Randall Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 It's his Cowboys ring. MIAMI -- Mike Ditka, a former player who led the 1985-86 Bears to a Super Bowl victory 21 years ago as a coach, is now trying to help his fellow NFL alumni. Ditka, who won a Super Bowl title with the Dallas Cowboys in 1975, has donated his championship ring to an online auction that will raise money for former players. One former player was found at a homeless shelter, NBC5's Phil Rogers reported on Thursday. "It's not right, and it's got to stop," Ditka said at a news conference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy n Dirty Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Heard Ditka talking on the radio earlier this week about this issue, and he cited a number of former players who are in need of medical assistance but who are not getting it from the NFL. He was very sritical of Gene Upshaw, awho has done little to nothing for his contemproaries in his current position as head of the Players Association. Upshaw's defense is that he works for the current players and if they don't wanna' contribute to help out the guys that preceded him, there's nothing he can do about it. Ditka was also critical of ownership as they have shown little to no willingness to help out these former players. Ditka was great on the radio - he mentioned that Johnny Unitas, for example, has vowed never to return to the Hall of Fame due to difficultied he encountered from the NFL in getting his disability claims paid later in life. Ditka also mentioned Wilbur Marshall, who played for him on that championship Bears team, as one of the guys who is in pretty bad shape and in need of assistance. Earl Campbell was another one. Another thing Ditka mentioned - some years ago, Al Davis wrote a letter to Tagliabue suggesting that branches of the NFL Hall of Fame be opened in California and in Florida (next to Disney parks in each case), and that profits generated by those branches be donated to some sort of fund to help out old-time players. Ownership wasn't interested in this idea. Per Ditka, Al Davis is the one owner who has been very active and generous in terms of helping out former Raiders who are now in need of assistance, largely due to the physical punishment they experienced during their playing careers (e.g., Jim Otto). I'm with Ditka on this one - seems outrageous that with all of the money that the NFL generates, they can't find a way to help out the former players who made tremendous sacrifices to help football get to where it is today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muck Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Heck, if each side kicked in 0.25% of revenues for a period of 3-5 years to a fund that former players could apply to if they needed financial assistance, then the most needy players could get the help they'd need. It makes me sick that the current players and owners don't give more honor to those who came before them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Heard Ditka talking on the radio earlier this week about this issue, and he cited a number of former players who are in need of medical assistance but who are not getting it from the NFL. He was very sritical of Gene Upshaw, awho has done little to nothing for his contemproaries in his current position as head of the Players Association. Upshaw's defense is that he works for the current players and if they don't wanna' contribute to help out the guys that preceded him, there's nothing he can do about it. As much as I sympathize with these older players who really did get screwed by the league, it's ridiculous that Upshaw takes the blame for it. Did Upshaw negotiate their CBAs? No. Does he have the power to take money from today's players? No. Then why is it Upshaw's fault again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted February 2, 2007 Author Share Posted February 2, 2007 As much as I sympathize with these older players who really did get screwed by the league, it's ridiculous that Upshaw takes the blame for it. Did Upshaw negotiate their CBAs? No. Does he have the power to take money from today's players? No. Then why is it Upshaw's fault again? He can't force current players to do it but he can try to get more for these guys. Like Muck said a small tax could do it. Show film of Earl Campbell to the current players and owners every year for example. He and Tags could have added it to the CBA negotiated last season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Like Muck said a small tax could do it. He and Tags could have added it to the CBA negotiated last season. LOL, Upshaw has no authority to "tax" any of the current players. That's not negotiated into the current CBA. Upshaw and the NFLPA could propose a tax in the next CBA, but do you seriously think that today's players would go for it? The NFLPA would probably fire Upshaw if he tried to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockerbraves Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 It's his Cowboys ring. MIAMI -- Mike Ditka, a former player who led the 1985-86 Bears to a Super Bowl victory 21 years ago as a coach, is now trying to help his fellow NFL alumni. Ditka, who won a Super Bowl title with the Dallas Cowboys in 1975, has donated his championship ring to an online auction that will raise money for former players. One former player was found at a homeless shelter, NBC5's Phil Rogers reported on Thursday. "It's not right, and it's got to stop," Ditka said at a news conference. I would rather have seen Ditka donate his ring to our war veterans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Sirius had Charles Tillman on yesterday. He is the President of the Players Association (Active Side). He was going through all the benefits that the players have and it is just ridiculous. $50,000,000 was given last year by the PA to help past players. The NFL has a 401K in which they match 2 for 1 and less than 10% of the players take advantage of it. Yet, after working for 5 to 7 years they expect the NFL to take care of them for the rest of their lives. That just isn't practical. How many other employers do that? It is just crazy how many programs the PA offers to both current and past players that they do not take advantage of. It isn't the NFL's fault or the PA's fault that some people would rather spend all of their money on their posse and cars rather than putting some away. I know that players used to not get payed nearly as much as they do now, but that is also true in other trades as well. I can see the arguments of some of the guys from the 50's and 60's, but nobody forced them to play, and heck they probably still had a better life thanks to the NFL than they would have otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy n Dirty Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 As much as I sympathize with these older players who really did get screwed by the league, it's ridiculous that Upshaw takes the blame for it. Did Upshaw negotiate their CBAs? No. Does he have the power to take money from today's players? No. Then why is it Upshaw's fault again? Sure, he doesn't have the power to unilaterally impose a tax or force current players to chip in for the guys that preceded them. But he is far from powerless in this regard. He does have some influence and plenty of opportunity to make an effort to remedy this situation, and by all accounts that I have heard he has done nothing. Plenty of blame to go around on this one, and Upshaw certainly deserves a healthy portion of it IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Def. Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Sirius had Charles Tillman on yesterday. He is the President of the Players Association (Active Side). He was going through all the benefits that the players have and it is just ridiculous. $50,000,000 was given last year by the PA to help past players. The NFL has a 401K in which they match 2 for 1 and less than 10% of the players take advantage of it. Yet, after working for 5 to 7 years they expect the NFL to take care of them for the rest of their lives. That just isn't practical. How many other employers do that? It is just crazy how many programs the PA offers to both current and past players that they do not take advantage of. It isn't the NFL's fault or the PA's fault that some people would rather spend all of their money on their posse and cars rather than putting some away. I know that players used to not get payed nearly as much as they do now, but that is also true in other trades as well. I can see the arguments of some of the guys from the 50's and 60's, but nobody forced them to play, and heck they probably still had a better life thanks to the NFL than they would have otherwise. That 401k was not initiated till somewhere around 93'. Majority of the people Ditka is advocating for are players that retired well before that. Also back in the day I'm sure it was "oh you have a headache? so what get in there and play." Not the "you have a concussion take a few weeks off." we're starting to see now. Just some thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Sure, he doesn't have the power to unilaterally impose a tax or force current players to chip in for the guys that preceded them. But he is far from powerless in this regard. He does have some influence and plenty of opportunity to make an effort to remedy this situation, and by all accounts that I have heard he has done nothing. Plenty of blame to go around on this one, and Upshaw certainly deserves a healthy portion of it IMHO. Why is Upshaw any more to blame than the players? The players are the ones who are making all of the taxable income and, ultimately, Upshaw answers to the players as their NFLPA rep. And, again, I don't see any of the current players offering anything to the older players in need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 He knew he'd get more money from his Cowboys Super Bowl ring than his Bears one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muck Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Sirius had Charles Tillman on yesterday. He is the President of the Players Association (Active Side). He was going through all the benefits that the players have and it is just ridiculous. $50,000,000 was given last year by the PA to help past players. The NFL has a 401K in which they match 2 for 1 and less than 10% of the players take advantage of it. Yet, after working for 5 to 7 years they expect the NFL to take care of them for the rest of their lives. That just isn't practical. How many other employers do that? It is just crazy how many programs the PA offers to both current and past players that they do not take advantage of. It isn't the NFL's fault or the PA's fault that some people would rather spend all of their money on their posse and cars rather than putting some away. I know that players used to not get payed nearly as much as they do now, but that is also true in other trades as well. I can see the arguments of some of the guys from the 50's and 60's, but nobody forced them to play, and heck they probably still had a better life thanks to the NFL than they would have otherwise. If current players aren't taking advantage of this stuff, then shame on them. If former players that played before these things came in to play are hurting and there are things in place to help them and they're not asking for help, then shame on them. However, if there aren't sufficient things in place to help these former players, then there should be something done ... not sure what or by whom, but asking current players if they'd kick in 0.25% of their income for a couple of years to 'make it right' for the geezers, it's hard to think that they'd have a hard time getting the players to do it. For some reason, I think it'd be harder to get the owners to agree than the current players... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNOWBOUND33 Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 He knew he'd get more money from his Cowboys Super Bowl ring than his Bears one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 '75 Cowboys Super Bowl ring would be worth a heckuva lot more than the one-hit wonder team of '85. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 (edited) However, if there aren't sufficient things in place to help these former players, then there should be something done ... not sure what or by whom, but asking current players if they'd kick in 0.25% of their income for a couple of years to 'make it right' for the geezers, it's hard to think that they'd have a hard time getting the players to do it. For some reason, I think it'd be harder to get the owners to agree than the current players... I'm not sure why the owners would care one way or the other (unless the NFLPA tried to use it to raise contracts across the board), but I can tell you why the current players won't do it: They're greedy. There's a reason that Upshaw hasn't done anything to help the older players: The current players won't allow him to take any of their money. And if Bryant Gumbel is so freaking upset about this, why doesn't HE set up a trust fund for these older players. I mean, how many millions has Gumbel made from The Today Show and The Early Show? Oh, wait, I remember why: Left-wingers like Gumbel want to solve injustices with OTHER people's money, not their own. Edited February 2, 2007 by Bill Swerski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xMRogers Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Umm, just to pause for a sec - above tthere was this comment : "50,000,000 was given last year by the PA to help past players." Either someone mistyped about 3 zeroes, or this is something very off about this whole debate (unless most of this was recent players pensions, which isn't a "gift" - players paid into that) Assuming a mistype, I side with the Ditka's of the world - guys that played after mid-80's or so are fine - their pensions are pretty good, and while physically they will be a wreck as will today's players, that's just part of it and at least today's players know it. However, the guys in the 50's to the 70's - while they may have done ok, I remember when the minimum salaries weren't a whole lot more than my mom made as a teacher. Combine that with the debilitating physical factors involved, and it's not surprising these guys are in some trouble now. The big problem with Upshaw is he's not head of a union - he's put in place by the owners and while in theory "represents" the players, the NFL 'union' is the weakest in sports. As much as we like it, the non-guaranteed contracts, salary cap, and physical hardship combine to make the players in the most popular game in america the least compensated of the major sports and definitely the ones with the least power. I do think the situation needs attention (although it's not exactly at the top of my own list of injustices in the world - probably somehwere between baby seals and 'fund for barbaro' for me....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted February 2, 2007 Author Share Posted February 2, 2007 He knew he'd get more money from his Cowboys Super Bowl ring than his Bears one? It does look pretty good. He knows he can't sell the good one. Walter would make him pay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNOWBOUND33 Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 '75 Cowboys Super Bowl ring would be worth a heckuva lot more than the one-hit wonder team of '85. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Ryan Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 It's his Cowboys ring. MIAMI -- Mike Ditka, a former player who led the 1985-86 Bears to a Super Bowl victory 21 years ago as a coach, is now trying to help his fellow NFL alumni. Ditka, who won a Super Bowl title with the Dallas Cowboys in 1975, has donated his championship ring to an online auction that will raise money for former players. One former player was found at a homeless shelter, NBC5's Phil Rogers reported on Thursday. "It's not right, and it's got to stop," Ditka said at a news conference. You may want to do your research. This is the Super Bowl finalist ring, not a World Championship ring. The boys lost the 75 Superbowl to Pitt. http://superbowl.com/history/recaps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraftykraft Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Classy move by Ditka to help out retired players. And yes, the NFL players Association could attach a union dues to their players if they wanted to have a way of helping to fund this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Hence why the '75 Cowboys Super Bowl ring would be worth a heckuva lot more than the '85 Bears. It'd be one of a kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 I would rather have seen Ditka donate his ring to our war veterans. where do come up with this Sega!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 He knew he'd get more money from his Cowboys Super Bowl ring than his Bears one? I think he's donating that one to Rex Grossman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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