In another life, John Mackey towered as an imposing force in the fight to gain higher salaries and medical benefits for his football brethren. As the first president of the NFL Players Association following the NFL-AFL merger, the Baltimore Colts tight end with a chiseled 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame took on collective-bargaining battles with the same ferocity as he did when he powered through would-be tacklers during a Hall of Fame career.
Today, Mackey, 65, does not remember his glory days, as his brain has begun to fail him, possibly as a result of all the years he plowed headfirst into opponents just so his Baltimore Colts could advance the football. But he remains at the center of the battle between players and the union, and National Football League officials and team owners. But he?s no longer the intimidating man known for dominating defenses, which he victimized for 331 catches for 5,236 yards and 38 touchdowns.
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Now, his voice has been largely silenced possibly as a result of taking blows to the head in a sport rooted in men pummeling each other for 60 minutes every week. He doesn?t have the hip, back or joint problems common among retired NFL players, who include former Colts Bruce Laird, Art Donovan and Tom Matte, but he suffers from an ailment much more debilitating: He?s losing his brain function and the abilityto complete the simplest of tasks.
He can?t care for himself, and at times does not know where he is ? all symptoms of frontotemporal dementia, a disease similar to Alzheimer?s.
Sylvia Mackey, John?s wife of 44 years, says her husband can still sign autographs and communicate, but he has trouble with his short-term memory, mistakes prescription pill bottles for vitamins and gets upset when he sees current Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison wearing his No. 88.
“When we?re watching a Colts game and they zero in on Harrison?s jersey, he?ll tell me, ?That?s not my name on that jersey,? ” Sylvia said.
John, who will have his college number retired at Syracuse on Saturday, represents one of the hundreds of former NFL players dealing with extensive medical problems. They say the injuries originated during their careers in the National Football League, a league predicated on only the strong surviving and weaker players getting discarded.
But when time expires on the game clock and men who once symbolized pillars of strength are crippled by debilitating injuries years later, the real challenge begins. They struggle to find a way to afford health care for their injuries primarily because they competed in the NFL when they earned thousands of dollars a year, not the millions players make today.
Sylvia said the changes in her husband and father of their three children began around 1998, when he seemed abnormally proud after completing simple tasks such as putting a shelf together. Then, he started signing up for dozens of sweepstakes that promised he could win millions in prize money. Sylvia said the practice bordered on obsessive when she found a logbook John kept on all the contests.
“It took a long time to realize there was something wrong with John,” Sylvia said. “There was no one incident that stood out, but his behavior changed slowly over time. I didn?t think much about it at first and even started to believe we could win.”
Once he asked her whether Raiders owner Al Davis had called to offer him a job.
“Then,” his wife said, “I knew something wasn?t right.”
As doctors diagnosed John?s condition, the Mackeys moved back to Baltimore from California because of the familiar surroundings and the fond memories he had of playing here from 1963 to 1971. In those golden years, everybody in these parts knew about John?s prowess. Somehow, Sylvia said, returning home where so many love John has eased the dementia.
“There are so many people who care about John,” Sylvia said. “We knew if we came back here and John wandered away, there would be plenty of people who would recognize him. This was really helpful at a Ravens game four years ago when John got separated from us. But I was never concerned, and an hour later, John was back home.”
Among those most concerned for John?s well-being were his former Colts teammates, many of whom began raising money to help the Mackeys three years ago. The ex-Colts discovered the plight of numerous other former players facing similar medical, financial and other hardships.
That led to a grassroots effort by former players pressuring the NFL to take care of the players who sacrificed their health and metal acuity so the NFL could become the multibillion-dollar business it is today.
The former players have had some success in their battle against the NFL, which created an alliance between the NFL and the NFL Players Association. The alliance tracks hardship cases and allocates funds to assist ex-players who need joint replacements or help paying for in-home caretakers. One of the plans, named for Mackey, bears his Colts jersey number: “The 88 Plan”.
More than 100 retirees have applied for the plan, and more than 50 have been accepted. The plan provides up to $88,000 annually for institutional care or up to $50,000 a year for in-home nursing care for NFL retirees who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer?s disease, according to NFL figures.
“Our point is that none of these improvements would have happened if a group of former Colts hadn?t begun an outcry over this issue,” said Laird, a former Colts defensive back. “This came about thanks to retired players banding together to help one of their own.”
But Laird believes much more needs to be done, especially when it comes to simplifying the league?s process to receive disability benefits. Several former players, including Laird, said the system makes it difficult for former players to receive medical assistance for injuries suffered during their playing careers.
Laird and many former players place much of the blame on NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw, who they say repeatedly ignored their pleas on behalf of retired players.
Upshaw, however, said the NFLPA has worked to improve benefits for players from all eras for years and will continue to improve medical coverage. The most recent improvements came in July, when the NFL and the union announced it established a $7 million fund to help retired players pay for joint-replacement surgeries. The biggest challenge in helping those who need it, Upshaw said, lies in identifying them. But he believes that will be fixed by a new alliance formed over the summer among the league, the union, a group of retired players and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which will assist in players? cases.
“Our players are so proud they?re so involved in what they do, they don?t want people to know the problems they face,” Upshaw said. “What we are relying on for all of our fellow players throughout the country is to identify those needs in a forum [so] we can address those needs.”
Laird countered that retired players have repeatedly sought help for retired players from Upshaw, the NFLPA and NFL for years, only to have Upshaw and the union he heads try to discredit their work. That resistance, Laird said, forced him to form a nonprofit organization, one of many groups across the country created by former players to help their football brothers.
The first event for the Baltimore Football Club Inc. is a salute to Donovan, a Hall of Fame Baltimore Colt defensive tackle, on Sept. 20 at Martin?s West. More than 1,200 people are expected to attend with the hopes of raising $100,000 for their cause.
“The Baltimore community views Art Donovan as an icon and wants to be there to salute him and help us help those who made the NFL what it is today,” Laird said. “The union said it has been helping retired players for years. If that?s true, why did it take [NFL Commissioner] Roger Goodell getting involved for all these new changes to take place?”
Sylvia is thankful for The 88 Plan, which allows her to hire a nurse to assist in John?s care, as she still works as a flight attendant. Now, the Mackeys no longer have to worry about losing all of their savings to pay for John?s expensive medical needs.
“The 88 Plan allowed us to live again,” Sylvia said. “When you have to pay $35,000 a year for someone to care for a family member, your savings will disappear really fast unless you have millions of dollars. I?ve also had other retired players? families call me from around the country to thank me and tell me they now won?t lose their house or their car, and their children and grandchildren can now go to college.
“None of this would have been possible without people like Bruce raising awareness about this issue. They fought for these players and will continue to fight for them.”
Players today don?t face the same hardships of those from past generations, but pay close attention to their struggles, especially those dealing with dementia, joint replacements and assisted-living care. The NFL is studying the impact multiple concussions have on players? long-term health and has standardized how teams identify and treat concussions. But the research has yielded no definitive findings by the NFL.
“We have to do something,” Ravens center Mike Flynn said. “Obviously, these guys with joint problems and hip problems, we know what it?s from; it?s from the game. We should try to do what we can to take care of them medically. I?ll probably have to deal with knee replacements, and I think the old guys should be given help to pay for these surgeries and other care.”
John Mackey?s career statistics
Year Team Games Catches Yards Avg. TD
1963 Baltimore 14 35 726 20.7 7
1964 Baltimore 14 22 406 18.5 2
1965 Baltimore 14 40 814 20.4 7
1966 Baltimore 14 50 829 16.6 9
1967 Baltimore 14 55 686 12.5 3
1968 Baltimore 14 45 644 14.3 5
1969 Baltimore 14 34 443 13.0 2
1970 Baltimore 14 28 435 15.5 3
1971 Baltimore 14 11 143 13.0 0
1972 San Diego 13 11 110 10.0 0
Total 139 331 5,326 15.8 38
Note: Mackey also had 19 rushes for 127 yards and returned nine kickoffs for 271 yards
