Bullying For Benefits
September 19th, 2018
BY IRA KAUFMAN
In his 2006 enshrinement speech, John Madden suggested that the busts in the Pro Football Hall of Fame speak to each other in the middle of the night.
Right now, they’re talking gibberish.
In the past couple of months, the behavior of some of these greats suggests they should trade in their gold jackets for straitjackets.
The latest lunacy came this week when a threatening letter was dispatched to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith and Pro Football Hall of Fame president C. David Baker.
These executives were informed that a group of Hall of Famers won’t attend the annual induction ceremony until the men who helped build America’s most popular sport receive health insurance and an annual salary that includes a share of league revenue.
What a bad look for the league’s immortals.
Instead of focusing on better benefits for all retired players, these Hall of Famers are talking about taking care of their own.
Kurt Warner and Jerry Rice didn’t waste any time suggesting Hall of Fame board chairman Eric Dickerson jumped the gun, adding their names to the letter without a full discussion of the issues.
Add Derrick Brooks to the list of Hall of Famers surprised by the timing of Tuesday’s letter.
“I was shown a letter today that was sent out out referring to HOFers benefits and profit sharing,” Brooks said on his Facebook account. “I understand, appreciate and support the efforts of my fellow Gold Jacket teammates who are leading this cause. Many HOFers have discussed these topics amongst ourselves beforehand.
“However, my name was on this letter today and I had not been granted the opportunity to see this letter before the media received it today. All of us players have given a great deal to our game in every area to advance it forward over these past 99 years. I know how impactful a better player benefits package would be for retired, current and future players.
“I hope we can achieve that thru diplomatic, strategic, and meaningful discussions with all stake holders without any protest that would harm the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. We all want to continue to build our game as the best game in the world.”
This letter was only the latest effort by some Hall of Famers to shake up the establishment.
Owens-like fail
Last month, at the annual Ray Nitschke luncheon in Canton, a different group of Hall of Famers came up with a bold proposal in response to Terrell Owens’ decision to skip the induction ceremony.
At the luncheon, the Hall of Fame staff was encouraged to craft a rule requiring each of the 25 semifinalists to guarantee they would attend the Canton festivities or else be disqualified for consideration. Thankfully, no such proposal has been adopted. A rule like that would be a gross over-reaction to Owens, the only Hall of Famer in 55 years to boycott his own induction ceremony.
In the unlikely event Owens has company in that regard, you revisit the issue. Until then, he’s an outlier.
Meanwhile, Dickerson and his fellow board members have some explaining to do. They were in such a hurry to make a splash, they misrepresented the views of some Hall of Famers who found their names on a letter they had never signed off on.
Sorry, Mr. Madden. It seems like the busts in Canton aren’t talking to one another at the moment. Instead, what we’ve got here is failure to communicate.
Now in his 40th year covering the NFL, Ira Kaufman is the most revered sports personality and writer in the Tampa Bay area. He scored a full-time seat at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters in July of 2016. Tampa Bay’s only Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, Ira busts out columns here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and his award winning podcasts fire Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can also hear Ira on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio Wednesdays at 5 p.m. Also a TV star, see Ira now on Mondays at 10:30 p.m. on Spectrum Sports 360 (aka BayNews 9). Ira also is part of the FOX-13 Tailgate Sunday NFL show and enjoys beet salads, Riesling, tennis, Chiefs victories and needling Joe.
September 19th, 2018 at 3:11 pm
Glad DB cleared that up. I was very surprised when I read that yesterday.
Just a thought, couldn’t the NFL and the players come up with a 401k type plan and owners could match x-amount contributed by players?
Maybe even offer a higher % match for rookies to encourage savings?
And yes, health insurance should be paid by the NFL to all players for life.
September 19th, 2018 at 3:16 pm
Good lord some of those HoF memebers are acting like spoiled pampered @ss-holes. If you are in the HoF you likely made millions on your name alone, if you are too stupid to manage your finances and are scrambling for money thats your own damn fault.
I can understand asking for health insurance for these players, I don’t have a problem with that, but a 300,000 dollar yearly salary while your brothers in the trenches and other spots (who aren’t named in the HoF) are left penny-less with your demands, it makes y’all look petty AF.
Unbelievable.
September 19th, 2018 at 3:17 pm
And for the record, ALL NFL players deserve health insurance for life after playing the NFL.
September 19th, 2018 at 3:21 pm
Everyone should get paid for time and effort but 300,000 yearly? Get serious
September 19th, 2018 at 3:30 pm
I know that we see $300k per player and $95M per year as numbers thrown out.
I think that the retired players and HoFers would be better served discussing their required medical costs to continue living after giving their bodies (and sometimes minds) to the game. Not “I think $300k sounds about right!”.
I don’t know how much it costs to have an at home caretaker for 25 years (i.e. get a ‘headcase’ at 50 and live until 75).
MANY of these men are not the same people that we watched on the field. Not all have the physical and genetic makeup to be able to continue their earning potentials like others (Dickerson included).
I do not have a numerical solution to the problem.
Some baffle at the $95M and realize it is a smidgen over half of a team’s payroll. YUUUGE NUMBERS! SOME OF THE LARGEST!
To that I say “One man, Roger Goodell, makes $40M+ yearly” ($1.25M/team, almost the same as a rotational veteran player).
Chump change to these billionaire owners of billion dollar franchises that NEVER LOSE MONEY.
And Goodell is perfectly healthy.
September 19th, 2018 at 3:33 pm
Wright Says:
September 19th, 2018 at 3:16 pm
Good lord some of those HoF memebers are acting like spoiled pampered @ss-holes. If you are in the HoF you likely made millions on your name alone, if you are too stupid to manage your finances and are scrambling for money thats your own damn fault.
—————————–
You have to realize that the “big” deals did not start occurring until the TV revenue game started to change in the late 80’s and really through the 90’s into the 2000’s.
The rest of money management I can agree with.
September 19th, 2018 at 3:35 pm
Awkward post for you to write Ira since you are doing the new video segments with Mr. Derrick Brooks. His FB post sounds like something that would come out of Jameis’ mouth.
He never said he didn’t agree with the contents of the letter or that he didn’t expressly give his permission to add his name to it… he just said he didn’t see the actual letter before it went out. He probably didn’t think he would come off as greedy as he does so now he is backtracking.
You are right Ira, bad look for the people who signed it (including DB55), they should be working for all retired players, not just the HOF’ers.
September 19th, 2018 at 3:35 pm
OK, well the HOF ceremony is about as boring as it gets, so it’s not like these people brought anything to the table. Seeya freeloaders.
September 19th, 2018 at 3:51 pm
All players injured permanently while playing deserve to have that injury covered by the NFL for life. Every player who plays enough to earn the veteran minimum should have full healthcare from the NFL for life.
September 19th, 2018 at 4:50 pm
I’ve always felt all NFL players should receive full health and mental benefits for life. Just the player not his entire family. How to fund this? How about all the revenue from the preseason games the Owners insist on overcharging season ticket holders for?
September 19th, 2018 at 5:05 pm
I love how people think that because you once did something and that something became a big deal, that the people that became the big deal are now obligated to take care of you for the rest of your life even when that was never the deal.
This freeloader mentality, that others need to be forced to give you stuff, it’s a cancer, it’s socialism, it’s an anti-American as it can possibly get.
So if I work in an office doing nothing all day except sitting on my fat rear end, which turn leads to obesity, which in turn leads to diabetes, it’s your employers fault? If you work in construction and 40 years later claim that the construction is why your back is bad, you should be able to force someone from 40 years to pay all your medical bills?
No, it’s called life. The NFL paid you very well, even back then they paid you very well. You spent your money on drugs and women (not judging, it’s how I’d have spent the money too) and now you want a free ride because YOU decided to spend your money instead of save it? You haven’t worked a 9-5 job in 40 years and it’s someone else’s fault?
Give it a rest and whinning and looking for a hand out.
September 19th, 2018 at 6:49 pm
If every player with cte, paralysis or any other life long injury starts suing the league for 30 mill per, will that make a difference? Seems like the only to make billionaires do the right thing is to sue them for 10x the amount. It’s all a balance sheet for them.
September 19th, 2018 at 6:56 pm
Gimme gimme. No way, you played and got paid. What you did with your money afterwards is not the league’s problem.
Take responsibility for your life, manage your money like everyone else. For the love a God, this country is falling apart.
September 19th, 2018 at 7:19 pm
Ira chooses to ignore the major stories of the week; Fitz is AGAIN named NFC Offensive Player of the week, and Winston is accused in Civil Court. BTW, Ira said 9 months ago that the NFL investigation was going no where. Right Ira?
September 19th, 2018 at 7:45 pm
It’s just like when me and my former paramedic coworkers all sued the county for all that we gave its citizens. We all have physical ailments and many of us have PTSD and/or depression. It’s only fair that we should be compensated, right? Except we didn’t sue anyone. We knew what we were getting into. And we aren’t a bunch of spoiled brats who think we deserve to be paid long after service was rendered.
It’s like everyone wants to kill the NFL and drive away the fans. Stupid rule changes. Using the game for protests and for “awareness” campaigns. Players demanding more and more. HOF players wanting to get paid long after they retire. Many made millions and most fans won’t have a million in assets when they retire. Yeah, the HOF players are just another reason to turn off the games.
September 19th, 2018 at 8:26 pm
Hey, Ira. Jameis just got sued. Let’s focus on what’s important.
September 19th, 2018 at 9:19 pm
To be clear I like Ira’s columns, I’ve been reading him since I was a kid and have a ton of respect for Ira, my comments are in reference to the players who think they’re entitled to something. If the NFLPA wants to pay this bill themselves – then take a vote of players and do what they want to do – then again you’ll have more players than ever leave the NFLPA and they know that. If players as individuals want to contribute to a charity setup for former players – then wonderful, and I’d bet you anything the NFL would be by far the biggest donor to it, but that’s the difference between charity and union thug tactics. The NFL owes you what you you’re entitled to based on your contract, and many many players go on to have NFL job and a career in the NFL – for those that don’t, then get a job like everyone else, and oh yeah, you can buy your own healthcare. It’s true.
September 19th, 2018 at 9:42 pm
Sometime I wonder if the players are trying to destroy this game.
When the golden goose is gone, the next generation of athletes will pay the price.
September 19th, 2018 at 11:30 pm
Capt. Blighe – All they care about is themselves and what they can get right now, it’s why instead of taking money out their multi-million contracts to fund something through the NFLPA, they look to others to pay. Tells you everything about them and how much passion they have for the subject.
September 20th, 2018 at 9:44 am
I am on and support Medicare For All. Healthcare is the human right as it deals with life and death. Being guaranteed a 5-6 figure pension$$$……..hmmm. Don’t agree with it.