*Former St. Louis Rams running back Eric Dickerson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999 but now he believes Hall of Famers should skip this year’s induction ceremony because of how the league (mis)treats of retired players.
Dickerson told WFNZ Radio in Charlotte the NFL treats former players “like an outcast.”
Last September, he fired off a letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, and Hall of Fame president David Baker demanding lifetime health insurance, an annual salary for Hall of Famers, and a share of league revenue, per MSN.com.
“Until our demands are met,” the letter explained, “the Hall of Famers will not attend the annual induction ceremony in Canton.”
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Now, the boycott could actually go down, as Dickerson revealed to WFNZ that some legendary Hall of Famers may skip this year’s induction festivities.
“A lot of guys have talked about it, but you know we [may] try to start doing something about it,” Dickerson said. “A lot of us not going to the Hall of Fame this year. If you’ve got a guy who played [and] his name is John Thompson, you know, who is he? But you’ve got the guys with the names, and you have to have awareness. And I think that’s what it comes down to. No one is aware of how badly the players are treated and done. And I think when people think football, they think automatically, ‘He’s a rich guy. He’s rich.’ And guys aren’t rich. Some of the guys are making real money, but in our era, the base salary was $40,000.”
Dickerson said he has had serious discussions about boycotting the Hall of Fame ceremonies with other players.
“I think it starts [with] guys like myself, guys with names,” Dickerson said. “You know, the Joe Montanas, the Marcus Allens, the Richard Dents, the Lawrence Taylors.”
Six former NFL players, late Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, and longtime league executive and media member Gil Brandt will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 3 in Canton, Ohio, per UPI.com.
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