't going to give a rat's ### about how much I spend on health insurance, medecine, or how bad my carpal tunnell syndrome is.

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azgroover said:

Why is this news in the shark pool? Who gives a crap?

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AngryPatriot said:

10 million is a laughable amount when it comes to a corporation of this size and success. 100 million would've been a better start.

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This brings us to the area where the NFLPA has let its former players down: Health care. Current players and their families receive four years of health insurance after leaving the NFL, previous players got less or nothing -- but even the current deal is far short of sufficient. Former NFL players are more likely to have health complications than the population as a whole. And because former pro football players represent bad risks to insurers, it can be very expensive for them to buy individual health plans.

Every former NFL player should receive high-option health insurance for life. The megabucks NFL can afford this. And the equity case is strong -- a player who gets smashed around in the NFL for a few years should be expected by society to pay his own way in life by starting a second career, but fairly asks that the highly profitable NFL sees to whatever health complications he developed. Two weeks ago, the NFL and NFLPA quietly agreed to fund joint-replacement surgery for all retired players. That's a start, but goes nowhere near far enough. Lifetime health care insurance should be the first priority in the next round of friendly, cooperative labor-management bargaining.

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turleyfan said:

Gregg Easterbrook went through this a few months ago. Yeah, he can be a little loony, but I think this particular piece was pretty well thought out. Full link here: TMQ From back in August

He goes on and on (hey, it's Easterbrook, after all), addressing the history of the agreements, and also specific instances where players chose early eligibility for pension payments. For most of the article, you get the sense that he believes the retired players are out of line in terms of what they are asking for. Then he finishes with this:

This brings us to the area where the NFLPA has let its former players down: Health care. Current players and their families receive four years of health insurance after leaving the NFL, previous players got less or nothing -- but even the current deal is far short of sufficient. Former NFL players are more likely to have health complications than the population as a whole. And because former pro football players represent bad risks to insurers, it can be very expensive for them to buy individual health plans.

Every former NFL player should receive high-option health insurance for life. The megabucks NFL can afford this. And the equity case is strong -- a player who gets smashed around in the NFL for a few years should be expected by society to pay his own way in life by starting a second career, but fairly asks that the highly profitable NFL sees to whatever health complications he developed. Two weeks ago, the NFL and NFLPA quietly agreed to fund joint-replacement surgery for all retired players. That's a start, but goes nowhere near far enough. Lifetime health care insurance should be the first priority in the next round of friendly, cooperative labor-management bargaining.

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The NFL is a multi-billion $ company. The pool of players that need to be insured is really small (we're not talking General Motors here). It needs to be done.

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