NFL Retired Players Announcement and Timeline
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July 8, 2011
RE: Eller vs. NFL
Dear fellow retired players:
We have been asked by many of our fellow retired National Football League (“NFL”) players to provide more information about what the Eller v. NFL lawsuit is meant to accomplish and how the lawsuit will help benefit all retired NFL players. What follows is our attempt to do so.
On March 28, 2011 the national law firms of Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP and Hausfeld, LLP, filed a class action on behalf of all retired NFL players against the NFL in federal court in the District of Minnesota to bring about wholesale improvements of the NFL player retirement system.
This lawsuit came after the CBA negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA broke down, the Union decertified and the League subsequently locked the players out. The complaint seeks to do for retired players what the Reggie White class action lawsuit did for current players in the early 1990’s: create an organization and system whereby retired NFL players are able to advocate on their own behalf and therefore vastly improve the current landscape of the NFL retirement system. This class action – known as Eller et al., v. NFL – was consolidated with the class action on behalf of current players called Brady, et al vs. NFL. (Consolidated simply means that the cases are heard together and the NFL is better positioned to try and resolve both cases simultaneously – although the retired players are asking for and addressing different issues than the current players.)
Recently, the largest collective group of representatives of various organizations for retired players or who have mass online audience met in Minneapolis. The group included representatives and/or members from the NFLPA, NFL Alumni, the Retired Players Association, Fourth & Goal, Gridiron Greats, Dignity after Football and DavePear.com/Independent Football Veterans. Most of the participants agreed to present the League with united proposals for changes in key areas affecting the well-being of retired players:
(a) pensions;
(b) disability benefits;
(c) medical benefits;
(d) medical monitoring; and
(e) vesting calculations.
On July 4, 2011, we filed a Motion seeking leave to file an amended complaint to include additional claims against the NFL and the Brady class and to also add additional plaintiffs. The plaintiffs who filed were Carl Eller, Franco Harris, Marcus Allen, Paul Krause, Lem Barney, Joe DeLamielleure, Elvin Bethea, Obafemi Ayanbadejo, and Ryan Collins (a group consisting of Hall of Famers, famous players, forgotten players, vested players, and non-vested players) joined forces and sought leave to file an amended complaint against not only against the NFL, but also the former NFLPA and the current Brady plaintiffs demanding that they be included in all future discussions involving them.
The reason this lawsuit is important to you is because for the first time YOU have the ability to not only determine what your benefits should be but you will also have the unique opportunity to run your own retirement organization. This independent organization will have the right to negotiate, advocate and control the retirement benefits that you earned while you were NFL players. Through this lawsuit, YOU finally have the ability to independently and collectively have your voices heard and your concerns adequately addressed. This is your time. However, this effort can only be successful if you unify as retired players and let the League hear your voice – that you want your own organization of retirees, run by retirees, for retirees.
A timeline describing the events leading up to the current status of the suit is below.
Sign the Petition to Support Retired NFL Players
Sincerely,
Carl Eller
Irv Cross
Dave Pear
Robert Lee (publisher DavePear.com)
Brent Boyd
Tony Davis
Shannon Jordan (on behalf of Gridiron Greats)
For more information please contact:
Michael Hausfeld, Hausfeld, LLP
mhausfeld@hausfeldllp.com
Shawn Stuckey, Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP
SStuckey@zelle.com
Carl Eller, President of Retired Players Association
carl@retiredplayersassociation.org
http://www.retiredplayersassociation.org
Irv Cross
IrvCross27@gmail.com
Dave Pear, Founder of DavePear.com
DavePear76@gmail.com
http://www.footballvets.org
Robert Lee, Publisher of DavePear.com
RobertinSeattle@gmail.com
Tony Davis, Fourth and Goal
TDavis1453@yahoo.com
Shannon Jordan, President of Gridiron Greats
Shannon.Jordan11@gmail.com
Brent Boyd, Dignityafterfootball.org
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DignityAfterFootball
BBoyd62@aol.com
Greg Koch, Dignityafterfootball.org
gkoch@koch-law.com
