In 2014, the Pro Football Hall of Fame unveiled ambitious plans for a transformative $500 million development on its campus located in Canton, Ohio. Central to this vision was a senior care facility dubbed Legends Landing, specifically designed to cater to the needs of aging N.F.L. retirees. This facility was intended to provide essential care for former players grappling with cognitive diseases, which research has increasingly linked to the repeated head impacts that are a hallmark of professional football.
This initiative received significant backing from high-profile figures in the N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell and Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, were among its prominent advocates. Furthermore, Tom Benson, the then-owner of the New Orleans Saints, pledged a substantial $1 million toward Legends Landing as part of an overall $11 million contribution to the Hall of Fame. In a heartfelt letter to fellow team owners, Benson urged them to follow suit, emphasizing the collective responsibility to support the league’s former stars.
- Tom Benson’s Statement: “We can make a tangible difference in the lives of our game’s greats. It is important that we all play a role here.”
However, a decade later, while the broader Hall of Fame Village development has seen some progress, the anticipated Legends Landing facility remains conspicuously absent. Instead of the promised care center, the space now features a “Play-Action Plaza”, an amusement park boasting attractions like a Ferris wheel and a zip line.
Recently, Hall of Fame Village hosted the N.F.L.’s four-day national youth flag football championships, attracting nearly 3,000 young athletes to the site. This juxtaposition highlights a growing concern: as the Hall of Fame prepares to induct a new class of honorees, the abandonment of Legends Landing underscores the ongoing struggle of the N.F.L. and its affiliates to effectively support former players.
Throughout the years, the league has faced criticism for inadequately addressing the needs of older retirees, particularly regarding fair pension distributions, the challenges of winning disability benefits, and its contentious stance in concussion-related litigation. Legends Landing was envisioned as a pivotal step toward rectifying this perception and providing meaningful assistance to the league’s former greats.
