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Duerson: Where was Ditka?
Ex-Bear says coach didn't care about injuries when he prowled sidelines
June 10, 2007
Dave Duerson laments that there is more misinformation than fact swirling around the emotional stories of broken-down retired NFL players seeking elusive disability benefits from their reluctant union.
The former Bears safety said he finds it "funny" that former Bears player and coach Mike Ditka has become such an advocate for players' rights.
"Mike was not one who gave a damn about the players or their injuries when he was coaching," Duerson said in a Tribune interview. "He was very disrespectful of guys who got hurt and now he's trying to champion for a couple of guys. The fact of the matter is he's way off base and he's late in the game."
What's going on with the distribution of retiree benefits is mainly a matter of law, according to Duerson, one of six trustees who oversees the benefits process on the NFLPA retirement board.
Duerson is one of three former players on the board with three owner representatives who monitor a process governed by ERISA law, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
They do not sit on an unlimited pile of money and arbitrarily dole it out, helping some needy players while rejecting others.
"We want every player to get the money because it's our money," said Duerson, referring to himself, Tom Condon and Jeff Van Note, the other players on the board.
But that isn't how it works.
"It's not subjective at all," Duerson said. "We are governed by ERISA laws. I have a fiduciary responsibility and I'm not going to jail for anybody."
To Duerson, there is nothing clandestine or illegal that a planned House Judiciary subcommittee hearing in response to adverse publicity can uncover. Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D-Calif.), chair of the subcommittee on commercial and administrative law, has called upon Ditka and other critics of the benefits system to appear at an educational "oversight" hearing.
"I certainly welcome that conversation," Duerson said.
According to Duerson, ex-players seeking disability payments first must clear an initial review by two benefits employees, one management and one union, where he admitted "things get bogged down" and often tabled. Once past that paperwork, players consult neutral physicians who determine degree and cause of injuries and whether the person is employable. Standards determine percentages of disability for various body parts. Disputes are decided by a medical arbitrating professional.
"If it meets the ERISA percentages, then the benefit is given, pure and simple," Duerson said.
Some ex-players have argued that the methods for selecting physicians aren't as neutral as advertised and that continual re-evaluation under different doctors causes inconsistency.
It does not surprise Duerson that Ditka has become such a critic of NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw.
"Mike has always been anti-union," said Duerson, a Pro Bowl safety who played under Ditka from 1983-89. "When I was player rep for the Bears, just having a typical union meeting was a major piece of work. After we struck (1987) and had the scab players, Mike threatened the entire team that we better not touch the scab guys he was keeping."
Duerson agreed that more could be done faster but not until active players collectively bargain better deals and provide more money for benefits. Duerson said current players earmarked 6 percent for benefits, up from the average of 5 percent over the years. He said it would take 25 percent "to get to where everybody would like it to be."
"It's the active players who control the purse strings. It's just that simple," Duerson said. "We can't do enough for our retired players. It's the fastest-growing fraternity in pro sports and that's what the current guys don't realize just like we didn't when we were playing. I was like everybody else. I thought I was going to play 30 years."
Duerson, whose former company, Duerson Foods, was a major supplier of sausage, said he has advised retired players to schedule their meetings to coincide with annual NFLPA meetings in Hawaii.
"I tell retired players, 'Come into their meeting 200 strong, you'll get whatever you want,' " Duerson said. "That's the only way these current players are going to come to realize, 'That's our brotherhood and we're very soon going to be there.' "
Duerson said it was not until the current CBA was negotiated in 2006 that enough money was available for "Plan 88" named for Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey, who suffers from dementia. Duerson said the published benefits of approximately $50,000 to $80,000 to qualified players are per year, not just one-time payments.
"We have a little over 100 applications. About 40 or so have been formally approved. Another 36 are in the process and the other 20-some we have yet to hear back from them at all," Duerson said. "As fast as we're getting them, we're getting them through."
Duerson said conversations about Plan 88 started more than 18 months ago.
"The thing that we're most concerned about is the number of concussions that are happening in the league," Duerson said. "I've said many a time in our meetings that it will only be a matter of time when we see Brett Favre."
Ditka, who has criticized a system he says forces proud retirees to "jump through hoops," could not be reached Friday. Upshaw has admitted he agrees with Ditka for the need to speed things up.
"We'd love for the process to be streamlined," Duerson said. "The fact of the matter is there are three players and three owners who sit on the other side. Agreed, we have labor peace, but there are still a lot of times it gets tense and there are certainly times we don't agree.
"Let's say the neutral [physician] comes back and says 'Yeah, he's borderline, but yes, he qualifies.' Then the owners can say, 'Well, we want to 'MAP' (medical arbitrating professional) him.' Then it goes to 'MAP' and it's out of our hands."
The three owner representatives who sit on the board are Arizona owner Bill Bidwill, Kansas City owner Clark Hunt and Baltimore President Dick Cass.
"The main thing we do, number one, is manage the money," Duerson said. "We have over $2.4 billion and it's for a bunch of different funds, like second-career savings, annuity plans, disability money … but nothing we do is subjective. It's not like we say, 'This guy is banged up and he contributed to the NFL and was a standup guy, so let's make sure he gets a benefit.' We can't do it.
"It sounds like a lot of money, $2.4 billion. It is a lot of money. But one of the things we wanted to do was go back and increase everybody's retirement benefit by $300 a year for each year of service. It would have bankrupted the entire program."
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...,5289186.column?page=1&coll=cs-home-headlines
Ex-Bear says coach didn't care about injuries when he prowled sidelines
June 10, 2007
Dave Duerson laments that there is more misinformation than fact swirling around the emotional stories of broken-down retired NFL players seeking elusive disability benefits from their reluctant union.
The former Bears safety said he finds it "funny" that former Bears player and coach Mike Ditka has become such an advocate for players' rights.
"Mike was not one who gave a damn about the players or their injuries when he was coaching," Duerson said in a Tribune interview. "He was very disrespectful of guys who got hurt and now he's trying to champion for a couple of guys. The fact of the matter is he's way off base and he's late in the game."
What's going on with the distribution of retiree benefits is mainly a matter of law, according to Duerson, one of six trustees who oversees the benefits process on the NFLPA retirement board.
Duerson is one of three former players on the board with three owner representatives who monitor a process governed by ERISA law, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
They do not sit on an unlimited pile of money and arbitrarily dole it out, helping some needy players while rejecting others.
"We want every player to get the money because it's our money," said Duerson, referring to himself, Tom Condon and Jeff Van Note, the other players on the board.
But that isn't how it works.
"It's not subjective at all," Duerson said. "We are governed by ERISA laws. I have a fiduciary responsibility and I'm not going to jail for anybody."
To Duerson, there is nothing clandestine or illegal that a planned House Judiciary subcommittee hearing in response to adverse publicity can uncover. Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D-Calif.), chair of the subcommittee on commercial and administrative law, has called upon Ditka and other critics of the benefits system to appear at an educational "oversight" hearing.
"I certainly welcome that conversation," Duerson said.
According to Duerson, ex-players seeking disability payments first must clear an initial review by two benefits employees, one management and one union, where he admitted "things get bogged down" and often tabled. Once past that paperwork, players consult neutral physicians who determine degree and cause of injuries and whether the person is employable. Standards determine percentages of disability for various body parts. Disputes are decided by a medical arbitrating professional.
"If it meets the ERISA percentages, then the benefit is given, pure and simple," Duerson said.
Some ex-players have argued that the methods for selecting physicians aren't as neutral as advertised and that continual re-evaluation under different doctors causes inconsistency.
It does not surprise Duerson that Ditka has become such a critic of NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw.
"Mike has always been anti-union," said Duerson, a Pro Bowl safety who played under Ditka from 1983-89. "When I was player rep for the Bears, just having a typical union meeting was a major piece of work. After we struck (1987) and had the scab players, Mike threatened the entire team that we better not touch the scab guys he was keeping."
Duerson agreed that more could be done faster but not until active players collectively bargain better deals and provide more money for benefits. Duerson said current players earmarked 6 percent for benefits, up from the average of 5 percent over the years. He said it would take 25 percent "to get to where everybody would like it to be."
"It's the active players who control the purse strings. It's just that simple," Duerson said. "We can't do enough for our retired players. It's the fastest-growing fraternity in pro sports and that's what the current guys don't realize just like we didn't when we were playing. I was like everybody else. I thought I was going to play 30 years."
Duerson, whose former company, Duerson Foods, was a major supplier of sausage, said he has advised retired players to schedule their meetings to coincide with annual NFLPA meetings in Hawaii.
"I tell retired players, 'Come into their meeting 200 strong, you'll get whatever you want,' " Duerson said. "That's the only way these current players are going to come to realize, 'That's our brotherhood and we're very soon going to be there.' "
Duerson said it was not until the current CBA was negotiated in 2006 that enough money was available for "Plan 88" named for Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey, who suffers from dementia. Duerson said the published benefits of approximately $50,000 to $80,000 to qualified players are per year, not just one-time payments.
"We have a little over 100 applications. About 40 or so have been formally approved. Another 36 are in the process and the other 20-some we have yet to hear back from them at all," Duerson said. "As fast as we're getting them, we're getting them through."
Duerson said conversations about Plan 88 started more than 18 months ago.
"The thing that we're most concerned about is the number of concussions that are happening in the league," Duerson said. "I've said many a time in our meetings that it will only be a matter of time when we see Brett Favre."
Ditka, who has criticized a system he says forces proud retirees to "jump through hoops," could not be reached Friday. Upshaw has admitted he agrees with Ditka for the need to speed things up.
"We'd love for the process to be streamlined," Duerson said. "The fact of the matter is there are three players and three owners who sit on the other side. Agreed, we have labor peace, but there are still a lot of times it gets tense and there are certainly times we don't agree.
"Let's say the neutral [physician] comes back and says 'Yeah, he's borderline, but yes, he qualifies.' Then the owners can say, 'Well, we want to 'MAP' (medical arbitrating professional) him.' Then it goes to 'MAP' and it's out of our hands."
The three owner representatives who sit on the board are Arizona owner Bill Bidwill, Kansas City owner Clark Hunt and Baltimore President Dick Cass.
"The main thing we do, number one, is manage the money," Duerson said. "We have over $2.4 billion and it's for a bunch of different funds, like second-career savings, annuity plans, disability money … but nothing we do is subjective. It's not like we say, 'This guy is banged up and he contributed to the NFL and was a standup guy, so let's make sure he gets a benefit.' We can't do it.
"It sounds like a lot of money, $2.4 billion. It is a lot of money. But one of the things we wanted to do was go back and increase everybody's retirement benefit by $300 a year for each year of service. It would have bankrupted the entire program."
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...,5289186.column?page=1&coll=cs-home-headlines
