Last week, former Bears’ head coach Mike Ditka announced he sold his 1975 NFC championship ring for $12,000 in an online auction to raise money to assist former NFL players who have become disabled. Ditka, and Jerry Kramer, who both played for the Dallas Cowboys during the 1975 championship season, believe that the NFL isn’t doing enough to help these players.
It looks like Ditka’s emotional announcement made an impact. Earlier this week the NFL and the players’ association announced the formation of 88 Plan, a joint effort to provide funding to families of former players with dementia to help pay for their care and treatment. So far, families of 22 former players who are suffering from dementia have been designated to receive the benefit.
This seems like a great start for the program, but it’s a shame that the NFL did not have a program in place already. It took a couple of high-profile players like Ditka and Kramer to make the public aware that former players need help. In today’s sports world ruled by ego-driven players with mega-million dollar salaries, we often forget that the old-timers who played in the 1960s and 1970s didn’t have the same benefits and advantages that today's players have. At this point, we don't even know how many ex-players are affected.
While I think it's admirable that the league and players union are finally doing something to help former players, I also wonder if it presents questions than it solves. How much financial support is enough? Who gets the support and who doesn't? And will today’s players expect similar treatment in the future?
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