DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum GridironGreats Are headed to capital Hill

THE GRIDIRON GREATS ARE HEADED TO CAPITAL HILL

CONGRESSIONAL HEARING ABOUT NFL DISABILITY BENEFITS JUNE 26



Some of the Greats will be in Washington DC on June 26 to testify at the upcoming congressional hearing

Many other retired players, some who are in dire need,

will also be on hand



The Gridiron Greats will hold a special media event

the morning of the hearings



Check back for more info later this week


http://jerrykramer.com/learnaboutthecongressionalhearings.html

Check out the rest of the site while you're there. It's pathetic what Upshaw and the union are doing or not rather doing for the players whio came before multimillion dollar contracts.

THE BACKGROUND:

Jerry Kramer has facilitated the formation of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund .The fund’s Board of Directors, include Mike Ditka, Willie Davis, Harry Carson, Gale Sayers, Joe DeLamielleure and others. The idea for the creation of this fund, was developed when Jerry Kramer’s Super Bowl I ring, that had been stolen 25 years ago was found at an online auction conducted by Mastros Auction company. When confronted with the fact that the ring was stolen, the company ensured the return of his ring and then donated their expertise to auction off the Super Bowl I replica ring to benefit retired players in need. The endeavor was a success, attracting national media attention for the cause, and raising $21,000 which was used as the first capital to establish the fund.
Read about the return of Jerry’s stolen super bowl I ring & how this all started



THE GRIDIRON GREATS ASSISTANCE FUND:

The Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund is a non-stock, nonprofit corporation that has been established to provide direct or indirect financial assistance to those retired players who are in dire need due to the inadequate pension and disability compensation provided to NFL retired players. It is the only organization of it’s kind. The Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, Inc. will provide medical and social services assistance to retired professional football players and their immediate families. The Fund is intended to assist players in their payments for medical costs and basic needs. Other than medical needs, players may apply for temporary assistance for basic necessities of life, including but not limited to food, assistance with housing and shelter, assistance with transportation, clothing, and other basic needs. In addition to financial support, the fund will also provide the coordination of other types of assistance that may be available.

Each case is considered on an individual basis taking into account a number of factors, such as income, current other support, source of need, lack of ability otherwise to address the need, and other matters. The fund provides a person that is dedicated to helping the players fill out the forms for GGAF aid as well as assisting them to apply for other help that may be available. The services that the GGAF are providing to players and their families are truly unique.



The full board oversees all awards grants. Grants of smaller amounts and emergency situations are handled by the awards committee. The fund provides assistance to retired NFL players who are experiencing dire physical and financial hardships. No part of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund’s assets will benefit any private individual or entity other than for the specific purposes of the fund. The fund is operated largely through the assistance of volunteers. Further details about the fund are available on request.

THE NEED:

Many players who helped build the NFL into what it is today ravaged their bodies though years of on-field abuse and are consequently unable to maintain a quality of life and financial security for themselves and their families due to physical limitations. The lack of an adequate pensions or disability support has left many football heroes receiving only $100-$300 in pension money from the NFL. Case in point: NFL Great and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Herb Adderley receives $126.85 per month in pension. Many applications for disabilty support are denied and some players are to sick to even apply. As a result, some of the men who have given so much to the game can’t afford to buy medicine or to cover medical expenses for necessary surgeries to remedy football related injuries. NFL Great and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Willie Wood has now been placed in assisted living care, but he could not afford the care and has been in dire need of financial aid for some time. Thanks to the kindness of the Ditka Trust, former teammates and others, enough money was raised to provide his necessary care. Some players have even found themselves without a roof over their head. Others live in isolation and loneliness, embarrassed by the condition in which they have found themselves in their golden years. If you know of any retired NFL player in need of assistance, please contact us.

DONATION DRIVE & AUCTIONS

To mission of our fundraising efforts is to increase awareness of this important cause and to raise money to be immediately dispersed to retired NFL players in dire need while also supporting the "GGAF" programs and services. The Gridiron Greats ongoing donation drive, auctions and other initiatives is all about retired NFL players getting together to do something to help their fellow players in dire need due to the lack of adequate disability and pension support from the union and the league. These players want to empower not only corporate America but the fans and are asking them to join them in directly impacting the lives of some of the players who helped to build the NFL in to what it is today by making a donation and or bidding on items in the auction . Together the players and fans can do what the union and league is not currently doing, which is assisting these men in dire need and helping them to live out their lives with dignity and lack of suffering. This is a unique approach to dealing with an issue that is currently not being addressed by the owners, union or league.Click here to make a donation!

Ex-NFL player struggles with dementia in Annapolis facility
By SHANTEE WOODARDS Staff Writer
Subscribe to the Maryland Gazette

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Eleanor Perfetto noticed her husband was becoming more forgetful, but she didn't begin to worry until the incident in the vegetable garden.
In the 1990s, she and her husband, former NFL player Ralph Wenzel, were living in Stevensville. A neighbor had given them some strawberry plants and they planted them in a tilled area near the garden, only to have them eaten by some critter.

When they grew back, she asked Mr. Wenzel where they should plant them this time. He suggested the tilled area.

"Clearly, he had no recollection at all that they had been there," Dr. Perfetto said. "It was one big incident added with everything else that caused me to make doctors' appointments."

That was nearly eight years ago. Now Mr. Wenzel, who played five seasons as an offensive lineman with the Pittsburgh Steelers and two with the San Diego Chargers, spends his days learning how to function at Annapolitan Assisted Living. He was admitted there in February after several stints in local hospitals.

He lives in the facility's area known as Cat Tail Cove, a secured unit for patients with dementia and other memory impairments.

Recently, Mr. Wenzel qualified for the NFL's 88 Plan, which provides up to $88,000 annually to help with the institutional care of players suffering from dementia and other brain-related problems.

The new location hasn't made him anonymous. Earlier this year, he and Pro Football Hall of Famer John Mackey were the subject of a New York Times article about NFL players dealing with dementia. A crew from HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" came to the facility and shot some footage of him for a program that aired last month.

Passersby greet him often, but Mr. Wenzel, 64, shows few signs that he recognizes the greeters.

"I have a lot of them," he acknowledged in a slow speech. "(But) I can't say hello or hi, Mr. or Mrs. ..."

Mr. Wenzel was born in San Mateo, Calif., and attended San Diego State University. He played for the Steelers from 1966 to 1970 and then the San Diego Chargers in 1972 and '73. He played football at a time when multimillion-dollar contracts were unheard of. While in Pittsburgh, Mr. Wenzel also had a second job with the city's recreation department.

In 1980, he was living in South Dakota and working at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Dr. Perfetto had recently moved to the state from Rhode Island after accepting a new job. They met at a Halloween party and have been together ever since. They were married in 1987.

Mr. Wenzel was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. The disease causes various impairments in the brain - like language, attention, reading and writing - and shares the same risk factors as Alzheimer's. Brain injuries were listed as a cause of the disease at the time of the diagnosis. Mr. Wenzel suffered several concussions in his football career.

"It's very difficult," said Dr. Perfetto, who works for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. "All of a sudden, all the burden is put on you (as the spouse). We used to split the chores, and now I do it all.

"You lose your spouse. There's a little glimmer of that person there, but for the most part, he's very childlike and has a lot of childlike needs."

There's no cure for Mr. Wenzel's disease, but there have been signs of improvement. When he was first admitted, he could barely lift his head or walk on his own. That's no longer a problem, and he occasionally spends his recreation time dancing with staff members.

"He's just so sweet," said Linda Brankovich, who works at the Annapolitan. "Everybody's so attached to him."

This is the case with a lot of these guys including our own beloved Gene Hickerson. LL#19 saw Joe Delamielleure on "All Bets are Off" last night discussing this subject and was really disturbed by what is happening to a lot of the guys who helped to make the NFL what it is today

According to some,health care and coverage for people isn't something they are entitled to in this country. I mean,they don't work for the NFL now,right?

I agree that they DO desrve it. But in may not be the concensus..................................

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Simply put,health care is a human right.

---

That is, at best, a matter of opinion and debate, not fact.

Here in the U.S.; Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (note: that says nothing about actual happiness) and the contents of the Constitution are the only Rights we have.

---

I would imagine that includes people that no longer work for their "former" employers as well.

JMHO

There will be a 2 part series on starting tonite on CBS news. I plan on watching it because it is something we should all be aware of.

I agree 100% Atomic!

These guys gave up their bodies and the NFL got rich off of it. Now,they have pretty much deserted them in their hour of need.

The same holds true for many in our nation from other walks of life as well.

And on all accounts,I think it's a tragedy.

That it is. This seems to be one of the few countries that turns their back on their older family members

My Dad was a member of the Railroad Workers Union. He paid into his Union for years and his health care was covered until the day he died and he got a nice pension with my Mom receiving a money as well. My Mom is still being covered and gets survivors benefits . Seems to me the NFL Union should be able to do the same for their workers especially considering what current players are making.