Category: Uncategorized

To every retired NFL player, please take note of this name and address:

Jed Hughes
Spencer Stuart
272 Park Avenue
32nd Floor
New York, NY 10172
P: 212-336-0200
F: 212-336-0300
jhughes@spencerstuart.com

Now…! If any Retiree thinks you are qualified or if you know someone qualified to be the leader of the many thousands of National Football League retirees, please send resumes to the source listed above! Now is the time for every Former NFL Player to get off your ass and get involved!

For years the voices of Retired NFL Players was muted. The issues plaguing those who made the League what it is today went unanswered and quite frankly probably uncared about by those who could have made a difference. Over the past several years Players and their families have banned together (largely via the internet) to make their issues known and their presence felt by the National Football League, the NFL Player’s Association and the general public. For most former players the main issues are an improvement of a pension system that seriously needs to be upgraded and better disability benefits for all who carry the scars, aches and pains of playing one of the world’s most violent sports. But in reality the issues of Retirees go well beyond the two that are the most obvious.

While many players were very vocal and visible to the public over the past couple of years, I along with other former players worked diligently behind the scene to open the lines of communication to help bring about some type of change on an “Institutional” scale. That change was never about one person or a singular issue. Many of us have a true sense that those who were suppose to look out for us and our interests failed to appropriately represent us. Those who worked behind the scenes endured the wrath of some Retirees for even trying to institute better communication between Retired Players and the League. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I make absolutely no apology to anyone for trying to improve the plight of retired players and their families. It’s unfortunate that several of the old timers like Hall of Famer Bill Willis asked us to stay on course and do all we can for Retired Players but those heroes are no longer alive to witness some of those changes.

At the request of many players Roger Goodell visited with groups of former players around the country to hear what the most important issues were. He also communicated with individual players who have been very vocal in their own right of the issues involving Retirees. In fairness to him he did not focus on what he was being told by even those in his own circle, he wanted to hear from the players himself. The #1 issue for him from his visits was a lack of representation. To address that and all the issues of retired players, Commissioner Goodell has proposed that all Retired NFL Players be housed under the roof of the NFL Alumni. With that move the NFL Shield is already in place to help develop relationships and programs that will benefit Players. With everyone in the same organization the needs of all players could adequately be addressed. The NFL Alumni will continue its charity role of “Caring for kids” but it will also take on the advocacy role of fulfilling the needs of the Retired Players. The Board of the Alumni has already been restructured and the leadership of that organization will be restructured with the hiring of an Executive Director by the search firm listed at the beginning of this letter. With a restructured NFL Alumni we have a home where our voices will be heard, our needs will be a priority not an after thought, we will have a seat at the table during negotiations and more importantly we will have someone who will be accountable to us.

I write this to all Retirees wanting you all to know that I have no issue with any other organization, they all have served a noble purpose. But one thing I do know, the old ways of doing business for Retired NFL Players is old, tired and obsolete. We have to find ways to work together with the League for the betterment of everyone! As an individual, when you play for the NFL you will always be linked to the NFL and whether you want to be or not you will always be an Ambassador for the League. As a group, we are a very valuable resource that has not been utilized, as Retirees there are tremendous opportunities waiting to be tapped. Many people know that I’ve been heavily involved with this project. As a result, I have gotten many emails and inquiries looking to utilize players in some capacity. But as I read letters and emails discouraging Retirees from embracing a new NFL Alumni I ask all of you to take a good hard look at the past and honestly ask yourself….. Don’t you and those you played with and against deserved better!

From where I’ve sat and watched over the past few years, the Retired Players have never ever had the POWER to do anything! Part of my personal frustration is I continuous meet people and companies who want to assist former players with all kinds of goods and services because they are fans that respect and admire the players they’ve cheered for over the years. To whom and where do I take these offers? I’ve never pretended that someone put me in charge and acted on behalf of all Retirees so unfortunately some opportunities were lost. Right now we all need one another because together we can develop best Retiree group of any sport in the world.

I also write this because I hope all former players who think you are qualified to throw your hats in the ring to lead this organization. It is vitally important to be as inclusive as possible. It does not matter whether you’ve been a supporter or the staunchest critic of the National Football League, the NFLPA or even opponents of the players who have worked to get this far in the process. The search firm will go through all of the resumes, applications and interviews. A search committee made up of former players will ultimately make the final decision as to who that new Executive Director/CEO will be to run the new NFL Alumni organization and the NFL will recognize that person as the Leader and the voice of the Retired Players. This process will be as transparent as it can be. No one except the search firm will be able to weed anyone out of this search.

Those who I’ve been around during this process fully understand where I stand when it comes to selecting a leader to move us forward. I want that person to be passionate about heading the NFL Alumni. He has to eat, drink and breathe the position understanding who they work for! The other quality I insist they have is compassion for every player and player family member he is working for. As I mentioned earlier I harbor no ill will toward any Retiree or any organization but when it comes to us we need to be a priority, not an after thought!!!!

Much more work has to be done in this regard. But I personally want to thank All Retirees who gave their time, energy and often spent money out of their own pockets to make sure they worked on behalf of their NFL brethren. We now have the ability to chart our own course. If we cannot come together on this especially at a time when so much can be done for ourselves, I venture to say that we will never be able to come together on anything as we all move forward.

Harry Carson

For several months I have intentionally chosen to stay on the sidelines and withhold any public comments on Retired Player issues. During that time I’ve had the opportunity to interact with many current and former players discussing a wide range of concerns affecting them. I’ve read the various emails and blog postings that many of you have seen on the internet on a daily basis. In those months I’ve received numerous emails from former players around the country expressing their desire to get involved in the issues all Retired Players are dealing with.

For more than 2 years I have expressed my opinion that all Retired Players should be housed under one roof. Even through my involvement with the Alliance, I maintained the need for Retired Players to have our own entity with elected individuals who would be accountable to those they represent. I was characterized by some as being a “Sheep” for even being a part of that group. I make no apologize to anyone for accepting an invitation to affect some kind of change for Retired Players. What would have been a bigger insult to Retirees is if I had declined the Alliance invitation altogether after asking the League and the NFLPA to do better for those who made the league what it is at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2006.

It should come as no surprise that I continue to feel very strongly in favor of all Retired Players being housed under the roof of the NFL Alumni. To even think that we can exist within the NFL Players Association is unrealistic. The previous leadership of the NFLPA failed to adequately represent the issues of Retired Players. The Mike Webster case against the NFL and the EA Sports judgment against the Players Association are the latest and most obvious reasons the relationship is dead. The current players have made a choice of a leader to take them forward for years to come. I do not know Mr. Smith but I wish him the very best as he leads those who selected him. For the Retirees and our families we had no vote and we had no input in the process. That warrants a clear reason that the Retired Players need our own organization with leadership that will act solely on our behalf.

God bless the groups that have been created over the past couple of years to assist former players in need. They have done an admirable job. Unfortunately, the needs and concerns of Retirees are many and cannot be supported entirely by groups like the Gridiron Greats, Fourth and Goal, etc. Those groups can only be a band-aid in helping Players. It will take institutional changes across the board to fulfill the true needs of Retirees. As a solid and strong organization where all Retired Players can be accounted for with representation elected by Retired Players we will earn a right to sit at the table to represent the more than 10,000 former players and their families around the country. Our representative in that seat should be able to carve out a percentage of the NFL/NFLPA income making it unnecessary in the future to go to the current players with our hats in our hands for increased pensions and disability benefits.

For those who ask why the NFL Alumni? There are many reasons why but the primary reason is because the NFL Alumni already has access to the NFL Shield. Regardless of where you stand on the issues, one of the most coveted brands in the world is the NFL. I know many sources that want to work with former players because they are aware of the much publicized treatment of former players by the League and by the NFLPA but also because they want an opportunity to be able to be connected to the NFL brand in some way. To be able to use the NFL Shield to benefit retired players will open many doors and create new found opportunities for us as a group. I personally know of numerous opportunities like free Chiropractic care for former players and their families to various income producing opportunities that would benefit all players purely because of the lure of the Shield.

Please excuse me if I get back into a “player mode”. Now is the time where we have to cut the bullshit and stand together! The downturn in the economy has affected everyone and as I talk with former players who have lost jobs and income they don’t give a shit about petty bickering and name calling. The only thing they want to know is who can help them and when will change take place? Here is another reason to have one organization that works for all of us. With many former players in a “panic” mode now there is absolutely no reason why Retired Players can’t have a job bank to assist them with finding employment opportunities around the country even during times like we are currently in.

Every day that goes by is a day that we will never get back! It’s imperative that we find ways to work together as Retired Players to improve the plight of everyone!

Harry Carson

Most who visit this blog or my site know of the recent passing of my teammate Brad VanPelt of a heart attack. If you didn’t know him personally you could know him from his play on the football field with the NY Giants or from our relationship as a group of linebackers that included Brian Kelly and Lawrence Taylor called the “Crunch Bunch” taking part in humanitarian efforts trying to make a difference in the lives of others. Brad and I were “tight” or close, so close that he was very much like a brother to me. So, because of that closeness and of that relationship I can say things about Brad that others might not be able to say.

When I attended Brad’s funeral service I like everyone else was saddened by his passing but there was also a side of me that was so “pissed off” with him! I looked at him and said under my breath “Brad, if you weren’t dead I would knock the sh-t out of you!” I know he would have said “I know Harry, I know, I should have listened to you!” You see, I feel very strongly that Brad’s death could have been prevented. Within the last year and a half I had been promoting the Living Heart Foundation’s Cardiovascular Screening Programs for NFL Retired Players. These comprehensive screenings were being offered free of charge to former players around the country to see if there were any potential cardiovascular problems that could be treated. Last September I first suggested to Brad that he should take part in the screenings that would be held at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital during Giants Alumni weekend. Brad declined the invitation. In our conversation that started with good intentions Brad revealed to me that he had not seen a doctor since he left football some 22 years earlier. He shared with me that his father died of a heart attack at the age of 49 and bottom line he was afraid of what any examination would find. I was frustrated that with all of the factors and reasons why he didn’t want to go were the same reasons why he should have been proactive in looking out for his own health. Brad continued to be quite adamant in not wanting to know of anything that might be found. At the conclusion of our conversation I was even more frustrated at the stubbornness of a man I was close to but I also felt that the situation was out of my hands.

As a former football player I have memories of preparing for the next upcoming game. We would watch film of our next opponent to see what we had to prepare for. We watched what that next opponent did right to win their last game but we also watched what the team they played against did wrong to lose. To give ourselves the best chance to win we had to understand the mistakes that other team made. We all (especially former athletes) have to understand the mistakes of Brad VanPelt. Brad went from knowing what his body was capable of doing when he played years ago to not wanting to know what was going on with his own body so many years later. At his funeral service I told his mother that her son was a stubborn man! And while that might work on the football field it can act as a detriment off the field.

I encourage all (especially those of us over the age of 40) to do a better job of taking care of ourselves physically.
• Take/make time to listen to our bodies.
• Get a yearly physical (for men make a prostate exam a part of that yearly regiment).
• Get off our asses and get physical by working out. Any type of exercise is better than no exercise at all. (An $8.00 jump rope works wonders.)
• Make an effort to shed a few pounds, improve our endurance and strengthen our hearts and cardiovascular systems.

In the end, I’ve been sad because I’ve lost my friend but I have not shed a tear for him because he did live his life on his own terms. I’m sadder for the many family members and friends who now feel a void with his passing, people who truly loved, cared about and greatly respected him. Many of you have left messages in my guestbook or have sent me emails and letters expressing fond memories of Brad. Let’s not allow his death be in vain but instead use his life and yes, his stubbornness to awaken the call within ourselves to be proactive in living our own lives.

I am saddened with a tremendous sense of loss with the passing of my old teammate Brad VanPelt. Brad was a great player when we played together for the New York Giants. I was honored to join him and Brian Kelly as the linebackers in mid 1976. We played well together as a group and with their support I was able to learn and somewhat master the position I was asked to play by the Giants coaches. We knew we were a good trio playing for the Giants defense in the late 1970s but we rose to a much higher level with addition of Lawrence Taylor. We became known as the “Crunch Bunch” a quartet of the best linebackers in the National Football League of the early 80s. With his tall frame, boyishly good looks, blond hair and wearing his #10 jersey Brad played with great pride representing the New York Football Giants. Most people will live with those memories when they hear the name Brad VanPelt.

I will always live with the relationships I formed with all of my teammates. To me, those are the things I carry with me long after the wins and losses. Brad, Brian and Lawrence are like my brothers that I love as if they are really my next of kin. The laughs we shared and the personal issues we’ve supported one another through have bound us together for life. After our playing days we joined one another yearly to play golf together in Hawaii for the NFL Charities Tournaments. We spoke frequently either on the phone or when we were all in the New York area or anytime we were together taking part in events. But two of the more special times that I will always embrace were going the Mexico to help build homes with former President Jimmy Carter for Habitat for Humanity and visiting the wounded soldier returning from Iraq at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. It was during those times that we very seldom talked about football. Actually it wasn’t about talking about anything it was more about just being in the presence of one another that was soothing to our collective souls. As former football players we took great joy in doing good works and making people smile.

Brad was a wonderful and loyal friend who died much too soon. With his wisdom, his passion for helping others, his zest for living and broad smile there was much he should have been able to contribute to make a difference in the lives of many people, especially young athletes.

I love my teammates! And right now I’m missing one of my favorites, Brad VanPelt.