In my previous post, I made an impassioned plea for everyone to read this great article at Deadspin. Did you do that? Do I have to beg once more for you to go and read that piece in full? If you haven’t read it by now, I doubt that any more pleading is going to change that. But still, go read the article.
In that post, I focused on how insane it is that former NFL player Nate Jackson (and most likely many, many, NFL players past and present) did not have full access to his own medical records. The other part that really stood out to me in that article was how Jackson had to pay for at least one of his own injury rehabs. This is something that I’ve always wondered about but never heard confirmed by anyone in the NFL. In the article, Jackson talks about one of his oft-injured shoulders. Jackson had dislocated his left shoulder twice in college, and it was a known issue going into the NFL. Before he signed his rookie contract with the 49ers’, there was a full medical check where it was determined that this shoulder might be an ongoing concern. Because of this history, the team had Jackson sign an injury waiver in regards to his shoulder, meaning that if Jackson injured the shoulder again, the team had the right to cut him without pay and/or medical treatment. Unsurprisingly, given how easily an injured shoulder can be subsequently dislocated, that is precisely what ended up happening. The team cut him, thereby leaving him without pay or treatment. Jackson had to pay for his shoulder stabilization surgery through his own insurance. Yes, you read that right. Here’s his quote:
“I had surgery through my own Lifeguard insurance by a surgeon recommended by the Niners…”
So basically, an NFL team has used a pre-existing medical condition clause to make sure that they’re not on the hook for medical treatment or pay. Am I the only one who finds that offensive? I understand that the team probably shouldn’t have to pay a player who reinjures an old condition, especially when it is discussed and worked into the contract details. NFL teams all have to work under a salary cap, and paying injured players in full could have a larger financial impact that would make building a roster even more difficult than it currently is. But for some reason, I find the lack of medical treatment to be insane. Money is one thing, but medical coverage for an injured player should be something else entirely.
I think part of my disgust here is that there’s something really asymmetrical as far as medical costs. The team has a large medical staff with plenty of resources at their disposal. They have a network of outside surgeons and doctors too. The player however, does not have those resources. He has some insurance provider that’s probably just as crappy as the insurance providers that you and I have. Perhaps I’ve just been living under European socialism too long (I live in Europe… that’s not some strangely disguised anti-Obama crap) and it’s clouded my views on healthcare. In my mind though, the cost of one more rehab is a mere drop-in-the-bucket for an NFL team, but a substantial financial burden, even for a professional athlete. Wait, maybe that should read, “especially for a professional athlete,” as the athlete’s reliance on his body would require nothing short of the best (most expensive) care.
I think that as football fans, we always sort of assume that a team shoulders the financial costs of injured players. It appears that is not always the case. Nate Jackson’s story points out how players are often on their own due to injury waivers, and that freaks me out a little.
I plan to dig a little deeper here and see what other circumstances end with a player paying for his own medical care (or having his own insurance pay for his care). The case of Beanie Wells comes to mind. In October of 2013, RB/KR Beanie Wells tore his Achilles tendon while trying out for the Baltimore Ravens. Who pays for that? Technically, there was no contract, so I’m now sort of thinking that the costs came out of Wells’ pocket. Also, is there a decent NFLPA-affiliated insurance plan? If not, why? Again, I plan on following up on these questions in the future. Now really, did you read that whole article yet?
