Is The NFL Cheating Former Players Out Of Disabilty Payments?
Yesterday, representatives of the NFL and the NFLPA were called to testify before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law on the NFL’s disability plan for former players. Here’s a passage from an account from the Washington Post: Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) a member of the Judiciary Committee but not the subcommittee itself, asked Douglas Ell, counsel for the NFLPA and the disability plan, how many players actually receive disability payments. “317,” Ell replied. Out of how many, she asked. Ell said there are roughly 8,000 retired players. “In one of the most dangerous sports in the history of mankind, only 300 players are receiving disability payments?” Waters said, her voice rising. Even better, out of a $1.1 billion fund set aside for disability payments, only $20 million has been paid out. This is a disgrace. How many more players like Mike Webster, Andre Waters and Justin Strzelczyk have to end up dead before the NFL wakes up to the tremendous damag
