Latest News on the GLA Checks
Those second GLA Players Inc. settlement checks have been near the top of everyone’s question list and we’ve been getting a lot of e-mails and calls about the latest news.
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We just talked to the fund administrator Garden City Group here in Seattle and they’ve informed us that Judge Alsup had some questions regarding the final distribution. There are still quite a few players who were listed in the original suit and can’t be located. Garden City Group has taken great efforts to contact most of them and most of their letters have been returned UNDELIVERABLE or NO FORWARDING ADDRESS. If each retired player could make it a point to contact at least 5 of your friends and then have them contact their friends to check the list to see if they’re included but haven’t received any checks yet, perhaps we can reach more of the players who haven’t been located yet.
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It’s an interesting position for the NFLPA as they’re supposed to be representing retired and active players but at the same time, they were the losing defendant in this case after withholding royalty payments to the retired players for using their likeness in video games and other products. The NFLPA is also supposed to have a large database of current contact information for many of the retired players and magically once every year, they manage to contact each of you to ask for your $100 membership renewal fee to the NFLPA. And the original list of plaintiffs for the trial – which can’t be all that old – was compiled just a couple of years ago from players who actually signed on to the lawsuit. The question now stands: How did the original list of 2,000+ names get compiled and how were those players contacted to sign up for the lawsuit in the first place?
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Apparently some more paperwork was officially filed with the court in San Francisco yesterday so we hope to be hearing more by the end of the week on exactly when the second checks should finally be going out in the mail. At this point, there is now no firm date set on the next distribution.
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Here’s the list once again for your convenience:
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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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GLA Players List –
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Dave Pear
July 20th, 2010 at 3:18 pm #
A Union is suppose to represent their current and retired members. The NFLPA Leadership is not a Union but a social club for a few selected members. Remember the words the jurors found the NFLPA Leadership guilty of:
“…malicious and oppressive conduct with evil motive” and “conduct that was outrageous and grossly fraudulent.”
Do you think the NFLPA would actually lift their little finger to even attempt to find some of these retired players that they swindled? The NFLPA Leadership was found guilty of “Breach of Fiduciary Duty” and “Breach of contract” in the Players Inc. scandal, so surely they are also guilty of having breached their Fiduciary Duty on disability benefits for retired disabled players. And apparently, they’re now claiming with EA that they will no longer use retired players in their future Madden Football video games (how they’re going to do that remains to be seen…)
I still recall when Richard Berthelsen was asked under oath during the trial in Federal court, “Who wrote the (GLA) group licensing agreement?”
His answer was, “I do not know.” However, as a member of the Sports Lawyers Association where his resume is posted (Click HERE) it reads, “Negotiating and drafting player group licensing agreements and special contracts.”
I thought not telling the truth – or telling a half-truth – under oath was considered perjury? That law must not apply to the NFLPA Leadership because Richard Berthelsen was still paid over $1,000,000 in 2009 according to the recently filed LM-2 as required by the Department of Labor every year.
Regards,
Dave & Heidi Pear
Gregg Bingham
July 20th, 2010 at 5:23 pm #
Sounds to me like the attorneys in charge might have a “buddy” in the banking biz where the funds are being “held” in escrow for the bank’s balance sheet reinforcement.
….just a thought
Gregg Bingham
1973 – 1984 Houston Oilers
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July 20th, 2010 at 7:55 pm #
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by IRISH GIRL COLLEEN, RobertinSeattle. RobertinSeattle said: Latest News on the GLA Checks: Those second GLA Players Inc. settlement checks have been near the top of everyone’… http://bit.ly/9mjyeM [...]
Burt Grossman
July 20th, 2010 at 9:00 pm #
A reduced settlement, two installments and one year later, we still can’t get paid on time for the second installment!
Always something to treat us in a less civil way than the rest of civilization. This is my third stint as a class member of a class-action suit; the other two were unrelated to the NFL and were straight forward, paid on time and in one lump sum!
Burt Grossman
San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles
1989 -1994
Nick Lowery
July 20th, 2010 at 9:57 pm #
IF I am lucky – that’s IF – I will get barely $1,000 even though I’m in the Chiefs Hall of Fame and WAS used quite extensively in games like Madden Football etc. I’m hearing from Christian Okoye that plenty of guys that never even started – let alone were all pros – are getting $14k or more. While I’m happy they’re being taken care of, NOT at my expense! Should I be screwed when the obvious standards that I would think should apply are:
a) Were you a player – 1 point
b) Were you a starter – 2 points
c) Were you used at all in a program – 3 points
d) Were you used in programs but never compensated – 4 points
e) Level of use – frequency, etc. devalued but still a factor
or something close to that effect.
The way this thing was handled is just one more example that poorly applied logic and fairness and ethics are/were unfortunately rampant inside and outside the NFLPA.
Nick Lowery
New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets
1978 – 1996
http://www.Loweryspeaks.com
http://www.nickloweryyouthfoundation.org
Burt Grossman
July 21st, 2010 at 1:57 pm #
It just keeps getting more unbelievable. From what I understand, it seems the judge isn’t letting the second installment be released until the final 200+ that haven’t responded in any way over the last year get a whole new claim form sent to them and they get an additional 90 days to respond before any of us do.
That means gathering Social Security numbers and addresses (all while billing us, the class, for the extra work and time thereby reducing our pot further). So in layman’s terms: Even after a reduced settlement and a one-year two-installment wait, it now looks like they still won’t be paying us in July as promised earlier. We may be looking for that second installment to be paid in about four months or right around the end of the year! This is a complete joke but par for the course!
Burt Grossman
San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles
1989 -1994
Dave Pear
July 21st, 2010 at 3:22 pm #
By their actions, the NFLPA Leadership is certainly living up to the words that the jurors used to describe them as they were being convicted in Federal court.
The stink from Gene Upshaw’s old quote still lingers: “The bottom line is, I don’t work for them. They don’t hire me, and they can’t fire me. They can complain about me all day long. They can have their opinion. But the active players have the vote. That’s who pays my salary.”
Nothing has changed as the rift grows deeper.
Regards,
Dave Pear
Tom Goode
July 21st, 2010 at 5:26 pm #
It seems a little ridiculous that the players who signed the papers for the lawsuit have to wait for some judge to decide to issue checks. If they really wanted to find the people, they could have easily announced it on any of the cable news channels and posted notices in newspapers. It doesn’t really make sense to wait on the second check when they have already issued checks once. What’s wrong with three (3) checks anyway?
Tom Goode
Houston Oilers, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Colts
1962 – 1970
RobertinSeattle
July 21st, 2010 at 5:53 pm #
Common sense would tell you that those second checks should be going out as promised and then the remaining funds could be held in escrow with some amount of time to allow for stragglers to be found and added to the list.
What was the deal with the Reggie White lawsuit that got settled back in 1993? The NFLPA finally put out a notice this year that it was closing the case Feb. 18, 2010 (!!!) nearly 17 years later?
Read that notice we posted by clicking HERE.
If anyone was part of that class action, could you please enlighten the other retired players on whether you also had to 1) take staggered payments and 2) wait until they tried to contact every last player before they distributed the checks?
Burt Grossman
July 21st, 2010 at 6:04 pm #
Crazy how this judge seems to make up his own rules as he goes along. Any other class action suit or administrator of funds will look at you like you have three heads if you tell him how this judge is presiding over the case. Looks like we may have our second checks by Christmas unless, of course, if the judge demands DNA samples before releasing our own money. The really sad part is that every time the judge orders new rules, it requires more work by Garden City Group and they have to bill more and we in turn receive less.
And wasn’t the point and trade off in taking a reduced settlement amount to get the money to us in a timely manner? It’s now been a year since the settlement and we have a judge that won’t release our funds as per the original agreed upon settlement he approved. Another 4 months and we might as well have let it go through appeals. We aren’t getting our money as it is and a judge that keeps delaying it at his own convenience. Why approve the settlement if you won’t release our money?
Burt Grossman
Jackie Burkett
July 21st, 2010 at 10:10 pm #
Dave,
Looks like they’re using the same tactic they always use: Delay, Deny, Wait ’til we Die!
You know they knew that some of the guys would be hard to find. I thought that was why they had a deadline for responding.
Thanks for checking, guys!
Jackie Burkett
Baltimore Colts, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys
1961 – 1970
Norm Hodgins
July 21st, 2010 at 10:12 pm #
Dave,
I have been a dues-paying member to the NFLPA AND the NFL Alumni for over 20 years. Who qualified to be on this list of players to receive the GLA checks? Thanks for your help.
Norm Hodgins, Jr. CLU, ChF
Chicago Bears
1974
Greg Davis
July 22nd, 2010 at 4:16 am #
I have a terrible feeling that this second check may not materialize.
I believe the Nation’s financial condition is far worse than anyone will acknowledge. I also believe that the volume of trading is nonexistent other than Government Financial institutions pushing electronic money from one account to another. With light volume, the exit of 10+ million dollars would be noticed and felt on the exchange, which in turn would start a cascade of calls from nervous investors to get out of their sideline position and exit the market entirely. I would look at the DJIA chart from December-January, when money would have had to been either moved or created.
There was a dip just before the first payment. After looking at what Burt Grossman stated about a 90-day window, that would allow the Union to collect enough dues at that point to replace this money and push the economic problem a little further forward. This is a Union Administration and it is naive to think that phone calls aren’t made to protect the national interest. We’re buying our own treasuries now which is what happened in Wiemar, Germany so even if we do get this check by the time it gets here, it’s value may be dramatically reduced.
I’m sure that this isn’t pleasant to hear but at least we are here to be in this situation. I am sure these men listed below would have enjoyed the opportunity to have shared in this – or perhaps at least their families – just a few of my teammates who have died far too young.
Tory Epps
Simon Shanks
John Stephans
Darrel Russel
Thom Mchale
Dan Turk
Eric Turner
Tim Hall
Jeff Modesit
Ivory Curry
Ralph Norwood
Brad Beckman
David Croudip
Andre Waters
Korey Stringer
I haven’t even mentioned those I have played against. I think we’re all shocked at how many players are dying so young and nobody seems to notice
Greg Davis
Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals
Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders
1987 – 1998
Lamont Burns
July 22nd, 2010 at 7:00 am #
I want to say Thank You to all of the Veteran football players who played the game for the true Love of the Game and not for the money and who paved the way for the players of today.
I was not a superstar or All Pro but I do have a few starts under my belt and in talking to some of today’s players, the game has changed so much in the last few years. Secondly, I would hope that it is not another 90-day process to finalize this lawsuit; we certainly didn’t have 90 days when the initial settlement forms went out! Hopefully, we can find those 200 guys who need to settle up and get everyone paid.
Lamont Burns
New York Jets & Washington Redskins
Ken Burrow
July 22nd, 2010 at 8:18 am #
Norm,
That’s a very good question I look forward to hearing the answer…
Ken Burrow
Atlanta Falcons
1971 – 1975
Henry Bradley
July 22nd, 2010 at 9:53 pm #
I spoke to Luke in Patton at the PA Benefits Dept. today about my Severance Pay. The NFLPA is not going to help me or anyone else! I informed him that when they stole from me, they stole from the IRS! I hold the legal and benefits departments, and the head person responsible for my money. The enemy stole from me and the word says they must give it back with interest. If I have to go to Washington and face the enemy, then that’s what needs to be done. Then everyone will know that this has been a cover up. When Luke said I was lying, it just made me angry. NFLPA – you signed my severance away so YOU are responsible!
Henry Bradley
Cleveland Browns
1979 – 1982
Burt Grossman
July 23rd, 2010 at 6:38 am #
Henry,
Luke Patton lied to me several times and every time I asked him for proof, he changed his story and never produced. Finally, he just stopped responding after I hired a lawyer.
Burt Grossman
Patrick Scoggin
July 23rd, 2010 at 3:20 pm #
We do a lot of work with the Denver Broncos alumni including a thrice-annual newsletter and administering the Broncos Alumni group (BAg) on Facebook. Today we posted a listing on the BAg’s page ID’ing the 118 Broncos alums who were originally listed as a party to this suit. Does a listing exist for those who are MIA? As we have contact info for a majority of the Broncos’ alumni, we’d be happy to aid in tracking them down…
Patrick Scoggin
Marc Munford
July 25th, 2010 at 3:13 pm #
I played for Denver 1987, ’88, ’89, ’90 and chiefs in 1991. Never ever saw anything about this lawsuit. Was also let go by Chiefs with two games remaining in the regular season after being put on IR in preseason. I always thought that if you were a vested vet, they had to pay you for the entire year? Does anyone know anything about this?
I never did sign my release papers and went to arbitration and the arbitrator fell asleep during my hearing. I never saw any resolution on this and my agent certainly had no reason to go to bat for me, as he also had clients he certainly needed to represent with teams in the future. Any advice?
Marc Munford
Denver Broncos & Kansas City Chiefs
1987 – 1990
JB Brown
July 28th, 2010 at 12:21 pm #
Greg,
I am definitely shocked at the sudden rash of former players passing. Just in the last 4 – 5 months, four of my former Dolphin teammates have passed away.
1) TJ Turner
2) Norman Hand
3) Jarvis Williams
4) Harry Galbreath
I believe the cause of death with all of them was heart related!!!
JB Brown
Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals & Detroit Lions
1989 – 1999
Greg Davis
July 29th, 2010 at 4:36 am #
JB,
That is truly shocking. I think that defies any life insurance actuary table known to man. Reggie White was also heart-related Arrhythmia. I can’t believe that people aren’t looking at this. I would be interested to know if they were outspoken on any topics. Most of my friends were irregular heartbeats, murders or single-car accidents.
It gets more disturbing the more you dig.
Greg Davis
Jim Yarbrough
August 10th, 2010 at 12:49 pm #
Thanks for the update on the delayed 2nd installment – I found no information on the delay anywhere until I finally hit your site.
You’d think the NFLPA site would have shared the information. It just affects 2,000 former players! My guess was I was included as a former player rep from the mid 70′s but I have no clue as to when and how I completed the paper work to join the class!
Jim Yarbrough
Detroit Lions
1969 – 1978