Dear Swami, Now that Mike Ditka has canceled his old charity trust and given all the money to charities, don’t you owe him an apology for piling on? Or are you against helpimg old time players who have been abandoned by the NFL? Signed - Irked in Ypsilanti
Dear Irked,
Swami wants nothing more than the fading, broken old pros that have been cast aside by the NFL to get fair compensation. After all, the Swam is a broken down old pro himself.
The way current Players Association and their flaks treat old players is shameful.
And Swami is even happy that Da Coach has shifted course on his trust fund and given it all to other charity groups.
But let’s not get carried away. Ditka’s trust fund was horribly lopsided toward administrative costs and barely 10 percent of its $1.3 million raised went to anyone who looked like an old player. It was all tied up in greens fees at posh golf courses and fat shrimp lunches at the club house.
And would he have dumped the whole mess had USA Today not done an analysis and embarrassed him in print? Don’t think so.
So, Swami gives Ditka his due for good intentions at his core and notes the real villains in the current conflict are the scallywags running the NFL and its Players Association henchmen these days. The greed drips from them.
But Ditka should have known better. He should have paid attention. He should have worked at this harder to make sure he wasn’t vulnerable to attack.
Ditka said Tuesday the fund's balance of more than $600,000 would be divided equally between Misericordia, a residential facility for developmentally disabled youth, and Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, another fund that helps former professional football players in need.
Leave a comment