Bernie Parrish: For the Record
Over the past 24 hours, we’ve certainly had a lot of discussions around the old adage “Not seeing the forest for the trees.” In the old way of controlling their spin on all stories about football, the NFL managed to keep all of the television networks and most of the major print media on very short leashes because of their broadcast rights and access to players and managers for interviews. And then the Internet came along. Despite claims of a few who proudly proclaim they invented the Internet and Facebook, this new medium has not only moved the retired football players battle to a new and level playing field; it’s in a different league altogether. Just as the past two weeks have completely caught Tiger Woods and his team of old-school PR flacks like deer in the headlights, the NFLPA and the NFL and their old media machines have been hard-pressed to catch up with a new medium that they can no longer control. The Internet doesn’t belong to anyone and it belongs to everyone.
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As so many of you already know, Bernie Parrish was the original plaintiff in the NFLPA/Players Inc. lawsuit – always was and always will be. And we’ll continue to refer to that case as Parrish vs. Players Inc. I guess some people feel that if you keep trying to spin it another way often enough, people will forget – just like the NFL and the NFLPA. But we did notice that even as contentious as it got throughout the trial, both Jeffrey Kessler and Richard Berthelsen were generally professional and respectful enough to refer to the case as Parrish vs. NFLPA/Players Inc. in their filings. But things deteriorated rapidly between Bernie and his hired attorney, Ron Katz. As a result, you will notice the filings that came out of Katz’s office after a certain point were generally filed as Herbert Adderley vs. NFLPA/Players Inc. Some people have been fed a hook, line and sinker to diminish Bernie Parrish and his years of independent work for all retired players.
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On a quick side note for those of you who were on that final GLA Settlement list, we’re going to emphasize here once again: Watch your mail for the paperwork from Garden City Group over the next week. Some of the guys have already reported receiving their information already. If you don’t receive it by the end of December, be sure to call them at (866) 697-5552 and leave them a message. The folks at Garden City Group will get back to you quickly. It’s possible they might have an old or wrong address for you. Then be sure to send the completed form back to them as quickly as you can (it has to be postmarked no later than Feb. 9, 2009 to qualify). Then put it in an envelope and mail it to this address (by USPS Certified Mail with confirmation so you know they got it):
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Retired Player Class Action Administrator
c/o The Garden City Group, Inc.
P.O. Box 91047
Seattle, WA 98111-9147
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Now for any of you who have never been involved in any class action litigation, Plaintiffs’ attorneys have a strong hand in managing most of the details of the distribution. In some cases, the attorneys are clearly working for their clients, the Plaintiffs, and do everything they can to make the process simple and painless. Many of these settlement agreements are sent out with postage-paid return envelopes and in some cases, they’ll even FedEx the paperwork to you along with another overnight return envelope inside. Not in this case. Apparently, even return envelopes weren’t authorized and approved to make it any easier for each of you (let’s see – 2,000 envelopes at maybe 10¢ apiece?). Each of you needs to understand that if 1,000 of the retired players do NOT return their forms, their money will go back into a general pool that will be re-divided proportionately between the players who DID return their forms AND the Plaintiffs’ attorneys. In other words, the more steps there are to make it more difficult to get this done, the fewer of you guys will get your money – and the more money the lawyers get to keep. Judge Alsup took these lawyers to task for their flawed representation and the general conduct of the entire trial so he cut their collective fees and expenses down significantly from what they were asking. If you do NOT return your paperwork, they WILL get more money despite Judge Alsup’s efforts at fairness.
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And while we’re on the subject of actually reading ALL the documents instead of just stopping at the first page, it’s interesting to note that NEITHER Bernie Parrish NOR Walt Roberts are anywhere to be seen in either the final order for settlement nor are they included in that GLA Settlement List! Bernie Parrish is the one retired player who had the least to gain while winning many of you over $10,000 apiece with absolutely no contribution or direct participation on your part. Please don’t forget that! What’s more interesting is the fact that Bruce Laird, Jeff Nixon and even George Martin ARE listed as recipients of this largesse. Did any of them point that out to you retired players? We would politely suggest that in order to show their principles of standing behind the New NEW NFL Alumni Ass., we would like to see each of them post copies of their Cashiers Checks for the entire amount they receive from this lawsuit made out to the NFL Alumni Dire Need Fund as soon as they receive their settlement checks (if you need their address, just let us know and we’ll even send you a postage-paid envelope!). If Dave and Bernie and Bob were people you don’t want to be associated with, then why didn’t you opt out of the lawsuit like those few players who did at the beginning of the trial? You seem happy enough to sling mud at them but you’re still more than happy to eat out of the same trough after all the heavy lifting is done. Perhaps your contributions will help buy Frank Krauser another box of those fancy Cuban cee-gars?
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With all that, here’s Bernie’s response:
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The caption is actually correct. If you take the time to read the June 5, 2009 “SETTLEMENT AND RELEASE AGREEMENT (click on the thumbnail below to see that highlighted note – it WILL enlarge for easier reading) on page 4 item 3 under I. DEFINITIONS it gives this definition for our Class Action: The term “Class Action” shall mean the case captioned Bernard Parrish, et al., v National Football League Players Inc., et al., No. C07 00943 WHA, brought in the United States District Court for Northern California, and now pending before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No.09 -15226.”
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The caption on the June 5, 2009 SETTLEMENT AND RELEASE AGREEMENT is exactly the same as the caption on 11/23/09 INTRODUCTION document. Judge Alsup’s 9/15/2009 signed court order is captioned BERNARD PAUL PARRISH, HERBERT ANTHONY ADDERLEY, and WALTER ROBERTS III, PLAINTIFFS No. C07 00943 WHA, while Judge Alsup’s 8/7/2009 court order is captioned BERNARD PAUL PARRISH, et al., Plaintiffs No. C 07 00943.
- bring our retirement plan up to at least match baseball’s;
- totally rewrite the disability and pension plans to fit professional football’s unique qualities; and
- bring about a one-time $500,000 reparations payment to each of those players who played before 1993.
Bruce Jarvis
December 18th, 2009 at 6:33 pm #
Just wondering Mr. Nixon (Fourth and Goal),
What is your goal in attacking Dave Pear and Bernie Parrish? How do you expect that will help any former player seeking decent pension, disability or medical benefits from the NFL which are earned and have been due in most cases for decades?
There are true adversaries in this struggle; however you misguidedly take shots at two people who are taking the fight to the NFL owners, the NFLPA and others responsible for the status quo. Divide-and-conquer has been the obvious strategy of the owners with respect to the former players who built the NFL. Do you have a stake in doing their bidding or are you simply an outright fool?
Bruce Jarvis
Buffalo Bills
1971 – 1974
RobertinSeattle
December 18th, 2009 at 6:44 pm #
To whoever is responsible: Thanks! Traffic to Dave’s blog has now spiked to levels we’ve never seen in the nearly 2 years it’s been up and running. Over 6,000 views in under 4 hours. Keep those cards and insults coming!
Bob Grant
December 18th, 2009 at 8:44 pm #
The Fourth and Alumni Crew are having a heck of a hard time getting new Members to join them because most of you have figured out that they are little more than “hit men and agents” for Roger and the NFL.
Their target in the foolishness that “Reindeer # 1″ just wrote was Dave and his Blog, not Bernie or Me. Why? Because they’re upset that Dave and Robert would not turn the Blog over to them so that they could sell that New Alumni mess to everyone. They were begging us to post foolishness that they wanted to get out as recently as thirty days ago. There is a solid reason for my saying “US.”
Bernie and I also recently heard that those jokers have been telling folks that they are “very close to being able to prove that Bernie and I planned to shoot their coup down even before the Independent Summit” that I personally helped to design and produce. More on that later – the Fourth and Alumni’s crowd’s new plan is now to try hijacking our work once again by announcing that they’re planning to have their first “Alumni Summit” – not ‘Meeting’ but ‘Summit’ – down in Miami just before the Pro Bowl. They can’t even be honest and original in coming up with a name for their Meeting.
I am going to save those guys from wasting any more time trying to “prove” that Bernie and I planned to stop them from the beginning. GUILTY – I plead GUILTY right now and Bernie says that he would like for me to enter the same plea and confession for him!
As always, I remain,
A Member Of the Parrish Team
Stay tuned for my next post and comments on the Valerie Thomas radio interview. (As a Retired player you should absolutely know who she is if you don’t already. Especially you guys who are getting any money from the GLA settlement.
Bob Grant,
INDEPENDENT Activist and Advocate
Chris Burford
December 18th, 2009 at 10:18 pm #
A sincere thanks to you, Bernie, for all you have done for the retired players! Hope you realize how very important your steadfast resolve has been in bringing about the progress to date.
Best personal regards,
Chris Burford
Houston Texans/Kansas City Chiefs
1960 – 1967
Chris
December 19th, 2009 at 5:16 am #
My father never let me play football. He played when he was a kid. When all the other boys in the neighborhood played Pop Warner I wasn’t allowed. I never understood. He told me that it didn’t make any sense to get hurt so young and explained that his knees are still messed up. He was recruited to play in college (a MAJOR Big-10 team, I might add) but chose track and field instead. I had a great sports experience without it and was a college athlete as well. I am glad now that he made the choice for me. It’s funny to look back at that and realize how smart his decision was. I’m not a big guy and would never gotten far in football anyway.
Brian
December 19th, 2009 at 8:59 am #
Dave,
Great blog! I am not a former NFL player, but I have always loved the game.
I have read for years how the NFL has stonewalled retired players and almost always find a way to block benefits, pensions, etc.
I find what the NFL has done absolutely reprehensible. What logical reason do they have for not providing a decent pension or medical benefits to retired players? Too expensive? Well, too bad — that’s the cost of doing business.
The NFL is displaying greed of the absolute worse kind and the sad part is that it does not have to be this way. Simply divert some of the TV revenue and set up a fund that would cover it all. It wouldn’t even make a dent in profits.
The ironic thing is that the NFL who is always so worried about its image and public perception is giving itself the worst black eye every time it denies benefits to a former player.
On behalf of NFL fans everywhere, I want to thank all players for the sacrifices you made to provide us with the game we love. I know that I will be helping spread the word of your cause in any way I can.
Happy Holidays!
Brian
Conrad Dobler
December 19th, 2009 at 9:00 am #
Dave -
Thanks for all the kind and true facts about Bernie. He’s the real man behind our cause. Without him we wouldn’t have gotten this far. I appreciate you keeping everyone informed and letting everyone know the real man behind our cause.
Thanks for keeping me informed and motivated – I’m able to advance our cause with my book tour. I did a radio show in St. Louis Wednesday with a recently retired player and he asked what he could expect now that he’s retired. I told him to stay in shape and expect no help from the Union.
Thanks for all your help. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Conrad Dobler
St. Louis Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills
1972 – 1981
P.S. – I still have my leg but will only get 30 percent bend and it’s the last one they can do. The next one, I will lose the leg.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Smarg
December 19th, 2009 at 10:39 am #
While I sympathize with you guys, I also must admit it all sounds similar to the welfare moochers who want free money from the “deep pocket” folks; in this case it’s the NFL. You athletically gifted folks made your own choices, enjoyed the limelight, now you must pay the price…NOT the NFL fans who are already gouged enough at the ticket offices and stadiums.
“WHEY MAH NFL REPARATIONS BE?? THEY BE DONE PROMISED ME MAH REPARATIONS!!!
Smarg
December 19th, 2009 at 10:43 am #
Oh, and Conrad, no one put a gun to your head and told you to be an NFL player, right?? Thought so. Shut up and walk with your cane to your bed, and think about that for a while.
RobertinSeattle
December 19th, 2009 at 11:54 am #
To Smarg and other people looking to snipe anonymously:
We do our best to keep an open dialog so people can voice their opinions and ideas. From your IP address and e-mail:
24.210.236.28 and tjhall31@hotmail.com, we can see you’re writing in from Seattle and your name is TJ Hall (I won’t get into the specifics of the exact block in the city where you’re writing for now but…)
Think about that for a while…
If you actually took the time to read this blog to understand what’s been really going on, you’d know that the retired players DO have money that’s supposed to be set aside for their pensions and disability benefits in retirement. They’re not whining and they’re certainly not asking you for money. No ifs, ands or buts about it. The money’s been sitting there being “managed” by their so-called Union and the League with no control or representation by the very people who are supposed to be receiving it.
If you’re this good at mocking others, why don’t you get a real pair and start complaining about the thieves who have been stealing money out of their pockets for decades? I can only imagine what you’d sound like if someone snookered YOU out of YOUR pension money or Social Security fund. You might actually do some good.
A lot of people have needed an education on the real facts behind what you see on television .
Kathy Smith
December 19th, 2009 at 10:15 pm #
First let’s look at a quote from Jeff Nixon,
“Bernie was dismissed as a Class Representative because of public statements he made that could have been detrimental to winning the lawsuit. ….Additionally, I will not silently stand by while the NFL Alumni is continually attacked by the retired players associated with Dave Pear and his Blog”
Yeah, duh. Those who have been listening for the past 2 years have pretty strong positions against anyone who would sell out their retired player brothers.
Those like Mr. Bernard “Bernie” Parrish have been approached to head retired organizations for PAY, but unlike Bernie, they have taken the money to quiet this free speech down. They do this at the expense of our aging gladiators, their brother Retired NFL Players who gave their hearts and bodies for the moneymaking machine you all see today. People like Bernie just can’t be bought.
Anyone who would even think of attempting to tarnish the name of a great man such as Mr. Bernard Parrish should be ashamed of themselves. They deserve our pity because there is a place in hell waiting for them. It is too bad that we will have to look backwards to extend our appreciation and RESPECT to Mr. Bernard Parrish, Mr. Dave Pear, Mr. Robert Lee, Mr. Bob Grant, Mr. Brent Boyd, and the list goes on.
But we digress; this blog is about obtaining pension benefits, disability benefits, medical benefits and royalties for aging retired NFL players.
How is it that EA Sports and their partners make money from the foundation that retired NFL players built? Why don’t all retired players get royalties for this type of sales activity? How is it that the NFLPA provided a list of Upshaw assistants to benefit from the recent lawsuit settlement?
Kathy & Lucious Smith
Jeff Nixon
December 20th, 2009 at 6:48 am #
Lucious: The Judge dismissed Bernie for making racist comments against African Americans. If you want to stand by him after the things he has said, good for you. I’ve heard the same crap about Bernie being approached to head the NFL Alumni for years. He’s got one hell of an ego to think that after all the years of trashing the organization, they’re going to put him in that position. Just exactly who has taken money to quite Bernie’s free speech. I haven’t received penny from anyone. On the other hand, what happened to the money that Bernie received through Retired Players for Justice. One of the other reasons The Judge dismissed Bernie from the case (read the transcripts) was because money disappeared from the account. What a slap in the face to Herb Adderley. I went to the trial in San Francisco and I didn’t see Bernie on the stand testifying on behalf of retired Players. It was Herb Adderley and Bruce Laird. Bernie never came to the Retired Player Summit. Bernie didn’t show up for the Congressional Hearings on Concussions. This is your leader! You can have him.
Jeff Nixon
NFL Alumni Association Member
Fourth & Goal Board Member
Bob Grant
December 20th, 2009 at 12:25 pm #
This argument is becoming stupid. By way of explanation, I assure you that Bernie Parrish is not a racist. The comments that he made about Hip Hoppers, Bling and Gangstas etc. didn’t even come from him originally. That stuff came from me in a personal conversation between the two of us as we made jokes about Gene saying that he would be hiring Suge Knight next. (In fact, Bernie didn’t even know who Suge Knight was. I had to tell him!) You know how it is in Black culture, we say things about ourselves and use terms privately and in song and entertainment that a white person can’t. I believe it’s the same with Italians, Jews, Irish, Asians, Germans, Russians, Arabs, Pacific Islanders and Latinos.
I told Bernie after the unfortunate incident that I could use talk like that but he could not and we both laughed as I told him that he should just leave all of that kind of talk to me in the future because I was “qualified to use it.” Obviously, someone did not fill Judge Alsup in on this.
Jeff, I’ll ask you the famous F. Lee Baily question to Mark Fuhrman in the O.J. Simpson trial and let’s see how you would hold up. So I will ask, “Jeff have you ever used the “N” word to anyone at any point in your life?” I dare you to say that you have not.
That said, I don’t believe that you’re a racist and no one has accused Bernie of saying anything like that. As his friend, I have to say that both you and Judge Alsup are wrong to imply that he is anything more than an honorable man who cared enough for Retired Players to “go to bat for them.”
I, too, attended the Trial up in San Francisco and you know that all of us including you, John Hogan and Bruce Laird were with Bernie 100%.
Herb Adderley is a friend on mine and he personally said to me one day as we left the Federal Bldg, “Bob, Bernie is the one who is responsible for all of this and I wouldn’t even be here if he hadn’t brought me in on this thing.” Now the last time that I saw Herb, he was “Black ‘n Tan” and actually still one “Good looking Soul Brother.”
Jeff, you seem to be working so hard trying to turn us Black Players against Bernie. It’s not going to work though, because we know about Haole guys like you. I remember the 1960′s when some “wanna be tricky folks” were telling us not to support Dr. King because he was a Communist. If you would like for me to expand on that I can. Any time a MAN is fighting for his people, there is always going to be some J. Edgar Hoover type around trying to discredit HIM.
This conversation needs to end right here. We will get on with our work as Independents and Bernie will continue working on another lawsuit that will hopefully put some money in the pocket of every single living Retired NFL Player. I know that all of us will get behind him and support him.
Listening to all of this latest stuff you would think that Bernie is Al Capone, John Gotti, President Nixon, President Clinton, President Jefferson Davis and Bernie Madoff rolled into one.
“Nixon and Comet and Blitzen and the most famous reindeer of all” aren’t that important at all. I guess that’s one of the reasons that George Martin is being so careful about working with them. Back during my playing years, we called the Alumni the “White Boys Club.” You old timers know that’s the truth. Well, it seems as if George is at least off to a good start making sure that the leaders of the coup, Nixon and Laird don’t bring the old days back.
George, if you and I ever get together I promise you that I will be more than happy to bring you absolute proof of some of the ugly and degrading things that this Crew has been saying about you behind your back. If I’m lying, I encourage them to sue me. Watch your back with them. If you want to talk about it, Harry certainly has my phone number.
Bob Grant
Independent Activist/Advocate
RobertinSeattle
December 20th, 2009 at 7:21 pm #
Amen, Bruce, Bob and Kathy and Lucious!
I also wanted to point out a couple of other very interesting things that we noticed out of Jeff Nixon’s mountain-out-of-a-molehill.
There’s little doubt now that Ron Katz was a likely source for his little fuss about Bernie’s name being on the final documents. That said, there’s also little doubt that as a result of Katz’s petty gerrymandering of court filings, he managed to file paperwork every chance he could with only Herb Adderley’s name on them, contrary to what the official court rules for this case set out in its definitions as Bernie pointed out. As most judges will probably also confirm, court clerks are generally overworked and underpaid so they try get through their work load as quickly and as efficiently as possible. It’s not hard to imagine Judge Alsup’s clerk hurriedly typing and putting the finishing touches to the Judge’s 12-page Final Motion and likely referring to an earlier document to cut-and-paste the Herb Adderley clip into the Judge’s ruling, assuming that it should have been correct. As I said in the post, it was another example of the same sneaky keep-repeating-the-story tactic the NFL has used over the years to generate fake stories to the public. So it would certainly appear that even the judge’s clerk was deceived by this scam from Katz.
Did Dave and I support Bernie’s efforts to correct the court document? We didn’t even know he had sent us a corrected document! We were initially stunned – and a little disappointed – to think that we may have posted inaccurate information; we’ve prided ourselves on integrity and openness in everything we do and I believe that is why we enjoy the growing readership that we do. And we certainly weren’t happy having to wonder if we had been inadvertently dragged into someone else’s petty squabbling. But after talking with Bernie, you have to wonder if CORRECTING a document is the same as ALTERING A DOCUMENT FOR PERSONAL GAIN? At this point, it sure looks like the whole picture is VERY gray and certainly far from black-and-white as Nixon would try to have people believe. Based on Nixon’s great logic, that would mean the Judge’s clerk and Judge Alsup should be hearing from him next for not following court rules – after Ron Katz gets called on the carpet again first by the Judge.
The first version that Bernie provided with his name on it was in fact how it was actually supposed to have been filed in the court. Just like all documents that Ron Katz should have filed. But because of his own petty unprofessional treatment of his original client, Bernie Parrish, Katz continued to go against the court’s own rules of the case and – in my humble opinion – started treading a fine line with intentionally violating court rules. While I don’t know if this goes as far as to justify a sanction or a complaint to the bar association, I do feel we need to inform the misinformed. I only hope that Judge Alsup hears about one more fine example of the mischief that Katz continues to perpetuate in this case. If he had put half as much effort into doing his job right, I would think the players – and yes, even the attorneys – would have gotten at least twice as much money and probably more.
None of us has ever enjoyed having our integrity questioned and when Nixon came after Dave personally, it became personal for me as well. You own this thing now and you’re going to have to keep it for the rest of your lives.
It’s one thing to point at someone and laugh at them for falling down. But it’s a totally different story when you’re the one who’s actually tripping people intentionally and then trying to get others to laugh. Ron Katz started all of this by disrespecting both the Court and his client, Bernie Parrish, throughout this entire trial. I also seem to recall an old conversation in which I was told that Katz was supposed to have had paperwork to ensure that Bernie was allowed in the courtroom for the trial but apparently a certain attorney didn’t file the paperwork in time to the Judge and certainly said nothing to defend his client over those very same so-called racist remarks. But it’s just something a little birdie told us. Like I said, it’s one thing to make fun of someone falling down but…
The really stupid thing about this past month was that Jeff Nixon had already posted some trash talk about Dave several weeks back on F&G and then subsequently wrote to Dave not once – but twice – after doing so to request that we post something he’d written to broadcast to Dave’s wide readership (I seem to recall it was more New NEW NFL Alumni Ass. stuff). All without any consideration in taking the trash talk against Dave down from their site – and we still have copies of those e-mails from him. So it appears to be personal petty rivalry now. I just can’t understand this kind of infantile behavior. In one breath, you denigrate Dave and every one his friends who read and contribute to this blog; then in the next breath, you try to encourage everyone to hold hands and sing Kumbaya (?!!). After meeting so many great guys at the last Summit, I suppose we just have to keep expecting a wild cast of characters in this ongoing soap opera. Me, I’ve been accused of not even having a dog in the fight but Dave and the team haven’t asked me to leave yet so I plan on sticking around for a while. It’s too much fun to quit now!
On another note, it just happened that the minute we posted our response to Jeff Nixon’s post around 2:30 pm on Friday, Jeff Pearlman’s piece also came out on Sports Illustrated and CNN. Traffic has spiked dramatically since then and our servers are managing to handle all the new traffic but just barely. We were looking forward to breaking a half-million hits for the month of December (from an average of well over 400,000 during October and November) but now Sunday morning’s traffic report is sitting at well over 1,000,000 hits! It’ll be the best month we’ve ever had for Dave’s blog in its nearly two years of being online. You couldn’t have found a worse time to pick a fight with Dave – some people can’t seem to catch a break. Why they chose to take this approach in the first place is beyond me. It clearly didn’t help their cause and I certainly don’t see how it will bring in one new member for the New NEW NFL Alumni Assoc.
P.S. – We’re still awaiting a response from Bruce, Jeff and George about their upcoming donation to the Alumni Dire Need Fund. We’re not going to hold our collective breaths.
Jay Hunter
December 20th, 2009 at 7:50 pm #
It’s hard to be sympathetic to this cause because football players have historically been paid salaries tens to hundreds of times greater than any other career option could allow. For example, in 1980 the national average individual salary for someone with a 4 year college degree was $14,600 while the average for an NFL player was $90,102. Minimum wage was $3.10 per hour that year. Today the average salary for a 4 year college degree is $49,303 while NFL players make an average of $770,000 and minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
Before you say things like football destroyed my life and I deserve something for it, put yourself in the shoes of a coal miner sickened with black lung, the truck driver crippled in an accident, the concrete worker who blows out his back or the carpeter who blows out his knees. Imagine these holidays for the family of a fisherman lost at sea or a security guard killed in a robbery for a $10 an hour job… Think about any of the hundreds of thousands of people who have to risk their health for their jobs and, just like you, can lose both job and employee-insurance after they become too injured or sick to work. The bottom line is you were made an offer which you accepted, just like all the other workers in this country. The fault therefore is your own.
Millions of people have to slave away all day in jobs that negatively affect their health, and those people most likely won’t have the benefit of earning millions of dollars (or the equivalent in previous decades). And that is ultimately what this comes down to: Your own irresponsibility has created this situation. It’s not fair to talk about “entitlement” when you held the keys to your chains in your own hand.
Stop buying crazy houses and bling and Bentleys for your posse and set some money aside to provide for your future. That’s what the rest of us have to do. It’s not fair, but that’s capitalism.
If football players are simply and honestly not capable of preparing for their life after football, then the NFL should babysit your money on your behalf and mandate at least 22 percent of every player’s income be set aside in a trust to pay for health care. 22 percent is the US average for health care costs (as a percentage of annual income) that the rest of us have to pay, and we have co-pays and deductibles and yearly limits and all kinds of other crap to deal with.
Lots of people wish they had your problems.
Jay Hunter
Shoes
December 21st, 2009 at 6:28 am #
I don’t think that people realize what the players go through after they retire (and before they retire). I’m glad this is being brought to light. Keep fighting the good fight. I personally am going to e-mail my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers and ask them what they are doing to support the retired players. Hell, my tax money paid for their new stadium.
God bless you guys.
Bob Grant
December 21st, 2009 at 1:27 pm #
Jay,
Do you really feel that Mike Webster deserved ending up in the last years of his life the way that he did. How about Andre Waters? Should football not have helped him or John Mackey and the other guys that we have who have severe brain damage? Should the NFL and the NFLPA turn their backs on them and turn them out into the streets?
The Players of my day came from Ranches, Farms, Mines, Fishing Boats, and just about all of us had to work at an off-season job or second job during the season. We did not make the kind of money that you mention above, but you know that because you somehow manage to have exact figures that the average fan would not have about today’s salaries.
This Blog is about promoting “change” and you are obviously not a supporter of that. Hopefully, I will not see any more of your insensitive remarks here.
Bob Grant
Independent Activist/Advocate
Dave Hartel
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:35 pm #
Jay Hunter’s comments are a classic example of the average Joe problem you guys face in your struggle for medical compensation. Most of the public likely views this from a point of envy and simply do not understand. Hunter left out the statistic that shows that most players do not last more than about 3.5 years in the NFL. That’s why the owners like insurance companies likely made the NFL pension slightly above the average career. Doesn’t matter a whole heck of a lot when you make 10 times more than the average Joe when you only make it for 3 years of a lifetime. Living with pain and chronic pain from a successful football career is something that Mr. Hunter will never understand.
Like Mr. Grant says, you say nothing about the early NFL players that had to have jobs in the off-season. If you are going to use statistics, Mr. Hunter, use all of them.
Dave Hartel
Jay Hunter
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:01 pm #
I’m sorry if you guys feel I left out important figures or ignored parts of the discussion. I expressed my opinion in the best way I could. And I am sorry for coming off as insensitive, because I was honestly trying to explain why your actions seem insensitive to me. I’ll stop posting here after this, with a ‘thank you’ for indulging me even this much, and a sincere ‘good luck’ no matter how it turns out.
My numbers don’t come from some secret source. They came from Google. I’m not involved in football in any way, though I can understand your suspicion and I am not offended by your questions about my integrity or my motives. For the record I’m a high school dropout living in Pennsylvania, and I appreciate you taking the time to consider my opinion.
First off, I’m not saying that football players don’t deserve help, and I’m certainly not saying that the NFL owners have any kind of moral high ground in this. What I am saying is that former football players are not the only ones who need help, and I’m not convinced that they deserve it any more than anyone else who got hurt on the job, or that they’re any different from other people who have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Maybe I’ll never know exactly what it’s like to be a retired NFL player, but I do know a thing or two about pain. My mom hurt her back at work almost a decade ago, and I’ve had to watch as it’s destroyed not just her way of life, but the woman herself. And she struggles sometimes, much the way I imagine some of these old timers do, with having to choose between paying her bills and buying her medicine. I’ve had to choose between going out on the street for more or watch her in withdrawal before they finally gave her enough to get through the day.
And that’s the point I was trying to make, that football players are not the only workers who sacrifice their health and their families to try to earn a living. My point is that most people who hurt themselves at work do it for a pittance compared to what NFL players can earn, even in a three and a half year career. Most people who find themselves injured and out of work don’t get any help before they have to buy COBRA or private insurance, or worse yet, end up on public disability, with all the same problems you face finding an insurer with a pre-existing condition, and they don’t have the benefit of your bank account when they do it.
I wanted you to think about all the people who have problems paying for health care, because it’s not just former football players, and I hoped to broaden the discussion and your consideration of the matter. If this is just about health care then you could have a powerful voice, maybe loud enough that you could just maybe make things better for everyone. But the government doesn’t have the profits NFL owners do. And that makes you seem greedy, and I’m sorry if that sentiment hurts you. Consider the source before you take it to heart, but I’m far from the only person who thinks that way. Congress is working on health care reform right now, and I haven’t heard a word about your efforts to influence it. Maybe that’s the media’s fault for not reporting what you’ve done or maybe that’s your fault for not doing anything. I honestly don’t know.
But I do know that McDonald’s was just a single burger joint before its workers turned it into a hundred million dollar juggernaut, creating the modern fast food industry in the process. Does every fry guy from back in the day deserve insurance and income for the rest of their life because it’s successful now?
I’ll concede that restaurant work is not as risky as football if you’ll concede that minimum wage is not NFL money, even at the bare minimum.
I feel like you were offered a deal and you took it, just like every other employee in this country who has to weigh the pros and cons of their future when deciding what to do for a living and how to go about it day in and day out. Players are just like anyone else when they choose to go to work hurt and to ignore symptoms because they want to keep after that money and I’m not sure anyone besides the employee is responsible for that.
RobertinSeattle
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:49 pm #
Jay -
Thanks for voicing your opinions with such a thoughtful, civil tone. And your clarification is much appreciated. We wish more people took such a considerate approach in presenting their points of view but unfortunately, many strong opinions sometimes come with untenable positions. Over the past few days, we’ve seen a huge spike in traffic on this blog since that SI/CNN piece from Jeff Pearlman first came out. And the comments that followed – both online and offline – were pretty much in line with the typical percentages we’ve seen in the general view of retired football players. The vast majority of comments are from people who express sympathy and outrage at not knowing the story behind the game, with a very tiny minority taking an opposing view. That tiny opposing view ranges from the typical ranting, anonymous lurkers who have nothing but venom for anyone and everything (we generally delete and block them) to those who – because of limited information – simply don’t understand why ‘those damn rich football players don’t just suck it up and go away.’
And that’s one of the reasons Dave started this blog. If you’ll take a bit of time to read through some of the past posts, you’ll begin to understand that it’s one thing to just complain about the lack of disability benefits and pensions but it’s another issue when the retired players’ so-called Union under Gene Upshaw made it a point to stiff these guys out of every penny that was set aside for them. There has been a huge disability and pension fund that was set up for the players years ago and it’s at well over a billion dollars. Yet, you would think that in one of the most brutal sports – and occupations – these guys should easily qualify to get access to those benefits that belong to them. But with well over 5,000 surviving retired players, only around 300 players actually receive full disability benefits! Dave’s case is probably about as atypical as they get: Turned down in ’83 and then turned down again in ’95 when the NFL’s own doctor declared him as 80%+ disabled but ruled that he could still do sedentary work! This happens to the majority of the guys who apply for money that belongs to them. So what are they supposed to do? The NFL also has actuarial studies that show the average life expectancy of a player is substantially shorter than other guys and it allows most other insurance companies to deny them coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
Dave finally had his application accepted for Social Security Disability on 2005 (and you know how hard that is to get), then he subsequently qualified last year for NFL/NFLPA benefits under a “new application process” that ended up only granting him a partial disability pension after all these years – all after SSI had already approved him! But here’s where it DOES affect you and me and the rest of the general public directly: Dave grossed no more that $500,000 in his 4 years with the NFL and has spent more than $600,000 of his own money in surgeries, care and medications. Recently, Medicare has begun to pick up the tab for his surgeries and medicine etc. because of his SSI disability benefits. And that all comes out of OUR collective pockets – yours and mine – because 1) the NFL and the Union won’t pay their fair share of the bill and 2) the retired players have never, ever been given a seat at the table or a single vote in the very Union that’s supposed to be representing them and holding their money! You’re right about the more pressing issues that preoccupy Congress right now such as health care – but we do need to start looking at why it’s costing all of us so much. So if you don’t want to get outraged for the retired football players, at least get outraged for yourself! The owners are effectively stealing from all of US now as more of these players get older and continue to get turned down by the plan THE PLAYERS funded.
If this were any other unionized industry where the shop stewards discovered that over the years, production equipment was to blame for all the injuries to their current and retired workers, you would bet that there would be an outcry and a massive walk-out that would shut the factory down until things were right. Unfortunately, that’s still not the case with the NFLPA and the NFL because of the system that had been put in place by its former dictatorial Executive Director, Gene Upshaw. The recent victory on behalf of the retired players from the Bernard Parrish vs. NFLPA/Players Inc. class action lawsuit is only a small glimpse into the underhanded side deals that were done over the years to steal money from the retired players. As more lawsuits begin to make their way into the public eye, I’m sure more of the fans and public at large will become increasingly outraged at how this pattern of grand larceny seems to have been going on under everyone’s noses and how it could have gone unchallenged for so long. If we can educate even just a few retired players as well as change just a few people’s opinions, we’ll have done what we set out to do.
Bob Grant
December 23rd, 2009 at 8:36 am #
Jay,
I take it back. I hope that you will stay on in the conversations that we have here. Robert Lee, our Blog Publisher and Co-Founder, explained to me the importance of having you speak up even though we may not agree on all points. I think that he is right.
Please understand that, like any American Worker, we have the right and the obligation to do all that we can to help and protect our men. Police Unions do it, as do Unions from other different arenas. Even the Veterans Administration does it for our retired troops. Nothing wrong with that, I am sure that you would agree. I know I look forward to hearing more from you. Many of us would not have played had we known the long term consequences of doing so.
Bob Grant,
Independent Advocate and Activist
Jon Arnett
December 24th, 2009 at 1:01 pm #
I’m just another retiree focused on improving pensions for the majority who were not QB’s, RB’s, receivers, etc. We were the autograph signers and among the few recognized of the older ex-players. I was one of the fortunate few and truly understand the dynamics of how all this works.
I’m sorry but I have no idea who Jeff Nixon was – or is – and should I really care that he “doesn’t want to take any more of this ‘nonsense’”? And exactly who is he referring to when he repeatedly talks about “we”? To my knowledge, “he” and “we” have done nothing to improve the monthly living pensions for any of the forgotten trench-men who built this game for today’s highly-compensated players. They should all be taken care of – and they’re a fast-diminishing group because of the age factor.
I support what your group – and my wife, Jane – have dedicated yourselves to doing and hope you’ll keep the momentum going with the upcoming Summit and beyond. It is really funny to me that this other faction’s great brains came up with another ‘Summit’… it shows just how creative and original they are! As an aside, it’s also amusing that the NFL hired an Executive Search Company to fill the position now run by George Martin… what a faux! Wasn’t George a sycophant for Mr. Upshaw?
Watching on the sidelines like I am, it’s quite entertaining to watch a group of minor players trying to appease the NFL and their various factions. It’s a great side show being put on by some of these groups while the NFL stirs the pot with their self-appointed mouthpieces.
Best of luck – my wife will keep me posted.
Remember: Pension. Pension. Pension. Sherman Anti-Trust wedge!
Jon Arnett
LA Rams, Chicago Bears
1957 – 1966
Walt "Flea" Roberts
December 25th, 2009 at 2:14 pm #
The original plaintiffs in the San Francisco Trial were Bernie Parrish, Herb Adderley and Me (Walt Roberts). Had I not been a part of the lawsuit, this lawsuit probably never would have taken place.
The fact that I live in Northern California is what allowed the trial to remain in California. Bernie Parrish is responsible for this lawsuit from beginning to end. Bernie is a former Cleveland Brown teammate from our NFL championship team in 1964. I trust Bernie perhaps more than anyone I have ever known and I am a black man!
Our lawyers (Katz, Mckool, Smith et al)… betrayed us. The original lawsuit was divided into three parts. Once our lawyers had one victory in hand, for some strange reason they decided not to pursue the remaining two parts of the lawsuit. My part was a violation of anti-trust laws and Bernie’s part was targeted at EA Sports. I believe deals were cut early on. This is difficult to prove but if you study the facts, in my opinion it’s pretty obvious.
I spent my own money – not only attending all of the court dates – but all of the hearings leading up to the trial. I was not part of the GLA and I have not even been offered any compensation.
Early on in the trial, I asked Ron Katz how much he knew about Bernie Parrish and he replied, “Not very much.” I also asked Katz when Bernie was coming out to San Francisco for the trial and I got little or no answer. I knew then that the Bullsh*t was coming.
I have plenty more to say about the trial in the future but for now let me say that it is very difficult to play a game when you don’t know all the rules of the game. The owners AND the NFLPA want to divide the retired players. We should stick together no matter what!
A few years ago, when retired players began to criticize the NFLPA and Gene Upshaw, a lot of you were in denial: Ray Schoenke, Toi Cook, George Martin, etc., etc. Where are you now? These bastards are crooks and thugs.
Walt “Flea” Roberts
Cleveland Browns NFL champs 1964 (65 & 66)
New Orleans Saints 1967
Washington Redskins l969 & 1970
Bob Grant
December 26th, 2009 at 1:32 pm #
Walt,
Thank you for stepping in and setting the record straight.
Somebody will probably try to say that you are not the “real” Walt Roberts now and that you’re some kind of secret agent that is just giving misinformation.
You and Bernie and I know that the Lawyers also intentionally left your name off some of the paperwork that was published from time to time.
Everyone should ask themselves why You and Bernie were not invited to the big announcement of that “Bad Settlement.” Personally I am glad that they didn’t have you and Bernie there because a “fist-fight” would probably have broken out.
Like you, my GLA paperwork just sort of disappeared but I don’t have a problem with that. (Let’s just say like many others, my relationship with Gene wasn’t too good…)
So let’s see now: Bernie had no GLA officially in the Class, You did not and neither did I. So no one can accuse us of doing a darn thing except fighting to get this money for the 2,000+ men who now expecting to receive part of this Award. And that includes: Bruce Laird, Jeff Nixon, George Martin and all of the rest of the guys that DID make it to the List. So why on earth would anybody get mad with You, Me or Bernie? Why would anyone want to repeat and repeat statements that came from me while joking with Bernie that Judge Alsup misunderstood and the Lawyers indirectly used to manipulate the Judge coming down on the wrong guy?
Your role in the trial has been buried by the Lawyers and too many of the guys receiving money don’t even know how great a role you played in this entire thing. I – and a few of us in the know – am deeply offended and you have every right to be so yourself.
We will see now if these guys will be willing to contribute a few hundred bucks to the new “warchest” so that we can go on and finish this thing. (EA is absolutely guilty and that has already been proven in a Federal Court) Bernie is hopeful that the guys will contribute but unfortunately, I think that most of them will “grab the cash and head for the hills.” I hope this is one time that they prove me wrong.
Walter, thank you again for being willing to spend your own money and taking the time to start the GLA resolution “thing.” I believe history will show you as a truly unselfish man of character who had the willingness and courage to stand up for all Retired NFL Players against the crooked Upshaw NFLPA and Electronic Arts/John Madden, in their deal to rob American Heroes.
I hope that these guys will help us to finish the job, Walter.
Herb Adderley is a friend of mine and I know that the Lawyers mis-led him because there were things in the early “Bad Settlement” that Herb would never have agreed to if he actually given the time to read the whole thing. Also the measly $10,000.00 that they gave him in the end was a slap in his face. Katz & Company never played a single down in the NFL but their individual “cuts” of the money will certainly be a lot, lot more than Herb’s.
If the NFLPA were forced to pay interest on the $26 mil for every month that they have not paid up since the trial ended, they’d have to pay and additional $250,000.00 per month. If they hold half of the money for a year before paying it out, that would be another $125,000.00 per month for an additional 12 months.
If the guys spend their Awards at the pace that the average American does, then only about 25 of them will have a nickel of it left in 36 months.
Finally, we have thousands of guys who SHOULD have been given opportunity to sign GLA’s who never were. You see some of them commenting here on Dave’s blog and even more have written in privately to inquire. I’ve told Bernie that I believe we have an obligation to correct that if we’re able to get back into Court against EA and Madden.
Bob Grant
Parrish Team Member
Independent Advocate and Activist
Kathy Smith
December 28th, 2009 at 12:32 pm #
Happy New Year, Guys! And let’s not forget the players who signed GLAs but then had their paperwork “disappear.”
Mr. Roberts, Lou and I met you on the first day of the trial. We walked across the street and invited you to lunch. Maybe next time! Thank you for helping out all the retired players even though you didn’t benefit. Jon and Bob Grant, thank you for the overview.
We all look forward to another great Summit.
Kathy Smith
Burt Grossman
December 28th, 2009 at 8:33 pm #
I’m not sure what’s more pathetic. Mr. Nixon’s position against his peers or the fact that he still wears his jersey out in public.
Burt Grossman
San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles
1989 -1994
Cody C. Jones
December 28th, 2009 at 11:09 pm #
I recently read about the plight of Jimmie Giles. What is the function of the PAT. It seams that Jimmie Giles along with Dave Pear should have been able to consult with someone connected to the dispursement of the PAT funds. In fact the pension head quarters upon receiving their request for application should notified the retired players alumni. (hind sight is twenty twenty) The retired players Alumni could have discussed the gravity of the situation with Jimmie and Dave and some plan could have been worked out using PAT funds, isn’t that a function of the PAT?
Cody C. Jones
Los Angeles Rams
1974 – 1982
Cody C. Jones
December 28th, 2009 at 11:43 pm #
I have been looking at some of the comments about the GLA settlement. Have lists disappeared into the darkness? Is American greed hard at work? Is an investigation necessary? Why do people get absent minded when it comes to money, they lose list, and their conscience? People have a hard time doing the right thing. The players receiving checks, something doesn’t seem right! Do you give Dam? Don’t be afraid to look in the mirror. And don’t run to the hill like Grant thinks you will. Kick a small portion of your check back so we can mass for another attack.
Cody C. Jones
Los Angeles Rams
1974 – 1982
Clifton Maze
January 5th, 2010 at 7:07 am #
In 1964, I was a 13 year-old watching and admiring the Browns. Later I watched them during practice at CWRU only a few blocks from my home.
I have 2 things to say. First of all Tiger Woods is nothing like a deer caught in headlights. He is arguably the greatest golfer to ever live and that’s all you have to know about him, so shut up if you don’t know what you are talking about. Secondly I wonder what makes Bob Grant such an expert on “Black culture” that he is “qualified” to make disparaging remarks about people.
Clifton Maze
RobertinSeattle
January 5th, 2010 at 7:55 pm #
Clifton -
Maybe you should answer that question yourself. Take a little time to research and find out for yourself about who Bob Grant was before you put your foot in your mouth any further. While you were a 13-year old watching the Browns in 1964, Bob was preparing to go to college as the first Black Player to play at ANY major college or University in the South, entering Wake Forest University in the Fall of 1964. His roommate was Ken Henry who was also Black, of course considering the times. Bob eventually went on to play professionally, also as the first Black Player to come out of a major university in the South to be drafted by the NFL in 1968.
It was sacrifices made by guys like Bob Grant who helped pave the way for the black players in football today, as well as for other black sportsmen like Tiger Woods.
Aside from that bit of history, who said anything about Tiger Woods’ golfing skills? No one is taking anything away from him on the golf course – he probably IS the greatest golfer of all time. But just as Mike Tyson is arguably one of the best boxers of all time, what these stars do out of their sport is another story completely. And yes – he was caught like a deer in the headlights because like many guys at the top, he thought he could get away with anything. NOT!
Dax
January 10th, 2010 at 12:47 pm #
Mr. Nixon needs to just go away. We’re sick and tired of him attacking men like Mr. Parrish who has actually forced Pro Football to repay some of the money that was taken from them illegally.
I understand that Mr. Parrish’s team is about ready to sue on behalf of retired players again. I and many other fans hope that he is successful and hope that we will be given opportunity to support him and the rest of the retired players.
Nixon is a jerk who is acting like a kid who just had his bicycle stolen. So give it a rest.
Sincerely
Dax
Henry Bradley
January 15th, 2010 at 10:44 pm #
I was glad to hear from R. Jones who is the essence of what team is all about. He offered to help and didn’t even get a GLA check – that’s what team is all about. I was disappointed in one player who talked about his injuries but ended my career. I’m not angry with him – just the NFLPA for allowing the BROWNS (old) to outwit them and denied my severance pay. Gene said that I was paid $70,000 minus 28% taxes; however, my Social Security statement shows I had no income in 1984 or 1985.
I have a severance payout chart for April 4, 1985 showing me getting $70,000. I have a memo from Pat Takach, dated April 12, 1985 stating that on Friaday, April 12, 1985 at 4:30 pm, Dennis Curran said the Browns were not going to pay Henry Bradley his severance pay. This is eight days after the NFLPA said I was paid. The reason was because I filed a grievance with outside counsel and gave my severance away – the NFLPA filed a grievance on my behalf and anything lost is on them.
Can someone please give advice about how I might proceed? I am willing to testify and can show documentation about the injustice.
Henry Bradley
Cleveland Browns
1979 – 1982
(951) 440-9084
bradley9191@verizon.net
Henry Bradley
January 15th, 2010 at 11:38 pm #
I love you Jimmie Giles! This is Henry Bradley, your teammate from Alcorn. I know you’ll make it – don’t give up!
Henry Bradley
Cleveland Browns
1979 – 1982