Crybabies In NFL History - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

300EVIL · #1 01-31-2007, 09:16 PM

I may be the only one here that finds this article funny. What's your opinion?

MIAMI – Mike Ditka is spitting fury and frustration, words hitting harder than a South Beach hangover.

He surveys the scene here for Super Bowl XLI, takes one look at the giant billboards, the corporate sponsors, the overflowing hotels and restaurants, the four-figure ticket prices and he doesn't see smiling faces – just old ones.

Like the one of Mike Webster, the Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steeler who died broke and sick and had spent time homeless, living in his pickup truck.

Or Willie Wood, a Green Bay Packer Hall of Famer, who played in the first two Super Bowls no less, currently struggling with a mountain of medical bills from myriad surgeries to repair back, neck, spine and hip problems almost all assuredly related to the violence of football.

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Or Herb Adderley, another of those old Packers, who is so disgusted at his $126.85 per month pension in the face of all the NFL's profits that he refuses to wear his Super Bowl or Hall of Fame rings anymore.

When you spend your days hearing sad stories from all your old friends who helped make the Super Bowl the extravaganza it is, helped lay the foundation for a league now filled with millionaire players and billionaire owners, you don't have to have Mike Ditka's legendary fire to want to blow up at the owners, at the NFL Players Association, at the current players, at someone or something.

"It's a disgrace," Ditka said, starting to tick off his culprits. "The owners ought to be ashamed of themselves. The owners are financiers, and they are all about making money. They don't care about the history of the game.

"[NFLPA executive director] Gene Upshaw?" Ditka continued. "Come on. You can get somebody off the street to do what he is doing, and you will pay him a whole lot less. You've got [players] today making millions of dollars.

"All we are saying is we got a lot of guys that started this game that have a lot of problems health wise and mental wise. I say help them out. Help them out. Let them die with a little dignity and a little respect."

With that Mike Ditka is about out of breath. But not out of will.

Here's the full article. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-retiredplayers013007&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

waybomb · #2 01-31-2007, 09:30 PM

Did anybody force these people to play a game they got paid for playing? They had no choice?

Everybody wants a hand-out..........

300EVIL · #3 01-31-2007, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waybomb

Did anybody force these people to play a game they got paid for playing? They had no choice?

Everybody wants a hand-out..........

That's exactly how I feel.

cmac2012 · #4 01-31-2007, 09:42 PM

The NFL wouldn't be the money making machine it is today w/o the guys in the early days getting it going.

Now, we give $multi-million contracts to wet behind the ears fools, much of which gets blown on BS.

Devoting 5 to 10% of that to caring for the older players would be the stand-up thing to do.

We cheered their hard-hitting action on the field, yelling ourselves hoarse, and now that they can hardly walk cause of all that abuse we jeer them instead??

waybomb · #5 01-31-2007, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmac2012

The NFL wouldn't be the money making machine it is today w/o the guys in the early days getting it going.

Now, we give $multi-million contracts to wet behind the ears fools, much of which gets blown on BS.

Devoting 5 to 10% of that to caring for the older players would be the stand-up thing to do.

We cheered their hard-hitting action on the field, yelling ourselves hoarse, and now that they can hardly walk cause of all that abuse we jeer them instead??

So send them some of YOUR money if you feel so strongly about it. Put YOUR money where your mouth is. That would be the stand-up thing to do.

cmac2012 · #6 01-31-2007, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waybomb

So send them some of YOUR money if you feel so strongly about it. Put YOUR money where your mouth is. That would be the stand-up thing to do.

Yeah, right.

300EVIL · #7 01-31-2007, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmac2012

The NFL wouldn't be the money making machine it is today w/o the guys in the early days getting it going.

Yes, but you could also say that about any sport or industry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmac2012

Now, we give $multi-million contracts to wet behind the ears fools, much of which gets blown on BS.

True, however, these old timers were earning 6 figure incomes back then. They should have thought about the future. Occupational hazards have to be accounted for.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmac2012

Devoting 5 to 10% of that to caring for the older players would be the stand-up thing to do.

I agree that would be nice but what about the millions of laborers who get laid off after 30 years and get some BS pension. You could say the same about them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmac2012

We cheered their hard-hitting action on the field, yelling ourselves hoarse, and now that they can hardly walk cause of all that abuse we jeer them instead??

I do feel bad that they suffer from the years of abuse to their bodies but that's what happens when you get body slammed everyday.

Just my opinion....
Adam

cmac2012 · #8 01-31-2007, 10:37 PM

Good points.

However, those guys get out and do their thing because of the roar of the crowd, primarily. Sure they're getting paid, but it's the mass hysteria that infects them.

I've performed before some semi-large crowds, though nothing as big as even an older NFL game, and the adrenaline rush is something.

It reminds me as a less serious phenomenon similar to our standing and saluting when we send our boys overseas and then cutting their VA benefits later on.

Austin85 · #9 01-31-2007, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waybomb

Did anybody force these people to play a game they got paid for playing? They had no choice?

Everybody wants a hand-out..........

"Jane you ignorant slut!"

YOU are joking , or you maybe just have no comprehension skills at all.

and you are in Wisconsin no less..!!!!(*&(*^**%^%&%%$

Austin85 · #10 01-31-2007, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 300EVIL

That's exactly how I feel.

my gosh.....bump.....

2 pea heads in a pod.

.....

Austin85 · #11 01-31-2007, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waybomb

So send them some of YOUR money if you feel so strongly about it. Put YOUR money where your mouth is. That would be the stand-up thing to do.

WTF ?? Can you be that big of a jerk???

.....

BENZ-LGB · #12 02-01-2007, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmac2012

The NFL wouldn't be the money making machine it is today w/o the guys in the early days getting it going.

Now, we give $multi-million contracts to wet behind the ears fools, much of which gets blown on BS.

Devoting 5 to 10% of that to caring for the older players would be the stand-up thing to do.

We cheered their hard-hitting action on the field, yelling ourselves hoarse, and now that they can hardly walk cause of all that abuse we jeer them instead??

Hey Carlos, you old hippie, I am with you 100% on this.

No one forced these guys to play. But they did play and we enjoyed watching them play. We cheered them and they made pro football a popular pastime. (Personally I prefer to watch college ball).

5% to 10% doesn't seem so much to ask for.

And for the youngsters here, who were probably not even alive when these "dinosaurs" were playing, I have words of caution: Watch out, getting old is not for the faint of heart! You just wait and see.

BENZ-LGB · #13 02-01-2007, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmac2012

I've performed before some semi-large crowds, though nothing as big as even an older NFL game, and the adrenaline rush is something.

Do tell Carlos.

BTW, these guys did not make that much money, even in their heyday!

cmac2012 · #14 02-01-2007, 12:38 AM

Amigo!

Similar in pro basketball. I read somewhere that Chamberlain was making around $50K a year for most of his career. Even adjusted for inflation, that's small potatoes compared to some of these young bucks these days.

I liked the NBA a lot better back in the days of Russell, Havlicek, Chamberlain, Jerry West, Willis Reed and Walt Frazier, etc. Those guys struck me as a classier breed, not like these young gangstas now with their posses.

Who knows, I'm thinking too much money and the 3 point shot have been a big part of the league's degeneration.

Austin85 · #15 02-01-2007, 01:07 AM

Hopefully an old school guy like Ditka with is TV celeb connections can make a difference during this Super Bowl that really puts someheat on the NFL br-ass
where they have no choice but to increase pensions & medical care for the old time classy players like Herb Adderley & Willie Wood.....

Even though there are some ignorant to this injustice rght here.... I am pretty sure that even almost all of the overpaid NFL players of today would stand up for what Ditka is trying to do.

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