Written by Jeff Nixon, Posted July 29, 2010
Sometimes I feel like former NFL players are the “Bull in the Ring”.
You remember that old high school football drill where players form a circle in
the middle of the playing field, and choose one player to be the “bull” in the middle. The coach then throws a football to a player standing in the outer circle. That player must cross the circle and exit directly across from where he started. The player that is the “bull” must try to tackle him before he accomplishes this task. If the player makes it across without being tackled, repeat the drill with the “bull” remaining in the center. If the player is tackled or runs out of the circle before making it all the way across, he is the “bull” for the next round.
Unfortunately for retired NFL Players, we just don’t know how to get out of the ring because we can’t seem to tackle the ball carriers – the NFL and the NFLPA.
You remember what happens to the Bull in the Ring after about 6 or 7 attempts at tackling the ball carrier. They finally become so fatigued that they just can’t finish the drill. The coach finally shows pity on them and lets someone else become the “Bull”.
Maybe former players are all just “Bulls in the Ring” and the NFL and NFLPA hope we will eventually just give up.
Well, that’s not going to happen………we are tired of all the Bull !
After reading the following statements by the NFL and NFLPA you have to scratch your head and say to yourself, “Who is telling us the truth and who is feeding us a bunch of Bull?”
Commissioner Roger Goodell’s March 9, 2010 Letter to Congresswomen – Linda Sanchez
“Several months ago, we made a proposal to the union that involved reducing the exorbitant salaries and bonuses that our clubs pay to rookies each year and using the first $100 million of that savings to cover increased pensions and other benefits for our alumni. We offered to implement such a plan immediately, even without a new collective bargaining agreement, in order to deliver more assistance to retired players now. The union to this point in our discussions has not agreed to that proposal.”
DeMaurice Smith’s comments to a select group of online writers – July 21, 2010
“The rookie pay scale is something we have proposed that gets instituted but we want to make sure that the money not getting paid to rookies goes to proven veterans. The NFL has not agreed to this. We are willing to contribute some of these monies to put into a fund to support retired players. The NFL did not want to do that. When we were in Indy and we all agreed that the rookie plans would save about $200 million. The players were content to send $100 million to retired veterans and the other $100 to proven veterans. It’s the players’ money. We are disagreeing on how you spend…OUR money? Huh?”
Roger Goodell’s comments on CNBC’s Squawk Box – April 22, 2010
Commissioner Goodell: “We want all of our players to be paid appropriately. When you are coming in as a rookie, there is still some question about whether you are going to have the ability to play at the NFL level… An extraordinary amount of money that is guaranteed — $600 million of guaranteed money will be committed over next three days. Some of those players won’t make it in the NFL. That money goes out of the system. We would like to keep that money in the system and make sure it goes to veteran players because they have already proven that they can play on the NFL level. It’s a matter of reallocating and shifting our economics so that all of us can be successful.”
Demaurice Smith’s comments made on the “Mike & Mike in the Morning,” ESPN Radio, July 21, 2010
“The NFLPA proposed a rookie wage scale that would take $200 million out of the rookie pool and we only had two criteria for that rule to be put in place: First, we wanted to take $100 million of that and have it go toward retired players who played prior to 1993 to increase their pensions. The only other condition we put on that was that the other $100 million be spent on proven veterans. We wanted a guarantee that the money be spent on proven veterans, and the owners said no.
Jeff Pash – NFL Executive Vice President of Labor League Counsel comments on “Mike and Mike in the Morning” ESPN Radio. July 22, 2010
What NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said yesterday on the show, is not exactly how it happened. You really haven’t gotten the full story.
What happened is we went to the union – this is back in 2009 before the (2010) draft and anything else – and we said we have a number of issues that are tough issues that we have to work out, but we think there is one issue that we have a common purpose on, and that is addressing the rookie system.
We proposed to put the new rookie system in for 2010 with this year’s draft class, and we would commit that the first $100 million of savings from the rookie system would be used for retiree benefits. We’ll put them into pensions; we’ll put them into disability (assistance); and we’ll improve the ADA plan. We were open to anything the retirees think would be helpful to them.
We think it’s appropriate. We recognize that there is a genuine issue here that we can and should do better for our retired players. We thought that it was a perfectly logical place to start. The union came back to us and they said, ‘Well, first of all, we don’t like the (rookie) wage scale, so we reject that.”
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So, now that you’ve read the above statements, is it crazy to think that maybe, just maybe we are we being played by the powers that be? Both sides are claiming that the other side doesn’t want a Rookie Wage Scale.
Some of the greatest players in the history of the NFL have asked for the Rookie Wage Scale to be implemented. 80 Hall of Fame Players signed a letter asking the active players to get it done. Is anyone listening?
When they finally come to an agreement, will retired players once again get caught in the cross-fire with the NFL blaming the Union and the Union blaming the NFL for not getting us the pensions we deserve?
If we are the “Bulls in the Ring” then someone must have put a Flank Strap on these old Bulls because we are not giving up and we will continue bucking the system!
One last thing. They just outlawed Bull fighting in some parts of Mexico because they finally came to the realization that it was a cruel and inhumane way to treat a Bull.
The NFL and NFLPA could learn a thing or two from that analogy!
One last thing…….
A rookie wage scale is not needed to fund increased pension benefits for retired (former) NFL players.
All pension increases for former players that happened since 1993 came out of the gross revenues of the League per agreement by the NFLPA and the NFL.
Why are you guys pushing this trade, a rookie wage scale for $100 million? It sounds good but what will be the long term consequences, a veteran wage scale? How many free agent “busts” are there, see Washington Redskins.
Bottom line the owners want money back they think they are paying active and former players too much money. They don’t care where it comes from, active or former. This is a cheap deal for the owners and De is correct, the money saved on rookie contracts if ever instituted must be guarranteed to go to active and former NFL players.
David Meggyesy
Dave:
You’re right, all pension increases for former players have come out of the gross revenues. From the Gross Revenues the NFL and NFLPA have determined the Salary Cap figure every year since 1993. It would be nice if the active players shared a larger portion of the 60% they receive from the owners with retired players, but as we have seen over the past 17 years the money has been diverted from the Pension Plan into other “retirement assistance programs” like the Second Career Savings Plan, Annuity Plan and the Health Reimbursement Account.
DeMaurice Smith wants to change the way the Pension Plan has been funded and is now asking the NFL to pay for Pensions out of a “Legacy Fund” that is exclusively funded by the owners – and does not come from the 60% pool of money that has been given to active players. As we know, gross revenues have gone up every year since the Salary Cap was instituted, so it would seem to make sense to continue to increase the Pension Plan using funds from the gross revenues. If that system continued, could we trust active players to increase the monthly pension of pre ’93 retired players by $2,000 or even $1,000 ?
Gene Upshaw knew that the best way to get re-elected was to make sure he brought home the bacon for the active players. They are the only ones that can vote him in, or out. That is why he pushed for all those other “retirement type benefits”. Right now there is 1.5 Billion in just those two benefit plans and less than 1 Billion in the Pension Plan that has been in existance for 50 years. As much as DeMaurice Smith says we are all one team, his priority will always be with the guys that butter his bread – the active players.
DeMaurice Smith is trying to find a way to keep the active players happy and also find a way to increase former player pensions. The NFLPA has told us that if there is no “new money” there will be no increases in retired player pensions. Right now it looks as though there will be no new money…..possibly even less if the owners have their way.
I hope Mr. Smith succeeds, but I believe the best way to find money is through the establishment of a Rookie Wage Scale. It has worked in the NBA and it could work in the NFL.
The owners are open to negotiating a Rookie Wage Scale with certain limits on when a player can become an urestricted free agent. They are also open to a “Legacy Fund”, but only if the Legacy Fund is jointly funded by the NFLPA.
They can get this done, but it will take some sacrifices from both parties.
Your Alumni Brother,
Jeff Nixon
Jeff –
You are not totally correct in your evaluation of what happened regarding the pension increses for former players. Because of Federal Law we were unable to incresae the pension benefit beyond $425 per month per year of service. We created the Annuity and 401 K programs to be able to fund additional retirement benefits to players because of the $425 cap. NO MONEY CAME OUT OF THE BERT BELL/PETE ROZELL PENSION PLAN TO FUND THESE NEW BENEFITS FOR ACTIVE PLAYERS. Current players’ pensions are funded at $425 per month per year of service, the maxamum allowed in the BB/PR Pension Plan which they can take at age 55.
In the last extention of the CBA $110 Million was pushed back to fund increases in the BB/PR Pension benefit for former players. The active players via the Player Reps agreed to do this. It was money out of their pockets. I benifedted from this as did you.
In every extention of the CBA since 1993 money has been pushed back to former players in their Pension Benefits. Gene was well aware of the inequity that existed between the current level of funding and the defined benefit for current players and former players.
To say Gene was only concerned with active players and not former players is innaccurate. The record demonstrates the opposite. I know this personally. I am a recepient of Gene’s initaive in negotiating my pension increases being a 7 year vested veteran whose last year was 1969. Also the active players agreed to Gene’s position, again, it was money out of their pockets.
There is a huge amount to of money coming into the League, generated by players’ performance on the football field. Former players should definately have their pension benefits increased, and all the ancellary programs adaquately funded. This money should come out of the gross revenues of the League. Active players never objected to this in the past and they will not now. That is the cleanest way to do it because both owners and players are funding the increases. Believe me active players know how well they have it regarding post career benefits. They have never objected to pushing money back to former players, knowing full well they will be former players sooner than later and each generation of active players takes care of the previous generations. Let’s pull together and get this done, meaning we all need to throw our weight beind our union. That is the only way it is going to happen!
That is how the Major League Baseball Players did it.
David Meggyesy
Dav
The rookie wage scale may not be in the owners best interest, see Jim Trotter’s commentary, “Mad Money” in the August 2nd issue of Sports Illustrated.
I like the ideal of the rookie scale fund utilized to keep active players happy and to help us old retired players who could really use the extra money. I hope it comes before we all die. We thank you for just trying to help!