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“NFL Hall of Famers-Shamers”

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it was stupid thing to do, and now they cannot take back the words,nor the intent.

A select group of NFL Hall of Famers put their names to a letter, demanding the National Football League pay them an annual salary of 300,000 a year plus health benefits.

As NFL ambassadors, with the Gold Jackets, they want more green.

There are 181-living Hall of Famers, and I am sure a number need a helping hand, and yes the NFL is rolling in doe

But there is an alarming fact that needs to be considered.

The letter, authored by Eric Dickerson, Lawrence Taylor and more, references those in the Hall of Fame. The select, the elite, many well-to-do. It ignores the masses.

There are some 4,100 currently living retired NFL players, and many of them are ailing.

Yes the NFL is working to distribute money to the ill, and damaged players, many who are troubled people, all via the Concussion settlement.

The NFL is still living with the stigma of the some 21-modern day players who took their lives because of CTE, and life altering diseases.

The most bothersome part of this letter, aside from the fact it comes off as a money grab by those with some leverage, is the fact they, the Hall of Famers, ignore the masses of fellow players.

They don’t ask the NFL to fund an insurance plan for all retired players to buy into. They don’t ask the NFL to increase pension stipends for players from the 70s-thru 90’s, who don’t have it as good as the modern retirees have.

Everything in the NFL comes thru bargaining with the union, and in the past, the late Gene Upshaw, the union chief, didn’t care about the brothers he played with back in the day. He only wanted to rep the current day players.

DeMaurice Smith has worked harder to upgrade benefits, but the NFL retired players deals are weak in comparison to what baseball players get.

It may be 2018, but some things haven’t changed, especially for the likes of Dickerson and LT.

It’s about them, has always been about them.

Now they re running for cover saying the letter was meant to help all current retired players. Wasn’t worded that way.

Not likely, especially when you consider what happened to those guys in 1987.

That was an NFL strike year, a walkout that lasted 3-weeks. it was about increased benefits for players, and the changing of NFL free agency compensation.

By the third week, veteran players caved, and crossed the picket lines, ending the strike, and not getting what they hoped to get.

And who walked across the line that weekend….Eric Dickerson and Lawrence Taylor, big money players, who wanted to get their regular paychecks.

Screw the little guy they did that day.

Just like this Hall of Fame letter, which in essence said screw the other guy, the 4,100 retired players.

Some things never change, at least with Eric the great and LT.

Hall of Famers, acting in Shame.

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