We’re back from attending the Press Conference at the Press Club in Washington DC. Thanks to the incredible efforts of the teams at Hausfeld LLC and Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason and Carl Eller, everything came off even better than anyone could have expected. Retired players who attended the conference included Carl, Irv Cross (who moderated), George Visger, Joe DeLamielleure, Lem Barney, Conrad Dobler, Paul Krause, Elvin Bethea and Greg Koch. For the first part of the conference, the retirees were also joined by a group of active players who also made statements in support of the retired players efforts, which included Brendon Ayanbadejo, Duane Starks, Will Witherspoon, Hannibal Navies, Sean James, Anthony Adams, Duane Starks, Stalker McDougal and Mike Dean. We had a strong media presence and there was also a lot of attendance on the conference phone line provided. . We have video of the entire event and will be posting clips from the news conference over the next few days along with a full version of the entire meeting (thanks to our friend, Jennifer Thibeaux, and her young assistant, Elizabeth). And here’s a slideshow of pictures from Reuters News Service at the conference (Click on the picture to open the slideshow in another window): .
Dr. William A. Duncan serves as President of Capitol Strategy Consultants, Inc., where he represents clients on healthcare, biomedical research, veterans, Department of Defense, and criminal justice and public health arenas. His clients benefit from his extensive background in the congressional appropriations process and heath care regulations. . In the medical realm, Dr. Duncan supervised numerous legislative priorities including National Institutes of Health reforms for setting research priorities, expansion on biomedical research infrastructure, AHRQ and evidence-based medicine initiatives, NIH and CDC initiatives in environmental medicine, amputee services, and addressing chronic disease including diabetes and public health. He dealt with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services problems, including getting CMS to approve a new indication for hyperbaric oxygen to reduce diabetic foot amputations, reducing the regulatory burden on health care, prescription drug, and FDA issues. . (Our videos are hosted on Veoh in HD and you can watch them full screen by clicking on the Expand button in the lower right corner of the video window.) To follow the entire slideshow, we suggest starting the video and then opening the slideshow full screen so you can hear the accompanying narration. .
Posted with the express consent of Evan Weiner: THE BUSINESS AND POLITICS OF SPORTS .
NFL lockout 2011: Why are Gov. Christie and other politicians strangely silent?
Thursday, 21 April 2011 BY EVAN WEINER NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM . The National Football League Draft is on the horizon and there has been a deafening silence from a group of people who actually have some power to exert some influence on what appears to be stagnating talks between the owners, who have locked out their employees — the players — and the players’ representatives. .
People like New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who has no problem yelling at his employers in public settings — New Jersey voters — has gone mute on the issue. Christie is no better than Texas Congressman Lamar Smith who doesn’t think Congress ought to be involved in the dispute or President Barack Obama. Christie is in a governor’s league that includes both Democrats (Andrew Cuomo of New York, Jerry Brown of California, Mark Dayton of Minnesota among others) and Republicans (Rick Scott of Florida, John Kasich of Ohio, Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Rick Snyder of Michigan, Rick Perry of Texas, Jan Brewer of Arizona, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana) who should be out there jawboning NFL owners to get a deal done with the players.
All the governors are cutting costs so you figure the potential of losing money because there will be no business conducted because of the lockout would stoke their combative fires. .
But it hasn’t. .continue reading »
As many of you following this blog may already know, I developed hydrocephalus – or water on the brain – from repeated brain trauma while playing DT with the SF 49ers during the 1981 Super Bowl season. After undergoing emergency VP Shunt brain surgery during the season, I am now on brain surgery #9 thirty years later. In addition to the brain surgeries, I developed gran mal seizures and am currently on my sixth different anti-seizure medicine. .
During the course of my last 30 years dealing with hydrocephalus and other serious side effects from my short NFL “career”, I have acquired a toolbox of coping mechanisms which allow me to survive as normally as possible. Unfortunately I still don’t follow my own advice as much as I should. .
Let’s look at the side effects and potential treatments for dealing with traumatic brain injuries: .
Short term memory loss – most of us can vividly remember events from high school, but can’t remember what we did yesterday. Get in the habit of carrying a notebook or recorder in your vehicle. Log everything you can in any way you can. Some techniques may work better than others. I have used Dictaphones with some success but I’m technologically challenged. A Write-in-the-Rain, waterproof notebook and pen work best for me. Get in the habit of reading the prior week or two’s notes every couple days. After reading the same notes 2 -3 times, your brain will begin storing information more readily..
Anger management issues – you may think you deal with life’s daily stresses normally, but ask those around you how you function. Especially family members, friends and business relationships you trust. Many times when the wives bring these issues up, we immediately dismiss them. DON”T. If you hear the same issues being reiterated to you over and over from different people, act on it. DON’T dismiss what you are hearing as coming from people who don’t know how to “suck it up”. After a while those you are hurting the most will distance themselves from you. THINK before you speak. I have found the hard way, once words are released, you can never take them back.
Poor judgment – damage to frontal cortex and other areas of the brain will impede your ability to use good judgment. Take extra time to think things out before acting. Sometimes that means rethinking your responses a second time a day or so later..
Loss of direction – many of us will find ourselves having trouble finding our vehicles when we exit stores, turning the wrong way when leaving parking lots, or even having trouble remembering how to get home. Again, take time to think things out before acting. Football teaches us to react immediately to situations we find ourselves in. Unfortunately, that response doesn’t work well when you have memory deficits. It’s tough for us but slow things down..
Financial and business problems – it is very hard to maintain a functioning business when you are dealing with all of the above symptoms. Whenever possible, be up front with business associates regarding your memory issues. I am forced to write down everything that goes on in my daily life, including each phone call. Business associates of mine are conditioned to ask “Do you have your notebook handy,” whenever they call. One thing I have learned by writing things down is no one remembers like they think they do..
Insomnia – when you have a traumatic brain injury, many times the neurons become inflamed. When this occurs you can’t shut things off at night and your mind races when you should be sleeping. Look into taking Melatonin a couple hours before going to bed. I take 3 -4 tablets at night.
Attorney Carl Lopez graduated from Georgetown University Law School in 1975 and is a member of the Washington State Bar and President of Lopez & Fantel, a Seattle law firm. He has been named multiple times to Law and Politics Magazine’s list of Washington Super Lawyers. He’s also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates and Multimillion Dollar Advocates. Selected for “The Best Lawyers in America.” Carl is a certified Contract Advisor, with his first NFL contract negotiation in 1978; among players represented are Jack Thompson and more recently, Robbie Tobeck. . On very short notice, Carl managed to fly in just for the day from Seattle and gives an overview on the current CBA and the Union’s decertification with an emphasis on how it will affect retired players directly. Carl also reveals some fascinating anecdotes from his many years of dealing with the NFLPA and the NFL while representing many players. . (Our videos are hosted on Vimeo in HD and you can watch them full screen by clicking on the Expand button in the lower right corner of the video window.) .
This past week, we’ve probably seen even more media coverage on concussions than all past years combined. It’s been like a huge tsunami of people, events and timing all converging to drive interest in a subject that’s been hidden away by years of denial. . Terry Bradshaw had already made some side comments publicly last year while he was on the air and just as suddenly as he blurted them out – and as with all things NFL on network television – nothing more was ever brought up again until this past week. Bradshaw mentions his recent visit to the Amen Clinic in Newport Beach as part of Dr. Amen’s continuing studies on concussions and the brain. Here’s the clip from FOX Sports: . Video: Terry talks treatment .
And you can read the full article on MSN/FOX Sports – click HERE.
George Visger, 52, earned the ultimate prize in professional football: a championship with the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI in 1982. The former defensive tackle also bagged an Orange Bowl victory while playing with the University of Colorado. .
But now he’s paying the ultimate price for all those years on the gridiron. After thousands of on-field hits to his head, hydrocephalus, and multiple brain surgeries, he is struggling with memory problems. And he receives absolutely NO benefits whatsoever – pension or disability – from the NFL in spite of his Super Bowl ring because he doesn’t meet their arbitrary 3-year vesting rule! .
George is currently an environmental consultant in California. . Dan Bunz is a former American Football linebacker who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions in an eight-year career that lasted from 1978 to 1985 in the National Football League. .
As a linebacker for the 49ers in Super Bowl XVI, he made one of the most famous defensive tackles ever witnessed. On a critical 3rd-and-goal from the one-yard line, Anderson passed to Charles Alexander in the right flat, but Bunz came up fast, grabbed the receiver around the waist, and hurled him backward before he could break the plane of the goal line. “The Stop” is regarded as “The Best Thing Witnessed On TV Ever.” He was a member of the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XIX winning teams. .
Dan currently teaches Physical Education at Sutter Middle School in Sacramento. He also teaches people of all ages in being healthy and fit. .
Here are George and Dan telling the audience about the reality of their lives after football with an emphasis on the long-term effects of concussions and the failed disability process and system that the NFL and the NFLPA continue to impose on its retired employees. .
Posted with the express consent of Evan Weiner: THE BUSINESS AND POLITICS OF SPORTS.
Tuesday, 5 April 2011 .
BY EVAN WEINER
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM COMMENTARY . Portions of this column are by Evan Weiner and Heather Rascher from ”A Business History of Professional Football,” unpublished manuscript (2005). . The biggest game on the NFL season starts on April 6 when National Football League owners and the remnants of the now defunct National Football League Players Association face off in a Minneapolis courtroom. In a script that looks like a sequel to the days after the National Football League Players Association imploded in October 1987 when the NFLPA decided to sue NFL owners for free agency, the NFLPA is back in a Minneapolis courthouse and suing NFL owners. Ten players, including one college player who was not even a part of the defunct NFLPA, Von Miller, are suing the league in an antitrust action hoping the court will lift the owners lockout. .
Miller’s name is on the suit but he is planning to attend the National Football League Draft, an act that restricts the freedom of college players in finding jobs. The only reason the draft is legal is through collective bargaining. The owners and players have agreed to a draft. Miller plans to be in the courtroom while New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, one of the 10 plaintiffs, will not attend the opening day festivities. Brees will be at a golf fundraiser. .
Brees last week sounded a conciliatory note to retired and discarded players after being blasted by Sam Huff for criticizing former players who are down and out because of football related injuries. Brees apparently learned well from the late Gene Upshaw (who was the NFLPA Executive Director) who once said that the association could not worry about every problem. While the NFL and the NFLPA duke it out in Minneapolis, the former NFLPA may be involved in another action as former New Orleans and Miami defensive back Gene Atkins is suing the NFL’s retirement board after being denied additional health benefits by the group which included the late Dave Duerson. The former defensive back, Duerson, was on the board which said ‘no’ to Atkins’ football degenerative claim in 2006. Duerson’s suicide in February 2011 raises questions according to the brief filed about Duerson’s competence in light of statements that came out after the suicide that he had memory loss and difficulties spelling words. .continue reading »
Hall-of-Famer Ron Mix attended and spoke at our first Annual Independent Football Veterans Conference last week, held at the South Point Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. We received Ron’s overview and editorial letter this morning and we’re posting it in its entirety below. Thanks, Ron! .
You can view and read more of the entire event by going to the site by clicking HERE. (We will be updating the site constantly all week long as we finalize sound enhancements on all our videos as well as add more commentary and PowerPoints from our speakers.) And if you would like to help advance our cause by being a founding donor, please feel free to go to our Donation page by clicking HERE. . continue reading »
We’ve arrived in Las Vegas to prepare for our First Annual Independent Football Veterans Conference. In a short span of two months, we’ve been fortunate in being able to assemble a terrific lineup of speakers who will help to cover a focused range of topics that are most relevant to retired football players today: From legal matters to pensions as well as information on some of the latest discoveries and treatments for those injuries most of you have been carrying for years. You can read about the topics we’ll be covering along with a Speakers’ List over at our new 2011 Conference website – just click HERE. And you’ll also find our finalized schedule there.
Posted with the express consent of Evan Weiner: THE BUSINESS AND POLITICS OF SPORTS
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Thursday, 17 March 2011 .
BY EVAN WEINER
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM COMMENTARY . As the National Football League hired lawyers and attorneys from the decertified National Football League Players Association game-planned for an April court date in Minneapolis where they will argue over what went wrong in their collective bargaining talks and why there is no new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, Gene Atkins will go about his daily struggle at his Texas home. .
The 46-year-old Atkins has some better days than others but struggles with his concentration and focus and his constant headaches and pain. Doctors said he has permanent brain damage from playing football. Atkins was once of the most intimidating players on the New Orleans Saints, a safety who hit hard and wanted to put fear in offensive players. .
But that was a long time ago. Atkins last played for the Miami Dolphins in 1996 and then retired. His life soon unraveled. There was a domestic dispute involving his wife, an arrest, business failures, depression, constant headaches and by 2000, the thoughts of suicide. Atkins’ post-career problems seem to follow a pattern, a rather disturbing set of circumstances that is not all that unusual among ex-NFL players. He is living off the United States safety net of Social Security and Medicare despite his young age like other former NFL players, a safety net that might cost taxpayers a billion dollars for discarded, disabled players. .continue reading »
We haven’t been posting as much the past couple of weeks (Thanks for picking up the slack, Evan!) because we’ve been getting things ready for our upcoming Conference later this month at The South Point in Las Vegas. If you haven’t signed up yet, time’s running out to book your trip.
As many of you following this blog may already know, I developed hydrocephalus – or water on the brain – from repeated brain trauma while playing DT with the SF 49ers during the 1981 Super Bowl season. After undergoing emergency VP Shunt brain surgery during the season, I am now on brain surgery #9 
George Visger, 52, earned the ultimate prize in professional football: a championship with the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI in 1982. The former defensive tackle also bagged an Orange Bowl victory while playing with the University of Colorado.
Dan Bunz is a former American Football linebacker who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions in an eight-year career that lasted from 1978 to 1985 in the National Football League.
As the National Football League hired lawyers and attorneys from the decertified National Football League Players Association game-planned for an April court date in Minneapolis where they will argue over what went wrong in their collective bargaining talks and why there is no new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, Gene Atkins will go about his daily struggle at his Texas home.
We haven’t been posting as much the past couple of weeks (Thanks for picking up the slack, Evan!) because we’ve been getting things ready for our upcoming Conference later this month at The South Point in Las Vegas. If you haven’t signed up yet, time’s running out to book your trip.