A number of NFL Hall of Famers sent a letter to commissioner Roger Goodell threatening to boycott ceremonies at the institution until the league gives Hall of Famers health insurance and an annual salary that includes a share of league revenue.
The letter, sent by NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, H.O.F. president C. David Baker, and players on the newly created Hall of Fame Board, asks for continued support from the league for the game’s greats.
“We, the undersigned Pro Football Hall of Famers, were integral to the creation of the modern NFL, which in 2017 generated $14 billion in revenue,” the letter reads. “But when the league enshrined us as the greatest ever to play America’s most popular sport, they gave us a gold jacket, a bust, and a ring – and that was it.”
It continues: “We write to demand two things: Health insurance and an annual salary for all Hall of Famers that includes a share of league revenue. It might seem like a lot, but it’s a drop in the bucket for the country’s most profitable sports league. The total cost for every Hall of Famer to have health insurance is less than $4 million – less than that of a 30-second Super Bowl ad, or about 3 cents for every $100 the league generates in revenue. Paying Hall of Famers an annual salary works out to about 40 cents for every $100 in annual revenue, a figure that will increase dramatically in the near future with legalized gambling.”
Filed to ESPN: In a letter sent to Roger Goodell, DeMaurice Smith and David Baker, Pro Football Hall of Famers said they would not attend the annual hall of fame induction ceremony until they received health insurance and an annual salary that included a share of league revenue. pic.twitter.com/IRkJ29EKcl
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) September 18, 2018
The names on the letter are some of the most recognizable in NFL history and include Eric Dickerson, Marcus Allen, Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, Marshall Faulk, Ronnie Lott, Curtis Martin Joe Namath, John Randle, Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Lawrence Taylor, Kurt Warner, and Sarah White, Reggie White’s widow.
“An NFL marketing slogan states that ‘Football is Family,’” the letter concludes. “We agree, which is why we’re demanding to be treated like family members who are integral to the league’s present and future. As the legends of the game’s past, we deserve nothing less.”
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