TAMPA, Fla. -- A harsh dose of reality was injected into the festive atmosphere of the Super Bowl this morning when about three dozen retired players met with the media to promote the Gridiron Greats, an organization that provides financial assistance to retired NFL players who left the game with serious injuries.Everyone who follows football knows that players often leave the game with permanent disabilities, and that even the lucky ones can usually point to a knee, hip, elbow or shoulder that bears surgical scars and still causes them pain. But seeing all these former players gathered in one room brought the point home: At one point during the press conference, the ex-players were asked if they were in physical pain just sitting there. Almost all of them said they were.
