<table> </table> It looked like a typical doctor&#8217;s office waiting room. Receptionists worked behind the desk, nurses summoned patients, and lengthy forms had to be filled out.</p><p>But these were no ordinary patients waiting for appointments. The group included a Pro Football Hall of Famer, Super Bowl champions, Pro Bowlers and even a Heisman Trophy winner.</p><p>Taking advantage of a new program launched by the NFL Player Care Foundation, 33 former players underwent a free, comprehensive heart screening on Nov. 13-14 at Carondelet Heart Institute at St. Joseph Medical Center.</p><p>The waiting room was a Who&#8217;s Who of Chiefs history, including Bobby Bell, Ed Budde, Jim Lynch, Jim Kearney, Curtis McClinton and Deron Cherry; former NFL players who live in the area, including Paul Coffman, Conrad Dobler, Jamie Mueller and Henry Childs; and former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers, who drove in from Omaha.</p><p>&#8220;This has been needed for a long time,&#8221; former Chiefs running back Ted McKnight said after the 90-minute screening. &#8220;This can help catch things in guys who have had issues who probably would have let it skate by. It&#8217;s important to have an idea of where we are physically. We know we are beat up &#8230; but to know internally where we are &#8230; you&#8217;re curious to know.&#8221;</p><p>The cardiovascular screening program is a byproduct from the outcry in recent years by former players who thought the NFL and NFL Players Association have not adequately addressed the needs and benefits of those who played the game, especially before big contracts kicked in.</p><p>&#8220;Those things didn&#8217;t come about until we had Gridiron Greats and other people organized and said, &#8216;Wait a minute, we have to take care of some of these things,&#8217; &#8221; said Dobler, an outspoken critic of how the needs of retired players have been neglected over the years. &#8220;Any type of business has an image to protect, and the NFL certainly wants to do its part in protecting its image.&#8221;</p><p>Other new programs funded by the NFL Player Care Foundation &#8212; which is a partnership between the NFL, NFL Alumni, NFLPA and Pro Football Hall of Fame &#8212; include the NFL Player Joint Replacement Program; Assisted Living Benefits; &#8220;Plan88&#8221; Dementia Benefits; and Prostate Cancer Screenings.</p><p>&#8220;Commissioner (Roger) Goodell has made a commitment to understanding the concerns of retired players and working toward better solutions,&#8221; said Brian McCarthy, NFL vice president of corporate communications. &#8220;These heart screenings are among a number of programs we initiated with the NFL Players Association to address the needs of retired players.&#8221;</p><p>Jeffrey Boone, a cardiologist from Denver, brought a team of medical technicians to Kansas City and worked with medical personnel at Carondelet in putting the former players through a battery of tests. The players moved from room to room and underwent imaging of the heart and arteries, advanced blood profiling, cholesterol testing, blood-pressure tests, body-fat measuring and a 64-slice CAT scan that can predict the patient&#8217;s risk for heart attack and stroke.</p><p>The tests would cost about $3,000 if done in a hospital and probably would be out-of-pocket since most insurance companies would not cover them</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s the first complete physical I&#8217;ve had like that,&#8221; said former Chiefs offensive lineman Rich Baldinger. &#8220;It&#8217;s even more complete than when we played.</p><p>&#8220;As players, we put a lot of stress on our bodies. Guys are bigger and stronger and heavier than the average person, so you go through all that. Once a lot of guys&#8217; careers end, they don&#8217;t continue the same physical training. So how much damage did you do in the meantime? You&#8217;re hoping it isn&#8217;t a lot.&#8221;