Former Chicago Bears Coach Mike Ditka was at the Gridiron Greats Michigan Chapter’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday evening in Novi, Michigan.
↵Ditka wasn’t there just to honor new inductees Herman Moore, Desmond Howard and others. Da Coach, who was also joined by former Bears great Gale Sayers, attended the event to continue to raise awareness of the need to provide financial and medical help to former NFL players.
↵Although the NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry today, this hasn’t always been the case. “I made $12,000 my first year. You figure it out. Some of them didn’t end up in a good situation. Some of them took their pensions early,” said Ditka, as quoted in the Detroit Free Press.
↵Former Michigan great and new inductee Desmond Howard said retired NFL players need "better pay, better benefits, and definitely better health coverage because all the reports now coming out from the long-term effects of things like concussions lets you know we need better health coverage."