NFL teams will complete their contributions toward player benefits on Thursday, bringing the total amount funded by owners for the 2010 season to $245 million. Owners will deposit $177 million with BNY Mellon to complete the funding for the 2010 season. The contributions fund player benefits that include the pension plan, group medical insurance, the disability plan, and the "88" program for retired players with dementia or related conditions. "NFL ownership is proud of the outstanding benefits that NFL players have enjoyed in recent years and the improvements that have been made for retired players," said Carolina Panthers founder and owner Jerry Richardson. "We have more work to do, especially for the retired players, and look forward to further improvements being part of the new NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement." In the past 10 years alone, NFL owners have contributed more than $2.7 billion for the funding of the various NFL benefit plans for current and retired players.