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For 14 years, Reggie Williams was one of the NFL’s most respected players. Williams played for the Bengals from 1976 to 1989, and while he was highly regarded for his on-field abilities, he was even more respected for his off-field activities.
For his plethora of philanthropic activities, Williams was named NFL Man of the Year in 1986 and one of Sports Illustrated’s Sportsmen of the Year in 1987.
But while Williams should be one of the examples of everything that’s right about the NFL, he’s actually an example of something that’s wrong about the NFL: The way so many retired players leave the game permanently disabled.
Williams has had knee injuries so severe that he is now unable to walk without crutches. He says he has $500,000 in medical bills, and he’s been denied disability.
“Unfortunately, I’m being treated like any other player that ever played for the Bengals,” Williams tells Ryan Ernst of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Maybe the team can walk away from that, but I can’t walk, let alone walk away.”
Williams said that he has never heard a word from Bengals owner Mike Brown. Brown released a statement to the Enquirer saying, “Reggie is one of our Bengals heroes. He was a great player for us for a long time, and I consider him not only a significant part of our history, but also a personal friend.”
The NFL Players’ Association, which steadfastly insists that its sole responsibility is the welfare of active players, declined to comment to the Enquirer.
July 13th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Something needs to get done here. This is really ridiculous. Someday these guys in the league now are going to be former players too, and every time they do it they say they are looking out for future generations of players. It’s going to be quite the slap in the face when the shoes are on their feet and the other players of tomorrow are saying “well, our job is just to look out for ourselves, sorry old man.”
Such a shame. You’re like a TRILLION dollar industry NFL. FIX IT.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
July 13th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Here is what I dont understand about this story. Williams was a Vice President at Disney for the better part of decade. He made a lot of money after his career was over. Why is he suddenly a charity case?
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Rating: 1.8 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
July 13th, 2008 at 11:18 am
As much as I love the Bengals, it’s sad that we’re stuck with possibly the worst owner in the NFL. This organization has not updated the way they run their team since the 1980’s. It’s also a slap in the face with the most loyal owner in the league not doing anything for a player that helped lead his organization to two Superbowls. He says Reggie is like family, but doesn’t do anything to help. Nice.
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
July 13th, 2008 at 11:45 am
I love how the media turns these into sob stories. Somebody needs to just say it like it is. These players were irresponsible with their money and they are paying for it now.
Its a shame that football wore down his body so much, but he should have been putting money away for retirement. Especially if he also worked as a Disney exec for years after the NFL.
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Rating: 1.8 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
July 13th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I’m in the same boat sort of…after 10 years in the logging biz and 20 years of pounding out and replacing highway i need help walking too…now i’m living on pensions and what i’ve saved and built over the years…and a change of lifstyle was required also..we get by..i never once made near what the minimum salary these guys make (well lately anyhoo)in a Trillion dollar industry that they(the players) get a good chunk of up front and now they want to be taken care of for life?…good luck with all that!
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July 13th, 2008 at 11:58 am
While this is sad, I’m tired of hearing these stories. Don’t get me wrong on this. R. Williams should probably get disability. I bet Social Security would turn him down also. Why because they do not want you to collect. Its how they work. You have to fight for it with a lawyer. They believe if you can sit in a chair then you can work doing something. Again its how they work & what they get paid to do. Its a shame, but its no different for you or I. We just would not get the media coverage.
Without the full details, can R. Williams work in an office job? Just because he cannot walk, does not mean he cannot work. There are people who cannot walk that do & probably why he has been turned down.
Now, why am I tired of hearing these stories? Because, no one forced R. Williams to stay in the NFL for 14 years taking the abuse he did. That was his choice, he could have gotten out sooner like Robert Smith, but he choose to stay. I know this is a unpopular opinion, but its the truth.
Also, there are people in R. Williams age range that have never played in the NFL that have the same type problems he does so is it just his body or was it the abuse he took in the NFL?
The fact is the Bengals paid him for his services which he agreed to. I truly hate he is having trouble, but I’m not gonna sit around talking about how bad it is that they do not do something. He could have retired at age 30 & went to work in a less abuses job. He didn’t.
BTW, this is no different than someone getting hurt on a 9-5 job. No one thinks its bad that the company ignores them. Just because the NFL makes a mint load, does not mean they are more responsible to their former employee than any other company.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
July 13th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I wonder what Mr. Williams did while he was an active player to ensure that players from the preceding generations had access to disability and pension benefits.
I am unaware of any entity other than the Social Security program that I pay for that will (hopefully) be there to provide me with a pension. I purchase my own disability insurance. I fund my own pension by investing in my own 401(k). I am self-employed so there is no company matching. Every dollar that I put away for the future or for probabilities is a dollar I do not have now.
It is about personal responsibility and choices.
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July 13th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
You left out a very key part of Mike Brown’s statement. It says: “Bengals owner Mike Brown, in a statement, said a joint committee between the NFL and NFL Players Association made the decision to deny Williams disability, not the Bengals.”
So this was a decision of the NFL, not the Bengals. That is very irresponsible reporting on the part of this site IMO.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
July 13th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Reggie’s driving a Lexus. He was a Vice President at Disney and was on the city council. He is currently under health insurance. Why wouldn’t he be able to pay his bills?
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
July 13th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Greedy rich owners…much like industry in the United States….forget the worker…greed is good….workers get the shaft, while they get the gold. Sooner or later, Americans are gonna find out that Bush and the greedy loving GOP sucks!!!
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
July 13th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Kind of off topic but if the NFLPA sole responsibility is its active playrs why all the fuss about a rookie wage scale. can’t have it both ways
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July 13th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
He was a Vice President at Disney and was on the city council. He is currently under health insurance.
because it was a preexisting injury.
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July 13th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I am sorry for Reggie - going through all of this is at his age has got to be tough. But I am having a hard time feeling that this is a NFL obligation - the proximate cause of his current situation is the infection - that MAY have been caused by the metal in his filings - sounds like a good lawyer would be going after his dentist for this - whattya think Florio?
Some information is missing - who paid for the knee surgeries - yes these might be defined as pre-existing conditions - but most policies - and I would bet Disney’s have a waiting period, after which that exclusion expires.
I don’t blame Reggie for trying to get NFL disability - took his shot - but there are a TON of more clear cut cases that need to be dealt with.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
July 13th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Maybe Gene Upshaw can persuade a few of the NFL’s rookie millionaires to chip in and knock that medical bill down to nothing. They could do it by Wednesday or Thursday of this week…
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
July 13th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
While it is tragic, the reality is the man made more money yearly than the average American makes in a decade. Times that by 13 seasons and he made far more than the average American makes in their entire life. Average Americans routinely get screwed out of disability and even basic health care. Was Reggie active in his union and did he lobby intensely for former players to get their medical needs met while he was a player? His situation sucks, but so does their daily existence of millions of people that have had NO opportunities to put away large amounts of cash for the pain and suffering that life sometimes dishes out to us all. Had Reggie put away 50 grand a season for his entire career and invested it in a simple index mutual fund, he would have benefited from the huge run up in stocks during the late 80s and 90s and would have had millions to pay his bills. Most of us never had or will have such an opportunity. Sorry Reggie, you blew it.
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July 13th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I don’t see the part of the story where it says Williams can’t pay his bills, although paying $500,000 in medical bills would be tough regardless of whether Williams was responsible with his money or not. It seems to me a lot is being read into this story that just isn’t there.
As for Williams’ claim that he has not heard from Mike Brown, I find it peculiar that Brown wouldn’t have at least contacted Williams on a personal level if they are good friends, but maybe the business side of it keeps Brown from doing so?
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
July 13th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
The NFLPA has had control over players benefits, pensions, and insurance for well over 30 years.
They are the ones at fault. The UNION.
Place blame where it belongs.
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July 13th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Hey east96?
If a hazardous occupation causes workers to suffer long term health problems, don’t you think the employer, the industry and the worker all share the responsibility?
It’s not like it’s either Reggie’s responsibility OR the Leagues. And I’m sure Reggie has chipped in on a few of the health care costs already…
F2B
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July 13th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Fade2Black - Absolutely, I think all three share responsibility. But that is not the reality of life in America. I worked in a factory as a teen to help pay for college. One day, a roller from an industrial printing press we were making fell and crushed a man’s foot. Know what the owner gave him? Two weeks salary and a pink slip. 43 million people don’t even have basic health insurance, let alone disability insurance. Social Security routinely denies claims of people that are legitimately injured. Reggie had an opportunity to make sure that his future needs were taken care of. Most people don’t. Why should a NFL player get benefits for his disabilities that the American factory worker does not? The system sucks. I would love to see it change. But until it does, I’ll save my sympathy for the people that made far, far less money than Reggie did and that were crippled because of their jobs. They didn’t have a chance. Reggie did.
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July 14th, 2008 at 7:53 am
The system as a whole is to blame, not the Bengals. They get enough bad press without being dragged through this. He played for them and played well, but he has a union that is responsible for his health. If one owner gave money to one player who needed medical help, it would open the floodgates for every player with a hangnail to get theirs when they have already gotten paid.
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July 14th, 2008 at 8:15 am
This goes squarely on the active players and their lack of belif that they are in fact human and this can happen to them. Pay a little now and have a lot later. They just don’t get it.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)