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In Case You Missed It: Jeff Nixon Celebrates FAIR Launch in SportsBlog
Former NFL defensive back Jeff Nixon share recently via SportsBlog how he and his fellow NFL alumni built the league into what is today – and how FAIR is helping to not only recognize their impact to the league, but bring fairness to pre-1993 NFL players like him and so many others, who deserve for their impact to be recognized through pension parity.
Click here to read the full piece on his blog, or see our favorite excerpts below — then be sure to visit other key areas of our site to learn more about how you can get involved:
We’re thrilled to have the support of Jeff and so many other former NFL players. We’ll hope you’ll join them and us in fighting for the dignity pre-1993 players need and deserve.
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The National Marketing Campaign to Improve Pre-1993 NFL Player Pensions
By Jeff Nixon
Sep. 10, 2018
I am pleased to report that F.A.I.R. (Fairness for Athletes in Retirement) has launched a national marketing campaign and a non-profit website that will be working to bring pension parity to vested NFL players who retired before 1993.
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The Founder of the organization Lisa Marie Riggins, an attorney and the wife of Pro Football Hall of Fame player John Riggins has established a website called Pension Parity which you can see at this link: “Pension Parity”
On the website, Lisa Marie tells us why they have begun this public awareness campaign:
“These pre-1993 NFL veterans played under considerably harsher conditions, resulting in a wide range of long-term health effects, most notable among them being CTE. Unfortunately, the entirety of the cost of care for these health issues is up to them to pay for, as they do not have access to the league’s health insurance.
Additionally, NFL players who retired before 1993 are not eligible for a variety of benefits available to post-1993 retirees, including the league’s 401(k), the NFL annuity, severance pay, eligibility to buy into the league’s healthcare in retirement, a health retirement account worth up to $350,000 and generous life insurance policies.
To achieve our goal, we are starting an awareness campaign to educate the public on this significant pension inequity; the pre-93 player experience and the misconception that recent NFL/NFLPA settlements and programs have appropriately addressed their concerns ahead of the 2020 CBA negotiations.
Comparable players from other leagues, like the MLB and NBA, who retired in the same era receive almost triple the benefits the pre-93 NFL retiree receives.
Pre-1993 NFL players earned and deserve pension parity from the NFL and NFLPA. We intend to work with the two organizations to ensure that goal is achieved.
And our ask is simple: Do the right thing by these men and ensure pension equity for pre-93 retirees.”
The video on the Pension Parity website will give you some insight into the incredible stories, lives and experiences of this generation of NFL players. Here is a link to that video: About FAIR
In all the years that I have been writing under the banner of NFL Retired Players United, former players have never had a national campaign to improve pensions.
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The folks at FAIR are donating blood, sweat and tears to get this done – and none of them are getting paid either. It is a labor of love. And, if we are successful in getting a good boost in our pensions (as I know we will) and I just happen to see you out and about………the first round is on you!
This is it gentlemen.
This may be our last opportunity to get a pension that we can be proud of….one that we deserve…one that can help us and our families before we reach our final destination.
Former players are always asking me what they can do to get more involved. Well… THIS IS IT!
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Your Alumni Brother,
Jeff