Honest Mistake or Criminal Intent?

This tale bears just a little telling this evening. And i like Mike Ditka, he was a hell of a player, a hell of a coach, and i think he's a decent studio guy. But this doesn't look good.

Ditka has been one of the loudest proponents for assistance for ex-NFL'ers in need, going so far as to starting his own charity with the idea of helping out those who are in dire straits. He has been seen and heard many times trumpeting the injustices done to former players, and three years decided to do something about it.

According to a report by USA Today last week, Ditka's charity has raised $1.3 million since it was formed. A decent sum of money for three years for a new charity. The problem? According to the same report, precisely $57,000 was actually given to former players in need. I'm not mathematician, but that's roughly 4%. Not exactly a staggering figure. To be fair, Ditka claimed they had actually paid out $159,000, but really, that's splitting hairs.

So where has the other $1.24 million gone? According to some reports, Ditka spent $750,000 on three golf tournaments, with some people speculating a lot of that went to paying people to show up. If this is the case, well... that's kinda sad. He's Mike Ditka. If he calls you up and says 'come to my golf tournament', i for one am going.

While Ditka is getting killed by some in the media, i'm inclined to believe it's less of him intentionally not paying former players and more of him a) not knowing what's going on with his charity, and b) overall poor management. Ditka has been a very vocal proponent of helping ex-players, i doubt he was intentionally whittling funds.

Either way. as a result of the fallout from the report, Ditka has decided to close the fund, which might be the best result. The fund currently has a balance of about $600,000, which will be split evenly between the the Gridiron Greats Fund, basically the same as Ditka's fund, and a residential facility for disabled youth. While admirable, the facility for disabled youth is a curious choice, as it has nothing to do with the original intent of Ditka's charity. It is most likely a PR move, and hard to argue against, but still a curious choice.

In a press conference this afternoon, appearing with several former and current players, Ditka pledged $25,000 of his money to the Gridiron Greats, and said he would focus his efforts on that group. Realistically, this was a small stain on Ditka and his reputation, but not one that will hurt him too much in the long run. I do hope that, even without his own fund, he continues his trumpeting for the plight of ex-NFL'ers in need.