Last weekend, members of the NFL Players Association’s Former Players Board of Directors and chapter presidents descended upon Washington, D.C. to convene at the NFLPA offices for their annual meeting.
The Board of Directors, the governing body of the NFLPA Former Player chapters, convened at Friday’s session. The hot topic of conversation this year was the currently-being-negotiated legacy benefit. NFLPA associate general counsel Tom DePaso, as he has over the last couple of months since the union reconstituted, informed the board of the current state of negotiations with the NFL pertaining to the Legacy Benefit. The board, as well as many other former players across the country, has been involved in shaping the current negotiations including one of the conference calls the board members participated in becoming a four hour marathon. The board members expressed their opinions as to where we are and the direction the bargaining seems to be headed. As before, there is still a majority consensus among the Board of Directors as to the position of the NFLPA in these negotiations.
After discussing some minor discipline issues, the board adjourned and joined the chapter presidents at a cocktail party thrown by the National Association of Home Builders and their CEO Jerry Howard. The NFLPA and the NAHB have a partnership to support each organization’s local chapters in charitable home builds for the local communities. The Washington, D.C. and Chicago chapters already have completed charity build projects with others soon to come.
Saturday’s meetings were an all-day affair, lasting from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Chairman Cornelius Bennett’s welcome and report kicked off the morning session. Bennett presented his year-in-review, followed by my senior director’s report, which covered operations, communications and revenue-generating opportunities through School of the Legends.
DePaso and Miki Yaras-Davis, NFLPA senior director of benefits, gave their reports on the Legacy Benefit and the new pension and benefit improvements. The PAT Fund manager, Tyrone Allen, provided his report next and assistant director Dee Becker gave the 2012 Current and Former Players Convention update (which will be held again this year on Marco Island in Florida.) Qiana Thomas, programs manager, gave her chapter and membership report, which included a report on the deadline for paying dues to gain entry to the Players Party in Indianapolis during Super Bowl week. Director Andre Collins gave an overview of the new medical discount programs available to our players.
NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, fresh off a plane, spoke to the leadership and held a question-and-answer session which allowed the chapter presidents and Board of Directors to ask any questions they wished about where we have been and where we are going in the future. Smith thanked the roomful of leaders, from all across the country, for their service to all players throughout this long battle, emphasizing that without our One Team the successful negotiations wouldn’t have been possible.
The final session, the open forum, consisted of new business and anything else that chapter leaders wanted to discuss.
The biggest piece of news was the chapter presidents and Board of Directors in attendance voting unanimously to issue a formal thank you to the current players for their sacrifice for their former player brothers in the Brady Plaintiffs settlement with the NFL. From my conversations during and after the meetings, there was an excitement and a feeling of accomplishment from those who fought and worked so hard over the last five years to help all players get to where we are today. With $900 million in retirement benefits, $620 million of which goes toward the Legacy Benefit to increase the quality of life of so many of our former players, we should feel proud of this phenomenal and unprecedented accomplishment.
As an organization, there are still more challenges to overcome, but as we move forward, our light shines brightly for all players past, present and future.
One Team,
Nolan Harrison III
Senior Director
NFLPA Former Players
I have never seen so much B.S. as to we met here and we met here and we have NOTHING to say. I hope you all enjoyed the cocktail party and I hope there will not be another pre93 player that doesn’t make it for your cocktail party!!
The $620 million dollars, which is 2/3 of the benefits for all players, is still being bargained with the NFL. We are close.
I certainly understand that when it comes to money, nothing is ever simple, but in regards to the legacy, why does it appear to be such a complex issue when in relationship to the overall CBA, it is clearly occupied very little of the meeting time during the lockout. Of course all of us are anxious for any amount of GOOD news, which I am sure hope everyone in the negotiations understand. Time is truly of the essence. Our numbers seem to grow smaller by the day.
Thanks,
Irv Eatman
Irv,
I don’t want to speculate on the reasons for the delay but the NFLPA got our proposal in on time. Since then there have been “issues and meetings” have complicated matters along with other portions of the CBA that have not yet been completed, like HGH.
Approximately 4900 pre-1993 former players will be covered under the Legacy Benefit so making sure that we get it right is our main priority everyone has a position they would like to push forward and defend. All of those positions have been heard and vetted. The good news everyone can count on is that the $620 million is there with the final piece left to figure out is the allocation. Another thing that you can count on is that the Legacy Benefit payments will be retroactive to August 4. That was confirmed by the NFL.
Thanks,
Nolan Harrison III