http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-r...=yhoo&type=lgns NFL legends are struggling to survive on meager pentions, who's at fault?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Packersfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-r...=yhoo&type=lgns NFL legends are struggling to survive on meager pentions, who's at fault?</div> Well, they are at fault. The burden of their pensions doesnt fall on the new generation of players. They should have: a) Planned better made better use of thier post football careers c) negotiated a better deal Fact is, the NFL didnt generate the revenue then that it does now. They didnt negotiate for future earnings (which would be ridiculous, like me going to my boss and say i am laying groundwork, so i should be compensated if the business gets huge after i have stopped working there) The ones who suffered football injuries get disability, and cant get a pension. that was unitas' problem, but that is reality.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BearsFan1)</div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Packersfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-r...=yhoo&type=lgns NFL legends are struggling to survive on meager pentions, who's at fault?</div> Well, they are at fault. The burden of their pensions doesnt fall on the new generation of players. They should have: a) Planned better made better use of thier post football careers c) negotiated a better deal Fact is, the NFL didnt generate the revenue then that it does now. They didnt negotiate for future earnings (which would be ridiculous, like me going to my boss and say i am laying groundwork, so i should be compensated if the business gets huge after i have stopped working there) The ones who suffered football injuries get disability, and cant get a pension. that was unitas' problem, but that is reality.</div> This analogy breaks down a bit when you consider projects like America's Game where film of these players is used to make new programming. The NFL is still making revenue from the work that these players did in the past. In my opinion, that means the NFL and NFLPA have a responsibility to help older players. It's not a problem with an easy fix, but I don't see how the NFL can financially benefit from it's history and ethically ignore the suffering of it's older players.
Obviously the NFL has no legal obligation (retired players have been trying that route) but there has to be some moral obligation, especially for the owners, who are sitting on more money then they could dream of spending. To say they should have planned better is a bit of a low blow, most of these players are dealing with serious injury and cannot get disability, the only way they could is if they proved their injuries were caused while working, which is harder then it sounds; <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>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.</div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DolfanDale)</div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BearsFan1)</div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Packersfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-r...=yhoo&type=lgns NFL legends are struggling to survive on meager pentions, who's at fault?</div> Well, they are at fault. The burden of their pensions doesnt fall on the new generation of players. They should have: a) Planned better made better use of thier post football careers c) negotiated a better deal Fact is, the NFL didnt generate the revenue then that it does now. They didnt negotiate for future earnings (which would be ridiculous, like me going to my boss and say i am laying groundwork, so i should be compensated if the business gets huge after i have stopped working there) The ones who suffered football injuries get disability, and cant get a pension. that was unitas' problem, but that is reality.</div> This analogy breaks down a bit when you consider projects like America's Game where film of these players is used to make new programming. The NFL is still making revenue from the work that these players did in the past. In my opinion, that means the NFL and NFLPA have a responsibility to help older players. It's not a problem with an easy fix, but I don't see how the NFL can financially benefit from it's history and ethically ignore the suffering of it's older players.</div> Doesnt break down there. NFL owns that film. That would be like I wrote you a software program 30 years ago when i worked for you. Now that you are using a couple lines of script from it in a new program that genertes millions you should pay me now even though you own the software.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Packersfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-r...=yhoo&type=lgns NFL legends are struggling to survive on meager pentions, who's at fault?</div> They are. They are the ones who chose to play the roughest sport you can play. They could have invested some of that millions of dollars in something instead of blowing it. Take Rosevelt Colvin for example, or Brian Urlacher. Colvin owns a couple UPS stores and Urlacher owns some car dealerships. There is no excuse for this but what do we expect? Most of the players in the NFL are "all football" and they have no business sense or even a college degree for that matter. Some of the guys didn't even go to college. I can't believe they are trying to lay blame on the NFL for their ignorance and lack of intelligence.
They didn't make anywhere near what players are making today. NFL players from 30-40+ years ago didn't make anywhere near what they make today. It's like telling someone who's making minimum wage today to save their money. You honestly need to take a step back and have some respect for these guys, they were good at football and took the opportunity, it's a rough sport and they knew the danger but it gave them a chance to do something they loved, and it provided years of entertainment for us. Maybe it was the wrong choice, but if it weren't for those players, players today never would have had the opportunity they have, the owners of all the teams would not be making the money they are, and the NFL would have never got off the ground.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pats_Fan420)</div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Packersfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-r...=yhoo&type=lgns NFL legends are struggling to survive on meager pentions, who's at fault?</div> They are. They are the ones who chose to play the roughest sport you can play. They could have invested some of that millions of dollars in something instead of blowing it. Take Rosevelt Colvin for example, or Brian Urlacher. Colvin owns a couple UPS stores and Urlacher owns some car dealerships. There is no excuse for this but what do we expect? Most of the players in the NFL are "all football" and they have no business sense or even a college degree for that matter. Some of the guys didn't even go to college. I can't believe they are trying to lay blame on the NFL for their ignorance and lack of intelligence.</div> I tried to google up some average salaries. According to an article at Forbes, the average NFL salary was $23,000 dollars during the 70's.
I searched for the avg career length and came up with this : http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/CAR/5469669 <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>four years, which is just about the length of the average NFL career.</div> I'm sure careers could only have been less 30+ years ago, but even at 4 years at $23,000 = $92,000. Which won't even cover the multiple surgeries many need, let alone pay their normal bills for more then 5-8 years (which is really pushing it).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DolfanDale)</div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pats_Fan420)</div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Packersfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-r...=yhoo&type=lgns NFL legends are struggling to survive on meager pentions, who's at fault?</div> They are. They are the ones who chose to play the roughest sport you can play. They could have invested some of that millions of dollars in something instead of blowing it. Take Rosevelt Colvin for example, or Brian Urlacher. Colvin owns a couple UPS stores and Urlacher owns some car dealerships. There is no excuse for this but what do we expect? Most of the players in the NFL are "all football" and they have no business sense or even a college degree for that matter. Some of the guys didn't even go to college. I can't believe they are trying to lay blame on the NFL for their ignorance and lack of intelligence.</div> I tried to google up some average salaries. According to an article at Forbes, the average NFL salary was $23,000 dollars during the 70's.</div> Politically the NFL owes them nothing. Those players should of prepared better or life after football and the choices they?ve made probably lead to their struggles. However the NFL is all about showing good morals. They want their players to be remodels. How are the players supposed to be remodels when their ?bosses? have no desire to be remodels to them? Morally the NFL should definitely jump and help these players. Anyone hear of the story of Mike Webster? He died penniless. He was living in his car. If the NFL wants to talk about showing good morals than maybe they should actually show some as well.
The biggest choice that these men made that have led to their struggles was the choice to play professional football. That's what has led to most of the health problems that have caused their financial problems. The sad thing is that lineman make so much less than the "glory" positions and they are probably the ones that end up with the worst knee, back and neck injuries.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DolfanDale)</div><div class='quotemain'>The biggest choice that these men made that have led to their struggles was the choice to play professional football. That's what has led to most of the health problems that have caused their financial problems. The sad thing is that lineman make so much less than the "glory" positions and they are probably the ones that end up with the worst knee, back and neck injuries.</div> The Mike Webster story is very sad. Terry Bradshaw said at that he had no idea how bad it was. Jerry Kramer on the Jim Rome Show the other day kind of hinted towards the Steelers new how bad it was for Webster and some of their other players. Willie Davis made only 10,000 a year. A Hall of Fame DE. One of the best Defensive Players of that time and he only made 10,000 a year. Good thing for him he was well educated and had no problem with life after football financially.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (porky88)</div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DolfanDale)</div><div class='quotemain'>The biggest choice that these men made that have led to their struggles was the choice to play professional football. That's what has led to most of the health problems that have caused their financial problems. The sad thing is that lineman make so much less than the "glory" positions and they are probably the ones that end up with the worst knee, back and neck injuries.</div> The Mike Webster story is very sad. Terry Bradshaw said at that he had no idea how bad it was. Jerry Kramer on the Jim Rome Show the other day kind of hinted towards the Steelers new how bad it was for Webster and some of their other players. Willie Davis made only 10,000 a year. A Hall of Fame DE. One of the best Defensive Players of that time and he only made 10,000 a year. Good thing for him he was well educated and had no problem with life after football financially.</div> Yeah, it is so unfair how the NFL was given the right to force these people to play football, and pay them whatever they felt like paying them. If only slavery had been abolished.
Nobody is saying they forced them to play, but you know damn well that these players are dealing with injuries caused from playing football in the NFL. Yet the NFL fights this in court to keep from giving disability. The NFL is a business and the players are the employees, if an employee gets seriously injured at work, they collect disability. The thing is that you have to prove without a doubt that the injury occured playing football (pretty much have to show them the play that caused your injury). Well guess what, you can't exactly prove which play caused the injuries because most of them take time to fully show their effects. Most players play through injury and don't find out the severity 'till years later.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Packersfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>Nobody is saying they forced them to play, but you know damn well that these players are dealing with injuries caused from playing football in the NFL. Yet the NFL fights this in court to keep from giving disability. The NFL is a business and the players are the employees, if an employee gets seriously injured at work, they collect disability. The thing is that you have to prove without a doubt that the injury occured playing football (pretty much have to show them the play that caused your injury). Well guess what, you can't exactly prove which play caused the injuries because most of them take time to fully show their effects. Most players play through injury and don't find out the severity 'till years later.</div> Ok, but that has nothing to do with a pension. You cant have a pension and disability. Sorry, but i am not going to let a bunch of bleeding heart whining make me think the NFL is accountable for these peoples entire lives. If they didnt have 2 careers, then they didnt work their whole lives. While they may not have been able to get a job doing physically demanding work, I am sure mcdonalds would have loved to have an all-pro taking burger orders.
In the link they talk about the one guy getting a pension: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>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.</div> Maybe most of them could work, but alot of them are either in extreme debt due to surgeries, or extreme pain due to not getting surgeries they need.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Packersfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>In the link they talk about the one guy getting a pension: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>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.</div> Maybe most of them could work, but alot of them are either in extreme debt due to surgeries, or extreme pain due to not getting surgeries they need.</div> Right. boo hoo, they are in too much pain. I thought the old school generation of football players were tough? Guess not. Bunch of sissy babies like the new guys. I will admit that a 126.85 dollar pension isnt much, even for 11 years at a job. However, it is what it is, and what he negotiated. I am sure he could sign memorabilia for about 1000/ month.
Pulling "the slavery analogy" card doesn't really work here because, as Porky previously pointed out, the responsibility that the NFL has to it's older players is a moral obligation and not a legal one. The bottom line is that the NFL is a hugely successful business which benefits monetarily from it's history and has the resources to help it's older players. The NFLPA also needs to step up to the plate. The NFL does a lot of self back patting over it's community service efforts. How ironic would it be if the part of the community that gets left behind are it's former players.
BF1- <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Right. boo hoo, they are in too much pain. I thought the old school generation of football players were tough? Guess not. Bunch of sissy babies like the new guys.</div> yeah, or maybe you watch too many movies. The big tough football player who can live through constant agonizing pain. You think because someone can't handle that it makes them a sissy? Idk where you get off saying that but I'd like to see you try to live a day in their shoes. edit - added BF1's quote DD posted b4 me.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Packersfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>BF1- <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Right. boo hoo, they are in too much pain. I thought the old school generation of football players were tough? Guess not. Bunch of sissy babies like the new guys.</div> yeah, or maybe you watch too many movies. The big tough football player who can live through constant agonizing pain. You think because someone can't handle that it makes them a sissy? Idk where you get off saying that but I'd like to see you try to live a day in their shoes. edit - added BF1's quote DD posted b4 me.</div> Live a day in thier shoes? Thats so dumb. It is the totality of thier lives that has them where they are, and i am quite sure i wouldnt be where they are. Having to lay in a bed someone else made doesnt give the picture, so walking a day in thier shoes would prove nothing. Also, yes people who cant take the pain or deal with thier situation themselves and expect others to bail them out on "moral" grounds are sissies. They need to suck it up and find a way to get it done, not waste time bellyaching to bleedheart reporter so he can shame NFL into making it all better
