NFL Players Say They Struggle to Collect Health Benefits Later in Life
After years of bruises on the field, retired players want better benefits.
June 26, 2007 — -- The fact that pro football players absorb punishment is no secret, but what happens to many of them after their playing days are over is just now getting some attention.
Former NFL stars testified before a House committee in Washington, D.C. Tuesday and said years after their contracts ended, the pro football league has ignored the injuries that in many cases have left them disabled.
"We've been homeless three times in the last four years and it's a terrifying experience," said Brian DeMarco, who wore number 73 for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He said he's uninsured and broke and can't get the NFL to hear his claim for disability benefits. He decided to testify for himself and others in his situation.
"Somebody has got to step up to help the guys like me," he said.
Congress questioned the way the $7 billion league and its union run its disability fund, while a representative from the NFL Players Association defended the program.
"We believe these are the most generous disability benefits in professional sports, perhaps in the entire business world," said Dougless Ell of the NFL Players Retirement Fund.
Critics of the benefits say there's a catch, as former players struggle to deal with the system involved in filing a claim.
"The plan is actually a very generous plan but they won't let the players partake of the generous benefits that they offer," said an ex-players attorney, John Hogan.
Former players face an ocean of NFL and government paperwork with little assistance and lots of discouragement, said former player and coach Mike Ditka.
"They don't administrate anything. It's a bunch of red tape and a bureaucracy that's all it is," he told lawmakers.
Others say that's on purpose.
"Delay, deny and hope you die," said Bernie Parish who played for the Cleveland Browns. "Can I say that again? Delay, deny and hope you die."
With roughly 8,000 former players dating back more than half a century, only 300 receive disability benefits from a game that's all about hitting people.
NFL officials admit the system can be improved, and Willie Wood sure hopes it will be.
He was a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s and now lives in a rest home, weary of disability disputes.
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