Fellow retired players,
Happy New Year to you and yours! May 2007 bring you health, happiness and prosperity – and may the New Year bring improved benefits and appropriate representation for all retired NFL players.
As you are aware, the Baltimore Colts' alumni have been at the forefront of a movement to enlighten the NFL, the NFLPA, the fans, the media, and the active players about the plight of hundreds of retired NFL players – from the 1950s and beyond. For the past year-and-a-half, the Baltimore Colts’ alumni – with the support of retired players around the country – have spread the word about the issues faced by those who built the National Football League.
Our effort builds on those of John Unitas, Ordell Braase, Jim Mutscheller, Mike Pyle, Pete Retzlaff and a host of other retired players who formed the Pro-Fac Committee approximately ten years ago. In November 2005, Pro-Fac wrote to NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to ask for considerations regarding retired players’ defined benefit pension plan, partial and permanent disability issues, and representation. Commissioner Tagliabue forwarded the letter to NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw, whose response to Pro-Fac confirmed what we had long suspected – that we as retired NFL players “are not union members,” “have no rights here” and have no representation at the bargaining table.
Those words helped to ignite our effort. Nearly every day, retired players ask to join our group – the group has grown to nearly 1,000 retired NFL players. And the concerns they have expressed over the last 18 months are universal:
- How do we as retired players gain representation?
The Baltimore Colts’ alumni have heard these concerns and others, and now we are prepared to escalate our efforts on behalf of all retired NFL players. In addition to what you’ve heard or seen through the Retired NFL Players’ Google Group, the Retired Players’ blog (http://nflretirees.blogspot.com), media coverage, and phone calls and e-mails with individual players, we have been working diligently behind the scenes over the last few months to move our effort forward in a formally-organized manner.
We are pleased to announce the formation of a 501(c)(3) organization – legally designated as Baltimore Football Club, Inc., and operating nationally as either Fourth & Goal or Defending Champions – to advocate for pension and disability benefits, representation and other issues affecting retired players; and to raise funds on behalf of and to assist retired players in need. To date, we have:
- Held discussions with three different – and prominent – law firms and are about to formalize an agreement with a New York law firm to assist those struggling with disability and other issues;
- Aligned with a national public relations agency that has focused on sports-related public relations for approximately 20 years, to develop a sponsorship program, organize fundraising events, build a speaker’s bureau, promote our efforts, and publicize issues concerning retired NFL players;
- Engaged a graphic design firm to design a logo and brand for the organization;
- Built a media list of nearly 100 local, regional and national sportswriters, many of whom we’ve approached and worked with personally to get our story out;
- Requested a meeting with the NFL’s new commissioner, Roger Goodell, to discuss issues concerning retired NFL players; and
- Collaborated with other related organizations such as Jerry Kramer’s foundation to support retired players.
Fourth & Goal/Defending Champions is an independent national organization for the benefit of all retired NFL players. Already, several retired players – Maxie Baughan, Joe DeLamielleure, Sam Huff, among others – have volunteered to serve on the Board of Directors. As we move forward, we ask for and need the support of all of you. How can you get involved?
- By volunteering to serve on the organization’s Board of Directors or on committees such as advocacy, public relations and marketing, sponsorship, player assistance, etc.; and
- By getting other retired players involved in our organization – we need all retired players to be involved, to lend their voices to ours.
While we plan fundraising events over the next few months, our first major fundraiser will take place on September 20, 2007, when Fourth & Goal/Defending Champions will salute Hall of Famer and former Baltimore Colt Art Donovan. The event, which will be held at Martin’s West in
Stay tuned for more information! In the meantime, send an e-mail letting us know your preference for the name of this – your – organization – Fourth & Goal or Defending Champions. We’ll announce the results on Wednesday, January 24.
Regards,
Bruce Laird
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