What about Bob? Glauber's NFL Blog

There's a nasty fight brewing between Mike Ditka and other high-profile former players, including Bills Hall of Fame offensive lineman Joe DeLamielleure, against the NFL Players Association for what they believe is the union's unwillingness to help retired players struggling with medical and financial issues.

Ditka and DeLamielleure yesterday introduced former Jaguars and Bengals offensive lineman Brian DeMarco as an example of the NFLPA dropping the ball on medical coverage for its former players. DeMarco, 35, said he and his family have been homeless three times since retiring in 2000 with back and elbow problems.

"My right leg is completely numb. I have extreme nerve pain in my arms," DeMarco said in an article in the Chicago Tribune. "I have lost my grip ... my ability to hold my kids."

But the union countered later in the evening, telling ESPN's Chris Mortensen that they have indeed offered assistance to DeMarco, and that DeMarco himself has failed to fill out disability forms and show up for jobs lined up by former colleagues.

The fighting needs to stop, because no one wins in this thing. Ditka and DeLamielleure are admirable in trying to push the issue to the forefront, but lashing out at the union and accusing them of ignoring the plight of former players is simply ill-informed. Can the union do more? Yes it can, and it is currently working with the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell to increase benefits for the players who built this game into the great spectacle it has become.

And NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw isn't making any friends by threatening to "break DeLamielleure's neck" because of criticism leveled by the former Bills guard at the union leader.

The rhetoric needs to be toned down, because former players need help. And they've needed help for a long time.

I did a four-part series on life after football several years ago, and it was as clear then as it is now that it is a massively difficult adjustment to go from playing in the NFL to living a normal life in society. Many players are physically and mentally scarred after leaving the game, and it is all they can do to get by. Others walk away with their health intact and their financial lives in order, and with today's salaries and improved medical care, we can expect to see more players make a better transition.

In the meantime, the message coming from Ditka's group and Upshaw's union should be more about uniting to solve the problem. Enough with the name-calling.