Independence ain’t Free
Roger the Hutt and Princess Jane
Last Friday, we posted a short piece on what has been the typical divide-and-conquer approach to keeping the retired and active players divided (read that last post HERE), especially now that the NFLPA has a new Executive Director who seems to be intent on changing the status quo. And with the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) looming overhead, things must be getting interesting in the NFL war room. Some people may have had an “Oh crap!” moment last Friday after a letter from Commissioner Goodell was dumped into the US Postal System just before we put up that Roger the Hutt piece. The letter was sent to a mailing list of retired players and has already been arriving at East Coast addresses earlier this week. Read the letter for yourself to understand the owners’ generosity in continuing to fund the “Independence” of the NFL Alumni (click on the images to enlarge for reading). The Commissioner also included a flyer so you can see some of the other fine programs they’re rolled out to help you.
So this is what Commissioner Goodell learned from his fact-finding road trip? More on Dave’s encounter with the NFL Player Care Foundation in an upcoming post!
UPDATE: We noticed that the NFL’s fancy flyer includes the banners from MyGoalLine.com and NFLPlayerCare.com which both have the NFLPA’s logo as a co-sponsor of those programs (which is true). So does the NFLPA actually endorse this new “Alumni/Alliance” in any way, shape or form?
Bob Grant
June 26th, 2009 at 12:45 pm #
Will somebody find a dictionary and look up the word INDEPENDENT. I’ll bet you that the definition doesn’t fit the new “Fourth and Alumni group.”
Some time ago, I told many of you that there was a conspiracy between the NFL and “Fourth and Alumni developing.” I know that there were some of you at the Summit who didn’t believe me when I sounded the alarm there.
Well, by now, you have probably received the latest letter of confession from Commissioner Goodell. If you will go down to the bottom of his letter, you’ll read his admission of the NFL Owners having financially supported the NFL Alumni for many years now and he also states that they will continue doing so in the future. He refers to them as being an INDEPENDENT Group that he can talk with on our Retired Player concerns. Can anyone please tell me how a Group can be called independent if it’s being funded by one of the very organizations that we are fighting with for our rights? If the Owners wanted to do the right thing, they could have done it last year, or ten years ago or 30 years before that. They know that we’re going to be suing them in our next round of Court actions and they’re already trying to “cut us off at the pass.” Since they’ll be funding the Alumni, it only stands to reason that the Alumni members will find it very hard to justify supporting any Court Action that we bring against them in the coming months. (Yep, we’re working on it already and they know it.) We’ll win the next time the same way that we did the last time, fellas.
Ask Bruce Laird if he ever came to anyone suggesting that they be the “bad cop” while he was being the “good cop” so he could get the PA and the NFL to talk to him. If he’ll take a Lie Detector Test and pass it in saying that he did not, I’ll donate my next pension check to Hungry Kids in any Third World Country on the planet that feeds hungry kids.
I was involved in a meeting held a few weeks back at the NFLPA offices and a reporter asked me if I would support a call for the Owners to open their books. I said that I would not only support that call and I would also ask the NFLPA to open theirs along with the Owners. When Bruce Laird was asked the same question, his response was “Uh, uh – no comment.” How could he say anything different? He’s not going to “bite the hand that’s going to be feeding the new Fourth and Alumni crowd.
What do you think? Should the Owners open their books?
The “Alumni Crowd” smiled in Bernie Parrish’s face and damn near kissed him all over. Then they wormed their way into D. Smith’s living room. Then they turned around and stabbed them both in the back. Now they have signed on with the Owners. I have never met a more cunning group in my entire life. Are those the kind of men that you want to place your trust in?
Now remember, I’m not the one who just said that the new Alumni group and the NFL Owners are in bed together. Roger just said that in the letter that you will get tomorrow.
He arbitrarily crowned THE ALLIANCE to lead us, now here he comes with a brand-new bunch.
We may be old but we’re not stupid. Let’s continue fighting from the middle, boys.
How much silver did they give to Judas to betray his Brother?
Bernie Parrish will be getting some important and very revealing information out to you in the next few days. If you want to know what has actually happened and what we’re going to be doing next, I suggest that you read it very carefully.
I’m going to say it again, men. Don’t be in such a hurry to run out and follow a new Reverend Jim Jones down to Jonestown. If my saying that makes their Lawyer mad, I don’t really care.
Finally, can someone out there write in with clarification on how the upcoming “Lockout” or “CBA freeze-out” will affect our Pension and Disability Monthly payments?
Bob Grant
Independent Retired Players Advocate
Dave Pear
June 26th, 2009 at 10:19 pm #
Fellow Retired Players,
The 2005 tax return for the NFL Alumni revealed they had $3.7 million in revenue and gave out only $800 to a former player in “verified dire need.” Incredible! Pathetic!
This is less than 1/2 of 1%! Thank you, Frank Krauser (CEO of the Alumni Group).
Is this the “heritage and historic mission of supporting retired players in medical and financial need” that Commissioner Goodell was referring to?
The real issue is pension/disability reform. A pension that at least matches (MLB) major league baseball and a LEGITIMATE disability plan that is unique to our industry.
ALL these new programs are white wash for Congress and are virtually worthless. I know because I had a total left hip replacement in 2008 and my benefit consisted of enough money for two seat cushions and a $5 co-pay!
How can the NFL Alumni be an independent organization if the NFL owners continue to provide financial assistance?
Sincerely,
Dave & Heidi Pear
Irv Cross
June 27th, 2009 at 1:07 am #
Bob, Dave, et al:
I received a letter from the Commissioner’s office today with a greeting to Dear Former NFL Player. In many ways, it looked and felt like a “Dear Occupant” letter. I don’t know how others felt, but I was insulted. I know we have major issues to address, but the Commissioner’s effort to open the door of communication was a “slap” in the face. Let me tell you why.
We all have different needs and have reached a wide array of success or failure after football.
I wonder if the Commissioner realized his “Dear Former Nfl Player” letter will be received by Jim Brown, Bart Starr, Joe Montana, Hugh McElhenny, Dwight Clarke, Lawrence Taylor, Fran Tarkenton, Emmit Smith and the families of John Unitas, John Mackey, Jim Ringo, and on. These are all great men who gave the game far more than the game could offer them. It would have been great to see my letter addressed as Dear Irv.
I was a member of the NFL Alumni Board in the early 80′s. Red Grange and I promoted the Youth Clinic series throughout the country. In case you have forgotten, the Alumni movement started in Philadelphia when Alex Wojciechowicz and a group of former Eagle players got together to raise funds for an ailing teammate. The team owner also participated as a donor. On October 26th, 1977 the Articles of Incorporation were signed and listed the following initial Directors: James Castiglia, Andrew Davis, Al DeMao, Frank Dempsey, Ken Farragut, Sherwin Gandea, Leon Hart, Dante Lavelli, Raymond Monaco, Marion Motley, William Dudley, Elroy Hirsch, V.I. Maitland, and John Panelli. The incorporators were Herbert Beller, Frank Chapper and Patricia White.
In 1977, the Alumni reorganized as a public, non-profit, tax exempt organization in order to raise more to help their own. The initial purposes of the Alumni were:
To help the old timers who need it;
To be of service to anyone who played professional football, whatever their age and needs;
To help the game by supporting our teams and the league, and by supporting organized youth football leagues;
To have a center for athletic medicine established for diagnosis and treatment of injuries, and a research center to study causes and prevention.
For me, the Commissioner’s letter, even though he meant well, stung a little. As a member of the Alumni Board I voted on every one of those proposals. We were a group of retired players searching for a way to help our colleagues, make the game stronger and inspire youngsters all over the nation to experience the greatest game on earth.
I know I haven’t addressed key issues in this note, but I want you to feel my pain. During my career in the league, I had a chance to meet and know players from the ’20′s all the way through today’s rosters. They all had many common traits: great competitors, team players, willing to make sacrifices for the team, executed assignments to the best of his abillty, a strong desire to win, and they never quit. We need to bring all of these ingredients together by standing to the objectives established in Las Vegas.
I know I have bounced around a lot with this debate, but I’m learning as we go. Bob, if Bernie has something to present, he should do so asap. We do not want to miss a once in a lifetime opportunity. Where is the NFLPA in this discussion? I think it would be a big mistake to not open the door of communication to D. Smith’s office. We have to remain independent, and transparent to provide the services our retirees and their families deserve.
I like what the Commissioner is attempting to do, but I believe the body being represented should have something to say about who represents them. Fourth and Goal might be the answer, but how can that be done with a voice from the “membership”? The Commissioner’s appointments feel divisive.
Let’s work to stay together. D. Smith, do you have a letter for us?
Irv Cross
con’d in the next comment
Irv Cross
June 27th, 2009 at 7:36 am #
con’d from the last comments:
I’m writing to give everyone an historical perspective of the original NFL Alumni, and our intent. Granted, much has changed, but so much more remains the same. All of this material are segments from a guide prepared by Vic Maitland to aid the Alumni in donor prospecting. Here are a few:
“In 1976, after much negotiation, the NFL owners agreed to set aside a percentage of the profits from NFL Properties, Inc., as a contribution toward the “Dire Need Fund.” It is jointly managed by a committee from the League and the Alumni to guarantee up to $10,000 a year to any old pro needing assistance. While the amount is meaningful, it is hardly sufficient to live on in today’s inflationary spiral. So, in 1977, the Alumni reorganized as a public, non-profit, tax exempt association in order to raise more money on their own – to be of further help to their own.
The prospecting manual prepared by then-Executive Director Vic Maitland addressed a number of key donor questions:
Question: What connection is there between the Alumni and the NFL or the NFLPA?
Answer: None, whatsoever. The Alumni is completely autonomous and independent, and does not receive financial support from any other organization.
We do enjoy very good relations with the NFL — among other things, the use of the world-famous NFL shield with the word Alumni across it as our official symbol, thanks to Pete Rozelle.
The NFL funds our retirement-income program from the profits it receives from the sale of NFL-endorsed products; but none of the operating expenses are paid by the NFL.
We are working toward good relationships with the Player’s Association, based on our many mutual interests and the fact that every active player will one day retire from football and become a potential Alumnus.
We enjoy an excellent working relationship with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and support one another’s programs and goals, but it is a mutually supportive relationship, not a financial one.
We accept donations from any source, but not with strings attached. That way, the Alumni can remain completely independent, and able to pursue our goals without distraction with a clear conscience.
The above comments were used to build the NFL Alumni. We told all of our donors, sponsors, members and the general public that these were our guiding principles. I saw these concepts being developed, and things like ‘help our own, improve the game, have good relations with the NFL, NFLPA and the NFL Hall of Fame’ were deeply embedded in everything we did.
But the concept I admired most about our founding Alumni fathers stand on this simple but honest concept: “We accept donations from any source, but not with strings attached. That way, the Alumni can remain completely independent, and able to pursue our goals without distraction and with a clear conscience.”
What has happened since 1976? It seems to me we already have everything the Commissioner is proposing: The Shield, a strong membership base and a Dire Need Fund. We even see “new” programs being developed for the benefit of retirees. What we do not have is an independent organization to speak for the needs of all retirees regarding our most important issues: Pension and retirement, disability income, a single voice, transparency and independence. We talked about all of these things in the 70′s. Let’s not blow the opportunity to build a sound Alumni organization we can all be proud of.
Bob, the Old Pros defined independence clearly in 1977: “We accept donations from any source, but not with strings attached. That way, the Alumni can remain completely independent and able to pursue or goals without distraction and with a clear conscience.”
Irv Cross
Dave Pear
June 27th, 2009 at 9:56 pm #
Commissioner Goodell,
Your letter is gibberish. Did you actually write it? It starts off, “Dear Former NFL Player”? With all due respect, I agree with Irv Cross: That sounds like some sort of junk mail I would normally toss in the trash.
When are you going to make real changes and refrain from these newly-created so called benefits that offer almost nothing?
May I suggest pension/disability reform because you clearly DO NOT understand the issues with regard to retired players. (By the way, you ARE the Chairman of The Retirement Board and Disability Initial Claims Committee).
As the Commissioner of the NFL you must give retired players something to respect. However, this letter hurts your credibility.
Sincerely,
Dave Pear
Bob Grant
June 28th, 2009 at 12:39 pm #
Instead of just joining the new Alumni Group, I am hoping that you’ll also join Bernie Parrish and the rest of us who are involved in the next round of suits against the NFL and the NFLPA. Don’t be distracted and don’t take your eye off of the ball. THEY are counting on your doing both. Your help and support are very much needed.
Bob Grant
Parrish Team Member
Independent Advocate
Bernie Parrsh
June 29th, 2009 at 6:10 pm #
Guys:
Many of you are asking about joining the NFL Alumni because the Commissioner is promoting you to join it. The fact that Goodell is pushing it should tell you what kind of deal it is. My advice is: Don’t join! It would be worse than a mistake; it would be like shooting yourself in the foot. If you’ve written a check to NFL Alumni, my advice is you should stop payment on it at your bank immediately.
Bruce Laird and I have been playing “good cop/bad cop” with Goodell and his goons for the past year-and-a-half to two years. I got to be the “bad cop” and have the most fun. It was like “punking” the Wizard of OZ who finally came out from behind his curtains and PR sound effects to exposed his underhanded plan to name who the evil Commissioner wants to have represent retired players so he can continue to delay and deny. He awkwardly admitted in his letter of gibberish that he would keep control of the NFL Alumni/4th and Goal leashed representatives using his funding leash – as he has in the past – just in case they might try to do some thing he and his bosses don’t agree with, like sue NFL Ventures or NFL Films.
What good is any retired players representative organization that can’t sue the NFLPA or the NFL?
Bruce and I have exchanged well over 100 telephone calls and many emails carrying out our “good cop/bad cop” strategy and Goodell and his henchmen fell for it with blind arrogance. There I go being the “bad cop” again.
In the next day or two, I will be sending you my analysis of why we must fight the $26.25 million 2 3/4-year “crafted” settlement (by NFLPA lawyer Jeffrey Kessler) that our lawyer is trying to maneuver us into accepting by saying it was negotiated with Latham & Watkins, one of “D” Smith’s old law firms rather than Kessler. $416 a month for two years will make it more difficult for the 2062 class plaintiffs to put $1,000 each into a Litigation War Chest to finish the job of recovering all the money we’ve been cheated out of by the same bastards who are still in power in the NFLPA.
The new ERA of reconciliation is our lawyer Ron Katz’s idea and he has Herb Adderley singing his songs about it. Ron sure has changed his tune from the email he wrote to Herb, Walt Roberts and me on June 23, 2007:
“As a lawyer, I live for cases like this one: a just cause, good clients & a hateful foe. It’s an honor to represent you gentlemen.
Ron”
Now Katz’ song has changed 180 degrees – those who defrauded us are no longer “hateful foes” but Kumbaya locker room buddies.
Forgive us for demanding part of the money you cheated us out of but…
THE SETTLEMENT DEAL SMELLS LIKE LAWYERS SCREWING CLIENTS! I WILL EXPLAIN IT TO YOU OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. MY ADVICE IS DON’T TRUST ANYBODY IN THESE TWO DEALS.
Bernie Parrish
Irv Cross
July 1st, 2009 at 9:20 am #
Bernie:
Thanks! We need a different and informed perspective. I anxiously await your input. I do not have any insights on the legal and liability issues involved in the Alumni’s disputes with the League and the the NFLPA. What I am interested in – and have strong feelings about – is to see whatever wrongs committed corrected. I don’t have any answers except I believe whatever action takes place must be done by an independent, transparent, advocacy group representing ALL ALUMNI. I have membership cards from the NFL Alumni as well as the NFLPA Alumni since their inception. My impulse is to help make these organizations better to truly represent their membership.
Reorganization is a common practice in the business world. Why not reorganize and combine the NFL Alumni and NFLPA Alumni to be a true independent advocacy group for retired players? Put it in terms of a social justice movement.
Random thoughts.
Irv Cross
Kathy Smith
July 6th, 2009 at 8:18 pm #
The Retired Players Summit was interesting.
We were presented with: an investment group proposing 10 retired players put $50k in to start earning unequal retirement income based on all retired players’ reputations, a proposal for a building in Dallas that would benefit a few based on all retired players’ reputations and a few retired players that said they had organized a self-appointed committee to “represent” all of us retired players based upon all retired players’ reputation and support.
In other words, there was no consensus drawn at the Summit, no acceptable solutions, only a few presenters with personal agendas. I was shocked to receive the letter from Goodell. Who did he talk to? Not us retired players and families.
Kathy Smith