Thursday, May 10, 2007
By Steve Doerschuk
Canton (Ohio) Repository
It might have been said "Football's Greatest Weekend" will clash with the NFL's dirtiest little secret.
Except it's unclear whether aging NFL alumni will follow through on an organized protest during events leading up to and including the Aug. 4 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction.
The object of discontent - namely, poor benefits for many players who suited up more than a quarter century ago - has been far from secret since this year's Super Bowl.
Twenty-one Hall of Famers showed up at a a charity golf event last month in Houston, where a possible protest in Canton was discussed.
"The NFL would notice a picket line, wouldn't it?" Hall of Famer Paul Hornung told the Houston Chronicle.
The disgruntled players' beef isn't with the Hall of Fame. It is, in large part, with former Raiders lineman Gene Upshaw, a Hall of Famer who is executive director of the NFL Players Association. Discontent also is directed toward the NFL, which negotiates pension details for past and present players with the NFLPA.
FORMER BROWNS SPEAK
Vince Costello and Jim Houston had long careers with the Browns and were teammates on the 1964 NFL champions. Both grew up near Canton. Both weighed in against a protest in Canton, but both are upset with Upshaw.
"I don't think they should picket the Hall of Fame, but they've sure got a gripe," said Costello, a 74-year-old former linebacker. "I don't have anything good to say about Upshaw. He's a (very) poor pension fund operator."
Houston stays in touch with former Browns teammate Bernie Parrish, an activist in NFL retirement issues.
"Bernie and I and many other NFL players are aggravated at Gene Upshaw," Houston said this week. "He doesn't want anything to do with old guys - and he's an old guy making $4 million, $5 million ... whatever it is."
Houston, 69, is eight years older than Upshaw, who played from 1967-81.
Hall of Fame running back Leroy Kelly, another member of the Browns' '64 title team, said "most of the guys" from his era are "unsatisfied with the pensions and the work Gene Upshaw is doing."
NO MORE RING
Hall of Famer Herb Adderley, who defended against Kelly when Green Bay beat Cleveland, 23-12, in the 1966 title game, also is a critic. In a 2007 press release marking the launch of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, Adderley said his NFL pension is "an embarrassing $126.85 per month."
"Because of the way I have been treated, I stopped wearing my Super Bowl ring and Hall of Fame ring," he said. "I thank God I didn't depend on my NFL pension. If I had, I would be homeless and added to the list of my former teammates who Jerry (Kramer) and others are raising money for."
Hall of Famer Mike Ditka is the biggest name attached to the Gridiron Greats fund, targeting former players in dire health and financial straits.
During Super Bowl week, Ditka called attention to old-timers who might have been helped by a fairer pension.
"I can't tell you if (Hall of Famer) Mike Webster would have been alive today," Ditka said then. "I do know he wouldn't have been a damn street person. I know his family wouldn't have had to sue to get his benefits.
"It's a problem that should have been remedied, and it's going to get remedied. If they don't, a lot of people are going to be embarrassed."
protestS AND LAWSUITS
Parrish, the left cornerback on Cleveland's 1964 title team, confirmed that a protest in Canton has been discussed.
"Paul (Hornung) called me about it," Parrish said. "I'm 100 percent behind it. It needs to be brought to the attention of fans."
Parrish and Adderley have jointly filed a federal-court lawsuit against Players Inc., an arm of the NFLPA whose role includes managing royalty funds from video game and apparel companies.
Parrish told The Repository the NFLPA and Players Inc. have operated secretively and with poor accountability. He is optimistic a motion to dismiss the case will be denied.
"Even if something strange happened and our case got dismissed," Parrish said, "this thing is not going away."
Parrish called it a "mind-boggling" quagmire, a "basket of snakes."
NFL, nflpa respond
NFLPA spokesman Carl Francis painted a completely different picture about disgruntled retirees.
"We are very proud of the improvements we have made in our benefits package," Francis said Wednesday. "It's unfortunate some players do not take the time to read the facts.
"There are over 9,000 retired players, and we certainly hear a lot more from players who appreciate their benefits than from those who don't."
Upshaw, unavailable on Wednesday, addressed the issue at a news conference three days before the Super Bowl:
"For anyone to say that the NFLPA does not care about retired players is not responsible. They don't know the record. They don't know the body of work."
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Repository the league has spent "a great deal of time" addressing concerns with the NFL Alumni Association (see related statement).
Aiello said the league and NFLPA negotiate an amount of money that goes to players. The NFLPA decides how much it wants to put of that amount into benefits, including pensions for current players and any improvements for retired players.
Costello, "the Pride of Magnolia" while with the Browns, isn't proud of the improvements. He doesn't limit his sphere of blame to Upshaw.
"The young players don't ... have any idea what's going on," Costello said. "The owners? To them, everything's a dollar bill."
By Steve Doerschuk
Canton (Ohio) Repository
It might have been said "Football's Greatest Weekend" will clash with the NFL's dirtiest little secret.
Except it's unclear whether aging NFL alumni will follow through on an organized protest during events leading up to and including the Aug. 4 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction.
The object of discontent - namely, poor benefits for many players who suited up more than a quarter century ago - has been far from secret since this year's Super Bowl.
Twenty-one Hall of Famers showed up at a a charity golf event last month in Houston, where a possible protest in Canton was discussed.
"The NFL would notice a picket line, wouldn't it?" Hall of Famer Paul Hornung told the Houston Chronicle.
The disgruntled players' beef isn't with the Hall of Fame. It is, in large part, with former Raiders lineman Gene Upshaw, a Hall of Famer who is executive director of the NFL Players Association. Discontent also is directed toward the NFL, which negotiates pension details for past and present players with the NFLPA.
FORMER BROWNS SPEAK
Vince Costello and Jim Houston had long careers with the Browns and were teammates on the 1964 NFL champions. Both grew up near Canton. Both weighed in against a protest in Canton, but both are upset with Upshaw.
"I don't think they should picket the Hall of Fame, but they've sure got a gripe," said Costello, a 74-year-old former linebacker. "I don't have anything good to say about Upshaw. He's a (very) poor pension fund operator."
Houston stays in touch with former Browns teammate Bernie Parrish, an activist in NFL retirement issues.
"Bernie and I and many other NFL players are aggravated at Gene Upshaw," Houston said this week. "He doesn't want anything to do with old guys - and he's an old guy making $4 million, $5 million ... whatever it is."
Houston, 69, is eight years older than Upshaw, who played from 1967-81.
Hall of Fame running back Leroy Kelly, another member of the Browns' '64 title team, said "most of the guys" from his era are "unsatisfied with the pensions and the work Gene Upshaw is doing."
NO MORE RING
Hall of Famer Herb Adderley, who defended against Kelly when Green Bay beat Cleveland, 23-12, in the 1966 title game, also is a critic. In a 2007 press release marking the launch of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, Adderley said his NFL pension is "an embarrassing $126.85 per month."
"Because of the way I have been treated, I stopped wearing my Super Bowl ring and Hall of Fame ring," he said. "I thank God I didn't depend on my NFL pension. If I had, I would be homeless and added to the list of my former teammates who Jerry (Kramer) and others are raising money for."
Hall of Famer Mike Ditka is the biggest name attached to the Gridiron Greats fund, targeting former players in dire health and financial straits.
During Super Bowl week, Ditka called attention to old-timers who might have been helped by a fairer pension.
"I can't tell you if (Hall of Famer) Mike Webster would have been alive today," Ditka said then. "I do know he wouldn't have been a damn street person. I know his family wouldn't have had to sue to get his benefits.
"It's a problem that should have been remedied, and it's going to get remedied. If they don't, a lot of people are going to be embarrassed."
protestS AND LAWSUITS
Parrish, the left cornerback on Cleveland's 1964 title team, confirmed that a protest in Canton has been discussed.
"Paul (Hornung) called me about it," Parrish said. "I'm 100 percent behind it. It needs to be brought to the attention of fans."
Parrish and Adderley have jointly filed a federal-court lawsuit against Players Inc., an arm of the NFLPA whose role includes managing royalty funds from video game and apparel companies.
Parrish told The Repository the NFLPA and Players Inc. have operated secretively and with poor accountability. He is optimistic a motion to dismiss the case will be denied.
"Even if something strange happened and our case got dismissed," Parrish said, "this thing is not going away."
Parrish called it a "mind-boggling" quagmire, a "basket of snakes."
NFL, nflpa respond
NFLPA spokesman Carl Francis painted a completely different picture about disgruntled retirees.
"We are very proud of the improvements we have made in our benefits package," Francis said Wednesday. "It's unfortunate some players do not take the time to read the facts.
"There are over 9,000 retired players, and we certainly hear a lot more from players who appreciate their benefits than from those who don't."
Upshaw, unavailable on Wednesday, addressed the issue at a news conference three days before the Super Bowl:
"For anyone to say that the NFLPA does not care about retired players is not responsible. They don't know the record. They don't know the body of work."
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Repository the league has spent "a great deal of time" addressing concerns with the NFL Alumni Association (see related statement).
Aiello said the league and NFLPA negotiate an amount of money that goes to players. The NFLPA decides how much it wants to put of that amount into benefits, including pensions for current players and any improvements for retired players.
Costello, "the Pride of Magnolia" while with the Browns, isn't proud of the improvements. He doesn't limit his sphere of blame to Upshaw.
"The young players don't ... have any idea what's going on," Costello said. "The owners? To them, everything's a dollar bill."
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