Ex-NY Giants Star -- 'The NFL Doesn't Care About Former Players'

A former NY Giants running back is coming out swinging at the NFL -- telling TMZ Sports, "The NFL doesn't care about former players."

We spoke with Derrick Ward -- who played for the Giants from 2004 to 2008 (followed by a few seasons with the Bucs and Texans) ... and it's clear, the 33-year-old has a serious axe to grind with the league.

"I’ve come to realize after you're retired and done with football, the NFL doesn’t care about former players." Ward says.

Derrick -- who's now a full-time screen writer -- continued, "Once you leave the league, it's a wrap -- no support physically, mentally, financially, etc."

We noted several programs the NFL has in place, including the NFL pension plan -- but Ward says the programs suck across the board.

"Yes, there's a pension. You have to play 3 years and you can't touch it until you're 55. Guess what the average NFL life span is? 53.5 years (according to a recent Harvard study). Most likely 80 percent of NFL players will never see that money."