It’s even funnier watching them try to comprehend something that is obviously so far over their heads.

Comparing their jobs to sports players, comparing the 1960s to the 2010s…..way to show your Wisconsin ignorance people. It actually makes me ashamed I have to live in this pathetic excuse for a state.(job)

Stick to what you know Wisconsinites- Beer, brats and curds.

Football and finances and law are not your forte.

“You chose a career that is short and also shortens your life and that should come with great reward. Thats the trade off.”

The trade-off is the high salary. The trade-off is that whether or not you chose to take advantage of it, you were at one point likely offered a free college education. If you were one of the few who did not receive a scholarship or if you were one of the many who chose to not take advantage of it, all you need to do is save your first NFL paycheck and there is more than enough money to cover your education to go out and get the necessary skills after retirement. Politically, I’m pretty liberal so don’t lump me in with the tea baggers, but there’s no way I’m feeling sorry for guys who made 6, 7, or 8 figure salaries and blew their money on hookers and blow. I agree there should be some exceptions for the NFL helping guys out for example guys like Dennis Byrd or Mike Utley or guys who became damaged from numerous concussions.
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Problem with your theory is that it’s rather hard to “prove” the source of a condition years later. For instance, my grandfather fought in WWII and was stationed in Panama for a little while afterward. While there, he contracted Malaria. When he came home and left the military, the military refused to cover his medical expenses because he couldn’t “prove” that he contracted malaria while serving in the military, despite the fact that outside of his time in the service, he was never anywhere that malaria was a concern. If the military denied payment for something that easy to demonstrate, how freely do you think the league would pay for medical care when the cause of the ailment is even harder to prove? Sorry, but I don’t trust anyone to pay anything they’re not contractually or legally obligated to pay.

Meanwhile, workers at the Ground Zero can’t get their healthcare to cover the main part of their ailments: cancer.

Perspective.
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I wouldn’t call that perspective as much as I would proof of what happens to you when you don’t have any leverage. It’s stories like this that makes me approve of the players going after every benefit they can get in the CBA. If they don’t, it’s not like the league is going to fall all over itself to help them out if things go badly for them and existing or developing health issues ruin retired players’ lives.

Finally someone who makes sense. Murphy is 100% correct.
Why on gods green earth do NFL think they should work for 5 or 6 years and be able to retire. Many folks have multiple careers.
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Well, seeing as how many of these players will suffer injuries or build up damage to their bodies that will effect them til the day they die (some earlier than they normally would), I don’t think continuing health care is out of bounds to expect. As for early retirement, soldiers qualify for full pensions after 20 years, meaning they can “retire” pretty young too. Most of these people (unless prevented by injury) will end up taking getting another job, but that doesn’t interfere with what they get from the military. They simply double dip. I see nothing wrong with that.

Perspective.

Way to tell it like it is Murph… maybe each team should be required to hire financial advisors to at least train these gladiators how to balance their check books. WTF!?!

And you know what, If you play NFL football for 3 years or more your body is so broke and you deserve to not have to go out and get job. You chose a career that is short and also shortens your life and that should come with great reward. Thats the trade off.
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Your post seems to go in both directions so I’m not sure where you really stand.

A guy that plays 3 years has made at least 1 million dollars.

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My comments begin at “Ok so his comments were ill-timed.”

Everything above that is the repost of
“andyreidisfat” earlier post on this topic above mine. Didn’t delineate it right…sorry

Mark Murphy makes some valid points. Nothing to get stirred up about. However, the players needed more than just 5 years of health insurance after football. They put their bodies through hell for the business and sport of football. They should be taken cared of longer than 5 years.
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Geez, when I was laid off because I needed both hips replaced and could no longer do my job I was “given the opportunity” to purchase and PAY FOR my existing insurance policy under the Cobra plan @ $1,247 per month for 3 years total, after which I must find my own policy. I did it and I got my new hips. I just wish my employer had given me insurance for 5 years following my career, it would have saved me $43,892 in premiums over the past 3 years, plus deductibles of another $7K, while trying to live on disability or unemployment compensation. Now I see it, I guess Brady and Manning were right, at $1.2M per game, they ARE being taken serious advantage of. Poor Bastards!

They knew the job they signed up for.

They can be mad at Mark Murphy all they want, but all he did was speak the truth. Actually, if you look at it, he was actually trying to HELP the players. He doesn’t want them retiring and going off the deep-end and being broke.

In the 1980′s, the union was really just beginning to gain traction and the league was heavily in favor of the owners. The players were being shafted. Mark Murphy was correct to fight for a more equitable system.

Now? Like how most unions work over time, the NFLPA had gone a bit overboard, and the system was unfair, tilted in the favor of the players.

Secondly, Murphy is completely right. “Invoking” the Lombardi era means that he was invoking the Lombardi era in the general sense, not specific players. In that era, players were aware that they had to make money in the off-season, and to prepare for the future.

Yes, a number of those players succeeded, and plenty of them failed in this aspect. Just like the rest of the real world. No one likes to see Willie Wood destitute, that’s for sure. But if he played in the modern era, made modern era money, and he still sat in his current position, I would not feel sorry for him one iota. He had his chance. The truth hurts.

Mark Murphy even hired a very popular retired Packer, Rob Davis, our former longsnapper, on for a full time position to assist players in finding a career, to transition to “life after football”. Mark Murphy is just a very logical, blunt man that points out the elephant in the room.

You are right, and it’s not just that. The NFL provides many programs to the players for post-playing careers. If the player is interested in business, they can intern during the offseason with NFL assciated business. If they are interested in media, they can intern and learn from the NFLs media dept or NFL films or NFL network, Radio…etc. If they need help with money management, the NFL has people that will help the players with that. When is enough enough? When will the players “smarten” up?
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Not sure if this will apply in the new CBA because I am guessing it’s one of those things that has to be negotiated post recertification, but the players have also had tuition reimbursement for any of them who wanted it. Imagine that…most guys get free rides to college, a lot don’t finish degrees and they are making that kind of $$ and get FREE TUITION to finish their degrees. So they don’t even have to pay to finish school. There is IMO not one good reason they can’t get their degrees.

If you were as good at your professions as NFL players are at theirs.. then you wouldn’t need to work past your mid 30s either .

I was very good at my profession, but was part of 4,000 employees cut from a health system this past year. That is why I was able to quickly obtain a new job and training.

The NFL players know they are most likely only going to play 10 seasons. They don’t need multi-million dollar homes and expensive cars. Pay your debts off first, then find a comfortable home once your employment is secure.

I didn’t buy my house until I had two years in a job and had paid off my student debt. This mentality of immediate gratification needs to stop.

Again, look at Barry Sanders.

You are right, and it’s not just that. The NFL provides many programs to the players for post-playing careers. If the player is interested in business, they can intern during the offseason with NFL assciated business. If they are interested in media, they can intern and learn from the NFLs media dept or NFL films or NFL network, Radio…etc. If they need help with money management, the NFL has people that will help the players with that. When is enough enough? When will the players “smarten” up?

You know it is good to have something to do with your life. Being retired at, say, 28-30 isn’t a good idea. Look at how much trouble players got in during the lockout alone.

And you know what, If you play NFL football for 3 years or more your body is so broke and you deserve to not have to go out and get job. You chose a career that is short and also shortens your life and that should come with great reward. Thats the trade off.
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Your post seems to go in both directions so I’m not sure where you really stand.

A guy that plays 3 years has made at least 1 million dollars.

How dare anyone suggest that someone, who knew the rules when they were employed somehow is not deserving of added pay/benefits/perks asfter retirement. Hell, I think I should get free health insurance because I worked full time in a factory operating a punch press for 3 months when I was 18 years old.

What am I entitled to?

I agree they should have plenty of heathcare for what they put their bodies through but I also think there should be differences in the benefits based on te length of their career.

It’s just part of what the process to the NFL has turned into for these players. Once they make it, they feel like they’ve made it and should never have to work again (if they ever did) yet have no idea how to save money instead of buying 10 trucks and a ton of stupid jewelery or having 14 kids with 12 different women.

I hope Cornelius Bennett is on the verge of filing for bankruptcy.

And you know what, If you play NFL football for 3 years or more your body is so broke and you deserve to not have to go out and get job. You chose a career that is short and also shortens your life and that should come with great reward. Thats the trade off.

Of course i am a pinko commie union loving (union member) tree hugging hippie (but i shower daily) So who knows.

Ok so his comments were ill-timed.
HOWEVER< God forbid you tell a pampered, elitist, self-entitled athlete who plays a childrens game for an absurd amount of money they need to think in terms of the REAL WORLD.
Cornelus Bennett Was LIVID?

Who The F&*$ cares what Cornelius Bennett gets angry about? PULEaase! This just shows that apparently many rich, (or formerly rich in many cases) overpaid, unqualified to do much of anything else ex-pro athletes cannot re-adjust to the real world after they've been cow-towed to their entire life. His reaction to Murphys comments proves that he is not living in the Real world.

Yes, they sacrifice their bodies and sacrifice time away from their families, but that comes with the profession that they CHOSE. End of story.