Workers are hurt on the job daily. Regardless of your line of work, you have risks that you encounter regularly. Athletes are subjected to injuries every time they play a game or practice. These injuries can result in mounting medical expenses and time missed from work. Workers' compensation offers medical benefits and covers a portion of lost wages while you are recovering from your injuries. Laws regarding workers' comp vary from one state to another, so your coverage could vary. National Football League Players Association The National Football League Players Association is the labor organization that represent the professional American football players who play in the National Football League (NFL). The organization has 3,130 former players who are members and another 2,166 active player and associate members. The organization was formed in 1956 and has headquarters in Washington, D.C. The organization handles player contract negotiations and protects player rights and files grievances against discipline that seems too severe. Common Workplace Injuries For a professional football player, the workplace is either the football field or the weight room. Playing football can be a dangerous sport, and just one injury can sideline you and put an end to your career. Concussions are common among football players. A concussion can lead to missing several games and practices and involve in-depth therapy and rehabilitation to get back full functioning such as memory and to resolve pain. Other injuries suffered by football players include serious spinal and back injuries. Sometimes paralysis can even result after a hard tackle. Broken bones are common, with some of them being compound fractures that require surgical intervention. Traumatic brain injuries can result from a hard hit to the head during a tackle. Torn rotator cuffs, torn hamstrings, and tendon, ligament, and muscle damage are injuries faced by football players as well. Any of these injuries can have a lasting effect and require ongoing medical care. The medical bills can add up fast. If you have been hurt while performing your football duties, your National Football League Players Association might be able to help you. What To Do If You Have Been Hurt On the Job If you have suffered an injury while working, there are a few things that you should do to preserve evidence and to protect your rights to a workers' compensation claim. Here are a few tips: Notify your manager, supervisor, or human resources department of your injury. Provide precise details about the play in which you were injured and what injuries resulted. Get a copy of the accident report. Your employer should complete an accident report detailing what happened and your injuries. If law enforcement or other responders complete a report, get a copy of that as well. Seek medical care right away. Always get checked out by a trained medical professional. Contact your National Football League Players Association representative for information about filing a workers' compensation claim. Protect Your Legal Rights Don't try to settle things with the insurance company on your own. Instead, you might be signing away your rights and not getting treated fairly. Consult with a workers' compensation attorney before agreeing to anything and make sure you talk with the National Football League Players League representative because bargaining might call for faster claims processing or additional benefits. Further Reading I Injured My Knee at Work. What Do I Do? Head Injury and Workers' Compensation *Disclaimer *The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against your employer, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
