Ditka denies misuse of group's funds

Mike Ditka, one of the more animated characters in NFL history, was in rare form Tuesday during a news conference to promote the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund at Matty B's restaurant in downtown Minneapolis.

Battling a cold and joking about his beet-red face, the Pro Football Hall of Famer angrily denied any wrongdoing while announcing he was dissolving his three-year-old Hall of Fame Assistance Trust Fund in response to a recent USA Today report that the fund had given only a small portion of its money to former NFL players in need.

"I've spent my whole life being who I am, and for anybody to ever say that I did anything wrong in the way I treated people or handled money ... I'd be a liar if I said it didn't make me very angry," Ditka said. "Nobody likes criticism. And when it's unfounded criticism, then it really hurts. So I said, 'OK, let's do something about it.' The money didn't go anywhere. Let's dissolve this thing and give the money away."

According to the USA Today report, Ditka's charity collected $1.3 million since 2004, but netted only $315,000 after expenses and distributed only $57,000 to former players. Ditka said Tuesday the amount distributed was $159,000.

Ditka also said more than $600,000 will be split equally among the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund and Misericordia, a residential facility that takes care of physically and mentally disabled youth. Ditka also handed over a $25,000 personal check to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, which was started by Kansas City Chiefs veteran Kyle Turley as a way for active players to help retired players in need by donating parts or all of their game checks on Dec. 23.

Ditka said the original vision for his charity called for yearly donations of $100,000 to Misericordia and $100,000 to retired NFL players in need. He defended the amount of the charity's expenses, saying it's expensive to run its celebrity golf events.

The plan, he said, hit a snag when the charity was slow to identify former players in need. So the board of directors, which Ditka does not sit on, decided to "grow the fund."

"I didn't know anything about that, but that doesn't matter because they didn't do anything wrong," Ditka said. "Some of the money was given out, and we probably should have given more out. But giving it to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund is the best thing because these people have the vehicle for distributing the money."

Ditka has been an outspoken critic of the NFL and its players union for denying or delaying requests for financial help from retired players. For that, some believe the players union provided the impetus for the USA Today report.

"I don't just believe it, I know it," Vikings center Matt Birk said. "It's just too bad. Coach Ditka is just trying to do the right thing. ... This has turned into a political presidential election with sides and mudslinging. Stop all of the rhetoric and let's just solve the problem."

After venting on Tuesday, Ditka said he's ready to move on and continue the fight for former players in need.

"I've been knocked on my [butt] before, and I always get back up," Ditka said. "I'm going to keep getting knocked down, and I'm going to keep getting back up. It's who I am."

Staff writer Kevin Seifert contributed to this report.