This story, written by NFL quarterbacks, Drew Brees and Tom Brady originally appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle Opinion Section.
We play for different professional football teams, we have won our share of games, and we have been fortunate to play this game for longer than the average four-year career. We are very well compensated and play a game that we love in front of the greatest fans in the world. We also know first-hand what injuries mean in the NFL.
You often hear the phrase “injuries are part of the game.” From our perspective, injury is a reality of our job and so is the obligation to take care of people hurt at work. In California, that care to professional athletes is threatened by a proposed law, Assembly Bill 1309.
AB1309 unfairly targets professional athletes by attempting to classify them differently than other interstate workers, such as pilots, migrant workers, construction workers or actors. California law allows any out-of-state worker with appropriate contacts (as determined by a judge) to file a claim. This bill would exempt players, leaving no room for judges to make fair and reasonable decisions for thousands of pending and legitimate claims by professional athletes. There are players — real people with real families — out there who are literally fighting to save their legs and get the medical care they need for the injuries they suffered at work.
Despite what bill supporters say, California taxpayers are not on the hook for these players’ benefits or their care. The bill’s author, Assemblyman Henry Perea, D-Fresno, admits that. In fact, in the NFL and many other pro sports, the cost of workers’ compensation is deducted from the players’ share of league revenues as agreed through collective bargaining.
That means, as players, we take less salary today so that there is money to care for injured players when their careers are over. The salary cap was reduced by $64 million last year alone to cover the costs of the teams’ workers’ compensation premiums. Also, professional athletes do, and should, contribute their fair share. According to the California Franchise Tax Board, men and women who play professional sports contributed nearly $200 million in taxes in 2011 on the money they earned any time they played in a California stadium or arena.
California is not unique, and this is not the first time professional athletes have had to confront an attempt to restrict their rights to health care for workplace injuries. In 2010, sports teams and leagues introduced legislation in Louisiana to lower payouts of workers’ compensation claims to professional athletes.
There is no good reason for professional athletes to be singled out. We pay our share to the state, we negotiated the costs of the insurance that cover the claims.
This is not a California taxpayer issue. We are all growing increasingly aware of the health and safety issues associated with professional sports. Instead of spending money lobbying for a bill that makes it more difficult to deal those issues, we should all be working together to care for those who are affected by them.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was born in San Mateo and attended Junípero Serra High School. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was drafted in 2001 by the Chargers and played in San Diego through 2005.
This post originally appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle Opinion Section. Click here to read this story.
The San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board also published an opinion piece today on AB1309 and workers compensation for professional athletes Click here to read that story.
