Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Dear Alumni:

I recently sent out the following email to the Retired-NFL-Players@googlegroups.com (appoximately 700 retired players) and I received an email from Hall of Fame Inductee Harry Carson promising that he would give the retired players a vioce in his speech. One down....5 to go.

I also sent an email to Reggie White's wife and asked her if she would be willing to make a few comments about having the NFL and NFLPA help retired players.

I'll keep you posted.

Jeff Nixon
Vice President
Buffalo Bills - Retired Players Chapter




Dear Fellow Alumni:

This years Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, August 5, 2006.

Just 24 days from now the inductees will have the opportunity to thank all the people in their lives that helped them become one of the newest members of this elite fraternity. No doubt they will talk about the teammates that fought in the trenches with them and inspired them to greatness. Many of their teammates will be watching, as will many of the 16,000 retired NFL players. Approximately 9,560 are "vested" in the Pension Plan.

Wouldn't it be nice to see just one of the inductees make a brief statement about the plight of many of the retired players. Players that built the league, formed the players union, went on strike to fight for things like a disability plan, a pension plan, minimum salaries, severance benefits, free agency, medical benefits and many of the things that they never received....... but current players now receive and take for granted. Kind of like Moses not getting to enter the promised land.

Wouldn't it be nice if one of the inductees mentioned that when most of the retired players were in the league, there were no protections when you got injured. They just cut you and sent for fresh meat. Heck, most retired players weren't even allowed to get a second medical opinion about our injuries, or have anyone but the team surgeon operate on us. They could also mention how the current players just gave themselves 30 Million dollars in the new CBA for a Medical Savings Plan..... ( money that could have gone to increase the Pension Plan)

Wouldn't it be nice if they schooled the active players, in front of a National audience, and told them that as a Hall of Famer, they were fortunate, lucky and blessed to have a long career, because the average length of a career is just 3.5 years and they would be doing themselves a great service by setting aside a percent of the gross revenues for pension increases that will eventually be there to help them when they are 55.

Wouldn't it be nice if they said they think its great that players are making the kind of money they are today, and that they just needed to understand why they are making an average of 1,400,000 a year and as a starter an average of $2,259,000 a year.

Wouldn't it be nice if they mentioned how the NFL and the NFLPA now have the opportunity to help these retired players by making a substantial increase in the Pension Plan....an increase that will also help the wives and families of those players who have passed away.

For the Hall of Famer that has the courage to make statements like these in front of the whole world, they will forever be remembered by their peers, their fans and their family as a hero who thought more about others than they thought about themselves.

Wouldn't that be nice!

These are the Inductees: Troy Aikman, Harry Carson, John Madden, Warren Moon, Reggie White (deceased) and Rayfield Wright.

If you played with any of this years inductees, or know them personally, maybe you could encourage them to either make a statement in their speech or speak to a reporter about this issue after the Induction Ceremony.

This may be our last chance (for the next 6 or 7 years) to influence Gene Upshaw, Troy Vincent and the NFLPA Executive Committee before they make their decision on what our pension increase will be.

Jeff Nixon
Vice President
Buffalo Bills Retired Players Chapter


Here is the Pro Football Hall of Fame website

http://www.profootballhof.com/enshrinement/2006/celebration.html