John Hogan’s NFLPA Disability Plan
Well, here it is: John Hogan’s proposed NFLPA Disability Plan that he would have liked to have presented to Commissioner Goodell and all of the players present at the Oct. 8th Dallas meeting (click HERE to read about what happened). (And John Hogan’s website is HERE).
Working with the Retired Football Players Association (RFPA – click HERE), John has helped to address and write a practical proposal that makes sense and can be implemented for the benefit of all NFL players, past and present. It’s a pragmatic document that addresses many of the current policies and problems and why they’ve proven to be both ineffective and counterproductive. Worse, it also identifies key areas of common practice that have consistently ignored or violated Federal HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) laws over the years.
With years of experience first earned while working for Social Security Administration followed by a career as a Social Security Disability lawyer who has represented many NFL players already, John Hogan brings a very unique skillset that few other attorneys have. Keep in mind, this is a work in progress, but by posting this proposal online where everyone can read and comment on it, we can hope that it will provide everyone a starting point for an open dialog among the players, their union and the NFL.
This version is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format; if you don’t have a copy of the free Adobe Reader to view and print it, you can download it first by clicking on the ADOBE button below.
To download a copy of the document, right-click HERE and select Save Link As. Or just click HERE to read it if you already have ADOBE Reader.
Kathy Smith
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:22 am #
Dear John,
It was an honor to meet you in San Francisco, CA, on Monday at the Retired NFL Players-vs-the Players Inc. and the NFLPA.
You are a great person, and on behalf of all of the class-action NFL Retired Players and their families, thank you for your tireless support!
God Bless you and yours.
Sincerely,
Mr. and Mrs. Lucious Smith
Retired NFL Player 1980 – 1986
LA Rams, KC Chiefs, SD Chargers
Dave Pear
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:30 am #
Dear Mr. Hogan
As our attorney, Heidi and I also want to thank you for being a champion for justice. All retired players owe you a LARGE debt of gratitude for stepping to the line and standing up for our rights. Retired players have never been represented by a disability expert lawyer and this is one of the reasons why we have been treated so harshly with willful malice. The other reason is GREED along with conflicts of interest that are so pervasive throughout the NFLPA.
I hope you will continue your diligent and zealous efforts to seek restitution for retired players and their families. We’ll continue to relentlessly petition for justice and stand firm until we are vindicated!
Sincerely,
Dave & Heidi Pear
Bob Grant
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 pm #
John,
It was great talking with you after Court in San Francisco earlier this week. I was glad that you were there to show them that they have not “run you off.”
I really enjoyed watching Judge Alsup lay the law down for both sides. It was really something to see, fellas. If you can get up there – even if it’s only for a day – I urge you to do it. I can’t say more because Judge Alsup has ordered us to not speak publicly but I think that I can say that I really, really enjoyed the sights and hospitality of San Francisco.
Bob Grant