RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 14 (UPI) -- The estate of NFL Hall of Fame center Mike Webster can receive about $2 million in disability benefits, a federal court in Virginia has found.
Webster retired from the NFL in 1990 after a 16-year career with Pittsburgh and Kansas City. When he retired, he was disabled, but received no compensation from the league's Disability Plan.
A lower court accepted his family's argument about the lack of compensation, and won its case. The decision was upheld Wednesday by a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.
Webster was 50 years old and homeless when he died of a heart attack in 2002.
"It's been a very, very long sojourn," his son, Garrett, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
From 1974-1988, Webster earned the nickname "Iron Mike" when he anchored a Steelers offensive line that helped the team win four Super Bowls.
He played in 245 games -- the most ever by a center -- and played every offensive down for six straight seasons.
