Responding To The Nfl Blog

[Guru1069 0]

Daniels blog makes a good case for some sort of affordable healthcare. WHich is a whole other ball of wax in the US. No matter what the occupation football player, hockey or even down to the lowly construction worker. No noone really celebrates the construction worker. They celebrate the finish of their construction in which usually doesn't amount to more than a 12 pack of beer for the worker and an undeserved paycheck. Has anybody ever heard the term " You're fired as soon as your *** hits the floor ?" How's that for job security? I got to see the kid that caused my fall last year and my piece Sh#t ex boss that promised that'd I'd have a job after I got well. Well the boss went bankrupt and hired the kid with his new job. Fired everyone else on the crew. Now the insurance company wants to push me out the door after 6 months because that's apart of the recovery timeline. It's only my right arm that broke on both sides of my elbow( forearm and funny bone/ humerus) and shattered the elbow in 3 pieces. I now have an idea what Joe Theisman went through. That's right we all make choices. I decided to go to work so that I could pay my bills. Just like anyone else that got shafted when they put they're 110% on the line to get the job done.What people don't look at most of the time in entertainment that it's a business. The little guys have to look out for themselves or each other is best.It is a shame that that's how the business world works. Morality jumped on the bus a long time ago.

[Loismustdie 0]

I find this interesting because everything I've read says nothing about players being denied what the league owes them. The players are getting their pension benefits as contracted way back when, and their pensions have even been increased a few times since they retired. Can you post a link to something that states otherwise?

That's actually the facts. Somewhere,not suprisingly, that tends to get lost in Gumbels worls.

[Courtsdad 0]

If the league were not following the contract it would be a very short lawsuit. Ill think I'll save my sympathy for the average worker who worked for a lifetime for a company and had their pensions and healthcare ripped out from under them when the companies moved overseas. Those are the people that make the world go around and help us with our daily lives.I guarantee you that these football players are getting better care than most and definately better than those who protect our country. Now THERE is soapbox worth jumping on. I'll save my sympathy for pro athletes who choose to pursue highly paid positions where the world is handed to you.( yes I am am aware that some of these guys are older players and didn"t make the insane money we see today but it it is all relative)As someone else said a story like this can put anyone in a good or bad light at the producers choosing.

[TwoFourOffsuit 0]

I usually agree with most of what Danie writes in his blog, or at least respect his opinion on subjects I don't care about, ie. Religion.But I disagree that "The NFL is a disgrace"He brought up some good points about these players who are physically injured from the NFL, and they should be working towards correcting that, but I hardly see how that one aspect of the league makes the whole NFL a disgrace.The NFL does countless good things for this country through the United Way, and other organizations. It does more good than bad in my opinion, so I don't see how it's a disgrace. How does everyone else feel?

I think Daniel's prime issue is that the league does nothing to help many of the injured, broken down former players who helped make the NFL what it is today. Many of these guys were pressured to play through terrible injuries, weren't adequately treated for said injuries, and thus suffered debilitating long-term effects. Remember, they didn't make good money back in the day.The league is a cash cow and many of today's players make incredible money. The least the NFL can do is spend a few million more to take care of their broken-down former players, many of which helped the NFL rise to prominence.

[Bionic 0]

The NFL has the worst retirement plan of any of the major pro sports in the US. This is not debatable. Lock it up.

[gobears 0]

Dan Wetzel on Yahoo Sports talks about this issue also.Dan Wetzel ColumnHere's the key point from the article. Sounds like the NFL fights every claim and they surely have better legal support than these ex-NFL players. Which is why this is such an issue for the NFL. Common sense tells you that many players retire from football due to disabling injuries that will affect them for the rest of their lives, be it a blown knee or the double-digit concussions. But unlike most industries, players have been unable to prove it in court, and as few as two percent of retired players receive disability from the NFL.With near-crippling injuries suffered from this massively violent pursuit, they struggle to make ends meet on meager pensions, hit-or-miss health care and limited employment prospects.But the NFL, as rich as it is, can't afford to have 1,000 players suddenly on disability, sometimes for forty and fifty years. The league, as a business, can't operate if it admits that so many employees who do only what their job requires – tackling, blocking, being tackled, being blocked – wind up disabled.It is not an understatement that the entire league's existence would be at stake. The federal government would have to pass some kind of legislation protecting it from such claims so it could continue to operate. That's why the NFL vigorously fights disability claims.

[Guru1069 0]

If the league were not following the contract it would be a very short lawsuit. Ill think I'll save my sympathy for the average worker who worked for a lifetime for a company and had their pensions and healthcare ripped out from under them when the companies moved overseas. Those are the people that make the world go around and help us with our daily lives.I guarantee you that these football players are getting better care than most and definately better than those who protect our country. Now THERE is soapbox worth jumping on. I'll save my sympathy for pro athletes who choose to pursue highly paid positions where the world is handed to you.( yes I am am aware that some of these guys are older players and didn"t make the insane money we see today but it it is all relative)As someone else said a story like this can put anyone in a good or bad light at the producers choosing.

That's right military, education, law enforcement etc... Where would sports players be without any of these fields of profession ?I agree there needs to be a better solution to medical care in the states. Hockey took a break for a year maybe football is due. Talking about the national ecomony bottoming out. LOL

[Zeppelinlives 0]

One thing to mention which I also think is a shame. The reason NFL players don't have guaranteed contracts is the extreme physical nature of the game. Owners don't want to be responsible for paying a great player that might suck 4 years from now. There's less consistency with the players. Guys fade in and out. 3 years ago Priest Holmes was one of the best backs in the league, now he's not even playing. If you're an owner you cover your *** if that happens, and I think that's horrible. I know it's a sore subject to a lot of Philadelphia fans (myself included), but the Eagles were dicking T.0. over. The majority of his contract was to be paid later in his career, and without a guaranteed contract they would have dropped him if he wasn't good anymore. I feel like owners should accept they pay for. And there should be more guaranteed contracts like in Baseball.

[Loismustdie 0]

One thing to mention which I also think is a shame. The reason NFL players don't have guaranteed contracts is the extreme physical nature of the game. Owners don't want to be responsible for paying a great player that might suck 4 years from now. There's less consistency with the players. Guys fade in and out. 3 years ago Priest Holmes was one of the best backs in the league, now he's not even playing. If you're an owner you cover your *** if that happens, and I think that's horrible. I know it's a sore subject to a lot of Philadelphia fans (myself included), but the Eagles were dicking T.0. over. The majority of his contract was to be paid later in his career, and without a guaranteed contract they would have dropped him if he wasn't good anymore. I feel like owners should accept they pay for. And there should be more guaranteed contracts like in Baseball.

That's the best possible way to f up the league completely. These guys know what they are getting into. They don't have to play football. They can do something else. Arena league guys generally work regular jobs as well as take a beating on Sunday. I like how you said that it was horrible for an owner to cover his ***. That's about as wrong as can be. They run a buisness- in buisness, you should cover your ***, protect your money and investments. To do anything less would be straight up stupid.

[TwoFourOffsuit 0]

one thing to add re: the NFL's opt-out contracts... baseball's contracts are guaranteed, and the average player makes $3.4 million per. And this is a league that cycles through players like water. How would one say that league has fared?

[pokerfan1080 0]

That's actually the facts. Somewhere,not suprisingly, that tends to get lost in Gumbels worls.

Forgive me, but I'd prefer to have something more than your word that those are the facts. Nothing I've read or heard states that these guys are not getting what they agreed to when they left the league. From what I've been able to find out, it would seem they are asking for more than they signed their contracts for due to the huge success the NFL has enjoyed and they somehow feel they deserve to dip their hands into the pot now becasue they were part of the "early years". That just doesn't hold water. It's no different for anyone else who worked for a small company, moved on to another job, and your old place of business over the next 15 years experiences huge success. That worker does not deserve to stick their hands back into the cookie jar either just because they onced worked there.If in fact these guys are being refused what they were promised in their contracts, then I agree.

[Zeppelinlives 0]

That's the best possible way to f up the league completely. These guys know what they are getting into. They don't have to play football. They can do something else. Arena league guys generally work regular jobs as well as take a beating on Sunday. I like how you said that it was horrible for an owner to cover his ***. That's about as wrong as can be. They run a buisness- in buisness, you should cover your ***, protect your money and investments. To do anything less would be straight up stupid.

Arena league players are you kidding me? They get other jobs because they can't be pro football players. That's like calling a guy who writes Romance Novel Fan-fiction a writer.

[Bohica 0]

A link to the B.A.T.: http://www.donschwall.com/bat.html

[tipster1964 0]

http://www.nflpa.org/RulesAndRegs/PlayerBenefits.aspxI have read this and no where can I see where a non-active player is to receive anything for a disability that occurs years after play (12 or more years), even though the diability may stem from active play. Maybe I have over-looked it. Hey, if I smoke, I quit and 20 years later I can hardly move without oxygen and can't work. Can I hold the tobacco companies responsible? I think not, even though cases may be successful in court. I think cases like this are unreasonable. Anything that is obviously destructive to the human body, how could you possibly retaliate monetarily years down the line. Lawyers will always find an angle, but the fact of the matter is, you knew what you were getting into and you knew the possible chance of physical injury was high. Now, if it was a contractual agreement, that is a different story. But, in reveiw of the website for the benefits of the NFLPA ( http://www.nflpa.org/RulesAndRegs/PlayerBenefits.aspx ), I can only see line of duty benefits within 12 years post retirement.

[TwoFourOffsuit 0]

I would love to see one of you naysayers spend 5-10 years getting run into at top speed by 200-300 pound men, dozens of times a week for 3 months, end up in the shape that someone who does this sort of thing ends up in, end up with permanent damage, permanent blinding pain, maybe even losing a limb or two... and then come back and talk the same high-handed smack about how these ex-players have no business asking for medical assistance, while comparing it to smoking or regular work in regular corporations, or saying they should've known better and just never taken the opportunity to play pro football.This guy gets no compensation from the league. Clearly, he's just faking and needs to suck it up and get a job.I can't believe some of you.

[tipster1964 0]

I would love to see one of you naysayers spend 5-10 years getting run into at top speed by 200-300 pound men, dozens of times a week for 3 months, end up in the shape that someone who does this sort of thing ends up in, end up with permanent damage, permanent blinding pain, maybe even losing a limb or two... and then come back and talk the same high-handed smack about how these ex-players have no business asking for medical assistance, while comparing it to smoking or regular work in regular corporations, or saying they should've known better and just never taken the opportunity to play pro football.This guy gets no compensation from the league. Clearly, he's just faking and needs to suck it up and get a job.I can't believe some of you.

Then the blame is on the players association for not having the "negotiated solid package" that they claim they have for the job decription you just described. Today's players should be adressing this issue due to the fact there is a good chance they will be facing the same issues themselves years down the road. This arguement has nothing to do with feeling bad for them. No one likes to see anyone suffer, but it has to do with facts and contracts.

[TwoFourOffsuit 0]

That I have to agree with. The NFLPA needs to take a stand on ex-player compensation.

[pokerfan1080 0]

I would love to see one of you naysayers spend 5-10 years getting run into at top speed by 200-300 pound men, dozens of times a week for 3 months, end up in the shape that someone who does this sort of thing ends up in, end up with permanent damage, permanent blinding pain, maybe even losing a limb or two... and then come back and talk the same high-handed smack about how these ex-players have no business asking for medical assistance, while comparing it to smoking or regular work in regular corporations, or saying they should've known better and just never taken the opportunity to play pro football.This guy gets no compensation from the league. Clearly, he's just faking and needs to suck it up and get a job.I can't believe some of you.

It may sound harsh, but why do so many people believe that everyone else but the person in the driver's seat is responsible for the driver's safety. These guys knew the down falls of playing such a sport, agreed to their contracts by signing them, and now because they accepted the risk feel others should take care of them? We are all responsible for our own actions. If we make a bad decision, we learn from it and move on.Now, I see nothing wrong with someone setting up additional sources of assistance for these guys. There are already such avenues for them, just not enough yet. This is a very difficult situation for those involved. It may not happen overnight, but these guys will eventually get the help they need through the generosity of others. But to expect that the NFL should just pick up the tab on their own is not reasonable, imo.Again, sorry if it sounds harsh, I'm just trying to put a little perspective into this discussion.

[TwoFourOffsuit 0]

You're forgetting one thing.Until recently, not a lot has ever been made of the debilitating long-term effects of playing pro football. And the guys of the bygone era certainly did not have the information we have today and had no idea. A lot of these players played for teams whose doctors weren't there to ensure their health, but to patch them up and get them on the field, going as far as to flat out lie about and ignore certain health problems.I think it's a little dense to assume these players had this information all along and just went full speed ahead anyway.

[pokerfan1080 0]

You're forgetting one thing.Until recently, not a lot has ever been made of the debilitating long-term effects of playing pro football. And the guys of the bygone era certainly did not have the information we have today and had no idea. A lot of these players played for teams whose doctors weren't there to ensure their health, but to patch them up and get them on the field, going as far as to flat out lie about and ignore certain health problems.I think it's a little dense to assume these players had this information all along and just went full speed ahead anyway.

I don't think knowledge of long term effects of serious injury is something that is new. I will concede that the teams pressured the players into playing injured, though.Like I said, this will take it's course and there will be money available at some point if enough attention is brought to it. It seems to be gathering momentum now. And, I wouldn't be surprised to see the NFL, the teams, and the players association eventually donating to these causes as well. If there is a need, and I think it's reasonable to say there is, it will happen with the right approach. I can't imagine it's easy to implement.

[leftygolfer 7]

DN...some guys do care. da Coach steps up.http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs06/n...tory?id=2751308

[TwoFourOffsuit 0]

According to Jeff Passan @ Yahoo sports, coaches forcing players to practice and play hurt isn't a thing of the past. Former Patriots LB Ted Johnson said that coach Bill Belichick had him doing full-contact practices despite Belichick knowing that he had a concussion. And of course, the Patriots and Belichick totally deny it.Here's the article.