Football group aims to give voice to ex-players

Wednesday, May 31, 2006 | 7:24 a.m.

Former National Football League players Roger Craig and Eric Wright were quick to join ex-UNLV quarterback Steve White's American Football Alumni Inc. (AFA) venture in Henderson.

The fact that it offers a wide range of benefits to anyone who played or coached the game, at all levels, appealed to the players, who won a combined seven Super Bowl championships with the San Francisco 49ers.

That two guys who played the game at its highest level for such a long time seek - and require - the services of the new company says plenty about the NFL's pension system.

"Are you crazy? The NFL pension is the worst ever," Wright said. "It sucks. It's the worst in all sports. It's horrible. You can't make a living on our pension if you haven't made a lot of money and put it away in investments."

Craig didn't hesitate, either, in assessing how the NFL takes care of its former players.

"It's a wake-up call for the entire league," he said. "It's the worst pension plan on the planet. The pension plan for the software company I work for makes the NFL look really bad."

What started as a vehicle to reunite former high school, junior college and college teammates and coaches via a free Web site has blossomed into an organization that aims to benefit football in many ways.

Former University of Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer, former Colorado coach Bill McCartney, Texas coach Mack Brown and former NFLer Billy Sims - like Craig and Wright - are all AFA board members.

J.C. Watts, who played quarterback at Oklahoma and served four terms in the U.S. Congress, is also on the board. None is paid for his services.

"We have a whole program, and we'll go to high schools, Pop Warner, whatever, saying we want to help you, (to) support your program," White said. "We don't have an agenda. Our agenda is, we love football.

"There's no group coming from that point of view."

White first proposed the AFA idea to Matt Totty, who was analyzing hedge-fund systems on Wall Street, about 18 months ago. Totty liked it, developed a business plan with White and moved to Las Vegas last summer.

The AFA Web site launched last month.

Totty, president of AFA's parent company Sports Alumni Inc., is in final negotiations with an insurance company to offer AFA members comprehensive dental and health benefits. He said the reception has been unanimous.

"They all feel the same way, that there isn't an organization that truly represents the players," Totty, 37, said. "The (NFL Players Association) ... is a very small organization, as far as who they take care of and look out for.

"There are 3 million ex-players and coaches in the country. There are 15,000 ex-NFL players. We can make an impact."

White, 45, moved to Las Vegas from Florida, where he was a marketing and business consultant, to start AFA.

He had an inauspicious career as a Rebel. He injured both Achilles' tendons in junior college, but coach Harvey Hyde gave him the starting nod in the 1982 opener. Brigham Young beat UNLV, 27-0.

Then Hyde turned to Randall Cunningham, and White left for Eastern Washington. He played a couple of seasons in Canada, but his link with Las Vegas remained strong.

"I love Las Vegas," he said. "It's kind of like home, and we felt like it would be a great place to bring meetings and conventions with this deal. It's an exciting town, and everyone loves to come here."

Totty and White are disturbed that junior college football has disappeared from the sports landscape in the Northwest, which once produced many skilled quarterbacks and wide receivers.

"They've completely shut down," Totty said, "and you haven't heard one word of it."

Through lobbying by AFA board members such as Watts who have connections in Washington and a host of fundraising plans, AFA hopes to address those issues.

"There was nobody who stood up and said, 'Wait, JC football is great for your community and great for young athletes who don't have a place to go,' " White said.

Totty and White plan to confront the NCAA on a variety of issues and rules.

"Currently, if (an athlete's) mother is dying from cancer, the school cannot send him or her home until she dies," Totty said. "That's really silly. There are rules out there that need to be addressed. The athletes have no union or voice."

They do now, and they'll be heard from Henderson.