Brian DeMarco, an ex-N.F.L. lineman with various ailments, said the players’ union hadn’t done enough to help
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Brian DeMarco, a former offensive lineman with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cincinnati Bengals, walked gingerly to a podium during a morning news conference, a 35-year-old man who moved as if he could be 85.
His five N.F.L. seasons are a distant memory, replaced by what DeMarco said was constant pain, numerous physical ailments, an inability to hold a job and financial problems that he said left his family homeless on three occasions. DeMarco criticized the National Football League Players Association and its executive director, Gene Upshaw, for failing to do enough for disabled players.
Upshaw told a far different story during a telephone interview later in the day. He said the union had paid DeMarco’s rent at least three times during the past year and that the union had been in frequent touch with DeMarco about filing the necessary paperwork to become eligible for more benefits. Upshaw also said that he had grown weary of being attacked, and that only a small group of disgruntled players was fueling the criticism of his leadership.
The issue of benefits for N.F.L. players will come to Capitol Hill on June 26, when Congress will hear testimony from a group of retired players who contend that benefits are insufficient, particularly for players who are disabled. DeMarco painted a bleak picture of his situation Monday, with his cane wobbling as he walked and his wife holding his arm to steady him. Since his retirement in 2000, DeMarco said he had received about $10,000 from the players union, yet his medication alone costs more than $1,000 a month. By talking publicly, DeMarco said he hoped more players would avoid the nightmare he has lived after reaching his dream of playing in the N.F.L.
“My quality of life is gone,” said DeMarco during a news conference at Mike Ditka’s restaurant that was run by Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, an organization that provides support to N.F.L. veterans in need. DeMarco said that his wife contacted the G.G.A.F. last week and that the organization provided immediate financial assistance.
“There are so many more like me out there,” DeMarco said. “I never should have been homeless. Somebody has got to step up. The tragedy that the N.F.L.P.A. is doing in not taking care of all of us when it’s over is affecting entire families. A guy like me who’s broke trying to get through the system that the N.F.L.P.A. has set up is excruciatingly painful.”
Upshaw, however, said the union had responded to DeMarco’s plea for help on numerous occasions.
“He says he’s called us 120 times and we’ve never called him back, which is absolutely false,” Upshaw said. “He has spoken to Andre Collins of our office many, many times. I have copies of checks here that we sent him on Aug. 31 of 2006, March of this year and March 12 of this year. We knew he needed help, and we’ve been trying to help him. But don’t punch me in the nose when I’m trying to help you. I couldn’t believe some of the things that he was saying. Somebody’s not telling the truth, and I have no reason to lie about any of this.
“I’m not going to hold a press conference every time somebody says something about me. I know what our organization has done for our players, and what we continue to do. Look at the guys who are complaining. It’s the same guys.”
Last month, Upshaw lashed out at one of his critics, the Hall of Fame lineman Joe DeLamielleure. Upshaw was quoted in an interview as saying: “A guy 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.”
Asked Monday if he regretted making that remark, Upshaw said: “I can’t deny that I said it. It was not meant literally. But when I’m getting constantly attacked, and people are making false statements, I’m not always a turn-the-other cheek kind of guy.”
DeLamielleure, who is a member of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund board of directors, attended Monday’s news conference and said Upshaw was falling short in his job. The gridiron assistance fund said it was helping at least a dozen players and expected to hear from many more former players in need.
“I’ve said he stunk as a union leader, and I have a right to say that,” DeLamielleure said.
Ditka, a Hall of Fame tight end and a former N.F.L. coach, is also on the Gridiron Greats board of directors and has been a critic of Upshaw’s. Ditka was also criticized by one of his former players, Dave Duerson, who played for Ditka with the Bears. Duerson said Ditka did not show the same kind of compassion for players when he was a coach, a claim that Ditka disputed.
“That’s an out-and-out lie, to say I didn’t have compassion for my players,” Ditka said. “He may not like me for some reason, but this is not about Duerson and Ditka. It’s about right and wrong. If I wasn’t part of this, nobody would be saying anything about me. I believe in fairness, and what’s happening to these guys isn’t fair.”
Ditka said he hoped Roger Goodell, the N.F.L. commissioner, would take a hard look at doing more for veteran players. Goodell said at the league’s spring meetings last month that a committee had been formed to look into the matter.
