Victim of lax NFL safety becomes anti-union posterboy

[BurtWorm]

Mike Ditka and others are charging the players' union with failing a disabled player. While there may be some truth to that charge, why is the player in the shape he's in in the first place? Is it the union's fault?


http://www.latimes.com/business/la-sp-ditka12jun12,1,6356928.story?coll=la-headlines-business

Fiery rhetoric aside, the main attraction at Monday's event was DeMarco, who needed a cane and two able-bodied assistants to help him stand up and walk to the podium, where he spoke emotionally about how the NFL and the players union have turned their backs on him after injuries ended his once promising career as a second-round draft pick out of Michigan State.

"My right leg is completely numb. I have extreme nerve pain in my arms," DeMarco said before pausing to gather his emotions. "I have lost my grip … my ability to hold my kids."

Accompanied by his wife, Autumn, DeMarco described how he and his family were homeless three times because he could not work.

On Monday night, the NFLPA faxed to the Tribune copies of seven checks sent on behalf of DeMarco for $9,748.81 in the last nine months.

"No one in my office could believe this was the guy they were talking about," Upshaw said.

[Kagemusha]

1. So the union head should threaten to break his ----ing neck?

Is that the disabled player's fault?

[BurtWorm]

2. I have no doubt that the union ought to be looking out for disabled players.

But the NFL ought to be looking out for them too. They're the ones who make money turning injury into entertainment.

[Kagemusha]

3. When the NFL commissioner threatens to break necks, let me know.

I'll be waiting.

[BurtWorm]

7. You'll be waiting to judge the NFL based on whether or not the commissioner says something

that outrages you? Interesting sense of justice there.

[Kagemusha]

11. I never said it outraged me. I view it as par for the course.

I'm saying that the reason this is news is because of the hostile, hyperbolic threat. You're going, like, "Why are they picking on the NFL union all of a sudden? Who benefits?" They're picking on the NFL union because its head used threatening language to a disabled ex-player. THAT is why the disabled ex-player is now the anti-union poster boy. Because he's a victim and he was threatened with further physical damage by a union leader speaking in the manner of a common thug.

[fishwax]

8. the union threatened to break his fucking neck?

[Kagemusha]

9. Gene Upshaw, head of the NFLPA, used such words to him via phone

THAT is why this is news, not some media conspiracy to air longstanding ex-player grievances over pensions to attack and undermine the NFL player's union. Gene Upshaw made it news.

[fishwax]

12. where do you get that information?

I haven't seen anything about upshaw threatening the injured player at all or about threatening anyone via phone. He was quoted in a newspaper interview saying ""A guy like DeLamielleure says the things he said about me, you think I'm going to invite him to dinner? No. I'm going to break his ... damn neck."

[Kagemusha]

15. I apologize if my recollection is mistaken about the phone aspect.

I first read about the story from the CNN/Sports Illustrated web site (and a few follow-up stories). I've tried to strenuously avoid using the words "threaten" or "threatening anyone" since those are legally loaded words but, what I meant was that Upshaw used those words which I characterized as hostile... and frankly your relaying it to me like that, it's further confusing my memory.

But none of that changes the actual point here.

Upshaw made this news through his use of thuggish language. (Thuggish is, I believe, quite accurate.) The media did not develop a sudden interest in disabled athletes being given the cold shoulder by the NFLPA through use of a magic 8-ball or the roll of some dice.

[fishwax]

16. that's okay, it's easy for stories to get tangled like that. But this was a story BEFORE Upshaw said

what he did. He said what he did in an interview about the accusations Joe DeLamielleure was making about him and the NFLPA. If it wasn't a story, the interview in which the words were spoken wouldn't have taken place. Upshaw's comments have gotten a lot of attention, but the ball was rolling.

It's also important to make the distinction that Upshaw's words were NOT at/towards/about the injured player. His language was directed at DeLamielleure.

Context is important, of course, but when I read Upshaw's remarks, I thought they were pretty clearly metaphorical--he was saying he wasn't going to turn the other cheek to the criticism from DeLamielleure, but rather would fire back. That's not to say I don't think Upshaw's comments weren't ill advised or even inappropriate, just that they didn't seem to me to constitute (as DeLamielleure apparently believes they were) a genuine and literal threat.

I've tried to strenuously avoid using the words "threaten" or "threatening anyone" since those are legally loaded words but, what I meant was that Upshaw used those words which I characterized as hostile... and frankly your relaying it to me like that, it's further confusing my memory.

You used "threaten" in the subject line of your first post in this thread, so in relaying it to you like that, I was only responding to /with the language that you used :)

[Kagemusha]

18. So I did. Thank you for pointing that out.

It's been a long day. Seriously, that was what I picked up from the CNN/SI story so, well, it's um, getting confusing now. Perhaps the original story I read could have been uh, quite a bit clearer? Perhaps so.

[TahitiNut]

4. So, it's the union's fault for not forcing the NFL to do better?

How does that exonerate the NFL? That merely premises their behavior on some specious 'right' to do as badly as they can get away with. I find professional sports detestable these days.

[PRETZEL]

5. There should be cooperation between the league and the union

on this issue.

For those who wish to revisit the tragedy of what can and has happened one has to look no further than Steeler great Mike Webster.

http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/steelers/a/mike_webster.htm

[Canuckistanian]

6. Is the player's union really a union?

Don't all those individual players have a separate contract?

And why can't they just write up their own disability insurance?

[Johonny]

10. The NFLPA

is generally considered the weakest union in sports. No doubt the major factor in this is the relatively short time the average player spends in the NFL.

[fed-up]

13. overpaid players complain when injured in a sport known for injuries??? no sympathy here nt

[ContraBass Black]

14. Not all of them get to be rich and/or famous.

Particularly not the ones that get hurt.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

17. Sounds Like He Has A Valid Gripe And They Are Supporting A Good Cause.