Your Sports and Compensation Law Attorneys
NEWS IN SPORTS LAW
March 22, 2017
By Kat S. Hatziavramidis, Esq.
Introduction:
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On both a statewide and national level, the National Football League (NFL) has been inundated with workers’ compensation claims by professional athletes who sustain serious injuries from play. See, e.g., Kiannah Sepeda-Miller, “Illinois bill would rein in pro athletes’ worker comp claims,” The State Journal Register, Feb, 20, 2017. In Illinois, for example, the legislature is debating whether “injured pro athletes be allowed to earn worker compensation benefits until they are 67 years old, like other workers, even if their athletic careers normally would have ended more than 30 years earlier.” Id. Moreover, this is a national controversy, with arguments being made on both sides. See, e.g., Sally Jenkins, “Commentary: NFL Needs to Cure Its Medical Procedures,” The Washington Post (Reprinted in the Valley News), Mar. 11, 2017. In any event, this is an important legal topic that will demand the help of attorneys, expert witnesses, and fact-finders.
April 22, 2015
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By Steve Almasy and Jill Martin, CNN
Photos: Athletes and CTE
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Chris Henry played five seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals before dying at the age of 26. He died after falling from the bed of a moving pickup during a fight with his fiancée. His young age prompted concern over how quickly athletes start to suffer from CTE.
CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated head trauma. Scientists believe repeated head trauma can cause CTE, a progressive degenerative disease of the brain. Symptoms include depression, aggression and disorientation, but scientists can definitively diagnose it only after death.
April 24, 2014
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By BEN STRAUSS
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Kyle Hardrick lost his basketball scholarship at Oklahoma after he tore his meniscus.
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Jason Whitehead nearly lost his football scholarship at Ohio University after he injured his neck.
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Stanley Doughty left South Carolina only to discover he had a serious spine injury that ended his N.F.L. career after his first physical.
In the sprawling battle to reform the N.C.A.A., medical care for injured athletes has emerged as a key front, a particularly sensitive subject that has become more important with increased awareness about head injuries.
