What we offer for Players
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What we offer Players??The Football Greats Alliance offers our retired NFL players the opportunity to collaborate with best-in-class licensees, partners and sponsors post career. These opportunities will have a direct financial benefit to the player involved, and more importantly, will provide revenue for the Greater Good Fund, which will benefit the health and welfare of all retired NFL players.
Q: How was the Football Greats Alliance established?A: The FGA was created as a result of the Dryer settlement on image and likeness between the NFL and retired players. The settlement established two entities controlled exclusively by the Board of Directors:
- A licensing agency to create, develop and manage new revenue streams through the commercialization of the group rights of retired NFL players’ names, likenesses, autographs and images.
- A Greater Good Fund (GGF) that will support health and welfare programs for retired NFL players.
A: The Greater Good Fund’s first benefit is the PFRPA Dental Plan, which is administered by MetLife.
Please visit the Greater Good Fund page for more information on benefits.
Q: How will the Football Greats Alliance serve players' interests?A: The FGA will provide one-stop shopping for licensees and sponsors wanting to collaborate with former retired NFL football players. FGA will provide payments to members whose rights are licensed and services are performed, and a portion of revenue from FGA partnerships will go toward the Greater Good Fund, which has been established to help support health and welfare programs for retired NFL players.
Q: What rights are included with the group publicity model for the FGA?A: The FGA has the ability to enact NFL licensing and sponsorship deals utilizing group publicity rights of PFRPA members, by which NFL sponsors will be able to leverage NFL Films game footage featuring 6 or more class members for commercial/activation purposes, and NFL licensees will be able to leverage player identity elements (name, number, likeness, autograph, etc.) of at least 50 class members for consumer product purposes.
The FGA will be responsible for ideating campaigns that leverage key NFL anniversaries and marketing initiatives, product approvals, contracting, collecting royalty reports and managing licensees, sponsors and key constituents to drive the power of the group rights model. In aggregate, this collective model will generate more revenue and service opportunities for retired NFL players than ever before.
We believe there is strength in numbers and representation through FGA provides the most effective way of leveraging those rights.
Q: How/When will the FGA pay me for programs I am involved in??The FGA requires a W9 + address/bank information to furnish payment for all programs. Please ensure you fill out the W9 on this page and send back to ContactFGA@img.com along with your most up-to-date contact information and preferred method of payment.
The FGA furnishes players their net royalty proceeds on a bi-annual basis, 45 days after the end of the subsequent quarter. The FGA couples royalties from Q2/Q3 in one payment, and Q4/Q1 in the other for the most efficient processing and to align payments around NFL Tentpole events for larger payments and to account for all returns, discounts, allowances and more.
Q: How will I benefit from the Class Action Settlement and the Greater Good Fund?A: The NFL will payout $50M to the Greater Good Fund over the next eight years to benefit health and wellness programs, medical research, screenings and evaluations, short & long-term housing and career transition programs. In addition to the NFL Settlement, 25% of all net group licensing proceeds will go to the Greater Good Fund, along with a percentage of all individual programs.
The payout is specifically earmarked for the development of programs that benefit all PFRPA members, where former players will have a direct financial benefit is for deals they are involved with in sponsorship, licensing, content, hospitality, etc.
Public Notice: Greater Good Fund Financial Statements available upon request.
Q: Who is managing the FGA?A: Pro Football Retired Players Association has brought on WME|IMG to establish an independent agency, now known as the Football Greats Alliance. The FGA will create, develop and manage new revenue streams through the strategic development of retired player rights.
The FGA will provide sponsors and licensees access to marketing rights of more than 20,000 retired NFL players on a group basis – including names, numbers, likenesses, and images. The FGA is now a one-stop shop for marketing rights contracting, approvals and administration.
Q: What is the mission of the FGA?A: The FGA exists to solidify and preserve the legacy of former NFL Players. There is overwhelming goodwill towards former players, and the FGA will capitalize on opportunities to leverage these rights spanning across key NFL pillars including consumer products, promotional sponsorships, media rights, experiential marketing and corporate hospitality.
- The FGA has executed agreements with several interested parties seeking to utilize our group publicity rights to support their business objectives. These include consumer product manufacturers (e.g., Nike, New Era, Mitchell & Ness, etc.), corporate sponsors (e.g., Anheuser-Busch, VISA, FedEx), and various strategic partners (e.g., Fanatics, DirecTV). These opportunities will create new revenue streams from which we, as players, and the Greater Good Fund will benefit.
A: The NFL will support the FGA by providing access to NFL Sponsors, club marketing meetings and hospitality spaces for events including the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl. The NFL is underway on projects to sell retired players’ jerseys online in tandem with nflshop.com licensees, and to cross-promote the FGA on NFL digital platforms.
Q: Are the retired players still able to license their individual publicity rights themselves?A: Absolutely. The licensing agency will license group publicity rights and seeks to be an additive benefit to the programs that players and their respective agents have developed. Our goal is to find the white space and enact more programs in aggregate to what has been offered historically for retired players.
For individual player identity elements, the FGA will bring forward service opportunities to players and their agents for commercial/sponsorship endorsements, experiential marketing and corporate hospitality appearances, golf outings, and much more.
Board Members
Darrell Thompson
Darrell Thompson played five seasons as a running back for the Green Bay Packers. Thompson was the team’s first round draft choice in 1990, after a stellar career at the University of Minnesota.
Jim Brown
Perhaps the greatest player in the history of the game, Jim Brown was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971, following a stellar career with the Cleveland Browns. He retired as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, and was an All-Pro in eight of his nine seasons. Brown has also made his mark as an actor and activist, and is a long-time supporter of players’ rights. Jim was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All Time Team as one of only 12 total Running Backs selected.
Mike Haynes
Mike Haynes is a thought leader, educator and legendary Hall of Fame defensive back for the New England Patriots (1976-82) and Los Angeles Raiders (1983-89). Over the course of his career, Mike was selected to nine Pro Bowls during his 14-year NFL career and earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the 1983 Raiders. Haynes is widely recognized as one of the NFL’s greatest defensive backs. He is currently a member of Hall of Fame Advisory Committee, a Board member of Pro Football Retired Players Association, and an NFL Transition Coach. Additionally, Mike is a spokesperson for the Knowyourstats.org campaign, an initiative between the NFL and Urology Care Foundation, to raise awareness about prostate cancer and encourage men to know their prostate cancer risk. Mike was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All Time Team as one of only 7 total Corner Backs selected.
Mike Singletary
A leader on the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears defense, perhaps the most dominant defense in NFL History, Mike Singletary played for 12 seasons as a linebacker for the Bears. As a ten-time Pro-Bowler, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and three-time NFC Player of the Year, Singletary was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. Post-retirement, Mike became the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and has had multiple assistant coaching positions around the NFL.
Ron Mix
Ron Mix played 11 seasons as an offensive tackle, spending nearly his entire career with the San Diego Chargers. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979. He earned his law degree from the University of San Diego while playing. His law practice focused on representing retired professional athletes in claims for workers’ compensation benefits arising from their playing careers. He no longer practices law, his firm now run by his son, Charles Mix, continuing the same practice under the name All Sports Law.
Jackie Slater
Jackie Slater played offensive line for 20 seasons in the NFL, all with the Rams. The seven-time Pro Bowler won the Bart Starr Man of the Year Award in 1995 and had his number 78 retired by the Rams franchise. After his football career ended, he has been working as a college and professional offensive line coach.
Dave Robinson
Dave Robinson played for 12 years in the NFL, and was a member of three title teams with the Green Bay Packers, including Super Bowls I and II. A linebacker, Robinson was the 1967 Pro Bowl MVP, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.
Jack Youngblood
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001, Jack Youngblood spent 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. A five-time All-Pro as a defensive end, Youngblood missed just one game in his career and compiled 151.5 career sacks. Since his retirement, he has been very active in supporting retired NFL player initiatives.
Billy Joe DuPree
A standout tight end, Billy Joe DuPree spent his entire 11-year career with the Dallas Cowboys. DuPree played in three Super Bowls, and had a game-high 66 receiving yards as the Cowboys defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII. He was also chosen for three consecutive Pro Bowls.