Wilbur Marshall Not Doing Well

This is tragic. I'm 9th generation Florida gator and Wilber was the first player I really loved. Sucks.

That's a real shame. I think the owners are a bunch of greedy POS, and I hope the players hold out for as long as it takes. The NFL is terrible to it's retired vets who made the league what it is today, they want players to play 18 games with no extra money, and they want an extra $1B but won't open their books to explain why. F#%k them.

You really have to wonder how long football as we know it will last. Sure the money will always be there so that alone will sustain it. But given all the nutritional/workout advancements, players are getting bigger, faster, and stronger every year. That alone is going to lead to more injuries. Couple that with all the medical advancements that are showing just how violent and damaging football can be...

But Wilbur Marshall said that anyone can go to nfl.com and look up his contract to see that the 19 year reference can be found (I haven't done it yet). The Bears are a notorious club for putting the screws to players during Wilbur's day.

Maybe the organization is better to deal with now that the MacKladcy's (sp) sold there majority ownership to the present people. I get the impression Wilbur Marshall was just too naive and nice to the Bears.

I think Wilbur Marshall was the first FA that the Skins signed. They got him for 6 MIL big ones back in the day.

he was the first free agent in the nfl, and the skins got him for two first round picks, but we also won a super bowl. atleast we used to be good at free agency.

not sure if he will win again but acording to this The Redskin Report » Blog Archive » Ex-Redskin Wilbur Marshall wins case against NFL – again (http://www.theredskinreport.com/2008/01/16/ex-redskin-wilbur-marshall-wins-case-against-nfl-again/) article from '08 he has won two other lawsuits he filed against the nfl....

When he retired, Marshall’s physical condition was bad enough that he applied for, and was given, disability by the NFL two years later. However, after he had collected disability for a while, Marshall got caught in dueling doctor’s prognosis; at certain times, doctors confirmed his disabilty, at others, they claimed he could do sedentary work. The loss of income cause Marshall to declare bankruptcy (as an aside, why is it that these well paid athletes so often have monetary troubles ten years after their career ends? Marshall made millions while playing over his 12 year career) in 2002.

Eventually, Marshall got a lawyer and sued. And for the second time, he’s emerged from the courtroom vindicated. While the NFL has lost numerous court cases, Marshall joins Los Angeles Raiders owner Al Davis as the only man who’s won two different court cases against the NFL. This time, there’s no big contract for Marshall, just a check for $72,000 plus court costs and lawyers fees…. and the satisfaction of knowing that he’s right.

It just amazes me that the NFL and Roger G. can preach all this safety stuff, yet ask these guys to play two more games when there are so many ex players that are in Marshall's shoes. Unbelievable.

^ I recently had the opportunity to visit with one of my good friends (Willie Wood) who played for the Packers during the time when teams played only a twelve game schedule. He's had to endure seemingly endless suffering for almost thirty years as a result of combined injuries sustained over the course of his career.

For years, his wife has had to help him in and out of bed as a result of both knee and hip replacement surgeries along with a host of other injuries.

We spoke briefly about the current labor dispute and the thought of an eighteen game season. He reiterated what a complete disaster he felt it would be to even be considered. He played far fewer games during his time, he's seventy five years old now with very limited disability and a body that wishes for younger days done differently.

That's a real shame. I think the owners are a bunch of greedy POS, and I hope the players hold out for as long as it takes. The NFL is terrible to it's retired vets who made the league what it is today, they want players to play 18 games with no extra money, and they want an extra $1B but won't open their books to explain why. F#%k them.

You really have to wonder how long football as we know it will last. Sure the money will always be there so that alone will sustain it. But given all the nutritional/workout advancements, players are getting bigger, faster, and stronger every year. That alone is going to lead to more injuries. Couple that with all the medical advancements that are showing just how violent and damaging football can be... Well said Scud ,the owners are not that brite at times , as adding two more games would likely lead to many careers ending much earlier . Very sad .

This is a league that is not kind to players esp in the long term. It is very sad to see guys like Marshall who helped elevate this league to another level have these struggles.Marshall was a stud! These guys are horses in the NFL's stable, they get used and then sent out to pasture, sometimes a not so good one. I remember reading once that pro football players live six years less than the average person.

he was the first free agent in the nfl, and the skins got him for two first round picks, but we also won a super bowl. atleast we used to be good at free agency.

not sure if he will win again but acording to this The Redskin Report » Blog Archive » Ex-Redskin Wilbur Marshall wins case against NFL – again (http://www.theredskinreport.com/2008/01/16/ex-redskin-wilbur-marshall-wins-case-against-nfl-again/) article from '08 he has won two other lawsuits he filed against the nfl....


I believe that John Riggins - - not Wilbur Marshall - - was the first free agent that the Skins ever got during a narrow window of free agency back in time.

I will be happy to stand corrected by any of the historians of the NFL here if I am mistaken.

In the spring of 1988, Marshall became the first NFL free agent in eleven years to sign with another team, agreeing to a five year/six million dollar contract offer to play for the Washington Redskins, the team that had eliminated the Bears from the NFL playoffs in each of the previous two seasons.[8] When the Bears declined to match the offer, the Redskins had to give them their two first-round draft picks in the next two NFL Drafts as compensation.

Wilber Marshall - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilber_Marshall)

In 1976, Riggins signed as a free agent with the Washington Redskins, who offered him a four-year, $1.5 million contract, compared to the $75,000 he earned in his final year with the Jets.

John Riggins - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Riggins)