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Congress Investigating…Football?
Posted by Raven on October 13th, 2007
Is this really an issue? I ask because I do not know.
WASHINGTON (AP) – A House committee that criticized the NFL’s retiree benefit system ordered the league and the players’ union Friday to turn over information on football injuries, the disability and retirement system and what’s being done to help battered and broken retirees.
The House Judiciary Committee has arranged for the Congressional Research Service, an investigative and research unit, to conduct an independent study of those questions as well, committee leaders said in letters to the National Football League and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).
“Several members of the committee have suggested that Congress should intervene to fix what has been described as a broken system of delivering disability benefits to former NFL players,” a letter from Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said. “The CRS study will provide the essential facts to help us consider what steps, if any, Congress could take on this issue in the future.” Conyers is the committee chairman and Smith is the ranking GOP member.
The NFL and the union have until Oct. 26 to turn over the information and answer the committee’s questions. The panel has not decided whether to hold additional hearings, a spokeswoman said.
“It is common for former players to suffer lingering injuries from their playing days,” Conyers said. “I am greatly concerned that many of those most debilitated by their injuries are finding it difficult to receive disability benefits.”
Added Smith: “I am hopeful that the NFL and NFLPA will get their own house in order without any help from Congress.”
Does Congress need to get involved with this dear readers? Are things that bad for the disabled former players? Educate me.
October 14th, 2007 at 12:56 am
All things considered (damn, that sounds liberal — I wonder why!), when you look at the fact that we’re dealing with guys who have been fortunate enough to be able to carry the primary interests of their youth into multimillion dollar adult careers, I would think that they should be treated as private contractors rather than employees and be responsible for their own maintenance.
Having a union in that income bracket makes no sense. Unions are (were) supposed to ascertain that exploitable workers were treated fairly by employers, period.
So why does a guy earning exponentially more money in one year than a laborer (the folks unions were supposedly set up for) sees in a lifetime need to belong to a union, or even have employee benefits?
Makes no sense to me…
October 14th, 2007 at 1:50 am
Conyers=IDIOT. Need I say more?
Thye good people of Michigan need to fire him. No further discussion is required.
October 14th, 2007 at 5:24 am
No sympathy for the overpaid ‘professional’ NFL players! At least 1/3 of them need probation and parole officers where they play, and today’s players (1/3) are the scourge of the National Felony League! OJ Simpson anyone? He was a ’slashing’ type runner, eh? Or how about Atlanta Falcon QB Michael ‘Sic Em’ Vick?
October 14th, 2007 at 9:46 am
LOL.
I thought, for a brief moment that I was supposed to have some sympathy for the disabled football players. I didn’t think I should but…one never knows the background here.
We live in a strange world where multi millionaires can demand compensation for things they brought upon themselves in their career choices.
October 14th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Ah…Conyers. Yes. It does explain much.
October 14th, 2007 at 9:48 am
darth, that is hilarious!!
October 15th, 2007 at 4:06 am
Not as funny as most NFL football players speaking ‘ebonics’ when they’re interviewed on national television! They go to college and are red shirted for an extra year and can’t even speak proper English? “My bad…yo…mo…wassup…mutha f… ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?”