NFL Doing the Right Thing: A Letter from Roger Goodell

These players did something for the game of football. Now it’s our turn to do something for them.

It’s easy to say we appreciate them. But our actions need to tell the same story. That’s why we are proud of the agreement we reached with the union this week on how to distribute the $620 million Legacy Fund set aside in our new collective bargaining agreement. It means we will begin paying higher benefits immediately to all retired players whose pensions vested before 1993.

This new Legacy Fund benefit has three important components:

1. Every player will receive a major pension increase. We have significantly raised the pension floor of minimum monthly payments.
2. Players whose pensions vested before 1975 – the players who played for the lowest salaries – are getting the biggest increase.
3. The Legacy Fund benefits will continue not only for the lifetime of the retired player, but also for the lifetime of his eligible beneficiary.

The formula for distributing the $620 million fund was designed after we discussed it with leaders of several retired player groups, including Mike Ditka, Carl Eller, Bruce Laird, Willie Lanier, George Martin and Ron Mix. The new benefit applies to more than 4,700 players who were vested in the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle Player Pension Plan prior to 1993.

Here are two examples of how the Legacy Fund will significantly increase monthly pension payments to many retired players:

• There is a 10-year veteran player who retired in the 1960s who has been receiving a $200 monthly pension. The Legacy Fund benefit will increase his monthly check to $1,840.
• Another 10-year veteran who retired in the 1970s will see his monthly check increase from $165 to $1,810.

Nothing we do or say can ever fully express our appreciation for the dedicated players who built the NFL. But I believe that the Legacy Fund is an important step in the right direction. Paired with our efforts to set a higher standard for player health and safety, it represents the shared commitment and responsibility of the National Football League and its players to improve the lives of the men who played the game – yesterday, today, and tomorrow.