This is a copy of a handout given out by the NFLPA to show their great work to Certified Contract Advisors at the annual Sports Lawyers Association conference recently held in San Diego CA. . So if they did such a great job, where did all that money go for the retired players? The NFL has now officially stated for the record that they were already offering to put up 51% of what was needed to cover an increase to widows’ benefits if the NFLPA put up the other 49% (read about that on an earlier post – clickHERE). And a large number of retired players are still reporting back that they have yet to even hear back from the fund on their Legacy Benefits while others are already receiving their retroactive checks and increased payments. So maybe it’s time to stop bragging and show retired players and their families the money, Mr. Smith. . We’ve posted a copy of the handout to Scribd for viewing and to make it downloadable. You can also click the Fullscreen button in the lower right corner of the screen to enlarge it for easier navigation (just hit the ESC key to close): . 2012 SLA NFLPA Meeting Notes . EDITOR’S NOTE:Best analysis so far from Mike Florio on ProFootballTalk: . Click HERE to read that article. .
Posted with the express consent of Evan Weiner: THE BUSINESS AND POLITICS OF SPORTS .
Tuesday, 15 May 2011 . BY EVAN WEINER NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM COMMENTARY .
Steve Bartkowski wikipedia
Steve Bartkowski, a newly elected member of the National Football Foundation’s College Hall of Fame, is one of hundreds of former National Football League players who are suing their former employers for what best can be described as negligence for allegedly not telling league employees, the players, of the possible long time impact on the body of playing football. Bartkowski, who played with the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams between 1975 and 1985, has an assortment of ailments that came from playing. . Bartkowski “signed up” for the lawsuit for family reasons although the suicide of a former teammate Ray Easterling in April may have played a role. . “I signed up basically for my wife,” said Bartkowski. “I just don’t want her having to wheel my chair towards the sunset so I can watch it set. I am more concerned about her and her quality of life if things should take a turn for the worst. I mean I got dinged as many times probably a lot of these other guys.” . Bartkowski looks physically good for a man of about 60. But he has many scars from playing the game. . “I think for the first time we are starting to see some of the effects, the long term effects. The game. I don’t know if we tracked injuries like they are tracking them now. And I think we have some evidence that people can point to and say this is what has happened,” said Bartkowski. “I am all for trying to make the game safer for guys who are playing or at least make them aware of what some of the long-term sort of debilitating effects can be. . “What have I got? Well, I got two knees replaced after nine operations. I am sure there are some other things that are approaching. I have a bad hip, I got a left elbow that doesn’t work very good anymore. But I think we know what we sign up for. It is a physical game. You are in a car wreck every weekend that you play in and sometimes multiple car wrecks, so it’s part of the issue. I hope it doesn’t end up shaping the game going forward but I do hope the guys who need help get it from the appropriate sources.” . The “appropriate sources” should start with the National Football League Players Association since benefits are collectively bargained between the owners and players. The NFLPA did a rotten job protecting the membership’s long-term future by asking for “Money Now” in 1982 and has always been more concerned about money than long time health issues. The players played games on awful surfaces in places like Philadelphia and Houston yet that didn’t seem to be a concern of the NFLPA. . “I think so (referring to both the NFL owners and the NFLPA), those are the guys that are driving the bus on this,” said Bartkowski. “I think the NFL has acknowledged that there are some long tern effects from the game and I think that is the reason for some of the safety measures that Commissioner (Roger) Goodell is trying to implement and sort of evolved the game.” . Players from Bartkowski’s era got as much as five years of medical benefits after they were cut or retired. Some of the Bartkowski era players are now living in the United States safety net and receive Social Security Disability Insurance and are on Medicare long before their 65th birthday. . “I don’t think we even got five (years) when I was playing, it may be that now,” he recalled. . “The new collective bargaining agreement, I think, covers a lot more than what the old one did.” . So who is responsible for the care of the discarded players? . “That’s a great question,” said Bartkowski. “I think the major thing in the (law)suit was how much did the NFL know about the concussion issue and when did they know it? I think that to me is really the issue. If there were guys out there doing the head banging and didn’t know the long term effects could cause early onset dementia and some of the other things that we are seeing out there in the retired player community, I think somebody is liable for that I would think. Not only the player when he signs his contract, when he signs up for that sort of a violent sport but at the same time the issue is what did they know and when did they know it?” . Bartkowski played with Ray Easterling for three years in Atlanta between 1975 and 1977. Eastlerling shot himself to death in April. Two former NFL players Easterling and Junior Seau committed suicide within a month of one another. . Easterling was 62 and seemed to have the same physical and mental health issues that face many former players. Reportedly he suffered from depression and insomnia. He underwent 25 different surgeries and had a hip replacement. In March 2011, Easterling was diagnosed with dementia in March 2011. . “I had a former teammate of mine who was in the early stages of dementia, Ray Easterling. He just decided he wasn’t going to put his family through it and he ended up taking his own life” said Bartkowski. “I watched Ray going downhill. He was one of the hardest hitting guys. He never backed down on a drill and never backed down on a Sunday afternoon. He was a great teammate but I don’t think he had any idea what he was sacrificing later on in the latter stages of his life. . “I talked to him, he asked me to write a letter in support of his case and I just looked at his chronology of his slide down the hill and was happy to write the letter and say what I saw. Ray was one of the smartest, sharpest guys that I ever teed it up with so to speak and to watch him where he couldn’t carry on a conversation was very difficult.” . Memory loss is a common thread in the discarded players’ community. . “I’ve got some of that too,” said Bartkowski. “It is hard for me to remember a lot of things.” . The lawsuits have been filed, consolidated and will eventually go to court. Nothing is going to be settled anytime soon but the game of football figures to be put on trail. . “I’m sure it will,” said Bartkowski of how long the lawsuit may take before it is finally settled. “There are extenuating circumstances in all these different cases. But I think if it does nothing more than move the game to safer turf and safer territory for the guys who love it and would have played it if they didn’t get paid to play it. I was one of those guys, I loved the thrill of Sunday afternoon and being out there and playing with the boys. I didn’t know what the long term effects might be and didn’t really care about them at that point in time. . “If we can make the game safer and make it a little more easier on you in your twilight years then I am all for that.” .
Evan Weiner
Evan Weiner, the winner of the United States Sports Academy’s 2010 Ronald Reagan Media Award, is an author, radio-TV commentator and speaker on “The Politics of Sports Business.” His book, “The Business and Politics of Sports, Second Edition” is available at www.bickley.com or amazonkindle. He can be reached at evanjweiner@yahoo.com . .
Posted with the express consent of Evan Weiner: THE BUSINESS AND POLITICS OF SPORTS .
Wednesday, 9 May 2011 . BY EVAN WEINER NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM COMMENTARY . It is that time of the year when school boards have to get budgets in place for the new school calendar and the 2012-13 school year. The people who do the budgets and the people who vote on the budgets probably aren’t too worried about the 2012 high school football season but there will come a time when school districts will have to evaluate the value of fielding junior high and high school football teams. . There is evidence that football is causing major health problems for former players later on in life. Some National Football League players have been quite vocal about post-career problems, which include depression, thoughts of suicide, family problems, bankruptcy, homelessness and for some – like Dave Duerson and Junior Seau – suicide. . Following Seau’s death, a few former players went public with their post football plight on Dave Pear’s Blog. Pear has been fighting for years for the NFL to get medical benefits to pay for the injuries he says he suffered during his career. The injuries were numerous. . The comments should be noted by school boards and others with a passing interest in watching football whether it is Friday night high school contests or Monday Night Football featuring two NFL teams. . One-time Pittsburgh Steelers player Reggie Harrison, now known as Kamal Ali Salaam-El wrote, “Since we don’t have a crystal ball, we may never know what was going through Junior Seau’s mind. I have yet to entertain the thought of taking my life, but I can relate to the pain that a lot of us are going through. I take 10 methadone, 4 oxycodone and 2 ml of liquid oxycodone daily, and sometimes the pain still overtakes me. I just pray that I can hold on and lean on my fellow alumni if I feel that I can’t go on. My heart goes out to Junior and his family and I hope he has found Peace. I sure haven’t found it.” . Former Los Angeles Rams player Rick Hayes responded to the former Steelers by writing, “Kamal, I believe we played against each other in the L.A. Coliseum during our Rookie Year in 1974 Pre-Season. I, too, have been in pain today following the news of Junior Seau, and I find myself wondering about the possibility of CTE being the cause. For the last month, I have missed two Brain Scans and MRIs because of fear and pain. Several months ago, I finally detoxed from a daily dose of over 1000 mg of oxycodone via the Subuxone method. I think of suicide almost daily. There were other pills too. I feel much better now but still question the pain and sleep disturbances. . “In your note, I found the realization that these medications treat and cover our emotional traumas as much as our physical pain. And eventually, they stop working due to our Opioid Tolerance. I wish you, our fellow Former Players, and myself, a path through all this confusion. We are all one, but unfortunately the NFLPA is failing in providing us guidance and assistance. They are aware of our PAIN and ADDICTIONS. Now they are having SUICIDES thrown in their faces. When will they act truthfully and completely? The BLOOD is on the OWNERS and NFLPA’s hands.” . Janet McCoy speaking on behalf of her husband Mike, who played for Green Bay, responded with a different viewpoint: the position of a wife with a suffering husband. She said, “I received a call from my husband yesterday when he received the news of another player’s death. Since Mike is in assisted living for his dementia, all he could do was weep when I answered the phone. I knew why he was crying even before he spoke. How many tears do the players, wives and families have to shed before the NFL takes notice? I would like to suggest that the NFL have a plan payment for mental health therapy after this. Most men are not able to express themselves when this tragic diagnosis is received. Blessings to all our families.” . Former NFL players who have been broken down and left on the curb have a place to vent frustrations. The awful truth for the former players who are suffering is that the National Football league owners never let them down; their own Players Association is the culprit. The National Football League Players Association was so focused on just getting money that there were not secondary concerns about players’ safety or post career medical and insurance benefits. The owners and players collectively bargained agreements, and whether it was 1974, 1982 or 1987, the players’ negotiators — and in turn the players’ agents — wanted liberal free agency rules and money. . That was a mistake for about 97 percent of the players. The owners legally are not bound to give players extended medical benefits. That should have been a collectively bargained issue. Broken down players are living in the government safety net of Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare. . It may be those are some of the lucky players who survived the funnel and made it into the National Football League. There are probably hundreds of thousands of players from the college, high school and semi-pro ranks who have suffered severe injuries and didn’t have a players association – albeit a weak group like the NFLPA – who never got a football pension or a partial medical plan and now are depending on government assistance for life-altering injuries. . But there really isn’t much about the plight of high school players who are suffering from football injuries that is documented. . High school football remains king in certain sections of the country but what would happen if former high school players suffering from devastating injuries started suing schools? Would school boards who are either self-insured or pay a huge premium keep the games going? . That is a difficult question but that question may come an awful lot sooner than anyone thinks. The National Football League, along with a helmet manufacturer, is being sued by hundreds of former players who contend that the league didn’t look after players’ health during careers and in post-career life. The lawsuit involves just the NFL and former players at this point. . Many people play football from the youth level on up to the pros. Many of those players will never have an opportunity to sue school boards even though the life-altering injuries took place on some high school football field. . Football has always been a brutally tough sport. . It seems the issue of players’ safety was settled in 1905 after President Theodore Roosevelt pressured a few college presidents into cleaning up the game after the deaths of 18 players in college games and the maiming of others. . But did President Roosevelt and the college presidents really clean up the game or was the game “properly” sanitized, with the injuries swept under the rug? . Until 2010, players’ safety didn’t seem to have been much of a priority on any level, whether it was high school, college or the National Football League. The NFL was very slow to get into the players’ safety issue, and the league finally started addressing head issues 105 years after President Roosevelt made the issue of player safety part of his presidency. . The NFL is urging all 50 states to take a very close look at head injuries suffered in high school and other football programs for children. Whether it is lip service or not, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent out 44 letters to states urging them to enforce strict surveillance of head injuries. The league is continuing to beef up head injury protocol, but that is for future generations. . The league is not taking responsibility for past injuries. . But there is now a lawsuit and even though the players have directed their complaints against the National Football League, all of football is really on trial. That includes youth level, junior high school, high school, and college football. If the NFL and a helmet manufacturer lose this case, the whole structure of football will be shaken from the NFL down to kids’ football. The NFL depends on kids’ football as a feeder system into junior high school, then high school and colleges. The NFL gets ready-made players with years of experience. That could all change because school districts may decide running a football program is too costly in terms of insurance premiums and safety. . If the school boards get rid of football, Troy Aikman’s words last February, looking at the NFL’s future, may be prophetic: “The long-term viability, to me anyway, is somewhat in question as far as what this game is going to look like 20 years from now.” .
We just received another note from retired player and attorney Bob Stein with more clarification on the Legacy Fund Benefits. Many of you will already be familiar with Bob as one of the lead attorneys for the Dryer vs. NFL (Films) lawsuit. Dave also received a memo from Joe Browne out of the NFL offices that contains an interesting note about your Legacy Fund benefits as well as a proposal for widows that has apparently been on the table awaiting an answer from… yes – you guessed it: Your Union. Please call or write your Union to let them know they need to get off their collective butts and DO THE RIGHT THING! Pay the widows NOW! . We’ll start off with Bob Stein’s notes: . May 8, 2012 . To: Fellow Retired NFL Players From: Bob Stein RE: Legacy Benefit .
Men, . I spoke to the NFL Player Benefits (“Plan”) office yesterday and got what I think is some clarity on two more issues regarding the Legacy Benefit which have many retired players confused. I am passing the conversation notees along in hopes of helping. . Bob Stein . LEGACY BENEFIT INFORMATION . While I cannot provide legal advice on this matter, I would like to pass along the information I received by telephone on May 7, 2012 from the NFL Player Benefits Office for other retired players waiting for Legacy Benefit payments or wondering about their status. . 1. Players currently receiving NFL Disability payments – I was told these players would receive only THE GREATER OF: . a) the amount of monthly disability payment they currently receive; OR . b) the total of monthly pension payment they would now qualify for based on years of service, etc. plus the monthly Legacy Benefit they would qualify for under the 2011 CBA. . They made it clear you only receive whichever monthly amount is greater. So players whose current disability payment is greater than the total of (b) would receive NO additional payment from the Legacy Benefit in the new CBA. . 2. Players who assigned all or part of their pension benefits to an ex-spouse in their divorce: . I was told each of these situations would be reviewed individually by Plan attorneys and actuaries to see what payment rights that individual player’s divorce decree language assigned to his ex-spouse. Since the language on what divorce obligations are continuing can be different for every decree, based on what was agreed to or awarded by the court, the Plan advisors must go through them individually to see what should go to each ex-spouse and each player. . I hope this information helps clarify some remaining Legacy Benefit issues. The number of the NFL Player Benefits Office is (800) 638-3186. . And some of what was relayed to retirees from the NFL Offices today: .
Dear Retired Player: . The following items may interest you: . 1. Attached is a four-page summary of the recent record-based study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of all retirees who played in the NFL for at least five seasons from 1959 through 1988. We previewed this study in the most recent NFL RETIRED PLAYER NEWS that was emailed to you on April 24. NIOSH also sent via regular mail a copy of this same information to the 3,439 players whose records were used for the study. . 2. More than 250 retirees who had been waiting to hear from the Pension Benefit office in Baltimore regarding their Legacy payments were mailed information on their individual cases in recent weeks. One of the last group of retirees to receive information will be those players who have QDROs and also receive Disability Benefits. Also, the 320 widows and other beneficiaries of vested pre-93 players who died prior to the 2011 CBA being signed still are awaiting word from the NFLPA regarding those Legacy benefits. The league is on record as stating it will pay 51% of the costs for the widows benefit if the NFLPA pays the balance. . 3. The NFL Alumni Association announced over this past weekend at a Board meeting in Arizona the resignation of Executive Director George Martin, who had served in that post since October, 2009. Ex-Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik, who serves as the non-salaried President of the Alumni Association, also will act as interim Executive Director until a full time successor is named. . Incidentally, the Association’s annual Super Bowl of Golf, which matches winning teams from all local Alumni chapters, was held in conjunction with the Board meeting and was won by a team led by ex-Bears quarterback Jim McMahon. Congratulations. . 4. All of us in the NFL family mourn the death of NFL great Junior Seau last week. There will be a private memorial service and burial this Friday, May 11 in Oceanside, California followed by a public memorial that same night at QualComm Stadium, the home of the Chargers and site for many of Junior’s on-the field heroics. . Joe Browne . Senior Advisor to the Commissionercontinue reading »
Posted with the express consent of Evan Weiner: THE BUSINESS AND POLITICS OF SPORTS .
Wednesday, 2 May 2011 .
BY EVAN WEINER
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM COMMENTARY . I didn’t know Junior Seau although I met him on the day he was drafted into the National Football League in 1990 and probably interviewed him after a football game a few times more. From all accounts, he was a fearsome presence on the football field; a killer who at times could control a game defensively. .
But Junior Seau didn’t live to be a ripe old age and until an autopsy is performed and a police investigation is complete, there is no need to speculate about the circumstances surrounding Seau’s death other than he was found dead of a shotgun wound on the morning of May 2, 2012 about 22 years after the San Diego Chargers football team called his name at the annual National Football League event. .
The gun wound should strike a nerve among former players. It seems that is becoming a way of life and death among NFL alum suffering from life altering injuries that probably came from years and years of absorbing hits on the football field. People do hear about former NFL players but there seems to be no tracking of high school and college players who years after their football careers ended killed themselves. . continue reading »
Big-time pollen alerts across the country! Jennifer and her daughter are recovering from severe allergies this week, so we’re going ahead and posting up the PowerPoints from some of the discussions at our Second Independent Football Veterans Conference. Sorry for the delays in getting everything posted quickly – we thank everyone for their patience and understand how many of you who couldn’t attend are anxiously awaiting the videos so you can catch up on what you missed. All our best to Jennifer and her daughter for a speedy recovery! . Without a doubt, the most requested videos and Powerpoints have certainly been for our panel on concussions and the lawsuits filed against the NFL and Riddell. Jason Luckasevic from Goldberg Persky White filed one of the first concussion lawsuits on behalf of retired football players. To date, his firm is also one of the few to include Riddell the helmet manufacturer – “Official Helmet of the NFL” – as a responsible party. Richard Lewis from Hausfeld LLP joined Jason on the panel last Saturday morning to present his firm’s decisions leading up to filing their concussion suit. . Please keep two things in mind: There are many capable and qualified attorneys representing plaintiffs in the concussion litigation. Please speak to those you choose to make sure your potential claim is evaluated promptly. The other issue discussed at the Conference was a potential statute of limitation specifically related to this round of concussion lawsuits. This means you may have to sign up with a representative firm soon before the filing period expires. More on this shortly from one of the attorneys involved in this suit. . Feel free to call Jason or Rich directly with any questions you may have regarding your own concussion concerns – each of them has agreed to make themselves available to talk to our readers: . Jason Luckasevic • Goldberg Persky White (412) 338-9460 . Richard Lewis • Hausfeld LLP (202) 540-7200 . You can view each slideshow full screen by clicking on the FullScreen icon in the lower right corner of each slide screen (press ESC to close the slideshow).
Thanks to our friend, Jennifer Thibeaux, we have a great collection of photographs from our well-attended Second Annual Independent Football Veterans Conference held April 20 – 22 2012 at The South Point Resort in Las Vegas. Videos and PowerPoints to follow shortly! .
Here’s the slideshow from flickr (there’s an enlarge button in the lower right hand corner of the slideshow screen if you want to view our slideshow fullscreen; just hit ESC to close fullscreen mode): .
With so many areas to cover this year at our Second Annual Independent Football Veterans Conference, we’ve adopted a broadcast format and assembled discussion panels with audience participation instead of individual speakers for the most part. Each panel will be broadcast as a separate topic covering the most important issues and questions retired players want to know. . Each panelist will be given an opportunity to talk approximately 5 – 10 minutes about their particular areas of expertise and interest after which 30 – 45 minutes will then be devoted to general discussions and questions from our studio audience and our online viewers. For a list of our panelists and speakers,clickHERE. We’ll be posting our Panelists’ Bios shortly. . All retired players welcome to participate in this live event but be sure to register for your entry pass today -clickHERE – and book you flight and room(s) at the South Point as soon as possible! The Conference is open to all retired football players by simply registering to attend. Media and other guests are limited and by invitation only –clickHEREto contact us. .
Each panelist will be given an opportunity to talk for approximately 5 – 10 minutes about their particular areas of expertise and interest, after which 30 – 45 minutes will then be devoted to general discussions and questions from our studio audience and our online viewers. For a list of our panelists and speakers, clickHERE. We’ll be posting our Panelists’ Bios shortly. .
As big a deal as the League and Commissioner Goodell made of the Saints’ bounty program, you’d think it was something that no one ever knew about over the years and years that it’s been going on at all levels of the game. This story’s been in the headlines for the past couple of week and Roger Goodell finally issued his ruling earlier this week. It didn’t take long for new stories to come out that covered the underside of the story. Here are two of those headlines from FOX Sports’ Alex Marvez and A.J. Perez. . We’ll be discussing these along with many other legal and medical issues that affect retired players at our upcoming Conference April 20 – 22 in Las Vegas. Be sure to register HERE and book your rooms and flight.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We just received this update from Bob Stein on the Legacy Fund Benefits. This will be one of the discussion issues at our upcoming Conference April 20 – 22 in Las Vegas. Be sure to register HERE and book your rooms and flight. . I continue to hear from retired player friends wondering about ongoing delays in Legacy Benefit payments or information from the NFL Player Retirement Plan. Last week, I finally reached an AON actuary working on the Legacy Benefit. While I can’t guarantee the absolute accuracy of the information I received, I wanted to pass it on in hopes it will be helpful. . Here’s what I was told: . 1. Though basic agreement and public announcement occurred with the CBA conclusion in August, 2011, the Plan Document, with precise terms and details, is still not complete. Amendments are being finalized and the complete Plan Document is to be finished by the March 31 end of the current Plan year. The “Summary Plan Description” is not required to be published until 7 months later, though he said they would try to have it out sooner. . So I did not get what I requested which was a copy of the basic rules governing our Legacy Benefit payments. . 2. Regarding increased monthly benefits for those electing to defer payment, I was told even if we are now over age 55, our basic benefit calculation ($124/year for seasons through 1974, $108 per year thereafter) does not increase unless we now choose to defer payments due us from August, 2011 on. Meaning there is no added benefit from being over 55. If we defer payment NOW, we will receive a “small percentage increase for each year delayed.” However, by law we must begin taking payments once we reach age 65. . To make it more confusing, I was told the percentage increases for deferring Legacy Benefit payments will be different than the percentage increase factor for deferred pension payments. He did not know if increases would be more or less than for deferred pension payments. . 3. Timing of Plan Response . I was told most responses went out before the Super Bowl, including to players electing a survivor benefit. However, some “special cases” like those involving divorces have not yet been addressed. . 4. Questions/Problems .I was told the best source for information is the Player Retirement Plan office. Their phone numbers are: (800) 638-3186 or (410) 685-5069. Or you can mail them at: NFL Player Retirement Plan, 200 Saint Paul St, Ste. 2420, Baltimore, MD 21202-2008. . Some ex-teammates have been waiting weeks or more for response from the Plan office. Apparently, all we can do is keep calling and writing. It’s been very frustrating. But I hope this information helps a little. . Bob Stein Kansas City Chiefs, LA Rams, Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers 1969 – 1976 . .
If you haven’t signed up to attend our Second Annual Independent Football Veterans Conference this April 20 – 22 in Las Vegas, you may want to book your plane tickets and rooms this week while the rates are still low. Sign up for our Conference and reserve your room by clicking HERE. This year, we’ll be be using a different format to allow us to present more information and answer more questions that retired players have been asking: . What’s the latest news on the lawsuit against the NFLPA? When the NFLPA decertified just after the lockout this summer, legally and technically they had no right to represent current or retired players. Yet magically, the Legacy Fund and other benefits suddenly appeared in the weeks immediately following the ratification of the new CBA and recertification of the NFLPA. All with virtually no input or vote from the majority of retired players. We’ll have representatives from some of the law firms there to discuss what has happened so far. . Why is it that every time a song or a film gets played or sold, a musician, an actor or a composer gets paid a royalty? So why aren’t retired football players paid anything whenever they’re in a video game or on a DVD? . What are some of the more recent discoveries in concussions and traumatic brain injuries? Is there anything I can do to slow down or improve my mind and my memory? . And what about concussions? Most of us suffered from countless concussions over our careers. Our coaches and managers taught us to call them ‘zingers’ and sent us back into the game as quickly as possible. And what about the long-term effects? If the League and the owners denied most of us any disability benefits from the effects of concussions, yet in creating the 88 Plan, they finally acknowledged those long-term effects only after it’s taken its final toll from our families both financially and emotionally. . There are so many lawsuits currently fighting for every player’s attention, hear all the important issues and present your questions to the panel on concussions and equipment. We’ll be covering concussions and equipment on both days of the Conference: On Friday, our law panels will be discussing the legal aspects and what’s being done today as well as reviewing future action. On Saturday, our medical and neurological panels will be addressing topics ranging from how to detect and recognize the symptoms of a brain injury to questions such as just how effective have helmets been in protecting players from concussions? . And how about the Legacy Fund? Some of you are only finally receiving your retroactive checks while many others are still waiting for return calls from the benefits office in Baltimore. And why were the widows overlooked for the increase? . Why are more players winning their Social Security Disability and California Workers Compensation cases than those reaching favorable Disability and Pension verdicts with their own Plan? And just how legal is the Plan itself and the way it’s been managed? And just who do those people who run the Plan work for anyway? A panel of Disability and Workers Compensation attorneys will be there to discuss the latest cases and answer your questions. . If the NFL gets to pick the best of the best out of all the college football teams, then what responsibilities should they – and the universities who benefit from their lucrative football programs – bear when those players sustain life-changing injuries? For many of these college players, the football scholarship is just that: A scholarship based on their abilities as an athlete. Attorney Steve Berman’s firm has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on behalf of college athletes and will be sitting on a panel that will prove to be very informative. . What new findings have come out of hyperbaric oxygen treatments and how will these new studies advance the general use of HBOT treatments not only for football players but also for our returning veterans and for everyone else who has ever had a concussion? Hear what some of the foremost experts in the field have to say about how much more quickly hyperbaric treatments are becoming accepted as one of the most cost-effective ways to treat concussions and brain injuries. . And The Amen Clinic will also be back to present results of three new brain studies they’ve completed over the past year. . I’m so excited about this year’s Conference that I know I’ve gone over the Top 10 Questions we all want to ask! The full list of our panelists’ biographies will be posting up this week. Stay tuned! . So be sure to sign up for our Conference and reserve your room by clicking HERE! .
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March 4, 2012 .
De, .
On January 6, 2012, I met with Congresswoman Linda Sanchez at her southern California office with Mr. Mike Greenhaulgh, part owner/operator of the Sacramento Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment center where I have been receiving treatments for the last two years, and Dr. William Duncan, President of the Hyperbaric Medical Association and Capital lobbyist. My 49ers teammate, Dan Bunz, and I also met with Senator Ted Gaines on December 27 and February 22, 2012. All the meetings were to address the legality of the NFL’s lack of benefits for its injured employees. Both Congresswoman Sanchez and Senator Gaines are looking into additional Congressional hearings on this matter. .
We are trying to gather solid information to ascertain the status of former employees/players of the NFL. For many years, we have been inundated with mixed information regarding the percentage of former employees/players who actually qualify for NFL retirement benefits, the percentage of former employee/players forced to draw SSI and life expectancy of former employee/players. With you being the President of the NFL Players Association, in charge of securing and overseeing the player’s/employee’s benefits, I am requesting data on the following:
What is the average life expectancy of a former NFL employee/player? Many years ago a letter was issued from the NFL encouraging players to take their retirement benefits early as most would not live to retirement age. This was followed up with a recent survey letters asking if we were still alive. I had been told for years that the average life expectancy of a former NFL employee/player was his late 50’s.
What percentage of all pre-93 employees/players who played in the NFL actually played long enough to reach the 4-year vesting threshold? From what I am reading now, the average NFL career is only 3.2 years. The numbers I was given when I played in 1980 and 1981 was 2-½ years. Surely the NFLPA maintains a roster of all players who were on active rosters at one time or another.
What percentage of employee/players have successfully been approved for SSI? After my 3rd evaluation at Dr. Amen’s clinic January, 2012, I was given a referral to file for SSI as Dr. Amen had me rated at 100% disabled due to frontal lobe dementia and damage to my temporal lobes of my brain.
If a player qualifies for SSI disability, how can he be denied NFL disability? How can the NFL’s disability requirements be higher than those of the general public?
What percentage of employee/players have successfully been approved for Medicare?
How many of Tom Condon’s clients were approved for NFL benefits as opposed to the general number of players who were approved (or declined)?
When did NFL employee/players begin filing for Workers Compensation?
What percentage of NFL employee/players have been approved for Workers Compensation?
With so many lawsuits being filed right now, we’ve been flooded with a lot of inquiries and questions on who to join and how to contact the various firms and groups. While Dave has taken a plaintiff position with Goldberg Persky & White in the concussion and helmet lawsuit and with Hausfeld LLP in the retired players benefits and representation lawsuit against the League and the NFLPA, each of you should make a conscientious decision to sign up with the firm that you feel represents your interests in the best way possible. While we’ve never dispensed any legal advice here, we’d like to post a list of common sense questions that you may want to ask any law firm you’re considering. .
And at the end of this post, we’re also attaching a copy of a letter that John Beasley sent to the Benefits Office that got some results. . continue reading »
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dave will be heading in to the hospital tomorrow morning (Tuesday) for his scheduled total right hip replacement. We’ll keep you posted on his progress. In the meantime, we’ve been following the growing number of new concussion and helmet lawsuits over the past couple of months from all across the country. It’s been hard keeping up with all the details and lawyers and players behind each suit. Last week, many of them were consolidated in a Federal Court in Pennsylvania under Judge Anita Brody. Dave asked one of his attorneys, Jason Luckasevic, from the firm Goldberg Persky & White, to provide an overview and summary of what has happened so far. .continue reading »
The Super Bowl show is now in full swing and today, George Martin and the NFL Alumni Board showed up for a full-court press conference to show unity behind their beloved leader. FOX Sports was in attendance and A.J. Perez covered it (comic book version at the bottom of the post) : . .
NFL alumni board defends director
by A.J. Perez Feb. 2, 2012 . Members of the NFL Alumni Association board of directors voiced their support for executive director George Martin at a news conference Thursday, a week after a FOXSports.com report revealed possible mismanagement of the financially strapped organization. . “People can write whatever they want to write,” said Harry Carson, a former teammate of Martin’s on the New York Giants who pushed vigorously for Martin’s appointment in 2009. “You see all the individuals sitting here. We are backing this man 150 percent. We are his teammates and we are doing everything that we can to help our team, the retired players community, be successful.” . FOXSports.com reported that the NFL Alumni Association — which began to advocate for retired players in conjunction with Martin’s hiring — has slid deeper into financial disarray and has been propped up by NFL loans totaling more than $4 million over the past two years. Martin also funneled contracts to family members, according to the report, and the charity he founded received free Super Bowl tickets. . Five board members spoke on Martin’s behalf when asked about the report during the news conference. Afterward, one of the board members, former Baltimore Colts running back Tom Nowatzke, told FOXSports.com that the NFLAA ethics board addressed one of the conflict-of-interest claims made in the article: Martin’s use of his wife and daughter-in-law’s catering firm. . continue reading »
This is a copy of a handout given out by the NFLPA to show their great work to Certified Contract Advisors at the annual Sports Lawyers Association conference recently held in San Diego CA.
It is that time of the year when school boards have to get budgets in place for the new school calendar and the 2012-13 school year. The people who do the budgets and the people who vote on the budgets probably aren’t too worried about the 2012 high school football season but there will come a time when school districts will have to evaluate the value of fielding junior high and high school football teams.
May 8, 2012
As big a deal as the League and Commissioner Goodell made of the Saints’ bounty program, you’d think it was something that no one ever knew about over the years and years that it’s been going on at all levels of the game. This story’s been in the headlines for the past couple of week and Roger Goodell finally issued his ruling earlier this week. It didn’t take long for new stories to come out that covered the underside of the story. Here are two of those headlines from FOX Sports’ Alex Marvez and A.J. Perez.
I continue to hear from retired player friends wondering about ongoing delays in Legacy Benefit payments or information from the NFL Player Retirement Plan. Last week, I finally reached an AON actuary working on the Legacy Benefit. While I can’t guarantee the absolute accuracy of the information I received, I wanted to pass it on in hopes it will be helpful.
With so many lawsuits being filed right now, we’ve been flooded with a lot of inquiries and questions on who to join and how to contact the various firms and groups. While Dave has taken a plaintiff position with Goldberg Persky & White in the concussion and helmet lawsuit and with Hausfeld LLP in the retired players benefits and representation lawsuit against the League and the NFLPA, each of you should make a conscientious decision to sign up with the firm that you feel represents your interests in the best way possible. While we’ve never dispensed any legal advice here, we’d like to post a list of common sense questions that you may want to ask any law firm you’re considering.
