The NFL may be forced to conduct future Hall of Fame induction ceremonies without former enshrinees unless an agreement can be worked out regarding health insurance and pensions for the league’s legends.
In total, 21 high-profile former players and the widow of Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers defensive end Reggie White signed a letter addressed to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, and Hall of Fame President C. David Baker in which they demand health insurance and an annual salary that includes a share of league revenue for Hall of Fame members.
‘We, the undersigned Pro Football Hall of Famers, were integral to the creation of the modern NFL, which in 2017 generated $14 billion in revenue,’ read the letter, which was obtained by ESPN. ‘But when the league enshrined us as the greatest ever to play America’s most popular sport, they gave us a gold jacket, a bust and a ring – and that was it.
‘Until our demands are met, the Hall of Famers will not attend the annual induction ceremony in Canton.’
Rivals on the field, NFL Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (left) and Deion Sanders (right) both signed the letter, which demands healthcare and pensions for enshrinees
Members of the most recent Hall of Fame induction class were not included in the letter
The letter was addressed to commissioner Roger Goodell (left) and NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith (right), both of whom had their salaries referenced
Those who signed the letter include Hall of Fame Board chairman Eric Dickerson, the former Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts legend, as well as Marcus Allen, Mel Blount, Derrick Brooks, Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, Richard Dent, Carl Eller, Marshall Faulk, Mike Haynes, Rickey Jackson, Ronnie Lott, Curtis Martin, Joe Namath, John Randle, Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Jackie Smith, Lawrence Taylor and Kurt Warner, as well as Sarah White, Reggie’s widow.
The letter emphasizes that the cost of giving healthcare to the hundreds of Hall of Famers would be less than $4 million annually, which is, ‘less than that of a 30-second Super Bowl ad, or about 3 cents for every $100 the league generates in revenue.’
‘The mistreatment of NFL Hall of Famers, who are often exploited as unpaid ambassadors of the sport, contrasts with how Major League Baseball treats its former players,’ the letter continues. ‘A baseball player who has appeared on a Major League roster for one day is entitled to health insurance for the rest of his life. A player employed on a roster for 43 days gets a lifelong pension.’
Now 82, Cleveland Browns legend Jim Brown was among the letter’s signees
The letter ends with a reference to one of the league’s many marketing campaigns.
‘An NFL marketing slogan states that “Football is Family,” the letter read. ‘We agree, which is why we’re demanding to be treated like family members who are integral to the league’s present and future. As the legends of the game’s past, we deserve nothing less.’
In addition to making reference to Goodell’s $40 million annual salary and his new contract that’s reportedly worth upwards of $200 million, the retired players also brought up Smith’s $4.5 million annual salary, and the impending $1 billion ‘Hall of Fame Village’ project in Canton.
‘It’s not right to invest in such a project without first acknowledging the league’s debt to its great players,’ read the letter. ‘We are the reason people visit the Hall of Fame in the first place.’
Attendance at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony became an issue in August, when retired wide receiver Terrell Owens declined to appear in Canton for his own enshrinement to protest the length of time it took the voting media members to give him the nod.
In response, the Hall of Fame is now considering making attendance mandatory for anyone to be considered for enshrinement. The proposal, which multiple sources told Pro Football Talk is likely to be approved, would require 25 semi-finalists to commit to attending the ceremony before the voters make their final selections.
The NFL previously settled a lawsuit for $1 billion in 2013 with thousands of former players who are struggling with the lasting effects of traumatic brain injuries.
Around 4,500 former players and their estates were included in the class-action suit against the NFL, including former Dallas Cowboys star running back Tony Dorsett, former Cowboys offensive lineman Brian Baldinger, and former New York Giants running back Ottis Anderson – all of whom are alive, but have complained about the lingering effects of head injuries.
In July, claims administrators in the settlement released an updated report on the settlement information website saying about $502 million had been approved in less than two years since the agreement. The original actuarial estimates from the NFL estimated a little more than $400 million would be paid out in the first decade.
Attorneys for the retired players adjusted their estimates on the total payout of expected claims earlier this month, saying the settlement would likely reach $1.4 billion – almost a half billion more than the NFL originally estimated.