In January, Scene published a story on the NFL’s financial abandonment of retired players (Forgotten Forefathers, January 16) , with a focus on retired Browns. In the reporting, I spoke to probably a dozen ex-Browns, including Dick Schafrath, Leroy Kelly, Bernie Parrish, Cleo Miller, Greg Pruitt, and Bob Golic.
There was a near-consensus among these men on three points: pensions suck, disability payments suck, and NFL Players’ Association chief Gene Upshaw (pictured) is a heartless snake. (Sixties-era guard John Wooten dissented on the last aspect, and ‘80s cornerback-turned-condo-shiller Hanford Dixon declined to comment). If it was up to these guys, Upshaw, who they blame for the sorry state of the NFL alumni—ex-players crippled by the game being turned down for disability, and Hall of Famers receiving pensions under $200 a month—would be ousted from his position today, and thrown in the gulag for good measure. …
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2008.