Summary
Former NFL players have access to a variety of resources—often for free—to help with medical, emotional, financial, social and community issues.
The Whole Person
The Player Care Foundation (PCF) was formed in 2007 when the NFL, the NFL Alumni Association and the Pro Football Hall of Fame teamed up to provide resources for former players.
The PCF works to better serve former players by addressing medical, emotional, financial, social and community issues.
Special Medical Care for Former Football Players
The PCF and the Tulane University School of Medicine will continue offering free screenings. These will be open to all former NFL players and will include a series of private and confidential cardiovascular and prostate screenings as well as mental health resources.
More than 3,500 former players have taken part in these screenings since 2007.
They're often scheduled around Super Bowl and Hall of Fame weekends.
Saving Lives
"We see the Healthy Body and Screening program as an important part of our support role," says Belinda Lerner, the executive director of the PCF.
The program "has saved lives of our former players by identifying life-threatening diseases," she says. "And will continue to save lives by providing important research data."
This data is collected only by consent of each player.
In addition to these screenings, the PCF has helped hundreds and hundreds of players and their families through grants and financial assistance totaling in the millions of dollars.
The NFL Players Association also operates The Trust, a "set of resources, programs and services designed to provide former players with the support, skills and tools to help ensure success off the field and in life after football."
Connecting Players with Critical Resources
Here's a list of the services available through PCF-directed screenings, connecting players with critical resources:
- Blood pressure and body measurements
- Cardiovascular medical histories
- Unique cardiovascular blood tests
- Echocardiography (echo) and electrocardiogram (EKG) screenings
- Sleep apnea risk assessments
- Prostate and sexual health assessments
- Mental health education and resources
Other programs available to former NFL players include: the NFL Neurological Care Program, the NFL Joint Replacement Program, Long Term Care Insurance and the NFL Health Care Information Hotline.
