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 "She's Not Playing with the NFL" "Group
Looking To Help Former NFL Players"
TAMPA
- Errict Rhett understood that body shots and jolts are a fact of life
for players in the National Football League. During his seven-year
career as a running back, including two seasons with the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers, he carried the ball 4,143 times. To hear him tell it now,
he loved every minute. At least the ones he can remember. Those carries came with a price. He has a time bomb of sorts in his body, planted there from all the times he was slammed to the ground by opposing tacklers. Even though Rhett left the NFL after the 2000 season, he battles sharp pain in his back, neck, knees and shoulders. Worst of all though, he says, are the debilitating migraine headaches that leave him unable to perform daily functions or keep up with commitments. He says they occur regularly and were caused by concussions he suffered while playing. He says he has short-term memory problems, routinely forgetting even basic tasks. "I meet someone and it will be like, 'What's your name again?'" Rhett said. "It's frustrating because I know I know that person very well but I just can't remember them. I forget who my family members are sometimes. "I'll forget and leave my keys in the car, or go to Wal-Mart or Home Depot but have to leave because I can't remember why I went there. I can remember my collegiate career at the University of Florida very well, but I might not remember something that happened five minutes ago." He said he has applied three times for disability assistance from the NFL and been turned down. Rhett is 37 years old. "Humanitarian Initiative"
Today in Tampa, the group Gridiron Greats will announce what it calls the largest "humanitarian initiative" to help retired NFL players dealing with problems such as Rhett's. Former NFL standouts such as Gale Sayers, Jack Youngblood, Jim Kiick and Darryl Talley are expected to attend the announcement and speak out on the needs of players such as Rhett. The organization also plans to bring more than 100 former players to Tampa during Super Bowl week in late January as part of a movement to raise money and awareness. They will also join with the U.S. military to help special operations personnel and their families struggling with the after-effects of combat. Board member and NFL Hall of Famer Mike Ditka said Tuesday during an interview that the league and players union have turned their backs on needy former players. "Where's all the love they profess to have when you come into the NFL family?" Ditka said. "What about those guys who made the game? You just forget about them all of a sudden? We're not trying to make anybody mad or embarrass anyone; we're just trying to help." Jennifer Smith, executive director for Gridiron Greats, says the need is great. Her organization raises money through auctions, individual and corporate donations, and memorabilia sales. That money, she says, goes to help what the organization calls "dire need players." It goes for housing and medical assistance as players combat the effects of long-term injuries that frequently aren't covered by insurance, and even basics such as rent and electric payments. "In 25 percent of our cases, we're actually buying food to put on their tables," she said. Rhett, who is a real estate developer in South Florida, said that though he's been able to meet his financial obligations, the drain brought by his condition has been considerable. A migraine can trigger a trip to the hospital emergency room, which Rhett said will cost him up to $2,000 in insurance co-payments. Dialogue Is Continuing Many retired players complain that regular insurance is extremely expensive, if they can find it at all. The NFL insists it is trying to address the issue. "We've done quite a bit - made many improvements and added programs," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "We've had an ongoing dialogue with Mike and members of his organization. Is that the end of it? No, it's not. That's why the commissioner Roger Goodell will continue to meet with groups of retired players. He is sensitive to their needs." Aiello said the league provides aid for joint replacement surgery and former players suffering from dementia, assisted living benefits and various health screenings. Players complain, though, that the league makes the benefits tough to get. Aiello said the league is just trying to run its disability program in a responsible manner. "The bottom line is that we agree with Mike that there is more we can do and we're studying that," he said. Smith said there are hundreds of other former players in similar situations to Rhett. Her organization offers assistance to more than 100 former players now and processes up to 20 additional applications for aid each month. "It's a matter of concern," Ditka said. "We can provide a service. The NFL failed to provide a service. They failed their obligation. They failed their responsibility." All Rhett is asking is that the league he labored for and helped build into a sporting and entertainment giant not abandon him and others now that their playing days are over. "The league should help us because we helped the NFL," he said. "It was a great opportunity to play and I don't regret it, but we helped build the NFL." Source:
TBO.com |
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