Dave Pear's Blog

It seems that the most common comment from the young players today who read our last post from Sam Huff has been, “Who’s Sam Huff and Why’s He Mad as Hell“? (Read that earlier post HERE.) Like a lot of us, History wasn’t their strong suit on a college football scholarship…

So as a little history lesson for the day, we’re posting a copy of an incredible piece of NFL/NFLPA history. Dave just received a copy of a letter sent to Ed Khayat (click to read more about Ed) in Mississippi (note the postmark from 1958 and the lack of a zip code back then!). The letter summarizes a meeting held by current players’ representatives at the time in January 1958 to discuss some of the conditions and problems each of the players faced just to play the game. Much like that LM-2, it’s very revealing in details. Kind of like the Summit Abner Haynes and Bob Grant are calling for again today (if you haven’t done so, be sure to sign up for information on the Summit by clicking on the Join the Summit tab at the top of this site).

They were just in the early stages of forming their players association (the forerunner of today’s Union) and many were so poor, they had to be given the option of having $5.00 a week taken out of their $50 a week training allowance until their $25 dues were paid up! In fact, the Green Bay players were given a “generous” $50 a week training camp allowance and the poor Detroit Lions were only given a $25 a week allowance! You’ll also see that on Page 4, Bob Walston of the Philadelphia Eagles voiced his team’s biggest complaint as, “Players are against the injury clause and feel that it is unfair that the players must sign away workers compensation claims while playing ball. The players feel they should have a voice in what type equipment they should use.” Wow!

You’ll also see that the majority of the players were favorable to forming a players association and the owners were clearly against it even back then.  This old document is now 50 years old and goes a long way in detailing the early struggles of the old players in forming the NFLPA, as well as giving everyone a snapshot into just how poorly these guys were paid and treated for their pure love of the game.

We can only hope that this letter gets widely circulated for a couple of reasons: One good reason is as a retort to all those jerks who continue to post their ignorant rants about “those rich, old players complaining about not getting their due after squandering their riches.” We also hope that the young players of today who have shown no interest in helping or even so much as acknowledging the contributions of the older retired players both on AND off the field might sit up and take a little more notice (50 years later and it’s a different day but same problems – you don’t want to be looking back on this the same way 50 years from now!). In fact, one of Sam’s pet peeves is that when he and co-host Sonny Jurgensen try to get current players on their local Redskins football broadcasts, few of them return their calls because they have no clue who Sam and Sonny are! So after you read this letter, think again.

As always, click on each thumbnail to enlarge for easier reading. You can also download a PDF copy of the document by clicking HERE.

4 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

1. Brant Boyer
   February 18th, 2009 at 7:28 am #

   
   I agree with ya, Sam! I would love to see the retired players step away from the current union; I think it’s a conflict of interest. The problem is the current players and their leadership in the NFLPA don’t give a damn about former players cause the money is still coming in, they have their benefits, they haven’t been turned down on their medical claims 50 times etc. etc. – with very few exceptions.

   Last year, I tried to start a business development company that would have greatly helped current, former and all future players. It was a plan that every player could use and benefit from. The problem is when you want to give EVERYONE ownership, share in revenues, have a business of their own etc., most players that I talked to were so full of greed and themselves that it was very hard to make them understand it was for their benefit; if everyone would just come together, we could make a huge difference and turn this thing around. Why should the NFLPA and agents benefit, when it should be the players! But unfortunately, until people drop there egos and greed and finally come together, it will never change!

   Brant Boyer
   Miami Dolphins 94
   Jacksonville Jaguars 95 – 00
   Cleveland Browns 01 – 04

2. Michael Cheever
   February 18th, 2009 at 9:10 am #

   
   The players are the product that everyone pays to see. When I was an active player, I was big, fast and strong. I was also young and foolish. When you’re young and strong, it’s difficult to relate to career-ending injury or the sacrifices paid by others in the past to create the current opportunity. Those pictures of Sam Huff and Bob Grant made me realize that. In their youth, they were like I was in my youth. We are now joined by professional football, the game we loved and played.

   The current players should wake up and realize that if you forget your past, you jeopardize your future. The reality is that unless the current players (i.e. – the NFL’s current product) stand up for their future, then they will wind up right where we all are in a very short time. The game passes quickly and once you are done, you don’t get to play it again. I applaud the vets who built the game for almost nothing, made the NFL what it is today and provided me a life-changing opportunity. Serious injury cut my career short like it has to so many, some of them prior to getting much reward at all. The players active and retired are separated only by a few years or an injury. To forget that creates the weakness that the NFLPA currently exploits.

   Michael Cheever
   Jaguars ’96-98

3. Dave Pear
   February 18th, 2009 at 10:10 am #

   
   Sam,

   Thank you for speaking out about our counterfeit NFLPA union LEADERSHIP. Their days are numbered as GREEDY, VILE and UNSAVORY rascals who lack fiduciary responsibility to the retired members! As they continue to flout their ruthless power and curry favor with the active players, their house of cards is starting to fall apart before our eyes.

   Active players will soon be retired players and if things do not change they’ll have a union that will NOT support them. The NFLPA LEADERSHIP has proven to be a ruthless enemy of retired players.

   Together, retired players can stand up for our legal rights and petition for justice from a union that continues to cheat and swindle their retired members and their beneficiaries.

   For decades, the NFLPA LEADERSHIP has operated above the law but the winds of change are finally blowing and the judicial consequences along with the court of public opinion will force them to play by the rules and refrain from dealing treacherously with retired players.

   Sincerely,
   Dave & Heidi Pear

4. Dave Pear
   February 18th, 2009 at 10:55 am #

   
   Dear Retired Players,

   Unlike Gene Upshaw and Jeffrey Kessler, we strongly believe that retired players are in fact quite marketable.

   Sincerely,
   Dave & Heidi Pear