Mercury Morris Sues NFL Pension Plan/Shame on NFL (merged) | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Mercury Morris Sues NFL Pension Plan/Shame on NFL (merged)

Wow I don't know what would be legally correct of if he has a good case, but i hope he gets it
 
Shame on the NFL

This Mercury story in my opinion warrants a great deal of attention from Dolphin fans everywhere. Mercury Morris was a true hero for the Dolphins, and was an essential building block that made the Dolphins the winningest organization in professional football. He absolutely played with great abandon. He gave is team and this game his all. The NFL and the Miami Dolphins owe Mercury Morris a great deal of gratitude.

Mercury fell into the trappings of 70's and 80's and found himself on the wrong side of dealing and using cocaine. He served time, and he rehabilitated himself. For the rehabilitation alone Mercury displayed a kind of resiliency and tenacity only seen in men of real character. That is what defines character, the ability to act with integrity in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Those that do, Mercury, build character and become a light to all.

Mercury Morris suffers now from a life that has been likened to having been in a car wreck every week. This was in a day that sports medicine was, compared to today's standard, significantly more primitive. Sports medicine has taken enormously leaps in 30 years.

I imagine that the NFL is sympathetic to Mercury's condition and situation but as an organization it is fearful of losing millions in revenues by paying former athletes for the manner in which they suffer after the game. I believe that $ needs to be restructured in the NFLPA such that a larger portion of fan revenue, a flat tax if you will, goes into a fund for former players who can effectively display that the game has caused them damage in their lives. Spread the wealth. Help give guys, especially the ones who gave so much of themselves to the game, a better chance to have a good life.

Thank you Mercury for all the great moments and the dreams you helped create.
 
raving said:
This Mercury story in my opinion warrants a great deal of attention from Dolphin fans everywhere. Mercury Morris was a true hero for the Dolphins, and was an essential building block that made the Dolphins the winningest organization in professional football. He absolutely played with great abandon. He gave is team and this game his all. The NFL and the Miami Dolphins owe Mercury Morris a great deal of gratitude.

Mercury fell into the trappings of 70's and 80's and found himself on the wrong side of dealing and using cocaine. He served time, and he rehabilitated himself. For the rehabilitation alone Mercury displayed a kind of resiliency and tenacity only seen in men of real character. That is what defines character, the ability to act with integrity in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Those that do, Mercury, build character and become a light to all.

Mercury Morris suffers now from a life that has been likened to having been in a car wreck every week. This was in a day that sports medicine was, compared to today's standard, significantly more primitive. Sports medicine has taken enormously leaps in 30 years.

I imagine that the NFL is sympathetic to Mercury's condition and situation but as an organization it is fearful of losing millions in revenues by paying former athletes for the manner in which they suffer after the game. I believe that $ needs to be restructured in the NFLPA such that a larger portion of fan revenue, a flat tax if you will, goes into a fund for former players who can effectively display that the game has caused them damage in their lives. Spread the wealth. Help give guys, especially the ones who gave so much of themselves to the game, a better chance to have a good life.

Thank you Mercury for all the great moments and the dreams you helped create.
Click to expand...
even if no one else responds to this thread, this is a vital issue and the fact that no one has anything to say about it only testifies to the forgetfulness each one of us are capable of when it comes to those who were once in the here and now whether it be former football hero who sacrificed his body or a parent / grandparent who also sacrificed.
 
Sad story - but he got a lump sum settlement from them. They can't pay him forever. That's what health insurance is for.
 
Why shame on the NFL? They gave Morris nearly 300K 15 years ago....which he accepted. Morris claims he retired in '76 due to injuries he suffered in '73 so he certainly knew about them in '91 when he accepted the NFL's offer. Might not have been the smartest move on his part, but you cant blame the NFL for wanting to stick to the terms of the deal that Morris himself agreed to.
 
Yea but was he hurt that bad 15 yrs ago or has he gotten significantly worse? The NFL is embarrassing in its treatment of a lot of the older players. Guys this is an organization that literally makes billions of dollars in TV revenue and 100's of millions in other revenue. Its not going to even come close to hurting the league financially to pay older players a decent amount for their pain. Handing out cheap deals to desperate players isnt fair, its sad. The player's association is a part of the problem also, they should be helping the players more and they should be fighting for the older players also. Today's players should be fighting for them also.
 
The NFL should do a better job of caring for injured players. But, its not a shame on the NFL issue, its a shame on the NFLPA which should be doing more than making sure agents make lots of money.
 
i feel bad about the whole situation. But i also know that mercury made more money from nfl then i will make in my life. He should have thought of this.
 
PhinKev said:
The NFL should do a better job of caring for injured players. But, its not a shame on the NFL issue, its a shame on the NFLPA which should be doing more than making sure agents make lots of money.
Click to expand...

I agree:yeahthat: :yeahthat: :yeahthat:
 
PhinKev said:
The NFL should do a better job of caring for injured players. But, its not a shame on the NFL issue, its a shame on the NFLPA which should be doing more than making sure agents make lots of money.
Click to expand...

The NFL disagrees, stating in a motion to dismiss that in 1991 Morris released all of his past, present and future claims for disability benefits when he accepted a lump sum payment of $295,000.

"That's not what this lawsuit is about," Morris' attorney, Atlee Wampler, said. "This lawsuit is about retirement benefits."

The stakes are high. The former star's normal NFL pension would be just $1,800 per month, but jumps to as much as $18,000 calculated at disability amounts.
 
Sounds like the price of coke is increasing again. The NFL doesnt owe anyone anything. Can't he ge a job seeling cars or meat dooor to door? i Really support the older smarter phins and the great ones for what they did on the field, but I hate articles like this that tarnish the image of the team. He is trying to pull a terrell owens.
 
raving said:
The NFL disagrees, stating in a motion to dismiss that in 1991 Morris released all of his past, present and future claims for disability benefits when he accepted a lump sum payment of $295,000.

"That's not what this lawsuit is about," Morris' attorney, Atlee Wampler, said. "This lawsuit is about retirement benefits."

The stakes are high. The former star's normal NFL pension would be just $1,800 per month, but jumps to as much as $18,000 calculated at disability amounts.
Click to expand...

I think 1800 / month american is more than I make now while working. I feel bad for Morris and guys like him, but I think they often lead a pretty good lifestyle for people who worked at labour jobs. What about other labourers who make a fraction of that and end up beaten and bruised?

The other side of the coin is that this type of labour does create billions in revenue, so the players deserve the money they get. The owners and agents certainly get their share. The problem for the NFL is they don't want to set a precedent by helping out any one former player because they all will come running. It's called greed and it is certainly sad for guys like Merc.
 
raving said:
The NFL disagrees, stating in a motion to dismiss that in 1991 Morris released all of his past, present and future claims for disability benefits when he accepted a lump sum payment of $295,000.

"That's not what this lawsuit is about," Morris' attorney, Atlee Wampler, said. "This lawsuit is about retirement benefits."

The stakes are high. The former star's normal NFL pension would be just $1,800 per month, but jumps to as much as $18,000 calculated at disability amounts.
Click to expand...

He wants larger retirement benefits due to his disabilities....even though he released all claims for disability benefits....he's trying to do an end-around his agreement.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom