Gopher legend Carl Eller among NFL HOFers threaten boycott until NFL provides insuran

BleedGopher

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
60,579
Reaction score
15,659
Points
113
per ESPN:

In a letter sent to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith and president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame C. David Baker on Tuesday, many high-profile Pro Football Hall of Famers said they would not attend the annual induction ceremony until Hall of Famers receive health insurance and an annual salary that includes a share of league revenue.

The letter, obtained by ESPN, was sent by Eric Dickerson, the chairman of the newly created Hall of Fame Board, and signed by board members Marcus Allen, Mel Blount, Derrick Brooks, Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, Richard Dent, Carl Eller, Marshall Faulk, Mike Haynes, Rickey Jackson, Ronnie Lott, Curtis Martin, Joe Namath, John Randle, Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Jackie Smith, Lawrence Taylor, Kurt Warner and Sarah White, Reggie White's widow.

"We, the undersigned Pro Football Hall of Famers, were integral to the creation of the modern NFL, which in 2017 generated $14 billion in revenue," the letter begins. "But when the league enshrined us as the greatest ever to play America's most popular sport, they gave us a gold jacket, a bust and a ring -- and that was it.

"People know us from our highlight reels. They see us honored and mythologized before games and at halftime, and it would be reasonable if they thought life was good for us. But on balance, it's not. As a group we are struggling with severe health and financial problems. To build this game, we sacrificed our bodies. In many cases, and despite the fact that we were led to believe otherwise, we sacrificed our minds. We believe we deserve more. We write to demand two things: Health insurance and annual salary for all Hall of Famers that includes a share of league revenue."

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...nfl-provides-health-insurance-annual-salaries

Go Gophers!!
 

Everybody wants health care. We can do it by simply making major changes that aren't hard to do. I'll save the rest for the off topic board.
 

per ESPN:

In a letter sent to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith and president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame C. David Baker on Tuesday, many high-profile Pro Football Hall of Famers said they would not attend the annual induction ceremony until Hall of Famers receive health insurance and an annual salary that includes a share of league revenue.

The letter, obtained by ESPN, was sent by Eric Dickerson, the chairman of the newly created Hall of Fame Board, and signed by board members Marcus Allen, Mel Blount, Derrick Brooks, Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, Richard Dent, Carl Eller, Marshall Faulk, Mike Haynes, Rickey Jackson, Ronnie Lott, Curtis Martin, Joe Namath, John Randle, Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Jackie Smith, Lawrence Taylor, Kurt Warner and Sarah White, Reggie White's widow.

"We, the undersigned Pro Football Hall of Famers, were integral to the creation of the modern NFL, which in 2017 generated $14 billion in revenue," the letter begins. "But when the league enshrined us as the greatest ever to play America's most popular sport, they gave us a gold jacket, a bust and a ring -- and that was it.

"People know us from our highlight reels. They see us honored and mythologized before games and at halftime, and it would be reasonable if they thought life was good for us. But on balance, it's not. As a group we are struggling with severe health and financial problems. To build this game, we sacrificed our bodies. In many cases, and despite the fact that we were led to believe otherwise, we sacrificed our minds. We believe we deserve more. We write to demand two things: Health insurance and annual salary for all Hall of Famers that includes a share of league revenue."

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...nfl-provides-health-insurance-annual-salaries

Go Gophers!!

Why would you only give that stuff to Hall of famers? The others sacrificed too.

Sent from my RS988 using Tapatalk
 


I think they are talking about former NFL players in general.
 


I don't think they'll get a lot of sympathy from the masses. I'm sure there are some sort of mandatory classes/training for rookie NFL players. If there is not a class on long term finances and setting yourself up for life beyond, there should be. And if there is, players should pay attention.

This is where the NFLPA needs to step in and bang the drum to the rookies about how important it is, not complain about how the NFL needs to hook them up with a salary after the fact.
 


Many of the old timers that helped make the league what it is ( I think it's a real mess) didn't make the huge salaries. Of course they want a share of this huge TV contract money..
 

I think they are talking about former NFL players in general.

"We believe we deserve more,” the letter said. “We write to demand two things: Health insurance and an annual salary for all Hall of Famers that includes a share of league revenue."
 



I believe there is a pension plan for players with the requisite amount of service time (I'll admit I don't know what the career length needs to be in order to qualify). I don't see why adding health care to that would put much of a dent in the NFL's vast treasury.
 

Did Ragnar have his signature included?

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 

Salary request aside, there's more to the health care aspect. Have heard about this before. There is a process for reviewing debilitating injuries but apparently the NFL routinely denies them.
 

While I think players can and should negotiate for a bigger cut of the pie and long term disability/health insurance coverage this seems a lot like whining. Dickerson’s salaries when adjusted for inflation made him a very wealthy man and any hall of farmer likely made a decent salary for their day. If they made poor life decisions, get rich quick schemes that isn’t anyone's fault but their own. The boom financial markets most of these guys grew up in, the boom housing market, etc made virtually any responsible person not making poor decisions financially secure over time.

I smell sour grapes that today’s stars make more than they did. The tone of this letter will not play well with most NFL fans IMO. Probably the average NFL fan is a pull yourself up by the bootstraps type, doesn’t appreciate some current player’s disrespect for what the flag stands for, etc. And again, I do think the NFL could do more for former players in terms of disability, health insurance, pension but to say they weren’t handsomely rewarded (and deserve more) for what they did for a living is insulting to a lot of people.
 



To me this is like me going back to my employer of 20 years ago and saying "you know what, the company is very successful now and my work laid the foundation for that. I think you owe me something."
 

While I think players can and should negotiate for a bigger cut of the pie and long term disability/health insurance coverage this seems a lot like whining. Dickerson’s salaries when adjusted for inflation made him a very wealthy man and any hall of farmer likely made a decent salary for their day. If they made poor life decisions, get rich quick schemes that isn’t anyone's fault but their own. The boom financial markets most of these guys grew up in, the boom housing market, etc made virtually any responsible person not making poor decisions financially secure over time.

I smell sour grapes that today’s stars make more than they did. The tone of this letter will not play well with most NFL fans IMO. Probably the average NFL fan is a pull yourself up by the bootstraps type, doesn’t appreciate some current player’s disrespect for what the flag stands for, etc. And again, I do think the NFL could do more for former players in terms of disability, health insurance, pension but to say they weren’t handsomely rewarded (and deserve more) for what they did for a living is insulting to a lot of people.

Dickerson's 1987 contract would be about $4 million in today's dollars, and that's just one year. He should be fine financially even if he has to pay for his own health insurance. If not, it's his own fault for poorly managing his money.

I do think today's players should have some sort of lifetime of health insurance though.
 

Everybody wants health care. We can do it by simply making major changes that aren't hard to do. I'll save the rest for the off topic board.

It would address a lot of the above issue, and other issues.

I was changing jobs, I'd like to make that decision based on career path and other things.... but healthcare was a big part of it...
 

While I think players can and should negotiate for a bigger cut of the pie and long term disability/health insurance coverage this seems a lot like whining. Dickerson’s salaries when adjusted for inflation made him a very wealthy man and any hall of farmer likely made a decent salary for their day. If they made poor life decisions, get rich quick schemes that isn’t anyone's fault but their own. The boom financial markets most of these guys grew up in, the boom housing market, etc made virtually any responsible person not making poor decisions financially secure over time.

I smell sour grapes that today’s stars make more than they did. The tone of this letter will not play well with most NFL fans IMO. Probably the average NFL fan is a pull yourself up by the bootstraps type, doesn’t appreciate some current player’s disrespect for what the flag stands for, etc. And again, I do think the NFL could do more for former players in terms of disability, health insurance, pension but to say they weren’t handsomely rewarded (and deserve more) for what they did for a living is insulting to a lot of people.

Here are the stats:

Sports Illustrated recently estimated that 80% of retired NFL players go broke in their first three years out of the League. How is this possible in a sport rolling in revenue with an average salary of almost $2 million a year? With few exceptions, the star players I have represented since salaries exploded are set financially for life. These are the players at the tip of the compensation pyramid, but what about the rest? The median income in the NFL is roughly $750,000 and the average career span is less than four years. Most college graduates don't attain these levels of revenue in their first years out of college--why are the athletes struggling?

1)Lack of competent financial planning advice--Athletes are no different than any other college grads in that they were not trained as undergrads in budgeting, the tax system, and long term financial planning. This is an area of specialized expertise and an athlete receiving large compensation needs a safety net of advisors. Upon signing a potential draftee we encouraged them to pick a qualified financial advisor with a proven track record. These advisors help the athlete put together a budget, follow mutually agreed upon strategies, and protect themselves legally. A community oriented athlete will find beneficial relationships with businessmen off the field who are also willing to help.

When parents, university panels, and alums screen prospective agents and financial planners, it enables the athlete to make a better choice. But many NFLers are approached on campus by financial planners and agents who offer financial inducements to sign with them. Some financial planners ask players to sign power of attorney enabling the advisor to make investments or withdraw money without prior authorization--this is fraught with peril.

The NFLPA has tried to protect players financially. They have a program that scrutinizes financial planners and only allows referrals to the planners who they approve. The NFLPA offers education in the financial areas in a variety of ways. The NFL holds a mandatory seminar for draft picks that also tries to warn and protect them. Some athletes do not avail themselves of any of these protections.


2)Supporting a village--Some athletes feel obliged to provide financial support to family, extended family and friends. They are sharing their largess with a large number of others.

3)Divorce--Often cited as the number one challenge, divorce drains funds in legal fees and dissipates assets. The athlete ends up with half of what they earned and may have large and burdensome alimony and child support payments.

4)Lack of awareness of how rapidly a career can end--The athlete forgets that the current rate of compensation is not going to last and can be terminated by injury or skill at any point. Spending habits assume the revenue will be coming forever.


5)Lack of preparation for second career--NFL players have long off seasons they can use to lay the foundation for their life after football. Some athletes do not give it a thought and end up missing the structure and direction that football has given them. The early retirement years can be non-productive.


There are gifted advisors that an athlete can utilize. The League, NFLPA and agents try and push athletes to use help which also embodies a teaching aspect that can empower awareness. It is up to the athlete to follow the guidance.​

It's more what you do with what you have rather than how much you have
 

Well I certainly won't be watching the Hall of Fame Game next year. I also won't watch any other meaningless game either.

Good Luck with that Carl, you'll probably get that money right after the Reparation money starts rolling in.
 




Top Bottom