Birk committed to cause

Vikings center Matt Birk said he was surprised but not deterred by the poor response from NFL players who were asked to donate part of their game checks from a December game to assist former players who face severe health and financial hardships.

Taking a leading role in the Gridiron Greats program, Birk donated $50,000 and also sent a letter to every NFL player encouraging them to donate a portion of their Dec. 21 game check. Of the nearly 1,700 active players in the league, only about 20 donated to the cause, including eight of Birk's Vikings teammates.

Birk acknowledged Tuesday he was surprised that only about 1 percent of the active players donated, but he vowed to work harder to raise awareness for the cause.

"It's not going to deter me from getting the message out there," said Birk, who was honored at the Super Bowl as a finalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. "I'm going to fight for this cause. It's in the best interests of everybody involved in this league. We're going to pick it apart and figure out how we can do better."

Jennifer Smith, executive director of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, said the number of players who donated part of their game checks was less than last year, when the organization raised between $275,000 and $300,000.

However, Smith said donations still are coming in and blamed some of the response on time constraints. Players received Birk's letter only 10 days before the Dec. 21 date.

Former Bears coach Mike Ditka, a member of the Gridiron Greats board of directors, was less diplomatic in his response to USA Today when asked about the number of players who contributed.

"What's that tell you?" Ditka told the paper. "Would you call it apathy?"

Gridiron Greats assists former players, some of whom are in dire need of basic necessities. At a press conference in the Twin Cities in December, former player Dwight Harrison said he lives in a trailer with no running water in Beaumont, Texas.

Birk, who reiterated that Gridiron Greats has nothing to do with pensions, addressed the problems in his letter to players.

"Sadly, the price paid by some of those who came before us has been too costly," he wrote. "They live in excruciating physical pain and severe mental anguish as a direct result from their playing days.

"In too many instances, these men have had to deplete their financial resources in an attempt to achieve a quality of life that is bearable at best and many have no health insurance or access to medical care. The toll of playing football has left some of our brothers physically unable to work. Many of them did not play in the league when the salaries and benefits were anywhere close to what they are today."

Smith said the majority of players who contributed the past two season were veterans. Birk said he understands that younger players are a tougher sell, but he said he's committed to raising awareness.

"I get asked all the time why I got involved in this," Birk said. "To me, that's the silliest question in the world. Why wouldn't I get involved?"