The final penalty | Morning Newsletter
📺 And presidential debate prep.
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The Morning Newsletter
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Back at it, Philly. Today is set to be sunny with temps in the high 70s, as foreshadowed by Saturday’s awesome rainbow show.
Ten years after a settlement deal directed the NFL to pay former players suffering from neurocognitive illnesses, members of the Eagles’ 1980 Super Bowl team say they have struggled to get compensated.
And ahead of tomorrow night’s presidential debate, we examine the suburbs of small cities like Harrisburg that are shifting blue — and could help Kamala Harris win Pennsylvania.
Find these stories and more below.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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In 2014, the NFL agreed to fund a program that would pay retired players between $25,000 and $5 million if they were found to have neurocognitive impairment. The settlement came after thousands of former players sued the league, accusing its leaders of minimizing the risks of repeated brain injuries.
The deal at first appeared to be a salve after years of anguish for men who developed debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and CTE.
Yet many of those eligible, including Philadelphia Eagles 1980 Super Bowl stars, have struggled to get compensated.
Behind the story: Investigative reporter David Gambacorta has been following this story for months, including while reporting on Philly native Frank Wycheck, the former tight end who suffered an estimated 25 concussions during his time playing football. He connected with a dozen of the 1980 team’s starters, as well as the families of two players who have died, to learn more about the impact of the controversial settlement program.
In the reporter’s own words: “These players are icons — that 1980 team was the first in franchise history to reach a Super Bowl,” Gambacorta told me. “But some of those guys have been out of the spotlight for years, so it was shocking and heartbreaking to find that they were battling dementia and other serious illnesses. The thing that stuck with me the most, though, was the real sense of anguish some players felt about their experiences with the settlement program.”
Read his important and moving story here. For further reading, check out this timeline of the NFL’s concussion saga, and its impact on former Eagles.
Some historically red suburbs of small cities in Pennsylvania have been trending blue over the past few elections. That makes voters there yet another key group that could sway results this November.
In Cumberland County, for example, a growing Democratic electorate nearly tied Lower Allen’s presidential vote in 2020.
“The ideological shift might be happening more rapidly than I think we were expecting,” one Republican-turned-Democrat resident of the 20,000-person town said.
🗳️ Tuesday night’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is happening at the National Constitution Center. And as this election season has already shown, debates can be hugely consequential. Here’s what’s at stake for both candidates.
🍺 Want to watch with peers? Groups aligned with both major parties are hosting debate-viewing events in bars, on college campuses, and beyond.
📺 Some readers may remember the first time Philadelphia hosted a televised presidential debate, between President Gerald R. Ford and Gov. Jimmy Carter in 1976. It didn’t go so well that time.
What you should know today
Citing a threat on social media, Woodbury City Public Schools in Gloucester County will be closed today.
A 31-year-old woman died in a Philly jail Saturday after being arrested for drug possession during a Kensington sweep. Her family thinks she went into cardiac arrest as a result of withdrawal.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro endorsed 20 state House candidates on Monday, as Democrats gear up for a fight to maintain or expand their one-seat majority in the state House.
A key potential witness in the racketeering case against George E. Norcross III, developer Carl Dranoff, has now sued the New Jersey power broker.
Several local colleges saw declines in first-year students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year to ban race-conscious admission decisions.
Architecture critic Inga Saffron considers: Is a Sixers arena or biomedical hub more likely to revive East Market Street?
A Philly woman whose husband’s murder was solved after more than a decade has started a nonprofit to help others dealing with cold cases.
Turn the Key marked the 100th price-restricted home sold toward its goal of 1,000. The city program aims to make home ownership affordable for first-time buyers.
A Garnet Valley High School junior just earned a bronze medal at the beach volleyball world championships.
🧠 Trivia time
Drexel University business professor Robert Morier has been moonlighting in what classic summertime job to prove that it can teach lifelong leadership and communication skills?
A) Lifeguard
B) Ice cream scooper
C) Camp counselor
D) Movie theater manager
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🍪 Ordering: Cookies and cakes from these seven great bakeries in the ‘burbs.
🏙️ Exploring: Philly’s neighborhoods with these guides to food, drink, and fun.
😷 Reading: Dr. Ala Stanford’s book, Take Care of Them Like My Own.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
This acclaimed writer, who was named Philadelphia’s first poet laureate in 2012, turns 90 today.
CANONIZES ASH
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Antoinette Sellitto, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Trea Turner. The standing ovation that reenergized the Phillies shortstop’s 2023 season is at the center of a new documentary.
Photo of the day
Your “only in Philly” story
📬 Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.
‘Til next time! Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer.
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