Michael Ozanian is National Editor at Forbes
Article by Michael Ozanian - January 22, 2010
NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith does not know what he is talking about when it comes to the funding of benefits (pensions, disability, etc.) for retired and active National Football League players. NFL team owners recently proposed to immediately increase retired player pensions by $100 million even before the current collective bargaining negotiations with the players are concluded. The owners did the right thing. Last year the owners paid out around $70 million in pension benefits to some 10,000 retired players. Obviously, $7,000 for a crippled, middle-aged man is not enough to get by so the increase was badly needed and long over due. The NFL Alumni Association supports the proposal. But last week NFLPA Director DeMaurice Smith responded to the proposal by saying individual owners and teams have spent exactly nothing on retired player benefits. What world is he living in? The simple fact of the matter is that all retirement funds–for both active and retired players–comes from the money allocated to active players under the league’s salary cap of 60% of NFL revenue. In 2008 this amounted to $23 million per team, or $736 million. Smith may not like cap money going towards retired players instead of active ones. But as the union boss he should at least understand where the money comes from.
The link to Forbes NFL Union Head Should Be Flagged
Michael Ozanian is ill informed, or too lazy to research the actual benefits that retired football players receive. Somehow, I have the feeling that Ozanian is closely connected to one or more owners of a NFL team.
I am 56 years old, played 10 years (’75-’84), and have not taken my pension due to the meager amount. (Two years ago it increased from $2,000/month to around $2,500/month.) If I had played the same 10 years in Major League Baseball, I would be receiving over $130,000/year, plus I would have health insurance thru the Union.
Does Mr. Ozanian know the average playing career of a NFL player? It is three and half years. Does he realize that it takes four years of service to be vested in the NFL retirement plan?
I have only mentioned a few of the misconceptions of the NFL pension and benefits program. I only hope that we can continue to get the word out to legitimate reporters, and the public on the truth about retired players benefits.
Sincerely,
Bob Avellini
(Bears and Jets)
Bob:
You miss the whole point of the article. He’s only trying to point out that the head of the NFLPA DeMaurice Smith has stated that the owners contribute absolutely NOTHING to retired player benefits. That is an absolute lie. We may not like the amount they are contributing to retired player Pensions, Disability and other benefit programs, but to say they are contributing nothing is pure B.S. Mr. Ozanian has written numerous articles in support of retired players and even allowed me and Bruce Laird to come on his TV Show back in 2006 and tell everyone how we were getting shafted by Gene Upshaw and the NFLPA when it came to benefits for retired players. If you want me to send you a link to the actual show, just let me know. This guy is on our side!
Bob;
you are absolutely correct. The NFL does support writers that are confused by the situation or writers who criticise the Former Players Assoc.(NFLPA).I will write more about that later.
CR
Let’s talk. I’d like to learn “the good guys from the bad guys!”
The Los Angeles Chapter will be putting out information to differenciate between the good guys and the bad. My pension was increased from $100.00 per Mo. to 200 a couple of years ago.
CR
P.S. I will return.