What Happens to retired Eagles pension benefits?

Reggie White made Ray Didinger’s “Eagles All-Time Toughness Team”…. White never missed a game for the Eagles.

What got me started on learning more about NFL pensions was Ray Didinger’s very entertaining read over the weekend at CSN Eagles Insider… Ray lists his all-time nominees for the toughest Eagles to ever play the game in Philly.

Without spoiling the read for you, I will merely hint: What do Jerry Sisemore, Mike Quick, Keith Byars, Dick Bielski, Tim Rossovich, Bill Bradley, Irv Cross, Eric Allen, and Wes Hopkins all have in common?…Answer- they did not make the list..

Todd Herremans, and the late and great defensive end Mel Tom (played 1967-73, and whose nickname was “Hawaiian Punch”) did make the list…

Enjoying Ray’s column, it suddenly dawned on me: nearly all the guys on the list are either retired or deceased.  What about their death benefits and pension benefits under the old CBA?  Are these benefits exempt from the current litigation? Or are they at risk?

Turns out the NFL Pension Benefits and Death/Disability Benefits funds are extremely at risk…

The NFL offers retirement, disability and death benefits, with each program subsidized by the 32 teams…but the benefits can be terminated if no CBA is in effect for more than a year….This mean those pensions and those benefits will end if a collective bargaining agreement is not renewed by next March 11 — a year after the last one expired.

If that fact doesn’t light a fire under the current players to get a deal done, it certainly has retirees on edge…

The NFL’s pension plan covers every eligible player (meaning he played four years in the league) since 1920. That four-year requirement drops to three years for players in the league after 1992. Full benefits are available at the age of 55, with a minimum payout of $200 a month for each season played in the NFL.

That monthly payout, based on the number of seasons played, is not as astronomical as I once thought… Even a veteran like Darrell Green, who retired in 2002 after 20 seasons, will be looking at $5,805 per month… or approximately $70,000 per year, based on $290 a month for each season played.

And despite the fact that the total pension fund was raised to $40 million annually in 2002, there are still disputes over payouts. In May 2004, the estate of Mike Webster began the legal process to sue the NFL’s retirement and disability plans over his pension. Webster, who died in 2002, allegedly suffered brain damage while playing in the NFL. With his 1999 request for full disability benefits rejected, he ended up in debt and homeless for a short time. In 2005 his estate received full retroactive benefits, which amounted to $1.18 million plus interest and fees, dating back to 1991.

Of course, younger players in the game today are not going to be so worried about what happens to them at age 55… But some of them, like our own Sir Winston Justice, have mentioned it as something that weighs on their minds.

The retirees want the NFL lockout lifted to ensure their pensions and health benefits remain funded. 
 
Four former NFL players, including Hall of Fame defensive end Carl Eller, sued the NFL last month in hopes of joining current players in their antitrust fight against the league.

Eller, three-time All-Pro running back Priest Holmes and ex-players Obafemi Ayanbadejo and Ryan Collins are listed as plaintiffs in the 44-page complaint filed in federal court in Minneapolis.

The average NFL player career lasts just 3.3 seasons, and most of his salary, no matter how high on paper, isn’t guaranteed. The league minimum for a rookie is $310,000, and the median league salary is just less than $800,000.

I should also note that the pension amount per credited season for guys that played after 1993 has gone up considerably.

Here are the numbers: (1993-1994 = $255);  (1995-1996 = $315);  (1997= $365);  (1998 and forward = $470).

Any player that had just three credited seasons from 1998 and forward will receive a $1,410 monthly pension at age 55.

Now come to find, that pension is only guaranteed as long as there’s a current CBA to back it?

I did not know that. It’s an insidious little fact that is not widely publicized. Pension and disability benefits are at risk of being lost by all retired players—not just the current crop of contemporary athletes.

And perusing Ray Didinger’s article on the toughest Birds of all-time, I counted more than a few veterans who are somewhat disabled now, or have
difficulty with performing some routine physical tasks today—like walking. 

These are the guys who need those pension and disability benefits.  Promises were made.