NFL Players, Mike Ditka and Gridiron Greats to Address Player Disability on Tuesday

According to a Nov. 21 press release, current NFL players and Mike Ditka will hold a press conference on Tues., Nov. 27, to announce a ground breaking initiative regarding retired NFL players and the inadequate disability and benefits program provided by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). The press conference, sponsored by Ditka and the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, will be held at Mike Ditka's Steakhouse in Chicago, Ill.

The yet-to-be disclosed initiative was created by an unnamed active, nine-year-veteran of the NFL. The press conference is said to be the first time that an organized group NFL players have spoken out about the issue of the NFLPA's poor disability and benefits program. The issue has been in the news from time-to-time, but the players' plan to address it has now apparently risen to a new level.

The NFL players, Ditka and other Gridiron Greats will also address some of the NFLPA disability system's policies and practices that are currently being investigated by the U.S. House Judicial Committee.

According to the Gridiron Greats website, the NFLPA has embarked on a public relations campaign to discredit the disability claims made by some disabled NFL players. The NFLPA is said to have also initiated a public campaign on the web to take issue with or dispute the claims of many injured former players. Reportedly, many disabled players have actually been targeted by the NFLPA's so-called "Truth Squad" in this public campaign, which outlines why these players, who are disabled or otherwise impaired as a result of their NFL injuries, should not receive disability.

The Gridiron Greats website says that the NFLPA has also created a public document called "The White Pages," in which it details certain former NFL players' claims and why they were denied. However, many of the players named in "The White Pages" say certain critical facts in their cases were purposely left out. Lanny Davis, an attorney who was special counsel to President Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal, has been hired by the NFLPA to help with media coverage.