BOYD GETS HIS SAY IN CONGRESS EX-PLAYER SCOLDS NFL OVER BENEFITS.

Byline: MARIO AGUIRRE

Staff Writer

Brent Boyd's professional career ended when concussions and other football-related injuries took a toll on his body.

Tuesday, the former UCLA standout gave testimony in front of Congress in an effort to improve pensions for players who were disabled while playing in the NFL.

Flanked by former players and coach Mike Ditka, Boyd addressed the House Judiciary subcommittee on Capitol Hill, telling of the depression, vertigo, fatigue and headaches he has because of injuries suffered as an NFL player.

For years, the NFL has denied a link between Boyd's disabilities and the concussions he sustained during his seven-year career with the Minnesota Vikings (1980-86).

In his testimony, Boyd painted an unflattering picture of the NFL, the players' association, and disability board, which have repeatedly denied Boyd's request for a higher monthly stipend.

"Delay, deny and hope we die. That's the Tom Condon/Gene Upshaw retirement plan," Boyd said Tuesday night by telephone.

Condon, a top agent, is one of six members on the disability board, all of whom are appointed by Upshaw, the NFL Players' Association executive director.

Boyd, an offensive lineman, suffered a concussion during his rookie season. The collision caused him to lose sight in his right eye temporarily, and he was carried to the sidelines.

"It was 1980. I don't even know if they used the word 'concussion,'" Boyd said. "You got your bell rung, deal with it."

That's the message Boyd understood before being re-inserted into the game. Now, memory loss, chronic dizziness and clinical depression are a part of Boyd's life.

Before 2001, Boyd received a one-time players assistance trust. The league was not allowed to write a check for a player, so he received coverage on medical bills up to $5,000.

"It didn't alleviate seeing my son or how I was going to put a roof over our heads," he said.

In 2000-01, Boyd was homeless. He often slept in his Infiniti until it was repossessed, and later set up a tent outside SanElijo State Beach Campground in Cardiff.

Boyd turned to his longtime friend, Barry Axelrod, who primarily represents Major League Baseball players as a sports agent. Axelrod reached out to his clients and UCLA alumni, including basketball legend Bill Walton, to start a fund for Boyd and his son.

It wasn't until Boyd hit rock-bottom that he aggressively pursued a monthly pension given to disabled former players.

He was awarded $1,500 amonth from the NFL, a stipend he still receives to this day, for non-football-related disabled retirees. The pension for football-related injuries is $8,500 a month, an amount the NFL refuses to award Boyd.

Since 2001, Boyd has been fighting to prove he is eligible for the full stipend.

He was tested by twoNFLPA-appointed doctors -- a neurologist and a psychiatrist -- that year, both of whom determined Boyd's injuries were football-related. The NFL sought a third opinion.

The NFL denied Boyd's request for a full stipend.

"The NFL was hoping we'd go away and die, and delaying and delaying benefits while all the reports were in my favor," Boyd said.

In recent years, the NFL has been criticized for their carelessness in their distribution of finances toward disabled former players.

Tuesday's hearing marks a significant move in the right direction, Boyd said.

"Things turned out incredibly well for us," he said. "The Congressmen on both sides did their homework, and they were extremely upset with the NFL. Congress told the NFL, 'You fix this, you fix this now, or we'll fix it for you."'

Going into Tuesday's hearing, Boyd had his reasons to be skeptical.

"Our approach today was that it was a p.r. move, but I'm convinced now that Congress is going to force them to do something," he said. "Congress has the power."

Today, Boyd has a home in Reno, Nev., and stable life. He remarried and moved in with his wife, Gina, and 18-year-old son Anders.

"For some reason, somebody's looking out for me," he said. "But there's hundreds of former NFL players that are out there sleeping under a bridge tonight."

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Mike Ditka, right, listens as former NFL player Brent Boyd, left, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press