Gale Sayers and Mike Ditka want help for former players

Yesterday at an event hosted by the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, Bears Hall Of Famers Gale Sayers and Mike Ditka let their feeling be known about some issues surrounding the current labor strife in the NFL.  Sayers flat out demanded some aid be given to retired players when the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is finalized and Coach Ditka had opinions on the lockout as well.

Sayers has a bit of a reputation of being a cantankerous, old school, 'you kids get off my lawn!' type of guy, but his straight to the point message needed to be said.  From NFL.com:

"Some players of today's game think that they made the game what it is today. I beg to differ," Sayers said Friday night. "The players who are playing today are standing on the shoulders of those who made the game what it is that played the game for peanuts.

"If today's players cannot help these players, shame on you."

Agreed, shame on them.

Ditka is looking for both side to show a willingness to get to the bargaining table, and to scrap the court proceedings.  From the same article:

"You can't let egos get in the way of negotiation," Ditka said. "You have to give to take."

"You can't figure out a way to $9 million? It's kind of goofy. The American public can't feel sorry for either side because they can't relate."

Nice, Da Coach called them goofy!

It's not like a solid pension plan isn't in place.  Ditka thinks mirroring the pension plan Major League Baseball has is the way for the NFL to go.  Getting help for the guys that paved the way for the league is something just as important as the other issues on the table.