He Said, He Said: DeMaurice Smith And George Martin Disagree About Letter Detailing Legacy Fund

On Monday of this week we published an interview with NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith. Smith has publicly stated his support for retired players and has taken an approach that, on the surface, is the opposite to that of former NFLPA Executive Director, the late Gene Upshaw, who infamously claimed that he worked for current players -- and not retired players.

In our conversation, Smith told me he had sent a letter to the NFL Alumni Association requesting support for his idea of a Legacy Fund as well as four other requests.

The NFL Alumni Association is a non-profit group composed primarily of retired players who advocate for key issues affecting retired players. The group is tied to the owners side of things but, as a spokesperson for the group told me Wednesday evening, “[NFL Alumni president] George Martin is for whatever helps retired players.”

The letter, according to a union source, was sent Nov. 10, 2009, and a followup letter was sent on Jan. 29, 2010, requesting confirmation that the original letter had been received.

Both went unanswered, according to the NFLPA.

A spokesman for the NFL Alumni Association said Wednesday evening that the group never received the letter. “We keep hearing about this letter, but we’ve never seen it,” the spokesman said.

The letter outlined five specific requests the NFLPA had for the NFL Alumni Association. One of the requests was for support of a Legacy Fund, which Smith detailed in our interview.

Smith tells us the letter requesting support for the Legacy Fund went unanswered. “George Martin hasn’t responded to the letter in over a year,” Smith told us. “No communication about the letter. Plenty of people want to meet and talk but the proof is in actions.”

In a statement posted on the NFL Alumni website, president George Martin said it was “preposterous” that Smith said they had no communication. “I have constantly called, emailed, sent letters and text messages to Mr. Smith requesting a meeting,” Martin wrote. “To this day, Mr. Smith ignores my requests.”

Ultimately, this appears to be a case of he-said, he-said but SB Nation has acquired documents indicating that the letter was indeed sent. Whether it arrived in the appropriate party’s hands is up for debate.

Meanwhile, there’s more conflicting information coming from each side.

In the letter Smith says he sent there is this request (emphasis added): “Will the NFL Alumni Association support Congresswoman Linda Sanchez’s call for the creation of a Legacy Fund, financed separately from the CBA?”

The NFL Alumni tells us that the owners offered a deal to the union to increase pensions for retired players but Smith countered with an offer that would tie any increase to the pension to an extension of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

“The NFL Alumni is sick of new funds and the red tape that comes with it,” Martin said.

It seems that one quick solution would be to provide the NFL Alumni Association with the letter about the Legacy Fund. We have a feeling that may happen soon.