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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27,2007

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Jennifer Smith (920) 499- 7133 gridirongreats24@aol.com

NFL RETIRED PLAYERS ADVOCACY GROUPS SPEAK OUT ON ALLIANCE MEETING WITH GENE UPSHAW AND ROGER GOODELL

DITKA & GRIDIRON GREATS ASSISTANCE FUND SAY: MEETINGS ARE ANOTHER NFL DIVERSION TACTIC
INVITED ATTENDEES ARE JUST MORE SMOKE AND MIRRORS
ANNOUNCED INITIATIVES LACK SUBSTANCE, DON�T ADDRESS REAL ISSUES

Chicago, Illinois, July 27th -Today MIKE DITKA and the GRIDIRON GREATS ASSISTANCE FUND issued a strong statement in response to a meeting held by NFLPA Union Chief Gene Upshaw and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell regarding issues facing retired NFL Players and an announced alliance to deal with those issues.

The NFL and NFLPA held meetings this week that were touted as bringing together pro football�s leadership on retired player�s issues, eleven retired players were invited to attend the meeting. Roger Goodell stated that he thought it was productive and said, �We had people in attendance who have taken issue with what has been done for retired players. I think we had all the stakeholders there.� The Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund and other advocacy groups are more than suspicious.

The Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund is a nonprofit, humanitarian organization which is overseen by a board of directors consisting of many players who are advocates of retired NFL players� rights including: Mike Ditka, Gale Sayers, Joe DeLamielleure, Harry Carson, Willie Davis, and Tom Nowatzke. The organization provides immediate aid and support services to retired NFL players who are in dire need due to lack of adequate disability, medical, and other issues.

In response to the "meeting," Mike Ditka, other board members of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, and a variety of long-time advocates for retired player�s reacted viscerally.

�I don�t believe any of the stakeholders where there. The meeting had no substance. If Gene Upshaw and Roger Goodell wanted the meeting to have substance, members of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund board would have been invited to attend. Not one member of our board was asked to attend that meeting,� said Mike Ditka, GGAF Board Member. �If they wanted the meetings to have substance, NFL Players who have been long-time advocates of retired players rights such as former Baltimore Colt Bruce Laird, GGAF board members Joe DeLamielleure or Harry Carson would have been there. Most importantly, players and their families who have had to fight an inadequate disability system and bad pensions would have been there such as Brent Boyd, Mike Webster�s son Garrett, Mike Mosley, Brian Demarco, Conrad Dobler, and Herb Adderley. I could name countless others. Were any of them there? Judging by the attendees invited to this meeting it was clear that the NFL and the NFLPA are not that interested in conducting meetings with substance that will bring about the major changes that are needed. Where were the owners?�

�While the NFL and the NFLPA may have good intentions I feel the owners of these franchises need to step up and take some action�. said Hall Of Famer and GGAF Board Member Gale Sayers. �These players helped to build the individual franchises and were a vital part of the organizations they played for. They gave themselves to the team and the communities they played in. The owners should support and care for the players in need who played for their franchise.�

In response to Gene Upshaw�s statements: �There will be a joint effort and one single place to go as it relates to retired players; we are in a position to move forward as one in the alliance. We want to work as one single voice,� The Gridiron Greats organization issued this statement:

The Gridiron Greats as an organization is not standing alongside of Gene Upshaw and not speaking with one voice. The voices that need to be heard are those of the retired players who are suffering, have lived on the streets, used up all their earnings on medical payments, and have to deal with these desperate situations day in and day out �not some hand picked NFL committee of retired players that were selected for their name recognition, celebrity status, and political correctness. It is the opinion of The Gridiron Greats Organization that the meetings held by the NFL and the NFLPA were yet another diversion tactic by the NFL and an attempt to not deal with core issue of overhauling a broken, and what some call corrupt, disability system. The results of the meeting, an announcement of �new retired player�s benefits initiatives� lacked substance, details and does not address the core issues.

Brent Boyd, a retired, dire need player to which GGAF will be providing assistance, had these comments about the meeting and those who were chosen to attend as so called representatives of retired players like him. �I have never seen more smoke than what came out of Tuesday's meeting at NFLPA headquarters. Not only was it a smokescreen to keep real problems out of view, it was a "controlled back fire" intended to burn some of the fuel that has been catching the attention of Congress, the fans, and former players. Did this meeting address fixing the fraudulent NFL Disability claim processes, or how to go back and reverse the most egregious false denials? Did they invite ONE former player who has had to pick asphalt out of their hair after a homeless night's sleep? Have any of Frank Gifford�s or the others in the room had their kids' teeth pulled because they didn't have money to fix a minor dental problem? All because the NFL disability Board was dragging their feet. If not, then don't blow more smoke by telling everyone that retired players and the NFLPA speak as one voice. That is yet another insult to all of us who have suffered without a voice, we are not willing to let these dog and pony shows take the public, the media, or the United States Congress off the scent of their fraud and corruption�

Gene Upshaw stated that �these meetings were a first step in identifying players in need.�

The Gridiron Greats Organization invites Gene Upshaw, or his staff, to contact our office. We would be happy to provide them with a long list of players who are in immediate dire need so the NFLPA can immediately start assisting them. The Gridiron Greats office takes calls all day long from retired players in need. It is our experience that you do not have to have a meeting to identify players in need; unfortunately there are many, many such players all over the country. While Upshaw and Goodell were noticeably absent from the recent Congressional hearings about retired players issues, members of Upshaw�s staff were in attendance. They could have identified a lot of retired players in need from the many that traveled to Washington DC and were in attendance that day hoping that the United States Congress would step in and help them to get the benefits they need.

Neither the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, nor any of its board members, is a part of this NFLPA, NFL alliance; neither are members from any of the others advocacy organizations who have been involved in retired players� rights issue for many years. The Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund is an independent organization and it will remain that way. The organization is committed to raising money and providing immediate financial support and services to retired players in dire need and working with others such as Bruce Lairds, Fourth and Goal group and the Retired Players for Justice group to help bring about significant and major changes in the area of retired players rights and benefits.

Jerry Kramer facilitated the start of the GGAF organization but is not a member of the Gridiron Greats Board of Directors. But, his heartfelt, humanitarian, efforts got the GGAF started. Kramer was invited to attend the meeting and he participated in the meeting as an individual and not as a representative of the Gridiron Greats Assistant Fund. Kramer�s choice to attend the meeting, and his comments, are reflective of his personal opinion and not that of the Gridiron Greats Organization.

�I am grateful to Jerry for asking me to be a part of the GGAF Board but I called Jerry and told him that I, along with some of the other board members, did not think it was a good idea for him to attend the meeting. It was my feeling that nobody from our board was going to the meeting and neither should he. I felt the meeting was a PR ploy,� said former Super Bowl winner with the Colts and GGAF Board member Tom Nowatzke. �The Gridiron Greats are out there helping many players who are suffering because of the inadequate systems that are being administered by the NFLPA. It is my opinion, and that of some others on our board, that we need to stay focused on our mission and that it is pointless to join them in these meetings.�

�The meeting was pointless because the right people were not asked to participate and the outcome was, as I expected empty gestures that don�t fix the overall problems with disability and pensions,� said GGAF Board member Joe DeLamielleure. �The GGAF is also working with and supporting the efforts of advocacy groups such as Fourth and Goal and Retired Players for Justice. We are committed to supporting their efforts to bring about the significant and meaningful changes that are needed.�

�It�s certainly not our first step in addressing the issues and concerns of retired players. Fourth & Goal has advocated and raised funds for retired players for more than three years, since witnessing how the union turned its back on John Unitas and John Mackey and dozens of other retired players,� said Bruce Laird, president of Fourth & Goal. �We�re extremely disappointed that those of us who have been out in front of these issues were again excluded from any dialogue. Thus, retired players continue to have no representation, no vote and no voice in the NFL or the NFLPA. Fourth & Goal will continue to partner with Gridiron Greats to address the needs of our teammates and to change a flawed system.�

�These meetings are just more of the NFL strategy of delay, deny, and hope they die,� said Bernie Parrish of Retired Players For Justice. �Google the names of the 11 players that were invited to attend this meeting as representatives for retired players, you will find that 10 out of the 11 have never been connected to, or significantly involved in, the issues of retired players rights and one was mentioned only in conjunction with dire need issues.�

�There are a multitude of problems facing retired players,� said Jennifer Smith, Executive Director of the Gridiron Fund. �The problems are vast and range from inadequate disability benefits and pensions to depression, addiction to pain medications, homelessness, and poverty. We are helping players who are dealing with all of these issues.�

The GGAF fund has provided financial aid and support services to retired players who have had their lifetime disability revoked, players who have been denied disability multiple times, players in need of shelter, and families who need support just so they can care for a former player or bury a spouse. The Gridiron Greats organization relies on public and corporate support. Currently, there�s a donation drive underway. The public can learn about specific players in dire need, make a donation, read in depth reaction, and post comments at gridirongreats.org. Donations can also be made by calling 1-800-708-1078.