Joe Montana is complaining about the way he and former players are being treated by the NFL. In an interview with Peter Kerasotis of Florida Today, whose column was reprinted this past weekend in USA Today ("Montana rips NFL's treatment of former players"), Montana asserts that (1) the NFL unfairly compensates former players for appearances, (2) the NFL has fought him "tooth and nail" over workers' compensation issues and (3) the NFL doesn't care about former players who can barely walk now. Here are some excerpts from Peter's column:
- For an appearance this year at the Super Bowl in Detroit, the NFL provided former Super Bowl MVPs with $1,000 for incidental expenses, as well as first-class airplane tickets, a hotel room, a Cadillac to use, and two tickets to the game as well as tickets to other parties and NFL functions. Montana confirmed the $1,000 offer and called it "an embarrassment. A thousand dollars? That's all? They should have been embarrassed to offer guys just a thousand dollars. What are you going to be able to do with just a thousand dollars?"
- Montana previously had neck surgery and foresees future knee surgery as well. He says the NFL's fight with him over workers' compensation "went all the way to the California Supreme Court, and I won. Twice they've stopped payment, and I've had to fight them again. Just a few months before this last Super Bowl they stopped payment again. Then they want me to skip my boys' basketball games to help them out."
- Regarding the general treatment of former players, Montana had this to say: "You know what makes me mad? The way they treat former players. Not just me. But some of those old guys, too, those guys who can barely move and walk. But that's the NFL. They want you to do stuff for them, but they don't want to do anything for you, not without getting their money. A few years ago, I wanted them to do something for a charity I was doing for kids. It was like I was just another guy. They wanted me to pay full fee."
As I read this column I couldn't help but think, why is Montana ripping the NFL and not those who represent him and former players against the NFL? Why would Montana feel that the NFL should "give back" to the former players? Is it so unusual for an employer to fight workers' comp. claims? If, in fact, he and former players are not being fairly treated by the NFL with respect to appearances, sponsorships and workers' comp. issues as he suggests, shouldn't his beef lie with his agent and the NFLPA instead?
In some respects this issue ties in with Geoff Rapp's recent post regarding the role of sports unions today, in which he asserts that unions relentlessly protect "superstar" insiders at the expense of outsiders. As part of the collective bargaining process, it is typical for unions and employers to negotiate various levels of benefits and protections for retirees. While Geoff was referring to amateur players yet to become members of the union as "outsiders," former players could also be considered as outsiders. Maybe their interests deserve greater consideration by the unions too?
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