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Super Bowl LII
Matt Sepic

Former 'Purple People Eater' raises awareness of what happens after football fame

Carl Eller
Football hall-of-famer Carl Eller will be among the fans watching the Super Bowl.
Matt Sepic | MPR News

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Football hall-of-famer Carl Eller is known to Vikings fans as a member of the legendary "Purple People Eaters" defensive line, which helped the team to four Super Bowl appearances in the 1970s. On Sunday, he will be among the 66,000 fans watching Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Eller played 15 seasons for the Vikings in the 1960s and '70s. But now, he's doing more than watching football, he's advocating for his fellow NFL retirees.

Over much of the nearly 40 years since he left the game, Eller has pushed the NFL to provide health insurance, pensions and other benefits to former players.

The 76-year-old started and continues to lead the NFL Retired Players Association. With thousands of football fans in Minneapolis for the big game, Eller hosted a pancake breakfast Thursday to raise money for the group. Friday night he was at a downtown bar auctioning off memorabilia.

"You talk to people today, and you tell them you're an ex-NFL player they go 'you must be rich,' but it's not that way. It's a wealthy league, and we just feel like we've kind of been left out," Eller said.

Even when adjusted for inflation, average players' salaries 40 years ago were just a fraction of what they are today. But Eller says things are improving for retirees.

Eller was the lead plaintiff in a 2011 lawsuit against the league and players union that accused both of leaving retirees in the cold during contract negotiations. A judge tossed out that suit, but in later litigation, former players won money for the use of their images and compensation for brain injuries.

Eller said another key part of his work is helping players on the verge of retirement prepare for the next phase of their lives.

"Emotionally, psychologically, there are challenges," he said. "You've been very successful on the football field, but there are other skills and other development that you need."

Eller says the association also provides retired players a space to support each other over the many decades they'll spend off the football field.