You might be surprised to learn that the attorney who helped design and still manages the NFL Players Association’s pension and benefits funds also has written a book in which he claims to have proven, through science and mathematics, the existence of God.
Even more remarkable, however, is the fact that, despite having access to tickets to any NFL game of his choosing, he doesn’t go to many – and doesn’t watch them on TV, either.
It’s just as well that he’s not eager to be a regular at Sunday games, given that Ell lives not in close proximity to a NFL city, but here on the barrier island.
Ell, who moved to Vero Beach three years ago and commutes regularly to Washington, is among the nation’s most accomplished attorneys, listed in “Best Lawyers in America” for more than 20 years.
But it’s his work with the NFLPA that put his name on the sports pages.
Hired by Hall of Fame offensive guard and former NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw 21 years ago, Ell helped design and implement the NFL’s 1993 collective bargaining agreement – a deal he described as the “foundation of the current success of pro football as a business, largely because it got management and the union working together.”
He said he drafted the new plans, which included the first 401(k) in big-time professional sports, and “branched out into disability benefits and annuities” to help players with their retirements.
The work, he said, is as challenging as it is rewarding, requiring long hours to oversee the pension funds – including the nearly $5 billion invested on behalf of the league’s current and former players – and to ensure the retirement and benefits plans continue to meet the union’s needs.
Certainly, Ell has experienced tremendous success in his work with the NFLPA, which is doing more for retired players now than ever before.
But there’s more to the man than pensions, health plans and litigation.
Ell, 65, has had a lifelong love of mathematics and science, and he still reads books on both subjects. He enjoys sailing and playing bridge.
If you’ll excuse the seasonal pun, he’s had a wonderful life, so much so that he can’t help but feel blessed – especially now that he is sure of his faith.
Though he considered himself an atheist while attending MIT, Ell said he didn’t object when his wife wanted their then-newborn son baptized in the Episcopal Church 30 years ago.
He even attended services, though he remained skeptical about God.
He also remained curious.
“I had a lot of time on flights to think about it, but, being a math and science guy, I couldn’t really believe until I could find scientific evidence that God existed,” Ell said. “So I began to apply the principles of math and science, from molecular biology to quantum physics to mathematical probabilities, to see if I could find the answer.
“And after 25 years of thinking about it – of reading books and articles and multiplying probabilities on the backs of envelopes – the discovery came to me. You couldn’t expect all this to happen by chance. The scientific evidence points to God.”
Five years ago, Ell acted on a suggestion from one of his MIT friends and decided to put his discovery into print.
He wrote a book titled, “Counting to God: A Personal Journey Through Science to Belief.”
“Most people aren’t aware of the amount of scientific evidence that points to God,” Ell said. “I hope this book changes that. I present the evidence and tell my story, in plain English, of a very personal journey.”
