Wilbur Marshall

BearSkins · Post by **BearSkins** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:21 pm

Apologies if this is old news to some of you. A fairly lengthy read but an eye-opener.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/cs-070127bearsfeech,1,1681248.story?coll=chi-sportstop-hed

Skinsfan55 · Post by **Skinsfan55** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:00 pm

I only read the first page... but I just don't understand it...

It seems like Marshal is not taking responsibility for his own actions... he's just blaming everyone.

The NFL doesn't take care of its players... yet he's drawing pay from the disability fund? What does he logically expect them to do?

If he had taken better care of his body, and his money while he was a player he'd be doing a lot better... but he didn't... so now he's blaming everyone else.

BearSkins · Post by **BearSkins** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:19 pm

But how much of that is down to not taking care of himself and being allowed to be cajoled into 'playing through the pain' as so many are?

Also, found this quite interesting:

The Wall Street Journal reported in a story in December of '05 that only 90 of the more than 7,000 former pro players covered by the NFL disability plan receive football disability benefits

Seems like a crazily small number.

Skinsfan55 · Post by **Skinsfan55** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:37 pm

BearSkins wrote:But how much of that is down to not taking care of himself and being allowed to be cajoled into 'playing through the pain' as so many are?

Also, found this quite interesting:

The Wall Street Journal reported in a story in December of '05 that only 90 of the more than 7,000 former pro players covered by the NFL disability plan receive football disability benefits

Seems like a crazily small number.

I mean, no doubt he was pressured to play through the pain... but he made those choices pressured or not.

Also, even if that number is 100% accurate I would have to assume that certain players who have taken good care of their money, and their bodies leave that pool alone for the players who REALLY need it. Either that, or they are just too proud to accept something they consider to be charity.

Deadskins · Post by **Deadskins** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 1:02 pm

Skinsfan55 wrote:I only read the first page... but I just don't understand it...

It seems like Marshal is not taking responsibility for his own actions... he's just blaming everyone.

The NFL doesn't take care of its players... yet he's drawing pay from the disability fund? What does he logically expect them to do?

If he had taken better care of his body, and his money while he was a player he'd be doing a lot better... but he didn't... so now he's blaming everyone else.

Maybe you should read the whole article before making such sweeping statements.

fredp45 · Post by **fredp45** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 11:37 pm

I remember when we got him...a guy I work with who lives in Chicago told me -- you are getting one stud of a player. He was a great player for the Bears, under Buddy Ryan. He was a good player for us but never really played at the same level as he did for them. However, he was a great athlete and a great addition to our team. We didn't trade anything for him so I'd guess it was very early in Free agency when we stole him away from them. I really don't remember if he was hurt a lot or not...guess he was, according to this article. What a shame...

I want to know -- how do the Bears find such great LBs all the time? Their linebackers have been who's who in the NFL.

Skinsfan55 · Post by **Skinsfan55** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:01 am

JSPB22 wrote:
Skinsfan55 wrote:I only read the first page... but I just don't understand it...

It seems like Marshal is not taking responsibility for his own actions... he's just blaming everyone.

The NFL doesn't take care of its players... yet he's drawing pay from the disability fund? What does he logically expect them to do?

If he had taken better care of his body, and his money while he was a player he'd be doing a lot better... but he didn't... so now he's blaming everyone else.

Maybe you should read the whole article before making such sweeping statements.

Do the last few pages take back statments made on the first page?

1niksder · Post by **1niksder** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:05 am

Skinsfan55 wrote:Do the last few pages take back statments made on the first page?

Had you read the last few pages you wouldn't have to ask this question.

Skinsfan55 · Post by **Skinsfan55** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 1:38 am

1niksder wrote:
Skinsfan55 wrote:Do the last few pages take back statments made on the first page?

Had you read the last few pages you wouldn't have to ask this question.

Touche'

tcwest10 · Post by **tcwest10** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:57 am

Wilber Marshall??
This guy is one of the worst memories I have of the team. Not that he wasn't a good player or anything (he absolutely destroyed Erik Kramer in that NFC Championship blowout), but when Buddy came back to the league, Marshall went bananas trying to get off the team to rejoin his old coordinator...to the point that he was threatening to sit out. He pulled the first Champ Bailey manuever on us that I know of. Wound up following old Buddy to Houston (when they were still the Oilers...remember the "swing" Buddy took at Gilbride? ROTFALMAO

) and then on to Arizona, where players and coaches go to die...
Anyway, I read where somebody a couple posts back wrote about how WM shouldn't complain because he didn't take care of himself and his money. I don't know about his diet and all that, but I didn't see anything in the article that suggests that Marshall has not taken care of his money. In fact, it reads like he's done a pretty good job of it...and that he'll fight the good fight until the end because he has the funds to do so.
Sometimes I think some of us post just to see our name on the screen. My 2 cents