That is it in a nutshell. You reap what you sow and these players are proof of it. I wasn't alive back in the 70s so I don't know what 23k did for a person back then. If it wasn't much, the player should have made sure that he had something to fall back on, considering how dangerous football is and how quickly a career can end. They should have made sure thier contracts demanded "X" amount of money each time the NFL used their faces in some way or another. Maybe they should have done what Peyton Manning does and film commercial after commercial until they have so much money they can BUY a NFL team.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (porky88)</div><div class='quotemain'>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> My point exactly.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>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.</div> It would take very little effort for the NFL to step up here. All they'd need to do is set up a foundation for aiding former players and get a major investment firm to manage the money. They set up a website and a phone number to take donations and run commercials during the games every week. As a lifelong NFL fan, I'd be proud to contribute...and I think a lot of people would. This would also help raise awareness of the problem. How many of today's NFL players even know the full history of the game? You're telling me that some of these 23 year old kids with $100 million contracts who sleepwalked through college know what happened in the NFL 40 - 80 years ago? Not many, I'd wager. If the NFL made the issue more widely known, I bet a lot of these uber rich kids would step up to the plate and donate to the cause. The fact is, the NFL generates BILLIONS in revenue every year. Even with the ludicrous cost of player contracts these days, the NFL is swimming in money. Even a slight effort on the league's part would help this situation a lot. I really don't think it's too much to ask.
BF1- <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>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</div> So everyone who is working at a job that's not guaranteeing them enough money to live the rest of their life on is stupid? How about military personnell? More dangerous then football, so are they stupid? The fact is; if you get injured at work, you expect compensation. edit- added quote (will make sure I quote next time)
The other thing that I'd like to point out is that in the old days of the NFL, no one had any idea that they were signing on for a lifetime of pain. How were they supposed to know? Today's NFL players have access to the best doctors and hospitals in the world. They have a fully trained medical staff and facilities available to them at all times. Here in Houston, there's an entire floor of the Methodist Hospital just for professional athletes...and the Methodist is one of the 10 best hospitals in the country. Today's NFL players are benefiting from what old school players went through. It's kind of a sick way to look at it, but it's true. Again, I think there are ways for the NFL to help without screwing anyone over.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Packersfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>BF1- <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>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</div> So everyone who is working at a job that's not guaranteeing them enough money to live the rest of their life on is stupid? How about military personnell? More dangerous then football, so are they stupid? The fact is; if you get injured at work, you expect compensation. edit- added quote (will make sure I quote next time)</div> Yes, anyone who is working at a job, and isnt making enough to eventually retire on, and continues to do so, without trying other paths is stupid. They deserve to fail. The military takes care of the people who are in it. If you are in for 20 years, you get 50% of base pay for life, 30 years is 75% and 40 years is 90%. Plus they have a plethora of programs to educate and train its members. If you di overseas they take care of your family, and if you are injured they pay you appropriately based on severity of injury. Obviously if you get injured at work, and it was companies fault, and you can prove it, you deserve to be compensated for any amount of work you were unable to work. However, i doubt that ex nfl players couldnt have more than adequately compensated themselves by making a deal with a memorabilia dealer and selling hats/helmets/balls with their names on them. Too much of a handout mentality here, and i dont like it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BearsFan1)</div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Packersfan)</div><div class='quotemain'>BF1- <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>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</div> So everyone who is working at a job that's not guaranteeing them enough money to live the rest of their life on is stupid? How about military personnell? More dangerous then football, so are they stupid? The fact is; if you get injured at work, you expect compensation. edit- added quote (will make sure I quote next time)</div> Yes, anyone who is working at a job, and isnt making enough to eventually retire on, and continues to do so, without trying other paths is stupid. They deserve to fail. The military takes care of the people who are in it. If you are in for 20 years, you get 50% of base pay for life, 30 years is 75% and 40 years is 90%. Plus they have a plethora of programs to educate and train its members. If you di overseas they take care of your family, and if you are injured they pay you appropriately based on severity of injury. Obviously if you get injured at work, and it was companies fault, and you can prove it, you deserve to be compensated for any amount of work you were unable to work. However, i doubt that ex nfl players couldnt have more than adequately compensated themselves by making a deal with a memorabilia dealer and selling hats/helmets/balls with their names on them. Too much of a handout mentality here, and i dont like it.</div> Wow, what a great idea, getting compensated for getting injured, oh yeah that's what every employee in the U.S is supposed to be able to expect, including NFL players.
