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| | Illinois Legislature Hearing Measure Spearheaded By Chicago Bears Over Former Players' Ability To Tap Workers Compensation After Career-Ending Injuries. Bears seek to cap certain payments to athletes at no older than 35 or five years after their injury.
By Lonce LaMon - February 24, 2017
The issue of whether pro athletes should be able to receive work comp benefits until they are 67 years old just like non-athlete injured workers is being debated between the Chicago Bears and the NFL Players Association in the Illinois Legislature. It's one element of a compromise proposal aimed to conclude a nearly two-year-long fight over the state's budget.
The Chicago Bears are leading other Chicago sports franchises in backing a measure that would reduce a former player's ability to tap into workers compensation after a career-ending injury. They want to cap certain payments to athletes at no older than 35 years, or five years after their injury. Currently they can claim benefits up to age 67, just like other workers who are non-professional athletes.
The teams and players advocates do not communicate how much money is at stake, while they agree it is not a relatively big pot. While theoretically some could claim millions, most if not all athletes settle their claims for reduced sums up front.
Just a few pro players filed for workers' compensation benefits in the past four years with the association not identifying them or describing their individual cases. However, one example in the public record of an athlete who claimed this compensation is former Bears offensive lineman Ted Albrecht, a first-round draft choice whose career ended with a back injury in 1982. An arbitrator tried to deny his claim, but an appeals court ruled he was entitled to receive an award based on the difference between his $130,000 Bears salary and what he later earned as a travel agent and sportscaster, which ranged from $87,000 to $36,000 between 1983 and 1986.
The Bears say Illinois' law regulating compensation is overly generous. They also argue the existing rules attract players from other states to file claims in Illinois.
An attorney who represents NFL players, Richard Gordon, told the Associated Press, "The savings to these (team) owners are negligible whereas the benefits to these players are everything."
The Associated Press article stated the Bears say the measure is really about being fair to other Illinois workers with longer careers in other fields. It also wrote that NFL Players Association spokesman George Atallah stated the benefits provide a lifeline to players whose athletic careers end suddenly — especially lower paid athletes performing just on practice teams or in minor leagues, who may lack sufficient savings and education to fall back on.
lonce@adjustercom.com
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