There's a joke that follows Boomer Esiason regarding his work with the Boomer Esiason Foundation: The foundation could save money on ink if the calendar dates on which Boomer wasn't working a fund raising event were marked instead of noting the days he is traveling and working.
The NY Post's Isabel Vincent and Melissa Klein (yes, it took two writers, including the winner of the Canadian Association of Journalists' Award for excellence in investigative journalism and a Southam Fellowship, to develop 6 paragraphs) decided to plant seeds of doubt as to Boomer and his wife Cheryl's (above left with son Gunnar, daughter Sydney and husband Norman) actual work load for which they receive token $10,000 salaries (which are donated back to the charity) and approximately $23,000 worth of health, life, and disability insurance per person. They write:
The 2010 return showed the couple each worked 30 hours a week for the charity although Boomer already has three other jobs — as host of the daily “Boomer & Carton” radio show on WFAN, TV analyst for “The NFL Today on CBS” and radio commentator for “Monday Night Football.”
Adding: "Esiason’s earnings from his playing days, including endorsement deals, were a reported $24 million."
Anyone who is even a casual listener of the Boomer & Carton radio program is aware of the frequent 8 hour days the former NFL quarterback puts in at foundation events. And that doesn't include travel to and from.
Since starting the BEF in 1993, the co-chair couple has helped "heighten awareness, education and the quality of life for those affected by cystic fibrosis, while providing financial support to research aimed at finding a cure." That financial support is now up over $100,000,000. Yes, that's eight zeroes.
Charity Navigator "is an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates American charities." It gives the BEF an overal score of 63.88 out of 70 and a 4 star (its highest) rating. Accountability & Transparency as well as financial ratings are also both 4 stars. For comparison, the American Red Cross is given a 59.64 and 3 stars.
What does Boomer's lifetime NFL earnings have to do with with this? Nothing. Does Boomer not work 30 hours per week on average for the BEF? The writers want you to draw an irrelevant conclusion -- and if you're going to write it as if you don't believe it -- prove it.
And why not take it a step further and point out that $23,000 is 0.3899305025170014% of the Boomer Esiason Foundation's revenue generated last year?
Because the NY Post knows that you, the reader, are stupid.
Reached for comment, Boomer writes: "I have no idea why they would write this. I'll comment tomorrow on WFAN. I think its best I do it there."
*Update, he're is Boomer's rebuttal:
“The reason I do that is because as a former 14-year NFL football player, I do not have long-term health care (or) insurance benefits through the NFL. It’s been a big bone of contention,” said Esiason. “WFAN, CBS and Westwood One, they do not offer me health care through their programs. I have to go through a different union health care situation that does not optimize Gunnar’s care.
“And Gunnar is the most important thing in my life; he suffers from cystic fibrosis, it’s a fatal genetic disease. I have never made any apology for ever making sure that my son is taken care of the way that he’s supposed to be taken care of.”
Entire response is over on CBS.
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