Dave Pear's Blog

After a crazy 2009 (like the rest of us), Conrad Dobler has still managed to hit the media trail and come out swinging before Super Bowl. After 32 surgeries, Conrad nearly lost his leg late last year to a massive MRSA infection. (You can read that earlier post – click HERE.) But Conrad’s back and he’s been lighting into the NFL and the NFLPA in a couple of recent interviews. Conrad comes from old school football when characters were actually welcome. And he played the part well. Ask any older fan and most of them will still speak of Conrad fondly, regardless of whether they loved or hated him on the field. In today’s world of football, The Commissioner is now all too happy to act like the nasty teacher with the ruler trying to keep the students in line for his headmaster owners. All you have to do is look at Chad Ochocinco’s escalating fines to match his on-field antics to bring some levity to the game. Those owners don’t really want the fans to identify with any players on the field (other than those multimillionaire quarterback stars that they completely control) because it  would give them faces off the field and into retirement. Consider this a salute to Conrad Dobler for still being who he is!

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This just came in over the wire regarding the new class action lawsuit with the NFL and NFL Films. The courts in Minnesota have upheld the suit and is allowing it to proceed. Here’s the press release along with a copy of the Order Denying the NFL’s Motion to stop the lawsuit posted on Scribd for easier access and viewing. (Click on the FULL SCREEN button to enlarge it for easier navigation – hit the ESC key to close. You can also click the DOWNLOAD button to save a PDF copy for printing and reading. )

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NOTE: See if your name is on the list at the end of this post!

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Wow! Is it just us or did January whiz right by and now we’re already heading into February and the Superbowl? Here’s a roundup of some items to close off the month.

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This is a recent letter that Mark Koncar (Green Bay Packers, Houston Oilers 1976 – 1983) wrote to David Weir at the University of Michigan regarding their recent  study conducted for the NFL. Mark was actually one of the participants the University contacted. The study generated a lot of controversy and discussion about the long-term effects of playing professional football in general and energized the debate about concussions in particular. (We posted about the media coverage on the Michigan Study last October – click HERE to read that post.)

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We finally have Bernie Parrish’s testimony before  the Congressional Judiciary Committee on concussions which was recently held at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit on January 4, 2010. Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and his staff did an incredible job of organizing this hearing on such short notice just after the new year. You can still watch the entire 5 hr :22 min hearing in an earlier post by clicking HERE.

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Dave Pear Oakland Raiders Superbowl XV - Former Teammate with Gene Upshaw

First of all: Bernie & Walt,

We’re sending out our check for $100 today!

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Retired players will continue to sally forward as we relentlessly seek justice!

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Since the new guy took over for Upshaw nearly a year ago, we’ve only seen two symbolic changes in our Union:

1. The NFLPA Dire Need Fund has been renamed, “The Gene Upshaw Dire Need Fund”;
2. The NFLPA has renamed their building address to “63 Upshaw Place.”

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Dear Retired/Former Players, Active Players, and Fans:

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Oral arguments have just closed in the American Needle vs. NFL case. Lawyers from both sides spoke to reporters and answered questions about their presentation and the case in a news conference on the courthouse steps outside the Supreme Court in Washington DC.
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And we just uploaded the transcript of the oral arguments to DocStoc for those of you who want to read the details as presented by the two sides. (Click on the FULL SCREEN button to enlarge it for easier navigation – hit the ESC key to close. You can also click the DOWNLOAD button to save a PDF copy for printing and reading. There’s also a Menu button in the upper left corner with even more options.)
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Transcript of American Needle vs. NFL Supreme Court Hearing –
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The Supreme Court is hearing a major business case this week that debates the extent of its so-called “limited” antitrust exemption. The case is American Needle vs. NFL and if you’re like most of us, it’s hard to understand the details and importance of what ruling might come out of this case. A small clothing manufacturer – American Needle – was kicked to the curb when they lost their license to manufacture caps and jackets with NFL team logos. Reebok – a subsidiary of global athletic wear manufacturer Adidas – currently has the world rights to manufacture any and all licensed NFL wear and oversees a $3.2 billion+ market (2007) from selling NFL gear exclusively.

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This past Friday, Dave received the first of his two Players Inc. GLA Settlement checks. And we’re now starting to hear from a few other players like Irv Cross and Council Rudolph who have also received their checks over the weekend. Looks like they’re trying to send the checks out as the paperwork comes in.

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Gentlemen:

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Dear Congresswoman Sanchez:

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Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) is holding the second Judiciary Committee Hearing on concussions at the Wayne State School of Medicine Conference Center in Detroit Michigan on Monday Jan. 4, 2010 at 1:00 pm EST. This hearing appears to be much more wide-ranging and the scheduled testimony includes independent doctors and even World Super Welterweight boxing champ Thomas “Hitman” Hearns is testifying, along with Rev. Al Sharpton. Bernie Parrish, Hall of Famer Lem Barney, Kyle Turley and George Martin are the retired players slated to testify this time.

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