| By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer
It was a painful sight that occurred every time San Diego State's football team practiced during the 2005 season. Former NFL standout Ed White would spend two-plus hours coaching the team's offensive line while dealing with intense pain in his right knee and hip. When practice concluded, there would be a cart waiting to drive White the approximately 150 yards to the building that houses the football offices. White, who retired from the NFL in 1985 after 17 seasons, is now contemplating hip and knee replacement. "I'm using a cane about half the time," said the 60-year-old White, a four-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman with the Chargers and Minnesota Vikings. Ailments that hinder athletes later in life are part of the price of being a pro football player. But many former players are claiming that the NFL and the NFL Players Association are doing too little to help those in need. The issue has even caught the attention of Congress. On June 26, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law will conduct an oversight hearing to look into the process of how the league and the NFLPA handle disability claims. Former North County resident Brent Boyd, who played for Minnesota from 1980-86, is one of the ex-players who has publicly expressed frustration with the process. Boyd waged a five-year fight in an attempt to receive disability payments for a football-related head injury that has left him unable to work. His claim was denied by the NFLPA Disability Board, and he eventually lost his appeal in the courts in 2005. Boyd said he was told early in the process by an NFLPA benefits employee that he shouldn't bother filing a claim because "the owners will never open this can of worms by approving a disability claim for a head injury." Boyd alleges that the disability board ---- made up of three owners and three people selected by the NFLPA ---- goes to great lengths to deny disability claims. Agent Tom Condon is one of the members. Boyd said it's a conflict of interest for Condon to have a powerful position on the board because he is also the agent for NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw and the money used to pay a disability claim comes from the same piece of the financial pie that pays current players. The NFLPA declined to comment on Boyd's accusations. Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana, who suffered "five or six" concussions in his career, said he's aware of the reluctance of the NFL and NFLPA to acknowledge that concussions cause head injuries that lead to disability. "Once they say there's an issue, then they have to fix it," Montana said. "As long as they never admit that there's one, then they never have to fix it. "They're never going to admit it because then they have to go about and try to correct it." Last week, former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Brian DeMarco went public with his struggles. DeMarco is plagued by major spinal problems and says he's having trouble getting approved for disability. He is just 35 years old. Despite the uproar, NFL and NFLPA executives say they are concerned about former players. They point out that $5.5 million per month is being paid to retired players, disabled players, widows and surviving children. According to NFL vice president of communications Greg Aiello, 284 former players are receiving disability payments this year that will total $19 million. Last month, the NFL announced a new alliance designed to better coordinate help for retired players. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the plan is "directed toward those who are in dire need or can't afford the proper kind of care." In 2006, the 88 Plan was approved. Named after the jersey number of Hall of Famer John Mackey, who suffers from dementia, former players in various stages of dementia and Alzheimer's can receive as much as $88,000 annually for medical care. The NFLPA has also negotiated pension increases for retired players four times since 1993. Yet there's an overwhelming perception that the NFLPA isn't doing enough to help former players, and tensions are high. Recent criticism of Upshaw by Hall of Famers Mike Ditka and Joe DeLamielleure escalated so fiercely that Upshaw publicly said that he would like to break DeLamielleure's neck. NFLPA director of communications Carl Francis said the system can be improved and said the issues are being addressed. He also said that it is just a small group of players who are complaining and that the public doesn't hear about all the thank-you cards that the NFLPA receives from players it helps. "The facts speak for themselves," Francis said. "Benefits are never a pretty picture for the public to embrace. It is not as attractive to the general public as a touchdown is. "Our record speaks for itself in terms of all the increases in pension and the monies we've given out." Chargers player representative Roman Oben said more awareness of the issue can only help lead to further improvements. "I'm 34," Oben said. "When I'm 55, I'll have more knowledge than a guy who is 55 now that played in the '70s. We're definitely making more money, which is good. The salary cap and the TV money is good, but we also need a heightened awareness of things that can affect us as human beings as we live the rest of our lives." The NFLPA points out that some retired players create their own later-life financial woes by drawing their pensions too early. Many players began drawing it at age 45, and that reduces what they receive later. Some players, including White, said they began taking their pensions early because they were led to believe they wouldn't live into their 60s or 70s. "I took more because the Players Association said the average offensive lineman lived to be 55," White said. Numerous retired players see all the money the NFL is making today and hear about the plight of disabled former players like Boyd. And then they cringe or get upset. "They should all be ashamed of themselves," White said of the owners and NFLPA. "There's (32) owners making gazillions of dollars and they're not taking care of a handful of guys." Contact staff writer Mike Sullivan at (760) 739-6645 or msullivan@nctimes.com. Timeline 1979: Roger Staubach's career with the Dallas Cowboys ends with mild concern over the number of concussions he suffered. 1992: New York Jets star receiver Al Toon retires prematurely after repeated concussions. He's the first player known to have retired early because of concussions. 1994: NFL establishes the Mild-Trumatic Brain Injury Committee after concerns about concussions rise in the wake of injuries to star quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Steve Young. 1997: Chargers quarterback Stan Humphries suffers two concussions in span of 18 days and never plays again. His career is over at age 32. 2002: Hall of Fame center Mike Webster of the Pittsburgh Steelers dies at age 50. The family estate later wins a federal court case against the NFL's retirement and disability plan. 2006: Former Philadelphia safety Andre Waters, 44, commits suicide. Tests of Waters' brain tissue show his brain had degenerated to that of an 85-year-old with early-stage Alzheimer's issues. Tuesday: NFL to hold day-long health and safety meeting with team physicians and trainers of all 32 teams. Brent Boyd timeline April 1980: Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round. August 1980: Suffers concussion and temporarily loses vision in his right eye. 1981: Severely injures right knee and undergoes major reconstructive surgery. 1986: Football career ends when released by Vikings. 1999: Files disability claim with NFL when his personal doctor determines his symptoms of dizziness, fatigue, depression and headaches are due to football head injury. 2000: Two NFLPA-appointed doctors agree that he's disabled from football-related head injuries. 2001: Third doctor says injury not responsible for Boyd's health issues and the NFLPA Disability Board denies Boyd's bid for full degenerative disability benefits. 2005: Federal appeals court rules against Boyd and backs the decision of the Disability Board. 2007: Boyd goes public with his story. |
