This article is Part Two of an earlier article on retired Oakland Raiders. It was published in June 2009.
I believe that the re-publication of this article may help to raise the level of awareness of an issue that is a silent crisis in the NFL, and particularly with some of the senior Oakland Raiders.
Article - revisited
One sports writer who knows many retired NFL players and who I have admired for more than 30 years, bluntly indicated that he is older now. He says he cannot take on any new projects. He is dealing with his reality of getting older.
He is 76 years old. Over the years, I have gained a deeper understanding of some issues in the NFL, politics, and life because of his articles. I take time to thank him, through emails. I want him to know that his work is valued.
Another retired NFL player was wandering through the streets of a small town, and I heard about him. He was depressed and appeared to be unhappy. He would walk for hours, looking down, picking up cans, collecting them, placing them in a large black garbage bag, and them selling the cans at a recycling center.
It broke my heart to see this great man in a situation which I did not understand.
I decided to see if I could get through to him. I remembered the words of a professor who was a minister. The professor would say, "Each one, teach one."
I selected the NFL player that I wanted to re-connect with to jar him back to a level of functionality, if possible. I invited my son to join me, and we traveled twice a month to see the retired NFL player.
Our little mission lasted about 18 months.
Here are a few things we did to encourage the retired player to urge him to get off the streets:
1. We told him we would bring him cans every week to help him.&nbs...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
