Dave Pear's Blog

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, a deposit showed up last Friday in my bank account that wasn’t quite as much as my normal disability payment (and they always show up on the first of the month). It wasn’t until yesterday that a letter arrived in my mail to explain what several of our readers had also just received. No doubt, some genius in the front office figured they’d better get these payments out just before yearend so they could get some tax benefits for 2011.
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For those of you who still haven’t received your letter yet, we’ve uploaded a copy to Scribd for easy viewing and to make it downloadable for printing. You can also click the Enlarge icon in the center of the menu at the bottom of the viewing screen to go Full Screen for easier reading (and just hit the ESC key to close):
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Dave Pear’s Disability Increase Notice
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We also understand that the new Legacy Benefits will be calculated retroactively to Aug. 1, 2011 but we’re not sure when those retroactive payments will start showing up or exactly when the first increased pension checks will start arriving. We hope everyone will continue to share their own experiences with the other retired players and their families. Once again, it looks like the retired players are the last to be informed and the last to be paid. That’s why they pay DeMaurice “Upshaw” Smith those big $1 million bonuses. (Click comic to enlarge)
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5 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

1. Dave Pear
   December 29th, 2011 at 10:13 am #

   

   Oh – and we forgot to give De Smith some credit for the $16,000,000 given to Upshaw’s estate when Uppy slid out the back door.

   And once again the 2,062 retired players who were swindled out of their signed GLA agreements for EA Madden Football video games were the LAST to be paid and we had to be paid in two payments because Upshaw’s estate “needed” that $16 million. Why is it that retired players are ALWAYS the last to be paid?

   Was De Smith paid in two payments?

   Regards,
   Dave

2. Dwight Stone
   December 29th, 2011 at 12:04 pm #

   

   Dave,

   I was asked the following question from several retired players who are receiving Line-of-Duty: Will the players who are receiving Line of Duty who played before and after 1993 receive an increase in their monthly checks?

   Thank you as always for your insight…

   GOD BLESS!!
   Dwight Stone
   Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets
   1987 – 2000

   “Character is built when things do not go as planned and we make no excuse for failure.”

   – D. Stone

3. Jeff Hatch
   December 29th, 2011 at 1:43 pm #

   

   Hey Dave,

   I’m a retired player who receives Line-of-Duty disability. Am I to assume that we are going to get an increase in our monthly payouts? I retired in ’05.

   Thanks for your help.

   Jeff Hatch
   New York Giants
   2002 – 2005

4. John Hogan
   December 30th, 2011 at 7:45 am #

   

   I may have missed it but so far, my reading of the new CBA is that it does not provide for increases for guys currently receiving LOD.

   Article 61, Section 2 (iv) provides that for LOD claims filed after Sept 1, 2011, the minimum monthly benefit will be $2,000.

   John Hogan
   Disability Attorney
   Retired Player Advocate

5. Mike McCoy
   December 30th, 2011 at 2:54 pm #

   

   Has anyone heard how the calculation for the “floor benefit” was done? Not everyone received that benefit and the benefits department has no answers.

   Thanks
   Janet Brown-McCoy
   for Mike McCoy
   Green Bay Packers
   1976 – 1983