The heat was turned up last week at UMass-Lowell, and much of it was directed toward NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw.
from Boston Globe
In a fiery symposium that included Pro Football Hall of Famers John Hannah and Andre Tippett, criticism was fired at Upshaw for not helping former players with medical needs. The anger and passion inside Room 222 at the O’Leary Library was palpable.
Hannah and Tippett were part of a six-member panel that also included Ted Johnson (Patriots), Peter Cronan (Seahawks/Redskins), Garin Veris (Patriots), and Bruce Laird (Colts).
“People ask why he doesn’t do more for retired players, and probably the biggest reason is that there are no checks and balances, so he doesn’t have to,” Laird told the crowd.
Tired of inaction, Hannah is in the final stages of creating the Retired Football Players Association along with fellow Hall of Famer Joe Delamielleure.
“We’re both offensive guards and we’re trying to protect the player,” Hannah said after the symposium. “We’re not fighting the NFL, we’re fighting the union. We’re creating a union to fight our own union.”
Veris believes it’s important to generate momentum now, so that when a new collective bargaining agreement is negotiated, the needs of retired players are part of the discussion.
“This is a crucial time,” Veris said. “You hear things like the Mackey Fund, and they say they’re doing things for former players, but it’s a smokescreen, a Band-Aid.
“The retired players who really need it need to be part of this next collective bargaining agreement. We can’t let Gene Upshaw go out like he’s done something great when so many players are getting abused.”
The symposium was presented by professor Jeffrey Gerson of UMass-Lowell Politics and Sports. Former Globe sportswriter Ron Borges helped arrange the event, which also included an introduction from UMass-Lowell chancellor Marty Meehan.
