Lionel James’ Severance Story
Apr 4, 2010
Jetsons meet the Flintstones
.I did receive credit for the 1990 season and all its benefits along with what was then called a split salary: If I remained injured, I would receive $190,000 but if I was active at any time that year, it was to become $400,000. I ended up receiving the $190,000 but now the NFL is saying I also got the $80,000.00 Severance Pay (and it should have been $90,000 according to NFL CBA Severance Pay Chart we have from Irv Cross). Isn’t that like Jetson’s Technology trying to use Flintstone’s Language?
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Does anyone have a more bizarre story than this?
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Lionel James
San Diego Chargers
1984 – 1989
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Categories: Guest Commentary, Severance Pay | Tagged: CBA, collective bargaining agreement, Dave Pear, Do No Evil, Irv Cross, Kansas City Chiefs, Lionel James, NFL, NFLPA, RobertinSeattle, W-2 Form |
Dave Pear
April 4th, 2010 at 8:18 PM #
Lionel,
Keep the pressure on these rascals!
If they’re going to tell a lie, then they’d better have a really good memory. But the NFL leadership just can’t seem to keep their story straight! The NFL keeps showing their lack of “fiduciary duty” towards retired NFL players.
This is just another low milestone in their malevolent behavior towards the makers of the game.
Why are retired players forced to become debt collectors to the NFL for everything from disability and pension benefits all the way to Severance Pay?
Regards,
Dave & Heidi Pear
Tweets that mention Lionel James’ Severance Story - Dave Pear's Blog -- Topsy.com
April 4th, 2010 at 8:37 PM #
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by RobertinSeattle. RobertinSeattle said: Lionel James’ Severance Story: Add another story to the ongoing Severance Pay saga. I just received a FedEx packag… http://bit.ly/cHbv4F [...]
Anthony Simmons
April 5th, 2010 at 9:40 AM #
I played with the San Diego Chargers 1985-1987 strike year and after the strike I was in camp with the Buffalo Bills and then the Dallas Cowboys. After retirement, I was given $10,000 minus around $2,500 in taxes. I was not offered insurance or anything for my injuries that they know I sustained during my time on the field of practice, camp or on the Gridiron, not to mention pre-Season. People think these injuries only come from the actual games not knowing what we go through in camp, preseason games and practice during the season. I know I am due more than what I got – just don’t know how to go about pursuing a lawsuit against the NFL.
Anthony Simmons
San Diego Chargers
1985 – 1987
Burt Grossman
April 6th, 2010 at 10:26 AM #
Anthony,
With all due respect, these are benefits players fought and sacrificed for while trying to force the owners’ hand for a new CBA which eventually led to a strike and lost wages for those pioneers. As a scab player, you helped to undermine those efforts and sacrifices in the 80′s. Are you actually asking how you can cash in on those benefits that you undermined? FYI – there was NO CBA during the strike year, so no benefits were ever provided to those players during that year.
Burt Grossman
San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles
1989 -1994
Lionel James
April 7th, 2010 at 11:20 AM #
I spoke with Tom Depaso (NFLPA) over the phone and he really has given a monumental effort in trying to help the case of Severance Pay. We talked in detail about the math around my case.
In his words, my Severance Pay was paid in my Grievance settlement! Grievance Pay was what I fought for as my salary in ’89. Now to me, his math was sound but he was using the wrong numbers for the contract that I signed. In ’89, there is no way I was given a contract of that size. That year, Johnny Sanders was the GM and Tank Younger was the assistant GM. The highest paid player with the Chargers was Dan Touts, then Kellen Winslow, next was Billy Ray Smith, Wes Chandler and Charlie Joiner. The top end of that group was $750,000 and the bottom was $300,000. Now, in the locker room every player wanted to know what each team member made so that they could negotiate their next contract. Not only team members but the other players throughout the League at your respective position as a player. So what we always looked forwarded to was the Salary sheet that the NFLPA issued to players once a year. In looking at that sheet, there was always amazement as to how little you made compared to others.
With that said, I asked Tom for a copy of that NFLPA printout. It seems that the NFL is doctoring up contracts, changing salaries to make numbers match. Their ultimate answer seems to be a Statute of Limitations argument that doesn’t require a business to keep those records. So, to me that sounds like another Dr. “No” approach. A billion-dollar business doesn’t know their history of money gained and lost? I would imagine that the biggest expense are the players. I know that they have to have the numbers.
Lionel James
San Diego Chargers
1984 – 1988
Dave Pear
April 7th, 2010 at 1:18 PM #
Hi Lionel,
In this case, figures lie and liars figure!
When the NFL tells a lie they’d better have a good memory – more of us are now remembering! We can’t wait to see more documentation that these rascals (NFL) doctor paperwork.
Regards,
Dave & Heidi Pear
RobertinSeattle
April 7th, 2010 at 3:53 PM #
Lionel -
It sounds to me like the League is really setting themselves up for an audit one way or another! And who better to demand an audit than the IRS? At some point, I think the IRS will step in and want to see just how much revenue THEY’VE been cheated out of and that’s when the fun will begin. I don’t care HOW big you are or how RICH you might think you are – don’t mess with the IRS.
