Former NFL player Gary Knafelc says NFL wants retired players to die off

Published Sunday, Jun 30, 2013 at 12:17 pm EDT
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Former Green Bay Packers tight end Gary Knafelc said what everyone has probably been thinking.

According John Maino of NBC 26 in Green Bay, Wisc., Knafelc said he believes the NFL players of yesteryear are not getting medical help from the NFL because the league is hoping players keep passing away at a rapid rate.

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The 81-year old Knafelc had a 10-year NFL career followed by a successful business career. Now, he helps former players who are struggling physically.

Knafelc said he and other NFL alums have asked the NFL and Players Association for help. While the response and action have been disappointing, Knafelc said the NFLPA needs to step in.

"The NFL Players Association has to step up and protect us, and they don't do that," he explained. "All they care about is the current players and the guys that played after 1970. The ones that played prior to that, they've kind of just forgotten entirely."

According to Knafelc, the Players Association has resorted to one answer to the requests: How do we know you did that playing football?

"They say it happened too long ago. They don't have enough records to justify helping you out at that time. In fact, they even come to the point of , 'How do we even know that injury was something you did playing football? It was not something you did later on?'"

While he and others are feeling the effects of injuries suffered playing football years ago, Knafelc said he would do it all over again.

"As dumb as I am, I would do it again for the same money if I could."