Dave Pear's Blog

Dave -
.
After reading over the NFL Alumni’s Group Licensing Agreement, I decided to notify them that I couldn’t – and wouldn’t – accept their GLA which has developed virtually no revenue whatsoever for retired players. In fact, it looks to be clearly designed to impact and damage the Dryer v. NFL lawsuit on behalf of all retired players. Next thing you know, I’m being told by George Martin himself that I could no longer be a member of the NFL Alumni!
.
I’d like to suggest that other retired players might not want to be NFL Alumni members …unless they want to support the NFL’s ongoing poor treatment of retired players. We don’t want to be paying for George’s new Escalade and we sure don’t want another repeat of Gene Upshaw’s GLA “One-for-You-and-One-Million-for-Me” deals. (Click on Dan’s membership cancellation to enlarge for easier reading.)
.
.
Dan Pastorini
Oilers, Rams, Raiders & Eagles
1971 – 1984
.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dan sent us some additional clarification on his Alumni membership:
.
I tried to pay my dues online but it wouldn’t let me unless I checked the GLA box! I then e-mailed them and asked why I couldn’t join without agreeing to the GLA. They informed me I could send a check. Then I got George’s e-mail stating I was no longer a member.
.
Dan
.
We uploaded a copy of the NFL Alumni GLA to Scribd for viewing and printing and to make it downloadable. You can also click the Fullscreen button on the left side of the menu to enlarge it for easier navigation (hit the ESC key to close)
.
NFL Alumni Group Licensing Agreement
.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We just received this today from retired player John Griffin. We hope someone will review and provide comments on this set of documents. You can find suggested Addendum wording to add to your signed documents on an earlier post – click HERE.
.
Here is a copy of the second packet I received for the distribution of the Legacy Fund. I’ve whited out our personal information but thought you might post this and have someone look at it before we sign and return.
.
I did not send in that addendum with my first letter but I will when I return this document. I would certainly appreciate it if someone could comment before we return it.
.
Please let me know what you think.
.
John Griffin
LA Rams and Denver Broncos
1963 – 1967
.
We uploaded full copy of the cover letter and paperwork 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 (just hit the ESC key to close):
.
Second Legacy Letter & Documents
.
.

Happy Holidays, Football and Sports Concussion Establishment: 2012 Is the Year of the Tobacco-Style Lawsuit

Posted with the express consent of Irv Muchnick from his blog Concussion Inc.:

continue reading »

EDITOR’S NOTE: Some of the retired players have been sending in some additional thoughts and comments on a wide range of topics. Many were important enough that we thought it would be better to put them all up in one post. We’ll start off with a comment from Larry Kaminski followed by an answer from one the law firms currently involved with litigation against the League and the NFLPA.

=================================

continue reading »

So this just came in from Sam McCullum yesterday afternoon. And now it turns out that they don’t want you to sign ONE form before you get YOUR money. Nope. They plan on sending you TWO forms. We caution everyone to wait until everyone’s had a chance to review these documents. We wonder if the active players had to jump through any hoops before they got their checks. Somehow we don’t think so…
.
By the way, Sam mentions the word ‘hide‘ (as in ‘hiding your money’ from child support and ex-wives) in his update (my red highlights below). He advises us like we’re a bunch of criminals.
.
At the rate this is going, is Sam talking about March of 2012? Or 2013? And will our checks include interest from August? Someone is making interest.
. continue reading »

Most members of the NFLPA received the first announcement in their Inboxes earlier today along with different variations from many sources. The second, more detailed announcement comes out of the NFL Communications office. If you note in the league’s release, credit is graciously being given to several retired players who took part in later discussions held directly with Commissioner Goodell and the owners, something that’s clearly missing from the NFLPA’s announcement. In fact, the NFLPA and its representatives did NOT attend that meeting held in Washington DC.
.
We’re posting both announcements here exactly as received:
. continue reading »

Over the past couple of weeks, absolutely nothing of any serious significance or substance out of the NFLPA regarding retired players pensions especially that new Legacy Fund, other than a lot of the same chest-thumping and empty rhetoric that everyone has been hearing since the lockout ended late this summer. It would certainly seem like the lawyers have taken over once again and put out that Say Nothing Memo.
.
There was a meeting of the Seattle Chapter (probably much like other chapter meetings across the country) where the usual 8 members – out of approximately 48 NFLPA members listed in the Seattle area – showed up and voted on a few things that we’re sure will make a huge difference to all retirees: The meeting introduced some Business Opportunities (Hair Products!), the Touchdowns for Homes Programs, as well as some discussion on the School of Legends program. We also finally have some backhanded acknowledgment from the NFLPA HQ about loss of hearing from football (a shiny new discount hearing aid program!).
. continue reading »

It seems that the PA is still managing to put out as much as they can without saying anything while still blaming everyone else for holding the process up. Oh wait – they’re in Washington DC! That’s what EVERYONE does up there! We forgot!
.
So over the past week, we’ve received a few more ‘communiques’ from our local NFLPA chapter via Sam McCullum and it always seems that the guy in the room with no vote or real voice on any matters has the clearest take on everything. Jim McFarland – retired players’ representative – has provided some of the clearest analysis on what’s proposed in the final CBA for the Legacy Fund and how it will affect pre-93 players. Here are the e-mails and comments starting with the latest first. We also included a copy of that meeting proposal document referenced in the most recent e-mail and have loaded it up to Scribd for easier reading and printing.
.
One more thing: And the NFLPA and Sam McCullum says none of you should be reading any of the blogs to get your information. Of course, they didn’t attend what may have been one of the most important meetings of the year regarding retirees because they didn’t want to hear what everyone else wanted them to hear so they can’t tell you about it. (?!!)
. continue reading »

.
Your wonderful Union at work. I received this short update from the Seattle Chapter’s Sam McCullum earlier this morning with a memo attached from Dee Becker in The Washington office. Basically, it’s more nothing. McCullum says that it’s basically all the NFL’s fault because their Alumni and George Martin are still trying to interject themselves as representatives of retired players while Becker is saying, “Gee, we already know what’s best for retired players and we’ve already decided on how to distribute this Legacy Fund money. So you might as well just shut up and take what you get!”
.
So I guess the thousands of retired players who have actually spoken up for their own voice and their own vote are chopped liver (or dog food as Gene Upshaw used to say)? Meanwhile, why is it that Disability Attorney John Hogan continues to dig up details just by reading the published CBA? (Click HERE to read John’s post.)
.
And for your weekend entertainment, we also added a video of James Brown‘s old classic, Talking Loud and Saying Nothing to the end of this post.
.
. continue reading »

Posted with the express consent of Irv Muchnick:
.

NFL Retirees’ ‘Legacy Fund’ Boost an Obvious Throwaway Line of Lockout-Ending CBA

Published August 29th, 2011
.
Dissident National Football League retiree Dave Pear’s blog has more primary-source email exchanges among principals about the confused status of increased pensions for pre-1993 players as a result of the so-called Legacy Fund, which was negotiated into the recent collective bargaining agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association. Some of these equivocal words emanate from Sam McCullum, the replacement for the late Dave Duerson on the joint labor-management disability claims review board.
.
See “More unanswered questions on pre-93 issues”.
. continue reading »

Posted with the express consent of Irv Muchnick:
.

NFL Players Boss DeMaurice Smith, Eric Holder’s Pal, Major Bad Guy in National Concussion Saga

.
by Irvin Muchnick, 2011-08-12
.
And now for a heartwarming anecdote from last weekend’s Pro Football Hall of Fame festivities that you probably didn’t know: The executive director of the National Football League Players Association, DeMaurice Smith, crashed the dinner in Canton, Ohio, which is traditionally reserved for Hall of Famers and new inductees, and started to speak. According to NFL legend Joe DeLamielleure, blogging for Dave Pear’s Independent Football Veterans, around a dozen guys walked out in the middle of Smith’s remarks.
.
The NFLPA chief “had no idea that this audience consisted mostly of pre-1993 players,” said DeLamielleure, who estimated that the Hall of Famers in attendance included around 40 guys who receive monthly pension checks of exactly $176 from the $9-billion-a-year NFL. Confronted by the retirees, Smith said the “legacy fund” negotiated in the new collective bargaining agreement would increase them to between $1,000 and $1,500 a month.
.
continue reading »

Posted with the express consent of Irv Muchnick:
.
by Irvin Muchnick‚
.
July 18‚ 2011
continue reading »

(c) 2010 Tom Fishburne

John Hogan’s comments to our prior post from Evan Weiner and Randy Cross struck a chord with us:

continue reading »

From retired Bengal & Buccaneer Tony Davis: Nolan Harrison III is “Senior Director of Former Player Services” who recently commented on a post by Dave Pear on Dave’s Blog. (Click HERE to read Nolan’s original remarks to Dave.) I also have some questions I would like Nolan to answer.

continue reading »