Career-ending injuries to NFL players are part of professional football. Are you prepared with professional athlete disability insurance coverage?

Today’s NFL football is nothing like it was 20 or 30 years ago. Today’s players are bigger, stronger, faster and better conditioned than ever before. Every muscle has been fine tuned for peak performance. But no matter how many hours spent training, there are parts of the body that will never withstand every misstep or twist (joints), collision (bones and organs) or brain-rattling concussion. So what happens when injuries to players on the playing or practice fields are serious and career threatening?

Insurance Coverage for NFL & College Football Players

For football players at the highest levels, playing with pain is part of the game. And often the pain only gets worse after their playing days are over. Serious injuries and illnesses like those that follow can end a football player’s career in a heartbeat.

  • An All-Pro linebacker is diagnosed with a degenerative neck/spine condition and is forced to retire from the NFL at the age of 24.
  • A Super Bowl winning receiver takes a hard hit on special teams and tears multiple muscles and ligaments in neck. He’s never played another snap.
  • A veteran tight end walks away from the NFL at age 28 after suffering 4 concussions.
  • A high draft pick quarterback suffers a gruesome ACL tear and dislocated kneecap in practice in 2016. He has not yet been cleared to play.
  • One of the best defensive tackles in the game is diagnosed with a heart condition in the offseason. His career may be over.
  • A starting running back for one of the NFL’s top teams is involved in a bad car accident. He has not cleared concussion protocol.
  • A top-ranked college tight end tears his ACL in the Orange Bowl causing his draft stock to plummet. Fortunately he had a Loss-of-Value policy in place.
  • A college linebacker tears his ACL in the Fiesta Bowl and drops in the pro draft, but fortunately he had a Loss-of-Value policy in place.
  • A defensive back for one of college football’s top teams tears his ACL in practice. He collects a $3 million benefit from his Loss-of-Value policy.

Like any established NFL pro or highly ranked collegiate player, the rewards of playing at the highest levels are significant, as are the losses to income and lifestyle when significant injuries or illnesses occur. That’s why it’s important for the NFL player, his agent and his team’s management to each do whatever it takes to protect their interests. Since, by the nature of the game, injuries are sometimes unavoidable, the best way to do this is with insurance products that protect the financial and time investment of NFL players and management in the event of lost time due to significant injury or career-ending physical or mental impairment.

Choosing the right insurance for professional athletes

There are a number of NFL disability insurance products that act to protect the interests of the insured in the event of catastrophic injury. These include:

Permanent Total Disability—Benefits are paid when an injury prevents the NFL player from ever returning to the field. Also known as “career ending” insurance.

Loss of Value—This coverage provides financial protection against the loss of value in the player’s contract if he suffers an injury before signing a professional contract, is playing out the final season of his contract before free agency, or for college athletes entering into a draft.

Besides playing hard for their next contract, professional athletes and young players with futures in the NFL need to take into account the possibility that their playing careers could be over in a flash. It’s scary to think about, and many will never let such a negative thought enter their head, but the fact is: whether you’re an athlete, an agent or legal representative, or with team management, having the proper protection in place to protect a playing career(s) and/or your investment is a no-brainer.

SEI Sports Group can help with NFL Disability Insurance

The SEI Sports Group can customize affordable disability policies to meet the needs of NFL football players and other athletes in professional sports. We have worked with NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA athletes, as well as professional golfers, Olympians, and tennis players. Call Schaefer Enterprises – and we will tailor an insurance program specific to your needs.