Professional Athletes Make a Play for Workers’ Compensation

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Professional Athletes Make a Play for Workers’ Compensation

Written by Malman Law, reviewed by Steve J. Malman.

At the end of September 2013, California passed a law preventing professional athletes from filing for workers’ compensation for injuries they sustained while playing a game. However, many athletes who heard the law was passing took advantage of the short time frame they had left, and hired workers’ compensation lawyers who helped push through more than 1,000 work injury claims at the last minute. Of these cases, 569 cases were against the NFL, 283 were against MBA clubs, 113 were against the NHL and 79 were against the NBA.

Severe injuries and medical bills

Three quarters of the cases filed against the NFL were for head or brain injuries caused by repetitive trauma. Football players Steve Gleason and O.J. Brigance both filed workers’ compensation cases for their cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease—a disease linked to head trauma.

Athletes are constantly incurring injuries directly related to the games they are playing, so why are these sports organizations so against workers’ compensation benefits for their players? Groups like the NFL and others may be opposed to professional athlete workers’ compensation cases because of the hefty price tag associated with them. Like with Gleason and Brigance’s cases, many of these athletes’ injuries require lifelong medical attention—and big medical bills.

When you might need workers’ compensation

Even though you may not be a professional athlete, you can still follow this case’s example when you’ve had an injury on the job. For example, maybe you work in a very physically demanding job, like these athletes, and you become injured while performing an everyday task. In that instance, you may need to file a workers’ compensation case. Any time your job causes an injury or you become ill related to your work on the job, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, and a lawyer can help you get what you deserve.

Contacting a workers’ compensation attorney

If you receive an injury on the job in any way, a workers’ compensation lawyer may be your best resource for getting the monetary reward you need for any time you were unable to work. A lawyer like Steven J. Malman concentrates in helping injured workers get the compensation they need to support their families and themselves.

To learn more about your rights if you’ve received an injury on the job, read our download or contact us today.

Steve Malman

Malman Law’s founder Attorney Steven Malman has over 30 years of experience handling personal injury, nursing home, medical malpractice, truck accidents, car accidents, premises liability, construction, and workers’ compensation cases in Chicago, IL.

Years of experience: +30 years
Illinois Registration Status: Active and authorized to practice law—Last Registered Year: 2024

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