Highlights:
"I can't wait until the Super Bowl is over," said Bednarik, who played for the Eagles from 1949 to 1962. "I hope the 1960 team remains the last one to win. I hope it stays that way."
Bednarik admits he's jealous and resentful about the salaries and spotlight today's players receive, calling them "overpaid and underplayed."
This guy lives five minutes from my parents house, where I grew up. One of my sisters friends lived across the street from him. I can tell you this: He's not hurting for money. He could sell his house, move into a smaller one, and be set for years on the value of his property alone.Bednarik's acrimony stems from a 1996 visit with Lurie when he asked the Eagles owner to buy 100 copies of his book at $15 a pop, a total of $1,500, or "tip money," as the Hall of Famer described it.
Bednarik wanted Lurie to give the books to the team. He says Lurie refused because the Eagles aren't allowed to give the team gifts.
The guy was a great football player who led a nice life. He maintains his celebrity to this day, is doing well financially, and lives in a quiet community where his neighbors respect his desire to be left alone.
It's too bad he seems incapable of enjoying it. Seems to me to be a man who has a vision of what his status should be, of what priviliges he should be accorded, and is utterly unable to come to grips with the fact that reality sees things differently.
