NFL
HOF vs NFL
In an era of bad publicity for the NFL, the league takes another hit. A large group of HOF members are threatening to boycott future ceremonies unless the league gives in to their demands. The group penned a letter listing their requests to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Pro Football Hall of Fame President C. David Baker, and NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith.
Players Requests
Among these requests were health insurance for all HOF members for life, as well as an annual salary.
Filed to ESPN: In a letter sent to Roger Goodell, DeMaurice Smith and David Baker, Pro Football Hall of Famers said they would not attend the annual hall of fame induction ceremony until they received health insurance and an annual salary that included a share of league revenue. pic.twitter.com/IRkJ29EKcl
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) September 18, 2018
The letter goes into detail about how the league generated $14 Billion in revenue last season. HOF Member’s also detail how other professional sports leagues treat their former players. The letter cites the MLB’s system of player care, “a baseball player who has appeared on a Major League Roster for one day is entitled to health insurance for the rest of his life. A player employed on a roster for 43 days gets a lifelong pension”. This demonstrates that their demands are not out of this world but actually extremely feasible. Later on in the letter the players actually state “Until our demands are met, the Hall of Famers will not attend the annual induction ceremony in Canton”. It remains to be seen if the HOF members will follow through with their threats. One thing is certain, the longer this drags on the worse it will get for the NFL.
Players To Sign
The following players endorsed this letter:
Eric Dickerson, Marcus Allen, Mel Blount, Derrick Brooks, Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, Richard Dent, Carl Ellard, Marshall Faulk, Mike Haynes, Rickey Jackson, Ronnie Lott, Curtis Martin, Joe Namath, John Randle, Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Jackie Smith, Lawrence Taylor, Kurt Warner, and Sarah White (Reggie White’s Widow). A few notable players included in this group were Deion Sanders and Kurt Warner who are currently employed and appear on NFL network regularly. Having members of their own network actively speak out against them will be a huge hit, and something that cannot be easily dismissed.
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Photo credit to MikaErkki via Flickr
