Former Vikings and current Raven Matt Birk has been one of the most outspoken proponents of improved pensions and benefits for retired NFL players. Birk’s support has not only come in the way of words but also his pocket book. He’s been the organizer of a campaign in which current players donate a game check to Gridiron Greats for retirees in dire need.
Filling in for the vacationing Peter King of SI.com, Birk took the opportunity to share his thoughts on retired players in the weekly “Monday Morning QB” column (Read it HERE). In the column Birk asks a great questioning the ‘on-again, off-again’ retirement of Brett Favre. “Playing in the NFL is a pretty good gig. We get to play a great game in a great league with die-hard fans, and the pay ain’t too shabby. As a whole, I think players today are pretty lucky.
However, it’s disturbing to me how the players of previous generations are being treated. The men that came before us built this game into the multi-billion dollar business it is today. Thousands of players fought for a lot of the things today’s players enjoy — free agency, top-notch medical treatment and million-dollar contracts, to name a few. Some of these guys jeopardized their own careers by going on strike, knowing they wouldn’t be the ones to reap the benefits of their personal and professional sacrifices.”
“I have seen these guys with my own eyes and heard their stories with my own ears. You might not read about this very often, but this problem is real. When I entered the NFL in 1998, I was told the league was a brotherhood. Once you were in, it was forever. It’s time we stand up for our brothers who don’t have a voice. I really like playing football for a living and I am grateful for the players who paved the way. Giving more to former players who did so much for us is the right thing to do.”
“The NFLPA wants the money to go to current players because football salaries already lag behind their baseball and basketball counterparts, for which the NFLPA catches heat. So, if this problem is going to be remedied it’s going to have to come from the current players.”
Matt is spot on. De Smith can talk all he wants about “one locker room, one team”, but until the majority of active players accept that, and act upon it, his words will ring hollow.