Dave Pear's Blog

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I received two letters this past week: One came from the NFLPA and the other came from the new NEW NFL Alumni. I feel so important! Both organizations want me! Each one wants me to pledge my undying support as a retired player for their respective organizations. In an editorial meeting with my friend and editor, Robert, he mentioned that it reminded him of those silly high school student council elections that boil down to nothing more than popularity contests: Lots of rhetoric, funny slogans but absolutely no substance. And definitely no promises or resolutions of any sort. If you read between the lines in the two letters below, you’ll see that each side wants to solicit your support but offer you nothing solid right now in return. Zip. Nada. (Click on the thumbnails to enlarge for reading.)

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All this talk about One Locker. One Team. I only need one answer to One Question. What are you really going to do for us retired football players today? We need to know what’s in it for us. How about the League and its owners: What’s in it for them? Well, I don’t think we even need to go into too much detail about how team values have skyrocketed more than five fold in the past decade, making professional football the most lucrative sport globally. And the active players? They’ll always be well taken care of through any contract negotiations. You can trust me on that one. But us retired players? We get burned by both sides every time. You offer nothing but you want everything.

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Retired players are now being asked to sign blank checks once again and to trust the same people to do the right thing. We understand that the New NEW NFL Alumni has already gone through all of its $1 million “interest-free loan” from the NFL and is deeply in debt. So with those 6-figure salaries that George Martin and his new team in New Jersey are now drawing, I guess it’s time to go begging for another million dollar interest-free loan from the owners again, huh? And YOU’RE going to be independent and hold an election for new directors? To do what and with what? “A groundswell of support and nationwide enthusiasm”? Give me a break!

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In past contract negotiations, the League and the owners did place money into a pension/disability fund that has never had any total, direct oversight and management of retired players. Gene Upshaw and his cronies simply took over all control on that end early on – with the League looking the other way – and retired players have been suffering since. We weren’t told anything about how our funds were managed or dispersed (mostly not) while millions were spent on “management” and lawyers, mostly to ensure that retired players did NOT get their earned benefits. All without even so much as a single VOTING seat on any Board. So now the NFLPA is demanding even more in the new negotiations for a “Legacy Fund” without 1) addressing what’s happened to the money we had and 2) how we’re going to manage any new funds supposedly being set aside for retired players? Quite frankly, we don’t want either of your organizations to be involved with managing our funds and our welfare. In fact, I doubt if anyone else could possibly mismanage and pervert the entire process any worse than it has been already. And the PA keeps allowing retired players to get kicked to the curb for their disability benefits without putting up a fight for us. If the Executive Director can’t even ask the Disability Board to at least re-open a case like mine that a professional Disability Attorney like John Hogan sees as an utter travesty, why would we believe that we’ll be seeing anything different after the dust settles?

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For retired players, it’s not a game, it’s not a choice. For many of us, it’s life-and-death.

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Dave & Heidi Pear

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5 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

1. Gordon A. Wright
   September 15th, 2010 at 3:15 pm #

   
   Until the trickle-down economic mentality changes at the top, nothing will change for the players who built the game. I hope the current players save more than they spend because they’re going to need every million they’re making today to pay someone to take care of them after they have spent all their skills in three years that took their parents 18 to 26 years to create.

   I am a firm believer in Christ Jesus and I am convinced that nothing will get better on Planet earth until Jesus returns to set up a government of Justice for all mankind.

   Man or woman can not govern the earth’s population with Justice for all.

   Sincerely,
   Gordon Wright
   Philadelphia Eagles & New York Jets
   1967 – 1970

2. Mike Davis
   September 15th, 2010 at 3:55 pm #

   
   I’ve received both letters too. First off, I’ve been a dues-paying member of the NFLPA for the past 20 years.

   Regarding the NFL Alumni Inc. I served with George Martin when he was President of the NFLPA and I was Vice President. At that time, George was good but he sure didn’t show any special qualities needed during the time we were in the biggest fight for our Rights & Benefits. It took a strong Executive Board & Player reps to guide him through.

   Now, do tell: He’s Executive Director AND President of the NFL Alumni Inc. Fancy that! I appeal to all that read this blog: You’re all intelligent people. Ask yourself a few questions: Who funds the NFL Alumni? Who pays George’s salary? How will they sustain themselves over the years? What are they doing that the NFLPA has and has not been doing over the years?

   I’d be the first to say the NFLPA has been flawed..But they’ve always been there. We need to look at the strength, power & PR machine the NFL has. They have a special way of making what looks right look wrong and vice versa.

   The other question you should ask yourself: Why is the NFL now funding the NFL Alumni to do the same things the NFLPA does …or should I say, some of the things the NFLPA does? I ask why won’t the NFL use the funding monies of the NFL Alumni to just do the RIGHT THING. Put it into benefiting the retired players who have built the game. Oh – let’s say the $320 million of unused money that’s just sitting around gathering very pretty interest. Can we all say Legacy Fund?
   Yes..I thought so.

   To all – Be well
   Mike Davis
   Oakland Raiders
   1977 – 1987

3. Lionel James
   September 15th, 2010 at 4:22 pm #

   
   Not only did I receive one letter; I received two! They each wanted me to get in line to be elected for a position as director. Now, I asked myself, Why are you sending me this now and secondly, do you think I am stupid? You know how much I write on Dave Pear’s Blog. Why would you send me two letters to join your group? I. Am. NOT. Joining. Your. Group. Period.

   I only want to stand with good and I don’t wish to associate with bad. The guys playing today won’t realize the price they’re paying until the day they can no longer play up to the level that they play now. Looking back on my own life, the NFL was my dream but it’s a monster today when I see all the damage that I did to my body. The better you are, the longer you play; which always adds up to how much you will pay in the end.

   It was explained to me that life insurance is predicated on you dying later than the policy. Meaning that if you were in Vegas, the more you spend, the better a room you will get. This means that the insurance company knows – as we know – we are going to die sooner or later. So what will we do? In life, as a young guy playing football, will you plan for the rest of your life or only for the moment?

   One day, you’ll be out of football but you have a vote now that will affect the rest of your life and the lives that came before you.

   Lionel James
   San Diego Chargers
   1984 – 1988

4. RobertinSeattle
   September 15th, 2010 at 11:09 pm #

   
   How did the word, “reparations” enter into the equation? The retired players have been screwed over by lawyers so let’s continue to stick with legalese. I believe that in lawyer-speak, it’s called “damages.” Serious damages for the harm done to retired players’ lives that they’ll never truly ever get back.

   In a lawsuit, the courts certainly understand that the only way to hurt them back a little is in the pocketbook.

5. Roman Gabriel
   September 16th, 2010 at 10:13 am #

   
   Good job, Dave! I got the letters as well!! I dropped out of both the NFLPA and the NFL Alumni 10 years ago! Never could figure out why we needed two corrupt groups to steal from the guys who made it possible for the babies playing today to have it all and not share!! I’ve had a stroke and congestive heart failure related to football!

   Life is too short to play dead! So, gentlemen, use the pulse that God gave you and thank guys like Dave and Brent Boyd for the outstanding work they are doing!

   Give ‘em hell, guys!

   Roman Gabriel
   16-Year Vet, #18
   LA Rams, Philadelphia Eagles
   1962 – 1978