Is There Life After Football?

by James A. Holstein

  Second Career Plan (401[k] Savings Plan)

  Rookie players may contribute to the 401(k) plan, but only players with at least two credited seasons get matching contributions. A player with at least two credited seasons in the league can contribute up to a maximum of $10,000 in pretax dollars per year and receive a matching team contribution of $2 for each $1 the player contributes.

  Player Annuity Program

  This program provides tax-deferred earnings on contributions made by NFL teams. NFL contributions are $5,000 for each of a player’s second and third credited seasons, $55,000 for his fourth credited season, and $65,000 for each credited season thereafter.

  Health Insurance

  The NFL provides continued health care coverage to vested players and their families for five years after leaving the league. Medical insurance covers 100 percent of all in-network medical costs for a player and his dependents. The annual deductible for medical insurance is $400 per player and $800 per family with a lifetime maximum benefit of up to $2.5 million. Dental insurance covers 100 percent of all preventive dental care along with 85 percent of general services and 50 percent of major services. The annual deductible for dental coverage is $50 and there is an annual maximum benefit of $2,000. Players who never vested are without NFL health insurance.

  “88 Plan”

  This plan provides retired players with as much as $88,000 per year for individual care, up to $50,000 for home custodial care in addition to costs pertaining to certain physician services, durable medical equipment and prescription medications resulting from dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

  Neurological Care Program

  Provides neurological specialists to evaluate and treat possible neurological conditions among retired players. Eligible players who cannot afford treatment may apply to the NFL Player Care Foundation for grants to cover some or all of the costs of treatment.

  Joint Replacement Plan

  Assists former players in need of knee, hip, or shoulder replacements. If a player is not covered by insurance and does not have the means to pay for this surgery, he may qualify for financial assistance from the NFL Player Care Foundation. In that case, he will not bear any of the costs associated with the surgery. In addition, most normal complications arising from surgery are covered in full, up to a maximum of $250,000.

  Life Insurance

  NFL rookies receive coverage of $150,000 at no cost while the annual coverage increases by $30,000 per year for veterans up to a maximum coverage of $300,000, while playing.

  Tuition Reimbursement

  This program provides assistance to current and former players who wish to continue their education. An eligible active player will be reimbursed up to $15,000 per year for qualified education expenses (e.g., tuition, books, and fees). An eligible retired player will be reimbursed up to $45,000 for qualified education expenses that are incurred within three years of his last NFL game.

  Life Improvement Plan

  This program is designed to assist vested former NFL players with various health and quality-of-life concerns. NFL and NFLPA web sites reveal a plethora of programs and opportunities for players and alumni, including education and training workshops, internships, and information concerning virtually all things relating to life after football.3

  Glaring Omissions

  For all intents and purposes, NFL retirement benefits extend only to players with longer than average careers. This leaves a vast number of ex-players without benefits of any sort, and those who played before the free agent era and more recent CBAs have been especially short-changed. Prior to 1977, vested ex-players received about $100 per month per season played.4 Players from the 1940s and 1950s got even less. Sometimes half-heartedly over the years, the NFL and NFLPA have addressed the situation, with the most recent and generous move to establish a $620 million “Legacy Fund” as part of the 2011 CBA. The fund is primarily designed to better the financial circumstances of older retired players, and includes the following major adjustments to the pension plan:5

  Every vested player will receive a pension increase. Payments to alumni and their beneficiaries will immediately increase to no less than $600 per month. In addition, this $600 per month minimum will apply for players who are not yet receiving pensions.

  If a player is over 55 and already receiving a pension, he will get an additional $124 monthly per season for seasons before 1975, and $108 per season for seasons beginning with 1975 and continuing through 1992. If a player is over 55 and not yet receiving his pension, the additional Legacy Fund payments will be slightly higher when he starts his pension. If a player is under 55 and takes his pension early, his Legacy Fund supplement will be lower. Players whose pensions vested before 1975—those who played for the lowest salaries—will receive the largest increases.

  Legacy Fund benefits will continue not only for the lifetime of the retired player, but also for the lifetime of his eligible beneficiary.

  Under the terms of the Legacy Fund, for example, a ten-year veteran player who retired in the 1960s, and who had been receiving a $200 monthly pension, will receive $1,840 a month. A ten-year veteran who retired in the 1970s will see his monthly check increase from $165 to $1,810.6 Despite these substantial increases, old-time players with a limited number of credited years will hardly be on easy street financially.

  NOTES

  INTRODUCTION

  1. George Koonce occupies a complex and unusual role in this book. He is both research subject and analyst for the project. We discuss his role and the challenges it posed in Appendix 1, “Methodology.” Throughout the book, we’ve placed extended quotations from Koonce-as-interview-subject in italics to distinguish these narratives from his author/analyst voice in the project. Tunisia Koonce is also a major figure in the book. Tragically, Tunisia died from breast cancer in October 2009 at age 38. All quotations from research interviews with Koonce and other informants appear in original form and have been edited minimally for grammar, clarity, etc.

  2. “NFL Hopeful FAQs.” N.d. NFL Players Association. https://www.nflplayers.com/About-us/FAQs/NFL-Hopeful-FAQs; “What Is Average NFL Player’s Career Length? Longer than You Might Think, Commissioner Goodell Says.” April 18, 2011. NFL Communications. http://nflcommunications.com/2011/04/18/what-is-average-nfl-player%E2%80%99s-career-length-longer-than-you-might-think-commissioner-goodell-says/; both retrieved 11/12/13.

  3. There’s been considerable controversy surrounding Junior Seau’s death and his history of football-related brain trauma. While his case has contributed to a push for extensive and systematic brain trauma research, it has also been enveloped in the struggle over control of that research and its interpretation regarding the relation between football and brain disease. See Chapter 9 and “Mind Control,” Outside the Lines. April 28, 2013. ESPN-TV.

  4. Freeman, Mike. May 4, 2013. “Anniversary of Junior Seau’s Death Still Focuses NFL on CTE.” CBSsports.com. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/mike-freeman/22183367/anniversary-of-junior-seau-death-still-focuses-nfl-on-cte; George, Rachel. January 14, 2013. “Jovan Belcher’s Blood Alcohol Content Was Twice Legal Limit.” USAtoday.com. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2013/01/14/jovan-belcher-autopsy-kasandra-perkins-kansas-city-chiefs/1833251/; Hicks, Tommy. April 10, 2012. “Coroner: Former Auburn Star Kurt Crain Died of Apparent Self-inflicted Gunshot Wound.” AL.com. http://blog.al.com/sports_impact/print.html?entry=/2012/04/coroner_former_auburn_star_kur.html; Schwarz, Alan. May 22, 2011. “Duerson’s Brain Trauma Diagnosed.” NYTimes.com. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/sports/football/03duerson.html; Tierney, Mike. July 26, 2012. “Football Player Who Killed Himself Had Brain Disease.” NYTimes.com. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/sports/football/ray-easterling-autopsy-found-signs-of-brain-disease-cte.html?_r=0); all retrieved 5/20/13.

  5. See Oriard, Michael. 1982. The End of Autumn. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

  6. Segura, Melissa. September 10, 2012. “The Other Half of the Story.” Sp
orts Illustrated, pp. 60–66.

  7. Fainaru, Steve, and Mark Fainaru-Wada. November 16, 2012. “Mixed Messages on Brain Injuries.” ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/page/OTL-Mixed-Messages/nfl-disability-board-concluded-playing-football-caused-brain-injuries-even-officials-issued-denials-years; Cooke, S. Alexander. April 6, 2012. “Five NFL Players with Mental Illness Who Went Public.” Sports.Yahoo.Com. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ycn-11202898; “Former Jet Quarterback Ray Lucas Reflects on Drug Addiction, Suicidal Thoughts.” May 3, 2012. Newyork.cbslocal.com. http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/05/03/former-jets-quarterback-ray-lucas-reflects-on-drug-addiction-suicidal-thoughts/; Rivard, Ray. June 17, 2012. “Lionel Aldridge Great Man, Great Career, Troubled Life. Lombardiave.com. http://lombardiave.com/2012/06/17/lionel-aldridge-great-man-great-career-troubled-life/; all retrieved 5/23/13.

  8. Ibid. But also see McCann, Michael. January 14, 2014. “What Rejection of Settlement Means to Concussion Cases against NFL.” Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20140114/judge-rejects-proposed-nfl-concussion-settlement/, retrieved 2/13/14.

  9. 30 for 30: Broke. 2012. ESPN-TV (hereafter Broke; see http://espn.com/30for30/film?page=broke); Torre, Pablo S. March 23, 2009. “How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke.” SIVault.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1153364, retrieved 1/12/13.

  10. Torre, March 23, 2009.

  11. “NFL Arrest Database.” N.d. UTSandiego.com. http://www.utsandiego.com/nfl/arrests-database/, retrieved 6/28/13; Jenkins, Sally. July 2, 2013. “Aaron Hernandez Unfairly Stigmatizes NFL Players as Violent and Criminalized.” Washingtonpost.com. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/aaron-hernandez-unfairly-stigmatizes-nfl-players-as-violent-and-criminalized/2013/07/02/cc63b648-e31d-11e2-aef3-339619eab080_print.html, retrieved 4/13/14; Associated Press. November 30, 2012. “Keith Wright Sentenced to Life.” ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8696102/former-nfl-player-keith-wright-sentenced-life-prison, retrieved 4/14/14; Anderson, Paul. August 9, 2012. “Ex-NFL Linebacker Naposki Gets Life in Killing of Lover’s Wealthy Boyfriend.” Presstelegram.com. http://www.presstelegram.com/general-news/20120810/ex-nfl-linebacker-naposki-gets-life-in-killing-of-lovers-wealthy-boyfriend, retrieved 4/14/14.

  12. See Appendix 1, “Methodology,” for a more detailed description of the research methodology, data collection techniques, and analytic strategies.

  13. See Gubrium, Jaber F., and James A. Holstein 1997. The New Language of Qualitative Method. New York: Oxford University Press.

  CHAPTER 1. PURSUING “THE DREAM”

  1. Research interview #42.

  2. Research interview #40.

  3. Favre, Brett, and Chris Havel. 1997. Favre. New York: Doubleday, pp. 95, 98.

  4. Research interview #24. All names of players interviewed specifically for this project are pseudonyms (with the exception of George Koonce). Some identifying information (e.g., team affiliation) has been altered to ensure confidentiality. The names of players mentioned by name in research interviews by respondents have also been disguised. Names of former players interviewed for S. Coakley 2006 (Coakley, Stephany C. 2006. A Phenomenological Exploration of the Sport-Career Transition Experiences That Affect Subjective Well-Being of Former National Football League Players. Greensboro: University of North Carolina–Greensboro) have also been withheld. Names of interview subjects in media interviews are indicated as in original sources.

  5. Research interview #41.

  6. Research interview #40.

  7. Research Interview #04.

  8. Oriard 1982. Also see Oriard, Michael. 1993. Reading Football. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Oriard’s 1982 football autobiography is by far the most analytic and insightful insider’s view of the everyday features of football life and culture.

  9. Research interview #03.

  10. See Brooks, Scott N. 2009. Black Men Can’t Shoot. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, for an insightful study of elite urban youth basketball players and their full-time commitment to their games and “getting known.”

  11. Research interview #40.

  12. Glicksman, Ben. December 21, 2010. “Crenshaw Football Star De’Anthony Thomas Has Hollywood Flair.” SportsIllustrated.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/specials/highschool-potw/12/21/hspotw.11/index.html, retrieved 3/19/13. Jenkins, Lee. September 24, 2012. “Can’t Touch DAT.” Sports Illustrated, p. 47.

  13. Bassinger, H.G. “Buzz.” 1991. Friday Night Lights. New York: Harper.

  14. Such practices, however, often take insidious turns. Stories of high school athletes running amok, operating outside the law, and displaying little regard for other persons or property are common. Taken to the extreme, we hear stories of sexual exploitation and assault, with accompanying accounts of lax law enforcement and community efforts to conceal the transgressions of esteemed athletes. For a recent example, see accounts of the Steubenville, Ohio, case involving two high school football players convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl. In addition, Ohio attorney general Mike DeWine is considering further charges relating to community efforts to cover up the rape. See Almasy, Steve. March 17, 2013. “Two Teens Found Guilty in Steubenville Rape Case.” CNN.com. http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/17/justice/ohio-steubenville-case/index.html, retrieved 3/18/13.

  15. Research interview #40.

  16. O’Shaugnessy, Lynn. June 22, 2010. “7 Things You Need to Know about Sports Scholarships.” USnews.com. http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-college-solution/2010/06/22/7-things-you-need-to-know-about-sports-scholarships, retrieved 3/17/13.

  17. Helman, David. July 26, 2012. “LSU Courts Middle Schooler.” ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8199497/soon-8th-grader-dylan-moses-offered-lsu-tigers-scholarship, retrieved 2/27/13.

  18. “UO Faculty Speak Out against ‘Preoccupation’ with Athletics.” January 7, 2012. Dailyemerald.com. http://dailyemerald.com/2007/01/17/uo-faculty-speak-out-against-preoccupation-with-athletics/; Associated Press. January 7, 2011. “Texas Tech on Two Years Probation.” ESPN.com http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5999907; both retrieved 4/14/13.

  19. Mandel, Stewart. January 25, 2013. “NCAA Rule Change Could Spark State of Recruiting Chaos.” SportsIllustrated.cnn.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130125/ncaa-rulebook-changes-recruiting/, retrieved 4/15/13.

  20. Staples, Andy. February 7, 2013. “How Ole Miss Landed Its Historic Recruiting Class.” SportsIllustrated.cnn.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130207/hugh-freeze-ole-miss-signing-day/, retrieved 4/14/13.

  21. Stephenson, Creg. February 7, 2013. “Ole Miss’ Recruitment of Laramy Tunsil Included 800 Facebook Messages.” AL.com. http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/02/sicom_report_ole_miss_recruitm.html, retrieved 4/14/13.

  22. “Timeline of Investigation at the University of Southern California.” June 26, 2010. USAToday.com. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/2010-06-10-usc-timeline-bush-mayo-violations_N.htm; Howard, Johnette. November 5, 2010. “Cam Newton Allegations Raise Questions.” ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?page=howard/101105; both retrieved 4/15/13.

  23. “Ole Miss Recruit Raises Suspicions of Recruiting Violations.” January 30, 2013. Fannation.com. http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/364970-ole-miss-recruit-raises-suspicions-of-recruiting-violations, retrieved 4/15/13.

  24. Bacon, John U. 2011. Three and Out. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, p. 392.

  25. Research interview #30.

  26. This includes perennial powerhouses USC, Alabama, and Florida State, among others. See, for example: Gould, Mark. N.d. “Cheating Scandals: The Legacy of College Football.” @yourlibrary.com. http://atyourlibrary.org/sports/cheating-scandals-legacy-college-football, retrieved 4/15/13.

  27. Oriard, Michael. 2009. Bowled Over. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, p. 263.

  28. Ibid., p. 205.

  29. Rhoden, Wil
liam C. 2006. Forty Million Dollar Slaves. New York: Crown, p. 176. Rhoden is writing primarily about basketball and black athletes, but his analysis applies to all potential participants in big-time American sports.

  30. Oriard 2009, p. 1.

  31. Research interview #302.

  32. Bacon 2011. Also see Oriard 2009, p. 204.

  33. See Bacon 2011 for a discussion of the difficulties of monitoring compliance with the practice hours limitations at the University of Michigan.

  34. Carnival, Barking. May 9, 2010. “College Football: Are 35 Bowl Games Too Many?” Bleacherreport.com. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/389979-college-football-are-35-bowl-games-too-many, retrieved 5/26/13.

  35. See Eitzen, Stanley. 2009. Fair and Foul: Beyond the Myths and Paradoxes of Sport. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, ch. 9; Oriard 2009. In the spring of 2014, Shabazz Napier, star of the recently crowned NCAA basketball champion University of Connecticut Huskies, sparked headlines by pointing out that even full-ride scholarship athletes often go to bed hungry due to the restrictions on their scholarship meal plans. His comments have further incited a national controversy over the equity of college players’ “compensation” for their athletic participation and contributions. See Ganim, Sara. April 8, 2014. “UConn Guard on Unions: I Go to Bed ‘Starving.’” CNN.com. http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/07/us/ncaa-basketball-finals-shabazz-napier-hungry/, retrieved 4/27/14.