Mike Ditka (Ditka)

[methomps]

ESPN - Ditka giving portion of donations to Gridiron Greats fund - NFL

MINNEAPOLIS -- Mike Ditka said Tuesday he would dissolve his Hall of Fame Assistance Trust Fund in the wake of a report that the charity had given only a small amount of money to needy former NFL players.

USA Today reported last week that Ditka's fund had collected $1.3 million since it was formed in 2004, but netted only about $315,000 after expenses and distributed just $57,000 to former players.

Ditka disputed part of the report, saying the trust has actually given away $159,000.

He said the fund's balance of more than $600,000 would be divided equally between Misericordia, a residential facility for developmentally disabled youth, and Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, another fund that helps former professional football players in need.

So you go before Congress and hold press conferences saying how the NFL pension plan isn't paying out enough money fast enough, how they're squandering lots of money on operating costs, and what is your excuse now?

"The problem is finding (needy) guys and getting them to fill out the (application) form," Ditka said in an interview. "Some of these guys are scared of forms. There could be pride involved, too."

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Asshole.

The trust paid more in fees to induce former stars to appear at a 2005 fundraiser than it gave needy ex-players in its first three years.

The charity has spent $715,000, the bulk of the money it raised, to put on three annual golf tournaments, records show. That figure includes payments of about $280,000 to a Chicago firm that organized the tournaments and at least $65,000 in honoraria to ex-stars. The tax filing doesn't list the stars who received fees.
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The charity, recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization, gave nothing to players during its first two years. It aided 10 ex-players in 2006.

 

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