Fourth and Goal Unites

The NFLPA today announced the implementation of Social Security decisions into the NFLPA’s disability criteria:

            “Players who have received a Total and Permanent Disability determination from Social Security will not need to separately establish disability under the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL player Retirement Plan”.

Perhaps someone should tell them that Social Security does not grant permanent disability!

What the memo does not say, and everyone should be clear on, is that this agreement only establishes that the Player is totally and permanently (“T&P”) disabled.  IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT PLAYERS WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE GRANTED FOOTBALL DEGENERATIVE BENEFITS! They will still face the current gauntlet to try to establish that.  Social Security generally does not care what the cause of disability is, so it is highly unlikely that a Social Security decision will ever find that a Player is disabled due to NFL injuries.  Furthermore, if the Social Security grants benefits prior to the Administrative Law Judge level, there is no written decision that even discusses the evidence.  When there is a written decision, it might be used by the NFLPA to deny a football degenerative claim, as SSA is required to consider every medical impairment an individual has.  For example, a former Player may actually be “totally disabled” due to his orthopedic impairments, but he might also have COPD from smoking.  The decision will discuss the severity of the combined impairments in finding the former Player totally disabled.  Will such a decision be used to defeat the NFLPA claim – as the disability is not completely football related?

This agreement may help some currently disabled former Players, but the beneficial effects for former Players who have not yet filed for disability, may be negligible. (A former Player can obtain football degenerative T&P benefits – paying $110,000 per year if he becomes disabled within 15 years of leaving the league, or age 45, whichever is later)  That is because if a Player becomes disabled and decides to apply for Social Security disability and NFLPA benefits at the same time, ERISA regulations require the NFLPA to make a rather quick disability determination, both at the initial (DICC) level and the full Retirement Board level.  SSA has no time guidelines, and currently has claimants waiting two to three years to get a hearing.

Also, we need to make it clear to CURRENT PLAYERS – the guys Gene Upshaw is supposedly taking care of, that he just signed off on an agreement (March 14th) eliminating retroactive disability benefits, which may cost CURRENT PLAYERS who will become disabled – almost $400,000 in cash disability benefits!

“It gives them one more door to enter to receive disability benefits,” said Miki Yaras-Davis, NFLPA Benefits Director.  I am left to worry and wonder that this “door” is a trap door!

John Hogan

Former SSA Administrative Law Judge Attorney Advisor

Media Contact: Jason Policastro

                          (410) 727-6855

                           jpolicastro@stantoncomm.com                              

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Fourth & Goal to Receive Funds from Five Thirty-Five Autograph Signing Event

Baltimore Football Legends to donate portion of honoraria to Retired NFL Players Organization

BALTIMORE, Md. (3/26/08) — Fourth & Goal, the non-profit organization established by former National Football League players to advocate for improved pension and disability assistance and representation for all retired players, is announcing its partnership in the upcoming Five Thirty-Five autograph signing event at Towson University. 

Organized by AMG Management, the event will feature an unprecedented gathering of three generations of Baltimore football talent – together for the first time under one roof – signing autographs.  Five Thirty-Five will showcase players from the 1958, 1970, and 2000 championship teams, including Ray Lewis, Mike Flynn, Lenny Moore, John Mackey, Bubba Smith, Jim O’Brien, Tom Matte, Jamal Lewis, Ben Coates, Tony “Goose” Siragusa, Trent Dilfer, Brandon Stokley, and many others. [Should we list these in alphabetical order or by team?]

The event is laid out in two parts:

-On Friday, March 28^th, fans and collectors will be able to purchase exclusive VIP tickets to an evening dinner with the players from all of the teams.

-On Saturday, March 29^th, fans can buy tickets to the main event itself, Five Thirty-Five, and be able to put together their own custom “dream package” of autographs, consisting of the players they would like to have autograph merchandise, photos and memorabilia.  The event will be held in and around Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium. 

“We’re pleased that the players involved in this event have decided to donate a portion of their proceeds to Fourth & Goal,” said Fourth & Goal President and former Baltimore Colt Bruce Laird.

Fourth & Goal was established to help the many NFL veterans who are now facing debilitating diseases as a result of injuries sustained during their playing careers.  These players helped to make the NFL the powerhouse that it is today, but many of them are facing debilitating medical problems and mounting healthcare costs. 

Tickets for Five Thirty-Five are on sale through TicketMaster.com (and their hotline @ 410-547-SEAT) and also through AMG’s website, www.gotmyplayer.com, and retail location AMG’s Collector’s Edge 1-877-602-1292.

About Fourth & Goal:

Fourth and Goal is an advocacy group of retired NFL players for retired players. Fourth & Goal was created to improve existing pension and disability benefits for retired players, raise funds to assist retired players in immediate need and gain representation for retired players to ensure that future generations of retired players will also be protected. The organization addresses these goals by working to raise public awareness of the issues, building a community of retired NFL players, conducting informational media interviews to publicize the plight of retired players, and engaging in an ongoing dialogue with decision-makers.

ScienceDaily (Mar. 28, 2008) — Screening for cardiovascular problems in elite-level football players should begin in high school and continue throughout the lives of college and professional players.

Mayo Clinic physicians based that conclusion on the results of their new study of the cardiovascular health of 233 retired National Football League (NFL) players.

The Mayo data showed that 82 percent of NFL players under age 50 had abnormal narrowing and blockages in arteries, compared to the general population of the same age. This finding suggests that the former athletes face increased risk of experiencing high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke. The report on research conducted by the Mayo Clinic Arizona group will be presented next week at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session in Chicago.

Significance of the Mayo Clinic Study

This is the first and largest study to measure comprehensive cardiovascular performance measures on retired NFL athletes, ages 35 to 65. Its findings add to the emerging portrait of poor heart health among this group of retired athletes. The findings also suggest that players as young as high school age who are engaged in serious competitive-conference level of training and play may benefit from regular cardiovascular screening. “What we hope to emphasize with our findings is that all NFL players — retired or not — need to undergo cardiovascular health evaluation because they may have changes in heart and vessel conditions that we can treat so they don’t experience problems later in life,” says Robert Hurst, M.D., Mayo Clinic cardiologist and lead researcher.

Adds chair of cardiovascular diseases at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and researcher Bijoy Khandheria, M.D.: “Cardiovascular screening is readily available and needs to become a routine part of serious football players’ health care, beginning at the high school level for those who are engaged in a highly competitive and rigorous level of training and play.”

Football and Heart Problems

Previous research by various institutions and investigators in recent years showed concerning health trends:

    * Retired NFL players are more prone to obesity and obstructive sleep apnea than the general population.

    * Retired NFL players have an increased rate of metabolic syndrome, a condition increasingly linked to excess weight and lack of activity, which can lead to type 2 diabetes.

    * Higher mortality is reported in linemen, as compared to people in the general population of the same age who are not professional football players. Research is needed to determine the causes.

Observing these serious trends, the Mayo Clinic researchers undertook the study to define vascular health and, by association, cardiovascular risk in retired NFL players. To determine vascular health, the Mayo team conducted multisite screening events with the help of players’ associations. Investigators measured the internal diameter of the carotid artery. They also assessed plaque deposits which can block blood flow.

The most striking results showed that:

    * In players less than 50 years old, 82 percent had either plaque or carotid narrowing greater than the 75th percentile of the population, adjusted for age, sex and race. This represents a dangerous level of narrowing that could lead to a catastrophic reduction of blood flow resulting in heart attack or stroke.

    * Heart disease had not been previously diagnosed in these players. Nor had they experienced symptoms of heart disease, such as chest pain upon exertion.

    * As a result, the players did not know that they were at serious risk of heart attack or stroke, or that they needed to make lifestyle changes or start medical therapy to improve the capacity of their cardiovascular systems to maintain blood flow.

The Mayo research team concluded that because test results showed evidence of asymptomatic narrowing of the arteries — called atherosclerosis — the retired NFL players are at abnormally high risk for an adverse cardiovascular event, as compared with people of the same age in the general population. In addition, the high incidence of plaque found in players’ vessels suggests that the increased narrowing is not solely due to increased body mass index. Further research is needed to explain this. In the meantime, football players will benefit from regular cardiovascular screening. “Effective therapies are available to help players avoid serious cardiovascular problems later in life, but players need to take that first step of seeking out screening programs to identify those at risk,” Dr. Khandheria says. 

Collaboration and Support

Other Mayo Clinic researchers are Erik Wissner, M.D.; Robert Burke, M.D.; and Chris Kendall, all of Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.

Their work was supported by Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Adapted from materials provided by Mayo Clinic.

Vinnie Iyer

Sporting News

The NFL’s Samsons might soon need to go to Fantastic Sams — that is if the NFL competition committee gets its way with its follicle-fueled folly and successfully passes a move banning players from sporting long hairstyles that spill onto their jersey backs.

Thank you, Kansas City Chiefs, for unnecessarily bringing this issue to the table and setting it up for a majority vote by the league’s owners later this offseason. So we know the Bucs’ Ronde Barber, despite his last name, won’t need to go for a trim, but this just might mean fellow defensive backs Troy Polamalu of the Steelers and Al Harris of the Packers might need to find a pair of scissors. READ MORE

By Mike Klingaman

Baltimore Sun Reporter

March 28, 2008 

Autograph festivals might cater to fans, but athletes can get caught up in the hoopla as well.

This weekend’s signing event at Towson University – one of the largest ever held – will corral about 80 one-time members of the Baltimore Colts and Ravens, as well as some current Ravens. It has been billed as a multi-generational shindig, a historic treat for fans as well as for the players, many of whom have never met their sidekicks from the “other” pro football team that won the city’s heart.

For instance, former Ravens center Mike Flynn will finally get to greet Mike Curtis, the Colts All-Pro linebacker and one of Flynn’s boyhood favorites. READ MORE

Dear Bruce;

 JD and I want to sincerely thank you, Joe D and the members of Fourth and Goal for helping us through our recent crisis What we appreciated most about your organization was your expediency, lack of bureaucracy and integrity. You guys accessed the seriousness of our need and worked quickly to meet it. Bruce you even talked about coming out of your own pocket, we are very moved by your humanness and willingness to help.

As I explained earlier we had submitted an application to another organization that promised to help us but according to their staff some how our paper work got lost in their administrative change and we were in serious jeopardy of losing our home.  I personally feel that this delay added so much stress to my husband that he was admitted to the hospital by ambulance on March 5^th because of stroke like symptoms. He was observed for three days and after many tests he was released and is slowly recovering. He is currently on medication and is being treated for vertigo.  We are not out of the woods JD has appointments with several Dr’s and the plan is to monitor and run further tests; of course this also poses additional problems because we don’t have health insurance.

Again, thank you for your help and most of all for how quickly you responded.  Your assurance gave us some relief and peace of mind. I pray that Fourth and Goal will always be the organization that responds from the heart to the NFL retired player in need. You all are doing a tremendous job.  If there is anything that JD and I can do to help please don’t hesitate to let us know.

God Bless you

Sincerely,

Caryl and JD Hill