Shouldn’t the NFL do more for retired players?
For the first time I am treating a man who was an offensive-lineman in the NFL for 5 years. Without giving his name or team I would like to describe a few of his symptoms.
When he gets out of bed in the morning in takes him 3-4 hours to stand up, he is in chronic pain and can only manage a slow walk
when he can walk. He has severe damage to neck and spinal areas that is causing numerous problems that will require years of therapy that will at best bring some pain relief sometime in the distant future.
The NFL has abandon this man and doesn’t qualify for benefits
because of his age. He has no hope for employment and his wife has
become the bread winner with very limited medical benefits that are not adequate to facilitate any realistic recovery.
And he is 32 years old…with 2 small children!
I would like to hear from the fans who are aware of this problem.
your thoughts please
Rat Pack…yes he was a starter for (5) yerars and his money is gone after spending 100′s of thousands of dollars
on medical care. Most people believe NFL players make millions and that’s not true for the vast majority…especially for an Avg lineman
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The answer is yes. But the NFL is only part of the issue. I think a very high percentage of players enter the NFL with lifetime damage already done. The average NFL career is only 3 years. By the time a player gets to the NFL he has most likely played at least 4 years of college ball and most likely 4-7years of organized football at the high school and junior high level.
The physical training to get to that level is extremely intense. Years of weight training, explosive running and getting the snot mashed out of you also takes a huge toll. I can feel it everyday when I get out of bed or try to engage in physical activity.
The NFL retirement is pretty basic and is no where near what you would expect from a such high paying jobs. A player has to play at least three season to be vested with a normal retirement age of 55 to start drawing the Pension. There is also a disability benefit.
Lets compare pensions. OJ Simpson draws a $28,000 per year pension. A typical firefighter or police officer can draw a pension equal to about 50% of their ending salary with twenty years of service. Its not unusual for retired firefighters and police officers to draw retirements of $50,000 to $100,000 per year starting in their early 40′s.
Most players never receive any kind of post career counseling or follow-up from the NFL. There has been increased interest in this issue recently (see link)
Maybe its time the NFL and the players looked at deferring some of those huge contracts and creating some type of defined benefit plan for the players and coaches.
December 18th, 2009 at 11:51 amThat is sad. He must not of been a starter though since he has a problem with money. But if he was 32 in the NFL that means he played at least 6 years in the nfl. what in the world happened to 6 years worth of NFL funds? Interesting…… Im surprised no one has created a fundraiser for this. His name is?
December 18th, 2009 at 11:51 amdoes he have social security?
December 18th, 2009 at 11:51 amyes. yes because they made the nfl to make history. they should at least have nfl medical insurance.
December 18th, 2009 at 11:51 amThat is just plain sad.
December 18th, 2009 at 11:51 amI think that Gene Upshaw before his death was in the process of trying to do something about that,but it’s just shocking that the NFL doesn’t have medical benefits considering the injuries involve.
December 18th, 2009 at 11:51 amyes and no.. they make boatloads of cash and i think most spend alot of their money and not invest it right. but then you get sad story’s of rare incidents and then its the NFL fault. they know that their putting there body in jeopardy and maybe their lives and they know the chances that’s why they get paid so much. its like any other job, they give you more money the more hazardous the job is . wish him the best tho.
December 18th, 2009 at 11:51 amI don’t think you’re a real doctor and it doesn’t take anyone 3-4 hours to stand up you are obviously lying! damn lier!
December 18th, 2009 at 11:51 am