BOO HOO: Congress Said They May Get Involved If A Better Pension and Disability System Isn’t Created For The NFL
OJ gets $25,000 per month from his pension, so pardon me for not having too much sympathy for these guys. They know that their careers are not long term and they make more than enoug so as not to find themselves homeless if they make good choices. This sums up how I feel:
NFL and NFLPA representatives noted that the benefits in the disability and pension systems are set through collective bargaining negotations between the players and the owners.
“Many of the players who now complain about their pension did not view pension benefits as a priority when they were playing, and did not agree to make sacrifices in bargaining to improve either their pensions or the pensions of those who came before them,” said Douglas Ell, the lawyer for NFL’s retirement plan.
In the most recent collective bargaining agreement, payments from the pension fund were raised by 25 percent for players who retired before 1982 and 10 percent for those who retired after 1982.
June 26, 2007 - 10:28 PM on June 26th, 2007
Pension? What is a pension?
June 27, 2007 - 07:30 AM on June 27th, 2007
This is a serious subject. Tofu, go hide in a closet or something.
I was born and raised in an NFL city. Many of the players did not make more than my lower middle class parents did. They weren’t well served by the NFLPA and the current crop of millionaires. Peejz mentions OJ. OJ was a star who got to make movies, etc. He had ample opportunities to make money.
Let me just start wit a bit of the story of Willie Wood. Willie was a safety on the Lombardi Packers. No one made real money on the Packers then. Bill Curry tried and was traded. Donnie Anderson was the first player to get some money, but it was a pittance compared to what a first round pick makes today.
Back to Willie. Willie needs medical attention and is broke. He can not walk without assistance. Jerry Kramer did a fund raiser for him and is founding an organization to help the old NFL players the current NFLPA, owners, and TV are neglecting.
Paul Hornung never made the money a Ryan Leaf made or Palmer with the Bengals is making, and Hornung was as much a star in college as they were, and more.
This being said, I think Congress should butt out. All they do is make things worse.
June 27, 2007 - 07:49 AM on June 27th, 2007
TT a pension is also considered a 401K plan that companies offer.