Ditka, Sayers testify in front of Congress
Under fire from injured retirees who say they were denied sufficient benefits, the head of the National Football League Players Association asked Congress on Tuesday for greater authority to approve disability claims.
Gene Upshaw, director of the players association, said the union currently is limited in what it can do for the scores of former players who are battered and broken from years of playing the violent sport.
At the same time, Upshaw and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said league pensions are improving.
"We have made great progress, and we are not finished," Upshaw told a Senate committee. "Congress can help."
Former Bears players Mike Ditka and Gale Sayers also testified Tuesday.
It is the first time the union has asked Congress for help with the problem, which was the subject of a House hearing earlier this year.
Retired players have been openly critical of the NFL and the players' union over the amount of money that older retirees get from a $1.1 billion fund set aside for disability and pensions.
Goodell defended the system, saying the NFL is boosting benefits when many companies around the country are reducing them. But he acknowledged that there have to be ways to improve.
Several former players testified -- sometimes tearfully -- about the injuries they now live with. Witnesses included Garrett Webster, son of the late Mike Webster, the Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers' center who suffered from mental illness that was widely attributed to head injuries.
"I would give my life to never see another family end up like mine," Webster said.
Ditka, a Hall of Fame coach and tight end for the Bears, argued that the older players who built the league should be treated better.
"Don't make proud men beg," he said. "Just let them live out their lives with a little bit of respect."
Everett nears next rehab step: Kevin Everett could be transferred to a Houston hospital by this weekend to begin the next phase of the Buffalo Bills tight end's rehabilitation, a person close to the family told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of Everett's status, said doctors still are making arrangements to determine which hospital would best suit Everett. He sustained a life-threatening spinal-cord injury Sept. 9 while making a tackle.
Falcons sign Leftwich: The Atlanta Falcons signed former Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich, giving the team immediate depth and a potential contender for the starting job.
Tougher for black QBs? Philadelphia Eagles star Donovan McNabb says black quarterbacks face greater scrutiny than their white counterparts.
In an interview on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," McNabb said black quarterbacks "have to do a little bit extra" because there are relatively few of them, adding "people didn't want us to play this position."
Extra points: Jordan Babineaux signed a five-year extension with Seattle, opting not to test free agency in the off-season. Babineaux, nicknamed "Big Play Babs" by his teammates, could have become an unrestricted free agent after the 2007 season, but will now remain in a Seahawks uniform through the 2012 season. … The New York Jets placed Pro Bowl kick returner-cornerback Justin Miller on injured reserve because of a knee injury.