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From TD to Doughnuts

By Mark

When the average NFL player retires. the fans believe that he retires to a life of luxury with no worries about his next meal or what to do with the rest of his life. After all, in the minds of the fans, he has made millions of dollars playing football, has been represented by high priced agents and lawyers, so why would he need to worry?

The reality of life after retirement is far different for most players. The superstars probably fit the fan stereotype and really don't have to worry. other than finding meaningful activities to fill up the days. However, on retirement the average NFL player has only been in the league for three years and has not earned enough to last the rest of his life. He is not able to navigate the maze of disbility and benefits procedures that the NFL have established without professional help and needs to find a new way to make a living often without a college degree and woefully unprepared to enter the workforce. Within two years of retiring, 78 percent are bankrupt, divorced or jobless, according to GamesOver.org, an Oregon-based support group.

Yet, all is not without degrees of encouragement. There is a growing recognition of the problem and a commitment of the NFL and NFLPA to begin to address the issue. In addition to educational programs, the league and the union at long last have made significant changes to the disability plan which will go a long way towards relieving the burden on retired and disabled players who have had such difficulty in getting claims recognized. The changes include:

1. The addition of a medical director to advise the initial caims committee;
2. The addition of doctor panels in major metropolitan areas;
3. The addition of claims specialists to walk players through the application process over the phone;
4. Allowing trustess to vote by electronic ballot on appeals that arise between meetings;
5. Extending the review period to five years from three where the player is totally or permanently disabled
6. Providing all retired vested players with a prescription drug card.

These changes are long overdue and should make life much improved for the average retired NFL player. Some of them are so logical and so cheap or without cost that you have to wonder what took so long. In any event, it's a welcome development.

The doughnuts? Franco Harris, the great Steelers Hall of Fame running back, now owns and operates Super Bakery, Inc. which sells pre-made nutritionally enriched doughnuts and other baked goods.

Full post as published by Sports Biz on December 12, 2007 (boomark / email).