You can't screw thousands of people and not get syphillis. I bet Dick Butkus and his former NFL cronies are making similar tasteless jokes about the passing of NFL Players' Union President Gene Upshaw.
Unfortunately, Upshaw will be remembered terribly though the union flourished terrifically under his stewardship.
But a lot of the criticism of him is unfair. First of all, he was criticized for saying he doesn't work for the former players, but he was 100% correct, he has to listen to the current union members.
Also, he did a lot to improve benefits for retired players, but many of the problems these retirees have (specifically the more recent ones) resulted from poor decisions on their own.
At its heart, pro football is an incredibly dangerous profession, but a profession for which its practicioners are well-paid. There's no excuse for a current player not putting a portion of his salary towards long-term health insurance and retirement. If you make a bunch of bad business deals and have no money left when your health fails, then you're at least as much to blame as anyone else.
There one criticism of the union under Upshaw I agree with.
I think disability insurance area of the union's coverage is a travesty.
I've heard countless stories of retired players being refused for disability benefits by union doctors who deemed them fit for sedentary work. How is a former football player who has headaches from repeated concussions, and pain from multiple knee surgeries expected to get and keep a desk job?
I hope Upshaw's successor will extend these benefits for retirees but most crucially he should put more pressure on the players to provide for their own nest eggs.
Very good points. I think it's not just football players who are in need of long-term financial planning, but that it's an epidemic among former MLB and NBA athletes who generally retire in (relatively) good health.
ReplyDeleteLenny Dykstra, whom I loved as a Met, does alot of work in this field. Apparently his investing record is phenomenal and he's been deemed a financial genius. I'm hesitant to call an inarticulate, steroid using, tobacco chewing jock a "genius," but he's got a great thing going for himself and I'm glad to see him helping out former pro's.
this is not an area limited to former athletes. Americans in general are fairly financially illiterate.
ReplyDeleteIt is magnified among former athletes because of the great wealth they accumulate, it is inconceivable to the rest of us how they could be unprepared for their futures.