Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition

Dickerson: Boycott of Hall on the table

-

A group of Pro Football Hall of Famers led by Eric Dickerson is demanding health insurance coverage and a share of NFL revenues or else those former players will boycott the induction ceremonies.

In a letter sent to NFL Commission­er Roger Goodell, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and Hall of Fame President David Baker — and obtained by The Associated Press — 21 Hall of Fame members cited themselves as “integral to the creation of the modern NFL, which in 2017 generated $14 billion in revenue.”

Among the signees were Dickerson, who is listed as chairman of the newly created Hall of Fame Board the group has formed, Jim Brown, Joe Namath, Lawrence Taylor, and Sarah White, the widow of Reggie White.

“The time has come for us to be treated as part of a game we’ve given so much to,” the letter states. “Until our demands are met, the Hall of Famers will not attend the annual induction ceremony in Canton.”

The strongly worded letter called out the league for paying Goodell $40 million, saying “there are better uses for that money.”

Kurt Warner, whose name is on the letter, released a statement on Twitter that said he wasn’t made aware of the letter and his name was mistakenly put on it. He said he supports the efforts for better benefits for all retired players but doesn’t believe in boycotting the Hall of Fame.

New kicker for Vikings:

The Vikings signed kicker Dan Bailey, owner of the second-best field goal percentage in NFL history, to replace rookie Daniel Carlson.

The Vikings waived Carlson after his 0-for-3 game at Green Bay. The fifth-round draft pick from Auburn missed field goals of 48, 49 and 35 yards, with the last two failed tries coming in overtime of a 29-29 tie with the rival Packers.

Bailey has made 186 of 211 field-goal attempts, an accuracy greater than 88 percent that trails only the Ravens’ Justin Tucker.

Extra points: Chargers DT Corey Liuget has sued the trainer he says is responsibl­e for his four-game suspension for using a performanc­e-enhancing substance. Liuget filed suit against Ian Danney and his Arizona-based business in Los Angeles, asking for a jury trial and no less than $15 million in damages. Liuget says in the suit that Danney injected him with a substance banned by the FDA and the NFL . ... The Lions waived OL Jamil Demby and released S Marcus Cromartie. Cromartie injured his hip during the team’s final preseason game . ... The mother of LeSean McCoy’s young son said in a court filing that she agreed to defend the Bills running back against an allegation that he abused the boy even though she said she knew the accusation was true. Stephanie Maisonet said she reluctantl­y agreed to the deal in exchange for McCoy offering to drop a custody case and allowing her to enroll their 6-year-old son in a school in Miami. McCoy responded by calling the allegation­s “provably false, outrageous­ly inaccurate and offensive” on Twitter.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States